Where Were They Then?

/ / Opinion, rantings, review

Okay, sorry for the ridiculously awful post title, but after you check out the vids, you’ll see why.

We all know Trent Reznor is the driving force behind Nine Inch Nails. Have you heard of Slam Bamboo? No? Don’t worry … not to many people have. So imagine my surprise when a Google search popped up this video.

I almost feel sorry for the guy, ya know? Surrounded by … that? And he’s … he’s Trent Reznor. It just cracks me up. Well, we all have to start somewhere.

Just ask Maynard.

It makes you wonder how these quantum leaps are made. Going from a new wave band to the industrial music king? And how do you transform from a Richard Simmons leotard to Tool?! Cracks me up. Hey … we all have to start somewhere, right?

Sorry for the semi-lame post. I’m still battling a wicked headache/back ache combo that’s kicking my ass from here to Asia. I used to get these with alarming frequency, but they dissipated for about 2 years. This week, they’ve come raging back, and it’s severely pissing me off. No amount of Advil helps. I’m contemplating going to the doctor and getting some heavier help, but I’d rather avoid that if at all possible.

Anyway, thanks for reading!

Where Are They Now?

/ / review

Ever wonder what happened to a particular person? Even if that particular person was “just” a back-up singer? Where’s Camille Henderson? Martina Topley? More importantly, do y0u even know who these people are?!

I do. Between this and some other musicians, I think I have enough for a great little VH-1-type post for today.

Let’s start with Camille Henderson. Doesn’t ring a bell, does it? How about if I mention Fumbling towards Ecstasy? Mirrorball? Surfacing? “Erm … not to piss you off there, Mr. Writer, but those are Sarah McLachlan CDs.” Indeed they are, Mr. Astute Reader. However, the tie Mrs. Henderson has to these CDs is that she was the sultry back-up singer. You know those incredibly high notes you hear in “Fear” from Fumbling? That’s Camille. She is an incredible singer.

So where is she now?

Apparently, she’s content being a mommy! So much so that she has a blog that she and her sister maintain about their mommy exploits. You can read up on her goings-on here.

In the mid-90s, Tricky branched out from Massive Attack to write his own material. His first solo effort, Maxinquaye, is a fantastic listen. He enlisted the help of Martina Topley-Bird. My favorite track is the re-titled Public Enemy cover, “Black Steel.” Great track. “Picture me giving a damn … I said, ‘never.'” She has sung on every Tricky CD so far, the last one being Angels with Dirty Faces. What has she been doing?

She’s been a busy chick. She’s performed with a bah-zillion other artists, released solo CDs, and written songs for video games. To narrow the scope though, she’s been writing lots and lots of good music. Of valuable note are her solo CDs. Her voice is just as smooth and distinct as anything she did with Tricky, and in my opinion, the music is better. Her style is more trance-pop with a sprinkling of ambient. It’s very relaxing.

 

Review: TuneUp Media for iTunes and Windows Media Player

/ / Opinion, rantings, review, software

It seems that everything I review lately comes from a recommendation from a tweet. Today is no different, but it’s definitely one worth mentioning.

In my iTunes library, I have a bunch of CDs that don’t have album art. Keep in mind that I have a lot of obscure stuff that iTunes doesn’t recognize anyway. I have to manually fat-finger in the album title, artist, and track titles. That gets seriously tedious. Also, it won’t find the album artwork, so even when I get done entering everything, I’m still without a pretty picture to associate with the CD.

Enter TuneUp Media. This is seriously like the Blarney stone of music. To be upfront and honest, it does cost: $30 for the unlimited use; $20 for one year of use, and free if you have a 100-song library. The free version is almost an insult. Who has a 100-song library …? Even my mother in law has more than that. That’s the equivalent of ~10 CDs.

I obtained the unlimited use version. Once it installs, you have to create an account and use the license key provided at the time of purchase to activate it. After that, you’re up and running, and the fun begins.

