September

Though they sing about the twenty-first night of September, this song creates the atmosphere of summer, in a vivid, joyful world. Recently I saw the film Intouchables in which Earth, Wind & Fire's music is featured. It is an awesome film. I liked very much the free, glad behaviour of Driss (above) and this music was perfectly suitable to his personality. He tried to show Philippe the happy side of each thing and for this, one of his most important methods was music.

Ba de ya - say do you remember

Ba de ya - dancing in September

Ba de ya - never was a cloudy day

Intouchables - IMDB

September

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nfLEc09tTjI

Boogie Wonderland (also featured)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_jLGa4X5H2c

Fool on the hill

A few days ago I watched one of the Steve Carrell's films, Dinner for Schmucks which is actually a remake of the 1998 french film Le diner de cons. It proved to be better than my expectations were. No doubt that I really like his acting, both in The office and in his films, but did not expect such a cool story and nice atmosphere. It is really a sweet film - and funny as well.

Its soundtrack, which we can hear in the perfect mice-dream-world intro and the closing title is Beatles' Fool on the hill. For a very long time I haven't heard such a clever and witty lyrics. This beautiful song was perfectly suitable for the film, and, if we are from the same kind, hearing these words can be a delight for our souls.

Day after day,

Alone on a hill,

The man with the foolish grin is keeping perfectly still

But nobody wants to know him,

They can see that he's just a fool,

And he never gives an answer,

But the fool on the hill,

Sees the sun going down,

And the eyes in his head,

See the world spinning 'round.

Dinner for Schmucks - IMDB

Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tg1k_G6fRpQ

Pulp fiction - Music from the motion picture

Quentin Tarantino reinterpreted film music. His flicks wouldn't be those movies without those songs. He always chooses older songs, not actual hits. Well-known songs and less well-known ones which create perfect atmosphere for his films. What is this atmosphere like? Funny. Cool. Loose. Entertaining. Nice. Nostalgic. Romantic... and so on.

If you hear Pulp fiction, you immediately start to hum Misirlou in your head, but the soundtrack is much more. For example, I was introduced to the genre "surf" by Tarantino soundtracks. Bustin' surfboards and Surf rider are surfing with you for a short time, but there're Let's stay together by Al Green, Jungle boogie by Kool & The Gang, Girl, you'll be a woman soon by Urge Overkill, and the classic twist contest song, the You never can tell by Chuck Berry. And I haven't talked about the film excerpts which paint even more colours on this album. It's not a coincidence that Samuel L. Jackson and John Travolta have been chosen for one of the fifteen greatest pairs of pop culture by Entertainment Weekly. Their memorable dialogues will always be with us, for example talking about the burgers in America and France, the morning scene when they murder the boys having breakfast, and Jules's monologue quoting from Ezekiel 25:17 which is the closer track of the album. Don't say what again, listen to this album...

...and if you liked it, start with the Jackie Brown - Music from the Miramax motion picture. That's my favourite Tarantino movie music.

Misirlou:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZIU0RMV_II8

Jungle boogie:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YgynbFoA9to

Let's stay together:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=COiIC3A0ROM

Pulp fiction trailer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wZBfmBvvotE

Summer things

Summer just walked in - but I didn't realize it, because the weather is very strange in Hungary. But if I glance at the calendar I can remember that in one simple moment the 31st of May turned to the 1st of June and yes, that was the first day of summer. It's always an important day to me: the first and last days of each season. Now I just slipped into the summer. I regret.

But we don't have to wait long, summer will be here in its whole reality, and I can't help proposing albums which are connected to this season in my mind.

1. Pop: Pet Shop Boys - Actually
2. Pop: Roxy music - Avalon
3. Pop: Wham! - The final
4. Jazz: Modern Jazz Quartet - Porgy and Bess
5. Jazz: Dizzy Gillespie - Jambo caribe
6. Blues: Lightnin' Hopkins - Country blues
7. World/folk: René Aubry - Invités sur la Terre
8. Progressive rock: Emerson, Lake & Palmer - Love beach
9. Progressive rock: Camel - Breathless
10. Reggae: Bob Marley and the Wailers - Rastaman vibration

This land is your land

Up in the air surprised me in the pleasant meaning of this word. The movie had been nominated for several Oscars but didn't won any - unfortunately. That's something which could have been deserved at least one - in spite of the "big" films, which nowadays the Academy and people concentrate on. But it's not a movie blog so I make it short: it's 9 of 10 for me and a memorable and soon repeatable experience of the movies of third millenium.

Let's talk about its soundtrack. Now I concentrate on its intro again, with the landscapes photographed from the air and the mood and lyrics of the music in the background: Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings - This land is your land (on the album Naturally, 2005 - can you imgaine it?). The connection is perfect. As the lady keeps singing the lands of America (in the original song it's only in the first verse but the soundtrack is a modified version), we can observe them from the air, and the editing is absolutely perfect. The titles and rhythm is playful and set a cool starting atmosphere for the film. Do we need more? It's worth to watch its intro (below).

