SOUNDTRACK: TINDERSTICKS-Nénette et Boni [soundtrack] (1996).
After releasing two albums of atmospheric brilliance, Tindersticks were called upon to score the music for the film Nénette et Boni.
And this disc answers the question of whether it is Stuart Staples’ voice that is the driving force behind the band. And the answer is, indeed not. This disc is almost entirely instrumental (except for “Tiny Tears” which is a different version from the second disc and is here titled “Petites gouttes d’eau”). The band brings the same atmospheric/noir quality to this disc that they bring to the ir previous works, but you get to hear it in all of its glory (since you’re not trying to figure out what Stuart is talking about).
I haven’t seen the film, so I can’t say how well it works for the film. But I feel like I know the film quite well from the tone and music (and what I think may be sounds from the film) that are present. If you like the band musically, you absolutely cannot go wrong here. There’s not a bad track on the disc. Even the half dozen or so tracks that are only about a minute (this is a soundtrack after all) are quite evocative.
I read a brief description of the film online, and I’m not entirely sure I want to see it. But I sure do enjoy listening to the music.
The reissued disc comes with a bonus disc called Marks Moods. Marks Moods was a promo disc sent out to film producers to showcase just what the band could do (again, without Stuart’s vocals). So this is another moody instrumental disc. The difference is that there are many songs from other discs that are done (or re-done, I can’t be entirely sure) as instrumentals. The four tracks with vocals are “Sleepy Song,” “Don’t Look Down,” and “Buried Bones” which is actually a duet. And then there’s “For Those…” one of my favorite songs which seems to crop up all over the place but never on an actual album.
This appears to have been something of a find back in the day. I’m not sure if it was really worth hunting down, but it is a nice bonus to this disc.
[READ: October 18, 2009] “/Solomon Silverfish/”
The last few uncollected DFW stories that I read were a little less than satisfying. So I wasn’t looking forward to this one very much. But man, was it good. It seems to be a hearty precursor to Infinite Jest (without the endnotes). It even has a character named Wardine!
The story is typographically a little odd. The title and “section” headings are in backslashes. (I have no idea if that signifies anything other than a typographical choice of DFW or the magazine). The section headings are the names of the character whose point of view the section is. So, when the story opens we see /Solomon/.
But aside from that, the most unusual thing in the story is that it is written in the voice of a very Jewish individual. For Solomon Silverfish speaks in an almost stereotypical Jewish vernacular. Solomon is married to Sophie Shoenweiss, a Jewish woman who is dying of breast cancer. As the story opens, Solomon is fielding a phone call (at 2 in the morning) from Sophie’s brother Ira. Ira has just been caught with his third DUI and he’s begging his brother-in-law, a fine public defendant, to bail him out (again). (more…)
SOUNDTRACK: JILL SOBULE-California Years (2009).
So Jill Sobule had the first hit single called “I Kissed a Girl” (that was sung by a woman). And it was sort of a novelty hit, which is the kiss of death for any songwriter. After most people forgot about her, I followed her career for a while. And I found her follow up to “I Kissed a Girl,” Happy Town, to be a superb album and the follow up to that one, Pink Pearl ,was also really good. And then she fell off my radar.
I found out about 
SOUNDTRACK: JARVIS COCKER-Further Complications (2009).
I really enjoyed Pulp’s Different Class album when it came out. In fact, I liked it so much I made sure to get This is Hardcore and even the one before the got big, His n Hers. I felt like the earlier stuff was just okay. So either they hit their stride or they got lucky just before they broke up.
SOUNDTRACK: DEERHUNTER-Microcastle/Weird Era Continued (2008).
Somehow, I can never remmeber what this disc is going to sound like when I pop it in. Once it gets going the songs are all familiar and very good, its just that initial listen, where I forget that the band is rather delicate and poppy. I tend to forget this because well, the bands name doesn’t sound delicate, and the album artwork has skulls all over it. So, to put it on and hear pleasant keyboard songs is alwaya bit of a surprise.
SOUNDTRACK: TOPLESS WOMEN TALK ABOUT THEIR LIVES soundtrack (2006).
I learned about this soundtrack from a very cool article in The Believer (the beginning of which is online 
SOUNDTRACK: FLEET FOXES-Sun Giant EP (2008).
My friend Jarrett introduced me to the Fleet Foxes with their self-titled CD. I recently picked up the Sun Giant EP and it is just as good as the main CD. It opens with a beautiful a capella introduction to “Sun Giant” in multipart harmony that melds into a nice folksy song.
SOUNDTRACK: SONIC YOUTH-Sonic Nurse (2004).
SOUNDTRACK: THE MIGHTY MIGHTY BOSSTONES-Don’t Know How to Party (1993).
I’ve always had a thing for ska (although even I got sick of it when No Doubt took over the airwaves, thanks Gwen). When ska gets added to blistering metal, well, it’s hard to resist. And so we get Boston’s own Mighty Mighty Bosstones.
I’ve also decided that, since the story is steamrolling to an end, and since so many of the end days are coming along, I’m going to update my own calendar (but just the November info). I’m putting it at the end of the post to include this week’s information.
This week’s reading is almost entirely focused on Gately in St Elizabeth’s Trauma Wing. He is stuck staring at the ceiling which is breathing at him. It reminds him of a holiday in Beverly, Ma in which the beach house that they rented had a hole in the roof. The hole was covered by a plastic sheet which flapped and pulsed with the wind. His crib was placed under the hole and it freaked him out (although what is a 4 year old doing in a crib? Well, Gately’s mom is clearly not the best parent.) 
I Just Read About That... 