Sometimes a band or song takes some time to grow on you. You may completely not notice them the first time you hear them, or you may even think of them as dull and boring. After listening to them for a while, they grow on you and you start to question how you did not love them to begin with? How you could ever have lived without them? I had the experience with Arcade Fire earlier this year and I’ve had the same experience with Scotch and perhaps even with G.
My latest example of this phenomenon in my life is “The National”. Everything I’ve read has told me that I should love this band. Yet at first I listened to the album “Boxer” (about 6 months ago) and thought them quite dull and underwhelming. I tried again a few months ago and no change. This past week though I decided I’d give them a serious try. I put the album on repeat and listened 3 times through. The next day I found myself wanting to listen to one of the songs again. Now, a week later, I find I am loving some of the songs, including this one “Mistaken For Strangers”. As I have noted before, familiarity is a huge factor in what music you like or do not like, and perhaps I have forced it with The National and other bands before them, but does it matter? Perhaps it is even a good thing. An acquired taste once acquired can often be far more enjoyable than the sugar laced tastes that frequently lack longevity or depth.
Give “The National” a try. And then another …and another, and report back to me.
Some music for all you trick-or-treaters out there. Oh wait… you’re out and about and not sitting at the computer looking for Halloween music. Damn. Well then this post is for next year! Let the preparations begin!
Organ music is frequently associated with Gothic music (what with organs being very popular in Gothic cathedrals). Even playing a “light” piece of music can result in the song coming across as very foreboding and heavy. In a cathedral the power of the organ helps convey that sense of an immense power all around you (AKA God). Very clever I think.
I listened to many organ pieces in search of the best one I could find for Halloween. This piece by French composer Louis Victor Jules Vierne and performed by Olivier Latry struck me as heavy, dark and perfect!
While searching for creepy songs, I came across this little music box song by Sir FiNiX (and originally posted to newgrounds.com). It is just what one would want from a Halloween music box.
To add to the creepy, this afternoon G and I did purchase 2 rolls streamers and a bag of balloons and the total as $6.66. From the receipt…
1 BALLOONS 9IN ROUNDS 2.59
1 PARTY FAV BRT OR CRP-81 F 1.79
1 PRTY FV SCHBUS YW CRP-81F 1.79
3 Items
Subtotal 6.17
Tax .49
Total 6.66
We bought them to make paper-mâché jack-o-lanterns. How appropriate, right?! I’m sure we’ll have a devilish good time with them too!
I was querying G what songs she enjoyed for Halloween and she referenced the theme to Beetlejuice. I admitted it was indeed a good choice. Her response was naturally “I’m brilliant.” What can I say?! She is right. It is quite possible most of Danny Elfman’s works would qualify for they mostly have that perky creepiness that oh so appropriate for Halloween!
I put Toad the Wet Sprocket’s album “Fear” on in the car for the ride home from work and it was so good, like putting on an old jacket that still fits, and is so comfortable and familiar. I remembered all the words to all the songs. Listening to this song took me back to 1991 when I had my first boom box and could finally listen to the radio in the privacy of my own room (instead of in the living room where I always had to share with one of my siblings or turn it down). Good times indeed!
Are you an 80s fan? You think you heard it all right? Well I bet most of you do not know this gem of 1980s New Wave/Synthpop from Spain! (Yes the 80s occurred in other countries too!)
If you like the original, operatic pop singer Sarah Brightman did a pretty sweet cover of it in 2000.
I had a nightmare last night. I’ve had worse, but still it woke me up so it qualifies.
I was at work and yet interviewing for a new job. It was not my actual employer or job, but elsewhere. You know how dreams are. They wanted me to transfer into some sort of weird technical-marketing role and I was asking why. We were in an office that was all windows, floor to ceiling. As we were talking I could see out the window the sky quickly darkening, and then several tornados worming across the sky and clearly moving closer. In the distance a building of some sort was hit and picked up what appeared to be wheel hubs of all sorts for cars, motorcycles and even bicycles and the storm was spitting them out at all directions, some hitting the building and breaking windows. The first broken window set the office into chaos as people scurried to find a safe place, but there was none to be found. All the rooms had floor to ceiling windows. People were screaming and I ran from room to room in search of safety as window after window broke. The tornados were right outside now. As the building started to rip apart and I could feel the debris ripping at my skin, I awoke.
I usually do not remember my dreams, but when I am ripped awake they are quite memorable. So I mostly only remember the bad ones. To see a tornado in your dream “signifies that you are feeling overwhelmed and out of control”. That may be. I just got done with a marathon two weeks of vacation with family. It is fun and great to see everyone. I love them all, and I always have a great time, and yet it is overwhelming. G and I are use to only the two of us, not the 12+ of us. I usually leave at least a few days at the end of my vacation to have a “vacation from the vacation” where I mostly veg around the house. Yesterday (Saturday) though I had to work over the course of 12 hours to assist with an upgrade of a system at work. I was so tense after sitting in front of computers in “tense upgrade mode” I had to immediately take a walk around the block and take a shower. Blech! I suppose I should’ve been surprised if I didn’t have a nightmare. Tomorrow I get to go back to work too. Good times.
Anyway thinking of tornadoes always makes me think of this song.
Also, for the record, “Boys For Pele” was released with an earlier version of “Talula” (a non-”The Tornado Mix” version). I bought the album when it first was released and G did after the re-release (this was before we combined our collections), so we have both versions. I think both are excellent and any big Tori fans should hunt down the original version. You’d think the single would have both, but no, you would be wrong. I tried to find a video or audio stream online though and so far I could not find it. So good luck!
It is funny (and nerdy) right from the start. The opening is so musically nerdy, emulating and parodying so many rap songs…
…ugh ugh, yeah yeah, this is a sad jam…
Some other lines that just cracked me up…
…can we switch controllers…
…they’re grabbing my hand saying don’t hit yourself…
…I just was intimidated by your three vaginas, Larry, Curly and Moe…
Finding the “can we switch controllers” line funny shows my true geekdom. Only a true geek would understand.
I also love the little things in the video, like the surface of the moon being made up of bare back sides. Brilliant! It definitely requires repeated viewings!
This is a cover of Ástor Piazzolla’s brilliant “Libertango”, which I think of more like a piece of classical music that will survive for generations. Yo-Yo Ma’s attention to Piazzolla by producing an entire album of “covers” adds validation to that claim (and why I am tagging this as classical). It also includes a number of other world class musicians on each instrument. Piazzolla originally wrote the piece in 1974 and I would’ve posted a performance by him, but they appear to be lacking on the Internet.
Ástor Piazzolla, by the way, is essentially the father of Nuevo Tango breathing new life into Tango music and Tango’s sub-genres after decades of stagnation. This song, among others, actually inspired me to take a tango dance class once, where I verified I sucked at dancing, and Tango dancing is not the place to start. I’ll stick with the music.
Listen on Blip.fm!