Marit Larsen album preview, day nine: "Fences"

A truncated chord and a held tone, and I immediately said to myself, "The tone is not going to hold long, and the melody will rise to a particular note," a note I heard in my head. And I was right! I don't know how I did it, but this nonetheless is evidence that Marit has characteristic melodic habits. Of course, almost every melodist has characteristic melodic habits, but this is evidence that I have a growing sense of what Marit's are, even if I've not been able to conceptualize to myself what they are. Anyhow, the beginning tone is sol and the note that follows - the one I predicted - is re. These are played on harmonica, I think - if not harmonica, then melodica - but the instrument feels like a flute. That tells you something about Marit, that sometimes her harmonicas and melodicas sound like flutes. Lyrics are about personal/interpersonal fences (barriers) growing delicately but relentlessly.

Are fences made of re and of timbres that converge on flute?

"In the heat of the battle," she sings at the end, delicately.

Year In America October 9, 2008

I'm a couple days late here, getting engrossed by the financial brouhaha. Meanwhile, chartwatchers wonder whether it should be T.I. at number one or Rihanna at number one, but that just shows the poverty of their either/or thinking.

( T.I. )

( Christina Aguilera )

( Nickelback )

( David Cook )

( The Killers )

( Pitbull )