Recap: Owen Pallett and Blonde Redhead

I wrote this up over a month ago, and never got around to posting it. Better late than never? I'll let you be the judge.

2011 was a weird year.

I spent the first third of it at Aspen Grove: running in the woods, playing house with a fake husband, and thoroughly confused about school. I spent the summer just outside DC: running on the Washington Old Dominion Trail, making no friends, and reading lots of books. I spent the last third of the year back in Provo: not running at all, watching too much Gossip Girl, and slogging through 19 credit hours in my final semester.

It was my most varied, puzzling year, a great time for a thorough introduction to Owen Pallett. His songs were as unsettled as I felt. I remember listening to Heartland while driving up Spanish Fork canyon after a Relief Society retreat. It was just like girls camp. Except I was 24, and feeling totally out of place. We had a devotional by Hillary Weeks where she talked about struggling to stand up for the important things that you believe in. Like modesty. And then they had these pedicure station set-up for "glitter toes". And duh, I got them done, but I was conflicted about it ok? I was one of the oldest ones there, and was feeling pretty odd.

I woke up early the next morning and snuck away. It was beautiful and the air was crisp. And I listened to Tryst with Mephistopheles over and over, and tying not to pay too much mind to the lyrics. Mephistopheles is the devil from Faust, the collector of damned souls. My dad always claimed he got my named me after the Gretchen character in the story who meets a tragic end. Too eerie. 

Faust and Mephistopheles Waiting for Gretchen at the Cathedral Door - Wilhelm Koller

Ever since then, Owen Pallett has maintained a special place in my heart. Each of his songs is about THE STRUGGLE and I love it, His last album is just one big tribute to existential crisis, so you know that's a good time. 

I was thrilled when I found out he would be playing the new Ogden Twilight concert series. I even opted to take an early hour-and-a-half long bus ride to make sure I didn't miss any of his set. It was worth it. The sound wasn't that great, but being reminded of all those songs was sweet enough.

Image from here

Check out In Conflict from his latest album here. Warning, it's a bit much:

And one of my fave songs from went he was known as Final Fantasy:

The headliner was Blonde Redhead. Their music is beautiful, but listening to one of their songs is the same as listening to 10 of their songs.

Image from here

This one stood out to me though. So pretty:

We hung around, hoping they would play Misery is a Butterfly, but no dice. Listen to it:

Ogden was good to us. Long live Ogden.

A space that only you can fill

The view from one of my favorite hidden walks behind the avenues

Some morning inspiration for your Thursday found in this New York Times article:

"Vous allez trouver votre place. You will find your place... somewhere in the world, there’s a gap shaped just like you. Once you find it, you’ll slide right in."

I know that I'm at risk of sounding like one of those girls, but I hope this is true. The article is entitled "How to Find Your Place in the World After Graduation". Well kids, I graduated from college three and a half years ago. Yesterday, I "celebrated" the 10 year anniversary of my high school graduation*. I'm ready for my ramblin' ways to come to an end.

*One of my high school classmates wrote a song about our graduation called "June 3rd," so I will never forget the first day of the rest of my life!

Fantastique

I watched "Dior and I" last night with my mom and Christian, and loved it.This documentary follows Raf Simons as he takes the reigns of fashion house Christian Dior, 8 weeks before their Fall 2012 fashion show. Even thought the actual show took place almost 3 years ago, I was at the edge of my seat, anxious to see how everything would come together.

I recommend you watch it if you get the chance. I especially love how it brought a new sense of humanity to this side of fashion. Dior is HUGE. From ready-to-wear, to their makeup line to hand bags and shoes. All based on what their exclusive clientele want. The film touches on that when an unnamed client demands that one of the key seamstresses fly to New York for a fitting. You can't deny a customer who spends $350,000 a year on your brand...

But haute coututre, just feels different. Separate from money. It is true art. And look at the result! This is the man that made Jennifer Lawrence look more beautiful falling on the stairs then she did standing up. "Sublime,"as they say in the film.

Kanye knew what he was talking about, "...they don't make 'em like this anymore". He loves Dior. Or at least, the Dior girl.

And maybe I'm wrong and stupidly buying into the vision that the film sells. But I love it anyway. Nothing inspires me more than seeing people do what they love, and doing it well.

When I cam home, felt so inspired. I had a stack of books that I needed to tackle, and I knew right away which one I would start with Eccentric Glamour.

I love Simon Doonan. He is a hoot. He writes regularly for Slate where he is hilarious, offensive, and charming. So fun to read. I've only read the introduction to this booked, and I'm already converted. And I know he has some wisdom that I need to incorporate into my life. This girl thinks so too! Can't wait to start/finish this book. Review to come soon!

