Sunday, February 19, 2006

Song Fifty

It's a nice damp grey winter day, so we went to the indoor playground big toy. Whoever created this concept deserves a Nobel. Why didn't we have these things when I was little? I played on rusted old swings that we repurposed as monkey bars (very playground dada) and went for a tetanus shot at least once a month. Nobody gets these anymore as far as I can tell; when I was small, we all got them . . . frequently. Maybe we just had more laissez-faire parents in my neighborhood (that's probably the most diplomatic way to put it). Anyway, I strongly recommend the big toys, and also have a big thumbs up for the new Laurie Berkner Band DVD. This morning, I got to read almost the whole NYT thanks to Laurie (I'm a fast reader and getting faster all the time!), and yesterday, we all stomped around to "We are the Dinosaurs." Although I started this blog to broaden my musical horizons, I would still recommend any toddler parent attend a LBB show. She's great fun live.

Our babysitter went completely MIA yesterday and never showed, so we missed our big night out. But, this meant I got to download a bunch of songs in preparation for this week (and make a quick, "I hate our bathroom rug" run--as Borat would say, "SUCCESS!"). We also watched what is perhaps the most bizarrely edited film ever, Beyond the Valley of the Dolls. We were standing in front of the tv flipping through the HD stations (parents will understand) and simply could not move once we hit on this. We literally stood there in a hypnotic shock until insistent calls for more chocolate milk roused us. I'm not sure I can recommend BVD, but there will certainly be some small hole in your life if you never get to see it.

So, one of the artists I discovered whilst iTuning away my evening is the Fruit Bats with "When U Love Somebody." The "U" made me think Prince, but the song is a million miles away from Minneapolis. It opens with a church organ-y sound, then moves into a good ol' porch tune. You can picture them all sitting on rockers on a Saturday night pickin' away at this one, patting their knees, smiling away. The lyrics are a bit repetitive, but they offer a fun look at the fixative power of love. The song has a nice alterna-folk vibe without being precious. Their website says they have a Velvet Underground influence. Not on this song, which is probably why I like it.

315 to go.

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