It’s not flawless, but it’s pretty close. I had almost 500 CDs that didn’t have cover art prior to installing TuneUp. After it ran the Cover Art clean and scrub, I was left with only 80 CDs without cover art. These are CDs like Nitin Sawhney: Spiritual Life Music, various concert recordings that don’t have an official title, Centipede E’est, Deathmole … those kinds of CDs. Everything else was covered!

You can also clean up your ID3 tags rapid-fire. The software will search high and low to find the CD information and fill in the gaps, like track number, track title, CD title, and artist. If I’m right, it kind of works like a private investigator works: you give it what little information you have, and it finds the rest. Say you have 3 or 4 track titles, but no artist or CD title. Based on those 3 or 4 tracks, it can scour whatever database it uses, find the right CD, and fill in the blanks. Pretty cool, eh?!

If you click on the Tuniverse tab, you’ll find a wealth of information about the artist currently playing. I clicked on a-ha’s “Take On Me,” and I got a brief wikipedia synopsis and eBay auctions for various merchandise. Other available datapoints include YouTube videos, album recommendations, news, concert notifications … this thing is slick.

My favorite tab is the Concerts tab. TuneUp scours your library and reports on what concerts are coming up in your area. So far, I have concerts listed for Elephant Revival, Eisley, St. Vincent, My Chemical romance and Neon Trees (joint bill), The Joy Formidable, Arcade Fire, Deftones, Yanni, Of Montreal, and U2. That’s just amazing. And we’re not talking shows at major venues; locally, we’re talking Kilby Court, In the Venue, and The Depot (one of my favorite venues of all time).

Under the Share tab, you can post your last 5 songs played, Songs Most played, Top Artists in Collection, and Favorite Artists to Facebook. Not seeing any Twitter connectivity … maybe that’s down the road. I don’t know.

Anyway, yah. This thing is wicked awesome. I highly recommend ponying up the $30 and making this a long-term companion to your media player of choice (read: of the two it currently supports).

And Now for Something Completely Pomplamoose

/ / New Music, Opinion, rantings, review

So … yah. This is the specifc reason I live for finding new music. I’m fairly confident I’m late to the scene with these guys, but better late than never. Right?

I’ve been kind of tweeting/facebooking/blog-commenting back and forth with a certain writer out in San Francisco. Every so often, this “Pomplamoose” band name would pop up, and I’d think, “Hmm. Wonder what they’re like.” This volley string has been going on for several weeks. Finally, tonight, I asked about them. She pointed me to a couple of websites, I grabbed the music, and checked out a few videos on YouTube.

I’ve had one other band hit me with the force that these guys have: Muse. Not that they’re at all like Muse; the styles are radically different. Muse is Muse. Pomplamoose … wow. The voice. The beauty of the music. Ignore the fact that the music is pure, organic, and just flat-out amazing. Check the YouTube channel, fer cryin’ out loud. Remember when MTV didn’t suck? Remember how they used to play videos? These are the kinds of videos they should be playing. They’re FUN! And you can tell that they had a lot of fun making them. I’d love to see if their live show is similar to one of these videos. Incredible work.

So who exactly is Pomplamoose?

They are Jack Conte and Nataly Dawn. Their Facebook page says “Northern California” for the location, but I’m guessing that they’re at least close to San Francisco. I could be wrong. I have my reasons for thinking this, but it’s just speculation on my part. Where they are isn’t necessarily important, for that matter. What does matter is their incredible music. Jack’s over-exuberant drum playing, shot from different angles, is a blast to watch. His enthusiasm for everything is infectious and inspiring. Nataly’s voice is pure platinum. I would try to compare her to Feist, but it’s not a fair comparison. Feist doesn’t do her own harmonies. Nataly does. Granted, it’s done over various takes, but ya know what? It sounds awesome.

Three of my favorite tracks so far “Expiration Date,” “Little Things,” and “Centrifuge.” “Little Things” discusses what it really is that makes love great. “Saying that my cooking’s great while you try to hide a stomache ache, you really didn’t have to … Loves the little things that changes everything.” That line is just great. And all their songs are filled with cool lyrics.

