#101 August 19th, 2014 03:39 PM

polaroid

Member

Re: Currently Streaming/listening to

Hello beautiful Devochka,

I loved reading your post:) first off…i listened to that song (Digital Fauna) you mentioned &…holy sh*t that's one of the best things i've heard for a long time!! That is EXACTLY the kind of sound that really excites me about electronic music, it's the atmosphere, it's completely intoxicating & if you let go you really feel yourself succumbing to it. You're right-on with the description you gave of what the song & the title make you imagine. I really got a sense of motion & nighttime also, & for me the first thing that came to me when i listened was a feeling of being intoxicated & being driven through some city metropolis at night, skyscrapers rising like steel cathedrals high into the sky until they seem to merge at one almost unreachable point in the sky (so a kind of urban forest as an modern echo of the forest you saw). Then the sensation of being completely wasted & your head spinning, only the cold night air biting your face keeping you on the right side of consciousness as you pass under an endless sea of city lights. I love that song & will i'm sure stay up all night listening to it. It reminds me very much of the sound & atmosphere of 'Ultra' era Depeche Mode instrumental tracks which also make me feel the same kind of images Digital Fauna did so you might like these:-

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NzFwo_h6cN0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4QfM0_jZKXM

Tracks like these totally illustrate what i meant before about music, sensuality & sexuality being so intrinsically linked. Its always fascinated me & has totally influenced the kind of music i'm attracted to which to me feels very sexual, the almost wave-like ebbing & flowing of sensation, emotion, intoxication, euphoria & a super-hightened sense of connectedness to the present moment & of surrendering to its every sensation. I loved how you described Bat for Lashes as being a hypnotic combination of all these elements, that's a beautiful description. I'm so glad i could introduce you to her shimmering beautifulness, especially at a time when you're thirsty for the discovery of new music. Im at that state right now too which is why i'm so excited by the songs you've helped me discover:) I love discovering new music, it's such a thrill!! I haven't been able to go & see Bat for Lashes on the past tours but next time she tours i will definitely go & if she's signing stuff i'll definitely get something signed for you too:) Oh & i found the cover of Laura you mentioned. I played the first live clip that came up on YouTube (from Melbourne i think) where she's singing with a guy & the emotion is so palpable in their performance, especially when he walks over to her near the end & i thought they really evoked the rawness & beauty of Natasha's original which is one of the most beautiful songs i've ever heard.

Oh wow it's amazing you mentioned Natasha's resemblance to the also incredibly beautiful Elsa_H!!!!:) when i was choosing songs to post the other day, the first time i watched the one of her performing Daniel on jools holland (i hadn't watched it for ages), the first thing i thought was how much she looked like Elsa, just like Elsa's gorgeous hair with the straight fringe & those indescribably beautiful eyes. I thought, ok, maybe its just me who's seeing this but its amazing you saw it too:) The way Elsa comes across, i think she has a lot of Natasha's beautiful spirit about her too.

Knowing how much you love Bat for Lashes, i think you might like one of my other absolute favourite bands, Goldfrapp. I find it genuinely hard to put in words how incredible she is, she's amazing & her gorgeous voice which ranges from sultry & sexy, almost a whisper, to full-on operatic, often in the same song. I think its the most incredible female voice i've heard & coupled with the electronic soundscapes they create which can change so dramatically from one album to the next, from other-worldly ethereal dreamscapes, to Weimar-esque cabaret, to folk music to the thumping beat of disco-electronica absolutely dripping with sex & sexuality. Its really hard to pick only a few songs to try & show this but hopefully these will help:):)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qVsETSgiMnU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D6im5lhOUX0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Ve2UcPSw3I

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8CaLJ5D6EK0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FMfZHTpn2T4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XsP6uRJbeyg

As for other genres of electronic music, its quite hard to define definite genres in the stuff i like but there are so many artists & bands all across all different types of electronic music ranging all the way from beautiful, pretty, dreamy & lovely songs like these….

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Tb4v9p3n5g

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dHW1y-2YBlE

….all the way through to stuff like IAMX which i'm massively into at the moment:-

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YhpNDY0a5T8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6e4GQFnKiDw

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZFAvIZAHGow

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sn1rlICM4Qs

Anyway, its been so much fun staying up through the night, record collection scattered all over the floor, choosing songs to post (& dancing around the room, bottle of wine in hand haha) …i hope you like some of them & there's just so much other stuff i haven't mentioned so if you ever want any other new music to discover i'm always happy to share as i know from experience just how amazing it is to discover new music:):)

Ben x

---

Find your truth. Face your truth. Speak your truth. Be your truth.

Laney

Administrator

Re: Currently Streaming/listening to

Thanks for all the links! I've been on a youtube music adventure listening to them all and related songs. I'm glad you like Digital Fauna and like your description of your visualisation of the music. I wonder if movement is present in all musical visualisations, it always is for me. If you would like to hear more from Zomby in the same vein, I suggest

The Forest https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dfsd7YLyDRs

A Devil Lay Here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XpESs7KLbdg

The Depeche mode tracks were nice and chill, I haven't listened to them much before but from just those songs I can see how influential they've been on more recent electronic music. They put me in mind of this mix http://www.gorillavsbear.net/2011/11/01 … us-ii-mix/.

