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Frida Hyvönen - "Jesus Was A Crossmaker"
Judee Sill died of a drug overdose in 1979 at the age of 35 after releasing two classic collections, Judee Sill and Heart Food. Frida Hyvönen offers a gorgeous take on the California folkie's '71 track "Jesus Was A Crossmaker" for Crayon Angel: A Tribute to the Music of Judee Sill (9/22, American Dust). We asked her about it.
What's your history with Judee Sill? I was introduced to her music by music writer Andres Lokko, who brought me her CD's as a gift, on the release night of my first album. Fell in love, madly.
How did you decide to cover "Jesus Was A Crossmaker"? I like the anxiously soothing almost-believing prayer that is repeated over and over in the song: "Sweet Silver Angels over the sea, / Please come down flying low for me..." It's one of those songs that do you good when you sing it. You can play it forever. Last week I performed it with a symphony orchestra, which was glamorous, but somehow didn't feel right. I think I prefer to play this song at home -- it's so internal, not like a story you want to declare loudly to someone, but a story you tell your self into. I think that's the case with most of Judee's songs. They are intimate.
What's the song mean to you To me the song tells of looking for something beyond a good/evil duality, looking for a ... third thing. It's telling a story in order to understand something.
Premature Evaluation: Beach House - Teen Dream
When we meditated on Victoria Legrand and Alex Scally's gorgeous sophomore album Devotion we had the following to say: [Y]ou can't fall back on Mazzy Star or Galaxie 500 references because they've pushed themselves into their own, unique solar system.... (more)
New Jonathan Boulet Video - "A Community Service Announcement"
This dude's the latest signing to Australia's Modular label, landing with a tidy package of promotional offerings: a catchy, moistly breezy indie-pop debut single that couldn't be better titled for a meet-the-artist track; a subtly arresting/marginally tricked-out video; and a... (more)
New El Guincho - "Antillas (XXXchange Remix)"
When we first heard onetime BTW Pablo Díaz-Reixa, aka El Guincho, we were drawn in by "Antillas," a song we described as "a five-minute bundle of clattering loops and sunny harmonies." It was from the self-released Alegranza!, before he'd signed... (more)
Muse To Headline Coachella 2010?
According to Consequence Of Sound, a previously reliable source pins Muse to the coming year's desert fest headlining slot. Glenn Beck just bought a ticket. The dates are April 16-18. Oh and these Coachella headliner rumors? Needs more Pavement.... (more)
Parents Just Don't Understand Horrorcore
From hardcore to heavy metal to gangsta rap, local TV news teams have long warned parents about the terrifying new sounds rotting teenage brains. This week it's San Fran's KPIX on the horrorcore scene. Not all juggalos are murderers, dad!... (more)
