The Lovely Laura Marling

I don't imagine that this little blog of mine is a cornerstone of cultural information- that it's highbrow and full of things that most normal Philistine's would never dane to contemplate. It's just my chatter about things I find interesting. I don't even know if anyone reads this blog.

So, from time to time I reserve the right to be silly and fluffy and twee. Today I'm going to talk about a show I saw last night. Laura Marling. Good GOD almighty what a talented woman. I admit it- I have a soft spot in my heart for folk music and using real instruments. I'm a sucker for an acoustic guitar backed up by a cello. Throw a banjo in there every once in a while and you've got me at hello. Last year I stumbled upon Laura Marling while reading a music blog. She had done some work with a few other British bands that I like and I immediately enjoyed her work.

I am officially a big fan. Big. Like how I feel about Andrew Bird. Walking into the club last night I realized she was standing about 2 feet away from me and I got jibbery and kerfoffled like a teenager. It's just that she has such a beautiful voice and her music is open and honest and REAL. I gobbled up the first album and have spent an embarassingly long time on You Tube tracking down odd little tracks (see below).

She's come out with her second album now, entitled "I Speak Because I Can" and it's leaps, bounds, mountains ahead of her first album which was damn impressive in itself. If you're a fan of poetic lyrics and striking vocals Laura Marling is the girl for you.

I was absolutely thrilled and stunned to see the announcement that she would be coming to East Atlanta's venue The Earl, and snapped up tickets immediately. One generally thinks that when they stumble on a little band that they can't possibly be the only one who knows about it, but from the size of the crowd last night I guess maybe that many people don't know about the 20 year old Hampshire, England girl. I am not generally one of those people who yells out from the crowd at a show, but last night asked for "The Wrote & the Writ" and she seemed surprised that anyone remembered it. Remebered it- hell, I tracked it down on ye olde Internet and had it in the CD player for several weeks. Her lack of acknowledgement in the U.S. clearly has more to do with a lack of PR rather than a lack of talent.

Don't say you haven't been told now. Don't walk, run and buy her music.

Here are some samples of her work:
From "I Speak Because I Can"
What He Wrote
I Speak Because I Can
Blackberry Stone

From "Alas I Cannot Swim"
My Manic and I
New Romantic
Alas I Cannot Swim

And, not on her albums but also favorites:
The Wrote & the Writ
Travel Light
Needle and the Damage Done

It was a no photography show, but I'm sorry- I snuck a photo. (see above)
Sorry Laura.

Oh. She doesn't do encores. But you won't care. You'll just be glad you were able to experience the music. Trust me.

Inside the Mind and Letters of Magritte

Clearly I need to win the lottery sooner than later. In a little less than a month Sotheby's in New York will be auctioning a series of over 40 letters and poscards from the Surrealist master Rene Magritte to Paul Colinet.

The correspondence forms an extraordinary record of the artist’s creative process in addition to revealing the literary and artistic influences on his work during the most productive period of his career. Complete with drawings and sketches, many of which are variations on the artist’s well-known canvases. The letters and postcards last appeared on the auction market at Sotheby’s London in 1987, where it was offered in a sale of artifacts from the artist’s studio consigned by his widow. No other significant group of Magritte letters has appeared on the market since.

In 1933, Magritte met the Belgian Surrealist poet Paul Colinet, and the two became close friends rapidly. At the time, Magritte’s personal connections with Surrealism were strained – he had left Paris in disgust and returned home to Brussels – although ironically his artwork remained clearly Surrealist in style. The collection of letters cover a wide range of topics – artistic, literary and surreal – and reveals a remarkable influence Colinet wielded on Magritte and his oeuvre.

In numerous letters Magritte discusses the question of appropriate titles for his paintings. Having acknowledged that Colinet has a rare talent for finding the most suitable title for his paintings, Magritte frequently asks his advice, with a sketch of the picture included. On the verso of an undated letter Magritte pens a landscape, a derivative no doubt of the artist’s iconic L’Empire des Lumières, and writes beneath it, “un titre plaese! (prononcer un ‘titre plisse’).” In another letter Magritte gives his definition of the art of painting, and in yet another, sets out to tackle the question “What does this picture represent?”

A peek inside the mind of the Surrealist genius is presented by a letter in which Magritte digressed on the significance of the number 9 and his prose becomes a bit surreal: “vous avez déjà remarqué que le chiffre 18 compose de 1 et de 8, soit 1 + 8 =9 . . . le chiffre 9, multiplié par lui-même donc 81, soit 8 = 1 = 9 . . .”

The correspondence with Colinet also reveals Magritte’s opinion of various works of literature, at one point expressing disgust with André Breton’s L’art magique and stating he cannot share Colinet’s enthusiasm for the work of Jorge Luis Borges. He goes on to note that he has just received books by Paul Morand, Joseph-Arthur, comte de Gobineau and Martin Heidegger.

*more information can be found at Art Daily

'A Day in the Life' for Sale

When they say that not everything can be bought, it appears that the list of items included in "everything" is growing smaller. I'm not judging, if I was in a bad financial pinch there are not many physical possessions that I call my own that I wouldn't not willingly divest. But I'm not sure I could part with this little jewel.

The final song on "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" titled "A Day in the Life" is up on the auction block. The single piece of paper penned by John Lennon will go under the gavel on June 18th at Sotheby's and are expected to bring between a half a million and $700k pounds.

Inspired by real-life events, including a newspaper artlce about numerous potholes in Blackburn, Lancashire, the song is one of the Fab Four's most recognizable tunes. Strangely enough, the original lyrics do not contain the mildly controversal "I'd love to turn you on," line which jangled many a teenage parents nerves in the early 1960s.

I hope whomever buys it will display it for we plebians to view. John would like that, yep, John would want it.