To provide you with an example of what their videos are like, check out “Centrifuge.” I love the different angles of everyone who’s contributing. I love that they use an upgraded version of a kid’s xylophone. Around 2:16 they start all these awesome little dances. FUN! Also … watch for the sax solo. Even more fun.

Their music is happy. It’s bright. It’s shiny. They remind me of the Weepies; it’s almost impossible not to smile while listening to either of them. Above all, they’re fun. They’re fun to listen to, they’re fun to watch … I can only imagine what a live show would be like.

So there it is. Pomplamoose–a great find! File this under “shake” cuz you’re gonna want to get up and move!

 

 

 

Where You Can Find Music

/ / review

I bet you think I’m going to show you places where you can find free music … don’t you? Admit it–that’s the *only* thing that crossed your mind.

Well, you’re wrong. Tonight, it’s not about finding free music–online or mail-order. No no … tonight, it’s about “finding music.”

How many of you have heard of “Stomp?” If you’re not familiar with them, you’re missing out. It truly embraces the concept that music can be found everywhere and in anything.

As I sit here, basking in the after-glow of the Sabres first win under new owner Terry Pegula, I noticed my lonely StumbleUpon toolbar in Firefox looking forlorn and unused. For kicks, I selected “Music” from the Mode drop-down menu. This is the first hit I got. See? Musical!

Have you heard of PS22? Neither had I. There isn’t a song in their repertoire in which they don’t improve upon the original. That’s my opinion anyway. Take, for example, this video of the group covering Owl City’s “Fireflies.” Their cover of Coldplay’s “Viva la Vida” is excellent as well. So far, those are the only two I’ve watched, but they are definitely worth looking into with more depth.

Wonder what hidden gems await at Odd Music? Lots of unconventional instruments. Very cool site!

My point is that music can be found just about anywhere. You can make music by slapping your knees in some kind of rhythm. Kids beat on pots and pans, and while that may give you a pounding headache (if you have kids, that is … if you don’t have kids and someone is pounding on the pots and pans, you might want to invest in a straightjacket), they’re making music. Kids also like humming or yelling through paper tubes–be it an old paper towel tube or a toilet paper tube. Filling glasses up with water and tapping them with a spoon = music.

Well, okay … maybe the paper tube thing is a stretch, but it does make a sound, and combined sounds is what gives us music. Hell, I’d even go so far as to say that paper tubes and pots and pans can’t be any worse than Aphex Twin, could it?

Find your inner musician. Let it out. Tapon the bus hand rail with a ring. Stomp on the ground with your feet while you’re banging out a tune on the hand rail. Get someone else to clap. Someone else can … do something else. You can make music wherever you are. You don’t need a guitar, keyboard or drums; you need creativity.

Review: Radiohead – The King of Limbs

/ / New Music, review

Holy crap. Really? A day early?! The news is all over the place: Facebook, Twitter … Radiohead had nothing else going on today, so why wait until tomorrow to release their newest masterpiece?

And why indeed! For those of you who have heard “Lotus Flower,” you’ll know the excitement and anticipation this CD holds. One of my favorite songs of theirs is “Everything In Its Right Place.” For some reason, this song kind of has that vibe to it. LOVE LOVE *LOVE* this song.

For those of you who have been living under a musical rock aren’t familiar with Radiohead, a brief history is in order. The band consists of Thom Yorke, who handles the vocals, Jonny Greenwood on guitars and occasional keyboards, Ed O’Brien on guitars, Colin Greenwood providing bass and synth work, and Phil Selway on the drums. King of Limbs is their 8th studio recording, and if it’s anything like their previous works, you’ll want to grab this. Like … now.

Yet you’re still reading this. Why?! Why are you buying this RIGHT NOW?!

As I’ve discussed in previous posts, more and more bands are doing their own marketing and distribution. Radiohead is no exception. They’re jazzing it up for the “newspaper version.” Check out what all is included at the link above. I ponied up the $48 for that one, and I would strongly recommend that you do the same. For one, it comes with a CD, which I can then rip to wav if I want. For another, vinyl. Clear. Making a HUGE comeback. For the audiophile purist, vinyl is the way to go.

