I’ve been feeling a bit meh, or possibly mehhh, for the past few days, due mainly to the ebb and flow of the tides of hormones sloshing around inside. And although, in fairness, that’s mostly another story, it has some bearing on this post as I’m rediscovering the restorative powers of music as a sort of palliative for my PMS. Along with chocolate. Things that are good for what ails me…
By chance, as the storm clouds of hormones were gathering on my mental horizons last weekend, I chanced upon this tune, Meddle, by Little Boots. Feeling, as I was at the time, a little… porous… the lyrics of the chorus struck a fairly major chord with me. Then the melody lodged itself in my head and now I’ve just found what may well be one of the most compelling music vids I’ve seen for ages.
It’s a live recording of the song in a demo stylee, and is, well, pretty damn amazing, I think. Simplifiers! Singing! Stylophones! And a television that’s really a drum machine! Amazing…
So here it is, I hope you like it too:
Little Boots – Meddle (bedroom version – acoustic on piano, tenorion and stylophone oo la la)
I remember all the things she did before
I remember all the times she cried
I remember all the things you promised her
and no one heard
I remember all the times you lieddon’t meddle with her heart
or meddle with her mind
or meddle with the things that are inside
you don’t know what you’ll find
you don’t know what she hidesso don’t go messing with her heart
or messing with her mind
or messing with the things that are inside
you don’t know what you’ll find
you don’t know what she hidesshe still remembers like it’s yesterday
she still remembers you so well
she still remembers all the things you swore
forever more
she still remembers but won’t tell’cause she’s a mixed up girl in a mixed up world
and you know she don’t mean any harm
so please understand if you take her hand
you’ll get much more than you bargained fordon’t meddle with her heart
or meddle with her mind
or meddle with the things that are inside
you don’t know what you’ll find
you don’t know what she hidesso don’t go messing with her heart
or messing with her mind
or messing with the things that are inside
you don’t know what you’ll find
you don’t know what she hides…
And for comparison, here’s the single version. Unfortunately without a real vid, but I do like the stripy T-shirt, and at least it’s not one of those dire YouTubey vid things where they show you a film of the record player for hours on end…
Little Boots – Meddle [New Single 2008]
It’s music like this that makes me start to wonder if I could/should find a buyer for my beloved-but-dust-gathering Fender Splat-o-Bastard and get a synth – although I don’t know if my predecessor’s musical creativity can be restored.
But still, it is a tune of amazing amazingness…
ETA: Whatever happened to Imogen Heap, btw?
*Clicks over to Twitter*
bird of paradox 
January 27, 2009 at 9:28 pm
Mmmmmmm Maya Gold.
Also I can so totally second the recommendation for Starflower Oil in your other post.
Like the tune! Although, “wonder if I could/should find a buyer for my beloved-but-dust-gathering Fender Splat-o-Bastard and get a synth” – I have *no idea* what you just said.
January 27, 2009 at 9:40 pm
msruthmoss: I have *no idea* what you just said
Heh! Subtitles on Ceefax: Should I sell my old guitar, which I haven’t played for ages, and buy a new toy?
Like this one. Shiny!
And then there’s this.
I think I may be in love.
With the gadget, obvs ;)
January 27, 2009 at 9:51 pm
The machine looks cool. Bit Bill Bailey-esque though. Although I do <3 Bill Bailey. No idea about guitars. Always played piano / violin myself. Boooooring, I know!
January 27, 2009 at 9:56 pm
Piano/violin is good. Any instrument is good, really. Do something other than watch tv or, errr… spend my life on the computer :)
Bill Bailey? Blimey!…
January 27, 2009 at 10:01 pm
Not played piano since leaving home nine years ago :(
I love Bill Bailey in an “I wish he was my Uncle” way!
January 27, 2009 at 10:15 pm
msruthmoss: And I haven’t played the guitar since my muse left home mumble years ago…
I love Bill Bailey in an “I wish he’d get a haircut” sort of way. Superficial? Moi? :)
Oh, and thanks for the Starflower Oil suggestion btw, I’ll definitely have to give that a try. I’m afraid that Evening Primrose really hasn’t made the slightest difference. Although, I also have an appointment with the gender doc next month and think I need to see what he thinks. It may be that I need to either reduce the doseage, or change the prescription, something. :/
January 28, 2009 at 1:55 am
Nice. The demo version does have a bit more energy than the single version innit. Strange.
Sell the guitar, buy a MIDI controller and a copy of Ableton ;)
Last I heard of Imogen Heap was that “Hallelujah” vocoder cover what she done on the OC, which is a song I grow to hate with each new cover. She’s pretty much disappeared, though Wiki tells me she may have another album out sometime soon..
January 28, 2009 at 8:17 am
Following up on that last note, I am reliably informed that a new Imogen Heap album is in the works and will be with us before summer :).
January 28, 2009 at 11:35 am
queenemily: I have a copy of Logic Excess 7 and the Mac should cope with it as long as I don’t try and replicate the LSO or something (even though the last sequencing package I used was something like Cubase 2 on an Atari, I am Teh Old-Skoolest)…
So really I guess just some sort of keyboard/basic sound module would get me started…
Got a halfway decent mic kicking around somewhere too, but first things first :)
Weasel: Thanks! Although, just looking at her latest Tweet, maybe it won’t be this summer! ^_^