Archive for Music Monday

A Boy And His Guitar – Tony Lucca – Music Monday

September 12, 2011 at 10:59 am · Filed under Music Monday ·Tagged , , , , , , , , , , ,

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again, there’s nothing quite like seeing music live. Well, last Saturday I got to attend the Tony Lucca show at The Prophet Bar down in Dallas’ Deep Ellum. I brought along my dear friend Kelly and had one of the best nights I’ve had in recent memory.

There were three acts slated for that night: Griffin Schmucker, Zach Balch, and the headliner Tony Lucca.

Griffin was…okay. The drummer was awesome, actually. Everyone else seemed to be going through the motions. They didn’t feel connected to the music. I blame this on Schmucker himself. He was a little too high on the smell of his own “glory” to care about servicing the audience or the music. He was serving his own ego. From what I have seen, that never works out well. Now, he may have just been nervous. However, when you mention you’re doing a charity show, you should know all about the charity instead of being dismissive about it. How can you get people to care enough to come out and spend their money on a cause if you don’t care? Further, he made some snotty comment about the audience not being able to spell his name so of course Kelly and I took out our phones and spelled it exactly right in order to Google him. Don’t talk down to me. Don’t assume your audience can’t do something. Don’t be rude to people there just because they may have come to see someone else. This is how you lose potential fans! Plus, he introduced only himself and his BFF the guitarist. Um, now you’re rude to the band? Wow. No, thank you.

Zach and his band were great, thankfully. Every one of them, especially Balch himself, was engaged in the music. They LOVED what they were doing and it showed. Sitting ten feet from the stage I could feel the drums in my chest. Especially, I enjoyed the two songs that were just Balch, his back-up singer, and a violinist.  The banter was great as well. He engaged with the audience, he engaged with his band, heck, he introduced them all and gave them credit equal to himself. He played to us, with us, and that is priceless.

That being said, Tony blew them both out of the water.

I knew he would, but I was not prepared for how MUCH he would. It was just him and his guitar up on the stage and yet he filled the room. He wove pictures and emotions that were touchable and filled up little corners in my heart. His banter was real and inclusive, reaching out to share his experience with us and make it ours. My favorite song was Anchored, a love song for Los Angeles. I also really enjoyed Fight Song, Long Love Letter, Starting Over, Foxy Jane, and Death of Me. If I don’t stop there I’ll just start listing every song off the three albums Kelly and I bought after the show.

At one point during the encore, when he was singing a song called Always, I felt tears filling my eyes and beginning to roll down my cheeks. Looking over at Kelly I saw that she was right there too. Now that, right there, is the mark of a master to me. He didn’t just fill our ears with joy, he touched our souls.

If that weren’t impressive enough, he didn’t just stand there playing his guitar and singing. He used his voice and the microphone as instruments in and of themselves. I’ve said that music is my drug and my religion. Well, some of the things he did with his voice made me feel like I was flying high and in church all at the same time. I wanted to yell “amen” and “hallelujah” after certain of the vocal acrobatics he performed.

After his performance, Kelly and I nearly tripped over ourselves to buy the three available CDs. As we stood there, clutching our treasure, Tony came out to mingle. I made a couple aborted attempts to speak to him, but was stymied by people wanting photos. Kelly told me to stop being shy and I smiled. When the young ladies wanting their photos were done, I touched Tony’s arm and he turned to face us, smiling.

Now, you all know I am a goof. I say embarrassing things to people who have awed me. So this was the portion of the evening where I babbled my thanks for his performance and that listening to him was like being in church, and how he was part of Kelly’s live show education. He took all of this in with grace and charm, thanking us for coming and for our kind words. He shook our hands, and we floated away, blissful. In the car, I realized that we had neither asked for him to sign the CDs, nor asked for pictures to be taken with our phones. Duh.

That being said, we had a fanTAStic time with just a boy and his guitar.

 

Who have you seen live recently? How was it?

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Music Monday – You Must Drown

August 22, 2011 at 12:11 pm · Filed under Music Monday ·Tagged , , , , ,

Zly

Image via Wikipedia

Drowning is easy, especially if you have ear-bud headphones. That way, you get to bypass all the white noise of your surroundings. The music goes straight into you and if you close your eyes you get a private show. Any kind your brain associates with what you’re listening to.

Is it any wonder then that most of my favorite singers are men? **shivers with pleasure** Ahem. Where was I? Ah yes, drowning. It’s good for the soul.