However, if you’re not into the ancillary peripherii, the $9 and $14 for mp3 and wav respectably is a great way to go. Either way, you’ll get your digital copy of the new CD immediately. Or, well … as fast as your throttled high-speed internet provider will allow (I’m spitting in your general direction, Comcast.).

So how does the new CD sound? What’s it like?

On one hand, it’s a rich, deep, haunting CD. At the same time, there is a more minimalistic approach than in Radiohead CDs of the past. By “minimalistic,” by no means do I mean that the music is sub-standard. Nothing could be further from the truth. There is a pure sound to this that

“Bloom,” the first track, is a eargasmic trip into a soundscape that these little Apple earbuds simply do not do justice. I really need my Bose headphones back … *sigh*. Oh well. With the effect this song has had on me the two times I’ve listened to it, I’d swear that it’s binaural, but I can’t be positive. I do know that it’s extremely mellow and relaxing.

Compared to “Morning Mr. Magpie,” that is, which starts off, “You got some nerve, coming here. You stole it all … give it back.” There’s a very low-level feel of angst and just a hint of pissed-off-edness to keep you on the edge of your seat, waiting for the song to explode … and it never does. It maintains the air of “I’m going to kick your ass … maybe” throughout the entire song.

“Codex” is a fantastic piano piece that will haunt you until the day you die. There’s a warm mix of traditional piano, synth, a very subdued, possibly drum machine bass, and of course, Thom’s crooning. Mid-way through, there’s some synthetic horn sounds that mixes really well with the song. Overall, it’s a really peaceful piece.

You know my MO … I’m not reviewing every song. I will say this: If you’ve liked the last few Radiohead CDs, this one will grow on you really fast. This one is to be enjoyed with a a drink, dim lights, and a good pair of headphones or a fantastic home stereo. If you’re the brandy-sipping type, you might want to pour yourself a glass, sit back in your favorite chair, kick your feet up, and just chill with this. You’ll find yourself hitting repeat and zoning out for hours.

Review: Yanni – Truth of Touch

/ / New Music, Opinion, review

You all thought I was kidding when I told you I have a wide range of musical taste. Admit it. You thought I was just kidding.

Wrong. See?

And I’m more than qualified to write this review as more than just someone listening to his music for the first time cuz I own almost everything he’s ever made. Well, studio recordings, anyway. Not all the compilation discs, because what’s the point? I’m talking Niki Nana, Chameleon Days, Keys to Imagination … old-school Yanni.

It all started when I was living in Virginia Beach back in 1992. I had some pretty stringent rules that I was living by. One of which was that I could only listen to instrumental music. The guy I was living with had some interesting stuff: Tangerine Dream, Lanz and Spears, solo David Lanz stuff … and this guy named Yanni. My buddy recorded Yanni’s Reflections of Passion on one side of a 45 minute tape. Of course, I lost the last couple tracks and a portion of the last song on the recorded tape, but at least I had them.

Anyway, as I got more into CD collecting and music in general, I decided that his music is collection-worthy. By that, I don’t mean that his music is worthy to be in my collection … I mean that his music is worth collecting. I’m not that arrogant. 😉 So I picked up Dare To Dream, which had jus barely been released.

And that was that. Yah, I like Tool, and I really get into Metallica’s old stuff … I also have times where I like to chill. You’ll be hard-pressed to find more chill music than Yanni’s.

So how does the new CD rate?

After 2 tracks in, I knew he had another winner on his hands. The sounds are lush, full, and the music is as entrancing as it has always been. If there is one thing that can be said of Yanni, it is that he has the uncanny ability to convey the feeling of the song through the music. Almost every other artist requires lyrics to convey their meaning. Yanni’s music is the lyrics. You know exactly what he is trying to bring across. This has always been, and it always will be.

