Try as I might to make the most of Labor Day weekend, it never quite feels right. Summer's last gasp is always a bitter sweet, if not completely depressing, moment in time...especially if taking stock in all those things you
meant to accomplish, but never quite did over the last few months is a regular Labor Day activity. And yet, this weekend - this time of year, actually - always instills a sense of urgency. There is just no ignoring the need to get out there and grab what you can,
while you can.
All of which makes
Oren Lavie the perfect musical candidate to set the official end of summer to. His is a warm and luscious craft; one that, like the shifting of the seasons, rests on rather frail foundations. Take the Israeli musician's focus track "Her Morning Elegance", for example. With a sputtering of rat tat tat brush strokes, occasional pizzicato plunks, a jazzy, yet controlled bounce on some electric keys, some breezy bits of cello, and some awfully warm swells of vibraphone, the song is an absolutely enchanted tune...perfect for the last of the dog days if you ask me. But Lavie's simple, yet subdued voice unearths a bit of icy richness as well. Why, it's almost as if something sort of serious is just around the corner.
Currently, Lavie is preparing his debut album,
The Opposite Side of the Sea, for an appropriate October 21st release on
Quarter Past Wonderful; an imprint he started with KCRW host
Chris Douridas. Of course, he's also got some summer in his songs. So pay his MySpace a visit while you can. We got the link below. -
David Pitz
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Oren Lavie on Myspace