Search This Site Search This Site

Smog - To Be Of Use This song brought my world to a standstill today. Everything stopped. Cars were no longer nosily driving by outside, the wind was no longer making the tree branch brush up against my window, the kids in the street were no longer laughing and playing. For a few precious moments nothing else mattered to me but this song. Right from the poignant honesty of the opening line ‘Most of my fantasies are of making someone else come’ I was hooked. It’s hard to beat the feeling of a song being heard for the first time and really hitting you hard where it counts. Like a miniature ephiphany everything suddenly made sense. I was home; I was loved. The overwhelming beauty of the song enveloped me, held me in its grasp blocking out everything that wasn’t gorgeous and pure and honest. ‘To Be Of Use’ is a minimalist affair. With little more than a quietly strummed acoustic guitar for accompaniment, the vocals and fabulously poetic lyrics take to the fore and they themselves are also pretty stark and minimalist creating something that is very fragile, delicate and unique. ‘To Be Of Use’ is a hard hitting song yet subtle and understated and beautiful. There’s a sadness to it, a subtle desperation, a longing. Yet the beauty and positivity of it is unquestionable. I didn’t want it to end; didn’t want to have to go back to the real world again, but instead wished I could inhabit a world where this song was constantly playing. Lyrics Most of my fantasies are of Making someone else come Most of my fantasies are of To be of use To be of some hard Simple Undeniable use Like a spindle Like a candle Like a horseshoe Like a corkscrew To be of use To be of use Most of my fantasies are of Making someone else come On a horse Over palms laid On the threshold On the coming day Coming day Coming day come Listen To This Song Regina Spektor - Fidelity Knowing my penchant for female singer songwriters who aren’t afraid to stand out from the crowd and do something that little bit different, it was only a matter of time before my ear started to become attuned to the music of New York Singer Songwriter Regina Spektor. A relatively new name on the music scene, she possesses an original vocal style which she adapts to suit the wide range of genres and styles she encompasses in her music. ‘Fidelity’ is perhaps the best known of Spektor’s songs and for me it is the best. Fun and original with a memorable vocal and great lyrics, ‘Fidelity’ is an upbeat and catchy song while still being original and quirky. There is a totally infectious little melody that runs through it, and the way she sings ‘And it breaks my hear-ar-ar-ar-ar-ar-art’ is very endearing and unique. I haven’t heard that much of Regina Spektor’s work, but listening to ‘Fidelity’ really makes me want to get a hold of more of her music Lyrics I never loved nobody fully Always one foot on the ground And by protecting my heart truly I got lost in the sounds I hear in my mind All of these voices I hear in my mind all these words I hear in my mind all this music And it breaks my heart And it breaks my heart And it breaks my heart when it breaks my heart Suppose I never, ever met you Suppose we never fell in love Suppose I never, ever let you kiss me so sweet and so soft Suppose I never, ever saw you Suppose you never, ever called Suppose I kept on singing love songs just to break my own fall Just to break my fall Just to break my fall Just to break my fall Break my fall Break my fall All my friends say that of course it's gonna get better Gonna get better Better better better better better better better Martha Wainwright - Bloody Motherfucking Asshole Believe the hype! There’s a lot of it going around at the minute about Martha Wainwright and every last word of it is true. There is something mesmerizing brilliant about her. Her voice, her tone, her attitude, her songs… it is impossible to put into words just how amazing she is. The wonderfully titled ‘Bloody Motherfucking Asshole’ is taken from her eponymous debut album and it perfectly sums up her musical style and personality. The focus is her amazing voice which defies description. How do you sum up perfection? Raw, intense, hypnotic, poetic, stunning. These words don’t do her justice. As the title suggests, this is the song of someone who shouldn’t be messed with, but the lyrics are too poetic to be bitter, and instead what you get is an emotional tirade, a statement of intent. It pretty much sums up exactly what the music of Martha Wainwright is all about – poetry, emotion and a voice that is out of this world. LYRICS Poetry is no place for a heart that's a whore And I'm young & I'm strong But I feel old & tired Overfired And I've been poked & stoked It's all smoke, there's