Sonique on Tomcraft - Another World

"I've been waiting all my life, to do what I'm doing now.."

I found this video among the many random videos downloaded over Usenet in recent years. As I usually do, I found myself seeing into deeper levels of meaning..



As is the case with many Euro dance tracks, the lyrics suggest the standard invitation to dance and romance, with the hopes of the transcendent consummation amidst the bliss of music. However the visuals suggested further references..

A black woman in black emerges from shell in a place that seemingly creates identical copies of the same white man in white. However this does not appear to be a racial allegory. From a gender perspective it shows a woman who at first is bound, watched, and controlled in a world of all men. She is pursued by them, becomes as strong as them, and soon returns to face and challenge them back in an act of conscious liberation.

According to a fan site the white tower, which they equated with the biblical Tower Of Babel, is a place that symbolizes the mainstream music industry. She is an independent music artist that does not fit in, but they pursue her to steal the essence of her talents. She becomes stronger after diving into the oceans of artistic freedom and reemerges to challenge all the conforming clones, who soon begin to dance in lockstep to the strength of her influence.





I would also have to concede there are many visual elements suggestive of the Matrix trilogy, as the video was released the year after Reloaded and Revolutions. The clones are reminiscent of the multiple copies of Agent Smith who Neo confronts as she also does. The multiple wall screens with scenes within scenes, also recalls when Neo meets "The Architect" of the Matrix.






The connection to The Matrix leads further into a Gnostic or spiritual interpretation. The human being inside of this world is suppressed, controlled, and watched over by the Archons. She singularly awakens to the point where she can understand and rise to a higher level, but they stand in her way as guardians to prevent her from accessing "another world" that she can now see clearly. She knows they want the divine spark within her that they don't have - her love and affections.. Her feminine spiritual strength that perhaps embodies the wisdom of the universe itself, as she is able to move between the worlds. She draws one of them down into the cubic world of mass we experience here, leaving streaking trails of double helix light in her path. She transforms them, then ultimately is able to lead them. More archons follow as she leads them down.. They have now become the fallen ones..





There are also strong allusions to the human abduction syndrome. Just like the classic grey aliens she notes that "everybody acts to same..looks the same, You have those eyes to see inside of me..." She clearly falls unconscious and is taken aboard a large technological ship-like structure. She is captured and bound to an examination table and closely scanned by a security camera probe. But even in this perspective, her spirit is released and rises to the level where she can come back to "another world" on her own terms..for which she has been waiting all her life to do.. Like the Archons the aliens stand at the threshold, but she can now transcend beyond them. After being captured, examined, perused, and then confronting them back, her dance now becomes coordinated movements of control of them. She can now stand above it all and has passed the test.

Tool - Prison Sex

"So sweet was your surrender, we have become one..."


She KNows

Imagine this
a chrysalis
silence is bliss
I am not there yet

a memory of darkness
silent footsteps
a shadow slipped
there's nothing left

where are you now?
you tore my world apart
dazzled by sky lights
but suffocated in paralysis
in my night blindness

I was taken and left

opened like the skies
I widened horizons
and exceeded expectations beyond conditions
opened like a wound
I bled with urgency
then clotted over memory

where am I?
the teeter totter
then the laundry room
I want to die
did I die too soon?
and what did eye become
you looked behind my I..
touched an optic nerve
ripped the womb
and I was born too soon

I have become detached
a perfect silent sentinel
I can't even remember hell
because heaven's here
in this egg pile where I hatched

and yet I stand tall
like a cater pillar
finally rise to the baseline
turned my back on the sacrifcial altar
let me be drawn to the light
and shatter through the filters
sent from above
she comes as I willed her

you see, she knows..

Tool - Prison Sex lyrics

It took so long to remember just what happened.
I was so young and vestal then,
you know it hurt me,
but I'm breathing so I guess I'm still alive
even if signs seem to tell me otherwise.
I've got my hands bound,
my head down, my eyes closed,
and my throat wide open.

Do unto others, what has been done to me,
Do unto others, what has been done to you?

I'm treading water,
I need to sleep a while.
My lamb and martyr, you look so precious.
Won't you come on up closer,
close enough so I can smell you.
I need you to feel this,
I can't stand to burn too long.
Release in sodomy.
Oh, for one sweet moment I am whole.

Do unto you now, what has been done to me,
Do unto you now, what has been done?

You're breathing so I guess you're still alive
even if signs seem to tell me otherwise.
Won't you come on a bit closer,
close enough so I can smell you.
I need you to feel this.
I need this to make me whole.
Release in sodomy.
For I am your witness and
blood and flesh can be trusted.
And only this one holy medium brings me peace of mind.

Got your hands bound, your head down,
your eyes closed.
You look so precious now.

( Show me something
Thought I could make it end
Thought I could wash the stains away
Thought I could break the circle if I
Slipped right into your skin
So sweet was your surrender
We have become one
I have become my terror
And you my precious lamb and martyr.) *

I have found some kind of temporary sanity in this
shit, blood, and cum on my hands.

I've...come...round...full circle.
My lamb and martyr, this will be over, soon.
You look so precious.
You look so precious, now,
You look so precious...

Nancy Sinatra & Lee Hazlewood - Some Velvet Morning

"Secrets are the things we grow.."


This song is a complete mystery to me, and that is what I like about it.

