I've Been Adored, But I Don't Know If I Ever Believed It
Haven't really written here in a while so, since my recommendation of Bat For Lashes was so warmly embraced by so many people, I thought I'd blow in and drop a few more recommendations as though I were someone with any cultural significance.
I've recently finished one of the most beautifully written, staggeringly constructed books I've ever read: The Crimson Petal And The White by Michel Faber. It's about a prostitute in nineteenth century London, rising through the ranks of society. It starts off a bit strangely - the narrator speaks to you, the reader, and it's all rather Italo Calvino - but it calms down to become a wonderful novel. Faber's use of language is unusual and poetic, but never wanky. His characters are breathtakingly real: he has created them perfectly, and reveals so much about the human condition through them. Something I enjoyed thoroughly was how a character would often think back to a time they were irritated by a "Mrs Higgenbotham" or something at a party. There's only that one mention of Mrs Higgenbotham: his world has become so complete that he has created these tiny, intricate back stories for his characters that never feel tacked on. I'm always at a bit of a loss to describe literature - I know the language of music criticism, but feel like a fake when describing books - but this is the first book I've read in years that kept me up until 2am to find out what happens. A book that was made for reviewers to hurl words like "captivating", "enthralling" and "enchanting" at.
Similarly enchanting is St Vincent's album, Marry Me. I would publish the review I wrote of it for Arcady, but it's being held back until the next issue. Cor! There are echoes of Kate Bush/Cyndi Lauper/Tori Amos/Fiona Apple, Bjork/Melissa Auf Der Maur/Bat For Lashes and all those sort of female artists, but Annie Clark (who plays guitar for Sufjan Stevens and The Polyphonic SPree) is definitely her own woman. Fans of aforementioned artists should check her out. The album is varied, and runs from glam pop to jazzy torch songs with crazy vocal loops. Love it.
I've also discovered Dor Allison's We Are Science. I bought it about a year ago, because I loved her single Close Your Eyes from her debut album Afterglow. It failed to grab me at first, but I fell for it hard this week. The Red Eye sticker describes it as "dark, sexy electro", and that's very accurate. It's mostly electronic, but in a very understated way, like Kate Bush's Aerial, only with more of The Dreaming's claustrophobic mood. We're Only Science is a soundtrack for lazy sex, while Substance's sudbued beats are perfect for that last dance at 4am.
Oh, look: Garbage's Tell Me Where It Hurts has just come on the radio. Hooray!
In other music news, I bought albums by Backstreet Boys and NSYNC at the Glebe record fair on Saturday. I do not recommend these titles (although I bought Poppy Z Brite's biography of Courtney Love and have finished it already: expect a polemic on why I love Courtney Love soon!)
I've recently finished one of the most beautifully written, staggeringly constructed books I've ever read: The Crimson Petal And The White by Michel Faber. It's about a prostitute in nineteenth century London, rising through the ranks of society. It starts off a bit strangely - the narrator speaks to you, the reader, and it's all rather Italo Calvino - but it calms down to become a wonderful novel. Faber's use of language is unusual and poetic, but never wanky. His characters are breathtakingly real: he has created them perfectly, and reveals so much about the human condition through them. Something I enjoyed thoroughly was how a character would often think back to a time they were irritated by a "Mrs Higgenbotham" or something at a party. There's only that one mention of Mrs Higgenbotham: his world has become so complete that he has created these tiny, intricate back stories for his characters that never feel tacked on. I'm always at a bit of a loss to describe literature - I know the language of music criticism, but feel like a fake when describing books - but this is the first book I've read in years that kept me up until 2am to find out what happens. A book that was made for reviewers to hurl words like "captivating", "enthralling" and "enchanting" at.
Similarly enchanting is St Vincent's album, Marry Me. I would publish the review I wrote of it for Arcady, but it's being held back until the next issue. Cor! There are echoes of Kate Bush/Cyndi Lauper/Tori Amos/Fiona Apple, Bjork/Melissa Auf Der Maur/Bat For Lashes and all those sort of female artists, but Annie Clark (who plays guitar for Sufjan Stevens and The Polyphonic SPree) is definitely her own woman. Fans of aforementioned artists should check her out. The album is varied, and runs from glam pop to jazzy torch songs with crazy vocal loops. Love it.
I've also discovered Dor Allison's We Are Science. I bought it about a year ago, because I loved her single Close Your Eyes from her debut album Afterglow. It failed to grab me at first, but I fell for it hard this week. The Red Eye sticker describes it as "dark, sexy electro", and that's very accurate. It's mostly electronic, but in a very understated way, like Kate Bush's Aerial, only with more of The Dreaming's claustrophobic mood. We're Only Science is a soundtrack for lazy sex, while Substance's sudbued beats are perfect for that last dance at 4am.
Oh, look: Garbage's Tell Me Where It Hurts has just come on the radio. Hooray!
In other music news, I bought albums by Backstreet Boys and NSYNC at the Glebe record fair on Saturday. I do not recommend these titles (although I bought Poppy Z Brite's biography of Courtney Love and have finished it already: expect a polemic on why I love Courtney Love soon!)