Goldfrapp sounds like what I imagine Blondie would have sounded like if they formed in the 2000s. She has a sexy voice. I like the Vinnie Who, Young Galaxy and IAMX songs too.

Do you like Aphex Twin? I think you might like his album of Selected Ambient Works https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xw5AiRVqfqk. A couple of days ago he flew a blimp over London with his logo on it to announce he's releasing a new album. Sah cool ^_^.

Last edited by Laney (August 21st, 2014 05:03 PM)

---

Editor/Admin/Forum queen

polaroid

Member

Re: Currently Streaming/listening to

That's ok!!:) glad you enjoyed your musical adventure, i've loved every moment of the adventure you've sent me on over the last week with the songs you posted too:):) I think my world would fall apart if Youtube breathed it's last breath & removed itself from the world. I fear the day…

You have amazing musical tastes Devochka, you're feeding me the very sonic delights i have been craving for some time. I'm glad my visualisation of Digital Fauna made some sense, music is very visual to me too (i'm very visual with everything that makes me feel emotion, whether it's elaborate sexual fantasies & images or entire movies i seem to make up in my mind to some songs) I'm fascinated now by the question you posed about whether movement is present in all musical visualisations. I've been thinking about it all week & i think it makes up a lot of my own visualisations definitely. Does it for you too? I've always had a thing where i hate travelling or even just walking from a to b without music, its like i have to have it in my mind as if it's a soundtrack of a movie of what i'm doing at that moment & what i'm feeling. I haven't yet met anyone that does that to the extent I do. I think that partly explains why i love all these electronic soundscapes like the ones you shared with me, because they feel very filmic to me, like movie scores…they make my mind race with images, thoughts etc.

I also love songs which use driving or being driven as a metaphor for sex or relationships. I think it's just so damn hot. Probably the best example i can think of right now is one of my favourite Depeche Mode songs, 'Behind the Wheel'. God that song is sexy, especially live, & clips like this one are probably the best way of getting an idea of what the whole experience of seeing them live is like & just how incredible a front-man Dave Gahan is, especially at the height of their powers on the now infamous Devotional Tour, where what the band were going through at that time gave the darkness of the music & design of the shows a very dark reality indeed. I find the combination of darkness & euphoria too hard to resist.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ApDA58aKc8

I'm speechless after hearing the Zomby tracks you gave me!! Utter genius!!! To know that Digital Fauna wasn't a one-off & to now have others to revel in is awesome:) I absolutely LOVED the mix you gave the link to as well, you can definitely see the DM influence there. They were pioneers & certainly influenced the whole genre & started the whole remix culture as well. They also support a lot of artists & i only have to look at the kind of artists i only know about because Depeche Mode like them & have invited them to open for them on their tours to know how grateful i am. Bat for Lashes & Goldfrapp among many others.

I have heard of Aphex Twin, he's one of those artists that has been on my 'must check them out' list in the back of my mind for years so a massive thank you for sending the link to Selected Ambient Works 85-92 because i'm definitely a new fan now after spending the whole week with that album as the soundtrack to my life over that time…i LOVED it!!!! As i said before, you have amazing tastes in music!!!!:):):):) I'll definitely be checking out more of his stuff!!! The blimp stunt over London was definitely cool:) Thats the one thing i miss about when i was living in London, seeing random things or random famous people that you'd bump into & leave you feeling almost as surreal as if you'd stepped into a David Lynch movie. Living round the corner from Kate Moss & randomly bumping into her in the local shop ranks among some of the most surreal experiences of living there. I miss being able to go & see bands every week without having to get a train everywhere too. Speaking of seeing bands, on Thursday i went to see St Vincent & holy fuck, i don't think i've ever been more mesmerised by an band onstage before. She was such an incredible artist, not just the amazing electronic sounds & incredible songs & how utterly gorgeous & sexy she was (no videos can convey just how sexy she was in real life!!) but the way she acted & moved & talked onstage was like nothing i've seen before. I was stood right at the front, only metres away, & left utterly transfixed. If you ever get a chance to see her, you simply have to grab the chance with both hands….i personally guarantee you'll leave with your heart racing like i did;) Nothing from the show i was at is on Youtube yet but here are a couple of songs from other shows on this tour which give a little glimpse (hopefully!!) of what  I mean:):) would love to know what you think:):)

Surgeon:-    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1plDhrIKHj4

Birth In Reverse:-    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fTeCowBBwp0

Prince Johnny:-    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nQ4mIVOrBMo

Rattlesnake:-    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qp3ekk2sqkM

I Prefer your Love:-    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KHPUz1DEY6o

Enjoy xx

Ps really glad you liked Goldfrapp & the other things i sent links to. I'll try & think of other things you might love to repay you for Zomby & Aphex Twin:)

---

Find your truth. Face your truth. Speak your truth. Be your truth.

artemesia

Member

Re: Currently Streaming/listening to

aphex twins press release about his new album is out through pitchfork media and i can make no sense of it. i like his work, but i don't really get why this is cool... explain to me like i'm 5?

http://pitchfork.com/news/56375-aphex-t … k-and-bio/

viva

Member

Re: Currently Streaming/listening to

The bio makes me feel nauseous and funny, maybe that's cool? it is cool to use jumbled words to make people feel things. Do the cover art numbers add up to the actual cost of the album? if so it would be like a nutritional label to tell you what you are consuming. Kind of.

