nph

Musical History of my House

I recently completed a two-year renovation of my little house. Because I have sort of a sonic mind and a sonic memory, I wanted to document the music that I listened to during distinct periods in the process. When I here these musics, it takes me back to those specific times and I can remember smells, feelings, and weather.....

Moving in Summer 2005

"Twin Cinema" by The New Pornographers had just come out. I remember the feeling of adventure that that record has and that we had at that time.




Demolition of the Front Rooms Fall 2005

I was hooked on Jay Farrar's first solo record, "Sebastopol". Sort of rediscovering it and I was just reeling at how genius it was. A funny coincidence was I was also hooked on the Flaming Lips' "The Soft Bulletin" at the same time. This is a coincidence because the Flaming Lips' keyboardist Steve Drozd (famous for using vintage synths and 70's string machines like the Arp) was enlisted by Jay Farrar to trick out his countryfied sound with crazy Flaming Lips keyboards. Glad he did.

Building Kitchen/Demoing Master Bed/Bath Winter 2005-06
Listened to a lot on Sun Kil Moon's "Tiny Cities" and a lot of Magnolia Electric Company's "Hard to Love a Man" EP. Dark cold days and nights. Making coffee in the bathroom. Stepping on nails with bare feet doesn't hurt when your toes are numb. That sentence I just made pretty much sums up those to records.

Finishing Interior Spring 2006
"Bring it Back" by Mates of State was the hopeful, upbeat kick in the pants we needed to finish the interior. That and the other Mates albums were on constant rotation exclusively per Jill's request.




Fences Summer 2006
During this time, I listened to Ryan Adams and the Cardinals' "Jacksonville City Nights" continuously. It has that golden-age-of-country feel. I could pretty much sing the entire album along with it... and did- loudly and proudly, probably to the surprise of neighbors and passersby who only heard my clunky voice and not what I was hearing in my earphones. There is a lot of pain in those songs and this was when I blew out my hands while making shiplap grooves in each fence board, I couldn't play the guitar and wondered if I would ever play again.

Stripping and Painting the Exterior Winter 2006-07
Townes Van Zandt's "Legend" double disc anthology
Midlake's "The Trials of Van Ocupanther"
This was a lonely time of being outside in the cold on a ladder. Doing stupid stuff like painting in the rain standing on the "Caution! Not a Step!" step of the ladder just to get something done before dark. With my headphones on, of course. These two albums provided a perfect soundtrack and matched the coldness and solitude I felt. Van Zandt's signature singer/songwriter folk is offset by his other-worldy lyrics about things like mythical Viking quests ("Silver Ships of Andilar"), ghostly space cowboys who purchase the souls of young women ("St. John the Gambler"), and building a houseboat in heaven ("Heavenly Houseboat Blues"). Midlake's dreamworld of magic was like a wintery, woodsy dose of musical LSD and I was truly transported (as my faithful readership well knows).

Baby's Room Spring/Summer 2007

I think I was on a Brandon Butler kick. I know I arready blogged about this. I think that, subconsciously I was reaching back into my musical past and I think it had something to do with becoming a father and what that means. Butler's new solo record had just come out and I listened to that and his other solo record and his records fronting the band, Canyon. And his records fronting the band, the Farewell Bend. And his records fronting the band, Boy's Life. Brandon is a musician I've adored since graduating highschool. Rediscovering/reappreciating his entire catalog and full volume was a treat.

Gourd Update II

Nothing much to report here, other than all my gourds are dead. The cold weather and bugs got 'em. I think I planted too late in the season.

I think I'm going to build a small gourden in my side yard- out of three wine barrel halves I have lying around. Probably plant them in May.

In the meantime, I might experiment with purchased gourds- making instruments out of them.

More to come.

Knocked Up!

Loved it.

Of course.... I was sold when I realized the opening music was "Sandusky" by Uncle Tupelo!!!!

Josh Ritter review

"The Historical Conquests of Josh Ritter"
My brother and Erin gave me this record for my birthday, and at first I had my reservations. I've heard this guy before. His other records are sort of mediocre acoustic folk. You know, guy-with-a-guitar kinda stuff. I was completely ready to be unimpressed.

Folks, the thing hasn't left my player. This is not the singer/songwriter stuff of his past. This is a band album. These songs are written for a band. Arranged for a band. This is like a country version of Spoon's "Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga" which I reviewed here a while ago. This is a rock band, not some folkie yokel. There are just some real baddass whole-band parts that make you poise just before the instant where everything comes together- I hope you know that feeling, that hold-your-breath-as-it-HITS feeling. Man, this record is full of those moments.

Ritter also has a handle on lyric writing. Literary types will tell you that half of a good poem is the phrasing- how the words sound together, regardless of their meaning. And this guy really gets that. In "To the Dogs of Whoever", Ritter opens with:
"Deep in the belly of a whale I found her / Down with the deep blue jail around her/ running her hands through the ribs in the dark" The alliteration of down and deep and running and ribs give these lines such a distinct flow.
Also, Ritter gets tuff with:

"All these kids who think they're quick on the draw / I'm busy keeping my Colt cocked" sounds like gangsta rap (from "Mind's Eye")

and

"My orchestra is gigantic / This thing could sink the Titanic / And the string section's screaming like horses in a barn burnin' up" (from "Rumors")

Ritter takes a softer aproach and shows his sense of humor, romance, and imagination in the Elliot Smith-esque "The Temptation of Adam"- a song about two soldiers manning a top secret nuclear missile silo who fall in love. Ritter finds ways to cleverly use words like warhead, half-life, fusion, rations, W.W.I.I.I. to describe love.

I dunno, maybe my favorite album of the year? ..... stay tuned my best of 07 list is coming soon.

NPR

Bob Boilen continues to prove why he's my number one man chrush by adding really exciting sub-groups to his All Songs Considered podcast.

One is called Project Song. And it's a video cast as well as audio. Bob gives a songwriter a picture and a word and they hafta write a song. The creative process is all right there on tape. Bob asks insightful questions as it goes along. The first one is with Stephen Merritt of the Magnetic Fields and if you're a Lemony Snickett fan, you might know this guy. Non-music people would still love this interesting glimpse into the universal process of creating art.

Also, Bob has added an interview component to his Live Concert series. In a fantastic interview with Spoon, Bob and Brit Daniel talk about what it means to be "obsessed" with music. I was ecstatic to hear two people talk so.... right on about how I feel about music. There's a New Pornographers concert I'm in the middle of right now and I can't wait to get to the interview part.

Charlie the Magical Unicorn

A lot of my students have been quoting/mimicking this lately (like they used to with Napoleon Dynamite).