Matt Costa - Mr. Pitiful

Artist: Matt Costa

Song: Mr. Pitiful

Album: Unfamiliar Faces
Year: 2008

"But please come down from that cloud you're sitting on, I don't expect you to admit that you were wrong... I just want to know how you've been, it don't make me feel bad that we're still friends..."

*A QUICKY: This seems about these friends that seem to be going through a hard time, holding grudges and stuff like that... I believe that everyone has, at some point of our lives, perhaps now, gone through this, sometimes we make amends and save the friendship but sadly some other times it all goes to waste mainly because of pride, stubbornness and those shitty attitudes we tend to hold, or it could simply be that the other part screwed big time... So there you go kids... Trust in a friendship, and everywhere else, is like a damn vase, once it is broken, you can glue it but it will never be the same, so if you are lucky you'll have handy some super glue, some colors, paint or whatever you need to mend that vase...

http://mattcosta.com

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matt_Costa

And remember... If you liked it, buy it...

Pink Floyd - The Great Gig in the Sky

Artist: Pink Floyd

Song: The Great Gig in the Sky

Album: The Dark Side of the Moon

Year: 1973

"And I am not frightened of dying, any time will do, I don't mind. Why should I be frightened of dying? There's no reason for it, you've gotta go sometime. I never said I was frightened of dying."

*USELESS COMMENT: So here's a blast from the past! And as the title of the comment says, trying to describe one of the best albums ever made would be nothing less than futile, and what can I say about this song other than it is just a pleasure to listen, madness and tranquility all in one... So, sit back, relax and enjoy....

http://www.pinkfloyd.com/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pink_floyd

And remember... If you liked it, buy it... For the sake of music, buy this one!!!

Yeah Yeah Yeah's - Heads Will Roll

Artist: Yeah Yeah Yeah's

Song: Heads Will Roll

Album: It's Blitz

Year: 2009

"Off off off with your head, dance dance dance ’til you’re dead. Off off off with your head, dance dance dance ’til you’re dead..."

*NO COMMENT TODAY, ENJOY YOUR WEEKEND...

http://www.yeahyeahyeahs.com/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yeah_Yeah_Yeahs

And remember... If you liked it, buy it...

We Are Scientists - After Hours

Artist: We Are Scientists

Song: After Hours

Album: Brain Thrust Mastery

Year: 2008

“This door is always open, this door is always open, no one has the guts to shut us out. But if we have to go now, I guess there's always hope that some place will be serving after hours…”

*A THOUGHT: This is the kind of song that when you listen to it, you immediately get a feeling, in this case I get this feeling of nostalgia/melancholy. The lyrics, as I interpret them, are about saying goodbye to someone, who maybe or maybe not, is leaving forever or at least you’re not going to see that person for a long period of time and as a consequence you are asking that someone to stay so you can spend more time together, looking for a place to “serve after hours”. I can associate this song maybe with death, and the “after hours” meaning either trying to extend the time spent with that someone who’s leaving or perhaps the idea of an afterlife where you’ll meet that someone again. And in the moments you are together it’s like if time didn’t exist at all, like if it didn’t matter all, all you try to do is to cherish those moments, as sadly you know those moments will be gone.

I don’t know, I constantly think about death, after all is the one thing in life that is guaranteed to happen, but I don’t think about it like “oh no I’m doomed, somebody help!” and is not that I’m eager to get there either. No, it's not like that at all, on the contrary, somehow it’s an engine so that I try to make the most of everything as I don’t know when it’s going to happen, not mine, or my loved ones and it is a shame that sometimes we take for granted that we or someone else is going to be there, but you never know... Yes, I know, it sounds cheesy and taken from some cheap self-help book, but what are you going to do about it? Sue me? I don’t think so, the most you can do is stop looking at this blog, which I see you are already doing...

There’s a phrase on this song I really like: “We’re all right where we’re supposed to be” and happens to be so very true, as life takes care (and our actions) of placing each and every one of us where we deserve, with whom we deserve, etc, etc, etc. So if you give crap, you’ll receive crap (which is going to be three times bigger, so you’ll think twice before you give crap to someone ¬¬); you know, some basic karma stuff… And in the video you’ll see we always get what we deserve…

http://wearescientists.com/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/We_are_scientists

And remember... If you liked it, buy it...