no more fire Only desire For you, whoever you are For you, whoever you are You say my time here has been some sort of joke That I've been messing around Some sort of incubating period For when I really come around I'm cracking up And you have no idea No idea how it feels to be on your own In your own home with the fucking phone And the mother of gloom In your bedroom Standing over your head With her hand in your head With her hand in your head I will not pretend I will not put on a smile I will not say I'm all right for you When all I wanted was to be good To do everything in truth To do everything in truth Oh I wish I wish I wish I was born a man So I could learn how to stand up for myself Like those guys with guitars I've been watching in bars Who've been stamping their feet to a different beat To a different beat To a different beat I will not pretend I will not put on a smile I will not say I'm all right for you When all I wanted was to be good To do everything in truth To do everything in truth You bloody mother fucking asshole Oh you bloody mother fucking asshole Oh you bloody mother fucking asshole Oh you bloody mother fucking asshole Oh you bloody mother fucking asshole Oh you bloody... I will not pretend I will not put on a smile I will not say I'm all right for you For you, whoever you are For you, whoever you are For you, whoever you are Bruce Springsteen - Dancing In The Dark Dancing in the Dark is one of those songs I’ve always known and always had a bit of a liking for. Not in any big way – I don’t own it on cd, or have had any particular desire to – but when hearing it on the radio I’d always sing along with pleasure. But in that strange way that the right song has a funny habit of appearing out of the blue just at the very moment it is required, I recently hearing Dancing in the Dark, listened to it properly for the first time ever., and realized that it described exactly how I was feeling. Bruce Springsteen was always someone I had put down as not really being that deep, someone who wrote songs about cars and girls; so it came as a great shock to me to realize that ‘Dancing in the Dark’ describes the fragility of the human condition so perfectly that it just as easily could have been written by Morrissey or Nick Drake. Listening to the lyrics as if for the first time, and realizing how perfectly they describe frustration, boredom, and melancholia, I couldn’t believe that this was a Bruce Springsteen song. And more importantly I couldn’t believe that this was a song that I had heard hundreds of times before and never really listened to properly. Maybe I was caught up in music, which at first appears to be just a little too catchy to be anything more that a shallow rock song, or maybe it was false impressions of what type of artist I had Bruce Springsteen pegged as being. There is an old expression, ‘When the teacher is ready the student will appear’, and in the same sense, I really believe that when the listener is ready the right song will appear at the right time, to comfort and soothe and really speak to you. LYRICS I get up in the evening and I ain't got nothing to say I come home in the morning I go to bed feeling the same way I ain't nothing but tired Man I'm just tired and bored with myself Hey there baby, I could use just a little help You can't start a fire You can't start a fire without a spark This gun's for hire even if we're just dancing in the dark Message keeps getting clearer radio's on and I'm moving 'round the place I check my look in the mirror I wanna change my clothes, my hair, my face Man I ain't getting nowhere I'm just living in a dump like this There's something happening somewhere baby I just know that there is You can't start a fire you can't start a fire without a spark This gun's for hire even if we're just dancing in the dark You sit around getting older there's a joke here somewhere and it's on me I'll shake this world off my shoulders come on baby this laugh's on me Stay on the streets of this town and they'll be carving you up alright They say you gotta stay hungry hey baby I'm just about starving tonight I'm dying for some action I'm sick of sitting 'round here trying to write this book I need a love reaction come on now baby gimme just one look You can't start a fire sitting 'round crying over a broken heart This gun's for hire Even if we're just dancing in the dark You can't start a fire worrying about your little world falling apart This gun's for hire Even if we're just dancing in the dark Even if we're just dancing in the dark Even if we're just dancing in the dark Even if we're just dancing in the dark Hey baby Elliot Smith - Pictures Of Me Taken from his album 'Either/Or' 'Pictures of Me' is a wonderfully delicate yet powerful song. Starting