Did everyone have a lovely Christmas? I know I did. I had so much fun with my family! And I've got lots of new, exciting music. :) I am now the proud owner of what I consider to be one of the best albums ever made...
...Parallelograms by Linda Perhacs! {I've posted about her before on this post.} I love her song "If You Were My Man" which only appears in demo form on the album. {Demo, my foot! Her demos sound better than most people's real songs! ;)}
Merry Christmas everyone!! I hope all have a blessed, and happy week!
I've been enjoying 'Heaven Came to Earth' by 2nd Chapter of Acts. The lyrics are a good reminder of why we really celebrate Christmas (Though it is not strictly a Christmas song).
Listen:
Heaven came to earth in a small package For a child was born, a gift to man Yes the living light came to the darkness Wore the harness of mankind
Laid His body down to be sin for us Gave His earthly crown so we could be kings Yes, He came to break the yoke of darkness That would harness all mankind
This morning star of love still shines (and shines) We buried Him within our sin but He rose again
Gave His heart away so we could find Him Changed our night to day so we'd live in light Tore the veil between the light and darkness Broke the harness for mankind
This morning star of love still shines (and shines) We buried Him within our sin but He rose again
Let our hearts rejoice in Christ our Savior Let us come before His throne with praise Let us pray for peace so we'll break the darkness Melt the hardness of mankind
[Oh, and we got over a foot of snow!! I am so amazed... =D]
They are calling for SNOW here!! Quite a bit of it too!!! (Where I live, it gets bitter cold, but snows very little. At most it flurries and sometimes we get a covering of snow on the ground in January.) So, I am very excited... but still a bit doubtful.
It's very fitting that I have been listening a lot lately to Amélie-les-crayons' song, 'Les jours de neige en ville' {'Snowy days in town'}. Amélie is very quirky, lyrically and personally speaking. But this lovely song is a little more serious. From what I gather, reading different sites, Amélie wrote this song after the tsunami in Indonesia, while in Lyon, France, everything was covered with snow. The contrast between horror and peacefulness was so astonishing that she wrote this song. Apparently the lyrics are about the contradiction between the rumble of an ordinary town and its quietness when it's covered with snow.
Well, I wanted to post another Christmas song. But the song's file won't cooperate (It's a long story). I shall try to coax it into submission later but until then I shall post something else.
Tonight I was washing dishes. I love washing dishes. There is something so therapeutic about the warm water and suds and... making dirty things clean. Tonight my mum called me her 'dish fairy'. :) I also love to sing while washing the dishes. And one of my favourite songs to sing while doing the dishes is a song called 'Calico Skies' by Paul McCartney. So, as I was washing the dishes tonight, I was inspired to do this post about 'Calico Skies'.
'Calico Skies' is a love song/60's protest song against war. But I think Paul mainly wrote this song for his wife, Linda. {Pictured above} For those who don't know Paul and Linda were married for 29 years until Linda died. They are my favourite famous couple ever, their story is really sweet in a world full of divorce. This song was on his album "Flaming Pie" which was released in 1997. One year before Linda died of breast cancer. For me that makes the last sentence in this song more poignant: "I'll love you... for the rest of my life."
Listen:
{Paul and Linda in '97}
Now here is my advice to all stressed people, go wash dishes -- it soothes the soul. :)
"It's okay that I pray that you will miss your flight and have to stay with me another night..."
December is my favourite month of the year! I love Christmas!! Even though Christmas never quite lives up to my childhood memories of it there is still something so wonderful about the whole month. Oddly enough, I don't really listen to much Christmas music voluntarily. Everyone seems to cover the same songs over and over again... which is a drag. So I have been listening to some non-traditional Christmas music. More specifically the song 'Christmas TV' by Slow Club! I love Slow Club's energy and harmonious camaraderie. They always make me want to sing along loudly. =D
{And I love Rebecca's hair which seems to frequently be in a coronet braid!!!}
Listen to Christmas TV:
Is anyone else enjoying this wonderful season as much as I am? :)
I've known the song 'Falling Slowly' by Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová for a couple months now. But it was only very recently that I realized how amazing it is! This song was first on the album they made together The Swell Season. (The Swell Season is now the artist name they record under.) I found out that 'Falling Slowly' was also in the film they both starred in, Once. So I began listening to the film's soundtrack which is incredible. Most of the soundtrack's songs are written by Glen and Markéta. (Separately and together) I haven't actually seen the movie, but I hope to someday...
