Music Update

1 Giant Leap is a project from a couple of blokes in the UK. It's sort of a United Colors of Benetton for music (without the shock value). They traveled around the world, blending artists of different genres and nationalities, and then doing some nice mixing back home. Asha Bhosle is the youner sister of Lata Mangeshkar, who is THE female voice of Indian film music for many decades. Asha has a smoother (read, less shrill, in my book) voice than Lata, and also has expanded her horizons to include the occasional foray into fusion or world music. Well into her seventies, Asha still is able to bring her mellow and talented voice to the studio. Her duet here is with Michael Stipe, who I think is best known for singing "Furry Happy Monsters" on Sesame Street. This video is a composite/promo for the project, but has the song throughout, and I think it presents a great view of what 1 Giant Leap is trying to accomplish.

As I have mentioned in the past, some artists have so impressed me with their later work, that I was able to become a fan of their earlier work. Beck comes easily to mind; and so it has been with Green Day. I used to wonder, in their early years, how they defied statistical probability by creating more songs out of three chord permuations than mathematically possible. The album American Idiot changed that. Billie Joe Armstrong and company really stretched their horizons with a modern rock opera (mostly punk, nonetheless!) and while still putting out good sounds. Their new album, 21st Centure Breakdown is a more than adequate sequel. Divided into three parts, it follows a similar rock opera (or perhaps broadway musical?) type feel. Green Day continues to rail against the corporate and government establishment, but hey, it's what they do! The music culls from even more influences, one can almost here Floyd, Queen, Metallica, Harrison, The Offspring, and ELO at times. A couple (at least) of those influences can be heard on my current favorite track on the album, Restless Heart Syndrome.

Music Update

We catch up with a music update with a personal favorite of the downtempo angelic voices. Imogen Heap is the lead vocalist and one half of the chillout group Frou Frou, and has had a very successful solo career. This vocorded track "Hide and Seek," was featured on and episode of the TV show The O.C. a few years back. (She also performed a nifty version of Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah" for The O.C). Heap's vocal range is outstanding, and she can wonderfully juxtapose anger, hurt, and beauty in one melodic phrase. When I first heard this song, I thought she was more digital than real (a sad reality in some of our current pop singers); this live version shows she's the real deal.

And, because we all need some salsa sometimes, here's the late Celia Cruz. Other than cigars, salsa music is probably Cuba's most successful export. The grand dame of Cuban salsa is Celia Cruz. Singing since the 1950's, up to this decade (she's on and album in a duet with Dionne Warwick in 2003), Celia has been recognized worldwide. Fans of the movie "The Mambo Kings" can remember her performance well. Bill Clinton honored her in 1994 with the National Medal of the Arts. Oye, camarero! Un mas mojito, por favor.

Music Update

I'll be attempting to update the posted music on a (more-or-less) monthly basis. The basic theme is to present one known artist or piece juxtaposed with a lesser known artist, although I'm sure I'll stray frequently.

Other than Norah Jones, for whom I have "an infatuation of unnatural proportions" (so it says here on the restraining order), I have to place Paul McCartney at the top of my music list. My admiration for Sir Paul's music is huge, from the earliest Beatles recordings, to Wings, and his solo work. Memory Almost Full is some of his best work in years, and should be familiar to those who frequented any Starbucks last year, as it was co-promoted by the coffeehouse chain. Some view this as Paul's swan song, as it has a self-referencing elegy, but I wouldn't bet on this intentionally being his last work. (I think London Undersound is his next project) "House of Wax" is my personal favorite off the album, and, while not getting really any radio play, seems to tap into his deeper album-rock sound, that often was overshadowed by the likes of "Say, Say, Say."

I have a passion for downtempo world music, often found under the genre of "chillout/lounge" The Buddha Bar series of mixes probably best demonstrates this type of music. I am particularly partial to some of the smooth female vocalists' works in this area. Sheila Chandra is of South Indian descent, and is from the UK. She started with the group Monsoon at age 16, and has been known for her melodic and classic vocal style, often woven over ragas and other world sounds. Although her voice has only become richer with time, and her exploration into greater sounds increased exponentially, it is the young Sheila heard here in her first (and probably best known) hit "Ever So Lonely." While the video is very early 80's (1982, to be exact), the sound was groundbreaking at the time, and has set the stage for the likes of Nitin Sawhney (who is working with Sir Paul!), Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Colonial Cousins, and many other Asian-influenced artists.

A Bat, a Mouse, and a Lamb, or How I relaxed this summer.

A movie, and album, and a couple of books have been part of my R & R this summer.

First, “The Dark Knight”. Since apparently everyone has seen and commented on this movie, I’ll save any summary and I’ll try to add just a few thoughts:

1. Heath Ledger was very good. His master gesture got a bit redundant. I was waiting for him to start speaking in Parseltongue.
2. Shrink think: The joker is a good example of a sociopath; he just wants chaos. Two-Face, on the other hand, is delusional to psychotic proportions; he shows extremely clouded judgment but still seems to operate in some moral code. One could also argue that he is responding with narcissistic rage to a breakdown of his ideals and image (and his girlfriend).
3. The philosophical message got a wee muddled: Truth is important for the sake of Truth except when the city doesn’t need a Hero that stands for Truth, or if that Hero has a unneeded variation of Truth, then it redefines what a True Hero is, except when a Hero isn’t, etc., etc.

Second, Beck’s “Modern Guilt”, produced by Danger Mouse. Thoughts:

1. There are a lot of mouse droppings on this album. Those of you familiar with Gnarls Barkley’s “Crazy,” will pick up the heavy usage of snare and funk bass. This is not a bad thing, necessarily, but it comes across as a bit forced at times, where other arrangements might be more complimentary to Beck’s style
2. Beck continues to expand his sound. He moves between 60’s bubblegum, to flower power, 70’s Funk, and Prog, all within the first few songs of the album. He comes back around to some alt-rock sounds that can only be described as “Beck-like” (or Beckish, or something).
3. That prog sound is nicely done on “Chemsounds,” probably my favorite song on the album.
4. Beck doesn’t rap. Hooray!

Third, I’ve had a few re-reads over the summer. A couple of them are worth mention.

Christopher Moore’s “Lamb: The Gospel According To Biff.” And “The Quiet Room, A Journey Out Of The Torment Of Madness,” by Lori Schiller and Amanda Bennett.

Moore’s novel is a hilarious recreation of the life of Jesus, as told by his best friend, Biff. It addresses some of the “lost years” of Jesus’ life, as well as a alternative perspective on the biblical gospels. Yes, it is quite sacrilegious in its style, but I was a bit misty-eyed at the end; even in this format, Moore still is telling the Greatest Story Ever.

Schiller’s book is about the life of a woman who begins having hallucinations, and her downward spiral into chronic psychosis. Clinically, she’d probably be called schizoaffective disorder, bipolar type in today’s language, but it’s serious mental illness, and that’s all we need to know. The fear, stigma, challenges and limitations of treatment, are all well represented in a timeline, with first and second hand perspective. The alternative perspectives of friends and families recorded are quite fascinating. It’s a great read, and I have recommended it at times for families affected with a loved one with serious mental illness.