Archive for the ‘Auditory’ Category

2009 Faves: Songs

Thursday, December 31st, 2009

My nine favorite 2009 releases:

Photo credit NYTimes.com

Just Dance by Lady Gaga
I love this record, baby, but I can’t see straight anymore.

Dance Anthem of the 80s by Regina Spektor
They want to be touched, to touch each other, / They want to sleep, they want to be slept, / They want to watch, to watch each other . . .

Knocks You Down by Keri Hilson, Kanye West & Ne-Yo
Every mornin’ I look at you and smile, / ‘Cause boy you came around and you knocked me down, / Knocked me down.

Young and Restless by Pains of Being Pure at Heart
Between the stacks in the library / Not like anyone stopped to see / We came they went our bodies spent / Among the dust and the microfiche.

Don’t Upset the Rhythm by Noisettes
So let me show you / Something super beautiful.

Under the Milky Way by Sia
And it’s something quite peculiar, / Something shimmering and white, / Leads you here despite your destination

This Tornado Loves You by Neko Case
Your rails have always outrun mine, / So I pick them up and crash them down / In a moment close to now.

Evacuate the Dancefloor by Cascada
I’m infected by the sound.

Kings and Queens by 30 Seconds to Mars
We stole our new lives, / Through blood and pain, / In defense of our dreams.

My nine most-played of the year:

Black or White by Michael Jackson
Now I believe in miracles, / And a miracle has happened tonight.

Desire by Ryan Adams
This time I’m speeding with no direction. / Without a reason. What is this fire? / Burning slowly. My one and only.

I’m Burning for You by Blue Oyster Cult
Burn out the day, / Burn out the night, / I can’t see no reason to put up a fight. / I’m living for giving the devil his due

Any Day Now by Missy Higgins
Say you’ve kept some fire away / To set light to me some surprising day.

Battlefield by Jordin Sparks
I guess you better go and get your armor.

I’m Yours by Jason Mraz
Listen to the music of the moment, maybe sing with me / A la peaceful melodies / It’s your God-forsaken right to be love, love, loved.

Gardener by Rebecca Riots
I have got to be more conscious / Of the things I do and don’t do . . . / It’s about perceiving what’s happening / In this very moment / And deliberately choosing to extend love.

Friends and Family by Trik Turner
‘Cause alls I need / Is the air that I breathe / And my friends and family / To believe in me.

Divorce Song by Liz Phair
I would have stayed in your bed / For the rest of my life / Just to prove I was right.

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“We stop existing and start living.”

Friday, June 26th, 2009

So, Michael Jackson died.

Say what?

I know, right?

That was my reaction, too, when I got home from work last night and flipped on NY1 to see crowds of people gathering not in Azadi Square in Tehran, but outside Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center. I descended on to the futon and sat there staring at the TV and wearing my doubleyoo-tee-eff face—the one I use to bait instant assistance in hardware stores and auto service stations.  One eyebrow up, one eyebrow down, nose wrinkled a little bit, mouth quirked up on one side and mouth dropped open (the degree of openness depends on the extent of my confusion).

Like Michael himself, my grieving process was unconventional.  In lieu of anger, bargaining, and depression, my emotions hopped from yeah right to uhhh, for serious? to this is super freaking weird and then I had to call my dad and ask him why so many bad things are happening in the world.

My Cool Aunt gave me Dangerous on cassette tape for Christmas when I was eight years old and I lllllloved it. I just listened to iTunes’ 30 second preview of each song and I recognize only five: Heal The World, Black or White, Who Is It, Give In To Me (sort of?), and Will You Be There. Those are tracks 7-11, and from that I deduce that Black or White and Will You Be There were my favorite songs, and I learned to like the ones in between them (and the one right before Black or White because I had to hear some of it every time I rewound my tape to play through again—and again and again, for weeks straight).

It was the first mainstream album that ever captured me (previous fixations included the soundtrack to The Little Mermaid and the greatest hits of Sharon, Lois, and Bram). It’s hard to understand retrospectively exactly what it was, but there was something about the music—and to a lesser extent, the lyrics—that I really felt. It sounded beautiful and interesting and emphatic in a way that I hadn’t yet realized music could sound. (more…)

Posted in Auditory, In Retrospect, Lately, Real World | 3 Comments »

2008 Faves: Songs

Wednesday, December 31st, 2008

My eight favorite 2008 (or late 2007) releases


Circus by Britney Spears
I feel the adrenaline moving through my veins. / Spotlight on me and I’m ready to break.

