Archive
* Favorite Instrumental Albums of 2011 *
As I start this post, I will say that this is all very subjective and really put together for my own purposes. I’ll also state that, yes, some of the music below does have some vocals (i.e.- the Goddamn Electric Bill & Mike Patton CDs). For the most part, it’s sequestered to a track or two on a long CD of mostly instrumental goodness. My list, my rules, and/or my breaking of the rules. With that being said, all of the artists below tend to be in the jazz and instrumental frame of reference anyway.
As said before… I’ve been buying less music… or, at least a lot less mainstream (major label) music. This is also my fourth year now that I bought more instrumental CDs than vocal CDs. I think as I get older, I am drawn more towards jazz and other instrumental forms of expression. Hopefully my spilling out of music that I like finds interest with someone else. But if not, thanks for stopping by… check out the artists’ webpages, Facebox pages, yadda yadda yadda. Some of these also made it on to my 2011 Mix CD (free streaming/download).
OK, now on to the best of what’s hit my ears this year…
 |
 Cyro Baptista’s Banquet of Spirits plays John Zorn’s Masada Book Two: Book of Angels, Vol. 17 (Caym) :: The Masada Book two series is some of my favorite music coming out of Tzadik. Banquet of the Spirits is the touring band of Latin percussionist Cyro Baptista, a long time Zorn collaborator. Each track touches upon a different world tradition, steeped in Zorn’s klez-jazz score. Lyrical and moving and fun!
|
 |
 Artichaut Orkestra – T For Teresa :: Featuring four young musicians from Toulouse, Artichaut Orkestra mix jazz, klezmer and classical music, blending rock energy with improv. This is their debut record, and I’m definitely looking forward to more coming from them in the near future.   |
 |
 Curtis Macdonald – Community Immunity :: To be honest, this was an impulse purchase. One of my favorite record labels is Greenleaf Music – founded by my favorite living trumpet-player Dave Douglas. I was picking up some new music from DD and figured, “eh, what the hell!” I was impressed with Curtis’ melodic compositions and emotive alto sax playing. |
 |
 Mogwai – Hardcore Will Never Die, But You Will :: Stunning double-disc set from post-rock’s Scottish kings. I’ll still probably forgo seeing them live again (too loud, beyond their needs), but they put out some amazingly beautiful music. |
 (3 CDs) |
 John Zorn – Nova Express / At the Gates of Paradise / A Dreamer Christmas :: Three discs made the cut of the six Zorn releases in 2011. Nova Express combines quirky atonal classical lyricism with a touch of the cut up techniques of Naked City and virtuosity of the Masada songbook. Zorn scored this for Joey Baron (drums), Trevor Dunn (bass), John Medeski (piano), and Kenny Wollesen (vibes).  Paradise features the same band as Nova Express, brings some Medeski organ into the mix and adds more of Zorn’s “mystical” ambiance. The Dreamer Christmas album was an oddity for me. Why would a Jewish jazz musician put out a Christmas album? Because he can! The Dreamers is one of my favorite Zorn-assembled ensembles: Joey Baron (drums), Cyro Baptista (percussion), Trevor Dunn (bass), Marc Ribot (guitars), Jamie Saft (keys), and Kenny Wollesen (vibes). Very accessible, but not smooth jazz! Adventurous! Mike Patton joins them on the final track for a croon-y “chestnut roasting.” The holiday album was also put out as a 12″ vinyl and a 7″ single – both with gorgeous artwork and design by Chippy. |
 |
 yMusic – Beautiful Mechanical :: The yMusic Ensemble had a kickstarter earlier this year for their debut album – with songs composed by Son Lux, Annie Clark, Shara Worden (aka My Brightest Diamond), Saraha Kirkland snider (who penned a favorite album Penelope last year), and Gabriel Kahane. Their string-heavy, indie chamber rock approach excites me. Being the musical backdrop for My Brightest Diamond’s All Things Will Unwind album (my #2 vocal album in 2011) doesn’t hurt. |
 |
