Decadence in times of trauma

Many are going through this pandemic with severe hunger of the skin variety. This video is a paean to a time that many long for; when we can reach out to embrace each other without paranoia or guilt of the non-cheating variety.

Stay safe, everyone.

Wash your hands.

Keep your distance.

Wear a damn mask when you are out and about.

Fill the tub, lean back, and relax.

I came across this band on the NPR Tiny Desk contest highlights. Just delicious. Have a listen.



*sips a chilled drink and let the mellowness envelops*

Have a great weekend, y'all.

Holiday in Paris? Piffle.

Every time I listen to this song, I feel like I'm sashaying into a space elevator to board an interstellar ship for a trip to the next galaxy, my micro-gravity suitcase floating by my side.

And what a joy to discover these beautiful treasure trove of space travel  inspired  NASA posters. Perhaps one day we will be Instagramming our holidays on Mars.

Moar gorgeous art under the cut.

The Joy of Melancholia

Mellifluous and delicious.



We are all biased to think that the music of our teens and young adult to be the creme de la creme of listening pleasures. Research have shown that our music preference is pretty much imprinted during our teenage years. These aren't necessarily the pop hits of the day, I was imprinted with an appreciation for 60's bubblegum pop, thanks to Radio 4.

Mr Buckley has been dead for some time now, snatched by Death at 30. But his voice, the melody he penned, the lyrics he sang still touch the souls of his listeners. God knows I've put this damned thing on replay for the dozenth time.

Enjoy.

Ripping classics

The best of both worlds, indeed.



AC/DC "Thunderstruck"



Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit"

Wicked cool cellists are wicked.

Lay back and relax

This is the soundtrack for you to lay back, sip a beverage of your choice and just chill.

*takes another hit of the joint*

Baritonia!

Proof that military types know how to let their crew cuts down and boogie. Here is the Russian Red Army military choir crooning some juicy tunes for your pleasure.



*jives along*



I'm sure Freddy would be tickled pink by this.



This is ... irony distilled in its purest form. From Russia with Love FTW!

Ylvis is in da house

Y'know, just like the given name of the late Mr Presley.

Get ready to tune up the volume and boogie!

Biology lesson here ...



 and wildlife musings ...



I'm sure this question kept many awake ...



... and the search for your one true love ...



I love how the songs are so reminiscent of the soaring, sweeping pop anthems of the 80's and 90's belted out by powerhouses like Whitney Houston and Peabo Bryson and Spandau Ballet. And yet ... *snerk*

Enjoy.

*Snagged all from Ilona's blog here.

Never tell a bitch to drop a size

I've never heard of the original song nor am I interested to watch the MVA controversy with Miley Cyrus twerking to Robin Thicke.

But this? Is awesome.

NSFW. You have been warned.



 

In the mood for ...

... steampunk!

I want to shoot ...

... the whole day down.



Too bad if you like the Boomtown Rats original. I think Tori's version wins cos it makes you want to take a razor to your jugular more than the bratty original version.

Have a great week ahead, everyone!

Let's shimmy

I have a thing for 60's psychedelia-inspired music and soul music of that era. In this song, I get a beautiful combination of both in a single track.



Cover versions can bomb badly; just check out the covers made by most boy bands (*shudders at Westlife*) but this re-interpretation works beautifully.

The original song is this one by Velvet Underground.

Ear candy - shoegazer

Shoegazing is a trippy alternative pop/rock music is a unique product of the late 80's and 90's, blending haunting melodies to depressing lyrics with a sound that won't be amiss in an acid trip experience. You can read a more thinky description of the music here.

Trailer Trash Tracys is a new band out of London that embodies some of the best elements of dream pop and shoegazing.

Enjoy.

Moar ear candy

I love NPR. They are the reason I begin to have an appreciation for musicians who make lyrical poetry to match their songs.Otherwise, I'm basically melody driven. The song could be about monkeys fornicating for all I care, which is how I enjoy opera and songs in a language I don't comprehend.

Simone White's Big Dreams and the Headlines.



Patrick Watson's Adventure in Your Own Backyard.



