badstar | Entries tagged with music

This is a really beautiful song by Vienna Teng that I associate very strongly with Apollo most particularly for the lyrics in the final stanza:

Hey, love
I am a constant satellite
Of your blazing sun
My love
I obey your law of gravity
This is the fate you’ve carved on me

It’s available on her website in mp3 format- http://viennateng.com/listen/ (it’s the last song on the page, click the link to listen or right click and save link to download)

Yesterday morning, I was talking to

sannion and mentioned this song being stuck in my head for several hours. He wanted to hear it, so went off in search and found this video on Youtube…it’s nothing but a bunch of still shots and videos of, if you can believe it, wolves. (Really, taken on its own, it’s not all that interesting, but coming across it now, with this song, that’s pretty loaded for me.)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G2cJabIxHRU

I’ve been seriously thinking for a while of getting those lines tattooed on me somewhere. I received another swipe by a wolf’s claws over the weekend in a trance while doing a ritual. This was on my upper left arm. I think that’s where it’s going to go.

I’m seriously considering this font:

http://www.dafont.com/marka.font?nb_ppp=50

or this one: http://www.dafont.com/joehand-2.font

Dali is always a favorite http://www.dafont.com/dali.font

Another that I like, but probably way too thin for tattoo work: http://www.dafont.com/honey-i-stole-your-.font

(cross-posted to

painandlight)

Shiny Toy Guns.

Apparently they're like, well-known and stuff? Who knew? lol...

But ooh, me likey. Could not stop listening to them today.

Current Mood: happy
Current Music: Shiny Toy Guns- "Rainy Monday"

So back over the weekend, while going through some stuff, Gavin picked up my saxophone and pulled it out...I haven't played it since shortly after it was given to me a couple of years ago, partly because it's not really in very good shape, partly because it's an alto and dammit, I want a tenor.

I sucked on the reed a bit and gave it a shot to see how it sounded...a bit better than I remembered though it took me a few tries to get it sounding semi-decent, but it felt really good to play, even for a few minutes. I should find a music store and pick up a book and learn the fingering....

Add this to my list of things which I must make a more conscious effort to do more often....

Song meme, by way of

blackpaladn:

1. Reply to this post and I'll assign you a letter.
2. List 5 songs you like that start with that letter.
3. Post them to your journal with these instructions.

This meme brought to you by the number five and the letter A:

Okay...so to make it slightly less easy (though, not much, I have a lot of music) I didn't pick any songs whose first word was "A" (Otherwise, A Thousand Miles by Vanessa Carlton would be on the list)

Amazing Grace- Laura Love- as a general rule, I can't stand this song. I just can't get with the whole "I'm a wretch" sentiment. I know that's not the whole song, but it's the verse most heard. (By me anyway) However, Laura Love's version, which, sadly, I doubt anyone on my friends list has ever heard, is just kick-ass. Her voice is amazing, she completely changes styles in the middle of the song, I actually like listening to it. it took me for freakin' ever to find it after I left college, where I first heard it...only found it last year when it showed up on the itunes store. (I also love her rendition of Nirvana's Come As You are)

Advice For The Young At Heart- Tears For Fears- this is just a really cool song. Tears For Fears is way up there on my list of favorite bands.

All The Gold in California- The Gatlin Brothers- not really the type of music that most people would probably expect me to listen to, one of the small handful of exceptions in my dislike of country music...I have a bit of a soft spot for some stuff from the 80's, like this one, older Alabama, Randy Travis, Juice Newton, a few others. My parents listened to Eddie Rabbit all the time when I was about five. Anyway, I love this song.

Afrodiziak- Bran Van 3000- awesome song. It's up there with Drinking In LA, Carry On and Forest as my favorite BV3 songs. They need to do more of the hip-hop thing in their songs. I love how they have so many different sounds, but this, I think, is by far the best. There's just not enough hip-hop that isn't all motherfucker-bitch-ho-money-drugs. I'd listen to more of it if it didn't all sound the same.

American Storm- Bob Seger- I rediscovered this song late last year when a whole bunch of crap that I've been dealing with for months now was looming on the horizon. It was so right "...suddenly the pressure's falling, falling/the skies have all turned grey/suddenly the storm is heading straight your way..."

Age Of Innocence- Smashing Pumpkins- it's the Smashing Pumpkins. I love the Smashing Pumpkins. I don't need to say much more. This isn't one of my favorite of their songs, but it does begin with the appropriate letter. (Zwan was thoroughly unimpressive.)

Other songs that could have made the list...

Any Way, Fisher
Annie's Song, John Denver
Apple Shampoo, Blink-182
Apple, The Autumns
All Through The Night, Cyndi Lauper (especially the version that is a duet with Shaggy. It's kinda wrong, and so awesome. I think I like it better than the original.
Another Shot, David Garza
Another Sign Of Life, David Rice
Ashes And Wine, A Fine Frenzy
Allison Road, Gin blossoms
And We Danced, The Hooters

...to name a few.

Okay, I'm hoping I can get some music suggestions from you fine folks out there in LJ-land, though I'm not holding my breath.

