Outside the box

I am starting to realize how much I enjoy when a band or a singer does something unexpected with their career or heads into a completely different realm or territory than I'm used to. There are many different ways this can be done, with some more commonplace than others...such as a unique collaboration or the the ever timeless (and sometimes cringeworthy) concept album. Occasionally you'll find an artist who ends up scoring a film or composing a movie soundtrack (ie: Sondre Lerche with the Dan In Real Life soundtrack). A brave and talented few will take on the task of writing a musical or opera (I'm looking at you, Rufus Wainwright!) All of these things help to keep things interesting in an endless sea of music.

I bring this up because in the span of a week or so, I've come across three very different and very interesting projects that are happening or will be happening. First, I was tipped off by my friend Eric that the (Mercury Prize winning) band Elbow have plans to put out a children's album. That excites me very much! For the past year, I've worked on an amazing children's radio program called Kids Corner and I've actually become pretty fond of a lot of music for kids, particularly artists (ie: Justin Roberts) and albums (ie: Snacktime! by The Barenaked Ladies) that can appeal to a wide age range. In my limited experience, I find it rare to come across actual, legit bands or singers making children's albums...though one of the major exceptions to this being the For The Kids series of albums, which features some pretty hip artists (Nada Surf, Mates of State, Of Montreal), singer/songwriters (Matt Nathanson, Jason Mraz, Ron Sexsmith) and some big names (Tom Waits, Barenaked Ladies, They Might Be Giants) performing original songs or fun covers that would appeal to kids. These albums aside, there isn't much in the way of popular artists making children's music...and that makes the prospect of a Mercury Award winning band making a children's album even more awesome.

Then today I was editing an interview we did with Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett (creators of the animated band Gorillaz) about their new project called Monkey: Journey To The West, a stage adaptation of a 16th century Chinese novel called Journey To The West. Albarn wrote the music, Hewlett focused the visual elements (costumes, sets, etc)...and really, this is quite a 180 from Gorillaz and a definitely interesting undertaking, for sure.

And then there was my other discovery today that pretty much prompted this entire post, really. I was clicking around on Myspace and saw a bulletin from the band Say Anything (one of my favorites) about lead singer Max making an appearance on an album called Razia's Shadow - A Musical by the band Forgive Durden. Initially, I was hesitant to investigate this. Forgive Durden, after all, is a Fueled By Ramen band...and I have a bit of a personal issue with FBR, I guess you could say? I basically do not understand the appeal of pretty much everyone on that label outside of...well, Phantom Planet is pretty much it. A lot of it (to me anyway) tries to be ~*~hip and edgy~*~ when really it just comes off as uh...a walking stereotype, to be quite honest. (I mean, really...Cobra Starship? Really?) I also feel like I've moved past a lot of what the FBR sound is at this point. But since FBR gave my boys Phantom Planet a home, I try not to be too closed off and DO try to give the label the the benefit of the doubt from time to time. And Since I adore anything Max Bemis is involved in, I had to check it out this project

With a few clicks, I was not only directed to the Forgive Durden blog, but also to a website where you can view the characters in the story/who they are played by and hear sample clips of all the songs.

To be honest...I'm a bit in love with this whole thing. And I'm surprised about that! I listened to some of the stuff the band has done prior to this and it's just not my cup of tea...very heavy, kinda whiney...but this album looks like it's going to be something entirely different and that little theater nerd part of me is just squeeing with excitement :) It's definitely theatrical with a rock edge and a bit of quirkiness...and I'm pretty sure once it's all together the entire album is going to tell the full story. I love that...I loooove albums that tell stories. (Funny enough, the last two Say Anything albums have sort of been like that.)

The album features guest appearances by a lot of the FBR heavy hitters, like Brendon Urie from Panic At The Disco and Gretta Salpeter from The Hush Sound (I'm gathering that they're the two main characters?)...but also some non FBR talents like Chris Conley from Saves The Day, Nic Newsham from Gatsbys American Dream (whose voice I love to pieces) and, of course, Max Bemis from Say Anything.

