Interview: Shara Worden, part 4

This is my favorite part of the interview, not only because I finally get to ask Shara about her performance of one of my absolute favorite pieces of classical music, but this was definitely the most philosophically interesting part of the evening. Hopefully, you will be as struck with her ideas as I was.

TIH: Do you keep up with contemporary classical music at all: Golijov maybe, or others?

SW: I haven’t seen his opera, but I have seen Dreams and Prayers of Isaac the Blind the string octet, and then I’ve seen Dawn Upshaw perform of few of his songs.

TIH: A lot of these composers now are drawing on pop music with increasing frequency, do you see that line between art music and popular music beginning to blur?

SW: I used to be really concerned with that and that was where I was wrestling for those years of Shark’s Teeth. I think I just got tired of thinking about that, because I was so concerned with it that at the end of the day it wasn’t so much a philosophical question for me as it was “what have I chosen to do with my life?”. And as I’ve gotten to be really ok with what I have chosen to do and really surrendered to the songwriting, this year I have sort of bizarrely gotten more classical jobs.

TIH: Really? Like what?

SW: I’m going to do a song cycle called Penelope Songs and that’s like classical, written music that’s sort of like Samuel Barber, but with drum kit. So I am recording that this year. And then I am working on something with Bryce Dessner for BAM in October and that’s more of a classical kind of thing and then the Clogs record.

TIH: To me, that seems like another sign of that sort of convergence, like pop is our folk music being adapted to classical forms.

SW: If you’re listening to Ligeti or Boulez – there is that idea of music as a science. Or the Second Viennese School, they really did create a new musical language. And we are employing some of that language now, it’s just normal for some new chord to show or for some atonal moment to happen, or Sonic Youth, you could say was developing a new language in a way that was echoing that. So there is that interesting thing where Aphex Twin or Chris Clark and all those warp records guys are doing things that are very progressive rhythmically and that sort of echoing things that were happening in IRCAM and there’s that dialog now. But I still think that Itzhak Perlman needs to be Itzhak Perlman and I still firmly believe in the science of music. Whether or not I am a part of it, I still really think that that music needs to exist; that it’s a worthy pursuit of your life.

TIH: You put together a performance of Pierrot Lunaire. Why? There are not a lot of people who really want to do that.

SW: Yeah. That was the hardest thing I have ever done in my life. The Sprechstimme part itself isn’t hard. Rhythmically, that piece is incredibly challenging and you have so many technical things to think of like, really how close am I going to try to get to those pitches. And it’s something that I, since I don’t have perfect pitch, would have to do a lot in order to get closer. So, because the technical world is so challenging, if you can get through it, it’s this really beautiful piece of music that’s really beautiful and really moving and just incredible. But just to learn it and get it integrated into your body where you’re not having to think about what you’re doing is really hard.

TIH: I’d love to do something like that, but that would be pushing my abilities a little bit.

SW: Well have you heard those recording of these guys doing Mahler with string quartet and accordion? Or doing Wagner, excerpts from his operas in that way, not with a singer, but it’s so awesome! And that was part of what I was thinking with “Black and Costaud”. These songs are public property. You can cover this song just like you can cover a Bob Dylan song. Do it your own way. There’s no reason why, just because it was written on paper that it has to be exactly this way. If you want to do it, do it.

TIH: Did you record your performance?

SW: I was so sick that week. That the recording was such a disappointment, because I was having to do it just the way that my voice would do it that day rather than how I had prepared it.  I wanted to do “Der kränke Mond” again, which is the one with just flute. I wanted to record that, and I still might do that, but it will take a little time.

TIH: You can put that on the new album.

SW: Yeah, as a B-side

Interview: Shara Worden, part 3

Sorry, no #faibw post this week. Instead I have even more Shara Worden for you. (I wonder if you can guess what’s coming tomorrow.)

The Indie Handbook: When you conceive of an album, does it emerge as a sort of cohesive unit, or each song separately? What sort of emphasis do you put on song order?

Shara Worden: My criticism of A Thousand Shark’s Teeth is that it was very separate and because it was recorded over such a long period of time, there was kind of ideas behind it: I was really trying to work on strings and orchestration, that was really a priority, but the kinds of songs are really all over the place. So I did spend a lot of time thinking about the song order. And the songs that I sort of injected into the album were “Inside a Boy” “From the Top of the World” and “Ice and the Storm”. So those are all the more poppy, rocky ones and then I also really manipulated “Pluto’s Moon” from its original form. Originally, it had just been a string quartet then I made it into a guitar song. So I had to sort of reconcile myself to doing something over a long period of time and not really conceiving it as a unit. It was really more of a “here are these ideas that I am going to play around with and see what happens”. This is the fruit of many years of meanderings. The whole time, when you’re in the process of committing to an older idea, and presenting it in the present moment, you’re like, “should I really be doing this, or should I just move on?

