Just Because

I have no timely reason to post this song, except because it's beautiful and got stuck in my head in the shower this morning:

Nick Cave @ Barnes & Noble, Union Sq. NYC 9/14/09

Nick Cave is sexy in a creepy-old-man way. This was confirmed when I saw him yesterday at the Barnes & Noble in Union Square. With his devastatingly hot accent (no doubt a combination of his Australian upbringing and his current residence in England) Cave discussed at length his illustrious 30+ year long career as a musician and writer and also read from his new novel The Death of Bunny Munro, a tale of a womanizing traveling salesman and his son. Unsurprisingly the place was packed. I was lucky enough to get a seat all the way in the back (and I arrived an hour early too no less). But even squinting through the throngs of people in front of me, Cave's angular features and omnious eyes were epically piercing. Check out my uber-blurry photo:

Whether in song or in story Cave's narratives often take elements of sex and spirituality and blend them in twisted and powerful ways. So when asked by the moderator if he preferred the old or new testament I wasn't all that surprised when he replied, "Old testament men are better in bed." I totally believe it. And while we're on the subject of the Bible. Cave wrote all about the Book of Mark. You can read it here.

Another fun fact: Cave said his father read him Lolita aloud to him when he was 12. Again, why does this not surprise me.

We Call Upon the Author to Explain - Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds

Best "!" Songs of the Year!

Ok, so allow me a little bit of shameless self-promotion here. I've got an itty-bitty article in the this month's Paste magazine (it's on page 37 in the December/January issue with She & Him on the cover for those you keeping score). Anyways I basically noticed that an awful lot of songs this year featured exclamation points! So I wrote about them! And here they!

“You! Me! Dancing!” – Los Campesinos!
With its coy boy-girl vocals and meandering instrumental intro, this twee tune by Britain’s cheekiest youngsters possesses all the awkward charm of a middle school dance, but with a lot more glockenspiel.
Why the !: The dancing continues for nearly seven minutes!

“Lost!” – Coldplay
It’s an anthem with pounding percussion, droning organs and relentless riffs—the sound of four blokes striving to be the biggest band in the world.
Why the !: Brian Eno’s immaculate production!

“Be Mine!” - Robyn
The Swedish pop tart blows an electro-pop kiss-off that’s both sassy and sad.
Why the !: You’ll never be Robyn’s lover. Really, you never will!

“Souled Out!!!” – Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band
Omaha’s favorite son yelps pun-laden social commentary.
Why the !: Bye bye to the Bright Eyes moniker!

“Dig, Lazurus, Dig!!!” – Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
A twisted 21st-century reinterpretation of the biblical story of Lazurus, sung with a snarl and a swagger.
Why the !: He's still the ultimate bad-ass!