Month: March 2007

michelle mangione

Acoustic music fans take note: this album should be in your CD collection.

I have this theory that drummers who become acoustic singer/songwriters have more rhythmically interesting songs than many of their contemporaries. Michelle Mangione is another in my short but growing list of drummer-turned-guitarists that exemplify my theory.

Along with drums and guitar (steel string and nylon), Mangione plays the piano and organ, and she plays them well. Listening to Life Beneath the Sun, one would never know that it is an independent recording with only a handful of studio performers besides Mangione. The classical guitar instrumental "Interlude" shows off her chops on that instrument, just in case you hadn't figured it out by then.

Musically, she reminds me of Melissa Etheridge, but without the corporate rock sheen that has coated Etheridge's career. publicity photo of Michelle MangioneLyrically, she has a lot to say in her songs. The album contains excellent instrumentation, as mentioned before, however the production is done in such a way to emphasize the vocals — a hallmark of singer/songwriter albums. Very little obscures the message and poetry Mangione is trying to convey with the songs on Life Beneath the Sun.

"America the Blue" examines some of the hypocrisy practiced by Americans who revere and support our warriors until they come home. The topic is approached from the side and not a direct confrontation. "I met a hero at my doorstep / He only did what he had to do / He surely had found the American dream come true / He reached out for a nickel with his right hand / Another long, cold lonely night and / He never felt so red white and blue…" Even the poppy, head-bopping music doesn't convey any sort of preachiness. The song is particularly poignant given the reports of conditions at Walter Reed Army Medical Center.

The chorus of "Prisoner of War" is one that regularly plays on repeat in my mental jukebox. "Are you ready to release me / I am ready to be freed / You know I can't escape this feeling anymore / And if time is all it takes me / I will loosen up these chains / Just enough to make my getaway / And I won't be your prisoner of war…" I can't say I have ever been in a relationship where I have felt that sentiment, but I do like the imagery of the lyrics and the musical hook. Plus, the song incorporates one of my favorite unusual acoustic pop instruments: the accordion.

One of my complaints about singer/songwriters is that so many write songs that have a lot of "I" and "you" in them. Mangione is no different, but as a friend pointed out to me recently, that is not necessarily a bad thing. Sometimes writers need to have a period of introspection, or it could be that is where their talent lies. In this case, Mangione is able to convey all of her I's and you's in an interesting and mostly universal way, which is more than I can say for some writers.

Other stand-out songs on the album include "Anything Better," "I've Become," and "Man With a Gun." The album on a whole is a solid mix of toe-tappers and songs that make you go "hmmm…," and a few do both. Overall, I am pleased with Life Beneath the Sun. The production is well done, the songwriting is solid, and the musicians are on their game — good indicators of an album with some staying power.

Life Beneath the Sun is available from CDBaby and iTunes.

Also published on Blogcritics.org.

graduate assistantships available

The James E. Brooks Library faculty announce a graduate assistantship program for individuals who already have an MLS, or equivalent, and who desire a second subject master degree.

Graduate Assistantships Available
The James E. Brooks Library
Central Washington University
2007-2008

The James E. Brooks Library faculty announce a graduate assistantship program for individuals who already have an MLS, or equivalent, and who desire a second subject master degree. This unique two-year program allows an individual to study in any of eighteen graduate programs while gaining valuable professional experience in an academic library. Ideal for new or experienced tenure-seeking librarians, candidates must apply to the graduate school and be accepted into a program prior to being accepted as a paid library graduate assistant.

The assistantship is really two programs; an opportunity to gain valuable professional experience under the tutelage of professional librarians while getting that second, often necessary, advanced degree required at many academic libraries. For experienced librarians this assistantship is also two programs; a chance to advance by studying for an advanced degree while renewing and recharging one’s self during an extended leave of absence. Total benefits include a stipend of $7,120, plus paid tuition, medical insurance and health center fees equaling approximately $13,888 per academic year. Summer study and employment opportunities may also be available.

Opportunities are available for candidates to gain professional experience in reference, instruction, library technology and systems, technical services, outreach, archives and record management, government publications, maps, assessment and research.

Application and queries may be initiated by contacting Dr. Thomas M. Peischl, Dean of Library Services at peischl@cwu.edu, or by telephone at (509) 963-1901, or by mail at The James E. Brooks Library, 400 East University Way, Ellensburg, WA 98926.