off in very quiet and low-fi manner, devoid of any accompaniment other than an accoustic guitar, Smith's gravelly voice take the fore. The lyrics are characteristically poetic, intelligent and ironic, yet strangely comforting. After the first verse the guitars and drums kick in, the volume picks up and a wonderful melody takes to the fore complete with luscious vocal harmonies. Smith's voice takes on a new lease of life as he sings 'So sick and tired of all these pictures of me, oh everybody's dying just to get the disease.' There's something wonderfully infectious about this track, something so happy and feel-good about it, while at the same time, still fitting very much into the Elliott Smith school of navel-gazing, low-fi rock. LYRICS start, stop and start stupid acting smart flirting with the flicks you say it's just for kicks you'll be the victim of your own dirty tricks you got yourself to tease and displease doors swinging wide you walked in to hide looking at your feet failure's complete saw you and me on the coin-op tv frozen in fear every time we appear I'm not surprised at all and really, why should I be see nothing wrong, see nothing wrong so sick and tired of all these pictures of me completely wrong, totally wrong go walking by here come another guy jailer who sells personal hells who'd like to see me down on my fucking knees everybody's dying just to get the disease hey hey hey hey I'm not surprised at all and really, why should I be see nothing wrong, see nothing wrong so sick and tired of all these pictures of me completely wrong, totally wrong I'm not surprised at all and really, why should I be see nothing wrong, see nothing wrong so sick and tired of all these pictures of me oh everybody's dying just to get the disease everybody's dying just to get the disease everybody's dying just to get the disease Morrissey - I Have Forgiven Jesus I've just finished watching Morrissey performing his new single 'I Have Forgiven Jesus' dressed as a priest on CD UK in front of a bemused Cat Deely and a bewildered teenage audience who were there to see Busted and didn't know quite what to making of this aging man with a receeding quiff, dog collar and rosary beeds. I haven't laughed so much in ages! Morrissey is well and truly back on form. That performance reminded me of his Smiths days of prancing around the top of the pops studio with a hearing aid hanging out of his ear. Morrissey may have taken 7 years off from the music business leaving his fans wondering whether or not he would ever return, but he did return, and he's better than ever! 'I Have Forgiven Jesus' is definitely one of the stronger tracks from his album 'You Are The Quarry' and to release it just a few weeks before Christmas and to perform it dressed as a priest is absolute genius and something that only Morrissey could get away with. In an ideal world this would be the Christmas number one, but it's a world inhabited by the Cheeky girls and the X-Factor and Band Aid, but while the likes of Morrissey still exist and are still out there taking the piss, it makes it all the more bearable! LYRICS I was a good kid I wouldn’t do you no harm I was a nice kid with a nice paper-round Forgive me any pain I may have brung to you With God’s help I know I’ll always be near to you but Jesus hurt me When He deserted me / but I have forgiven Jesus for all the desire He placed in me when there’s nothing I can do with this desire I was good kid through hail and snow / I’d go just to moon you I carried my heart in my hand - do you understand? - do you understand? but Jesus hurt me when He deserted me / but I have forgiven Jesus for all of the love / he placed in me when there’s no one I can turn to with this love Monday-humiliation / Tuesday-suffocation Wednesday-condescension / Thursday-is…pathetic by Friday-Life has killed me by Friday-Life has killed me why did you give me /so much desire? when there is nowhere I can go to offload this desire? and why did you give me so much love in a loveless world? when there is no one I can turn to to unlock all this love and why did you stick me in self-deprecating bones and skin Jesus-do you hate me? why did you stick me in self-deprecating bones and skin … … do you hate me? Tom Waits Reviews of Tom Waits new album 'Real Gone' have focused on his use of his own voice to produce experimental drum machine noices. This is something that Waits does to great effect and it something that proliferates the whole album; an album that is for the most part loud and experiemntal. But in the midst of all the noise and chaos is the most beautiful, sparse, minamalist track. Stripped of all accompaniment barr a barely-there guitar and bass, the track focuses on Wait's amazingly distinctive voice which is incredibly