It's beginning to smell a lot like Christmas

Check out my friend's blog Big Rock Candy Mountain - he's started his annual tribute to all things bizarro in the world of holiday music.

i am gonna make it through this year if it kills me (Mountain Goats/Bowerbirds, Empty Bottle 11/15)

From their own bio on their own Web site:

Many of the songs involve desperate characters who've found themselves in some trouble and want to moan about it a little before taking their lumps. The sexual tension between characters in your average Mountain Goats song could split the atom if the power could be harnessed, but it can't, so forget it.

So I'm sitting here trying to think of why I like this band so much. They make me uneasy. They make me itch. They make me want to throw up because I'm so scared for all these people who seem to be living so close to the edge of losing their minds, and then I wonder how close I myself am to that, or how far. Then they make me jump and sing along.

My first exposure was last summer or fall via one of those random samplers that emusic throws up (no pun intended) on their site for free download. This one was from Pitchfork, and included some crap, but a lot of good stuff that influenced my listening well throughout the next year. The song on the sampler "Woke Up New" was at first catchy and entertaining, and then I got tired of it, and knowing nothing about this band, wrote them off as nothing more than another group of geeky boys singing their frustrations to simple chords. (Not that there's anything wrong with that, I'm just troubled by the fact that I can't seem to get enough of that lately, but that I no longer tolerate the same from women.)

Over the next couple of months, I downloaded a few tunes here and there from some mp3 blogs... and at some point, I ended up with "Moon Over Goldsboro" and I think I was hooked. It haunted and still haunts me, for some reason conjuring up images of the times I returned to my hometown to heal after some failure or heartbreak.

There is a lot of small-town imagery in their songs, and perhaps that's part of the appeal for me. I haven't yet begun to scratch the surface of their career yet, but of the handful of albums I've aquired, I keep going back to The Sunset Tree. Maybe I just like John Vanderslice's production, (really looking forward to their next album for this reason) but I think that maybe it's becasue of how all the songs fit together as an album.

Anyway, about the show.

The Bowerbirds did their best, and played some of their fine tunes to an audience that was half listening, and half drunk and obnoxious. I think we will see more of them, and I look forward to what they do next.

As for the Mountain Goats, I was glad that I knew many of the songs they played. Having never been to one of their shows, I wasn't sure what to expect, especially considering that I don't know much of their music, overall. I don't think they played long enough, probably less than an hour, including encores, but since most of their songs are so short, they still fit in a lot of them, including a rocking, sing along, "This Year."

There is such thing as too much of a good thing though, so I suppose I should be glad they stopped when they did. I just found myself wishing I'd paid a little more attention, because to use another cliche, you don't know what you've got 'til it's gone. I was drinking beer, watching people, singing along and cheering, and while I wasn't looking, it was over and I was thinking, but wait, I'm having too much fun. I look forward to the next time they come to town, and I want to be more attentive next time. I hope I don't O.D. on them before that happens, but I don't know if there's a danger of that.

Even I'm too young to REALLY remember Joy Division

The Ian Curtis biopic CONTROL, brought to us by Anton Corbijn, who is best known for his rock photography and music videos, seemed to be a series of photos and music videos more than the story that I wanted. Although the acting was a good as they critics are saying it was, the blatant foreshadowing was a little too much, and I don't know that we got to care enough about the characters. Sam Riley's performance though, was physically convincing, and made me feel sad about how much we expect from our touring musicians. The fact that all of this took place when this kid was, well, a kid makes me skeptical. Where was the back story? What happened in his past that made him so depressed. Why don't we see more of his family? Maybe it's all a big mystery, and was even to his wife, from whose book this story came. I suggest waiting for the video. But I could be wrong.

Man Push Cart - DVD review

There are certain things about urban life that vary from city to city - and one of them is street food. In chicago, we don't really have it in the downtown area, but are starting to see more of it in the neighborhoods (frutas, elotes, mayonesa, etc.) In Paris you'll see the crepes and the chestnuts. And in New York, you can get just about anything. In fact, there is even an annual competition (read about the dosa man who won this year here) for the best of the food vendors.

What you see most often though, are the shiny coffee carts, where you can get among other things, bagels, doughnuts, tea, and of course, coffee in NYC's blue & white greek-font cups. The best parts of Ramin Bahrani's tale of a formerly famous Pakistani pop star struggling to make ends meet in a coffee cart were the quiet moments.

The dialogue and acting at many points was strained and awkward, but the long, silent shots of Ahmad pulling his cart down the street at 3:00 a.m., lighting the gas burners, stacking the bagels - these were beautiful, and worth seeing.

There are many things left out of the story - why he's there, how his wife died, whatever happens with the girl, etc. so don't go into this looking for resolution. But, do enjoy the rare look at one of the people we see every day but don't know the first thing about. 3.5 stars.

imelda de la cruz @ uncommon ground 11/2

I am always happy to go to Uncommon Ground. Especially in cool weather, when it's cozy and you can fully enjoy the soft lighting, music, and rich (and often local and/or organic) food and drink.

I had promised myself that I would keep to myself all weekend, and I have, except for that moment on Friday when I succumbed to the peer pressure of the Wesleyanites. Friend of a friend of a friend, Imelda de la Cruz was playing there, and since a) I was hungry, b) I always like being with Mary and/or Guy (and/or their friends) and c) that three-cheese pizza is amazing I decided to go.

I'm abstaining from alcohol for a couple weeks (just for fun?) and so I couldn't enjoy a glass of wine, but it was still a nice dinner, and I was able to walk away with more money in my pocket than I would have otherwise.

The first act of the evening was as wispy little thing from Minneapolis named Jenny Dalton. Heavily influenced by Tori Amos, her original songs didn't do much for me, but were a nice background for dinner - and I did enjoy her one cover tune, which was Neko Case's "Hold On, Hold On."

The room filled up quite a bit for Imelda (and here's a link to her Web site before I forget) and so the energy alone was enough to put me in a mood more receptive to new music.

During my book club meeting on Thursday, the conversation dissolved at one point into a discussion of the Thundercats. And so, Imelda's little opener invoking Snarf, Voltron, the Gummy Bears and many other staples of weekday afternoon cartoons from the 80's was a little uncanny.

I'm not sure if I'll follow up and become a true Imelda fan, but there were moments when I truly enjoyed her, and I would definitely go see her again, expecially at Uncommon Ground. I liked her Tuck and Patti style guitar with the soft jazzy vocals on things like "Too Late," and I liked the rumbling piano and Imelda's strong low register on "Champion" but I didn't care as much for the diva moments at the end of that song.

I like her goofy, awkwardly hammy stage presence, and strangely, one of the pieces I enjoyed most was one that she apparently wrote when she was quite young - I think she mentioned playing it at her first gig in a friend's basement in Staten Island in 1995. I can't remember what it was called, but I think was struck me about it was they lyrics and wondering if she could write something like that we she was that young, then she's probably capable of even better things now - and according to the article in Friday's Trib, she has only been back in the saddle for a couple years, so we'll see.

Thanks Alexis for the tip, and thanks to the Kern-Suesuntisooks for dragging me out.

Decemberists Cancel Remainder of Tour

So, apparently we were the lucky few in Chicago, and those of you who didn't make it to the Vic earlier this week will never know what you missed.

The Decemberists were scheduled to continue their monumental "long and short of it" tour in New York last night and tonight, but have cancelled the rest of the dates. Here's a link to their own Web page, so you can read the official story, but it's due to one band member's illness.

While I'm on the subject though, I hope they get to reschedule, because they had some pretty amazing theatrical backdrops. I particularly liked the one for the long of it.