TIH: You seem to use a lot of those sorts of unconventional rhythms and meters, a lot of 3+3+2 and those things. Do you find yourself drawn to those types of things? Clearly, you’ll get a lot more radio airplay with a straight 4/4 and three chords.

SW: Yes, I am going to live, apparently, in the experimental avant garde world.

TIH: That wouldn’t be so bad. As far as I’m concerned, you can go full-on microtonal, if you want.

SW: But then I’d go insane! That’s what’s so great about the Portishead record or M.I.A. With her singing and multi-layering, she’s kind of doing this microtonal, I don’t know if it’s on purpose, but the effect of it is really, really cool.

TIH: Well, the opening of “Freak Out” also has that sort of shimmery, gamelan quality.

SW: Hey, that one has repeated notes, too “I think we should jump on the piano”. Hey, you were right.

TIH: Yeah, and the sort of percussive singing style propels it forward.

SW: Well, that’s the sort of direction I am going. The thing I am interested in now is rhythm, and so I don’t know if there will be many strings appearing at all on the next record. I am much more fascinated with [rhythm]. Because I haven’t actually put a lot of energy into rhythm. I’ve been trying to define my harmonic language, so now I’m really excited about finding a rhythmical language.

TIH: These days, it seems like more and more artists are taking a sort of chamber music approach to song writing. Are you noticing similar trends?

SW: Yeah, definitely. It seems like something that has been culminating for a long time: Andrew Bird, Joanna Newsom, and obviously the Decemberists. I don’t know. It’s fascinating. There’s a certain resistance, maybe to the immediacy or the quickness with which we are consuming music and I wonder a little bit if it is a bit of a rebellious reaction to that three minute, you can download this and you’re gonna want to download five other records today and your gonna want to download five more records tomorrow. And eff that, you know. Who was the jazz guy that just released a 74 minute song so you would have to listen to the whole thing? So I think there’s some desire for a longer narrative. You know, Antony’s record, I feel like is sort of like, completely the opposite of what you might expect for right now, that need for distraction away from what is happening in our society and he just says “cool, let me break your heart even more”. Of course, who knows, really, why things are happening, but I think it’s a little bit punk. I think it’s a sort of bizarre expression of the punk spirit, like “Yes! I’m going to write a narrative based on fairy tales!” And I’m thinking Awesome! Can I play the bad lady?

Interview: Shara Worden, part 2

Critics like to talk about a band’s literary influences as if they (the critics) have actually read more than 12 words together that anyone other than they themselves has written. Read these 485 words and you will at least be able to talk about Shara Worden’s literary influences without making stuff up.

The Indie Handbook: I know the last time I saw you, about two years ago, you had made mention of At the Back of the North Wind, during your concert. I forget what song you were introducing.

Shara Worden: Well, it was definitely the impetus for writing “From the Top of the World”. I guess it was more the pictures and this ideal. Sort of like, um…which Chronicle of Narnia is it where they’re on the boat and Reepicheep dives into the water?

TIH: Was it Voyage of the Dawn Treader?

SW: Is that it? And they get to the end of the world. And so it was kind of this melding of that. And I had also been looking at a lot of Anselm Kiefer paintings and a lot of things that have ladders in them. Anselm, his whole life in many ways has been dedicated to sort of examining our desire to ascend to the heavens, but the irony being that Heaven, [un]like the way we understand space to be, is not “out there”, but it is actually here, and there is no up or down, there is no East or West, which also plays into Alice in Wonderland. So, I feel like fairy tales and these kinds of children’s stories have actually known things for a hundred years and writing things for a hundred years that science is only proving now.

TIH: I’m curious about Alice in Wonderland.

SW: I did some singing and instrumental-izing for a puppet production of Alice in Wonderland in New York, I think right before Workhorse came out, so that would have been 2006. So I did that production of Alice in Wonderland and the people that did the video for “From the Top of the World”, those were the folks that I worked with.

TIH: So Lake Simons…

SW: Yeah, Lake Simons. I had already written the song “Magic Rabbit”, but that show came up and it was really special for me. So Alice just keeps coming up. I mean, it’s sort of ubiquitous.

TIH: Would you like to do more involving different media?

SW: Yeah. We did a puppet show for one song in the fall when we were touring and it was so fun and so special. I really loved it. So we’ll see, hopefully.

TIH: You worked with Tim Fite on that video as well. Do you have any plans to do more work together in the future?

SW: It’s just kind of when it happens. He’s definitely one of my favorite artists and a dear friend. The last sort of thing we did together was a Paul Robeson tribute album. I sang a song for him, but I don’t know what’s going to happen or any details about that.