 Peter Mulvey & David Goodrich – Nine Days Wonder :: Peter Mulvey has toured all over the US and the world for about 2 decades. Some of the first times I saw him in concert, he had “Goody” with him on backing guitar. They don’t get a chance to tour together much lately, but they did find some time to hole-up inside a studio to write and record some instrumental guitar duets. While I love Peter’s vocal storytelling, it’s nice to hear his and Goody’s instrumental interplay tell a different story.  |
 |
 Goddamn Electric Bill – Jazz :: GdEB is the one-man brainchild of Jason Torbert. He hits the spot for organic electronic meets post-rock for me. Ambient at times, melodic other times. His latest work has featured some vocals, but he’s primarily a groove-induced soundscape kind of guy. Chirps and glitches, too. Excellent stuff! |
 |
 The Dead Kenny G’s – Operation Long Leash :: The Dead Kenny Gs is a duo started by saxophonist Skerik and drummer/vibes Mike Dillon in 2004. shortly thereafter, they started adding Brian Haas, keyboard genius, when he is able, as well as Brad Houser, bassist from another Skerik band – Critters Buggin. They push through the jazz/rock minefield to fight “injustice, cheese, and dishonesty in music, and society.” |
 |
 Talkdemonic – Ruins :: Portland-based chamber-indie-post-rock… goodness. So much sound from two people. If you’re in Portland, they’re playing a big NYE show tonight… if in Eugene, they’ll be through our way (at Sam Bond’s) on Feb 24th. Not to be missed! |
 |
 Mike Patton – The Solitude of Prime Numbers :: I had to put this album as #13. This chiefly instrumental album is a tribute to the book (by Paolo Giordano) and film of the same name. The score is 16 tunes spread out over a 53 tracks, with the only tracks with content being 2, 3, 5, 7, 11, 13, 17, 19, 23, 29, 31, 37, 41, 43, 47, and 53. *slow clap* Clever, Mr. Patton! For people who bought the CD, you can thank me for entering in the info to CDDB (t’was a pain). The score/album fits more with his prior score for A Perfect Place – more accessible when compared to Patton’s usual schizophrenic output. The packaging design is also brilliant – a gorgeous die-cut leaf that fold outwards. I’d always recommend getting physical releases from Ipecac versus the digital download version.
|
 |
 Garage A Trois – Always Be Happy, But Stay Evil :: Skerik, Stanton Moore, Marco Benevento (who replaced Charlie Hunter) and Mike Dillon make their way through Oregon quite a bit. They are a sight to see – you don’t know exactly what kind of show you’ll get, but it’s definitely a fun time. Fun, groove-oriented “new jazz.” |
 |
 Explosions in the Sky – Take Care, Take Care, Take Care :: If not jazz, this list is also overtaken by post-rock. it’s a love of mine, and Explosions in the Sky are one of the best in that game. Epic, sweeping guitars crashing over a hearty drum & bass end. This is another album where I’d recommend the physical edition – the case can be unfolded to form a model of a house, where if viewed from the inside, the view from the door of the house is overlooking a tornado across a plain.
|
 |
 Erik Friedlander – Bonebridge :: I started 2011 seeing Erik perform his John Zorn-penned Volac album in its entirety… brilliant and moving. Later in the year, he came out with Bonebridge – a new band/concept that takes his Broken Arm Trio (with Trevor Dunn & Mike Sarin) and adds slide guitar player Doug Wamble to the mix. What you get is a perfect chamber-Americana-jazz album. I hope there are more where this came from… |
 |
 Kevin Moore – Shine (Küçük Kıyamet Soundtrack) :: Kevin Moore’s main projects are the trippy/sample-heavy Chroma Key & heavier prog collaboration band O.S.I. (with Jim Matheos). Shine is the soundtrack to the 2006 Turkish film Küçük Kiyamet (“Little Apocalypse“). It came out in early 2011 after a successful Kickstarter in 2010. The next album from O.S.I. comes out in February 2012 on Metal Blade. I can almost guarantee it will be my Top album of 2012, and I haven’t heard a shred of it yet. |
 |
 Reptet – At the Cabin :: This Seattle-based jazz sextet is fuuuuuuuuuun – both on record and in the live setting. I wish the distance on I-5 between me and them wasn’t 5-6 hours, as I’d see them far more often if I could.
