a s o b i s e k s u | h u s h | polyvinyl, 2009
Pronounced (ah-so-bee sek-su).
Asobi Seksu is comprised of Yuki Chikudate and James Hanna, who met while studying at the Manhattan School of Music. This album follows up the band's EP Citrus (2006). You can read on the CD case about their hardships and challenges since then that have delayed production of this 2009 release.
Their sound has cooled off a little; this album channels a sweet, blissed-out dream pop, and lacks the more intense shoegazing of their previous albums. The songs on 'Hush' are melodically refined with guitar lines that stand apart from the fuzzy background, tight drums underneath and ethereal female vocals swishing around the stratosphere. New for this album is a detailed approach to instrumentation. Listen for the more distinct keyboards, bells, and even organ. The beats are formed by a sweet dreamy regularity similar to the rhythm of icing a cake and the hazy shimmer of tinsel.
If you like the crescendi of sweet and fuzzy, be sure to catch Asobi Seksu at Local 506 on March 26,2009 as they head north after SXSW.
Best: 5, 1 ,11
Indecent: none that i could discern
**Note that there is some dead air around 2:30 on Track 12.
c l e m s n i d e | h u n g r y b i r d | 429 records, 2009
Clem Snide emerged in the 1990s to pioneer exactly what the name suggests: artsy country coupled with sneering spoken lyrics. This subgenre of indie music has now become a standard offering, and Clem Snide is still slipping bittersweet metaphors atop guitars that twang more often than not.
The words are my favorite element of earlier Clem Snide work. Ironic, cutting non-sequiturs slowly strung together to make long-running metaphorical lines; all delivered in a restrained and vulnerable voice. This is still present, but becoming more orchestrated, more elaborate, less bare. The music follows suit; building on the sweet and melancholy with a greater sense of sophistication and a fuller sound. Bolstered by more guitars, unexpected distortion, piano even doubling of the vocals (!). You may enjoy the horns and kazoo on Track 3. You may not enjoy the cheesy piano and drum kit combination akin to light rock radio on Track 2.
Literary Fun Facts: Track 5 features spoken-word composition and performance by Franz Wright, awarded the Pulitzer Prize in 2004.
"Clem Snide" was the name of a character in several William S. Burroughs novels.
Best: 1, 6 (excellent rock-out starting around 1:30), 9
Indecent: 0
You can catch Clem Snide at Local 506 on March 12, 2009.
m. w a r d | h o l d t i m e | merge, 2009
M. Ward's voice is heavenly and his guitar is impeccable. This new release, Hold Time, finds him collaborating with some unusual and welcome guest stars: Lucinda Williams on Track 10 (the sad Oh Lonesome Me), Jason Lytle of Grandaddy, as well as She & Him co-collaborator, Zooey Deschanel.
Ward's flair for the vintage and taste for unexpectedly appropriate orchestration have crafted an album that is a comforting as it is moving. His voice is smoky, far away, whisper-close and incredibly sexy. His guitar lines borrow rhythm from classic vintage strummers. The lyrics deal with old-timey subject matter (think early Americana) but somehow convince you of its relevancy to the current American milieu. He borrows classic folk elements and metaphors-- the call and response on Track 2 for example-- and tinkers with the production until the resulting sound is warm and introspective. Overall excellent.
Best: 4, 5, 10, 11
Indecent: n/a
2.11.2009
Open Letter to Stafford County School Board
Stafford County Public Schools
Members of the Stafford County School Board and Superintendent
Dear David Sawyer Ed.D.,
My name is Caroline Emerson and I graduated from the Commonwealth Governor’s School (and Brooke Point High School) in 2002. After CGS, I graduated with honors from the University of Virginia’s School of Architecture in 2006. I can not state to you in words the value of my Commonwealth Governor’s School education. Because I was a member of the first class to graduate after all four years at CGS, I think that my observations are important. CGS then was not the formidable institution that it is now, and there were serious problems with the technology, the curriculum, and the transportation coordination. Despite these setbacks, the time I spent at CGS was a completely unique leaning opportunity. I know this because while at UVa, I compared high school experiences with a variety of friends, several of whom attended Governors’ Schools in Virginia and other states. Other programs provide in-depth educational opportunities, but none provided the developing opportunity of being part of a regional community of learners. While at UVa, my friends were the smartest and brightest students in my classes, many of whom attended the Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology in Fairfax. It is my connections with UVa and intelligent people that have allowed me to thrive in a difficult economy. It was my CGS experience that allowed me to matriculate into the University of Virginia, and helped me to be successful there.
