Sense and Nonsense

Melancholy Christmas Songs

Here's one.

Professor Springsteen

See David Brooks's delightful column today on "the other education."  

La la la la la la la la

Over breakfast this morning, Sue and I were talking about "Away We Go," the new movie opening today that stars John Krasinski (of "The Office" fame) and Maya Rudolph.  We'll see it because the previews look good and we both like Krasinski a lot.  

I uncharitably said that I wish the director and producers had chosen someone more appealing than Maya Rudolph to star opposite Krasinski.  Sue said, "You know who her mother is, don't you?"  Naturally, I had no idea. 

"Minnie Riperton," she said. 

 

"Who?" 

"You know.  Minnie Riperton.  The singer from the 1970s with the really high voice."

Well, we had to Google her for me to realize who Sue was talking about.  

OF COURSE, Minnie Riperton!

You remember.  She sang the "lalalalalalalala" song -- "Loving You."  [See and hear the ridiculous 1970s video below.]  It was saccharin sweet, but I always liked that song for some reason.  It made me happy to listen to it.  Who the hell knew it was Minnie Riperton?!   And couldn't she have given issue to someone more appealing than Maya Rudolph?

Lucky

Jason Mraz and Colbie Caillat:

Amazing Piece of Art

Regular readers here know that I am a sucker for stop-motion animation that is really well done and artful.  Here's something that fits into that category. (h/t to Bob Cesca, on whose blog I discovered this.)  This is the first such piece of animation I've seen that uses knitwear as its medium.  Lysanne Latulippe created over 700 individual wool designs to generate this animation.  What an artist!  And it is a wonderful narrative that takes us through Montreal -- past Mount Royal and the downtown skyline and up the side of the Olympic Stadium, weaving between the intimacy of this couple's togetherness and the greater experience of the city.  It's innocent, twinged with melancholy.

The music is by Tricot Machine, a Canadian couple.  The lyrics to the song "Les peaux de lièvres" are here. I'm not competent enough in French to give a good translation, but here's what I'm able to decipher, after the jump:

Rock Warrior

Careful readers will recall that our son Tom (at left) is a musician.  He plays a number of instruments, but the guitar is his love (second to Kara, of course).  He performs in two bands, noted here previously: Big Tree and Red Sails. 

Neither of those is a heavy-metal band.  That's not really his thing.  But he has been asked to play guitar for Warship, a heavy-metal band, for its month-long national tour that kicks off in Austin, TX on Feb. 2.  Put in your earplugs and go hear them when they appear near you (see tour schedule on their website).

The Sissy Monks "Sing"

Les Freres de St Francis de la Sissies — Hallelujah!

h/t to Oxdown Gazette

Straight No Chaser

Straight No Chaser, the a capella singing group from Indiana University, performs their comedic version of "Twelve Days of Christmas."  Sublime. (h/t to Christy Hardin Smith at fdl.)

You can buy their CD here, where you will also find this info about them:

Originally formed a dozen years ago while students together at Indiana University, the a cappella group has reassembled and reemerged after their video for 'The 12 Days of Christmas' became a phenomenon with almost 8 million views on YouTube. In an era when so much pop music is the product of digital processing and vocal pro-tooling, Straight No Chaser is the real deal- the captivating sound of ten unadulterated human voices coming together to make extraordinary music that is moving people in a fundamental sense...and with a sense of humor.

Their official website is here.

Falling Slowly

Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova sing "Falling Slowly," from the movie "Once."  The song won the 2008  Academy Award for Best Original Song from a Motion Picture.

Download "Falling Slowly".

The Place to Be on Saturday Night

So, if you're going to be in the Boston/Cambridge area this Saturday night, here's a great plan for you:  Go hear Big Tree perform at the Lily Pad in Inman Square (1353 Cambridge Street) at 10:00 PM. 

Big Tree is one of the bands that our son Tom is in, playing guitar.  They're great.  As the Lily Pad's bill says:

Big Tree is an angular pop band for naturalists. These five good friends have created a sound that taps into organic folk, greasy blues, ambient rock, and modal jazz. Based in New York, Big Tree's mix of urban and natural soundscapes create a dynamic and elegant style that has the habit of making people dance and smile like a kid again.

Sue and I, unfortunately, are going to miss this performance, but we hope they'll get a good crowd. 

Here are a couple of their tunes:

One Hundred and Four

Cap'n Ted