Bebel Gilberto with Forro in the Dark @ Le National, September 15, 2007

I should, uh, probably pay for Flickr before my Italy pictures start dropping from the photostream. People seem to like those - I've even had a request for one to be published in a Spanish magazine, as part of a feature on Turin cafes. (In general Flickr stats confirm what one would suspect, namely that given the choice, people would rather look at pictures of pretty girls and food than anything else. XD In History of Western Painting 101 these are known as "mythological scenes" and "still lifes".)

( Forro in the Dark. Sorry for the quality, btw - wasn't using my own camera, forgot to check the image resolution. D: )

( Bebel Gilberto )

In other news, I feel a lot better now that I've let the blind_go deadline lapse. XD;; It was a strategic misstep to sign up for this round, I think - I love to read AUs and crossovers but I'm not very good at writing them. Should repost the poll now that the options have changed.

Funny how I haven't been musicblogging

Though I've been listening to just as much new music as ever - not dance/electronica though, it tends not to be at this time of year. I suppose theoretically I should've done a bit of an Osheaga write-up with sample mp3s (I was taking notes the entire time) but I didn't even try. XD Maybe I'll make a fall mixtape, since I made a summer one.

Here's some music, anyway. The theme is "women who have recently signed a CD for me". XD

A Fine Frenzy - Come On, Come Out
A Fine Frenzy - The Minnow And The Trout
A Fine Frenzy - Almost Lover

A Fine Frenzy is a girl named Alison who plays the piano and writes her own songs - pretty much as you'd picture it. You'd like these tracks if you like Vienna Teng, say. She was supporting Rufus Wainwright on the last few dates of his tour. My sister and I arrived five minutes late to find the room darkened and everyone seated and hushed already. There was a red-haired girl wearing a blue dress at the piano, and she had a gorgeous voice. That was it. XD

( Cut for space, part 1. )

Au Revoir Simone - The Lucky One
Au Revoir Simone - A Violent Yet Flammable World
Au Revoir Simone - Stars

I caught half of Au Revoir Simone's set at Osheaga by ducking out of half of Martha Wainwright's; life is tough. Out of all the acts I saw at the festival, they were the only one who asked to be turned up LOUDER - repeatedly. I was crowded up next to the speakers and the bass was no joke by the end. If the sound techs had assumed that three brown-haired Waterhouse naiads who play Casio keyboards and sing pretty pop songs in unison would prefer a relatively muted mix... well, they were wrong. But that is as it should be. XD

( Cut for space, part 2. )

Uncharacteristically I've begun thinking about my year-end top 10 album list, though I've never bothered to draw one up before - I mean, it's not like I'm some kind of music critic ahaha. But I think this year I actually like enough albums qua albums (and not component tracks) to make two lists, one for those that came out in 2007 and one for those I didn't get to hear until 2007.