I’ll See You at the Movies

Dear readers, let’s talk the pictures. Looking at the Oscars top ten (I still can’t believe they pick ten!) nominations for Best Picture, I can’t help but feel a little underwhelmed. It’s a list where any of those movies could win and no debate would spark over it. Well I’m here to rile some up, friends. I had a great time at the movies this year, but barely any of the ones this so-called Academy came up with are on my lists! Without further adieu, here’s what the five (only five!) best movies of the year really look like:

To start off, I’m kind of a liar. I talk a big talk about how Oscar (I’m going to refer to the Academy as one single person named Oscar) couldn’t get any of the movies right, but he did. And that is Woody Allen’s Midnight In Paris. “What a delight”, I exclaimed to whoever would listen as the credits rolled. This movie was a joy, and this is coming from someone less than thrilled with Allen’s latter day films. Owen Wilson nailed the Allen character, playing it true but also with his own sense of personality, not trying to match the tics and neurosis’ that make Woody who he is. Strolling through Paris at night and pining for a time and place that no longer exist, Gil Pender is magically transported to his Golden Era, 1920s Paris, where he can drink and ruminate with the likes of Fitzgerald, Cole Porter, Dali (cameo of the year for Adrien Brody), and Ernest Hemingway (performance of the year for Corey Stoll, whoever that is). I may add that Woody still has an eye for the ladies: Rachel McAdams, Marion Cotillard, Carla Bruni (the President of France’s wife!), and Alison Pill (as a wonderful Zelda Fitzgerald)? Thank you.

The other movie Oscar got right? The Brad Pitt one. Except not the one with all the hype and has me anxious that it may actually take home Best Picture. Moneyball was a fine couple of scenes, and Aaron Sorkin probably already has the Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay for his trade deadline deal scene alone, but that’s all the movie should win. I’m talking about The Tree of Life, the visual beauty from the reclusive genius Terence Malick. Poor guy gets labeled with the “reclusive” label because he takes a ton of time in between his movies and doesn’t live in Hollywood. Sounds like my type of guy, and if he keeps making movies like this (and his track record is also very good) then maybe we should just leave him be. Also, the aforementioned Pitt got nominated for the Best Actor in the wrong role. Seeing him as a commanding and feared father figure is more of a challenge artistically than getting to play your own likable self as General Manager Billy Beane. There, it’s been said. Jessica Chastain in like her third movie ever (possibly exaggerating) is also fantastic.

Now let’s go to the meat of the matter. The Oscar snubs. I should start by saying that Steven Soderbergh’s Contagion should at least be talked about. The guy simply keeps churning them out, making the films he wants to make, and is totally under-appreciated for it. He also managed to give Gwyneth Paltrow a fairly graphic brain autopsy within 20 minutes of being introduced to her character. That’s not a spoiler alert, she plays “Patient Zero”, aka she’s not going to make it through the film. That was a big digression in order to tell you I’m selecting Mike Mill’s Beginners as my third nominee instead. I just wanted to let you know it was a close one, but Beginners stuck with me longer because of the performances. Christopher Plummer gets Best Supporting this year because of his role as a father who declares and embraces his homosexuality, finally, at the age of 70. Ewan McGregor plays the son admirably well (as he always seems to do – deliver a good performance that somehow gets outshined), and Melanie Laurent from Inglorious Basterds had me wondering who she was for half the film, and why she wasn’t in all the movies for the second half.

Ok, top two, let’s talk about it. Runner-up (and I know Oscar doesn’t do runner-ups which is why my Miss America inspired selection is way superior – and funnier than modern day Billy Crystal) goes to Attack the Block. I knew it was going to be worthwhile when Edgar Wright produced it, because that man can do no wrong – he’s got a nearly perfect track record. I only said nearly perfect because if someone tries to prove me wrong I can still be right. Anyhow, this film is about a gang of teenagers in a low rent apartment block neighborhood that is forced to use unconventional methods to defend themselves against an alien attack. It’s tough to describe, but if District 9 (which was awesome) gets nominated for Best Picture, then this should too.

