Letters to you

I've never been much of a Hare Krishna fan, but this was an absolutely beautiful melding of cultures, with stunning artwork and elevating music.

Mountain Hare Krishna by Krishna Das and Sting

Just Dazzling...

This music mightily tugged on my heartstrings...

A new album by s00j is available here. Interesting mix of humor, faerie, and paganism. I particularly liked The Mushroom Song. Creature of the Wood, The Dryad's Promise, and Tam Lin were other favorites.

They changed the Tam Lin poem just a tad to make a song of it (or maybe it's a different version - there are many versions of that poem). In this version, Janet doesn't try to take the scathing herb. Instead, she goes to the forest to find Tam Lin, and when he's not there she falls in despair. Tam Lin appears just in time to catch her. Also, Tam Lin skips the molten iron phase of his comeback, and becomes a naked knight right after changing into a raging beast. Other than that, it's the Tam Lin I'm familiar with.

rialian liked those too, but he especially liked all the schmaltzy fae humor music, especially Alligator in the House and Ballad of the Boy Cat.

For bee and music lovers:

Jennifer Batten does Flight of the bumblebee.

More Jennifer Batten goodness

And thus we segue into this

Man? Woman? Elf? Black? White? I don't know (or care).

I am impressed. Wow.

This came up in a search I was doing about something else.

Hymn to Bacchus

Pretty...

How to play piano Lesson 1 (playlist). Series of Youtube videos. Not as good as having a real teacher, but it's free.

Station is a mix of pop and indie

Artist - Brian Jonestown Massacre
Album - Give it Back
Song - Servo
Album - Tepid Peppermint Wonderland - A Retrospective
Song - Mary Please

Artist - Finley Quaye
Album - Much More than Love
Song - Dice

Artist - Timbaland
Album - Shock Value
Song - The Way I Are

Artist - Dandy Warhols
Album - Come Down
Song - Not if You Were the Last Junkie on Earth
Song - Every Day Should Be a Holiday
Song - Orange
Album - Thirteen Tales from Urban Bohemia
Shakin'
(and pretty much everything else they ever did)

Artist - Rihanna
Album - Good Girl Gone Bad
Song - Shut up and drive

Artist - Pussycat Dolls
Album - Doll Domination
Song - When I grow up

Artist - Alphaville
Album - The Singles Collection
Song - Dance with me

Artist - Dead or Alive
Album - Youthquake
Song - You Spin me Round (Like a Record Player)

Here's where I'll mention I have a bit of a problem with a recent practice:

"You Spin me Round (Like a Record Player) was recently ripped off by Flo Rida and the lyrics changed in the 2009 song "Right Round (When you Go Down)". Similarly, O-zone's "Dragostea Din Tei" (Numa Numa) was ripped off by Rihanna on "Live your Life" and the lyrics changed. Rihanna also ripped off Soft Cell's 1981 single "Tainted Love" in her song "SOS" - the basic refrain music is identical to the original, but the words and other portions are completely different.

I would consider these songs "covers" if they were redone with the lyrics and melody basically intact, with perhaps modernized beats and mixing. and due credit and compensation were given to the original artists. I think Gary Brolsma's Youtube lipsynch of Dragonstea Din Tei as the "Numa Numa Song" always credited O-zone and made reference to the original title. But as far as I know, the original artists are never credited for the use of their music in the above-mentioned cases. Large portions of the music are simply stolen, while the words and entire portions are different. Selected identical pieces of the original are used (kind of like using dismembered body parts) with no reference or credit. This seems to be a common practice recently, and I hate it.

So... where are those copyright lawsuits when we need them (as opposed to persecuting college students for downloading music that they intend to buy later).

( more songs I liked )

Crazy thought enters head (concerning things esoteric): "You really believe all that stuff, don't you?"

Immediate answer: "yes'.
More thought out answer: "Some of it (well, the part I think is ok, anyway)".

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In other news, we haven't gotten the pathology results for Sithreal back yet. I'm extremely gun shy at the moment, since last time I thought I would get an "It was an abscess" or at worst, "It was a localized skin cancer". So this time I really do want to get a "No evidence of cancer". Even if results are clear, the oncologist may recommend chemo. I need to research this and be sure i know what to do. I don't want to compromise his immunity too much more unless it's deemed life-threatening not to.

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I just got good news in the political spam box:

"After such a long drought in federal leadership on renewables, we find ourselves pleasantly surprised by Congress' newfound love for the sun. Congress just passed an economic recovery package that makes good on Obama's promise to unleash the economic development engine that is clean energy. Nearly all of the solar provisions on the table made it into the final bill. Serious kudos to our hard-working friends at SEIA who traversed the halls of Congress until the 11th hour, and to all of our members who chimed in online to make their voices heard. Click here to read about the solar provisions in the bill. http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/1179/t/5839/blog/comments.jsp?key=538&blog_entry_KEY=23317&t= . The recovery package will immediately spur job creation along each link in the solar supply chain- from PV panel manufacturers to solar hot water system installers. Next up on the federal solar agenda - a Renewable Electricity Standard. We are working to ensure that this important policy tool effectively deploys solar from coast to coast. As always, we will be counting on you to help deliver the message. Stay tuned, it may only be February, but it's already shaping up to be a great year for solar victories. Onwards, Annie + Vote Solar Team"

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In other other other news, I've fallen in love with this Greek song (which had it's origins in the Greek underworld scene of the 30s): Alexandriani Felaha (Alexandrian Country Girl):

( lyrics, pronunciation guide, and translation of Greek song )

s00j - She has created companion CDs to Catherynne Valiente's Orphan's Tales: http://www.skinnywhitechick.com/music.php

saveours00j - She was in the hospital, may have to go back for more tests. No insurance.

I remember when there was a big flap about I Used to Love Her by Guns n Roses.

Then today I heard Knoxville Girl by the Louvin Brothers, about which there never was the slightest flap.

And then of course there is the Finnish band Värttinä, who wrote a song about a woman who ate her children, and another song with the following lyrics: "I throw off sparks, I tear from my tongue words as twisted as tree-roots. I poke the fire of hatred with my words, I hurl hate back at you. My mood blackens, blacker than the mind of any mortal. My loathing drips blood, my pain slashes, curses, drenches with pus."

Um, All-rightee then. So anyway.

It's funny that people singled out GNR's "I used to love her," when in fact much folk music worldwide (for example, music from Finland and Tennessee) goes where that song never dared to go.