Trailer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hnrDgLs8fQo&feature=related

Watch the movie:
http://stagevu.com/video/gdzexmdmaods

This land is your land:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QeahROQ716M

The bear and the fox

I could have written "Tim Ten Yen and his magical world" as well but my favourite song by him is The bear and the fox (from the album Everything beautiful reminds me of You) with its child-story mood and nice melody. I see he's having concerts now, but I don't know how big his reputation could be. I think it's growing constantly.

Visit him at myspace:
http://www.myspace.com/timtenyen

The bear and the fox:

The bear and the fox live (poor quality):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FwcfUFPpF1U
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OpJqIwbnPG8

Happy Birthday!

It was precisely one year ago when I wrote the first blog post of my life. Since I didn't know anything about it, I continued... and liked writing very much, so it turned out that this would be a blog where one or two posts appear every week. Now it's over eighty but it still contain so little amount of good music which I know, so I hope this blog will stay alive for years.

That first post was about John Coltrane's Alabama. Then it took an incredible effect on me, and it hasn't changed till today. It's in my top5 ever-heard songs (man, that's quite a good topic for a new post).

See the first post of this blog:
Alabama

Let me celebrate this day with Pet Shop Boys' Birthday boy.

Concerts coming

It's only a few days ago when I got to know that Pet Shop Boys and Jean Michel Jarre, two of my old half-nostalgic favourites will come to my country: PSB to BalatonSound in summer, JMJ to Papp László Budapest SportArena, in May. There was no question in my mind about going or not. As you can see it in this blog, I follow PSB's life every now and then, and I was glad to see them on VoltFestival maybe three years ago. Now Yes has come out and there are lots of new concert videos which make me very curious. About Jean Michel Jarre: being a fan of him started in secondary school, such as of Kraftwerk, these two were the coolest music which we could imagine with my best friend with whom I shared a desk in the classroom, and if we even listened to many other music nowadays, it would be a huge effect on us maybe for good. I had the chance to see his concert last year, that was the Oxygene tour, where he played the whole album from its first sound to its last, and songs from Oxygene 7-13 as well - on analogue devices. And now it's the World Tour, with which my old dream will come true.

PSB in your living room:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8rEVeyDukGE
(visit mypricelessgig.co.uk)

Watch PSB concert videos in older posts:
Did you see me coming?
Yes

About the JMJ World Tour:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xJLm0jHh4b0

JMJ playing Oxygene:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0kQEvGmnkCQ

Madonna - American life

Now it's someone who doesn't need to be introduced, but besides her biggest hits she has some notable albums, too. Being driven by a sudden emotion, I chose an old cd, American life a few days ago, which is her second best after Ray of light (it's an outstanding one amongst her albums).

1. American life

2. Hollywood

3. I'm so stupid:

4. Love profusion

5. Nobody knows me

6. Nothing fails

7. Intervention

8. X-static process

9. Mother and father

10. Die another day

11. Easy ride

After the first two faster and widely known songs, she sings slower songs. Nice songs in a cosy pop-atmosphere, and one of the advantages of this album is the clearness. At last a pop album which isn't too dense. If something wants to be expressive, it doesn't need to be "big". By the way, the singing voice sounds much better if there aren't too many instruments playing. Just enough. Whatever Madonna does these days, it's something notable in her interesting and colourful carreer.

Pet Shop Boys' new products

It seems like the Pet Shop Boys never rest, they always come up with something new. Now, the Pandemonium concert dvd and cd, released on the 15th of February. Quite a cool choice with those new "two songs in one" types.
Or the ep Christmas, released on the 14th of December, 2009, containing the new version of It doesn't often snow at Christmas, a cool remix of Madness' My girl, or the Viva la vida / Domino dancing mix. Now they have an own YouTube channel, too.

Pandemonium dvd trailer:
http://www.youtube.com/petshopboys#p/c/CC5459DB602B6963

Domino dancing / Viva la vida:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bJp-0kKgvlA

My girl:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M37TnocXUSc

Madness - My girl:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=09ARfGbCfMs

Animal

Miike Snow is quite a new Swedish indie-pop band (formed in 2007), and when I heard the song Animal yesterday, I didn't know where have I known it. I don't really know now either... perhaps it remains a quest forever. But the song is nice, and can make your day. It's located on their one and only album Miike Snow - Miike Snow (2009).

Watch Animal:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=niKT-kJfUz4

Visit their official website:

http://www.miikesnow.co.uk/

Pet Shop Boys - Behaviour

In life, people sometimes have totally unnecessary days when they feel themselves aimless, lonely, or anything else. Today was something like this for me, and maybe this made me to pick off an old favourite from the cd shelf. The forever effective one-word-titled Behaviour is PSB's most "alone" and silent album.

Now there's a milestone in my life and I have so much free time... so much free time suddenly, and I don't really know or feel what to do. "Shall I rewrite, or revise my October Symphony?" "She said we were never feeling bored" "I never knew time pass so slow" These are quotations from the album, and there's one more important, "Dress in white", says an old birthday party invitation card - this is how the album starts with the beautiful song Being boring, which PSB says about: "The song is about growing up - the ideals that you have when you're young and how they turn out." The song didn't really changed over the years, as you can see in the videos (I remember singing it with my friend to strangers on the Sziget festival, but PSB didn't give concert here that year).