raw and husky and intensely beautiful. Tom Waits fans will already know of his talent for writing passionate yet melancoly ballads such as 'Martha' and 'I Hope I Don't Fall In Love With You', and 'Green Grass' follows in that vein. With a real bittersweet bluesy feel to it, it is a wonderfully touching and poignant track that manages to conjure a variety of emotions. LYRICS Lay your head where my heart used to be Hold the earth above me Lay down in the green grass Remember when you loved me Come closer don't be shy Stand beneath a rainy sky The moon is over the rise Think of me as a train goes by Clear the thistles and brambles Whistle 'Didn't He Ramble' Now there's a bubble of me and it's floating in thee Stand in the shade of me Things are now made of me The weather vane will say: It smells like rain today God took the stars and he tossed 'em Can't tell the birds from the blossoms You'll never be free of me He'll make a tree from me Don't say good bye to me Describe the sky to me And if the sky falls, mark my words we'll catch mocking birds Lay your head where my heart used to be Hold the earth above me Lay down in the green grass Remember when you loved me Nick Cave - Breathless I first heard this song on the Mark Radcliffe show on Radio Two and I couldn't quite believe that it was a Nick Cave track. If it wasn't for his amazingly distinctive voice it would be completely unrecognisable as a Nick Cave song as it is different from anything else he has ever written. It is experemly cheerful, upbeat song. For all of you who consider Nick to be morbidly depressing, then listen to Breathless and you'll realize that you couldn't be more wrong. Starting with what appears to be a rehearsal of a primary school recorder club, then developing into a beautiful love song with an almost calypso style rhythm and serenely poetic lyrics, it is possibly the best song Nick Cave has ever written. It is the sort of song that is guarenteed to wake you out of your stupor and make you dance around the room feeling gloriously happy. If you are in love then 'Breathless' will make you think you that special someone, and if you are not in love then you will be by the end of the track! Nick's voice sounds absolutely amazing on this song; sonourous, deep, fantastic. Half-Way through the song the records kick in again giving it the track that slighly weird, unique edge that we have all come to expect from a Nick Cave. Taken from his new album the 'Abbatoir Blues/ The Lyre Of Orpheus', 'Breathless' shows that Cave is just getting better and better. Although his past couple of albums have contained moments of greatness, for me Nick has never managed to surpass the magical brilliance of 'The boatmans Call', but with 'Breathless' and just about every song on his new album, I think he may have finally managed it. LYRICS It's up in the morning and on the downs Little white clouds like gambolling lambs And I am breathless over you And the red-breasted robin beats his wings His throat it trembles when he sings For he is helpless before you The happy hooded bluebells bow And bend their heads all a-down Heavied by the early morning dew At the whispering stream, at the bubbling brook The fishes leap up to take a look For they are breathless over you Still your hands And still your heart For still your face comes shining through And all the morning glows anew Still your mind Still your soul For still, the fare of love is true And I am breathless without you The wind circles among the trees And it bangs about the new-made leaves For it is breathless without you The fox chases the rabbit round The rabbit hides beneath the ground For he is defenceless without you The sky of daytime dies away And all the earthly things they stop to play For we are all breathless without you I listen to my juddering bones The blood in my veins and the wind in my lungs And I am breathless without you Still your hands And still your heart For still your face comes shining through And all the morning glows anew Still your soul Still your mind Still, the fire of love is true And I am breathless without you Manic Street Preachers - Faster 'Faster' has always been my favourite Manic Street Preachers track as well as one of my favourite songs of all time. And it's one of the those songs that always manages to come back to me just at the right time. I can go for months without listening to it, and then out of nowhere the urge to hear it suddenly comes out of nowhere and each time it manages to move me and affect me as if I were listening to it for the very first time. It's one of those very personal things, but 'Faster' is a song of motivation for me. A song that manages to wake me from my stupor, give myself a shake and get on with my life, and it's hard to explain why. Maybe it's the hard rock guitar and the screaming vocals, or maybe it's the poetic yet surreal lyrics. I always consider 'Faster' to be the Manic Street Preachers version of 'It's the End of The World As We Know It', with just too many lyrics to fit into each line, yet somehow James Dean Bradfield manages to deliver them word perfect. And the lyrics themselves are just fabulous. They're like the poetic ramblings of a made genius. How Richey and Nicky came up with them I'll never know. But in the midst of the surreal ponderings there's also a few home truths, lines that jump out at me and have a special place in my heart. 