They say the best is for the best...

Another easy one for Sunday. I remember picking up Sarah Harmer's You Were Here album on a whim my freshman year at University. At the time I was really starting to get into folk music in a big way and she fit perfectly. She's become my go-to Canadian artist; I like that she has a quirkier sound and I've always thought that her songs feel more like short stories than musical exercises.

Her latest album, OH Little Fire, dropped this past summer and I still don't know it that well as I've only done one straight listen through. It's definitely different from 2005's I'm a Mountain which was a journey into more the more bluegrassy side of folk. In Oh Little Fire, Harmer returns to her pop-ier folk sound, and on first listen-through I'd say that the album sounds more youthful than her others. I couldn't decide which song to upload, so you get two that happen to sound pretty similar.

"Captive" by Sarah Harmer (I like to dance around my room to this one)
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"One Match" by Sarah Harmer
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( The Amazing Race )

A little atmospheric cowboy music for your Supernatural Friday night. I, like a lot of folks, was introduced to Ryan Bingham through the film Crazy Heart (he wrote the Oscar winning theme song, "The Weary Kind"). I remember taking a gander at his first album, Mescalito, when it dropped in 2007 but at the time the twang of it wasn't quite my style. However, I'm really enjoying this year's Junky Star so I might have to give his older stuff another try. His voice has this wonderful dusty quality somewhat reminiscent of Tom Petty and I love me some good old fashioned country desperation songs. LOL, iTunes says that his songs "convey the same sort of grim fatalism and smoldering romance that pervades the novels of Cormac McCarthy." How can you not love it? ;) Seems appropriate for the night ahead.

"Hard Worn Trail" by Ryan Bingham & The Dead Horses (the guitar in this one is great)
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The past few years have seen a surge of what I term "weather" bands. I call them thus because it is the only accurate way I've found to describe the enormity of their music. I'm really drawn the controlled chaos of the sounds these types of bands create; they sound like being alive and they take me out of myself for a short while. Bands that come to mind that fit this description are Okkervil River, (to an extent) Arcade Fire, Shearwater, Sigur Rós, etc. And tonight's OSaD choice, Frightened Rabbit. They've been around since the early 2000s, I guess, but I only started listening to them with the release of this year's The Winter of Mixed Drinks. Weirdly, I associate them with Rainn Wilson because I think he tweeted about them a lot for awhile. I think Josh Ritter was listening to them a lot while orchestrating So Runs the World Away.

I chose this particular song because I really enjoy the build of it, like a inevitable storm overhead.

"Not Miserable" by Frightened Rabbit
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My song choice tonight is in honor of National Coming Out Day (stateside, I think the Brits get it tomorrow). I've only experienced one true coming out moment in my life--the high school friend I mentioned in an earlier post--everyone else in my life who is gay always just...was. In terms of my uncle, some of the cousins, and my sister, there was never a big announcement, it was just understood. Part of this stemmed, I think, from location as both of my parents were born and raised in the midwest. I don't think my uncle has ever taken his partner of 25+ years back to Iowa. Otherwise, with classmates and friends and such it was something felt instinctively or mentioned in an off-hand way--"Did you hear that Jay came out?"--that sort of thing.

I've had fantasies about coming out as bisexual to my office because most of the people I work with need a swift kick in the balls when it comes to talking about/dealing with non-heteros. What's stopping me is that it feels a bit dishonest; while I find both men and women sexually attractive and have harbored crushes on both sexes, I hesitate to label myself concretely. I think sexuality and affection are nebulous and everyone has their own level of ambiguity, or sway, if you will. Wouldn't it be nice if someday in the future we could just stop obsessing about these labels and just let love be love?

Anyway, the song I chose for tonight is the Catie Curtis' "Radical." This particular version comes from the Kink Live Five CD. I think Kink FM stopped making these live discs, which is a damn shame because they were really something else.