Depending on which music hits us and how it hits us, we can fuel just about any state of mind with the right playlist. Writers frequently use music to get into the mindset of our work. We want an action scene? Something fast and furious might help us focus better. Romance? Lord is there a wealth of music out there to help us out.

What’s even better? We can use music to frame our minds for the rest of our lives as well. We’ve all used music to set the mood in romantic situations, for working out, and even to help us wake up in the morning. Why shouldn’t we use it to amp us up or calm us down for other situations? It’s no accident that a lot of therapies involve beating the crap out of some sort of drum.

What music gets your motor running? Soothes the savage beast inside? I’ll show you mine if you show me yours!

 

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Puppet – Music Monday

August 8, 2011 at 11:46 am · Filed under Music Monday ·Tagged , , ,

I used to write poetry, back in the days when I didn’t know about fanfic and I didn’t think I could write short stories. I thought I would share one I wrote about music. It doesn’t rhyme, and it’s a train-of-thought, stream-of-consciousness sort of deal about what music does to me. Enjoy.

Puppet

Pounding through me like an insistent lover, the music takes me over.

Like a puppet with invisible strings, I begin to move to the sounds engulfing me as the band plays on, the world shrinking until there is nothing but the music and me.

And then it devours me, becomes me.

I am the music, it is me – the blood in my veins, the air in my lungs, the soul within, and the visage without.

 

 

 

What does music do to you? For you? With you?

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Music Monday – Song of the Day – You Haven’t Seen The Last Of Me

July 18, 2011 at 9:00 am · Filed under Music Monday ·Tagged , , , , , , , ,

You Haven’t Seen The Last Of Me – Cher (from the soundtrack to Burlesque)

Feeling broken
Barely holding on
But there’s just something so strong
Somewhere inside me
And I am down but I’ll get up again
Don’t count me out just yet

I’ve been brought down to my knees
And I’ve been pushed way past the point of breaking
But I can take it
I’ll be back
Back on my feet
This is far from over
You haven’t seen the last of me
You haven’t seen the last of me

They can say that
I won’t stay around
But I’m gonna stand my ground
You’re not gonna stop me
You don’t know me
You don’t know who I am
Don’t count me out so fast

I’ve been brought down to my knees
And I’ve been pushed way past the point of breaking
But I can take it
I’ll be back
Back on my feet
This is far from over
You haven’t seen the last of me

There will be no fade out
This is not the end
I’m down now
But I’ll be standing tall again
Times are hard but
I was built tough
I’m gonna show you all what I’m made of

I’ve been brought down to my knees
And I’ve been pushed way past the point of breaking
But I can take it
I’ll be back
Back on my feet
This is far from over
I am far from over
You haven’t seen the last of me

No no
I’m not going nowhere
I’m staying right here
Oh no
You won’t see me begging
I’m not taking my bow
Can’t stop me
It’s not the end
You haven’t seen the last of me
Oh no
You haven’t seen the last of me
You haven’t seen the last of me

 

 

 

lyrics thanks to Lyrics On Demand

 

Why this song? I struggle daily with clinical depression, which I cannot afford to medicate. Thankfully it’s manageable most days and I’m what some would call “high-functioning.” Songs like this one help keep the darkness at bay, make me feel stronger and more able to deal with my emotional demons. I could fill several albums with songs that do this, how about you? What are your personal power songs? What lifts you up when you think you’re past the point of breaking?

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Music Monday – Happy Fourth!

July 4, 2011 at 11:50 am · Filed under Music Monday ·Tagged , , ,

I’m hijacking this post to wish everyone in the United States of America a happy Fourth of July. May the fireworks you hear tonight be music for your soul! I am so thankful to be living here in the land of the free and the home of the brave.

 

The Star-Spangled Banner

Oh, say! can you see by the dawn’s early light
What so proudly we hailed at the twilight’s last gleaming;
Whose broad stripes and bright stars, through the perilous fight,
O’er the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming?
And the rocket’s red glare, the bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there:
Oh, say! does that star-spangled banner yet wave
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave?

On the shore, dimly seen through the mists of the deep,
Where the foe’s haughty host in dread silence reposes,
What is that which the breeze, o’er the towering steep,
As it fitfully blows, half conceals, half discloses?
Now it catches the gleam of the morning’s first beam,
In fully glory reflected now shines in the stream:
‘Tis the star-spangled banner! Oh, long may it wave
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

And where is that band who so vauntingly swore
That the havoc of war and the battle’s confusion
A home and a country should leave us no more?
Their blood has washed out their foul footsteps’ pollution!
No refuge could save the hireling and slave
From the terror of flight or the gloom of the grave:
And the star-spangled banner in triumph doth wave
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave.

