A Few Quick Things

After that angry rant, I thought it would be appropriate to provide you with some soothing music this time around. There’s been a lot of hype surrounding it this week, but after listening to it several times I can say Karen Elson’s The Ghost Who Walks (pictured above) deserves every bit of it. This album is fantastic. The music styles range from lo-fi rockers, to folk, to country, and combinations thereof, and Karen Elson’s voice is perfect for the mournful, often murderous tales she spins. I don’t like to compare artists against other artists, but if you enjoy the Murder Ballads side of Nick Cave and the vocals of Mazzy Star or the Cowboy Junkies, you’ll certainly find something to love in this album. And did you see the cover? That cover is awesome.

Here’s an acoustic version of the title track:



Since Ms. Elson is also a model, I thought it’d be appropriate to include another model-turned-singer in this post:



Switching gears entirely, if you live near a Barnes and Noble you should head over to their clearance section and pick up Voodoo: Strange and Fascinating Tales and Lore, edited by John Richard Stephens. I tried to find a picture of the cover or a link to it on Amazon, but they apparently don't have it, which is all the more reason you should go get it while you can.

You probably won’t be surprised to hear that I’m a huge fan of kitschy tiki stuff, and that includes its voodoo cousin. If you enjoy the same this book is a gold mine. It’s a compilation of short stories and old newspaper stories/first hand accounts of voodoo and its related “rituals.” I put that in quotes because I don’t want anyone to confuse this for an authentic look at the actual religion. This is Hollywood voodoo through and through, and with articles like “Voodoo Axe Murders” (reprinted from the March 3rd, 1912 edition of the New York Times) and “Mojoing Jezebel Huckleback” you really can’t go wrong. It was only $8 at the B&N by my house and from what I’ve read so far it’s well worth it.