Starflyer 59 - The Brightest of the Head

Artist: Starflyer 59

Song: The Brightest of the Head

Album: Dial M

Year: 2008

"I was the fairest of them all,

I was the biggest of the small,

I was the sharpest in the shed,

I was the brightest of the head..."

*SHHHK SHHHK WA WA: This is just for the sake of sharing a good song. I first heard this on 'Chuck', which by the way has got to be one of my favorite series. And to be honest I'm surprised I have not posted any song that I've heard there by now, because I've discovered so many good bands and songs thanks to that show and I've ended up buying a good amount of CDs, including this one. So, LONG LIVE CHUCK! Thanks for promoting good indie music!

http://www.myspace.com/starflyer59

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Starflyer_59

And remember... If you liked it, buy it...

Nephew - Police Bells and Church Sirens

Artist: Nephew

Song: Police Bells and Church Sirens

Album: Danmark Denmark

Year: 2009

"Well, I'm a fan of days in bars and nights in school. And of geniuses in jail, and Nobel fools. And I'm a fan of yellow noise, and silent shouts. And of nurses that are boys, and women scouts..."

"Why don't they make it police bells and church sirens.
Police ding dong, church wee ooh..."

*NOT A COMMENT: To go with the flow or to be a fish swimming upstream? Either way is fine but the second option may be seemed as dumb. The latter question would be some kind of crappy approach to the next lines about this song meaning, well, at least my interpretation of it and it is kind of simple: Make it whatever you want it to be, if you want to put beans on your soup, go put beans on your soup, if you want to put some ketchup on your beans, go put some ketchup on your beans and so many other food combinations and life situations (more serious than the beans) that may seem odd at first instance if you are not familiar to that, but at the same time are enjoyed by someone… Anyway, I think the lyrics of this song may refer to that, a way to say ‘fuck the world’, but it goes beyond that, sort of like: embrace the contradiction.

http://nephew.dk/?init=eng.xml

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nephew_(band)

And remember... If you liked it, buy it...

Doves - Jetstream

Artist: Doves

Song: Jetstream

Album: Kingdom of Rust

Year: 2009

"Leave the things you don't need and the ones that you don't love, faith and hope keeps our minds together. Your heart's left the ground tonight, scattered lost in light, seems that I've been waiting here forever..."

*A "WHATEVER YOU WANT IT TO BE": So, here's a masterpiece song, contained in a masterpiece album, from a band that has got to be surely in my top 5 of favorite bands: DOVES... I don't know what to say about them without sounding too flattering, but seriously they are THE SHIT! Whether it be mellow, instrumental or lively songs these guys really know what they are doing. Needless to say ("but you're saying it, duh!") I highly recommend you buy this, and the other Doves' albums, ear pleasure is guaranteed!

About the song, it seems to me that it is about being at a airport watching planes coming and going while waiting for someone to arrive and to stay permanently. I kind of imagine this song being performed in the dark but with an amazing light show, so that when a sound is made these 'light worms' of fluorescent colors start swirling around in the air leaving this luminous trail behind them, I don't know it has that vibe... Enjoy Doves!

http://www.doves.net/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doves_(band)

And remember... If you liked it, buy it...

David Berkeley - Fire Sign

Artist: David Berkeley

Song: Fire Sign

Album: After the Wrecking Ships

Year: 2004

"They deceive you, there was a wall you had to find, the echoes in your mind. You'll surrender, these are the lessons that you learn, nobody hears, no one's concerned. One days its clear and then you burn..."

*QUICK NO COMMENT: I really don't feel like writing today, so I owe you the comment that you were not going to read anyway... The only thing I'm going to tell you is that I discovered this guy through 'Without a Trace' when they featured this song, I'm also posting the excerpt of the episode, which ends at 3.22 so don't pay attention to the crap that's at the end of the video... Enjoy.

http://www.davidberkeley.com/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Berkeley

And remember... If you liked it, buy it...