Oh, thus be it ever, when freemen shall stand
Between their loved home and the war’s desolation!
Blest with victory and peace, may the heav’n-rescued land
Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation!
Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just,
And this be our motto: “In God is our trust”:
And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave.

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Music Monday – Jingle Jangle

June 27, 2011 at 8:31 pm · Filed under Music Monday ·Tagged , , , , ,

It occurred to me, as I floundered for a topic, how musical my cat is. Yes, I just said that, and I meant it!

For one thing, Clive is what we cat people like to call a “talker.” The biggest talkers in the feline world tend to be the various flavors of Siamese. Now, since I got my best friend at the Humane Society, I can’t be sure what his actual breed is even though he presents as either a Russian Blue or possibly Korat. Both of these have Siamese in their genetics. What’s a talker? Well, when you speak to him, he meows back. He will even hold “conversations” with you if he’s in the mood. He makes use of inflection and tone to get his message across.

For example? When I lived on my own, my mom would come visit once a week. She would walk in the door and he would greet her. Once she responded he would “tell” her all about the things she’d missed in the past week.

In addition to that trait, he wears a collar and tags. Without these he is a stealthy ninja. With them he jingles as he walks, runs, jumps, or otherwise gets into mischief. I love the music his tags make when I get home from work and he runs up to greet me. Add that to his meow of greeting and it’s like having a tiny theme song every time I walk in the door! The only better music is the sound of his purr when I scratch his chin.

Clive also has very definite tastes in “real” music. He despises “Band on the Run” and bites at my ankles every time I try to play it! He doesn’t like metal and will meow loudly his disapproval and distress. Jazz seems to be his favorite so far, inducing him to curl up near the speakers.

 

So, what about the animals in your life? What sort of music do they make?

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Music Monday – Back To Your Regularly Scheduled Programming

June 20, 2011 at 8:03 am · Filed under Music Monday ·Tagged , , , , , , , ,

Depression and letting other people dictate how you should be your authentic self are a bad combination. Music saved me. Music always saves me. As a matter of fact, a Journey song saved me.

The live, JC Chasez version of “Don’t Stop Believing” is my new theme song:

The sound quality isn’t perfect, but it’s pretty awesome for someone’s non-pro camera.

 

It’s amazing how something so simple can super-charge a recovery effort. Just three words in the right key, sung by the right voice, went straight to my nervous system and jolted me back to life. I’ve always joked that music is my drug, but maybe it would be more apropos to say that it’s my medicine.

What’s your theme song? What song in whose voice, helps you climb out of the abyss, keeps you going when you think you can’t take one more step?

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Immortal – John Taylor

March 28, 2011 at 8:30 pm · Filed under Music Monday ·Tagged , , , , , , ,

For a few years, John Taylor struck out on his own, got away from Duran Duran. I’m not going to sit here and tell you he was the most brilliant solo artist, because he wasn’t. He was… okay on his own. Mostly it’s the cauldron of creativity fired by his Duran band mates that makes him the Almighty Bass God. He needs that conflict to push him to greatness, as do they all. Still, there are a few bright gems that he cut, and Immortal from his Techno For Two album is one of them.

There’s got to be a reason to this rhyme
There’s got to be a message here this time
You’re not one of us, but I’m one of them
You know it’s not that easy
It’s so much harder to be real

Now I’m no immortal, but I think like a king
You’ve got to be queen just to satisfy me
A social disorder

There’s gonna be moments here living with me
I know it’s not easy to satisfy me
I’m no immortal
But I think like a king

I’m not gonna let go of my prize
I wanna keep the symmetry alive
There’s so many changes
One day to the next
Sometimes I’m disappearing
But you know where to find me
Under the gun

Now I’m no immortal, but I think like a king
You’ve got to be queen just to ratify me
A social disorder

A strange situation, apparently
It takes more than order to civilize me
I’m no immortal, but I think like a king

Give me everything
I’ll not settle for less
That’s my ceiling
Method to this rhyme

No I’m no immortal, but I think like a king
You’ve got to be queen just to satisfy me
A social disorder
But I sting like a bee

I’d like to say the lyrics speak for themselves and be done, but there’s so much to them, so many things to be gleaned. He’s known in some circles (okay, Duranie knitting circles, but still) for telling on himself. Sometimes it’s inadvertent, but sometimes he very clearly goes out of his way to share, to connect with his listeners.