When it’s all said and done, it just comes down to the best film experience. The winner is Warrior, by a hair. Filmed in Pittsburgh (right hand up that it did not influence the vote), this film about a mixed martial arts fighting competition (I know, I know) that pins a brother versus a brother in competition rooted in a lot of familial baggage (a mother that passed to cancer, an alcoholic father portrayed by a Moby Dick audiobook listening Nick Nolte, who will only get passed over for the Best Supporting Oscar due to the aforementioned Plummer). Tom Hardy is spectacular as usual, if not frighteningly in shape (I’ve never seen neck muscles that size) – and director Gavin O’Conner is used to the underdog treatment with the way unappreciated Miracle – but he gets my award, which must feel pretty good for a feel-good movie.

What did I miss, dear readers? Should my list also go to ten? Am I being unfair to poor Oscar? Post below in comments for interactive fun!

- Tony

Home Sweet Home

“Why does everyone want to go away? I love being home.” Claire Danes as Beth March in Little Women

I’ve always been the kind of person who enjoys staying home instead of traveling or going out a lot. This is why I’ve taken especially great care to make my home as vacation-like and comfortable as possible (slip-covered sofa, linen sheets, fluffy towels, etc.) with minimal possessions and clutter. I enjoy cooking, listening to music, reading, and writing–all activities conducive to a quiet, home environment. That is not to say I don’t enjoy being outside, I just think you don’t need to travel as far as you think you do to enjoy it.

The theme of home and enjoying the home in history is the prevalent theme in the following books, the fifth in my on-going series of highly recommended historical non-fiction.

  At Home: a Short History of Private Life by Bill Bryson. The American author of the hilarious A Walk in the Woods and In a Sunburned Country has made his home in England for many years now and finds himself living in a charming historic parsonage built in 1851. With that, he launches into researching his humble little abode as well as the history of each room in the modern house. He writes with wry (British?) humor about the beginnings of the home kitchen, dining room, cellar, and attic to name but a few of the chapters. Insightful, calming, and informative as always, this is Bryson at his best.

Finding Betty Crocker: the Secret Life of America’s First Lady of Food by Susan Marks. Marks explores the history of the fictional home icon, from her original history as a helpful advice columnist penned by the women of the Home Service Department of the Washburn Crosby Company of Minneapolis in the 1920s to her soaring popularity on radio and television in the 1950s where she popularized fast dinners on the table for modern housewives. A fascinating look at both the history of home economics as well as the beginnings of the convenience food industry.

 Something from the Oven: Reinventing Dinner in 1950s America by Laura Shapiro. This book is very similar in topic to the above title but broader, spotlighting some famous women in culinary as well as home economics history–like chef Julia Child,  food editor and author Poppy Cannon, and feminist Betty Friedan–and how they shaped the ideas of the family dinner, so-called convenience foods, and housework. Did you know that women were initially very skeptical of them, feeling they were “cheating” and, thus, not really truly cooking?  It’s also an interesting history of the food production and preservation industry and how World War II shaped its future.

Inside the Victorian Home: a Portrait of Domestic Life in Victorian England by Judith Flanders. What a  fascinating book! Everything you ever wanted to know about the daily home life and culture of the Victorian period in England. Similar to Bryson’s book, this goes into much more detail and describes the rooms in tandem with the lives and customs of middle-class Victorians. Never flinching on real life dirt and hard work, Flanders book is a treasure trove of information.

~Maria, who is a huge fan of staycations

Some Favorites

Ryan Gosling didn't get an Oscar nomination for "Drive," but he still has a better jacket than you. Image from: http://www.salon.com

This year’s Oscar nominations were just announced yesterday morning; I haven’t seen most of the films on offer yet, but have enjoyed both The Artist and Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (hooray for Gary Oldman! How is this his first Oscar nomination, I ask you?) Since I’m lucky enough to work with a very large film collection on a daily basis, I tend to wait until most things come out on DVD. A few favorites from this past year:

Another Year

This is a very nice movie about a lovely older couple named Tom and Gerri. It follows their lives for an entire year, as they work at their jobs, invite friends over for dinner, and work in their garden. They live modest but fulfilling lives, and they seem mostly happy and very much in love, a rarity in the movies. This probably sounds horribly boring to most people, but since Mike Leigh is the director, the film is instead a touching and realistic portrayal of love and how people spend their time together. We should all be so lucky as to live a life as charmed as the central couple in this film. (Side note: this movie technically came out at the end of 2010 in limited release, but didn’t make it to video until this past summer).

