Pink Floyd – The Nile Song

Επίκαιρο: The Nile Song! Όχι, δεν είναι αυτό το μόνο που θα γράψω για την Αίγυπτο, ετοιμάζω κατεβατούλι. Θα μπορούσε η γκόμενα για την οποία μιλάνε οι στίχοι του τραγουδιού να είναι κάποια Ελευθερία. 😉

Lyrics

I was standing by the Nile
When I saw the lady smile
I would take her out for a while
For a while

Oh, my tears wept like a child
How her golden hair was blowing wild
Then she spread her wings to fly
For to fly

Soaring high above the breezes
Going always where she pleases
She will make it to the islands in the sun

I will follow in her shadow
As I watch her from my window
One day I will catch her eye

She is calling from the deep
Summoning my soul to endless sleep
She is bound to drag me down
Drag me down

\\m// Αυτό είναι ίσως το πιο heavy τραγούδι των Pink Floyd. Από το soundtrack της ταινίας More το οποίο επιμελήθηκαν το 1969 — πριν τους Sabbath, mind you. Αυτά για να μην έχει τίποτα να πει ο Mordread, όχι τίποτ’ άλλο! 😛

Ευχαριστώ τον Kira που με έμαθε για το συγκεκριμένο κομμάτι. Έχει εντριφήσει στους πρώιμους Floyd όπως εγώ ποτέ δεν ενδιαφέρθηκα και βλέπω πως ίσως πρέπει τελικά! Cheers!

Owner of a Lonely Heart

Owner of a lonely heart
— much better than a —
owner of a broken heart

Yes (pun unintended). Feeling lonely. Not particularly melancholy about it so this song feels great right now.

Isn’t it funny how these old 70s prog rock bands turned pop in the 80s, but still made quality pop? Yes, Genesis, Rush…

Come to think of it, what exactly separates rock from pop? Is pop just defined by the singles and what-can-be-played-on-the-radio culture? Does it have to do with the content at all?

Sigur Rós – Festival

Πώς; Πώς το κάνουν ρε γαμώτο; Πώς μπορούν οι Σίγüρ Ρώους (έτσι προφέρονται κανονικά, χεχέ) να έχουν τόσο εκστατικές, τόσο οργασμικές κορυφώσεις; Χμ… Αυτό ακούγεται λίγο πλεονασματικό. Δεν πειράζει! Καλύτερα!

Quotes ~ Αποφθέγματα

“…Music exists only when it is being performed; it does not pre-exist, as is sometimes thought, in the score, any more than a cake pre-exists in the recipe for making it.”

“…Η μουσική υπάρχει μόνο όταν εκτελείται (επιτελείται)· δεν προϋπάρχει, όπως μερικές φορές θεωρείται, μέσα στην παρτιτούρα, όπως και ένα κέικ δεν προϋπάρχει μέσα στην συντάγη του.”

Tim Ingold, The Perception of the Environment, 2000

Grace Slick – Manhole

Αίγινα, Καλοκαίρι 2009

Εγώ: Έχω κατεβάσει πολλή μουσική τελευταία, διάφορα συγκροτήματα που δεν έχω ακούσει ακόμα! (κάτι τέτοιο πρέπει να είχα πει, δεν θυμάμαι!)
Ηρώ: Αλήθεια, μπορείς να βρεις τα πάντα; Ψάχνω συγκεκριμένη μουσική πολύ καιρό και δεν μπορώ να την βρω πουθενά.
Εγώ: Για πες!
Ηρώ: Το ένα που ψάχνω για τον Ravi Shankar με την συνεργασία που έκανε με τον John McLaughlin/τους Shakti.
Εγώ: *σημείωνω σε χαρτί τα ονόματα* … δεν τους έχω ξανακούσει. Τι άλλο;
Ηρώ: Το Manhole της Grace Slick το ξέρεις;
Εγώ: Όχι… (ποια είναι η Grace Slick;! — ήξερα την φωνή της αλλά το όνομα δεν μου έλεγε κάτι)
Ηρώ: Άκουγα αυτό τον δίσκο όταν ήμουν φοιτήτρια στο Παρίσι. Ήταν από τους αγαπημένους μου. Έβαζα τα ακουστικά και χανόμουν…
Εγώ: *με ενδιαφέρον και θαυμασμό για αυτό το μικρο παραθυράκι στο παρελθόν* ΟΚ, θα τον ψάξω!!

Και τον βρήκα. Και, αν και δεν είναι από τους αγαπημένους μου δίσκους — τελεία! –, μου αρέσει πολύ. Η Grace Slick ήταν η τραγουδίστρια των Jefferson Airplane, τουλάχιστον έτσι ξεκίνησε την καριέρα της. Το Manhole ήταν ο πρώτος της solo δίσκος. Υποτίθεται ότι θα ήταν το soundtrack για μια ταινία η οποία θα λεγόταν Manhole. Μια ταινία που τελικά δεν δημιουργηθήκε ποτέ. Φανταστείτε να είχαμε το OST κάποιας τώρα διάσημης ταινίας, χωρίς την ίδια την ταινία. Εγώ πάντως θα έφτιαχνα μια ταινία βασισμένη σε αυτό το σάουντ-τρακ. Κανείς που ενδιαφέρεται;

Lyrics

Sometimes it’s easy to believe it, sound may be the warmest thing he’s found. He just starts
Playing, then he says to me, “Ready your body for love, there is no gravity here.
Look up, the roof is gone and the long hand moves right on by the hour. Look up – the roof is gone.