|
 |
 Matt Chamberlain, Viktor Krauss, Dan Phelps – Modular: Sonic Explorations :: Gorgeous soundscapes from Matt Chamberlain, Viktor Krauss, and Dan Phelps. The Modular Project is the collaboration of the aforementioned musicians working together to “discover what the spontaneous and organic manipulation of sound can yield. Inspired by the world around them, they set out to discover what it might sound like when continents shift, clouds form, and roots push through soil.” The track, “Everest,” features one of my favorite cellists – Eyvind Kang (who has worked with Secret Chiefs 3, John Zorn, Bill Frisell, Mike Patton). It’s a great mix of cello, vibes and soaring atmosphere. The album is only available digitally or on vinyl (it’s a luscious triple-gatefold!)… |
 (3 CDs) |
 Dave Douglas – Three Views: GPS Series – Rare Metals, Orange Afternoons & Bad Mango :: Originally released as the “Greenleaf Portable Series” (download only), these three different releases in 2011 finally got a proper physical (boxset) release. Dave’s prolific writing comes out with different bands on each record: Rare Metals features Dave’s most recent band Brass Ecstasy; Orange Afternoons features a specially put together quintet with Ravi Coltrane, Vijay Iyer, Linda Oh, and Marcus Gilmore; and Bad Mango paired Dave’s trumpet with So Percussion’s marimba, drumset, glockenspiel, musical saw, toy bells, shruti box, crotales, and more. Three very different records tied together with Dave’s fantastic playing.
|
 |
 Tides From Nebula – Earthshine :: This Polish post-rock group won my heart in 2009 with their debut, Aura (in 2009). They continue to tease me with emails or news that says “tour” until I open and can’t pronounce the names of the cities that they’re hitting. Drat! At least their music will keep me company! Earthshine is perfect for those fans of Explosions in the Sky, Mogwai, and the like… and seeing as it beat out both those groups on my 2011 list, well, that should tell you something as well.
|
 |
 Michael Kelsey – Submerged :: Michael Kelsey is a HUGE amount of what I miss from the Midwest music scene. He’s a musical genius – rarely paralleled on the frets. Seeing him live (which I did any chance I could) was a site to behold. His records do their best to capture his virtuosity, but they usually fail to capture his energy, too. Catching fire in a bottle is tough. Regardless, this one is a gem and also marks his first all instrumental affair. Check him out, and if you live within a state or two from central Indiana, I count you a lucky one. Go see him if he stops by your town.
|
 |
 Earth – Angels of Darkness, Demons of Light 1 :: More riff-oriented and melodic compared to the prior drone doom albums, Earth bring a cello into the mix for the first time and create an ominous soundscape that is both elegant and dreadful. The follow-up, Angels & Demons 2, comes out in Feb 2012… and you can almost guarantee it’ll rise to the top of my list next year as well.
|
Note: Ric Hordinski’s Arthur’s Garden (which made it on my 2011 Mix) is technically a 2012 release, hence its absence above.
Where do I get most of these jazz and other instrumental releases? My #1 favorite source for jazz is Downtown Music Gallery in New York. Manny and Bruce and their great staff are superb… and being the official distributor for John Zorn’s Tzadik doesn’t hurt my affection for them. I usually do a monthly Tzadik order (if the releases strike my fancy), and they have a ton of other non-Tzadik jazz and avant-garde releases as well.
And, no, I’m not affiliated, I don’t get a commission, and beyond my initial “big tax refund / gotta get caught up on Zorn order of 2005,” I haven’t gotten a discount with DMG. I just love and support what they do.
Enjoy the New Years’ weekend!! Be safe! See you in 2012.
My Other Favorites of 2011 Recaps:
- Fave Concerts & Photos of ‘11 are recapped *HERE*
- Fave EPs/Vinyl/Live/DVDs/more of ‘11 are *HERE*
- Fave Vocal Albums ‘11 are *HERE*
- Old Years:
- 2010: Instrumental, Vocal, EPs/etc, Concerts,
- Best of the 2000s Decade (1-10, 11-20, 21-25)
- 2009: Instrumental, Vocal, EPs/etc, Concerts
- 2008: Instrumental, Vocal, EPS/etc, Concerts
- 2007: Vocal, Instrumental, Concerts
- 2006 & 2005
~Dan – np: Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross – The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
My Brightest Diamond – La Blogothèque (videos)
My Brightest Diamond’s new album, All Things Will Unwind, came out yesterday in the EU (10/10) and it hits the U.S. next week (10/18). You can stream the entire album here on NPR First Listen. You can pre-order it from Amazon on CD, vinyl, and mp3 download.
She recently allowed the French video bloggers, La Blogothèque, a peak into her life… similar to back in 2007:
It’s a gorgeous album. If I could only rave about two vocal albums in 2011, it’d be this one and Wussy’s Strawberry. Go get ’em both.