With that in mind, these lyrics are astonishing and heartbreaking in their honesty. Before I wax on too much more about what *I* see in these lyrics, I want to know what *you* think, without my opinion biasing you. What sort of man wrote these lyrics? What was he feeling? What was he struggling with (or, conversely, conquering)?

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The Surprise Next Door

March 21, 2011 at 7:35 am · Filed under Music Monday ·Tagged , , , , , , , , , , ,

co-written by Laura Christian

 When I was growing up, there were a lot of Saturday morning shows my sisters and I watched through the years. Not counting the cartoons, there was Saved by the Bell, California Dreams, and my all-time favorite: The Guys Next Door (GND).

Sadly, GND lasted for only one season in the fall of 1990. I was sixteen. Now, this show was on the order of The Monkees, with both skits and music videos. I’ve heard it described as “Saturday Night Live” for kids. NBC had pulled together a group of five “Guys” to meet every teen’s dream: Patrick J. Dancy, Eddie Garcia, Bobby Leslie, Damon Sharpe, and Chris Wolf.

 At the time, I had two favorites, Chris and Damon. Chris was the “bad boy” (although how bad could you be on Saturday morning TV?), and Damon was the… fashionable one? Actually, I think I liked him because he was the one true triple threat. 

 Sure, Eddie was the dancer, Patrick was the actor, Bobby was the “funny” one (read: stoner, though I didn’t know it at the time), and they all sang. Heck, they even recorded an album. But Damon could do it all. WELL. He made me laugh, he danced, and he sang like this made for TV band was his big break.

My favorite of their songs was and still is their comedic spoof, “Bad Hair Day.” It was sung by, you guessed it, Damon Sharpe. Yes, it’s a silly song. It’s also the most fun song I’ve heard to date and has a special place in the soundtrack of my life. Every time I hear it, I am filled with joy and must sing along. And he’s the reason I’m writing this post, to introduce you to who I believe is a truly talented, amazing artist.

 

Now, thanks to Laura, who is also a GND fan, I found out that Mr. Sharpe has kept himself quite busy since 1991. His career has been pretty impressive actually. He’s worked with J-Lo, Anastacia, Sharon Stone as both producer and songwriter, and written award-winning songs for the movie musical Chicago. Bless his heart, he even produced his own CD in ’99 which was surprisingly difficult to get a copy of. Of course, Laura has 2 copies. He’s worked with more artists than I have space to list.

The last time she was in town, Laura and I YouTube searched Damon and found a recently released song called “Break My Bank” and fell in love with him all over again. One thing you pick up on following his career – Damon believes in himself, and his music reflects that conviction and passion. Watching all of the little clips available and reading about him, it’s impossible to imagine him doing anything else with his life and enjoying it. He’s just so happy in music, and you can’t help but feel that when you listen to him.

 

 

Unfortunately, he hasn’t released an album recently. Believe you me, we looked. There are songs here and there, and he’s on the Twitter (@damonsharpe), so of course we follow to see on what projects he might be working. But mostly, Damon has been busy producing other artists and sharing his passion for music with them.

As fans of his particular artistry, we want an album. Possibly a tour. Maybe see him on Ellen or Jimmy Fallon or another show. His cameo in the first season of Buffy, short though it was, is still one of my go to clips for a little smile. I love that I can tie him to one of my other loves.

My friend Kristen, author and social media expert, does something called the Mash-up of Awesomeness. Here, today for my amusement and your hopeful enjoyment, we’re going to do a Mash-up of Damon-ness.

Damon Sharpe on:

 Wikipedia

Myspace

IMDB

Facebook (fan page)

and a couple more videos for your enjoyment:

What’s Good Witcha?

 

Alter Ego (Damon, feat. Rob Allen & Andre Merritt)

 

 

 

…and a little GND for all the vampire lovers out there (Patrick J. Dancy on lead)

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Music Monday – What We REALLY Like

March 14, 2011 at 3:46 pm · Filed under Music Monday ·Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , ,

When meeting someone new, one of the first questions we ask is what their favorite music is. How many times have we been answered that they “like everything”? Well, guess what? This is a lie.

Probing unearths a deep-seated hatred of either a genre or a particular artist. Which is fine, to each his/her own, right? So, why say you like everything? As someone who has done it in the past… What? Me? Unperfect Flawed? Absolutely! Where was I? Oh yeah, reasons why we say we like everything.

Well, the biggest reason I used to do it was because I wanted people to think I was cool. If we say we like everything, we’re sure to like what the other person likes, right? How cool is that? Of course, I’d get outed the first time they played death metal or really hard-core rap. I just can’t take it. It’s fine for others, but I just get so violently angry when I listen to it that I get all depressed and… uncool. Of course they, in turn, would cringe when I played NSYNC or Lorrie Morgan. The point is, everybody has different tastes, and that is cool. That’s what makes us awesome, our uniqueness.

