Fiona Apple

I love Fiona Apple. I think she is extremely talented, and I am surprised that she is not more famous. Once, when I was living in Los Angeles, I attended a benefit concert and I actually walked past her and her date in a hallway. It made my night. I think she is beautiful and wistful, and her songs just have that tang of truth and delight/bitterness that make them so often something special.

And let's face it -When the Pawn Hits the Conflicts He Thinks like a King What He Knows Throws the Blows When He Goes to the Fight and He'll Win the Whole Thing Fore He Enters the Ring There's No Body to Batter When Your Mind Is Your Might So When You Go Solo, You Hold Your Own Hand and Remember That Depth Is the Greatest of Heights and If You Know Where You Stand, Then You'll Know Where to Land and If You Fall It Won't Matter, Cuz You Know That You're Right  -  was both a ballsy choice, to use your own poem, and possibly the greatest album name ever.

"Criminal" happens to be both an amazing song and a memorable music video. I know that there was/is controversy about it - being exploitative and such (also that she is too skinny, etc.) But regardless of the critical reception, it is one of those videos that you can't look away from when you first see, and sticks out even with several viewings. It is not your usual happy sexy party video. Again, more real and tinged with sadness.  It's not surprising, then, how much airplay it got when it first came out. I was watching some stupid countdown show just a few months ago, and they had this listed as one of the "Sexiest" music videos ever. Now, when I view this, yeah she's pretty and scantily clad and all that, but I think the whole "drug-fueled Valtrex-needing revel amongst the 70s decor" thing comes off as rather more depressing, especially coupled with the song. That said, it's still a fantastic video that conveys a lot of emotion, even though it shows some skin.

I think I actually like most of her videos, they have a very cinematic quality - partially because the songs themselves tend to be unhurried, her voice is so outstanding, and I think she has a very arresting face and quality about her, both very real and very otherworldly. So here are a few of my favorites:

Starting with the classic "Criminal" - I still want those sparkly blue socks she wears.


And here is "Paper Bag" - which is less well known, and I think with the gown and the dancing could have come off very silly if someone else had done it - but she is so stately and radiant in it - and that voice...



"Fast As You Can"


From the more recent stuff there is - "O, Sailor" - which is simple and literal, but comes off still serious and theatrical without being silly. 




And of course, "Not About Love" which features Zack Galifianakis (from a few years back so pre-current fame level) - I like that they are apparently buddies, and she in turn appears on one of his joke tracks. I really like this one. It's quirky and funny and his dancing is well juxtaposed with the more somber tone of the lyrics, so it doesn't come off as just a stunt, despite having him and his dancing in it - a fine line to walk.



And lastly, even her covers are good:


"Across The Universe" [The Beatles]


And "I Want You"  [Elvis Costello] - which is one of my favorite songs in the world, so there aren't a lot of changes I would have accepted, much less liked!

Vacation, again. And wedding stuff.

So I was on vacation again - one of my best friends got married, and I was the maid of honor and had to go down to LA and do that. Threw my first bachelorette party (I think it turned out pretty great - it was small but fun!) at the Mission Inn hotel - which since it is historic and amazing, and I am poor and have zero fancy-hotel-staying experience - happens to be the most fab hotel I have ever stayed in. We did tapas and sangria for dinner, then we retired to our suite where I had made some mini-cupcake bites and a slightly more graphic cake for afterwards. We did presents, a game and even a champagne toast, it was really fun and low-key and hilarious to hear people's stories and reminisce about the bride.

Detail: Mission Inn Hotel 

After that, then we did the whole wedding thing - rehearsal dinner (taco truck FTW!), making our own bouquets, bride curling iron drama, etc. The usual =) It was great, and it was also great to have fellow friend Miss Michael be one of the bridesmaids (the friend that got married is the same friend who introduced us, yay!) so it was a ton of fun just to hang out, even when we were stressed. We tend to have a really good have time (I hope she agrees, LOL).

 Understatement of the week: Weddings are a lot of work, and a whirlwind of drama, high emotions, and stress. 