Sinead O'Connor's I Had a Baby.



And of course, her iconic anthem.



Have a great weekend, y'all!

Ear candy

I have been listening to this over and over. The riffs, navel gazing lyrics ...

 

Delicious. This is my approximation of poetry appreciation.

Aurgasm

Nina Persson started out her singing career with The Cardigans, purveying sweet bubblegum pop music that hid a dark core, telling stories more relevant to Brothers Grimm than Disney sweetness. Kinda like sucking a lime candy and then you hit the super sour melty centre. Their first huge hit made me think about what it's like to hit acid just before going out on a date with your crush.



Yes, I have a weakness for retro-like music. This song was practically the soundtrack of my pre-university days. Now you know how old I really am.

Massive fangirling and moar ear candy after the cut.

Forever yellow skies

I am sure everybody have fond memories of the music of their teenage years. Mine is pretty checkered because I'm a bit of a hipster when it comes to music, even when I was a mega spotty teen. I loathed most of the hit songs when I was 16 but it got better the year I turned 17 when rock music became cool again  thanks to grunge and the second wave of British invasion made its appearance.

When I heard that the Cranberries was going to perform in Kuala Lumpur for their Asia tour, I was totally psyched. The band's albums pretty much provided the soundtrack to various highlights in my life. I fell in love with them thanks to Linger, but the anthemic Zombie was the one that propelled them into rock and roll hall of fame leagues.


The stadium pretty much was shaken to its foundation when this was on.



I think this cements them as a pretty awesome stadium class rock band, don't you think?

Dolores sounds just as good live as she does in the albums; she's not much for audience interaction, but she delighted us all with her trademark hip gyrate, head banging and back-and-forth stiff armed march which was so cute. The rest of the band was equally indefatigable. The fangirls screamed when Fergal Lawler took off his sweat-soaked t-shirt; no surprise since the man is built like a brick shit house. Not bad for a forty-plus dude, eh? I guess bashing the drums do help a man develop his guns (mmm...).

I had teary moments during the first 30 minutes of the concert; it was just unbelievably amazing to be with so many other fans who were also hollering along to the same songs. And just like the Carpenter's song; it truly was  Yesterday Once More.

Ear candy

I grew up listening to Madonna way back when she was still the Material Girl. Her poppy songs were the anthems of my younger days but I quit listening to her when she went overboard with the auto tune and got too hip hop for my taste. I love her songs in that they are easy to sing along to, even if you don't have a distinguished voice. I've never fancied myself as a Celine Dion and won't attempt her songs at a karaoke, but give me the Madonna 80's and early 90's catalogue and you'll pry the microphone from my cold, dead fingers.

It made me rejoice that Madge appears to be returning to her musical origins in her latest single. Maybe I will want to buy this album after over a decade of turning up my nose at her output.

DON'T BE MY VALENTINE

Especially if you got crazy fathers/mothers/siblings/ex-boyfriends/ex-girlfriend/spouse/what-fuckin'-ever.

Lessons in song

(Severely personal post ahead. You have been warned.)

Majalah 3 tonight featured Mr. Abdul Halim Yazid, a dikir barat artiste and his travels in the Deep South of the United States to trace the story of the blues. I only caught it halfway when my ears pricked to the call of prayer from Senegal that was featured on the show (caught the rest on online). I happily abandoned the dishes I was washing in the kitchen and sat down to watch.

It was nice to see how musicians from different backgrounds and musical traditions could mesh together so beautifully when they sit down for a jam session. But what made me tear up was the song "Al-Fatihah untuk Ayah" (Al-Fatihah Prayers for Father) that Mr Abdul Halim sang together with some blues musicians. No one uploaded that version just yet, so here is the plain dikir barat version.



It was a beautiful tribute from a child to his father, singing farewell to his father who has departed this world for the next. My understanding of the Kelantanese dialect is poor, but I got the gist of the message of the song. The words were simple but heartfelt, the melody plucking the heartstring as it beats along to the rhythm of the drum.

(The rest is undercut for intensely personal navel gazing which may not be of interest to you.)