Today's DailyOM Offerings...
March 14, 2007
Springtime Can Kill You
Jolie Holland
2006
Jolie Holland's music seems at times like a moment caught in amber-rich, rootsy, atmospheric. The sepia-toned, deeply acoustic instrumentation, bare but still fulfilling, surrounds Holland's evocatively poetic lyrics in a loose, silky wrap. On Springtime Can Kill You, the Texas native's second full-length album, those lyrics capture even the simplest situation with stirring vitality. The opening track, "Crush in the Ghetto," demonstrates exactly that from the very first verse. Sung over sparse guitar chords, the ticktock of a tight, brushed snare set, and the rosy blush of baritone horns, Holland describes the dizzying mood she's in: "I'm still dressed up from the night before / Silken hose and an old Parisian coat / And I feel like a queen at the bus stop on the street / Look what you've done to me." In just those few lines Holland reveals where her head and heart are, emotionally and geographically, and the song has barely begun.
The title track of this 2006 release is just as intriguing. The delights of earth and love are being renewed, flowers are crazy blooming, and for Holland that means you'd better take care of business. "You can't be too shy / You know the reason why / If you don't go get what you need / Something's going to break on the inside / Springtime, springtime can kill you / Just like it did poor me / Don't you see we're all hurt the same way / So get out, get out of your house." The song moves at a freewheeling clip, like moonshine-drunk lovers on a country back road, as Holland seeks release.
Although Holland infuses every track with a country sensibility, the album is mostly twang-free. Her vocals are lower, more rounded, the instrumentation a kind of straw-filled bedding rather than spangly, over-the-top window dressing. "Stubborn Beast," certainly at least in its rural setting, is deep country rather than countrified. "Like a stubborn beast when the barn is on fire / I might resist you when you try to save my life / When the flames rise around us and I can't see the door / This is still my home and it has never burned before / This is where I've taken my solace and my peace / The walls are caving in, but I am still a stubborn beast." Holland's feelings are complex yet the music remains simple and pure. The sound of Holland's milky voice and raw but softly curved instrumentation give her more complex mental exercises a place to comfortably rest. And it's that country comfort that offers us a place to curl up and daydream.
March 14, 2007
Thoughts Reshaped By Imagination
Sagittarius Daily Horoscope
Your thoughts will likely be marked by liveliness today as you interact with the people who play supporting roles in your environment. You may find conversation more pleasurable than usual as the notions posed to you can ignite entirely new ideas in your mind. Thus aroused and alert, you will likely engage in a form of communal brainstorming that can provide you with the outlet you need to refine the concepts that may prove important later. When an idea interests you today, your initial reaction may be to share it with a colleague or loved one. You may find that indulging such whims gives you a chance to expound upon your thoughts in order to refine them.
The intriguing yet indistinct ideas others put forth during the course of casual conversation can become seeds that grow into refined concepts and opinions when nurtured in the hospitable environment of our minds. These unformed notions stimulate our curiosity and mental agility, inciting us to mull them over from a variety of diverse angles. The time we spend talking to others can serve as a brainstorming session that not only enables our conversational partners to test their notions but also allows us to see how they respond to our thoughts. We thus inspire liveliness within one another and help each other make the most of the errant ideas that pass in and out of our minds. You will enjoy conversing with intelligent and thought-provoking people today as your dialogues can have a profoundly invigorating effect on your mental prowess.
March 14, 2007
Lifting Pain's Veil
Bitterness
It is natural to feel resentment or anger when life does not unfold as expected. We consciously or unconsciously anticipated one experience, and we grieve for the loss of it when the universe puts something else in our path. Most of the time, we work through these feelings and they pass. Occasionally, our anger and resentment do not fade and are instead transformed into bitterness. Bitter feelings allow us to become perfect victims in that we no longer feel obliged to work toward healing and choose instead to identify with our pain. Yet as unwholesome as bitterness can be, it is also a natural element of our emotional palette. When we acknowledge that it is okay to feel bitter, we reconnect with our hurt in a constructive way and can begin the process of working through it.
The nature of bitterness is rooted in the fact that the pain we feel provides us with a rationale. We may feel that we deserve to embrace our bitterness to its full extent. And to be bitter is, in essence, to cut ourselves off from all that is positive, hardening our hearts and vowing never to let go of our hurt. But just as bitter feelings can be self-defeating, so too can the release of bitterness be life-affirming in a way that few other emotional experiences are. When we decide that we no longer want to be bitter, we are reborn into a world filled with delight and fulfillment unlike any we knew while in the clutches of bitterness. The veil it cast over our lives is lifted, letting light and warmth touch our souls.
Divesting yourself of bitter feelings can be as simple as truly forgiving and moving on. Even when your bitterness has no concrete object, you can forgive situations too. Healing pain can be challenging but may be easier if you remind yourself that you are the only entity truly affected by your emotional state. In time, you will discover that letting go of your bitterness frees you to initiate the healing process and allows you to once again celebrate the possibility of the more wonderful life you deserve.
