lifeblood: listlogs: 2004v07n152-news

ig-news-digest thursday, october 14 2004 volume 07 : number 152

today's subjects:
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[ig-news] atwli review from afterellen.com [sherlyn koo <sherlyn@pixelopo]
[ig-news] bloomington show [ahaines@gmail.com]

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date: thu, 14 oct 2004 10:04:38 +1000
from: sherlyn koo <sherlyn@pixelopolis.com>
subject: [ig-news] atwli review from afterellen.com

hey folks,

this reviews's from after ellen - you can read it online at
http://www.afterellen.com/music/102004/indigogirls.html

cheers,
sherlyn

- ---begin forwarded article---
review of the indigo girls' all that we let in
kris scott marti, october 13, 2004

the indigo girls' twelfth album came out in february of this year, smack dab in
the middle of the winter of love and all the rebel queer marriages in the
united states. this was an amazingly auspicious time for them to release this
album, but it didn't exactly fly off the shelves. all that we let in is a
somewhat uneven offering from our favorite folk duo, but it has a few gems in
it, including an attempt at an interesting new sound.

after briefly polling some of my friends who are indigo girls fans--these are
women who see every show date when the band is in town--the general consensus
was that they didn't care for this album, but they couldn't quite articulate
why beyond the common phrase "it doesn't sound like them."

that can be a problem when a band has been successful for fifteen years. trying
anything new or experimental can be risky, even if you have a loyal and
enthusiastic fan base like the indigo girls. some risks work, like u2 and
madonna's shifting sounds over the decades, but the indigo girls' new sound has
been less of a hit.

departing slightly from their more folksy roots, the girls open all that we let
in with the righteous boom of the hammond b-3 organ. then they experiment with
a ska beat before slipping back into their more familiar sound. there is no
clear hit like "closer to fine" or "romeo and juliet" on this album, but i
still liked "fill it up again" for it's deep resonating organ and cello, and
"dairy queen" for its juicy lyrics. this song is most reminiscent of their
earlier hits.

the second track, "heartache for everyone," has the accessible storytelling
songwriting that reminds me of my favorite indigo girls song, "hammer and a
nail." on top of these evocative lyrics, the girls try out a rollicking ska
beat. i really enjoyed this as a step away from the stereotypical strummed
guitar and drumming-circle-inspired rhythm that is usually incorporated into
indigo girls songs.

there are great new directions in the indigo girl sound, but the album doesn't
follow through on its promise. they marry new beats and instruments with their
already fantastic guitar work, lyrics and harmonizing, but they don't commit
to this new direction and switch back to their patented sound by the third
song. there is barely a chance to get excited about the band's fusion of new
styles with their strong folk lyricism and vocals.

even worse, they bring in dreary, dirge-like tunes right in the middle of the
album with the title song "all that we let in" and "tether." these are woeful,
activist-statement songs that easily become skippers, those oddballs on a cd
that you always fast forward through.

but before all you diehard indigo girls fans fall into despair, there are a
couple of good reasons to get this album. the artwork on the album is all done
by jaime hernandez of love & rockets comic book fame. jaime and his brother
gilbert create beautiful graphic novels that feature latinos and punk rockers
in various slice-of-life situations. two of their most famous characters are
hopi, a queer woman, and maggie the mechanic, her sometime girlfriend (maggie
is pictured on the cover). if you are a love & rockets fan, you will want to
add this album to your collection for the artwork alone.

but more importantly, all that we let in comes with a dvd of live performances
recorded at the bottom line in new york city last december. you can watch
versions of "dairy queen," "fill it up again," "come on home," and "perfect
world," as well as their well-loved "kid fears" and "galileo."

check out the indigo girls' tour dates at indigogirls.com or buy the album now
at amazon.com

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date: thu 14-oct-2004 12:37am
from: ahaines@gmail.com
subject: [ig-news] bloomington show

[sherlyn's note: this message was originally sent to the indigo girls
mailing list at netspace.org.]

quick recap of tonight's show in lovely bloomington, indiana (not
bloomington, illinois which is apparently where their bus driver tried
to take them, oops! emily said they'd sent him off to take a nap.)

setlist (i'll note what was on the written setlist as well as variations):

fill it up again
perfect world
it's alright
yield
power of two
on setlist: jonas & ezekial; played (by request): thin line (!!)
woodsong (yeah!)
shame on you
deconstruction
heartache
get out the map
become you (originally had "amy solo" but this was scratched out)
something real
let me go easy
closer to fine (with girlyman -- this ruled)
on setlist: "amy solo"; played: dairy queen
let it be me
go

encore:
emily solo -- i don't know the name of this one; it was written by
someone else, she said it was one of her favorite songs, and it was
absolutely gorgeous; was anyone else there? if so, do you know what
this was? it was so gorgeous. this wasn't on the written setlist at
all, and it's nothing i've ever heard her do before.
on setlist: dairy queen; played: romeo & juliet (amy solo of course)
galileo

it was a really good show. girlyman was wonderful! go see them if you
possibly can, and buy their cd no matter what. i can't imagine an ig
fan who wouldn't like them. harmonies to die for, and they are all so
damn cute. www.girlyman.com -- go buy a cd. just do it.

i'd gotten to the theater, uh, rather insanely early (okay, 11:30 am
- -- but i wasn't the first one there!) and so i was able to get a front
row seat, amy side. this was my first time being in the front row for
an ig show and to say i enjoyed it immensely would be the
understatement of the year. well, y'all know. :) (it was a general
admission show, that's why i got there so damn early.)

amy was very dancey tonight. her little feet were just going a mile a
minute. emily's voice was sounding even more extraordinary than usual.
i decided that, since i'd been in the front row and managed to snag a
pick and a setlist, i'd go all the way and be a big old dorky fangirl
and hang out by the bus afterwards. both of them spent some time
signing stuff and being generally gracious and happy and sweet. oh,
and someone asked emily why they never do "leaving" and she said they
do it sometimes and maybe they'd put it back in the setlist later on
this tour.

good show, good times.

peace,

a very happy anne in indiana

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end of ig-news-digest v7 #152
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