Remember That I Love You
I promised this review a few weeks ago. For some reason, I haven't been able to get myself to write it. It took the album a bit to grow on me, but it has been in my car's CD player for almost 3 weeks. Yes, it is THAT good.
Kimya Dawson's "Remember That I Love You"
This album is great. Not only are there guest appearances from Erin and Matt Tobey, but she finally recorded songs like "Loose Lips" that she's played at shows for years. As always, the record sounds like something Kimya recorded in her bedroom. Her voice is raw and unadulterated, unlike the more refined "Hidden Vagenda." The backup vocals from Erin, Matt, etc. sound like something you'd hear at one of Kimya's shows, with everyone singing along. Some people are bothered by this kind of sound because it isn't refined or because it isn't as dynamic as they'd like, but it makes me feel like she's sitting on the edge of my bed, singing to me and only me.
Loose Lips
This one is a Kimya classic. The chorus is the best:
We won't stop until somebody calls the cops and even then we'll start again and pretend that nothing ever happened.
Whimsy combined with a somehow liberating sense of powerlessness and shouldershruggery and I don't know what else. You might say that I love Kimya's music because it makes me feel warm and fuzzy no matter what it's about. Aside from that, this song is just damn catchy.
12/26
She wrote this song after the Tsunami with a girl at a girl's music camp she worked with. I love the contrast of Kimya's scratchy voice and the girl's more classicly-trained singing voice. This song is sad and beautiful and tragic. The focus on a female heroine is interesting here, as is the amount of repetition, which is totally appropriate given the circumstances. This song kind of sticks out from the other depressing songs on the album because it deals with the everpresent reality of displacement and flooding that we've experienced in the U.S. with Hurricane Katrina.
Like Giants
"I am grounded I am humbled I am one with everything."
One of my favorites on the album (leave me alone, I can't pick just one!). I like Kimya's general treatment of issues of weight and beauty. It's really hard to have a bad body image after listening to this one.
Overall: In between a few tongue-in-cheek jokes and solid commentary on the human condition, Kimya perfectly balances politics with whimsy. As usual, almost every track on this album is memorable. Her collaboration with on the album, as well as the art, is especially great given her involvement in the anti-folk community, with Plan-It-X, etc. It's hard to say that she's come a long way since her earlier albums or the Moldy Peaches, but it is safe to say that she is constantly searching for a voice that is apparent and beautiful to everyone who is around her. She exudes warmth as a human being and listening to this album makes you feel part of that warmth and sense of connection that is at the heart of everything that is Kimya Dawson.
Kimya Dawson's "Remember That I Love You"
This album is great. Not only are there guest appearances from Erin and Matt Tobey, but she finally recorded songs like "Loose Lips" that she's played at shows for years. As always, the record sounds like something Kimya recorded in her bedroom. Her voice is raw and unadulterated, unlike the more refined "Hidden Vagenda." The backup vocals from Erin, Matt, etc. sound like something you'd hear at one of Kimya's shows, with everyone singing along. Some people are bothered by this kind of sound because it isn't refined or because it isn't as dynamic as they'd like, but it makes me feel like she's sitting on the edge of my bed, singing to me and only me.
Loose Lips
This one is a Kimya classic. The chorus is the best:
We won't stop until somebody calls the cops and even then we'll start again and pretend that nothing ever happened.
Whimsy combined with a somehow liberating sense of powerlessness and shouldershruggery and I don't know what else. You might say that I love Kimya's music because it makes me feel warm and fuzzy no matter what it's about. Aside from that, this song is just damn catchy.
12/26
She wrote this song after the Tsunami with a girl at a girl's music camp she worked with. I love the contrast of Kimya's scratchy voice and the girl's more classicly-trained singing voice. This song is sad and beautiful and tragic. The focus on a female heroine is interesting here, as is the amount of repetition, which is totally appropriate given the circumstances. This song kind of sticks out from the other depressing songs on the album because it deals with the everpresent reality of displacement and flooding that we've experienced in the U.S. with Hurricane Katrina.
Like Giants
"I am grounded I am humbled I am one with everything."
One of my favorites on the album (leave me alone, I can't pick just one!). I like Kimya's general treatment of issues of weight and beauty. It's really hard to have a bad body image after listening to this one.
Overall: In between a few tongue-in-cheek jokes and solid commentary on the human condition, Kimya perfectly balances politics with whimsy. As usual, almost every track on this album is memorable. Her collaboration with on the album, as well as the art, is especially great given her involvement in the anti-folk community, with Plan-It-X, etc. It's hard to say that she's come a long way since her earlier albums or the Moldy Peaches, but it is safe to say that she is constantly searching for a voice that is apparent and beautiful to everyone who is around her. She exudes warmth as a human being and listening to this album makes you feel part of that warmth and sense of connection that is at the heart of everything that is Kimya Dawson.
posted by aimi at
1:04 AM
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