Song-a-Day 022: Cecil Otter

I apologize for missing yesterday's Song Set, but I had the screaming vomits for most of yesterday and today. So let's do a double up on Cecil Otter.

Cecil Otter and Paper Tiger - Forensics (2008) - I was expecting, I dunno, vocals from this track, since it's a Doomtree project, but I really liked how lowkey it is.


I think I may have only ever heard Cecil Otter live. The internet does not yield up tracks of his very easily.

Cecil Otter - Rebel Yellow (2009); recorded at South by Southwest.


Both Dessa and Cecil came up through the Twin Cities' slam scene, and you can hear the echoes in their lyrics. The strength of our spoken word scene is underappreciated.

Doomtree was on the current just before Christmas (3 December 2009): Dessa and Sims - The Wren, Cecil Otter - Demon Girl, and Sims - Like You Mean It.

Song-a-Day 020: Amon Amarth

Amon Amarth - Twilight of the Thunder God (2008)

Song-a-Day 018: Rural Alberta Advantage

The Rural Alberta Advantage - Frank, AB (2008)


I am not sure what to make of these dudes, because Frank, AB goes to such a complicated emotional place and has the music to back it up, driving guitars and plaintive vocals etc, but then there's this one, which is has nice strings, but is sort of thin, predictable and safe. The plaintiveness floats over unchallenging major chords, taking the teeth out of it. And the vocals are a little sloppy in the verses, not in a "I'm making artistic choices" way, but in a "go back and record it again" way. It's sad to me, because the subject is a rich one, a great place for the deftness RAA might be capable of.

Don't Haunt This Place (2008)

Live Show Log 002: PROOF

Didn't believe me?

P.S. You're gonna get rickrolled.

Dang that was a fun show.

Song-a-Day 012: Weebl and Bob / Justin Timberlake

First and foremost: I generally don't believe his music should exist. For a long time, I would have shot it into the sun if I could have. In fact, the Weebl and Bob version was the only one I acknowledged for years.

(Also I gave you some good stuff earlier today. I only feel a little bad now.)

Weebl and Bob - Pastry (2008)


But, due to some unknown and unasked for shift in my brain chemicals, I can now stand the original and get it stuck in my head periodically. I should be glad, because if I couldn't actually stand it, I'd have plucked out my eyes long ago. Also, the estrogen or whatever tells me he's attractive now? WTF, brain. WTF. If I didn't need you for my goddamn bones, estrogen, I would shoot you into the sun as well.

Justin Timberlake - SexyBack (2006)


(I will admit that the fact that the title is glommed together with a mid-word capitalization still makes me want to rip a cow in half with my bare hands.)

Remake Arena 003: Flume

I spoke ever-so-briefly of Bon Iver yesterday. Perhaps you are aware of Peter Gabriel's new cover album - I'm ambivalent about it so far.

Bon Iver - Flume (2008)


Peter Gabriel - Flume (2010)


The problem with Peter Gabriel's voice is that everything he does sounds like something I've heard before a million times. I also feel like he took everything that made the original weird and a little uncomfortable and raw out of it and smoothed down the edges and made it safe. It's pre-chewed.

So I'm going to have to FAIL this one, even though I'm glad it exists, and I understand what he's trying to do with the cover album. But he's no Johnny Cash; he can't steal the soul of Bon Iver and make it his own. He doesn't know where to find it.

Song-a-Day 009: Lykke Li

Lykke Li - I'm Good I'm Gone (2008)


This is also good:
Lykke Li - I'm Good I'm Gone [Black Kids Remix] (2009)

Song-a-Day 008: Black Keys

Black Keys - Strange Times (2008)



Bella suggested to me a bunch of other songs from their discography, and they're all fine songs, very back-to-basics in their way, but they seem to be missing something after Strange Times. I view my lack of appreciation as potentially a personal failing and I'll give them another go soon.

Noise Diary 002: Finches on Guitars

Zebra finches on electric guitars at the Barbican Centre in London.

Céleste Boursier-Mougenot - Les Oiseaux de Céleste (2010)


Céleste Boursier-Mougenot - From Here to Ear (2008) in the Galerie Xippas in Paris

Song-a-Day 007: Estelle [feat. Kanye West]

I post this more for its potential - as the kernel of a song, I think it deserves to be alive. This suprised me about as much as it probably surprises you.

BUT. It desperately needs some kind of remix. Some kind of sure-handed, old-school, disco-preserving, non-BPM-accelerated, four-on-the-floor, self-respecting remix. Not any of those bullshit, homogeneous blur-of-sound, pitch-shifted, auto-tuned abortions of remixes some goddamn DJs try to pass off as actual music. And as soon as I can find or make one, you will hear about it.

Estelle - American Boy [feat. Kanye West] (2008)

Album Absorption 002: A Badly Broken Code

I wasn't going to post again today, but this is pretty timely. Dessa just won three of City Pages' Best-Ofs: Best Local Album of the Last 12 Months, Best Songwriter, and Best Local Girl Made Good. I first saw Dessa at the Doomtree Blowout (IV) at First Ave. I next saw her open for Ani DiFranco at the State Theatre. I'm just starting to sink teeth into her first solo LP, A Badly Broken Code, and so far I love it. (Also if you click through to that review, there are two songs, Go Home, see below, and Matches to Paper Dolls.)

Let's start with an honest-to-god music video: this is Dessa - Dixon's Girl (2010) from Ted Romeo for Doomtree.


This is Dessa - Seamstress (2010) performed for the first time ever (beware of shaky phone-cam footage) at Doomtree Blowout IV (2008).


She also revisits the song Mineshaft from her first EP, False Hopes (2005)


With Mineshaft II (2010)


If I'd been on the ball in January, I'd have known she was live at the Current 20 Jan 2010:

This is video of her in studio talking about the song The Chaconne (2010). Yes, that is Jeremy Messersmith. Is he a big deal elsewhere? Also, Aby Wolf, who I haven't mentioned yet, performs with her for solo shows and is awesome.

She also played live on Seattle's KEXP on 12 Feb 2010: Seamstress, Go Home (2010), and Alibi (2010):

Song-a-Day 005: Metric

Metric - Help I'm Alive (2008)



I like songs whose titles sum up the human predicament.

I also quite like the acoustic version: