Saturday 23 October 2010

Songs I've Been Addicted To... II

Right here we are, another entry about songs that I haven't been able to stop listening to, usually meaning that I listen to the tracks at least daily. I'll submit a new post in this series from time to time whenever I feel the need to.

First up is Nothing Else Matters by Metallica. I've been addicted to this song for a long time, but recently I listened to the version of the song from a live album. I was instantly hooked and I've been listening to it everyday for the last week or so. I love the song, the guitar picking introduction followed by the ballad style main section adn the solo are brilliant, and on the live track it's even better. It's probably my favourite Metallica song.

Next is Estoy Clavado En Un Bar. I mentioned this track a little while ago in an entry in the Notable Artists series. It's from the album Arde El Cielo by ManĂ¡. If I remember correctly I said that it was one of my favourite tracks from the album, but not quite my favourite. This has now changed, it's my most listened track of the album I reckon, and it's utterly fantastic. I can't pick up all the lyrics (they're in Spanish) but I can understand some of it. It's a really good song, from a great album. Like the Metallica track I just talked about, the version of this track I'm addicted to is live; I've heard the studio version and it's good, but I think in the case of this track the fact that it's live really enhances the power of the song.

I'm still addicted to I Hear The Bells by Mike Doughty. This track is racking up a hefty playcount in my library, I listen to it several times a week, not as much as when I first got it, but still a considerable amount. Its lyrics are creative and in places amusing, do check it out along with the others.

There you go, there are probably some others, but this'll do for now. I finally got around to purchasing a copy of Wonderlustre by Skunk Anansie; their new album, so that should be arriving in the post soon, I'll review it when I get a chance. Anyway, that's all folks.

Cheers,

big_friendly_letters

Saturday 9 October 2010

Notable Artists... IV

Right, here we go with another helping of Notable Artists. Tonight's choice? Jeff Buckley. He's pretty famous; doubtless many of you will have heard his cover of Leonard Cohen's Hallelujah, it's one of the most famous covers of that song in existence. Jeff Buckley was a singer-songwriter born in 1966. He produced one full and one unfinished studio album before his tragic death in 1997.

His first and only completed album, Grace, is a masterpiece in my opinion. Buckley's vocals and guitar playing are superb and combine to create a thoroughly mesmerising and emotional album. As I already mentioned, the album contains Buckley's cover of Hallelujah by Leonard Cohen, which is probably the song that Jeff Buckley is most famous for, but there are many other great tracks. One of my favourites is Grace, the track of the same name of the album. The balance of the various parts is exquisite, all joining together to create an entirely profound effect. Other tracks worth listening to are: Last Goodbye, So Real, and in fact the rest of the album.

There are a couple of live albums out there as well; one of which is entitled Mystery White Boy, which is the one I have. It's pretty good, definitely worth a listen after you've checked out Grace. The unfinished album is entitled Sketches For My Sweetheart The Drunk; I admit I don't know much about this. I've got it but haven't listened to it extensively. From what I've listened to it's got some good things on it.

Well that concludes today's foray into the mismatched world of my music taste. Feel free to comment on this or anything. Do check out Jeff Buckley's music if you get a chance, it's really powerful stuff. Anyway that's all for now.

Cheers,

big_friendly_letters.