However I have to say that the page you linked to - whoever put that together is pretty silly. Declaring that a piece of art (especially one which is abstract or piss-taking or subtly clever) is "utterly amazing" without saying why makes you look like a groupie wanker who actually doesn't know for yourself why that art is "incredible" or why that bio is "utterly amazing".

artemesia

Member

Re: Currently Streaming/listening to

Right on! My bro used to make me read short stories of his that were like that (or slightly better) that came from him being stoned all day. Pitchfork is a funny place. My feels are that Aphex Twin just collects fans like that, then to question why something is cool, must mean that I just don't get it cause I'm too obtuse to be square enough to fit the puzzle together.

Anyway always thinking of lady performers, Grace Chung.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y7aElOFZe78

also this is happening, wanna go on a date viva?

http://www.acmi.net.au//film/seasons-an … ilia-live/

polaroid

Member

Re: Currently Streaming/listening to

Found this song recently...definitely one of the best things i've heard this year so thought i'd share. Amazingly powerful & beautiful song & an incredible video with some challenging & unsettling yet thought-provoking visual themes, imagery & symbolism.

Lykke Li - Gunshot

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AIruwzhozTc

Ben

---

Find your truth. Face your truth. Speak your truth. Be your truth.

Laney

Administrator

Re: Currently Streaming/listening to

Cool song and interesting videoclip too Do you think they were trying to evoke zombies with her makeup and dancing?

---

Editor/Admin/Forum queen

polaroid

Member

Re: Currently Streaming/listening to

I thought zombies too!! I first heard the song on an advert (there's been some great songs i've found from adverts, like the Bat for Lashes cover of Strangelove which was used for Gucci) then I randomly saw her on a tv show playing this song (minus zombie makeup haha) & was so excited to find out what it was, then when I first saw the video & read all the controversy about it I found it really startling & visually interesting but I felt like I needed a film studies degree or something to understand all the symbolism, but from reading all the comments about the video I think what makes most sense to me is that she is a ghost trapped in some kind of limbo between life & death, like in Japanese horror films where someone who has died traumatically can never find peace & is condemned to become a wandering spirit reliving the emotions of traumatic past life experiences killing her over & over again. So I guess we were kind of right thinking zombies!! Is it just me or is her zombie makeup kind of damn hot too??

---

Find your truth. Face your truth. Speak your truth. Be your truth.

artemesia

Member

Re: Currently Streaming/listening to

Oh polaroid, I like this one. Thanks  for posting her song.

Generally not my type of music but i really love the production that she has and anyone who dances in a wonky way, kinda has my smile prize.
What is with the amazing quality of swedish electro pop? They just keep producing amazing artists! It's just so cool. Sweden is definitely somewhere I would love to live one day.

Currently I'm listening to a lot of Crystal Castles, but I haven't really found myself enjoying it that much. I'm just looking for interesting synth things, and the only thing I've found recently is a psych-rock band from France called La Femme.

Kinda rocks my world a bit;

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k3RMGOcBmAY

polaroid

Member

Re: Currently Streaming/listening to

Hey Artemesia!!

I absolutely LOVE that La Femme album you posted the link to!!!! I hadn't heard of this band before & I don't think i'd have found them otherwise so a big thank you for recommending them as i LOVE finding stuff like this…its so totally unique & unlike anything i've heard before, even for me as someone who is obsessed with electronic/synth stuff. I'm going to have to buy that album immediately!!!! I love it!!!:):):) It put a big smile on my face so thank you:)

It's great you loved the Lykke Li song!!! I totally agree on the production, there's something about the song that's hard to explain but it grabbed me from the first listen & it fits right in with the kind of dark reflective yet euphoric melancholia that defines the music that means the most to me. I was brought up on the dark side of 80's music (Depeche Mode, The Cure, Talk Talk, The Chameleons etc) so anything that evokes that kind of feel is bound to make me fall for it. She seems like a really fascinating artist too, a free spirit, & kind of reminds me of Stevie Nicks.

I totally agree too about there being something exciting going on with Swedish electro pop over the last decade or so. I remember at university 10 years ago me & my housemate were totally obsessed with this band after hearing this song…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pPD8Ja64mRU

…& the album this song is from we used to play all the time & I remember us taking it with us to house parties & making people listen to it:) Brings back great memories of that time:) An inspirational band with really important things to say too. Speaking of Scandinavian music generally, another really interesting & cool electronic band from that beautiful part of Europe (I too have plans to live there one day too…I have mapped out my whole fantasy life there) you might like this band. This is such a cool cover of one of my favourite synth-based songs & it's what made me love this band…

Royksopp - Ice Machine

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hFPlGDKgiYc

I forgot to say but its really cool you mentioned Crystal Castles!!! I love Crystal Castles!!!! I only have one album (the first one) & it's one of those bands/albums that I probably am only in the mood to really get into a few times a year but when i do I can get totally absorbed by it. For some reason that album is one I always seem to end up listening to on a long train journey as the sounds & atmosphere seem to fit with racing urban & rural landscapes & the dreams they evoke rushing past in a blur of abstract images outside the window.

