Fierce, Flawless

A few songs unafraid to face reality with unwavering beauty and depth:
An elaborate songstress, poet, and lyrical superwoman, Ani Difranco is a master at making the ugliest of human experiences intrinsically beautiful and accessible. One of my favorite tracks, Fierce and Flawless, encompasses the courage that lies within expressing unspeakable truths.

She was cuffed to the truth
Like the truth was a chair
Bright interrogation light in her eyes
And her conscious lit a cigarette and just stood there
Waiting for her to crack
And his face scampered through her mind
Like a roach across a wall
And it made her soar
It made her skin crawl
They said: we got this confession, we just need you to sign
Why don't you just cooperate
And make this easier on us all?

There was light and there was darkness
But there was no line in between
And asking my heart for guidance
Was like pleading with a machine
You see joy has its own justice
And my dreams are languid and lawless
And everything bows to beauty;
When it is fierce, it is flawless

On the table were two zip-loc baggies
Containing her eyes and her smile
They said we're keeping these as evidence
Until this thing goes to trial
Meanwhile anguish was fingering solace
In another room down the hall
Both were love's accomplices but solace took the fall
Now look at her book of days
It's the same on every page
She's got a little tin cup with her heart in it
To bang along the bars of her rib cage


Similarly, looking at the lyrics to "Fistful of Love" by Anthony and the Johnsons is a bit like looking at an abject* piece of art from the 1970s. You can't explain it immediately, if at all, and it may initially make you uncomfortable but curious. It is certainly not clean, it is not pure, it is not a pretty little piece of work. But it is nothing if not beautiful. And that, in its most simplistic form, deserves the kind of recognition overlooked by mainstream art/music critics. In what way do glossed-over declarations of beauty and love represent sincere human experiences? Nothing is perfect, and without including what I personally attribute to its significance, I think everyone has a unique reaction to this piece. Listening to the song in its entirety is a better way to experience it, and the vocals are nothing if not haunting in their delivery.

We live together in a photograph of time
I look into your eyes
And the seas open up to me
I tell you I love you
And I always will
And I know you can't tell me
I know you can't tell me

So I'm left to pick up
The hints, the little symbols of your devotion
So I'm left to pick up
The hints, the little symbols of your devotion

And I feel your burning eyes burning holes
Straight through my heart
It's out of love

I accept and I collect upon my body
The memories of your devotion
I accept and I collect upon my body
The memories of your devotion

*To be abject in terms of artwork often means to be graphic or illicit a knee-jerk reaction in order to posit something larger about society; (i.e: domestic violence, crime, etc). Abject art in all forms tends to make people instantly uncomfortable but curious.

Rambling [Wo]man

It's almost unreal that Laura Marling has just celebrated her 20th birthday. The London Native, who used to play with Noah and The Whale, is gifted with the old soul of a poet and the hauntingly raw voice of a folk prodigy. With sounds reminiscent of Joni Mitchell or Alexi Murdoch, Marling's latest album I Speak Because I Can is gently woven with semblances of 1960s folk and at times Celtic-sounding vocal arrangements. Marling has said the album deals with the "responsibility of womanhood" - something she seems to possess an incredible wisdom of; each song carrying with it the complexities of love, choice, and self-expression universal to womankind.

Ghosts
Lover please do not
Fall to your knees, it's not
Like I believe
In everlasting love
These are just ghosts
That broke my heart
Before I met you

Rambling Man
But give me to a rambling man
Let it always be known
That I was who I am

Blackberry Stone
Well I own this field
And I wrote this sky
And I have no reason, to reason with you
And you never did learn to let the little things go
And you never did learn to let me be
And you never did learn to let little people grow
And you never did learn how to see

Goodbye England
I wrote an epic letter to you
And it's 22 pages front and back
And it's too good to be used
And I tried to be a girl who likes to be used
I'm too good for that
There's a mind under this hat and
I Called them all and told them I've got to move

A Study in Semiotics, Taught Underwater

The mention of my name
Watered down, plain
Caught playing defense
Against the shadows
Of our loftiest ideals

It's hard to keep track of the days of the week
My eyes trace your mouth as it moves when you speak
To decipher the footnotes embedded in-between
All this language you strangle
And what it could mean

Since we speak only underwater
Muted, diluted
You capsizing the truth
While I try to
Stay afloat

Modern Man's Hustle

Four artists with a unique message and inherently different perspective, all of which I've grown to respect. From Kublakai's intensely lyrical hip hop to Technique's messages of social injustice; from Mason Jenning's poetic genius to Joe Purdy's testament to forbidden love, these men have all created their careers from scratch and contribute something essential to the music world.

1. Torn Down Torch - Kublakai
From the very first chord of the Spanish guitar Kublakai ushers you into their hypnotic world of poetic verse and addictive beats. Featuring Grieves and Inkubiz, the pace of this track is perfect for first-time Kublakai listeners or long time fans.

