In a week when we have lost a musical legend in the passing of Michael Jackson, it reminds everyone of just how important music can be to people. How it, and the people who perform it, can captivate the imagination, the emotion and the soul. Music is, and always has been, a huge part of my life since I was a small child (I still remember when 'Thriller' first came out and blew the world away) and that is why I like to write this blog every week to highlight songs I love. Whether they are new or old, it doesn't matter, only that I love them.
In this week where the news has helped us remember the past, I have something new to help us look to the future too.
Though most people know Jason Schwartzman as an actor, staring in films such as 'The Darjeeling Limited', 'Rushmore' & 'I ♥ Huckabees', I first encountered him through his former band 'Phantom Planet'.
I happened to see the video for their song 'California' (the theme tune to the tv show 'The OC' - I've never seen that myself mind you) and was struck by how much their drummer resembled Keith Moon, the original drummer for my favourite band The Who, and decided to find out more. I searched online only to find that he'd actually left the band to pursue his acting career.
Then, in 2007, he started a new solo music project called 'Cocnut Records' which was basically him writing and recording his own material with the occasional help of friends such as actress & singer Zooey Deschanel (someone else whose music I adore).
Jason proved to be more than just a brilliant drummer, he's also a great singer-songwriter too and I lapped up his debut release 'Nighttiming'.
This year saw the release of the second Coconut Records album 'Davy' and the first time I heard this weeks song I was hooked. It's one of those songs I can put on loop and listen to for ages. Just sweet and simple it seems to burrow its way into your head and stays there. I really love it and I hope you love it too!
Coconut Records - Microphone
Slow down, you are out of control
One of us is right, and one of us is wrong
And, I know that you're not coming home
There's nowhere to park, after it gets dark, yeah
Can't tell what I want when you sing
So keep it to yourself, I haven't missed anything
You are my voice, my microphone
You are my voice, so take me on
You are my voice
Slow down, you are out of control
It could be so easy if it didn't feel so wrong
And, warmed up and your hair is too long
What if I was young? What if I was younger?
And so, finally she showed
I never should have asked, it was a long time ago
You are my voice, my microphone
You are my voice, so take me on
You are my voice
You are my voice
You are my voice, my microphone
You are my voice my microphone
You are my voice, so take me on
You are my voice, my microphone
You are my voice
You are my voice
You are my voice
One of us is right, and one of us is wrong
One of us is right, and one of us is wrong
Microphone - Official Video
Friday, June 26, 2009
Friday, June 19, 2009
Song Stuck In My Head This Week - 20th June '09 - Amy Studt - Furniture
Back in 2002 a new young singer appeared on the scene. The then 16-year-old Amy Studt was was billed as the UK's answer to Avril Lavigne but, despite the marketing and music production making it seem that way, if you listen to her debut album 'False Smiles' and imagine the commercialised production being stripped away you can still hear the stunningly insighful lyrics that she had written. I still like that album a lot and have a lot of time for it.
After poor sales of the last few singles from the album she was dropped by her label and, seemingly, disappeared into the realms of musical obscurity that so many seem to disappear into. However, in late 2006 she returned with the gorgeous song 'Furniture'.
This beautifully crafted song is best described in this quote from wikipedia:
'Furniture is about a woman becoming an ornament to her partner. “There comes a point where you’re constantly together, but you may as well not have been there,” Studt explains. “You have your uses – you cook, you clean and someone has sex with you – and you just become part of the furniture.”'
The song was the first release from her second album, 'My Paper Made Men', which is well worth purchasing in my opinion as I believe this young woman is an extremely gifted song-writer as well as having a stunning voice to back it up. It's hard to believe at times, with the quality of her work, that she's only 23 as she has lyrical narrative abilities that are way beyond her years....like she's lived a lifetime already when, in fact, she's barely begun.
Amy Studt - Furniture
I am only flesh and bones,
Splintered glass and tattered clothes,
Behind the skin,
My fragility,
Behind the skin,
My skeletal impracticality,
I am only pieces of you,
Held together with paper glue,
Behind the skin,
My divinity
Behind the skin,
My only sanctuary.
