I Just Read About That…

SOUNDTRACK: COURTNEY MARIE ANDREWS-Tiny Desk Concert #838 (April 3, 2019).

There is nothing worse than liking an artist and then having another artist with a similar name come along at the same time.

When I first heard of Courtney Marie Andrews, Courtney Barnett was just releasing her latest album.  And so every time I heard the name Courtney, I tuned in to see what Barnett was up to.  When it was followed by Marie Andrews, I was always disappointed.  Especially since I didn’t find this Courtney all that interesting.

Courtney Marie Andrews is part of that incessant tide of country musicians trying to crossover.   Okay technically she’s Americana, but certainly on the country side of Americana.

On the plus side, Courtney has a really powerful voice which is a pretty impressive thing indeed.   But I don’t really care for these three songs all that much.

“May Your Kindness Remain” opens with just keys (Alassane Gregoire Diarra) and her singing.   Even with little accompaniment, her voice is powerful and string.  And the lyrics are interesting:

“And if your money runs out
And your good looks fade
May your kindness remain
Oh, may your kindness remain”

The drums are brushed (William Mapp) and for the most part the song is pretty quiet.  Courtney herself is playing some simple chords and notes.  But as the song (and her voice) build toward the final chorus, she hits a big fuzzy guitar chord which really wakes up the song.

“Rough Around the Edges” opens with piano and bass (Ole Kirkeng) and vocals.  It’s a delicate song that definitely leans more country.

“This House” is dedicated to the best dog who ever lived (it would churlish to mock that the golden retriever is named Tucker–I’m sure it had a red bandanna too).  So yes, dead Tucker is buried near This House and he gets a mention in the lyrics. It’s that kind of song.

[READ: April 3, 2019] “Lulu”

This is a story of twins in China.  The narrator was born first “indignant and squalling,” while Lulu came next –perfectly quiet.  Lulu was precocious, and their parents showed their fondness for that.   She was always reading and easily got honors.  While the narrator… didn’t.  He rebelled against her brilliance by playing lots of video games.

Their parents were workers–their mother in a warehouse, father as a government employee.  They believed in the system and stood fast by it.

When it was time, Lulu scored high enough on exams to earn a place at university.  Their parents were thrilled.  The narrator also went to college, but with far less fanfare.  He says he didn’t really miss her then (he wasn’t old enough to realize it).  Plus Lulu was a huge user of social media.  He was able to find her “anonymous” account pretty easily since he knew so much about her and that’s how he kept tabs on her.

She came to visit when her school was in town for a debate and they had dinner.  They talked mostly about him.  Lulu thought video games were a waste of time but he said “it’s a profession now, you know… you can win big prize money.”

By the end of the night he finally asked Lulu about herself.  She said she was pregnant but would be getting an abortion. The father, Zhangwei, was a good man and they would be staying together: “He’s very noble.”

After that night her social media became more politically active.  She started posting about national issues:  “This country, these police are simply too dark.”

Soon the posts grew more intense.  He worried about her but he knew her account was anonymous.

But she couldn’t stay anonymous forever and eventually she was arrested.  She was living with Zhangwei.  They burst in and informed her politely that she should go with them.  For her phone call she called her brother. She asked him to tell their parents as her voice broke.

They interrogated her–“Did you go to any of these places?  Did you confirm any of these things yourself before spreading these rumors?”  The answer was no.  Later they kicked and beat her but didn’t fracture anything.  They freed her after six days (the punishment could have been seven years).  They told her to stop.  They told her it was a misunderstanding.  She showed promise and they would hate to lock up so much potential.

She was good for a time but then she started up again. And of course she was taken away again.  This time her parents were defeated.

The ending of the story focuses on the narrator.  He gets a girlfriend; he gets a job.   When the girlfriend meets his parents, they like her.  She asks about his twin and his father tells her she is studying for her PhD.  Later the narrator reveals the truth.

He and is girlfriend decided to get married after Lulu was released from prison.

But the wedding is not a happy time for everyone.

By the end of the story the characters have flipped somewhat with the narrator doing surprisingly well in a video game tournament (I love the irony) and the his sister working retail.