First Class Post. December 6, 2009
Posted by admin in : Songs , 2commentsI’m not a big electronic music fan – never have been, never will be. There’s nothing I’d like less than to spend an evening out listening to methodical, repetitive beats. I got Four Tet’s “Rounds” several years ago, after hearing it was one of the most ground-breaking albums of the year. It turned out to be clapping. And beeping. And more clapping. And more beeping. And, personally speaking, a pile of shite (as we say in Ireland).
But a few years ago, I happened across a minute of a strange video on a music programme, and heard a vaguely familiar voice with a synthesized underlay. As I tend to do, I memorised a few lines of the tune, and went a-searching on the Inter-Webz.
And that’s where I came across, and fell in love with, “The District Sleeps Alone Tonight”, by the Postal Service.
The familiar voice was that of Ben Gibbard, he of Death Cab for Cutie (whom I am partial to). With producer Jimmy Tamborello, Gibbard created the album which made me realise that not all electronic music is Bad.
And who couldn’t not love a band who’s
name was chosen due to the way in which it produced its songs. Tamborello wrote and performed instrumental tracks and then sent the DATs to Gibbard, who edited the song as he saw fit (adding his vocals along the way), sending them back to Tamborello via the United States Postal Service.
And of course, I should also mention my girlfriend here. Our music tastes are…not overally compatible. There are a couple of songs where we agree (music from the 60’s, some 80’s, and about 1% of the music featured on this website). But apart from that, we often tend to leave the room when the other puts on music.
However, like every couple in history, as far back as Anthony and Cleopatra (I’m pretty certain…), when we started going out, we swapped mix CD’s of music – and while there was some general grudging agreement that some of the songs featured on each weren’t THAT bad, we were both surprised to find a single song featuring on both mixes. A single song that affected us both deeply. Guess what that song was?
Smeared black ink… your palms are sweaty
And I’m barely listening to last demands
I’m staring at the asphalt wondering what’s buried underneath
Where I am
Where I amI’ll wear my badge… a vinyl sticker with big block letters adherent to my chest
That tells your new friends I am a visitor here…
I am not permanent
And the only thing keeping me dry is
Where I am
Where I am
Where I amYou seem so out of context in this gaudy apartment complex
A stranger with your door key explaining that I am just visiting
And I am finally seeing
Why I was the one worth leaving
Why I was the one worth leavingD.C. sleeps alone tonight
Where I am
Where I am
Where I amYou seem so so out of context in this gaudy apartment complex
A stranger with your door key explaining that I am just visiting
And I am finally seeing
Why I was the one worth leaving
Why I was the one worth leavingWhere I am
Where I am
Where I amThe district sleeps alone tonight after the bars turn out their lights
And send the autos swerving into the loneliest evening
And I am finally seeing
Why I was the one worth leaving
Why I was the one worth leaving
Why I was the one worth leaving
Why I was the one worth leaving
The Postal Service – The District Sleeps Alone Tonight
www: The Postal Service official site (last updated over 2 years ago…) and MySpace
When Under Ether – Alternative Mainsteam. December 6, 2009
Posted by admin in : Articles , 2commentsWhen I read an article about “When Under Ether”, a new Irish television programme dedicated to the best of underground and alternative music, I got exceptionally excited. Finally, a platform that would rival Last.fm and a multitide of music blogs in providing me with new artists I can passionately follow. Artists like Frightened Rabbit. Like William Fitzsimmons.
When Under Ether is a new video-based alternative music show. Broadcasting for 1 hour on Tuesday nights on RTE 2, it is hosted by former Nightshift presenter & Phantom 105.2 DJ Michelle Doherty and musician & former Nightshift producer Elton Mullally.
The show covers all aspects of the alternative music scene, with a keen eye on homegrown talent. It will feature a dynamic video play-list, band interviews, live performances, and a comprehensive guide to gigs nationwide.
But when I finally caught my first episode…uhm…Portishead, Depeche Mode, Florence & the Machine, Mogwai, Elbow, Bat For Lashes, Bjork. It seems that “When Under Ether”, like so many television programmes before it, errs on the side of mainstream alternative music – keeping the cool kids on-side, and keeping the ratings up. Over the next few weeks, expect Vampire Weekend and Fleet Foxes.
