SHOWCASE: MY LATEST NOVEL

"Illustrious his stories to the end, the people gathered around their effervescent friend."


My Latest Novel are a Scottish five-piece band. According to Wikipedia: "They augment the traditional rock line up of guitars, drums, bass and keyboards, with the use of violins, xylophones and undulating percussion, as well as multi-part vocals. Their musical style is notable for its contrasting melancholic and uplifting moods, the unusual use of the spoken word, and by surprising mid-song changes in tempo and atmosphere." Yep, that pretty much sums them up.

I stumbled upon My Latest Novel via, what else, a music blog some months ago. They hung around on my iPod for a while until I gave 'When We Were Wolves' and 'Pretty in a Panic' listens, and after 2-3 times I started to realise: I goddamn love this band!

I quickly grabbed their CD, 'Wolves', and have yet to find a song I dislike. They tend to grow on you, so that 2-3 months after first listening, you realise you've heard it a few times and you desperately wanna hear more. This has happened with every song on the CD excepting two, 'The Hope Edition' and 'Ghost in the Gutter', and I get the specific feeling that they're close to breaking out as well.

The songs I'm offering up today, hoping that you'll fall in love as I have and give their album a listen:

My Latest Novel - When We Were Wolves (Sendspace link)
The striking first song I heard from them, most likely grabbed because wolves are near and dear to my heart, is intriguing on first listen. The song starts with just the phrase 'when we were wolves' being repeated, almost feeling like a howl from human throat. It continues to pound forwards with a couple of phrases, and though the lyrics may seem repetitive, the style and feel of the song make that a strength rather than a weakness.

My Latest Novel - Pretty in a Panic (Sendspace link)
There's just something about this song. The music is beautiful, and I must profess I love the lead singer's voice. The lyrics are, as usual, pretty enigmatic, but that makes analysis all the more rewarding. To be honest, though I have trouble describing it, this is the song where I decided MLN was something pretty special.

My Latest Novel - The Reputation of Ross Francis (Sendspace link)
My latest one to 'click', this song, about a slick lawyer-type wheedling his way into heaven via elaborate lies, is a very enjoyable experience. His pleading in the chorus, the bouncing on the song, the choral feeling of the singing, makes it so. And when you reach the climax, you can't help but grin.

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These are only a small sample of their amazing CD, and their follow-up could be my most-anticipated release of a near future that should include Imogen Heap, The Postal Service, Alanis Morissette and Snow Patrol.

I Get All the Songs, I Get All the Songs...

If you read the opening post and downloaded the Intro package, you should have a pretty good grasp of my most-listened to music. Now, I have another passion: cover songs. Not only are they a great way to uncover new musicians, but they give a delicious new view of a song you've heard a thousand times or even only once. Whether it disgraces the original or surpasses it, it's an interesting experiment that can yield true gems.

So, 6 of my favourite covers off the top of my head:

Tori Amos - She's Leaving Home (The Beatles cover) (Sendspace link)
I must admit something: though I once loved them, I cannot stand listening to the Beatles nowadays. Maybe it was too much in my youth, but there's something about them I can no longer stand. That said, their songs are often fantastic, and this is no different. Dropping the overly bouncy tone and dozy chorus of the original, Tori makes this song work to her style - her version is a beautiful, piano-driven tale. Live cover.

Dragonette - The Boys (Calvin Harris cover) (link)
The original, 'The Girls', is an amusing but forgettable ode to the straight male's sexuality. Dragonette, the queen of fun, sexually-charged songs, takes the same song, but doesn't merely switch the pronouns. This version has an additional section in the middle and adds a bit to the chorus, vital edits that help make it a song that dares you not to dance, or at least bop in your seat. It sounds joyful without falling into 'The Girls' trap of sounding vaguely lecherous, which is a victory in my book.

Ben Folds and Rufus Wainwright - Careless Whisper (George Michael cover) (link)
I've never heard the original, but this live rendition of a strangely popular, cover-wise, song is probably the best I've heard. These two interpret the song into a heartbreaking plea for impossible forgiveness, and their voices work surprisingly well. The piano works well as well, as I think it's only behind possibly the violin in perfect atmosphere for sad songs.

Bettie Serveert - Love I Don't Have to Love (Bright Eyes cover) (link)
A song about ignoring pain through mindless, anonymous sex, it works perfectly with an intense sound behind BS lead singer Carol van Dijk's tragic version of an already-bleak song. It's loud, it's dark and its painful in a good way. I spent a couple days after discovering it just playing it almost constantly, because it's that good.

Westlife - Total Eclipse of the Heart (Bonnie Tyler cover) (link)
Looking at the ever-popular song through a male perspective, this song is sometimes hilarious, which is a sobering reminder of gender roles and how, if this weren't a cover, the singers would be decried as 'gay whiners'. That said, it's an extremely well-done cover, with appropriate piano and two guys filling in for Bonnie Tyler alone.

Vienna Teng - Cannonball (Damien Rice cover) (link)
The original, while gorgeous, began to grate after a number of listens. This version is a fresh and equally gorgeous take on the song. Vienna Teng's voice here is on top form, soaring, an arctic wing blowing through your heart and covering your skin in chills. Breathtakingly beautiful.

Now, there are far from the only covers I love. I have a collection of dozens, so you'll be pleased to know they'll probably pop up quite a bit on this blog.

And for easy downloading en masse...

ZIP FILE

Now, though I'm not planning on uploading them right now (maybe later if you ask nicely), here are some covers I also love that you might want to keep an eye out for:

CAKE - I Will Survive (Gloria Gaynor cover)
Alanis Morissette - My Humps (Fergie cover)
Final Fantasy - Cliquot (Beirut cover)
The Cranberries - Go Your Own Way (The Cardigans cover)
Jonna Lee - The District Sleeps Alone Tonight (The Postal Service cover)
MDL - Naked As We Came (Iron & Wine cover)

And ANYTHING by Scala and Kolacny Brothers. If I don't devote a whole post to them later, that is.

Thus concludes our momentary dip into the world of covers. Trust me, there's an ocean out there, just waiting...

[** Title paraphrases a line from 'The Boys'.]