brown sugar
how come
you taste
so good
just like a
young girl
should
ryan adams featuring
beth orton
: brown sugar
were theyneko case : things that
scare me
right or wrong
i belong
right or wrong
come let the truth be shared
no one
ever dared
to break these endless lies secretly she cries
episode 61 // static
juana molina : salvese quien pueda
at dinner, rico and vanessa are optimistic about a new funeral home.
episode 47 // coming and going
phoenix : everything is everything
claire, edie, anita and jimmy discuss their art project.
episode 41 // in case of rapture
air : cherry blossom girl
at a coffeehouse/bar, claire, anita and edie have a conversation about what they love.
episode 40 // falling into place
sia : dont bring me down
brenda is reflecting on lisa’s death and nate’s visit. joe surprises her with chinese food.
episode 25 // ill take you
telepopmusik: breathe
over morning coffee, brenda is surprised and uncomfortable to find nate reading a racy passage from the book she is writing.
love isn’t something you feel
its something you do
and if the person yr with doesn’t want it
you know, do yourself a favor
and save it for someone who does.
[nate // the rainbow of her reasons // episode 57]
.....episode 24 // the liar & the whore
doves: meet me at the pier
in claire’s hearse, parker tells her that the chinese herbs that she received as a gift from her aunt sarah, are actually magic mushrooms.
episode 23 // the secret
tosca: orozsco (dubphonic mix)
brenda sits on her porch having a smoke as two teenage boys approach. without a word she leads them into the house.
episode 22 // someone elses eye
four tet: glue of the world
billy talks with brenda about his stay in the hospital, her upcoming marriage to nate, and disengaging from his toxic relationship with her.
episode 19 // in place of anger
royksopp : sparks
nate & brenda relate the events of their day to each and both pretend that everything is alright.
episode 14 // in the game
lamb: heaven
becky lights candles, listens to music in the beach house.
episode 4 // familia
the herbaliser : a mother for your mind
brenda’s place, brenda seduces nate with candles.
Well after a delay of life for awhile, I have managed to sit down and put together another great collection of one-liners. Photographs by Sam Handel, who is married to actress, Lauren Ambrose of Six Feet Under fame.
Ours – Death In The City (live)
[You didn't know, I only wanted to see you stop suffering.]
Ben Kweller – Penny On The Train Track
[I see all the things that I should be.]
Elliott Smith – True Love (live)
[I kept right with it man, like a ghost to the house it once haunted]
Modest Mouse – Lives
[It's hard to remember that we're alive for the last time.]
The Flaming Lips – Sunship Balloons
[I don't care, cos we're gonna find a way to fly to the sun.]
For Squirrels – Mighty K.C.
[Things are gonna change in our favor.]
Jenny Lewis – Somebody Else’s Clothes (live)
[Just fucking love me, i'm tired of leaving.]
Jeff Buckley – Curtains (live) (Elton John Cover)
[He was my song, my joy and sorrow.]
Snow Patrol – Mahogany
[Maybe if I could see exactly what was in your way I'd move it for you.]
Photos once again by Sam Handel
Created by Charlie
episode 62 static
interpol * directions
at the nature preserve, claire drives to visit nate’s grave.
episode 55 time flies
arcade fire * rebellion [lies]
nate and brenda argue in the hallway.
episode 58 the silence
ryan adams * let it ride
at the saddle ranch bar, claire meets ted.
episode 42 parallel play
radiohead * lucky
at the end of their yard sale, the fishers decide to make a bonfire out of their possessions that didn’t sell. claire plays this song on a boom box from her bedroom window and the song continues over end credits.
episode 30 nobody sleeps
weekend players * best days of our lives
later at the bar, olivier compliments claire and russel’s artwork.
episode 11 knock knock
beta band * squares
claire walks in on parker and warren fooling around.
episode 1 pilot
the devlins * waiting
nate sees nathaniel wave goodbye on the bus.
