Chip Taylor & Carrie Rodriguez - Let's Leave This Town - Chip Taylor is, among other things, the brother of Jon Voigt and the composer of "Wild Thing," a formula so socially rattling that should cause birds to start copiously shitting from their perches and checks to start bouncing with the mere mention of his name, recorded this sweetheart of a sorta country duet record with a young fiddler and fresh box of firecrackers Carrie Rodriguez back a couple of years. Totally spellbinding sweetness. You oughta go play this for your best girl.
St. Vincent - Actor (listen) This album is on nearly everybody's end of year list but I dunno. It is a thing gorgeously wrought of intuition and innovation, braided up like the tresses of the wisest of the Valkyrie but alot like Miranda July and her damn No One Belongs Here More Than You: Stories, I want to be less compelled to like it, less drawn to that obvious allure. Evidence of that allure can be found in the fact that I spent five minutes trying to remember her name and almost emailed a bunch of people and posted the question on FaceBook like a nervous, enrapt spazz. Why though? The wispy, vacant-eyed wiry type with most likely an eating disorder and emotions bottled up all pretty like boutique olive oil are not my type. If I do have a type, it's the type whose sweetness is laid out like a pistol on the dinner table. Not shootin' anybody or anything right now, but just lettin' you know. Pretty record though.
I can't get into that St. Vincent record either. One song at a time, it's nice enough. But listening to a bunch in a row sorta desensitizes me. It's pretty, in a factory-made sort of way.
ReplyDeleteUh, that was me above. Don't know where that username came from.
ReplyDeleteChip & Carrie stuff is very cool - but I'm more excited about what she's done since she spun off solo. I'm not sure how to classify what she does musically - other than it's great. Heard her on WWOZ doing a song called "Waterbound" that just so captures the whole feel of Katrina hell. Have since bought every solo record (ok, CD - just 2) and duet record (she has 4 with Chip Taylor). The solo stuff just resonates w/me more. Will check out St. Vincent, thanks.
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