Interview: Shara Worden, part 1

I recently had an opportunity to sit down with Shara Worden of My Brightest Diamond, one of my favorite songwriters of all time, in hopes of getting some answers to a few questions I have always wanted to ask her, and maybe (hopefully) convince a few single ladies that I am considerably cooler than I actually am (as World’s Sexiest Vegetarian finalist Gareth Campesinos! would say: “I am nothing if not a pragmatist”). So, here is part one. I will post the rest of it for you as the week progresses.

Oh, also, I’ve never actually interviewed anyone before, so I’m sorry if I suck at it. (Like I said, I am not for real cool.) Anyway, there it is.

The Indie Handbook: You studied voice at the University of North Texas. What was that experience like?

Shara Worden: In school the only role, the only kind of complete role that I had was in L’enfant et les sortilèges, so playing the child was a turning point for me. Where I was able to find pleasure in singing again…so because I got to play a kid …I was able to be playful and explore so I think that piece in particular has had a really special place for me because it’s a fairy tale in its own way.

TIH: So, is that why you did “Black and Costaud”, your own personal connection to the song?

SW:  I think that I, for many years was trying to reconcile myself with the idea that I had chosen songwriting because, in classical music, you dedicate an enormous amount of time to doing one very, very specific thing, which [is] to sing this really difficult music, well, and beautifully, and with feelings, and connection. [And] to compare that with writing songs, which is very internally motivated – If you hear someone like Itzhak Perlman play or Yo Yo Ma or really amazing classical players – Renée Fleming or Barbara Bonney – and you just think Wow, you’ve devoted your life to doing this one thing really beautifully…. That’s really profound to me and I feel like there is something really honorable – there is so much energy in life put toward destruction and put toward negativity and I really admire people who dedicate themselves so fully to something that is so beautiful – I’d rather explore lots of different kinds of things, and I found myself more excited about songwriting and more enthusiastic about spending hours and hours. It’s the same amount of time spent on making music, but the sort of form results in a different thing.

TIH: How would you say your classical training has influenced your songwriting?

SW: Honestly, the singing, I don’t think about it at all. But at the beginning of the writing process for Shark’s Teeth, I was listening to a lot of Boulez and so I was trying to write songs, more so trying not to be prescriptive of the songs, not dictating the form of the songs. Allowing the harmony to take it to a different place, or not having repeated choruses or kind of trying to find different ways of setting the text, so in a certain way the texts was more important, the texts and the harmonies were the priorities. You can see that with songs like “Goodbye Forever” or “If I Were Queen”

TIH: The thing I love about your music is, at least on Workhorse, that your melodies are really unconventional, at least they seem to me to differ from a lot of pop music – you use a lot of repeated notes…

SW: I’m curious which ones you mean, where you are thinking that, because I was conscious of it only for Workhorse.

TIH: Now that you’ve put me on the spot, I can’t remember titles of them, “Workhorse”, for instance.

SW: Well, on that one for sure I was thinking about it, because it was right after “Today” had come out and there was “Yesterday I woke up sucking a lemon, Yesterday…” and I thought Hey, you can use rhythm rather than using melody, so that was my experiment in that. It’s actually very atypical for me.

TIH: I thought I noticed it on five or six tracks.

SW: Yeah, for Workhorse, for sure. Though what is more natural for me is to do the octaves, big intervallic jumps, like on “Disappear”, for instance.

TIH: Your work with Padma Newsome: what sort of things did you work with him on?

SW: Well, to keep it specific to the record, I would bring him an idea for a string quartet, an accompaniment or arrangement for a song and he would give me suggestions on it. Say, “I think if you invert this, it will sound like this and this is why,” or “bring the bass note up here or you need to spread out” just how you should voice things, helping me learn about the ranges of the instruments. We would listen to different classical pieces, and look at the scores and figure out how things were working. Or I’d bring in something I liked, Rebecca Moore or a Björk track, and he would listen to it and give his feedback on what he thought was cool, what he didn’t think was cool. So it was a lot of [that]. He played me Ligeti for the first time.

TIH: I do love Ligeti.

SW: Yeah, so he was trying to bring in a bunch of different things that he thought I would like, and things that I, as a vocalist, was maybe not familiar with.

TIH: There is so much we miss out on. Did you look at any of his music in particular?

SW: Yeah, we did. We looked at Clogs music a lot and trying to figure out different ways of writing things. Like if you want something to be freer, what information do you give a player? Like in jazz, is there a head, is there a melodic theme, and when does that return? Clogs is actually pretty improvisational, but highly organized improv, so we would study how the organization but also looseness and lack of organization works….It was funny that we started out and he was sort of my mentor, but now we are like collaborators. I sang on their new record. It’s not out yet, but sometime this year.

Shh, talk about Slow Club in your Library Voices

Follow An Indie Band Wednesday!

(Thanks to thepoptimist.com for the logo idea)

Guess what guys!  If you work at a semi-normal workplace, you get Friday off, so today is sort of like … not Wednesday, and tomorrow is sort  of like Friday!