La musica de españa es para mi como la libertad.
Canta como si la libertad es suiyo
Convenir resuena para escapar.
Escuche viento norte escuche.
Como corneta nevada corneta
Cantar.
Alrededor vient oriente vient oriente enroyar disenroyar cuerdas que gritan
Cuerdas que cantan.

Spanish wind keeps telling me how it feels to sing free. It keeps blowing on me, it keeps showing me
Another way to listen. And if you hear the wind singing just like someone singing for your love,
The more it sings, the more you know, horns and strings and time will show – show you freedom
Como libertad – if he looks good when you see him, if it sounds good when you hear it – if he feels
Like a good man, when you touch him, when you come near him – I keep thinking about the way
You keep appearing in my ear.

Viento del sur suena como carne caliente en tambor – carne en carne pero viento oeste resuena
Como alas metalicas. Giralda vena demonstrando el camino lamentando se por la noche.
La rueda de yairro hierro en frente del sol.
Cuatro pedazos de metal con puntas.
Corta el aire corta el cielo la hentes compelados para delatar resonar resonar escapar.

And if you hear the singing silver wind – fly, sailing human bird – fly into me.
Look up – the roof is gone and the long hand moves right on by the hour. Look up
Listen – the north wind sounds like freezing horns sailing through the east wind – and the east wind
Has winding unwinding strings – south wind sounds like skin on drums, skin on skin but the west wind,
Ah the west wind echoes like metal wings – like a weathervein whining through the night
Iron wheel turns in front of the sun, four pronged metal cuts the sky. Man must fly!

Convenir resuena escapar – escapar.

If he wants to leave and follow the sound of the wind, he’s going to sing as it blows. Let him go.
He’ll make the long faces smile, he’ll turn the dead air into sound. He’ll come back on the circle

He’s not gone, he’s just going around.

Κάπου εδώ αρχίζει η έκσταση…

Don’t tie him down, he wants to run – Give him the sun.
Don’t tie him down, he wants to run – Give him the sun.
And if you see – you think that man is going to leave – you can follow him but he’s already gone.
Don’t tie her down, she wants to run – Give her the sun.
Don’t tie her down, she wants to run – Give her the sun.
And if you see – you think that woman is going to leave – you can follow her but she’s already gone.
Don’t tie me down, I want to run – Give me the sun.
Don’t tie me down, I want to run – Give me the sun.
And if you see – you think that I’m just about to leave, you can follow me – but I’m already gone.

Η Ηρώ είναι η μητέρα της Ινές και της Καρίνας, σύζηγος του Nejib και αδερφή της Βάσως, της γυναίκας του πατέρα μου. Τρία ζήτω! για τους Μπενεσαγιάδες!

Map of Metal

This looks like it could be the world map off Brütal Legend. This gives a heavy clue of what to expect right from the start. What we’ve got here is a very interesting example of cultural representation, this time on the history of heavy metal and all the different music genres it spawned, complete with music playlists you can just leave playing and go on doing your thing. It’s an excellent, excellent job. Very cool.

Map of Metal

Also, allow me to do the map dance. I do it whenever I see unique, strange, accurate or just plain well-made maps! What might the map dance look like, you ask?

*does map headbanging*

In The House, In A Heartbeat by John Μυrphy

I had the 28 Days Later (jaw-dropping movie, Boyle has placed his name firmly in my favourite directors list long now) OST playing in the background while on the phone when this track came up. And it immediately hit multiple chords: that of recognition, that of awe, that of I-want-to-play-this-track-again-when-I-go-back-downstairs.

And I did.

More than once.

Taste the Water from a Stream of Running Death

WARNING: ANOTHER PORCUPINE TREE RELATED POST AHEAD.

There was a time when Porcupine Tree was just the name of Steven Wilson’s personal project, before he pulled Colin, Chris and Richard in so that he could actually play his creations live — last time we all checked, it’s kind of hard to play guitars, bass, keys and sing at the same time. The origins of the name remain unknown today, but it first appeared as the “joke band” name that released Tarquin’s Seaweed Farm on cassettes in 1989 (the year I was born!) with material from ’87-’88 (before I was born!)

This is a recording of Radioactive Toy taken off that casette. One of the oldest PT/SW songs but still respectable much like a lot of his early creations, this is probably the oldest version of it out, with Steven playing all of the instruments…

Porcupine Tree indeed!

The following is the same song included on “On The Sunday of Life”, which is supposedly Porcupine Tree’s first album but is really a collection of Wilson’s oldest solo material. This version has the great solo but doesn’t have the atmosphere of the older recording, cassette buzzing and all. Steven is still playing all of the instruments.

Run through forests on a hot Summer day
Trying to break down walls of numbing pain

Give me the freedom to destroy
Give me radioactive toy

Taste the water from a stream of running death
Eat the apple and cough a dying breath

Feel the sun burning through your black skin
Pour me into a hole, inform my next of kin

Run through graveyards on a dusty Winter day
Spit the dirt out and try to say…