After the melancholic but somehow hopeful intro, I hear This must be the place I waited years to leave's lamenting and calmly celebrational melodies, and the lower part of the far sky quite fast turns from grey to faint yellow. Then I reach To face the truth, which is similar to Only the wind - these two songs provides the most intimate parts of the album. But - PSB remains PSB - there are bigger hits on the album, too, like How can you expect to be taken seriously? touched by some rock, and So hard. Ending with the purely honest and - I think - well-known feelings for everyone, Jealousy, which gives a celebrational close to the album.

I have this cd in Further listening version which means double cd, the original album + an extra disc containing longer or other versions of songs and songs which were made around that time, but were previously unreleased. Aimless days... Behaviour. And a reminder: She was never bored because she was never boring.

Being boring:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LtjFsFXU9YU

Being boring (live):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Akd4yn1r4Dc

So hard:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Q5_ggo1ZfQ

Jealousy (live):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LW2EejnHcZQ

Pet Shop Boys - Yes

"a fantastic, wide-ranging pop record"

The ever-changing, developing but always remaining-the-same Pet Shop Boys' new record is Yes - another great title amongst their one-word titled albums. They have been always creative to describe an album with one word, and now, hearing it (and as well being an old fan of them) I got interested immediately.

I have acquainted it only now notwithstanding it was released on the 23th of March. It flew to me straightly from Shanghai, and as a European, it was pleasant to see some splinter of the far-east culture: see the nice stamps on the picture below.

As this new effective cover shows eleven colours, the album contains eleven songs, and the whole album is a flow of the hit-category tracks. Starting with the also well titled Love etc. which has also became a single and got a video, the album gets a cool inception. As we go on, and hear the catchy melodies, the two English guys show their familiar palatial, dense arrangements and sometimes clearer, emotional parts, for ex. in Vulnerable or The way it used to be. Did you see me coming has also became a single. But my special favourite is Building a wall, it has a some kind of dynamic pulling ahead. I love the concert version: as the wall collapses, it's very effective, I wish they came to Hungary again. This year they are having the Pandemonium Tour, reaching Russia, Germany, UK, USA, Argentina and so on. As now they have so many songs, to organize a concert in a given time is getting harder and harder, so they often plays songs together, let it be older or the newest, great feelings mix. See more videos in the related section.

They also released an exclusive eleven pieces lp-packet, with each song on one lp by its one colour of eleven, so you can put them in the right form to get the pipe from the cover on your floor.

Here you can listen to the whole album:
http://music.aol.co.uk/music-news/pet-shop-boys-first-listen-of/article/20090317123709990001

Love etc.:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QYR_L0AZNQw

(You need more...

than a Gerhard Richter hanging on your wall)

Did you see me coming

Pandemonium/Can you forgive her?:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v0CzHjWlzOQ

Love etc./Building a wall/Go west:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BQX4jrdu5ng

Did you see me coming?

It's Pet shop boys' new single, a light song for the end of this summer. They kept their basic style and atmosphere but with their new album, Yes, they redefined the genre "pop". Yes is an incredibly good title for an album and perfectly matches to the list of their album names, which are all one word long. Visually - besides the developments - the new style belongs to the Fundamental-Minimal style.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Hy4bT0ESfc&hd=1

Here's an other video by them, a live performance at the Brits Award, a ten minutes long medley, where their cool hits mix very well.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9OAlTWrNN6o

My baby shot me down

All of my close acquaintances know that I'm a fan of Frank Sinatra but today I've chosen a song by his daughter, Nancy. During my walk in the afternoon, I was listening to the album: Gabor Szabo - The spellbinder which is a new purchase, thanks to my friend who spent his holiday in Berlin. So Gabor Szabo performs the same track on the album in a very cool and attractive way, but it isn't the perfect timing to write a review about the whole album - I keep it for early autumn.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T5Xl0Qry-hA

We can also hear it in the film: Kill Bill directed by Quentin Tarantino. It was "re-discovered" as a theme song of it.

I like its lyrics because it's a childhood memory:

I was five and he was six

We rode on horses made of sticks

He wore black and I wore white

He would always win the fight

Bang bang, he shot me down

Bang bang, I hit the ground

Bang bang, that awful sound

Bang bang, my baby shot me down.

Seasons came and changed the time

When I grew up, I called him mine

He would always laugh and say

"Remember when we used to play?"

Bang bang, I shot you down

Bang bang, you hit the ground

Bang bang, that awful sound

Bang bang, I used to shoot you down.

Music played, and people sang

Just for me, the church bells rang.

Now he's gone, I don't know why

And till this day, sometimes I cry

He didn't even say goodbye

He didn't take the time to lie.

Bang bang, he shot me down

Bang bang, I hit the ground

Bang bang, that awful sound

Bang bang, my baby shot me down...