So many songs these days have contrived concepts to prove how clever they are, but still remain known qualtities once sussed. This song from the oddly intriguing couple of Lee and Nancy was heard by me occasionally as bumper music on Art Bell's late nite Coast To Coast AM radio show (along with "Lady Bird") which only magnified it's curious little oddness and mysterious epic balladry..

I find myself oddly bemused at the full range of people trying to make sense of this song's meaning, from those who think it is the worst lyrics ever to the best duet ever. The song has an enduring capacity to captivate, as seen in this small smattering selection of opinions:

Some Velvet Morning - Wikipedia

Cult Cargo > Corpses > Some Velvet Morning

Retrospace - Why I Care About Some Velvet Morning

Wikanswers - What is the song Some Velvet Morning about?

The Post-Rockist - Some Velvet Morning

To me, I find the melody and arrangement haunting, along with the contrast of voices. The utter seriousness in the midst of a smoky psychedelic haze of words and strings is confounding. In this film made for a Nancy Sinatra TV special at the time, we see LEE in dark colors representing male forthright animus, riding a horse with four legs with his section sung in 4/4 time. Contrasting, we see NANCY in color and lightness, all feminine anima, mysteriously flowered inside the waltz rhythm of 3 beats to a measure. Men and women, sex and drugs, are all implied - but in the epic sweep of the presentation, they are all denied and surpassed. The womanly waves sweep against the steadfast rocky male shoreline, as do increasingly the two sections of music. The lyrics seem to suggest a man, speaking of a woman who gave him life.. and how he still is going to someday open up 'her gate'. And the woman's part makes reference to an undefined 'us'.. "look at us, but do not touch.." Is it a common earthly gender difference reference or something somewhat more supernatural? If not casually dismissed as random word nonsense, that is what puts this song in the mysterious undefined world of mythic symbolism.. and thus ineffable.

These two were quite a team. (he wrote the huge hit "These Boots Were Made For Walking") They had many other trippy country flavored and pop duet songs, such as Jackson:

However none of their collaborations quite reached the epic mysteriousness of "Some Velvet Morning" - which has inspired many cover versions, with various artists hoping to capture some of it's elusive essense. One of my favorites is Primal Scream's take, featuring their friend Kate Moss performing the Nancy Sinatra role:



Lee Hazlewood passed away a year ago in August 2007. Before he died he mentioned in an interview how he had the studio musicians play the intricate changes from 4/4 to 3/4 time live without edits. And Nancy Sinatra simply wanted to celebrate his life and could say no more. Their unique combination of persona's, recorded in musical expression, lives on for future generations to discover..

Katy Perry - Mannequin (Acoustic)

"If the past is the problem, my future could solve them baby.."

Was Katy Perry destined to be an Indie artist or the eventual pop chart hit maker that she is?

This solo acoustic performance at South By Southwest (SXSW) was recorded before she made "I Kissed A Girl" the 7 week straight number 1 chart topping hit of the summer. As much as I liked that perfect pop hit, I wonder what would have otherwise become of the aspiring artist we see in the video below, seemingly able to meld the vulnerable confessional yeans of the 70's singer-songwriters, with the raspy cries of of the alternative 90's Riot Rrrrls.

I discovered this performance in seven hundred and twenty progressive scanned lines of high definition video, which only magnified the surprise and shock in retrospect. This even looks like the Katy we have all come to know over the summer, right down to the long eyelashes and short pink dress. One would have to admit this is a passionate heartfelt performance, and with a full command of the acoustic guitar and a yearning expressive voice. Although the song was rerecorded for her album "One Of The Boys" in more of a produced version, I prefer this version much better. I am more able to feel the words that speak of a woman wishing a man could even rise to the level of being a real boy, just to understand he is not a man..not the man he really could be.

The more I investigate the varied past of Katy Perry, the more I ponder - Indie or Pop? I discovered this pop song "Broken", and a video recorded with the behind-the-scenes hit making team The Matrix, with the The Matrix unveiled as co-performers..

And as many already know.. before the "Pop or Indie" question for Katy, she originally emerged in the industry under the Hudson surname as a christian artist. (albiet christian songs with titles such as "Spit..") I hope the success of having kissed a girl does not forever detract from the potential of a possibly multi-level talent that this performance promises and hints at...

Sam Phillips - I Need Love

"I need fire, to melt the frozen sea inside me.."

Dear Sam -

Do you remember me? I was there in St Paul, Minnesota when your tour made a stop at the World Theater in 1994. I was completely fulfilled by your magnificent performance that night, satisfied that I finally got to see one of my very special, personal, significant female artists at last, live in person.. Shortly after seeing this intense video on MTV 120 Minutes, such a spiritual message channeled though the Beatles Rubber Soul album, with it's refutation of the "political church", and visual images of real body parts and actual burning corpses - never did I imagine I would minutes later shake your hand and make such a personal connection..

Do you remember? I was simply making a fast getaway to my car in the adjacent parking ramp when I saw a very small handful of 3-4 hardcore fans, ostensibly waiting there in the back of the venue hoping to meet you and get an autograph.. Although I usually shun such interactions, I was compelled to approach the group to inquire and confirm that this indeed was their intention..

I remember very well how a stage crew member sussed that a few fans were waiting patiently to meet you, then presumably went to inform you, and how you graciously came out to meet them, despite such a seemingly low number of them.. To their disdain, I found myself at the front of the imaginary greeting line..and oh, how did I monopolize the focus of your attention. Do you remember how we discussed your last bold and legendary album "The Turning" as a christian artist while you were still named "Leslie Phillips" and how great it was that you performed tracks from it in your encore that evening? I told my tale of trying to track a copy of that album down, and you told me how Myrrh Records subsequently branded you as a heretic for the content of it. They did reluctantly release it, only for it to disappear as you said "into the bargain racks forever..." I boldly confirmed your consideration to re-release the album again under your secular "Sam" name, while also stating I had located my own rare original Leslie copy of it on CD. (which you did not even own at the time..!)