Maybe things will change. Maybe “When Under Ether” will break new ground, and new artists. But for now…what a lost opportunity. And what a pity.
www: When Under Ether official Facebook Page
Biffy Go Mainstream. And I Love It. November 6, 2009
Posted by admin in : Songs , 1 comment so farI’ve posted about Biffy Clyro before, where I brought you their quiet-loud-quiet-loud-quiet-loud shouty rock masterpiece, “Mountains”.
Finally, Biffy have decided to release the album containing said quiet-loud-quiet-loud-quiet-loud shouty rock masterpiece (from hereon know as QLQLQLSRM) (despite that QLQLQLSRM being released well over a year ago). And….well….Biffy, back in the day, released some very experimental stuff. However, as time (and each album release) passes, Biffy have gone more and more mainstream. More accessible. Less experimental. And do you know what? I love it.
“The Captain”, the first single release from Biffy’s new album “Only Revolutions”, is a little bit epic. Starting with 20 seconds of clapping, followed by what sounds like a big brass band introduction with heavy guitar accompaniment, obscure lyrics coming in at 40 seconds, followed by one of the most singalong moments I’ve heard in years, with the entire band chiming in for
Somebody help me sing
Woah-oh-oh-oh
Somebody help me sing
Woah-oh-oh-ohHelp me be captain of
Our crippled disguises
I won’t show what’s underneath
It’s time for surprises
I can’t climb up your ladder
I can’t ride your horse
I’ve swallowed half an hourglass
So now the landscape is swollen up
You’ll find your head nodding. You’ll find your foot tapping. You’ll find yourself singing
Woah-oh-oh-oh
And you’ll find yourself grinning like a maniac at the entire brass band at 2:44.
The whole new album is quite like this. What “Mountains” pointed to, “Only Revolutions” fulfills. There are a couple of moments that hark back to experimental times, but in the main, Biffy have glossed it up, embraced the big choruses, and done a “Final Straw” on it.
Whether it gains them new fans, or loses them old ones, remains to be seen. But I, for one, am hanging around. Mon the Biffy, indeed.
Angels fall to the floor
Like they would if I was captain
“Silver children,” She roared
“I’m not the son of God”
Somebody help me sing
Can anybody hear me?
Liars and lovers combine tonight
We’re gonna make a sceneSomebody help me sing
Woah-oh-oh-oh
Somebody help me sing
Woah-oh-oh-ohHelp me be captain of
Our crippled disguises
I won’t show what’s underneath
It’s time for surprises
I can’t climb up your ladder
I can’t ride your horse
I’ve swallowed half an hourglass
So now the landscape is swollen upI gave birth to a fire
It’s like it’s features where burning
I’m in control
I am the son of God
Somebody help me sing
Can anybody hear me?
Line up your soldiers one final time
We’re gonna have a ballSomebody help me sing
Woah-oh
Somebody help me sing
Woah-ohHelp me be captain of
Our crippled disguises
I won’t show what’s underneath
It’s time for surprises
I can’t climb up your ladder
I can’t ride your horse
I’ve swallowed half an hourglass
So now the landscape is swollen upLet’s lock death away
Let’s lock death away
Let’s lock death away
Let’s lock death away
Let’s lock death away
Let’s lock death away
Let’s lock death away
Let’s lock death away
www: Biffy Clyro official site and MySpace
A Friendship On The Edge. October 10, 2009
Posted by admin in : Songs , 3commentsFinbarr is a friend of mine, and has been for a number of years. However, lately, that friendship has teetered close to the edge, thanks to a single act by Finbarr. A near-unforgivable act.
Finbarr know about, and knew this, band, and hadn’t told me about them.
I am not lefthanded are named after a quote from “The Princess Bride”, and are, in fact, not left-handed. I actually am, but that’s a story for another day.
And they’re good. In fact, they’re fantastic. In fact, upon hearing two of their songs, I signed back into my iTunes account (I detest iTunes, and Apple, but that’s a story for another day as well), updated my credit card details, and bought their EP. All within 10 minutes of hearing the first chords of a single song. Yes, they have that type of effect. These guys are just stunning.
In their own words:
We don’t play pop music, we don’t write music for art’s sake, we don’t represent any movements, we’re not hip, we’re not cutting edge, we don’t dress to be cool. We do manage ourselves, we write our own songs, we do our own recordings, we shoot our own videos, we design our own covers, we made our own website. We’re not generally negative people – oh yes, and we’re not lefthanded.
