Friday, December 17, 2010

TRON: Legacy

I was exchanging texts with a friend who went to see Tron: Legacy the other day to see her thoughts. What I was looking for was a thumbs up or a thumbs down.  Turns out the move was good...but what really got my interest going was the fact that she went to see it in one of those theatres with the D-Box seating.

Not familiar with D-Box? Well, neither was I until a few months ago. Basically, think of it like this. Did you ever go to Disneyland and get on one of those rides where the seat moves in sync with the screen....yeah...it's like that!

So now I'm totally excited for a movie that's a follow up to a childhood favorite...and I get to overpay ($20)  to view it in 3D and have it be almost like a "ride".

Kinda Excited....

That sucking sound...

That sucking sound you hear is the existence of all music leaving my life! Well, not really. But, for some reason I have only been listening to one cd on repeat for the last two to three weeks. What album has my attention you may ask? (and thank you for asking)

 Rilo Kiley's "More Adventurous" is that album....and for some reason it's been the perpetual soundtrack for my life over the last few weeks.

I wake up in the middle of the night thinking I hear these songs. I probably dream with these songs as background noise. Now, I don't fall asleep with the album on which is the strange part.  But, for some reason. I can't get over the vocals of Jenny Lewis.

The album starts off with the upbeat "it's a hit" and runs right into the mellow "does he love you?" For some reason I can't listen to this song without laughing at the line "...and he's going out to California" Mostly because of the delivery of the work California by the brother in The Wizard (which also featured a young Jenny Lewis)

From there we rock it back up to "portions for foxs" and then it's Blake Sennett's haunting vocals on "Ripcord". Which is leads into the sultry voice of Jenny again on "I never".

Now we start hitting my favorite tracks on the album. "The Absence of God" and "Accidental Death" 

Toward the third or fourth refrain of the song you get the line,"All of your failures are training grounds". Which is a good line to remember. As you move forward in life your failures will help shape you as much as your victories..if not more.

"Accidental Death" deals with the little events that change you in large ways. One of the "accidental deaths"  mentioned in the song title deals with a young man killing a deer by accident. While this situation it was an actual accidental death...the song really deals more (IMHO) with the incidents throughout your life that define who you are and who you will become. Be they straight-forward though out plans...or the accidental ones.

By this point you should be seeing a pattern emerge. I know I did...

"More Adventurous" is by far the stand out track on the album for me though. While it is, upfront a love song...I hear more. To me it's more of an anthem to pick yourself up and move forward. Take what you had and let it lead you to what you will have next. Take what you've learned and grow.

The album rounds out with "Love and War (11/11/46)" which has my favorite line in the whole album, "when my gramdpa drank, fell and broke his face in two when the cops arrived he exclaimed I fought in World War Two!"  Not sure what the deal is with that line for me...but I always hit that line when singing along in the car. (what can I say...still a dork at heart).

"A Man/Me/Then Jim" a truly depressing song, at first glance, about going back to a high school friends funeral after he has committed suicide. The song opens with the line, "had one friend in high school recently he hung himself with string His note said, 'If livin' is the problem, well that's just baffling.' " Really, it doesn't get much happier from that point. You think it may become a song about revelations and seeing the good in a bad situation...but, not really. But, again Jenny's voice gets me every time.

The final track, "It Just Is" really kinda raps the mood of the second half of the album. "And this loss isn't good enough, For sorrow or inspiration, It's such a loss, For the good guys. Afraid of this life. That it just is
Cause everybody Dies." Take it at face value or take the whole album as an up and down trip through...well sorrow and inspiration.

All together you get an album that makes you sing along, think, mist up, get a little depressed, get lifted up a bit. Find hope and sorrow. Examine you life and past loves. All done without being to pretentious and in your face. No one is screaming at you...in fact even while helping us discover the obvious flaws we all face in our day to day lives...it's done with a sweetness through Jenny Lewis. (who right now is pound for pound one of the best singer/songwriters out there for my money...with Neko Case a close second or even tie for first!)

Even looking at each song I can't say why my musical fancy has been stuck on this album...but it is slowly rising up the ranks for my top album of MY year (even though it was released in 2004). I must again point a thanking finger at my musical guru Ryan. Brother man you have pointed me in the right direction more often than not...and Rilo Kiley is right near the tops of the "Thank God he told me" list.

Tuesday, December 07, 2010

The Song of life...

The music that you're drawn to can say a lot about who you are or what mood you're in at any given time.


Fact is, if you’re depressed you may chose to listen to a more somber tune. Hence the continued popularity of The Smiths! (not hating..just usually a go to for me when it been a bad day!)

When you're having a good day you may tend to listen to more up-beat tunes. Why bring down a good day with a depressing ditty about love lost and chances missed. That’s usually why I steer clear of country as a rule of thumb. With only a few exceptions.)

This topic hit me last night at the gym when I decided to hit shuffle instead of using the same old workout mix. A series of completely non-workout type songs came on and seemed to click for me.

It got me thinking, "if your mood can push you in a certain direction when choosing music...does it also change your outlook on the songs you hear that you didn't actively choose?

Or at least does it make you think differently about those songs?"

Case in point: Garth Brooks--Unanswered Prayers. Always been a favorite of mine. Catchy, tells a story and makes a pretty good point. Not really a workout song one that would usually get skipped at the gym...and given your personal mood sometimes downright un-listenable.

Last night while riding the stationary bike it got me thinking...not sure why really. Maybe I'm in a place right now that seems better than where I was last year. Maybe it was a moment of clarity when the song made sense. But in that moment I couldn't have chosen a better song.

It's like listening to a song that you've heard a 1000 times only to finally figure it out. Billy Joel's "Only the Good Die Young" springs o mind. I'd sung along with that one for years without seeing how truly dirty it was. You know Catholic girls growing up much to late and all!!

I guess sometimes you're just not in the right frame of mind to truly hear a song. Or maybe your mind isn't open enough to let the song speak to you.

To paraphrase the late comedian Richard Jeni...why is it that when your going through a rough breakup that every radio station on the dial is "All Love Songs All The Time"? Sappy crap that makes you want to stick your head in the oven!!!

It comes down to perception, plain and simple.

As a music lover it's amazing that a song you want nothing to do with one day, can speak to you a short time later. Kinda like how those around us draw us into the gravitational field of music likes and dislikes. If it wasn't for friends and loved ones I'd have missed out on the likes of: Gram Parsons, T.Rex, New Riders of thePurple Sage, Mumford and Sons, Tinie Tempah, Jenny Lewis, Rilo Kiley, Jack Johnson, Ryan (not Bryan) Adams....and a myriad of similar artists.

Granted I'd have found some on my own. But some would have remained unknown (Parsons) or disregarded (Johnson--even though he's in my iTunes library for a few songs and I've owned CDs in the past!). That's the joy of music. You may think you have a song or artist figured out until something changes in you or your life to open you up new possibilities and ways of thought.

Don't pigeon hole a song or artist because you hated it or didn't get it at some point. There's always the opportunity for a comeback...if you just give it a second chance.

To end I'll throw you a wise word from Jenny Lewis, off her album (with the Watson Twins) Rabbit Fur Coat..."you are what you love, not what loves you back." Sometimes those things that you love will rub off on those around you and change their perceptions of life. But only if they are open to a little change. So don't be ashamed of those things you love...be it music, art , literature. Share them! Be proud of that part of you that drew you to those things! Most importantly...be open to new things. You may surprise yourself!