In addition to CGS, I invested myself heavily in extracurricular activities at Brooke Point. I lettered in Marching Band and Winter Track. I played soccer three years and performed a starring role in the school play, “Royal Gambit” my senior year. I was elected President of the French Club, and Vice-President of the National Honor Society. I routinely tutored children at Stafford Middle and Elementary Schools. I worked weekends in Fredericksburg at a frame shop, and during my senior year, Summit Presbyterian Church employed me as their interim pianist. I regularly played the piano at my own church, Regester Chapel United Methodist Church, and lead the youth group. During my high school career, I was awarded a countless number of awards for scholarship, integrity, academics, athletics, honor, ethics, outstanding contributions, dedication, etc. I would never have achieved so much without CGS to encourage me and push me along. The friends I made at CGS helped me to challenge myself, and the dedication of my teachers set a daily example of what one can achieve through hard work.
At Brooke Point, I was treated as an outcast. In a memorable example, a fellow runner on the winter track team wrote an accusative and downright false editorial in the Brooke Point newspaper. A member of my 4x4 relay team, she insisted that CGS students were not really Brooke Point students and should not be treated as such. Her jealous jabs over GPA totals and her failure to get facts about time investments were difficult to handle for my fellow students and myself. She represented the voice of the student body, a group that misunderstood and was unwilling to accept the opportunities inherent in a CGS education. It is my hope that now, seven years later, students and their parents, and most of all the School Board, would be able to have a broader understanding of the depth and value of the Commonwealth Governor’s School and Stafford County’s participation therein.
You were not involved with the Stafford County School Board in 1998-2002, my tenure at CGS, and therefore you are not apprised of the challenges we faced as a fledgling community of learners. Please believe me when I tell you that those years at CGS were more academically rigorous than any of my four years at the University of Virginia (which was rated the number two public university in America, 2009 US N&WR.) Why do you think we so assiduously weathered the challenges of the early CGS years? Mr. Sawyer, I did it because I wanted to help Stafford County grow into a more sophisticated learning environment for my younger brother and sister. And now my siblings; set to graduate CGS in 2009 and 2011; are enjoying the benefits of our hard work, an established, grounded intellectual community. I am so pleased and proud of my siblings and the education they are able to get from Stafford County Public Schools.
When I read your letter of February 9, 2009, I was shocked for many reasons. First, you underestimate the importance of CGS; I can only hope that my letter and other letters from my classmates will help you to understand our CGS experience. Second, I was upset at your vague strategies for budget solutions. As an architect, Mr. Sawyer, I am fully aware of the challenges of scope and budget, but I also realize how important it is to understand the overall design before endeavoring to reach a budget consensus via saving dollars. Your letter did not put forth a satisfactory explanation of the details of your specific plan. You have upset countless number of current and former Governor’s School students, and you provide no decisive plan of action for how you will alter Stafford’s financial participation in the Governor’s School without sacrificing the students. This is quite dismaying, and you owe an explanation to the students and families of the greater Stafford region. Your words undercut the value of education of high school students not just in Stafford County, but on a regional level. This is disappointing to those of us who worked so hard, and want to see Stafford County continue to be a place of higher academic potential.
