Via Danelope: A thoughtful article about the Simpsons. When might it end?
by krisis
consume
So many people should be in my CD collection and aren’t. Aimee Mann is an obvious one, and i’m trying to fix that. Dar Williams has been ignored for far to long. I hear that Kitty rocks pretty hard. I need some more Melissa Ferrick. … Any other cool chicks boasting songwriting and guitars that i need to buy? Tell Me About Them!
I dreamt that i got mad referrals and mentions on other sites after slamming Eminem’s performance on SNL last night. Honestly i thought he was okay, but both the performances were lacking something. “Stan” went over well with Dido there to help out, but it comes off much more trance-like on the album. And “Real Slim Shady” just felt like it totally lacked energy. Usually i’m pretty impressed with Eminem when he performs live because he raps much better out of the studio, but last night left me nonplussed.
Yesterday I reread one of my favourite books, to reign in hell. It had been out of print for years and years, and i just got an original edition despite it just coming back into print. It’s about Heaven before there was an Earth, and how Satan was really the victim in all of this. Actually, everyone is the victim, but Yaweh is a bit more in the wrong than anyone else. He says that what he does (banishing Satan, Lucifer, at al) is because of foolish pride on Satan’s part, but really it’s just worse pride on his own part. The motivations behind Heaven, Archangels, Cherubim, and animals are all witty and extremely believeable. Also, if you don’t have any religious bias at all, you’ll probably be rooting for Satan the whole time. Or, maybe that was just me, but i think he came off as much more sympathetic (‘sympathy for the devil’).
I read the book in a single sitting, and afterwards i found myself believing it was all true for a second, but i caught myself before i could pledge allegiance to the devil.
What i truly love about this Madonna album is that it feels musically organic. First of all, whoever finally convinced Madonna to let guitars shine through in many of her songs deserves a pat on the back. Perhaps the country-gal album art is a nod to the overwhelming acoustic force on this album, but the simplicity of tunes like “Gone” that are just guitar, beatbox, and a few tracks of Madonna’s voice (with some electronic toys showing up as the song progresses) exemplify the newfound strength of her voice as well as the simple but heartfelt lyrics she’s come up with (and i still would love to know exactly how the writing process for a Madonna album occurs, but i fear that we’ll never know). “Music” at once doesn’t fit into the album at all and is perfect to kick it off… a bridge from “Beautiful Stranger” & “American Pie” to the present, showcasing all of her recent influences. “Impressive Instant takes us further in that direction, but by “I Deserve” it we see where the album’s true center is. I am left wondering what the next single might be… Ray of Light started off subtle with “Frozen” and then slammed us with the title track. “Music” is by far the best possible clubland single, so will Madonna try to top it with pop (“Amazing”) or grace (“I Deserve It”)?
Well, i’m off to Philosophy, so MadonnaBlog will be back later :P