Hooray: it's Sarah's day!
Peter Murphy's Unshattered Tour with Sarah Fimm has brought them to my doorstep.
If Peter's site turns you on, keep an eye on that tour itinerary link above. One stop was cancelled, but all is otherwise well.
In a greatly chopped entry written ahead of the concert here's some news of other voices of the week.
During the first part of the tour, in the States, Renata Youngblood joined up for a couple of concerts. That alone is reason enough for me to get to know her fast.
Finding a ticket at last to see Sarah, I got a couple for Susheela Raman in October. Advance notices of her third album, 'Music for Crocodiles' (Susheela's site) have been exciting, especially by people who found 'Love Trap' disappointing after 'Salt Rain' (I wasn't one).
Friday night was also a good time to explore the cut-price shelves at the FNAC: these have become astonishing since the iTMS appeared. Maybe some stores and the music industry are miffed, but it's good news for the musicians.
Somebody else taking risks on hunches and grapevine rumours agreed these shelves are probably best searched for the treasures just before a weekend. On Saturdays, those albums must disappear within hours.
There were a couple of copies of Loretta Lynn's 'Van Lear Rose', mentioned and pictured in the July 8 entry because I have ears for anybody recommended by a singer I admire. Other such finds included two albums considered "Mind Melting Music" by treadingwater (Amazon UK). I mean Björk's 'Debut' and Goldfrapp's 'Felt Mountain'.
Organic development: the key change
Since discovering Sarah, abandoning my screenplay, and then making Aimee Mann's marvellous concert, I've adjusted my priorities. It's absurd to question again "What if life is music?" now most of my friends know I'd like my life to be music.
Many singer-songwriters I'm featuring are less well known than I'd thought before asking friends and colleagues from all over the world. Though Aimee has a big following and other VoWs I adore are even more "famous", they're often unknown among people who share some of my eclectic tastes.
The log's future reflects my determination to take sides in the "battles" over the future of the music industry itself, now I'm learning what musicians themselves want and strive to achieve.
Choosing where to go after the concert by Aimee -- who's clear about her stance in the business -- took me initially to a very young singer many sneer at as "manufactured", but listening and looking closely was a night's "work" and may make another story.
The week's selection focused on poets, mostly Americans.
On Friday, it was the turn of Dar Williams, who's a fine storyteller. On 'Mortal City' her song 'The Christians and the Pagans' is such fun you want to laugh out loud and do.
She thinks a lot also and I'm getting into Dar's reflections with much pleasure.
 The others are Joanna Newsom with 'The Milk-Eyed Mender', Laura Viers with 'Carbon Glacier' and Erin McKeown with 'Grand' None of the albums are new but these women are imaginative, often surprising people.
Joanna, the youngest, plays a harp and a harpsichord along with regular indie-folk instruments and lends a striking voice to almost surreal observations and the talent noted in an interview intro at tinytapesmix (today's picture). This says how what she does
"makes us call forth a part of ourselves that we have long neglected, and for this it sounds familiar as a sister's gentle sigh, but it is also a vehicle to render us breathless at the beauty inherent in musical honesty."
The surprise was the childlike timbre in her voice, but like the wisest people, her perceptions and juxtapositions can be those of a child. For her part, Laura Viers visits some very strange and wonderful territory. You won't find much about our daily lives and relationships in these places.
But they're still places we can share with her and find in ourselves.
Many music sites tell you what's going on today, I shall myself when the occasion arises, but I'll do plenty of looking back. 'Mortal City' was released in 1996 and 'Grand', on which Erin turns her talents to all sorts of styles, will be two years old in September.
Music needs time, but often becomes timeless.
With luck, Sarah will share new songs tonight, but I've scarcely touched on two of her albums. She has one well-kept "secret" I've mentioned because I remain astonished most of the record critics seem deaf to her sense of humour.
Many critics do things I won't. I've also been asked to stop being "cryptic" by people who find I am. That's fine. Everybody who's been very special to me, including Sarah, has taught me a lot. She's a very open woman and I've no secrets left of my own.
Others do and I respect this, so my writing has changed this year.
I found three price-slashed albums by men, though cheating my way back on topic. 'Ten New Songs' have Leonard Cohen's name on them, but he does them with a woman, Sharon Robinson. I risked 'Le Saut de L'Ange '(Amazon Fr) by Emma Daumas because though I've read cries of "Shame!" and she allegedly became arrogant about it, she did it by herself.
We'll see.
Ms Youngblood gave me a term even I hadn't thought of for what comes later despite that inability to stay away from sex for long:
"For all the fans of orgasmic sounds... this woman's music is for you. Haunting and beautiful, Sarah's music has a way of moving sound around itself as though it were tangible ... touring Europe with Peter Murphy. You must see these two when they come to your town. You will never forget it!" (Renata's links)
Orgasmic? Hmm. Huh?
My evening will be spent at a concert by people who have a great gift for shedding light, however much darkness they find in our world.
3:15:29 AM link 
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