-
neumu
Tuesday, October 8, 2024 
-
-
--archival-captured-cinematronic-continuity error-daily report-datastream-depth of field--
-
--drama-44.1 khz-gramophone-inquisitive-needle drops-picture book-twinklepop--
-
Neumu = Art + Music + Words
Search Neumu:  

illustration



edited by michael goldbergcontact


Mia Doi Todd's Beautiful Collaboration

For her last album, 2002's The Golden State, singer/songwriter Mia Doi Todd was surrounded by longtime recording industry professionals, including label personnel at Columbia, which was releasing the album, and producer Mitchell Froom, whose resume includes work for Los Lobos, Elvis Costello, Richard Thompson and Suzanne Vega. This time, for the lovely, evocative Manzanita (Plug Research), Todd found herself surrounded by friends.

"I had a lot of anxiety when I was writing The Golden State, because I was working with people who were so successful in a show-biz kind of way. I felt like I was a child in this situation... that these people were showing me the way," Todd remembered in a recent phone interview. "Whereas this was my peers, working with my peers, and the songs just really found their own voices. Everybody helped."

Manzanita, first and foremost, showcases Todd's songwriting skill, with her pure, flute-like soprano leading the listener through minor-key rock anthems ("The Way"), Joni Mitchell-esque ballads, East European-tinged folk songs ("Tongue Tied") and even a reggae song ("Casa Nova"). Todd says that her inspirations are many — from Ravi Shankar to The Beatles and Bob Marley — but the comparison that seems to stick best is Joni Mitchell. Both her voice, with its breezy timbre and jazz-folk intonations, and her very literate, elliptical songwriting are strongly reminiscent of this iconic voice of the 1960s and 1970s.

Todd says that Mitchell has, indeed, been very important to her, as a personal and musical influence. "I think I heard Joni Mitchell first when I was 15 or 16," she remembered. "Her concept of womanhood and relationships... I had no idea about any of those things yet, but her work really affected me, my evolution, you know, at a critical moment in one's growth."

Moreover, Mitchell's songwriting style had a profound impact on Todd, which she says you can see, particularly in "The Last Night of Winter." The song develops thematically in its three verses, its tale of lovers who keep missing each other evolving around a series of metaphors — a letter, a dream, a map — just as Mitchell's classic "Both Sides Now" draws changing meanings out of a few simple motifs. "When [Mitchell] sings 'I've looked at clouds from both sides now,' in each verse the meaning of what she's talking about evolves," said Todd. "That method of making verses change — using the same words but altering their meaning so that they turn themselves around and finally connect the first verse to the last one... I use that a lot."

Todd's songs also connect personal issues to the larger world in an exceptionally subtle and artful way. For example, "The Way" starts with a macro view of a troubled world, divided by war and trashed by overconsumption. Yet, unlike many traditional protest songs, it circles back to the individual, connecting personal decisions, like using too much fuel, to larger issues like war in Iraq. "I think it's impossible to talk about these huge trends in the world, on a macroscopic level, without exploring from the microscopic level as well, because everything starts with two people," she explained. "When our nation is trying to bully some other nation, that's the macroscopic view of my boyfriend trying to bully me or me trying to bully my boyfriend."

The song includes a Buddhist prayer, "Namu Amida Butsu," a nod to Todd's Japanese background (her mother is Japanese and she spent a year studying Butoh dance in Tokyo). Todd says her exposure to Japanese culture and music has shaped her art, giving her a tremendous appreciation of space and silence within her work. That culture has also influenced her worldview. "In Japanese Buddhism, you have a home shrine. You put a bowl of rice before the Buddha and sound the bell, and you say 'Namu Amida Butsu,' which is a chant, 'Oh Holy Buddha, Oh Holy Buddha, Oh Holy Buddha.' You say it a bunch of times," she said. "'Gomen' [which follows in the verse] is another Japanese word, not associated with 'Namu Amida Butsu,' meaning 'excuse me.'" In combination, the two phrases sum up her reaction to Western excess. "It's because we use so much gas in our cars and so much plastic. We all commit these fatal karmic actions in this world that we have created and that we live in, so it's like, 'I'm sorry, forgive me for this.'"

In terms of Manzanita's recording, two artists — Brent Rademaker (Beachwood Sparks, Frausdots), who produced the album, and Rob Campanella, the engineer, who had worked with a number of West Coast indie artists in Todd's circle, including The Tyde and Brian Jonestown Massacre — were key. Her relationship with Rademaker, in particular, had been long and productive.

"Mia came up and sang guest vocals on my Frausdots record... on the song 'Soft Light,' and we had dueted on 'Ponce Deleon Blues' on the last Beachwood Sparks EP," Rademaker explained, adding that he had also produced Todd's first-ever EP, 1997's The Ewe and the Eye. She had subsequently issued two other solo acoustic recordings, Come Out of Your Mine in 1999 and Zeroone in 2001, before signing with Columbia. "I think she wanted to return to familiar ground, so she asked me to produce... and I was thrilled, because I had a demo of the new songs and I thought they were her best ever."

With Campanella, the two formed the core of Manzanita's musical collaboration, bringing in like-minded contributors from the Beachwood Sparks, The Tyde, Dead Meadow, Brian Jonestown Massacre and L.A.-based rock-steady band Future Pigeon.

She is supported, except on a couple of solo acoustic tracks, by a rich and varied array of instrumental sounds, lovingly provided by the musicians she calls "her community." The opening rocker, "The Way," borrows a little of the psychedelic sprawl of DC's Dead Meadow, as Jason Simon and Steve Kille briefly stopped into the studio to lay down guitar and bass tracks for this politically-charged rocker. The good vibe contributed to the temporary reunion of the now-defunct Beachwood Sparks, with "What If We Do?" drawing sounds from Rademaker, Chris Gunst, Farmer Dave Scherr and even sometime touring partner Neal Casals. And it was Gunst who, hearing a demo of "Casa Nova," pulled Todd aside. "This is a reggae song," Todd said she remembers him remarking. "He said, 'Listen to the upbeats.'" So Todd and her friends enlisted Future Pigeons to give the track an authentic Kingston beat.

Throughout the recording, at Campanella's home studio, Todd was astonished at how smoothly the collaborative process worked. "It was amazing to me how easily it came together," she recalled. "Like on 'Tongue Tied,' we didn't know what we were going to do with it. It was one of the last songs we had to record. We just started, and in two hours it was done. On the first take, we had no idea what we wanted, and two hours later it was done."


In addition to her own album, Todd has recently worked with Jimmy Tamborello on a new Dntel album, as well as with the experimental hip-hop artist DJ Nobody. She has contributed vocal tracks to Prefuse 73, too. Many of her friends and collaborators are currently working on a remix album for her. She is currently touring the West Coast with The Books and playing a series of shows in Germany with Bart Davenport in June. Her new Video " for "My Room is White" (which incorporates ideas from Butoh dancing) has just been completed. For complete tour dates or to view the video, visit her Web site. — Jennifer Kelly [Friday, May 13, 2005]


Alejandro Escovedo's Joyous Rebirth

John Vanderslice Kicks Genre

Paul Duncan's Elusive Pop

Stephen Yerkey's Wandering Songs

French Kicks Complete 'Two Thousand'

Spazzy Romanticism: Love Story In Blood Red

Brain Surgeons NYC Rock The Big Questions

Jarboe's 'Men' Charts Turbulent Emotions

Delta 5's Edgy Post-Punk Resurrected

Blitzen Trapper Spiff Things Up

Minus Five: Booze, Betrayal, Bibles and Guns

New Compilation Spotlights Forgotten Folk Guitar Heroes

Chris Brokaw's Experiment In Pop

Old And New With Death Vessel

Silver Jews: Salvation And Redemption

Jana Hunter's Beautiful Doom

Vashti Bunyan Finds Her Voice Again

Nick Castro's Turkish Folk Delight

Katrina Hits New Orleans Musicians Hard

Paula Frazer's Eerie Beauty

The National Find Emotional Balance

Death Cab For Cutie's New Album, Tour

Heavy Trash's Rockabilly Rampage

Help The Wrens Get Their Albums Released!