And can I say...I'm maybe a little biased, but from what I've heard, I love Max's song the most :D A few songs on Say Anything's last album had a bit of a musical theater bent (ie: The Church Channel, That Is Why) and I think Max's voice is quite suited to that style, to be honest. The little clip I've heard of his song (bottom of the Razia's Shadow page...click the last red circle on the top row) is awesome...especially his voice on the "Oh, oh, ohhhh!" part. Unggg, Max Bemissss iluuuu.

But yea, I'm totally excited for this! (To the point where I'm seriously considering buying the special pre-order package from the FBR site...I know, right? Ludicrous!) It should definitely be something very interesting.

Edit: So I just may have to declare a bit of undying love for Forgive Durden because, even though I'm not a fan of their earlier sound, they have a song called "For A Dreamer, Night's The Only Time Of Day." Newsies references = obvious win :D

What's in a name?

So, when starting this blog...I had a good hour long debate of what I wanted to make the url be and what I wanted to name the actual blog (with URL being a little more important due to it being permanent). I played with a bunch of different ideas, most of which used song titles or lyrics...but I couldn't find anything that was both available and fitting. (And yes, I'm a crazy person, and that's important to me!)

What I REALLY wanted was thetuneshehums.blogspot.com. I pulled the idea from the song "Tiny Dancer" by Elton John...it's one of my favorite lines in the song: "Lookin' on, she sings the songs // The words she knows, the tune she hums." I absolutely adore Elton John (this song in particualar) and I thought it would have been amazingly fitting for a music blog...alas, it was taken, yet hasn't been updated since 2003. BLAST.

So I was flipping through my mental music catalog trying to think of a song that meant a lot to me and had some sort of musical reference within the song...anything about notes or tunes or singing.

Then a certain song hit me...and lo, anuncertainkey.blogspot.com was born.

The url and the current title of this blog come from a song called "Virtute The Cat Explains Her Departure" by The Weakerthans.

To put it bluntly...I fucking love The Weakerthans. But honestly, this has only been a recent development. Up until maybe a year ago I was what I'd consider a casual Weakerthans fan. I had been listening to them for a while at that point. I don't even particularly remember how I got into them...it was quite a while ago, though. I think my friend Jo may have recommended them to me? Regardless, I did give them a try and thought they were quite lovely There were several songs on Reconstruction Site that I found myself listening to over and over again...and "Plea From A Cat Named Virtute" was one of them. I feel like this song is an absolutely prime example of the AMAZING writing of lyricist and lead singer John K. Samson, an absolutely underrated genius. His songs are quirky and clever without being too self-important or annoying...sweet and poignant without being overly sappy or cringeworthy.

"Plea From A Cat Named Virtute" is an interesting track. It's a really upbeat, catchy track...but the lyrics and story within the song are not the happiest! The song is, if you haven't guessed, from the point of view of a cat. Specifically, from the point of view of Virtute (Latin for "strength" or "virtue"), whose owner just went through a really bad breakup. Virtute is frustrated that things aren't the way they used to be and wants everything to get back to normal...she (because even though a guy is singing it, I for some reason always assumed the cat was a she) bemoans the fact that her owner doesn't want to play anymore, all he does is "drink and watch TV" and although she's pretty much had it...what she really wants her owner to feel better. She threatens

I swear I'm gonna bite you hard
And taste your tinny blood
If you don't stop the self defeating lies you've been repeating
Since the day you brought me home...
I know you're strong.

It's laughable and sweet at the same time, imagining these thoughts coming from a cat. And I absolutely fell in love with the quirkyness of this song.

And then, last year, the band released their long awaited album Reunion Tour...aka: the album that turned me into an actual fan, the album that was the only thing I listened to for a month of my life, the album that made me consider them to be one of my favorite bands. Every song was so great...and I was pleasantly surprised when I first looked at the tracklist to see the return of Virtute...but perhaps not in the way I would have expected.

Departure? Virtute is departing? I knew this couldn't be good.

