Sunday, November 11, 2007

Stephin Merritt on Project Song


I'm sick of thinking about global poverty. This article about Jeffrey Sachs pushed me over the edge. One billion people living on less than one dollar a day? I need to block that stat out until I can deal with it. Instead, I'm holed up in our office trying to forget that I'm smack dab in the middle of a community that fits that definition.

I'm entertaining myself with the new NPR music website. I'm not usually a big NPR fan. It's probably just a rebellion thing, because my parents always had it on in the car when I was little. But this new NPR music website is the coolest! They have music reviews, mp3s for download, musician blogs, live concert streams, and "project song" reports.

In Project Song they give a musician 48 hours in a fully equipped studio to write a song that is supposed to be based on a word and a picture. Stephin Merritt, the brilliant lyricist of the Magnetic Fields, wrote a song based on the word 1974 and the picture above left. You can watch a video of the creative process or hear the All Things Considered report here.

By the way, the Magnetic Fields have a new album coming out soon. They are also playing in NYC's Town Hall in February. I want to go if Lola or Yu will go with me.

4 comments:

L said...

What a cool idea, love the picture. No love for Town Hall since all Magnetic Fields shows sold out.

nomad said...

yeah. pic is awesome. the final song is called "million baby head suit" or something like that. I couldn't watch the video of merritt in the studio--too much for our lame internet connection-- but the radio story is good too.
Town hall is lame anyway. member all those senior citizens at the Pink Martini show?

Anonymous said...

Cool pic!
It just hit me... does this mean you'll be home soon???!!?? Yippee!! We'll find another show to go to... I'll try not to pass out.

Miss you!
-Mee

Turbopedia said...

can i come?