From: owner-navy-soup-digest@smoe.org (navy-soup-digest) To: navy-soup-digest@smoe.org Subject: navy-soup-digest V7 #80 Reply-To: navy-soup@smoe.org Sender: owner-navy-soup-digest@smoe.org Errors-To: owner-navy-soup-digest@smoe.org Precedence: bulk navy-soup-digest Saturday, October 9 2004 Volume 07 : Number 080 In This Digest: ----------------- RE: eye mag Day One review (by Tab) ["Tab Siddiqui" ] RE: Time Magazine Article ["Tab Siddiqui" ] RE: eye mag Day One review (by Tab) ["Tab Siddiqui" Subject: RE: eye mag Day One review (by Tab) hmm... my goodness. this is probably why 'critics' (yes, i suppose i am one) shouldn't be on artists' mailing lists, and i wasn't planning to respond, but it seems there are quite a few newer folks on the list than there used to be, so for the record: i've been following sarah's career since her third or fourth show *ever*. i'm completing blanking on the year, but i guess it was '96 or so... i met some of my dearest friends even sort of because of Sarah and her music (Sarah's former webmaster Steve Ito and James McGarry, who are both on this list)... long story short, i am a massive fan of hers (as anyone knows), am acquainted with her to some extent, and have watched her and her music change and grow over the years. so i think i'm fairly qualified to comment on her music. of course it's purely subjective -- some of you will like "Day One" far better than "Blue Parade", but i don't see it purely as a matter of 'her old stuff versus her new stuff'. in my review, i point out that it's admirable that she's stretching out as an artist. i just find the material overproduced and the vocals rather over-the-top. while that 'theatrical' style works wonderfully in concert (i love how she has fun with her voice and persona in a live setting) she has an incredibly pure tone (go back and listen to something like "Awake Soon" where it's nothing but her voice) that's just not coming across that well on "Day One". also, i've read recent interviews where she talks about not wanting to identify too closely with one instrument, which strikes me as a bit odd -- when one clearly has such a gift on the piano, why would you bury it under layers? i think the songs are quite brilliant, i'm just not sold on the production on this record. as James likes to say, your mileage may vary. ;) someone pointed out that a 3-star review is above average. quite right. and in fact, having listened to the album a ton more over the past few weeks, there are certain aspects that continue to grow on me. so while i wouldn't give it 4 stars, a 3-and-a-half is a definite possibility. ;) - - tab. ps: paul, you devil. i'll get you back for this yet! ;-P _________________________________________________________________ Powerful Parental Controls Let your child discover the best the Internet has to offer. http://join.msn.com/?pgmarket=en-ca&page=byoa/prem&xAPID=1994&DI=1034&SU=http://hotmail.com/enca&HL=Market_MSNIS_Taglines Start enjoying all the benefits of MSN. Premium right now and get the first two months FREE*. ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 08 Oct 2004 08:50:18 -0400 From: "Julian C. Dunn" Subject: Time Magazine Article (was: Re: eye mag Day One review (by Tab)) On Thu, 2004-10-07 at 16:50, James McGarry wrote: > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Ian MacLatchy" > To: "Aimee S" ; > Sent: Thursday, October 07, 2004 4:29 PM > > Blue Parade, and have Universe on order)............anyways, I've attached > > a JPEG of her most recent article in TIME magazine, for anyone that hasn't > > Attachments are auto-filtered by the list, its generally best just to post a > link. Since Ian had no place to put it up, I got his ok to put it up somewhere for him: http://www.aquezada.com/navy-soup/slean-time-article.jpg It's about 4 megs in size so be patient. - - Julian - -- [ Julian C. Dunn * ] [ WWW: www.aquezada.com/staff/julian/ * www.dreaming.org/~julian/ ] [ PGP: 0xFDC205B9 - 91B3 7A9D 683C 7C16 715F 442C 6065 D533 FDC2 05B9 ] [ "half a love is better than no love at all" - nerissa nields ] ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 8 Oct 2004 09:30:40 -0400 From: James McGarry Subject: RE: eye mag Day One review (by Tab) Quoting Tab Siddiqui : > i've been following sarah's career since her third or fourth show *ever*. > i'm completing blanking on the year, but i guess it was '96 or so... i met I can confirm it would be some time in the first half of '96. Nearly 8 1/2 years ago. > some of my dearest friends even sort of because of Sarah and her music > (Sarah's former webmaster Steve Ito and James McGarry, who are both on this > list)... :-) > long story short, i am a massive fan of hers (as anyone knows), am I'm not sure that everyone knows that Tab, we assume a lot of things because we know each other and a lot of the 'backstories'. For the record I'd say you've seen Sarah in concert at least as many times as I have and that's now about 90 times or so, maybe a little more, I tend to under count. It says a lot that we have fairly diverse tastes in music and in the GTA and beyond we have a lot of choice in what we can see and much is of what I'd consider good quality and given that, that we'd choose to see Slean so much and to go out of our way so often. Watching someone's development over nearly a hundred gigs over the course of nearly a decade is more than adequate qualifications to comment on their work. > an incredibly pure tone (go back and listen to something like "Awake Soon" > where it's nothing but her voice) that's just not coming across that well on > "Day One". Pie Jesu as well. > also, i've read recent interviews where she talks about not wanting to > identify too closely with one instrument, which strikes me as a bit odd -- And a _very_ recent development. Though she's always sought out instruments to include in her music and on at least one occasion providing one of the most amazing examples of her talent, which was penning a string score for a gig while the musicians were en route. I watched, she wrote it on the fly and to nearly everyone it sounded rehersed when it was played a couple of hours later. The only real times she's abandoned the keyboard is to work with Todor (Cy Scobie (nee Spine)). James. ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 09 Oct 2004 01:11:56 +0000 From: "Tab Siddiqui" Subject: RE: Time Magazine Article hmm... i was wondering why i'd never heard of this writer before (i've been reading TIME for 15 years now). turns out Kris Menon is the National Director of Marketing at Time Canada. take from that what you will. here are reviews by some longtime Canadian music/culture writers: the always reliable Sarah Liss (a big Slean fan, btw): http://www.nowtoronto.com/issues/2004-09-23/music_discs6.php John Intini and Shanda Deziel in newsmagazine Macleans: http://www.macleans.ca/culture/music/article.jsp?content=20040927_89191_89191 - - t. _________________________________________________________________ Take advantage of powerful junk e-mail filters built on patented Microsoft. SmartScreen Technology. http://join.msn.com/?pgmarket=en-ca&page=byoa/prem&xAPID=1994&DI=1034&SU=http://hotmail.com/enca&HL=Market_MSNIS_Taglines Start enjoying all the benefits of MSN. Premium right now and get the first two months FREE*. ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 09 Oct 2004 01:17:03 +0000 From: "Tab Siddiqui" Subject: RE: eye mag Day One review (by Tab) James wrote: >The only real times she's abandoned the keyboard is to work with Todor (Cy >Scobie (nee Spine)). oh, i've been meaning to mention -- if anyone was wondering what on earth had happened to Cy Scobie, he's reinvented himself of late as a producer and string arranger of some note. check out his really beautiful string arrangements on the excellent new Stars disc, "Set Yourself on Fire" (due out this coming Tuesday). i really miss his cool electro beatscapes stuff, though... in fact, some of the songs on "Day One" would sound amazing remixed by Cy Scobie. - - t. _________________________________________________________________ Take charge with a pop-up guard built on patented Microsoft. SmartScreen Technology. http://join.msn.com/?pgmarket=en-ca&page=byoa/prem&xAPID=1994&DI=1034&SU=http://hotmail.com/enca&HL=Market_MSNIS_Taglines Start enjoying all the benefits of MSN. Premium right now and get the first two months FREE*. ------------------------------ End of navy-soup-digest V7 #80 ******************************