Strawberry Fields Forever

This past weekend I went strawberry picking, a task with which I obtained a sore back and five pounds of strawberries. As I stood in my kitchen next to a cauldron of boiling strawberries, waiting for them to turn into jam while my fresh baked cobbler cooled, I couldn't help but notice that "Strawberry Fields Forever" kept playing on repeat in my head. I began to think about my relationship to the Beatles and how often in my day I reference or am influenced by the band's music.
Every time I enter a Target store now, "Hello, Goodbye" plays quietly in the recesses of my mind. A government overthrown? "You say you want a revolution, well, you know...". Once in a while I refer to my yellow Chevy as my yellow submarine in which I sail the seas. I do not have any close friends named Michelle, but if I did I would sing to her "Michelle, my belle..." and she would probably look at me funny because it seems as though no one my age gets any of my references and, well, they should. The Beatles affect them more than they know. Their music is on our commercials, being remade on our radios, in the background of movies, and referred to in pop culture and books. It's amazing to think that a single band could have so much influence on society almost half a century after first hitting the top of the pop charts.
As I stood there watching my strawberries slowly turning over and thickening, I decided that maybe a little Beatles appreciation was in order, whipped out my Magical Mystery Tour LP, and cranked up the volume on my ancient record player, the sound carrying out of my room and engulfing the rest of my house as I sang along... "Strawberry fields forever!"
~LeejaKelly~

New CD Release: The Gossip

On June 23, The Gossip released their newest album, "Music for Men", a spine-tingling, powerful collection full of dance beats and electric guitar. Beth Ditto's voice continuously knocks the listener's socks off with every belted note.

"Heavy Cross", the album's first single, is a wildly uplifting anthem that inspires all to stand up and tell the world to go screw itself in a melodically pleasing and powerful way. The title track on the album crosses societal lines, makes us want to dance, and implements the use of a cowbell, all in one artistically sweeping feat of a song. In the final track on the deluxe edition of the album (available on iTunes), which features the song "Vertical Rhythm" live at the Paradiso, Ditto's emotion is movingly apparent as she develops a tone that borders on Joplin-esque. This poses the question: is there anything Beth Ditto can't do with those pipes?

~LeejaKelly~

Rock the Garden: An Anti-Climactic Finish

Thousands of people streamed into the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden last Saturday for MPR's annual Rock the Garden show. This year's headliners: Solid Gold, Yeasayer, Calexico, and The Decemberists.

The crowd was elated for the full evening of music they had ahead of them. After sitting in the 90 degree heat with the sun beating on my back and the sweat dripping in places I didn't know I could sweat (like my eyeballs), I was more than ready when the first band hit the stage at 4:30. It was worth the wait, however. Solid Gold blew my mind and the minds of everyone in the crowd with their energy and upbeat songs which pulsated out of the speakers and into our waiting ear canals. Yeasayer brought an equal amount of energy to the stage and, with synthesizers blaring, brought the show to a whole new level.

Next came Calexico, a band with an alternative beat and a mariachi vibe. While I do enjoy the occasional Calexico song on the highway with the windows rolled down and the sun on my face, at Rock the Garden the band made for a very random choice. Their sound didn't fit with the rock beats of Solid Gold, the synthesizers of Yeasayers, or the mellowed-out sounds of the Decemberists. While this might have been the intention of MPR when choosing the Rock the Garden line-up, I wasn't entirely digging it. The half-drunk, chubby girl in the muumuu and headscarf dancing around in front of me really seemed into it, however.

The final band of the night was the Decemberists. Often described as literary and lyrical, the band has garnered many fans throughout its existence. The music was tuneful and strangely beautiful, the crowed was totally mellow and digging it, but I left disappointed. After having been so pumped up by Solid Gold and the Yeasayers, the Decemberists proved to be a rather anti-climactic finish for me. Overall, though, the experience was great, the people watching always fantastic, and I will definitely be back next year.

~LeejaKelly~