From: owner-ecto-digest@smoe.org (ecto-digest) To: ecto-digest@smoe.org Subject: ecto-digest V15 #41 Reply-To: ecto@smoe.org Sender: owner-ecto-digest@smoe.org Errors-To: owner-ecto-digest@smoe.org Precedence: bulk ecto-digest Wednesday, February 17 2010 Volume 15 : Number 041 To unsubscribe: e-mail ecto-digest-request@smoe.org and put the word unsubscribe in the message body. Today's Subjects: ----------------- Black - 'Water on stone' ["Marcel Rijs" ] Some recent ecto-philic purchases [Jeff Hanson ] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 16 Feb 2010 13:30:53 +0100 From: "Marcel Rijs" Subject: Black - 'Water on stone' Hi all, It's been a while since I wrote but I really didn't have any reason to until now. I'm glad I can, because I have discovered a disc of music that I really want to recommend to you all, because it's just so beautiful. Black, a.k.a. Colin Vearncombe, has been around for three decades now, and has released more than a dozen albums in that time in varying degrees of quality and beauty. Some of them, like 'Are we having fun yet?' (1993) and 'The accused' (1999) were wonderful, others were considered by many to be a waste of plastic ('Smoke up close'). His new album 'Water on stone' is out, or at least, it is called a pre-release. With only eight tracks plus a cd-rom that contains two videos, you might think it's not a very good deal, but when every single one of those eight songs is a shimmering, glowing piece of beauty, then you can reconsider. Colin growls like Leonard Cohen and moans like Thom Yorke in certain places - and surely those are Big Names indeed. Samples and lyrics are available via http://www.colinvearncombe.com/music/water-on-stone-music , as well as the possibility to get yourself this great album. What are you waiting for? Do it now. (No, I don't work for the man, but it's been a long time since I was this enthusiastic about an album.) Kind regards, Marcel Rijs ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 16 Feb 2010 14:57:17 +0000 (UTC) From: Jeff Hanson Subject: Some recent ecto-philic purchases Haris Alexiou - Love Will Find You Wherever You May Be Haris Alexiou has a brand new album out! For those of you who don't know her, she's one of the most popular Greek singers ever, and one of my favorite female vocalists. It's available for download through her website--www.harisalexiou.gr, for an affordable 9.99 Euros. Turned out to be $14.01 USD which is much cheaper than trying to order the album from anywhere, and much cheaper than what I usually have to pay for her albums. It's a collection of songs Haris wrote to other artists music. One of the more interesting songs is written to the theme from The Motorcycle Diaries by Argentine composer Gustavo Alfredo Fragione. Overall this is a very intimate, beautiful album. Lisa Ekdahl - Give Me That Slow Knowing Smile Swedish singer Lisa Ekdahl's latest is a self-penned affair that shows off her jazz background, but tempered with pop sensibility. Imagine Blossom Dearie mixed with Melody Gardot. A beautiful soft alubm with some really great lyrics. Diane Jarvi - Wild Gardens Diane Jarvi is a Finnish singer-songwriter and kantele player (Finnish harp) living in Minnesota who combines all sorts of influences into her songs. This album carries her forward on the musical path she's been going on--no great departure from previous efforts but a great mix of world music influences, in a variety of languages. Sarah Slean - The Baroness This is probably my favorite Sarah Slean album since her debut. I haven't listened to it a lot yet, but everytime one of the songs come on my iPod I'm blown away by its beauty--particularly the song Shadowland. The Art of Time Ensemble - Black Flowers This is a side project of Sarah Sleans covering great Canadian singer-songwriters, including Leonard Cohen, Mary Margaret O'Hara, Ron Sexsmith and Lynn Miles. Another very good album from a great set of musicians. Tom McRae - The Alphabet of Hurricanes Tom McRae's latest album is a pretty varied affair musically--from quiet haunting moments to more noisy driven affairs, but his haunting voice and ability to turn a phrase make this collection of songs a definite keeper. Shakespeare's Sister - Songs from the Red Room This is a Siobahn Fahey solo affair (she's no longer working with Marcella Detroit), but it sounds very much like the 80's Shakespeare's Sister--however the music is a bit more dance and a little less pop. A bit of the songs get a bit repetititive, but a few songs are quite catchy. After watching the Marcella Detroit opera video Birdie posted, and a few other You Tube Shakespeare Sister videos, I'm finally learning to distinguish Siobahn and Marcella's voices. The arrangements on this album are actually quite a bit similar to the arrangements on fellow bandmate's Bananarama's latest. Jann Arden - Free Jann's latest has yet to be released in the U.S., but its worth finding this Canadian import. I've always thought that if Codependents Anonymous ever had an artist who best embodies their work, Jann would be it--her lyrics of heartache and love gone wrong can sometimes border on the pathetic, but yet her voice and musical arrangements pull them from the brink of self-pity. This album has a more balanced mix of songs, and a few real beauties, including a song co-written by Michael Buble. n.r. Sea, Swallow Me - Craig Gidney - highly recommend this collection of short stories from a fellow ectophile! Magical, sensual, dark, and luminous. The Wooden Sea - Jonathan Carroll ------------------------------ End of ecto-digest V15 #41 **************************