Rainy Days and Mondays (don't always bring me down)
Staying up til 3am doing an essay that isn't even needed, I've come to realise, is not the best way to start the week. Nor is stepping out in pumps and a white t-shirt (no jacket) when the weather is forecast as FUCKING CHUCKING IT.
However, regardless of these minor calamities, the day didn't actually turn out all too bad. Music Tech consisted of the usual: Me and Rach looking at pretty band merch, laughing at stupid things on the internet whilst pissing off Diane in the process, as well as listening to twee indie pop on Spotify instead of doing actual work - except, in this lesson, that did actually happen to be one of the objectives (well... it was technically to choose three songs to do for next year's recording... any excuse ;D)
And so on to Tutor, which was, as ever, one of the low points of the day... put simply: an hour with Mick Hook is never a fun one. English lessons are also starting to MAJORLY piss me off. Feminism has been lodged down my throat this whole past year, so A Doll's House really isn't proving to be a very enjoyable experience. Oh, and don't even get me started on Tracey's constant attempts at connecting with the girls and undermining the boys (and me) by constantly chiming in with benile things such as 'Oh well girls, I'm sure you've all had guys trying out such and such chat up line on you...' or 'C'mon girls, you know what men are like' - well NO Tracey, actually I don't, so just STFU, please.
And this is when awesome friends really do come in handy - to finish off your chocolate cheesecake when it gets just that little too sickly to stomach, to oggle at beautiful guys with and to essentially make you laugh til all the unnecessary misery you were experiencing prior to their arrival becomes all but a distant rain cloud, hidden away by the GLORIOUS SUNSHINE OF LIFE. <3
--
And, to finish off (before my glorious picspam which I WILL post sometime this evening... or at least this week), here is something I've been thinking about doing for a while but haven't because of essays, rehearsals, etc...
What's on the Spotify Playlist?
The Dangling Conversation - Simon and Garfunkel
So, Groove Academy has another show coming up. The biggest one yet, apparently. Hence yesterday's six and a half hour rehearsal, during which I probably spent about half an hour rehearsing and the rest playing ping-pong. Anyways, as the show is New York themed, a lot of the material is soul/jazz/hip-hop - all well and good, but with one vital part of the New York music scene missing: Greenwich Village. And because I would not be able to sing a soul/jazz/hip-hop record to save my life, I knew that this was probably the only way in for me, regarding a vocal performance. Simon and Garfunkel are a duo I was practically brought up on (Mother loves them), but I'd never really checked out their more obscure stuff (as opposed to Bridge Under Troubled Water, Mrs Robinson and the like) until now. I originally had my heart set on For Emily, Wherever I May Find Her simply because it is a really beautiful song, but, as there is no way I'd be able pull off a Simon and Garfunkel song on my own, I instead chose this one, featuring Mother's favourite lyric of all time ('You read your Emily Dickinson, and I my Robert Frost, and we note our place with bookmarkers to measure what we've lost') alongside gorgeous harmonies and asimply lovely guitar part. With these features in mind, I somehow managed to get on board a talented, like minded musician at Groove Academy who, just trust me, will definitely fucking make it. Now all I've got to do is keep my fingers crossed and hope that what in theory should work, actually, y'know, does...
Lions After Slumber -The Veils
A cover of an old Scritti Politti song, the smooth funk of the original replaced by an intimate, unhinged lust, courtesy of the strange and beautiful wonder that is Finn Andrews. The lyrics of the track read like a list of everything that means something to the songwriter, from his lips, his hunger, his vodka, his body, his sex, his penetration and his androgyny - revealing desperate and at times unsettlingly personal pleasures which are expressed with such passion and energy that it soon becomes almost impossible to believe that Finn wasn't their original owner.
