Joni fans,
Thought I'd take a moment to recommend some new music I've gotten recently by
other female artists I think you might enjoy.
"Fan Dance" by Sam Phillips (Nonesuch / WB) 2001
Sam's new disc is dry (as usual), and almost sounds like an album of
demo's. Some songs are very short and sound almost unfinished. The album as a
whole is only 33 minutes long.
Ultimately however, she's quite rewarding--with lyric's that are always
intelligent and thought provoking.
The best song is probably the single, "Five Colors." And the string (cello)
arrangement by Van Dyke Parks on "Wasting My Time" sounds like a cross
between The Beatles "Eleanor Rigby" and Bernard Herrmann's "Psycho" score. I
also like her piano-based "Edge Of The World" as well as the title track.
All in all, it's not as great as her "Martinis & Bikinis" album from 1994.
More similar to 1996's under-appreciated "Omnipop."
Anyway, I think her sound is unique and distinctive--and she remains
interesting at the very least.
"Life On A String" by Laurie Anderson (Nonesuch / WB) 2001
Probably better than the Sam Phillips, this is a great return to form for
Laurie Anderson. It reminds me of her wonderful 1989 album "Strange Angels,"
with some truly incredible songs.
If you're unfamiliar with her music, Laurie was (and is) a real
ground-breaker in pop/avant-garde music--pioneering a new kind of music in
much the same way Laura Nyro and our beloved Joni Mitchell did years ago.
The title track is simply a knockout! "Pieces And Parts" is brilliant, and
"One White Whale" is great too. "Dark Angel" features a lush, almost syrupy
string arrangement (again by Van Dyke Parks), and "Here With You" is an
instrumental featuring her own violin.
All things considered, this is definitely one of her very best records.
Highly recommended.
For some reason, the 'production' on both this and the new Sam Phillips
record reminds me of Nyro's recent "Angel In The Dark" in their unadorned,
demo-like quality.
"Vespertine" by Bjork (Elektra / WB) 2001
This record is exotic and beautiful, with gorgeous string arrangements by
Vince Mendoza (who worked with Joni Mitchell on her "Both Sides Now" album
last year).
This is probably Bjork's finest hour. Her singing is better than ever, and
the compositions and performances are utterly fascinating.
My favorite songs so far are "Pagan Poetry," "Sun In My Mouth" and especially
"Unison"--not to mention "Heirloom" and "It's Not Up To You."
It's a rather consistent listening experience without any major clunkers, and
much better than last years "Selmasongs" (the EP from her film "Dancer In The
Dark"), which ambitiously tried to incorporate industrial music with show
tunes.
If you like lush, elegant music that's challenging and a little bit out of
the ordinary, you'll probably like this. It's truly lovely and extremely
original--unlike anyone else I know of.
Anyone else heard these yet? If so, post some opinions...
Siquomb,
Billy
