How Low Can You Go?

I just realised there's something in common with the pieces of music I've recently been listening to - the word "low". So, here's a song called Low, something from an album named Low and a song from the band Low.

On a sidenote:
- David Bowie's album Low is probably one of the most fucked up albums I've ever heard. I also love the way he plays those imaginary keyboards on the video clip. It's probably one of those jokes that never gets old and I'd totally do that too if I was to perform that song.
- The members of the band Low are Mormons. They've also shot their video in a very windy and snowy location. The two aforementioned facts have probably nothing to do with each other.
- The REM song sounds really grungy.
- All three songs have cool lyrics.


Creepy Alien Low:



Cheeky Low:



Cynical & tired Low:

Hi Slovakia!

According to the Blogger statistics, most of my readers are from...drum roll...Slovakia! Why, you may ask. Heck, I may ask that myself as well. Unfortunately I have no idea and since I don't know any people from the great country of Slovakia, there's nobody to consult. Anyways, I'm now considering of relocating to Slovakia since I seem to be more popular there than in my home country. It must be a nice place. Funnily enough, when I started this blog most of my readers were from the US which - of course - makes me wonder if they've relocated already! Maybe Slovakia's the world's best kept secret?

Anyways, there was something I was going to write about before I got sidetracked. Oh yes, the new Mark Lanegan song. Apparently Mr Lanegan has written a new song for some video game (or PC game or whatever - I don't know shit about any developments in that area since Pacman) and yes, you guessed it, it's a killer. It's got a haunting and somehow westernish kind of feel to it and really makes me wish I had a cowboy hat and a horse to ride to the sunset. And a desert and perhaps some Morricone in the background as well. Anyways, here's the song.



See what I mean with the westernish feel? If you liked the song you can download it for free here. I'm SO looking forward to the new album Lanegan's recording at the moment with Alain Johannes (if you don't know who he is, have a peek here).

And here's some Morricone too. I'll use any opportunity I get to post some Morricone.

Ladies play the blues

If you still think blues is played and loved only by middle-aged men it's time to dust up your beliefs. This year we've already witnessed breakthroughs from two very talented young ladies who may have very different takes on their music but also a very bluesy sound. And it's only March, so who knows what's gonna pop up in the months to come?

Let's begin from the minimalistic end. Mirel Wagner is a 24-year-old singer-songwriter who sites Mississippi John Hurt as one of her influences, believe it or not - I mean, how many girls of her age even know who Mississippi John Hurt is, let alone like him? Mirel has an amazing way of creating a dark atmosphere and she's clearly an old soul.



Compared to Wagner Anna Calvi's style is very decorative and she sites classical music and opera as her major influences. The end result is very blues-oriented though (at least to me) and most often she's compared to Nick Cave and PJ Harvey - which must be quite nice, I assume.



Both Wagner and Calvi do a great job in using old blues and taking it to a new level. And I love the fact they're both so young and female. Lightnin' Hopkins was right when he said that blues comes in many ways:

Borderline cheesy

Well, maybe not even borderline. These two songs are a bit cheesy but I like them anyway. Mainly because I have a soft spot for deep male voices and a bit of melodrama. Plus for some reason the vocalists Jeff Martin of The Tea Party and J-P Leppäluoto of Charon sound kinda similar in these two songs.

Just sayin', again

If you listen to the beginnings of these three songs by Type O Negative, Siouxsie & The Banshees and Lykke Li, you might notice something. 30 seconds of each is enough, I promise.







And while you're at it, you might also want to check out the previous case of just sayin': [link].

EDIT: Oops. I've just been informed by Youtube that the video Green Fingers I've uploaded isn't available in the following countries because it contains material from UMG:

Afghanistan, Aland Islands, Albania, Algeria, American Samoa, Andorra, Angola, Anguilla, Antarctica, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia, Aruba, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Belize, Benin, Bermuda, Bhutan, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Bouvet Island, Brazil, British Indian Ocean Territory, British Virgin Islands, Brunei, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Cape Verde, Cayman Islands, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile, China, Christmas Island, Cocos (Keeling) Islands, Colombia, Comoros, Congo, Congo - Democratic Republic of, Cook Islands, Costa Rica, Cote d'Ivoire, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Estonia, Ethiopia, Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas), Faroe Islands, Fiji, Finland, France, French Guiana, French Polynesia, French Southern Territories, Gabon, Gambia, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Gibraltar, Greece, Greenland, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Guam, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Heard Island and McDonald Islands, Holy See (Vatican City State), Honduras, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kiribati, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Latvia, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macao, Macedonia, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Marshall Islands, Martinique, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mayotte, Mexico, Micronesia - Federated States of, Moldova, Monaco, Mongolia, Montserrat, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nauru, Nepal, Netherlands, Netherlands Antilles, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Niue, Norfolk Island, North Korea, Northern Mariana Islands, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Palau, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Pitcairn, Poland, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Qatar, Reunion, Romania, Russia, Rwanda, Saint Helena, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Pierre and Miquelon, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, San Marino, Sao Tome and Principe, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Serbia, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, Somalia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Svalbard and Jan Mayen, Swaziland, Sweden, Switzerland, Syria, Taiwan, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Togo, Tokelau, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Turks and Caicos Islands, Tuvalu, Uganda, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States, United States Minor Outlying Islands, United States Virgin Islands, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Vietnam, Wallis and Futuna, Western Sahara, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe.

The kind folks at Youtube have also given me this following advice:
"No action is required on your part. Your video is still available everywhere not listed above."

So yay, if you're in Mars I believe you should see the video just fine!

For the rest of you out there: buy the original Siouxsie album A Kiss In The Dreamhouse. It's a great album and definitely worth it. Plus it's probably the only way to hear the original track with the cool intro. Unless you're in Mars, of course.

Following rivers

Today I listened to Lykke Li's new album and liked the song I Follow Rivers so much that I decided to check if there was a music video to it. There was.

Right from the start everything on the video felt strangely familiar, like I had seen those scenes before. At 4:50 it hit me - I'd once seen a dream just like it! The only difference was that I woke up before the man turned around, so I never got to see his face. That's probably why I still remember the dream.

So, kinda weird, me thinks.