The Feeling - Helicopter

Artist: The Feeling

Song: Helicopter

Album: Twelve Stops and Home

Year: 2006

"My piano's out of tune, I wish it wasn't, I wish that you were mine, I wish that my heart was stronger. My piano's out of tune, I wish it wasn't, I wish we had more time, I wish that my world was softer and I want a helicopter..."

*A CLARIFICATION: You must be thinking "WTF! dude, two covers?" "A video with no actual video?" Well... Calm down, take a deep breath and keep reading. Regarding your first concern, the first cover is for the UK and international release, and the second cover (which is the one I have) is for the US release, what's the difference? The first one is way cooler than the second one and the tracks, which are exactly the same, are arranged in a different order. As for your second concern I've been trying to post songs with actual videos, even if they are fan-made, so you had something to watch too, and I knew eventually I would have to post a "video" with just a picture on it. Actually I did find a video with actual movement in it, but I found it rather unsuitable for the readers' mood, (but mostly mine) as it features a dog that seems to be bored, depressed or maybe just annoyed/confused because he's being filmed... But since I like you to have a choice and some of you might like dogs, I posted both, the one with a nice picture and the one with a depressed dog in it. Just remember it's the same song on both videos.

P.S. I really like the outro of this song, like if it was out of place, but it really isn't...

http://www.thefeeling.com/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Feeling

And remember... If you liked it, buy it...

Kaiser Chiefs - Boxing Champ

Artist: Kaiser Chiefs

Song: Boxing Champ

Album: Yours Truly, Angry Mob

Year: 2007

"The man I became is a tragic bore, and he's not a boxing champ anymore. If there's one thing I've learnt it's to run away, at least I enjoy what I do today. And I thank you very much that I do."

*A CONFESSION: Today I had no idea what song I should post, so while I was thinking, I began to have these reminiscences about a trip I took to New York and some stuff I could have done differently while I was there, and the first scene that came to mind was... well, it is not important as it is just being mentioned because that situation was what came to my mind and I'm sure there are so many other situations that could have come to mind that I wish I had done differently not just in NY but in general, guess I'm rambling a bit, the thing is I'd rather keep that to myself, ha!... The big picture here is I believe that even the most insignificant action we do somehow ends up affecting our lives, perhaps in a greater way than we originally thought it could have. There are decisions we make that shape the road, there are key people who modify our outcome by their actions affecting ours, different situations with different people and why not, even coincidences. Oh man, I'm digressing big time here... What I'm trying to say is that I try to rule my life so that before doing something I think about all the possible scenarios, or at least the ones I'm able to see and of course the shorter the term, the easier to see those scenarios. A moment of bravery could signify both, the joy or the regret. A moment of frailty/uncertainty could signify doom. A helping hand could signify salvation. And a coincidence could signify the most wonderful thing that could have ever happened to you... In the end it all comes down to this, the consequences of our actions will always reach us, no matter how small or how big they have been, sooner or later they will catch us, for better or for worse...

...And after all this thinking, I recalled which song had been the most relevant of the day, and what do you know! It was a really short song that talks about the decisions and outcomes. I guess my subconscious mind works in mysterious ways...

Finally, no wonder why my favorite movie is 'A Bronx Tale'. How did I find it? A coincidence... What is it about? well, you'll have to see it, but more or less of what this post is about.

P.S. Just a random question... Does it always have to be about a girl?

http://www.kaiserchiefs.co.uk/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaiser_chiefs

And remember... If you liked it, buy it...

Röyksopp - Vision One

Artist: Röyksopp

Song: Vision One

Album: Junior

Year: 2009

"Everybody let us say goodbye to all our notions, 'cause there's not enough to say that we're humane, when we're left behind. It's too late to think that we can worship human emotions 'cause we've already evolved into machines, in our minds..."

*A SUPER DUPER QUICK REMARK: To be honest I’m not a big fan of dance or electronica music, mostly because I find it somehow monotonous or too poppy , but that would be me generalizing and often that’s not good, so let’s not do that. But on the other hand there are certain bands, like Röyksopp, that can create certain sounds and can merge them in such a way that they end up crafting a song as good as the one you are about to hear.

