Have you ever tried to write an original tune? OK, maybe you can, but can you keep writing them month after month, year after year? And not just original, but something that connects with listeners and sticks with them?
Writing music, creating it out of nothing, is much like looking at a blank sheet of paper and combining batches of words into a poem or story or novel. It's done every day, but not always effectively.
I've spent a lot of years contemplating the variety of expressions Bob Dylan's muse has expressed itself through him as a conduit. In a similar manner, artists like Mary Bue likewise seem to capture something original and evocative--maybe even magical--in their songwriting.
Her latest album--I believe this is her sixth--is titled The World Is Your Lover, and the tracks are rich with emotion and energy.
In a story titled Transcendental Bue a Minneapolis Star Tribune music critic subtitled the story, Mary Bue’s journey from Duluth to Minneapolis, New Mexico and India culminated in her best album yet, “The World Is Your Lover.”
Her best? I thought her last -- Holy Bones --was pretty good. Now I have to compare so I can decide whether I agree or not.
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I like the album cover and overall design. On the album itself (if you have the vinyl) there's a photo of Mary Bue embracing the globe. Upon seeing this visual I couldn't help but think of Woody Allen in
Sleeper and the scene involving the Orb. Whether this is an intentional play on imagery or not I wouldn't know. It is certainly intriguing.
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The opening track on the album, titled "Sh*t Storm," is one powerful song. The closest thing I can compare it to is John Lennon's "Cold Turkey." Both songs have a story, but end in a turbulent whirlwind instrumental that replicates the feel. In Lennon's case it captures the feelings associated with heroin withdrawal. In Bue's, it's the apocalyptic whirl of our time in history.
I walked for miles
On this parched earth
Once flowed with lava
Then a river birthed
And now the snow
Falls on the sage
When that shit storm comes
The earth’s gotta rage
I had a vision
The Great Lakes were drained
Superior Desert
Was her new name
Eagles cry
Barn owls shriek
When that shut storm comes
It’s not gonna be good
Chorus:
Oh my god
Have you forsaken me?
All the gods
Are laughing now
As the earth starts cracking
And her bones start snapping
And the walls come crashing down
Oh my love
He’s a brutal force
You can hear him coming
On his big black horse
And he’s got friends
High and low
But when that shit storm comes
They all gotta go
I pray to Ganesha
To tear down the walls
I pray in Chimayo
Protect those I love
I bow to the East
I bow to the west
When that shit storm comes
Nobody’s gonna be left
Copyright 2020 Mary Bue
You can listen to this song and Purchase Album Here:
https://marybue.bandcamp.com/album/the-world-is-your-lover
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I've been itching to write about Mary Bue's latest album since last month and today is as good a time as any. Why? Because this coming Friday night there will be a livestream show from the Hook & Ladder Theater with special guests Turn Turn Turn and Alan Sparhawk. Here are the details:
MARY BUE CELEBRATES NEW ALBUM WITH FULL-BAND LIVESTREAM
with special guests Turn Turn Turn & Low's Alan Sparhawk!
THE WORLD IS YOUR LOVER RELEASE SHOW
Friday, October 23, 8 pm CDT
Livestream from Hook & Ladder Theater
Tickets: $15 | Pre-Sale Tickets: $10 (through Oct. 16)
Ticket holders can watch the show live or any time over next week.
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Related Links
EdNote: There is some language on a couple songs that some people will find offensive, though no more so than a majority of cable television series offerings.
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