Oh, just a little ditty from a band about which I recently heard someone say, "They were almost as big as The Beatles back in the '60s..." Apparently, this American trio took the UK by storm, and (if the internet speaks truth) at one time their fan club was bigger than that of the Fab Four. Their counterattack to the British Invasion makes for quite the tale of intrigue... hit up Wikipedia if you're looking for more details. The song has that classic feel, and if you're dealing with a breakup or just wishing you had someone special, this one's definitely for you.
"Loneliness is the cloak you wear a deep shade of blue is always there the sun ain't gonna shine any more..."
Tonight is one of those rare nights when I post a cover. Generally, while I do believe some covers are worthwhile, I try to go with the original version (or at least post both). But in this case, odds are you're familiar with the original, and the cover just has that ethereal quality which merits attention.
Interesting to note that this song may have the most comments of any song I've ever viewed on songmeanings.net. Also that the band had to fight pretty hard to get past this one track from their first album, and Thom Yorke apparently pretty much hates the song now.
Carrie Manolakos cut her teeth on Broadway, and now she has released an album of original tunes. If this performance is any indication, she's got the pipes to make for some quality songs.
Here's an excerpt from an article that has been making the rounds on the social media sites:
"This Cover of Radiohead's "Creep" Will Make Your Ears Orgasm. If you're in a hurry, skip to 2:25 for the crescendo, but you should really listen to the whole thing. It's upsettingly good."
~ Neetzan Zimmerman, Gawker
Seriously, listen to the whole thing; the emotion conveyed in the quieter parts of the song is just as good as the payoff. The high note, the harmony, the control through it all... just wow. And the instruments are spot on, as well.
And here's the original, just so the Radiohead fans don't lambaste me:
So this one is somewhat tongue-in-cheek (I mean, late '90s pop, amirite?) But despite the cheesiness of the song, it still has one of my favorite lyrics of all time, and on Fat Tuesday, I thought it was appropriate.
Ponder, if you would, the depth of this statement in light of today's first world societies and the shallowness of the religious "sacrifices" made during the upcoming season:
I'm actually fairly surprised I didn't post any Kate Nash last year. But wrongs were made to be righted, or so they say... or maybe I just made that up. Anyway, here's a ludicrously catchy Brit-piano-pop tune about that crush that you just can't work up the nerve to tell how you feel...
(be forewarned, whilst Nash is quite good at the pop genre, with both fun and mellow tunes, love songs and breakup songs, she also peppers her lyrics with words that some might find unladylike, or just plain crude. But she's so darn cute about it!)
"I conducted a plan to bump into you most accidentally
but I was walking along and I bumped into you much more heavily
This one may require your thinking cap; the lyrics are weighty. Or, you can just enjoy the somber melody over arpeggiated guitar and piano - it's quite lovely musically.
Katie Melua was born in Soviet Georgia, lived through the collapse of the Soviet Union, and immigrated to the UK at a young age in the aftermath of the Georgian Civil War in 1993. Can't say as my childhood was quite that interesting, although we did move from Pennsylvania to Virginia when I was 6. Like I said, not quite the same as experiencing a communist government and a civil war by 9 years old...
Melua has gone on to be one of the most popular recording artists in Europe, and songs like this show you why. The subject matter is controversial, and at first listen you may find yourself questioning the message of the first verse, but Melua brings it together if you continue listening. Hate begets more hate, as has been evidenced in countless situations throughout history. It takes someone rising above the hatred to bring about a change in attitude, for love also begets love.
Racism is pretty clear-cut in most cases, but in today's world there are a lot of gray areas on other moral, political, and personal issues - or at least there are a lot of things we convince ourselves are gray areas. I don't want to get political, but I'm sure you know what I mean.
The ultimate message of the song is hopeful - yes, sometimes the difference between right and wrong is a hair, and sometimes it's difficult to know what is the correct path, but if we each seek to do right by each other, we can do our part to make the world a better place. In so doing, we can better enjoy the "million colours" - both the literal, visual ones and the beauty of music.
"The piano keys are black and white
but they sound like a million colours in your mind..."
It's unlikely that tonight's post will be groundbreaking to you; most people have at least heard of Coldplay by now. But their latest radio hit caught my ear today, so there you go. I still feel like Parachutes and A Rush Of Blood To The Head are my fave albums by these guys, but they're consistently solid.