You can lean on me,
Have a drink on me,
Leave your mark all over me,
Paint the outside 'till it smiles,
You can eat off me,
Rest your head on me,
Press yourself on top of me,
Kick the back until its quiet.
All in all I'm just furniture,
Just another piece taking you one step further from the perfect living room set,
All in all I'm just furniture,
In these four walls that hold me, keep me safe under sound and bare within its grip.
My wooden heart it sings no more,
This dress I wear becomes the floor,
Behind the skin,
A living, breathing thing,
Behind the skin,
A place you've never been.
You can lean on me,
Have a drink on me,
Leave your mark all over me,
Paint the outside 'till it smiles,
You can eat off me,
Rest your head on me,
Press yourself on top of me,
kick the back until its quiet.
All in all I'm just furniture,
Just another piece taking you one step further from the perfect living room set,
All in all I'm just furniture,
In these four walls that hold me, keep me safe under sound and bare within its grip.
I am only flesh and bones,
Splintered glass and tattered clothes
After poor sales of the last few singles from the album she was dropped by her label and, seemingly, disappeared into the realms of musical obscurity that so many seem to disappear into. However, in late 2006 she returned with the gorgeous song 'Furniture'.
This beautifully crafted song is best described in this quote from wikipedia:
'Furniture is about a woman becoming an ornament to her partner. “There comes a point where you’re constantly together, but you may as well not have been there,” Studt explains. “You have your uses – you cook, you clean and someone has sex with you – and you just become part of the furniture.”'
The song was the first release from her second album, 'My Paper Made Men', which is well worth purchasing in my opinion as I believe this young woman is an extremely gifted song-writer as well as having a stunning voice to back it up. It's hard to believe at times, with the quality of her work, that she's only 23 as she has lyrical narrative abilities that are way beyond her years....like she's lived a lifetime already when, in fact, she's barely begun.
Amy Studt - Furniture
I am only flesh and bones,
Splintered glass and tattered clothes,
Behind the skin,
My fragility,
Behind the skin,
My skeletal impracticality,
I am only pieces of you,
Held together with paper glue,
Behind the skin,
My divinity
Behind the skin,
My only sanctuary.
You can lean on me,
Have a drink on me,
Leave your mark all over me,
Paint the outside 'till it smiles,
You can eat off me,
Rest your head on me,
Press yourself on top of me,
Kick the back until its quiet.
All in all I'm just furniture,
Just another piece taking you one step further from the perfect living room set,
All in all I'm just furniture,
In these four walls that hold me, keep me safe under sound and bare within its grip.
My wooden heart it sings no more,
This dress I wear becomes the floor,
Behind the skin,
A living, breathing thing,
Behind the skin,
A place you've never been.
You can lean on me,
Have a drink on me,
Leave your mark all over me,
Paint the outside 'till it smiles,
You can eat off me,
Rest your head on me,
Press yourself on top of me,
kick the back until its quiet.
All in all I'm just furniture,
Just another piece taking you one step further from the perfect living room set,
All in all I'm just furniture,
In these four walls that hold me, keep me safe under sound and bare within its grip.
I am only flesh and bones,
Splintered glass and tattered clothes
Saturday, June 13, 2009
Song Stuck In My Head This Week - 13th June '09 - The Wildhearts - Geordie In Wonderland
The Wildhearts are one of my top three favourite bands of all time. With witty and insightful lyrics teamed with great riffs and melodies you can't really go wrong.
As to why, 16 years after their debut album 'Earth Vs The Wildhearts', this band are still only a band with a loyal cult following it is hard to say for certain. Some might argue that their prime years, when their first two albums came out, were spoiled by drink, drugs and a tendancy to disfunctional relationships both within the band and with record labels, press etc. Others, such as Scott Gabriel who wrote this great retrospective http://www.rocksnail.co.uk/index.php?title=The_Wildhearts&substance=article&article=51&type=scotts_blast on their debut album, think it was because, as Scott put it in his piece, 'pop/rock fans have always found them too heavy, whilst metal fans found them too poppy.'
For me, they are perfect. Ginger is, to my mind, the greatest pop/rock singer-songwriter to have come out of this country in the last 20 years as well as being one of the wisest people I have been blessed to have met in my life.
