Pure melodrama

I want to review music, but somehow I can't bring myself to write an honest review about anyone yet. I do, however, feel like reviewing just about every movie I see, so I guess this is where I'll start.

Yesterday, I watched "Pure" on Netflix.

Starring Harry Eden, Molly Parker, and Keira Knightley, this movie made me wonder why Netflix recommended it to me. I crocheted a hat while I watched it and the whole time, the only thing that kept me going was that I wanted to finish the hat. The movie has your typical drama, and then more, piled on. It is a story about a boy who prepares "medicine" for him mom, only to find out she's a junky.

The thing is, the story seemed really unbelievable. Like, little Paul asks his neighbor what a junky is, and she tells him in a self-fulfilling rant that basically it's a waste of space, someone who lies and cheats. Of course, this isn't Paul's mom, until, like the next day, when all of the sudden and out of no where she has gone from sweet mommy to a liar.

I have a particular problem with music playing through the length of movies, and this is a perfect example of why. I think music, especially the choices made in "Pure," is there to signal the drama. I mean, c'mon, it only comes at dramatic parts with the most dramatic-sounding music, only then it keeps coming back. My mind tells me, "This is very dramatic," every time the music is cued. In the end, I have this really dated-sounding score in my head.

Ten of Swords - Dry Spell

I was fortunate to catch my dear friend Adam Hitchell's band Ten of Swords play their cd release show at Beat Kitchen August 7. Their debut album Dry Spell is more than worth listening to; it's worth owning. Beautiful, sparkling melodies meander through a carefully woven tapestry of instruments. Adam's voice is tinged with bittersweetness. It's difficult not to fall in love with it.

It's hard to single out any of the songs as being the hits or the best or whatever. The whole album is fierce with pop and smart hooks. Some notable download-worthy tunes are Medicine, a beautiful and melancholy song with tasteful string accompanyment (Cello: Michelle Morales and Violin: Ellis Seiberling) and On Holiday for more of an upbeat number. Ferris Wheel is sure to become a classic if this album gets the attention it deserves.

Download the album for 9.99 here:
CD BABY
(http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/TenofSwords/from/viglink)
Also available on iTunes.
Stream the album on Myspace

Ty Maxon with Ryan Suzuka

I wanted to write a review of a show I saw the other day, and I did just that. Only, when I read it back I thought to myself, "I hate it when writers do that!" It was full of fancy words, thoughts about what led up to my excursion to see the show, and in the end, I think I was trying very hard to sound like a writer. If I'm not carefull, I can easily do that again. So let me cut to the chase.

Ty Maxon is great. Go see him perform sometime. He brings Simon and Garfunkel to mind, but there's is a melancholy about it. I saw him Wednesday, 12-9-09 at Underground Lounge with Ryan Suzuka accompanying on harmonica. This is a favorite hangout of mine, and what is lacking in sound-system quality is made up for in gritty ambience. You will be hard pressed to find another bar in Wrigleyville that isn't infested with that very Wrigleyville type that Logan Square types such as myself have come to loathe. However, this little oasis, in it's stinky, underground way, somehow doesn't attract that crowd.

It isn't perhaps the best suited place for a singer-songwriter night, though I find singer-songwriters will play just about anywhere. Like I said, the sound isn't great, and it can be hard to catch what the perfomer said, let alone what he sang. Also, there was an annoying, loud clicking coming from the room with the pool table.

I know Ty has great lyrics. Though I would have liked to hear them better, his melodies enchanted me throughout his set. There were times I thought he must have been singing about something so sad. His song "Dawn is When I Go" grabbed me from the first line and didn't let go till it was over. His album Furthest From the Tree is worth owning. When it's snowing outside, this is what should be playing on your stereo.

I love Ryan Suzuka, and he is brilliant on the harmonic. In this case, though, I would have like to hear a little less of him, just enough so that Ty could have cut through a bit better. But all in all he did a terrific job, and when he played his set, with his soulful voice accompanied by his 6-string ukulele, I got to hear some of my favorites. His banter is adorable, and it's hard not to love him.

What a great night it was! Finished off by Jessica Robbins, I wish there could have been more people there to see them, but the intimacy of the evening was perhaps a contributing factor to the joyful feeling I had when I left that place.

(Originally written for Derelict Songs)