And it’s “listen to indie music and have a great Wednesday”, which is my new name for “follow an indie band Wednesday” because I’m getting tired of calling it that.  I’m not very big on commitment.  That’s okay, though, because this day allows me to be as random as I need to be.  So with that, I have some highlights and some housekeeping things for you today!

1. 5 months f rom today, December 1st, is Free-E-Day, which is an online indie culture festival being hosted by Year Zero Writers.  This is a pretty freaking awesome idea, and I hope to see it come to fruition in an even more brilliant way than anyone expects.  Basically, artists will contribute books, music, photography, etc etc etc, and they will be available to the public for free!  If you’re an artist, this is a great way for you to put your stuff out there, and if you’re a lover of the arts (as Eric and I most definitely are), this is a great way to find something new and groundbreaking.  For more information, check out the website here.  Also, remember that when you talk about it, you have to say it sort of like this: “FreeeeeeeeeeeeeeeEEEEEEEEEEeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Day!”  It’s much more fun that way, trust me.

2. Right now I am listening to Library Voices. I’ve been coming to a realization…it’s like waking up from a dream…that I have a thing for Canadian music.  How to describe them?  They’ve got the tension between playfulness and self-awareness that we all admire about the Magnetic Fields, with a brilliantly indie-pop sound and a free but catchy structure, which isn’t the easiest balance in the world to accomplish.  Their little a cappella melody at the beginning of “Drinking Games” is precious, and they also clap and ooh and aah and count off in Spanish and reference The Unbearable Lightness of Being and make the synths sound cool.  Yeah, that’s hot.

3. 5 days till the new Slow Club album! Yeah So will be released on July 6, 2009, and somehow I just know it’s going to be the most wonderful thing you’ve heard all year so far.  Can you believe it’s already July?  Yeah, me neither.  I can’t keep up.  Anyway, let me tell you what Yeah So is going to be like.  Charles and Rebecca are going to charm you with their vocal chemistry and their playful, creative, honest lyrics.  You’ll dance around even if you never dance, you’ll blast it from your car even though folk is not usually blasted, and you will make all of your friends listen to it.  Some tracks may also make you cry.  And if you have ever listened to the musical The Last Five Years by Jason Robert Brown, which is probably like…one of you…”Sorry About the Doom” is going to sound like “I’m Still Hurting.”  And if you check out “Dance Till the Morning Light” on their myspace, there is going to be an even better version.  Jus’ sayin’.  On Monday you better invest a few bucks in this album, because if Paste magazine comes to their senses, it will be on the top-25 list of 2009 at least.

4. Another gem of FAIBW is Ra Ra Riot. They’re from Syracuse but they have a bit of a London sound, reminiscent of the Kooks.  Violin and cello are prominent elements of their distinct ethereal indie rock, and even though the lyrics are kind of weird, they’re also pretty  cool.  I should have more to say about them, but I am getting antsy.

5. Here is a video of Slow Club to get you excited about the new album (if my writing isn’t exciting enough for you).  “Because You Are Dead” will be on it!

That’s a mighty big violin you’ve got there.

Wow. I thought I was going to get home a lot sooner than this, so I will make this quick. Our friends The Hard To Get set out on the West Coast leg of their tour this weekend. I was listening to both of their EPs today, and, in case you were wondering, I still like them as much as I did the first time, maybe more. I’ll post the dates below. Make sure you get out and support them, because they are way cooler than anyone else you know and I will accept no excuses less urgent than weddings, funerals, and severe medical emergencies (and no, you can meet your new nephew tomorrow). And check out their tour blog, because it can be pretty doon hilarious (and there is a video of Tim and Melissa singing Sleater-Kinney songs in the car).

Speaking of concerts, I went to one last night. Camera Obscura. And though I was surrounded by so many trendy, skinny, beautiful indie kids that I found myself wishing I had the will power to be anorexic (no, I am not kidding; yes, it did freak me out.), it really was a great show. (Have I mentioned that I love Scottish people, especially Glaswegians?) And while I agree with Paste that “French Navy” is definitely one of the 10 best songs of the year so far, I am not going to talk about them. Besides, you probably already know who they are. You may not, however, have heard of Anni Rossi who is opening for them. Consequently, you probably have no idea how amazing she is, so let me tell you. She is amazing. Anni Rossi is Anni Rossi and a viola. A viola! You don’t see a lot of violas outside of symphony halls, and for good reason. They have something of a reputation for being–how shall I put it–boring.

Anni Rossi’s viola is not boring.

Think of Anni as something of an Andrew Bird figure, with (you guessed it) a viola and no loop pedal. And this was the amazing thing to me. The way she uses her instrument more than makes up for what could easily come across as a detrimentally thin texture. Yes, the rich color of the viola’s tone (reaching into a lower register than the ubiquitous indie violin) helps a great deal, but it is her use of varied bowing techniques (e.g. col legno, sautillé, and jeté, if you care about such things and also lots of pizzicato, if that counts as bowing [if you have no idea what I am talking about, read this]) that is most effective in enriching her sound. Also, there is the occasional use of scordatura (awesome!), at least I think that was intentional and not just an unfortunate side effect of the high humidity. Also, I absolutely love her voice. Think of something like Bjork’s phrasing and idiosyncrasies with the color of a Vanessa Carlton and all the charm of a cross between Jena Malone and Regina Spektor. (There is probably a simpler and more accurate way to describe it, but I am at a loss). Anyway, check out the video for “Wheelpusher” below, and catch her in concert. I think she is playing a few dates with Micachu later this summer after she finished up with Camera Obscura.

You Think You’re Sooo Indie… She & Him

Ok, so welcome to our new column, which will appear whenever we feel like writing it!  It is lovingly entitled, You Think You’re Sooo Indie, and it will be featuring bands which you think make you indie because you are young and naive like that, but  do not actually make you indie at all.

You Think You’re Sooo Indie… because you listen to She & Him

Paste magazine voted She & Him’s “Volume 1″ as the best album of 2008. She & Him are Zooey Deschanel, who you know from Elf and possibly some other less interesting movies, and M. Ward, who doesn’t matter because no one really cares about his half of the collaboration anyway.  Paste magazine’s coveted and highly esteemed seal of approval is probably the number 1 reason you think listening to this dynamic duo makes you indie.  I can’t blame you, really.  Paste has much knowledge…much more than I or Eric…and in the exact same issue, they feature The Welcome Wagon, which is decidedly indie and somewhat obscure simply because it’s Christian, so that deserves respect.  However, I’m pretty sure another reason you think She & Him makes you indie is that their name is “She & Him”–how cheeky!  How cute!  How just plain indie!  On top of that, what kind of album name is “Volume One” anyway?  Everyone knows that cryptic = indie! Yeah, no.

Can we get back to Paste, though?

I flip through the December 08/January 09 issue of Paste magazine in awe.  I mean, look at the bands on their top-25 list and tell me how Mates of State’s Rearrange Us, Okkervil River’s The Stand Ins, Bon Iver’s For Emma, Forever Ago, and Sigur Ros’s Med sud i eyrum vid spilum endalaust failed to take the number 1 spot over She & Him!  Sigur Ros made it only one spot behind them, and I’m not even satisfied with that.  I’m still unclear about how Dear & the Headlights and Envy & Other Sins failed to make the list.  I suppose you could make an accessibility argument–but we aren’t voting on a The Most Accessible Album of 2008 award, are we?  And if She & Him is accessible, I have to assert that 75% of the others on the top-25 list are too.  Sigur Ros probably doesn’t fall into that percentage.  Paste magazine, what happened???

“Maybe it’s just a sweet little folk record–

–a tiny, flawless, diamond.  Or maybe it’s a pristine distillation of harmony and craft; 50 years of songwriting experience served up on a spinning silver platter.  Either way, it’s our album of the year.”  (Paste, Dec08Jan09)  Well Paste, that’s ridiculous.  First of all, maybe it is a tiny, flawless diamond.  In fact, I think that’s a perfect description.  The album is truly beautiful.  Zooey Deschanel has a lovely voice, and when M. Ward does decide to show off his vocal talents, they are there.  I wouldn’t call their style so much unique as timeless–a bit western, a lot folk, and just so much good clean fun.  While their sound is simple, their songwriting and arranging are full of raw talent  (”Why Do You Let Me Stay Here?,” “I Thought I Saw Your Face Today,” “I Should Have Known Better”).

My complaints are not so much about the band as they are about the publicity.  They’re great, sure, but they’re not pee-your-pants-revolutionize-your-life great.   Zooey has a unique and lovely voice, but it gets annoying sometimes (”Take It Back,” “I Was Made For You”).  “This Is Not A Test” and “Got Me” get a bit repititious.  I respect the musicians and their songwriting talent, but I simply don’t find them to be Best-Of worthy.  Or indie-worthy, with all the ridiculous publicity.  Best album of the year?  Please.  We know why they got best album of the year.

We all really do  know why, don’t we?

Look at that precious face.  That talented, artsy girl next door.  She doesn’t need M. Ward to get all the attention in the world, because she could have

aw, sugary sweet!

put out “Volume One Half” by “She” and been voted best best BEST! album of the year.  Upon the first notes of “Sentimental Heart” you just want to squeeze her, and then you see the music video for “Why Do You Let Me Stay Here?” and you just collapse into a comatose state, probably related to all that sweet sugary goodness.  And do you think that’s a self-portrait on the album cover?  Oh my gosh probably…she’s so carefree and charming and wonderful…

Welcome back to reality, guys.  Haven’t you ever seen High Fidelity?–even She (ha…ha…) is not always lovely!  Also, contrary to popular (and sometimes Eric’s) belief, cuteness is not a good enough reason to call a collaboration incredible.  Those bearded Fleet Foxes boys are good…but not because of their beards, and not as good as everyone seems to think.  And She & Him are good, but not because Zooey Deschanel is adorable, and not as deserving as everyone seems to think.  I know, I know, ranting about it is not going to change anything.  But listen up boys and girls: I will I keep your indie points from you because of your mixed-up priorities and inability to compartmentalize squeezability from talent (especially when my male audience seems remarkably able to compartmentalize literally everything else in their lives!).

