January 3, 2006
Said the Guests: Katy Horan
Katy Horan lives in New York City and makes art. I've never met her, though I'd like to, but one day I stumbled head-over-feet onto her art. And I swooned, as one does, because there were animals and clouds, ships and zeppelins, people singing heart-songs and hedehogs murmuring secrets. It's a collage full of play and winks, a whimsy that's more hopeful than nostalgic, a liveliness that belongs in forest-bed or whirligig farm, in book or canvas.
Katy's going to illustrate at least one more song for us, soon enough, but it would be foolish to sit on this one - not when it's a new year and a good song and a picture full of friendships and promises.
Thank you so much, Katy. -- Sean
[More of Katy Horan's art can be found on her website, or you can keep track of Katy-developments on her blog. A little bit of her work is still on sale here. It's great. And you can write to Katy at katy@katyart.com.]
(Previous guest-blogs, in and out of the Said the Guests series: Hello Saferide, Edward Droste (Grizzly Bear), Will Sheff (Okkervil River), Devin Davis, Michael Nau (Page France), artist Tim Moore, Carl Wilson, artist Drew Heffron, David Barclay (The Diskettes), Brian Michael Roff, Howard Bilerman (producer: Silver Mt. Zion, Arcade Fire, etc.), Damon Krukowski (Damon & Naomi). There are many more to come.)
inaugural harroo!
Just one because there is another (better) post coming later today --
März - "Everybody's Had a Hard Year". Monica sent me this about a year ago. Scott sent it about a week ago. I woke up a couple of days ago and it was 2006, and all around me peoples' relationships were coming to pieces, debris everywhere, and yet there's a clapclapclap in order because rosy clouds were in the sky, birds winging it all over, friends only a phonecall or an emailtap away. I went to Oslo and saw snow, slipped on ice, clinked glasses with a reader of this-here-place, and then back in Edinburgh I new-yeared with fireworks zip-popping all around, all around, a panorama of colour and spark and us in an empty golf-course, running through it, and i wonder wonder wonder what will come next.
März (or Maerz) cops from John Lennon's bit of "I Got a Feeling", but instead of strain this is all ease, stretching limbs out into the morning, the spring, the new year. put down that ship-in-a-bottle, that baggage, that oof. everybody's had a hard year: snap your fingers to the push of voice, the kind glimmer of organ and guitar, and light popsong lyrics that will teach you a thing or two about life.
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A hilarious Eugene Mirman comedy clip at No Frontin' - we caught Mirman at this year's Edinburgh Fringe and his surreal (non)sense gags had me feeling glad to be alive. And I too am full of hate.
New mp3blog Red Ruin has a fantastic piece of "ethereal daydreamcore" by Japanese singer Ua. Waterbucket tictoc, says I; fancydress clockwork bjork. Red Ruin's author is the guy who sent through that great Downy track, some months ago.
Seripop has a most-wow poster for sale from the album launch for their band (AIDS Wolf).
Matt at You Ain't No Picasso has his best-of-the-year up, and the new-to-me thing that is most wonderful is the soft-fingered Shins-pop of Sambassadeur's "Between the Lines", which you can download there.
RIP NYLPM, which changed the way I listen to music. Thank you so much, Tom.
Also RIP Splendid, which was the boldest and most lunatic music ezine in the universe.
happy new year.