Just A Yellow Lemon Tree

Sorry for the lack of recent posts. Real life sometimes gets in the way. I caught a cold on the way back from vacation, and I blame the plane that I was delayed on for hours - essentially just sitting/stewing in a giant expensive tube full of germs. And I returned just in time for crunch-time at work, and that was some drama. So I had no energy to do anything. I barely could manage going to work. But now things should be slowing for a little while, and summer also seems to have finally arrived - yesterday after a long day at work I went and played 'smashminton' at a friend's house all evening on the lawn, and it was summer-night perfection. Here's hoping it sticks around for a while.

To ease back into it, how about only one of the greatest songs ever? Despite the mention of a 'rainy Sunday afternoon' the sparkly notes make the song feel much sunnier and cheerier to me. And yet I do think it fits with my sick/slow/aggravated/isolated mood of late,

"nothing ever happens, and I wonder..."

But again, it feels hopeful to me. At least he sees a lemon tree, right? Lemon trees are awesome! And while admittedly dated, I think the video does a great job of capturing all this with the lights and the room (kinda love this gimmick), and the cityscape...

"Lemon Tree" - Fool's Garden 




Thoughts? Hopeful v. not hopeful? Am I just a ceaseless optimist in disguise?

There's gotta be something better than in-the-middle

   

Yosemite Falls over Merced River

Compromising on music can sometimes be tough. This week I was on vacation and a large part of that was spent with my mother, who does not share quite the same tastes in music. Luckily, I have plenty of classical selections to play (that she does like), and there are large parts of my playlists that she does not mind so much. 

 She doesn't like anything too loud or as she puts it "pounding" (LOL) so I try to keep it to a milder folksy alt rock selection for the most part. 

   

Me at the bottom of Vernal Falls

So we agree on Bob Dylan and  things in that vein; and so from there she will even put up with the slightly younger version. The Wallflowers did pretty well for a little while in the late 90s, and Jakob Dylan has some lovely solo stuff now. Some of The Wallflowers stuff can be a little generic, but it is a suitably mainly-mellow rock (which can be both a point for and against them) but besides the singles they do have some standout songs. And anything I can get her to agree to as being 'OK' I take as a small victory. And The Wallflowers/Jakob Dylan - even though it's not a huge step from Dylan Sr, at least there's a good segue into trying it out, like 'O hey his kid!" I really enjoy making my mother listen to more modern things and hearing her thoughts on the songs/singers from her outsiders perspective (even the negative ones, sometimes they are hilarious). (She actually puts up with quite a bit of my music, so kudos to her.)

Vernal Falls

Confession: I think Jakob Dylan is like the hottest thing ever. And that might be possibly weird because I also worship his father. He just got the all the best things - good looks AND musical talent (the world is so unfair) and that nice growly voice, but a touch more silken than the generation before... RRRAWR. And he's a whole lot closer to my age, LOL, so that helps.

Nevada Falls from horse trail

The look and feel of the One Headlight video is very dated, typical 90s pop rock, and nothing really goes on. But that's ok, because you see a lot of him, and basically this video works just because he is so damn good looking. And I was just the right age (in what, 1997?) for staring into those blue blue eyes...



"One Headlight" - The Wallflowers

"6th Avenue Heartache"  - video made up of still shots. More of him looking moody and gorgeous. Look at those lips (I will shut up now)...

At top of Nevada Falls

"Sleepwalker" - one of my fav Wallflowers songs, and the video is amusing because it totally mocks his hot celeb status. (Thanks for ridiculing my teenage obsessions, Jakob. And for pointing out that you're never gonna be my valentine. Not like I didn't already know that. Sad face.) I like that he doesn't take himself too seriously, has some sense of humor about the ridiculousness of fame. It makes for a fun video. Ahead of the curve with his vampire graffiti, too. The best/my most favorite YT comment on this is:

Sorry Anthony Wiener - Jakob Dylan is the Jewish guy I really want to see lewd pictures of.
ViolettaMarmalade 2 weeks ago 2 

@ James Dean memorial in Cholame, CA

See also 2 other favorites: Empire in My Mind and sweet hidden track Baby Bird

I really liked The Wallflowers, and I'm kinda sad that while they had some success and a few singles (even Grammy wins), they didn't really ever blow up.  I remember I dragged a friend of mine who didn't even like them to their concert once, and even he had to admit they were pretty solid live. And I realllllly like Jakob Dylan's more recent solo album Women and Country, which is lovely and delightsome.


"Smile When You Call Me That" is my favorite off of his aforementioned album. The line that gets me is:

 "Not much is certain, but this much is true - my arms are useless if they don't have you"

What have you gotten your parents (or friend, spouse, or other difficult/picky person) to listen to / agree upon that they otherwise might not have?

Songs I hear on vacation (P1 of ?)

Songs I hear while traveling - reported without too much judgement, and in a haphazard and infrequent manner =)


"Nothin' on You" - B.o.B. - Airplane while taxiing into San Diego Int'l Airport - 11:30pm. I actually kinda like this video, it's got the cutout picture thing going on which is kinda cute, nothing too crazy, but at least not just them standing around, it has motion, etc.




