From: owner-ecto-digest@smoe.org (ecto-digest) To: ecto-digest@smoe.org Subject: ecto-digest V14 #351 Reply-To: ecto@smoe.org Sender: owner-ecto-digest@smoe.org Errors-To: owner-ecto-digest@smoe.org Precedence: bulk ecto-digest Thursday, December 31 2009 Volume 14 : Number 351 To unsubscribe: e-mail ecto-digest-request@smoe.org and put the word unsubscribe in the message body. Today's Subjects: ----------------- Today's your birthday, friend... [Mike Matthews ] best of 2009 [meredith ] best of 2009 [meredith ] Re: best of 2009 [Jon Wesley Huff ] Re: best of 2009 [Damon ] bummer of 2009 [birdie ] Re: best of 2009 [meredith ] Re: best of 2009 [Damon ] Lauren Pritchard? [Paul Blair ] Re: Lauren Pritchard? [Jon Wesley Huff ] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 30 Dec 2009 03:00:02 -0500 (EST) From: Mike Matthews Subject: Today's your birthday, friend... i*i*i*i*i*i i*i*i*i*i*i *************** *****HAPPY********* **************BIRTHDAY********* *************************************************** *************************************************************************** ****************** Stuart Castergine (no Email address) ******************* *************************************************************************** -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- - -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Stuart Castergine Mon December 30 1963 You Are Here Marvin Camras Sat January 01 1916 Tapehead Jeanne Schreiter Tue January 03 1967 Capricorn John Sandoval Wed January 04 1967 Capricorn Aly Fields Thu January 04 1990 Yield Paul Cohen Tue January 05 1954 Capricorn Tony Garrity Mon January 08 1962 Pool of Life Greg Bossert Tue January 09 1962 OfTheTimes Troy J. Shadbolt Thu January 14 1971 Capricorn Chris Sampson Wed January 15 1964 Void where prohibited Alex Bertran Fri January 15 1971 Capricorn Denis G Parslow Fri January 17 1964 ...of the Saint Ross Alford Thu January 17 1957 Positive Sarah Morayati Tue January 17 1989 Capricorn Nancy Whitney Mon January 19 1959 slippery when wet Sarah Noelle Pratt Ferguson Tue January 20 1970 Seanympf-Aquarius David Beery Tue January 20 1976 drum Terry Partis Sun January 22 1933 Rocker Steve Hughes Thu January 24 1963 Aquarius Sarah McLachlan Sun January 28 1968 Aquarius - -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 30 Dec 2009 13:31:23 -0500 From: meredith Subject: best of 2009 Hi, I haven't done a "best of" list in several years, mainly b/c there hasn't been enough out there lately to merit the time. But I feel compelled to make a list for this year. 2009 was far and away the best year for new releases I can remember. I didn't think anything would ever surpass 1995, but this year blew that one clear away. I'm writing this on a plane home from my Xmas holiday, and I started by scribbling down in my notebook every album I could think of that came out this year that merited ending up on my iPod. There's 20 titles listed. TWENTY. That's just mind-boggling. I think the order in which they came to mind is what my brain thinks of as "best" to "merely okay", so here's the top 10: 1.) Vienna Teng, "Inland Territory" * 2.) The Paper Raincoat, "The Paper Raincoat" * 3.) Metric, "Fantasies" 4.) The Decemberists, "The Hazards of Love" 5.) Bat For Lashes, "Fur and Gold" 6.) Erin McKeown, "Hundreds of Lions" (am I really the first ectophile to list this one?!) 7.) St. Vincent, "Actor" 8.) Neko Case, "Middle Cyclone" 9.) Amy Speace, "The Killer In Me" (any fans of country-tinged rock *need* to check this record out. Like Martina McBride meets Lucinda Williams. And be sure to see Amy live, particularly if she's got her band The Tearjerks in tow!!) 10.) Anne Heaton, "Blazing Red" (not for every day or mood, but simply gorgeous all the way through.) * give Alex Wong the "Producer Of The Year" award. The boy is a genius. Honorable Mentions: Elizabeth and the Catapult, "Taller Children" Imogen Heap, "Ellipse" (this was rather disappointing, honestly, but it's slowly growing on me. "Canvas" is particularly brilliant.) Amy X Neuburg, "The Secret Language of Subways" Lindsay Mac, "Stop Thinking" Disappointments of the Year: Tori Amos, "Abnormally Attracted To Sin" AND "Midwinter Graces". Congrats, Tori, it takes doing to make the list TWICE. :P (And yet, if I were going to attempt a "best of the decade" list -- which I really don't know if I have the fortitude to attempt -- I'm reasonably certain that "Scarlet's Walk" would sit at #1. Funny how things turn.) Musical Discoveries of the Year: Elizabeth and the Catapult The Joy Formidable Katie Costello (Regina Spektor and Fiona Apple fans, take note) Best Live Performances of the Year (a tie): The Decemberists debuting "The Hazards of Love" and PJ Harvey and John Parish debuting "A Woman A Man Walked By" ... both at SXSW, Austin, TX (with honorable mentions going to Amanda Palmer at Webster Hall in Brooklyn last month, and Vienna Teng's show at Joe's Pub a couple weeks ago. Simply stunning, both of them.) Oopsies of the Year: I somehow managed to completely miss Florence And The Machine, despite my best intentions ... and apparently I need to pick up Fever Ray and Anna Terheim as well. Duly noted. Also, I cannot WAIT to get my hands on Jesca Hoop's new album. I drool in anticipation, in fact. If anyone in the UK can hook me up, please let me know!! And