Thank you Sadie, for suggesting that I embed (did you know that this is essentially the same word as "imbed"? I learn something new every day) so anyway, this gives the blog a little more visual stimulation, yeah? Maybe better than just a link? Give me your feedback please. I can leave it the way it was if you prefer.
Oh y'all are in for it. My head is spinning out of control today. I have a million things in there and it's all just bouncing around desperate to get out and onto a page somewhere. Lucky for you, I will give it all right here on this blog right now in this moment. So...with that ----
I of course had to pick a Broken Bells tune for the song of the day because well, I am ALL ABOUT James Mercer right now. I couldn't sleep last night because I was thinking about an email I received yesterday. So on Facebook yesterday, I essentially threw it out there that I wanted to meet James Mercer and interview him for my stupid blog. I really was being funny at the time and voila! I got a response. Not just a response but an email from someone saying that they would look into it as his friend is a publicist for Danger Mouse. Um...wha? Come again? Are you serious? Okay okay, I know what y'all are thinking but I can't help but daydream about it, right? So the guy is god to me right now. I was rehearsing everything from what my first impression would be (do I shake the guy's hand firmly? to what do i wear? where should we eat? would he want me to buy it? will he think i'm dorky? am i allowed to say that i hope to see him around?) I know, I know. Super dork at her most right now.
For those of you who don't know James Mercer (I dare write that sentence but believe me, it was with a gasp), he is amazing. He really is an incredible musician. For most of you who know me well, Elliott Smith is my favorite musician. Unfortunately for the world, Elliott is dead. So then you think, how/when/is it at all possible to have someone else in the world who knows how to play like a million instruments, produce their own music, collaborate with some of the best musicians in the world, create multiple projects, keep it all going simultaneously while constantly producing brilliant material that the entire world enjoys? Ah Daniel-san, the time has come. Young grasshoppa was patient and the world was blessed with James Mercer. For starters, the guy has the voice of an angel. He also has starred in a film and also contributed a song to a documentary and not just any song but a Neil Young cover. Oh you had me at Neil. He even tours with my beloved Califone. Does the guy get any better? You all probably know him best as the front man for the ever awesome band "The Shins". What you might not know is that he has done even back-up vocals (really?!?) for Modest Mouse. On their album We Were Dead Before The Ship Even Sank, he sings backup vocals for "Florida", "We Missed The Boat" and "We've Got Everything". The guy is that good that even other A-list rockers just want him around. Do something, anything, play something or sing whatever you've got. Wouldn't you want to be that guy? This is his day job. Holy shit.
James Mercer has started a new project with the profoundly eclectic electronica rocker/DJ/producer, master of the mix Danger Mouse. You all probably know Danger Mouse from his big major mainstream debut in 2004 with Jay-Z to produce The Grey Album where Jay-Z does raps from his Black Album to the instrumental background of The Beatles' White Album. Clever. Anyway, it really is a fantastic album and man do I love artists who know how to do incredible stuff like that - stuff you wouldn't dream of sounding incredible but just are. It's always a "I wish I had thought of that" sort of moment for me. So Danger Mouse and James Mercer come together to create Broken Bells. An amazing band that makes me think of The Flaming Lips meets Ian Brown meets Air meets Nada Surf. I just love them. Love the sound, the way it makes me feel, and to top it off their videos are awesome. Just hearing Mercer's voice gives me chills in whatever capacity so I just feel lucky he's still doing this amazing stuff.
Speaking of collaboration and producing great projects between talented musicians, I began to think the other day about jaw-dropping bands that when you hear them you say "I love this and it is familiar to me. I don't know why but it's just right there in the genre of greatness in my psychological card catalog of bitchin music". That's because it is. Like when you go to a store and you find something you like and it's because you have 50 of them hanging up in your closet but this one is unique in its own way and will probably be the one you will wear every day for the next 6 months. Here is a list I came up with in my head in the shower this morning just off hand (a brief list):
1. Temple of the Dog (remember when?). I think the only hit was "Hunger Strike" but I remember the video like it was yesterday. They formed in 1990 with the best of the best grunge rockers around including Stone Gossard on rhythm guitar, Jeff Ament on bass guitar (both ex-members of Mother Love Bone), Mike McCready on lead guitar, Matt Cameron on drums and Eddie Vedder providing lead and backing vocals. We think of Chris Cornell and a few members of Pearl Jam but they came later, believe it or not. Well Chris Cornell founded the group but then it was all circulated around Mother Love Bone, etc. There is a lot to say here, but you get the gist. I digress.