But important, because we typically are involved in the weddings of people we love. Whether or not we like the concept of marriage, or all the elements of the wedding,  or all the people involved, or even despite fears that we will end up alone in a house with 42 cats - we do it for the people we love, because it's important to them. And when we see them happy and satisfied, it's worth it. (Note: I'm not saying those all apply to me, hahah, but we've all sat through some terrible weddings, right? That's my point - we endure a lot for people. This particular one wasn't terrible!)

We made these!

And it was worth it. I am still kind of exhausted by the whole thing though. Especially because my trip back home to the Pacific Northwest was fraught with travel delays and mechanical issues and not getting to have my luggage for a day... too much drama for one week. I am ready for some nice soothing boring routine living! But I wouldn't trade the experience for the world.

So here's a musical taste of my vacation week.

First, I was in San Diego, where I spent a few days with my parents, and got to hang out with my friends from high school, who are hilarious nerds. On Friday night we even watched one of the guys' Tekken movie FANVID. Not kidding. It was rather epic. I wish I had a copy of it to post, it's that terrible and wonderful. But I mainly tried to get in time with my friend A (source of hilarious quotes like "the taller his hair gets, the more of a douchebag he becomes"), who I love and miss a lot. I try to see her as much as possible when I am home. We are very different people and we do not like the same music at all - she once characterized my taste as being for "sad & depressing" or something along those lines. She is more upbeat - hip-hop, rap, pop, dance-able club stuff.  But the one thing we do agree on is that we like Adam Lambert. There are very few men in this world that I think could pull of the top-hat look he rocks in the video below (also: the white pants, the sparkly eye-shadow, the whole I-wannabe-Bowie glamboots look in general), but he is one of them. (And you know the White Town song I posted about earlier? Couldn't you just see a super over-the-top version of that done by this fine fellow?  I could.)

"If I Had You - Adam Lambert" - Yeah, it's basically just him frolicking through a weird folksy goth glitter forest debauch, but what did you expect? I would like him to go even bigger, personally, but if you're going to do a party video (usually I find them dull), at least this is pretty colorful. 

Secondly, during the pre-wedding days, for one of the days the bride had this song stuck in her head for some unknown reason, and then when I took her to lunch on the big day, this song played, and she was very happy about it, it's kind of a good omen when your current earworm plays? IDK. But it was fun that it came on during her last meal as a single lady. (I would say it made her day, but I think getting married a little later did that, hee.) Apologies for the poor video quality. 

"Always Something There to Remind Me - Naked Eyes"

Naked Eyes - Always Something There to Remind Me
Uploaded by Tunashaker. - News videos from around the world.

It was also kind of fun and nostalgic, because quite honestly, this song makes me think of the mid/late-90s version by The Hippos - which makes me think of high-school, and also the summers I spent with the bride back in the day as teenagers, and also one of her first boyfriends who we hung out with at summer camp. And  while I couldn't find a video of the Hippos cover of that one (which I like better than the Naked Eyes version), I did find the video for their other song that takes me back to those times.

"Wasting My Life - The Hippos" - Ohhhhh the 90s. I happen to love this video, because they aren't really cute, and his fantasy involving a pink furry amoeba lady. COME ON. You have to love that! Genius. I also love that it's filmed at a school - was this filmed at their school? That's kind of the authentic vibe that I get, hehe (a cursory Google didn't answer that, sorry). And  I love the clothes - especially towards the end when everyone is dancing, and there's like the kid in the Black Flag shirt, and then also a girl in unflattering 90s khakis and so on and so forth. 

And finally, to end this on a more sweet note, the bride walked down the aisle to the following (piano-only, played by her talented cousin). While I'm not really a Beyonce fan, I have to say that I do think she is super talented, not to mention exceedingly beautiful.

"Halo - Beyonce"  - which sounds amazingly lovely as just piano, very nice for a wedding:

Awesomesauce

I hope you all try this one out (if you haven't already) - from (the generally brilliant) The Arcade Fire - interactive music video - you're supposed to watch it in Chrome, I believe, and it's processor intensive so they ask you to close your other tabs, etc.

I love it! It is a fantastic use of technology to make it the experience dynamic and also deeply personal and moving. It's not super interactive, and the part you see is not even all that complex - but it's the depth of thought that went into it, the programming/choreography of words/music/windows -  the results are lovely and elegant.

