hi everyone! remember my big quest for new music, specifically of the female singer/songwriter-but-with-an-edge category? and how everyone came in with so many suggestions? i had a list of 20 CDs to buy, with money for two -- oh, lord, what a dilemma. anyway, here is my update: 1) juliana hatfield, "beautiful creature" -- this one has slowly and steadily grown on me. the first listen i was sort of, ehhh, nothing special here. but i was wrong: i was duped by the simplicity of the lyrics, i think. and i was turned off by "cool rock boy," which i still sort of think is a rather unoriginal song, lyric-wise that is. BUT i love, love, love "daniel" and especially the line "this is the sound of NO MONEY" which this broke grad student likes to sing at the top of her lungs. and the music, the guitar -- wonderful, eerie, moving song. a perfect first song for the album. i also really like "choose drugs" which my boyfriend thinks is really lame, very obvious with its chorus "i say it's me or drugs you choose drugs" and i know what he means but when she lilts her voice high, high and soaring high to sing "druuuuugs" at the end, i just love it. it's so silly that it is also perfect. and i like the one about sitting on a plane on a runway, cheap red-eye it's a one-way -- the metaphor works (oh man, does it work -- speaking as someone who met her significant other ON A PLANE). and i like the "screw you, ex, somebody is waiting for me" one (can you tell i'm doing this without the CD in front of me?). anyway, THANK you whoever recommended this to me -- it's truly a find. 2) bjork, "selmasongs" this one i need more time with. i LOVE "homogenic" and liked "post" -- and i respect bjork immensely. still, it's tough going here. part of the problem: i didn't see "dancer in the dark" so i have no sense of the thinking behind this record. also i have a sort of innate aversion to the musical form (sorry, it's true, it's like an allergy! i shudder when i hear most musical music! a big generalization). as my sister says about this CD, wow, who knew bjork could be so embarrassing! which sums it up for me -- take away the industrial stuff and the lyrics about crash bang boom (which, tell you the truth, i don't find so incredibly provocative or original), and you are left with lots of swooping, soaring strings and the like. a little gushy. still, i love BSN -- and it's playing right now, and that's DRENCHED, so who am i to quibble? i'm not sure i'd still be playing "selmasongs" if i didn't think bjork was someone to trust, as an artist -- but i do, so i am. (the vaunted duet with thom yorke, track 3, is OK... i've been thinking too how funny he sounds singing so straightforwardly, and i think that sometimes about OK Computer. i've only heard Kid A once, and i thought: why can't they be more tongue-in-cheek? which is my usual response to big fat "concept albums." blech. but, obviously, i should listen to it more. oy.) thanks for reading! and more importantly: thanks for all the suggestions! (i have my list ready and waiting for my holiday requests...) --emily