I know how you feel as i'm constantly looking for interesting synth things too so here's a few cool things i've found recently which I hope you might like too!!:):)

Simian Mobile Disco - I Believe

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CF3UxP3EaZc

Client - Refuge

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yvY7BYhuJD8

Ladytron - Destroy Everything You Touch

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6QuCNQZASWE

xx

---

Find your truth. Face your truth. Speak your truth. Be your truth.

artemesia

Member

Re: Currently Streaming/listening to

" dark reflective yet euphoric melancholia that defines the music that means the most to me"

That's a beautiful statement. A long time ago, I decided that I only liked music that was blues - and luckily for me at least half of what exist is blues or originates from blues. Lately however - i've only been interested in creating music that has some sort of power to uplift - because making a yucky thing for the sake of making a yucky thing to me is just lazy and too much of it exists in the world already. You might need to know a little bit of my background for that to make sense, but I'm an avid fan of hardcore punk, black metal and grindcore - but as I said -lately, I feel like the sentiments expressed in that type of music and more genuinely made elsewhere in the world, and frankly do not else but support the status quo.

I think my favourite of the links you've posted is the Simian Mobile Disco one. Extra points for the very cool name - and I dug the song a lot. I've been a big fan of the knife for a little while now- pretty sure somewhere else in the thread I went on and on about the awesomeness of their personalities, the coolness of the filmsclips etc. cause the music really does speak for itself in terms of impact.

Because this site is somewhat of a bragging point in itself, I have to share that I once performed that Ladytron song on stage at Federation Square as part of an acapella choir group I was a part of at the time and it was amazing. One of the three top performance moments in my life, even though there was something like 10 people there watching us.

Who's everyone's favourite acapella songs/moments????

Unfortunately I can't find a link to it cause I think it's a bit of a special once off live thing but one of Melbourne's underground analog synth 80's band - The Primitive Calculators have been doing acapella versions of their songs and I got to see them perform support for one of my fav NZ Bands ' The All Seeing Hand' and it was amazing.

^^It's a bit contrary to my earlier statement of why make an ugly thing just for the sake of it, but their songs are about nihilism and the pointlessness of existence and why I don't necessarily agree with it I just about love that they are making their statement and seeing/hearing this stuff just gives my life the balance it needs.
(I've decided to reconsider posting the link - cause it's not a great looking clip, so dark..)

viva

Member

Re: Currently Streaming/listening to

Guys I am pretty far from dark and grindcore and post-things and but... this is one of my favorite acapella moments, from Pitch Perfect

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8hjjVeU2kik

polaroid

Member

Re: Currently Streaming/listening to

Thanks Artemesia :)

I loved reading your thoughts & particularly loved your desire to make music with the power to uplift. I think uplift is the most perfect word I could choose to describe what i want most from music & my desire for emotional sincerity in music completely reflects & fits with your thoughts on the laziness of making ugly things for the sake of making ugly things which i totally agree the world has become over saturated with. My reaction to the music that i love so much it often feels like my life depends on it can perhaps best be explained by the way it fits with how i am as a person & how i feel things & want to surrender so completely to everything i feel no matter what those emotions are. I'm really conscious of how difficult i find it to explain these things in words but i'm a very deep feeling person & i can see & find beauty in so many things, even in deep sadness & darkness, especially when that darkness is true to how i'm feeling at that time because i then can wrap myself up in it & i feel alive because i've surrendered to the truth of the moment. When you feel like you've found music which resonates at the same frequency as the emotion you're feeling at a very deep-feeling time (& for me i'm most affected by beautiful darkness in music), especially music with a euphoric surge to it….that's what i find most powerful about music & that's what i meant by the words you found beautiful:) I find a lot of beauty in darkness & when i find music that mixes that beautiful darkness with euphoria, i find it irresistible. I love so many different types of music though & love a damn good tune superficially bereft of any substantive purpose or depth as much as the next person but i have been lucky enough to find certain bands & albums that so darkly & beautifully resonate with who i am & how i feel that from past experiences i know so clearly have the power to rescue me & to allow me to safely revel in & celebrate who i am & i find that very moving. I rely on music to such an extent emotionally that i simply couldn't exist in this world without it.