Sincerely,
Caroline C. Emerson
caroline.emerson@gmail.com
Members of the Stafford County School Board and Superintendent
Dear David Sawyer Ed.D.,
My name is Caroline Emerson and I graduated from the Commonwealth Governor’s School (and Brooke Point High School) in 2002. After CGS, I graduated with honors from the University of Virginia’s School of Architecture in 2006. I can not state to you in words the value of my Commonwealth Governor’s School education. Because I was a member of the first class to graduate after all four years at CGS, I think that my observations are important. CGS then was not the formidable institution that it is now, and there were serious problems with the technology, the curriculum, and the transportation coordination. Despite these setbacks, the time I spent at CGS was a completely unique leaning opportunity. I know this because while at UVa, I compared high school experiences with a variety of friends, several of whom attended Governors’ Schools in Virginia and other states. Other programs provide in-depth educational opportunities, but none provided the developing opportunity of being part of a regional community of learners. While at UVa, my friends were the smartest and brightest students in my classes, many of whom attended the Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology in Fairfax. It is my connections with UVa and intelligent people that have allowed me to thrive in a difficult economy. It was my CGS experience that allowed me to matriculate into the University of Virginia, and helped me to be successful there.
In addition to CGS, I invested myself heavily in extracurricular activities at Brooke Point. I lettered in Marching Band and Winter Track. I played soccer three years and performed a starring role in the school play, “Royal Gambit” my senior year. I was elected President of the French Club, and Vice-President of the National Honor Society. I routinely tutored children at Stafford Middle and Elementary Schools. I worked weekends in Fredericksburg at a frame shop, and during my senior year, Summit Presbyterian Church employed me as their interim pianist. I regularly played the piano at my own church, Regester Chapel United Methodist Church, and lead the youth group. During my high school career, I was awarded a countless number of awards for scholarship, integrity, academics, athletics, honor, ethics, outstanding contributions, dedication, etc. I would never have achieved so much without CGS to encourage me and push me along. The friends I made at CGS helped me to challenge myself, and the dedication of my teachers set a daily example of what one can achieve through hard work.
At Brooke Point, I was treated as an outcast. In a memorable example, a fellow runner on the winter track team wrote an accusative and downright false editorial in the Brooke Point newspaper. A member of my 4x4 relay team, she insisted that CGS students were not really Brooke Point students and should not be treated as such. Her jealous jabs over GPA totals and her failure to get facts about time investments were difficult to handle for my fellow students and myself. She represented the voice of the student body, a group that misunderstood and was unwilling to accept the opportunities inherent in a CGS education. It is my hope that now, seven years later, students and their parents, and most of all the School Board, would be able to have a broader understanding of the depth and value of the Commonwealth Governor’s School and Stafford County’s participation therein.
You were not involved with the Stafford County School Board in 1998-2002, my tenure at CGS, and therefore you are not apprised of the challenges we faced as a fledgling community of learners. Please believe me when I tell you that those years at CGS were more academically rigorous than any of my four years at the University of Virginia (which was rated the number two public university in America, 2009 US N&WR.) Why do you think we so assiduously weathered the challenges of the early CGS years? Mr. Sawyer, I did it because I wanted to help Stafford County grow into a more sophisticated learning environment for my younger brother and sister. And now my siblings; set to graduate CGS in 2009 and 2011; are enjoying the benefits of our hard work, an established, grounded intellectual community. I am so pleased and proud of my siblings and the education they are able to get from Stafford County Public Schools.
When I read your letter of February 9, 2009, I was shocked for many reasons. First, you underestimate the importance of CGS; I can only hope that my letter and other letters from my classmates will help you to understand our CGS experience. Second, I was upset at your vague strategies for budget solutions. As an architect, Mr. Sawyer, I am fully aware of the challenges of scope and budget, but I also realize how important it is to understand the overall design before endeavoring to reach a budget consensus via saving dollars. Your letter did not put forth a satisfactory explanation of the details of your specific plan. You have upset countless number of current and former Governor’s School students, and you provide no decisive plan of action for how you will alter Stafford’s financial participation in the Governor’s School without sacrificing the students. This is quite dismaying, and you owe an explanation to the students and families of the greater Stafford region. Your words undercut the value of education of high school students not just in Stafford County, but on a regional level. This is disappointing to those of us who worked so hard, and want to see Stafford County continue to be a place of higher academic potential.
Sincerely,
Caroline C. Emerson
caroline.emerson@gmail.com
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