Sia: We Are Born

Sia and I got off to a little bit of a rough start on this one (if you have getting tired of reading about my running, skip to the paragraph 3- totally understandable). For about a week, people in the Chicago area might as well have lived in Florida during hurricane season for all the rain and horrible winds we had. Last Saturday I very smartly deferred my long weekend run to Sunday (which I usually find some reason to do) because of how wet the path I use was certain to be, not to mention the horrible humidity. Unfortunately, when I woke up on Sunday, not only was it MORE humid, but more thunderstorms were on the way. Because I cannot afford to miss a single long weekend run, I was left with no choice but to head to our community center and run on the indoor track there.

There are both pros and cons to running on this indoor track. The pros: 1). No humidity, which my body simply cannot tolerate; 2). The track is soft, which is easy on the feet; and 3). You can always look out the window and see your car in case you need to abort your run and rush home for an emergency (how I would be notified of said emergency I’m not sure). The cons: 1). You can always look out the window and see your car, which makes it very difficult not to make up some reason to stop running and go home; 2). 12 laps equal a mile, which means plenty of opportunities to be lapped (repeatedly); 3). The corners of this mini-track are banked, and I don’t really “do” inclines in any form; and 4). Extreme boredom. All this can amount to what is referred to in the running world as a “bad run”. Even though it was my first step-back week of marathon training (translation: shorter!), when you feel like a hamster in a wheel, it’s difficult to keep going.

This point about boredom is important because it means I unfairly expect my music to assume the dirty job of entertaining me, and that was a tall order for Sia last Sunday. I really like Sia from a previous album I have and was excited to listen to this album, which was recently released. Unfortunately, Sia’s voice can sound just a tinge whiny and that was not what I needed to keep me going. All this is to say that I didn’t really love the album the first time I listened to it. Still, I persisted this week, listening to it quite a few times through. The thing about Sia is that she can come across as a little laid back and her songs don’t punch you right away, but they definitely grow on you the more you listen.

This album in iTunes came with a 6-minute video where Sia talks about making this album. She’s kind of a cute little blond pixie from Australia and has her dogs and a kitten in the video, which is endearing. I always think it’s interesting to hear an artist discuss what inspired them for a particular song or album or what sound they were going for; unfortunately, that kind of information is sometimes hard to lock down without a personal interview (my dream!). However, in this video she did talk about what sound she was going for: “a really fun pub album with a bouncy dance-around vibe” (she’s lived in England for ten years) if you can imagine what that would sound like. I have to say it is definitely more energetic than the previous album of hers that I’m familiar with. It’s also kind of cool to get a little glimpse into the recording process and get a taste of her personality from the video. Fun fact about Sia: she’s bisexual and she’s a PETA spokesperson! (I read that on Wikipedia, she didn’t say either in the video)

After listening to the album for a couple days, I considered each song individually and realized that I really liked most of them, particularly the ones that have a more upbeat tempo. Particular faves:

· Clap Your Hands – supposed to be the first U.S. release
· You’ve Changed – has done really well in Australia and was played on the t.v. show The Vampire Diaries
· Bring Night – Sia is ready for a night on the town with this song
· Never Gonna Leave Me – this is a really catchy song. She sings fast and with a strong accent, so it’s hard to sing along, but I’m not sure we’re meant to. Just let her sing it.
· The Co-Dependent – lyrics are exactly what you would expect based on the title, but somehow Sia makes it fun
· Big Girl, Little Girl – I only put this one on because I discovered the beat is the exact pace of a brisk walk to the train, which always makes me feel very close the music.

Try some Sia today! She has two videos out from this album and trust me when I tell you that the one for You’ve Changed (below) is the less bizarre of the two.

Incidentally, I had what is referred to in the running world as a “good run” other day and I attribute it entirely to the awesome 4-minute playlist from my previous post!

Running Help

If it seems like I refer to running quite a bit in my posts, it’s not because I am an avid, gifted runner- quite the opposite actually. I like to refer to myself as a “special needs” runner, or if that is offensive to anyone, it could also be referred to as “disadvantaged”. My disadvantage is that I am slow and laborious in my efforts to run. I do not take this label lightly. I attribute the origin of my disadvantage to the fact that I did not run in my teens when, based on my observations, it is not nearly so difficult. In addition to being a Music Mom, I am first and foremost just a mom, and in that role I always volunteer to be a timer at my high school daughters’ track meets. It’s in this context that I can appreciate just how disadvantaged I am. The winning girls usually make the long distances look easy, but there are always those who are far behind the others, obviously struggling as everyone claps for the effort as they finish last, murmuring things like, “Well, good for her just for being out there.” It was while timing and with great dismay that I realized that these very slow girls run a mile many minutes faster than I do, so my label as special needs is well informed.

