SOUNDTRACK: SHAMIR-Tiny Desk Concert #458 (July 31, 2015).
Shamir has an amazing voice–a high countertenor that is unsettling and pretty at the same time. He usually creates dance music, but in this Tiny Desk it’s just him and his guitar (on a stool).
The notes say that they asked the interns and staff to sit around him like at a campfire since he looked so alone up there by himself (and after the first song he says he is quite nervous).
He sings three songs. I don’t know the originals (I only know the one dance song from his record “On the Regular” which he doesn’t play here). But these versions are so different from that one that it’s quite shocking.
“In for the Kill” has a lot of intensity in his delivery and the chord structure (even if he plays he guitar rather softly).
The story of his writing “Demons” is very funny. He was at work at Ross’ and he ran to the changing room when this melody came to him to write it down. So he was hiding tin the dressing room plinking out notes and humming to himself while trying to get it down before he forgot. I really like the twist in a song about demons: “If I’m a demon, you’re the beast that made me.”
I’m not sure I’d ever get his record, but I enjoyed hearing this acoustic version of such a dancey singer.
[READ: June 4, 2015] Virginia Woolf
This book comes from a series called Life Portraits.
This is a very brief (128 pages, but mostly one sentence per page) biography of Virginia Woolf. But the real “selling” point of the book are the beautiful illustrations/paintings by Nina Cosford. They are lovely watercolors that do a great job illustrating whatever detail is listed on the page.
Although the biography is short it is still quite comprehensive–skimming over many details in her life to get to the heart of the matter.
We get basic birth details–born Virginia Stephen on 25th January 1882. We learn about her parents (ferociously intellectual father and philanthropic mother). There’s even an illustrated family tree.
Then we learn that death followed her everywhere. Her mother died when Virginia was young. And that a few years later her half-sister and her father also died. She remained with her sister Vanessa and her brother Thoby as companions. (more…)
I Just Read About That... 