Devendra Banhart, Andy Cabic Launch Label

Lydia Lunch's Noir Seductions

Bosque Brown's The Real Deal

PDX Pop Now! Fest Announces Lineup

Sarah Dougher Starts Women-Focused Label

Jennifer Gentle's Joyful Psyche

Mountain Goat Darnielle Gets Autobiographical With 'Sunset Tree'

Mia Doi Todd's Beautiful Collaboration

Return of the Gang of Four

Martha Wainwright Finds Her Voice

Brian Jonestown Massacre's Acid Joyride

Solo Disc Due From Pixies' Frank Black

Heartless Bastards' Big-Hearted Rock

Mike Watt's Midlife Journey

The Black Swans Balance Old And New

Nicolai Dunger's Swedish Blues

The Insomniacs' Hard-Edged Pop

Yo La Tengo Collection Due

Juana Molina's 'Homemade' Sound

Beans Evolves

Earlimart's Songs Of Loss

Devendra Banhart's 'Mosquito Drawings'

Negativland Rerelease 'Helter Stupid'

Alina Simone Transforms The Ordinary

Sounds From Nature: Laura Veirs

Octet's Fractured Electric Pop

Sleater-Kinney Working With Lips Producer

The Cult Of Silkworm

The Evolution Of The Concretes

Devendra Banhart's Exuberant New Songs

Catching Up With The Incredible String Band

Gram Rabbit's Desert Visions

Three Indie-Rock Stars Unite As Maritime

Remembering Johnny Ramone

Jarboe's Many Voices

Phil Elvrum's Long Hard Winter

First U.S. Release For Vashti Bunyan Album

Incredible String Band To Tour U.S.

New Music From Lydia Lunch

Le Tigre Protest The Bush War Presidency

Joel RL Phelps: Bleak Songs Rock Hard

Time Tripping With Galaxie 500

Patti Smith Wants Bush Out!

Sharron Kraus: A New Kind Of Folk Music

The Fiery Furnaces' Psychedelic Theater

Harder, Heavier Burning Brides

Sonic Youth's Ongoing Experiment

The Dt's Do It Their Way

Poster Children Cover Political Rock

Rare Thelonious Monk Recordings Due

Uneasy Pop From dios

Beck, Lips, Waits Cover Daniel Johnston

Understanding Franz Ferdinand

The Truly Amazing Joanna Newsom

Mylab's Boundary-Crossing Experiments In Sound

Have You Heard Jolie Holland Whistle?

The 'Magical Realism' Of Vetiver

The Restless, Rootsy Songs Of Eszter Balint

The Sun Sets On The Blasters

Devendra Banhart To Tour U.S.

The East/West Fusion Sounds Of Macha

Destroyer Gets Mellow For Your Blues

TV On The Radio Get Political

Sonic Youth, Modest Mouse To Play Lollapalooza 2004

New Music From The Fall

Apocalyptic Sound From The Intelligence

Fast And Rude With The Casual Dots

'Rejoicing' With Devendra Banhart

New Album, Tour From The Polyphonic Spree

Shearwater Take Wing

Sleater-Kinney To Tour East/West Coasts

Resurrecting Rocket From The Tombs

Visqueen Want To Get A Riot Goin' On

Lloyd Cole Makes A Commotion

Funkstörung's 'Cut-Up' Theory

Waiting For Mirah's C'mon Miracle

Electrelane Find Their Voice

The Television Is Still On!

Experimental Sounds From Hannah Marcus

The Ponys Play With Rayguns

Ex-Mono Men Leader Returns With The Dt's

Mountain Goats' Darnielle Adopts A More Hi-Fi Sound

Sun Kil Moon To Tour U.S., Europe

Nothin' But The Truth From The Von Bondies

Sultans Survive 'Shipwreck'

Sebadoh Reunite For Spring Tour

Xiu Xiu's 'Reality' Rock

Meet The Patients

Beth Orton, M. Ward Make Sadness Taste Sweet

Oneida's Pathway To Ecstasy

Radiohead, Pixies, Dizzee Rascal To Play Coachella

Young People Tour Behind War Prayers

Pixies Tour Dates Announced

Ani DiFranco Tells It Like It Is

Deerhoof Back For 2004 With Milkman

McLusky Set To 'Bring On The Big Guitars' Again

Pixies Reunite For U.S., European Tours

American Music Club, Decemberists To Play NoisePop 2004

Damien Rice Set To Tour U.S.

