Tuesday, July 21, 2009

making music

a big thanks to my friend susannah that seems to always share some goodness, i finally can put faces with the harmonious sound of the children singing backup on passion pit's new album, manners. i'm a sucker for a kid's chorus in a song anyway - there's a power behind their voices that you can't get from anything or anyone else. but this goes beyond that. these are kids of different races, sizes, homes, all coming together to do the same thing - make beautiful music. they sing the likes of cool musicians from tori amos to passion pit, but perhaps it was their version of the cure's 'pictures of you' that got me a little teary-eyed.

you can see it in their faces and their body language - these kids are loving what they do. a great reminder that the arts have an amazing influence in the lives of little ones and that we all, in schools and homes, should nurture those talents.

thanks sue!

Friday, July 17, 2009

me-ow

i remember exactly the first time i heard cat power. it was at a late-night party, back in wilmington. i was graduating in just a few weeks and song after song of beautiful music filled the kitchen. i touched the ipod to make it light up so i could read the name that this heart-stopping voice belonged to. then and there began my obsession with chan marshall and cat power's album, the greatest. (it doesn't hurt she's uber chic - her bangs, black wardrobe and marlboro-infused voice just amplify the bad-ass appeal).

i took this album with me across the pond to russia and london that summer. falling asleep many nights listening to her soothing voice and letting the lyrics personally touch my soul. i finally saw her perform this album that following october and was not disappointed.

today, more than three years later, i finally purchased the greatest on vinyl. marshall's voice was made for it. i can listen to this anytime and it mellows me. takes me back to the spring of '06 and my life before it became what it is today. back when i 'lived in bars,' needed 'living proof' and was asking myself, 'where is my love.'

there are other cat power albums and each is good. but this one, this one is the greatest.

Monday, July 13, 2009

here comes the sun!

for one to survive a new england winter, one is told to think of the new england summer - for it is surely worth the wait. with a winter of record snowfall, this summer followed suit with both record rainfall and cloudiness.

but finally, FINALLY, we have some sun. for the fifth day in a row i have every window in the house open letting the light (and the 65-degree breeze) in. it's a day that if it were august, i'd go ahead and wish it were fall - i do love fall fashion - but i have to take advantage of these few weeks where i can actually wear some of the summer favorites i've had in my mind all those winter months. floral dresses, shorts, wedges, white jeans, my romper...

i love a rainy day, but only because there's promise of sun on the other side. and there's nothing like a sunny day (or stretch of days) to help mark a new beginning. i plan to bask in this sunlight all day, inside and out, while singing one of george harrison's finest contributions.