Symptoms Of The City

11.14.04

Life keeps getting in the way of adding new articles to the site, but I have been writing for other mags, so I'm going to start uploading a few articles to Cha Cha Charming. First up is an interview I did with Danish band Mew for the latest issue of Tokion magazine (Issue #44- Nov/ Dec 2004) . I am head over heels for this band, and if Cha Cha Charming wasn't strictly a girl-pop focused magazine, Mew would be plastered all over the site. I have seriously high hopes for this band, and pray their upcoming album gets them the recognition they deserve.

Mew Interview from Tokion Magazine (PDF file)

I'm experiencing Manhattan withdrawal symptoms. Granted I'm in Williamsburg, right off the main drag of Bedford Ave., but it's surprisingly quiet and I need to get used to hearing myself think. Also, I'm working on my first non-music related article that involves some pretty serious investigative journalism (!). The topic is religion and I'm uncovering all these freaky details about my subjects, which is probably adding to my strange mood.

The good news is Phoenix are finally playing a proper gig in NYC on December 2nd, Keren Ann has a new album out (still trying to get my hands on it), and I'm going to London for New Year's! My friend Bob is throwing a huge New Year's bash with his group Saint Etienne along with the Concretes and the Magic Numbers. I spent my last New Year's crashing a party at the Park Hyatt hotel in Tokyo with my friend Kumiko. It was fun, but New Year's in Japan tends to be a total drag. Everyone just stays home with their family and watches the incredibly dull music countdown show "Kouhaku Uta Gassen."

And now a message for my Japanese friends:

日本人の読者へ。最近日本語で書かなくてごめんね。実は最近日本語を使ってないから、忘れてくるのをちょっと心配します。チャ・チャ・チャミングの記事を更新しなかったけど、他の雑誌にいっぱい記事を書いたから記事を一つUPした。Mewというデンマークからのバンドについて。この記事はTokionって雑誌の最新号に載って、日本版もあるから、ぜひチェックしてね。でも、Mewのファンによると、訳はちょっと変だと聞いた。
あとは、先週マンハッタンからブルックリンまで引っ越して、すっごく静かなので、まだ慣れてこないの。日本の音楽の件で、おすすめはある？東京事変と新しいハルカリのアルバムがまあまあ好きで、うっとりされなかった。 日本の音楽も悪くなってきたと思う？

Sheila

p.s. Returning to the topic of Keren Ann- I've been torturing myself by repeatedly listening to 30 second song clips of her new album, Nolita. Keren Ann is special. Period. Visit the ALBUM section of her website and listen to track #2: "L'onde Amere." It's so good it hurts. Listen loud, okay?

Posted by Sheila at 11:25 PM