Here's the song accompanied with clips from the movie:
I hope everyone is having a lovely weekend! :)
-EDIT- I thought it might be fun to have an artist of the month! It would just be whatever artist has particularly been tickling my fancy. It could be someone I've posted about before or not. This month's is going to be The Swell Season! (The box is located on the left, right under my explanation. I'm sure you've already seen it. :P)
"I'll keep you company in one glorious harmony, waltzing with destiny forever."
I remembered today how much I love Hayley Westenra's first {internationally released} album, 'Pure'. I like her more recent albums... but 'Pure' is my favourite. This album was released in 2003 when she was only 16 years old! It has a nice mixture of classical and pop... and even a song in Māori! (The language of the indigenous population of New Zealand, where Hayley is from.)
Listen to "Dark Waltz", one of my favourite tracks off the album:
My dearest, Sarah, has given me an award! <---- That's it, right over there. *beams* I would like to say thank you very much to her! :) Hopefully I won't mess this all up. I am not quite as brushed-up on blogger etiquette as I would like to be. Evidently I must answer these questions about myself. And because I have a lot of time on my hands I'm going to do all the questions, unlike Sarah. (My answers are also a lot shorter than hers... not to mention less inspiring! =D) {If you're here for the music, skip to the end.} Anyhow, here they are. Everything you didn't want to know about me:
1. Your hair: Moody, curly, sometimes shiny but mostly frizzy. We have a love-hate relationship.
2. Where is your phone: I don't have one. Truth be told... I don't like them. I suspect that they are out to get me........
3. Your father: He's the best dad in the world! Calm, steadfast, and very witty.
4. Your mother: My favourite person to laugh with! She has been teaching my siblings and I at home for a long time. She (and my father) also knows what's best for me most of the time, whether I want to admit it or not.
5. Your favourite food: Fruit. I wonder if the fruit in the Garden of Eden is the same fruit we have now? Somehow, I doubt it.
6. Your dream from last night: I... don't remember, oddly enough. But I remember my dream from the night before last. I dreamed I was married to one of the people who lives in my dollhouse (except he was human) and he needed to take a bath but everyone was hanging out in the room with the bathtub and I was having trouble getting them out. Yeah... I have strange dreams.
7. Your favourite drink: Water! "We never know the worth of water until the well is dry."
8. Your dream/goal: To not be afraid to try to do things I think I can't do. Like... write music.
9. What room are you in: our family room
10. What is your hobby: Music, I guess! I collect music. :) And I play music. On the piano, that is. 11. What is your fear: Not maturing and staying as stupid and childish as I am now.
12. Where do you want to be in six years: Honestly? Probably engaged or even married. I don't know if I could live my life alone... I feel so meaningless like I should have a bigger desire than that. Though maybe I'll live with my best friend and we can be spinisters together.
13. Where were you last night: At home. With family and extended family. :)
14. Something you are not: Extroverted. And warm... I'm very cold right now. :P
15. Muffins: I bake them and eat them. I am excessively fond of them. *craves*
16. Wish list items: Various albums by various artists. Out-of-print books by Noel Streatfeild.
17. Where did you grow up: In a home filled with laughter, insanity, a few annoyances... and of course, love!
18. Last thing I did: I thought about what I should put for the "last thing I did"....
19. What are you wearing: Clothes. Fact is... I never leave the house without them. *nods*
20. Your TV: Addicting... I try to stay away from it. I fail.
21. Your pets: Lots of rodents! And a little brother...
22. Your friends: I have friends... and then I have friends. The latter are few, but they are wonderful.
23. Your life: Boring by some people's standards, but I like it.
24. Your mood: I am quite content, thank you.
25. Missing someone: Yes... more than one person. Most of them are fictional...
26. Vehicle: These feet are made for walkin'... ;)
27. Something you're not wearing: Clothes. Hehe, just kidding... I am not wearing make-up. Unecessary stuff, if you ask me.
28. Your favourite store: It's a store from my imagination. It's full of old records. Shelves and shelves of them... with overstuffed armchairs near record players. I hope to find it someday in real life. (Oh, also, if it was an old book store that'd be just as good!)
29. Your favourite color: Sunset.
30. When was the last time you laughed: A few minutes ago... we're watching a Dicken's movie. I was probably laughing at one of his quirky characters.
31. When was the last time you cried: I think it was a few days ago. Pathetically enough I was making-up some story and playing one of the characters. I think they were tears of joy, though.