The Frames Accept Your Love

Punk Rock's A-Frames To Re-Record Third Album

Finally! Mission Of Burma Record New Album

A Solo Detour For Ladybug Transistor's Sasha Bell

Return Of The Old 97's

Spending The Night With Damien Rice

Tindersticks Reissues Due This Spring

The Evolution Of 'A Silver Mt. Zion'

Neil Young Rocks Australia With 'Greendale'

Poster Children Back In Action

'The Great Cat Power Disaster Of 2003'

Chicks On Speed's Subversive Strategies

Oranger At A Crossroad

Peaches On Tour And In Control

Jawbreaker's Complete Dear You Sessions To Be Released

Belle & Sebastian + Trevor Horn = Sunny Pop Nirvana

Von Bondies' Pawn Shoppe Heart

Descendents Are Back!

Modest Mouse Touring; Album Due in 2004

London Suede Take A (Permanent?) Break

Saul Williams Wants You To Think For Yourself

The 'Zen' Sound Of Calexico

Elliott Smith Dead AT 34

Debut Due From Mark Kozelek's Sun Kil Moon

The Hunches: Music That'll 'Fucking Live Forever'

Vic Chesnutt Speaks His Mind

90 Day Men Cancel Tour

Keith Jarrett, Cecil Taylor Highlight SF Jazz Festival

For My Morning Jacket, It's The Music That Matters

EP Due From The Polyphonic Spree

Bright Eyes, Neva Dinova Collaborate On EP

The Rise & Fall & Rise Of Ben Lee

Catching Up With Cheerfully Defiant Tricky

Hanging Around With The Polyphonic Spree

Sophomore Album Due From The Shins

Noise Rock From Iceland's Singapore Sling

Death Cab To Tour U.S.

Rufus Wainwright's Want One Is 'Family Affair'

Death Cab's Transatlanticism On The Way

Heartfelt Rock From Sweden's Last Days Of April

The Minus 5 Get Down With Wilco

Tywanna Jo Baskette's Southern-Gothic Rock

Xiu Xiu's Stewart Takes On 'Gay-bashing'

Portishead Producer Resurfaces Behind New Diva

Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Wire, Primal Scream On Buddyhead Comp

Yeah Yeah Yeahs To Tour West Coast

Sonic Youth, Erase Errata Kick Off 'Buddy Series'

The Locust Are One Scary Band

Damien Rice In The 'Here And Now'

Remembering Karp's Scott Jernigan

ATP-NY Postponed 'Til At Least 2004

The Soul Of Chris Lee

Gits' Frenching The Bully To See Re-Release

Stephen Malkmus Is In Control

Superchunk To Release Rarities Set; Teenage Girls To Swoon As A Result

Summer Touring For The Gossip

Babbling On About Deerhoof

Irish Song Poet Damien Rice's O Released In U.S.

Chatting With ATP's Barry Hogan

Former Digable Planets Frontman Surfaces With Cherrywine

ATP L.A. Festival Rescheduled For Fall

Freakwater's Janet Bean Takes A Solo Turn

Lee's 'Cool Rock'

Strokes, Yeah Yeah Yeahs Highlight YES NEW YORK

Mark Romanek's 'Hurt' Revives Johnny Cash's Career

The Rapture's Post-Punk, Post-Dance Sound

R.E.M., Wilco, Modest Mouse Highlight Bumbershoot Fest

Set Fires To Flames' Sleep-Deprivation Sound

Southern Gothic Past Shadows Verbena's La Musica Negra

The Subtle Evolution Of Yo La Tengo

Spring Tour For Jolie Holland (Plus A Live Album)

Liz Phair Still Pushing The Limits

Gold Chains Wants You To Dance And Think

Young People's War Prayers On The Way



peruse archival
 



-
-snippetcontactsnippetcontributorssnippetvisionsnippethelpsnippetcopyrightsnippetlegalsnippetterms of usesnippetThis site is Copyright © 2003 Insider One LLC
-