Miracle Fortress - "Little Trees"

An unexpected honey sandwich from the brains (as opposed to brawn) behind Think About Life. The Miracle Fortress album is (literally) covered in bedsheets and kittens, which act perhaps as an asterisk to the style, but they need not. Graham Van Pelt's approach is straightforward, and simple, and unafraid. I like it. The songs may not all be to my taste, but neither are Think About Life's, I didn't expect anything different. But here. Here, the song seems to ask "hey, little buddy, can I get into bed and snuggle with you?" at the beginning, which is kind of annoying, but please let it in. If you let it lie there, next to you, the next thing you know, when you're turning over and out of a dream, it'll be this little electric treasure, this tapered and tapping surf tune. The vocals, timid on their own, come together and lift right up and over their own heads, something similar to the way a time-lapse sapling flips itself inside-out and, quivering, grows up.
[available at Secret City soon, or on iTunes now]

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John Cale - "Paris 1919"
Final Fantasy - "Paris 1919 (with Cadence Weapon)"

I didn't get into this (StG) because I know a lot about music. I know less than probably most of you. So forgive me when I say I had to find out this evening that Paris 1919 was actually a John Cale cover, and not an unreleased FF song off his new album. But couldn't it be? When I heard the vast majesty of the original just hours ago, the regal seamless velvet wonder that it is, I was amazed at how easily Owen Pallett has been bringing this style into realms new and exciting, and yet so faithfully, spirit intact, for like two albums now. Of course he has his own thing, and he's great and all, but the sheer similarity of these artists has drastically increased my respect for both. It's like, and this is an incredibly esoteric simile, 'cause it's late, but I swear it's exactly what I mean, watching John Cassevetes' Faces after Andrew Bujalski's Mutual Appreciation. Yeesh. I told you music wasn't my thing.

[Buy John Cale] [buy Final Fantasy] [Buy John Cassavetes] [Buy Andrew Bujalski]