sob@neuro1.UUCP (Stan Barber) (08/05/85)
This may be old news, but we only recently got the Jane Siberry album
"No Borders Here" on A&M at KTRU.
I have not been impressed with a new act like this in a long time.
Of course, I am sort of wierd in that I like music that sounds like
music and does not cover up the lyrics. And I expect lyrics
to mean something and not be boring. In short, I agree with
Pete Townsend's opinion of the song "Magic Bus". He said it was
"boring, just boring and repetative" [see the "Scoop" LP inner
liner for more of this opinion]. This is not to say that I don't like
instrumentals, I do. But if music is to have lyrics, you should be
able to hear and understand them without having to have a digital
filter to remove the music.
Anyway, with all that introductory stuff out of the way, I will get on
with it.
Jane's songs tend to be slice-of-life oriented. A day at Dancing Class,
being a waitress, and so on. Also, a bit of philosophy in
"Symmetry (The Way Things Have to Be)" and romance ("Follow Me" and
"I Muse Aloud").
Jane comes from Canada and has this record produced at Windham Hill.
If you like what comes out of Windham Hill, this is of the same
quailty, but a little different bent.
I strongly suggest if you like music in the same vein as
Bruce Cockburn, Joanie Mitchell, and the like, that you check this out.
--
Stan uucp:{ihnp4!shell,rice}!neuro1!sob Opinions expressed
Olan ARPA:sob@rice.arpa here are ONLY mine &
Barber CIS:71565,623 BBS:(713)660-9262 noone else's.jmsellens@watmath.UUCP (John M Sellens) (08/06/85)
In article <529@neuro1.UUCP> sob@neuro1.UUCP (Stan Barber) writes: >This may be old news, but we only recently got the Jane Siberry album >"No Borders Here" on A&M at KTRU. I believe that it only recently got US distribution. >Jane comes from Canada and has this record produced at Windham Hill. She hangs out in Toronto (not sure of her origins, but it may very well be T.O.) and I believe the record was done entirely in the Toronto area (maybe some in Hamilton I think?) (I can't be positive because my copy's at home). It originally came out on Duke Street Records (a Toronto label) and has been out for about a year? I really don't believe that Windham Hill had anything to do with it (but I may be wrong - perhaps the US album cover is misleading?). >I strongly suggest if you like music in the same vein as >Bruce Cockburn, Joanie Mitchell, and the like, that you check this out. Well, I think that's pushing it a little bit. Those artists are typically thought of as something close to "folk". I think that Jane Siberry is more experimental (though not too far out) and perhaps a more modern feeling? But if you're alluding to the importance of the vocals, I think you may have a point. The vocals are quite central to the sound of the tunes and I think that Siberry sings very well, at least for the style of music. I like it, and I agree with Stan's recommendation - check it out! John
gtenti@water.UUCP (G. Tenti) (08/06/85)
> >Jane comes from Canada and has this record produced at Windham Hill. > She hangs out in Toronto (not sure of her origins, but it may very > well be T.O.) This is useless trivia but she comes from the somewhat frightening land of Guelph (just outside T.O.) > >I strongly suggest if you like music in the same vein as > >Bruce Cockburn, Joanie Mitchell, and the like, that you check this out. > > Well, I think that's pushing it a little bit. Those artists are > typically thought of as something close to "folk". I think that > Jane Siberry is more experimental (though not too far out) and perhaps > a more modern feeling? But if you're alluding to the importance of > the vocals, I think you may have a point. The vocals are quite > central to the sound of the tunes and I think that Siberry sings > very well, at least for the style of music. > Jane Siberry in widely considered to be a major part of the folk-rock movement. I would put her somewhere in between modern Bruce Cockburn and Suzanne Vega. In fact her voice is quite similar to the latter's although her instrumentals are more complex. Experimental is a good euphemism for this in many cases but in the case of Symmetry, Top of the World, and especially Mimi on the Beach, the arrangements are quite brilliant. Though most of my friends like Symmetry better for it's combination of blending simple lyrics with subtle arrangements, I enjoy Mimi on the Beach the most. Besides being one of the better engineered and produced songs I've heard, I find the constantly varying drumming, and subtle use of the synthesiser put behind her emotional vocals create a totally original and beautiful piece of music that far surpasses any music by Suzanne Vega. I've played this song for many people and they all agree that the 8 minute song seems only 3 or 4 minutes long because of the contantly varying instrumentals hovering around the same theme and for the penetrating emotions brought forth. Despite this I would still only recommend the album "No Borders Here" for those with experimental tastes since many of the other tracks can be only described as strange (though not appalling) at best. Come to think of it a lot of her stuff reminds me of Laurie Anderson with instrumental backup. "This is not a locker room, And that's a surfboard, not a yacht" - Jane Siberry --- Fozzie.
notes@mcgill-vision.UUCP (10/18/85)
It's really hard to explain Jane Siberry to someone who hasn't actually heard her stuff but if you can actually conceive of merging Laurie Anderson and Joni Mitchell in one person, she's about it. Her first album was released in 1981 in Canada by Duke Street Records, and I'm not sure about distribution in the US (probably none, so bad luck), but it is brilliant. Very strong vocals (her voice is almost always the most prominent instrument) and the delicacy and wit of the lyrics leave almost nothing to be desired. She goes from 'Marco Polo', a satirical look at a truly Material Girl, to a rather direct and funny conversation in a restaurant, to 'The Mystery of Ogwen's Farm' (a song about a missing cow) to vague, native Indian mysticism, to pure unadulterated frolicking. Very hard to not listen to over and over again. The second album 'No Borders Here' (her first was just called 'Jane Siberry') continues with the same sort of stuff, but with a more modern, experimental flavour. 'Mimi on the Beach' managed to get airplay in most parts of Canada even though it is not exactly designed for commercial radio, and I heard some of her stuff on Alternative Radio stations in the northeastern US. Definitely a MAJOR new find. I just hope that the music industry, the radio industry, and the public are mature enough to allow her to keep doing what she's already done so successfully. Apparently her next album will be produced and distributed by Windham Hill, so it will probably get her quite a bit more exposure. If you're interested in funny, serious, satirical, beautiful and thoughtful music you will have to give her a chance. Something definitely not to miss. Lee Iverson utcsri!mcgill-vision!leei