Several years ago, a charitable friend coached me through the training to run a 10K, which I successfully completed and was happy to retire on that accomplishment for many years afterward. For some reason, last year I decided that completing a marathon should be on my to-do list before I die. Though the training was very difficult (to say the least), I did finish and should have retired from running altogether a second time; on to the other items on my to-do list, such as going to Vegas. After a winter of inertia, I inexplicably signed up to run the marathon again this year but decided not to run with a group as I did last year. An energetic new coworker who is a decade older than I am and is built like a well conditioned jockey got wind of this and stopped by my desk recently to suggest that we run together with his friend during the marathon. I actually did LOL at that, assuring him that he is quite a bit faster than I am, having previously heard his times. He was undeterred and reassured me that his friend is a single-leg amputee- how comforting! Unfortunately, the times he suggested were still faster than my time from last year, so I politely declined and decided to plod along independently.

It is with this long buildup that the music comes into play. Because running does not come easily or enjoyably to me, I use a bit of trickery on myself during my training. I only do my long runs on a path that has the miles well marked to keep from accidentally running too far, I intentionally live in the flattest part of the country possible, and you can bet I cross to the inside of a curve in the street. One other thing I do is divide my runs into little 4-minute increments, which is mentally much more manageable than miles and includes a short walk during each such increment. (I should note that this run/walk technique is a valid method that is designed to help people reduce their times and avoid injury since the body has frequent opportunities to recharge; it’s commonly known as the Galloway method for the guy who developed it and is, of course, scoffed at by “real” runners. Since I already know I am not a real runner and would rather walk than run, I do not care about the scoffing and have embraced the Galloway method) To help me, I sorted the library on my iPod by time and took all the songs that were between 3:55 and 4:05 minutes to make a playlist and therefore have a new song for each block of running. I ended up with 178 songs that fit those parameters and will often use the playlist for my runs. Because I did not weed out slow songs, it’s quite a mix, some more conducive to running than others. Here are some that I feel are the best, meaning that they either motivate me or distract me:

· 1 Thing (Amerie)
· Roll on Down the Highway (BTO)
· Crazy in Love (Beyonce)
· Havin’ a Bad Day (Blue Flannel) – this song is hilarious, the singer is so grumpy
· When the Stars Go Blue (The Corrs feat. Bono)
· Hello Again (Dave Matthews Band)
· Survivor (Destiny’s Child)
· I’m Your Villain (Franz Ferdinand)
· Cupid’s Chokehold (Gym Class Heroes)
· Touch the Sky (Kanye West fea. Lupe Fiasco)
· Wasting Time (Kid Rock)
· Superstar (Lupe Fiasco)
· About You (Mary J. Blige feat. Will.I.Am)
· Little Secrets (Passion Pit)
· SOS (Rhianna)
· Barely Legal (The Strokes)

Good luck and enjoy!

Singles IV

Another post with singles, some newly released (Tom Petty, The Roots) and some recommendations that have (apparently) been around for a while. As a busy working music mom, there are occasional songs that slip through the cracks, and I’m always grateful when people bring those to my attention in the form of recommendations. As usual, it’s a mixed bag of singles, which always keeps me on my toes. I’m kicking it off with two Tom Petty songs. I would say in general I’m a bit neutral on the subject of Tom Perry; I used to be a big fan but haven’t really kept up with him for years. However, Rolling Stone gave his new album a really good rating, so here we are.

· Running Man’s Bible (Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers) – For the second week in a row, I did the first listen of my new music while doing my weekly long run for marathon training (Week 2 of 18- yay!). I became particularly excited when I noticed the name of the first song on my playlist: Running Man’s Bible- how apropos! I had no idea Tom Petty was a runner- perhaps he is also training for a marathon! I pictured myself passing him on the running trail with his blond hair and buck teeth; we’d give each other a little nod (due to lack of excess oxygen we would not actually speak). Alas, in this song the context of running is more like on the run, Thelma and Louise style. I began to become suspicious that Tom has actually been a fugitive while I haven’t been paying attention to him when the second song started:

· First Flash of Freedom (Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers) – Okay, Tom, what’s up with the jailbreak business? Both of these songs are similar in that they have a bit of a bluesy feel to them and both take their time, clocking in at almost 13 minutes between them. I kind of like the sound and you have to admire his staying power, but I think overall I’m going to maintain my fairly neutral Tom Petty stance.

· Dear God 2.0 (The Roots & Monsters of Folk) – I wouldn’t say I’m super familiar with The Roots having only one other song by them on my iPod. I bought this song again based on a RS recommendation (Running Woman’s Bible, you could say) and it is a really intriguing song. It starts with a very soulful sound and the words, “Dear God, I’m trying hard to reach you,” and when you start to think you might be headed toward Christian rock, the rapping starts with lyrics (are they lyrics when it’s a rap or is it just rap? Not cool enough to know) that questions all the “bad” things wrong in the world, ultimately asking God why there is suffering. I really like the juxtaposition between the lyrics, which are pretty heavy, and the rapping. Rappers have feelings, too! Good song from a brand new album.

