Linda Thompson, Versatile Heart (Rounder, 2007)
The death knell of the “album” is ringing out all over the land. With sales drastically plummeting, the long player (digital or analog) is going the way of the 78 rpm. Occasionally, though, a dying form will cough up a gem as it heads to extinction. Thompson’s first release in 5 years, Versatile Heart perfectly sequences 13 impeccable tracks of calm strength and sheer beauty. Her voice is stronger than it’s ever been, and she balances her usual earnest mournfulness with touches of self-aware humor. Nonetheless, darkness and poignant regret rule throughout. Just try to make it through the cover of Tom Waits’ anti-war “Day After Tomorrow” with both eyes dry. If you can, you’re either made of marble or aren’t paying attention.
– Tim Wager
Strange Piece of Paradise by Terri Jentz (Farrar Straus and Giroux, 2006)
Two college-age women were biking across Oregon in the late 1970s. One night while camping, they were attacked by a man with an axe. Both survived. One has no memory of the attack; the other, Terri Jentz, remembers it all. In Strange Piece of Paradise, Jentz returns to Oregon 15 years later to find the man, who was never arrested but was generally known to be the culprit. Strange Piece of Paradise is not a true-crime book, though its central event is a crime. It is a beautifully written, keenly observed look at community, memory, good and evil. It is unforgettable.
–Lisa Parrish
Videos on my iPod (Apple, 2005)
This sounded like a terrible idea to me: Watch TV on a tiny screen on what was clearly the world’s greatest music gadget? Then my iPod died, just in time for a fancy new lineup to be released a few weeks ago. 80 gigs for $250? Thank you. Yes. And then I get pointed to Ted, a fancy conference with scores of talks by important people free for the download. I still wouldn’t watch Lawrence of Arabia on the thing, but I could get used to this. The games have great visuals, too. Maybe this multimedia thing isn’t completely bogus. Still — if I listen to music on the train, I can read a book at the same time: multimedia.
– Dave Barber
Dougal Wilson, dir., Bat for Lashes, “What’s a Girl to Do?” (video; Colonel Blimp, 2007)
“Creating a memorable music video is much like growing an unusual moustache. It takes patience and nerve.” So says the bio page for the production company behind the video for this disco-noir delight. It’s been on the blogs for a good month now, but when the magic happens, it may as well be ET flying for the very first time. And forget the Donnie Darko costumes; I’m interested in what’s not so obviously faux-80s: the Farrah Fawcett feather, the glint from the decal on her shirt. These tell us the 80s were closer to the 70s than Alison Moyet wanted to think; the “Be My Baby” kicker reminds us that the Ronettes’ original was creepier than either of the two decades to follow. (via Rural Cemetery Movements)
– Bryan Waterman
That looks like Zoolanderon the iPod. I vote bogus.
okay. i’m kind of embarrassed. i just was standing in the kitchen and it kicked in that miller had included this video in her thursday playlist way back here. THAT’s where i first saw it!
reruns! i’m unintentionally serving up reruns!
oh well: if you didn’t watch it then, watch it again. and tell me what you think.
sorry, miller!
oops. “again” s/b “now”
Okay, B-Dub’s embarrassment aside (and perhaps mine is warranted since I didn’t see the original posting), that video makes me wish I was a teenager — a feeling I’m not accustom to.
Hilarious. When Bryan was telling me about the video on the phone last night, I said,”Oh yeah, I’ve seen it on some obscure blog or other.”
This creates a wry smirk on my face. Bryan, who picks on me often just because the ‘t’ in my name is small, has goofed. Now you know what ‘red ina da face’ feels like.
What a great birthday present. And to think I was bummed at first because it’s movies I can’t watch and music I can’t listen to and books I can’t read.
Happy birthday, Kate!
glad i could oblige, kate. what an inexpensive birthday present! hang around longer and you’ll see plenty more embarrassment where that came from.
and happy bday from me too.
Thanks, Dave!
Oh, the inexpenisve ones are the best. I got lovely weather(for a fall day) on my birthday. It’s what I was really hoping for.
Man, I wish I wasn’t running late for work this morning; otherwise I would have had the time to engage in my regular TGW perusal and catch Bryan before he caught himself. Thankfully, I received a very funny email from Stephanie who called this to my attention.
That’s okay though, Bryan. In all fairness, I think you weren’t around that week… I remember Farrell filling in for you. And I love that Dave knew fully well that you were going to do this, yet didn’t correct you. Definitely hilarious.
Oh, and thank you to the, um, maybe 4 people who watched the videos.
Hey, Miller, it just means that it’s an uber-good video if it was mentioned twice.
yeah, what kate said. i was all like, “damn. miller was on that video before anyone else i know!”
kate, i tend to agree with what bryan is obviously implying: this isn’t so much a reflection on how great the video is, but how awesome i am for knowing about it.
Yes, Miller, you’re awesome. Much awesomer than me.
Well, maybe not. It IS my birfday, after all.
But on every other day, you would be, you media guru you.
miller,
i went back and watched your vids again today.
i took the chemical brothers challenge. goddamn that song is annoying.
but the video is great, as was the one that b dub copied from you.
you are cool. when do i get to meet you?
trixie
aww, thanks trixie. i’m flattered that i have your seal of approval. (and thanks for increasing my viewership to 5ish.) the meeting is on whenever you’re in southern california!
ok. is there a daycare nearby?
I agree with you about “when the magic happens”.