The first few times I listened to the album, I didn't pay 100% attention to the lyrics...I just wanted to get a feel for the music. But eventually the time came when I really wanted to feel out John's lyrics for this album...particularly for "Virtute The Cat Explains Her Departure":

It had something to do with the rain
Leeching loamy dirt
And the way the back lane came alive,
Half moon whispered "go"
For a while I heard you missing steps in the street
And your anger pleading in an uncertain key
Singing the sound that you found for me

When the winter took the tips of my ears
Found this noisy home
Full of pigeons and places to hide
And when the voices died
I emerged to watched abandoned machines
Waiting for their men
To return, I remember the way
I would wait for you
To arrive with kibble and a box full of beer
How I'd scratch the empties desperate to hear
You make the sound that you found for me

After scrapping with the ferals and the tabby,
Let you brush my matted fur
How I'd knead into your chest while you were sleeping
Your shallow breathing made me purr

But I can't remember the sound that you found for me
I can't remember the sound that you found for me
I can't remember the sound...

When I actually took the time to sit down, read the lyrics while listening to the song...the reaction was quite visceral. Honestly, I was so surprised at my reaction. I actually got a knot in my stomach and tears in my eyes when I tied together the beautiful, wistful melody (such a contrast from Virtute's first appearance) and the absolutely heartbreaking lyrics. It really is so sad when you think about it.

The assumption is that the owner didn't answer Virtute's initial plea, so she ran away. That first verse is about her owner looking for her...the "sound that you found for me" being her name name. She hears it...he's calling it, half angry, half pleading, but winter comes and apparently her owner has given up looking for her. She's still thinking about him, though. I adore the "scratch the empties" line. It's like when your pet is doing something they know they shouldn't and you say their name. She is so desperate to hear her owner's voice, even if it's him scolding her. That second to last verse KILLS me...poor Virtute is remembering all the things her owner did for her, but it's been so long since she's seen him that she just can't remember her name anymore. The way John sings those last few lines, with such pleading in his voice, absolutely gets me every time.

I think it's absolute brilliance, this song, and one of the more recent songs that has caused such a reaction in me...so I decided to use parts of it as the title of my blog. I'm not completely sure if I like it for the actual title...but I think the url of "an uncertain key" is somewhat fitting. I never know what I'm going to like or what I'm not going to like...what I'm going to gravitate to or pass on. Music has a bit of uncertainty to it...and even if I find I have to wade through a hundred different songs that I don't like to find one that I do, I think it's always worth it.

Oh, the things I come up with while riding the subway

And yes, that is indeed where this idea formulated. I was taking the subway to work the other day...and all of a sudden decided that I'd be interested in writing a music blog. Music is so very much of my life. I talk enough about it on a day to day basis as it is... and since I'm not quite sure how appreciative my friends and family are when I start going on music tangents, why not start a blog and share my views with strangers? At least then I can't actually see their eyes glaze over as I yammer on.

Like so many of my random ideas, though, I thought this would be a fleeting one...and it still might be...but I couldn't shake the idea so quickly, so I figured I'd just do it. If I never update it, no big deal. But this could be the start of something I keep with for a while, hopefully.

Anyway...now the problem is what to write about. I am aware there are thousands upon thousands upon thousands of music blogs out there, with writers who are so insanely in to all different types of music and could easily trump me with their musical knowledge/out cred point me in a heart beat. Though I am known in a majority of my friend circles as "the one who knows a ton about music," my knowledge of different artists and genres is far from complete. What I listen to is only a drop in the bucket, I'm sure...

But I know what I like. So that's what I'm going to write about. You aren't going to get any reviews of the newest album from the next big thing (unless, of course, I end up happening to really like the next big thing) or in depth discussions of this genre or that genre. This will NOT be music journalism at it's finest, I can assure you.

What you ARE going to get are my honest opinions and feelings on songs, albums, or artists I've loved for a while (as questionable as they may be!) that or I'm digging at the moment. I'm sure most of my posts will be borderline fangirly...and I'm assuming a good chunk will be full out fangirly. That's the way it goes with me. When I find something I like, I get very excited and I want people to hear it too...and it's in my nature to get a little giggly or over/melodramatic or whatever. I'm also sure there will be a high emotional content present...I've had many situations where I've found myself emotionally moved by a song or a lyric or even just a note or two of a song, so there will be gushing about such things, as well. (Oh, and there may be some Youtube videos/MP3s scattered about to illustrate my points!)

It may not be particularly groundbreaking or eloquent, but it'll be honest and true to me...which I guess is cool? ;)

So...yay! That's it! Like I said, hopefully this isn't some fleeting thing...and that I'll be getting in plenty of new music that I feel like writing about.