Every 3 Weeks: Minor Alps, Barbra Streisand, David Bowie, Sky Ferreira, Lorde, Throwing Muses, Arcade Fire, Maria Taylor, Tanya Donelly, Lucius

Minor Alps: Get There

A project from Juliana Hatfield and Matthew Caws of Nada Surf. Juliana Hatfield is well complimented with collaboration; her work and contributions to Blake Babies and Some Girls is some of her best work. Great collection of indie pop/rock songs that are beautiful cut, their voices woven like copper wire and ribbon. A song like “I Don’t Know What to Do With My Hands” could’ve easily been a runaway hit had the democracy of radio not been suffocated back in the mid-late 90s and there weren’t so many messages-in-a-bottle bobbing in the wide Internet sea. I decided to buy this record on vinyl at Amoeba in San Francisco.

Barbra Streisand: Guilty
The song “Woman in Love” used to scare me back when I was a toddler. I’ll do my best to describe why. The opening riff is of a tempo that is eerie and Barbra’s voice sleepy, melancholic. It wasn’t like any pop song I was familiar with. This was a time when I assumed every song on the radio were the only songs on the radio for the rest of our lives. “I turn away from the wall; I stumble and fall” reminiscent of being punished. Then to say she’s the woman in love? What does “love” mean then? Yikes. There was a passion here that I hadn’t experienced. And those ghostly back-up singers. What was a four year-old to do? Lately the song “Guilty” was getting into me so I went ahead and downloaded the whole album.

David Bowie: The Next Day EP

Though David Bowie’s musical output lately hasn’t been his strongest it has been some of his more interesting. The creativity produced by an icon, one that has worked for multiple decades, his themes, his ear, his aesthetic is intriguing. His point of view comes from intelligence and wisdom, he has his hand on the pulse of art and criticism and it shows with The Next Day and this EP. I may not listen to 2000s and 2010s DB all the time but I’m glad he continues to produce music and I’ll keep adding them to my collection.

Sky Ferreira: Night Time, My Time

Sky Ferreira has it all; the look, the voice, the attitude, the point of view. She’s more interesting than some of her contemporaries. She’s a blunt roll of an 80s look, 90s pop, dance, Madonna, Fiona Apple, platinum hair, fallen princess. I haven’t listened to this album totally yet. The photo on the cover is intentionally misleading; everything you see is the opposite of what you’re going to get. I look forward to Sky Ferreira maturing and complicating her music. To her, everything is new, even the swampy backlands most of us have already trudged through. She could become the next major explorer. She probably will be big in Japan, see “Omanko”.

Lorde: Pure Herione

I haven’t listened to this album yet either. I downloaded it more as a beacon for what was happening in 2013. I wonder about its longevity and relevance. Lorde is a hot topic for the moment and, in my experience, hot topics go sour quickly. I hesitate to say this could happen for Lorde but she hasn’t tripped into her 20s yet and look at what happens to young solo artists when they crash through those gates. Also, teen musicians appropriating (either in celebration or sardonically) hip-hop aesthetics is equal parts fascinating and obnoxious. Perfect, no?

Throwing Muses: Purgatory/Paradise

I’ve been waiting for an album like this from Kristin Hersh and Throwing Muses. It’s been years in the making and I’ve been a Strange Angel long enough to have been fortunate to hear the demos and seen the Vimeo footage of their recording. This is an album in its truest form; a collection of songs, collaged together, fractured. It’s quilted, threaded, woven. What I love about this album is that there is no one way to entry and one way to leave. This isn’t a roller coaster ride or a monorail trip or a highway; it’s a hike in the woods with exhibits, with experiences. Musically the trio of Georges, Hersh, and Narcizo are at their strongest. I will admit that Throwing Muses isn’t for everyone, they’re a specialized group of musicians, they are their own creature of music, they’re an ecosystem that has been untouched like a lake protected by the ice sheets over Antarctica and life has been sustained by a hot water spring below the surface. And… the physical album comes with a book designed by drummer Dave Narcizo, essays by Kristin Hersh, and downloadable content including commentary by Hersh and Narcizo and instrumental versions of the tracks.

Arcade Fire: Reflektor

I haven’t listened to this enough yet either. So far I really like its reach, its ambition and that’s what I love, expect, and respect about Arcade Fire. I see aluminum, mylar, and black pearls.

Maria Taylor: Something About Knowing

I’ve been simply obsessed with this one! Maria Taylor brings it again with a gorgeous collection of melodic songs sung  with her breathy baritone. When I first saw the cover of this album I thought it was a brave choice; a casual observer may misinterpret the colorful splash and get away appeal; two beach chairs under a matching umbrella. Taylor has entered a new and exciting stage in her life, she’s excited to share with its hesitations, glories, and challenges. All while staying true to her musical self. What’s not to love or emulate about that?

Tanya Donelly: Swan Song Series (Vol. 4)

Tanya Donelly is saying goodbye in such a fruitful way. Every months since August she’s been releasing an EP through Bandcamp with original songs, collaborations with authors and other musicians, and some covers as suggested by her fans. There’s a beautiful cohesion brought to the project by painter Sue McNally. I just got this yesterday so have yet to listen completely but this issue comes with some fantastic demos from Star back when it was intended to be the second album for The Breeders, before it was done under Belly.

Lucius: Wildewoman: “Tempest”

Such a beautiful song. I first heard it on NPR’s All Songs Considered and made note of it. I’ll be downloading the whole album soon as soon as my eMusic subscription recharges itself. Such beautiful harmonies, a great chorus, a bridge to kill for with the elements of Rainer Maria I enjoyed. “You’re just waking up to get back into bed.”