Monday , November 16, 2009
Soundtracks: Mary Timony Band The Shapes We Make
Practically everything I worship about Mary Timony is magically exemplified in the transition from track 7 to track 8 on her new record The Shapes We Make. The former ("Pink Clouds") is all-out prog-rock weirdo wizardry, with some monster guitar riffs and a lot of high-drama keyboard that sounds lifted straight from "Tom Sawyer" by Rush. And the latter ("Window") is a delicate piano waltz, with Mary whisper-singing about trees and bumblebees and "universal truth." Mary's my favorite because she's a total guitar god - without ever pulling some wanky bullshit - but she's also got that ethereal, airy-fairy (in the non-pejorative sense) quality that's gotta be at least partly responsible for my post-adolescent obsession with horses and tigers and other such majestic creatures. And The Shapes We Make is full of some of her rulingest songs yet, not to mention a few really awesome kiss-offs tucked into the lyrics. (The best is on the poppy, bouncy opener "Sharpshooter," where she disses Ted Nugent by ripping off a line from the Bad Boys theme. Also fantastic, from "Pause/Off": "My reaction to your faction?/ Go back to school and learn your fractions!")
Oh, and something I worship about Mary Timony that's got practically nothing to do with this record or with her music at all: her fantastic ability to make jeans + t-shirt look really exciting and rock onstage. I don't know if it's a tomboy thing or what, but it works and makes me feel prouder of my ridiculously extensive vintage tee collection. As proof of the hotness, a few live photos generously shared by the fabulous Eleana Whitesell, maybe the only person in the world who's seen Mary more times than me (and my show count's probably nearing 20 or something, I'm guessing).
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Posted by Liz in Soundtracks |
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