"...I've a Mother there"

The day before Mother's Day, I was privileged to visit the Sacred Silence exhibit at the BYU HFAC Gallery. I would encourage you to take the time to visit, but I just received word that the show has ended and the exhibit was taken down last week.

Needless to say, I can't really give a sufficient summary or review. Just know that it was beautiful. And it made me a little sad. But also hopeful? Hopeful that there can be more dialogues like this in the church. I wish you all could have seen it.

You can read a review and description of the exhibit in the Salt Lake Tribune here. See a few photos from the exhibit here.

Katie West Payne's work helped me to re-examine what it is to be a woman, She created a safe space that encouraged peaceful contemplation. I hope that more of us as members of the church will take the time to delve into our questions, and not be afraid of our natural curiosity.

Visit Katie's blog if you would like to learn more about her work, and read through some of the quotes, scriptures, and images she used in her pieces. A favorite below:

In love with love

According to my horoscope (I'm Aquarius, if you want to know), my love life is going to go crrrrazy in May and June. Supposedly, Mars entered Gemini and the 5th house yesterday, which means WATCH OUT. But I already knew that because I'm going to Disneyland today where Tarzan, Han Solo, and *Robin Hood will all be hanging out in one place, so it will be no surprise if I fall in love.

from here

In that vein, here are a few articles about love that I can recommend for a Tuesday review. I recently rediscovered my articles-to-read folder of bookmarks, and I have over 200 to go through. Hopefully you benefit too:

"I’m constantly aware of lost opportunities. I used to think such lost opportunities were beautiful towns flashing by my train windows, but now I imagine they are lanterns from the past, casting light on what’s ahead."

The above is from a Modern Love article, several years ago, but I felt it needed revisiting.

We have to quit defining ourselves solely in relation to dudes. Like, 'I am not me—I am some imaginary man's imaginary perfect 10, plus 50 extra pounds, minus a 20-inch waist, plus a threatening commitment to feminism, minus any desire to pretend to care about bike polo! That's me!' No, that's not you. That is a weird monster you made up to torture yourself. 

From a super empowering dating manifesto from Jezebel. Warning: Language and... irreverence? Inappropriateness? Whatever. I like it.

"Most thoughts just fill up your head and distance you from the life that’s still unfolding in front of you. They’re not leading to any important decisions or insights, they’re just taking over your present moment, and possibly shortening your life on the other end too. 

We often believe that our thoughts are accomplishing something just because they’re emotionally charged, or because they’re “about” something we consider important, like fairness, respect, or the state of society. 

No. They are useful only insofar as they get you to move your body and do something useful." 

The last quote comes from this post from Raditude. So much of what keeps us back from love and relationships is our own internal narratives and concerns. And so much if that is just made up, or inconsequential. Language warning, but you can handle it.

*Come on. I know I'm not the only girl who had a crush on Robin Hood...

Walking with Ravel

I did my work slowly, drop by drop.I tore it out of me by pieces.                                               -Ravel

I need to walk. It's the only time my mind and my body can relax at the same time.
Last Sunday, I grabbed a compilation by Faure which I mistakenly thought was Ravel (I don't know much about classical music, obvy). It was NOT what I wanted at all. The completely wrong medication leaving me agitated and unsettled. So much so, I had to cut my walk short and it set a dark tone on the rest of the day. All I wanted to do was listen to Pavanne pour une enfente defunte out in the fresh air. Sometimes I can be very pretentious and fancy. I was so disappointed that my plans were foiled.

This week I was better prepared. I found the right compilation at the library, and was able to have one of my best Sunday walks yet. When you are walking and listening to this, it makes you feel like everything you do is intentional, important.
And also like you are going a bit mad.
It's great.

I had completely forgotten about this great Radiolab podcast about the music and the artist Anne Adams. It is one of the best, and I really think you should listen to it. Below is the art piece that Anne created after listening to Bolero by Ravel.

Listen to the podcast here

Warning: So so sad

Read more about aphasia here

Tuesday Review: Stromae shows us a hit

Got to get some organization up in here. I used to review concerts, books, movies, everything till I fell off the face og the earth. Here is an attempt to get back into that.

I'll post this video as a sort of introduction. Here is my favorite Stromae. Have no idea why it's the end of the world and he's in a supermarket. Just enjoy it, adds to his charm:

What a weirdo. I love him. Got to see him in person at The Depot this past September. I promise that every Belgian in Utah was there. It was a riot. Take a look:

Raising a glass to Cesaria Evora

Stromae is a class act performer and blew my mind. From his clothes (which he designs himself), to his choreography, to his beats... it's all en pointe.

Unconventional as ever. Just watch: 

He played at SXSW and was the talk of Austin. I highly recommend you check him out if you ever get the chance. 