In conclusion, listening to She & Him does not make you indie because:

1. Paste magazine voted them #1 of 2008…for no good reason.
2. Their sound is timeless…but not incredibly creative.
3. They are mostly popular because everyone just dies when they hear Zooey sing…even though her voice sounds like 9/10 of the rest of the girl singer population.
4. She & Him? “Volume One”?  They’re trying too hard.

And if we ever have the follow conversation…

me: “what kind of music do you like?”
you: “oh you know, indie music…”
me: “oh cool, like what bands?”
you: “um, well i’m really into she & him right now–”
me: “SHUT DOWN.  NOT INDIE.”

…then you will be shut down.  Because that is not indie.

The King of Pop Lives On…

Well, I was preparing to write something sassy (a new column, in fact, criticizing something instead of gushing, for once), and then I heard the news which you’ve all heard by now (and if you haven’t…now you have): the King of Pop, the man who has had a gloved hand in making 21st century pop music as we know it, has died.  Michael Jackson, our beloved iconic musician, was not supposed to die, at least not until our generation could die along with him, and so to us he will remain immortal, much like Tupac…not in a thugz mansion, but on Bourbon Street, New Orleans or on a private island in the Caribbean.  And if you’re thinking anything like, “what does this have to do with indie music?” I will literally come find you and kick you in the shins.

After 50 years of sharing his talent with the world (I mean, he basically emerged from the womb singing with the Jackson 5), of beautiful falsetto, of classic and progressive dance moves, and of media absurdity, how can we honor him accordingly?  Well, we can’t, really, can we?  So instead of trying to achieve the impossible and making pretentious bastards out of ourselves, we’re going to leave you with a tiny piece of his colossal legacy.  The following is a list of (with some links to) our MJ faves–our collectively and classically favorites of Jackson’s original tunes, and some fabulous covers, which demonstrate that not only will Jackson’s music continue to thrive in its influence on literally every single talented musican (and probably the untalented ones too) performing today, but in its evolution.

A Toast to Michael.  In no particular order.  Enjoy.

“Thriller” (Thriller, 1982)  It doesn’t get more obvious than this, folks.  William & Mary recently broke the world record for the most number of people doing the Thriller dance at the same place, at the same time.

“Man in the Mirror”, cover by James Morrison (Bad, 1988)

“Billie Jean” (Thriller, 1982)

“Billie Jean”, cover by Snowsera (Thriller, 1982)

“Don’t Stop ’til You Get Enough” (Off the Wall, 1979)

“The Girl Is Mine”, cover by John Legend and Stephen Colbert (Thriller, 1982)

“Ben” (Ben, 1972)

“I’ll Be There” (Jackson 5, Third Album, 1970) I’m peeing my pants because listening to little Michael doing this a cappella is so precious and beautiful.

“Beat It”, cover by Fall Out Boy (Thriller, 1982) Not bad for Fall Out Boy, I must admit.

“I Want You Back”, cover by Nickel Creek (Jackson 5, Diana Ross Presents the Jackson 5, 1969)

And finally, Eric really likes the video to Smooth Criminal.

USA! USA! USA!

Even for a pathological depressive like me, today has been a good day. The United States have crushed Spain in the Confederations Cup (that right there is a week’s worth of good news); I have spent most of the day listening to God Help the Girl, Belle & Sebastian, and Bjork; I found an article on frontal lobe development co-authored by Natalie Portman online; and I read Hamlet during my lunch break. All of these things and more have combined to blot most of the negative aspects of young-adulthood from my cosciousness, even the corrupt and shallow FHM 100 sexiest women list released today, which unfairly favors women with long hair (OK, so maybe I’m still bitter about some things). But I am content enough to at least make an attempt at a #faibw post today.

Alright, let’s see. Here’s a nice one for you. Sun Airway, from Philadelphia. Very chill (an adjective I hate to use, because it is not an adjective) and I like that. All of their music that I have heard today has a distinct air of familiarity and I cannot figure out why. I am pretty sure I’ve never actually heard any of this before. I suppose it sort of reminds me of the Postal Service (Oh, no! Was that a Death Cab reference?), but with better vocals and (upon first listening, I would say) slightly more rhythmical complexity. You should really check this out. Also, you can download their EP, Oh, Naoko here. (Coincidentally, I have a little bit of a crush on Naoko Mori and an even bigger crush on her character from Torchwood.)

