It occurs to me that I don't often write about what I am listening to, so here's a musical post for whiling away these wintry days.
First up, BOY is a Swiss and German duo. Effortlessly hipster, with easy-listening, crowd pleasing pop songs. (It doesn't hurt either, being this attractive! :P) This happy little number makes me dream of sunshine and ice cream, and is great for waking yourself up to, on dreary mornings!
I had dinner with some gorgeous girl friends from college last night, and one of them played us this song. It's Tripod and Eddie Perfect, with an exquisite rendition of a Paul Kelly gem. The song itself is a beautiful reworking of Psalm 23, and I find the lyrics just as wonderful as the music.
Speaking of covers, I've rather fallen for this song, and this gentle, sweet version of it. I actually like it better than the Kinks original! Such lightness of touch from DC Cardwell.
DC also does a fine cover of this Neil Young song. Takes a few listens, I think, but the lyrics and tune has a way of getting under your skin. I've been humming snatches of it as I walk around the city. Something about it just goes so well with rain on pavement, grey skies and a blustery wind freezing your face off. Makes me happy.
ZAZ, aka Isabelle Geffroy, is part Edith Piaf, part jazz, half gypsy, and completely awesome!
Finally ... some "hai kultcha" (Oh la!). Our Church Choir sang this a few months back, and I can't get enough! Usually, I hate the organ. It is, as CS Lewis said, "one long roar." But somehow the deadly wall of noise works alright here, broken up as it is by the penetrating voices. I love the thrilling musical build up to "Ye are wash'd! Ye are sanctified! Ye are justified! In the name of the Lord JESUS!"
Happy listening!
I'm looking foward to listening to these when I'm not sitting in the Ridley library.... but I wanted to say that I love the title of the post. I sometimes wonder if there's another mode/sense/way of appreciating or feeling an expereince that's just as poignant but completely unromantic (I'm assuming here you're refering to the romantic meaning of 'holding hands'.) Or is it just, on this side of heaven, that romantic love tends to most fully capture the feeling anticipation/intimacy/joy that is enjoyed with music?
ReplyDeleteNot sure if any of this makes sense; do ask me to clarify if need be.
(or can be enjoyed with a range of different experiences, but in this case, it's music)
ReplyDeleteI wish I can claim credit for the title of this post - it is so evocative! But it comes from a song by The Lucksmiths. The full line goes: "I could never understand you / Hating music to hold hands to / Sometimes something you can dance to / Is the last thing that you need." Which is just the cleverest and cutest thing.
ReplyDeleteHmm, do you mean holding hands with someone who you don't having romantic feelings for, but still have it be a 'profound' experience? (I think that's quite possible). Or that falling in love is a singularly intense experience that cannot to replicated by other means? (In which case I'd ask you to clarify your criteria. And I'd be very suspicious of the classification system! :P)
haha. I was meaning: falling in love is a singularly intense experience (in terms of emotions) which I'm unsure if it's able to be exactly replicated elsewhere, and seems to often be associated with the pinnacle of an emotional 'high' in music etc. For example, why is the idea of 'music to hold hands to' (in the romantic sense) more emotionally high and poignant than 'music I enjoy with a close friend'? Or perhaps my subjectivity is just on show here :P
ReplyDelete