Rooks - Shearwater
A shamefully recent find for me, but boy, am I glad I found this gem of a band eventually. This song is probably their most accessible, and dare I say 'radio-friendly' song - musically pretty simple, but with a gorgeous, slow burning melody and lyrics conveying dark, haunting imagery ('when the rooks were laid in piles by the sides of the road...and gathered in a field they were burned in a feathering pyre') delivered by a voice, that voice - rich, versatile and with a vibrato that's simply to die for - which have all really made me take this record to heart. If you're looking for something not only beautiful but intelligent with it, I recommend you give this band a listen - ASAP!! (Oh, and I'm pretty certain that the lead singer Johnny Meiburg, has got to be THE most beautiful bird obsessive ornithologist in ornithological history).
Waiting for the Moon to Rise - Belle & Sebastian
I'm someone who has never quite 'got' the ceaseless praise bestowed upon B&S (I myself being more likely to swoon over their twee-Scot-pop-contemporaries Camera Obscura) but even I have to admit, this song is pretty damn wonderful. It sounds just like a first love: young, romantic and innocent, but with the underlying feelings of sadness and longing that so often come with a love which will never be anything more than unrequited.
Shine On - The House of Love
Classic songwriting from argueably one of the darkest, coolest shoegazing bands of the late 80's. Though don't expect any indistinct, barely there melodies from these guys: their tunes were actually some of the most infectious - not to mention timeless - around.
Lilac Wine - Jeff Buckley
Picked out accidentally by myself last singing lesson (which I'll be doing properly next week... eep!) this soulful work of art is heartfelt, honest and achingly beautiful... but then again, this is Jeff Buckley - why the hell would you expect anything else?
My Sweet Prince - Placebo
Another band I've never really been convinced of until lately... but this song is actually kind of stunning. Oh, and I'm at the stage where I can now, not even begrudgingly admit that Brian Molko is a very pretty man... (Ahem).
Some Velvet Morning - Nancy Sinatra & Lee Hazlewood
Quite simply the eeriest song ever. I'm actually kinda desperate to do this for my Music Tech recording next year... but I'm afraid that the (literally constant) changes in time signature will make whichever drummer I drag into the studio hate me for the rest of eternity. I also doubt my ability of being able to even slightly recreate that glorious Spector-esque production which made the original so crisp and pristine and bloody wonderful. Whatever happens, it'll still be the coolest song recorded by anyone on the course next year, and probably the year after that. Maybe even the year after the year after that.
Bring it on.
However, regardless of these minor calamities, the day didn't actually turn out all too bad. Music Tech consisted of the usual: Me and Rach looking at pretty band merch, laughing at stupid things on the internet whilst pissing off Diane in the process, as well as listening to twee indie pop on Spotify instead of doing actual work - except, in this lesson, that did actually happen to be one of the objectives (well... it was technically to choose three songs to do for next year's recording... any excuse ;D)
And so on to Tutor, which was, as ever, one of the low points of the day... put simply: an hour with Mick Hook is never a fun one. English lessons are also starting to MAJORLY piss me off. Feminism has been lodged down my throat this whole past year, so A Doll's House really isn't proving to be a very enjoyable experience. Oh, and don't even get me started on Tracey's constant attempts at connecting with the girls and undermining the boys (and me) by constantly chiming in with benile things such as 'Oh well girls, I'm sure you've all had guys trying out such and such chat up line on you...' or 'C'mon girls, you know what men are like' - well NO Tracey, actually I don't, so just STFU, please.
And this is when awesome friends really do come in handy - to finish off your chocolate cheesecake when it gets just that little too sickly to stomach, to oggle at beautiful guys with and to essentially make you laugh til all the unnecessary misery you were experiencing prior to their arrival becomes all but a distant rain cloud, hidden away by the GLORIOUS SUNSHINE OF LIFE. <3
--
And, to finish off (before my glorious picspam which I WILL post sometime this evening... or at least this week), here is something I've been thinking about doing for a while but haven't because of essays, rehearsals, etc...
What's on the Spotify Playlist?
