Happy Birthday NorVa!!

A Pete Yorn soundcheck 2009 | Nick D'Amato

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Tiffany Girls

Tiffany Girls were a group of women who worked for Tiffany & Co beginning in the early 1880s. They designed some of the coolest glass.

Oh yeah, and there was champagne and DJ Android playing all awesome tunes by women. Check the link for the article and her set list (at bottom).

(old Wave dance party c/o Pilotonline.com)

Set List du jour.

Late Afternoon Lyrics

pic: photobucket

Tom Petty Wildflowers

This is the gem I'd forgotten. "The days went by like paper in the wind.Everything changed then changed again. It's hard to find a friend." Ain't that aging? Ha...this album is a good friend. The guitar solos and lyrics are the best of the 1990s. "Good to be King" is so much more melodic than I remembered...this wall of soft, fluff cloudsound with this underlying guitar that would kill any current Wilco fan.

And "Wildflowers", the title track, it's a song I told my 8th grade teacher summed me up better than anything on the first writing assignment I remember REALLY working at and being proud and exhausted with. The lyrics were me then, and to a large extent, are me now. And I'm living it.

You belong among the wildflowers

You belong in a boat out at sea

You belong with your love on your arm

You belong somewhere you feel free

Shades of Grey

Despite the almost too obvious references to the early-to-mid 2000's (Haliburton, Tony Blair & Condoleeza Rice, waterboarding, and more make less-than-subtle appearances disguises as fictional cousins of themselves) socio-political climate--especially between Great Britain and the US, I loved this film.

Had director Roman Polanski not already been in the news for his fugitive tendencies, which overshadowed all other parts of this film's press tour, I think the merits of his work would have been furthered by our media. It's such classic and thorough Polanski, I think if this ends up being his last film, it's simply and solidly a testament to his vision.

It has mood. Almost Hitchcockian, The Ghost Writer keeps you on the edge of your seat without guns, fast car chases, or even blasts of cursing or shouting. The furtive glances Ewan McGregor makes through his rearview mirror as the piano creepily plops along...aah! I felt the same way I did during Rear Window or Dial M for Murder.

Not that Polanski copied Hitchcock. No, his own tone was all over this. Largely set in a stormy Martha's Vineyard (with interludes in London), the film is a work of art in itself. From Kim Cattrell's perfectly tailored suits (in shades of black, white, and grey), to Olivia Williams' tinge of grey in her hair and her casually sweeping black yoga suits with scarves, the costumes are subtly tied into the larger atmosphere on set.

The main house is floor to ceiling glass walls with views of a gravelly Atlantic. The few walls with no windows are cinderblock with more floor to ceiling pieces of modern art. Again, all muted colors. The effect highlights the actors, as their skin and hair and lips are the main bursts of color in the film, their language extending out of those hues, making the audience grab onto every word and glance, a habit the majority won't realize they started until thinking back on the movie days later.

If you're already a fan of earlier Polanski thrillers like Chinatown, or other Polanski visual renderings a'la The Pianist, you will like this film. If you're not into any of this, but you like thriller or suspenseful movies and your partner refuses to sit through anything with The Rock or his equivalent in it, this movie is also for you.

sat playlist

TV on the Radio: Dear Science

I wish I could say I loved them more. They have some great lyrics. "Gold is another word for culture" from "Crying" or "Bought a sweater for his weimeraner..." on "Dancing." These are base good. They're inane and sharp--the same way I feel about a lot of Weezer's lyrics. Silly does not have to equal stupid, which is a talent both bands exude.

However, the album is just soooo all over the place. The fun is there and then something like "Shout Me Out" comes on and it's like "Why So Serious?" It's a good album but not a cohesive one. It's cheap. Sure, I suppose that's hipster blasphemy...but it's true. Scissor Sisters or New Pornagraphers...or freakin' Coldplay at times do TV on the Radio better than TV on the Radio can.

pic: thetripwire.com

Spoon: Ga Ga Ga Ga

This is a great transition. It has the whimsey I was digging on TV on the Radio but it's more organic...more connected...meatier. I feel it more. "The Underdog" is such a great song. Again, it's something I could envision The New Pornographers writing or performing. Britt Daniels' voice: a little rustic, throaty swagger a'la Jack White or Julian Casablancas.

And the drums...my favorite part of Spoon. They're at times happy-clappy, leading you down the modern scene--equal parts Monkee's and NME. Good accoustic guitar strumming but not in a bluesy way...a lot more dance-y than they want you to realize at first listen. It's elegant pop I say!

pic: blogs.sfweekly.com

Morning Benders: "Crosseyed"

Just one song but it's fitting for our Saturday playlist. It's playful with hints of melancholy. A cute girl with an ugly tattoo. A Philip Seymour Hoffman movie.

"The cross eyed mess led me from the flames into the dark. Our empty smiles keep us from completely falling apart." Beautiful, croony, happy accoustic indie pop.

 

pic: 4.bp.blogspot.com

Goldfrapp: Strict Machine

First off, one of the coolest album covers ever. I may need to devote an entire post to the art that is Allison Goldfrapp. I initially picked this album because I was thinking "pop" but all of the above is not obvious pop. Who's today's biggest popstar?

Lady Gaga?

According to People last week, Goldfrapp is a hot new band that Lady Gaga's fans may like. ARE YOU SERIOUS? Goldfrapp has been around a lot longer and has a lot more musical talent. And I love Gaga...but come on!

Goldfrapp's like the best parts of Blondie's vocals and danceability, but it's liquid, this music. While Gaga reminds me of Jerry Hall in Batman--"living art" and that being exactly why I like her as much as I do--Goldfrapp is silk to Gaga's satin.

pic: avclub.com

Pandora: Phoenix Radio

Ended with Phoenix Pandora radio--Norva show is April 27!! Never disappointing, it played MGMT, whom I CANNOT believe I still haven't seen live, The Shins, Guster, more Spoon (ah, science), Vampire Weekend, Modest Mouse, etc etc.

Nice "from the vault":  "Your Woman" by White Town, described by Pandora as 90s indie pop. Um...yeah, sung by a gender bending Indian dude...