Everybody Have Fun Tonight - Wang Chung - Coco's bathroom, San Diego, early afternoon.  This one is rather amusing, let's face it.





"Black or White" - Michael Jackson: my friend Ashley's car radio while we were eating frozen yogurt. Classic. Epic. Etc. Perfectly timed for our enjoyment.




I am attempting to schedule something to be posted for mid-week since I'll be away, so check back maybe Wednesday.

And then maybe a more later, recounting if I hear more fun stuff out and about.

Hope you're having a good July!

What are you overhearing???

Happy 4th!

Happy Independence Day, fellow Americans!!!! And happy random day of summer, readers from other countries! Hope you are having a fantastic 4th! I hope it also involves yummy food, good weather, and lots of R&R with loved ones.

Found this on tor.com, of all places (nerd alert), and thought it was perfect and adorable - muppet Stars And Stripes Forever!





And then though it has nothing to do with July 4th except for fireworks - because I love love love fireworks - one of my favorite songs by one of my favorite bands (thank you, Canada!).

"Fireworks" - The Tragically Hip

Fade into you, Lord of the Universe?

Two disparate songs have been stuck in my head all week, I thought that I could maybe drive them out with an eclectic playlist that I blasted at Thursday night happy hour (small but successful), and various iterations of other playlists, and even my old standby lots-of-Dylan, and yet they remain. Earworms are stubborn that way. I had to spend this morning at a funeral, and despite sitting through that (it was for a rather great lady, much beloved by many), and all the solemnity of that, and yet the songs are still rattling around in my brain. Realllllly worked their way in.
(Side note for future reference: for my funeral I want it to be lots of drinking and dancing and not just a sad people sitting around. Sad people dancing awkwardly would be preferred.)


Firstly:
"Fade Into You" - Mazzy Star - love the B&W of this video, it's just so fitting and moody and you can't really see much of anything, which matches the "fade" notion of the song.





And now for something completely different.

"Adon Olam" - Uzi Chitman - Adon Olam is a traditional Jewish prayer that can be sung/chanted in an endless number of ways, but the late Uzi Chitman composed this strikingly beautiful melody for the first couple stanzas in the 70s for a festival. From that, he became a popular and beloved singer/songwriter/composer and TV personality. He appeared in Israeli kids songs videos (just lost like an hour or so trying to find bits on YT, oohhh the cheezinesss, they were so terrible, but then so are most low budget kids videos, I guess) that my parents got for us when we were young to bolster our Hebrew skillz, which means I've maybe been a little bit in love with him for a long time. I find this arrangement to be just amazing - still very expansive and respectfully worshipful, but so unique, with fast bits and changes between styles. I think it makes it both more folksy and more modern than a staid traditional hymn-type version. All in that lovely 70s folk rock kinda style that I love so dearly, which is probably why it works so well for me. If I think of the words to this (admittedly rarely), I can only think of the words with this particular melody.

The video below is of people watching what I'm guessing is some kind of a memorial video of Uzi (he is the floppy haired one) along with Oded Ben-Hur. (Here's also a link to a higher quality audio version of him singing it set to space/star pics is there if you'd rather just listen/like better audio.)




And I guess that's worked out to be fairly fitting for the day I've turned out to have. Anyone been struggling with any particularly strong earworms lately? What were your songs of this past week?

A little random French indie for July 1

I've been going through my iTunes because I had to reset my stupid old iPod and re-transfer stuff so I've been trying to get rid of things I never listen to, and get rid of corrupted files, etc. Came across Malajube (they are from Montreal; I love Canadians), and actually couldn't remember when I got their stuff... but I have it. And it's very good. Indie pop in French, a nice mix of softer and more danceable; and creative videos with lots of stuff thrown in to keep them interesting.

This video for Le Métronome features them playing, and then getting duct-taped to a wall. It's not that exciting (that's why just a link), but it introduces them. And if you just watched that, you might find them annoying. But try some of these other videos out as well - they are quite fun; nothing too serious, lots of drawings and animation.


Luna - has synchronized swimming. How many videos can say that? I think that's an underutilized gimmick for a music video (for example, this fanvid has Echo & The Bunnymen music edited together with an Esther Williams clip, and it kind of weirdly works. But can you imagine how crazy over the top one could go with an original composition and some imagination? Full on Busby Berkeley. Handmade sea life, backup swimmers, giant corals, the whole 9 yards. I think it's about time for a retro-fabulous Esther Williams homage. Maybe Gaga?)





Le crabe - is collage-y, and I love the rampaging stag head.





Pate Filo (I think it's Phyllo Dough?) - All cartoony. Kissing couples. Kissing skeletons (cuter than it sounds). (Not shown, but their Montreal -40C has similar drawing bits but also people.)





Ton Plat Favori (which I think translates to "your favorite dish") has some great old-timey piano vibes, and a cutesy though mildly disturbing video.





And I'll end with Le jus de citron because it features lemons and assorted animal masks. Citrus and bears usually always win.