The Weepies write of telescopes and worried seams, of cold roads and nursery rhymes.
Somewhere in their harbours and falling skies, it feels like they're looking for something. I don't know if they found it. I don't know if I hear them casting nets that aren't really there, that I've imagined it all because I want to throw out lines of my own. I don't know if it matters.
I just know that it's beautiful, and, in their whispered truths and gentle melodies, that they have found a quiet poetry.
The Weepies - Gotta Have You
(Thanks, Maureen, for sending me this)
Comparing a female singer's voice to Sandy Denny's is a little like comparing a songwriter's lyrics to Bob Dylan - you might as well go on and kick them in the shins, stamp in their pudding, and knock over their Christmas tree while you're at it, for all the good it'll do them. There's just no way anyone can bear the weight of that comparison for long.
And yet. Listening to Essie Jain, Sandy Denny inevitably comes to mind. Their voices both have that purity and elegance, something bright and lovely that raises a sad song up, and glides it softly downwards, if downwards it must go.
For long, quiet nights, leading to long, quiet mornings.
My friend Mary assures me that there is a word for how I feel right now: hypermeleagrisingestorum - Or, You've Eaten Too Much Christmas Turkey. With a name like that, it must be real.
The only known cure is to assemble the best, mostest kick-ass song titles around.
Let's begin with a course of these three kings of songs (anyone want to add to the list? Come on, it's in the interests of Science and Good Digestion! Can there be a finer cause?).
For medicinal purposes only. Take one song, thrice daily.
Hope the fire's warm and bright, you are fat with yummy food and that Santa poured you Christmas cheer with a heavy hand. (Or that your denominational holiday of choice treated you well!) Here's a few snowy songs to stoke the Christmas embers of your heart.
Please, may we have a shapely balloon for Christmas? We promise not to eat it, even though we're hungry for one. Also, some blue serge trousers would be nice. That is all.
I'm back, I'm back! I ate papaya, and danced under a blazing sun, and tasted the dust of the oncoming Harmattan in the air. Nigeria is wonderful, and I miss it.
Every trip-goer is solemnly bound to return with some kind of gift, and so the Fabulist duly presents Fela Kuti.
The Guardian tells his story here, but suffice to say, he was a pretty complex guy, and not all that easy to pin down. Then again, do we need to? His music creates pins of its own, of the kind that quiver against your skin and make you just want to move.
Here are a couple of songs to get you going, souvenirs of our travels (because we like you the best). It's a kind of Nigerian seaside rock. Mmmm.... minty....
It's the holidays, and the bunch of us are wandering our different parts of the world-- Elaine's somewhere in Nigeria, Charissa's moved to Portland, Jewlie is being mysterious somewhere in Texas, and I'm in Belfast en route back to Scotland for Christmas. We're making a lot of "vroom" and "whoosh" noises as we go by, but other than that, the Fabulist has been pretty quiet, and for that, we apologize. We offer up a big holiday sack of goodies to win back your love, in the form of some stuff we've been listening to lately.
The Polyphonic Spree - Carol Of The Bells
Get festive. Stereogum has put up a cache of Xmas song bits, which you can find more of here.
Aqueduct - As You Wish
For reasons that I mysteriously don't understand, it was only recently I realized this wonderful, wonderful song is not about zombies in love, but instead about the beautiful madness that is The Princess Bride. (Don't ask how I managed to avoid seeing this film until last week.) "I'll probably kill you in the morning..."
Seabear - Cat Piano
Another joy from the land of Reykjavik, this is from Seabear's new album, The Ghost That Carried Us Away. (More at their MySpace, including a cover of Teenage Kicks.
Lily Allen - Mr. Blue Sky
Miss Lily performs her tribute to the Electric Light Orchestra. Put on your bouncing shoes!
Jonathan Coulton - Christmas Is Interesting
Another song of holiday cheer from Jonathan Coulton -- even better, check out his song that you should probably take caroling with you, Chiron Beta Prime, complete with video.
Oh my God! My good buddy Mitzi just sent me a link to Kermit the Frog doing one of my favorite Talking Heads songs. It's as wonderful as you would imagine. It also makes me want to hunt down some episodes of "Muppets Tonight" on the internets.
The fact that no one told me that Will Oldham and Zach Galifianakis were in a Kanye West video until today is criminal. This is now one of my favorite music videos.
I had no idea until coming to the UK that being the #1 Christmas single on the charts was a big deal. The radio stations go nuts, the bookies start taking bets on which song will make it. The favorite contender that I keep hearing about, oddly, is Malcolm Middleton with his song, "We're All Going To Die." The song is catchy, and part of me really hopes it's the one everyone is listening to, because it's kind of awesome. Join the Facebook group to get "We're All Going To Die" to number one.
Dean on 
