and you have no idea
no idea how it feels to be on your own
in your own home with the fucking phone
and the mother of gloom in your bedroom
standing over your head
with her hand in your head with her hand in your head
i will not pretend, i will not put on a smile
i will not say i’m all right for you
when all i wanted was to be good

born in montreal, martha wainwright is the sister to rufus wainwright, daughter of folk collaborator kate mcgarrigle and loudon wainwright III. growing up, her childhood was continuously surrounded by her family making music and it predominantly took over. years ago, her absent father wrote the song id rather be lonely about a period of time when martha was 14 and they lived together in new york. in 2005, she later released a full length self-titled debut album on the label drowned in sound sharing a song about him, depicting that time called bloody motherfucking asshole.

“I always felt terribly sorry for the poor woman this was about,” says Martha. “Then one time Loudon said to the crowd: ‘I wrote this song about my daughter.’ I had no idea. He really crossed the line there.” [source]

their words, mostly noises
ghosts with just voices
your words in my memory
are like music to me

i’m miles from where you are
i lay down on the cold ground
and i pray that something picks me up
and sets me down in your warm arms

on snow patrol‘s recent release, eyes open, singer gary lightbody wrote the song set fire to the third bar about martha wainwright and asked her to duet with him.

“It represents a beacon of warmth within a song about distance & trying to get to someone. I was so familiar with her album, I wrote to the dark angel Martha was but she turned out to be one of the sweetest people in the universe, which is always the way.” [source]

images. martha wainwright

so young [ronettes] [knitting factory 2001] :: antony & the johnsons

use me [bill withers] [boston, avalon 1998] :: fiona apple

cant exist [kexp radio 2005] :: joseph arthur

you’re the one that i want [kcrw acoustic 2004] :: beck & sia

grace [london.meltdown festival 1995] :: jeff buckley

just as i should be [wnyc spinning on air 2005] :: diane cluck

my way home [northhampton, iron music hall 2005] :: citizen cope

reitschule [bbc peel sessions 2001] :: do make say think

funny time of year [berlin 2003] :: beth gibbons & rustin man

hints [kexp radio 2006] :: jose gonzalez

shells [baltimore, fletchers 1997] :: patty griffin

shift [paris, acoustic sessions 2005] :: grizzly bear

meet ze monsta [paris, black sessions 1998] :: pj harvey

heartbeats [bbc one music session 2005] :: the knife

ghost highway [paris, black sessions 1993] :: mazzy star

third planet [seattle, breakroom 1998] :: modest mouse

golden star [planet claire session 2005] :: my brightest diamond

live again [nashville, 12th & porter 2005] :: ours

house of cards [bank boston pavillion 2006] :: radiohead

secret [paris, black sessions 2005] :: emilie simon

i didnt understand [paris, black sessions 1998] :: elliott smith

chicago [wnyc spinning on air 2003] :: sufjan stevens

undercover [iceland, poppland 2003] :: worm is green

art by ray caesar

for the past year, brand new has been something special to listen to. it was an easy introduction, being immediately seduced by jesse lacey’s screaming that maintained a familiar rawness of emotion. a present from a good friend, their third album the devil and god are raging inside of me has been taking over inside of my headphones since christmas eve. from the progression of the way their albums have followed leans almost on another wavelength. maybe its the calm tempos that connect to the melodramatic vocals or they way everything will begin to feel so empty and fragile, then an odd rush of surprise comes on and something beautiful happens. different visualizations compliment and it feels important to understand some of the hidden details that this long island band are personally undertaking. the music comes to life in an honest way that only a true listener will appreciate…

it makes your heart feel something ~*~
jesus [im not scared to die but im a lil bit scared of what comes after]

on the album the devil and god are raging inside of me, there’s a silent background story surrounding a song called limousine.

in the summer of 2005, there was a terrible car accident along long island. traveling on their way home from an elegant wedding, a flower girl and her family relaxed inside a limousine. speeding down the wrong side of the road, a heavily intoxicated 25 year old man crashed his pick up truck head-on into their limousine, immediately killing the limo driver, stan rabinowitz and 7 year old flower girl, katie flynn. as the mother brought herself into the wreckage, her decapitated daughter’s head laid in front of her. the impact was so horrible that absolutely nothing remained left of the front of limo and each surviving family member suffered serious complications.

this story became very important inside of new york and around the tri-state area. not until just a few weeks ago did a verdict get reached convicting that young man, martin heidgen, with two counts of second degree murder. easily triggering many human hearts everywhere, the sad news gave a vivid and cold impression of what drinking and driving can cause. revamped strictly enforced laws and ideas revolving around DWIs increased, making any drinking violations that seemed absolutely minor, a major big deal. truly an unforgettable tragedy that happened to both sides; a devastation of an accidental double murder and the idea to keep on surviving within the loss and memories of it all.

images. brand new, katie flynn