Do you remember the gaze in the eyes and the shaken hand held a bit too long? I heard from your lips first that you were next going to perform on the Conan O'Brien show. And I surely thought you were joking when you said you were going to be a mute terrorist in the next Bruce Willis Die Hard movie! yeah right.. but I guess you were telling me the truth after all..

Reluctantly I released you to the other "fans" and gamely shook the hand of your giant and then-husband, T-Bone Burnett. But I never did forget - Those stolen moments, in the presence of an artist that I admire and respect, even up to this current day moment. Thanks for every thing, Sam.

Official|http://www.samphillipsmusic.com/

MySpace|http://www.myspace.com/officialsamphillipsmusic

Sara Bareilles - Bottle It Up

"Only one good thing worth trying to be and it’s love, love, love.."

Sara Bareilles has come full circle around, to draw me in at last, with a "love song" she has written for her own self.. my image of her as an artist has been moderately transformed.

If this were the first I saw of her, I would have seen in this video a young indie artist with pop breakout potential. Positive and affirming, catchy, and unabashedly invoking the word love, love, love.. A self-referential and knowing lyric that starts with the assertion that females will knowingly connect to the sentiments expressed. A video that sees her in spirit visiting a multitude of locations at pianos, to find the places where many unknown everyday people do music for themselves as a pure expression. Such a simple grounded solidarity is a departure from the glamour hungry and fame obsessed images that have choked the screens of this decade so far.

But as it is, I am already well aware that she is a top successful recording artist that has had a #1 hit. Not too many months ago her "I'm not going to write you a" Love Song was playing everywhere. Unfortunately I dismissed her initially as being too derivative of female artists I already loved. Plus, I unfairly associated the song with a perceived growing trend of unnecessarily negative themed songs or videos from female artists.

The reason I was not in the mood to open up further to her music was the shock of seeing her for the first time on a Rhapsody commercial, played in heavy rotation for months this year. The shock was that there was such a seemingly good female artist I have never heard of before, which had already appeared to have "sold out" in such a crass way. I have already seen these type of commercials before where a famous act ("you can control the Black Eyed Peas at Best Buy..") is absurdly seen to be playing in your home as if they were your sound system.. However she was a much lesser known artist, and for some reason the ad had this scrawny hipster dude getting out of the shower, pretending to be jamming along to this track that is obviously not appealing to the typical young male demographic..

He then interrupts "Love Song" to play.. "Bottle it Up" which fittingly brings me full circle to this Sara Bareilles song I have now discovered in a different way. My perception of her as an artist is only changing now, having seen past all the commercial marketing aspects that made her music known and a hit in the first place. Is there a better marketing strategy for products out there that can utilize music and provide a good exposure for artists, but still preserve their dignity?

(PS, I now see that a re cut version of the commercial that shows him switching from Sara Bareilles to the more recently hip The Cool Kids. It is more realistic behavior for the guy character in the ad, but in my opinion it is a bit of an insult to her music.)

"I’m trying to let you hear me as I am.."

Find or rediscover the real Sara Bareilles for yourselves:

Official Site:
http://www.sarabmusic.com

MySpace Site:
http://www.myspace.com/sarabareilles

Cambio - Call Center

"I'll party all morning, work all night.."


Call it the other side of outsourcing...

My friend sent me a link to free satellite TV over the internet and said check out the various MTV channels.. I clicked randomly on the MTV Philippines link and this is the first video I saw...

Don't tell Lou Dobbs, but this Filipino "Pinoy" band has hit the nail on the head, the head of the nail that sticks up.. The equivalent US job that got sent overseas turns out to be equally temporary and unsatisfying to those who are doing it now offshore.. From their point of view it must be very difficult, having to assimilate an American accent and work all night and having to party all morning.. Am I imagining it or is there a slightest bit of a reference to the world's oldest profession in this video..?

But ultimately this video has a female protagonist that is making the most of it, hopefully on the way to something better..getting off work in the bright morning sunshine. Perhaps the call center there, is analogous to American teens working at fast food restaurants..?

It can't be easy, having to train and practice to have the natural manner and perfect accent, that won't otherwise get noticed..

Cambio - Call Center

Now let’s get one thing straight
I don’t really want to work this late
But I get paid for my American accent
I have money to pay the rent

This is only temporary
I’m not really in a hurry
I’ll party all morning
Work all night
Meet my honey in the broad daylight

Now let’s get one thing clear
I don’t really want to be here
But they pay me for my perfect diction
I have money for my addiction

I’ll be at the call center
Until something better
Comes along my way
It’s been a long, long day

The future is alright
The future is so bright

Kirsty MacColl - Free World / Modest Mouse - Float On

"women and men united by the struggle.."

This song is almost 20 year old now, and with it's urgent lyrics and chiming guitars, it still feels like a call to arms.



To hear this Kirsty MacColl song in the context of the last year of the 1980's was both a condemnation of the state of Thatcherite England and a prophetic warning of times to come. "It's cold and it's going to get colder" she sang as indeed the world has turned increasingly to blind materialism. Faced against all the forces of government and culture, the people can slowly fall asleep, turning to drink and drugs and blind compliance, and even death as a "reliable exit.."

