Birthday music

Music I got for my birthday:
The Crucified- The Complete Collection (2 CD/ 1 DVD)
The Beatles- The White Album (2 CD)
Brown Feather Sparrow- Brave (iTunes gift card)
Sojourn- Advent Songs (Free on NoiseTrade)
Andy Zipf- The Cowards Choir EP (Free on NoiseTrade)
Katie Herzig- Weightless (Free on NoiseTrade)

I was led to Andy Zipf because he is in a new band called the Lost Chorus. I became aware of the Lost Chorus because the band was started by Dirk Lemmenes (Stavesacre & Focused), Ryan Dennee (Stavesacre) and Alex Albert (Project 86). They have one song on Myspace, it is pretty good. Apparently those three guys had been jamming for together for awhile now, writing instrumental songs. They added Andy, who I was previoulsly unaware of, to be their lead vocalist. You can learn more about him here.

I had been wanting that Brown Feather Sparrow album for awhile now. I have their first two LPs, and they are excellent. I discovered them in 2003 when I saw them perform at Flevo Festival in the Netherlands. They are Dutch, and I would compare them to Over the Rhine or Rosie Thomas. Brown Feather Sparrow has better lyrics than both of those artist though; in fact they have better lyrics than most artists, period. Brave was released in 2008, but I never bought it because it has no US distribution and would have cost me about $30 US for the CD and shipping. It eventually appeared on iTunes, and today I finally took the plunge since I got an iTunes gift card for my birthday. If you like female-fronted, mellow indie rock, no one does it better than Brown Feather Sparrow.

Misc. music news

1. Sixpence None the Richer is set to record their next album in January 2010 with producer Jim Scott. For info on Jim Scott, check this out. His list of credits is at the bottom of that page, and it includes Johnny Cash, Wilco, Counting Crows and Red Hot Chili Peppers. In other Sixpence news, their best album, "This Beautiful Mess," just became available on emusic.

2. Fair finally has a release date for their second LP: February 9, 2010. It has taken them over two years to record, mainly due to the other things their band members are involved in. Fair is of course Aaron Sprinkle, Erick Newbill, Joey Sanchez and Nick Barber. Their debut album was my #1 of 2006.

3. Just found an informative interview with Myk Porter, of Brandtson and now Swarm of Bats. If you don't want to read it, the summary is that Brandtson is dead and Swarm of Bats is the remaining members full-time project. They have samples on Myspace which honestly sound terrible. They have recorded an 8-song EP to be released soon-ish, and I'll probably buy it out of loyalty.

4. Tess Wiley has been recording with the band Leeland P. I have never heard of them until now, but Tess posted two songs on her Myspace page, and they are terrific. The band has apparently been around for awhile, and this new album with Tess will be released next year.

5. My most recent purchases:
Built to Spill- There is No Enemy ($2 on Amazon MP3 with coupon through Friday)
Thao- Know Better Learn Faster (emusic)
Mates of State- Re-Arranged Remixes vol. 1 (emusic)
Led Zeppelin- Mothership (used 2CD set)
Mae- (M)orning EP- (Amazon MP3)
Flaming Lips- Embryonic (CD)
Avett Brothers- I and Love and You (CD)

Even Jodie plays the fool sometime...

A few months ago, in September, it was the start of the fall semester, and I was preoccupied. That is the only explanation for how the Sapphist Gazetteer missed the National Enquirer story about Jodie Foster's breakup with Cynthia Mort. This drama comes more than a year after Foster dumped longtime devoted girlfriend Cydney Bernard to be with the younger, swarthy Mort (see Sapphist Gazetteer post). The Enquirer reports that Jodie is "devastated."

But perhaps Jodie's gaze will fall upon another big handsome girl, Cherry Jones, a high-ranking lesbian with whom she is currently filming a movie titled The Beaver (I kid you not). Foster is directing and acting in this film—described as a dark comedy—playing an unhappy straight lady. For a glimpse of Jodie looking attentively at Cherry on the set in NYC, click here. Conveniently, Cherry Jones split from Sarah Paulson a few months ago and is apparently available for back rubs, snuggling on the couch, spooning, and other rebound activities.

But back to the Jodie/Cynthia breakup. What happened? The Enquirer pins it on Cindy Mort's return to an old flame, Amanda Demme, who bears a resemblance to Rosanne Roseannadanna. Demme is a nightclub promoter in L.A. who's been linked to Lindsay Lohan. You can read an unflattering profile of Demme that appeared in The New York Times a few years ago. Notice the article is accompanied by a photo of Lohan's ex, sapphist deejay Samantha Ronson.

Brandi Carlisle

I can't keep track of new music. I thought Lady Gaga was a transgender person until my students told me, no, she's just a girl who wears a lot of makeup. So I barely knew who Brandi Carlisle was when I heard she'd come out. Now she's my favorite new thing. Here she is singing something nice: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GxxMHFIxCP4

The Kristen Stewart/Jodie Foster Parallel

When first we saw young Kristen Stewart rolling around tomboy-style on her scooter in the opening scenes of Panic Room, we could see she was destined to grow up to be much like her co-star Jodie Foster. According to a recent profile of Stewart in The New York Times, she and Foster still exchange Christmas cards and advice. Foster's tip to Stewart for navigating her burst into adult stardom is to protect her privacy. This is sage advice in a Hollywood landscape strewn with the wreckage of overly exposed young entertainers. But is it also particularly important advice to a young actor whose private life—like Foster's—is not what Hollywood wants in its bright new star?
Shhhh. Don't ask, don't tell.

Album of the Decade?

I am working on three lists to publish before the end of this year- best of 1996, best of 2009, and the top 50 albums of the decade. Would love some feedback on that last one- what is your favorite album of the decade (2000-2009)? Please leave a comment!