"We Used to Wait - The Arcade Fire"


GO HERE NOW: http://thewildernessdowntown.com/

Earworm: 1997 comes a'callin

For some reason, this song has been stuck in my head. Luckily, I actually like this song, and I remember loving it when I first heard it on the radio back in the day.

I have this theory, descriptively entitled "get 'em young" - I think a lot of things imprint on us quite young - e.g. when did I first see Star Wars (young) and how long did I think Harrison Ford was the hottest thing ever (a long time)... and the same applies for music, of course. I was raised by parents with a classical musical only policy, so I started exploring my own tastes in music later... so while music is important in most teenagers life/self-identity-formation, for me it was doubly or trebly so, because I had a lot to catch up on, and a lot to discover. I started with classic rock, and moved on from there.  So 90s radio rock will always have a special place in my heart. I'm sure lots of other people in my generation who were teenagers in 90s have the same feelings about a lot of songs, even the one-hit wonders like this. Sometime around then the internet was also getting big, and from there I discovered even more amazing music, older, deeper tracks, the wide world of streaming college radio stations and indie music... etc. But the music on the radio then (I listened to a lot of 91X back then, LOL, shoutout, San Diego!) definitely imprinted on my heart. I think a lot of songs we listen to in our early teens stick with us; and carry the emotional weight of those years, whether they are actually good songs or not (consider then, what kids now will carry around with them! Miley? Bieber? *shudder*).

I actually think this song holds up quite well. The video - I think it almost might have to be filed under 'trying too hard' - while I really like the silent movie vibe, the sign posts are a little heavy-handed!  But overall, I do still like it, it's an interesting attempt, and who doesn't love a girl making a good choice in the end?


"Your Woman - White Town" -


White Town - Your Woman
Uploaded by djoik. - Music videos, artist interviews, concerts and more.


I realized I don't think I've ever listened to any other song by this guy, so I looked for another video - here is the video for another one "Undressed - White Town" - I like the song, but it's nowhere near as catchy. The video I find similar to the other one - tight focus on very few characters. Very literal interpretation!

Memories/Summers

Of late I have been feeling a little old, since my best friend from summer camp (we met at I think, 15) is getting married in two weeks (I am the maid of honor)... so today I was thinking about what I am supposed to say in the toast/speech which I haven't yet written, and thinking back about the times we spent, and so on and so forth. The really terrible overly-dramatic high school crushes, the first few boyfriends... (and the last few boyfriends, LOL). Anyways.

Thinking of those things led to thinking of other people and places later on. I even remembered, completely off-topic, a really hot picture I saw of a former coworker. I think he was doing cosplay? That or bondage. Ahhhhh, memories. It's funny sometimes when you remember people you haven't seen in years, even those who were only minor characters in your life. How these things come up, I don't know. Yes, this story has nothing really to do with the other memories, just that I've been unusually reminiscent.

This rambling doesn't really pinpoint the weird nostalgic/smushy emotions I have about the whole wedding. I am sincerely happy for her, but wow, getting married. Weren't we just 16 and laying in the middle of a mountain road looking at the stars and talking about "boys"?

So in honor of this, a video I actually really like because it's just cute and fun and appropriate to the sunny song - with, you guessed it, a summer camp theme. Now, the camp at which I met my friend was Bible camp, so while we did have all the same hooking up, we just did it in slightly longer shorts than featured in this video.


"Here in Your Arms" - Hellogoodbye:



Hellogoodbye - Here (In Your Arms)
Uploaded by yafs1925. - See the latest featured music videos.



And then a song featuring clips from the movie The Last Summer. A piece about the video had the following amazing comment on it (from Stereogum):

"Comments (1)

1. 
   

   rskva  |   Posted on Mar 5th OG Summercamp’s video reminds me of an awesome ’90s video cliche I miss: earnest dudes with hair in their face being earnest

"
Good work, internet person. A delightful comment.

Here is the video "Ghost Train" - Summer Camp - nice and ethereal poppy song:

Summer Camp - Ghost Train (viral) from Paddy Power on Vimeo.




And finally, one of my favorite songs of all time, and a fitting closing to a post about summer/endings/beginnings - "Summer Song" - Chad & Jeremy (just a recording of a performance):