music has always had an effect on me. when there are no words left to say, or when none seem able to capture how i really feel, songs are always handles by which i can express myself.
isolated? sarah croons
"building a mystery" and i realize the futility of walls. jann arden regrets having nothing more than a handshake because
"you don't know me" and i say,
'how apt, how apt.'fuming mad? annie swoons the highs and lows of a ballad listing
"the fear, the dread, the contents of her head" and i think of me walking down to
"the water's edge" and casting away my doubts, because, as she said so herself,
"some things are better left unsaid but they still turn me inside out." vegging out? i see skeletons dancing in the dark, robots with the rhythmic movements of their arms and legs, as daft punk's drone of
'around the world' goes off in my head.
feel like dancing?
'too close' comes to mind, a thousand flings come crawling back into my head with every gyrating movement of the hips, hands in the air, eyes closed, as if in a bar dancing with a stranger.
sentimental? ahh, a million ballads are out there, and i am free to take my pick. i can't make you love me by george michael? almost doesn't count by brandy? paper bag by fiona apple? put your arms around me by texas?
walking down a street or a pathway after a movie? aside from the theme song there's always bruce with his tragic "streets of philadelphia" or damien rice's "blower's daughter".
manic? chantal ruminates what life was like "before you" or what is in store "this year".
indifferent? "what's love got to do with it" asks tina and i realize she's right. after all, "i'm not in love" just because "i still haven't found what i'm looking for".
celebrating individuality? kina sings at the top of her amazing voice, what a "(girl) boy from the gutter" can do with his life, or what being "me" is all about. natalie can also share her thoughts on "beauty on the fire"
craving for some company? buckley sings about how much he wants someone badly, the stereophonics languishes in the fact that "nothing compares to you",
letting go? leann rimes shows that indeed, "life goes on", eventhough he was "the right kind of wrong".
defeated? aimee mann says there's a word for this, 'and it's in the tip of my tongue and it won't go any further.' sarah stages a comeback and rues how she has "fallen" messig things up eventhough she should know better. i do too.
when no particular mood is to be had, chicane's "no ordinary morning" or the theme from the beach by moby come to mind.
life is one fucking soundtrack, and every mood comes with a single.
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eileen and i went to libis last night for the guitar festival, saw mymp, pinikpikan, color it red, the johnny alegre affinity and mishka addams play. i am taking a liking to jazz, the rhythm that is so hard to follow, the discreet tug at the heart of strings and drums, the stylish maneuvering of fingers on the organ, the light-year difference with pop tradition of stanzas and codas and refrains, the strangely soothing twist and turn of an acidic mix-match of notes and melodies. i was thinking it was the first rebellious genre long before there was rock and roll.
i think i might do more research on it. and of course, exposure is best.
about more than a month ago marnie and i had seen cooky perform with affinity at the al fresco patio of cafe adriatico in gateway. i was near tears with her rendition of 'the nearness of you'. when she finished i was surprised to realize i was the last person applauding. she went over our table and thanked us for dropping by and all i could do was smile for being in the presence of such a talented performer.
i relayed this memory to eileen and we then go on to talk about something i noticed regarding cooky back then on taht gig in gateway, which i won't mention here because i adore her.
eileen was never a big fan of color it red because of that all-too-familiar song which i won't mention either because i think it kept the public from fully appreciating color it red.
in my mind i begin to hum, and this song is in my head: "how can i choose the words to tell you? words i shoud have said before? now more and more i long to hold you, i wish you'd never closed that door..."
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i'm a huge favor of acoustic renditions, because with almost no technology behind him or her, the artist's voice assumes center stage. no hiding behind the thunder and boom of drums and cymbals, no excuses for a failed note or running out of breath. it's raw, it's almost pure, and it's all about the voice.
in which case, mymp doesn't make it to my list. the lead singer's voice last night was just too ho-hum for me, and i wasn't impressed with the sophomoric rendition of 'tell me where it hurts'. i wanted to say 'right here in my ear' but we were in 'switch on' mode last night.
after mymp there was this duo playing electronica, and i almost got into it. almost. i had been previously exposed to electronica during that blasted fete at el pueblo, but that night invokes other images that have absolutely nothing to do with electronica music. as marnie would attest, they could have played electronica all night and all we were concerned about was this cute,cute, cute, cute, cute, cute, cute boy -- yes, a boy -- who was so obviously high on drugs. we both wanted to take him home, but were afraid he wouldn't even be able to get it up.
so as far as electronica is concerned, it's fine, but i think i need to be on drugs to really enjoy it.
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now more on vocals. some singers can sing, but there are a precious few who will stay with you long after they're done singing. those distinctive voices, those absolutely unique voices. and not in a fran drescher kind of way. i mean sure, sheryn regis can hit them high, extremely high, but she has no distinction. just another regine.
martin nievera is an unforgettable voice. bituin escalante is an unforgettable voice. annie lennox is an unforgettable voice.
unfortunately, 3 doors down is not one of those voices. sure, they have good material but the lead singer? a far cry from pat monahan, or rob thomas or edward kowalc -- kowalzc -- ah, basta that guy from live.
distinct and competent. that's what a voice should be.
the hopefuls parading in this season's batch of star in a million search are not yet impressing me, eventhough last week's winners -- especially that boy from the u.s. -- show some promise.
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if there's one musical instrument i would want to learn, it would be the violin. i don't know. every jolog and his brother wants to play the guitar. i want class, i want substance. i want to be there, yet not for everybody. such exclusivist and elitist outlooks, however are not to be taken seriously. at least not too seriously. not everyone digs a violin, unless it's a sexy irishwoman named sharon playing it and she's singing with two other equally attractive sisters and a brother.
so there you go. i'm a violin. because it's accessible, yet not too. and besides, if not handled properly or if you play it too long, it can give you a stiff neck. *guffaw*
