spring’s the only time for me, jolene

"Your smile is like a breath of spring/Your voice is soft like summer rain/I cannot compete with you, Jolene"

With the scent of spring wafting through the warm breezes lately I can’t help but set my sights on the next step: summer. Birds chirp harmoniously each morning, a sound that winter had sorely been lacking, and their songs herald the slow, damp death of winter. With the icy streets melting around me with each step to the corner store I cannot help myself but to welcome in the reflective images of various big name designers’ Spring/Summer advertisements.

Jolene, the White Stripes

A few weeks ago TFS had a guest article, of which I can find no trace. The article, in short, were a collection of dresses and songs that the author thought would compliment the frocks in an OST sort of way. Not only have I decided to throw caution to the wind and welcome the idea of spring with everything I’ve got, the idea of coupling a song with some of the recently distributed Spring/Summer 09 ad campaigns really appealed to me on a Monday morning.

"Well you could have your choice of men/But I could never love again/He's the only one for me, Jolene"

I chose first a somber Chanel advert featuring the elegantly styled Heidi Mount; looking listlessly out a closed window that offers enough sunlight to luminate her delicate face. The Marc Jacobs adverts featuring Raquel Zimmermann packed a romantic punch when I first laid eyes on them this morning; Raquel leans against a ladder in an unkempt orchard styled to look completely intuned with her surroundings. The third and final ad to be coupled with my musical pick is an exerpt of Chloe’s most recent campaign featuring Toni Garrn and Anna J. The heavy summer sun bakes the cradle of rocks behind the girls while it mercilously hits and misses the clothing to bring it a dazzling life of its own.

Jolene, the haunting White Stripes’ cover of Dolly Parton’s megahit I had the fortune of unearthing recently, would be the perfect soundtrack to all three of these images with varying motivations. I see Raquel as Jolene herself, not so much due to Jolene’s physical description in the song (“With flaming locks of auburn hair/With ivory skin/And eyes of emerald green”) but her expression. She is the confidently bored beauty that can sit in her beautiful mess of a garden and wait for a parade of willing suitors. Heidi, converseley, is trapped in a lavish but dull apartment in a luxurious but unaccessible city. Her face is that of a plea: “My happiness depends on you/And whatever you decide to do, Jolene.” Finally we come to Anna and Toni, two young women in search through hell or high water for their ain true: “he talks about you in his sleep/And there is nothing I can do to keep/From crying when he calls your name, Jolene.”

All images scanned by sister-d at bwgreyscale.

record year for rainfall.

Forgive my tardiness, Decemberists, on unearthing your latest releases.

As listeners patiently await the March 24th (March 23rd in the UK) release of, according to sources, an epic rock-opera-to-be, the Oregon-based musical act decided many months ago to descend upon us unworthy devotees a three volume single series, entitled Always the Bridesmaid: A Singles Series.

Save for Days Of Elaine, which has three, each volume has two songs for the audophile’s listening pleasure. That’s seven brand spankin’ new songs to tide you over until March; pretty decent of Colin Meloy and co. And if the likes of Valerie Plame, the first song of the first volume, is any indication of the upcoming LP The Hazards of Love I think both fans and new listeners alike will be suitably impressed with the noticeable progression this troupe has made since The Crane Wife.

The instrumental sagas that fill the speakers, even during the adorable Velvet Underground I’m Sticking With You cover, leave patrons full after four minutes. It’s a satisfying meal to inhale all three volumes in the order of which they appear on their discography. Not only do the plethora of instruments astound the senses but, once again, Colin Meloy’s poetic endeavors playfully compliment the banjos, sliding guitars, organs, trombones and perfectly timed chorus of background vocals.

Nostalgia of the band’s earlier efforts translates literally through Meloy’s iambic vocals as he leads the entire ensemble through verses such as “And I had lost my token / You were looking bent and broken / Staring sideways with the rain coming down” and “I got a temper set for tender / and you were shrugging it off like a feather / saying, ‘oh, would you look at this weather’.”

Always The Bridesmaid: A Singles Series provides fodder as we stoke our patience until March, but should not be dismissed or overlooked due to its size. Collectively these tunes will play an important part in your iTunes library, and of any fan’s Decemberist collection along with the likes of Culling Of The Fold, The Perfect Crime, and O Valencia!

Rating:

*Tracklisting for The Hazards of Love and Always The Bridesmaid after the jump!