Sunday songs...

Two amazing songs brightened up my morning, even though the first is sad ("Code" by Deptford Goth) and the second has a very dark sound ("Blindfolded" by Simple Minds).

I love Uncut magazine. Its reviews are almost always spot on and the tracks I can add to my collection always improve it.

And I'm absolutely thrilled to see Simple Minds has a new album out and that it's actually quite good, that they are as good as ever, something that can't be said about every 80s group still around today. :)

 

 

"Blindfolded" lyrics:

 

(Kerr/Burchill)
Somewhere out there, darkened cellar
There’s a game called “Mystery”
There is a man, he stands blindfolded, that’s his world, you’ll never see.
Somewhere out there, you’ll never see
Somewhere out there, a girl called Sugar, dreams of bringing her fortune in
But every night she stands blindfolded, that’s the way it’s always been
Somewhere out there, you’ll never see
It’s somewhere out there, you’ll never see
The Saints are singing now, so we’ll feel better
The Saints are looking down, so we must know
The Saints won’t ever get to read this letter
Because the Saints became blindfolded long ago
Somewhere out there, in the desert
There’s a game called Liberty
There is a kid, who stands blindfolded, that his world, you’ll never see
Somewhere out there, a darkened cellar
There’s a game called “Mystery”
There is a man who stands blindfolded, that’s his world, you’ll never see.
Somewhere out there, you’ll never see
The Saints are singing now, so we’ll feel better
The Saints are looking down, so we must know
The Saints won’t ever get to read this letter
Because the Saints became blindfolded long ago
The Saints are singing now, so we’ll feel better
The Saints are looking down, so you must know
The Saints won’t ever get to read this letter
Because the Saints became blindfolded long ago
It’s somewhere out there, you’ll never see
It’s somewhere out there, you’ll never see
Somewhere out there, you’ll never see
Somewhere out there, Somewhere out there,
You’ll never see

Forget the wine...

This is what you listen to when your soul needs repair. Because I have trouble sharing my thoughts about music succinctly I just had to share what music critic Fred Thomas wrote.

(posted exactly as seen online, except for the use of bold in some parts):

Review by Fred Thomas  [-]

Brooklyn singer/songwriter Sharon Van Etten's transfixing voice and often heart-wrenching songs come through in an odd mixture of pain and flourishing inspiration on the best moments of her fourth album, Are We There. The album, produced by Van Etten herself with some help from New York-based producer Stewart Lerman (Elvis Costello, Sophie B. Hawkins), follows her 2012 outing Tramp and trades up on some of the crushed indie templates of that album for new stylistic territory. From her first hushed demo-like recordings, Van Etten's songs have more often than not found their lyrical core stemming from painful relationships and hard times, culminating in Tramp's tales of homelessness, uncertainty, and desperation. Are We There's 11 selections also mine her harrowed heart for inspiration, be it the slow-burning portrait of a toxic love/hate romance in "Your Love Is Killing Me" or the obsessed fixation on an absent lover in "Break Me." While there's still a fair amount of heartbreak and pain in the subject matter of the songs, the folky strums and indie rock clatter of Tramp and earlier records have been expanded upon with more inventive musical approaches, leaving the album feeling much brighter, even in its darkest moments. "Taking Chances" is guided by an unexpectedly slinking bassline and minimal drum machine clicks, Van Etten's voice melting like honey over their laid-back foundations before introducing rawkus guitars on the chorus. Similar instrumentation shows up on "Our Love," a steady drum machine and lonely organ drone setting the stage for the brilliantly arranged multi-tracked harmonies and an indie take on the sophisticated tones of '80s quiet storm R&B. Even when tending toward more familiar rock sounds, the arrangements on Are We There are more considered, colorful, and ornate than ever before. Where previous albums felt a little too anchored to Van Etten's samey guitar changes, here tracks like "Tarifa" explode with sure-footed horn sections, nostalgic Hammond organ, and spirals of anthemic vocal harmonies. Quieter songs like "I Know" and "I Love You But I'm Lost" are driven by piano, leaving lots of space for the vocals to soar, while the cinematic textures and haunted guitar twang of "You Know Me Well" could almost draw comparisons to Lana Del Rey in her more Twin Peaks moments. The more inventive arrangements and advances in songwriting are an undeniable step forward for Van Etten. While still immersed in songs of emotional ravagement and betrayal, the confidence of her performances and spectrum of sounds represented here suggest a complete graduation from troubled, uncertain roots into a place where she can deliver her songs with a powerful, borderless command.

 

handwritten liner notes...a truly nice touch, but hard to read.

 



So help me God...

So I flubbed my biggest New Year's resolution from last year (to get over my silly unrequited massive crush) and I am thoroughly ashamed (thoroughly!)

That doesn't mean I'm not going to try again for this year (I am!) I half fear that the reason it won't go away is because it's love and not a crush (love stays around a lot longer than a crush does), but I don't know much about love personally so I'm not really sure.

I'm going to take the worry I feel whenever she looks sad or doesn't feel well or I miss her and make up someone imaginary in my head to direct all that care and concern toward...because I know I have absolutely no right to care about her, not one bit. Besides that, I don't think it's all that healthy to have such feelings when they are so out of proportion to how well you know the person.

When I was much younger I could make up almost anything in my head with just enough balance to make it a nice escape but not something so strong I wouldn't want to return to reality. I'm not sure I'm up to imagining a whole person, but I think I'll just direct all the silly feelings inside me, all the untapped love, and send it out into the universe.

I'm not a wine person, not at all. But after dropping my niece back at her house yesterday and suddenly feeling tons of things I'd been suppressing for days, I decided to go to the liquor store and get some Pino Gigrio. This decision was based not on the intention to get drunk (I never have been my entire life) but to find some kind of mellow.

When I hang out with my niece we have so much fun I almost always forget the worries and anxiety that are often a daily part of my mind. She is my most favorite person in the world and one of the few people I completely relax around. She's funny, smart and has awesome taste in music. After our time together ends, I sometimes get in a tiny funk.

This time I really did because for some odd reason the things that had been going on in my "other" life before we got together for New Year's resurfaced. 

I remembered the look of horror on an acquaintance's face that she probably didn't even realize flickered across her face when I asked her a question. I thought about how my parents are starting up again with saying how I should be married (to a man) and how I'm a disappointment to them because I remain single. I cringed at all I did wrong this year and how much I want to get it all right this upcoming one.

I just wanted to forget for a little bit...maybe not the most mature thing, but it's the truth.

Instead (despite the surprisingly pleasant taste) I got a nasty headache and a nagging sense of unease. I think I will just stick to music for unwinding and trying to escape for a while. It's a whole lot safer.

How I wish it could be in real life...

This is not only one of the sweetest romance novels I've ever read (it's now my third time to revisit it) it also has one of the most touching (if also unrealistic) coming out scenes ever.

Why can't all parents be like the mother here? I have actually seen parents stand by a (guilty) child accused of a heinous crime and yet there are still many mothers and fathers who would sooner disown their gay daughter or son than want them to find true love.

It is both mind-boggling and heartbreaking. :(

The part that follows takes off after the mother is curious about the song her daughter (who writes her own music) is playing on the piano. She senses that Casey has written it for someone special and genuinely wants to know more about it...