This track deals with the loss of youthful innocence and idealism; the realization as we move into our adult years that we're not all going to be pro athletes, astronauts, princesses, models, rock stars, the president, or whatever else we dreamed of in our youth. Most of us end up shifting our paradigm and creating new dreams for which to strive. Most of us endure hard times, but often we emerge stronger and discover a life that is better than the one we'd been imagining. The truth is, life is what you make of it, and paradise is enjoying your life for what it is, not some far-off mystical perfection.
Live at Austin City Limits:
And here's an... interesting... music video. I think you'll be able to see the correlation between the protagonist's plight and journey and the song's meaning. Also, elephants on unicycles are arguably as awesome as hiphopopotamuses and rhymenoceroses. Although I could do without the holding up of cardboard signs with song lyrics - that part is like some bad truck commercial.
Quickie tonight. This one may not be for everyone, but as always, I urge you to give new things a shot, because it's good for you. Although technically this song isn't brand-spanking new, but rather a few years old...
The Brit-pop duo cranked out a catchy tune, a little on the repetitive side, but in a fun way. And the video is... interesting. How do you make a cheap yet somehow awesome vid for a song? Two parts white people, one part deliberately terrible choreography, one part your cousin's videography skills:
Brit rockers The Kooks are fairly new to me, but this tune caught my ear on the radio recently and it's a toe-tapper. It seems their style has spanned several genres, but this one is straight up pop rock sweetness:
It's the Fifth of November, and if you're like me, you may watch V for Vendetta tonight. Mostly because Natalie Portman looks good even with a shaved head, but also because of Occupy Wall Street - standing up to The Man, fighting against... wait, what are we fighting against? Hopefully something bad...
The movie is about a totalitarian government in the UK in a futuristic dystopian society, and a vigilante who fights against the evils of said government, wearing a Guy Fawkes mask symbolically in reference to Fawkes' efforts to overthrow the British government centuries ago. There could be a lot of debate about the meaning of the film and the motives of the characters, as well as the justness of their causes. It's interesting to note the religious side of the original Gunpowder Treason - Fawkes was part of a group of Catholics trying to overthrow a Protestant government and restore Catholicism's power backed by the British crown. So depending on whether you consider Protestants to be tantamount to Totalitarians...
Of further interest is the use of the end of Russian composer Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture at the climax of the film. The score has become popular in America and is often used in a patriotic sense here, and it's somewhat implicit in the movie that V is using it to stand for freedom and patriotism as well. However, despite what most Americans likely think, the music was not composed to celebrate American victory over Britain in The War of 1812 (hmm, more irony that a British freedom fighter would use it, if that were true). Believe it or not, there was more than one war going on in that year, and Tchaikovsky was actually telling the story of the failed attack by Napoleon's army on Moscow, and celebrating the defense of the Russian city. Hence the elements of the French national anthem and "God Save the Tsar" within the music.
Bottom line, it's a fine piece of classical music, and the final few minutes - complete with cannon fire which is called out in the score - are spectacular. To quote the great Calvin: "And they perform this in crowded concert halls??"
I'd love to debate the historical, political, and religious ramifications of all this information with you some time, but for now, just enjoy the music, and remember to stand for what you believe in.
And here's the last two minutes, for those of you who aren't patient enough for the whole thing:
Continuing the recent trend of quickie posts inspired by having XM radio and/or being within range of some good stations in the Seattle/Vancouver areas, here's another track I heard during my travels this weekend.
Florence scares me a little, and I'm not sure what to make of The Machine, but this song is gripping. The minor chord progression and lyrics will haunt you, but not in a bad way.
"Lay me down let the only sound be the overflow..."
So I made it 9 months without missing a daily post (although a few came an hour or two past midnight EST.) But due to a combination of travel, a late night at the Penguins-Canucks game in Vancouver, and a crappy computer that wouldn't connect, I didn't get to post yesterday. So here's yesterday's song, retroactively.
Heard it on 100.5 The Peak, Vancouver's awesome radio station, whilst driving up from Seattle. One of a plethora of great songs they played, many of which will likely show up here in the coming days. This trip is in some ways a mirror of the trip which originally inspired me to start this blog, and this station played a role in that.
This track is from a British songstress and is a bit on the dance/techno side, but it's enjoyable and has some interesting lyrics...
If you haven't heard Adele sing yet, get on it. If you have and don't like it... you have different musical taste than I. I refuse to criticize people's musical taste, having had a few bad experiences on one side or the other of that in the past and having come to realize that there's something for everyone - different strokes for different folks, if you will. But I definitely would encourage you to give her a shot, or another shot.
