Veda Hille - "Plants". A track by the BC songwriter, from 2001's Field Study. The piano rolls across the song like wind over long grass, deep till Hille's voice leaps up, a light bright chorus of apples and wild childhood. Words play on her tongue - "fruits roots and berries" - a touch of darkness (poison? turkish delight?) lurking in the lilting ends of phrases. Like a little prairie whirlwind. [buy]
Shostakovich - String Quartet No. 8 in C Minor, 3rd Movement, as performed by the Brodsky Quartet. A plucky line of strings, stretched out till it's vibrating, zagging, trying to point in every direction. One of Julian's favourite pieces of music, I like the way the romantic theme sails in at the two minute mark, drifting idly while the rest of the instruments brood in the background. Then they take to the air and shriek, playing with their prey, piercing it with black eyes, transfixing it as they grin. They mock the simple beauty from before, reduce it to nothing, play with it till it's forgotten in the grey evening sky. [buy]
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Heard a good song lately? Something special that hasn't received the attention it deserves? Please - dropload it to me (sean@tangmonkey.com). Thank-you!