I'm glad you liked the Simian Mobile Disco song….that definitely fits into my description of a damn good tune!! I really need to see if i can find other songs by them as that's the only one i've heard & don't even know if they're even a band. A slower more trip-hop version of this song was on a chill-out compilation i had years ago & it stood out from the other stuff on there. I agree that it's a really cool band name!!! Its so cool you're a fan of The Knife!!! After reading your message i went back in the thread & found your outpouring of love for them & i have to say that you pretty much described my own thoughts too:)

Im soooooooo impressed & amazed you actually performed that Ladytron song & it actually feels really strange (in a good way) because that song came to mind when i was writing to you last & i didn't know why. I hadn't listened to it for a while & something made me think of it in that moment. I'd have loved to have heard your version & if i was there then i'd definitely have been one of the 10 people watching:) I'm in awe of people in bands or people who can perform like that, especially in public because i picture myself in that situation & can so vividly imagine how overwhelmingly nervous i'd be!!

Which brings me on to acapella moments because it fits in with this random childhood experience i had. When i was little (i think about 9 or 10) my parents took me to see a pantomime at Christmas & before the show organisers went through the audience asking adults if there were any children who'd like to volunteer to come up on stage during the show & because my brothers chickened out my mum & dad volunteered me & by the time i realised what was going on it was too late & i couldn't get out of it & what ended up happening was that during one of the songs they wanted each of the kids they'd brought on stage to sing with the celebrity star. At the time i didn't know who he was but found out later that it was Jason Donovan so i have the somewhat dubious kudos of being able to say that i've sung acapella with Jason Donovan on stage. I can't believe i've just admitted that…i can feel the waves of shame wash over me as i type!!;) It's not as cool or enjoyable as Viva's favourite acapella moment (thanks for posting that video Viva, i loved it!!) but it was hilarious remembering the whole thing again!!

Going back to electronic/synth stuff for a mo, i think you might like some of the other songs i posted links to recently in this thread too, like the Vinnie Who & Young Galaxy tracks but especially the IAMX & St Vincent stuff…she is such an incredible & exciting artist & performer, musically & visually. As i was saying to Devochka, i went to one of her shows recently & was completely blown away & utterly mesmerised by the whole thing & now can't help evangelising about her at any opportunity!!:):)

Ben xx

---

Find your truth. Face your truth. Speak your truth. Be your truth.

polaroid

Member

Re: Currently Streaming/listening to

Totally in love with this song...<3

Suede - Obsessions

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4FkvBfchOUg

---

Find your truth. Face your truth. Speak your truth. Be your truth.

artemesia

Member

Re: Currently Streaming/listening to

That was a great song and a great clip! It's got such a cool 80's pop sound and vibe & damn polaroid! you've got one sensual eye on you there. I like the era the clip is referencing a lot because it's one where men were blatantly using music to sexualise themselves. Their art director was super good at recreating that feel- kinda pet shop, Bryan Ferry era
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UH1CMCtV4to

I came around cause I was just thinking of bands I love who never made a film clip. I wanted to post some of these guys cause I never stopped loving them
The Cruel Sea- Blame it on the Moon
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MU37iSuhW7M

polaroid

Member

Re: Currently Streaming/listening to

Wow Artemesia:):) really means a lot that you loved that song & video so much. I really like how you talk about music & always love reading your thoughts. Suede were one of my favourite bands when I was at school & I love how certain things can really define a certain time in your life to such an extent that revisiting them fills you with such deliciously vivid & exciting nostalgia. There's just something about that song that makes me so happy & the video totally captures the atmosphere of the song & the emotion of that era just like I remember it. I really connected with what you said about that era of music being one where men were able to use music to sexualise themselves. That totally fits with how the music scene, definitely the British music scene, at the time really felt. I loved that time a lot. I started the 90s aged 7 & ended it at 17 so that whole time saw me turned from a child into a young man, & everything that surrounded me influenced me & the bands I was into I think were really formative for me. I was very different from a lot of the other guys around me & looking back I can definitely see that reflected in the bands I was into. Music seemed so tribal back then, people were so defined by the bands they were into & the bands that were around seemed to reflect a really big divide between the kind of hyper-aggressive male culture at that time & then on the other side the really beautiful & hyper-sexualised androgyny of the bands I was into like Suede & Placebo, which felt really exciting because they were seen as incredibly provocative, almost subversive & really reflected how from such a young age I knew how much I felt alienated from society's mainstream view of what masculinity should mean. I really identified with the kind of sexualised vulnerability I saw in those bands. I saw that from a young age I really really wanted to be sexualised too. I remember some of my very earliest sexual fantasies, which are still really important to me, were about being objectified & for someone to have complete control over me, I love the thought of surrendering all control & feeling powerless. Speaking of when I was growing up, it's so cool you posted a link to Slave to Love...I've always loved Roxy Music so much & have always been a massive fan of Bryan Ferry, the album Boys and Girls that Slave to Love is from was one of the first albums I ever bought when I was little & I still think 'Don't Stop The Dance' is one of the most lush & beautiful songs I've ever heard. When I first got into Suede I remember thinking how much Brett Anderson looked like Bryan Ferry, especially when he was young....what do you think? They both have such a beautiful voice. I love the first song in this clip so much...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SMSWHFBw9dk

