SOUNDTRACK: SACKVILLE-Low Ebb EP (1996).
Sackville was a Montreal based folk group who released one album through Constellation Records, and a couple of other releases on other labels. When they broke up, most of the members of the band went on to play with other bands, many of whom were later released on Constellation.
The focus of the band is really singer/guitarist Gabe Levine whose voice shows a lot of folk, rock and avant garde influences. His voice sounds at once familiar and also strangely unique.
And this EP was their first release.
The first song is “Messengers.” I love the way the violin cuts through the slow verses to add a great melody to the chorus (including some raw scratching sounds before the verse starts again). There’s a hint of Mike Doughty in his delivery too. “Donkey Song” opens with some quiet verses and violins has a loud clamorous chorus—super fun and stomping with a nice side guitar riff. “William” has a standard American folk song melody but the way he sings it is very Social Distortion (through a tinny modulator). The fiddle gives it more of country sound, but still kind of alt
“Showcase Showdown” opens with a cool slide guitar and very different vocal style delivered by Kurt Newman. And the chorus is fund and perhaps a little silly in three-four dance rhythm “your eyes scare us more than the mirrors on the dance floor.” It’s the most fun song on the disc. “Low Ebb” continues with the more rocking sound with big brash guitar and crashing cymbals. It also features some quiet but cool backing vocals—a kind of scream that acts as a drone. “Thomas” opens with a slide guitar and quiet vocals, the chorus is a major highlight with the vocal duet playing against the loud crunching stop-start guitars. “This Thing I Want, I Know Not What” is a straight ahead folk song with a lead violin and a pretty melody. “Cheap” has a quiet melody ending with some slide guitars and violin.
It’s a solid E.P. with even better music on their full lengths.
[READ: June 25, 2016] Last of the Sandwalkers
This is a fascinating book that proves to be an amazing look at beetles and insects and a somewhat interesting adventure story.
I actually found myself a little confused by the story when it started because while I knew it wasn’t going to be realistic (the beetles are leaving their civilization to discover the world) it was also very rooted in real insect knowledge. And then it got a little out-there so the level of reality in the story wavered from time to time and I found myself getting pulled out of the story to try to puzzle things together.
Which was a shame. Another shame is that it doesn’t tell you that there are notes at the back of the book (do most people flip to the end to discover this? Because I didn’t). And the notes are one of the best parts of the book. But more on that later.
The protagonist of the story is Lucy. She is in charge of a small team who have decided to leave their home to go exploring. Her team includes Professor Bombardier; Raef, a lighting bug (with a secret); Mossy, a giant beetle with a big horn and Professor Owen who has huge mandibles. They also run into Ma’Dog, an old storyteller who is rather cantankerous.
The story begins with Lucy’s diary as the teams sets out from Coleopolis. They quickly discover Old Coleopolis which was destroyed by coconuts falling from a tree. It was said that the city was destroyed 1,000 years ago by the god Scarabus, although Lucy can’t believe how not-overgrown it looks after 1,000 years. It all seems very suspicious. Continue Reading »
Laura Gibson performed the first Tiny Desk Concert in 2008. The whole enterprise was started because of her. Bob had seen her in a club and her quiet music was overpowered by the audience. So he invited her to play in his quiet office. And now, here it was 200 shows later and Gibson is back–the first person to headline twice.