As long as you’ve got my crazy, Britney, I’ve got your back!

This Town by O.A.R.
It’s better that we keep this close, / Keep you close to me. / Walking under every sky, / Over every sea. / You can be my modern girl, / And I can be the one you found.

But, Honestly by Foo Fighters
And all the words I gave to you, / Something borrowed, something blue, / If you want them back, / I’ll give it to you.

Many The Miles by Sara Bareilles (Live at The Fillmore)
I do what I can, wherever I end up, / To keep giving my good love.

Setting Forth by Eddie Vedder
This I will recall, / Every time I fall.

Live Your Life by T.I. (featuring Rhianna)
Some move away to make a way / not move away cause they afraid.

Mercy by Duffy
You got to understand that I need a man / Who can take my hand, yes I do.

She’s Like A Star by Taio Cruz
She’s my star, my light, starry night. / Aviator shades, ’cause she shine so bright.

My eight most-played of the year

Red by Sara Bareilles
I am fading in and out, / What are you gonna do save me now, / From all of this danger, you don’t know how, / And I’ll find my way out.


Hide and Seek by Imogen Heap
Oily marks appear on walls / Where pleasure moments hung before / The takeover, the sweeping insensitivity / Of this still life.

And So It Goes by Billy Joel
And this is why my eyes are closed, / It’s just as well for all I’ve seen. / And so it goes, and so it goes, / And you’re the only one who knows.

Running by Evermore
You don’t need a broken heart / To know a heart can be broken, / You just need to open your eyes. / We don’t need to be deceived / To know a lie can be spoken, / We don’t have to learn everything twice.

Always Midnight by Pat Monahan
A way to get back to you, / A way to get outta here. / I don’t want to be alone / At midnight anymore.

This Ain’t A Scene, It’s An Arms Race by Fall Out Boy (featuring Kanye West)
And I don’t really care which side wins / As long as the room keeps singing.

Just Like Heaven by Charlotte Martin (The Cure cover)
Spinning on that dizzy edge / I kissed his face, I kissed his head, / And dreamed of all the different ways / I had to make him glow. / “Why are you so far away?” he said, / “Oh, won’t you ever know that I’m in love with you?”

Party Generation by Dar Williams
It was the kind of party that you hope never ends / . . . There was a lot that you could learn if you lay near them, / Like if you listened you could hear them and he could hear them.

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Britney hasn’t done a Christmas album so I’m mixing up the tunes

Wednesday, December 17th, 2008

Last night I sat on the train next to a guy studying the pages of what must be the “textbook” for a taxi driving school.  It was a bound book of pages and pages of hotel, hospital, and museum addresses and mnemonics for figuring out where a particular street address falls between avenues.

Here I am, thinking I’m such a genius with the “traffic travels east on the even-numbered streets and west on the odd-numbered streets in Manhattan” rule (with seven exceptions, I think).  And I’m all impressed with myself when I inform my father that Penn Station and Grand Central are not, in fact, directly across the island from one another.  Haughty amateur!

I scored 66% on this Hack License NYC Taxi Test, and only because most of the questions concerned the geography of city parks.

This is what I’ve been listening to at my desk and not in my cab this week:
Circus by Britney Spears
Circus by Britney Spears
Circus by Britney Spears
O Little Town of Bethlehem by Sarah McLachlan
Oh, Holy Night by Tracy Chapman

Posted in Auditory, Lately, Lists | 2 Comments »

I was just getting warmed up

Monday, February 18th, 2008

I came across the very first mixed CD I ever burned for myself. It is called Emily’s Mix #1. I wonder what number I would be on now if the iPod hadn’t come along.

Here is the playlist:

  1. Crazy by Britney Spears
  2. American Pie by Don McLean
  3. Take A Picture by Filter
  4. Baby, I’m Amazed by Lonestar
  5. Angels by Robbie Williams
  6. LA Song by Beth Hart
  7. Bye Bye Bye by *N SYNC
  8. Genie In A Bottle by Christina Aguilera
  9. Inside Out by Eve 6
  10. I Try by Macy Gray
  11. Rhythm Divine by Enrique Iglesias
  12. There She Goes by Sixpence None the Richer
  13. Little Black Backpack by Stroke 9
  14. Meet Virginia by Train
  15. Brown Eyed Girl by Van Morrison
  16. Enough of Me by Melissa Etheridge
  17. American Woman by Lenny Kravitz

I searched and searched but couldn’t find an MP3 of American Pie. I was adamant about having the song on this particular CD, so my dad brought his record player and set it up next to the computer with a nest of wires connecting them, the old turntable that smelled like oiled wood and rubber and the whirring, clicking CPU that smelled like static electricity.