We like our name because it doesn’t say anything about who we are or what we do, we like to give our music a chance to do that. That said, we would liken ourselves (if we have to) to a darker Rilo Kiley, a rockier Death Cab for Cutie, a girlier We Are Scientists, a wordier Jimmy Eat World. Other people have likened us to Mazzy Starr, The Cardigans, The Postal Service, 10,000 Maniacs, jj72 – so if you shake all that up you might get some kind of idea.
We like to sing (except Benji who will only sing on his own, in a car). We like to get loud when we can (Tubescreamers are good!). We only play music that makes us feel something, in our gut. We like music that’s honest. We’re mostly Irish, partly Cornish (not corny!). We live in London. We really like playing music, everywhere we can.
In my own words: wow. Just, wow. For your listening pleasure, I give you “Long Goodbyes” – 4 of the most affecting minutes I’ve experienced. Starting with a repetitive, haunting guitar melody, followed by the entry of the wonderful voice of Kathryn Williams at 31 seconds, which expands over the next minute, building to a crescendo of drums and voices from then onwards – and if you don’t get a shiver down your spine at 2.02, you obviously have no appreciation for music. And as for the lyrics…well, if
Where long grass grows
Is where I’ll let go
Doesn’t break your heart, you’ve never loved.
Go buy their EP, the exquisitely named “Yes Means No: 6 & 1/6th songs that don’t always give a straight answer” right now. Go. Now. The links are at the bottom of the post.
My feet trip on your dances,
Of all the great romances, I wish
You’d passed me byI check your eyes for any sign they’ve misted,
My stomach’s cold and twisted as the stony skies
I hate long goodbyesLong grass will hide
My last reply
Where long grass grows
Is where I’ll let goCause I might forget
The meanings and the mistakes
And I might regret
Cause the devil’s in your details
But I can’t accept
That you might want it this way
So I’ll go, confess,
Tell it to the north-east windLong grass will hide
My last reply
I’ll bury deep
The thoughts I keepThis city’s found
On solid ground
Where long grass grows
Is where I’ll let go
And the wonderfully monikered “boatsbutnottheocean” – a little less epic, a little more intimate. An insistent guitar melody, with some beautiful duetting from 1:02 onwards. If ever a song could define yearning, this would be it. Yearning, tempered with the acceptance of another person’s needs that comes with love.
Have you bought the EP yet?
Make a wish on distant stars
For a faster, redder car
And wait, see if it comes trueFor a house on distant streets
Dream of nights in softer sheets
This beach, will waitSo I know you’re tired,
So leave it to the tide
I’m on your side,
When weather’s right,
Come sailing homeLet the dark subside,
Just leave it to one side,
I’m on your side,
When weather’s right,
Come sailing home againWalk the land and see the shore,
Think of less, and want for more,
And wait, to keep the gray from blueIn a house on distant streets,
Someone dreams a distant beach,
And waits, they waitSo I know you’re tired
So leave it to the tide
I’m on your side,
When weather’s right,
Come sailing homeLet the dark subside,
Just leave it to one side,
I’m on your side,
When weather’s right,
You’ll see it swept away,
You’ll see it swept away
Finbarr, because this band is so utterly amazing, I forgive you. Just don’t it again.
I am not lefthanded – Long Goodbyes
I am not lefthanded – boatsbutnottheocean
www: I am not lefthanded official site, MySpace, and BUY THE ALBUM ON iTUNES OR FROM LETTERBOXRECORDS.COM NOW!
Wanderlust Personified. October 5, 2009
Posted by admin in : Songs , 2commentsA little something about me – I love to travel. Not just the end destination, but the actual act of journeying. 8 hours on an overnight train in Russia; a 27 hour (and 7 train) trek from the Czech Republic to Spain – give me a train, a plane and/or an automobile, and I’m content. While the wanderlust has reduced in the couple of years, I am lucky enough to have a girlfriend willing to put with me wandering off to places like Russia and South America every so often.
And so, to all my fellow travelers, let our anthem’s author be Frank Turner.
Our Frank is
an English folk singer-songwriter, and former vocalist of post-hardcore band Million Dead.