I can’t believe we haven’t had a Swiss band on here yet (I don’t think). Well, we do now. According to their MySpace, CHOO CHOO are from Bern. They have an organist in their band and she is a girl. Two points! (A friend of mine who is an organist visited me at work today, another good thing about today.) I love their fusion of 60s rock and contemporary garage, aaaaand they list The Monkees amongst the bands they listen to, and where would we be without Davy Jones and Mike Nesmith’s mother? (For starters, we’d be short two Pirates movies and about a billion gallons of Liquid Paper.) So give them a listen, I am really digging “Safe & Warm” [see video below].

Inlight have the sort of sound that I’m pretty sure can only come from Britain. You know, that pop/rock quality that lands just to the left of epic, but in a good way. There’s a slight thread of Pink Floydiness that runs through these songs, many of which can be downloaded for free under the “audio” tab on their website, and great relentless, non-annoying drumming persists through “Icarus” (one of two tracks making titular allusions to classical mythology, which is awesome). Also, they’ve opened for Alphabeat, and, yes, I love Alphabeat. One thing I don’t like about Inlight: they are now band number 472 on the list of “Bands I Am Not Likely To See Live Any Time Soon Because They Live In Places I Am Too Poor To Visit”. (My BIANLTSLATSBTLIPIATPTV list is getting really long and that is beginning to cloud my positive opinion of today’s events.)

Star Trek: Spaced Out!

Here’s the deal, guys.  In honor of the new Star Trek movie, I am going to bring us all back to the original Star Trek, with genius Leonard Nimoy and pre-Priceline William Shatner.  We are going to both celebrate who they were, and mourn who they became–well, depending on you who are.  I’m fine with who they became.  This stuff is pretty fantastic entertainment.

So, in case you aren’t aware, Leonard Nimoy and William Shatner made an album a few years back–it’s sort of William Shatner doing dramatic monologues and Leonard Nimoy singing.  I am now going to liveblog this entire album, and you will feel sorry for me and jealous of me at the same time.  The major question throughout this entire thing is: seriously?

1-“King Henry the Fifth”: Well, that’s one way to start a spoken word piece…William Shatner is the most dramatic man I have ever known.  He makes Laurence Olivier sound like a pansy.

2-“Elegy for the Brave”: Can William Shatner speak me to sleep every night?  His voice is so calming.  “And the sunlight sprinkles diamonds on a clear, flowing stream…”  I especially love the “ahh ahh ahh” background vocals.  Mmm this is lovely.  Do you think he is the pale young soldier?  I sure hope he is.  Oh crap wait, the pale young soldier is dead–ok, now I’m just insensitive.  Next track.

3-“Highly Illogical”: YES!  This is like, straight out of Star Trek.  I freaking love Spock.  Oooh great beat!  It’s like the Brady Bunch!  Leonard Nimoy is now talking about how women change men…he should give us all relationship advice, I think.  I’ll take advice from a Vulcan any day, they’re the experts on life.  Counseling + dancing at the same time = new Vulcan field of psychology?  I think yes.

[now my sister is interrupting me to tell me about her tetanus shot.  i wonder what spock would say about that.]

4-“If I Had A Hammer”: Can I just get this out of the way and say it sounds like he’s talking about having sex?  I’m sorry, but it does.  And Leonard is really into hammering, apparently.  And also ringing bells.  Anyway, how is it that his songs are so much peppier than William’s?  I mean, first we watch Star Trek and Spock is much more serious than Captain Kirk (in my trekkie opinion), and then we hear these ridiculously dramatic monologues in the first two … songs? … and now Leonard is like LET’S DANCE!  Ok it’s getting more serious towards the end…kind of peacie and nationalistic at the same time.  This is weird.

5-“Mr. Tambourine Man”: Oh there are so many things to say about this.  Ok William Shatner is back in all his glory.  I think he is trying to have a Bob Dylan voice, but he is failing miserably.  It’s too choppy even for Dylan.  Is he constipated?  Also, the instrumentation sounds RIDICULOUS.  It’s like a really bad middle school band arrangement.  Oh my gosh now he is yelling for the tambourine man!  When you cover Dylan you can’t sound desperate, you have to sound cool!!

6-“Where is Love?”: Aw, is Leonard lonely?  Aw, I think he is.  I wonder if he ever took voice lessons.  This genre is not quite working for him.  Can we get back to the 60’s dance music?

7-“Music To Watch Space Girls By“: Let’s address the obvious fact that space girls do not exist, unless you’re talking about astronauts, in which case a) they’re very covered up in those spacesuits, aren’t they? and b) unless you are also an astronaut, where are you going to see them?  Other than that, I’m glad Leonard has returned to his fun surfer dance music, despite the freaky synths.  I’d also like to point out that Leonard Nimoy is credited for this song, but he does not sing.  That’s 2 minutes of my life I cannot get back, and I wasted them because Leonard Nimoy wasn’t actually singing.

