SOUNDTRACK: ANNA VON HAUSSWOLFF-“Funeral for My Future Child” (2013).
This was selected as one of NPR’s favorite songs of the year (so far).
It’s probably hard to like a song with a title like that, but there’s something strangely compelling about the whole proceeding–the great intricate percussion and drums that start the song, the ponderous pipe organ that lays down the melody, and then Anna’s voice which has a country-ish feel (kind of like Neko Case), but also has a kind of Dead Can Dance vocal style. Or perhaps that’s just because she is Swedish.
By the time the chorus comes around, the ache of the song is apparent. And the end has more of that amazing percussion. I rather like the beginning and the end of the song more than the middle, which I guess doesn’t say a lot for it, but it is intriguing.
Evidently this album is primarily full of pipe organ, an interesting choice for a rock album. I’d be curious to hear more.
[READ: June 17, 2013] “Twisted”
As if anticipating that I would not be able to write posts this week, the New Yorker has supplied me with a series of very short “True Crimes” pieces. In fact, the whole issue is a fiction issue, which means a half a dozen or so stories as well. But it’s these “True Crimes” that will keep me posting this week.
The first is from George Pelecanos, and it’s a story of his own crimes. He explains that when he was younger, he did all manner of illegal things but had never been caught (aside from a few minor infractions). He broke into houses and stole records from someone he didn’t like. He rode in a stolen car, stole wallets from strangers at stores (at this point I really don’t like this guy). But he doesn’t try to make excuses for himself. He was a boy and he was having fun.
But the crimes continues long past adolescence. In 1985 he was 28 and got involved in a high-speed chase. He was drinking and smoking pot at a wedding. He and his fiancée stopped at a convenience store where he backed into someone’s car. A gang of people came out and the threat of violence was imminent. But he hopped in his car, drove on the sidewalk and sped off with the police in pursuit. (more…)
I Just Read About That... 