Folk and post-hardcore. As you do. I wonder what post-folk would sound like?
Anyhow, I came across “The Road” (from the album “Poetry of the Deed”) on some obscure music channel while flicking around one evening (okay, fine, it was probably in the wee hours…), and was suitably enraptured at the insistent time signature, the foot-tapping guitar line, and the imagination-capturing lyrics. Sounding like an acoustic version of the Levellers, listen out for Frank’s slipping into a distinctly hardcore approach between 2:21 and 2:59…and the next time you decide to go traveling, why not play “The Road” as loud as possible, despite the stares?
To the east to the east
The road beneath my feet
To the west to the west
I haven’t got there yet
And to the north to the north
Never to be caught
To the south to the south
My time is running outEver since my childhood I’ve been scared I’ve been afraid
Of being trapped by circumstance and staying in one place
So I always keep a small bag full of clothes carefully stored
Somewhere secret somewhere safe
And somewhere close to the doorWell I’ve traveled many countries I’ve washed my feet in many seas
I’ve drunk with drifters in Vienna and with punks in old DC
And I’ve driven across deserts driven by the irony
That only being shackled to the the road could ever I be freeTo the east to the east
The road beneath my feet
To the west to the west
I haven’t got there yet
And to the north to the north
Never to be caught
To the south to the south
My time is running outI’ve felt old before my time but now I keep the age away
By burning up the miles and yeah by filling up my days
And the nights a thousand nights I’ve played
And a thousand more to go
Before I take a breath and steal myself
For the next one thousand showsTo the east to the east
The road beneath my feet
To the west to the west
I haven’t got there yet
And to the north to the north
Never to be caught
To the south to the south
My time is running outYes so saddle up your horses now and keep your powder dry
Cause the truth is you won’t be here long
Yeah soon your going to die
To the heart, to the heart there’s no time for you to waste
You wont find your precious answers now by staying in one place
Yeah by giving up the chaseTo the east to the east
The road beneath my feet
To the west to the west
I haven’t got there yet
And to the north to the north
Never to be caught
To the south to the south
My time is running out
To the south to the south
My time is running out
To the south to the south
My time is running outI face the horizon everywhere I go
I face the horizon the horizon is my home
I face the horizon everywhere I go
I face the horizon the horizon is my home
www: Frank’s official site and MySpace
Back From The Hack, With A Damnwell Great Deal. September 27, 2009
Posted by admin in : Songs , 6commentsSo, the short version – I was hacked. But thanks to some great work from my hosting company HostGator, I’m back.
And back with a vengance. I have to thank my bestest music buddy in the whole wide world, Andrea, and her provision of a few of her recommended tunes. As I browsed through these, one of them suddenly jumped out at me – “Dandelion”, by the Damnwells.
My initial reaction was, “Hmmmm, this is very Ryan Adams….Well, no, this is very Ryan Adams pre-Ryan Adams, when he was with a fantastic alt-country group called Whiskeytown”. Yes, yes I do actually think in sentences like that. Sad, isn’t it?
Anyway, I digress. Doing some research on the Damnwells (well, reading their Wikipedia entry), I gave myself a congratulatory pat on the back when I read:
and Steven Terry (ex-Whiskeytown) on drums.
Although said entry does insist they’re an “indie rock band”, they’re not really. They are, however, one of the few bands who “get” the way music is going in this day and age. From their website:
As of February 10, 2009, we will be offering the new Damnwells record, One Last Century, for free download from the website. Click Here (opens in new window) to download the record for free.
A few words regarding this free record.
I suppose the hardest thing to explain to people is why I’m giving this record away. “You’re just going to give it away?” seems antithetical to the human brain. “Is this just a bunch of b-sides or something? Some ‘give away’ material you don’t mind releasing into the ether?” No. Quite the contrary. I have never worked so hard or put so much of myself into a collection of recorded songs. It is for just this reason that I want to give it away. To me it makes perfect sense. I just want people to hear this music, and I don’t want them to have to enter into some kind of contractual agreement with a third party to do so. Download the record, copy it and give it to your friends, lovers, and enemies. Whatever. It’s so hard these days just to get the actual music into people’s houses and cars, let alone their ears. Besides, I know everyone’s broke, maybe I can supply the soundtrack. So, I just want to give this music away because I want people to hear it. I should have done this years ago. I’m starting over.
