am i living wrong
do you see a long road with no one on it
and the right of men that you learnt only to forget
you see my sad wife and my high margin of profit
but you don’t care at all
you don’t care
at all

theres something about these live french radio sessions that seem to resonate such a surreal quality. patterns of sounds sharing a vulnerability that can’t always be found in an open scattered arena; hearing this type of emotion and intimacy should be a state of mind set for every moment of any performance.

the veils
black session // 10.30.06

a birthday present
jesus for the jugular ***
one night on earth
calliope!
state trooper (springsteen cover)
nux vomica ***
advice for young mothers to be
under the folding branches
the wild son
pan ***
not yet
more heat than light

***highly recommended

artwork by izabella pierce

after recently moving and subletting a home again in boston, i’ve found myself with an impression of this scene that lingers on the audience needing to come back to appreciating, smiling and falling in love with music again. my kind roommate, corryn, surprised me with tickets to see the gutter twins last night at the paradise rock club. finding a cozy seat on the black vinyl sofas against the wall, together we sat in anticipation for the opener great northern.

this la quartet have been a special band inside my collection over the last few years. as i remember receiving their demo, feeling humble about the collection of their male-female harmonies and how sweetly those dreamy guitars lingered. the live experience was far beyond that, shimmering full of epic potential and mind-blowing creativity. after their show, it seemed only right to secretly tell them how i personally felt. after shaking hands with the entire band and graciously speaking with vocalist/keyboardist rachel stolte, it seemed important that great northern receive as much praise as possible.

from great northern’s 2007 debut
‘trading twilight for daylight’.
the middle
home

the lights in the room seemed to all gently fade to black as mark langegan (formerly of the screaming trees) and greg dulli (of the afghan wings and the twilight singers) appeared. in between breaths of too many cigarettes, the audience was cast under a spell, as they cautiously swayed their bodies to the brooding rock and sensual sounds of the gutter twins.

watching the band play off one another and that hidden sensuality that rests within the darkness of their collaboration felt apparent to witness. the gift of the night was their cover of jose gonzalez “down the line”, hearing those drums pulsate and the words screamed *don’t let the darkness eat you up* made me believe it. listening closely, it became comforting to notice how both bands set-lists beautifully segued into one another. like my own private music world, if only there were more people there to actually understand and fill the room.

from the gutter twins’ 2008 debut
‘saturnalia’.
each to each

from their recent performance
in paris, france.
number nine
down the line (jose gonzalez cover)

original painting by corryn leigh young

r.e.m.
studio 105, la maison de la radio
black session, paris
may 07, 2001

imitation of life
the great beyond
what’s the frequency
all the way to reno
day sleeper
i’ve been high
electrolite
the lifting
at my most beautiful
i’ll take the rain
the one i love
she just wants to be
walk unafraid
losing my religion
man on the moon
so. central rain
end of the world

artwork by theartgarden

living happily together as wife & husband in duluth, minnesota,
the core of low have been creating delicate music since 1994. 

my first introduction was the rarity sleep at the bottom which came from their 7″ split collaboration shared with piano magic and transient waves.  i remember listening to it distinctly as being able to quietly relax, as the music kept me lost inside subtle electronic details, reflective harmonies and gently striking drum n’ bass.  to this day, beautifully with their new 2007 album breaker, low still provide clarity for all that makes sound meaningful.

our bodies break
and the blood just spills and spills

low // april 23, 2007
black session
maison de radio france

sandinista
in silence
take your time
dragonfly
belarus
sunflowers
laser beam
silver rider 
pissing
violent past 
murderer
breaker
pretty people

images:
lexi
thankyou:
archive.org

the black sessions are really one of my very favorite live recordings… every artist seems to share this hidden special dark quality that makes each foreign performance feel important.

the rapture
// live 10.02.03

infatuation
out of the races
modern romance
olio
coming of spring
open your heart
heaven
sister savior
i need your love ***
the pop song
untitled
echoes
killing
house of jealous lovers
rock n roll pt. 2

i was getting ready to be a threat
i was getting set for my
accidental suicide
the kind where no one dies
no one looks too surprised
then you realize
that you’re riding on a para-success
of a heavy-handed metaphor
and a feeling like you’ve been here before
because you’ve been here before
and you’ve been here before

andrew bird
live :: 03.21.05

this show is truly beautiful, so many different elements of andrew are brought in, sharing another level that is purely magical.

dj
introduction
sovay
why?
a nervous tic motion of the head to the left
measuring cups
banking on a myth
masterfade
fake palindromes
armchair apocalypse
tables and chairs
capital isle
keep your lamp trimmed and burning

artwork. otto dix

i think
i loved you
more than me

+++
goldfrapp
live france
04.21.03

lovely head
human
cristalline green
train
tiptoe
twist
slippage
strict machine
utopia
black cherry

image. vogue

i didn’t have a hard time making it i had a hard time letting it go.

over the past twenty-four years, i have dedicated my heart and soul to the world of music. artists may always come and go, but there’s those particular few that you somehow can’t and won’t ever forget.

elliott smith is one of them.

quietly inside of all the open sorrows and sighs of regret, guilt, addiction, misunderstandings — there’s these certain spaces inbetween when elliott sings that are meant to be hidden but appear so vivid and vulnerable. its amazing how a part of us that can remain so tightly disclosed and private, every now and then unlocks itself and gives a new sense of light and hope that just keeps on radiating. thats how i feel when i listen to his music. somehow underneath every simplicity permeates a warmth that leaves one so tired that we’re blessed with an optimistic sense of the bittersweet.

black sessions // paris // 06.11.1998

speed trials bled white

waltz #2bottle up & explode

sweet adelinebaby britain

happiness the gondola mani didnt understand

division day between the barssay yes

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