William Fitzsimmons - Music Video

Check out the first video from William Fitzsimmons - the gorgeous song "It's Not True" from the Goodnight album.



If you haven't checked out his music yet, you are denying yourself indescribable aural pleasure.

I'm out-
KWass

The All Day Shuffle Experiment

Inspired by a recent post by fellow Spunkybean writer on her blog, The Queen of Useless Knowledge, I decided to see what kind of a playlist an entire workday of iPod shuffle would generate. How triumphant (or embarassing) would it be?

This is risky business. I work for the government in a rather sterile work environment, and frankly, some of my music isn't appropriate in that setting. Ludacris on long road trip = good. Ludacris in your cubicle = bad. Lady Luck frowned on me, and I was sent scrambling to the volume knob with the 3rd song of the day.

I also have 5 or 6 Yanni albums. And 2 John Tesh albums. This alone constitutes a valid reason for a beat down. And since Yanni popped up at #33, I fully deserve to get my ass kicked.

So, out of 15,843 songs, below are the 88 songs my Ipod deemed worthy between 8 and 5 today. I would love to comment on them all, but I really don't have that kind of ambition. Maybe later I'll add some statistical analysis or something, but for now, res ipsa loquitur - the list speaks for itself.

1. Rise Up With Fists – Jenny Lewis & The Watson Twins
2. Here Comes – INXS
3. HWC – Liz Phair
4. Broadway – Alison Krauss & Union Station
5. River – Holly Cole
6. Unforgettable – Natalie Cole
7. I’ll Go Crazy – Bruce Willis
8. Lily Dreams On – Cotton Mather
9. I Am You – Depeche Mode
10. And So It Goes – Billy Joel
11. Innocent World – Joseph Arthur
12. Blasphemous Rumours – Depeche Mode
13. World Full of Nothing – Depeche Mode
14. Love In Itself – Depeche Mode
15. Indian Summer – The Rippingtons
16. Steam Trains to the Milky Way – Danny Wilson
17. Sunshine – Keane
18. Theme from New York, New York – Frank Sinatra
19. The Science Fair – Meet the Robinsons Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
20. Twisted – Annie Lennox
21. Welcome to Rome – Hudson Hawk Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
22. Miss Gradenko – The Police
23. You’re the Buddha – Howard Jones
24. Chief – Patty Griffin
25. Dream On – Depeche Mode
26. Afterall – William Fitzsimmons
27. Weapons of Mass Distortion – Crystal Method
28. Hidden #3: Conquest of the Planet of the Apes – They Might Be Giants
29. Manhattan Project – Rush
30. Disappearing World – David Gray
31. Firewalker – Liz Phair
32. Belief – Gavin DeGraw
33. You Only Live Once – Yanni
34. All the Way to Reno – REM
35. Selfless, Cold and Composed – Ben Folds Five
36. The Portrait – Back to Titanic: Titanic Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
37. Fools Game – Bonnie Raitt
38. My Time – Earshot
39. Goodnight, California – Kathleen Edwards
40. Switch 625 – Def Leppard
41. Wichita Skyline – Shawn Colvin
42. Tenderness on the Block – Shawn Colvin
43. Not the Red Baron – Tori Amos
44. Circulate – Swing Out Sister
45. Big River – Johnny Cash
46. Like It or Not – Madonna
47. Yesterday Once More – The Carpenters
48. Perfect Romance – Lynn Miles
49. Survivalism (Tardusted Remix) – Nine Inch Nails
50. Black Crow – Diana Krall
51. All Night Long (All Night) – Lionel Richie
52. Hypnotist of Ladies – They Might Be Giants
53. Rhymin’ & Stealin’ – Beastie Boys
54. The Chain – Fleetwood Mac
55. The Night – Catie Curtis
56. Get Here – Oleta Adams
57. Love Love Love – Tristan Prettyman
58. Low Down Dirty Business – Swing Out Sister
59. You Can’t Hurry Love – Phil Collins
60. You Happy Puppet – 10,000 Maniacs
61. Chicago Song – David Sanborn
62. Communication Breakdown – Led Zeppelin
63. Path of Thorns – Sarah McLachlan
64. I Like To – Men at Work
65. Matter of Minutes – Shawn Colvin
66. One in Ten – UB40
67. People Just Love To Play With Words – Men at Work
68. Crystal Ball – Keane
69. Master & Servant – Depeche Mode
70. The End – The Doors
71. We’re Not Deep – The Housemartins
72. A Question of Time – Depeche Mode
73. Call Me Mellow – Tears for Fears
74. Take This Waltz – Leonard Cohen
75. Love Oh Love – Lionel Richie
76. Top of the World – Patty Griffin
77. Streets of Laredo – Johnny Cash
78. Fantastic Dream – Alphaville
79. Dancing on the Ceiling – Lionel Richie
80. Nothing Is Good Enough – Aimee Mann
81. Sister of Night – Depeche Mode
82. Our Song – Yes
83. Oranges on Appletrees – a-ha
84. Love Sick – Bob Dylan
85. Scars – Rush
86. Red Light – Catie Curtis
87. Go Back Home – Stephen Stills
88. Sound of Your Voice – Barenaked Ladies

Worship my iPod before it destroys you.

