Hallelujah. Now that’s a song I’ve heard hundreds and hundreds of times. Whether it be the original Cohen version or one of the numerous covers by Jeff Buckley, John Cale, Rufus Wainwright and even American Idol participant Jason Castro (horrid IMHO). Let’s just say that the emotional resonance of the song has long warn off. While it is arguably once of the greatest song of the past 30 years, for a long time now, it’s just been another song to me. However last night during Cohen’s performance as 50,000 Israelis sang along with him and he took his hat to chest and closed his eyes to take in the moment I couldn’t help but get enveloped by the strong emotions that clearly everyone in the stadium was feeling. I’ve seen hundreds of concerts in my day and it’s hard to say that I have experienced such a powerful moment during a musical performance. Cohen’s performance of Hallelujah completely transcended what I anticipated to be the pinnacle of cheese. He managed to achieve an intimacy in his performance that I didn’t think was possible in a stadium of 50,000 people.

I’m not sure what Mr. Cohen is like when he is not performing, but on stage he was full of class. During his 3 hour plus performance, Cohen often removed his signature fedora during solos by his band and granted them his full attention as a signature of both respect and awe. Clearly enamored by the incredible backing band he introduced them more than once and even brought his crew on the stage at the end to thank them and all involved with the tour.

As he was just about to step off the stage after his third encore Cohen recited Birkat Cohanim (the priestly blessing) which clearly moved the audience.

“They shall place My name upon the children of Israel, and I Myself shall bless them.”

Former Stone Roses lead singer Ian Brown who once took a vow never to perform in Israel, because “he doesn’t agree with the government’s regime” will be coming for one performance in the end of May.

The former STONE ROSES frontman is close friends with Israeli pop star Nimrod Levy (editors note: who?), who advised the ONE LOVE hitmaker to stay away from his homeland.

Brown says, “Nimrod has told me it isn’t safe to me to go over there. Nimrod told me that it isn’t safe to be in a club, in a city or in the country.

“Palestine is the biggest open-air prison in the world.

“Israel is a brutal regime, but if I didn’t play countries where I didn’t agree wit the regime, I’d never have played a show.

“I can say that without worrying. Let’s put it this way, I haven’t noticed any Mossad (Israeli intelligence agency) agents outside my front door.”

Source.

He followed last year with this gem of a song called “Illegal Attacks” which featured these quite silly lyrics which could have been written by a undergraduate poetry major with an anti-war fetish at a bad liberal college:

So what the fuck is this UK
Gunnin’ with this US of A
In Iraq and Iran and in Afghanistan

Does not a day go by
Without the Israeli Air Force
Fail to drop it’s bombs from the sky?

How many mothers to cry?
How many sons have to die?
How many missions left to fly over Palestine?
‘Cause as a matter of facts
It’s a pact, it’s an act
These are illegal attacks
So bring the soldiers back
These are illegal attacks
It’s contracts for contacts
I’m singing concrete facts
So bring the soldiers back

What ever happened to metaphors and allusions in tunes? You can read the rest of the lyrics and watch the video here. And yes, that is Sinead O’Connor singing background vocals. Sinead of the famous “Sharing Jerusalem: Two Capitals for Two States” debacle of 1997.

I love the Stone Roses as much as the next guy (really, an incredible band), but I will not be attending Ian Brown’s show. First of all, Ian Brown is not the total sum of the Stone Roses and if the lyrics above even remotely represent his current body of work, I think I’d find listening to the sounds of my own bowel movements more appealing.

That’s my friend Jamye with her fist in the air at the 1:42 mark.

This video has been over five hundred thousand one million times thus far on YouTube since its launch this past weekend.

I come from across the water bringing light and hope,” said Badu in her deep, languid voice. She commissioned a poster design especially for her visit to Israel, featuring a large hamsa, a traditional Middle Eastern good luck charm, that appears to be growing out of her hair. At the bottom, the words for peace in Hebrew and Arabic appear side by side.

However, Badu could not name any Israeli hip hop artists. She explained that she identified best with the Palestinians and their hip hop scene, saying that they are a part of her tribe of hip hop.

“They use (hip hop) as a form of liberation, as a form of pre-resistance, as a form of therapy,” Badu said.

Badu defended Louis Farrakhan, the leader of the Nation of Islam, who has drawn fire over the years with pronouncements including praise for Hitler in a 1984 speech, for which he was censured by the U.S. Senate, repeatedly denouncing Israel and the Jewish people and calling the pretense for the war in Iraq a Zionist conspiracy.