As I said before I’m not a big fan of electronica music and maybe that is why ‘Junior’ won’t ever be a favorite among the CD’s I own, nonetheless is a good album with some remarkable songs and I would recommend you buy it if you have the chance.

Not that you are eager to know but I really like this song to start exercising because it has a heavenly intro (damn! I love it) that helps me focus on what I’m about to do, and then the rest of the song is very active and that allows me to be very active as well.

By the way, thanks for the tip on this album Mr. C.

http://royksopp.com/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R%C3%B6yksopp

And remember... If you liked it, buy it...

Badly Drawn Boy - Something to Talk About

Artist: Badly Drawn Boy

Song: Something to Talk About

Album: About a Boy

Year: 2002

"I've been dreaming of the things I've learnt about a boy who's bleeding. Celebrate to elevate, the joy is not the same without the pain..."

*A REFLECTION: Yesterday I was watching ‘About a boy’ while I was eating; I had already seen it a couple of times before, but it was until now that some of the lines and dialogues hit me… I guess that my life in the last 3 years has been a lot like this guy Will, dividing my days so thoroughly into well measured units of time in order for my day to fit. There was a quote that kind of described my days “My life is made up of units of time. Buying CD's: two units. Eating lunch: three units. Exercising: two units.” Maybe not exactly the same units but the activities are pretty much me. But unlike him I do not live on the royalties from a song.

Dividing a day is not the only thing that made me find similarities between this guy’s life and mine, for example, he uses this ‘Every man is an island’ phrase along the film, again all my life, but specially the last 3 years, I’ve been on my own, been kind of a loner, not depending on other people, scratching my own back without any help, it is a statement for independence and autonomy. And of course there are certain people that make the day bearable, don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying I don’t appreciate being with friends and family because I do, but in my case at the end of the day, I really do feel like every man is an island, like who really gives a rat’s ass, to be honest I don't get to tell anyone 'Oh my day sucked' or 'Yippie ki Yay' or even when I do tell someone, it's not like someone is going to do something about it, besides everybody has got their own problems right? For now I believe I have to make my island as comfortable as possible, it is not selfishness I swear, but what else is there for now?

Seriously do not get me wrong; just like it was mentioned in the movie, I like to think that these individual islands are chained, connected underneath. I also think that even 2 islands connected won’t suffice, you need back-up, you need more people in your life, but for the time being I can't seem to shake this sensation… I know it is weird but it's OK, I get by, I've learnt to be by myself and enjoy it, and who knows, maybe some time soon I could say that truly ‘No man is an island’…

By the way, I remember MTV played this video back to back with 'Silent Sigh' also from Badly Drawn Boy, just in case you want to see the whole duck story... (Psst Psst, it is on the related videos, at the end of this video)

http://www.badlydrawnboy.co.uk/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Badly_Drawn_Boy

And remember... If you liked it, buy it...

The Hoosiers - Run Rabbit Run

Artist: The Hoosiers

Song: Run Rabbit Run

Album: The Trick to Life

Year: 2007

"I saw a fox by the rabbit hole, you saw a prince from a fairy tale. He promised that he'd watch over you, he turned out to be the fox we all knew..."

There are 4 versions of this cover for the physical release: Red, Green, Yellow and Blue. I got Red :)

Another purple cover for the iTunes release

And a multicolored one for the Japanese release

*YET ANOTHER RANDOM STORY: It all began when I was at a friend's house, Mayela's house to be more specific (by the way, she never pays a visit to this blog ¬¬), I guess the party or the movie, can't recall what it was, was over and now we were watching TV, surfing through the channels and suddenly I saw/heard the little excerpt I was able to grasp of this song (which obviously I did not know then) and I was like "whoa whoa whoa, Lois this is not my Batman glass" (just kidding**), my actual reaction was "whoa whoa whoa, go back, go back to that channel!" The program being broadcast was 'Live From Abbey Road' and even though I did not listen to the whole song I was certainly hooked by this unknown guy's falsetto at the end of the song.