What stood out about this song and video was the complete defiance against such forces, with knowing words and a clear voice. The frenzied flashes from the television in the video also show images of war and male domination, as well as the response of female empowerment. But in the eternal tension of gender issues, how often do we see or hear a phrase such as "women and men united by the struggle..?" And despite the sharpness of the observational lyrics and subject matter, she declares in complete opposition to a cold and cynical world, one positive declarative statement - "I wouldn't tell you if I didn't care.."


The one phrase in the lyrics "You've got to get into the water, Like a lamb goes to the slaughter" reminded me of a more recent song and video - "Float On" by Modest Mouse:


by 2004, MTV was still playing music videos, but only late at night. The song was a hit and this video was in heavy rotation that summer. Looking closer at the details of video other than the animated forms of the band, I saw such things as two vultures on a power wire..one gets electrocuted and falls to the ground and the other promptly flies down to pick at his carcass. This was my first clue that maybe the words to the song had more of an ironic intent.

Happy lambs, who are completely 2-dimensional, frolic in the fields. But they are seduced by unseen forces in the clouds and a voice emanating from unseen machinery beyond. They are driven to jump into the depths of the water and discover the source of the voice is a little bo peep character, who exerts her influence through television in their underwater state. They are seemingly given instructions to where she will lead them next. They proceed to move as one unified group towards the gates ahead, where they find her, urging them to keep moving forward. As the darkness falls we are given a glimpse inside the building where we realize what they do not. The swinging hooks of the slaughterhouse beckon menacingly, as each lamb is taken inside one by one, not knowing what lies beyond this reliable exit. "Don't worry.. we'll all float on.."

With so many deeply underwater in this current culture, does this type of visual metaphor even get recognized and understood anymore?

Finn Brothers - Suffer Never

"she will suffer never, I mean her no harm.."

Two good men with guitars, offer forth a simple declaration on behalf of women.



This simple acoustic performance was on MTV around the same time period as Nirvana Unplugged. Neil Finn teamed up with his brother Tim Finn for an album under the name Finn Brothers, then Neil disbanded one of the greatest pop groups of all time at the height of their success.

With such a straightforward rightgeous expression of men, delivered with so much passion for just the simple uplift of women, why is such an image so rarely seen or heard? And even beyond that, if this song were played now 14 years later, why would the reaction of two earnest men with guitars be likely to provoke disdain and mockery?

What are the images of men in this culture right now? Scanning the top of the current pop charts, I see attributes of manipulative cliche spewers, mindless materialists, self-justifying objectifiers, objects of empty crushes, predatory stealers, liar and cheaters beaten with baseball bats, cutters whos's inflicted wounds bleed love itself, or the confused recepients of hate and love ambivalence..

I do love all types of fun and interesting popular music, in all time periods. But deep down I am always looking for songs and lyrics that speak to me, speak for me, and that I feel deep inside of me.


Suffer Never

Has she fallen from the sky so heavy of heart
the sigh was on her tongue, the grief was in her arms
she will suffer never, I mean her no harm

She'll come slowly rising on the air
Lift her weightless on the air, on the air

And the silence was enough to shed my guilt
She will always know my wishes, 'cos I remember how it felt

Kisses slowly rising on the air,
Lift her weightless on the air, on the air

She will suffer never, I mean her no harm

Samantha Ronson - Pull My Hair Out

"I know one day I'm gonna be ok..."

Generally speaking, it must be really hard to get a recording contract and put an album out..

I saw this video for "Pull My Hair Out" back in 2004. I was browsing the AOL on demand music video channel shortly after getting digital cable in our area, and was surprised to find many unique videos that I could browse through after giving up on MTV. I liked this girl's rockin' pop song with a snarky edge to it. The video was a suffocating collage of dense cutout images and a humorous battle she had with a bizarre stuffed cat puppet. I liked the video and song, and had to add this video to my vast collection.. Since it was nowhere else to be found on the web at that point, I had to record it by connecting the cable box directly into my PC's video capture card and playing it through the coaxial cable. This would indicate I was definitely interested enough to see what an album by this Samantha Ronson would sound like..

Apparently there never was a Samantha Ronson album, or at least not one that ever hit the stores. She was signed to rap label Roc-A-Fella Records but only put out a few songs that apparently no one noticed. Well I noticed "Pull My Hair Out" and saved away this video in my favorites folder, but eventually forgot to look any further.

A mere 4 years later, and pop culture has caught up a bit. I initially started to hear her name again, as being mentioned as a hip club DJ linked to many celebrities. She has a few other songs on her MySpace page and selfportrait, but perhaps she has lost interest in making and officially releasing any further original music? This time it wouldn't be for any lack of attention or connections..

Her twin sister Charlotte Ronson is a successful fashion designer, who is inspired by her sister's music mixes and supportive of her their brother's success. [Charlotte Ronson - Nylon Magazine Designer Diaries]

Her Brother is the famous Mark of the same last name, the award winning UK mega-producer of songs by Amy Winehouse and Lily Allen among many others. She has said she really wouldn't work with her brother on music though..

One of the few Samantha Ronson songs to be released [Samantha Ronson - "Built This Way"] ended up on the soundtrack for the film Mean Girls, starring Lindsay Lohan. And now this very same Samantha Ronson is most well known for perhaps being more than friends with Lindsay Lohan herself.. [The latest gossip is always emanating out of PerezHilton.com, where she has her own category] Now she can't escape fame at all, but nevertheless seems to remain very down to earth and unaffected in interviews.