finally, some names to watch in 2010: Kate Havnevik Lex Land Katie Costello Tiff Randol Happy New Year to all!! May the next decade not blow the fat wet chunks this one did. Meredith :) ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 30 Dec 2009 13:55:52 -0500 From: meredith Subject: best of 2009 Hi, I haven't done a "best of" list in several years, mainly b/c there hasn't been enough out there lately to merit the time. But I feel compelled to make a list for this year. 2009 was far and away the best year for new releases I can remember. I didn't think anything would ever surpass 1995, but this year blew that one clear away. I'm writing this on a plane home from my Xmas holiday, and I started by scribbling down in my notebook every album I could think of that came out this year that merited ending up on my iPod. There's 20 titles listed. TWENTY. That's just mind-boggling. I think the order in which they came to mind is what my brain thinks of as "best" to "merely okay", so here's the top 10: 1.) Vienna Teng, "Inland Territory" * 2.) The Paper Raincoat, "The Paper Raincoat" * 3.) Metric, "Fantasies" 4.) The Decemberists, "The Hazards of Love" 5.) Bat For Lashes, "Fur and Gold" 6.) Erin McKeown, "Hundreds of Lions" (am I really the first ectophile to list this one?!) 7.) St. Vincent, "Actor" 8.) Neko Case, "Middle Cyclone" 9.) Amy Speace, "The Killer In Me" (any fans of country-tinged rock *need* to check this record out. Like Martina McBride meets Lucinda Williams. And be sure to see Amy live, particularly if she's got her band The Tearjerks in tow!!) 10.) Anne Heaton, "Blazing Red" (not for every day or mood, but simply gorgeous all the way through.) * give Alex Wong the "Producer Of The Year" award. The boy is a genius. Honorable Mentions: Elizabeth and the Catapult, "Taller Children" Imogen Heap, "Ellipse" (this was rather disappointing, honestly, but it's slowly growing on me. "Canvas" is particularly brilliant.) Amy X Neuburg, "The Secret Language of Subways" Lindsay Mac, "Stop Thinking" Disappointments of the Year: Tori Amos, "Abnormally Attracted To Sin" AND "Midwinter Graces". Congrats, Tori, it takes doing to make the list TWICE. :P (And yet, if I were going to attempt a "best of the decade" list, which I really don't know if I have the fortitude to attempt, I'm reasonably certain that "Scarlet's Walk" would sit at #1. Funny how things turn.) Musical Discoveries of the Year: Elizabeth and the Catapult The Joy Formidable Katie Costello (Regina Spektor and Fiona Apple fans, take note) Best Live Performances of the Year (a tie): The Decemberists debuting "The Hazards of Love" and PJ Harvey and John Parish debuting "A Woman A Man Walked By" ... both at SXSW, Austin, TX (with honorable mentions going to Amanda Palmer at Webster Hall in Brooklyn last month, and Vienna Teng's show at Joe's Pub a couple weeks ago. Simply stunning, both of them.) Oopsies of the Year: I somehow managed to completely miss Florence And The Machine, despite my best intentions ... and apparently I need to pick up Fever Ray and Anna Terheim as well. Duly noted. Also, I cannot WAIT to get my hands on Jesca Hoop's new album. I drool in anticipation, in fact. If anyone in the UK can hook me up, please let me know!! And finally, some names to watch in 2010: Kate Havnevik Lex Land Katie Costello Tiff Randol Happy New Year to all!! May the next decade not blow the fat wet chunks this one did. Meredith :) ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 30 Dec 2009 14:09:42 -0600 From: Jon Wesley Huff Subject: Re: best of 2009 I have to give Vienna Teng's album another go. I listened to a bit of it once and sort of forgot about it. I loved her first two albums but she sort of lost me with the third. Metric and Bat For Lashes would probably have been on my list if I'd given myself more slots. Metric wasn't QUITE as brilliant as some of their past efforts. But Metric on an slightly off day is better than most bands on a good day. Bat For Lashes didn't make it only because I think the album sort of drops off at the end. I really wanted to like St. Vincent's Actor but try as I might I could just not get into it. ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 30 Dec 2009 12:53:26 -0800 From: Damon Subject: Re: best of 2009 On 30 Dec, Jon Wesley Huff wrote: > I have to give Vienna Teng's album another go. I listened to a bit of it > once and sort of forgot about it. I loved her first two albums but she sort > of lost me with the third. her third one was somewhat lost on me too - i think it was something about the production, she seemed to be hiding her beautiful powerful voice instead of singing out. there are some good songs, and i *like* it, but on the whole it just kind of slides by me. but i absolutely *adore* _inland territory_, so i think you should definitely give it another try. it's equal to her first two IMO. vienna always takes a while for me to appreciate, just because she's a little subtle - moreso than my usual. but the first two, and the latest one, have become essential listening. - -damon - -- dl+ecto@usrbin.ca: protecting my real address since 2002 (too late!) > EWS starts here! < http://www.last.fm/user/kalaleq/ ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 30 Dec 2009 13:40:34 -0800 From: birdie Subject: bummer of 2009 Rosie and the Goldbug broke up