The CD starts off with the title track – “Truth of Touch.” Just from the key the music is written in, to the chosen melody, the accompanying bass line, the background strings … you can feel the truth of … of ….. well, everything. I know that sounds cheesy. Really … I do. But it’s the truth! No pun intended. This song is full of happiness and peaceful warm fuzzies … like you’ve just come out of the surf from swimming with turtles and clown fish, and you’re ready to sit in and dry yourself with warmth and sunshine.

“Echo of a Dream,” the second track on the CD, will very much make you question your own state of being. “Am I awake? Did I drift off ? How did I end up in this ethereal state …?” A lot of the sounds on this track seem to have an almost binaural effect … setting your mind to relaxation mode as you ride those alpha waves to a state of relaxation and tranquility. Put this on repeat, and you’ll probably be out within two or three rounds.

Conversely, “Vertigo” slams into the song with a force akin to free-falling from a rooftop and landing  on your back on the cement below. Again, the chords, the instrumentation, the beat … you get the feeling like you’re lost in space and tumbling endlessly through a void, yet you have that nagigng feeling like you’re going to hit a wall at some point … you just don’t know when.

As the CD progresses, some of the later tracks have a kind of Hooverphonic, Enigma sound to them. It’s different from anything I’ve ever heard him do. You could almost dance to some of this stuff.

There are some suprises on this CD, but I’m going to let you discover those on your own. Who am I to spoil anything?

I am not at all surprised that he’s been around these 25+ years, consistently coming up with new music. He has a style that is at once so unique yet so familiar that he becomes  his own enigmatic doppleganger. How someone is able to this much music on his own over the course of 14 CDs is amazing to me. Yes–there are similar elements from previous works. That doesn’t mean that these songs are not incredibly fresh and incredible. He maintains an air of familiarity, yet also re-invents himself with just about every new release.
File this under “shiver,” for you will get goosebumps when you listen to this.

Review: Malatese EP

/ / New Music, Opinion, review, upcoming music

Well, today was rather interesting. As you’ll recall, I recently reviewed the Gypsy Death and You EP. WHO, by the way, made it on the newest NWShoegazing compilation! Congratulations to Alex and Emily! Excellent cover, excellent band. Again, if you haven’t checked them out, do it! They’re on muxtape.

Malatese is Jon Reed (drums), Graham Brouder (bass, vocals), Travis Legg (vocals), and George Dodson (guitar). They’re from Harrisonburg, Virginia.

So apparently Gypsy Death and You are friends with the guys from Malatese. I’m assuming they read my review of the GDaY EP because they very kindly sent me a link to their music to check out. Here are my thoughts.

My wife is with me, listening to their stuff as well. Her first reaction to “Time Mask,” the first song on the EP, was that they have a somewhat similar sound to really early U2 from about 34 seconds in. I mean, we’re talking Boy-era U2–not The Joshua Tree type material. So, you know … that’s a pretty good thing. I think it is, anyway. She also compared their sound to Weezer. I didn’t get that from their sound, but to each their own, right? I think they have a much more aggressive sound than either of those two band. Not violently aggressive … just aggressive. As in, “Hey guitar … I’m gonna pwn you. Just get used to it.” Or “You are *my* drum kit. You *will* obey me!” You know … stuff like that.

The first thing that strikes me is how well balanced the mixing is, even though it’s obvious this wasn’t recorded in a professional studio. Despite that, the drums sound as raw as if you were sitting right in front of them; the bass comes through with a very prominent distinction. I’m pretty sure I’m hearing two guitars here. Now … I don’t know if this is on purpose or not, but one of them sounds a hair out of tune. If that was on accident, whoops. If it was on purpose, congratulations–you’ve stumbled on some kind of sonic dissonance that doesn’t suck–in fact, it’s actually pretty damn cool. Edit: Uneless I’m mis-reading their email, there is but one guitar. Guess I need to break out the headphones instead of listening on iTunes.

“Heaven Would Melt” has me scratching my head. During the chorus, there’s some kind of squawking falsetto screaming that I can’t quite … get. It just doesn’t seem to fit the song. Now … to be fair, in the interest of full disclosure, with the kind of muted vocals and over-emphasized distorted guitars, it’s a bit hard to make out all the lyrics, so the squawk shrieking might very well be completely relevant. However, I have no idea.

