From: owner-ecto-digest@smoe.org (ecto-digest) To: ecto-digest@smoe.org Subject: ecto-digest V15 #164 Reply-To: ecto@smoe.org Sender: owner-ecto-digest@smoe.org Errors-To: owner-ecto-digest@smoe.org Precedence: bulk ecto-digest Monday, July 5 2010 Volume 15 : Number 164 To unsubscribe: e-mail ecto-digest-request@smoe.org and put the word unsubscribe in the message body. Today's Subjects: ----------------- Re: recent obsessions [Paul Blair ] recent obsessions and hope sandoval live. [heidi maier ] Recent Obsessions [Adam Kimmel ] Re: New Liz Phair [Paul Jensen ] Re: Recent Obsessions [neal copperman ] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Sun, 4 Jul 2010 08:48:29 -0400 From: Paul Blair Subject: Re: recent obsessions I agree--'Mixtape' is lovely! On Sat, Jul 3, 2010 at 8:59 AM, Karen Hester wrote: > Tift Merritt's 'See you on the moon' hasn't caught me yet, there's a > bit much torchy stuff and light 70s rock. I prefer her rawer or more > country, and I'm sad she didn't include the great '19/The summer Kurt > Cobain died' she was playing live last year. > (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Atjn8LSwJhQ) > > But the song 'Mixtape' is so laid-back, sultry and summery. The video > isn't interesting but you can listen > http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C8j0TuyiA5w. > > K ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 5 Jul 2010 00:45:42 +1000 From: heidi maier Subject: recent obsessions and hope sandoval live. i've been listening to karen elson's record pretty much non-stop for the last month or so. i love it. also, i recently saw hope sandoval live for the first time. i have been a fan of hers for many years -- since her mazzy star days -- and this was the first time she'd toured australia. it pains me to say it, but the show was so profoundly disappointing. it took forever for her to appear onstage, they seemed plagued by technical difficulties, they disappeared off-stage for almost a half hour at one point, and i realise she's shy, but it was difficult to discern any connection with or interest in the audience from her at all. very, very disappointing. i heard that her melbourne show was pretty much identical. someone posted on her website about their disappointment in the show. heidi. ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 4 Jul 2010 12:48:25 -0400 From: Karen Hester Subject: New Liz Phair http://www.lizphair.com/ I want to wipe my brain clean. K ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 4 Jul 2010 09:01:50 -0800 From: Adam Kimmel Subject: Recent Obsessions Late to the table, as always, with this, but why break a habit? My recent obsession is Anais Mitchell's "Hadestown", which is utterly, staggeringly brilliant and, by far, the best album I've heard all year. Anais had been recommended to me by ecto-lurker Garrick (big shout-out there to Garrick) and his friend Rob, but I hadn't been moved by anything I'd heard online, so quite how I came to buy the album, let alone be so enchanted by it, is a bit of a mystery, but a happy one, especially in a year when my expected big-hitters (Patty Griffin, Tom McRae and Broken Social Scene) have left me disinterested and dispirited. A concept album based on the myth of Orpheus and set in depression-era America and stuffed with a gallery of guest stars including Ani Di Franco and the man behind Bon Iver, this is breathtaking in its audacity and ambition, not to mention its sheer beauty and the heartfelt intelligence at work here. A variety of music styles and vocal styles are used, obviously enjoyed and combine to maximum effect. I've also been surprised, bemused and delighted by the new Joanna Newsom, which I can only liken to wandering the halls of a particularly idiosyncratic art gallery, in which it takes one a while to realise that the strangely beguiling music that follows you around from room to room is the exhibit itself, and that each time you return to a room, it somehow seems different as you discover something new this time around. Most new CDs I've bought this year, I've been listening repeatedly out of duty as I try to "crack them" and this can, after the twelfth time (if I last that long), become something of a chore. these two CDs have been a pleasure to listen to again and again. Adam K ____________________________________________________________ Send your photos by email in seconds... TRY FREE IM TOOLPACK at http://www.imtoolpack.com/default.aspx?rc=if3 Works in all emails, instant messengers, blogs, forums and social networks. ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 4 Jul 2010 14:30:54 -0500 From: Paul Jensen Subject: Re: New Liz Phair Is this an April Fool's joke?! My first impression after 1 listen: bizarre, awful, embarrassing, "yikes!", maybe so-bad-it's-good????? Paul - -- ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "This is the time. And this is the record of the time." -Laurie Anderson ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 4 Jul 2010 18:19:13 -0600 From: neal copperman Subject: Re: Recent Obsessions We have had Anais out here for shows several times and she is a real treat. She's been performing the songs off of Hadestown for a few years now and it is an amazing body of work. I haven' t actually heard the CD, so I don't really know how the songs sound as interpreted by other people, but I've heard Anais do most of them and they are clever and original, with really sharp songwriting and interesting perspectives. Adam, if you are sold on them, you might do some YouTube searching. You can find Anais doing all the songs herself as well as a full stage production of Hadestown that was put on last year. And I'd definitely recommend spending some time with her previous CD "The Brightness". I was a little slow to warm to it myself, but over time I have really grown fond of it. neal np: All Songs Considered - Listeners Pick 2010's Best Music (So Far) (Thanks Sue!) nr: The Lacuna - Barbara Kingsolver On Jul 4, 2010, at 11:01 AM, Adam Kimmel wrote: > Late to the table, as always, with this, but why break a habit? > > My recent obsession is Anais Mitchell's "Hadestown", which is > utterly, staggeringly brilliant and, by far, the best album I've > heard all year. Anais had been recommended to me by ecto-lurker > Garrick (big shout-out there to Garrick) and his friend Rob, but I > hadn't been moved by anything I'd heard online, so quite how I came > to buy the album, let alone be so enchanted by it, is a bit of a > mystery, but a happy one, especially in a year when my expected big- > hitters (Patty Griffin, Tom McRae and Broken Social Scene) have left > me disinterested and dispirited. A concept album based on the myth > of Orpheus and set in depression-era America and stuffed with a > gallery of guest stars including Ani Di Franco and the man behind > Bon Iver, this is breathtaking in its audacity and ambition, not to > mention its sheer beauty and the heartfelt intelligence at work > here. A variety of music styles and vocal styles are used, > obviously enjoyed and combine to maximum effect. > > I've also been surprised, bemused and delighted by the new Joanna > Newsom, which I can only liken to wandering the halls of a > particularly idiosyncratic art gallery, in which it takes one a > while to realise that the strangely beguiling music that follows you > around from room to room is the exhibit itself, and that each time > you return to a room, it somehow seems different as you discover > something new this time around. > > Most new CDs I've bought this year, I've been listening repeatedly > out of duty as I try to "crack them" and this can, after the twelfth > time (if I last that long), become something of a chore. these two > CDs have been a pleasure to listen to again and again. > > Adam K > > ____________________________________________________________ > Send your photos by email in seconds... > TRY FREE IM TOOLPACK at http://www.imtoolpack.com/default.aspx?rc=if3 > Works in all emails, instant messengers, blogs, forums and social > networks. ------------------------------ End of ecto-digest V15 #164 ***************************