I absolutely LOVE that Cruel Sea song you posted....I love the sound & the atmosphere, it's so sexy & has a really sultry Chris Isaak/Johnny Cash thing going on & with a rawness & authenticity to it that I found really beguiling. You got me thinking too of really great bands who never made a film clip...after thinking about it for a while, I think my choice goes to Strangelove, another incredible band I loved from that whole 90s era with an incredibly intense & captivating vocalist/songwriter. Music seemed so much more authentic in emotion & expression in those days. It felt really real. Check out how incredibly raw & intense this performance is of my favourite song of theirs, would love to know what you think?:):)

Strangelove - Living with the Human Machines

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kZm_0r7-ahA

And lastly, as a bit of a beautiful come-down after the aggressive intensity of that Strangelove song, here is one of the most beautiful & sexiest things I've ever heard, from what I think is probably my favourite band from that era I got into, certainly the one which had the most affect on me. Hope you find it beautiful too:):)

Placebo - Special K (live at the Cabaret of Desire)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y_GGDC0Shrk

Ben xx

---

Find your truth. Face your truth. Speak your truth. Be your truth.

artemesia

Member

Re: Currently Streaming/listening to

Thanks for the things to listen to Ben. It's so nice to share music with people and I really appreciate all your suggestions, howver the most impact has been made on me by performers like St Vincent and Young Galaxy. I've had a rough couple of weeks, and am now looking for really depressing music. I'm even listening to folk music...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OXPvlQSRPrg

polaroid

Member

Re: Currently Streaming/listening to

So sorry to hear you've had a rough couple of weeks Artemesia....I hope you're ok, I've not had a great couple of weeks either so I'm definitely in need of depressing music too. I was reading an article recently explaining the science behind why beautifully depressing music actually makes you happier when you're in a dark place because it creates a safe space in your mind, allowing you to safely explore your darkest feelings in a complex & transcendent emotional experience. That's exactly how I feel when I listen to depressing music, it makes me feel safe.

Means a lot that you've really connected with the St Vincent stuff I posted, it made me so happy to read that...I'm still completely in awe of Annie Clark, she's incredible & seeing her on stage in August was one of the most amazing things I've ever experienced. I hope you'll get a chance to go see St Vincent one day too:):) Young Galaxy are an amazing band too & a great example of the really sublime music coming out of Canada recently.

Here's some other beautiful stuff I've been listening to lots & I think the reflective, sensual & beautiful atmosphere of these songs really helps me escape how I'm feeling so I thought I'd share them with you too in the hope that maybe they'll help you to escape too.

Róisín Murphy

Primitive - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aMfZ2fKsgMM

Tell Everybody - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nVUzusVWK18

Poliça

Lay Your Cards Out - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rl03afAqeFQ

Chain My Name - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T4EWfdEyoLs

Dark Star - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Tr9HZkbSL8

Dubstar

Stars - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I6Nc-VhvznQ

No More Talk - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-gAdJ2XXTk

Sneaker Pimps/IAMX

Lolita - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W1MnHtUqVXU

Ben xx

Ps I haven't quite resorted to folk music yet but I actually strangely fell for the Melanie Safka song you posted, for exactly the same reason I loved the Cruel Sea song you shared before, & that's the rawness & authenticity that really hits you in those songs, a deep feeling that they're actually living the emotions they sing about. I love that about the darker side of country music too & is the reason I love Johnny Cash so much & why his music affects me really deeply.

---

Find your truth. Face your truth. Speak your truth. Be your truth.

artemesia

Member

Re: Currently Streaming/listening to

Hey Ben,

Thanks you are going to keep me busy with those links for a really long time and I need that. Your post script is exactly the reason why I love the music that I do; rawness and authenticity. I can't stand fakers- perhaps why I've been attracted to this site and the people in it - so genuine and lovely!

I will get back to you about the links you've posted, just wanted to say thanks

Also what are your views on Nina Hagen?

I know you aren't keen on folk music, but surprisingly (actually no, it came as no surprise to me) I'm into Scout Nibblet as of this morning. As though they wear the mark of cain on their foreheads (sorry, I've just finished reading Damien by Herman Hesse), anything Steve Albini produces gives me heart throbs.

Would you be interested in working through his production discography with me? I can't wait to get into Don Cavellero!