[six feet under :: 3 :: soundtrack selection]
episode 53 // dancing for me
wilco : hell is chrome
claire describes her art.
episode 52 // a coat of white primer
doves : almost forgot myself
billy and claire get into a fight.
episode 45 // terror starts at home
stereolab : margarine melody
claire and her friends plan an art project.
episode 29 // another voice
modest mouse : willful suspension of disbelief
claire breaks up with phil at the crematorium.
episode 13 // knock, knock
black rebel motorcycle club : red eyes and tears
claire talks to her dad’s ghost at the party.
episode 22 // someone else’s eye
kings of convenience : i don’t know what i can save you from (royksopp mix)
nate arrives at brenda’s late in the evening. they are both keeping secrets from each other: brenda’s fling in the bookstore bathroom, and nate’s discovery that lisa is pregnant with his child.
did you know that Alan Ball wrote the movie americanbeauty and also co-created hbo’s wonderful series sixfeetunder? alan asked the star of american beauty, actress mena suvari to be his guest in a few favorite sfu episodes.
six feet under has received a total of 32 Emmy nominations and has won seven times; they also have been nominated for eight Golden Globes, winning three.although many people are now beginning to see the beauty of six feet under, this show never received the true recognition that it deserved because most people couldn’t and didn’t want to understand the realty inside and outside of death. the writers’ gave an open-minded spectrum of life changing sequences and most importantly, expressed their views and political beliefs passionately without a second thought. there were no lies, no cover-ups, no falsifications. there was only the truth.
we need more of that.
[from episode 62 :: static]
claire: support our troops??
what a bunch of bullshit!
grieving mom: i don’t know
what you want me to do.
claire: why don’t you try driving something that doesn’t require so much gas for starters, if yr so fucking concerned?
ted: c’mon claire, let’s go inside.
claire: yeah, we wouldn’t want to offend anybody while they are supporting OUR TROOPS!!
david: claire! shut up!
claire: dozens of fucking iraqis are dying everyday while the whole world hates us for going in there in the first place! and terrorists are still gonna be blowing shit up in this country for the next hundred years and the best thing SHE can think to do about it is by putting a sticker on that enormous shit box.
you know… they still bring the wounded soldiers back at night so the press can’t even film it and nobody sees. american soldiers are still being fucked up everyday, and they don’t even tell us, and its all so you can put gas in that enormous fucking car of yours to keep everybody feeling really fucking american!
At the age of 16, I saw the movie American Beauty with friends and was not impressed. Like a good book or album, that you just can’t get into; I was hopeful and had to give it another chance. A few weeks later, another viewing all by my lonesome self, connecting in a whole different light — I went inside.
The movie starts at a lovely bright white house with a velvet green lawn and rose red door, warm decor, blood roses, marijuana; a clean so-called existence of a father, mother and daughter. The foundation of perfection underlining our natural synchronicity, the way everything so easily comes and goes, the fear of the unknown, the questions that only reply with “what if” and the action of the choices we take for the chances.
Surrounded by one single modern day, the main character Lester Burnham, has come to the most stagnant part of his life; where everything is about to be lost and when he has become so dead inside that he doesn’t feel like trying anymore. With some simple changes, he advances himself to where he has always wanted to be; child-like but strong, innocent and free. Lester’s wife and daughter adjust to his new behavior while each of their storylines show their own different ways of following his individual lead.
American Beauty is about waking up from ordinary day-to-day life and discovering, revealing, defining beauty and pleasure. The film presents different ways people relate and respond to grace and elegance. “Look closer.” The words are never spoken but it’s the film’s central theme that shows the turning points which hinge on either the character’s ability to look closer at their lives or their own failure to do so. This film depicts a way of life that we always see but never talk about. The realization that we have forsaken our real happiness for the things that we think should make us complete and content as individuals. Dreaming of a life, which is out of our grasps, is a common thing. So common that everyone, at some point in their own life wishes that they were someone else or that they could in some way be greater than they already are. The greatest fears known to human are the discovery of happiness and extinction of despair. Everyone chooses which of the two will ultimately rule their life, but sometimes life itself can get in the way.
Roses have been associated with love for centuries, and this film maintains this traditional symbolism. The simplicity of red and the overpowering feeling that a person gets at the sight of it are given as guidelines to discovering the beauty found in conventionally unbeautiful things. American Beauty uses roses to symbolize desire in scenes where love is present, but in contrast it also uses roses in scenes where love does not exist, and is yearning to.
