a shameless request, ha ha!

[ontology]

Oh dear, yes, NaNo is all that is on my mind just now; apologies to any of the f-list who are deathly bored of all of this talk by now. So I will talk briefly of things unrelated to NaNo for a minute to appease you. Yesterday Hannah had a birthday party, which was an informal get-together uniting the gang; we talked, cleaned some, watched The Brothers Grimm, and took a walk up the hill. It was terrifically surreal, bicycling to my old house and past the hill and down the road into the parking lot, and then being inside of it, empty of our furniture and very different in many ways, with all of the painting and renovating that's been going on -- and oddly familiar, because things that were Right when the Meholicks last lived in the house are coming back -- the great massive table in the dining room, the couch, the hallway mirrors -- and it's a very odd sort of deja vu. But sometimes I'd have these funny flashbacks; it was very vertigo-y. Especially as all the time we'd lived there, I had ghosts of the old houselife putting their hands on my shoulders at unexpected times. Anyway, grand fun was had, and there was a magnificent chocolate raspberry cake made by the Divine Miss V, and the hill is so lovely in late autumn! 

Now, the main question of the hour comes. I have created a playlist for NaNo, comprised of mood-setting music. I have also set aside (in my head) at least two albums which I will probably have on repeat all next month -- PJ Harvey's spooky, Victorian White Chalk, and Dark Dark Dark's somewhat more whimsical and also spooky and Victoriany The Snow Magic (accordion prominence! banjo! cello! piano! and, once, musical saw!!). The playlist itself contains some Chopin and Debussy, some of the aforementioned artists, Vienna Teng (alas, only one song really works for the era, because Vienna = win), DeVotchKa, Patrick Wolf, the theme from The Illusionist, and a fantastic little Sarah McLachlan instrumental comprised of piano, cello, and musical saw. You all see what's coming, don't you? Yes, absolutely, you are not wrong: I want more music for my atmospheric NaNo playlist.

Piano-based things, mostly, and any music that would fit into the Victorian and Edwardian eras -- actual Victorian and Edwardian music would be amazing, but I will not count on it. Traditional English ballads, chamber folk, freak folk, New Weird America that doesn't sound too specifically American, anything with a musical saw in (well, I have a weakness for that), piano instrumentals that don't sound too modern, classical composers who would have been listened to and played at the time, especially pieces which are predominantly piano -- all of the sisters play, and Briony has a knack for it; I'd love music that evokes the Nox family home. In return I will make a Very Awesome Mixtape and post it all for you lot when November is finished.

Also, if anybody manages to dig up a traditional folk song that either a) specifically mentions vampires, or b) is probably about something else but could be about vampires, you will get a cookie. No, better still: you will get my very best and extremely rich chocolate peppermint pie.

Comments

[missbaxter.livejournal.com]

Oooh, what a dangerous request! Recs are as follows:
Nancy Elizabeth, 'Battle and Victory'- sinister harps and accordions and tubas and other strange jangling instruments, odd oblique lyrics, plus she plays everything herself, which is always worth a bonus point in my book.
Mendelssohn's 'Songs without Words' (specifically his Venetian Boat Songs) - I've only ever come across these in piano sheet music form, but they're lovely; kind of peaceful but dark at the same time. Very rainy day music.
'Adagio' from the Elgar Cello Concerto in Em, played by Jacqueline du Pre - the most autumnal piece of music I've ever heard, and her playing is just incredible, rich and dramatic and mournful.
James Raynard, 'Strange Histories' - Fairly straightforward English folk, marked out mostly by the sparseness of the arrangements, and the fact that Raynard sounds like he could have stepped off some Victorian street corner. Really great version of 'The Outlandish Knight'
Yann Tiersen's soundtrack to 'Amelie' - For possible lighter moments/rare appearances of daylight; it's all very French and carnivalesque. Just to get away from the gloom and doom :)
Stephanie Dosen, 'A Lily for the Spectre' - Has a handful of really great tracks, ('Vinalhaven Harbour; Owl in the Dark'), and is generally easy on the ear as background music
Might have too much of an 'American' feel to it, but Tom Waits' 'Bone Machine' is one of the most sinister albums I've ever heard. Also proves that he can sing an incredibly beautiful song when he wants to ('Whistle Down the Wind')
Aaand I'll go away now. Hope any of the above prove to your taste!

[faeriemaiden.livejournal.com]

I absolutely adore the Amelie soundtrack but hadn't thought to use it -- it is my favourite music for bicycling around an old city on a rainy day! The others I have not heard of at all, except Jacqueline du Pre (a friend is a great fan, and I think I have a few of her pieces lying about), and Tom Waits, naturally, although only by name. These all sound very exciting and I will be looking them up straightaway!!

[faeriemaiden.livejournal.com]

So, um, after hunting down Nancy Elizabeth and James Raynard on Amazon, I have fallen madly in love, merely from the thirty-second clips. This is a very deep itch in my intensest musical taste that is rarely satisfied! I rather suspect that I ought to bring music up with you more often. ;D

[missbaxter.livejournal.com]

Glad to be of service! It sounds like we have similar music tastes; perhaps we should have a convention, or a semi-annual mix-CD mail fest...