So... When I got home, I turned on my computer, and started looking for this song, I found it, I dug a little bit more on some other songs from this guys, and I bought the CD, which I liked a lot. Borrowing a comment from YouTube, this song has the vibe of 'Alice in Wonderland', because of the lyrics and because of the music...

I'll leave you with the studio version and the 'Live From Abbey Road' version, in the latter, be sure to pay attention to the minute 2.04 and 2.57... I hope you enjoy this song as much as I do.

**Batman Glass Joke

http://www.thehoosiers.com/gb/home/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hoosiers

And remember... If you liked it, buy it...

Pixies - Hey

Artist: Pixies

Song: Hey

Album: Doolittle

Year: 1989

"Hey, been trying to meet you..."

"Uh, said the man to the lady, uh, said the lady to the man she adored and the whores like a choir go uh all night..."

*A REALLY DEEP AND WELL THOUGHT COMMENT: Hey! Uh!

http://www.pixiesmusic.com/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_pixies

And remember... If you liked it, buy it...

Kashmir - The Aftermath

Artist: Kashmir

Song: The Aftermath

Album: Zitilites

Year: 2003

"I'm wondering if my thoughts of her have ever crossed her thoughts of me, and if they're half as clear as mine and if there'll ever be a time, for us to journey once again as lovers and as trusted friends. What if the best is yet to come? And this was only the first part run..."

*A THOUGHT: So, here's a day I'm not too fond of... but what the heck!! I can relate to this song a lot and by a lot I mean A-Fucking-Lot, and to be honest I think most people can relate to it too. Before I start boring you (if you aren't already) I've got to tell you that this song comes from an amazing album, seriously, AMAZING, you should buy it now and give it to that special person or else 1000 pandas will die... Well, perhaps it won't be the best present for that special person, unless he/she is into music and don't worry the 1000 pandas won't die either... or will they? [insert an evil grin here]

Anyway, the meaning of this song to me is pretty obvious, (but don't let my interpretation modify yours, after all that's what music is about, one's opinion). I think is about this guy and the eternal 'what ifs' and 'shoulds' that come up when you like a girl and you want to come clean with her... "Should I tell her? What if by me telling her I screw up? What if she says no? What if this? What if that?" Then comes the chorus, which is optimistic, telling us to go for it, to forget the fear, to stop worrying about the consequences and tell her, and in a strict view that is what we all should do, but then again, easier said than done. As the song progresses we find out *SPOILER ALERT* that things did not end too well. Awwwww. But let's look at the bright side, maybe the girl feels the same or maybe she will slap us in the face and won't talk to us ever again, but hey! At least now she knows, at least you got it off your chest, but most importantly, at least you gave it a shot and you don't get to regret not telling her...

"Whoa finally dude! Are you done? 'cause I've got more important things to do like stalking the girl/boy I like on facebook" I know, I know, that's what you're thinking right now but that's alright, as long as you go and tell her/him how you feel, DON'T WORRY ABOUT THE AFTERMATH...

On easier things, you have 2 choices, you can either pick the studio version or the live version... or both. Wait a minute... wouldn't that give you 3 choices!? Am I thoughtful or what?

http://www.kashmir.nu/band.aspx

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kashmir_(band)

And remember... If you liked it, buy it...

Skunk Anansie - Secretly

Artist: Skunk Anansie

Song: Secretly

Album: Post Orgasmic Chill

Year: 1999

"I've been biding my days, evidently it pays. I've been a friend with unbiased views, then secretly lust after you..."

*NOTE: What an intro! what a voice! add great arrangements and the result is ear pleasure. I first heard this song on the movie 'Cruel Intentions' (I saw it some years later after it came out), which by the way has an awesome soundtrack filled with good 90's music... Oh 90's music, wish I had been more aware of your seducing sounds back then, but I guess it was not my fault as I was still a brat without any advice/knowledge/influence from an 'older brother' figure to rely on in terms of music, at that time I was just beginning to form myself an impression, a notion of the music scene and when I think about it, seeing the results, I suppose I turned out OK.

http://www.skunkanansie.net/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skunk_Anansie

And remember... If you liked it, buy it...