Remember The Misfits? Ever heard of Samhain? Yah … there’s a very Glenn-Danzig-meets-Jim-Morrison kind of quality to the singer’s voice and style. For the music, it totally fits. I’m liking it.

One thing the band told me when they wrote and said, “Let us know of any comments you have, for we did everything ourselves and won’t turn down any kind of feedback.” I have one suggestion: find a way to get some funding for a professional studio because I would *love* to hear what you guys can do with some better recording equipment. I mean that with all the respect I have for what you’ve accomplished so far. Your sound is raw and raging, and I like that. I really do. But you owe it to yourselves to see what would happen in a professional studio. Hey … ya never know what you can pull off!

So I’m filing this one under “bands to watch.” I don’t know if they’ll ever score a radio hit with their sound, but ya know what? These days, that’s probably a *very* good thing. 🙂 Actually, let me amend that: I can see them becoming a college radio circuit phenomenon. That would be very, very cool cuz most college radio stations don’t play crap, so if they hit that stream, good things will happen.

Online Malatese hang-outs:

Her are some music vids they sent along as well.

Thanks for the music, gentlemen!

Review: Moldover!

/ / New Music, Opinion, review

I know I already posted about this article, but I think it bears mentioning again in that I bought some stuff from reading it.

Namely, Moldover’s CD. If you check out his site, you’ll see why. It’s not rocket science. My copy came in the mail yesterday.

So, for now, we’re going to set aside the fact that the music will make you get up and shake your rump like you are the dance club. Let’s focus on the CD case.

In 2006, the legendary Tool released 10,000 Days with one of the most innovative jewel cases ever conceived. Built into the case was a set of lenses that allowed the user to view the images within the book in stereoscopic 3D. Pictures specifically designed for the CD case, members of the band … insane Alex Gray artwork.

Moldover is no Alex Gray, but he is, if nothing else, at least as innovative and creative. See … his CD case is a printed circuit board. On the board is a button that activates a little piezo speaker and blue LED. Also on the board are two photo diodes that cause the speaker and the LED to react–either by lowering the pitch or by dimming the LED. In essence, the board is its own musical instrument. How cool is that?! It’s battery-operated, so if the board starts acting funky, you can replace the battery for cheap, and you’re back to making music. Or at least squawky light-up music.

There’s a headphone jack to soothe your narcissism and allow others some peace and quiet. Or, if you feel so ambitious

Also etched on the board are the song titles, in typical PCB line fashion. On the inside cover, where the CD sits, there is a maze of lines running all over the board. At least, Ithink it’s a maze. On the left side of the board are two holes. One says “In” while the other one says “Out.” I emailed Moldover to see if my guess is correct, but I haven’t heard back yet. He’s probably off making amazing music or something.

So if you watch that video on his site about how the CD case is a musical instrument unto itself, you automatically assume that all of his music is going to be this trippy squawk stuff. Your assumption would be so far left of right that you couldn’t even prop yourself up on the edge … you would end up tumbling into the other dimension that he specifically created for his music. But when you land, you’d be so happy that you got there, that you wouldn’t care that you were just that wrong.

There’s a diversity to this CD that you can’t really justify expecting if all you based this purchase on was the “buy this CD” video, which is precisely what I did. I fully expected to get this and file it under “Aphex Twin.” Ha ha ha ha ha!

I’m assuming that he plays all his own instruments. I have yet to confirm that. But there’s a lot going on here. Drums, guitar, bass, keyboard, synth … I’m also assuming a lot of it is processed through his home-made device.

There are dance tracks. There are rock tracks. There are melodic, pensive tracks. There are discordant, loud tracks. This has something for practically everyone.

Stand-out tracks:

“Say It.” The Speak’n’Spell track. Using his custom-made sequenceer, he integrated the iconic 80s toy and created a completely melancholy track. Every word he’s asked to spell is filled with hope, dreams and life … of which the machine tells him is wrong. I cannot express how cool this track is. Seriously. This alone should make you buy the CD.