As great as her more upbeat, poppy tracks that are all over the radio may be, her ballads are what really hit the spot for me. The soulful vocals ensnare you, and the heart-on-sleeve lyrics will either bring to mind personal experience or cause you to empathize with a girl who thought she had found the one, only to discover that he thought differently. The key to the song is that while she still has feelings for the man who moved on, she's come to realize that even though it didn't work out with him, there's someone out there who will be what she thought she had with this chap.
You know by now that I'm a sucker for the piano songs, so that's just one more thing I like about this:
And here's a live performance (with a little exposition):
"Sometimes it lasts in love, but sometimes it hurts instead..."
Just a gorgeous little tune for you tonight. Through eloquent lyrics, the singer elucidates the human condition and the struggles we each face in life. He resolves to persevere through whatever trials life throws at him, and looks to brighter times ahead with hopeful eyes. The melody and instrumentation are simple, which fits the theme. And despite the mellow nature of the song, the boys manage to build the intensity by adding harmonies and through sheer force of will, drawing you in and lifting you up along the way.
Live at Bonnaroo:
" 'Cause death is just so full, and man so small..."
Found this one thanks to the good people at Tympanogram. The ethereal feel of the song is crafted from a dirty little piano hook slathered over a sparse drum loop, and the mournful vocals float above like the morning fog over the Allegheny River... or perhaps I should say the Charles, seeing as Leisure hail from Boston.
The lyrics paint a picture of entropic developments, perhaps the waning of a fiery relationship.
EDIT 1-3-12: Check out this awesome stripped-down (can't say "acoustic" because the guitar is still wired, but it's sans electronic effects) performance!
"And when the rain comes down and hits us
We'll be dying just to live..."
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Oh hey so check Leisure's Bandcamp page for 2 free songs! (not this one, but hey, still freebies and if you like this track you might like those ones too.) Also of note, apparently they played in London tonight and play in NYC tomorrow... not messing around with those travel plans...
(art by Pieter Lastman, Dutch painter and a mentor of Rembrandt)
This song is catchy and overtly meaningful, but it also has layers of depth that may not be evident at first listen. I recommend giving it a few plays and pulling up the lyrics on songmeanings.net to really let it sink in. The harmonies are sweet, and the bridge builds with emotion to back the weight of the lyrics.
It sounds like a failed relationship may have partially inspired the song, but it's also talking about love for one's fellow man, not just romantic love between two people. The primary message is that fulfillment in our short time on this earth is found not in selfish pursuits, but in giving of yourself to others.
Pretty fun bonus acoustic video for ya; if you're a drummer you'll appreciate the makeshift "kick drum":
While we're on the subject of vigor and spirit or enthusiasm in tubes, here's another oneder for you (don't know what a Oneder is? We'll get to that one of these days...) The Verve hit it big with this one in 1997, and never really matched that peak again. But, as a wise man once said, "it's better to go down in a blaze of glory than to rot in a state penitentiary!"
I love the soaring strings in this one, and the way they set the tone of the song - hopeful, despite the sobering aspects of the lyrics.
The song's about, you guessed it, life in general. Most of us spend most of our lives trying to "make ends meet" and being "slave(s) to money"... not exactly a spectacular fate. Many people in the world don't even have it that good... and yet, pretty much everyone experiences the sweetness of life along with the bitter...
"Well I've never prayed, but tonight I'm on my knees..."
So tonight I finally watched (500) Days Of Summer. It's a pretty good film, especially if you're into soundtracks (which I am, of course, being a guy who blogs about music...) It's not just a romantic comedy; it has something to say about our culture, the idea of "love", and how we often allow reality to be shaded by our desires - sometimes to our own detriment.
This song is what brings the boy and the girl together in the early going, and it's got some pretty great lyrics. It blends romantic feelings with morbid humor, and, well... just check out the song (and the movie, if you haven't already.)
"to die by your side is such a heavenly way to die "
You know how a lot of times an athlete will have a great rookie season, but struggles the next year? You know how sometimes an artist or band puts all their best material on their debut release, and then their second album is kinda 'meh'? I promise you that Mumford & Sons will not be one of those who have a sophomore slump. They've been playing a few new songs in concert lately, and they're just as powerful as the songs from "Sigh No More". The melodies, harmonies, and instrumentation are a beautiful backdrop for heavy-hitting lyrics.
As I mentioned, I watched M&S and Arcade Fire's Bonnaroo performances last night. I've yet to see either band in person, but I'm looking forward to an opportunity to do so - both bands bring it when they're on stage. This is one of the new ones M&S are playing, and it's just swell:
"I know I tried, I was not stable Flawed by pride, I miss my sanguine eyes So hold my hands up...breathe in, breathe out..."
