I Could Hear Them Breaking Free

Why couldn't my school choir have been this cool? I might have enjoyed singing if it had! The PS22 Chorus in New York sing my favorite song - ever. And do one of the better covers of "Private Universe" I've heard.



Here is an amazing live version of the original by Crowded House, on the steps of the Sydney Opera House.



So what was I singing in my choir? This song. Years after it was cool.



We also sang a song about painting a rainbow. No wonder I quit after the first trimester!

The Police are Back!

I got them! I have tickets to see The Police in Denver this summer! I've always been wary of a reunion. I hate it when bands get back together and they just look old and desperate. But if their performance at the Grammy's is any indication the concert should be incredible. I know I can count on Stewart to keep Sting from becoming complacent. Hopefully the edge will still be there and the music will continue to evolve.

Now I'm waiting for the Crowded House tour to be announced. (I still can't believe my two favorite bands got back together in the same month.)

Labyrinth

I've been a big Sting fan for as long as I can remember. I still think the early Police songs are some of the best pop songs ever written. What I love most about Sting is that he has consistently pushed the boundaries of what pop music is, and should be. He blurs boundaries between genres and the results are always beautiful.

The current bandwagon for aging rock stars is to release an album of standards. Sting isn't immune to this trend. He's been playing with the classics for the past 10 years. His cover of "My One and Only Love" is one of my favorites. But his new album has taken this concept to extremes. Songs From the Labyrinth is a selection of Elizabethan songs accompanied by lute. It's an intriguing concept and the results are surprisingly poignant. "Come Again" doesn't sound that different than a few of the songs on his 1987 release ". . . Nothing Like the Sun."

Four of the "new" songs are available to listen to online. Whether you like it or not, you'll be surprised.

Taak

Yesterday I signed a contract on an apartment in Salt Lake City. Ironicaly I've moved out of desk 10 in the studio and into Apt. 10 at this new complex. More (much more) when I move in permanently. My internship at GSBS begins on May 23rd and I can hardly wait! To celebrate my sister and I saw Sigur Ros in concert at The Depot, a block away from the GSBS office.

For those who haven't heard of Sigur Ros this review is courtesy of Salt Lake City Weekly.

Iceland might be green, but judging from the country’s most popular musical exports, its terrain is more like a snow globe—delicate, playful and surreal. Some enjoy the winsome peculiarity of artists like Björk and Sigur Rós. Others find the latter too bizarre. Until recently, the nymphlike quartet wrote lyrics in Hopelandic, a nonsensical language built on high-pitched vocals. With Taak, vocalist Jón Bor (Jónsi) Birgisson switches to Icelandic. Of course, most people still can’t understand a word he’s saying, but that’s really not the point. Sigur Rós creates ambient, aural landscapes where dreamers can escape if only for the duration of one truly magical show.

And magical it was. There is no way to describe Sigur Ros, especially live. Ethereal is the closest word there is. We were right up front by the drums and there is nothing like an intimate venue to experience live music. It was just amazing. Opening act Amina were a revelation as well.

Download some songs and listen for yourself. Their music is featured on the Life Aquatic and Vanilla Sky soundtracks.

I do have a new concert pet-peeve though. Even worse than people drunk talking at the back are the people up front on their cell phones. It's a concert. You paid to get in, turn it off for a few hours and listen!

Bands

My sister and I just got tickets to see Sigur Ros. They are playing in Utah the day I will be moving to Salt Lake. I'm so excited. It will be a fun way to start my summer.

Now I'm reminiscing about all the bands I've seen in concert. Some I'm proud of, others not so much. But they have all been fun. In alphabetical order, I've seen the following live . . .

Ataris
Barry Manilow (under duress!)
Beach Boys
Beck
Beu Sisters
Chantal Kreviazuk
Clay Aiken
Dave Matthews Band
Flaming Lips
Grant Lee Buffalo
KD Lang
Kelly Clarkson
Kingston Trio
Larry Coryell
Morley
Neil Finn
No Doubt
Peter Cetera
Samples
Savage Garden
Semisonic
Sheryl Crow
Sting
Suicide Blondes
Weezer

Sometime I'll have to compile a list of all the operas I've seen. That list is much longer.