I'm Just Sayin Is All...

Another Julie Doron Collaboration

2009-11-03T09:30:00.010-06:00

Alexis Pike - A Teton, St. Anthony, Idaho (2005)

Daniel, Fred, & Julie - Runner (mp3): A tape machine on the floor of a garage in Sackville, New Brunswick in the summer of 2009. A semi-circle of folding chairs. On one sits Fred Squire, under a mess of black hair and thick-rimmed glasses, staring down at his feet as he tunes his acoustic guitar. Julie Doiron sits just below him on her knees, lips pursed in a hum with eyes closed. Standing, face buried in an open book of traditional folk songs, is Daniel. He paces organically, glancing up only to smile at a group of kids passing by the open garage door on their bicycles.

As we all get excited for Mount Eerie's return to Madison this Saturday... remember this time last year... Julie Dorion's Lost Wisdom harmonies with Phil at Gates of Heaven... magic.

From the Bottom of a Pile

2009-11-02T22:47:00.006-06:00

Rachel Whiteread - Study (2005)

My desk is made of slippery granite, elbows of 90 degree angles, and feet of concrete. I sit here sometimes, in the perfect silence, and empty sheets of paper with an eraser. Whole novels in fact. I find the more words I take out, the more I'm able to say. I sit here, today, to complete 30 pages of narrative. And I accomplish the task with one paragraph. At the top of the page I write: I WANT TO DO SOMETHING IMPORTANT. Indent a heading labeled "Rationale", under which I scrawl: FOR MEANING. I sit here, now, pretending to photocopy my work in triplicate to hand to my boss. She says too without words, always sweetly, thank you. You do such an excellent job.

Arms and Sleepers - Helvetica (mp3)

Clay Bodies

2009-10-28T11:54:00.001-05:00

Zola Jesus - Clay Bodies

Previous Post "Zola Jesus: Diet Coke with Tar" (Feb 2008)

Hovering With Short Wings

2009-10-27T21:18:00.002-05:00

Paul McCarthy - M (2008)

Vic Chesnutt - We Hovered With Short Wings (mp3): He's the type of guy who'd rather not sing. When people talk to him, he pays close attention all the while offering nothing in return. Smiles and nods nicely until they tire and return to their paperwork. He saves his emotions for laundry baskets and the bottom of sweater pockets. In the evenings, though, he whispers into a tape recorder when no one is listening. Only when the playback of his voice sounds most hidden, most breathy, most still, most honest, most like his inner monologue... he saves it. It's the sound that no one was ever meant to hear. And it's for you.

Cupping the Ocean in My Dreams

2009-10-26T22:21:00.002-05:00

Aaron Maurer - Fatal Cure

I like when the song title is longer than the post.

Amit Erez - Last Night When I Tried To Sleep I Felt The Ocean With My Fingertips (mp3)

Obscene Queen Bee

2009-10-25T19:40:00.003-05:00

John Stark - The Apiary (2008)
[from We Used to Have Faces]

Alec Ounsworth - Obscene Queen Bee #2 (mp3): You'll surely recognize the voice. There's no other mumble as shrill. The band is new, though, and bends a pedal steel guitar over an organ with ease.

Repost: We All Fall Down

2009-10-20T06:50:00.001-05:00

Sam Green - Lady

Merill is a puppet master. She puppets ears drums, up and down to say yes and left and right to say no at her whim. Her blunt yodel pounds the membranes and her screech plucks the hair cells. She makes the lifeless listener expressive with only dirty moans and a ukelle. It's a hard job, but someone has to make humans shake inside. And she does it with her knuckles pressed deep in the skin.

Tune Yards - Hatari (mp3)

Tune Yards - When You Tell The Lions (mp3)

Tune Yards is playing at the High Noon Saloon tonight (10/20/09) at 7:00pm.

PAST POSTS:
Great Songs of 2008 (4/21/09), Top 20 JustSayin Shows of 2008 (12/31/09), We All Fall Down (7/18/08)

Everything Gets Old

2009-10-19T20:20:00.000-05:00

Michel de Broin - Black Whole Conference (2006)

I'm sorry this isn't very subtle today. It sounds like taking off my shoe and throwing it at you. But I'm not mad. Surely you understand. Everything gets old.

