Category: Music

Secret Garden

I hate to admit this, but when choosing artwork to post on this page I often run through potential objections that could be made to a certain piece. I worry that people will find the artwork uninspiring, confusing, too literal or too abstract, and I can make myself crazy that way. There are many reasons I can think of that someone might not fully appreciate this gorgeous song by Secret Garden, but I can’t help myself. I’ve listened to it a lot of times now (mostly in an unsuccessful search for a youtube version without a nature montage), and every time it has the same effect on me. It feels like entering cathedral, like watching world class ballet, like meditating, like being prayed for. If you’re very offended by religious themes, you might want to skip this one, but if you’re even a little open to it, please give it a try. It really is lovely.

If you love this music like I do, you might want to click here and peruse some of their albums.

Flobots

Today I’m going to share one of my very favorite bands with you, the amazing Flobots. I heard the Flobots for the first time because the cute husband and I forgot to turn our alarm clock off, and the Flobots were being featured at 7am on a Sunday morning on our local radio station. I heard this song and I’ve been a little in love with them ever since. The video is also amazing.

The Flobots do some amazing work for social justice, through their music and a lot of other things too. The last I heard, they regularly invite local non-profits to table at their concerts so the attendees have the opportunity to take the inspiration the music gave them and do something with it right away. I love that, and I love their music. That is actually important to me, because there are a lot of people who have great messages in their music (ahem, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis), but the music really lacks quality, which is only half the story to me. I respect and enjoy the Flobots because they combine a great message with a impressive musicality and poetry.

*Disclaimer: I enjoy some of Macklemore’s music, but their song “Same Love” falls flat for me on an artistic level, even though I love the message.

Ray LaMontagne

So this is two super sentimental posts in a row. I promise I’ll come up with something gritty or angsty next week. Probably. For right now, you must listen to this gorgeous song by Ray LaMontagne. It is the kind of song that makes me want sketch out a gentle romantic story, write a long lovely poem, or kiss a certain someone.

You will find this and other beautiful songs on the album God Willin’ and the Creek Don’t Rise. Which you should buy just because that is an freakin’ awesome title for an album. But also because the music is fantastic. I’ve liked this song since I first heard it on Cities 97, but I really fell in love with it when they were playing the whole album on the patio of Chateau St. Croix while that certain someone and I were there drinking wine to celebrate our 8th anniversary.

Santigold

Oh, that’s right, I have a blog! Hello blog. As you might guess from the huge amount of prose you’ve seen on this page in recent months, I’ve been having a slow go of it with my writing. There are some great reasons for that (cancer, art auctions, tiny babies, husbands who expect you to talk to them and stuff), but I’ve recently discovered that I can make my writing time a whole lot more productive by consuming a little art beforehand. Artwork is one of those things that needs some of itself to grow, like yogurt, or sourdough bread, or kombucha. All those things need a “mother” to start because they are in some respect, alive.

So yogurt makes yogurt, and art makes art.

Since I’m searching out some easily accessible artwork just about every day, I thought I’d populate my blog a little by sharing it with you. You’re welcome.

Today’s selection is a piece I’ve used for inspiration for a long time, and it still works. It’s the song “Creator” by Santigold. If you were expecting something super hipster and counter-cultural, sorry. This song has appeared in such dark artsy corners as Grey’s Anatomy and Chuck. But long before that, when it was still cool and hipster, my dear friend Alice introduced me to this artist, and I still love this song. Here it is for free on YouTube, but if you’re going to listen to it half as much as I do, you should just buy it. It’s a buck.