*Sorry this videos aren't working... can anyone teach me some tricks???*

Belle and Sebastian Concert Recap: "Make me dance, I want to surrender"

This was the first time I went to a Twilight Concert, and left thinking "That was nice!". I've had a good time at past shows, but last night was the best. The crowd was less dense, the weather was forgiving, I got a great pita wrap, and I was just really happy to be there. We danced the night away. I found this video from some stranger if you want to see what it was like:

Also, this may be a new favorite Belle and Sebastian song:

They brought people on-stage to dance during this song. It was darling. 

Vampire Weekend Concert Recap: "Who could ever live that way?"

Oh boy I've been such a negligent blogger, I hope you can forgive me.

A few weeks ago, I went to Vampire Weekend! I hadn't planned on going; Red Butte concert tickets are a little steep for me. Then my mom texted me and said she bought tickets!!!!!!

so that she and dad could go.

hahahahahaha

But then my dad ended up heading out of town, and I got to take his place. Lucky lucky me! I saw Vampire Weekend play at Kilby before I left on my mission, and instantly fell in love. I remember there was an Iron and Wine show at Saltair that most of my friends had gone to and a big punk show at In the Venue. That combined with the crazy storm made for a tiny turnout for Vampire Weekend*. But it was super fun for us. When I got back from my mission, they were crazy big with movie stars in their music videos and sold out shows. I was glad I had a chance to see them again.

I'll just mostly be showing you some pics cause I'm tired and it was so long ago, I hardly remember what happened? Oh. I used my mom's binoculars to take most of these pics. I think they turned out pretty cool.

We had fancy treats that we brought from home. 

Rich people.

You got plenty of space when you pay a lot of dollars for a ticket. This ain't no Twilight Concert.

 First were the High Highs:

Keyboard

Guitar

Percussion, but not really part of the band, I don't think?

They were nice and mostly boring.

I painted my nails while I watched (sorry not sorry)

But then they played that track that's in the Pitch Perfect movie and I was pleased.

Isn't it nice?

And here are a bunch of photos from Vampire Weekend and stuff.

They had the WORST intro music. Come on, guys:

And here's the crowd. So weird and normal. and you can see my mom using binoculars:

I really really like Vampire Weekend. They remind me about everything that's good about summer and school. They make me itch to break out of office life.

Ya Hey! My favorite new song of theirs. So my first Red Butte concert was lovely. I'm going to try and catch some others from the hills behind. I think it will be worth it.

*Between sets we left to find an ATM at the gas station. The snow was so horrible, we were slipping and sliding everywhere. A bunch of kids from the hardcore show walked into the gas station, and it was the saddest thing I've ever seen. Their mascara was running, denim jackets all soggy, and there 12 inch mohawks were sopping and deflated

Stornoway Concert Recap: "...a love that's as sure as the morning'"

My first time at the Urban Lounge. Can you believe it?

We showed up half an hour late, but it didn't matter too much. The opening band hadn't started yet, and there were only about 10 other people in the venue. Perfect.
Jeremy got a Red Bull, and I haven't had one of those since high school. I vaguely remember them tasting like melted Smarties, but I swear they've changed. Now they have more of a Warhead flavor.  So gross, but you can help but keep taking sips.

As the band warmed up, we parked ourselves at the front of the stage and admired the set-up:

Jeremy says that's about $2000 worth of pedals right there. Nice.

I liked the first band, Horse Thief. They had great energy. Check out one of their tracks:

Cool cool. 

Next up, STORONOWAY! Look at 'em go! 

Such a talented group! Brian Briggs the frontan has the loveliest voice. He did a couple unplugged songs, and they were flawless. Jon Ouin is on keyboard, and brothers Oli and Rob Steadman are on bass and drums respectively. Rob is also an artist. I picked up some postcards of his work after the show:

They also had a great violinist (Rahul). Instruments included a metal stool, ripped paper, and a saw cutting through wood:

That's Tim with the saw! We got to chat with him for a bit after the show. He tours around with a bunch of bands including Camera Obscura. They're coming back next month to Salt Lake, so let's check 'em out, eh? 

Overall it was great great great. And informative! Brian kept telling us little facts. Such as, did that porcupines have anti-bacterial skin? And that 100 years ago some guy shipped some whales to the Great Salt Lake and let them loose and they sort of disappeared? Yeah, I don't know if I believe anything he says, but that's ok.

To end, here's a version of one of the songs they did.

Cheers!

Alt-J Concert Recap: "C-O-double-M-O-N"

I really really like Alt-J.

