Dear All!
I thought let's not keep my readers from a great song. I hereby tell you that you all should listen to the song Use Somebody, originally by Kings of Leon. This is a great energetic song, which can be defined as rock, but as pop as well. Therefore many people will like it. The song is very much worth listening to in the Kings of Leon version.
Another great version of Use Somebody is the (almost) acoustic version by the Dutch singer Laura Jansen. She is, at the moment, one of the greatest vocalists we have in our little country with a great sense of music. Please look them up on Youtube, and I wish you a lot of listening pleasure.
donderdag 12 november 2009
woensdag 11 november 2009
Why Do We Need Music In The World?
Well, to be honest the immediate answer to this question was: "Why don't we?" If someone could seriously agree with this statement, I would be stunned. Why? Because, I am sorry, it is absurd.
Music is the, very cliché but true, universal language that the entire world understands. Music is the 'force' that binds us all. If you let an African person listen to a song that is considered to be sad in Europe, he will call it that too.
Music is communication. African tribes used the sounds and rythms of their drums to communicate with each other over enormous distances. Nowadays commercials are full of music that communicate a certain feeling. Lyrics of songs communicate certain messages to the listener, whether it is serious or not. That does not matter, the fact is that a message get across.
Music is our history. In almost every event in history, music is in some way involved. When important people were buried, people always mentioned the music played. When colonisers entered a new territory they had a band or a small orchestra with them to impress the people. Slaves managed to escape due to hidden messages in music, etc etc.
Music is a bottomless well in wich you can place emotions, and from which you can get them too. You can leave your sorrow behind by making music. The Blues and Soul are all about getting rid of emotions, sing about your sorrow and the things you have been through instead of keeping it inside you.
Music is in everything. The beating of your heart is a rythm, as is the sound of someone walking, the hammering of a woodpecker, the sounds from a construction site, the sound of yout typing, your breating. All are rythms. Then the music. It is in the sounds of birds, of elephants, of cats, of dogs, of car horns, of a coin falling, of a bee buzzing, of the wind blowing through the leaves of a tree, of whisteling etc etc.
Music is the best thing to spend time on. You are training so many things at the same time. You are in contact with art, you aretraining your dexterity, your breathing, you learn to work together in a group, you train your rythm, your hearing, you train social and communication skills etc etc.
Imagine that all of this would not be there. This is IMPOSSIBLE! That is why we need music in the world: to keep it together
Music is the, very cliché but true, universal language that the entire world understands. Music is the 'force' that binds us all. If you let an African person listen to a song that is considered to be sad in Europe, he will call it that too.
Music is communication. African tribes used the sounds and rythms of their drums to communicate with each other over enormous distances. Nowadays commercials are full of music that communicate a certain feeling. Lyrics of songs communicate certain messages to the listener, whether it is serious or not. That does not matter, the fact is that a message get across.
Music is our history. In almost every event in history, music is in some way involved. When important people were buried, people always mentioned the music played. When colonisers entered a new territory they had a band or a small orchestra with them to impress the people. Slaves managed to escape due to hidden messages in music, etc etc.
Music is a bottomless well in wich you can place emotions, and from which you can get them too. You can leave your sorrow behind by making music. The Blues and Soul are all about getting rid of emotions, sing about your sorrow and the things you have been through instead of keeping it inside you.
Music is in everything. The beating of your heart is a rythm, as is the sound of someone walking, the hammering of a woodpecker, the sounds from a construction site, the sound of yout typing, your breating. All are rythms. Then the music. It is in the sounds of birds, of elephants, of cats, of dogs, of car horns, of a coin falling, of a bee buzzing, of the wind blowing through the leaves of a tree, of whisteling etc etc.
Music is the best thing to spend time on. You are training so many things at the same time. You are in contact with art, you aretraining your dexterity, your breathing, you learn to work together in a group, you train your rythm, your hearing, you train social and communication skills etc etc.
