Music: the Thompsons
I've been traveling a lot in the last few months and thus spending some quality time with my iPod. On a red-eye flight a couple of nights ago, I was gripped by one of my periodic spells of amazement at the breadth and depth of music from Richard Thompson (seriously, try out his 1000 Years of Popular Music, which runs from "Sumer Is Icumen In" to "Oops! …I Did It Again"). I spent some time on YouTube yesterday putting together a primer for a friend, and decided to share some of my favourites with my f-list, or at the very least, make myself a "bookmarks" page.
His own songs really run the gamut from dark and hypnotic to dark and plaintive, to dark and rocking, to dark and sweet. Did I mention, his stuff is kinda dark? But so beautiful. And occasionally bitterly funny ("Let It Blow") or, rarely, just bitter ("When the Spell Is Broken") or just funny ("Amenhotep"). And then there's the achingly bittersweet, like "Waltzing's For Dreamers" and beautiful beyond belief "Persuasion", a duet with his son Teddy. The bridge always makes the hair on the back of my neck stand up, the way their voices blend and sometimes don't.
And I'm not kidding, he really does an amazing version of "Oops! …I Did It Again" with a courante break. A freakin' courante!
Definitely one of my favourite of his songs: the combination of voice, guitar work, and (surprisingly for me) the words. "Love letters you wrote get pushed back down your throat and leave you choking…"
Another of my top two or three of his songs, the exquisite "Persuasion" with Teddy, live.
Although the song's topic is typically kind of bleak, there's something uplifting about the changes in the chorus of "Let It Blow". And the video is amusing, with some cute visual puns and disturbing fruit porn.
One of those songs that sneaks up on you. It seems so simple on the surface/on first listening.
He does a number of songs that are intense, circular, and hypnotic, and I love them all. My favourite is probably either "Oh, My Soul" or "A Bird in God's Garden", but "Mingus Eyes" has that bass! It's amazing how big the sound is just with a guitar, a bass, and his voice. The drummer is barely noticeable or even needed (and you won't often hear me say that, as I love drummers!).
This is pure silliness, but it always makes me smile. It's rare that he gets this "light", but then again, it is a song about death.
And the above=mentioned, "Oops! …I Did It Again" avec courante.
His own songs really run the gamut from dark and hypnotic to dark and plaintive, to dark and rocking, to dark and sweet. Did I mention, his stuff is kinda dark? But so beautiful. And occasionally bitterly funny ("Let It Blow") or, rarely, just bitter ("When the Spell Is Broken") or just funny ("Amenhotep"). And then there's the achingly bittersweet, like "Waltzing's For Dreamers" and beautiful beyond belief "Persuasion", a duet with his son Teddy. The bridge always makes the hair on the back of my neck stand up, the way their voices blend and sometimes don't.
And I'm not kidding, he really does an amazing version of "Oops! …I Did It Again" with a courante break. A freakin' courante!
Definitely one of my favourite of his songs: the combination of voice, guitar work, and (surprisingly for me) the words. "Love letters you wrote get pushed back down your throat and leave you choking…"
Click to viewAnother of my top two or three of his songs, the exquisite "Persuasion" with Teddy, live.
Although the song's topic is typically kind of bleak, there's something uplifting about the changes in the chorus of "Let It Blow". And the video is amusing, with some cute visual puns and disturbing fruit porn.
One of those songs that sneaks up on you. It seems so simple on the surface/on first listening.
He does a number of songs that are intense, circular, and hypnotic, and I love them all. My favourite is probably either "Oh, My Soul" or "A Bird in God's Garden", but "Mingus Eyes" has that bass! It's amazing how big the sound is just with a guitar, a bass, and his voice. The drummer is barely noticeable or even needed (and you won't often hear me say that, as I love drummers!).
This is pure silliness, but it always makes me smile. It's rare that he gets this "light", but then again, it is a song about death.
And the above=mentioned, "Oops! …I Did It Again" avec courante.