The magic in this film captures its viewer in a world of music which enhances not only the understanding of the film, but clearly illustrates the gap between fantasy and reality. Songwriters AnnieLennox, BillWithers & ElliottSmith contributed generously throughout the film while instrumentalist ThomasNewman’s haunting strings perfectly played as the colorful musical backdrop. Without the actual sound of this film, it could have been rather uneasy to understand, as each note said the words that were meant to be unspoken.
The definition in the Merriam-Webster Dictionary reads: “Beauty; the combination of qualities that make something pleasing and impressive to listen to or touch, or especially to look at.” In the film, a different type of beauty is depicted and not merely defined by aesthetic means, instead the simplicity and overpowering feeling that a person gets at the sight of discovering something beautiful is found in conventionally non-beautiful things.
The number of times in this film that I felt an overwhelmed recreated feeling of absolute pure bliss is quite absurd. I found myself inside the minds of a lost but familiar family of characters. How nice to see my reflection, a reality in a sense of myself when I have become so blinded. Reborn to innocence: to see from an objective point of a view and absolutely love every detail. It makes me want to let go of myself again and again as it gives me the realization that nothing will ever be perfect but can’t come close if all one does is keep waiting.
At the end of American Beauty
Lester Burnham speaks with true grateful sincerity:
its hard to stay mad when theres so much beauty in the world
sometimes i feel like im seeing it all at once
and its too much
my heart fills up like a balloon that’s about to burst
and then i remember to relax and stop trying to hold on to it
and then it flows through me like rain
and i can’t feel anything but gratitude
for every single moment of my stupid little life
you have no idea what im talking about, im sure
but don’t worry, you will someday.
Every time I listen to those words and fall into that dark cinematography, it’s easy to gather another reminder and that’s what I love. I believe that American Beauty so easily translates to society due to the moral of the story which shares the richness of the film: to simply enjoy living because you never know what one day may bring. In all honesty, there is no such thing as a mistake. It’s all about taking from what you’ve learned and blinding yourself with the everyday details you get to see: watch the colors appear brighter, as the people become nicer. Synchronicity in its finest, the way a simple day becomes everything that you always knew, but never believed could exist. And I love those days, I want to crawl inside them and sleep there forever. All my analyzations, overwhelming decisions, the morality of whether a feeling is right or wrong gets pushed aside and I get the answer to just take a chance. It’s easy, you just have to want it, listen and open-mindedly walk forward. Sure, disappointments are a given; however, without those challenges of getting from one place to another, there would be nowhere to get to.
listen to the american beauty soundtrack:
annie lennox ~ don’t bring let it bring you down
Electric President are a group that I’m really proud to have found some months back. I really enjoy the fact that I’m like the only person that I know that listens to them all of the time.. I’ve heard people say here and there that they’ve checked them out, but their debut cd, I just cannot escape. It’s so good. It’s got such a good vibe. It’s a “makes me happy” cd. So, check out Electric President, and hopefully, you’ll be hooked like I am.
This damn machine, this damn machinethis broken head doesn’t work
So they’re selling it off again
These crooked legs, these twisted armsthese tired feet lost their worth
Soon they’ll dismantle them
But we’re all just part of some giant grand machine.
Too big to really understand.
But we’ll do our jobs till we break down and fall.
Now we just sleepwalk. We drift through the week.
A dead procession always dragging its feet. Well, come on.
Our hands are swollen. We all need to sleep.
But there’s no time, just stitch us up so we’ll keep.
We’re all just part of someone’s elaborate plan.
Chess pieces in some grandiose scheme.
But we’ll do our jobs till we break down and fall
The Tosca Tango Orchestra probably have the most unique sound in the world. It’s very accordion heavy, and all instrumental. It is some of the best cloud-watching music that I’ve ever heard. I love just getting in my car and putting the Waking Life soundtrack into my cd player and just ride and watch the sky. I’m a big fan of this group of ridiculously talented musicans. Everyone should hear them. This song is the first track from the Waking Life sound track. Enjoy!
