From: owner-ecto-digest@smoe.org (ecto-digest) To: ecto-digest@smoe.org Subject: ecto-digest V15 #267 Reply-To: ecto@smoe.org Sender: owner-ecto-digest@smoe.org Errors-To: owner-ecto-digest@smoe.org Precedence: bulk ecto-digest Friday, November 12 2010 Volume 15 : Number 267 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, friends... [Mike Matthews ] Some of my favorite recent discoveries [Sarah Morayati ] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 11 Nov 2010 03:00:05 -0500 (EST) From: Mike Matthews Subject: Today's your birthday, friends... i*i*i*i*i*i i*i*i*i*i*i *************** *****HAPPY********* **************BIRTHDAY********* *************************************************** *************************************************************************** ********************** Ken Latta (no Email address) *********************** ******************** Craig Gidney (clgidney@yahoo.com) ******************** *************************************************************************** -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- - -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Ken Latta Sun November 11 1951 Scorpio Craig Gidney November 11 Scorpio Michael Doyle Wed November 12 1969 Scorpio Luz Burrow Sat November 12 1966 Happy Cat Jenny Bruce Mon November 14 1966 fire-horse scorpio Dave Cook Mon November 15 1971 Scorpio Jeff Pearce November 16 Orpheus Naama Avramzon Mon November 18 1974 Scorpio Jeff Smith Mon November 19 1962 Crash Kevin Bartlett Fri November 21 1952 Scorpio Sun - Capricorn Moon - Virgo Ascent Claudia Spix Wed November 23 1960 Schuetze Anja Baldo Tue November 23 1965 Garbanzo Tommy Persson Wed November 25 1964 Sagittarius Pat Tessitore November 26 Sagittarius Valerie Kraemer November 26 Sagittarius Justin Bur Fri November 27 1964 Sagittarius Sue Trowbridge Sun November 27 1966 Skytten Ward Kadel Tue November 29 1977 Sagittarius Jesse Hernandez Liwag Wed November 29 1972 Water Rat Mirko Bulaja Sat November 30 1974 Block Juha Sorva Thu December 02 1976 Sagittarius Chip Lueck Thu December 05 1968 Sagittarius Lenore December 05 sagi Michele Wellck December 08 Sagittarius Jeremy J. Corry Fri December 11 1970 Sagittarius - -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 11 Nov 2010 10:06:56 -0500 From: Sarah Morayati Subject: Some of my favorite recent discoveries So I've been less active on ecto than I'd like... but I come bearing gifts! Here are two artists in the ecto genre that I've been listening to a lot lately: - - Patrick Kelleher: Male ecto! Kelleher's an artist from Ireland active in the Irish electronica/experimental scene -- read: enough side projects to get lost in for a long time -- but his solo work (debut album You Look Cold and a remix album) is what I'll focus on here. It's lo-fi, but in name only; there's enough depth and experimentation and beauty here to more than distinguish it from the twee laptop crap that tends to get that label. Short bio and preview here: http://www.state.ie/faces-of-2010/18198-patrick-kelleher - - Palmdale: Been mentioned before, but it's Kay Hanley's new band, and they just released a new (digital-only) EP, How To Be Mean. If you like Letters to Cleo, and that whole genre of female-fronted poppish-rockish-punk (I've been on a severe kick for it for months now), this is more of it. ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 11 Nov 2010 13:00:26 -0500 From: JoAnn Whetsell Subject: library cornucopia, pt 1 I've been checking out new music via the New York Public Library and was happy to see Vienna Teng's Dreaming Through the Noise and Sylvie Lewis' Tangos & Tantrums on the shelves, among other albums that have been discussed on ecto. Here are some brief reviews of preliminary thoughts. BROKEN BELLS - BROKEN BELLS (2010) I was really excited to find this album on the shelf - what a coup! But when I got home I was confused because I couldn't find the title. Was it Alpinisms or Disconnect From Desire? Only then did I realize I had confused 'Broken Bells' with 'School of Seven Bells'. I decided to listen to the album anyway, and I'm so glad I did. It's beautiful atmospheric work from a duo consisting of the frontman for The Shins and half of Gnarls Barkley, two bands I'm unfamiliar with. Occasionally I think of a downtempo Arcade Fire. There are a lot of electronics (also guitar, trumpets, trombones, strings, and others), but it doesn't *feel* electronic, it's more of a soundscape. THE LIVING SISTERS - LOVE TO LIVE (2010) I was intrigued by this trio (Inara George, Eleni Mandell, and Becky Stark) ever since I heard "This Mountain Has Skies" on NPR. Kind of like if The Puppini Sisters slowed down and were doing songs in a 50s style. Sometimes more folky a la The Be Good Tanyas. Sometimes doo wop a la early Supremes ("Double Knots"). Even a touch of gospel sneaks in at times. An intriguing mix. SARAH MCLACHLAN - LAWS OF ILLUSION (2010) On first listen, I think Sarah's voice is still so beautiful, it can make up for a lot. Fortunately, it doesn't have to. This is a solid effort. TRACEY THORN - LOVE AND ITS OPPOSITE The surprise of the year. From early reviews and clips I thought this was going to be pretty boring, a complete 180 from the electro-dance-pop of her 2007 solo effort (which I didn't care for) to an equally unappealing quiet, introspective musing-place. Far from it. This album looks at midlife in 10 songs that are (at various times and in various ways) dark, haunting, spare, intimate, wryly humorous. There's a subtle energy about it pushing it along, an occasional pulse, a light pressure, and occasional forays into more upbeat pop territory. It's wonderful to hear Tracey's voice again (it's really so distinctive) and even better to hear it engaging these songs that make up, to date, the most compelling album of the year. I think the subtlety is really hard to grasp in clips. Head over to http://www.traceythorn.com/ for free downloads of "Oh, The Divorces!," "Why Does the Wind," and a remix of "Kentish Town." SHE & HIM - VOLUME ONE (2008) I saw one review that called it a "rustic pop, country, folk effort." That's not a bad description, though to me its 60s throwback and girl group sounds are most striking. Interestingly, the Smokey Robinson and Beatles' covers are the most modern sounding. The songs are short; only 2 run more than 3 minutes. There's also something 'old' in the recording, if that makes any sense. In that the quality of the recording is more like what you get from recordings produced 40 years ago. The vocals are occasionally charmingly off. It's like the antithesis of today's slick, auto-tuned recordings. Volume Two was released this year, but I haven't heard it yet. Look forward to it though. JoAnn ------------------------------ End of ecto-digest V15 #267 ***************************