Mark Eitzel - I Live In This Place (mp3)

Or What You Think Other People Want You To Want?

2009-10-15T20:31:00.003-05:00

Mike Watson - Chocolate Jesus (2008)
[Originally inspired by the Tom Wait's song]

Jesus Christ (the indie band) - Is This Really What You Want? (mp3): This song sounds like a looming memory. It grows slowly by playing and replaying teen movie morals from back when rewind really meant tape was being rewound. Bouncing echos, beating minutes, intersecting thoughts - all overlaid by a wandering inner monologue. It's unsure, but trying to get through to you.

Przewalski's Horse

2009-10-14T20:23:00.001-05:00

Richard Barnes - Animal Logic (mp3)

Likely a joy of being a horse is the regal posture and stride inherent to the word equine. And having the largest eye of any land mammal. Also, stables.

Soy Un Caballo - Robin (mp3)

In the Hands of the Rememberer

2009-10-12T20:38:00.006-05:00

Cathy Jean Clark - My Grandmothers' Trees II

The Last Dinosaur - Home (mp3): This is the part of the episode where the camera slowly zooms out to juxtapose a weighty decision with its plain context. Wide shot of a twin bed in a stark hospital room. Steady cam of a Toyota leaving someone standing in the driveway. Close up of a hand reaching out to touch a cheek. Slow motion of sneakers sprinting down an empty street, black and glistening in the streetlight. Pan to boxes being packed. Montage of memories ending in a still shot of the rememberer sitting alone in a living room arm chair.

The Plume

2009-10-09T07:00:00.006-05:00

Thorsten Brinkmann - Rio (2007)

He stood in his shoes, a white Hanes shirt, and boxers -- bent at the knees and with his face driven into his elbow. "You're not typing what I say are you?" I promised I wasn't.

More about him: He is green. And lanky. And frail. Small. He loves to touch rusty spoons. Or at least that's how he describes himself. "You know who Salad Fingers is? Literally he has salad for fingers and loves spoons. " I told him to take this more seriously.

He shifted his feet a couple times and stood up straight, arm still laid across his face. I could tell he was trying to peek a little. "OK, this song is a beautiful sacred object that no one was meant to touch. The essence of natural. Gift from the Gods." I reassured gently so he'd continue.

"It's so beautiful. But we just slam shit into it." We sat in silence for a second and then I asked him to explain. "But I'd advocate for that. I'd talk about how cool and powerful it would be. To destroy something beautiful."

He opened opened his eyes. "I want to see the plume, damnit."

Br'er - Painted Lady (mp3) [Project Lodge on 10/11]

LCROSS IMPACT 6:31:19AM CST

2009-10-08T21:14:00.006-05:00

Op Hop - Trip To The Moon

In the early morning tomorrow, 10/9/2009 at 6:31:19AM CST, the US will shoot a rocket at the moon. That rocket will deliberately crash into Crater Cabeus proper near the moon's south pole and send a plume of debris several miles high. A second probe will then fly through the cloud, collecting particle samples that will allow us to detect evidence of water under the lunar surface. Thanks to the internet, you won't need a telescope to observe the impact (and the universe potentially imploding). You can watch the mission streaming live right here.

John Marmie - Water on the Moon (mp3): This song was written by the Deputy Project Manager of this LCROSS mission. He's an amazing nerd.

Light As Balloons

2009-10-07T20:20:00.003-05:00

Jason Hackenwerth

All monsters are pop-able like Jason's life-sized balloon animals. Close your eyes. Tighter. Take a deep breath. Let the black in your eyes pool like oil. Picture the slither between your mattresses, the dark in your closet, the insurmountable in your schedule, the eerie looks, and all the not knowing you can find. Grab it close. Snarl. Pop. And float away.

Phantogram - Turn It Off (mp3)

Phantogram - Mouthful of Diamonds (mp3)

JustSayin Presents... Mount Eerie & No Kids (11/7)

2009-10-06T09:42:00.016-05:00

www.JustSayinIsAll.com is excited to present an early evening of hushed intensity (with metal overtones) at the High Noon Saloon on Saturday, November 7th (5:30-8:30pm). Blog favorite Mount Eerie (previously The Microphones) will be returning to Madison with No Kids and Tara Jane O'Neil. Those who participated (yes, sang along) with Phil Elverum at the Gates of Heaven Synagogue last fall witnessed pure magic [read about it here or here]. Come join us for more.

