SOUNDTRACK: BUZZY LEE-Tiny Desk (Home) Concert #218 (June 2, 2021).
Everybody sounds better in the bathroom, right?
There’s a comfort to be found singing in a bathroom; we all sound better with our voices bouncing off the tiles. For Sasha Spielberg, a.k.a. Buzzy Lee, she took it a step further, recording her Tiny Desk (home) concert in her childhood bathroom, which her parents decorated with images of fairytales. … “I’d spend hours on end in here dreaming of singing in front of people. It’s also where I wrote my first song, age 5, ‘You’re Just Like Pie Crust.’ It was a pop song. Huge hit.”
Buzzy Lee’s Home Tiny Desk is filmed in her bathroom. The show opens with her sitting on the edge of her tub playing the keys and gently singing “Strange Town.” After 43 seconds, she adds a bass note with a second keyboard and the song fleshes out. But when the camera pulls back you can see Adam Gunther sitting in the bathtub playing modular synth and modular bass (it sounds really good later in the song).
After a minute and a half the song changes from soft washes to a super catchy synth riff and Jorge Balbi Castellano who has been sitting on the toilet all this time, starts adding electronic drums. Once the riff kicks in the song is really catchy and Spielberg’s voice proves to have a lot of different sounds (including a really cool mic that is like an echo chamber unto itself).
For the rest of the four song set
we hear songs and tales with different themes: obsession, love, attachment, and self-doubt, all filled with playful wordplay and her passionate voice.
It’s weird to hear her ask Gunther to “pull up the file for ‘Coolhand.'” But it’s all smiles as he “types” in to the keyboard on the tiniest Tiny Desk yet. This song is poppy and bouncy with some really fun singing in the verses.
When the song ends, she says “We’re going to play ‘Spoiled Love,'” and hands Jorge a newspaper. He puts down his sticks to read while sitting on the trouble. This song is a gentle ballad (with no drums). I love the use of that crazy echoing microphone.
To start the final song, “What Has A Man Done,” she reaches over and “starts” the computer. Her keyboard has a really soulful sound as she sings this slow, moody piece. I love the way her voice goes from deep to a really high falsetto as it shifts from verse to chorus.
[READ: June 1, 2021] Heartstopper 1
Sometimes a simple love story which is told very well, can be a real joy to read. It’s even better when there are wonderful illustrations.
The story opens on Charlie (a quiet boy) and Ben (a much louder boy) kissing in the library at school. But the bell rings and class starts–and Ben seems a little jerky.
Charlie has a note that says he’s in a new class with kids from all four grades in it. Charlie is in grade ten and he is placed with Nicholas Nelson an 11th grader. As their eyes meet, the title–Heartstopper–flashes across the page
Nick is a big strong guy–a rugby player–and although he is very nice to Charlie, Charlie assumes that Nick is messing with him. Charlie doesn’t trust the jocks–and with good reason. When it got out that Charlie was gay (in an all boys school) news travelled fast and people weren’t nice to him. But he seems to be pretty well accepted now–at least by some.
But Charlie and Nick start hanging out a lot. Charlie’s old friend Tao Xu is annoyed that he’s hanging out with Nick. Tao Xu (and the rest of Charlie’s friends) hate the rugby guys–they call every one “mate.” Charlie says Nick has never called him “mate” once.
Then two things happens pretty quickly. Charlie sees Ben making smoochy eyes at a girl and Nick sees Charlie run.
The thing with Ben is the last straw. Charlie is annoyed with how badly Ben treats him and realizes that he’s is clearly just using Charlie.
And Nick is impressed with how fast Charlie runs. Because the rugby team needs a fast runner. Even though Charlie knows nothing about rugby, his speed would be a huge asset. So Nick asks him if he’ll try out.
Charlie proves to be pretty good at it–and Nick is there to help him all along the way.
A few weeks later Ben corners Charlie and insist that they talk. It starts to get a little rough and Charlie tells him to back off. Just as it gets close to the limit, Nick steps in and tells Ben to back off–Chalice said no, that should be enough.
Charlie and Nick’s friendship builds. Charlie clearly has a crush on Nick, even though everyone knows Nick is straight. I mean he doesn’t look gay, right?
Mrs Singh, the coach (and former rugby player) says
You can’t tell whether people are gay by what they look like. And gay or straight aren’t the only two options Anyway it is very rude to speculate about other peoples sexuality. Go home lads.
There’s a very sweet moment with Charlie and his sister Tori. Not much happens, but the connection (and the way she draws Tori) is really nice.
Later there’s an even better one. Nick has been at Charlie’s house. When he leaves Charlie stares after him and then Tori *appears* to say “I don’t think he’s straight.” And sure enough when Nick gets home he starts Googling how do i know if I’m gay?
The big moment comes at a party later in the book, where Nick is with his old friends, including a girl that he’s had a crush on for years.
So much could happen. And this is only Book 1
I cant wait for book 2
Leave a Reply