Imagine that all of this would not be there. This is IMPOSSIBLE! That is why we need music in the world: to keep it together
zondag 8 november 2009
Addition to Desert Island Songs
Of course I hope never to strand onto a deserted island, especially not with just five songs. I found it so hard to make a choice, that I will list more songs or albums that I love below:
Songs In The Key of Life (album) - Stevie Wonder
Soundtrack of West Side Story - Leonard Bernstein
9 Crimes - Damien Rice
Continuum (album) - John Mayer
Funkoverload (album) - Maceo Parker
The Hermit Sessions (album) - Kyteman
Make You Feel My Love - Adele
Johnny B. Good - Chuck Berry
Ella Fitzgerald
Michael Jackson
James Brown
Lose Yourself - Eminem
John Legend
Ne Me Quitte Pas - Jacques Brel
Several Songs by Patrick Bruel
Les Misèrables (album) - Les Miserablès Original Broadway Cast
RENT (album) - RENT Movie Cast
Pick Up The Pieces - Candy Dulfer
OutKast
DJ Maestro
Futuresex/Lovesound (album) - Justin Timberlake
Keane
Coldplay
A lot of Acda & De Munnik
A lot of Prince
Miles Davis
A lot of Alicia Keys
Vivo Per Lei - Andrea Bocelli
Swing When You're Winning (album) - Robbie Williams
Amélie Soundtrack - Yann Tiersen
A lot of Diana Krall
Some things by David Sanborn
Wouter Hamel
Ray Charles
Call Me Irresponsible (album) - Michael Bublé
Snow Patrol
Empire State of Mind - Jay-Z feat. Alicia Keys
Just Dance - Lady Gaga
I Gotta Feeling - Black Eyed Peas
I've Got Love - The King Blues
And many, many more.
Songs In The Key of Life (album) - Stevie Wonder
Soundtrack of West Side Story - Leonard Bernstein
9 Crimes - Damien Rice
Continuum (album) - John Mayer
Funkoverload (album) - Maceo Parker
The Hermit Sessions (album) - Kyteman
Make You Feel My Love - Adele
Johnny B. Good - Chuck Berry
Ella Fitzgerald
Michael Jackson
James Brown
Lose Yourself - Eminem
John Legend
Ne Me Quitte Pas - Jacques Brel
Several Songs by Patrick Bruel
Les Misèrables (album) - Les Miserablès Original Broadway Cast
RENT (album) - RENT Movie Cast
Pick Up The Pieces - Candy Dulfer
OutKast
DJ Maestro
Futuresex/Lovesound (album) - Justin Timberlake
Keane
Coldplay
A lot of Acda & De Munnik
A lot of Prince
Miles Davis
A lot of Alicia Keys
Vivo Per Lei - Andrea Bocelli
Swing When You're Winning (album) - Robbie Williams
Amélie Soundtrack - Yann Tiersen
A lot of Diana Krall
Some things by David Sanborn
Wouter Hamel
Ray Charles
Call Me Irresponsible (album) - Michael Bublé
Snow Patrol
Empire State of Mind - Jay-Z feat. Alicia Keys
Just Dance - Lady Gaga
I Gotta Feeling - Black Eyed Peas
I've Got Love - The King Blues
And many, many more.
Other Music Blogs: My Revelations
Dear All.
Looking at the other blogs I found some things which I really like now:
On Andrew's blog, The Best Thing Next To Silence Is Music, I learned of the band Lettuce. I looked it up, and it turned out to be one of the funkiest bands with a huge amount of groove. Lettuce is tribute band started at Berkley School of Music, which is probably how Andrew knows it, that plays covers of old funk and soul songs. I just adore them from now on.
On Joran's blog, Music Begins Where Words Run Out, I read about a song that I already knew, but never paid that much attention to: Fire and Rain by James Taylor. I have always preffered Traveling Star and Shower the People by that singer, but Fire and Rain can now share itself among those. It is a beautiful song, and I cannot understand how I can have missed it. I think it is great how Joran explains the song, and I totally agree on his opinion on the choice of instruments.
Last I read on Coen's blog, Music the God ff Silence, about the song Breakeven by the Script. I had heard this song a few times, and I knew the band already. Still, Coen made me listen to it in a different way. He and I (and Andrew and Joran) listen to music in a similar way, focussing more on the different aspects of a song, but this time his way was different. Through his explanation I rediscovered the song.
There were of course some songs that I did not like at all. Some of the Hip Hop songs for example, especially the Dutch ones. It is not that I do not like Hip Hop, but Dutch Hip Hop just does not work for me.
Looking at all the blogs, overall I think that our group has quite a good taste of music!
Looking at the other blogs I found some things which I really like now:
On Andrew's blog, The Best Thing Next To Silence Is Music, I learned of the band Lettuce. I looked it up, and it turned out to be one of the funkiest bands with a huge amount of groove. Lettuce is tribute band started at Berkley School of Music, which is probably how Andrew knows it, that plays covers of old funk and soul songs. I just adore them from now on.
On Joran's blog, Music Begins Where Words Run Out, I read about a song that I already knew, but never paid that much attention to: Fire and Rain by James Taylor. I have always preffered Traveling Star and Shower the People by that singer, but Fire and Rain can now share itself among those. It is a beautiful song, and I cannot understand how I can have missed it. I think it is great how Joran explains the song, and I totally agree on his opinion on the choice of instruments.
Last I read on Coen's blog, Music the God ff Silence, about the song Breakeven by the Script. I had heard this song a few times, and I knew the band already. Still, Coen made me listen to it in a different way. He and I (and Andrew and Joran) listen to music in a similar way, focussing more on the different aspects of a song, but this time his way was different. Through his explanation I rediscovered the song.
