Rufus Wainwright announced this week that he will have his new album ready by the Spring of next year and nobody is more excited than me. He has told us that it will be pretty much just him and his piano and all the über-fans have practically wet their pants. For all you who are still dry, here is a list of music for the Rufus Wainwright first-timers out there:

1 - Matinee Idol (from Rufus Wainwright)

2 - Hallelujah (from Shrek)

3 - Cigarettes and Chocolate Milk (from Poses)

4 - One Man Guy (from Poses)

5 - Poses (from Alright, Already: Live in Montreal)

6 - Go or Go Ahead (from Want One)

7 - Dinner at Eight (from Want One)

8 - The Art Teacher (from Want Two)

9 - Going To A Town (from Release the Stars)

10 - Leaving for Paris No. 2 (from Release the Stars)

and here's the list of (shamefully) harder to find Rufus Wainwright songs that are phenomenal and NEED to be more well-know for some are his greatest songs/recordings:

1 - A Bit Of You (found on Rufus Wainwright [Japan])

2 - Liberty Cabbage (found on DVD: Live at the Filmore)

3 - The Origin of Love (from Wig in a Box)

4 - In Heaven (good luck!)

5 - Zebulon (found on All Days Are Nights: Songs for Lulu... youtube it)

6 - Spotlight on Christmas (found on The McGarrigle Christmas Hour)

7 - The Motion Waltz (found on Meet The Robinsons)

8 - He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother (found on Zoolander)

9 - Who Are You New York? - (found on All Days Are Nights: Songs for Lulu... youtube it)

ps: hey crazy fans- if you don't some of these, and can't find them... come on over you can listen to my copy. And no, I'm not trying to be difficult, these are just some of my favorites not on his albums. If you want difficult try: Albatross, Cassanova in Hell, Sonnet 20 and 29, Harvest, Low Grade Happiness, Tranquil Rest, Le Roi D'ys, Miss Otis Regrets, Ashes, That Night, The Money Song, Es Mus Sein, Velvet Curtain Rag, Coer de Parisienne, Quand Vous Mourez de nos Amours, Careless Whisper or Schubert Song.

Masterpiece

Miserere

by Carlo Gesualdo

It is no secret that Carlo Gesualdo (1566-1613) suffered from deep depression. His life was full of public and private turmoil that affected him profoundly. Betrayed by people closest to him, discouraged with himself, and having lost to death many who were close to him, he died alone. In his twilight years he composed Miserere, a setting of the 51st Psalm. The text, in part, reads:

"Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness... blot out my transgressions.

Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin... my sin is ever before me...

Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, though God of my salvation...

For thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give it:...

The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise."

Gesualdo effected the course of music forever. Using his money and status he found most pleasure and happiness in the composing and performing of music. Gesualdo masterfully set this text to beautiful and spiritual music, recalling his own sense of despair, guilt, yet hope for things to come. This is a masterpiece.

Album of the Year and Album of the Deacde

Its that time for my reveal of my choice for Album of the Year and Album of the Decade. I will first start with my choice for album of the DECADE:

This decision was surprisingly easy. It is impossible to list all the "good" albums of the last ten years but it is easy to say the BEST one: (drum roll leads to...)


Radiohead's Kid A is by far the greatest album of the last ten years. An incredible followup to one of the best albums of the 90's, OK Computer, Kid A somehow took an apocalyptic idea and made it optimistic. While OK Computer felt apathetic and angry (very generation-x) Kid A seemed to shout "well, we're not gonna take it anymore." It opens with the haunting "Everything in its Right Place" where the hypnotic chord structure and melody seems to melt the mind of the listener and the band together preparing them for a truly amazing experience. I felt like Radiohead jumped inside my brain in "How To Disappear Completely" as the melody and guitar accompaniment seem to battle over words like "I'm not here, this isn't happening". The battle continues until finally the vocals concede and angrily fly into the texture into a very unsettling sound. My personal favorite track that Radiohead has created is "Idioteque". Here they seem to be shouting a rally call to everyone who is sick of "the man" calling the shots. Its a protest song in essence. Each line strikes a voice inside your head to think twice about the short statement and then the seemingly nonsensical combining of the random lines feels like it has meaning and importance. The sampling from the Lansky piece repeated over and over remains interesting despite literally only having one chord in the entire song. Lastly I want highlight "Morning Bell". This song is a fantastic sample of Radiohead's style, how they take every element of the band and treat them as equals. Each member of the band is incredibly talented and this song is a perfect example of how their performance gifts, song-writing, and creativity are unsurpassed. The song is in 5/4 meter and the lyrics are rather violent: "cut the kids in half". Throughout the album the band member challenge themselves, playing new instruments and making new sounds incorporating new technologies. "Morning Bell" is sad, angry, and gives the mood of an upset disenfranchised culture. Radiohead is better at creating a mood than any other band around these days. For all of these reasons and more, Kid A is my choice for album of the decade and an album you should all go out and buy if you don't already own it.

As for the year, there have been many great and highly anticipated releases of 2009. First my shame on you's:

• The Mars Volta: Octahedron. This album was terrible. Imagine a great band like the Mars Volta dumbing down their music to make it more commercial. Well what's left? This album sounds like a worse band trying to sound like the Mars Volta. Don't get me wrong, there's one or two good songs, but an all around waste of money.
• Muse: The Resistance. My suspicions that Muse is the worst band ever are proven appropriate by their latest album. This is clear plagiarism of better bands like Radiohead and Queen that actually made me angry while listening.
  