Pitchfork (June 12, 2009): "When Mount Eerie tours this autumn, Elverum will bring a full band with him, including two drummers. A press release promises gongs and walls of amps. This is going to rule." [link]

RSVP here.

Mount Eerie - Wooly Mammoth's Absence (mp3)

A Soil Creature

2009-10-04T21:25:00.005-05:00

Kim Winderman - Uchu Tanjyo [from "Immediate Growing Anamnesis"] (2009)

Grand Salvo - Road (mp3): I keep my heels rough and calloused for songs like this. When I wake up from this dream, or if peak oil happens, or if I suddenly find myself without a job and with a gift of pure time... I need to be able to know how to walk down the street barefoot. Financial advisors help you build a nest egg, but sandals help you remember to kick off your plans and climb a tree. I practice this. I keep it as a parallel life in the background always. A knowledge of national parks that rivals PBS, only a month-to-month lease, an ability to sit quietly and listen for hours on end, a duffel bag big enough to fit inside. Dirty puddles are for jumping into. I keep my fingernails ragged to hold onto this.

Won't Give More

2009-10-02T17:03:00.003-05:00

Marcel Schlattmann - Golden Coins (2007)

Mirah - Generosity (mp3): A song as a glass half empty. Plastic and neglected and refilled with water to sober up.

I Wanted You to Be Home By Now

2009-09-27T21:50:00.005-05:00

Imge Ozbilge - Gustav Klimt Remastered (2007)

A friend in college, we can call her Silas, was heavily inspired by Gustav Klimt's famous painting "The Kiss". Her white apartment walls were plastered with 3x5 postcards (instead of the original oil on canvas) that she had purchased in some museum lobby. I remember one night in particular when I was cooking a curry and glanced over to see her curled up in a hand-crocheted afgan that may have been the exact texture Klimt was approximating with his golden mosaics. She was pale like Adele Bloch-Bauer but with all her eyes closed.

Mew - ~~Silas the Magic Car~~ (mp3)
Link removed at the artist's request.

A Ghost of A Man

2009-09-24T07:52:00.003-05:00

Nick can Woert - Ghost (2009)

This song matches the asymmetrical haircut that you've always wanted, and plan to try as soon as you quit your job. It's also similar to the conceptual tattoo you sketched on the back of your strategic planning document and thought about scheduling today (or tomorrow). You're your own barrier. Today is the perfect day to experiment.

Micachu & The Shapes - Golden Phone (mp3) [Playing the terrace tonight at 9:45]

bg3e7mjup8

Le Chant Des Oiseaux

2009-09-20T11:39:00.009-05:00

Greg Sand - Family Reunion (2008)

Music is human birdsong. It isn't mp3s or downloads or tracks or top ten hits. It is people, their wails to the open sky about love, their eyes focused on the new morning, their fear of death. My urge to you is to find an unpopular one. A song with braces, one that's much too quiet or much too loud, one sitting alone in the lunchroom. Spend some time with it, get to know it. If there is one thing I know, it's that you'll have more in common than with the popular kids.

We Are the Willows Isabel's Song (mp3)

JustSayin PRESENTS @ Forward Music Festival 2009

2009-09-15T20:46:00.013-05:00

JustSayinIsAll.com is presenting two showcases at the 2009 Forward Music Festival here in Madison this weekend. If you haven't bought your pass yet, go to FMF09.com! With an all-access pass you have to chose between 108 bands, so let me make it easier on you. Preview my picks for the weekend with a quick listen and description below. See you soon!

FRIDAY 9/18
OVERTURE - Capitol Theater
Location: Corner of N Henry & Dayton Streets
Genre: Post-Rock, Experimental

8:00-8:45 El Valiente (myspace): One of the best rock acts in Madison, their freely experimenting instrumentation stretches into the territory of Mogwai.