If you can get tickets for them on their tour this autumn then do as they are well worth seeing live when they are at their electrifying best. (tickets and dates can be found here http://www.ticketweb.co.uk/user?query=search®ion=xxx&category=misc&search=the+wildhearts)
Now to today's song. I will admit right now that the video hasn't actually got the band singing. I looked on youtub but couldn't find them doing the whole song, or if I did the quality was poor. However the video does also show something I appreciate a lot....huge crowds singing en masse. There's always something magical about it so still watch the video to get a feel for the song and soak up some of that crowd-based magic.
Also, as an aside, when they performed this on Top Of The Pops it was the only time I could recall, in my lifetime, that someone was on there playing a mandolin (though I'm sure someone can correct me on that!!). I always thought that was cool as it showed, to me, there was more to them than your average rock band.
The Wildhearts - Geordie In Wonderland
Now that I've changed and the rest have all stayed
Well, why do I feel so confused?
Some of the best of me plans have been laid
And some of me best moments used
I've been out for the count in a Mexican bar-o
Stranded in nowhere with a-nothing but me
Ah, lads, I daen't understand - I'm a Geordie in Wonderland
Some of the shit has sprouted in roses
And some of the roses have died
Forced by meself to follow conviction
And ignore what I'm missing inside
I've been loved by the sweetest and hated by heroes
Life's still a surprise and the friends come and go
Ah, lads, I daen't understand - I'm a Geordie in Wonderland
(whoop-whoop, whoop-whoop)
I've had praise I've had ridicule, either meant nothing
Faced with the task of tomorrow's demands
Ah, lads, I daen't understand - I'm a Geordie in Wonderland
Ah, lads, I daen't understand - I'm a Geordie in Wonderland
(whoop-whoop)
Ah, lads, I daen't understand - I'm a Geordie in Wonderland
As to why, 16 years after their debut album 'Earth Vs The Wildhearts', this band are still only a band with a loyal cult following it is hard to say for certain. Some might argue that their prime years, when their first two albums came out, were spoiled by drink, drugs and a tendancy to disfunctional relationships both within the band and with record labels, press etc. Others, such as Scott Gabriel who wrote this great retrospective http://www.rocksnail.co.uk/index.php?title=The_Wildhearts&substance=article&article=51&type=scotts_blast on their debut album, think it was because, as Scott put it in his piece, 'pop/rock fans have always found them too heavy, whilst metal fans found them too poppy.'
For me, they are perfect. Ginger is, to my mind, the greatest pop/rock singer-songwriter to have come out of this country in the last 20 years as well as being one of the wisest people I have been blessed to have met in my life.
If you can get tickets for them on their tour this autumn then do as they are well worth seeing live when they are at their electrifying best. (tickets and dates can be found here http://www.ticketweb.co.uk/user?query=search®ion=xxx&category=misc&search=the+wildhearts)
Now to today's song. I will admit right now that the video hasn't actually got the band singing. I looked on youtub but couldn't find them doing the whole song, or if I did the quality was poor. However the video does also show something I appreciate a lot....huge crowds singing en masse. There's always something magical about it so still watch the video to get a feel for the song and soak up some of that crowd-based magic.
Also, as an aside, when they performed this on Top Of The Pops it was the only time I could recall, in my lifetime, that someone was on there playing a mandolin (though I'm sure someone can correct me on that!!). I always thought that was cool as it showed, to me, there was more to them than your average rock band.
The Wildhearts - Geordie In Wonderland
Now that I've changed and the rest have all stayed
Well, why do I feel so confused?
Some of the best of me plans have been laid
And some of me best moments used
I've been out for the count in a Mexican bar-o
Stranded in nowhere with a-nothing but me
Ah, lads, I daen't understand - I'm a Geordie in Wonderland
Some of the shit has sprouted in roses
And some of the roses have died
Forced by meself to follow conviction
And ignore what I'm missing inside
I've been loved by the sweetest and hated by heroes
Life's still a surprise and the friends come and go
Ah, lads, I daen't understand - I'm a Geordie in Wonderland
(whoop-whoop, whoop-whoop)
I've had praise I've had ridicule, either meant nothing
Faced with the task of tomorrow's demands
Ah, lads, I daen't understand - I'm a Geordie in Wonderland
Ah, lads, I daen't understand - I'm a Geordie in Wonderland
(whoop-whoop)
Ah, lads, I daen't understand - I'm a Geordie in Wonderland
Friday, June 5, 2009
Song Stuck In My Head This Week - 6th June '09 - Das Pop - Underground
I first heard this song by Belgian band Das Pop several months ago and the sneaky wee track keeps crawling back into my head. Quite how it never got serious radio play or success when it was released in the UK in August last year I'll never know as it's such infectious pop.