'I've been too honest with myself I should have lied like everybody else' and 'I know I believe in nothing but it is MY nothing'. Faster is an incredible song full of truth and questions and beauty, and it is a song that never fails to make my jump around the room with joy. LYRICS I am an architect They call me a butcher I am a pioneer They call me primitive I am purity They call me perverted Holding you but I only miss these things when they leave I am idiot drug hive the virgin the tattered and the torn Life is for the cold made warm and they are just lizards Self-disgust is self obsession honey and I'll do as I please A morality obedient only for the cleansed repented I am stronger than Mensa Miller and Mailer I spat out Plath and Pinter I am all the things that you regret A truth that washes That learnt how to spell The first time you see yourself naked you cry Soft skin now acne Foul breath so broken He loves me truly this mute solitude I'm draining I know I believe in nothing but it is my nothing Sleep can't hide the thoughts splitting through my mind Shadows aren't clean, false mirrors, too many people awake If you stand up like a nail then you will be knocked down I've been too honest with myself I should have lied like everybody else So damn easy to cave in Man kills everything. Damien Rice - 'Cannonball' Everytime I hear this song I am reminded of how lucky we are to have people like Damien Rice in the world. In a world where everything revolves around money, and the music industry is becomming more and more image-led and commercialised, it is so refreshing to hear such simple, well-crafted yet powerful songs. Rice possesses an amazing talent for song-writing along with the ability to convey such powerful emotions. 'Cannonball' leapt out at me the first time I heard it. It tapped into a vein, spoke right to me, describing exactly how I felt as if every word had been written especially for me. That's the beauty of music; the perfect song just somehow manages to come out of nowhere at exactly the right moment and provides the perfect rememdy. Tender yet powerful, with simple, emotional lyrics and Rice's amazing guitar playing, 'Cannonball' is an amazing song that everyone needs to hear. LYRICS Still a little bit of your taste in my mouth Still a little bit of you laced with my doubt Still a little hard to say what's going on Still a little bit of your ghost your witness Still a little BIT of your face I haven't kissed You step a little closer EACH DAY Still I can't SAY what's going on Stones taught me to fly Love taught me to lie Life taught me to die So it's not hard to fall When you float like a cannonball Still a little bit of your song in my ear Still a little bit of your words I long to hear You step a little closer TO ME So close that I can't see what's going on Stones taught me to fly Love taught me to lie Life taught me to die So it's not hard to fall When you float like a cannon Stones taught me to fly Love taught me to cry So come on courage! Teach me to be shy 'Cause it's not hard to fall And I don't WANNA scare her It's not hard to fall And I don't wanna lose It's not hard to grow When you know that you just don't know Morrissey - The First Of The Gang To Die (You Are The Quarry) On my very first listen to Morrissey's new album 'You Are The Quarry', there was one song that just jumped out at me instantly and I couldn't resist hitting the repeat play button about ten times! Just about every song on 'You Are The Quarry' is perfect, but 'The First Of The Gang To Die' still stands head and shoulders above all of them, making it without a doubt one of the best songs Morrissey has written in his 22 year career. With a strong melody, and poetic, romantic lyrics, it really is one hell of a song. Morrissey has been slated in the music press for writing it merely to appeal to his huge latino fanbase. But it's hard to imagine who this song wouldn't appeal to. It's just an increedible song from start to finish, and theres's a oment of sheer genious at the very end when Morrissey employs that magical fasetto that was his trade mark in The Smiths. It sends shivers