So, I give you a wonderful little ditty called Dandelion, all alt-country happiness and bouncy plucked guitars…I dare you not to tap your feet to this one…
Hey little stick around girl
I wanna know why
Why do you turn me outside?
Can’t you just turn around?
My money is on the heartbreak
My hands are on the wheel
Hey little kiss a while girl
Didn’t I see you cry?Hey honey Saturday high
Even though it’s Monday night
I see you runnin’ ‘way girl
Runnin’ since your 16
My eyes are on the last page
Money’s come and gone
Hey honey what I want is
Whatever you gonna give
Whatever you gonna give
To meI don’t wanna be a maybe
Baby let me drive you crazy
Wanna be your dandelion
Don’t you go and leave me stranded
I’m empty on my second hand and
So if you give me little time
I wanna be your dandelionHey little lonely smile girl
Singin’ behind your eyes
Destination’s never known but I’m always there on time
Money’s on the heartbreak
My hands are on the wheel
Hey honey what I want is
Whatever you gonna give
Whatever you gonna give
To meI don’t wanna be a maybe
Baby let me drive you crazy
Wanna be your dandelion
Don’t you go and leave me stranded
I’m empty on my second hand and
So if you give me little time
I wanna be your dandelionI don’t wanna be a maybe
Baby let me drive you crazy
Wanna be your dandelion
Don’t you go and leave me stranded
I’m empty on my second hand and
So if you give me little time
I wanna be your dandelion
So, get yourself to the Damnwells website, get yourself a copy of their new album “One Last Century” for free, and enjoy every second of it.
www: The Damnwells official site
Hello? Is There Anybody Out There? August 9, 2009
Posted by admin in : Songs , 5commentsHello? Hello? Helllllllllllllllllllllllloooooooooooooo?
Is there anybody out there?
If not, I wouldn’t blame you…After over a month, I’m finally back – but you might not be.
Apologies – life, as ever, got in the way. All good, but time-consuming.
As ever, with my apologies, comes my peace offering. And it’s a doozy.
Rosi Golan is an Israeli-born, well-traveled young lady. And to be honest, that’s about all I could find out from her biography on her website. But with a voice like this, we can forgive her. Essentially the female William Fitzsimmons – without the beard.
I give you two peace offerings, from her album “The Drifter and the Gypsy”. Firstly, the inviting “Come Around” – lush piano, a haunting voice reminiscent of Regina Spector, the introduction of drums et al at 1:15, and the most perfect line, “You feel like breathing”.
So high tonight and I don’t feel like coming down
I could lie to you all my days but you’re the one
You’re the oneAnd I’m a fool for waiting so long to let you know
Come around
Come around
Come around
Come around to me
There’s something in between you and I
Come around
Come around to me
If you feel like breathing come around
Come around
Come around
Come around to meLike sunlight won’t you come and lay a ray down
You’re the one
I could run
I could run for the life of me but where would that get me
Where would that leadAnd I’m a fool for waiting so long
Please come around
Come around
Come around
Come around to me
There’s something in between you and I
Come around
Come around to me
Oh
You feel like breathing
Come around
Come around
Come around
Come around to meCan’t you see you’re my life line
Ah
Ah
Ah
Ah
AhCome around
Come around
Come around
Come around to meCome around
Come around
Come around
Come around to meCome around
Come around
Come around
Come around to me
There’s something in between you and I
Come around
Come around to me
Oh
You feel like breathing
Come around
Come around
Come around
Come around to meCome around
Come around
Come around
Come around to meCome around
Come around
Come around
Come around to meCome around
Come around
Come around
Come around to meCome around to me
And following that, the aforementioned William joins Rosi for the absolutely gorgeous “Hazy” – two lovers sing the same lines to each other in turn, joining together for a repetition of the chorus, joined with a simple guitar strum and single piano notes. Proof positive that simple is powerful.
I watched you sleeping quietly in my bed
You don’t know this now but there’s some things that need to be said
And it’s all that I can hear
It’s more than I can bareWhat if I fall and hurt myself?
Would you know how to fix me
What if I went and lost myself?
Would you know where to find me
If I forgot who I am,
would you please remind me oh?