8-“It Was A Very Good Year”: Ew.  William Shatner is starting to get creepy.  He is talking about girls and sounds very pervy.  Geez, William.

9-“Ruby Don’t Take Your Love To Town”: This is an uneventful piece of work.  I am starting to realize how many tracks are on this album, and how consequently long this post is going to be, and now I am starting to feel insecure.

10-“Hamlet”: Another dramatic monologue!  This is particularly meaningful to me, because when Eric and I took Facebook quizzes to determine what Shakespeare characters we were, Eric got Ophelia and I got Hamlet.  I’m basically driving him into madness!  Anyway, Shatner should never play Hamlet in a movie.  He has been outdone already by too many people–Mel Gibson, Kenneth Branagh, Ethan Hawke (yes Ethan Hawke was even better than this).  Aye, there’s the rub!

11-“A Visit To A Sad Planet”: This is weird.  Leonard Nimoy is talking about charred, radioactive vegetation.  There is a pretty flute in the background though.  BORING.

12-“Abraham, Martin, and John”: Oh my gosh I love this song!  It is covers like this that make this album worth listening to.  Leonard Nimoy is being all peacie again!  What a precious man!  Not sure what’s going on with the bizarre instrumentation on this entire album–the brass doesn’t really fit at all, but…I can’t lie, I think Leonard has a decent, if just a little shaky, voice on these little ballads.

13-“Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds”: I liked this a lot until 30 seconds in when William Shatner started speaking instead of singing.  Now I’m just dying of laughter!  I think he may have been high when recording this; if not, he actually is a pretty fantastic actor.

14-“If I Was A Carpenter”: Whoever originally wrote this song is obviously unclear about the grammatical use of “if I was” and “if I were,” because just to be safe, he uses them both.  Anyway, I think Leonard Nimoy is living out his childhood fantasies here, because his covers are getting boring and they all sound the same, but I think he is getting super into it.

15-“How Insensitive”: William Shatner is now talking about how “unmoved and cold” he is in regards to love.  I think he likes it.  Oh wait, now he’s being a whiner about how alone he is.  You feel like an ass now, don’cha Mr. Shatner? There’s a nice little jazzy thing going on in the background, too.

16-“I’d Love Making Love To You”: I bet you would.

17-“Put A Little Love In Your Heart”: I wonder if these men ever intended this to be released to the world, or if they just had a drunken late-night recording session that accidentally leaked.

18-“Sunny”: What was I thinking?? I’m officially bored with Leonard Nimoy’s vocals.  We’ve got William on the one hand being hyperbolically ridiculous, and we’ve got Leonard trying to be suave but only coming across as … blah.  Can we get Stevie Wonder singing this instead?  Oooh it gets a little exciting towards the end, though, doesn’t it? (no.)

19-“Gentle On My Mind”: Not even listening to this anymore.

20-“I Walk The Line”: I kind of like this.  Is that horrible?  I mean, whatshisface Phoenix was more in tune than Leonard, but still…it’s kind of cute.

21-“The Ballad of Bilbo Baggins”: OH MY GOSH.  OH MY GOSH.  I’ve heard this before, I can’t lie, but OH MY GOSH, every time I forget how FABULOUS it is!!  There is no decipherable key, and who wrote the lyrics to this anyway?, and the ladies in the background seem to be singing whatever pitches they feel like singing, and OH MY GOSH now it sounds like Leonard is trying to act out Bilbo’s adventures!  I think they hired a 7th grade band for this one, too, but you know what?  I would pay $20 just for this song.

22-“Everybody’s Talkin’”: My mom used to sing me this song when I was little, probably because of my little kid routine of “mom? mom? mom? mom? mom?”  Leonard Nimoy sounds really broken up about life in this one.  I want to hug him…but without having to touch him.

23-“Both Sides Now”: Aw, no one but Joni Mitchell should ever sing this.  This cover is too fast.  Slow down, dammit!!  And also, what do you know about life, Leonard?  You’re a Vulcan!  Stop!!!

24-“Spock Thoughts”: This is brilliant.  Spock is wise.  He could have written Proverbs.  “Listen to others–even the dull and ignorant.  They too have their story.”  But seriously, he should just write a book of platitudes.  Oh!  Or they could hire him to write the fortunes for fortune cookies.  “You are a child of the universe, no less than the trees and the stars.  We have a right to be here…the universe is unfolding as it should.”  I love you, Spock.

So, you decide.  Were Leonard Nimoy and William Shatner trying to be funny?  Is the album worth the purchase for tracks like “The Ballad of Bilbo Baggins,” “Mr. Tambourine Man,” and “Spock Thoughts”?  Worth the purchase for sheer entertainment purposes?  I think yes.