in August SO much potential there !! Essentially, the drummer - left... (she was hot hot hot and will land on her feet somewhere) And, Rosie has a new band.... She wrote quite a few songs w/ my friend, Marcella Detroit (shakespears sister, eric clapton, marcy levy, etc) and they were/are a great songwriting team, so looking forward to this.... Looks like Rosie will be taking the lead more as a vocalist from Wiki : Rosie Vanier announced a new project named "Ruby Vamp" in October 2009; this retains "Pixie" Matthews on bass and adds Miranda Vanier on keyboards, Justin Edley on drums, and Richard Searby-Bates on guitar Birdie ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 30 Dec 2009 16:35:55 -0500 From: meredith Subject: Re: best of 2009 Hi, Damon wrote: > On 30 Dec, Jon Wesley Huff wrote: > >> I have to give Vienna Teng's album another go. I listened to a bit of it >> once and sort of forgot about it. I loved her first two albums but she sort >> of lost me with the third. > > her third one was somewhat lost on me too - i think it was something > about the production, she seemed to be hiding her beautiful powerful > voice instead of singing out. there are some good songs, and i *like* > it, but on the whole it just kind of slides by me. I think I've only listened to her 3rd one all the way through twice. I enjoy the songs when she performs them live, but the production on that record just reduces them bland AAA-radio boringness. It's sad, really. I think she realized that too, b/c she told me she definitely had ecto in mind when she was making "Inland Territory". Alex Wong is the perfect producer for her music, and the songs on the record are the strongest she's written yet. It's a killer combo. I will be listening to the album for many, many years to come. Meredith :) ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 30 Dec 2009 13:55:02 -0800 From: Damon Subject: Re: best of 2009 ah, if only she could go back and get alex wong to re-produce the third one, then. i'm listening to it right now, actually - and the songs are great, but as you say, they're *not* at all served by the production. there are times when her voice starts to swell, then is suddenly throttled back and it's just disappointing. and yes, a subtle but irritating bland radio feel. _city hall_ always stands out, because it sounds like she was letting go and having fun there; but the rest are killed by the production. anyway, this is *definitely* not a problem on _inland territory_, thankfully - i too shall be listening to that one forever. it's very much a return to form. she has a real talent for telling stories in song, which i love, and i find her singing all the more powerful and evocative for its subtlety. i'd buy a new copy of _dreaming through the noise_ if it could be done properly! :) - -damon On 30 Dec, meredith wrote: > Hi, > > Damon wrote: > >On 30 Dec, Jon Wesley Huff wrote: > > > >>I have to give Vienna Teng's album another go. I listened to a bit of it > >>once and sort of forgot about it. I loved her first two albums but she > sort > >>of lost me with the third. > > > >her third one was somewhat lost on me too - i think it was something > >about the production, she seemed to be hiding her beautiful powerful > >voice instead of singing out. there are some good songs, and i *like* > >it, but on the whole it just kind of slides by me. > > I think I've only listened to her 3rd one all the way through twice. > I enjoy the songs when she performs them live, but the production on > that record just reduces them bland AAA-radio boringness. It's sad, > really. > > I think she realized that too, b/c she told me she definitely had > ecto in mind when she was making "Inland Territory". Alex Wong is > the perfect producer for her music, and the songs on the record are > the strongest she's written yet. It's a killer combo. I will be > listening to the album for many, many years to come. > > Meredith :) - -- dl+ecto@usrbin.ca: protecting my real address since 2002 (too late!) > EWS starts here! < http://www.last.fm/user/kalaleq/ ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 30 Dec 2009 20:55:53 -0500 From: Paul Blair Subject: Lauren Pritchard? A friend referred me to this video of "When the Night Kills the Day" by Lauren Pritchard; from hearing just this one song I'd say she's ecto-friendly, somewhat Fiona Apple-ish. http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=101643299 Looks like she's originally from Tennessee and is now in London. Has she been mentioned here before? A search didn't turn up anything. ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 30 Dec 2009 20:47:10 -0600 From: Jon Wesley Huff Subject: Re: Lauren Pritchard? Wow, I really like that song. Looks like her first EP comes out in February. I'll definitely be there. Jon On Wed, Dec 30, 2009 at 7:55 PM, Paul Blair wrote: > A friend referred me to this video of "When the Night Kills the Day" > by Lauren Pritchard; from hearing just this one song I'd say she's > ecto-friendly, somewhat Fiona Apple-ish. > > > http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=101643299 > > Looks like she's originally from Tennessee and is now in London. Has > she been mentioned here before? A search didn't turn up anything. ------------------------------ End of ecto-digest V14 #351 ***************************