2. Audioslave. Now isn't this a crappy band. What a sad day it is when Tom Morello, one of the best guitarists around, decides to team up with Chris Cornell to make Audioslave, a terrible band that sings love songs for pete's sake. I mean, how do you go from Rage Against the Machine's angry, poetic, prolific, emphatic tone of anti-government rants to teaming with the Soundgarden dropout? Beats me.
3. The Aliens. Now this is a fun group you would be so lucky to meet or see in real life given the opportunity. They represent the natural flow of creativity similar to Mercer working with The Shins and Broken Bells - going out on a limb and doing more of the synthesized electronica/funk beats with the familiar sing-songey sound. The Beta Band created another group called The Aliens and they rock. Just purely kick ass. I can't praise them enough. One of my favorite inbred greats for sure.
4. Gnarls Barkley. Danger Mouse hits it up with some great musicians being that his thing is producing and mixing and what not. So he went from working with Jay-Z to working with Cee-Lo Green to create Gnarls Barkley, the funkdafied duo that you can't take out of your stereo on a sunny Saturday. Love it. It's really fun. Don't miss out on having these guys in your collection. And now he's onto Broken Bells. What artistic moves he has made. Smart ones at that.
Another fun band that makes you feel fuzzy all over is Fruit Bats. They have a song called "When You Love Somebody" and I dedicate it constantly to Scarlett. It's only four lines sung over and over and over again. Only a band like Fruit Bats can do that. You want to just eat them up. DID YOU KNOW: Eric Johnson of Fruit Bats plays for The Shins? Oh we're full circle again. I love the incestuousness of rad bands. It makes me feel like I win the lottery when they do this.
You're probably all wondering what my reference to "Ken" was in the title of this outrageous all-over-the-place blog. That is because Ken is an artist that just goes by Ken. Yes, believe it. I'm not sure how Ken is going to get noticed or accomplish the feeling of a sold-out show going by Ken but we'll see where he goes. And by the way, poor Kens everywhere in the world. All we do is associate him with Barbie. Not a chance in the world. Anyway, I just discovered him. I do like one song of his. It's called "Wake City". Not a bad one at all.
On the way home from a long, tedious, boring, terribly exhausting, long and extremely unnecessarily stretched out day at school, I was heading home when I thought about how the highlights of my day really do consist of music and that's about it. I woke up this morning and played some satellite radio where I got to hear one of my favorite Modest Mouse hits "Trailer Trash" followed by Phoenix "Love Like a Sunset II". Tomorrow I will go into my love for Phoenix, as I have been daydreaming about them for days now as well. They are definitely in the top three in my life right now. Absolutely love love love them. Anyway, I'm so tangential today and I can't believe I have kept your attention this long (maybe some of you stopped a long time ago, understandably so) but today has been one of those days. The satellite radio station spoke to me with two great songs while getting ready and then I get in my car and turn on 101.9 and I get to hear the end of Foster The People "Pumped Up Kicks" as it melded into The Clash. Lucky me on my morning commute! As I'm heading home, I turn on 94.7 (the 90's at noon can blast some supreme hits I tell you what) and I got to hear Soundgarden's "Spoonman" (have they come up like three times in this blog unintentionally already? hmm..coincidence?) but then nothing was on. I have "fallback" albums like the never disappointing Elliott Smith along with others (this is in reference to an argument this morning with someone about how rare it is to have albums you can just listen to all the way through and I stated that I actually own quite a few of those because my taste in music is AWESOME). Anyway, listening to From a Basement on the Hill. I drive down my street hearing the words "heart of a blackbird" when I see a crow sitting atop a hearse in front of the little church next to my house with a funeral procession streaming out. I thought about how many songs I could've been blaring. This was the choice I suppose. It could've been Band of Horses "Funeral" or Jeff Buckley's "Lover, You Should've Come Over" or any other eerie song about being old or too young to die or making mistakes in life, etc. It was a quiet Portland moment, sort of a tribute almost to Elliott, this beautiful gray and simultaenously sunny day in the city of Roses, and to people who have gone.
To end on a positive note, my brother says I resemble Patti Smith here.
Believe me when I say that it made my week.
Speaking of week, I hope y'all have a great middle of the week day. I guess that's hump day. I don't mind if I do. Thank you for reading this insanely long blog entry. You all got to experience what is in my head. It's a lot I know. Try being me for a day.
Peace.
um...wha? this is eerie. just found out james mercer lives in elliott smith's old house. this is really strange. what might be even creepier: he didn't know it was elliott's old house when he bought it.
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