There were of course some songs that I did not like at all. Some of the Hip Hop songs for example, especially the Dutch ones. It is not that I do not like Hip Hop, but Dutch Hip Hop just does not work for me.
Looking at all the blogs, overall I think that our group has quite a good taste of music!
Desert Island Song (5): Shake Everything You've Got (Live), Maceo Parker
Dear all.
This song is a song that I do not have myself, but found on Youtube. I had listened to a CD I had by Maceo Parker, but this song is not on it. I looked for live performances of Maceo Parker, and found this, and I loved it.
Maceo Parker is a black saxophone player, who makes incredibly funky and groovy music. His lyrics are usually simple and kind of absurd. The title of this song, actually states what the entire song is about and almost all that is said in the song. He wants the listener to shake everything he or she has got.
The song starts with an amazing base line, which I adore. Then all the instruments fall in, and the groove goes on and on. the bridge is awsome as well, in which you only have three vocalists and the drummer. Just listen to it, and dance away!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ABLwmYI09Lw
This song is a song that I do not have myself, but found on Youtube. I had listened to a CD I had by Maceo Parker, but this song is not on it. I looked for live performances of Maceo Parker, and found this, and I loved it.
Maceo Parker is a black saxophone player, who makes incredibly funky and groovy music. His lyrics are usually simple and kind of absurd. The title of this song, actually states what the entire song is about and almost all that is said in the song. He wants the listener to shake everything he or she has got.
The song starts with an amazing base line, which I adore. Then all the instruments fall in, and the groove goes on and on. the bridge is awsome as well, in which you only have three vocalists and the drummer. Just listen to it, and dance away!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ABLwmYI09Lw
Desert Island Song (4): Stop This Train, John Mayer
My third post today, but not my last!
This song, from Mayer's album Continuum (2006), is a song I like because of the great feeling of the song, and that it is a little bit about me.
The entire song just has a great relaxed feeling over it. When you start it, you almost cannot do anything but to lay back and listen with your eyes closed, thinking the past day over. It is just a really enjoyable song, which, to me, just is a great break between all the busy things in life.
The reason why the song is about me, is because it is about not wanting to grow up and that growing up goes to fast. In the song, John Mayer sings about how he is "scared of getting older", and that he is "only good at being young". I feel the same way. The last few years have gone so fast, and sometimes I just rather be small again and not bear responsibilities etc. Just go back to the times when everything was carefree, when you did not know so much of the world, to the time when my parents were together....
This song, from Mayer's album Continuum (2006), is a song I like because of the great feeling of the song, and that it is a little bit about me.
The entire song just has a great relaxed feeling over it. When you start it, you almost cannot do anything but to lay back and listen with your eyes closed, thinking the past day over. It is just a really enjoyable song, which, to me, just is a great break between all the busy things in life.
The reason why the song is about me, is because it is about not wanting to grow up and that growing up goes to fast. In the song, John Mayer sings about how he is "scared of getting older", and that he is "only good at being young". I feel the same way. The last few years have gone so fast, and sometimes I just rather be small again and not bear responsibilities etc. Just go back to the times when everything was carefree, when you did not know so much of the world, to the time when my parents were together....
Coldplay Concert: Viva La Vida Tour - 09-09-09
Dear All!
Here I am again. I now want to discuss the most awesome concert I have ever been to: The concert by one of THE most amazing bands in the world: Coldplay! They had a concert in The Netherlands on 09-09-09, and I know that that is a long time ago and that I should have posted about it long ago, but better late than never, so here is my story.
Directly after school, my father and I drove to Nijmegen. The concert's terrain (it was outdoors) opened at 15:00, and we entered it at 17:15. It was notably calm still, and most people were just sitting on the ground. We, my father and I, managed to work our way forward up untill the front boundary of our section. This was the closes we could poissibly get to the stage, and I thought it was a beautiful place: right in the middle, and with a great overview of the entire stage.
After one horrible (Bat for Lashes) and one moderate but funny (The Flaming Lips) preprogramm, Coldplay started at exactly 21:00 as they should.
They came on with firework in their hands, and started playing Life In Technicolor. This set the mood for the entire evening: it was one huge party. All their hits came by, and the crowd went wild. Everybody, young or old, sang along with every song. All of Coldplay's hits and recent songs came by, and especially Viva La Vida was a blast, with the entire crowd of 60.000 people chanting the chorus part for five minutes after the song was over. There also was a lot of humor, and a small awesome tribute to Michael Jackson: They performed an acoustic version of Billie Jean
Overall the entire concert was great. I loved every minute of it, and when it was over I wanted it again. I just LOVE Coldplay.
P.S. Below are some pictures and a video I made at the concert.
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