“Slipping In.” The aforementioned rock track. A very Anthrax or RatM-style rap overlaying a metal guitar track. I’m a HUGE fan of the lyrics … in all honesty, he’s no Zach de la Rocha, but he can definitely hold his own. Very cool song.

“Reflex.” A very moody, atmospheric, kind of dark track. I was talking to my 6 year old girl about how she shouldn’t be playing “Nazi Zombies” (Seriously?! Her friend at school asked her if she likes playing that game. WHY would a 6-year old even know that game exists?! It’s not even a game unto itself … it’s a Call of Duty add-on. Just … wow.), and she asked, “Is this the music from that?”

“From … what? The game?”

“Yah.”

“Ha ha. No, honey. This is daddy’s new CD.” Pretty funny. but yah–there’s that dark element to it. I think it has to do with the Hammond organ sound that pervades the whole track, mixed with the bass and freaky noises.

I am so much more than just pleased with this CD on multiple levels. The music itself is amazing. The jewel case is seriously a collector’s item. It’s too cool NOT to own! However, it is $40, so if that’s out of your budget, I would recommend the iTunes version at $9.90. However you manged to obtain this CD, I would suggest you do it as soon as possible.

What Were You Doing When YOU Were 12?

/ / New Music, review

When I was 12 years old, I collected Star Wars cards. Topps had a line of Return of the Jedi cards that were over-the-top uber-geeky, and I had them all. I also spent a fair amount of time avoiding getting my ass kicked. That alone was a full-time job.

I played in my backyard, climbed our tree, walked down to the park, played in the woods, walked home from detention, and stuffed broccoli in the crack between our wall unit air conditioner and the window frame.

I did not, however, make music and put them on iTunes. This chick (and I mean that almost literally) has written 4 songs and has proudly displayed them for the world to hear.

Now … in my defense, when I was 12, there was no iTunes. In fact, there was no such thing as an mp3, let alone an ipod or mp3 player. No … the most we had were huge, bulky tape players. “Walkman.”

Some of you may be wondering, “Well, she’s 12. How good could these songs be?”

Ever heard of Feist? How about Regina Spektor? Tori Amos? No? Well, okay … she’s not quite in the same league as them. YET. Give her a few years. She’ll bypass them all.

She wrote the music. She played the instruments. She wrote and sang all the lyrics. She was her own recording engineer. People … if this doesn’t have you scratching your head, you’re too dumb to realize what we’re witnessing.

She plays piano. She plays guitar. She plays the violin. She programmed the drum loops. She. Did. It. All.

And these aren’t plush, cushy, “OMGZORZIAMSOINLURVEWITHBIEBERHOTBOY” songs. There is a depth that transcends pre-adolescence. How she is able to write about relationships at this level is beyond me, but write and present she does. In “Unbound, she writes, “Don’t wait the time is now. Brace yourself in flight for all that you love. Raise your eyes to the sky and tell yourself you’ll never give in. Never fall. Fly away now. Can you feel the wind? It’s going your way. You’re unbound now–free to take to the sky and go where you want to. Fly away.” At least, that’s what I got from several passes with my phone and earbuds. Haunting. I wonder if she’s referring to someone who’s close to passing away. Regardless, to hear the song, you’d never guess that a 12 year old wrote and performed it.

What haunts me more than the musical abilities is her vocal ability. She just doesn’t sound 12. Granted, I don’t think the musical world has much of a benchmark upon which to ascertain what a 12 year old should sound like, but if Miley Cyrus is any indication, then … well, no. Mari’s voice does nothing to betray her age. She has a very Norah Jones quality to her vocals. Norah is 31–19 years Mari’s senior. The fact that she is able to pull off that voice at her age is such a rare gift.

So, listen … in a nutshell, you’re only doing yourself a dis-service by not spending the $4 on iTunes to check out her undeniable talent. Again, if you haven’t picked up on this dead-horse-beaten point, SHE IS FRICKING TWELVE YEARS OLD. Imagine what she’ll make in the next 5, 10, 15 … who knows how many years?!

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