choose your antidote

So it’s been said before that this here glit­tering blog­web­site is one Moun­tain Goats love­fest. But since I went to see just those afore­men­tioned Goats the other night (1 October 2006) at the Bowery Ball­room in New York, I have yet another slightly-more-than-tangentially-MG-related post to throw your way. Gar­goylepants, Winnipeg’s own Chris­tine Fel­lows.

You should know that John D digs her to the point of saying self-deprecating things (“when you hear her, you will say to your­selves, ‘why have I been lis­tening to ama­teurs all this time?’ …well, I hope you don’t say that”), but you need not know that to dig this tune. “Migra­tions,” from her 2006 album Paper Anniver­sary [buy at sixshooter­records], is (as I am now con­vinced after seeing her live) worth at least twenty more lis­ten­ings. I love the plinky key­board. Chris­tine clearly isn’t afraid of show­casing her voice — the vocals are turned up so that a singer could hush her voice and still be heard, but Chris­tine doesn’t do that. Addi­tion­ally, the chorus, with the rest of the musi­cians joining in (“won’t you pick me up / I’m light as a feather”), is lovely, espe­cially in the later refrains when the cello climbs up and over the melody. Give this song and Chris­tine a listen, ladies and gents.