Cause without you things go hazyI watched you sleeping quietly in my bed
You don’t know this now but there’s some things that need to be said
And it’s all that I can hear
It’s more than I can bareWhat if I fall and hurt myself?
Would you know how to fix me?
What if I went and lost myself?
Would you know where to find me?
If I forgot who I am, would you please remind me oh?
Cause without you things go hazyWhat if I fall and hurt myself?
Would you know how to fix me?
What if I went and lost myself?
Would you know where to find me?
If I forgot who I am, would you please remind me oh?
Cause without you things go hazy
So – am I forgiven?
Rosi Golan with William Fitzsimmons – Hazy
www: Rosi Golan official site and MySpace
Finally. Finally. FINALLY! June 19, 2009
Posted by admin in : Songs , 5commentsFinally.
I give you one of the most haunting, spine-chilling, affecting songs of 2009. Even of the 2000’s. Florence and the Machine’s “Cosmic Love”, currently finding an audience through being featured on an O2 ad. As soon as I heard this for the first time many weeks ago, I spent hours trying to track down the song, to no avail. But now – finally.
With the voice of Kate Bush. Of Bjork. With the ability to paint soundscapes of Tom Waits. Of Nick Cave. With music that features harps, choirs, drums, string quartets, sighing, electronic wailing.
Soaring. Epic. Heart-breaking.
Even simply reading the lyrics will give you chills.
It’s time to lose yourself. This will affect you deeply.
A falling star fell from your heart and landed in my eyes
I screamed aloud, as it tore through them, and now it’s left me blindThe stars, the moon, they have all been blown out
You left me in the dark
No dawn, no day, I’m always in this twilight
In the shadow of your heartAnd in the dark, I can hear your heartbeat
I tried to find the sound
But then it stopped, and I was in the darkness,
So darkness I becameThe stars, the moon, they have all been blown out
You left me in the dark
No dawn, no day, I’m always in this twilight
In the shadow of your heartI took the stars from our eyes, and then I made a map
And knew that somehow I could find my way back
Then I heard your heart beating, you were in the darkness too
So I stayed in the darkness with youThe stars, the moon, they have all been blown out
You left me in the dark
No dawn, no day, I’m always in this twilight
In the shadow of your heartThe stars, the moon, they have all been blown out
You left me in the dark
No dawn, no day, I’m always in this twilight
In the shadow of your heart
Florence and the Machine – Cosmic Love
www: Florence and the Machine official site and MySpace
Drunk And Fucked Up. May 24, 2009
Posted by admin in : Songs , 5commentsA number of years ago, way back in the mists of time (well, the early 2000’s), I came crashing out of a relationship, and into a year in college, making friends and socialising. Naturally enough, my music tastes leaned, even for me, towards the more melancholy, and a mix CD I created at the time spent months on repeat. It’s name? “Drunk and Fucked Up”.
From D&FU (volume 1 – although I never did end up making a volume 2…), I give you two of my friends. Two people who got me through tough times. Two men who let me wallow until I healed. Now, I listen to these songs with a wonderful wistfulness.
Up first, the man who has been with me through a few break-ups, Tom McRae, with his cover of Alain Bashung’s “La Nuit Je Mens”. I’m currently searching for the proper English translation – expect an update soon. For now, I’ll let Tom take it…Piano, guitar, that voice, and a building swell…
On m’a vu dans le Vercors
Sauter à l’élastique
Voleur d’amphores
Au fond des criques
J’ai fait la cour à des murènes
J’ai fait l’amour
J’ai fait le mort
T’étais pas née
A la station balnéaire
Tu t’es pas fait prier
J’étais gant de crin, geyser
Pour un peu, je trempais
Histoire d’eauLa nuit je mens
Je prends des trains
A travers la plaine
La nuit je mens
Je m’en lave les mains.
