Said the Gramophone: NEAR AND ALSO FAR

NEAR AND ALSO FAR

by Sean

Please note: MP3s are only kept online for a short time, and if this entry is from more than a couple of weeks ago, the music probably won't be available to download any more.

Travels - "My Funny Valentine". One of the first postings at Said the Gramophone to achieve any recognition was a contest we held for the song "My Funny Valentine". It is my favourite jazz standard and I asked for covers that rivaled Chet Baker's. Nobody really did. And so I am happy that in Travels' version of "My Funny Valentine", released special for Saint Valentine's Day, they take their inspiration from Baker. This is a song undersung, underplayed. It is not whispered, but there is a scared tremble in Mona Elliott and Anar Badalov's hearts. (I can't tell if this song is a cinder or a bud.)

Travels - "Dogs". On their 2nd album, Travels travel a little more widely. From noisy flare-ups to ticktock murmurs, it's a music that recalls Hood and Logh as much as it does the members' previous bands, Metal Hearts and Victory at Sea. There's something beautiful & familiar in a mutter that feels like a shout, a shove that feels like a kiss, and I like how "Dogs" reminds us of this. It's a photo raising papercuts.

[Travels launch their album in Somerville, MA on Saturday night. / MySpace/BUY!]

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The Sarcastic Dharma Society - "You Swan Go On (by Mount Eerie)". I am usually hostile to covers, when those covers are close to the originals. And on Other People's Songs, a collection of covers, Mat Vuksinich does not diverge far from most of the originals. However he is redeemed by two things:

He makes his songs sound really good.
He covers some of my favourite songs: Clem Snide's "Find Love" (previously), Julie Doiron's "Untitled" (previously), Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young's "Our House", Bright Eyes' "First Day Of My Life", and others.

So although the Sarcastic Dharma Society do not slough off the mantles & capes & hoods & crowns of the artists they are interpreting, they sing good songs well, and I like this. With "You Swan Go", Vuksinich goes further still - the hand-played drums are a small addition, barely there, but they make all the difference. The song's spirit resides in those drums, that not-quite-perfect pitter-pat, and it's something I am sure Phil Elverum himself would appreciate.

[download the Sarcastic Dharma Society's discography, and more, here]

(photo source and, related, best library internship ever [tuwa!])

Posted by Sean at February 12, 2009 12:33 PM

Comments

kudos for the mention of the sarcastic dharma society. mat is a faraway friend i have not seen in quite some time.

Posted by phil at February 12, 2009 1:59 PM

Fans of mat's stuff would probably also dig this manipulator alligator album: http://cllct.com/release/weraisedthem

Posted by Tinyfolk at February 14, 2009 11:05 AM

Hi there,

Saw your post for Clem Snide a while back. Thanks!
I wanted to reach out to you because I'm the product manager for the band and I wanted to fill you in a bit more.
The new record comes out 2/24/09 and if you'd like a free copy for review or any press materials for that matter feel free to let me know.
We have all sorts of online materials such as banners, images, press releases etc...
We also have buttons, posters and even vinyl for the lucky ones.

Hope to hear from ya!
-bruce

Posted by Bruce at February 17, 2009 2:05 PM

My Funny Valentine is my favourite too - apart from maybe Billie Holiday's Come Rain or Come Shine. And I never fail to clamor for more versions of it. Thankyou.

Posted by Laura at February 24, 2009 7:54 PM