My Brightest Diamond is also doing a little tour (of which I’m happy to be going to Portland)…
- 14-Oct-11 –Littlefield -Brooklyn (record release party)
- 19-Oct-11 –Fitzgerald’s -Houston, TX
- 05-Nov-11 –St. Mark’s Cathedral -Seattle, WA
- 06-Nov-11 –Mississippi Studios -Portland, OR
- 17-Nov-11 –St. Giles-in-the-Fields-London
- 21-Nov-11 –Circolo degli Artisti-Rome
- 22-Nov-11 –Teatro Martinitt-Milan
- 23-Nov-11 –Papiersaal-Zurich
- 24-Nov-11 –Club ADS-Berlin
- 26-Nov-11 –Gebaude 9-Köln
- 27-Nov-11 –Le Guess Who? Festival-Utrecht
- 28-Nov-11 –Stuk-Leuven
- 29-Nov-11 –Café de la Danse-Paris
MBD’s release party is this Friday night at Littlefields (NYC), though tickets are going fast! Doors open at 8pm, and DM Stith opens shortly thereafter. 21+, tickets just $15; buy them here.
~Dan – np: Tool – Undertow
yMusic’s Beautiful Mechanical
If you missed the Kickstarter for yMusic… the album is getting an official release:
yMusic Beautiful Mechanical (album out Sept. 27, New Amsterdam Records)
Release Show w/ My Brightest Diamond Oct. 14 in NYC, Details TBAyMusic is a versatile sextet of sought-after, classically-trained musicians who have forged deep relationships with artists throughout the overlapping classical and pop music worlds. Not only do its
members regularly collaborate and perform with Bon Iver, Sufjan Stevens, Vampire Weekend and Björk, they are also active recitalists, arrangers, and commissioners and have performed with classical institutions like the New York Philharmonic and the Orchestra of St. Luke’s. In Beautiful Mechanical, yMusic’s artistic mission is fully realized with seven commissioned works by six favored collaborators. The disc features debut concert works from Annie Clark and Shara Worden (who do not perform on the album), alongside new pieces from Son Lux, Judd Greenstein, Gabriel Kahane, and Sarah Kirkland Snider. True to the spirit of this co-active community and to their fluency in varied ventures, yMusic worked together with these various writers to shape a cohesive album. The result is an expertly written and impeccably executed declaration of enormous delight, shining with yMusic’s crystalline character. yMusic is: Rob Moose, violin; Nadia Sirota, viola; Clarice Jensen, cello; Alex Sopp, flute; Hideaki Aomori, clarinet; C.J. Camerieri, trumpet. Learn more HERE.
The album is available for pre-order now on Amazon.
~Dan – np: Testament – Low
My Brightest Diamond ‘All Things Will Unwind’ (Oct 18, 2011)
So, if I could have a blog solely dedicated to the music of Shara Worden/My Brightest Diamond, I would. I ‘found’ her via her opening slot for Sufjan Stevens’ Avalanche tour (Indianapolis 2006?). Her voice amazed me, and she has quickly become one of my favorite vocalists. She has operatic voice training, a clever wit, charming lyrics, and an indie-rock DIY mentality.
Her third studio album under the My Brightest Diamond moniker* has been announced… All Things Will Unwind will be released October 18, 2011.
For those unfamiliar, MBD creates some fantastic orchestral indie pop. She’s offering a FREE download of a song from the forthcoming album…
Free mp3 Download:
“Reaching Through to the Other Side“
All Things Will Unwind track list
01 We Added It Up
(Studio 360 live video)
02 Reaching Through to the Other Side
(MusicNow 2011 video)
03 In the Beginning
04 Escape Routes
05 Be Brave
06 She Does Not Brave the War
07 Ding Dang
08 There’s a Rat
09 High Low Middle
10 Everything Is in Line
11 I Have Never Loved Someone
*– She has a few MBD precursors under the band name “AwRy” (harder to find), plus a few remix EPs, several cover tunes on compilations, and several fantastic side-projects like Sarah Kirkland Snider’s Penelope, the spoken word Letters From Distant Cities, and the upcoming Kickstarter for her backing band yMusic’s debut album – Beautiful Mechanical. All worth checking out as well.
~Dan – np: Eddie Vedder – Ukulele Songs
My Brightest Diamond @ MusicNow 2011 (video)
If you’re like me and you missed My Brightest Diamond + yMusic at the Cincinnati-based MusicNow Festival 2011, here’s a neato 8+ 4+ minute video from the performance…
video from A Story Told Well
“We Added It Up” redacted
“Reaching Through”
(thanks comment people
for the 2nd song name)
Now, get out there and enjoy the sunshine!
~Dan – np: Radiohead – Hail to the Thief 
MusicNOW Festival 2011 (kicks off today!)