<3

polaroid

Member

Re: Currently Streaming/listening to

Hey Artemesia,

Your message made me so happy, I would love to work through Steve Albini's production discography with you, that would be an incredible experience & I really need that kind of experience right now & it would be amazing to share it with you:) I feel like we'll discover so many amazing things:):) It's actually really meaningful that you mentioned him because although I don't know much about him (yet!!), the link I do have with his work is really profound to me because he produced an album that's really important to me, 'Journal for Plague Lovers' by Manic Street Preachers, which holds a lot of profound symbolism to me, lyrically, musically, thematically, emotionally, in so many ways. The album came about a few years ago as a way to present the notes, writing & lyrics left behind by the band's lyricist Richey Edwards who disappeared in 1995 & is feared to have taken his own life following his struggle with depression, self harm & anorexia. I have always been fascinated by Richey & both deeply troubled & beguiled by his writings & lyrics, by the way he looked, by the books he read, challenged by the philosophies he grappled with, in awe of the 3 albums the band made while he was with them & frightened of yet drawn to the demons he suffered with & haunted by not knowing what happened to him. In my darkest moments I'm drawn to his lyrics & I feel the way they challenge me makes me confront myself but also reminds me how there can be great beauty even in darkness & suffering. I don't listen to this album very often because it feels connected with a lot of dark places in my life but when I do turn to it it feels strangely cathartic & helps me work through a lot of stuff. You mentioning Steve Albini has lead to me rediscovering these songs for the first time in a few years & I'm definitely finding its helping me with stuff & has been a really positive & thrilling experience that I wouldn't have had if you hadn't wrote about him to me so I must say a big thank you:):) I was a bit worried before that I'd probably totally overwhelmed you with all this eclectic menagerie of links (!!) so really meant a lot that you said you need the experience of the time it'll take to delve into them:) I need that experience too which is why it will be amazing to share the experience of going through the discography with you so I'm really glad I was able to share such a personal connection with an album produced by him that means a great deal to me & if it's ok to add just a few more links to your collection, I'd love to share a few of my favourite songs from that album in the hope that you'll hopefully get to experience something new from him & I'm hoping that these songs will give you heart throbs too:):)

All Is Vanity

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JinFyo_HbAs

Marlon JD

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=56kNO4kQodU

As for folk music, i think it's just one of those things I haven't really explored before, it's not that I'm un-keen on it, it's just a whole other world I haven't stepped into yet. Everything we wrote about rawness & authenticity is so important to me & it means that I can find truth in all different genres of music & art & if something speaks to me, if I see realness in something, I can connect with it & feel it, so I'm open to all experiences, in music, in art & in life, which are real & make me feel alive & because of that I totally relate to what you wrote about how you can't stand fakers & that's exactly how I feel too. One totally random folk-related revelation though is that I'm kind of weirdly drawn to East German folk music from the old GDR after watching a documentary about the underground skateboarding youth culture there in the 60's/70's/80's (called This Ain't California) & strangely got kind of obsessed by the atmosphere & sound of some of the songs on the soundtrack, like this one...I love it!!!...soooooo dreamy....

Frank Schöbel - Schreib es mir in den Sand

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PF5-OngpS5U

On the subject of Germany, I must confess to not knowing anything about Nina Hagen yet except for the few sentences I've just read telling me she was born in East Berlin so I will read about her & shall get back to you with my thoughts. I'm already extremely intrigued because of how fascinated I've become with East Germany after the documentary & I'm always intrigued by thought provoking people so I'll enjoy researching her & I'm going to see if I can find Scout Nibblet & Don Cavellero too & have a listen...you've got me intrigued:):)

Ben xx

Ps I loved that you used the image of the mark of cain...that image is used as part of a lyric in one of my favourite songs:)

<3

---

Find your truth. Face your truth. Speak your truth. Be your truth.

artemesia

Member

Re: Currently Streaming/listening to

I just adore Poliça! Their clips are gorgeous and I really like the bass lines i the tracks & the synth touches are brilliantDue to the lead singer (Channy Leaneagh) beauty, I somehow ended up down the rabbit hole of youtube and following gorgeous rockstars like Roxette and Annie Lennox and Wendy James; because the clips were all full of similarly stunning women.

Wendy James

Annie Lennox

I listened to IAMX/Sneaker Pimps in the last lot that you posted, but I liked these songs a lot.

But the best was the Manic Street Preachers - good old fashioned rock, but really the best kind!

Ok it's late here and I will check out the other links tomorrow after coffee. Don Cavellero is where we'll start then? Or should we go by year?

polaroid

Member

Re: Currently Streaming/listening to

Really thrilled you're so excited by Poliça too...I'm totally transfixed & totally agree with you about how beautiful Channy is. I'm totally mesmerised by the way she moves & dances, it matches perfectly & creates a visual expression of the hypnotic fluidity & sensuality of the music, with its driving rhythms of undulating sensual bass lines weaving themselves snake-like in & around staccato drum patterns creating along with the synths a dreamscape for Channy's gorgeous vocals to inhabit & give voice to. I think you have to be a very sensual person to appreciate the beauty of this music so I think we should feel lucky that our reaction to these songs shows that we both must be.

Speaking of dreamscapes/soundscapes etc, I think I feel ready to expand my musical horizons & education & push my boundaries & for me there's no better place to start than with instrumental stuff so for that reason & because of how we're both excited to hear them, let's definitely begin with Don Caballero & get into them & hope it'll give us a great vibe to start out this epic music discovery trip with & then we can go by year after that to keep it easier to work through. But for starters then let's get into Don Caballero & report back to each other with our thoughts:):)

Glad you loved the Manic Street Preachers tracks. Listening to the Richey-era stuff again, especially the first album (Generation Terrorists), definitely made me think of what you were saying recently about how you liked how bands in that era allowed men to sexualise themselves, & I love how their early stuff combined metal/punk guitar heroics with highly politicised polemical poeticism & confrontationally beautiful glam-androgyny. I love this song & video so much & it totally shows all this in a perfect clip which I hope you'll like:)

