hear a little song: let my love open the door

my mom isn't a football fan but yesterday she watched the big game and cheered for my colts, which was nice and mom-ly of her.

just after halftime she called to offer a little encouragement and ask a few questions. the first was about downs and yardage. then she wanted the lowdown on drew brees--"he's cute. how old is he? is he married?" and the last (maybe my favorite question of the night): "who are these guys, the who? they're pretty good, but they're kinda old..."

they are, indeed.

i couldn't offer her much more--i didn't really have the heart to go into all the drama i learned from the "behind the music" special--i was distracted by the game. i never gravitated toward their sound, but my mom is kind of a "british rock" lady, after a fashion (eric clapton, dire straits) so she might like some of their songs. maybe she and i will have a listening party next time i'm home.

i'm more inclined toward this cover of the townsend tune, which might be a tad mellow for her.

but oh when the strings swell, i swoon.

hope you like...

hear a little song (a very little one)

morning, january in paris.

what do you think of this sondre lerche number? for me, this is like turning the blinds, letting morning light in. or it's morning light somewhere, anywhere.

but i've wondered, is a minute and a half long enough for this to count as a song? is it ok to end it right when you think it might or should take off? and what of the title--why not just call this barely-a-song "interlude"? or since it leads nicely into the next, "prelude"?

i played it for my dad in the car once--i thought he'd appreciate the simple melody, the layering in of strings and horns, but i also wanted to see what he thought of the abrupt ending. he said, that's it? like he got gypped. or someone got lazy. we didn't into a long discussion about it--no need--he liked it, but it wasn't enough for him to bowl him over. i guess in the end, it's a matter of like/not rather than right/wrong.

i love it.

i listened to it one night, at about 2 am, about 30 times in a row. it--and i--were not going anywhere, but i wanted keep soaring...

(the title fits, after all.)

hear a little song (play a little guitar)

which music magazine was it that had the "if you were stuck on a deserted island, what 10 records would you take with you" feature in every issue? was it tower records' free mag? and was it 10 records? or 5? why can't i remember these details?

in any case, i have invested a lot of/too much time compiling and reassessing my own list over the years. i am certain i would be unhappy to be forever without "to be surprised", so i guess that means the dan in real life soundtrack is coming with me.

wasting one on a soundtrack, you ask? i know, i know. but it's almost all sondre lerche material, sweet, lovely tunes, some of it written expressly for the film. of them all, "to be surprised" owns my heart. "i'm not gonna lie..." the song makes me want to fall in love.

it also makes me want to learn the guitar--especially that picking guitar intro (arranged and played by ole ludwig kruger). isn't it a brilliant and bright sound? i was so inspired i actually started looking into guitar lessons last fall, but it's going to a little while before i can pull it together. plus, i can't sing, so that makes the whole strumming my guitar bit a lot less compelling. but still, i aspire.

do you? watch this, and be prepared to...

sunday night: this is how it's meant to be

i've been here at home, having a very typical sunday night--catching up on emails and the newspaper and "facebooking" a bit, with the tv on (sunday night baseball--muted), music playing...this song came on for the hundredth-plus time, but it somehow conveys exactly how i feel tonight.

and it reminded me of the first time i heard it: last june when my friend z and i went to see sondre lerche at joe's pub. i didn't even know the name of it at the time; everyone else in the room knew the song by heart - that sing-along remains one of my all-time favorite live music memories.

that, and "sleep anita..."

hope you enjoy it too.

***

link to full "modern nature" track (with the "tap dancing" bit) via last fm here, and sondre lerche's website here.

and: sorry for the loud woo-hooing at the end of the videos.