Springtime Can Kill You
Jolie Holland
2006
Jolie Holland's music seems at times like a moment caught in amber-rich, rootsy, atmospheric. The sepia-toned, deeply acoustic instrumentation, bare but still fulfilling, surrounds Holland's evocatively poetic lyrics in a loose, silky wrap. On Springtime Can Kill You, the Texas native's second full-length album, those lyrics capture even the simplest situation with stirring vitality. The opening track, "Crush in the Ghetto," demonstrates exactly that from the very first verse. Sung over sparse guitar chords, the ticktock of a tight, brushed snare set, and the rosy blush of baritone horns, Holland describes the dizzying mood she's in: "I'm still dressed up from the night before / Silken hose and an old Parisian coat / And I feel like a queen at the bus stop on the street / Look what you've done to me." In just those few lines Holland reveals where her head and heart are, emotionally and geographically, and the song has barely begun.
The title track of this 2006 release is just as intriguing. The delights of earth and love are being renewed, flowers are crazy blooming, and for Holland that means you'd better take care of business. "You can't be too shy / You know the reason why / If you don't go get what you need / Something's going to break on the inside / Springtime, springtime can kill you / Just like it did poor me / Don't you see we're all hurt the same way / So get out, get out of your house." The song moves at a freewheeling clip, like moonshine-drunk lovers on a country back road, as Holland seeks release.
Although Holland infuses every track with a country sensibility, the album is mostly twang-free. Her vocals are lower, more rounded, the instrumentation a kind of straw-filled bedding rather than spangly, over-the-top window dressing. "Stubborn Beast," certainly at least in its rural setting, is deep country rather than countrified. "Like a stubborn beast when the barn is on fire / I might resist you when you try to save my life / When the flames rise around us and I can't see the door / This is still my home and it has never burned before / This is where I've taken my solace and my peace / The walls are caving in, but I am still a stubborn beast." Holland's feelings are complex yet the music remains simple and pure. The sound of Holland's milky voice and raw but softly curved instrumentation give her more complex mental exercises a place to comfortably rest. And it's that country comfort that offers us a place to curl up and daydream.
March 14, 2007
Thoughts Reshaped By Imagination
Sagittarius Daily Horoscope
Your thoughts will likely be marked by liveliness today as you interact with the people who play supporting roles in your environment. You may find conversation more pleasurable than usual as the notions posed to you can ignite entirely new ideas in your mind. Thus aroused and alert, you will likely engage in a form of communal brainstorming that can provide you with the outlet you need to refine the concepts that may prove important later. When an idea interests you today, your initial reaction may be to share it with a colleague or loved one. You may find that indulging such whims gives you a chance to expound upon your thoughts in order to refine them.
The intriguing yet indistinct ideas others put forth during the course of casual conversation can become seeds that grow into refined concepts and opinions when nurtured in the hospitable environment of our minds. These unformed notions stimulate our curiosity and mental agility, inciting us to mull them over from a variety of diverse angles. The time we spend talking to others can serve as a brainstorming session that not only enables our conversational partners to test their notions but also allows us to see how they respond to our thoughts. We thus inspire liveliness within one another and help each other make the most of the errant ideas that pass in and out of our minds. You will enjoy conversing with intelligent and thought-provoking people today as your dialogues can have a profoundly invigorating effect on your mental prowess.
March 14, 2007
Lifting Pain's Veil
Bitterness
It is natural to feel resentment or anger when life does not unfold as expected. We consciously or unconsciously anticipated one experience, and we grieve for the loss of it when the universe puts something else in our path. Most of the time, we work through these feelings and they pass. Occasionally, our anger and resentment do not fade and are instead transformed into bitterness. Bitter feelings allow us to become perfect victims in that we no longer feel obliged to work toward healing and choose instead to identify with our pain. Yet as unwholesome as bitterness can be, it is also a natural element of our emotional palette. When we acknowledge that it is okay to feel bitter, we reconnect with our hurt in a constructive way and can begin the process of working through it.
The nature of bitterness is rooted in the fact that the pain we feel provides us with a rationale. We may feel that we deserve to embrace our bitterness to its full extent. And to be bitter is, in essence, to cut ourselves off from all that is positive, hardening our hearts and vowing never to let go of our hurt. But just as bitter feelings can be self-defeating, so too can the release of bitterness be life-affirming in a way that few other emotional experiences are. When we decide that we no longer want to be bitter, we are reborn into a world filled with delight and fulfillment unlike any we knew while in the clutches of bitterness. The veil it cast over our lives is lifted, letting light and warmth touch our souls.
Divesting yourself of bitter feelings can be as simple as truly forgiving and moving on. Even when your bitterness has no concrete object, you can forgive situations too. Healing pain can be challenging but may be easier if you remind yourself that you are the only entity truly affected by your emotional state. In time, you will discover that letting go of your bitterness frees you to initiate the healing process and allows you to once again celebrate the possibility of the more wonderful life you deserve.