6 posts tagged “bjork”

Downloads:
- eMusic: http://www.emusic.com/album/Patrick-Watson-Wooden-Arms-MP3-Download/11443563.html
- iTunes (US): http://ax.itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewAlbum?id=313783404&s=143455
- Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Wooden-Arms/dp/B0028JSDFA/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=dmusic&qid=1243605993&sr=8-2

You must buy this album. Patrick Watson (the band, lead by Patrick Watson, the singer) are the point at which Andrew Bird, Tom Waits, Jeff Buckley, Rufus Wainwright, Antony & The Johnsons and Bjork all meet.

These are my favourite songs:

I downloaded this weeks ago, and other than one song coming on random, forgot to listen to it. A DOI. Really fucking good. There are bits that remind me of Andrew Bird and Final Fantasy, bits that remind me of Dntel and The Postal Service, and bits that remind me of Bjork (their programmer, Console, worked on Vespertine).

'One Step Inside Doesn't Mean You Understand'

'Consequence'

'Pilot'

So begins 'Heirloom' by Bjork, and so begins this post. I've had it a lot over the past year. Elements change, but the overall theme is the same.

I am in what I recognise to be one of my old places in London. Sometimes, it actually is one of those places, other times it is a place my brain has made up. The overall thrust of the dream is that I am supposed to be moving out of the place, but I am not ready - not everything is packed, and there is some looming deadline such as the landlord coming to inspect the place or new people moving in.

Last night, it was the latter. In the dream, my brother, his girlfriend, Jess and I were asleep in my old place. I got up and looked out of the window to see the new tenant and her friends carrying luggage and furniture towards the house. I quickly ran to wake people up, shouting "We have to get up, I'm not ready!"

Then it cut to me explaining to the new tenant that she could keep my television, stereo and VCR as I wouldn't need them where I was going. It was around this time that I woke up.

Jess thinks the dream is actually an analogy for work - how I am very busy on one project but the next one is looming up ahead. It would make sense I guess - work is crazy this week (culminating in me staying late at the office last night), but I don't know... even ignoring work, I've felt very strange this week. My brain has been ticking more than usual with directionless, restless thoughts and I think my sub-conscious is having just as hard a time making sense of it as my conscious is.

I stole this from Wendy, who stole it from Cliff.

Put your iPod/Zune/iRiver/Creative thingy on random and write the first line of each of the first twenty-five songs it plays, then see how relevant those lyrics are to your life. No skipping songs that make you look uncool, or manually selecting songs you like.

1. 'Ice Box' by Nada Surf
"Stay until you're sure that I'm asleep, warm and safe and very still."

This is very insightful. Every night, Jess waits till I'm asleep then goes and plays Wii Sports till the early hours of morning. That's why she's tired.

2. 'Love Affair' by Kylie Minogue
"Here in the moment I belong, in a waking dream."

Today, I am very sleepy and not concentrating as it's Thanksgiving and the office is so dead.

3. 'Steps Into Miles' by Hayden
"Your legs walk through the tide like a smile, turn every step into miles."

All the girls at work are wearing jeans, and they're all shorter than me, so this can't be about ogling legs; and we're nowhere near water. Am I thinking too literally?

4. 'Nothing And Everything' by Smashing Pumpkins
"Hiding behind my hair today, my eyes dance with fire."

I don't even own a hair, let alone many hairs that would necessitate an entire face hide.

5. 'One More Time' by The Cure
"I'd love to touch the sky tonight, I'd love to touch the sky."

I'd love to watch Sky Plus tonight, but alas.

6. 'A Man/Me/Then Jim' by Rilo Kiley
"I had one friend in high school, recently he hung himself with string."

I've not heard of any school friends committing suicide, but people I went to school have been adding me on Facebook recently. Hmm.

7. 'New Lace Sleeves' by Elvis Costello
"Bad lovers face to face in the morning, shy apologies and polite regrets."

Jess and I usually sleep butt to butt... although, we call each other butthead and buttface, so maybe it's a subtle nod.

8. 'Animal' by Pearl Jam
"One, two, three, four, five against one, five, five, against one."

Those sound like good odds. Put me down for $20.

9. 'Unison' by Bjork
"One hand allows the other, so much and me."

Thanks for clearing that up, Bjork. No really.

10. 'Goodnight Sweet Night' by Jason Falkner
"Nobody told me this, I could have just asked how you were, how you were."

Jason Falkner is a walking self-help guide. How ARE you, person reading this?

11. 'Darts' by System Of A Down
"May I please remain in this space, for darts screech by my desires?"

Watching darts or playing darts? Watching darts is more fun because you get to laugh at big fat guys.

12. 'Briefcase Full Of Guts' by Dethklok
"Punch your card 'cause your working day has started and you're pushing hard for employee of the month."

We don't have an employee of the month scheme yet. But I do work hard when I'm awake.

13. 'Once In A Lifetime' by Talking Heads
"And you may find yourself living in a shotgun shack, and you may find yourself in another part of the world, and you may find yourself behind the wheel of a large automobile."

I'm in another part of the world! Hurrah!

14. 'Sulk' by Radiohead
"You bite through the big wall, the big wall bites back, you sit there and sulk, you sit there and bawl."

If I tried eating wall, I probably would cry.

15. 'Trunk' by Kings Of Leon
"Well I got what she wants, ah her nose, a tied knot."

