Silent Revelry

Angel-Sarah McLachlan featuring Emmylou Harris

It isn't much worth reviewing this song, as you have an opinion already. It's one of those "Every Breath You Take" songs in that I've heard it played on those late night romance shows as a love song. (It is actually about a heroin addict sitting alone in a hotel room). Its a beautiful song and shows of McLachlan's voice beautifully.

I first heard McLachlan in 89 or 90, when I bought the first or second magazine version of Alternative Press. She was on the cover (Sinead was just out...and she was compared to her and Kate Bush). In any event, if you think you know what she sounds like, check out one of her first two records. They are more new wave/electro than her later work and show off her ability to write a hook, even at a very young age. In particular, "Vox" off of Touch is pretty gorgeous.

Well, the live version of this song is pretty amazing. Sarah sounds stunning and well, when Emmylou comes in, its painfully beautiful (she evens sings the second verse).

I just love the fact that the song has been used for the new ASPCA ads. There was an article about it in the NY Times. Apparently, with this song, and Sarah in the ad pitching for the organization, they have raised about 25-30 million this year....far in excess of what they expected and usually raise. So its a very worthy cause.

Touch Too Much-Hot Chip

The original is a great song...very funky yet laid back....basically epitomizes all of what is good about Hot Chip, who somehow fuse ELO and Steely Dan with Depeche Mode and the Pet Shop Boys. The two mixes are pretty great. The first, the Kollectiv Termstrasse mix, has the potential to annoy, as it is one of those remixes that does not use a ton of the original song. This can be good, this can be bad. In this case, this works perfectly. Its funky and laid back and melancholy--and when the vocals come in, the song just lifts up.

But oh lordy, the Ewan Pearson mix. Well, readers of my blog (both of you) will know that last year I raved about Ewan Pearson's 13 minutes of heaven mix of Cortney Tidwell's "Don't Let The Stars Keep Us Tangled Up". This is just about as heavenly, just 4 minutes shorter. I could probably listen to it 4 times on a dance floor and not get bored (it would make a great replacement for the inevitable Madonna mixes of her latest (and they aren't good). The chorus is impossibly funky and these cool clanging noises. Can't explain it...just get it!

Titanium Expose-Sonic Youth

I am not worthy yet to write about Sonic Youth. This is 4:33 minutes of beautiful skronky punk noise. Stunning and fucking brilliant.

Polish Poem-David Lynch & Chrysta Bell

I did not love Inland Empire. It kind of annoyed me when I watched it (I so wanted another Mulholland Drive). Yet it is one of those movies that stayed with me--on occasion I think about it. Its a haunting film and so i guess it works in that I feel it kind of stays with me. It beautifully conveys claustrophobia and mental illness and this weird feel of unspecified dread. Problem is, I was never sure I was supposed to feel that!

In any event, this haunting song plays throughout. Its gorgeous Dead Can Dance-like ambience with a beautiful clear vocal by Chrystal Bell. It isn't quite as heart stopping as his work with Julee Cruise or the out of the blue insane beautify of Rebekeh Del Rio's Spanish version of Roy Orbison's "Crying" from Mulholland Drive, but its impossibly lovely.