Top 5 At The Moment: songs for Bill pt. I

Myself (and Miss Kitty), Adam, Bill, Susan

Today I fly to the Tri-Cities in eastern Washington for my father-in-law's funeral. Bill, or as I called him, "Pa," was like a second dad to me. My husband and I are greiving, and music helps. I'm listening to a mix of pop, indie and jazz:

For complete distraction/denial:
Shakira - She Wolf.m4a from the She Wolf Single
I've been inexplicably drawn to Shakira's weird, almost cheesy anthem for furries. The howling really wasn't necessary, but the beat is solid, and the video is sexy.

Beyoncé - Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It).m4a from I Am...Sasha Fierce
Admittedly, I had never heard this song before until it was on Glee a few weeks ago. Hilarious in that context, but nonetheless catchy.

For reflection:
The Follen Angels - Is That All There Is?.mp3 from Jazz Divas: The Songs of Ella, Peggy & Billie
One of the greatest jazz songs written for a woman, it humorously examines existential ennui. Catch the lyrics once and you'll sing along forever.


For sadness:
Don Henley - Everybody Knows.mp3 from Tower Of Song: The Songs Of Leonard Cohen
My father-in-law passed away yesterday. He was 62 and it was sudden and unexpected. My husband is flying home now and in a few days I'll join for the memorial service. He said that this song had been in his head since it happened, so I'm honoring it here. This is a much more interesting cover of the original Leonard Cohen song. The whole album is fantastic and is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED you buy it.
Everybody's got that sinking feeling, like their father or their dog just died.

Sarah McLachlan - Angel.m4a from Surfacing
This song has gotten me through so many deaths, played on repeat for hours. That's all I have to say about it.

Cover Song Bacchanalia!

Being the uber-geeky music-tard I am, I was up until the wee hours last night, spurred on the by the idea that, given enough artists covering other artists, that "chains" of covers would appear, and, perhaps, ultimately a "loop" of covers--that is, one artist who covers another, who covers someone else and so on until we get to a band that covers the artist I started with. (Geeky, I warned you!)

Well, while I'm still in search of the ever-elusive loop, I did maniacally scribble out notes for several awesome cover chains. So here they are!

David Crowder Band --->
O God Where Are You Now (In Pickerel Lake? Pigeon? Marquette? Mackinaw?) --->
Sufjan Stevens --->
The Lakes of Canada --->
The Innocence Mission --->
Follow Me --->
John Denver --->
Song of Wyoming

Fun, eh? Here's another!

Snow Patrol --->
You Will. You? Will. You? Will. You? Will --->
Bright Eyes --->
Devil Town --->
Daniel Johnston --->
I Saw Her Standing There --->
The Beatles --->
Mama You've Been On My Mind
Bob Dylan --->
Hallelujah --->
Leonard Cohen --->
A Thousand Kisses Deep

I'm working on more, stay tuned!

Going to Buffalo

So I'm going through a major life change that will impact Volume Knob very slightly, and that is I'm moving from Olympia, WA to Buffalo, NY this week. This means our "base of operations," mailing address and such things will change. As soon as I get a new mail box address, you'll see it on the side bar.

This also means that we will sadly no longer be on three different oceans (tear!) but um... hey, how 'bout that Niagara Falls? Also, I might be a bit sketchy in posting as all my worldly belongings are going to have to fit into a single suitcase as I uproot from the home of K records to the Church of Ani land of Righteous Babe records.

the Mountain Goats - Going to Buffalo.mp3

the Mountain Goats - Leaving Home.mp3

Tori Amos - She's Leaving Home (live Beatles cover).mp3

Magnolia Electric Co. - Leave the City.mp3

The Weakerthans - Left and Leaving.mp3

Chantal Kreviazuk - Leavin' on a Jet Plane.mp3

Nellie McKay - Suitcase Song.mp3

Hank Williams - Move It On Over.mp3

Sufjan Stevens - Niagara Falls.mp3

Leonard Cohen - Hey That's No Way to Say Goodbye.mp3

Bright Eyes - Devil Town (Daniel Johnston cover).mp3
I was livin' in a devil town, didn't know it was a devil town
Oh Lord, it really gets me down, about this devil town

Duck and Cover!

Just a few random assorted covers. They have nothing in common, except for the fact we like them all.

Polly - Animal Collective (Nirvana cover)

Knife - CSS (Grizzly Bear cover)

Rated X - White Stripes (Loretta Lynn cover)

Hallelujah - Beirut (Leonard Cohen cover)

Cubs in Five - Eric Metronome (Mountain Goats cover)

Sincerely, L. Cohen

Audiofile is running a contest for Leonard Cohen devotees. Email them and explain in 60 words or fewer what your favorite Cohen song is and why.
The winner will receive an autographed copy of Cohen's 2006 poetry collection, Book of Longing. One runner-up will win new remastered editions of Cohen's classic first three albums and another by Anjani (is it me, or is the runner-up prize better?).
Deadline is Tuesday, May 8.

See, I want to do this but it seems my two favorites, "Hallelujah" and "Famous Blue Raincoat" are both quote-unquote obvious choices. To relish my love upon them seems not only trite, but also potentially swimming in ample competition with those who can describe the gripping visuals and lamentful emotions expressed better than myself. But there's no harm in trying. After all, it's only 60 words, right? (This paragraph alone, save this addendum, clocks in at 78 words.)

Details here!