Keren Ann | Self-Titled

Keren Ann Zeidel's self-titled fifth studio album (third in English) is, if you've never heard her, something new. If you're looking for something a little deeper, varied, and against the norm...look no further. Basically Zeidel oscillates between and incorporates elements of a contemporary Mazzy Star (a la So Tonight That I Might See), an unassuming under-the-radar folk-pop princess, and a guitar-playing chanteuse. The result is an entirely unique sound: one that changes from song to song but remains undeniably her. As Q Magazine (7/01/07) stated, the album "remains resolutely unconcerned with commercial clutter. Its nine songs are introspective and exclusively indifferent to anything outside its own self-created world."

For some reason, this album sucks you into that world; it is essential to listen to the album straight through, because the songs move you from one feeling to another, like stops along a journey through an emotional and imagerial dream. In the first two tracks, I felt like I was trapped in a dark cell, then released into a sun-lit, breezy garden with a view of the sea. She takes you sailing, down a slummy alleyway, into a cabaret, and floating across the sea (in a song that reminds me very much of Moby's "God Moving Over the Face of the Waters"), then reflects on it in a fun and completely carefree epilogue...all in 43 minutes.

Her voice is smokey, laden with a distinct flavor of complexity (in its variations between hopeless depression and euphoria), but also pronouncedly delicate. The instrumentation is somewhat minimal, but very diverse, ranging from typical rock-band elements, to backing orchestral and choral arrangments, beautiful piano, and even some twangy guitar (reminiscent of Nancy Sinatra's "Bang Bang," e.g.). A common criticism that I hear of many bands is that "all their songs sound the same;" well, my feelings on that statement notwithstanding, none of these songs (even her voice in each one) sound alike.

I recommend this album highly, especially since it's best experienced as a whole. Check out the tracks on her myspace, especially the album's first single "Lay Your Head Down," and a video of my favorite track from the album, "The Harder Ships of the World" (it's not an official video, but you get to hear the song).

Shabop Shalom! (Mix #1)

Happy new year. I'm starting the year out with my first mix, available upon request or my own generosity ;) This mix has quite a bit of variety, and will most likely surprise you in a couple spots; but these are all songs I cannot ever get sick of, so...enjoy. Oh, and leave a comment to tell me what you think.

----Side One----

01 Sia: "Day Too Soon"

A very happy song, also the first single off her upcoming album Some People Have Real Problems

02 Johnathan Rice: "Mid-November"

A stripped-down, more intimate version of his best song off his debut EP

03 Incubus: "The Warmth"

A song I'd always forget but then strangely crave; one of the coolest openings of any rock song.

04 Bruce Springsteen & The E-Street Band: "Thunder Road [Live]"

An incredible harmonica/piano/voice-only version from their early days

05 My Morning Jacket: "Golden"

One of the smartest, most spiritual songs I've heard in a long time

06 Jeff Buckley: "Lilac Wine"

I can't imagine there was ever a better cover of this song; Buckley in his personal element

07 Devendra Banhart: "Shabop Shalom"

I LOVE this song! It's so creative and fresh, like folk redefined.

08 Radiohead: "Sail to the Moon. (Brush the Cobwebs Out of the Sky.)"

Songs like this are just needed sometimes, and nobody does this stuff any better.

----Side Two----

09 Santa Esmeralda: "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood"

A ten-minute Spanish epic that is incredibly fun to listen to

10 Bob Dylan: "Fourth Time Around"

The original version; Dylan at his finest, one of my absolute favorites by him

11 Spiritualized: "Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating in Space"

Well this song just had to be on here; a must-listen.

12 Meiko Kaji: "The Flower of Carnage"

A gorgeous song; not in English, but it doesn't matter.

13 The Coasters: "Down in Mexico"

From the lap dance scene in Death Proof...Surely memories of that is not why I put that on here... :)

14 Cat Power: "I Found a Reason"

Short but sweet, one of her best covers.

15 Sigur Rós: "Ágætis Byrjun [Live]"

One of their best tracks, completely transformed in its acoustic version

16 Kate Havnevik: "New Day"

Quite possibly one of my favorite tracks of 2007; a perfect orchestral/electronica blend.