9:00-9:45 Collections of Colonies of Bees (myspace): Chris and Dan's flair for layered electronics is tempered by traditional folk tendencies which keep the sound accessible. Lately they're known under the moniker Volcano Choir with fellow Wisconsin native Justin Vernon of Bon Iver.***

10:00-11:15 Cougar (myspace): Hardly comfortable under the "Madison rock band" descriptor, the new Cougar album sounds more like guitars tossed in a light vingarette abstraction with an occasional chunk of choir or crescendo.

11:30+ Atlas Sound (myspace): The solo side project of eccentric Deerhunter singer Bradford Cox juxtaposes extended isolation with sudden pops of buzzy garage rock.

SATURDAY 9/19
PROJECT LODGE
Location: 817 East Johnson Street
Genre: Singer-songwriter, Quirky Indie

3:00-3:45 Laura Barrett (myspace) (previous post) (previous post) : JustSayin's favourite Canadian kalimba player returns to Madison with her lightning thumbs and quirky charm.

4:00-4:45 Zach Vinson (myspace) (previous post) (previous post): Zach is an exciting young talent (originally from Sheboygan) whose catchy songwriting and dynamic vocals erupt into a spontaneous, yet mature musicality.

5:00-5:30 The Chairs (myspace) (previous post): An Appleton band with enough raw talent and clever indie covers to delight any Wisconsin hipster.

5:30-6:00 Joe Pug (myspace): A young singer-songwriter from Chicago who strums poetic acoustics and soulful blues.

***This FMF showcase will be the first opportunity to buy the new album by Volcano Choir, the collaboration between Collections of Colonies of Bees and Justin Vernon of Bon Iver.

Torpe, Traste y Testaruda

2009-09-11T18:09:00.003-05:00

Derek Blagg - Melanie

Shakira - She Wolf (mp3): A deep electronic voice pleads "S.O.S" over a crescendoing party bass. Intro a loop of gangly indie guitar. Then, Shakira? Yes, Shakira. After the shock of the first listen, the second sent me into a flashback of 2002. This was the year I first watched Shakira crouch awkwardly in clunky black platform boots to peform Ciego Sordomuda on Univision. I remember immediately thinking her wacky courage reminded me of a spanish-speaking Alanis Morissette. And now the exotic quality of her voice still continues to experiment without any regard for belonging. Beyonce/Fergie meets Kraftwerk... why not?

I'm (Not) Sure

2009-09-09T19:29:00.003-05:00

Nina Chakrabarti

The Xx - Heart Skipped A Beat (mp3): Hello beautiful, I'm sure you've heard that before. You make my heart skip a beat, I'm sure you've heard that before. You hair smells like cheese, I'm sure you've heard that before.

Dan Black - Alone (mp3): Leave me alone.

No One Would Know That We've Gone

2009-09-06T23:12:00.000-05:00

Chris Hornbecker [from "The Inside Light"]

Grab a blender. Add: 2 cups cut grass, 2 teaspoons neon food coloring, five thawed freezie pops, 3 grilled brats (chopped), 2 tablespoons glitter, a lime (squeezed) with pulp, 6 vodka shots, one flip flop (preferably just the flip), 1 teaspoon sea salt.

Blend for three minutes, pulsing every 30 seconds. Pour the liquid evenly into an ice cube tray. Cover the tray with tin foil. Stick one toothpick through the foil and into each cube (this will be the Popsicle stick). Freeze for at least four hours. Remove tray from the freezer (run under hot water briefly to loosen pops if needed). Play "Memory Tapes" at full volume. Find a breezy porch, a soft lawn, a crowded beach, or a reckless night bike ride. Enjoy. [Serving Size: One]

Memory Tapes Bicycle (mp3)

Heavens to Betsy

2009-09-05T17:33:00.005-05:00

Christoffer Relander [from the series "Photo Project"]

Roll up your tattered picnic blanket and lay it on the wooden lawn of the Project Lodge tonight for Vandaveer (Saturday, September 5th @ 7:30). Close your eyes and it could be Richard and Linda Thompson. Madison's plaid and bearded riotriot opens.

Vandaveer - Beverly Cleary's 115th Dream (mp3): Though my favourite female in this equation is Rose Guerin, whose dynamic harmonies carve out the depth of Vandaveer's sound, a love song to a grown Ramona Quimby of Beverly Cleary fame is certainly intriguing.