Recently in music Category

There more than a few issues I have with my apartment. I wish it had an electrical outlet in the bathroom. (I've never had a bathroom with no electrical outlets.) I wish it had a dishwasher and a garbage disposal. (Haven't been without those since my apartment in Ballard.)

But one of my favorite things about it is the building-wide water heater. In my mind, it's behemoth. The entire building shares it. This means that we rarely run out of hot water. We can take showers as long as we want, and still have hot water. You can stand under a hot pounding stream of water for however long it takes to beat the sore outta your muscles. Or you can sit on floor of the shower and contemplate your life, with water cascades down on you like unusually warm rain.

If you want to know my mood the last couple of days, just go listen to Neko Case's Blacklisted album.

Neko Case - Outro With Bees

In the meantime, let's hover like bees.

I've received compliments on the title of my story, so I think I should explain. It's not mine. It's a title of a Shivaree song which, along with "Goodnight Moon", helped inspire this need in me to write a mystery. My character's name is, therefore, Fiona Black and what happens is her own little mess to deal with - dead bodies, black mail, intrigue, things that make you wear something other than pajama pants and leave the house. Which is not something that happens to me a lot right now.

Here is the song and lyrics. I hope Shivaree doesn't mind. Buy their music. They rule. Have I ever posted "Goodnight Moon?" I can't remember, I cannot find it anywhere on the blog.

"Little Black Mess" by Shivaree

I should try to be good
Forever and ever, amen
So I'll touch wood
And hope I don't get caught again
Without my lines
And off the mark
Looking for signs
I can't see here in the dark
My opening won't be a great success
Till you come get me out of
This little black mess

I'll play my part
And say never ever again
Then cross my heart
Cry until you say when
A little cheat while you turn away
Things we repeat one more time
Day after day
I've lost my appetite so nonetheless
It fits like a glove now
My little black mess

Who's to say if we'll know
When it's time for this old thing to go

And so if I'm good
Could you forgive how I've been?
You misunderstood
Now if you'd just let me begin
To put on my face
I'll put on the room
Go take my place
One more time
Then we can resume
It's true I'm sure to die out here unless
You come help me out of
This little black mess

Reading jasonhare.com's latest Chart Attack put this song in my head.

Boz Scaggs reminds me of summers at my father's, in Walnut Creek California. Especially the summer he married my stepmother. It reminds me of his '73 Oldsmobile convertible and ice cream and the BART station and of walking along the railroad tracks to 7-11 to buy candy. Ahhhh... candy. The currency of youth.

KMTT - a radio station in Seattle - sometimes plays a live, acoustic version of this song, recorded in their studios, I believe. Truly, it's that version of the song that is stuck in my head. I would give anything to get my hands on a copy of that version. It's so cool.

Anyway, since I'm up, this is the song that is stuck in my head.

I can't sleep and it's almost 3:30. Wil's alarm goes off in an hour and half. I was lying there ... not sleeping... when I thought to myself, "How fucking wifey would it be of me to get up and make Wil a sammich to take to work today?"

I hope I am coherent enough to tell him about it when he says goodbye in twoish hours.

Anyway, since I'm up, here is the song that is stuck in my head.
Adam and the Ants - Zerox

The last few days I've been slipping into a bad habit of sleeping too late in the day, and therefore staying up later and later. Wil's always joked that I don't get up until right before he gets off work, at 2. Which is so not true. I used to make it up sometime in the 9 am hour. But not lately.

Anyway, since I'm up, this is the song stuck in my head right now.
Yes - I've Seen All Good People/Your Move

This is one of those entries that is run entirely by the cover version of the song, not the original. Not the hugest Motley Crue fan. I was more 120 Minutes than Headbangers Ball. But if this song makes you want to break out the spandex and hold a lighter up to your kohl eyeliner, than more power to ya. Let your freak flag fly, baby.
Motley Crue - Looks That Kill

I love Shivaree. I once came up with a book idea based entirely on Goodnight Moon, but I'm sure I'm not the first. I was so excited when the iTunes alerts sent me a message that they had a new album, Tainted Love: Matting Calls and Fight Songs. And imagine my delight when I saw it was an album of covers! Some obscure and lesser known songs, which only makes it more enjoyable in my opinion. Here is one of those rare instances when the cover improves upon the original, but that's really because it's more to my taste. I would like to point out to my husband that it does not break his cardinal cover song rule of "Don't Change The Pronoun." as well.
Shivaree - Looks That Kill

PS. I had a hard time picking which song from the album to use, so in the next couple of weeks, expect to see another one. It's all I can do to not post another one now, it was that close.

I couldn't sleep last night, and I was listening to my iPod and I found a song that, basically, is Fridays.


Feist - Mushaboom

Wild Colonials - A Philadelphia Story

You know, until I was preparing this Then and Now, I had never really listened to this entire song. I'd seen bits and pieces of the video on the television. And I knew enough about it to think it was funny when Al Gore said he was bringing the sexy back. (You know, every time I see Al on a talk show recently, talking about the environment, he's dressed like Johnny Cash, all in black. And he's more relaxed than he used to be. Funnier. He may not be wrong, he may be brining the sexy back. I dig Al Gore.) But, I never really listened to this whole song. Until now. My god, I hate pop music sometimes. Enough said?

Sexy Back - Justin Timberlake

One of the music blogs a read, and a great source for cover tunes, is My Old Kentucky Blog. A few days ago, they published a bunch of cover tunes by an independent artist named James Eric Laczkowski. As soon as I heard his acoustic version of Sexy Back, I knew I had to use it. It's too much fun. Covering it acoustically is brilliant. Strip out all the samples and beats and maybe there really is a story of a guy who will be your slave, and let you whip him if he misbehaves. Hee!

Sexy Back - James Eric Laczkowski.

I was poking around Six Apart's new VOX service and I came across this game, which I think is great.

1. Randomly pick a song from your music library.
2. Find the lyrics for the first four verses/chorus
3. Go to Google translation and translate the lyrics from English into German.
4. Take the new German lyrics and translate them into French.
5. Take the new French lyrics and translate them into English.
6. Post the NEW English lyrics and have people guess the original song

I don't think mine is too difficult, if you read through it a a couple of times.

Wells I do not know, why I came this evening;
I received the feeling which does not have something right;
I frightened thus, if I fall far from my chair;
And I am astonished to the bottom, as me the staircase receives;
Clowne on the left side me; I am on the right, here birds of recreation;
Adhered to the medium with you;
I am adhered in the medium with you;
And I am astonished, which it would owe me makes is;
It is so hard to hold this smile of my face;
Conclusion Orientation yeah I am whole on the place;
Clowne on the left side me, birds of recreation on the right;
Here, I, am adhered in the medium with you. ;
You do not pour ace started outside with nothing and you are proud that yourself are which it man is formed;
And your friends all, come it crawlin, you on the back strike and please say. Ask;
Attempts to be logical slightly at him all;
But I can see that all of it is logical none;
It is necessary to coldly go to sleep on the floor;
It does not think cause I that I can take more;
Clowne on the left side me, Birds of recreation on the right;
Here, I, am adhered in the medium with you.