Happy Halloween!! Though not quite the high-traffic release day that 6/6/06 was, today's notable all the same. We'd like to remind you that Lady Sovereign's album, Vertically Challenged Public Warning, is out today. Wait, wait. It wasn't out yet?!?! Anyone else feel that though artist development is always key, that maybe that whole process was unneccesarily drawn out? Maybe it's just me... It seems to have worked -- everyone knows who she is now, right? (site)
Anyway, speaking of delayed releases from tiny, sassy ladies -- Nellie McKay's double disc, Pretty Little Head, is finally out today as well on her own imprint, under license from Sony, who, as you may recall, declined to put out the album to Ms. McKay's specifications, in a truncated version that scrapped more than half of the 23 songs she'd recorded. On first listen to the two-disc version, you can't help but sympathize -- Ms. McKay may be in the running for the best pop song stylist of her generation, but the downright bizzaro Harry Nillson-like studio production (vamped skits with herself, screeching confessionals, overly expressive instrumentation and production, etc.) that's in direct opposition to her more-or-less refined live show persona would have sent any label exec into conniptions regarding saleabilty. And though I may not quite fully buy into the sometimes overly-agressive social crusader messages (veganism, anti-fur, etc.) in Ms. McKay's songs, they're all still quite lovely all the same. I just really do wish that she'd put out a live album instead. And I sure would love to see her play again soon-ish. (fan site)
Lady Sovereign -- Gatheration
Lady Sovereign -- Hoodie.
Nellie McKay -- There You Are In Me.
Nellie McKay -- David (Early Version).
(naturally, if you do some snooping, you can find more of Ms. McKay's ouevre floating around here somewhere...)
Nellie McKay -- Real Life
Not surprising, todays in HIGH DEMAND tracks are on the spooky side, the kind that need no introduction:
Ministry -- Every Day Is Halloween.
Siouxie and the Banshees -- Halloween.
The B-52's -- Devil In My Car.
Lambert, Hendricks & Ross -- Halloween Spooks.
Be careful out there, kids!
Oh, and... Sorry we won't see you at CMJ this year. Things are just to hectic this week down here in the ATX. We were almost glad we weren't going 'cause CMJ is way harder to navigate than SXSW, what with venues stretching from Hoboken (Maxwell's) to the depths of Brooklyn Warsaw, et. al.) -- but we are kind of bummed to be missing all these fantastic parties we've been invited to (have some BKLYN Lager for us, y'awls) and what's sure to be the madhouse Van She show on Saturday..
Anyway, speaking of delayed releases from tiny, sassy ladies -- Nellie McKay's double disc, Pretty Little Head, is finally out today as well on her own imprint, under license from Sony, who, as you may recall, declined to put out the album to Ms. McKay's specifications, in a truncated version that scrapped more than half of the 23 songs she'd recorded. On first listen to the two-disc version, you can't help but sympathize -- Ms. McKay may be in the running for the best pop song stylist of her generation, but the downright bizzaro Harry Nillson-like studio production (vamped skits with herself, screeching confessionals, overly expressive instrumentation and production, etc.) that's in direct opposition to her more-or-less refined live show persona would have sent any label exec into conniptions regarding saleabilty. And though I may not quite fully buy into the sometimes overly-agressive social crusader messages (veganism, anti-fur, etc.) in Ms. McKay's songs, they're all still quite lovely all the same. I just really do wish that she'd put out a live album instead. And I sure would love to see her play again soon-ish. (fan site)
Lady Sovereign -- Gatheration
Lady Sovereign -- Hoodie.
Nellie McKay -- There You Are In Me.
Nellie McKay -- David (Early Version).
(naturally, if you do some snooping, you can find more of Ms. McKay's ouevre floating around here somewhere...)
Nellie McKay -- Real Life
Not surprising, todays in HIGH DEMAND tracks are on the spooky side, the kind that need no introduction:
Ministry -- Every Day Is Halloween.
Siouxie and the Banshees -- Halloween.
The B-52's -- Devil In My Car.
Lambert, Hendricks & Ross -- Halloween Spooks.
Be careful out there, kids!
Oh, and... Sorry we won't see you at CMJ this year. Things are just to hectic this week down here in the ATX. We were almost glad we weren't going 'cause CMJ is way harder to navigate than SXSW, what with venues stretching from Hoboken (Maxwell's) to the depths of Brooklyn Warsaw, et. al.) -- but we are kind of bummed to be missing all these fantastic parties we've been invited to (have some BKLYN Lager for us, y'awls) and what's sure to be the madhouse Van She show on Saturday..
posted by cindy hotpoint at 6:21:00 PM
7 Comments:
Hello girls:
The link for "There you are in me" is broken.
Sad
Ack! It should be okay now. Sorry about that -- that's what I get for posting these things in a hurry!
Nellie McKay really needs to work with a producer that will say no to her once in a while, and won't allow her a moment of self-indulgence. (It would be amazing to hear what she'd do if she worked with Kurt Heasley of Lilys. Her mom? Not so much.)
Wait -- her mom??!?!
I mean, I knew their relationship was interesting, but that's just kind of weird. That'll teach me to read the liner notes more closely.
And yes. Kurt Heasley. TOTALLY.
Or Van Dyke Parks!
Vertically Challeged was Lady Sov's EP that was already released. The LP you're talking about is Public Warning.
This is what happens when I'm away from the internet for 24+ hours.
1. I read a review in Paste last year that said Nellie's mom executive-produced PLH. My memory is not always what it should be, but...yeah.
2. My one issue with Parks producing Nellie is that he might be too much of a softie. Kurt's coming from the same place Nellie is creatively (seriously, some of the better songs on GAFM sounded like Lilys tunes) but would also have the nerve to say "NO." or "THIS IS A BAD IDEA." Abrasion is not always a bad thing.
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