up my spine and provides the perfect ending to the perfect song. Lyrics You have never been in love, Until you have seen the stars, reflect in the reservoirs And you have never been in love, Until you have seen the dawn rise, behind the home for the blind We are the pretty, petty thieves, And you're standing on our streets Where Hector was the first of the gang with a gun in his hand And the first to do time, the first of the gang to die, Oh my Hector was the first of the gang with a gun in his hand And the first to do time, the first of the gang to die, Oh my You have never been in love, Until you've seen the sunlight thrown, Over smashed human bone We are the pretty, petty thieves, And you're standing on our streets Where Hector was the first of the gang with a gun in his hand And the first to do time, the first of the gang to die, Such a silly boy Hector was the first of the gang with a gun in his hand And the bullet in his gullet and the first lost lad to go under the sod And he stole from the rich and the poor and not very rich and the very poor And he stole our hearts away He stole our hearts away, He stole our hearts away He stole our hearts away, He stole our hearts away Gordon Lightfoot - Carefree Highway (Gord's Gold) I must admit to being a very recent convert to Gordon Lightfoot. It's a strange how these things happen sometimes. A songwriter whose music has been around for almost 40 years, suddenly comes to me out of nowhere, and I find myself wondering how I've managed to survive the last 30 years without hearing it! I've only heard an handful of Lightfoot's songs, but I fell in love with 'Carefree Highway' straight away. It is a beautifully, simple track ultilising a mix of folk, country and accoustic guitar. 'Carefree Highway' is the sort of song that tells a story. Simple and straightforward, nothing obscure about it, yet brilliant just the same. It never ceases to amaze me just how many brilliant singer-songwriters have come out of Cananda. There must be something in the water! Lyrics Pickin' up the pieces of my sweet shattered dream I wonder how the old folks are tonight Her name was Ann and I'll be damned if I recall her face She left me not knowin' what to do Carefree highway, let me slip away on you Carefree highway, you seen better days The mornin' after blues from my head down to my shoes Carefree highway, let me slip away Slip away on you Turnin' back the pages to the times I love best I wonder if she'll ever do the same Now the thing that I call livin' is just bein' satisfied With knowin' I got no one left to blame Carefree highway, got ta see you my old flame Carefree highway, you seen better days The mornin' after blues from my head down to my shoes Carefree highway, let me slip away Slip away on you Searchin' through the fragments of my dream-shattered sleep I wonder if the years have closed her mind I guess it must be wanderlust or tryin' to get free From the good old faithful feelin' we once knew Carefree highway, let me slip away on you Carefree highway, you seen better days The mornin' after blues from my head down to my shoes Carefree highway, let me slip away Slip away on you Let me slip away on you Carefree highway, got ta see you my old flame Carefree highway, you seen better days The mornin' after blues from my head down to my shoes Carefree highway, let me slip away Slip away on you Morrissey - Irish Blood, English Heart (You Are The Quarry) Morrissey's first single for seven years was definately worth the wait. Taken from his new album 'You Are The Quarry', 'Irish Blood, English Heart' has already entered the British charts at number 3, making it the highest charting single in Morrissey's carreer, including anything he released with The Smiths. And it really is deserving of such success. It is a great song, with fabulous lyrics, a strong melody and fabulous vocals. Lyrically, it is Morrissey' answer to all those accusations of racism that have haunted him over the years.. He articluates his feelings perfectly – 'I've been dreaming of a time when to be English is not to be baneful/To be standing at the flag not feeling shameful'. The seven years that Morrissey was 'away' were definitely not spent idol, and he has come back stronger than ever, with a brand new sound, that encapsulates everything about him that we love and so much more. 