Nice try, anonymous. After an initial period of peevishness, I'm actually kind of proud that I started a kerfuffle yesterday. I'll admit, that entry wasn't one of my best-thought out posts, but I still stand by what I wrote. And I'll continue to cut through the bullshit when I see it, as I see fit. I'm not the kind to backpedal or apologize for having opinions, especially contrary ones.
Now we've got that out of the way, here's another item of business that I've been meaning to write about for the past few days: My availability as a freelance writer. As some of you may know, I'm in the process of relocating to NYC (Pinkie's coming too, of course -- BFFs have to stick together, you know!) and I need to augment the income from my day job to make that a reality. I could put up a tip jar here, but that feels slightly tacky, especially as I don't host ads and my server space is donated by a very generous pal.
What I'd really like to do is branch out and get some good solid bylines (under my real name or pseudonymously) over the next few months. For the record, I have 7 years of online editorial experience at an award-winning business information website (where I've covered a myriad of industries including real estate, venture capital, healthcare, and video games) and though I have yet to be paid for it, I have two years' experience writing about music, film, and other cultural products on this blog and a few others -- most notably depravedfangirls.org and SXSW preview blog See You In The Pit. I don't know how kosher this is, letting ya'll know that I'm available, but there you are, I am so available. (Of course, I'm also pitching stuff and working connections and generally hustling right now, but it can't hurt to let people know what I can do, right?) Clippings from all of the above can be sent upon request; serious enquiries only please. As always, you can contact me via elegantfaker AT gmail DOT com.
With that business out of the way, I can get on to what we all want to hear: Some fine, fine music. The Walkmen's A Hundred Miles Off made it into my hands earlier this week, and it's really hard not to lapse into severe gushing. What I will say is that the album is really highly rhythmic, which is very much in the mode of what I want to listen to right now -- there's sleigh bells and handclaps and delicious hollerin' all over the place. It's currently permanently installed in my car; I'm particularly enamored of "Emma, Get Me A Lemon," which rather unapologetically references one of the high points of Brian Eno's ouevre. (Which, you know, is quite different from a wholesale gank of someone's artistic M.O., as discussed yesterday. *ahem*) Oh, and -- if you hadn't noticed by now that lead singer Hamilton Leithauser's voice (as Pinkie sagely noted the other day) sounds like Bob Dylan and Rod Stewart in a blender, well ... even though you're way smart, we totally can't help you, baby.
The Walkmen -- Emma, Get Me A Lemon
And really, who doesn't love a good kiss-off song?
The Walkmen -- Brandy Alexander
Changing gears entirely, but hearkening back to my Sesame Street fixation last week -- do you remember the TV show The Tomorrow People? It originally ran in the UK in the 70's and Nickelodeon it in the 80's, which is where I remember watching it and loving every minute of it. (There was also a remake in the mid-90's, but it wasn't nearly as good) Anyway, the show was totally cheezy and involved kids who were the next stage of human evolution and their crazy psychic powers. The best part, though, in my memory, was the soundtrack, which I now know was created by BBC Radiophonic Workshop members (and badass electronic music pioneers) Delia Derbyshire and Brian Hodgson (under the pseudonyms "Li De La Russe" and "Nikki St George," respectively), as well as Dudley Simpson (who also worked on Doctor Who and Blake's 7) and David Vorhaus (who was part of The White Noise with Derbyshire and Hodgson). All the music they created for the show was divine (it was actually just the entirety of an anonymous recording for the Workshop known as ESL 124), but the theme song (penned by Simpson) is particularly wonderful. (More info is available at the Trunk Records website; the album is available from a number of online stockists, including Boomkat.)
The Tomorrow People Theme
Also, I have decided that you need some jazz, or, more specifically some way funky Finnish (yes, really) post-modern jazz that you can dance to, courtesy of The Five Corners Quintet.
The Five Corners Quintet -- Trading Eights
Oh, and after all that blather about influences and Spoon nd what have you yesterday, it occurs to me that clearly Squeeze was involved in there somewhere. Maybe?
