Art is the music we make from the bewildered cry of being alive. ~Maria Popova
04 May 2016 Leave a comment
in Video of the Week Tags: the science of music
04 May 2016 Leave a comment
in Songs You May Have Missed Tags: quiet corners & empty spaces, the jayhawks
The Jayhawks: “Quiet Corners & Empty Spaces” (2016)
I’ll defer here to Walter Tunis’ review of the Jayhawks’ Paging Mr. Proust album from the Lexington Herald Leader:
The opening tune to the new Jayhawks album Paging Mr. Proust isn’t just a fine encapsulation of the band’s Americana and pop inspirations. It is quite possibly the perfect pop song.
Clocking in at three minutes, there isn’t a wasted breath on Quiet Corners and Empty Spaces. It exudes melancholy and a hint of restless urgency (“Not far, a blue guitar was playing; it drew me like it knew me, saying…”) then strides along with such an effortless melodic flow as to recall The Byrds at their best. But then there are the vocals: a three-part harmony design created by Jayhawks chieftain Gary Louris along with keyboardist Karen Grotberg and drummer Tim O’Reagan. That’s the dealbreaker: a simple, infectious but overwhelmingly emotive wave of singing that proclaims, in definitive terms, that The Jayhawks have returned.
So captivating is the song that upon first listen to the album, I hit repeat five times before exploring the other riches within Paging Mr. Proust.
Read more here: http://www.kentucky.com/entertainment/music-news-reviews/article75350057.html#storylink=cpy
See also: https://edcyphers.com/2012/10/25/songs-you-may-have-missed-206/
See also: https://edcyphers.com/2013/01/30/songs-you-may-have-missed-312/
See also: https://edcyphers.com/2015/06/24/recommended-albums-63/
Photo credit: Heidi Ehalt
03 May 2016 Leave a comment
in Video of the Week Tags: jimmy fallon, styx
01 May 2016 Leave a comment
in Songs You May Have Missed Tags: florence welch, rufus wainwright, sonnet 29, when in disgrace with fortune and men's eyes
Rufus Wainwright with Florence Welch: “When in Disgrace with Fortune and Men’s Eyes (Sonnet 29)” (2016)
I don’t know how you observed the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death, but Rufus Wainwright gathered a diverse group of singers and actors to recite and sing a selection of 16 interpretations of nine of the bard’s sonnets.
Some are operatic, some experimental-sounding, some sparely arranged and others richly orchestrated. Most employ classical arrangements but a few are chamber pop pieces more approachable for the fan of more mainstream pop, such as this take on Sonnet 29 featuring Florence Welch of Florence + The Machine. Never has Elizabethan-era love poetry sounded more catchy.
When, in disgrace with fortune and men’s eyes,
I all alone beweep my outcast state,
And trouble deaf heaven with my bootless cries,
And look upon myself, and curse my fate,
Wishing me like to one more rich in hope,
Featur’d like him, like him with friends possess’d,
Desiring this man’s art and that man’s scope,
With what I most enjoy contented least;
Yet in these thoughts myself almost despising,
Haply I think on thee, and then my state,
Like to the lark at break of day arising
From sullen earth, sings hymns at heaven’s gate;
For thy sweet love remember’d such wealth brings
That then I scorn to change my state with kings.
See also: https://edcyphers.com/2012/05/07/songs-you-may-have-missed-96/
30 Apr 2016 Leave a comment
in General Posts Tags: enya
(via msn entertainment)
By Megan Riedlinger
We never thought we’d say this, but we have a new life hero and her name is Enya.
The reclusive and notoriously private 54-year-old singer was named the richest female musician in British and Irish history this month with a $132 million fortune. In additional to this coveted claim, The Sun recently uncovered some rare details about her fascinating lifestyle.
Enya is currently living her best life, residing alone in a massive castle in Ireland. The only other occupants of her home? The security team, staff members, and her cats…
28 Apr 2016 Leave a comment
in General Posts Tags: gary louris, mark olson, the jayhawks
(via AP) by David Bauder
NEW YORK (AP) — To a certain extent, singer-songwriter Gary Louris is fighting against history by reforming the Jayhawks.
“The precedent isn’t very good as far as bands putting out their best work late in their careers — in rock, it’s very rare,” said Louris, 61. “That doesn’t mean it has to be that way.”
The Jayhawks try to prove that point with Friday’s release of “Paging Mr. Proust,” a concise collection of melodic pop-rock with a few twists. The lovely “Quiet Corners & Empty Spaces” stands with the best work ever by the Minneapolis-based group that made an initial impression with early-1990s songs “Blue” and “Waiting for the Sun.”
No one can accuse the Jayhawks of living off past glory. In fact, their failure to achieve the greatness many had predicted became a defining characteristic and internal motivator. The band and Louris lived through their share of tumult…
Read more: http://bigstory.ap.org/article/b5c81694e1e94f58b131f6b2b2e259ee/jayhawks-ride-rocky-path-reformation
Every Moment Has A Song 