Tuesday, May 24, 2005

Sweet Ambrosia...

Oh yeah. More eBay goodness was awaiting me when I got home
tonight. Not a Sparklehorse-related item, but rather a Shivaree-
related one. We haven't talked about Shivaree yet, have we?
Shivaree is my other favorite band. They are led by the ethereally
lovely Ambrosia Parsley, who is the female apposite of Sparklehorse's
Linkous. Like Sparklehorse, the music of Shivaree is sad, haunting,
and unconventional. One of the loveliest songs that they do, Mexican
Boyfriend, is about a young man with whom a young Ms. Parsley
was smitten, and who was hit by a car and killed. You get the idea.
Shivaree is best known for the semi-hit "Goodnight Moon",
a Halloweenesque tale of things that go bump in the night and
strangers at the door, which was used to great effect in the epilogue
of Kill Bill Vol. II.

The item I received today was a still-sealed French promotional
copy of Shivaree's "lost" second album, Rough Dreams,
accompanied by a photo booklet featuring pictures of the stunning
Ambrosia, sleep-masked and corseted. WOW!!! RD wasn't really lost.
However, Capitol records refused to release it in the U.S., and it is
not widely known here. Capitol wasn't as patient with Ms. Parsley
as they have been with Mr. Linkous. This is sad indeed, because
RD is an amazing record, and one of my all time favorites.

I wish that Mark and Ambrosia were my brother and sister.
(No offense to any past or present family members is intended here.)
They are just two very cool, unpretentious and enormously talented
people. (And if any of you have a problem with that, tough luck.)

Here's a scan for your viewing pleasure:
Rough Dreams French Promo Booklet

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