Squeeze -- Pulling Mussels (From The Shell)
Now we've got that out of the way, here's another item of business that I've been meaning to write about for the past few days: My availability as a freelance writer. As some of you may know, I'm in the process of relocating to NYC (Pinkie's coming too, of course -- BFFs have to stick together, you know!) and I need to augment the income from my day job to make that a reality. I could put up a tip jar here, but that feels slightly tacky, especially as I don't host ads and my server space is donated by a very generous pal.
What I'd really like to do is branch out and get some good solid bylines (under my real name or pseudonymously) over the next few months. For the record, I have 7 years of online editorial experience at an award-winning business information website (where I've covered a myriad of industries including real estate, venture capital, healthcare, and video games) and though I have yet to be paid for it, I have two years' experience writing about music, film, and other cultural products on this blog and a few others -- most notably depravedfangirls.org and SXSW preview blog See You In The Pit. I don't know how kosher this is, letting ya'll know that I'm available, but there you are, I am so available. (Of course, I'm also pitching stuff and working connections and generally hustling right now, but it can't hurt to let people know what I can do, right?) Clippings from all of the above can be sent upon request; serious enquiries only please. As always, you can contact me via elegantfaker AT gmail DOT com.
With that business out of the way, I can get on to what we all want to hear: Some fine, fine music. The Walkmen's A Hundred Miles Off made it into my hands earlier this week, and it's really hard not to lapse into severe gushing. What I will say is that the album is really highly rhythmic, which is very much in the mode of what I want to listen to right now -- there's sleigh bells and handclaps and delicious hollerin' all over the place. It's currently permanently installed in my car; I'm particularly enamored of "Emma, Get Me A Lemon," which rather unapologetically references one of the high points of Brian Eno's ouevre. (Which, you know, is quite different from a wholesale gank of someone's artistic M.O., as discussed yesterday. *ahem*) Oh, and -- if you hadn't noticed by now that lead singer Hamilton Leithauser's voice (as Pinkie sagely noted the other day) sounds like Bob Dylan and Rod Stewart in a blender, well ... even though you're way smart, we totally can't help you, baby.
The Walkmen -- Emma, Get Me A Lemon
And really, who doesn't love a good kiss-off song?
The Walkmen -- Brandy Alexander
Changing gears entirely, but hearkening back to my Sesame Street fixation last week -- do you remember the TV show The Tomorrow People? It originally ran in the UK in the 70's and Nickelodeon it in the 80's, which is where I remember watching it and loving every minute of it. (There was also a remake in the mid-90's, but it wasn't nearly as good) Anyway, the show was totally cheezy and involved kids who were the next stage of human evolution and their crazy psychic powers. The best part, though, in my memory, was the soundtrack, which I now know was created by BBC Radiophonic Workshop members (and badass electronic music pioneers) Delia Derbyshire and Brian Hodgson (under the pseudonyms "Li De La Russe" and "Nikki St George," respectively), as well as Dudley Simpson (who also worked on Doctor Who and Blake's 7) and David Vorhaus (who was part of The White Noise with Derbyshire and Hodgson). All the music they created for the show was divine (it was actually just the entirety of an anonymous recording for the Workshop known as ESL 124), but the theme song (penned by Simpson) is particularly wonderful. (More info is available at the Trunk Records website; the album is available from a number of online stockists, including Boomkat.)
The Tomorrow People Theme
Also, I have decided that you need some jazz, or, more specifically some way funky Finnish (yes, really) post-modern jazz that you can dance to, courtesy of The Five Corners Quintet.
The Five Corners Quintet -- Trading Eights
Oh, and after all that blather about influences and Spoon nd what have you yesterday, it occurs to me that clearly Squeeze was involved in there somewhere. Maybe?
Squeeze -- Pulling Mussels (From The Shell)
posted by cindy hotpoint at 1:52:00 PM
2 Comments:
Your moving to New York City is good news indeed. When do you expect to be here? If you haven't already, you might want to look at Media Bistro for freelance writing gigs.
Ive been anxiously awaiting the Walkmen album since they played the new songs at ACL last fall. LEMON and a couple other songs (DONT GET ME DOWN) sound vaguely like Greg Dulli. I need a lozenge after hearing them.
also, however you get your music on the d.l., the pipettes full-length is out there somewhere. i recall you digging the single. youre gonna have to move the furniture before listening to it. guaranteed to move your feet.
Post a Comment
<< Home