If she wanted to, it probably wouldn't be too hard for her to release an album now. Perhaps due to notoriety being gained another way, she may not receive the same respect or consideration now. For me I will always remember her as the cool woman in that video I saved.. wanting to hear more.

Tears For Fears - I Believe / Sea Song

"that when the hurting and pain are gone, we will be strong.."

I woke up with a song in my head, that was from a 12 inch single, that I bought literally in the Last Place On Earth, 22 years ago. That was so long ago that "12 inch single" is now an anachronistic, almost meaningless term. Generous musical groups with great albums often provided extra treats from any particular album you may have been enamored with. We called such songs "B-sides" and they were such wonderful opportunities to hear even more songs from your favorite albums, often from the same sessions and time period. They were literally and physically on another side..

One such album for me, in that particular time and place was Tears For Fears "Songs From The Big Chair." By the time I bought the 12 inch single for "I Believe" it was already like their 5th single on an 8 track album.. Even the A-Side on this was was a "A Soulful Re-recording" of the ballad "I Believe" - A newer, live, more lounge-y and looser version than the album track, interspersed with brief free-jazz sax outbursts from "William...!" and a fade out homage to Carole King's "Too Late.."

The music video, unseen until years later, turns out to be relatively dull with incredulous shots of Curt Smith being relegated to second-tier triangle player. (well, the song does ask it's own self "is it absurd..?") My inner video was in the darkness, in late night contemplation, sitting before the record player..

With this song version paired to the B-Side "Sea Song", this 12 Inch single soon became a late night only player for me.. odd mystical ballads that could only be played in the deepest darkness, highlighted only by the amber lights of the stereo and the pale silvery light of the moon. In the later sunlight of day, when reading the singles slip cover I saw a small inscription: "Dedicated to Robert Wyatt, if he's listening.."

I did not know who Robert Wyatt was at the time, but I do now. He was the drummer in the band Soft Machine, who were contemporaries of Pink Floyd back in the 1960's London psychedelic music scene. His drumming career was cut short due to an accident where he fell from a third floor balcony and lost the use of his legs. He continued with music by switching to piano and following a path as a solo artist, creating very original, some say "weird" songs.

He was the one who wrote "Sea Song" and Tears For Fears were covering it on this single. I found out that Roland Orzabal wrote "I Believe" and sent it to Robert Wyatt to be considered for him to record. When there was no response back from him, Tears For Fears recorded his song instead.

With the peculiar and affecting lyrics to "Sea Song" I decided to look further into the original by Robert Wyatt. YouTube had a very early recording of the song, almost a sketch in progress, with his wheelchair pulled up to the grand piano. Contrasting to that is a full band performance from his later most recent period. This live recording from the BBC shows him now as a revered elder musician, although mostly known just in the UK.

Somewhere between these two live performances is the original studio recording. On YouTube I also came across a short film by Olive Booger, set to the original version, that attempts to artistically render the surreal lyrics in a literal and unusual way..

I grew to love my growing collection of odd and cast off songs from the "Songs From The Big Chair" album. In fact the TTF Wikipedia page states about the extreme variety of songs presented: "The album's title was inspired by the book and television mini-series Sybil, the chronicle of a woman with multiple personality disorder who sought refuge in her analyst's big chair."

"The Big Chair" B-Side was a short avant garde sound collage, with samples directly from Sybil. "When In Love With A Blind Man" is an odd string based ballad, with lyrics that speak of a visually impaired romance conundrum.. "Empire Building" featured a dance-hop big beat style that was at least several dozen months ahead of it's time.

Beyond all these tangential obscurities, here were the other massively popular A-Side songs from that Big Chair:

Everybody Wants To Rule The World
Shout
Head Over Heels
Mothers Talk

Paramore - That's What You Get

"..when you let your heart win.."

Paramore has been around for three years, and for some reason they escaped my awareness until now. Perhaps they were filed under Emo, in that dark brooding corner of styles where I seldom visit.. But from what I see so far, they defy categorization or comparison.

With their pop hooks and indie looks, they are completely unfussy and unpretentious. Hayley Williams is a distinctive and charismatic singer who is endlessly watchable, with her soaring vocals and gaze of green eyes framed by bright orange hair.

In this this manufactured pop world of the here and now, this laid back, direct, pure and simple video seems to come from an alternate universe. There is a genuine relaxed rapport in the band, who seem like they really are playing at a great house party. There is a small inner story of a couple they cut away to, that does not distract from the performance. The two actors are a couple in real life, and the guests at the party really are friends and family of the band, as shown in this behind the scenes making of the video promo:

There are many accounts online of how they are really a good live band where the performances match or surpass the recordings. This particular song comes with a built in sing-along chorus embedded in the studio version, confirmed by this acoustic radio show performance.

I was struck with how sincere and grateful they are for their success in this Synthesis.net interview with Hayley. Also it wasn't until this Singing Success interview about her and her career-long vocal coach, when I was suprised to find out she was so young when the first album came out. Maybe this is where all the Hannah Montana fans could have focused their attention and admiration - on a real band, with a real girl singer that has a good voice and a persuasive performance power.. who can still keep it real in everyday life.

Paramore - Official Site
http://www.paramore.net/

Paramore - MySpace
http://www.myspace.com/paramore

Annie Ross - Twisted

"'Cause I have got a thing that's unique and new.."

