As I start work on my paper about EmilyDickinson's Puritan background and her links to the heritage of thecaptivity narrative through her masochistic obsession with prolongedpain, I have been running into Gothic imagery of a macabre all day. 

First a taste of Dickinson:

414

'Twas like a Maelstrom, with a notch,
That nearer, every Day,
Kept narrowing its boiling Wheel
Until the Agony

Toyed coolly with the final inch
Of your delirious Hem—
And you dropt, lost,
When something broke—
And let you from a Dream—

As if a Goblin with a Gauge—
Kept measuring the Hours—
Until you felt your Second
Weigh, helpless, in his Paws—

And not a Sinew—stirred—could help,
And sense was setting numb—
When God—remembered—and the Fiend
Let go, then, Overcome—

As if your Sentence stood—pronounced—
And you were frozen led
From Dungeon's luxury of Doubt
To Gibbets, and the Dead—

And when the Film had stitched your eyes
A Creature gasped "Reprieve"!
Which Anguish was the utterest—then—
To perish, or to live?






Then, I ran into the new Manson "If I Was Your Vampire."  I have never been a big fan, but I have always admired his sound.

Then I read this Story.

And new Interpol songs, though they are live and the audio is a little shitty.

Tags: goth, music, work
Current Location: C-Dale, IL
Mood: hungry
Soundtrack: Interpol - Turn on the bright Lights

I know Spot Buck went over in a big way (although many said it was too easy to spot me in a crowd - Is it my fault I'm one of a kind?), but I wanted to post a cohesive run down of our awesome trip to Nashvegas last Thursday and the Decemberist love that ensued.


Since I had Mike, Meg, Kristin, and Niya at my mercy in Nashville I had to take them to the cheap but amazing eating at Kalamatas (I know Flavin knows Nashvegas food better, but I have a few places up my sleeve).



Where you can get some amazing Mediterranean cuisine. Their special was stuffed salmon, but I am allergic so I enjoyed the smells and loved my gyro plate and spinach pie (which was not officially spanakopita, but was just as delicious).

We arrived at the show about a half hour early. City Hall is relatively new and near downtown. I was really hoping it would be a new 328 performance hall (it was tore down years ago after I saw Elliot Smith, Junior Brown, The Strokes, Weezer, and many others. I actually played there myself on more than one occasion). Sadly, it was a shitty little warehouse with bad sound and a horrible set up. We were able to see most of the show, but the place was damn uncomfortable.


Mike brought his camera so we busied ourselves as we waited on the bands, with goofy shots.

I was excited to see the first band after hearing that the singer used to be in Granddaddy, but All Smiles was nothing to write home about. Their album might be good, but their show needed some work.

Finally, The Decemberists took the stage in all their glory. I was hoping that they would play for five hours and highlight everything off of their last two albums. I didn't quite get my wish, but overall the show was amazing. Highlights were "Crane Wife 1," "The Perfect Crime #2," and "The Chimney Sweep."


They surprised us by bringing out the amazing Gillian Welch and David Rawlings who played a Welch song with the band and then dueted on Gram Parson's "sin City" - I was shaking like a leaf.


Of course, audience participation was at an all time high and we all screamed along with the encore of "The Mariner's Revenge" and a giant whale came out on stage to swallow the band away.


The whole concert there was this guy next to us screaming "Sing the Whale Song!" that we kept wanting to correct, but knowing that it wouldn't do any good we refrained and laughed at his stupidity like the Decemberist elitists that we are.



The concert ended too soon, with only one song from Picaresque, but it was all worth it. I wish I could follow them around for a while like the Dead.

I ended up buying their new DVD that is amazing and I am watching right now!

The perfect night cap of the ride home was finding out that Meg loved Van Morrison as much as I do (his references to Gypsies is enough to seal the deal). As the other's slept we sang through "Moondance" and started back through before we saw Carbondale glowing in the distance.

Tags: concert, decemberists, music, nashvegas
Current Location: C-Dale, IL
Mood: tired
Soundtrack: The Decemberists

Well, my main goal for break was to get started on a 5 song recording project I am doing with my wonderful cousin, Chuck. Yesterday we began tracking and I can't wait to show the songs off.

I have had this project sitting in my head for awhile. Almost every song that I write borders on old country, but has something that makes it stand apart. My initial thought was a drum and bass country album ala Beck's Mutations, but after showing the songs to Chuck what we have is more of a modern spaghetti western. We just keep talking about the old "craptastic" movie, West World and how these songs could have graced that soundtrack.

So far we have started work on a song called "Josiah Cane." "Cane" is a bout a son of a gunslinger who faces both hating what his father did and wanting revenge on those who slew him.

Under the whole mix is a drum loop made from a sample of an old freight train and small hisses of electricity like a rattlesnake under your boot. An old bar room piano pulls against the chugging country guitar and a haunting fiddle counter melody (while writing it I could feel the joy of making music flood back into me) pulls against the vocal.

The bridge crashes up as the loops fall away and a Wurlitzer backs the lines:

I remember you with kinder eyes

A smile warm on your face

The last thing you said was ‘son forget this life’

But when I buried you I could feel your rage.

Tags: music, prarie, westworld
Current Location: B-Port, IL
Mood: chipper
Soundtrack: singing my own stuff

I caught this new Portishead performance of 'Wandering Star' (an old tune) on Pitchfork. Now, I am chomping at the bit for a new album.

Tags: music, portishead
Current Location: C-Dale, IL
Mood: awake

I just heard the new Tori and thought I would pass it along. It's called Big Wheel and it sounds wonderfully decadent in a southern honky tonk gospel sorta way.

I have been working all day on a annotated bib for Anthony about Puritan narratives, Emily Dickinson, and sadomasochism so of course Tori had to show up with her Bible in one hand and shame on the other.

Tags: music, tori
Current Location: C-Dale, IL
Mood: lonely
Soundtrack: Tori Amos - From the Choir Girl Hotel

Blagh, I feel kind of crappy today. I'm just sitting around watchingFarscape and reading my history book. I'm tired and out of it.

Although, I did get to see and talk to Anna today over the net from a cafe in London. It was nice.

I also heard a wonderful cover of Joy Division's "Love Will Tear us Apart." Joy Division (and later New Order)is one of those amazing bands whose songs can be adapted to other styles in very interesting ways.

Here's the Joy Division version



and here's the new one by Susanna and The Magical Orchestra.

Tags: anna, joy, music
Current Location: C-Dale, IL
Mood: blah
Soundtrack: Susanna and the Magical Orchestra

One of my few regrets of 2006 - not picking up the Cold War Kids - Robbers and Cowards when I first heard it.

I have since remedied that mistake.

Tags: music
Current Location: C-Dale, IL
Mood: good
Soundtrack: Cold War Kids

The spring semester is over and though I still wake up in the middle of the night wondering if I turned everything in that I needed to, I have time to update my blogs. So, check out my links over at the right and surf away! Definitely head over to Indie Darling, my mp3 blog, for some cool cover songs that will rock your world.

Tags: blogs, fun, music, school
Mood: chipper
Soundtrack: Postal Service - Against All Odds