The theme at Said the Gramophone this week, through no efforts of my or Dan's own, appears to have been sex appeal. I had expected it to be coincidences, bling, the frustrations of noise music, or the cities built by buildings - but nay, no. Instead it's the way words slide on tongues, the clumsy and the quick; the way our pistachio-green background might just make you blush.
Or so I would like to imagine.
Let's imagine a photo booth.
Ola Podrida - "Photo Booth". I wrote about Ola Podrida months ago, with demos in my hands (fish-hooks were on the brain, even then). But now the album is finished, due out on Plug Research in 2007, and it's become pretty clear: this is a record I want to keep with me. David Wingo's songs at first seem modest and merely warm - lullabyes, irons & wines. But what I've found is that the songs are hot. Behind all that lull is organ churn, guitar resound, sharp want and skin-on-skin. "Down each-others' pants / in the photo-booth." The folksy calm lets the songs feel easy, lets them feel familiar; and yet deep in there, beneath the easy and familiar songs, is something more than status quo. There's a fierceness that feeds these soft-voiced things, something far too sensuous for bedtime. If this were a 2006 album, it would be one of my albums of the year.
Everybody Cares, Everybody Understands has the finished "Instead," perhaps the album's best song - the demo of which was posted on StG way-back-when.
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Chet Baker - "I Get Along Without You Very Well". The xylophone that opens this song is the sound of everything, everything spilled. But don't worry. Chet starts singing. Everything's fine now.
Elsewhere:
Skatterbrain has a new song by Phantom Buffalo!
My Best of 2006 Contest is still on: enter and win an excellent CD.
Finally, do we have any readers in Krakow, Iceland or Istanbul? (Or for that matter, other than the ones I know, in Paris?) Please consider getting in touch - I'm coming to visit.
(photo by this girl)
Posted by Sean at December 1, 2006 4:00 AMIstanbul?? yup, I am there.When?
Posted by Ozgur at December 1, 2006 9:49 AMGlad to hear you like the finished Ola Podrida record so much, Sean. I feel exactly the same...
Posted by Chad at December 1, 2006 11:52 AMsame thing chad said...excellent post sean.
Posted by chris at December 1, 2006 7:35 PMI Get Along Without You Very Well
-beautiful song, although that's not a xylophone in the beginning. It's a Celesta, which is played with a keyboard. One might recognize its sound from Mr. Roger's Neighborhood, where it was often used by musical director Johnny Costa.
Posted by Hussalonia at December 2, 2006 6:55 AMMy favorite use of the celesta is in Buddy Holly's "Everyday".
Posted by jay at December 2, 2006 3:33 PMI had a dream about Said the Gramophone last night (no, really, I just woke up from it). There was muted spring green everywhere. Jordan had made a gargantuan post about some short films loosely based on mystery stories. But since it was a dream, they weren't movies, we (even though I don't know what any of you look like) were there, watching horror stories play out. I must say, it was the best post Jordan ever made.
My interpretation: I'm addicted to the posts of Said the Gramophone.
I can't wait for the full length from Ola Podrida. There's a demo that I got of them doing a song I think called, "Taking Time" which is incredible and I really like "Run Off The Road" a whole lot.
The weird thing is that I can't put my finger on what it is about the demos that is so damn good, but it's hypnotic. Wingo's voice matches well with the sound production.
Posted by lucas at December 4, 2006 7:49 PMeverything is not fine with Chet Baker. he's making me so sad, like usual.
Posted by ladyday at December 6, 2006 10:28 PM
and it will begin playing. All songs are also available to download: just right-click the link and choose 'Save as...'