Attack the Block

This might be the movie that Super 8 wanted (but failed) to become. Set on a council estate in South London, the film follows a group of teenagers who have to defend themselves and their neighbors from hostile alien invaders. I almost watched this one twice-in-a-row, because even though all the young, unknown actors are really great, their accents are rather heavy and I know I missed a few jokes the first time around. Next time I might turn the English subtitles on. Also of note: if you get a kick out of seeing how movies are made, there are lengthy (and highly entertaining) bonus features included, illuminating all the hard work that went into making this low-budget horror gem.

Beginners

This is another nice movie about very nice people. It focuses primarily on father and son Hal (Christopher Plummer) and Oliver (Ewan McGregor), who both have recently begun new lives of sorts. After the death of his wife, Hal decides to come out of the closet at the ripe age of 75 and live his life to the absolute fullest. Meanwhile, Oliver realizes that he too has put his romantic life on hold for far too long, and decides to cautiously try his hand at love once more with the agreeable Anna (Mélanie Laurent). This is a lovely film about family and memory, as well as attempting to make more room in life for happiness. It also has an adorable dog that talks in subtitles, which is not nearly as obnoxious as it sounds, and Christopher Plummer just received a well-deserved Oscar nomination for his supporting role.

Drive

This seedy little movie is all about a jacket–namely, a stained white bomber jacket with a yellow scorpion embroidered on the back. The jacket is worn by The Driver (we never learn his name), a wheelman for hire who works as a stunt driver for movie productions by day, and steers a getaway vehicle for armed heists by night. The Driver is played by the not-terrible-looking Ryan Gosling, who portrays him as a loner who speaks little and always carries a toothpick (and sometimes a hammer). Some things happen, the driver gets involved in a bad heist, and lots of nifty electronic pop music plays on the soundtrack.

Meek’s Cutoff

I have honestly never said to myself, “Boy, I sure wish someone would make a movie about pilgrims traveling the Oregon Trail.” I grew up in Oregon, and in school we had all that Oregon Trail whatnot shoved down our throats, and had to take boring field trips to see pilgrims’ graves…which means we would ride in a bus for 90 minutes so we could look at a large pile of rocks. I think this was supposed to make history more “real” for us, but hopefully in the future they’ll just show kids this movie instead. It’s good, and really does give one a sense of what it might have been like to cross the United States at the pace of an ox — scary, lonely, dirty and discouraging.

Midnight in Paris

Are you a Woody Allen fan? I’m honestly not sure if I am. I’ve liked some of his movies (Annie Hall and Hannah and Her Sisters) and have been slightly unimpressed by others, but overall I feel like I haven’t seen enough of his films to decide whether Midnight in Paris is a typical Woody Allen film or not. What I do know is that I enjoyed it, and related to the central character Gil Pender (Owen Wilson) who travels to Paris with his fiancé, and winds up magically being transported to 1920s Paris each night at midnight. Gil’s time traveling allows for great artists and writers of the 1920s to make appearances in the film, including Salvador Dali, Gertrude Stein, Ernest Hemingway, and the Fitzgeralds. The more Gil parties like it’s 1920, the harder he finds it to return to the Paris of 2011, as he remains firmly convinced that things really were better in the old days.

Sadly, I came to the realization while making this list that I didn’t watch many new documentaries this year—although I did take in a few wonderful older ones. Rest assured, I intend to rectify this situation in 2012 and will be checking out these films as soon as I’m able: Bill Cunningham New York, The Interrupters, Into the Abyss, The Last Mountain, Pina, Project Nim, and Resurrect Dead.

What about you? What were your favorite films this year? Am I missing anything good?

-Tara

Learning the old-fashioned way

While I do have some fond memories of watching instructional films in elementary school, they mainly involve shoving desks around the classroom, sitting on the cold linoleum floor until my butt went numb, and that one time in second grade when the projector overheated and started smoking (true story; not a Simpsons flashback). The films themselves, I don’t remember so well.

Fortunately, I can relive all of those glorious instructional moments with the help of a little series called the Educational Archives. Each one is packed full of information on everything you’ll ever need to know, from why it’s wonderful to be a girl to the importance of soap. You’ll even learn exactly why stealing a car is such a bad idea.

We also have a fine two-volume set from Kino – How to Be a Man and How to Be a Woman (those were the only choices you had back then). Apparently, to be a man one must be trustworthy and plan for success, while to be a woman one must improve one’s personality, learn how to make a sandwich, and say no to sex.

Many of these adventures in moral education come from a company called Coronet Instructional Films, and can be viewed online for free thanks to the Internet Archive. Here’s a little gem with a catchy title: Are You Popular?

