Summer in the City, Pt. I (Music)

So, as my first action back on the blog, I'm going to do a little catching up on what I've been enjoying this summer. The quickest for me to update you on will be music. For the last five years, I've complained at how lazy I've become with learning about new music. In high school I was obsessed, reading Q, the NME, Rolling Stone, Spin, and various online music publications. I used to stay up until early morning to watch the new, hip music videos on Fuse and MTV2. I'd go to record stores and pick up CDs I'd never heard of based on the employees' recommendations. I don't think a day went by when I was 14, 15, 16, that I didn't listen to some new music.

And then I went to college and this practically all stopped. I don't really know what happened. I was busier, yes, but I spent hours and hours screwing around on the internet, just not looking for new music. The wonderful radio station Indie 103.1 came and went, and I just waited for new music to come my way, on mixtapes by friends usually.

This summer I've found myself listening to a little more new music than I had been doing. Maybe it's because I have a commute that crosses all of L.A., so I stop at Amoeba with some frequency, and it inspires me. Anyway, here's a short list:

Regina Spektor, "Far"

I've loved Regina ever since hearing "Samson" performed a capella by a friend of mine a couple of years ago. I immediately bought everything of hers I could get my hands on. When I saw her perform live at the Wiltern a year or so ago, it was a really remarkable, ethereal show. This summer, her new album quickly became my favorite. Upon my first listen, I knew that it was immensely more enjoyable to me than "Soviet Kitsch" or "Begin to Hope," both of which I love. "The Calculation," "Eet," "Laughing With," and "One More Time With Feeling" instantly became my favorite tracks, and I had them memorized within days. I even called my boyfriend while I was driving home and made him listen to "Eet" with me. I'm going to be seeing her at the Greek Theatre in October, and I think that the kookiness of this album will be on great display at that venue. The religious tones of her work come back with a passion, and her voice...is as mesmerizing as ever.

She & Him, "Volume One"

My enjoyment of "country-fried indie rock" (as I once termed it in an article I wrote for school) came as a surprise to me in high school when the particular stylings of bands like Rilo Kiley and Limbeck were all I wanted to listen to. The lilting twang of Zooey Deschanel's voice fits in perfectly with that, and is left stripped bare with M. Ward's music. I don't like every track on this album, but there's something so desperate in the vocals that I can't seem to get enough. My friends and I even sat through Yes Man to hear Zooey singing. It was not worth it.

Here's a video of Elvis Costello, Jenny Lewis, and Zooey Deschanel on stage. It's like fantasy rock band for me!

The Temper Trap

Okay so I don't know too much about them, but thanks to Ash, I got to see them live at Space Land for free, and they were a really wonderful show. I think the last time I saw a really great small act in a small venue was Everybody Else at the Troubadour in 2005 or so, and they are two very different kinds of bands. The Temper Trap was energetic, and played cleanly, and definitely piqued my interest. They have a song, "Sweet Disposition" featured on the (500) Days of Summer soundtrack, so I'm excited to see what happens for them next.

Death Cab for Cutie at the Bowl

A few weeks ago I got a friend's extra ticket to see DCFC perform with the L.A. Philharmonic at the Hollywood Bowl. It was a wonderful last minute surprise, though the performance was less impressive than expected. We got there while The New Pornographers were opening, which was a shame because I would have liked to see more of their set. They were quickly followed by Tegan & Sara, who were very talkative and charming, and played a good mix of older and newer music. Death Cab performed one short set solo, again with a good mix of old/new, and then one set backed by the L.A. Phil. Something was just missing though. The sound was off and consequently some of the horns drowned out the rest of the music, and some of the DCFC songs felt at odds with the horde of instruments and the huge venue. Plus, Ben Gibbard seemed to be phoning it in a bit. The general consensus among my friends seems to be that he's happy now that he's engaged to Zooey Deschanel, and can't really bring the angst to his music anymore. In 2004, DCFC performed at the Wiltern, and when they ended the show on "Transatlanticism," the stage filled with yellow light and fog, it felt like I was floating in the air, alone with the music. When they ended the Bowl show on the same note, there were fireworks in the air, and it became a spectacle. In the end, the best part about going to show was being at the Bowl, picnicking in the Hollywood hills and chatting with friends, as it always is.

Spamalot at the Ahmanson

Back in April, I waited in line at the Dorothy Chandler pavilion while Laker girls, wand'ring minstrels, and various Spam-themed games and activities carried on wildly around me. I was queuing up for discounted tickets to the preview shows of Monty Python's Spamalot, in town starring John O'Hurley. I know that the theatre doesn't quite count as "music," but I figured this was as good a place for it as any. Those of us familiar with the Pythons, and The Holy Grail, probably got more enjoyment out of the show than the unitiated. We knew which jokes to expect, but there was enough of a new take on the material to be freshly entertaining. My mom who has no Monty Python experience laughed wildly the whole time, and couldn't believe how crude some of the humor was, so maybe I'm wrong. There were a few little kinks to be worked out (it was in previews, after all), and the faux program in the Playbill was one of the funniest parts of the show, but overall I enjoyed it quite a bit.

That's all I can think of for now. Lately my car's CD player has been playing audiobooks mostly, as it helps more during a long commute than music sometimes does.