32. Your best friend is: Adorable, hilarious, sensible.
33. One place you go over and over: A special place in my mind. I go there every day. Don't we all?
34. One person who emails me regularly: Not a human, I know that for sure.
35. Favourite place to eat: At home.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Are you still awake? ;)
...And now I believe I am supposed to pass this award onto some people. This is very sad but, I don't really have anyone to pass it onto. XD Except this Literary Dreamer. He is a writer with blog posts that I like a lot, and continually find to be quite edifying. And he always has something nice to say on my blog, which I appreciate so much! (You don't have to do it if you don't wish to!) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
And to wrap this all up, I bring you: "I Love You, You Imbecile" by Pelle Carlberg featuring Ida Maria! {I love the song title... and the lyrics. =D}
Often I feel overwhelmed by how much music is out there in the world. Most of it is not worth listening too... but a lot of it is! Somedays I'll be listening on some site to an artist I like, and I'll see recommendations for other artists. So I'll start clicking around and listening - weeding out who I like, don't like, and kind of like. Until I have at least 10 new artists that I have an interest in and want to learn more about, musically speaking. This wouldn't be so bad if I didn't do it so often! I have bookmarked links of all these artists I want to listen to. Often I'll just end up listening to a couple of their most popular songs. But I don't just want to know their 'hits'!! Very often there are lesser-known songs which are buried gems! Another annoying factor is, I don't want to listen to or become attached to a song with horrible/explicit lyrics. And the music I listen to is mostly obscure so I often cannot find the lyrics anywhere!! *pulls out hair* This plethora of music makes me feel extremely... stressed and... exhausted.
*deep breath* Whew, just needed to let that out. I feel much better and a bit ridiculous for my petty complaints. Such is life. :) Sorry for my ranting. (Oh! Speaking of ranting, I have another blog! You can read it if you are so inclined... or if you're really, really bored.)
To end on a happier note, here's a random music video I've been watching all week!
"I just want you to know - I don't want you to go..."
One thing I love about the band Woodpigeon is their long song titles that seemingly have nothing to do with the song lyrics at all. Also a lot of their music has a decidedly minor feel. Which is absolutely delightful to my dark-rimmed soul! ;)
Listen to Woodpigeons' "Piano Pieces for Adult Beginners": (I love the piano in this song!)
....and did you know that if you write the word "woodpigeon" in cursive it looks like a roller coaster?? Mark Hamilton does.
"Why is absence so heavy to bear? Why is Guy fading away from me? I would have died for him. Why aren't I dead...?"
Because of our mutual love for it, my new friend, Sarah, suggested I do a post about "Les Parapluies de Cherbourg". And since it's a musical I think that works perfectly!
When most people hear the premise of "Les Parapluies de Cherbourg" they instantly assume the worst about it. {"I mean, come on! It's a film that's all in French? And every, single word is SUNG?!?! Sounds kind of stupid..."} Ah, but they have never heard Legrand's moving score, seen Demy's brilliant colours, or watched the heart-wrenching story.
Undoubtedly, one of the best parts of the movie is the main, musical theme. (Mainly known as "I Will Wait for You".)
This song is absolute perfection. It doesn't need words. The melody speaks for itself.
It's a film you do not want to miss. I am no good at summing up stories, so just go watch it if you already haven't.
...and don't blame me if after you watch it you feel the need to sing, in French, everything you say for the rest of the day! :)
(The scene where Guy is leaving is my favourite. Because it's so... sad...)
"Mon amour...."
"Je t'aime, je t'aime!"
Again, watch it if you haven't. I think I'm going to go watch it now. *blissful sigh*
Today I pretended to do my French while in actuality I was making my blog header! Yes I'm a wicked, wayward child... ;) But I am rather proud of my header. It's not gorgeous or professional looking, but it looks better than I though it would! :) So, in honour of my uncompleted French homework I am posting Françoise Hardy's "Quel Mal y a-t-Il À Ça?"
Listen:
...Now if you'll excuse me, I have some homework to do. :P
"Now my foolish boat is leaning, broken lovelorn on your rocks..."
I've noticed that I've been neglecting males on my blog. Unintentionally, I assure you! XD So today's post will be Tim Buckley's "Song to the Siren". I first heard this song on the T.V. show "The Monkees". (Don't turn your nose up, it's a great show!) Tim Buckley sang this song at the end of one the episodes, sitting on a car that had been wrecked by Frank Zappa in the previous episode...