I clicked ‘Record’ and my dad played the record. We listened to the song, grinning in awe, watching the words on the album label spin around and around.

Posted in Auditory, In Retrospect, La Familia, Lists | No Comments »

Twelve Christmas songs that don’t make me want to set the tree on fire

Thursday, December 6th, 2007

One Christmas, I woke up with an Alvin and the Chipmunks Christmas cassette tape under my pillow a few weeks before Christmas. Santa dropped in early with the surprise so I could enjoy it during the holiday anticipation. I really hoped that would become a tradition—not only because I liked having the preview present to tide me over, but also because the music put me in touch with my Christmas spirit.

I don’t think Santa made any more early rounds to our house, but in the last couple of years, I’ve made a point to start playing Christmas music throughout the month of December.

I really like classical pieces and avoid anything that references directly: jingling, jollyness, or any gathering of one or more of a single type of bird in the same tree. Here are some favorites:

God Rest Ye, Merry Gentlemen
The Barenaked Ladies with Sarah McLachlan
Barenaked for the Holidays

The arrangement and the harmonies are flawless. Sarah is Sarah and BNL is BNL. Together, their sound is tender, jovial and bright. It’s like listening to a folk tale.

The First Noel/Mary, Mary
Sarah McLachlan
Wintersong

A mesmerizing rendition of a traditional carol. The classic verses have a drum-driven, new age sound that conjures an image of angels as divine apparitions. Verses of Mary, Mary, a sensual spiritual about mother and child, ground the track. There is something absolutely earthly about these interludes. That mortal emotion is lacking from most classical Christmas music.

Maybe This Christmas
Ron Sexsmith
Maybe This Christmas

If you’ve ever had a Christmas wish for something that wouldn’t fit under the tree, you’ll appreciate this song. World peace? Maybe, just maybe.

What Child Is This/Greensleeves
Charlotte Church
Dream a Dream

I do not know how a song about a promiscuous renaissance woman with sleeves stained from rolling around in the grass evolved into a Christmas carol, but it is one of my favorites. Charlotte Church is both angelic and mournful.

Christmas Eve/Sarajevo 12/24
The Trans-Siberian Orchestra
Christmas Eve and Other Stories

The TSO turned the true story of one intensely passionate Bosnian cellist, who is said to have played Christmas music amid the violent siege in Sarajevo, into an intensely passionate orchestral piece. In the “symphonic metal” genre, the classical elements are strong, but the rock elements are fierce. This explosive piece sounds like anticipation—of Christmas Day and of peace.

Joy of Man’s Desire/Angels We Have Heard On High
The Trans-Siberian Orchestra
The Christmas Attic

Joy of Man’s Desire has been put to good use. Since childhood, this has been one of my favorite Christmas hymns because it’s relatively easy to keep up with the verses and if you get lost reading the music, you can always catch up on the “glo-o-o-o-o-o-ria.”

Christmas Canon
The Trans-Siberian Orchestra
The Christmas Attic

A palpable element of childlike wonderment. There is also a “rock” version with a little more edge—maybe for the jaded who still secretly believe in Christmas miracles.

Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas
Sister Hazel
Santa’s Playlist

Hits the perfect note—a little melancholy, but still hopeful. There’s something sort of Simon and Garfunkel about the harmony. It reminds me of Homeward Bound and this rendition evokes a similar sentiment.

Wintersong
Sarah McLachlan
Wintersong

“Merry Christmas, my love,” has never been wished with such heartbreak. The delicate piano and wistful lyrics are reminiscent of silent snow falling on an empty wood—lonely, but lovely.

White Christmas
Ella Fitzgerald
Ella Wishes You A Swinging Christmas

Ella’s White Christmas—much more than Sinatra’s or Bing Crosby’s—carries the promise of snow. Not even the swaying warmth of her tone could stop it. Her dream is going to come true.

The Coventry Carol
Alison Moyet
A Very Special Christmas, Vol. 1

Conveys, in a way that most versions do not, the frantic distress of mothers when King Herod orders that all the infant boys in Bethlehem be killed. Haunting.

O Holy Night
Tracy Chapman
A Very Special Christmas, Vol. 3

There are, of course, many more traditional versions of this hymn, but Tracy Chapman’s gentle, reverent interpretation is earnestly divine.

That’s twelve—one for each day of Christmas!

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