“I fought against the bottle, but I had to do it drunk” For a poet, Leonard Cohen liked to be very literal-minded with his album titles. Ten New Songs was exactly as advertised, just as Songs of Leonard Cohen had been. Just some songs by … Continue reading That Don’t Make it Junk
“Seems we can be happy now; it’s late but it ain’t never” You may ask me why, even in the cold light of adulthood, my romantic imagination revolves around Nick Cave. He’s a problematic, bad man – you say – who writes about terrible, terrible … Continue reading Sweetheart Come
Daft Punk will be remembered for their many contributions to popular music, not least their ability to create a hypnotic song out of one lyric and a synth line that sounds like it came out of a 1980’s-era Casio. Not to mention their part in … Continue reading Superheroes
I Will Wade Out i will wade out till my thighs are steeped in burning flowersI will take the sun in my mouthand leap into the ripe air Alive with closed eyesto dash against darkness in the sleeping curves of my bodyShall enter fingers of smooth … Continue reading Sun in My Mouth
Type AMEN if your fashion icon for all of 2001 was Shakira striding through a greenscreen desert to the sound of pan flutes. As her recent Super Bowl performance testified, Shakira has taken every criticism calling her a ‘glorified belly dancer’ and ran with it … Continue reading Suerte (Whenever, Wherever)
I’m sorry I missed out on India.Arie all these years, but in 2001 I wasn’t ready for neo-soul, which is only partly my fault. It’s the problem with the marketing of neo-soul that Arie’s debut album was a smash hit, so of course I knew … Continue reading Strength Courage & Wisdom
Lucinda Williams’ music can be described in a lot of ways, but I like to think of it as Southern Gothic. The roots rock, trad country and blues that are her most dominant influences are all, of course, heavily associated with the American South. But … Continue reading Steal Your Love
If I could retroactively make Melody A.M. one of my favorite records of 2001, I would do that. But I wasn’t seeking out new music in 2001, let alone making a list of favorite new records. Unbeknownst to me, Royksopp was setting the standard for … Continue reading Sparks
Nick Cave really makes marriage sound like a life sentence with no chance of parole, although, by all accounts, he has a lovely one himself. Well, for many people, that’s exactly what it is. For anyone who looks at ideal models of romance and sees … Continue reading The Sorrowful Wife
Today’s mood is the hypnotic electronic goth music of ThouShaltNot. It’s more nighttime or rainy day music, but I find it quite relaxing without being overly gloomy. My inner goth kid, meanwhile, wants to be entertained by something besides the same five dead bands from … Continue reading Soren Grey
Lady Garfunkel's Song of the Day 