"but bono can't scat!"

On Tuesday, October 30th, musical legend and humanitarian Bono, lead singer of U2, came to speak at my school about...something. I don't know, the environment, I guess, or aid to Africa. I think it was that last one. I wasn't there, because I had already bought tickets to see Regina Spektor live at the Wiltern! I went with my friend Ash, who had already seen her at Coachella, but for me it was the first time.

There is not much to say about Regina as a performer beyond what a great musician she is, and anyone who's listened to her music (her albums Begin to Hope or Soviet Kitsch, or watched an episode of Grey's Anatomy or seen a commercial on TV) already knows that, I hope. Her voice can sweep from the throaty depths reminiscent of her Soviet homeland, to the unbearable lightness of being in one phrase, and carries with it stories that are incredibly easy to relate to, even if tempered with sometimes nonsensical vocal trills.

The stage was set very simply, and it wasn't until later in the evening that I understood the visual implications of the lighting. Her beautiful grand piano was set up on stage left, with clusters of "twinkle lights" (is there a real name for those?) strewn around its legs. Hanging from the ceiling were exposed light bulbs on cords of different lengths. Three slightly larger ones descended directly above the piano while the rest mostly illuminated the back of the stage. Stage right had a lot of negative space, but Regina used it when she stood to sing a capella or play the electric guitar for some songs. Finally, sitting alone next to her piano was an abandoned disco ball. At first glance this setup looked like Regina had found herself an abandoned loft with various lighting equipment in it, and brought her piano there to have a private practice space. Later on, spotlit, and with the light bulbs and twinkle lights reflecting off the disco ball, she looked like she was playing her piano on a cloud in the night sky, the moon in the distance and the stars gathered to hear her play. It was quite lovely, and perfectly suited her personality.

I'd say she performed about evenly from both of the popular albums, with a couple of songs that I hadn't heard before, but the audience was highly receptive to each song she played. Actually, when she returned for her extra-long encore (about five songs - almost a mini set!), I think the screams in the Wiltern were the loudest I'd ever heard them. And speaking of the audience...boy, were they obnoxious. I understand the impulse to sing along at a concert, and I certainly have done so, but it's much more acceptable at a rock concert, or under your breath. I think it defeats the purpose of paying $40 to listen to a chanteuse playing and singing solo when the teenage girl behind you is trying to out-diva the woman on stage. Regina, though, was performing for herself, which was the lasting impression of the whole concert. She's not necessarily a great entertainer, but because she's such an amazing performer, I got the impression she'd be up there singing with or without us, and we had the good fortune to be able to listen in. Because she often changed up the length of notes held or times she repeated a syllable, audience divas mimicking the CDs had a little trouble keeping up. It was pretty funny from where I was standing, behind a too-tall frizzy ponytail.

I think the two most impressive stage shows I've seen at the Wiltern (one of the most beautiful places in LA, if you ask me, along with the Henry Fonda) were Death Cab for Cutie and Imogen Heap. Imogen's stage set up was similar to Regina's, but had a really incredible see-through piano, and of course a lot more equipment. But for simplicity, Regina really created a wonderful experience for me.

hot mess

Okay, so I'm no tabloid writer. I adore tabloids, and would love nothing more than to waste my life away reading about people who don't matter in my personal life, and all the trouble they get themselves into. So I must confess that Paris Hilton has been on my mind quite a bit these past few days. So, she's leaving jail soon - can't wait for the interviews and ghostwritten book. Then, of course, there's darling LL, who - let's face it - is every little girl's dream. I mean, before she got coke-bloat and started looking like an old Judy Garland. As far as Britney's concerned, I would just like to go on record as having always believed Xtina was going to come out ahead in that race.

So, those are our main American trashy starlets (sorry M-K and Ash, you've been boring me for a little while; Nicole, you better confirm that pregnancy or go to jail or something to shake things up; and Mischa, you're English anyway, right?), and my extremely abridged thoughts about them. I mean, I could go oooon, but I won't. Then there's the faves from across the pond, talented hot messes Lily Allen and Amy Winehouse. I've been listening to a lot of Winehouse lately, and I saw Lily Allen in concert a little while ago, so you can tell that I am a fan of both. I mean, Lily Allen drank jager onstage and chain-smoked and forgot her lyrics and all that. And Amy...homegirl is missing a tooth. And all that ruckus with Blake Fielder-Civil - outstanding. For shame, Pete Doherty and Kate Moss!

I'm not exactly sure what compelled me to write about these crazy cats, except I feel like if I'm going to write a blog about pop culture, I can't ignore the tabloids, which I spend a decent chunk of my day reading anyway. I don't intend to write about them frequently, I kind of just wanted to put my thoughts out there. But as much as I love Tara Reid's unfortunate areloae and Britney Spears' horrific extensions, I would also like to go on record and say that I wouldn't be able to enjoy their antics if it weren't for the beautiful young Hollywood actresses who make it worthwhile. I mean, if they were all trashy, I would just feel bad. Like a 24/7 exposure to Maury Povich show guests if they were all filthy rich. But knowing that there also exist level-headed beauties makes it all go down a lot easier. So here's to my real favorites...