I'm out-
KWass

Cubicle Tunes - Week of March 18, 2008

Great new stuff this week, and some great new stuff on the horizon as well. Let's cut to the chase . . .

1. Ghosts I-IV - Nine Inch Nails (2008)

The latest from Trent Reznor is the first internet-only release since his emancipation from the record labels, and it's a bold and successful offering. It consists of 36 untitled instrumental tracks, identified only by number and placement in the series (i.e. 13 Ghosts II) and layered with hope, despair, droning, grinding, simplicity, beauty, scraping, and weight. This will be my bedtime iPod music for the foreseeable future.

2. Supernatural Superserious (Single) - R.E.M. (2008)

The first song available from the upcoming release Accelerate, due out April 1. If this song is any indication, it harkens a welcome return to the days of Out of Time and Automatic for the People (and a welcome departure from experiments like Reveal and Up).

3. How The Day Sounds (EP) - Greg Laswell (2008)

Laswell is definitely a new direction for the singer-songwriter/contemporary folk genre. Many music writers label him as the genre's answer to Coldplay, but I hardly think that Coldplay could take a song like Cyndi Lauper's "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" and turn it on its ear like Laswell did. The comparisons are correct but reversed - Coldplay wishes they were Laswell. Highlights include the title track and the new version of "What A Day".

4. On A Clear Night - Missy Higgins (2007)

I missed this one last fall, and it was my loss. This Australian singer-songwriter is a stripped down amalgamation of pop artists Anna Nalick and Sara Bareilles. Favorites include "Warm Whispers", "Steer", and "Forgive Me".

5. Music For The Masses - Depeche Mode (1987)

"Pimpf" and "Agent Orange" are 2 of the all time great dark room and headphones songs. This album is loaded with classics like "Never Let Me Down" (always a concert highlight when they extend the song with the Aggro Mix, like the version in the playlist below), "Behind the Wheel", and "Strangelove". It's also one my all time favorite albums covers. Dig it:



I'm out-
KWass

Cubicle Tunes - Week of March 4, 2008

Oh, Canada! Oh, women! Oh, Canadian women!

This week, as I celebrate the release of Asking for Flowers by Kathleen Edwards, I dedicate this week's feature to some of my favorite songstresses from north of the border.

Be sure to crack a Blue or a Molson as you listen. So let's get to it, eh?

1. Asking for Flowers - Kathleen Edwards (2008)

Wow. Not much more to say than I already said here, other than I was up at 4 AM to pull it down from iTunes.

2. Slightly Haunted - Lynn Miles (1996)

Lynn Miles sings sad and beautiful songs - just the way I like them. "The Ghost of Deadlock" was one of the first songs I heard as I was being drawn into the contemporary folk/singer-songwriter genre, and it remains one of my favorites. Her show at One Trick Pony in Grand Rapids, Michigan is also one of my favorite concert experiences.

3. Colour, Moving & Still - Chantal Kreviazuk (2000)

Although I am a fan of all 4 of her albums, this one is my favorite. "Souls" is the highlight, with a gorgeous extended intro and the great lyric "Covenant, we will always grow, our skin will fade, transcend beyond all we've been told". Another favorite is "Little Things", where Kreviazuk's voice soars above string arrangements with lines like "Misery's turning my luck around" and "The past holds the truth like a lost and found".

4. All of Our Names - Sarah Harmer (2004)

Harmer's gentle voice can detract you from some very biting lyrics. See my earlier post dedicated to the song "Greeting Card Aisle". "Tether" is a pretty ballad of lament with lines like "Living this close to the road, you question your vulnerability" and "another melody is aching for a few pretty words to let it be". "Go to Sleep" is a perfect album closer.

5. Bound by the Beauty - Jane Siberry (1989)

Siberry can be eclectic (i.e. "Everything Reminds Me of My Dog") but she can certainly write some beautiful songs. "Life is the Red Wagon" is one of my all-time favorite ballads ("maybe it won't work this time, but that's the risk you take, and you want to take it). Other soothing numbers include "Hockey" and the title track.