So, let’s all make a promise, okay? When someone asks us what our favorite music is, we tell the truth. I’ll go first. It must be pop for me, as my top five artists are Duran Duran, JC Chasez, Christina Aguilera, Elvis Presley, and Madonna. Although I do very much like many other artists in other genres.

So who floats your boat, musically speaking?

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Music Monday – The Soundtrack of Your Life

March 7, 2011 at 8:46 am · Filed under Music Monday ·Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

The first music I remember, really and truly know, is the Imperial March from Star Wars. You know, the music that plays as Darth Vader enters Princess Leia’s ship? That’s because that is actually my first memory. I was three years old, in the movie theater with my mom and dad, in 1977. When that music plays, it’s a visceral thing for me. My muscles tighten and my nerves hum with anticipation. Every cell of my body knows that music.

I have a similar reaction to Hungry Like the Wolf, the first Duran Duran song I ever heard. I was ten, and the twelve-year-old boy I had a crush on played drums on it with his friends for the school talent show in the spring of 1985. Instead of anticipation, this song fills me with the imperative to move, dance, and sing along. It fills me with life and light.

We all have those songs, don’t we? Songs that, by us listening to and loving them, have become a part of us. They make up the soundtracks of our lives.

Why are those songs so important? Music is good for the soul. It can be cathartic, helping to leach out pain or anger so that we can continue through our lives. It can help us express our joy, or even show our love to someone. It binds us together on a level that can’t be reached through speech alone.

What happens when people hold candle-lit vigils? That’s right, they begin to sing. It’s usually something simple that one person starts and gradually others join in. Why? Because it brings them closer, chases away the darkness.

I always joke that music is my drug of choice, but it’s true. Wagner’s Flight of the Valkyries can get me emotionally high for hours, as can Walkin’ on Sunshine by Katrina and the Waves. Eclectic, moi?

Skeptical? Go to a concert, a really good one where the band (or singer) engages the crowd. Ride the wave of hundreds or thousands of people singing and dancing and chanting along.

Let me know, what songs get you high? What’s the first music you remember? What gives you that visceral, gut-and-soul reaction? What is the soundtrack of your life?

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Music Review Monday – Duran Duran’s Red Carpet Massacre (album)

February 1, 2011 at 10:21 am · Filed under Music Monday ·Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

No, your eyes do not deceive, I am posting Music Review Monday on a Tuesday. Fact is, my internet was down yesterday. Sorry about that, you guys!

Welcome to Duran Duran week on the blog! Why? Well, I’ll be going to see them perform live at the Pepsi Super Bowl Fan Jam on Thursday. You know how it goes, you get so excited about who you’re gonna see that you can’t think of anything else, so I thought, why fight it?

Now, having thirteen studio albums, not to mention all the various side projects and whatnot, there’s a plethora of material from which to choose. In the end, because I’m also a gamer, I asked a friend to roll a twelve-sided die. I attributed a number to each of the first twelve studio albums since we’ll have a review of lucky number thirteen when it comes out on CD.

Left with a roll of twelve, we get to discuss Red Carpet Massacre. Duran Duran’s twelfth studio album was released in November of 2007. If asked to describe it in one word, I’d have to go with lush. The sound is just full and sensuous, beckoning you to enter their magical, musical world. A large number of Duranies would disagree with me. They didn’t like it, thought it contrived and/or lackluster.

It was the album I’d been waiting for my whole life.

 I’ll admit, I was as  leery as everyone else of them working with Justin Timberlake, Timbaland, and Danja. Personally, I thought they should have worked with Timberlake’s former band mate, JC Chasez. I was never so happy to be wrong, let me tell you! The overall style of the album is tight, consistent, well-balanced among vocals and instruments, really a testament to what brilliant producers can do working with brilliant artists.

We start off with The Valley. Already I’m swaying in my seat to the beat, before Simon starts singing. The lyrics take me on a journey “through the cities and the towers, turning minutes into hours” as I sink into the instrumentation. When John’s bass solo comes up, it’s like being lifted into the storm clouds where the gods thunder. Sometimes my heart starts to beat in time to Roger’s beat, even as my veins sing along with Nick’s keyboards. Side note: everyone in the world should hear Simon Le Bon sing the word “mischievous” because it gets under your skin in all the best ways. Normally I don’t dig heavy breathing in a song, but the I’m-running-from-something feel really fits in here.

