Devil's Halo
Me'Shell Ndegéocello: Devil's Halo
Love, love, love this woman's music--her vitality and creativity are always front and center, and the funk is never too far away--slow, melancholic mood pieces drive this offering, but she never disappoints.
What Will We Be (Limited Edition)
Devendra Banhart: What Will We Be (Limited Edition)
Often pigeon-holed, but never truly defined, Banhart offers up a new collection of songs that cover every conceivable genre from Chet Baker jazz stylings to a little bit of ska--truly a memorable and fine album to play out the end of the year.
Gains Nord- A Tribute To Serge Gainsbourg
Gainsnord-a Tribute to Serge Gainsbourg: Gains Nord- A Tribute To Serge Gainsbourg
Remixes of the magnificent monsieur Gainsbourg by a number of artists from Holland and Belgium--groovy songs made even groovier.
Ph.D., Jill Bolte Taylor: My Stroke of Insight: A Brain Scientist's Personal Journey
If you haven't watched Jill Bolte Taylor's remarkable presentation at the TED conference, go directly to the web and check it out. This book fleshes out her deeply personal and insightful theories about the brain and what it takes to make the world a better place.
Thomas G. Guarino: Vattimo and Theology (Philosophy and Theology)
Guarino does a great job of unpacking Vattimo's challenging and provocative views about life and faith in the 21st century. The architect of pensere debole, 'weak thought' a concept designed to shake up the way you see God.
Singer-songwriter Vic Chesnutt, wheel-chair bound since a car crash at age 18, died on Christmas Day. He'd apparently been a in a come since a recent suicide attempt. Chesnutt had lots of admirers in the music biz and was often heard on KCRW, the local public radio station. RIP. His album, Is The Actor Happy, made it onto the list of 1000 Recordings To Hear Before You Die--a great resource by the way, if you are looking to expand your musical horizons.
I was introduced to this rather unassuming gentleman after our gathering today, "this is Del Casher, he invented the wah-wah pedal and played with Frank Zappa." Turns out Del Casher was part of a group of musicians and technicians at Vox who were part of the 'happy accident' that led to the wah-wah pedal--something that was being developed for another use that produced an interesting sound and that in turn, led to experimentation, first with keyboards, and eventually to Del plugging the first electric guitar into a wah-wah pedal, and the rest, as they say, is history. I grew up on a diet of music that incorporated massive slabs of wah--the funky funky music of my youth was often wah-wah driven, and I love the way it lays down a rhythm groove. And I love the Frank Zappa connection, Weasels Ripped My Flesh and Joe's Garage are two of my all-time favourite albums.
Okay--so Jeff Beck has to be the best guitarist around today if his playing on the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 25th Anniversary celebration was anything to go by--wow! Two nights of musical collaboration and celebration rolled into a four-hour tv special what a great way to spend a Sunday evening--like going to church or something! Bono, offered up the metaphor of the rock and roll audience, gathered in the New York temple of rock (Madison Square Garden) as the great unwashed congregation--pilgrims and pioneers, saints and heretics, poets and punks, all lifting up the power of music. Rock is essentially about liberation he proclaimed, "political, sexual, spiritual," different kinds of liberation for different people and there were all kinds of liberation offered up.
Mick Jagger injected some feral sexual liberation into U2's Stuck In A Moment, and Bono looked almost rattled when Fergie and Jagger traded leers and licks on Gimme Shelter, but ably backed by Edge and the boys it was a fierce rendition of a classic song. Classics from Smokey Robinson to Ozzy were infused with new life by the fan/bands that backed them. Perhaps the highlight for me was Sam Moore (Sam+Dave) backed by Bruce and the E Street band--Hold On I'm Coming and Soul Man never sounded better. Stevie Wonder, Jackson Browne, Patti Smith, BB King--there were some great moments, but more than the sum total of its parts there was the deep sense of magic and wonder that inhabits popular music, or at least has up till now.
I don't know if music matters the way it used to, I don't know if it even can be (or ever really was) generation defining the way it was in a much less connected and digitized world. I think it still matters and still means stuff, just not in the same way. I am not a nostalgist, I don't think all the best music has already been done, in fact, I think the past couple of years have been amazingly creative musically--but it is a different world and different worlds make meaning in different ways--music plays a role just not the same one, but for one night in New York (two really) a congregation was assembled, a liturgy prepared and a people in darkness caught glimpses of light.
Another cool combo for the New Moon soundtrack. Thom Yorke Lykke Li--Hearing Damage.