there is nothing better than starting your saturday morning off right. after a cup of coffee and a nice calm walk around the park or perhaps its one of those peaceful rainy days in bed, a favorite way to spend this special time is watching a 4 episode mini marathon of six feet under. thanks to the bravo network, its possible to catch up on lost seasons and reflect again on all the tiny details that made this show feel so captivating.for those on the unknown, six feet under was simply a special five-season, dark hbo tv drama based on the over-thinking and analyzations of relationships inbetween life, love and death. still in the midst of repeat watching, its important to remember just how good this series was and still is.
even though some episodes may have been seen twenty times already, its always calmly refreshing and new. just like the feeling of listening to your favorite musicians, how the second, third and fourth time of a song repeats, hypnotic bass lines or a underlining harmony appears different than the first listen. in six feet under, theres something so easy to innocently notice as each creative scene appears and inspiration runs off in new directions. its all in the way certain pieces become such an integral part while they attach and speak so personally to the human mind. this comforting endless satisfaction of being fueled by technicolor visual media proves strong especially when these sounds and ideas actually have true emotional meaning behind them; thats what i feel, especially love and believe in. different messages may appear more complex to some but for myself, watching this show fulfills an overall experience that provides a secret yearning to keep forever searching and always want more.
at the end of season 4, david wakes to find his late father smoking a cigarette near the bedroom window. unknowingly, together they share in a conversation showing a type of compassion that silently portrays the feeling of tragedy mixed within unknown strength.
Nate Sr: You were brave to face him.
David: Not really. There was a guard.
Nate Sr: Doesn’t matter. [Pause] I’m proud of ya.
David: I thought it would set me free but it…didn’t change anything. Except now I know he really is insane.
Nate Sr: You’re missing the point.
David: There is no point. That’s the point. [Nate Sr. Sighs] Isn’t it?
Nate Sr: Don’t give me this phony existential bullshit. I expect better from you. The point’s right in front of your face.
David: Well I’m sorry, but I don’t see it.
Nate Sr: You’re not even grateful, are ya?
David: Grateful? For the worst fucking experience of my life?
Nate Sr: You hang on to your pain like it means something. Like it’s worth something. Well let me tell ya, it’s not worth shit. Let it go. [Talking to the air] Infinite possibilites and all he can do is whine.
David: Well what am I supposed to do?
Nate Sr: What do ya think? You can do anything ya lucky bastard, you’re alive! What’s a little pain compared to that?
David: [Sigh] It can’t be so simple.
Nate Sr: What if it is?
episode 35 the opening
nate and brenda check out billy’s artwork
and joke about how they’ve evolved.
song: hayling [machine says yes, 2002]
artist: fc kahuna
episode 27 perfect circles
for art class, claire practices drawing a perfect circle.
song: little miss more or less [on your side, 2004]
artist: magnet
episode 8 crossroads
david and keith have dinner together and talk.
song: whose blues [the magic dragon, 2003]
artist: caia
episode 31 the trap
nate browses for CDs at a record store and has a fantasy that lisa has discovered him spending $$$ outside their budget.
song: obstacle 2 [turn on the bright lights, 2002]
artist: interpol
episode 13 knock knock
baby augusto’s christening, nate is at peace with his family.
song: mis dos pequenas [cachaito, 2001]
artist: orlando “cachaito” lopez
episode 4 familia
at the bowling alley, david and keith hang out.
song: life on a chain [music for the morning after, 2001]
artist: pete yorn
episode 21 its the most wonderful time of the year
nate is given the keys to jessie’s motorcycle
and zooms off down the pacific coast…
song: don’t fear the reaper [best of... 2000]
artist: blue oyster cult
episode 22 someone elses eye
after an argument with her brother billy,
brenda is highly distressed and starts to go through
and rip up phone numbers of men she has recently met.
song: souljacker (part 1) [souljacker 2004]
artist: eels
episode 13 knock knock
brenda wants nate to join her on a visit to billy in the hospital.
song: pauline [thrill, space baby, 2000]
artist: eleni mandell
episode 20 back to the garden
the morning after a party at her aunt sarah’s topanga canyon house, claire finds her cooking belgian waffles and listening to this song. later when she arrives back at the funeral home, claire sees another side of her mother, when she sees her singing along to the tape which was given to her by her aunt…continues over end credits.
song: woodstock [ladies of the canyon 1970]
artist: joni mitchell
You are currently browsing the music is art weblog archives for May, 2006.