This is the first time I have heard the original version of "Twisted" by the original singer.. Annie Ross appears to be performing at an informal hipster party back in 1959. Complete with Tony Bennett watching and laughing, as he sits by the fireside.

The lyrics tell of a woman scoffing at her analyst for presumed craziness, and defiantly and humorously telling how she is way beyond their understanding, having been already self-aware and rebellious all the way back to age three..

Annie Ross - Twisted

My analyst told me that I was right out of my head
The way he described it, he said I'd be better dead than live
I didn't listen to his jive
I knew all along he was all wrong
And I knew that he thought I was crazy but I'm not
Oh no!

My analyst told me that I was right out of my head
He said I'd need treatment but I'm not that easily led
He said I was the type that was most inclined
When out of his sight to be out of my mind
And he thought I was nuts, no more ifs or ands or buts
Oh no!

They say as a child I appeared a little bit wild
With all my crazy ideas
But I knew what was happenin', I knew I was a genius
What's so strange when you know that you're a wizard at three?
I knew that this was meant to be

Well I heard little children were supposed to sleep tight
That's why I drank a fifth of vodka one night
My parents got frantic, didn't know what to do
But I saw some crazy scenes before I came to
Now do you think I was crazy?
I may have been only three but I was swingin'

They all laughed at Al Graham Bell
They all laughed at Edison and also at Einstein
So why should I feel sorry if they just couldn't understand
The litany and the logic that went on in my head?
I had a brain, it was insane
Don't you let them laugh at me
When I refused to ride on all those double decker buses
All because there was no driver on the top

My analyst told me that I was right out of my head
The way he described it, he said I'd be better dead than live
I didn't listen to his jive
I knew all along he was all wrong
And I knew that he thought I was crazy but I'm not
Oh no!

My analyst told me that I was right out of my head
But I said "Dear doctor, I think that it's you instead
'Cause I have got a thing that's unique and new
It proves that I'll have the last laugh on you
'Cause instead of one head... I got two
And you know two heads are better than one"

Well that house party must have been a performance of an old favorite, since I found the original record was from 1952.

Another iconoclastic female singer did a splendid version of the same song of which I was familiar with. Joni Mitchell ended her classic 1974 "Court And Spark" album, with an effortless full range performance full of spunk and humor, even recruiting a call and response from famous stoners Cheech And Chong. [Joni Mitchell - "Twisted"]

Unfortunately Joni's voice no longer has the range to sing this cover song the same way. As she is expressing her multifaceted genius mostly in the realm of painting now, Annie, from the grainy black and white footage above, is still alive and well and performing at age 78.

I first heard of her as the featured jazz performer in one of my favorite films - Robert Altman's "Short Cuts." She also did a good job of acting as the neglectful mother of the troubled cello player. Elvis Costello and T Bone Burnett wrote "To Hell With Love" for her..

Miss TK & The Revenge - No Biters

Do you think your feet don't follow..?

I've been keeping an eye on the Hi-Fi Heart blog lately, because there is a well done and interesting "Songs in Commercials" series on site, where various songs heard in ads are properly identified. Many of the songs used in advertising these days are quite good and some are used from surprisingly little known, truly "indie" acts. It can be a good opportunity to get exposure, but not if they don't tell you who it is!

One that jumped out was "No Biters" by Miss TK & The Revenge, used in a Clearasil commercial depicting smooth skinned confidence..

Since Hi-Fi Heart is a mp3 blog, they have kindly provided a full length good quality copy of the song in question. ("for sampling only") I like this song enough to 'sample' it for the rest of the summer for sure..

Turning it up loud, it is an addictive thrashing beat with swaggering half spoken vocals on top. Compulsive dancing and/or air guitar is sure to occur, at the very least rhythmic twitching beyond the mere pulse of heartbeats..

Well, I went to investigate the song further. I was sure there would be an accompanying video for it on You Tube, but so far I have not found anything "official." However I did find a rather good live recording of the song. They really do look like they would be a good live "dance rock" band to see on the local Jersey scene. Plenty of cowbell as well...

I did some further checking on the band, and could not find much on them. Does the modern definition of underground music mean bands that have no Wikipedia page..? I did find an imeen page where you can stream the studio track.

I found another page that had the lyrics, which I am still pondering the meaning of no "biters". A dictionary reference suggested it may refer to: Vulgar Slang: To be highly disagreeable or annoying. Perhaps that relates..?


At the very least they do have the requisite MySpace page, which is good. They are indeed from Asbury Park, New Jersey, and the site features other minimal information including the aforementioned Clearasil commercial and pictures of pancakes.. If I was interested in purchasing tracks from this band, I see that they have the MySpace Snocap store widget embedded on their site. In fact I clicked on the little text that says SPREAD THE WORD and it gave me the code to place the widget right here below this text:

Well, that takes care of their 4 song EP called "NO BITERZ EP" which includes special bonus 'with z' spelling. But what if I want to buy the album? Where could I find it.. Target? Strangely enough.. you can! ..but it says it is on the Target website for online purchase only.. What if I wanted to run to a store and make an impulse purchase right now? I probably can't since all my fave indie record stores are no longer in the physical realm.. An online purchase is the only option possible, to be realistic.

On Their MySpace page was a picture of the full length album "XOXO." It had a link that said DOWNLOAD NOW, which seemed rather open ended.. Would I indeed be able to download.. now? I clicked and it clocked, my hard drive purred..then a mysterious message came up:

One Moment Please.
Connecting to the iTunes Store.