The Anti-Defamation League, a leading Jewish group, has labeled Farrakhan’s statements bigoted and anti-Semitic. On its Web site, the ADL lists dozens of Farrakhan statements it considers anti-Semitic.

“(Farrakhan is) not an anti-Semite. He loves all people,” insisted Badu. Her next album, Nu AmErykah will be released February 26, the date of Savior’s Day, a main Nation of Islam holiday.

It would have been interesting to hear how the journalists reacted. Supporting the Palestinian cause is nothing new, but to praise notorious anti-Semite Louis Farrakhan in the Jewish state? I kind of wish I bought a ticket just so I could return it.

Source: Haaretz

Siobhan left the group in 2001 in the midst of a Japanese promotional tour allegedly due to bullying by the other girls. It’s been a long time and Donaghy has released two albums since her departure. Upon hearing “Ghosts”, her sophomore effort released this year, I was shocked to hear an original album far from the manufactured pop of her Sugababe days. It’s left field pop, saturated in synths, trippy beats – though highly influenced by Kate Bush and the Cocteau Twins – completely modern. It’s highly melodic and I found the urgency in Donaghy’s voice aligned with the somewhat desperation in her lyrics very appealing. This is the type of album that can certainly satiate your average pop fan and also go down smoothly for your run of the mill uber-music fan who is desperately trying to hold onto their credibility (like myself).

Frankly, I’m surprised that “Ghosts” didn’t end up on more “Best of” lists. It is certainly on mine.

Siobhan Donaghy – Ghosts
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Siobhan Donaghy – Medevac
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However, there is one really strong exception.

I keep finding myself going back to Dr. Dog’s cover of “Find the River.” Automatic’s closing track has long been my favorite song from the album. I think its placement as the last track that immediately followed the brilliant “Nightswimming” has allowed it not to find its proper place in the R.E.M. catalog. “Nightwimming” surely casted a giant shadow on this simple uplifting and optimistic song.

The transformation of the gorgeous folkie acoustic driven “Find the River” into a piece of beautiful beatlesque psychedelica is nothing short of brilliant. It’s a complete reinvention and everything a cover should be.

Track can be found here.

The Blake Babies’ Temptation Eyes!

Material Issue’s Valerie Loves Me!

I recently bought the soundtrack to Really Rosie with incredibly songs written and performed by Carol King. Really Rosie was a television special broadcast in 1975 that my sister and I were somewhat obsessed with. We must have taken the video out of the public library at least 100 times, destroying the heads and preventing children in the Comsewoque district from seeing it. Screw them. Most of them were Jew-haters anyway.

I vaguely recall seeing a live version of it as well – perhaps produced by the Long Island theater group Kids for Kids? Don’t know. Mother couldn’t confirm. The movie follows a couple of days in the life of a group of kids in Brooklyn (led by the ego driven Rosie) and are based on the stories of Maurice Sendak, who also directed the movie. Sadly, its not available on DVD (yet) but lucky for us some kind soul uploaded the entire movie (part 1, part 2 and part 3) on Youtube.

I can’t get enough of the song Alligators All Around. Such an incredible and unique alphabet song with an amazing melody. You can catch it at the end of part 1. The sound quality on the video is pretty bad but the multi-voiced harmonies at the end of “Alligators” are simply divine on the remastered soundtrack. It’s been over 20 years since I heard this song and I still remember every word. Despite being recorded over 30 years ago (!) the music really holds up. The album is filled with hooks galore with great sing-a-long choruses. Highly recommended.

Anyone else remember Really Rosie?

How to make a plastic bag keeper.

R.E.M.’s music catalog dissected once song at a time.

“Now That The Day Is Over“, The Innocence Mission’s beautiful collection of lullabies, will make you want to burn your Baby Einstein collection. Buy it for your baby.

Keren Ann makes aliyah. At least one good thing came out of the Second Lebanon War.

Michael Chabon’s new book, The Yiddish Policemen’s Union is finally out. Chabon briefly mentions in an interview with Entertainment Weekly that the movie film version of Kavalier & Clay, which was going to star Tobey Maguire and Natalie Portman has “stalled, totally stalled.” Sigh.

Every child should have a plush Minotaur. I’ve ordered one for mine.