I'm out-
KWass

Bowl O' Beans: Kathleen Edwards

Click here to check out my review of the outstanding new album Asking for Flowers by Kathleen Edwards over at Spunkybean.

I'm out-
KWass

Cubicle Tunes - Week of February 26, 2008

So what if I post my weekly features once a month? You’re not the boss of me.

There hasn’t been much new music that has caught my attention over the past couple of weeks, but read below about some great stuff that’s new to me, even though it has been out for a while.

I am greatly anticipating the new record from Canadian folk artist Kathleen Edwards. She is releasing Asking for Flowers next week (March 4) and launching a spring tour soon afterwards. Check out a few of the tracks and get tour dates here. I hope I can catch her show at The Magic Bag in Ferndale, Michigan on Sunday, April 6.

That being said . . .

1. Failer – Kathleen Edwards (2003)

“Sweet Little Duck” is one of the most beautifully dark and melancholy folk songs ever, with the feedback-tinged swells of strings and the lyrics “I sleep through most my days, so the time goes by, and I think I drink more now than ever”. Other highlights include “Mercury” and “Hockey Skates”.

2. Back to Me – Kathleen Edwards (2005)

Edwards’ sophomore effort widens the folk scope and features the outstanding mid-tempo tracks “Copied Keys” and “Summerlong” as well as ballads “Old Time Sake” and “Good Things”. The standout is “Somewhere Else”, which features a surprising horn arrangement and juxtaposed lyrics, with Edwards singing “life can be sweet if I want it to be” in one verse, followed by “life is so cruel because I let it be” in the next.

3. Once – Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (2007)

I am ashamed and embarrassed that I missed this last year. A friend of mine recommended this album (and the movie) during a lunch conversation, and I was floored. Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova are a pairing on par with Damien Rice and Lisa Hannigan. “Falling Slowly” is stunningly beautiful. The film is at the top of my Netflix queue.

4. Swell Season – Glen Hansard (2006)

Of course, I can never get enough of a good thing, so hearing the Once soundtrack led me to this album - an earlier collaborative effort by Hansard and Irglova. It’s the perfect paradox of lush, beautiful arrangements and lyrics and pain and fear, and THAT, my friends, is why you should love paradoxes as much as I do.

5. The Sun is Melting – The Colorful Quiet (2006)

This independent album by Stephen Webster is simply amazing. These deeply introspective songs are emotional and insightful, and I think of him as a modern day Nick Drake.

I’m out-
KWass

Falling Down

I fell down yesterday.

It was a genuine fall, too - not a stumble. I went down, and I went down hard.

I parked my car in front of the local hardware to get some painting supplies. The parking lot was empty, so I was walking fast and trying to read the business hours on the front door to see if they were open. Without warning, I was airborne.

As I flew violently forward, survival instinct kicked in, and I turned sideways to minimize the impact and get set up for the tuck and roll. I landed squarely on my left hip, assumed the fetal position for a split second, and carried momentum through the roll. I popped up on one leg almost as quick as I went down, and was back in stride for a few steps until the second wave of momentum hit me like a tidal wave and sent me spiralling out of control. I landed on my right knee and bounced forward before finally coming to rest face down between the front door and the cases of windshield wiper fluid stacked along the wall.

WTF was that? I looked back, eager to see the snow or ice that put me in peril, but there was none to be seen. It was a curb - in all of its glorious open-and-obvious splendor. I stood up and entered the store, and was quickly greeted by a clerk just few steps inside. He HAD to have seen it all happen, but he looked at me and deadpanned "Is there something I can help you find?" I thought to myself, yes - how about my dignity? Or my center of gravity?

He pointed me to the paint section, and I found what I needed. I paid for the merchandise, and he handed me my change and thanked me for my patronage. I thought I was in the clear, but just before I reached the door, he says behind me "be careful". The bastard mocked me, but he did it without laughing or smiling, so he could later argue he was acting professionally and within the capacity of his hardware clerking duties. Well played, sir, but you will rue the day, my friend.

I haven't gone down like that since the winter of '94, when I fell backwards and slid down an icy embankment in front of a Ponderosa, much to the delight of the many patrons who witnessed it through the huge front windows of the restaurant. I don't know what's more embarrassing - the fact that I bit it, or the fact I was at a Ponderosa.

I'm out-
KWass

Cubicle Tunes - Week of January 29, 2008

Remember “The Jerk”, when Steve Martin goes crazy about the new phone books? Well, it’s like that in the Vox Acerbus Cubicle Tunes feature this week, because the new Brian Vander Ark album is here! The new Brian Vander Ark album is here!

