On The Move

Hello, folks! I am back after what I realized was a long extended blog break. I haven't been idle these past months as I have been hard at work and other stuff, but it still feels a bit strange to be getting back to the blog game. To that end, I thought I should tackle one of the most dangerous moments for any writer: the long hiatus. 

I've known bloggers who hit their stride, were interrupted for one reason or another; and then days turned into weeks, weeks turned into months, and they were never able to get back in the saddle. All that work was squandered. As September draws to a close, I find myself experiencing a bit of the end of summer blues. It seems to make my mind feel leaden and that's when I need to get back into the rythm, warming up the engines and start typing out again.

From (a lot of) time to (very much) time, I hear songs and watch videos that lift my spirit, inspire me and calm my soul. I warn you that I am a hard nut to crack and there's nothing that had made my guts churn lately, but I saw this video and I felt it needed to be shared with you all because it drags up too many of my current feelings.


This track is included in the album La Petite Mort by British alternative rock band James, launched last June. The record's title comes from its overall themes of death and release, having been written following the death of lead singer Tim Booth's mother as well as the death of his best friend. The weird fact is that this French idiom is an euphemism for the post-orgasmic state. I guess these guys have no idea about the real meaning, hehe.

 

This short film not only tells us a story about death, but also about farewells and the fear of loneliness. Nevertheless, I don't wanna talk about the most obvious elements of the story's setting. I wanna talk about isolation and clinging to something/someone that was hurting us. 

I find it very hard to let people go, rebuilding my life without them, and getting rid of routines, places, songs and moments. Old loves and friends remain vivid in my memory no matter how distant I seem to be. I'm not able to forget them and they often return to my mind. Then, I feel like I have no control over those mistakes, bad words and slights in the past. But I forgive them and I want them to return to my life. Nothing would be like before, that's true; they'd be still part of me though.

Noveling (Part I)

Today I am up to something rather challenging: writing a short story containing band names. Of course, all this meaningful music should be recognized in the indie hall of fame - and should sound good to my ears! This is the first part of the tale. If you want to know the rest of it, stay tuned for upcoming irrelephant posts this month. Buuuut, what makes this experimental literature even more exciting is that the narrative is yet to be written. You can comment below and suggest artists. Then, I will try to adapt the plot considering your recommendations. Wanna play?

Once upon a time... 

There was a bunch of FRIENDS

spending THE VACATIONS

on the BEST COAST

in BEIRUT.

They were sharing a wondrous BEACH HOUSE

made of BICK + MORTAR

in front of a GREAT BIG SEA

TAKEN BY TREES

and sorrounded by huge MOUNTAINS

with a wide variety of FLORA AND FAUNA they'd never seen before.

Mumford & So On

As you can see in the picture below, Marcus Mumford and his dudes are laughing out loud, very loud. The reason? Irrelephant has set up a casting call to find bands with a similar style and the same vibratory pattern of the vocal folds as mr. M. Poor guys! They must be totally exhausted after having toured extensively in support of their two albums and delivered headline sets and countless gigs around the world. In fact, they are now taking a considerable amount of tour off, just going back to hanging out, and having no commitments or pressure or anything like that.

I've always had a spot in my heart for Americana folk and country-western line dancing. In fact, people tend to label me as weird when I was a kid. Nevertheless, this style has been so popular in recent years, and there are many bands touring their way to a vast market throaty folk that's strong on banjo, rhythmic ukelele, acoustic guitars and bass drum; featuring happy and cheerful whistling, glockenspiel melodies, tom toms and handclaps.

AFAIAC, for personal reasons that are neither here nor there, I started to take a dislike to M&S. Just a little bit, though. So I began a conscious searching for resembling outfits that, somehow, might replace their music (temporarily). Finally, after a lot of effort, I have found the twenty very best candidates who match exactly the specifications. Seriously, the sound of all these “sons” is just as good as their parents'. And, folks, you see, I do like them but I don't understand why critics praise these guys to the skies when there are other truly great bands today.

At first, I draw up an exhaustive list of more than eighty artists sharing common melodies and rythms, but trying to shorten the tracklisting, I had to exclude some singers like Vance Joy and groups, such as Charles Blitzen or Tin Sparrow, because their lead singers are males with high pitched voices compared to Marcus'.

Now I'm going to ask you a favor. We should meet with the band that most closely matches the original, and I need your opinion and vote in the survey at the end of the post. Comments and suggestions would be also appreciated. Thanks in advance!

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Carousel Memories

I really love carousels. They always make me think of movement, color, carelessness and joy of life. 

This is my own tracklist containing beautifully-crafted, whimsical tunes with accordion, music box, bells, toy piano, xylophone, keyboard, and countless other instruments that provide the lively sound and textures to an imaginative musical journey. Ear-food for all daydreamers, fo sho. From the moment you listen to this music, some amazing emotions will swell inside you. I'm sure these tracks will make you feel like a kid again. 

So climb aboard and dream away!

 

Mashing Up

Everyone stop. Ears to the ground. What's that familiar tune I hear? OMG, OMFG! My all-time fave bands together in same cool song? Ouch, wait! Please, somebody, please... pinch ME!! Tell me it's not a dream!!

The first real band I got into was probably Oasis. Phew! I became a real sucker for WTSMG album. How long it took me to save up for it! Still sounds as awesome as it did when I got it in 1997 (at the age of 15). It was an eye-popping improvement to jump from cassette tape to CD. 

And what to say about Two Door Cinema Club? As you can probably guess, I'm a big fan of these Irish guys who can't help but rock your face off. Lately I don't really listen to them often, though. 

Ah, thanks a bunch for this bitchin' stuff, Juergen! Wholly appreciated!

Instru : Oasis > Wonderwall
Acapella : Two Door Cinema Club > What You Know

Instru : Two Door Cinema Club > What You Know
Acapella : Oasis > Wonderwall

Time To Blossom

I'm not really into Latin American indie music. However, the first time I heard of Puerto Rico-based band Superaquello, I was immediately charmed by their great originality, ingenious and witty lyrics, infectious melodies, and quirky videos.

Their songs resonates with nuances of traditional pop, electronic beats, sound experimentation and local folk tunes.

The clip I bring you starts with a bunch of people getting together to mourn the dead while walking down a road. Then roughly halfway through, they bump into a smiling woman in white. Nothing is what it seems, though. Not only the hidden meaning of the video, but also the identity of the intriguing man on the album cover, will be solved at the end of the story.   

Superaquello - Flor Es Ser