Central Washington University
The James E. Brooks Library
The Office of Graduate Studies and Research

women!

Today is International Women’s Day. I still haven’t decided on what I’ll be doing to celebrate. Update: I took Dinah‘s lead and invested some money in Ekua Essoun, a Ghanaian entrepreneur who is seeking start-up money for a produce business.

Today is International Women’s Day. I still haven’t decided on what I’ll be doing to celebrate.

Update: I took Dinah‘s lead and invested some money in Ekua Essoun, a Ghanaian entrepreneur who is seeking start-up money for a produce business.

penny loafers – quicksand

A cappella arrangements that are so good they make me want to listen to Coldplay, among others.

One of the things that continue to draw me to a cappella music is the intimacy it conveys. The voice is not hidden behind instrumentation or electronic trickery. It is left exposed in front for the world to hear.

The same is true with a cappella covers of songs that originally used modern instrumentation. Even when the choir of voices behind the lead singer is replicating the instruments and percussion of the original, the lead voice remains bare. Sometimes it takes that bare intimacy for me to realize just how good a song is.

I first had an inkling of this when I heard folk singer/songwriter Rose Polenzani do a cover of Whitesnake's "Here I Go Again" some years ago at a live show. I never liked the song as much as I did after I heard her version of it. The same thing happened when I heard the University of Pennsylvania Penny Loafers' a cappella cover of The Postal Service's "Such Great Heights" last year. Their cover made me give the song and the band a second listen, and now I'm hooked on The Postal Service.

Given all that, it was with eager anticipation that I hit the play button for the first track of the Penny Loafer's new album, Quicksand. Quicksand album coverOnce again, I was both surprised and pleased by how much I enjoy their versions of modern pop radio songs I never would listen to in their original incarnations.

"Swallowed in the Sea" (Coldplay) is a prime example of this. I cannot stand to listen to Coldplay. Maybe they are more interesting now, but their first hit single in the US was so dreary that I was immediately turned off and have not bothered to listen to them since then. However, Sam Cohn's a cappella arrangement and performance as lead vocal has made me think I should try them again. The song has a hint of folk to it, as if it had a history in an old English seaport.

Except for Sia's "Breathe Me" and Amiee Mann's "Humpty Dumpty," all of the songs on Quicksand are new to me. Those two are arranged close to the originals, as far as I can tell, and I can only expect the same is true of the rest of the album. The group has over a dozen arrangers represented on this album, and despite that they have kept the quality consistent. There is not a track on the album that stood out either positively or negatively.

A cappella purists might quibble over the obvious studio tweaking on the recording. There are a few places that stand out as examples of what the human voice cannot do without some digital augmentation. Even so, the quality of the recording is still impressive. The Penny Loafers have followed up Side A with another fine collection of a cappella tunes.

The Penny Loafers CDs (all eight of them) are available only on their website or a few online a cappella distributors. You can preview and download individual tracks or entire albums from acaTunes.

sleep patterns

On Friday night, I stayed up much later than I usually do. I’m not sure why — I wasn’t feeling well all evening and had decided to stay home rather than going out as planned. Somehow I managed to find things to entertain myself until 2am, although aside from the crossword puzzle, I can’t remember … Continue reading “sleep patterns”

On Friday night, I stayed up much later than I usually do. I’m not sure why — I wasn’t feeling well all evening and had decided to stay home rather than going out as planned. Somehow I managed to find things to entertain myself until 2am, although aside from the crossword puzzle, I can’t remember what those things were.

My cats — specifically Alex — woke me up at 7am. I was not happy, but I was just rested enough that by the time I fed them, I knew I wasn’t going back to sleep. In any case, the live feed of two of my favorite podcasts would be coming on around 9:30 or 10, and I didn’t want to miss the start. I knew that if I went back to sleep then, it would be for at least three more hours.

I was pretty sluggish for the rest of the day, but I kept on going. I figured I’d get to bed early that night and be back on my regular sleep schedule. However, by 6:30pm my body informed me that a nap was in order. So, I took a nap. A refreshing, four hour nap. So refreshing, in fact, that I could not make myself go back to sleep for the night.

