Manu Chao - "Dia Luna... Dia Pena"

What’s this song about? Anyone? Something about the moon? The moon is brilliant tonight. About suffering and death? Well, I can understand that. First off, I seem to be watching a TV movie adaptation of Crime and Punishment with Patrick Dempsey as Raskolnikov. While Raskolnikov suffers and causes death, Patrick Dempsey, with his inconsistent generic European accent, causes suffering and forces me to hope for his death. But it’s better than being outside; that much is for sure. I live in the McGill University student ghetto, which is a bad place, particularly in spring. As soon as the temperature rises above zero, the neighbourhood’s residents become possessed by a sort of libidinous rage, running around naked, fighting, having sweaty, random sex in the streets. It’s scary. I just went out into the melee and barely escaped with my life, and didn’t escape with my dignity - running as I did from a black SUV that appeared to be pursuing me slowly in reverse. I ran past horrors of every sort, not every one of which relates directly to this song, so I’ll spare you the details (think of Dante). Eventually I stopped in front of a man sitting meditatively on the curb. I could see in his face - his brow furrowed in deep contemplation - that he, like me, stood outside of (yes, above) this Gomorrah; that he suffered for the indignity of our neighbours. I looked at him and I felt recognized. He opened his mouth, and I stood ready to receive the warm, gentle greetings of a sympathetic soul and fellow philosopher. But no such greetings came out. Instead, he puked everywhere and for a long time.

Luckily, Manu Chao is here to comfort me with a song clearly recorded inside a room separated from a more complicated outside. We can barely hear the tumult of the external world, though Chao made sure to leave the window open. Voices from the street waft in on a breeze I can feel. There’s the sound of a television, of a child’s toy, of a mariachi band receding into the distance. There’s a woman screaming. I can hear the hissing and clicking of snakes. Manu and I will stay inside, thank you. [Buy]

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Half-Handed Cloud - "You've Been Faithful To Us Clouds"

Apparently when Dan Bejar moved out of that pixilated CGI forest he occupied while recording Your Blues, Half-Handed Cloud moved in. It’s not that the song doesn’t annoy me (it does), but that its melody draws me in - so pure and strong that it can adapt, survive anywhere, even in this Midi-earth devoid of nourishment.

Also, this song appears to be about Mary Magdalene, that lovely, hair-covered wild woman who bathed Jesus' feet in tears and was the messenger of his resurrection/wife (sue me). Happy Easter, merry Passover, and have a good weekend, everybody. [Info]