So remember to study hard and respect your elders, and you’ll succeed in life. Now go make me a sandwich.*

- Amy

* Poof! You’re a sandwich!

Where’s the Love?

Are you ready for it? That most pressure-filled of holidays? No, I’m not talking about Thanksgiving or the winter holidays that require you to spend time with your family. I’m talking about Valentine’s Day. Either you’re in a relationship and you feel you have to be romantic and do something “special,” like make a commitment. Or you’re unattached and every blessed thing around you says you’d be so much happier if you were in a relationship. Trust me, that’s not always the case.

Maybe you’re looking for a way to give someone a gift that you made with love with your own two hands. (Read: cheap!) Or maybe you want to give yourself the gift of learning to do a craft you’ve never done before. Either way, you should plan to join us on Tuesday, February 7th at 6:00 PM for the first Hands On Workshop of the new year – Valentine Crafts with Alicia. Pittsburgh Craft Collective member and co-author of Microcrafts, Alicia Kachmar will help us make a few Valentine-inspired items. We bet you will LOVE trying something different and taking the time for yourself to be creative.

HOW is a series of hands-on workshops for adults and teens. You will learn from skilled craftspeople. Dig in and try things out in a creative, supportive environment. Previous HOW programs have included Bookmaking with Hannah, Creepy Crafts with Lynne and Cardmaking with Julie.  At these workshops, instead of sitting quietly, being lectured to, you will participate in making your own projects. At the end of the evening you get to take your project home with you to give to that special someone, even if it’s yourself. Take some time out to learn to do something new or to rediscover an old favorite hobby. You won’t be sorry you came!

Most materials are provided. Registration is required. To register, email us at newandfeatured@carnegielibrary.org or call 412-622-3151 and ask for Julie or Melissa.

We’d LOVE to see you on February 7th! 
-Melissa M.

If At First You Hate Them, Wait A While…

Good authors know how to pull a reader’s strings.  For example, they make you hate a character, then later on they show you a side of him or her that gives you pause.

This brings me directly to Mr. George R. R. Martin and his Song of Ice and Fire.

Through the first two books, Mr. Martin made me hate Jaime Lannister.  I mean I absolutely despised him!  For those who have not read the series, Jaime Lannister is a knight.  While handsome and supremely skilled in the ways of war, he’s also a ruthless, child-killing (well, almost) villain. And there’s even more to it, but I don’t want to spoil it for those who have not read the series yet.  In the third book, A Storm of Swords, Mr. Martin springs his trap!  He actually made me respect this villain, even like him a little!  I almost feel guilty even writing this knowing what this guy has done!  And that’s what makes Mr. Martin great.

It’s the same feeling I got when reading Jack London’s brilliant deconstruction of the Nietzschean Superman in his amazing novel The Sea Wolf.  London makes you loathe the implacable sea captain Wolf Larsen, but in his ultimate destruction you learn to pity him.  It’s the swing of emotions the writing engenders that helps make the story great.

Plenty of other examples of this surely abound.  Care to share a few of your own? Any characters you’ve given up for total louses, but then had to re-think?

Let’s hear about them!

–Scott

A Bibliophile’s Challenge

Mark your calendars everybody. Synch up your Android or I-Phone, charge up the Ereader (or E-Reader), make sure the reading lamp works and double check the library card – the 2012 Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh Winter Read-a-Thon is almost here.

From Valentine’s Day to the Ides of March – February 14th to March 15th – you read and it counts.  It counts towards your enjoyment, edification and pleasure.  It counts if you read to your kids, sitting in your favorite chair or during the obligatory 30 minutes you need before falling asleep.  It even counts if you listen to a book in your plane, train or automobile.

What counts?  Reading counts, and only for the sake of reading.  This year’s Winter Read-a-Thon has a goal.  We, all of us participating, are going to finish 20,012 pages, and it doesn’t matter if they’re paper, digital or audio; they’re all tomes and they all count.  For convenience sake, attending a book discussion counts too, and even newspapers and magazines figure on the pagination abacus.  Now that I’ve revved you up, where are the details you ask.  Think of this as a sneak preview without the preview.  Details will be forthcoming but they’re not ready yet.

In the meantime, if you’re looking to prep for your winter’s perusing or need some ideas, here are a few easy to find tools to utilize.  We like most of them — we made most of them.

These lists are updated and added to regularly by our librarians and other staff.

