december songs 12

i am making it a goal this december to find a video a day that just says it. maybe it is bitter, hopeful, tragic, or celebratory. maybe it inspires. i do hope that some of you may also find it cathartic. let me know... 
 
december songs 12 is "save yourself," by sharon van etten. she has lots of other songs with artsy videos (like this one with tarot cards!), but this being one of my favorite songs, i choose a performance. i saw her live at the jefferson a couple of years ago and she has a tremendous vocal range and such bittersweet power.

I want every town, I need you to know
There's nothing left to sell me, I'm broke

I just want these holes for when I try to run
For no reason, or so I'm told

Don't you think I know you're only trying to save yourself
Don't you think I know you're only trying to save yourself
Ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh

Ancient in one long, incidental month
You had a bad day, I want home

You still make me smile, as much as I am reeling
It has been a while, please don't make me show I'm not your gal

Don't you think I know you're only trying to save yourself
Don't you think I know you're only trying to save yourself
Just like everyone else
Ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh
Ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh

Try and make me feel like I'm your number one
Every other one, well, shit, get real

Know you're balding still, you're older than you feel
Think a little harder, a little modest and humble be
I won't wait around

Don't you think I know you're only trying to save yourself
Don't you think I know you're only trying to save yourself
Just like everyone else
You're just like everyone else
You're just like everyone else
You're just like everyone else

music monday

it's december. the last month of the year. sensing a call to step into this month with more intention. so easy to slip into auto pilot these busy days. so easy to speed past all the details. there is the destination, but the landscape of the journey makes the story. so many details in that landscape.

this evening i found myself reflecting on a musical year. every year brings new music into my life and as this year approaches its close i find myself thinking about its soundtrack. details in the landscape of 2014.

on december mondays i hope to share some of my favorite music from this past year.

lately i have been enjoying j mascis newest album, "tied to a star." i love it that so many musicians of my generation continue to be powerful and passionate. i feel less old when the rock programming of the local university station is playing the work of musicians my age! i once saw a very loud dinosaur jr in a seattle tavern and am loving the new contrast to that memory in mascis solo career. as aptly stated in a rolling stone article, "mascis is now as skilled at quiet as he is with loud." 

one evening i was in twisted branch tea bazaar, beloved local chill zone, when i heard  sharon van etten for the first time. thus a new obsession was born. she can trill snark in the sweetest of tones! i saw her perform at the jefferson in october and was definitely one of the top shows of the year. her live voice is incredibly mesmerizing and she sure can hold a note. 

another awesome show i caught at the jefferson was  phosphorescent, a singer who has had me under his spell for some time. i'm a sucker for troubadours of jaded lyrics, psychedelic reverb, and sparkling cowboy boots. his latest album, muchacho, is definitely a master work of songwriting.

sorry for the brevity, but i started this post a bit too late in the night! more favorites to come next monday!