Sunday, June 24, 2007

Hot Cartoon Characters

I'm oddly attracted to Agent Erin Esurance, the animated avatar of esurance.com. I KNOW it's wrong, but, just how wrong is it? Personally, I don't know anyone who can deny jerking off over Jessica Rabbit at least once. Heck, I've had dry spells in which Jem & The Holograms started to look good. This alone might be a good reason to attend this year's ComicCon; somewhere, someone in that pack of attention-starved losers will think to dye her hair pink and squeeze into a vinyl jumpsuit. While she'll doubtlessly lack the, um, accentuated proportions of the iconic Agent Erin, she will be a welcomed respite from the bevy of chubby bachelors in full Tron-regalia.

Henri Duparc


There's more great pop music on the way, but for now, I'm taking a little break and giving you, gentle reader, another offering of crazy classical music.


In this case, it is a collection of highly-accessible lieder from Henri Duparc. While Monseur Duparc suffered from a highly advanced case of Frenchiness, he had an uncanny, Schubert-esque ability to concentrate the drama that opera blokes like Mozart and Rossini purveyed down from three-hour epics into the 2-minute equivalent of a tapas bar.


Unfortunately, in spite of his genius, Duparc (in true French form) surrendered to his advancing blindness and never composed anything beyond this amazing collection of songs. Part of my dismissal of French culture is due to the fact that French contributions were virtually absent from 1450-1870, quite possibly the most fascinating stretch of years in the development of Western Music.


Granted, Frenchy was busy conquering Europe, supporting terrorist groups in The Americas, and force-feeding geese, but I think they could've taken the time to carve out a moment to promote the more sonorous qualities of their culture. Too bad, since the Germans and Italians seem to have hijacked this particular niche. It's funny how a loser like Schubert is the undisputed Master of the three-minute lieder, and guys like Duparc are relegated to websites specializing in obscure music. It's fuckin' hilarious:

Sunday, June 10, 2007

Ted Auletta- Exotica


Something I've been meaning to post for a while. A decent album full of exotica covers from '50s Vegas hanger-on Ted Auletta. Personally, I think the only thing separating Auletta from the likes of Buddy "Aces" Israel and Senator Pat Geary is 4-6 decades of pop culture references. Nonetheless, this album serves as a good introduction to Exotica. Light up the tiki torches and mix up some pina coladas!

Saturday, June 09, 2007

Syd Straw- War and Peace


The second solo album from Syd Straw, who you may remember as the singer from the first two Golden Palominos albums. For my money, Straw was the best thing about the Palominos' early lineup, so I snatched this out of the used CD bin faster than you can say "Buenos Aires".


The material on this album is not far removed from the country/folk/garage rock of "Blast of Silence". Her backing band on this record, The Skeletons, are renowned for their raucous, loud performances, giving this CD a very raw feel that compliments Straw's energetic vocals.


This is one of those CDs that takes a few listens to fully absorb. Be patient with it. You'll be glad you did.