Maria Taylor show recap

Talk about serendipity! If you read my post yesterday, I had written about Azure Ray being an inspiration to me. I had planned this topic for a week... so when I buckled down and started typing away about them, I find out that Maria Taylor was playing that evening! So how was the show last night, you ask? It was enchanting. It's been a few years since I have seen her and the band perform. Doug Fir Lounge is such a great venue, awesome acoustics. Talk about an upgrade from the Sokol Underground in Omaha! I love their lounge seating and their glowing cubed tables.

Hearing Maria's new songs live was so dreamy and blissful, I just had to pick up a copy of the new album. And check out the album art! I really think it represents Miss Taylor and the music. I love the color palette the designer chose, Seafoam green is one of my favorites. Someday when I'm able to paint my home, I'm totally going to paint a few walls this color. Martha Stewart's Signature paint color line has this color too, she calls it Vintage Map. How clever. Back to the album art, I also love the simple outline flower drawings that envelope the whole album. Oh and the notebook paper overlapped and behind the lyrics. I can't hide the fact that I'm a designer, huh?

I've been listening to her new album all morning. Silly me. My favorite songs on her new album are Time Lapse Lifeline & Cartoons and Forever Plans. They both have music videos out, that are super fun and clever... so decided to share them with you!

If I had to pick one favorite song that Maria Taylor and her band played last night, it would be No Stars. I enjoyed this song even more live than recorded. I love how the song became more and more intense as it was played. Very well done.

"And what I knew, was left behind. There were no stars, or a wish, to find. And there was nothing in my clenching fist, And I just can't wait for tomorrow, Cause I will let go- Just ask me."

Tori Amos album art

Eep! Not only is this an alert sound on the classic Mac OS, but I said it as well. I didn't get around to writing up my weekly "what inspires me" post yesterday. The good thing is, I'm writing up about it now! One day late... well almost two days, not too bad, right?

I'm pretty stoked to do some show n' tell about Tori Amos with you all. I've been a fan of her music for... let me think... seven years now. It's funny that I'm writing about her, to be honest, in the last year I haven't listened to her much. I own her latest album titled American Doll Posse... and have maybe listened to it only twice. Writing up this post has been good for me to get back into her music (I'm actually listening to that album right now). Four years ago I had the pleasure of seeing her perform live. My jaw dropped seeing how she jumps back and forth between four keyboards & pianos. My oh my, she's got talent.

Not only has her music influenced me, but I absolutely love all of her albums' art. They are visually stamped in my brain, if that tells you anything. They are very representational of her and the lyrics that she whimsically belts out. Since I've imported all my music into iTunes, my CDs rarely see light these days. They are all tucked away in storage. This last week I pulled them out so I could scan them to share. Pulling things out of storage always takes longer than I anticipate. I'm the type of person that likes to pull everything out, I love to reorganize and easily get nostalgic over pieces of paper... in this case, album art. Before I start listing a few of favorites below, I first wanted to show you the huge Tori Amos print that hangs in my living room- framed by my good friend Steve. This print is from her '98 album, From The Choirgirl Hotel.

The image below comes from the same album. The CD booklet folds up into three sections. I love how it looks like a miniature Tori was laid on a photocopier. Dramatic shadows- love, love, love!

Speaking of a miniature version of Tori, her album Under The Pink has been the most influential to me as an Artist. Below you can see a tiny version of Ms. Amos (on the right) laying among twigs, wings, syringes, eggs, and microscope slide. I love the combination of nature & scientific elements and how they make a path spiraling inward. Someday I hope to see a larger version beyond the 4 3/4" CD booklet, even if I have been spoiled with my humongous framing. The Under The Pink booklet also includes a closer image of Tori and her root-like hair, which I happily scanned and posted below.

After looking over these images and falling in love with them, I've wondered what the artist's or designer's process was like, from the brainstorming step and to the development one. But maybe I would dislike it if the steps were broken down right in front of me. Would this spoil the mystery and amazement of these photography pieces?

Sigur Rós

Sigur Rós performing at Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall this past October

Back in 2001 a close friend of mine introduced me to Ágætis byrjun, which happens to be a Sigur Rós album. My love for the band didn't come so soon and apparently I wasn't the only one. It took the following two years for Sigur Rós to finally got noticed internationally. I can say 2001 was also the year that I was also falling madly in love with post-emo indie rock bands... Sunny Day Real Estate, Cap'n Jazz, Promise Ring, and Joan of Arc. So it wasn't a surprise that a group from a similar genre, post-rock, would literally warm my heart. I love their minimalistic, atmospheric, and yet classical sound. Sigur Rós has not only inspired me through their melancholy music, but also through their album artwork, which has inspired me as an Artist.

Now, I don't want to get all "Wikipedian" on you, but for those out there that don't know the meaning behind Sigur Rós' album titled ( ) I feel like I should give you some insight about the album. Also known as "The Bracket Album" or "The Untitled Album" it was first released in 2002. For those out there that have no clue of this Icelandic group (I'm aware of many... still.) can you believe it has sold over 500,000 copies worldwide to date? The album's songs have been divvied up into two halves by a 30 second sound of stillness. Jónsi Birgisson, the vocalist sings a made up language throughout the whole album. The band calls this fanciful language Vonlenska which is a "constructed language of nonsense syllables which resembles the phonology of the Icelandic language." Sigur Rós wanted their fans to jot down their own interpretations of their music by providing a booklet composed of tracing paper. The 12-page booklet also included various black and white natural elements which are revealed on the front of the album through the parentheses diecut. These natural elements of grass, bushes, and ponds were manipulated from photographs the band snapped just outside of their recording studio... amazing! And there are even four versions of the album cover out there. They were distributed around the world, into four different regions...

I came across these articulate stencil graffiti images (posted below) which were created by fans. I like how the positive and negative space work hand in hand with the brick texture.

This image was originally displayed petite on the back of the CD. It's marvelous to see "sleepwalker" enlarged and stenciled on a wall in Reykjavík... and how the spraypaint runs from the boy's shoe and evolves into a shoelace.

Below are some of my other favorite Sigur Rós albums. I hope these works have inspired you as much they have for me and maybe inspire you to spend your weekend doing a little creating of your own. Cheers!