Now my honorable mentions (in no particular order): (you might be surprised that none of these are winners, my choice for the winner came out early this year and wasn't surpassed all year... sorry)

• Animal Collective: Merriweather Post Pavilion
  
• Yeah Yeah Yeahs: Its Blitz!
• Grizzly Bear: Veckatimest
• The Decemberists: The Hazards of Love
• Regina Spektor: Far
• Pearl Jam: Backspacer
• The Antlers: Hospice
• Brand New: Daisy
• Dirty Projectors: Bitte Orca
• Japandroids: Post Nothing
  
• Fever Ray: Fever Ray
• Various Artists: Dark Was The Night
• Imogen Heap: Eclipse
• YACHT: See Mystery Lights

And now my winner...


That 1977 photo is of Kazuo Ohno, the now 103 year old Butoh dancer. If you can't read the top there, my choice for album of the year is Antony and the Johnsons: The Crying Light. This album is in a world of its own, delicate, passionate, and sophisticated. Antony's songwriting is incredible and only matched by the fantastically minimalistic orchestrations. The Crying Light is a daring followup from his last album, the star-studded I Am A Bird Now (featuring artists such as Rufus Wainwright, Devendra Banhart, and Boy George) and it delivers. The music is figurative and literal poetry. Tracks I recommend you listen to (to convice you to buy it) are: "Epilepsy is Dancing", "Her Eyes Are Underneath the Ground", "One Dove", "Another World", and "Aeon". Bravo Mr. Hegarty, This is a masterpiece.

What I'm Thankful For:

I am not sure why we Americans are trained to hate the French (probably goes back to John Adams and the Alien and Sedition Acts), but I am sure thankful for them. Their contributions in the world to visual art, dance, science, poetry, architecture, math, and especially music are some of the most important the world has ever seen. Here is a list of music by French composers and a couple songs that mention France which I love and I think you will too. I am a choral guy so most of the music is choral and intended as a small (masterpiece) excerpt to introduce you to the brilliance of these compsers:

Music by French Composers

• Francis Poulenc: Un Soir De Neige: III. Bois meutri
• Josquin des Prez: El Grillo
  
• Maurice Duruflé: Quatre Motets sur des Thèmes Grégoriens Op. 10: I. Ubi caritas et amor
• Claude Debussy: Trois Chansons: I. Dieu! Qu'il la fait bon regarder
• Maurice Ravel: Trois Chansons: II. Trois beaux oiseaux du paradis
• Gabriel Fauré: Élégie pour violoncelle et orchestre, Op. 24

French Bands:

• Phoenix: Rome (from Wolgang Amadeus Phoenix)
• Dionysos: Tes lacets sont des fées (from Monsters in Love)

Songs about France:

• Joni Mitchell: In France They Kiss on Main Street (from: The Hissing of Summer Lawns)
• Japandroids: Wet Hair (from: Post Nothing)
• Rufus Wainwright: Complainte de la Butte (from: Moulin Rouge Soundtrack)

Keep you eyes open for my upcoming selections of "Album of the Year" and "Album of the Decade"

Pomplamoose

http://www.myspace.com/pomplamoosemusic

for bird and for bueno and for you

here are some songs that feel like autumn to me

1. Devendra Banhart: Heard Somebody Say (from: "Rejoicing in the Hands")
2. Andrew Bird: Imitosis (from "Armchair Apocrypha")
3. Fleet Foxes: White Winter Hymnal (from: "Fleet Foxes")
4. Lisa Hannigan: Venn Diagram (from: "Sea Sew")
5. Lucy Wainwright Roche: Chicago (from: "8 More")
6. Teddy Thompson: Turning the Gun on Myself (from: "A Piece of What You Need")

visual virtual desert - after the second course

its like adding 5 to 7 (and it equaling 13)

Exciting Electronic Euphoria

[more descriptive words that start with the letter "e"]

1 - Thom Yorke: TheHollowEarth (from: FeelingPulledApartByHorses [Single])
2 - Fever Ray: Seven (from: Fever Ray)
3 - Portishead: The Rip (from: Third)
4 - Dirty Projectors: Stillness is the Move (from: Bitte Orca)
5 - Yeah Yeah Yeahs: Soft Shock (from: It's Blitz!)
6 - Animal Collective: My Girls (from: Merriweather Post Pavilion)

First Post

is your ipod or car stereo tired of playing the same music all of the time?
trying to impress your hipster friends with some cool new music nobody's heard of yet? trying to impress them with classic oldies that have gone under the radar?
want to pretend like you know more awesome classical music than your classical-music "loving" friends pretend to know?
the point of my blog is help add some variety to your playlists and get some exposure to some great artists and songs that otherwise you may not know. i'll pull stuff that i've been listening to lately, sometimes themes, sometimes just cool stuff ranging from pop, indie, folk, classical, avant-garde, whatever i can find that i think is valuable for you to hear. but i won't be there to check up or anything so do whatever you want. let me know however if you like what you hear or have some great suggestion: i'm always looking for something new

rock on (or something like it...)