• New Fiction (There will be waiting lists for some of these.)  Take a look at some of the latest additions to our New and Featured Fiction collections! We check in new books nearly every day — check out the First Floor’s LibraryThing account where we log all of our newest arrivals!

• New Nonfiction

• Fiction Bestsellers (Alphabetical by author’s last name.)

• Nonfiction Bestsellers (Also listed alphabetically by author’s last name, but shelved by call number.)

• General Fiction  Myriad lists covering a range of interests and genres, something for all of us.  Just a few are listed here:
  • Art fiction
  • Books for bibliophiles
  • Books in Which Joseph Stalin Plays a Starring Role – How do you resist this?
  • Classic tearjerkers – great list, but missing Old Yeller.
  • Literature’s Greatest Hits

• Nonfiction Additional sub-lists of favorite subjects and genres.

• eCLP: eBooks, eAudio and eVideo. Your choice of Kindle, Nook or other reader compatible e-books, and a variety of audio books.

Finally, if you’re skeptical of the tools used (and assembled) by the hoi-polloi, then we can always direct you to the New York Times Best Seller List – all 23 of them – from Paperback Trade Fiction all the way down to Political Books.

So stay tuned, keep coming back to our pages, or call us at 412 622-3114 and ask about the 2012 Winter Read-a-Thon.

-Richard

1,001 Movies I Forgot To Watch

It recently occurred to me that when you walk around with your nose in a book all the time, you miss out on other literary and art forms.  So I’ve decided that 2012 will be a year in which I watch movies–which, from a bibliophile’s point of view, really does mean the end of the world as we know it.

But I feel fine.  Super-fine, actually, thanks to the guidance of a lovely book called 1,001 Movies You Must See Before You Die.  Published in three editions thus far, with the most recent appearing just last year, this tiny, yet hefty, little volume could’ve been subtitled “Cinema History for Dummies.”  It contains an alphabetical checklist of the films themselves, followed by a chapter for each decade of moviemaking and a short summary of each film. Using my own quirky logic–don’t ask–I’ve watched at least one film every day in 2012 thus far, doubling and tripling up when I can.

Much to my relief, an initial review of the checklist revealed I’d actually seen 162 of the 1,o001 selections pre-project. If I’ve already watched classics like Amarcord, Jules and Jim,  and Casablanca, I can’t be a complete cultural moron, right? Fans of contemporary cinema will be happy with the editors’ more recent suggestions, such as Blade Runner, A Clockwork Orange, and Pulp Fiction. And, much to my surprise, some recent releases made the list, including The King’s Speech (seen it), Black Swan (looking forward to it) and Avatar (aw, man, do I have to?).

It’s early days, of course, but my favorite movie so far is Sidney Lumet’s classic, 12 Angry Men, which was adapted from a teleplay by Reginald Rose. A teenage boy from the wrong side of the tracks has supposedly murdered his father.  Eleven jurors are sure he’s guilty, but one man has doubts and questions about the case. The ensuing argument, in which a young Henry Fonda slowly brings the entire group around to his way of thinking, is filmed with tight, close shots, including a killer scene in which Lumet poignantly physicalizes the emotional isolation of the last man voting guilty. Watching the film made me want to round up all my friends for a long conversation about justice and the forces that can sometimes obscure it, as well as how/whether those issues are still relevant today.

Here’s a list of the films I’ve watched so far:

1. Farewell, My Concubine
2. Faces
3. 12 Angry Men
4. Sabotage
5. Safe
6. Kandahar
7. A Trip to the Moon
8. The Great Train Robbery
9. The Birth of A Nation
10. M
11. The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari
12. Broken Blossoms
13. 8 1/2
14. Zero Kelvin*
15. Project A, Part II**
16. On the Waterfront
17. The African Queen
18. Aileen Wuormos: The Selling of a Serial Killer**
19. Alice
20. Odd Man Out
21. Reservoir Dogs
22. Dirty Harry
23. Four Lions

Every single film has taught me something, either about filmmaking or cultural history.   Sitting through The Birth of a Nation and Broken Blossoms , for example, was downright painful, but getting concrete visual proof of our country’s checkered past was worth it. Each film, too, seems to have one moment that stands out as noteworthy or interesting.  Jan Svankmeijer’s Alice bored me to tears, plot-wise, but made me want to learn more about animation.  Dirty Harry left me cold, themtically, but Harry Callahan’s throwaway line, “That’ll be the day,” was a nice call-back to The Searchers, another film from the list that I watched with my dad many times as a kid.   And more recent picks like the wickedly satirical Four Lions, which is about an extremely inept group of terrorists, have convinced me that maybe I should actually pony up for the cost of a movie ticket now and again.