 Red Carpet Massacre opens with a dream-like interlude from Nick that alters to a pounding synth and drums tempo that wakes your senses with its brightness. Simon comes in with fast-paced lyrics that create a complementary rhythm all its own.  The chorus slams in with vocals and all instruments like a  wave of sound, carrying you away and giving the whole thing a sort of stylishly embattled feel. In interviews, Simon has said he was inspired by seeing the worst-dressed lists after an awards show, that the stars in question were being massacred by the reporter. “Enter the battle of the lenses” indeed! There’s even a warning to those who would brave the red carpet: “Ain’t the place to mess around when someone wants to take you down!” It’s fast, unrelenting, and an energizing shock to the system.

Nite Runner, one of the two songs in which Timberlake was involved, is a throbbing, pulsing club song about, as near as I can tell, falling for a  vampire. “You’re nocturnal, only come out at night,” the opening lines, definitely draw you into the concept, especially with Simon’s voice luring you on and Timbaland’s providing a deep counterpoint. From the liner notes I can see that Timberlake has also contributed backing vocals, but his voice blends so well that it’s indistinguishable unless you really hunker down and search for it. “Love is haunting,” and that’s just what this song does, deliciously haunts us into dancing.

Falling Down, the only other song on the album to which Timberlake contributes, and the only single is a danceable ballad. Inspired by Simon’s motorcycle accident, both vocals and keyboards undulate in a constant rise and fall, the rhythm section holding steady and strong. The effect is that of a body tumbling through space, the solid ground the only constant as you hit, bounce up, and fall again continuously. “Why do the cruel barbs fly? Now when disgrace can no longer hurt me?” reminds us that, even in their less popular times the press seemed to have taken joy in mocking Duran for the crime of refusing to fade into obscurity back in the eighties. Dom Brown provides a beautifully haunting guitar piece that melts into the piano outro.

Box Full o’ Honey starts out simply, just Simons voice and acoustic guitar. The other instruments come in one by one, building into a round, full sound that fills you up. The pipe sounds dimly echo, or at least recall Save A Prayer in some ways, a welcome familiarity. The centerpiece of this song is definitely Simon’s voice, the instruments lifting, supporting, highlighting him as we flow along.

Skin Divers, probably the first song they should have released, thumps in, demanding you be caught up in the beat. Simon croons in the lower regions of his range, beckoning you to move with him as the disco ball comes down, getting caught up, up against the wall… Ahem.  The song, for all it’s driving beat, flows through your veins, Timbaland’s voice a perfect, heartbeat-like counterpoint. It also contains my very favorite lyric of all time: “A blushing rose is torn from these sugar walls, I misplaced my future, could I please borrow yours?”

Tempted slides in, more airy and floaty than the rest of the album, but no less compelling. It’s poppy and peppy from top to bottom, carefree, tempting you once more out onto the dance floor. “Like you know it’s meant to, oh yeah.” It feathers along our nerves, through our veins, until we’re flying along, lost in the beat.

Tricked Out is an instrumental piece, a bit helter-skelter for my tastes. Even so, I like the way it sounds as though it’s what the aliens have playing on their spaceship as they check out the strange humans.

Zoom In is about Second Life, a virtual world where users can interact with one another through infinitely customizable avatars. In 2005, before Andy Taylor left Duran for the second time, there were plans in the works for the band to create their own islands and have an in-world concert. We’re still waiting. The song itself is just as surreal as SL itself can be, neatly capturing the spirit of the Linden Labs creation. It’s definitely a fun, danceable song that’s letting you in on a secret joke. “Now she arrives in a flaming crash like a falling star!”

She’s Too Much is a beautiful ballad that Simon has said was inspired by his middle daughter, Saffron. It’s reassuring, sweet, and full of love, letting her know that Daddy’s watching and will be there to catch her when she falls, be fighting in her corner.  All too often we hear of absentee fathers and deadbeat dads, that part of the beauty of the song is that it reminds us that there are fathers out there who love their children, want the best for them.

Dirty Great Monster is a great source of debate among certain Duranie factions. The band firmly states that it’s about an abusive home, the monster being the abuser. However, at first superficial blush, much to the glee of the fandom slashers, it sounds almost like the band are admitting something about their inter-relationships with one another. “Do you ever wonder about the days when we were straight?” The music is haunting and would be right at home in the soundtrack of a horror film about parental abuse. “We’re all afraid of each other, we’re the victims in this show.” It captures that hunted mistrust rife in such an atmosphere. So well in fact that, brilliant or no, it makes me uncomfortable listening to it sometimes, recalling my own episode of abuse at the hands of a roommate from years ago.