Instead we were given Alphabeat who were ok but a bit samey after a while whereas, having since downloaded the Das Pop album (it was leaked online 3 months early and subsequently never released by Sony), I know they have a solid set of tunes there and should have been given a better chance to shine as I, for one, would rather have spent money to buy there album than have gotten it for free.
I mean, I'm all for 'try before you buy' but I firmly believe in paying for my music because if you don't then artists (a)won't ever get paid and (b) we'll get more of the 'production line' crap like people on X Factor who, on the whole, get used to make a quick buck and then get thrown aside in time for the next puppet to come along (Leon Jackson, Michelle McManus, Steve whatshisnameagain etc) which is the kind of thing that makes me despair of the music industry today.
So here it is, enjoy some Das Pop :-)
Das Pop - Underground
I really have to let you know
The time has come for me to go
I’ve seen it all, there’s nothing left to say
It’s not about the job you quit
The boy you’re with, the girl you live with
The time spent with a half-wit
It’s not about the things you’ve said
Or the things you told me in my bed
The promise of magic
I’m going underground
Will you let me know when you’re going outta town?
And will you take me down
To the here and now
You knew just what to do to me
The things you learned in Germany
The time when I was just a plaything
Now I am going underground
I’m undercover as of now
I follow in your shadow
I’m going underground
Will you let me know when you’re going outta town?
And will you take me down
To the here and now
Knock away holes in the ceiling
To bathe in the light of the morning
I’m going underground
And it may be hard to understand
The moment my aching hands
The moment
I’m going underground
Will you let me know when you’re going outta town?
And will you take me down
To the here and now
I will show you how
I’m going underground
Will you let me know when you’re going outta town?
And will you take me down
To the here and now
I’m going underground
Will you let me know when you’re going outta town?
And will you take me down
To the here and now
Instead we were given Alphabeat who were ok but a bit samey after a while whereas, having since downloaded the Das Pop album (it was leaked online 3 months early and subsequently never released by Sony), I know they have a solid set of tunes there and should have been given a better chance to shine as I, for one, would rather have spent money to buy there album than have gotten it for free.
I mean, I'm all for 'try before you buy' but I firmly believe in paying for my music because if you don't then artists (a)won't ever get paid and (b) we'll get more of the 'production line' crap like people on X Factor who, on the whole, get used to make a quick buck and then get thrown aside in time for the next puppet to come along (Leon Jackson, Michelle McManus, Steve whatshisnameagain etc) which is the kind of thing that makes me despair of the music industry today.
So here it is, enjoy some Das Pop :-)
Das Pop - Underground
I really have to let you know
The time has come for me to go
I’ve seen it all, there’s nothing left to say
It’s not about the job you quit
The boy you’re with, the girl you live with
The time spent with a half-wit
It’s not about the things you’ve said
Or the things you told me in my bed
The promise of magic
I’m going underground
Will you let me know when you’re going outta town?
And will you take me down
To the here and now
You knew just what to do to me
The things you learned in Germany
The time when I was just a plaything
Now I am going underground
I’m undercover as of now
I follow in your shadow
I’m going underground
Will you let me know when you’re going outta town?
And will you take me down
To the here and now
Knock away holes in the ceiling
To bathe in the light of the morning
I’m going underground
And it may be hard to understand
The moment my aching hands
The moment
I’m going underground
Will you let me know when you’re going outta town?
And will you take me down
To the here and now
I will show you how
I’m going underground
Will you let me know when you’re going outta town?
And will you take me down
To the here and now
I’m going underground
Will you let me know when you’re going outta town?
And will you take me down
To the here and now
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