Today is the first performance in the amazingly stacked MusicNOW Festival 2011 line-up in Cincinnati, Ohio. My Brightest Diamond kicks off the fest at Memorial Hall. The National play Cincinnati’s Music Hall later this weekend. Click the reblog below or hit musicnowfestival.org for more info.
Read my review of My Brightest Diamond, Sufjan Stevens, Amiina, and more from MusicNOW Fest 2007.
~Dan
Murat Eyuboglu & Shara Worden – Letters to Distant Cities
New Amsterdam Records welcomes singer-songwriters Shara Worden (of My Brightest Diamond) and Clare Muldaur Manchon (of Clare & the Reasons), along with indie-classical multi-instrumentalist/composer Rob Moose (of yMusic), collaborators in the enchanted and melancholy Letters to Distant Cities, a multi-media project curated and produced by photographer and videographer Murat Eyuboglu, exploring urban solitude through the poetry of Turkish-American poet, Mustafa Ziyalan.
Letters to Distant Cities, released Tuesday, March 29, is a spoken-word album bookended by two original songs: My Brightest Diamond’s “The Sea” and Clare & the Reasons’ “Invisible.” The Sea opens the album and cracks the door to a mythical realm, into which Shara Worden enters and embodies the female persona of Ziyalan’s poetry, speaking the texts of 24 poetic snapshots, connected by Rob Moose’s incidental reflections and interventions for violin. After the poetry, Invisible closes the album, drifting wistfully to its bittersweet conclusion.
- The Sea
(composed & performed by: Shara Worden) - Sugar Cube in the Rain
(#2-18 performed by: Rob Moose, Shara Worden) - The Most Unknown Fruit
- The Starfish, The Sleeper
- Gone
- Letters to Distant Cities
- Midsummer’s Winter
- Dimming Eyes
- The Red Balloon
- Close Your Eyes
- The Cloud-Likeness
- Ripples
- Ghostly Flowers
- Truant Colts
- In the City’s Caverns
- Bliss
- Her Poems
- In the Land of Sleep
- Invisible
(composed & performed by: Clare & the Reasons)
Go to New Amsterdam’s album page for sound samples! Also, check out the arty/mournful-turned-magical video for “The Sea” featuring My Brightest Diamond / Shara Worden:
Says fellow poet Murat Nemet-Nejat:
In Ziyalan’s work one can see the impulse of the Turkish language in the 20th Century to represent a social reality beyond national borders. It points to the prophetic nature of Turkish poetry becoming a medium for a global sensibility — the psychic dislocations globalism creates in consciousness.
In addition to the CD, the album package includes a set of 24 pristine keepsake cards, comprising a photographic illustration for each of Zilayan’s poems collected on the recording. The images were captured by project visionary Murat Eyuboglu with model Jamie Ansley. Designer Adam Frint brings musical, poetic, and photographic elements together, creating a physical connection to the album’s sense of memorabilia.
I just ordered it from Amazon… you can also order it directly from New Amsterdam Records. If a CD isn’t your thing, New Amsterdam has the full mp3 album for only $6 (a couple bucks cheaper than Amazon’s price – and directly from the source).
~Dan – np: Porcupine Tree – Metanoia
Shara Worden & yMusic @ Ecstatic Music Festival 2011 (concert webcast)
WQXR/WNYC just posted 2+ hours of live streaming music from Shara Worden (My Brightest Diamond) and yMusic’s performance at the Ecstatic Music Festival at New York’s Merkin Concert Hall.
This show features Shara Worden wearing both her composer and performer hats. yMusic premieres a work written for them by Shara and the classical/indie vocalist joins the instrumentalists on stage in selections from Sarah Kirkland Snider’s recent 2010 release, Penelope, one of my favorite albums of 2010 – which features Shara’s stunning vocals.
This performance by Shara Worden and yMusic is the third of four New Sounds Live broadcasts on Q2 from Merkin’s Hall’s Ecstatic Music Festival. Check out the other two webcasts – the 2011 People’s Commissioning Fund concert and Newspeak and Darcy James Argue’s Secret Society. The final broadcast on March 28 features So Percussion and Bobby Previte.