If by she you mean the generic woman, then yes, I have money. That's all women want isn't it? That or Mel Gibson reading their minds.

16. 'The Queen Is Dead (Take Me Back To Dear Old Blighty)' by The Smiths
"Take me back to dear old Blighty, put me on the train for London town!"

I might be thinking this when winter really kicks in here in Chicago, but right now all I miss about Blighty are people.

17. 'Monkey & Bear' by Joanna Newsom
"Down in the green hay where monkey and bear usually lay, they woke from a stable boy's cry."

I've got nothing.

18. 'Accidents' by The Prize Fighter Inferno
"Oh, come now father dear and turn this blood to choice."

Again, um... yeah?

19. 'Twisted' by Sleeper
"She's seen one and it looks funny, it made her cry said boo to her."

This must be about genitals. Jess is scared of my genitals?

20. 'What You're Doing' by The Beatles
"Look what you're doing, I'm feeling blue and lonely."

Today I am not feeling blue, but it is pretty lonely as everyone left for lunch.

21. 'White Collar Boy' by Belle & Sebastian
"You're a white collar boy and you gave in to the law."

The collar I am wearing is blue with thin white stripes in it. I always give in to the law.

22. 'Walking Higher' by Heather Nova
"I carry you with me like a ghost inside."

This must be about my parasitic twin, Desmond.

23. 'Time After Time Etc' by REM
"Ask the girl of the hour by the water tower's watch, if your friends took a fall, are you obligated to follow?"

I always stick up for my friends, even if they're someone else's HUSband.

24. 'Imaginary Love' by Rufus Wainwright
"Every kind of love, at least my kind of love, must be an imaginary love to start with."

This is true. When I started crushing on Jess, I wished she felt the same.

25. 'Regret' by New Order
"Maybe I've forgotten the name and the address of everyone I've ever known, it's nothing I regret."

I am the most forgetful person in the world. Except Ricci. And my mum.

The title is pretty apt right now. It's taken from the song 'Unravel' by Bjork (which featured on Homogenic, one of my all-time favourite albums) that Radiohead recently covered on a webcast.

Original...

Radiohead cover...

Jess returns home in two days, we've been apart for four, and it's a very strange sensation. After all that cross-Atlantic bullshit, I hoped we would never spend ridiculous amounts of time apart ever again. Not that a week is very long, but I miss that stinky cheesehead.

After my last update, I napped ahead of going out for the midnight screening of Donnie Darko. I met Jason, his boyfriend Brad and their friend Valerie at the cinema. We weren't sure who else was coming, so after fifteen minutes, we headed to a nearby bar where we bumped into Laura and Mike. After a few drinks, Laura and Mike stayed on while the rest of us went to see the film.

It was a different version to the version I own - there was extra footage and better explanation of the bizarre plot. Having not seen the film for a long while, I really enjoyed it and it was worth staying out till 2.30am for. Especially as it reminded me of how much I love 'Head Over Heels' by Tears For Fears. I had also forgotten who was in the movie - Donnie's girlfriend Gretchen is played by Jena Malone (if you haven't seen the film Saved!, do it); one of the two bullies - although not the one named Seth - is played by Seth Rogen (The 40 Year Old Virgin, Superbad, Knocked Up); and crazy Christian teacher Kitty Farmer is played by Beth Grant, who was the pageant official in Little Miss Sunshine and Ralph's mum in My Name Is Earl.

Yesterday, I spent much of the day in bed - playing Command & Conquer 3, napping, watching Comedy Central. Doing as little as possible pretty much. I went to sleep quite early, waking (randomly) just in time to watch Metalocalypse before dozing off again to my iPod. My only contact with the outside world all day was when I ordered in some Thai food.

Tonight it'll be more of the same, but tomorrow I'm going out for dinner with Josie and Gaz and Wednesday I get Jess back.

Show us which album tops your best of 2007 list so far.

It's a three way tie so far:

The Crane Wife by The Decemberists apparently came out last year - as did Mercury-nominated Irishman Fionn Regan's album, The End Of History; and In Rainbows by Radiohead isn't out yet. Closely following behind these are Nux Vomica by The Veils, Under The Blacklight by Rilo Kiley, 23 by Blonde Redhead and An End Has A Start by Editors.

Here is a list of everything released this year that I have on my iPod, which in theory is everything released this year that I own but it may be incomplete:

Pocket Symphony by Air
Neon Bible by Arcade Fire
Favourite Worst Nightmare by Arctic Monkeys
Fur And Gold by Bats For Lashes
Volta by Bjork
23 by Blonde Redhead
Cassadaga by Bright Eyes
On Letting Go by Circa Survive
Some Loud Thunder by Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
An End Has A Start by Editors
The Best Of - The First Ten Years by Elvis Costello
The Reminder by Feist
Our Love To Admire by Interpol
Further North by Johnathan Rice
Spirit If... by Kevin Drew
Because Of The Times by Kings Of Leon
Singularity by Mae
Heresy And The Hotel Choir by Maritime
We Were Dead Before The Ship Even Sank by Modest Mouse
Year Zero by Nine Inch Nails
Planet Earth by Prince
My Brother's Blood Machine by The Prize Fighter Inferno
Under The Blacklight by Rilo Kiley
Young Modern by Silverchair
Zeitgeist by Smashing Pumpkins
In Our Bedroom After The War by Stars
Beauty & Crime by Suzanne Vega
Nux Vomica by The Veils
Sky Blue Sky by Wilco