My google reader is still doleful, dejected and drunk on scotch from several days of liz-neglect. (I have over 3,000 unread entries glaring at me.) With that in mind, I woke up early & spent a portion of this morning sipping hot tea and clicking through my primary folder, which is comprised of entries from my friends and must-read blogs. One particular entry made me smile—an old pal, Ryan, wrote awhile ago about "the no spouse sad face," a glitch that occurred when he filed his taxes. I love the comment that his friend, Amanda, left for him. In the spirit of sharing misunderstandings, she wrote about being jealous of a girl named Lease. Too cute.
In other happenings, I managed to make it to a concert this week. Azin invited me to Cafe du Nord on Monday to check out Alela Diane, a Nevada City, CA native who released a new album this year. Admittedly, I can be a little tough on folk artists (though my friends know I've defended the honor of Bon Iver's For Emma, Forever Ago many, many times). I've found that much of the folk music out there is burdened by its inherent simplicity. There's a "maybe I could play this if I took enough guitar lessons" wonderment attached to a lot of it. Believe me, I can appreciate anyone who can pen a song with a pretty melody. I cannot sing and I certainly cannot write songs. But with so much fantastic music out there, the appreciation doesn't always stick. I rarely get really excited over a folk record. (Ahem, Bon Iver!)
With that out of the way, I loved Alela Diane's performance (despite the near-concussion that I received after banging my head into the bathroom's low ceiling). Alela's voice is warm and bright; the strongest instrument of the lot—the clear highlight of the evening. She certainly did not belong in the corner of your local shop. I've gone back and listened to her albums, 2006's The Pirate's Gospel and 2009's To Be Still, and I've been enchanted with what I've heard over the past two days. I'm still familiarizing myself with her work, but here are 2 favorites so far—listen up!
(graphic by Gemma Correll)
With that out of the way, I loved Alela Diane's performance (despite the near-concussion that I received after banging my head into the bathroom's low ceiling). Alela's voice is warm and bright; the strongest instrument of the lot—the clear highlight of the evening. She certainly did not belong in the corner of your local shop. I've gone back and listened to her albums, 2006's The Pirate's Gospel and 2009's To Be Still, and I've been enchanted with what I've heard over the past two days. I'm still familiarizing myself with her work, but here are 2 favorites so far—listen up!
The Rifle - Alela Diane | purchase
White as Diamonds - Alela Diane | purchase
(graphic by Gemma Correll)
The problem with folk, like blues, is that its simplicity makes it very easy to do badly and very hard to do well.
I would agree Bon Iver is the best recently.
I also loved the solo album by Tyler Ramsey (of Band Of Horses), "A Long Dream About Swimming Across The Sea".
Posted by: Josh | May 14, 2009 at 12:18 PM
Yay! Glad you enjoyed it...It was nice hangin'. What's that a Persian cat? ;)
Kettle corn.
Posted by: Z | May 14, 2009 at 01:41 PM
Josh, very well put & I agree. I haven't listened to Tyler Ramsey's solo effort - thanks for the reco!
And Z, I think that might have been our first successful concerting endeavor. Thanks for the invite and I still cannot believe you put away all of that beer. Monk's Kettle Corn before Harlot next week? I'll introduce you to everyone. xo.
Posted by: me | May 14, 2009 at 04:32 PM
Just found your site and I'm hooked. You have great new stuff, and I love being able to just let the playlist go. Thanks for sharing!
Posted by: A. Parker | May 15, 2009 at 08:31 AM