The Wallflowers - When You're On Top

Artist: The Wallflowers

Song: When You're On Top

Album: Red Letter Days

Year: 2002

"I want to wake up and just start running, into a ditch or straight up a mountain. I want to get where no one's been gettin’, make it deeper than hell or make it higher than heaven..."

"...I need someone whose price hasn’t been met, when everybody’s disappearing by the minute. There isn’t anyone left I haven’t meet yet, well I remember when they hadn’t gotten to you yet..."

*'NOBODY GIVES A CRAP' KIND OF COMMENT: I discovered this song through a music channel, so no big deal, everyone gets to do that. But apart from the lyrics, which I really really like because I can relate to them, this song has something "special" as every single time I hear this song it reminds of that February 1st, 2003 Saturday morning, and it is weird because when I close my eyes, while listening to this song, I can almost relive those moments. I was in my room, sitting in front of my computer and I was listening to this song, and I decided to turn on the TV to see if there was something on that could entertain me, and so I was surfing through the channels (but still listening to this song) and I happened to run into CNN and there was this fuzz about something and it turned out to be the news about the Space Shuttle Columbia incident, about how it had disintegrated when it was re-entering Earth's atmosphere and they were focusing a great deal of their attention on this Ilan Ramon guy, who happened to be the first Israeli astronaut and a name, strangely, I will never forget. I guess I was kind of shocked by the news, taking into account I was only 14 years old when this happened and I suppose that was the way people felt back then, when the 'Challenger' incident took place. But what do I know, right?

http://www.wallflowers.com/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wallflowers

And remember... If you liked it, buy it...

Jukebox the Ghost - Schizophrenia

Artist: Jukebox the Ghost

Song: Schizophrenia

Album: Everything Under the Sun

Year: 2010

"Yes I can, no I can't, yes I can, no I can't, yes I can, no I can't, yes I can, I swear to it, that's just how my brain works..."

*RANDOM COMMENT: I don't know what to write about this because I'm two drinks in and a bit dizzy (that's right kids, that's what happens when you don't drink for a long period of time) so... I think I could say it is a nice song from a nice band which I discovered through 'The 61' site (www.thesixtyone.com) so without any further ado here it is, from their second album... Jukebox the Ghost yay!!!

http://www.jukeboxtheghost.com/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jukebox_the_Ghost

And remember... If you liked it, buy it...

Arkells - Ballad of Hugo Chavez

Artist: Arkells

Song: Ballad of Hugo Chavez

Album: Jackson Square

Year: 2008

“New state officials are outside running around, they're telling the public that I need to be put down. And Washington's saying, emphatically, that I wasn't doing things democratically.”

*FACT: How did I get to know this awesome Canadian band? It was a happy-lucky-random coincidence… I was in the United States just about to return to Mexico, and I was really bored, so I turned on the radio, and what do you know, there it was. I was instantly hooked by this song, so the minute I got in front of a computer I was looking it up from the words I had managed to remember. So, thank you Randomness Goddess for being good to me! (and boredom of course, where would we be if it wasn’t for boredom?) Had I left three minutes earlier, I wouldn’t know this band, which by the way, managed to record an excellent album (Jackson Square) so if you have some bucks to spare, give these guys a chance, I swear you won’t skip any track.

P.S. I got it from Amazon as, sadly, it was nowhere to be found on any record store I visited in nearly a year…

www.arkells.ca/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arkells

And remember... If you liked it, buy it...

MuteMath - Typical

Artist: MuteMath

Song: Typical

Album: MuteMath

Year: 2006

"Come on, can’t I dream for one day, there’s nothing that can’t be done. But how long should it take somebody before they can be someone..."

*NOTE: Did you know the band had to memorize the song backwards in order to film this video? Pretty amazing huh? You can notice it by looking at the singer's mouth as it says what it is supposed to say even though everything is moving in reverse or by looking at the drummer's kit as it matches the sound of what he is playing...

www.mutemath.com

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MuteMath

And remember... If you liked it, buy it...