Last Man Standing is the final song on the album. It ties everything up together, just as a good finale should, pulling in the dance-ability, musicality, and themes of previous songs into a neat little package. Rather than having dessert at the end of the musical repast, it’s a cup of rich, dark coffee over which we gather and reflect about the meal just finished.

So what do you think? Is there an album that makes a full meal for you?

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Music Review Monday – Duran Duran’s “All You Need Is Now” (the single)

January 24, 2011 at 6:00 am · Filed under Music Monday ·Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , ,

We’re going to do a little something different for this, the second edition of Music Review Monday. I’m going to review a single, rather than the whole album. That single is called All You Need Is Now. Why? Several reasons. It’s off a brand-new iTunes album that’s only nine songs long, and the full fourteen song CD won’t be available until late March. I want to wait for the additional five songs to do a full album review.  Also? I’ve been dreading this review so much that I broke out into a flop sweat every time I sat down at my computer this past week.

You see, I am what is referred to as a Duranie. I’ve been one since the spring of 1985. I was ten years old. It’s fair to say that listening to Duran Duran is one of the major reasons I am who I am today, why I think the way I think. I’m freaking terrified of this review. You can imagine my excitement at the announcement of their thirteenth studio album. I’ve always been able to count on them to create something I at least like (Pop Trash), if not something I adore (Arena).

I guess, by the law of averages, it couldn’t last. Okay, enough stalling. On to the review.

It starts off with a highly annoying techno keyboard sequence from Nick Rhodes. You remember me talking about him in last Friday’s post? Where I called him God? Yeah. There’s a steady if uninspired rhythm provided by Roger Taylor, our heroic drummer. Then Simon Le Bon begins to sing, sounding more bored than I’ve ever heard him and muffled and distorted by some “nifty” effect. John Taylor (also known to Duranies as the Almighty Bass God) then fills things out a teensy bit with his bass guitar. They all sound pretty much like they’re phoning in their performances. The song drifts out of techno-land into a semi-lovely chorus that almost gives me hope. It’s soft and sweet, tasting of reminiscences and longing. Everyone’s at least bringing their B game. Rinse and repeat. I’ll admit the extended dream sequence after the second time around that segued into and out of the chorus again was beautiful and ethereal, but then it dragged back into that incessant techno-twaddle to fade out on… crowd noise?

Admittedly, I don’t like techno music as a general rule, although some people can do it brilliantly. This was not done brilliantly. It sounded hollow and dry, devoid of emotion, boring. When I played this song for my mother (whose favorite Duran song is Taste The Summer) she wrinkled up her nose and asked, “What happened to them? They used to be so full of life.” Guys, you are doing something wrong when a 67-year-old thinks your song is a big yawn.

In the interest of full disclosure, all my Duranie friends LOVE this song. Some even find it uplifting. Desperately worried that I’d lost the plot somewhere, I played it for friends outside that circle. All of them asked me to turn it off, like yesterday. I even played it for one of my sisters. She and I don’t usually agree on much of anything. After listening to the single she looked at me, eyes filled with confusion, and asked why they didn’t just do mash-ups of their old songs instead of re-hashing and re-packaging them in new and uninteresting ways.

I was so worried about this review. I didn’t want to do it. Then someone said a brilliant thing to me. “Someone needs to put the mirror up so they can see the egg on their faces,” they said. “Who better than you, someone who loves and respects them?” I stammered something about owing it to them to give them a glowing review since they had given me so much joy in the past, so that they go on selling and making music. They countered with, “Gigi, do you want them to continue making songs like this?”

No, I don’t.

 What do you think?

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Music Review Monday – Michael Jackson’s Thriller album

January 17, 2011 at 6:00 am · Filed under Music Monday ·Tagged , , , , , , , ,

I thought I’d kick off the music reviews with the very first album I ever bought, Michael Jackson’s Thriller. Music has always been a part of my life, from the scores in the movies I watched to the songs we sang in school to the music my family played at home. But the first record I ever bought (with my hard-earned chore allowance) was Thriller. Yes, I said record, and I meant it. Back in the dark ages, there was no such thing as digital media. Computers took up whole rooms, far too large to have a personal version. We used record players, cassette decks, and radio to get music. However, thanks to technology, I’ve linked each song to their Amazon.com page where you can listen to them, just in case you haven’t heard them or just want to listen along with me.