J’ai dans les bottes
Des montagnes de questions
Où subsiste encore ton écho
Où subsiste encore ton échoJ’ai fait la saison
Dans cette boite crânienne
Tes pensées, je les faisais miennes
T’accaparer, seulement t’accaparer
D’estrade en estrade
J’ai fait danser tant de malentendus
Des kilomètres de vie en rose
Un jour au cirque
Un autre a chercher a te plaire
Dresseur de loulous
Dynamiteur d’aqueducsLa nuit je mens
Je prends des trains
A travers la plaine
La nuit je mens
Effrontément
J’ai dans les bottes
Des montagnes de questions
Ou subsiste encore ton écho
Ou subsiste encore ton échoOn m’a vu dans le Vercors
Sauter à l’élastique
Voleur d’amphores
Au fond des criques
J’ai fait la cour à des murènes
J’ai fait l’amour
J’ai fait le mort
T’étais pas néeLa nuit je mens
Je prends des trains
A travers la plaine
La nuit je mens
Je m’en lave les mains
J’ai dans les bottes
Des montagnes de questions
Où subsiste encore ton écho
Où subsiste encore ton échoLa nuit je mens
Je prends des trains
A travers la plaine
La nuit je mens
Je m’en lave les mains
J’ai dans les bottes
Des montagnes de questions
Où subsiste encore ton écho
Où subsiste encore ton écho
And from Ryan Adams, I give you “The Bar is a Beautiful Place”. Ryan, a piano, and a piece of music that will raise the hairs on the back of your neck. Given Ryan’s own history of heavy alcohol intake, this song takes on even more resonance.
I hang my head down on Hollywood
‘Cause either way you look down it’s just stars
And I’m making my way down the Cherokee
To get drunk in a bar
And I know my friends, they worry about me
I can see it written on their face
Despite anything that I said before
The bar is a beautiful place. . . . sha na na na, sha la la la laI got a cold in my heart that the doctor can’t feel
He said “go get you a beer”
But they don’t let the sunshine come in here
Sha la, sha la la laWhere the hookers and thieves and the junkies play
It’s a circus round here for sure
And I worry about how I’m fitting in
If I only had her
And I know my friends they worry about me
I can see it written on their face
But despite anything I might have said before,
The bar is a beautiful place. . . . sha na na na, sha la la la laAin’t it strange, I see your face in the window of a store
Holding me back from throwing my bottles out at the cars
Sha la, sha la la laSo hey there, Mrs. Samuels
Hey Laura, I’m thinking of you
Would you take an old drunk as-is
If he was sweet to you
And tomorrow, you’ll probably give up on me
I won’t blame you, hell I’ll celebrate
‘Cause despite anything you may have said to me
The bar is a beautiful place. . . . sha na na na, sha la la
Ryan Adams – The Bar Is A Beautiful Place To Be
www: Tom McRae , Ryan Adams
What A Wicked Game To Play. Oh, Hang On. May 24, 2009
Posted by admin in : Songs , 1 comment so farBefore reading any further, go listen to the song below without looking at the picture. Or reading the text. Or looking at the name of the artist when clicking on the “Play” button.
Okay, I know. That’s probably bloody hard to do. But you’re missing my point here. As you listen to this song, you’ll think, “That’s kind of familiar”. And then, 1 minute and and 20 seconds in, you’ll go, “Ah! Wicked Game! Hang on, is he still around?”
Yes folks, Chris Isaak is not only still around, but has recently released “Mr. Lucky”. Now, having never listened to a Chris Isaak album before, for some reason, this album struck me as exactly how a Chris Isaak album would sound like, in my head. Which, at the best of times, is a weird, weird place to be.
So, from “Mr. Lucky”, I give you “We Let Her Down”. A song about a woman who…oh, you know what’s going to happen.
Is it a good song? Well, I guarantee you’ll tap your foot, you’ll hum along, and you’ll try to sing the high parts. And by the end of it, you’ll have completely forgotten it. Until it comes back into your head in an hour, and you won’t remember who sings it, or where you heard it. But you’ll be humming it.
Chris who? “Wicked Game” was a great song, though.
Her mother, her father
Never showed her any affection at all
I wonder if it hurts her now
Now that it’s too late they callWe let her down
It’s true
We let her down
It’s trueI told her I’d be there
It’s easy to say what you want to believe
I told her I’d love her
And now that it’s too late I seeI let her down
It’s true
I let her down
Let her down
Let her down
We let her down
Let her downSo helpless, pretending
Hoping that somehow somebody would see
So desperate for someone
I guess that she thought that someone was meI let her down
It’s true
I Let her down
I let her downLook at her, look through her eyes
Close to the hurt and the pain
I hope now she’s somewhere
Where they’ll never hurt her again
www: Chris Isaak