Three hours later I was finally tired enough to go to bed. Again. The cats woke me up at 7am. this morning. Again.

I think they’re trying to get me on their sleep cycle, but until I’m allowed a siesta at work, it isn’t going to happen.

#5

Puss ‘n Cahoots: A Mrs. Murphy Mystery by Rita Mae Brown

Meh. I’ve been a fan of the Mrs. Murphy series from book one, and this is the first to disappoint me. The author spent more time describing the setting and the technical elements of saddlebred horse shows than on character development or suspense. Normally this wouldn’t be a problem because most of the rest of the books take place in one area (Crozet, Virginia) and with some of the same characters throughout.

Brown usually has only a handful of newcomers to introduce and maybe one or two new locations. However, this time all of the action takes place in Kentucky, and the only constant characters are Harry, Fair, Mrs. Murphy, Pewter, and Tee Tucker. Everyone else is new, and frankly by the end of the story I could care less about what happens to them.

I guess this is one problem with long-running book series — there is an expectation that each book will be as good as or better than the last one, but sometimes the author can’t deliver on that promise.

acoustic women

Putumayo World Music takes listeners on a first-class globe-trotting tour of acoustic music performed by women.


by Putumayo Presents

Women of the World: Acoustic (Putumayo World Music) begins with the exquisitely melodic "M'envoyer des Fleurs" sung by French chanteuse Sandrine Kiberlain. The song is in French, and thankfully the extensive liner notes include the English translations of every song on the compilation, which includes languages from all around the world. The liner notes themselves are also duplicated in Spanish and French.

On the whole, Women of the World: Acoustic is a warm and inviting wave of sound lapping at the eardrums. The production quality is high — each instrument and vocal is perfectly balanced to bring out the focus of the songs or musical styles. Of course, this is a Putumayo album, and one expects that sort of quality from it, anyway.

The song order is interesting as it moves from continent to continent, never staying in one hemisphere for more than three consecutive songs. Even so, there is a cohesive flow that renders these musical transitions nearly invisible. My linguistic acumen is limited to American English and some Spanish, so to my ear the languages sung on Women of the World: Acoustic are nearly indistinguishable. They quickly became sounds and vocalizations and lost any sense of meaning. This does not in any way diminish my enjoyment of the recording; it added to the sense of flow and easy transitions.

That being said, there are several tracks on this compilation that I favor over others. Emiliana Torrini's "Sunnyroad" and The Wailin' Jennys' "One Voice" are the only English-language songs, and as a result they are memorable in that I can understand what they are singing about. Also, the performers have fantastic voices. I've been a fan of The Wailin' Jennys ever since I heard them on A Prairie Home Companion a few years ago.

"Não se Apavore" (Luca Mundaca), "Wa" (Kaïssa), "Bida Maridau" (Lura) are all standout tracks because of the infectious percussiveness of the vocals. One of my favorite non-Western acoustic instruments, the bouzouki, makes an appearance on "Ola Ta Aiskola." Combined with the warm vocals of contralto Anastasia Moutsatsou, this track also ranks highly among my favorites.

Western audiences tend to associate acoustic music with our folk or old-time traditions, but the broad definition encompasses more than that. Women of the World: Acoustic deftly demonstrates that acoustic music can come in all sorts of shapes and styles, many of which are quite enjoyable to the Western ear.

This is Putumayo's fifth collection in the "Women of the World" series, and a portion of the proceeds from the sales will be donated to the Global Fund for Women. All the more reason to pick up a copy for yourself.

pity the ____

One of my recent webcomic finds (besides Questionable Content — sorry, Benjamin) is Sheldon. I can’t quite explain why I like it so much, I just know that in the past couple of months, it’s been one of my regular must-reads. The comic has an RSS feed that includes both the strips and the author’s … Continue reading “pity the ____”

One of my recent webcomic finds (besides Questionable Content — sorry, Benjamin) is Sheldon. I can’t quite explain why I like it so much, I just know that in the past couple of months, it’s been one of my regular must-reads.

The comic has an RSS feed that includes both the strips and the author’s blog entries. Today he highlighted an archive strip that he ran across while going through the process of tagging each strip for the search engine. It made me giggle and reminded me I probably should blog about it so that other folks can enjoy it, too.

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