The Dangling Conversation - Simon and Garfunkel
So, Groove Academy has another show coming up. The biggest one yet, apparently. Hence yesterday's six and a half hour rehearsal, during which I probably spent about half an hour rehearsing and the rest playing ping-pong. Anyways, as the show is New York themed, a lot of the material is soul/jazz/hip-hop - all well and good, but with one vital part of the New York music scene missing: Greenwich Village. And because I would not be able to sing a soul/jazz/hip-hop record to save my life, I knew that this was probably the only way in for me, regarding a vocal performance. Simon and Garfunkel are a duo I was practically brought up on (Mother loves them), but I'd never really checked out their more obscure stuff (as opposed to Bridge Under Troubled Water, Mrs Robinson and the like) until now. I originally had my heart set on For Emily, Wherever I May Find Her simply because it is a really beautiful song, but, as there is no way I'd be able pull off a Simon and Garfunkel song on my own, I instead chose this one, featuring Mother's favourite lyric of all time ('You read your Emily Dickinson, and I my Robert Frost, and we note our place with bookmarkers to measure what we've lost') alongside gorgeous harmonies and asimply lovely guitar part. With these features in mind, I somehow managed to get on board a talented, like minded musician at Groove Academy who, just trust me, will definitely fucking make it. Now all I've got to do is keep my fingers crossed and hope that what in theory should work, actually, y'know, does...
Lions After Slumber -The Veils
A cover of an old Scritti Politti song, the smooth funk of the original replaced by an intimate, unhinged lust, courtesy of the strange and beautiful wonder that is Finn Andrews. The lyrics of the track read like a list of everything that means something to the songwriter, from his lips, his hunger, his vodka, his body, his sex, his penetration and his androgyny - revealing desperate and at times unsettlingly personal pleasures which are expressed with such passion and energy that it soon becomes almost impossible to believe that Finn wasn't their original owner.
Rooks - Shearwater
A shamefully recent find for me, but boy, am I glad I found this gem of a band eventually. This song is probably their most accessible, and dare I say 'radio-friendly' song - musically pretty simple, but with a gorgeous, slow burning melody and lyrics conveying dark, haunting imagery ('when the rooks were laid in piles by the sides of the road...and gathered in a field they were burned in a feathering pyre') delivered by a voice, that voice - rich, versatile and with a vibrato that's simply to die for - which have all really made me take this record to heart. If you're looking for something not only beautiful but intelligent with it, I recommend you give this band a listen - ASAP!! (Oh, and I'm pretty certain that the lead singer Johnny Meiburg, has got to be THE most beautiful bird obsessive ornithologist in ornithological history).
Waiting for the Moon to Rise - Belle & Sebastian
I'm someone who has never quite 'got' the ceaseless praise bestowed upon B&S (I myself being more likely to swoon over their twee-Scot-pop-contemporaries Camera Obscura) but even I have to admit, this song is pretty damn wonderful. It sounds just like a first love: young, romantic and innocent, but with the underlying feelings of sadness and longing that so often come with a love which will never be anything more than unrequited.
Shine On - The House of Love
Classic songwriting from argueably one of the darkest, coolest shoegazing bands of the late 80's. Though don't expect any indistinct, barely there melodies from these guys: their tunes were actually some of the most infectious - not to mention timeless - around.
Lilac Wine - Jeff Buckley
Picked out accidentally by myself last singing lesson (which I'll be doing properly next week... eep!) this soulful work of art is heartfelt, honest and achingly beautiful... but then again, this is Jeff Buckley - why the hell would you expect anything else?
My Sweet Prince - Placebo
Another band I've never really been convinced of until lately... but this song is actually kind of stunning. Oh, and I'm at the stage where I can now, not even begrudgingly admit that Brian Molko is a very pretty man... (Ahem).
Some Velvet Morning - Nancy Sinatra & Lee Hazlewood
Quite simply the eeriest song ever. I'm actually kinda desperate to do this for my Music Tech recording next year... but I'm afraid that the (literally constant) changes in time signature will make whichever drummer I drag into the studio hate me for the rest of eternity. I also doubt my ability of being able to even slightly recreate that glorious Spector-esque production which made the original so crisp and pristine and bloody wonderful. Whatever happens, it'll still be the coolest song recorded by anyone on the course next year, and probably the year after that. Maybe even the year after the year after that.
Bring it on.