· Clemantine (Sarah Jaffe) – This was a recommendation, but it happens to be from a new(er) album (April). I’m not familiar with Sarah Jaffe, but I like this first try with her. Clementine has a haunting sound to it and her album is called Suburban Nature, which is endearing. Her sound reminds me a bit of Ani DiFranco; I’d be willing to try more from her.

· Again & Again (The Bird and the Bee) – This group was actually recommended to me in the form of an album they did covering Hall & Oats songs (???). Since that seemed like it might be for a more hardcore fan and this was my foray into The Bird and the Bee, I opted for the most popular song on iTunes. The lyrics are really repetitive (again and again and again and again), and it seems pretty inane the first few times, but it’s strangely addictive. I even caught my 14-year old son singing it around the house. The female vocalist has a pretty voice, which gives it some legitimacy.

· I’d Rather Be With You (Joshua Radin) – Again, a recommendation of someone I’m not familiar with. Joshua Radin is similar to Jack Johnson or James Taylor: very sweet lyrics and pleasant melody, but not necessarily the song you’ll be singing to yourself (a very unscientific standard that I keep referring to, but it’s an indicator to me that it’s either different somehow or strikes a chord somewhere in my subconscience).

· Boys With Girlfriends (Meiko) – This song is supposedly one of Meiko’s (a female) more popular hits, although I wasn’t familiar with it. It’s a good song, though: “I know better not to be friends with boys with girlfriends”. Words to live by, Meiko! Not necessarily something Suburban Music Mom needs to ascribe to frequently, but perceptive nonetheless. Using my previously described method of evaluating a song, this one will stick with you, and her sound reminds me of early Liz Phair (a good sound, if you wondered whether that was good or bad).

· Grace Kelly (Mika) – It was confusing to get recommendations from the same person, one being Meiko and another being Mika, neither familiar to me. This song sounds to me at times like Franz Ferdinand and at other times like Queen (I know, weird). The title of the song comes from the singer’s desire to try to be like Grace Kelly and lamenting, “Why don’t you like me?” Great song!

· Catch My Disease (Ben Lee) – Although I didn’t think I was familiar with Ben Lee (possibly due to his generic name), I bought his most popular song on iTunes and realized that I have heard this song and like it. I’m a sucker for catchy lyrics and this delivers: “Open your heart and catch my disease”. It’s hard to actually recommend this song since it’s several years old, but it’s one I’m happy to have (accidentally) added to my library.

Sorry, none of the new songs seem to have videos yet. To recap, none of the songs in this group were duds, but the ones I particularly liked were (bolded indicates my top pick):

· Dear God 2.0 (The Roots & Monsters of Folk)
· Boys With Girlfriends (Meiko)
· Grace Kelly (Mika)
· Catch My Disease (Ben Lee)

Incidentally, if it seems that I recommend a high percentage of the songs I review, it’s partly because I really try to just listen to songs and albums I think I have a high likelihood of liking, although sometimes I’ll take a risk (Grace Potter & The Nocturnals). Enjoy!

Country Songs: A Tribute to Dad

I thought it would be nice to have a post on Father’s Day that focused on songs paying tribute to fathers. What I found when I began to compile such a list was: a) there aren’t that many songs that have to do with fathers; b) many of the ones I did find were depressing or sort of inappropriate. Eric Clapton sings about wishing his father was still around to guide him in My Father’s Eyes, Harry Chapin laments not spending more time with his kids in Cats in the Cradle, and Mary J. Blige sings about needing to find a significant other who also fills the void from her own absentee father. Happy Father’s Day! The only one that I could think of or find in my library that is really sweet is Paul Simon’s Father and Daughter, but one song a good playlist does not make.

I decided to take things in a different direction and pay tribute to my own dad. He is kind of a Suburban Music Dad (now Gramps) himself, but strangely, despite being born on the south side of Chicago and raised in the western suburbs, his tendency leans heavily toward country music. This gene apparently hits every other generation as neither of my sister or I have that tendency; however, it has struck my oldest daughter. Therefore, while I should be out shopping for a gift for Dad before we head to my parents’ house later this afternoon, I am making an attempt at compiling a good list of country songs that I like. Since that isn’t normally my preferred genre, the songs would probably be considered kind of wimpy by true hardcore country fans- I call it Country Lite. I can appreciate a good twang, though, so here is my best effort. Happy Father’s Day, Dad!

· The Long Black Veil (Johnny Cash)
· Summertime (Kenny Chesney)
· Love Don’t Live Here (Lady Antebellum)
· Portland, Oregon (Loretta Lynn)- confession: Jack Black is also on this one, weird combo
· That’s Right (You’re Not From Texas) (Lyle Lovett)
· Here Comes Goodbye (Rascal Flatts)
· Please Read the Letter (Allison Krause and Robert Plant)- note: also a weird combo, but this is a really good album (Raising Sand- won a Grammy, I think)
· Killin’ Kind (Shelby Lynne)
· It Happens (Sugarland)
· Chicken Fried (Zac Brown Band)