We are unable to find iTunes on your computer.

OMG Who is trying to find something on my computer?? My only choice was "I have iTunes" or "Download iTunes"... is that really my only choice?? Is this where the pod people connect to the matrix? What if you are allergic to Apples?

On a different angle, I decided to look up more about the band at their official web site listed on MySpace:

Band Website: WWW.JAMNOW.COM/MISSTK

This turned out to be another multiband site not unlike MySpace, but it did have several other songs I could listen to. It also included an extended, very informal interview that at least explained the pancakes pictures, as the album title may have been originally titled "Hot Stacks."

As the Google results went on, I came across another page with slightly more bio info , an obscure site (that claims "fine musical product for the socially unaccepted") to buy the album, presumably an actual material cd. I am sure my credit card could be entrusted to them, as they were "established in 1992.."

I also did sneak a peak at the various torrent sites, such as Mininova, TorrentSpy, and The Pirate Bay.. They just seem to be too obscure to be bootlegged, despite that big time Clearasil commercial..


I discovered there is a purchase option of "normal" mp3's for the iUnenlightened ones, as the album is listed on Amazon. I see there are buttons where I can pay with Pepsi points? What the heck is that? Does Pepsi compensate these artists with cash or do they just receive the commensurate amount of Pepsi back?


To be honest, by this point I have lost any further interest. I do like the song, but would pass on the album at this time. Would my 0.99 cents make a difference in their lives at this point? Should I be making this a purchase if I want to "keep" the song now? What if I found the cd in a used bookstore some day for a dollar? I do this all.. the.. time..

How do you get music noticed in an infinite electronic sea, in an ocean of indifference...?

Boomkat - Run Away

"We’re born with light in our hearts.."

With the release of a second Boomkat album this year ("A Million Trillion Stars") I am taking a closer look at their music and the singer Taryn Manning. (who is also an actress in such films as Hustle & Flow, 8 Mile, and Crossroads..a.k.a that movie with Britney Spears..) So far I hear a good variety of quality pop music, the kind that usually comes out of the UK. The first single "Run Away" is a compelling pop song with plucky harp patch sprinkled over a crunchy beat. With the addition of personally revealing lyrics and an engaging video presence, this song has drawn deep inside of me to become one of my favorites so far this year.

The video appears to show the singer isolated and deatched at a superficial LA pool party. The singer has said herself in an interview with YRB magazine that "it's a party I throw, but I'm like a phantom at my own party.." This would seem to be the interpretation one would get at a passing glance.. That level of meaning recalls in my mind songs set at parties that are either defiant and accusatory to the crowd around around them [Louise - "2 Faced"] or observationally unsure. [Joni Mitchell - "People's Parties", lyrics]

From the first flash of blue light emerging from the water, I started to see a deeper level of meaning in this video - The involution of the soul into this world of matter. Singing from the perspective of the higher self who "sees everything" there is such a difficulty for those who retain this awareness, to be trapped in the heaviness of the world. To be inside the human form with full knowledge, but unable to fully understand the world around would inspire a feeling of wanting to run away, back into the higher realms. To be in such a social situation as a party full of people, her form appears to move among the others drawing forth their own blue sparks as she sees deeply into each one of them. Perhaps the brightness of all those lights can be overwhelming, causing a a further descent to run away into the direction of detached darkness.. Despite stumbling she runs back to her own light, and at the end she kneels before the pool in the same place where her blue light emerged earlier, as she reaches in to retrieve it once again. This premise is found in the Gnostic Hymn Of The Pearl and is echoed in the M. Night Shyamalan film "The Lady In The Water".

Unfortunately Taryn Manning had her own brush with mortality. She was aboard the famous Jet Blue flight 292 incident, where she and her co-passengers (and I) watched on live television as the plane circled around the LAX airport knowing there was a twisted front landing gear. Everyone watched the plane dump fuel and make it's final approach, not knowing if the inevitable sparks would engulf the plane in flames live on CNN. There was ample time for these passengers to reflect on what was going on, but she and others comforted the passengers who were the most upset. Through the precise skills of the pilot and some seeing the divine intervention of angels, ["Three Hours of Fear and Hope"] the plane managed to land safely with everyone ok and she lived to make this song..

Nas - Sly Fox

"I'm dealing with the higher form"

A rare and direct attack back at the fully compromised news media which is filled with distortions, corruption, and devious attempts at deceptive propaganda. Fox News is at the top of the list for it's repeated and open, biased and brazen tactics. For the racist material alone, the lyrical skills of Nas speak for a lot of us out there..

Read the the full lyric sheet on this one..

Backing up words into action, Nas and ColorOfChange.org delivered a petition to Fox news.


If you think actions like this are an empty gesture against a giant corporation, take the case of Jon Stewart. When he made his appearance on CNN's Crossfire [watch the clip here] he confronted the pointless and divisive partisan hackery that made a mockery of civilized debate.. and told them to just stop..stop.. Months later, after more people viewed this video clip than Crossfire itself had viewers in a month, CNN made a decision to cancel the show after 32 years! They did "stop" and Tucker Carlson was removed from the network as well.

I could fill the rest of the page with clips that outrage me from Fox News. Here is simply 14 seconds from one of their latest offenses:

In any case I appreciated this track as a return to form in a way, since I preferred his earlier east coast flavored material such as "It Ain't Hard To Tell."