"Radical" by Catie Curtis
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As narcissistic as it sounds, sometimes I feel like Brandi Carlile is singing specifically to me. It's as if she's reached right inside my head and yanked out everything I'm thinking and feeling and is belting it back at me with her incredible, emotive voice. In this age of auto-tuned pop groups and inane lyrics, she's a strong, visceral artist. I feel like we're lucky just to be allowed to listen to her music.

This is the opening track from her most recent album, Give up the Ghost. It means a lot to me right now.

"Looking Out" by Brandi Carlile
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From the age of nine until I graduated from college, I sang in one choir or another. I had a particularly good high school choral experience the unfortunately ruined me for everything that came after. My collegiate choir was pretty meh, a fact I was reminded of this past weekend while listening to recordings from my four year stint in their ranks, and I haven't sung in an organized group since. One of the questions people who haven't seen me in a while ask these days is "Are you singing anywhere?" No, I'm not, and this past weekend I think I realized why that is. It's not just that I'm uninterested in the local choirs available to me here, it's also that I'm no longer a soprano. Soprano is not only the section in which I feel most comfortable and secure, it's also the harmonic bit of classical music I enjoy the most. Additionally, I'm not musically gifted enough to sing alto.

So I will just have to appease my inner choral groupie by listening to classical choral music performed by others. Last year I think I talked a bit about Stile Antico and their album Song of Songs and so that's who I choose to offer today. This is a rendition of Song of Songs chapter 7, verses 11-12 composed by Orlande de Lassus and performed by the mixed chorus known as Stile Antico.

"Veni, dilecte mi" by Stile Antico
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Additionally, thank you dissonant_dream for the yorkie. ♥

Dar Williams was a huge part of my college experience. I listened to her both obsessively and often exclusively for about four years and even though it's now been about two years (still doing the alphabetical listening schtick) since I've listened to any of her albums in their entirety, I still know all of her songs. Green World may be my favorite of the albums, and I chose this particular song in honor of the newly arrived West Collins (I really hope this is his name and that Misha isn't just making junk up again, because it's adorable), because it reminds me of his daddy. ♥

"What Do You Love More than Love?" by Dar Williams
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It's the birthday of one of my best friends from high school, so I gave him a call. We talked for about fifteen minutes and he seemed really pleased to hear from me. So someone explain why now I feel like crying again. Sigh. This continual fluctuation between numbness and self-pitying sorrow is starting to wear.

On the days when I feel overwhelming numbness, I often try to use music to jolt myself out of it. Often I have to use music I can't listen to on "normal" days because it usually makes me feel too much; I require that sort of overboard response just to get back to something resembling a normal emotive footing.

I also have music that I associate with days of the week. For example, I chose Jolie Holland for todays OSaD pick because she feels "Sunday" to me. I only own one album, but I'd like to pick up the one that this particular song resides on because this song hits me in my heart whenever I hear it. It's the melody and the imagery; I think this one is more accessible than some of her others but it's still unique and affecting.

I also think my above-mentioned friend would enjoy her. :)

"Mexico City" by Jolie Holland
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I wasn't even sure I was going to do this this year, mostly because I'm not sure anyone finds this interesting but me. But here we are I suppose. Since we're kicking off on Supernatural night, I'll put up my Dean/Lisa song. Dave Carter, god rest his soul, is one of my very favorite lyricists and his voice reminds me of better days. I wish I had been able to see him and Tracy Grammer perform together.

"Lancelot" by Dave Carter & Tracy Grammer
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Last week I received yet another wedding invitation addressed to "Blah Blah and Guest." *sigh* Obviously there's still some schooling that needs to be done.

So for those of you getting married, now or in the future, lemme drop a little knowledge on you care of tasty_bread who is my etiquette guru.

tasty_bread: Mastering envelope etiquette is, I'll admit, one of the biggest challenges of wedding planning, so I'm inclined to forgive in some cases, but "& Guest" is for people who are currently dating someone for under a year. Single people do not get "& Guest", they get carefully placed at tables with mutual friends of theirs, cool people who share their interests, and/or other singles to ease any possible social anxiety and possibly get them laid.

We all clear now? I won't be receiving any more of these awkward & shaming invitations? Great. Thanks.