So I'm kind of failing in this endeavor. Happily failing, really, because I'm still having fun. Can I just go way off track right now and talk about the rather masculine group The Pixies? I used to think that Kim Deal with her solid bass playing and back-woods angelic voice was the best thing about the Pixies, and that the Breeders were head and shoulders better. There are some days I still feel that way. But can I say that there are some days when listening to the Pixies, specifically Joey Santiago, slays me? He can make the guitar laugh, cry, mock, cough and ache--even if he's not playing it. Oh! What he can do with a drum stick. But really, it's not just him. It's Black Francis and the way he pushes against form, his voice that can beg, taunt and sing in a single stanza without sounding affected. And the magician David Lovering--what he does is closer to a heartbeat than a drumbeat.
I'm still playing through the PJ Harvey album, but my dishwashing song has been this on repeat: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8eVG3ocrr3A Meanwhile, Alan's playing Bach and I can hear him between the breaks.
