be the change you want to see.

coping with fear by broken family band

there goes the fear by doves

now there’s that fear again by mum

of fear and wonder by my brightest diamond

creature fear [daytrotter session] by bon iver

[don't fear] the reaper by blue oyster cult

fearless by pink floyd

A R T W O R K ainoha

It’s been a long time coming,
but tonight, because of what we did on this date
in this election at this defining moment
change has come to America.

A Change Is Gonna Come was written and first recorded in the early sixties by R&B sensation, Sam Cooke. Originally Cooke had heard Bob Dylan‘s Blowin In the Wind and was so emotionally moved that he felt compelled to create a response. Although, A Change Is Gonna Come wasn’t released until after Cooke’s death in 1964, it became a theme that exemplified the sixties’ Civil Rights Movement. Now nearly 35 years later with the inauguration of our new President Obama, the song still speaks an honest message that showcases how people keep striving for the inevitability of change.

Image:: Vogue Magazine

Today marks my 27th birthday. Growing up, a friend and I would occasionally talk about the Forever 27 club, a group of rock musicians who died all at the age of 27. We were intrigued by the mystery  of  how Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Jim Morrison died within a ten month period of one another, and were  devastated and shocked by the early untimely death of Kurt Cobain.  We believed deeply in those lyrics from an old Billy Joel song that maybe “only the good die young” and figured it was our mission to become everything that we could be by the age of 27, before it was too late.

In contemplating the realization of our idea back then, it was easy to put so much pressure on the thought of death, that we didn’t see past how much it would take to actually get to our own personal levels of satisfaction.  So many times, it was hard to pretend that a wish didn’t often cross with certain acts and goals that could properly change the world. But now, instead of maintaining the old dream, Forever 27 begins to present itself as something shiny and brand new. Taking on a different role, almost like a milestone or a time-line that challenges every mental and meta-physical place ever known, this year allows past memories to crawl into a warm hiding place and prepares the long lost future to properly take flight.

Artwork by Deluca/Russo, John Koehn, and Martin Torsleff

the baby namboos are a trip-hop group that began their british rhyme styling back in the late 1990s. with the production and songwriting elements of tricky‘s cousin mike porter, the hypnotizing collaborations of all three individual vocalists claude williams, leo coleing and aurora borealis, and the occasional lyrical suprises of tricky on their debut, ancoats 2 zambia, the baby namboos showcase an atmospheric reaction to their calming sensation of electronic ambience in slow downtempo waves.

l i s t e n

holy
provoked

art & recommendation by cathrine

.HOLIDAY MEMORIES.

Angels We Have Heard On High by Sufjan Stevens
Have Yourself A Merry Little Xmas by Judy Garland
Silver Bells by Tony Bennett
Warm December by Julie London
Baby, It’s Cold Outside by Dean Martin
Christmas (Baby, Please Come Home) by Darlene Love
Funky Christmas by James Brown
Blue Christmas by Elvis Presley
War is Over by John Lennon
Last Christmas by Wham
Exotic Night by Martin Denny
I’ll Be Home For Christmas by Doris Day
The Christmas Song by Nat King Cole
Carol Of the Bells by Harry Connick Jr
Silent Night by Enya
Snowfall Cha Cha by George Shearing & Billy May
The Secret of Christmas by Ella Fitzgerald
Peace On Earth/Drummer Boy by Bing Crosby & David Bowie

::Download the ZIP::

Please feel free to share this holiday collection with your family and friends, as it comes with the hope of bringing back special memories that are filled with the warmest greetings of the season, and every good thought and wish for the coming new year.

this sunday, december 14, 2008, corryn leigh young will be showcasing the arrival of her beautiful artwork for the next month among the golden yellow walls at the middle east restaurant, 472/474 mass. ave in cambridge, ma.  the gallery reception will be from 3pm – 5pm and music is art will be there spinning some music especially for corryn’s show. please come say hello!

listen :: change (house of flies) by deftones [white pony, 2004]

down-tempo, chill, trip-hop, electronica, instrumental music does something to the overwhelmed spirit.  instead of loud and ecstatic interruptions, soft sounds soothe and cast away every single little impurity. its the feeling of lying in your warm bed and dreaming, candlelight evenings with raindrops cascading and the delicacy of falling into a deep deep sleep, never ever wanting to wake up.

black wave by the shins
[wincing the night away, 2007]

hear in colour by nightmares on wax
[fuck that world, 2008]

the forgotten people by thievery corporation
[radio retaliation, 2008]

i get a kick out of you [cinematic orchestra remix] by ella fitzgerald
[verve remixed iv, 2008]

who’s gonna save my soul by gnarls barkley
[the odd couple, 2008]

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

.look inside her skeleton.

the piano
pj harvey [white chalk, 2007]

a & e
goldfrapp [seventh tree, 2008]

four minute warning
radiohead [in rainbows, 2008]

asa
caspian [the four trees, 2007]

lately
helio sequence [keep your eyes ahead, 2008]

lost to the lonesome
pela [anytown graffitti, 2007]

down boy
yeah yeah yeahs [is is ep, 2007]

transliterator
devotchka [a mad & faithful telling, 2008]

artwork by perriette