(Deep breath)

(Deep breath)

Like Mr. Miyagi told the Karate Kid – breathe in through nose, breathe out through mouth. Show me “sanding floor”!

Now that pulmonary function has been restored, there are 2 other notable releases this week as well, including one by renowned vocalist Sarah Brightman. 2008 is shaping up to be a very good year.

1. Brian Vander Ark – Brian Vander Ark (2008)

The Verve Pipe emeritus returns with his third album and the third time is indeed a charm. “And Then We Fell” has been a favorite since he opened the show with it at the Magic Bag in Ferndale last April, and “Lily White Way” is a perfect suburban lament.

I had the opportunity to interview Brian about the record for my review that will be posted over at Spunkybean when the new site goes live February 4, so be sure to check it out.

2. Symphony – Sarah Brightman (2008)

After her experimentation with world music on her last album Harem (2003), Brightman returns with a broader collection of pop/opera crossover material reminiscent of La Luna (2000) and Eden (1999). Brightman’s voice shines again, with the horrid exception of the misguided duet “I Will Be with You (Where the Lost Ones Go)” with, I kid you not, Paul Stanley of KISS. Yes – it’s as abhorrent as you would imagine.

3. Charmed & Strange – Yoav (2008)

This very innovative folk/dance/world/ambient album has captured my attention. When is a guitar not a guitar? It’s quite the sonic conundrum. In the words of Morpheus – free your mind.

4. A Long Dream About Swimming Across the Sea – Tyler Ramsey (2008)

A holdover from the last installment, this record still gets frequent air time in the cubicle, the car, at home, on the can, etc. Check out my review of said record over at Spunkybean.

5. Under the Iron Sea – Keane (2006)

I’ve owned this since it was released, but never really gave it due credence until recently, when “Is It Any Wonder?” was played during a lunch at Olga’s and reminded me that I never listened to it. Peasant soup and Keane – a formidable combination, to be certain. This one is more synth heavy than the piano-laden Hopes & Fears (2004), and the end result is an edgier record worthy of a listen.

I’m out-
KWass

Cubicle Tunes - Week of January 15, 2008

It really is amazing how much better it is to have your entire collection at your disposal in your cubicle. Until recently, I had 1/3 of my music available, and I was about as diligent in changing the the songs as I am about writing in this blog, so do the math. Now, I'm like Chris Farley in Tommy Boy, acting like JoJo the Idiot Circus Boy, playing with my new pet. My iPod is naughty!

Dig on these:

1. A Long Dream About Swimming Across the Sea - Tyler Ramsey (2008)

In a word - amazing. The amalgamation of sonic ambience and folk is fast becoming one of my favorite genres, and the combination here is groundbreaking. Look for an extensive review over at the Bean very soon. 9 tracks are featured on the media player at the bottom of this page.

2. Tiny Cities - Sun Kil Moon (2005)

Mark Kozalek has a history of recording stunning covers, slowing them down and stripping them bare into vehicles for his own (as well as the listener's) forlorn introspection. Here, he uses that formula on an entire album of Modest Mouse covers. "Ocean Breathes Salty" has never sounded better.

3. Some Devil - Dave Matthews (2003)

Funny story - this one got lost in my iTunes library because it was marked as a "compilation", and I never looked in the "compilation" folder. OK - it wasn't funny at all. It was sad. Big ass iPod - the gift that keeps on giving! "Stay or Leave" is gorgeous, and "Gravedigger" is just cool in every sense of the word.

4. Demolition - Ryan Adams (2002)

My favorite track here is the one that strays the farthest from the rest of the album. "Jesus (Don't Touch My Baby)" is sonic and heavy. The more acoustic "Dear Chicago" and "Tomorrow" are other standouts.

5. Lost & Gone Forever - Guster (1999)

Guster is a long time favorite of Vox Acerbus, which goes against principle, because they aren't bitter at all. Some favorites include "Either Way", "Center of Attention", and "Two Points for Honesty". They are working on new stuff, so there may be a new Guster album on the horizon.

I'm out-
KWass

New Brian Vander Ark Album

Anyone who has been reading this thing over the past couple of years knows that I am an uber fan of Brian Vander Ark.

He spent the summer and fall on the Lawn Chairs and Living Rooms tour, where he visited the homes of his fans to play intimate sets of songs that they selected, to finance this new self-titled album that is now available for pre-order.

Brian was gracious enough to spend a few minutes talking to me before and after a few shows this past fall, so I am quite happy to post the banner below in the hopes that a few more fans buy the record and/or discover his music.



Also, be sure to check out his MySpace page to hear a couple of the new songs and, more importantly, check the tour dates, because you don't want miss him if he's in your neighborhood.

I'm out-
KWass