Manic Street Preachers - Love's Sweet Exile

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hQS1czT0Egg

And if you're still in need of really depressing music or need any in the future, you should check out Richey's last album with the band before he disappeared, called 'The Holy Bible', thought to be the darkest album ever made. It's very different to the track above, musically, thematically & in visual imagery & is very very bleak post-punk, brutally stark, unnerving & unsettling & lyrically extremely challenging, dealing with themes like severe depression, self harm, alcoholism, anorexia & self-starvation, serial killers, totalitarianism, consumerism, prostitution, The Holocaust, capital punishment to name a few, but it's an unbelievably amazing & incredible album that's always thought to be one of the greatest albums ever made, & certainly one of the bleakest. We were talking about authenticity, well...this is probably the most frighteningly authentic album I know. I'm really excited because I'm going to one of the special 20th anniversary shows at the Roundhouse in Camden, London in just a few weeks time, a special celebration of the album & Richey & the first time a lot of these songs have been played by the band for 20 years. I have exactly the same sailors top that Richey (second from left, below) has on in this picture & video so will be wearing that:)

Manic Street Preachers - Faster

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rl2Jv4dzFqg

That song still has such a big impact on me & if you like it too you should definitely check out 'The Holy Bible' album if you're in need of dark music again.

Loved the pics Artemesia!!! Gorgeous gorgeous people!!!! Loved Annie Lennox/Eurythmics since I was little & have a few Transvision Vamp records in my vinyl collection somewhere too:):) Can totally relate to being pulled into the rabbit hole that is youtube, especially when it comes to searching for gorgeous rock stars & singers. Here are some of my favourite people:-

Siouxsie Sioux

Kate Bush

Stevie Nicks

xx

Last edited by polaroid (November 28th, 2014 02:17 AM)

---

Find your truth. Face your truth. Speak your truth. Be your truth.

artemesia

Member

Re: Currently Streaming/listening to

Don Cabellero - American Don
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BDzSp5MABl4
I was running a bake sale yesterday whilst listening to this at my table. The difference in now listening to the album through slightly better speakers is astounding. I did find it very useful in gaining attention to my cause but see below for the track that really generated interest from people on the street.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kcg7mu2eAiM
However back to American Don- my flatmates and I are covering this track, and the timings in this music and melodies are something I found really enjoyable. I like this more than other straight instrumental bands that I used to listen to like
Tortoise
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QbGHpO3 … f82DCdL1Kj

& Trans AM (whom I first saw in New York supporting '!!!', and who I liked a lot better than btw).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-1rvMnj … AtCL9k2P99

But I wonder if anyone else just finds it all needlessly complicated? I think Don Cabellero get away with it because of the general upbeatedness to their music, and anything else with those ridiculously complicated time signatures might not be as easily listenable? Thoughts?

polaroid

Member

Re: Currently Streaming/listening to

I think you hit the nail on the head when you said that the Don Caballero stuff gets away with its complexity because of it's upbeatness. To me also it just feels so light & free which probably sounds strange given how complex it really is, & I felt listening to it that it actually sounded less complicated because it isn't bogged down with the kind of "there aren't any vocals so we better throw the kitchen sink at it to make up for it" approach which seems to characterise a lot of instrumental tracks in this genre which nearly always fail. Likewise, stuff that tries to get away with being conventional in approach & structure by simply missing out the vocal melody from a song, always seems to end up being underwhelming too, unless you happen to be Johnny Marr in which case you can make lush stuff like this & it works because he's a genius...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6rIPcbJ7jBw

I usually find instrumentals work best when they're soundscapes full of evocative atmosphere, filling your mind with dreamlike images & so most of the instrumental stuff I've liked in the past has been beautifully melancholic esoteric synth stuff so I'm really intrigued by Don Caballero cos I've finally found an actual instrumental band in the rock/pop/guitar genre that excites me. What I love most is that it's complexity doesn't make it difficult to listen to, & for that reason it sets itself apart from the usual stereotype of instrumental music being pretentious, serious & impenetrable. Don Caballero succeeds cos it's complexity is cleverly mixed with a simplicity of sound & lightness in the arrangements & a real restraint by holding back from putting too much stuff into the mix, all of which somehow, & I can't really put my finger on why, makes it really fun & playful. To me it's like their sound matches the humour & irreverence of their song titles & through that they've turned the reputation of instrumental music on its head by creating something really complex yet doesn't take itself seriously at all. The 'math rock' tag seems perfect as the best way I can describe how this music feels is that it's like watching someone solve a rubik's cube...you don't think too much about the physics of it, you're just transfixed by watching the shifting patterns & shapes & twists & turns as the puzzle is worked out. I find myself fascinated in a similar way when I listen to Don Caballero, if that makes sense??

So in answer to your question I totally agree that other artists would probably find it impossible to get away with being this complicated but with Don Caballero it just works & ends up being the opposite of needless because they use it to make their music enjoyable, & is an inherent part of their sound rather than a pretentious add-on for the sake of being clever & so the whole thing ends up being fun & approachable & totally succeeds in inverting the stereotype of boring instrumental music.

Ps I love the thought of you playing that death metal clarinet video at your bake sale!!!:):)

---

Find your truth. Face your truth. Speak your truth. Be your truth.