My heart is like a snowglobe
I keep it on my desk
Shake it up to stir its memories
And stare into its mess

2. Industrial Revolution - Immortal Technique
Addictive.

The bling-bling era was cute but it's about to be done
I leave you full eclipse like the moon blocking the sun
My metaphors are dirty like herpes but harder to catch
Like an escape tunnel in prison, I started from scratch

3. Never Knew Your Name - Mason Jennings
A love song like none other, mostly in its refusal to adhere to the typical formula. A solid piano anthem, it veers off into the abstract at some unexpected times. A perfect example of Jenning's soulful, exquisite style.

Put the ghost in my sail
Put the spin in my wheel
Roll me up in your heart
Aw, make it seem real
I'm clay in your hands
I'm the ball in your game
I've been lovin you forever but I
Never knew your name

4. Secret - Joe Purdy
There's something haunting about this message and those who it resonates with feel it deeply.

I am your secret, babe
Watch me unfold
Dancin in these streets so late
Nobody knows
Nobody knows us

And I don't remember falling asleep
Must've been holdin on tight
Cause all I can think of and all I can dream
Is dancing with you in red lights

Essentialism

3 Albums that have absolutely changed my life:

1. Grace - Jeff Buckley

A profound example of musical genius stifled by tragedy. Buckley, who died in an accident in the late 90s, was on his way to becoming a guitar legend and remains one of the most posthumously influential artists in contemporary music history.

This album covers the sphere of young love, religion and poignance more heroically and creatively than any musician I've encountered. To listen to Grace is to immerse yourself in depths of lyrical beauty untouched by the masses and drenched in timeless elegance.
One of the most indescribable, eloquent tracks on this album is Lover, You Should've Come Over:

Maybe I am too young
To keep good love from going wrong
But tonight you're on my mind
So you never know
Broken down and hungry for your love
With no way to feed it
Where are you tonight?
Child you know how much I need it
Lonely is the room the bed is made
The window lets the rain in
Burning in the corner is the only one
Who dreams he had you with him
It's never over -
My kingdom for a kiss upon her shoulder
It's never over -
All my riches for her smile when I slept so soft against her
It's never over -
She's the tear that hangs inside my soul forever
Oh lover, you should've come over

2. The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill - Lauryn Hill
If you've ever heard this album in its entirety you'd know that it tells one of the most stirring, thought provoking, and concrete stories produced in hip hop. Lauryn's only full-length record, it both solidly satisfied my need for meaning and left me with an insatiable desire for another album. My favorites include:
-To Zion
-Ex Factor
-Forgive Them Father

3. Celebrity Skin - Hole

Once again, my wildly unpopular love affair with Courtney Love. (see: A Beginner's Guide to Courtney Love). Whatever, man. Great album.
-Malibu
Get well soon
Please don't go any higher
How are you so burnt
When you're barely on fire?
-Celebrity Skin
Oh make me over
I'm all I wanna be
Oh look at my face
My name is might-have-been
My name is never-was
My names forgotten
-Reasons To Be Beautiful
Oh...give me a reason to be beautiful

Paging Dr. Dog

Philadelphia indie act Dr. Dog combines straightforward pop hooks with an unabashed 1960s flare. With influences spanning from the Beach Boys to 90s cult classic Pavement, Dr. Dog uses their vast array of timeless inspirations to create something truly original. A band I can imagine would be best experienced live, in a hole-in-the-wall dive bar in LA.
Their latest album, Shame, Shame, is perhaps the best display of this unique blend. Songs like Shadow People and Stranger come across as instantly likable and vintage. Their quirky website, which you can visit here encompasses the band's playful, unapologetic, and all around under-appreciated feel.

Unheard Of

Three songs brand new to my eardrums until this week. If you haven't heard of these little gems by now get em while they're still hot!

1) The Chaconne - Dessa & Matthew SantosI might just be the last person in Mpls to hear/worship the eloquent revolution that is Margret Wander aka Dessa. In the off chance I'm not: to say you're missing out is an understatement. Her latest single, The Chaconne, with fellow Mpls native Matthew Santos, is delicately beautiful and stirring.

First a darling then a marvel
When we met I was still a young girl
But you had changed, already famous
Your name was a contagion
You were vain and hard to take
All the same, I was brave

2) Uptown GirL - K-OS
One listen to this and you won't be able to listen to bad hip hop again. (Hopefully). Combining elements of rock, funk, and rap, the Canadian-born K-OS transcends notions of time, place, and genre. Amazing.

I'm not from the ghetto
But my mama is and she's an uptown girl
I know its hard to let it go
But you've gotta stay up when you're down, girl

3)You Must Be Out of Your Mind - The Magnetic Fields
The lyrics read as the ultimate fuck-off song, but its set to such a mellow background that the paradoxical nature of it is not only amusing but creative.

You can't just go around saying stuff because it's pretty
And I no longer drink enough to think you're witty