Annie - I Know UR Girlfriend Hates Me

"Life's too long for you to get it wrong"




I love Annie's perfect pop music. What is it about Annie that captures the ears and hearts of even the most jaded hipster? With such deliciously dense sugar-coated pop, from whence does she cull such credibility? So far I can't find anything bad out there that is written about her. In fact people seem to really be looking forward to her new and second album in October. I even signed up on her mailing list to get the free track and advance info..

Perhaps this song is similar enough to the last hit to be called "Chewing Gum Part 2" - but that matters not. That song is still going around in my head non-stop, being so self-referential and insanely catchy as it is. [Annie - "Chewing Gum"]

Part of her appeal for me is how she uses her layered background vocals to enhance the melodies, and if you listen closely you can hear it is mixed in to be part of the rhythm track as well. For these songs, I also appreciate the crisp and precise production skills of Richard X. Some of his production and writing I like are in these songs:

[Richard X vs. Liberty X - "Being Nobody"]
[Rachel Stevens - "Some Girls"]
[M.I.A. - "10 Dollar"]

Electro-pop, but with a contrasting lighter touch, Annie's song "Heartbeat" benefits from the sweet touch of her airy vocals. The video is an appealing time-shifting collage of lights and Scandinavian night life, which she knows about, since she is as much of a DJ as she is a singer..

Emiliana Torrini - Unemployed In Summertime

"On a mission for my summer kiss.."


Emiliana Torrini reminds me of how this blog is now possible and subsequently reassures me it will be ok..

In this video she appears to be a woman that can cause spatial distortions as she walks the streets of London.. Despite the prospect of losing a job, she blissfully recounts the freedom of just being able to "stay awake till the morning" and "getting drunk on Saturday".. we're young, we don't need money, etc. She moves slowly out from the city and into the country, as the animals draw nearer and she is enveloped into nature.




This melodic Icelandic singer has several songs I already like. The song and music video for "Sunny Road" is particularly more serene.. Here she already lives in the remote country with the animals, and travels deeper in the forest and through the seasons.. to send a message in a bottle back to reality..



I was somewhat suprised to learn by way of wikipedia that she co-wrote an electropop Kylie Minogue single I like. [Kylie Minogue - "Slow"]

Pink Floyd - Welcome To The Machine

What did you dream? its alright we told you what to dream...

in 1975, those who were alive, dropped the needle of their record players down on the highly anticipated new Pink Floyd album after the staggering success of Dark Side Of The Moon. At the end of side 1 of Wish You Were Here was an even darker prophecy of what was to come..

The industrial noises of the factory, locking the track into electronic pulses. Artistic into mainstream success into commercial lockstep. Co-opting rebellion and selling it back as a commodity. Draining analog warmth into the digital coldness of code. bringing in personal computers in your home, in your bedroom, connected together across the world, caught in the web of wires and electromagnetic energy. Manufacturing music into impossible perfection that never existed. The cold steel of cityscapes replacing every memory of place. Pervasive surveillance and no place to think.

Welcome to the machine.

Gabriella Cilmi - Sweet About Me

"When you're playing with desire, don't come running to my place when it burns like fire.."

Gabriella Cilmi is a fantastic new singer I have only recently discovered. I have acquired her debut album "Lessons To Be Learned" and it is rapidly becoming one of my favorites of 2008..

She is sixteen and Australian, performing in this video brimming with brash confidence, in full command of bluesy vocal glissandos. This particular song would seem to place her style in the jazzy pop realm of Amy Winehouse or Aimee Duffy. However a completely different impression could be made if “Save The Lies” was her lead off single instead, bringing to mind more of a contemporary eurocentric pop mode like Anastasia [I'm Outta Love].. It’s a completely different sound for these first two tracks on her debut album.

But “Sweet About Me” builds in two catchy sections that seem to linger just a little too long each time.. then an overlap pickup jumps into the chorus, making each part of the song captivating, leading into the next one.

The video seem to take place in the ultimate practice space. Unlike most music video productions, this gives the impression of a real singer singing in front of a real band. Although her seemingly jazzy backup band is prone to the standard melodramatic spine-twisting type of playing - You can tell the hint of jazz is there by the way the guitar player’s guitar has violin holes, how the drummer holds one stick backwards, the bass player is playing one of those big violin things..

If the camera stayed pointed in that one direction, it would remain a decent and realistic looking performance video, complete with the middle break where the singer takes a swig of bottled water. However off in the other direction is a common indie band video conceit, where expectations get subverted. It turns out that in the other end of the room there are a variety of men who are being held against their will and tortured in some mild or extreme ways. I could not help but make a connection to the ear cutting scene in the film “Reservoir Dogs..”

But no.. I am sure it is just a script to give the young girl an edgy and ‘indie’ appeal. Perhaps the men who are tied up, caged, shredded, duct taped,and hung upside down are her would-be pop band and she is asserting the type of music she really ought to be doing...

Or perhaps it’s commercial appeal has already manifested, as It has been drafted for a Dutch deodorant ad: [New Rexona Commercial feat. Gabriella Cilmi]

Despite the lure of mainstream pop, my second fave song on the album in the same style is: "Got No Place To Go"

Overall she is an amazing singing talent. It is apparent in her breakout performance on the Later with Jools Holland show in the UK, where she does an acoustic performance of “Sweet about Me” in her natural voice.

I will be keeping an eye on what direction she takes with her musical styles.. and playing her album over and over on my summer hiatus.