I've been hyping myself up for their concert this past week by watching interviews, reviews, and take away shows. I was a little bummed they would be playing at the Complex. It's not my favorite venue. When I saw Jonsi there a couple years ago, it was decent, it's
Just.
So.
Big.
I Arrived in time to catch a bit of Wildcat! Wildcat! and their Tears for Fears cover before finding Julia. We got a good spot, though it was outside the on the outside edge of the speakers so the sound was a little muddy. BUT what we lacked in sound, we made up for in ambiance. Smelled so great where we were standing. FER REALS. Someone had to have been wearing this perfume that I used to wear while I was on my mission. And it mixed well with the other smells around us. A nice bouquet. haha.

ANYWAY, take a look at these guys:

They're so young. Babies really. Like college kids that got big seemingly out of nowhere. We could see it on keyboardist's face while while they were playing. Shock and awe at their own success. The music was fine; they were charmingly awkward. They essentially played their album along with Buffalo from the Silver Linings Playbook soundtrack and a mashup of Kylie Minogue and Dr Dre.

I've been feeling sort of old lately and being around all these hip whipper-snappers that looked like they came from an Urban Outfitters catalog made me feel even more so.
But then then Alt-J did an cover of Real Hero by College.
It was so tender. Melted my heart, and I felt a bit better.

No luck getting a set-list this time, but I got a piece of paper with their name on it in fancy font? It was great. Sure sure.

Beehive State

I made it back to my home state. Virginia trembled at my absence. Literally.
Jeremy flew out to drive back with me. I think we made it in good time.

I finally found a place to live, I have an interview for a campus job on Thursday. Everything seems to be neatly falling into place. 

For the past 6 years of my life, I haven't lived in one city for more than 8 months. I am a little wary of graduation, since I will now be expected to act like a grown-up. Aren't grown-ups supposed to stay put, at least most of the time? I don't know if I can put my ramblin' ways to rest. We shall see.

Speaking of ramblin'. I love roadtrips. I love driving. They are not a burden to me. As long as you are in good company there can be hours of delightful banter, meaningful music, audio-books and trashy magazines. Who doesn't want that?

I was a little anxious at the start of this trip since we didn't adequately stock up on audio supplies. But Jeremy spotted an outlet mall off the highway, and the book store was going out of buisness (bad for the written word, good for us). Most of the books on CD were just a few dollars. We listened to:

A War of Gifts: An Ender Story - Orson Scott Card
     Not great, but not bad. I wish we could have found Ender's Game instead. I loooooved that book.

Foreskin's Lament - Shalom Auslander
     You have heard this man on This American Life. His stories are great. Funny poignant and painful. I found that I could only handle the vignettes from his life in small doses. He narrates his own book. Brilliant.

I Capture the Castle - Dodie Smith
      A favorite. The story is so charming.

Jeremy and I run on the same wavelength. Every hour or so, we would search the radio for a strong NPR signal. When we reached Pittsburgh, we found both NPR and an independent music station. Thanks to them, I found this music:







Tomorrow, I'm going back to Provo for the first time in 4 months.
...
Pray for me.

Subversion and Diversion

Lots of snow : Lots of time inside

Which means I finally got to watch Exit Through the Gift Shop.

Cool. 
"I think the joke is on... I don’t know who the joke is on, really. I don’t even know if there is a joke."
I read La Invencion de Morel for my spanish class about a month ago. It explores some of the same themes as gift shop does. *SPOILER, for like, the rest of this post* In the novel, Morel attempts to preserve moments, just like Thierry Guetta in the movie. Morel does this by creating a machine that projects holographic recordings(?) of a week with his friends. Thierry does this by obsessively video-taping every moment of his family's life. "This way, I can capture them forever," he says. One could argue whether or not Morel or Theirry's "inventions" are successful, or even real.
It is interesting that in the preface to the novel, Jorge Luis Borges says that he considers the novel "perfect". But part of the core of the novel is questioning what perfection is. Morel creates a sort of immortality that is so real, the main character wants to become a part of it. But is the new reality he has become a part of (which actually costs him his life) actually "perfect"? So maybe what Borges is saying is that this novel is as perfect as perfect can be. Maybe his endorsement is more like Banksy's endorsement of Mr. Brainwash: "[he] is a force of nature; he's a phenomenon. And I don't mean that in a good way." No, Borges really liked Adolfo Bioy Casares, I just like thinking that their endorsements have a similar tone.
So this documentary premiered at Sundance last year. Banksy stenciled it up around Salt Lake and Provo, and I got to see a bit of what he did:

ANYWAY
I had no idea that I had a poster by Shephard Fairey in my room. He is featured in the movie.
It is this one:

Also, I think that if Banksy were a music artist, he would be Das Racist:

If anyone finds a clean version of their single, "You Oughta Know," I want it.

Also again, I really liked 50 Wonderful Things from 2010 by NPR. Especially this:

All I want for Christmas is Carl Kassel's voice on my answering machine.