~Dan – np: Pedro the Lion – The Only Reason I Feel Secure Is That I Am Validated By My Peers
MusicNOW Festival 2011
If you live in or near Cincinnati Ohio, this is a fantastic music festival for you – MusicNOW Festival 2011. I’m officially jealous, as I won’t be able to make it out this year. I went in 2007 when I still lived in Cincinnati, and it was amazing. Trust me, I thought about going back for this year’s line-up…
The National / Shara Worden (My Brightest Diamond) / Sharon Van Etten / Richard Reed Parry / Little Scream / yMusic / Owen Pallett / Megafaun
For info, go to: http://www.musicnowfestival.org/
Tickets will be on-sale Tuesday, March 15th at 10 am.
Shara Worden with yMusic on studio 360
I just had a post with some Shara Worden / My Brightest Diamond news the other day (lots of collaborations hitting us SOON)… here’s an in-studio video from her recent session with yMusic at Studio 360:
“We Added It Up”
You can stream or download (for free) the entire audio from Shara’s Studio 360 session at:
http://www.studio360.org/episodes/2011/01/21
¡ ♥ Shara.
~Dan – np: No-Man – Returning Jesus
My Brightest Diamond – 2011 news
My Brightest Diamond / Shara Worden has some new collaborations in the hopper…
- “I’m On Fire” is a duet that Shara recorded with Chris James of the band Stateless for their new album, Matilda, due out on February 21, 2011 in Europe on Ninja Tune.
- Colin Stetson’s forthcoming album, New History Warfare Vol.2: Judges, will be released February 22, 2011 on Constellation Records. Shara is featured on 2 tracks: “Lord I Just Can’t Keep From Crying Sometimes” and “Fear of the Unknown and the Blazing Sun” (which also features Laurie Anderson)
- Murat Eyuboglu has produced a multimedia release entitled Letters to Distant Cities, which features poetry recitation and a song by Shara. New Amsterdam Records will be releasing it March 29, 2011.
She’s also has a few dates coming up, too…
My Brightest Diamond 2011 TOUR
- 01/27/11 New York City The Allen Room *
- 01/28/11 Milford, CT Daniel Street ~
- 01/30/11 Ithaca, NY Castaway’s %
- 01/31/11 Rochester, NY Bug Jar %
- 02/01/11 Cleveland, OH Beachland Tavern %
- 02/03/11 Holland, MI Knickerbocker ~
- 02/04/11 Chicago Lincoln Hall ~
- 02/05/11 Madison, WI Der Rathskeller ~
- 05/04/11 – 05/05/11 Minneapolis, MN Southern Theater +
* Shara, Drums, bass & yMusic
~ Rock Trio formation
% Shara performing solo
+ Shara & yMusic (co-bill with Sarah Kirkland Snider’s Penelope)
I’m soooo tempted to hit the Minneapolis dates… closest they’re getting to me. I guess I’ll wait / hope they fill in a PacNW date or two in between February & May…
~Dan – np: No-Man – Housewives Hooked on Heroin EP
Shara Worden & Sarah Kirkland Snider – Penelope
On October 18th, at (le) Poisson Rouge in NYC, Shara Worden (aka My Brightest Diamond) will be performing the music of Sarah Kirkland Snider backed by yMusic, a six piece chamber ensemble with violinist Rob Moose at the helm (who has played on MBD’s albums).
The album, entitled Penelope (which comes out on October 26th) is a 60-minute song cycle composed by Snider for Worden and the orchestral group, Signal, based on texts by playwright Ellen McLaughlin, derived from the music theater piece of the same name she and Snider wrote together in 2007-2008.
Here is a free taste: “This is What You’re Like” mp3
Penelope is up for pre-order on the Amazons…
The songs loosely tell a story: A woman’s husband appears at her door after an absence of 20 years, suffering from brain damage. A veteran of a modern war, he doesn’t know who he is and she doesn’t know who he’s become. While they wait together for his return to himself, she reads him Homer’s epic poem The Odyssey, and in the journey of that book, she finds a way into her former husband’s memory and the terror and trauma of war.
Oh, and sorta related to My Brightest Diamond… her labelhead, Sufjan Stevens‘ new album The Age of Adz comes out today, and it’s on special deal over at the Amazons. $3.99 for the download version (for a limited time).
But it’s also out on CD & vinyl, and you know those are better for your diet anyway. :)
~Dan – np: Holy Fuck – Latin
no free mp3 download or flac torrent ever. if you like music, support it by buying it
-Eyvind Kang
-Frank Zappa
Amazon.com mp3 downloads
Creative Commons
This blog and concert photos therein are licensed under a Creative Commons License. Available with Attribution for Non-Commercial, Non-Derivative Use.
pacificlectic : concert reviews & eclectic music news 