This Week On The Philebrity Player: Plague Songs
End times, baby ‚Äî we’re livin’ in ‘em. How else to explain the evidence of hell freezing over and monkeys flying out of your ass everywhere you look? A new Jay-Z album. A Democratic sweep. And the weather, Jesus, what is up with the weather? Biblical scholars will tell you that as it was in the beginning, so too shall it be in the end, just like Led Zep would tell you what is and what shall never be. Or something like that. Do, be, do, be, do, be, do. The point is: The plagues could be upon us already, people! And over in jolly ol’ Englund earlier in the fall, an organization called Artangel staged a lil’ something called The Margate Exodus, in which the tiny seaside town of Margate ‚Äî yep, the whole town, pretty much ‚Äî acted in a public play of the book of Exodus. You know, just to be ready for next time. And this week’s record on The Philebrity Player, Plague Songs, was its soundtrack. The idea was fairly simple: To get different artists to each interpret a plague through song. And the lineup is intriguing: Scott Walker, Rufus Wainright, Brian Eno, Cody Chesnutt, Robert Wyatt, Stephin Merritt (Magnetic Fields), Laurie Anderson, Imogen Heap and more all interpret the plagues ‚Äî in order of Biblical sequence, of course. Originally released in the UK back in October, Plague Songs is just hitting U.S. shores now. Check it out, and tell the truth: What better way to ring in the holiday season with some good ol’ pestilence? No? Then maybe some frogs? Ah, phooey, there’s something here for everybody.
Click here to launch Plague Songs on The Philebrity Player now!
Related Links: BBC: The Margate Exodus [YouTube]