I'm looking for music in a very specific vein. I'm a big fan of well-written rap vocals over acoustic, jazz, string or rock instrumentals.

Unfortunately, I don't actually know of more than a handful of speciments of the sort of music I'm talking about.

So...here is a list of the sort of thing I'm talking about. If anyone knows of any others of similar styles, please do let me know....

Bran Van 3000-

Afrodiziak
Forest
Carry On

Kinobe-

Summer In The Studio
The Woodsman & The Wolf

Archive-

almost every track from Londiunium

Urban Species-

Changing Of The Guard
Tomorrow People

anyone??

Monday Michiru

http://www.mondaymichiru.com/default.aspx?langID=1

Okay, maybe not quite obsession, but damn good stuff. If you like Arabella Rodriguez or Gretchen Lieberum (if you've even heard of them...), Give Monday Michiru a listen.

There is such a blurry line between some forms of jazz, and bad 70's background music.

Or some forms of jazz and very slightly higher class than average porn music.

Jus' sayin'.

Olympus, by Kelly Andrew Kaveny

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0011XSL7O/ref=ps_dm_ty_alb

I just discovered this, and have downloaded a few tracks with the points from Pepsi bottle caps...hehe...

Not a whole lot of album details are given, but its a CD of twelve tracks names for the twelve Olympian deities. I like what I've heard so far. It's available as mp3 downloads, or you can buy a physical CD. Samples of all tracks are available.

On my way back to work today, American Storm came up in my ipod playlist.

I've been on a Bob Seger kick since then.

Which is kinda sad, because I only have maybe 10 songs by him.

But damn, American Storm is such a great song. It's my new favorite song for the week. (Though I must say, I think it could be improved a bit by removing the "you never feel the need" line)

Headin out on some uncharted path
You soon turn back
It happens time and time again
You never seem to reach the end
Someones out there on the street tonight
When things go wrong
Hell guarantee to make them right
If the price is right

Every time I look you're fallin fallin
Beaten by the wind
Every time I turn around hes there again

Its like a full force gale
An American storm
You're buried far beneath a mountain of cold
And you never get warm
Its like a wall of mirrors
You charge `em at full speed
You cover up - you hear the shattering glass
But you never bleed
You never feel the need

Everybody casts a certain light
A special gift
Its theirs to use for wrong or right
When you face the night
More and more we choose the easy way
We take no risks
We figure out which games to play
And how to make em pay

Suddenly the pressures fallin fallin
Skies have all turned grey
Suddenly the storm is heading straight your way

Its like a full force gale
Atop a mountain of cold
You tell your story again and again
And it never gets old
Its like a wall of mirrors
You charge em at full speed
You cover up - you hear the shattering glass
But you never bleed
You face a full force gale
An American storm
You're buried beneath a mountain of cold
And you never get warm - no you never get warm
You face a wall of mirrors
You charge em at full speed
You cover up - you hear the shattering glass
But you never bleed
You never feel the need

I have no idea where my August and Everything After CD has gotten to...I wonder if I lost it? I'm seriously thinking I'll need to get another copy because I *really* want to listen to it right now. I haven't in so long and it would just make my night to be able to listen to it, especially Rain King and Murder of One...

Overall, I can't stand the stuff. My idea of really great Christmas music?

The Chinese Dance from the Nutcracker. (Well, just about anything from the Nutcracker, but I especially love the Chinese Dance)

I like a few of the humorous songs- like Bob Rivers's The Chimney Song...and of course the Twelve Pains Of Christmas.

Oh, and then there's the Christmas version of Snoopy and the Red Baron by the Royal Guardsmen. Awesome song.

But other songs, like Santa Baby? Loathe it. When I was in 11th grade, worked in a store that had a single Christmas tape, an hour to a side...and that song was on BOTH SIDES. (No other song appeared twice)

And any Christmas song sang by the Beach Boys should be banned. Along with that song with the chorus that goes "hoop de doo and dickory dock and don't forget to hang up your sock"- I've had that stuck in my head for roughly a week now and I want to gouge out the part of my brain that remembers random song clips and loops them like a defective tape player.

Then there's Carol of the Bells. Ick. And the Manhein Steamroller, and the Trans-Siberian Orchestra. I could do without those.

One song that I really do like is War Is Over by John Lennon...I always thought that was a cool song. I've also heard some really decent versions of traditional Christmas carols....for instance, I've heard a couple of amazing arrangements of Do you Hear What I Hear, taking great advantage of the sequential structure of the song to start it out soft and light, and build into some really powerful music.

There's only one other Christmas song that I really really like, and for a long time I didn't know what it was, I just know that I used to hear it sometimes when my mom was still listening to the Christian radio stations, and maybe two or three times, I've heard it in stores. I knew a few random phrases, and over the last few years I've tried googling the lyrics several times, but always turned up nothing.

I decided to try it again a little while and on the first try...blammo, there it was.