In fact, the only real drawback to the project is that I miss reading!  I have not entirely given up on books; when I’m not watching a film these days, I’m slowly making my way through A Storm of Swords, book three of George R.R. Martin’s Song of Ice and Fire series. I’ve also started Roberto  Bolaño’s The Third Reich, a literary novel about a board gaming enthusiast on vacation.  It’s one of those novels where not much happens, but there are sinister undertones to the action that make you feel as if something creepy could manifest at any moment.

But, at least in 2012, my heart belongs to the movies.  I’ll keep you posted on my progress as the year goes by; I’m not sure if I can actually squeeze 816 more movies into the next 347 days, but it’s definitely going to be fun trying!  Are you a movie enthusiast?  Which films would you select for the list, and which of your favorites are already on it?

Leigh Anne

who now understands the phrase “sleep is for the weak.”

*Available on Netflix streaming, coming soon to the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh.

**Available on Netflix streaming.

Working and Waltzing in the Shadow of an Industry: Pittsburgh Iron & Steel Heritage Collection

There is a lot going on behind the scenes at the library.  On the occasion that one of our projects has a public face, we’re excited to share it.

In October 2008 Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh received a National Leadership Demonstration Grant from the federal Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) to digitally preserve over 500,000 pages of historic materials related to Pittsburgh’s iron and steel industry and to make them publicly available.  Over the course of the last three years, we’ve been quietly putting together what is now known as the Pittsburgh Iron & Steel Heritage Collection.

The Pittsburgh Iron & Steel Heritage Collection is a digital archive of over 500,000 pages from historic materials documenting the emergence of the iron and steel industry in Pittsburgh and the surrounding region. Dating from the 1800s, the archive features books, journals, photographs, illustrations, trade catalogs, and maps from the collections of Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh.

Sharon Iron Works, Sharon, Pa., August 29th 1888

What you’ll find within the collection is an abundance of resources about the iron and steel industry, including the people, neighborhoods, industries, and businesses that evolved and thrived in the industry’s shadow. Scholars and historians will find no shortage of highly specialized scientific books and journals related to the production and manufacturing of steel.  For the rest of us, there is The Making, Shaping and Treating of Steel .

Man pouring steel in a Pittsburgh steel mill

You’ll also find a lot of items indirectly related to the industry. These documents demonstrate the extent to which the steel industry became a part of the daily lives of Pittsburghers and the rest of the world.  Did you know that there is a Pittsburgh connection to the Ferris Wheel? Did you ever wonder why your friend or coworker from Pittsburgh’s East End thinks his neighborhood is best? Apparently folks in the East End have felt that way since at least 1907, when it was declared “the world’s most beautiful suburb.” Do you love your car, but can’t quite find a way to express it?  Then consider performing the Automobile Waltz from 1900.

In addition, we created gallery of photographs and images on Flickr. It’s a nice way to  scratch the surface of the collection. Please feel free to share and comment on your favorite photos.

Over the next few months we’ll be adding more items to the collection and making some additional changes to the accompanying Web pages. For now, consider this an opportunity to get a preview of the project and share your feedback. We’re are very proud to have this opportunity to preserve and share the culture, heritage, and knowledge of our region’s industrial past.

If you’d like to learn more about this project visit the Pittsburgh Iron & Steel Heritage Collection website or begin exploring the collection at www.clpdigital.org.

- Ryan

A Dozen Albums You Might Have Missed from 2011

This isn’t a “Top Ten” list because it has twelve items.  And it’s not a “Best Of” list either.  It’s just a dozen music CDs from 2011 that I thought were worth checking out and talking about.

Battles – Gloss Drop

In his previous band, Pittsburgh’s mighty Don Caballero, guitarist Ian Williams successfully dealt with the departure of the other guitarist by using sampler pedals and taking on the role of two musicians.  Could Williams (along with bassist Dave Konopka and drummer John Stanier) do the same thing with Battles after the departure of multi-talented band member Tyondai Braxton?  With some help from guest vocalists like Gary Numan and Matias Aguayo, the answer is yes.  Gloss Drop is daring, experimental rock that’s also really fun.