'Irish Blood, English Heart' is a great track, and a great choice for the first single. I really hope the next one does just as well. Lyrics Irish blood, English heart, This I'm made of There is no one on earth I'm afraid of And no regime can buy or sell me I've been dreaming of a time when To be English is not to be baneful To be standing by the flag not feeling shameful, Racist or partial Irish blood, English heart, This I'm made of There is no one on earth I'm afraid of And I will die with both of my hands untied I've been dreaming of a time when The English are sick to death of Labour, And Tories And spit upon the name Oliver Cromwell And denounce this royal line that still salute him And will salute him forever Franz Ferdinand - The Dark Of The Matinee (Franz Ferdinand) Alex of Franz Ferdinand has the smoothest, most honey-coated voice in the music business. It's a voice that's just too cool, too sexy, too suave, too everything! You half expect him to be wearing a pin-stripped suit, holding a cigarrette in one hand, the microphone in the other, whilst crooning some easy-listening classic! Instead, he's the vocalist of the hippest, most innovative band around at the minute. Franz Ferdinand are the best thing to have come out of Scotland since haggis. The music press has labelled them The British 'White Stripes', but with a very distinctive style, obscure yet intelligent lyrics and a very sophisticated, British sound, they're more like a cross between The Smiths and The Divine Comedy. 'The Dark Of The Matinee' is Franz Ferdinand's new single, and it is one of the most distinctive songs I have ever heard. There's something very English about it, which is a bit strange considering the band are Scottish. But the intro, the guitars, the melody.. that gorgeous voice...the whole thing is just about the most infectious thing I have ever heard. I challenge anyone to listen to this song once and not hit repeat play. Lyrics You take your white finger Slide the nail under the top and bottom buttons of my blazer Relax the fraying wool, slacken ties And I'm not to look at you in the shoe, but the eyes I time every journey to bump into you, accidentally I charm you and tell you of the boys I hate All the girls I hate The clothes I hate All the words I hate How I'll never be anything I hate You smile, mention something that you like How you'd have a happy life if you did the things you like So I'm on BBC2 now, telling Terry Wogan how I made it What I made is unclear, but his deference is and his laughter is My words and smile are so easy now Yes, It's easy now So find me and follow me through corridors, refectories and files You must follow, leave this academic factory You will find me in the matinee The dark of the matinee is mine Michael Andrews ft Gary Jules - Mad World (Donnie Darko OST) Someone once said that it's impossible to ruin a good song. And although you only have to look at various pop stars contenders to prove that statement wrong, there still can be a lot to be said about a good cover version. Sometimes it takes a different approach, fresh blood, and a different take on things to make you realise exactly how good a song is. Sometimes a different version of a song by a different artist makes you see that song in a totally new light. And Michael Andrews & Gary Jules' version of Tears For Fears 'Mad World' is definitely a fine example of example of exactly how that can work. Stripped bare of everything except a piano accompaiment coupled with a glorious string section, Gary Jules voice is the perfect veichle for these beautiful lyrics. Desperate, soul-searching, evocative, the lyrics come to the fore providing a perfect sound-track for modern living in a society where life is often devoid of any higher meaning. I defy anyone not to fall in love with this song. LYRICS All around me are familiar faces Worn out places, worn out faces Bright and early for their daily races Going nowhere, going nowhere And their tears are filling up their glasses No expression, no expression Hide my head I want to drown my sorrow No tommorow, no tommorow And I find it kind of funny I find it kind of sad The dreams in which I'm dying Are the best I've ever had I find it hard to tell you 'Cos I find it hard to take When people run in circles It's a very, very Mad World Children waiting for the day they feel good Happy Birthday, Happy Birthday Made to feel the way that every child should Sit and listen, sit and listen Went to school and I was very nervous No one knew me, no one knew me Hello teacher tell me what's my lesson Look right through me, look right through me Stina Nordenstam - Soon After Christmas (Memories Of A Color) Swedish singer-songwriter, Stina Nordenstam was one of my discoveries of 2003. I was introduced to her through an aquaintance and within about a week I was in love with her, her music and everything she stood for, and couldn't believe I had survived on this earth for 29 years without having heard her before! 