*looks around warily*

Okay, after that, I'm sure at least a few of you want to know what song it is. No doubt I'm going to get razzed at least from a few people. Hmm...ok....*braces self*

I didn't even known until tonight who sang the song, but it's Love Has Come by Amy Grant.

Ah well, it really is a great song. I went and downloaded it from iTunes. *dances*

Yes folks, the crazy pagan does like the occasional Christian song. I've got a couple others, plus a couple of non-religious songs by a Christian group or three....like Squad Five-o, The Innocence Mission- didja know they're from Lancaster and went to my mom's high school?- yup, they did.

Holy random iTunes findings...Oh my god, they have Laura Love's Octoroon. Which contains a cover of Nirvana's Come As You Are, plus (speaking of Christian music) the only version of the song Amazing Grace that I really like. Okay, I'm just getting those two tracks for now...

Edited cause I remembered more Christmas music to ban...that one with the little kid singing about the shoes. That and Hard Candy Christmas by Dolly Parton. Which may very well be The Most Depressing Song In The World- even more depressing than Dust In The Wind! (Well...maybe second, after Come Sweet Death, which is additionally twisted because if you're not listening to the words, it's kinda happy sounding). Hearing that song just makes me want to commit myself to a psychiatric hospital because it's so depressing that I'm afraid it's going to make me start cutting myself or something.

Heaven's Time by Fisher

I'll say goodbye before I wake
and all you need to know is I'm done with pain
Forced to deny this hearts true faith
and thankful to God there's a hope for change

Heavens time you face alone
-never knowing what will become
Through all your fears you stay strong
-count yourself at Number One - at Number One

Blink of an eye - the year is new
I healed from the path that I crossed with you

Heavens time you face alone
-never knowing what will become
Through all your fears you stay strong
-count yourself at Number One

Don't you let them bring you down

Just reading the lyrics...they're okay, but not spectacular. But when combined with Cathy Fisher's voice, and the music...oh my god, it's amazing. Sadly, it's not one of the nice big handful of songs offered for free download on her website...though, if you've never heard her, go go go!!!

http://www.fishertheband.com/music.html

Of the songs offered for download, I recommend all, but especially I Will Love You, Any Way and Never Say Never

(If you're wondering what she sounds like, think a combination of Sarah McLachlan, Natalie Merchant and maybe just a bit of Fiona Apple all smashed into one.)

http://www.gregorian.de/index.php?chant=news&lang=2

More music discovered today whilst poking at Teh Intarwebz.

They're called Gregorian, they're a German group that does Gregorian chant arrangements of a fairly impressive range of well-known music...Coldplay, Simon & Garfunkel, Metallica, Alanis Morissette, Nine Inch Nails and a while bunch of others. Thy have like, 7 cd's.

(this means you,

darkfiremoon,

acousticdryad, possibly

chironcentaur and no doubt, others as well.)

Tyr

I just discovered them whilst poking about Teh Intarwebz.

http://www.tyr.net/

"Profession of the Christian Faith or Decapitation." This was the choice given by Sigmundur to his Faroese Viking compatriot Tróndur í Gøtu. And so it was that in 999 A.D., the Christianization of the small, scenic, yet striking “Føroyaland” began, slowly but surely, casting a veil of oblivion over the ancient Scandinavian gods and only leaving the relics of forgotten hedinistic dogma buried deep within the Christian ritual. Or so it was believed...

Exactly 999 years later, a small group fondly remembering the archaic gods and rites came together to form the only Faroese Folk Metal band, TÝR.

...

Eric the Red followed the style dictated by the old religion. Almost every song is based on Faroese or Nordic lore, and is revetted in the garb of the Folk Metal genre. Its approach unmistakenly creates a very true Viking Metal. Tracks with such sonorous and powerful titles as "Regin Smiður" (Regin, the Blacksmith), "Stýrisvølurin" (The Tiller), or "Ólavur Riddararós" (Olaf, Knight of the Rose), all reminiscent of other disparate, yet genre specific, bands like Otyg, Glittertind, Ensiferum, Moonsorrow, old Vintersorg, and last but not least Solstice’s doom/folk cult album New Dark Age, are catchy reminders of the good ol’ days of the Viking era.

There are several sample tracks available in their discography section.

Don't laugh, but I really want to listen to some John Denver right now...but I don't have any on my computer.

Oh wait...my ipod...I have some on my ipod....

So this morning on the way to work, I was listening to (don't laugh) John Denver and the song Rocky Mountain High came on. And out of the blue, I remembered something from 5th grade:

So one day while we're learning all about the evils of drugs and whatnot, our teacher brings in a record and plays that song for us, and distributes a sheet with the song lyrics printed on it.

She asks us if we think that "rocky mountain high" is referring to being high from drugs, and we proceed to learn about being "high on life".

and then she asks us if we think that the line "friends around a campfire and everybody's high" refers to being high on drugs...and of course, everyone's all "No, they're all high on life!"

And my thought when that line played this morning? Yeah, like hell they're all just high on life. Maybe the song in general refers to being high on life/nature/thinner altitude, less oxygen...but that one line? No way.

I am highly amused.