I listened to this particular album until the needle on our player went smooth…several times over. Play just about any song on it, and I can happily sing along. I have pulled out my own vinyl copy to check the track listing. We’ll start with side one.

Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin‘ is, perhaps inevitably, the first song. When I hear it, my shoulders automatically begin moving left and right to the beat and if I’m standing, so do my hips. So what if it’s one of the most repetitive songs on the planet? It’s too high to get over, too low to get under. It infects you with the beat, the Almighty Beat, until you just can’t be still. Go ahead, try it, I double-dog dare you! Even if you do nothing more than nod in time, you’ll see. Interesting side note? There’s mention of that naughty Billie Jean and how she’s always tellin’ lies. Who says foreshadowing is just for novels?

 Second, we come to Baby Be Mine. The beat’s still there, still strong, and yet it’s unmistakably a ballad. You’ll come to see that the beat is the underlying commonality throughout the album, in fact. At any rate, this song has everything a ballad should have – expressions of devotion, confessions of desire, promises of fidelity and eternity. Yet it doesn’t feel insincere or facile. To me, it sounds honest, sweet.

Third is The Girl Is Mine, a duet with Sir Paul McCartney. Their voices don’t just provide a beautiful counterpoint when they’re going back and forth. They harmonize. Near the end, there’s a “conversation” that feels natural rather than contrived. Two of my friends and I lip-synced a little skit for this song for our school’s talent show when I was ten. I played Michael’s part, Julie was Paul, and Whitney was the girl we “fought” over. Good times, man.

Fourth, finishing off side one, is the reason I bought the album in the first place, the reason I can watch zombie movies even though my “ick” tolerance is way low. Thriller, the title track of the album, is definitely one of my top ten songs/videos of all time. The alien keyboard starts us off, nice and spooky, escalating as the beat asserts itself. Maybe because the video is so deeply entrenched in my psyche, the tension builds as Michael starts to sing, infusing the song with a more concrete story-telling feel. I don’t just see the video behind my eyelids every time I hear the song, my body fills with the tension and excitement I felt when I first encountered it. Somewhere, deep inside, music was forever changed for me. There’s something about his voice, at times trembling, at others pleading, warning, even mocking, that draws me in, makes me feel like an audience of one. EVERY. SINGLE. TIME. And then, Vincent Price, the master of creeptasticness, begins to speak. **shivers** This isn’t just a song, it’s an event. Lift the needle, carefully reposition it, listen again.

Thus ends side one. Flip the record to side two.

We open with Beat It. Bright, funky, and with mind-blowing (at least for me) guitar riffs all blended into an anthemic dance tune. “You have to show them that you’re really not scared. You’re playin’ with your life, this ain’t no Truth Or Dare. They’ll kick you then they’ll beat you then they’ll tell you it’s fair, so beat it. But you wanna be BAD.” And no, I haven’t stopped dancing around, why do you ask?

Now we come to Billie Jean, that girl doing all the lying from earlier. Only, this story seems to be leading us to believe that maybe she isn’t lying, at least not wholly. “She’s just a girl who claims that I am the one” falls flat next to “the lie becomes the truth” and “so take my strong advice: remember to always think twice.” Of course I didn’t think any of this when I first got the album as a very sheltered nine-year-old. I didn’t even know what a “lover” was.

Ah, Human Nature, the most ethereal cut on the album. Breathy and almost haunting, I fall in love each time I hear it. Even for all that, the beat is very present, an undercurrent that pulls you along so that you sway to the rhythm.

I always wanted to be someone’s P.Y.T., their tenderoni, in need of T.L.C. Now was the perfect time. It just sounded like so much fun! Sometimes though, I couldn’t wait for it to finish to get to the next and final song.

The Lady In My Life, the culmination of it all, the soothing balm after all the dancing, monsters, being bad, lying girls, and did I mention dancing?  I don’t know what I’d do if a man sang this to me. It makes all my cynicism and bitterness just melt away. Adult me knows he’s singing about sex… slow songs get you laid, after all. But kid me just wanted to snuggle in his (and later, others’) arms and make with the smoochies… go nowhere and stay with him, whatever that meant.

Each piece of this album has something to pull you in, keep you listening. Puzzle pieces that interlock, complementing each other and completing the whole. I’ll admit, I have NO objectivity where this album is concerned. Who does in regards to their first love, really? I’ll also confess that it took several hours to write this review. I had to stop after each song and take a break to keep from all-out weeping. The world is a poorer place without Michael Jackson in it making music.

So, what was your first love, musically speaking, and why? Let me know in the comments what record, album, CD, whatever, spins you right ’round.

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