'Soon After Christmas' is taken from her first album - 'Memories Of A Color', released in 1991, and is probably the best song of her carrer (although there are many other great ones.) It is a song of love and loss, of desperation and solitude and loneliness. The lyrics are simple yet poetic and extremely emotive. That are lyrics that really hit you someone special. Throughtout the track Nordenstam displays her exquiste talent for playing the piano. But the most amazing thing about this ong is her voice; for Stina Nordenstam possesses one of the most unique voices in the music industry. Slightly remniscent of Bjork in places, but with more variety and intensity, her swedish accent and child-like delivery make it a difficult voice to get used to, but it is one that you will grow to love. Obviously an appropriate title for this time of year, 'Soon After Christmas' really connects with something inside me. It's one of those songs that seems to come from nowhere and al of a sudden it holds a special place in your heart, and all you want to do is play it over and over... LYRICS I've called you now a thousand times I think I know now You're not home I've said your name a thousand times To be prepared if you'd be there I wanted so to have you And I wanted you to know I wanted to write songs About how we're walking in the snow You've got me slightly disappointed Just a bit and just enough To keep me up another night Waiting for another day The city's taking a day off The streets are empty No one's out tonight My life is in another's hands I wanted so to have you And I wanted you to know I wanted to write songs About how we're walking in the snow But there's no snow this winter There's no words for what I feel for you It's not enough Though it's too much Why must it always be like that? The TV screen is lighting up my room The film has ended Every inch of my skin is crying for your hands And I wanted so to have you And I wanted you to know I wanted to write songs About how we're walking in the snow You've got me slightly disappointed Just a bit and just enough To keep me up another night Waiting for another day Low - Laser Beam (Things We Lost In The Fire) This is without a doubt, one of the bleakest, starkest songs I have ever heard. Yet, amidst the barreness there is a beauty so serene it has the power to reduce me to tears. A solitary voice begins to sing accompanied only by a single guitar. At first it is hard to tell whether it's the voice of a man or a woman, and I don't suppose it really matters. What does matter is the fact that it's one of the most beautful voices I have ever heard. At once high pitched, yet quiet and unassuming; containing just the right amount of desperation and yearning. It is a voice that is speaking directly to you and only you, for no-one else matters. The utter bleakness of the track is starlting at first. It has the power to hit you where you feel it most, taking you unawares, making you stop whatever you were doing and drink in every single note. And then you'll hit the repeat play button again and again and again as you lie desperately wondering how anyone could possibly have written a song so beautiful. LYRICS I don't need a laser beam I don't need the time Leave me in the car tonight Rest your drunken mind I need your grace alone Lesser things are on your mind Don't you think I know? Will this poison scar my eyes? Mother, close the door I need your grace alone I don't need a laser beam I don't need a laser beam Naked If I Want To – Cat Power (The Covers Record) Cat Power’s version of this Moby Grape track is absolutely breathtaking. Originally meant as a celebration of freedom, Chan Marshall puts her own unmistakable twist to it. Stripped bare of everything apart from a gentle acoustic guitar accompaniment, it is stark, and bare and desolate. Throughout the track she gives one of the best vocal performances of her career, her voice sounding raw, as sharp as a knife’s edge, and with a hint of desperation. The result is amazing. It’s the sound of someone appealing for freedom, for love, for independence, and you just wish you had the power to give it to her. ‘Naked If I Want To’ is a powerfully effective track that is at once sad and liberating, and you won’t be able to stop yourself from singing along. LYRICS Would you let me walk down your street Naked if I want to Can I fly fireworks on the fourth of every single July Can I buy an amplifier on time My sweet time And I got no money I will pay this time And I got no money I will pay you before I die. And would you let me walk down your streets Naked if we all wanted to Can I fly fireworks on the fourth of every single July Can I fly an aeroplane way up high in all the sky And I got no mercy I will pay this time And I got no mercy I will pay you before I die. BACK TO INDEX

Layout, Design and written material copyright Ruth McNerlan 2003-2007(Photographs are copyright of their respective bands/lables. No infringement was intended)