Absent Friends

Huzzah, It's time to talk about The Divine Comedy again!

I love this band.  Really, it's just an Irish man named Neil Hannon who performs as The Divine Comedy.

When you have the kind of epidemic I have where you love music and songs constantly play in your head (I'm serious, next time you see me, just ask me what song is playing in my head, I'll tell you.  It's always something...) more often than not, you can't explain where the song came from.  Let's see if I can explain well how today's song found its way into my head.  

This morning's song is The Divine Comedy's "Absent Friends" which is the title (and opening) track from their 2004 album.  Last night I woke up in the night with horrible allergy fits.  It was about 4:30 that I decided that rather than keep my wife awake with my sniffles and sneezes (my throat was itchy too, it's the WORST!) I would head downstairs to turn the television on.

I looked through our collection of DVD's and chose the 1963 classic "The Great Escape."  I got about 5 minutes into it before falling back asleep.  Thank goodness!

I awoke about 3 hours later.  The movie was over and the title screen of the DVD was repeating with the uncanny score (by Elmer Bernstein) to this great film.

ANYWAY, I'm rambling, but immediately the lyric from the song "Absent Friends" came into my head which references THE GREAT ESCAPE:

Steve McQueen, jumped the first one clean
But the great escape he'd tried to make was not to be
Maybe next time, Steve.

OK, here's the song and he sings the lyric I've referenced right about 1 minute and 30 seconds:

I love this song.  I'm curious, if you feel like commenting how you feel about the song and in particular Neil Hannon's voice?  A few people I know who've heard music by The Divine Comedy have complained about the sound of his voice.  Is it distracting enough that you couldn't like the music?  I think it's a fantastic voice, maybe just not the kind one would be used to in popular music....

Also, take the time if you're really bored to reference all the characters Hannon talks about in this song:  Woodbine Willie, Jean Seberg, Steve McQueen, Laika the dog and Oscar Wilde.  Interesting song making a tribute to many interesting character.
 
OK, I've rambled enough today.  Good night magic internet land.

Fireflies (Light Messengers)

Today's song comes from a dandy little emo (alternative grunge?) band called Saosin.

It's the final track from their 2009 album IN SEARCH OF SOLID GROUND:

Ringing in at eight minutes and thirty seconds, this is likely the longest pop song I've ever blogged about.

In my opinion, few songs can be longer than 5 or 6 minutes without getting pretentious or even obnoxious.  This song fits the bill for me.  Musically it isn't doing enough to warrant over 8 minutes.

Maybe there's something I'm missing.  Maybe the song is just eight and a half minutes too long? 

If anyone in internet-land has something to add to what I've already said, feel free.

For now, a happy week to all.

-Brady

Lie to Me

Few artists have grown on me quite like Sara Bareilles.  As a music lover, I suppose the temptation is to write off artists who have had mainstream success.  My guess is that we who've invested so much into music don't want to share something we love with those who don't understand it, or appreciate it the way we do- if that makes sense?  Sara Bareilles is an artist in the true sense though.  She writes some great songs, her voice is powerful and strong, her melodies are catchy and she plays some wickedly good piano.

What's not to like then?  Why do I feel like I have to explain what I like about her?

There are music snobs and music lovers.  I would hope I am the latter.

Today's song is a great song.  It's called "Lie to Me" and it's from Bareilles' 2012 EP "Once Upon Another Time."  This song is sexy.  The end.  Listen to the part where the stings come in.  Isn't that fantastic?  Also, I dig the slow, steady drumming on this track.  The lyrics are relatable- being in a relationship where you don't want to hear the truth about what your partner has to say, for fear that it will hurt.  Wanting him/her while at the same time despising her/him for using you.  Much darker than some of Bareilles' other songs, and man I love it.

I'm at sort of a stand still with this site (and I hate the word 'blog') It's been a labor of love for the last 3 years or so.  I've sort of started to feel trapped.  I love to share music and I think this is a good way to do it, but I also know people like to be entertained.

Lately I've been tempted to make it be about my day-to-day life: this week I did this, or that, or whatever.  But that seems overly-indulgent, when having one's own blog is already totally pretentious.

Well, I don't have it in me to entertain, so here's an update on my life.

WE SOLD OUR HOUSE THIS WEEK!

It sold in 5 days- much quicker than we had ever anticipated.  It's exciting and we'll walk away with enough cash to pay off most of our debts, except the cars.  I'm happy about that.

Now here's the sad part- we had this perfect home picked out in Farmington.  We made an offer- they accepted with a contingency that we sell our house within a certain time frame.  They would remain open to other offers in the meantime.  We were sure the house was ours after our house sold in 5 days, but alas, they took another offer and we lost the home.  I'm totally bummed and now we're likely to be homeless in the next few weeks if we don't find something fast!

I will miss our humble little abode, the place we've called home the last 8 years- where our 2 youngest learned to walk- and where my kids have enjoyed and loved their school, church, friends etc.

Did I bore you with this pretentious blog (I hate that word!) post?

Bill of Sale

Who has fond memories of "Pete's Dragon" besides me?

What a delightful little movie about a boy (Pete) and his invisible dragon! 

Too bad for the jerk-faces, his adopted family the Gogans, who want to keep Pete for themselves so they can continue to treat him poorly.

Boooooo, Googans! 

Look how it all falls down when they use their "Bill of Sale" to prove that Pete belongs to them in this clip, the song stuck in my head today: 

What a fun little trip down memory lane we've had today.

Suitcase Song

The neurotic Jazz-Queen of strong opinions found her way into my head today.  (Her name is Nellie McKay, she really is fantastic.)  Her song, stuck in my head is called "Suitcase Song."  In this moment I'm way too lazy to delve too much into the lyrics.  She sings in Spanish in the song and says "me falta una maleta" which I think means, "I'm missing a suitcase."

So, maybe Nellie McKay was traveling abroad and one of her suitcases got lost?!? 

This is one of her less politically charged songs.  Here's "Suitcase Song" the song stuck in my head today along with an intro from Nellie.  The song starts about about 2 minutes in, if you don't care to hear her talk. 

I only have one of McKay's albums, her debut "Get Away From Me."  I really do recommend the album.  It's ambitious, clever, full of catchy music and she released the thing when she was only 19 years old. 

Blah blah blah.  That's the end of my post today.