Cage, John – The Works for Percussion

This likely will be a divisive recording for listeners.  Some of you will think it’s a brilliant recording of pioneering works by an iconoclastic composer.  Some of you will think it sounds like someone dropping an armful of coffee cans while spinning the radio dial.

Cut Copy – Zonoscope

Vocally, this Australian group is reminiscent of 80s British new wave and synth pop (e.g., O.M.D., Haircut 100, Human League, etc.) but with updated production for the dance floors of the 21^st century.  It’s the kind of layered, easy-going music intended to keep you swaying on the dance floor all night rather than head-pounding fist-pumpers that might exhaust you after one track.

DiDonato, Joyce – Diva Divo

Sopranos get undue attention so why not check out the latest CD by mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato?  Mezzos get to sing almost as high as sopranos, but also in a fun opera tradition of often playing young male roles (as fellow American singer Jennifer Larmore showcased on her album, Call Me Mister).  Here, DiDonato goes back and forth between trouser and skirt roles and sings arias from 18^th century Gluck up through 20^th century Strauss.

Dudamel, Gustavo – Tchaikovsky & Shakespeare

Energetic conductor Gustavo Dudamel (b. 1981) is a product of Venezuela’s El Sistema of music education for poor children.  Here he conducts a program of 19^th century pieces by a sexually conflicted Russian composer based on English plays from four hundred years ago.  And people say that classical music is somehow culturally limited.

J-Rocc – Some Cold Rock Stuff

The creations of record collector and turntabilist J. Rocc are less suited for rapping over than for film soundtracks or smoky sit-down parties.  The standout track for me is “Malcolm Was Here,” whose first half is jazzy before the ominous bass line and a straight beat takes over.

Low – C’mon

Low are still a three-piece indie rock group of guitar, bass and percussion with male and female vocals.  They’re still slow.  But for the last ten years or so, they’ve added other instruments (such as banjo and strings) played by a number of guests.  Nonetheless, their songs still retain their austere beauty.

McGarrigle, Kate & Anna – Tell My Sister

Even though recently deceased Kate was married to Loudon Wainwright and is the mother of Rufus and Martha Wainwright, I sometimes worry that the McGarrigle Sisters are forgotten when people think back to talented Canadian 1970s singer/songwriters such as Joni Mitchell and Gordon Lightfoot.  This reissue will help correct that.  The singing sisters play accordion, banjo, guitar, and piano, and as Canadians they sometimes, not surprisingly, sing in French.  Although they are accompanied by some of the top-notch studio musicians of the era, I prefer the sparser songs like Kate’s “Go Leave” which is just voice, guitar and heartbreak.

Meehan/Perkins Duo & the Baylor Percussion Group – Restless, Endless, Tactless: Johanna Beyer and the Birth of American Percussion Music

You may or may not be already familiar with the music composed for percussion ensembles by Edgard Varèse, Henry Cowell and John Cage.  This CD will familiarize you with a half dozen works by Johanna Beyer (1888-1944) and some of her contemporaries from the 1930s.  Less bombastic than you might think, many of these percussion pieces feature passages that are quiet and hypnotic.  And if you’re a fan of late 20^th century minimalism, check out the 2^nd movement of Beyer’s Three Movements for Percussion (1939) and see how she predates the experiments of composers such as Steve Reich, albeit more sparsely.

Ortega, Lindi – Little Red Boots

Lindi Ortega doesn’t have much twang in her voice, but she isn’t some slick and smooth, over-produced, pop country star.  And musically, you’ll find traditional country sounds such as slide guitar, upright bass, and the “train beat.”  Often, she defines herself more by what she is not: “not a blue bird,” “no Elvis Presley” and “you may not know my name ‘cause I have not met fame.”  After an album as solid as this, you may soon know her name.

Vile, Kurt – Smoke Ring for My Halo

Kurt Vile’s rock has a bit of a lackadaisical, watery feel, but it takes a lot of talent and craftsmanship to sound like a slacker.  While Kurt Vile is based in Philadelphia, his sideman Jesse Trbovich was a participant in Pittsburgh’s indie rock scene in the 1990s.

Wild Beasts – Smother

The vocals for Wild Beasts are characterized by clearly articulated words often pushed up into the falsetto range and sung at an almost confessional volume.  That may sound unappealing to some, but I find this album to be thoroughly engaging, especially as each track varies the instrumental texture underneath the vocals: sometimes guitars, sometimes piano, sometimes drum set or percussion, sometimes electronic bleeps and bloops.

– Tim