Hello people!
Since my last (proper) post way back in early december, the world has been moving on, another year has rolled around and we are all set for 2015, I hope. Things have been happening, among which a small post-it in the world of obscure music was my decision to upload Obscura (hope y'all liked it) with swanky new artwork when the realization dawned on me the one I had previously decided on was absolutely bogus. November was bleak, but December even more so. I cannot remember ever being so cold in my life. Whether it is because of current events in Pakistan, or because I ran around barefoot and sweater-less in my youth (what goes around comes around i.e. the cold I never felt before is coming back to haunt me.), I wait for the spring thaw and leap outside at the slightest hint of sunshine. Also, line-drying laundry is so hard in this weather. I finally understand my mother's concerns. So here is a list of music I am currently listening to while I wait for the warmth to descend.
all is full of love - Bjork
Ahh, Bjork. Her entire discography is full of gems to listen to again and again and again. This particular song from homogenic, the closing track of the album, caught my attention when I saw the eccentric video on television some years back. The album version is musically different from the video version, which features soaring vocals, beats and robots over sweeping string arrangements, while the album version is drum-less and more ambient. Use the album version as your alarm tone, and you won't regret it. There are also several glorious live versions, but my absolute favourite is this one.
BJORK - ALL IS FULL OF LOVE from Lance Bangs on Vimeo.
Superstar - the Carpenters
M | Karen Anne Carpenter - SuperStar [1971]. from Musica on Vimeo.
My father is a huge Carpenters fan. He once said that he has heard no voice as smooth and amazing as Karen Carpenter's. And I quite agree with him. Apparently, he had a huge collection of music consisting of Boney M., the Eagles, Simon and Garfunkel, Donna Summers, etc when he was a teenager, but by the time I was born and gained consciousness of the world, only one measly cassette of Boney M. was left. And did we listen the heck out of it, until it got warped one boiling day when it was left on the car dashboard. I hunted down several carpenter's songs, and so, one of my favourites is Superstar.
Nas ne Dogonyat - t.A.T.u.
t.A.T.u. - Nas Ne Dogonyat (Censored) from t.A.T.u. on Vimeo.
Soo, I like t.A.T.u. Some people - ok most people - have classified them as irrelevant and a waste of time... but I really like some of their music. The duo, consisting of Lena Katina and Yulia Volkova, released several English and Russian albums before splitting up some time ago and this is one of my favourite songs. It's also the first song by t.A.T.u. I ever heard. If you need a soundtrack to run away to on a cold winter night, this should kick it off.
May it be - Enya
Enya-May It Be from mflex sounds on Vimeo.
I've already mentioned before how much I love the soundtrack to the Lord of the Rings film series before. This song, from the soundtrack of the Fellowship of the Ring, featuring lovely ethereal vocals by Enya caught my fancy a couple days ago. I simply love the chorus:
Mornie utulie (darkness has come)
Believe and you will find your way
Mornie alantie (darkness has fallen)
A promise lives within you now
If you have seen the movie, you may remember Galadriel saying, "The Quest stands upon the edge of a knife. Stray but a little, and it will fail, to the ruin of all. Yet hope remains while the Company is true." And that's what I think this song is about - goodness of your heart, friendship, loyalty and staying hopeful in dark times . We all know that's dumb, but still - it makes for a beautiful message.
- So this is it for today folks. I'll be shaking off more dust as winter goes by!