This folk-y performance of the song is very different from the way it later, officially appeared on his 1970 album "Star Sailor". I prefer it in this simple and acoustic form! The version I'm posting isn't the album version nor the one that appeared on The Monkees. It's from a Tim Buckley compilation called "The Dream Belongs to Me - Rare and Unreleased Recordings 1968/1973". It is very similar to the version on The Monkees. :)
"And I watch you drink invisible ink... so I won't know when you swallow your words."
I listen a little bit to a band called "Saturday Looks Good to Me" which is a group that technically wasn't supposed to exist. (Read more here if you care too: http://www.slgtm.com/biography.html) I have recently realized that I mainly listen to them for one of their vocalists: Betty Marie Barnes. I love her voice for reasons I cannot explain. Listen to her shine on the SLGtM* track "Hands in the Snow". I've been listening to and marveling at this song constantly for the past week!
*I'm sure you can figure this out. It gets tiresome to write long band names! :P
"Lots of time with nothing to do, lots of time to spend with you -- on Sunday morning."
Since it's Sunday I decided to be lame and post my favourite song about Sunday! [hehe] Which would be Margo Guryan's "Sunday Morning". Though I must say I do not experience Sunday mornings like she describes because often I am at church... but it's a nice thought! ;)
"When shall Heav'n, its sweet bell ringing, call my spirit from this stormy world?"
I have been overwhelmed by noise today. Not because it's been particularly noisier than usual, I just am feeling very aware of the sounds around me. (Maybe it has to do with my semi-sleeplessness last night...) I was so on edge I even started typing words like "quiet" and "silent" into my itunes library search to see what songs would come up. Méav Ní Mhaolchatha's "Silent O Moyle" came up so I listened to it, remembered how much I loved it, and decided to post it. The lyrics are based off the legend "Children of Lir". This song is the lament of Lir's daughter, Fionnula, who was turned into a swan by her father's wicked second wife. She is in a 300 year exile on the Straits of Moyle.
I recently discovered this French singer, Daphné, and sadly I can't find much of her music... But the little I've found I've enjoyed immensly! I'm too tired to ramble right now so I'll let the music video for her song "Musicamor" tell you how wonderful she is. ;)
Well, it's a rainy, grey Monday today! I am resisting the urge to post the Carpenters' "Rainy Days and Mondays" (which is how I feel right now) in favour of something happier: Au Revoir Simone's "Dark Halls"!
Yes, it's called Dark Halls... but it doesn't sound very dark. Give it a listen! No one does the genre "dreamy electronic pop" better than Au Revoir Simone!
"Sold my shoes to pay the rent, I won't be needing them... I won't be leaving too soon."
The Finches album Human Like a House is my favourite album at the moment. With its whimsical lyrics, melodies I find myself constantly humming, and the unique, beautiful voice of Carolynne Pennypacker Riggs, it's a classic. Listening to the album is like visiting the town where you grew up and visiting your childhood haunts where you were happiest.
It seems only right that my first post should be Linda Perhacs: one of the most brilliant songwriters to ever walk this earth. She only released one album which is one of the greatest tragedies of our time. Her album "Parallelograms" is psychedelic-folk like you've never heard it before! It sadly sunk into obscurity shortly after it's release... but years afterwards it was rediscovered! {Read more about it here: http://lindaperhacs.com/pages/press.html}
Listen to one of my favourite tracks off the album: Chimacum Rain!
Music.... It's one of the most important things in my life. I love to talk about the music I like. The problem is most people don't want to hear about it. ;) I started this blog to share and talk about the music I love. It doesn't matter if no one's reading, I enjoy rambling! So.... {let the ramblings commence!}
December is my favourite month of the year! I love Christmas!! Even though Christmas never quite lives up to my childhood memories of it there is still something so wonderful about the whole month.
My dearest, Sarah, has given me an award!
(The scene where Guy is leaving is my favourite. Because it's so... sad...)
"Mon amour...."
"Je t'aime, je t'aime!"
I recently discovered this French singer, Daphné, and sadly I can't find much of her music... But the little I've found I've enjoyed immensly! I'm too tired to ramble right now so I'll let the music video for her song "Musicamor" tell you how wonderful she is. ;)
Yes, it's called Dark Halls... but it doesn't sound very dark. Give it a listen! No one does the genre "dreamy electronic pop" better than Au Revoir Simone!
