tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-190260702024-03-07T04:23:16.581+00:00Say Anything Syndrome...music: mp3's, lyrics, track analysis, festival previews, gig reviews, and so on...Say Anything Syndromehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15899617204233261925noreply@blogger.comBlogger212125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19026070.post-79819759122813976562009-12-04T07:32:00.005+00:002010-02-22T02:05:12.480+00:00In Excelsis Deo<img src="http://twitpic.com/14ne1c" width="400" height="300" /><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">(source: </span><a href="http://www.photoforum.ru/photo/404885/index.en.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Calum Macnab</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">)</span><br /><br /><a href="http://www.myspace.com/therewillbefireworks">There Will Be Fireworks</a> - <a href="http://sayanythingsyndromeblog.com/Sites/Music/InExcelsisDeo.mp3">In Excelsis Deo</a><br /><br /><i>Well i can't wait for Christmas<br />Been buckle-knee'd and listless. And you say<br />That you've been wishing weeks away<br /><br />We hung the lights out in the street<br />Twisted round the bows of trees<br />The choir sung it's holiest refrains<br /><br />Like gloria<br />Hosanna in the highest<br />Heaven knows<br />This years been black and blue<br />But we're alright<br />And this Christmas could be white for me and you<br /><br />I still can't sleep on Christmas Eve<br /><br />And we'll never miss a beat<br />Scarlet faced from whiskey neat. In the cold<br />Singing dancing in the dark<br /><br />Oh i hope these words will do<br />I've had my doubts but not about you. I'm drunk<br />And hearing voices in car-parks<br /><br />And this year<br />Oh, i've got love in me, i swear<br />I hope you know<br /><br />Gloria in excelsis deo<br /><br />If i should fall from grace<br />If i should leave this dear green place<br />And if Christmas fades without a trace<br /><br />But still when you're around<br />There's magic in this old grey town<br />You know you should chat among the flames<br /><br />Keep singing all the songs<br />Who cares if all the words are wrong<br />Who cares if it barely ever snows<br /><br />But still the choir smiles<br />The carol of the bells goes...</i><br /><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">A truly wonderful song. With non-ironic, honest, heart-warming lyrics. </span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:x-small;">(Self-transcribed lyrics; accurate except for "You know you should chat among the flames". It's definitely "you know you should [something]". If anyone knows, let me know and I'll alter.)</span><br /></div>Say Anything Syndromehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15899617204233261925noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19026070.post-66020397606453581752009-05-19T00:43:00.004+01:002009-05-19T12:17:58.660+01:00DON'T UNDERESTIMATE ME FRIENDS / WE DON'T KNOW WHO'S AHEAD 'TIL THE ENDI don’t get <a href="http://twitter.com/">Twitter</a>. Some people post too much, some people post too little, and who should I really be following? Any good suggestions? If so, drop me a line at the contact email in the sidebar.<br /><br /><img src="http://sayanythingsyndromeblog.com/Sites/images/twit.jpg" /><br /><br />I recommend following <a href="http://twitter.com/skinnermike">Mike Skinner</a>. He subtly dropped three new tracks, and very few people mentioned it (<a href="http://www.nme.com/news/the-streets/44017">NME</a> did, but...) Maybe it’s because one (<a href="http://bln.kr/31/">He’s Behind You, He’s Got Swine Flu</a>) is primarily a joke, like <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1020885/">Lesbian Vampire Killers</a> was. But another (<a href="http://bln.kr/6O/">Infamy</a>) is a fairly good tune, with a propulsive beat that goes nowhere. However...<br /><br /><img src="http://sayanythingsyndromeblog.com/Sites/images/skinner.jpg"><br /><br /><a href="http://www.skinnermike.com/">The Streets</a> - <a href="http://sayanythingsyndromeblog.com/Sites/Music/WhereMyHeartHasBeen.mp3">Where My Heart Has Been</a><br /><br />This song is absolutely quality. The sample reminds me of old school disco’s. I mean, like, Rugby Club disco’s, cheesy nights with people throwing up in bushes outside, and not drinking inside because of the no-alcohol policy. When I dyed my hair red, in a rush, and went ‘out’ out with strawberry red ears. Feeling smart and cool and right, and falling in and out of love four times a month. It reminds me of the end of the last decade, it reminds me of <a href="http://www.myspace.com/davidgray">David Gray</a>’s ‘<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/This_Year's_Love_(song)">This Year’s Love</a>’ coming out, it reminds me of lying in bed worrying about silly things that meant the world to me. A beautiful kind of nostalgia, a hark back to simpler times, featuring some truly great lyrics.<br /><br /><em>We all happen to hang our hat’s here / I lost sight of that fact in fear / Don’t underestimate me friends / We don’t know who’s ahead ‘til the end / I might spend all day with it / And then pen the night away / And make nil and null and then / So Jill and John and Jen / Can kill and con with Ken / For their fill of fun with friends.<br /><br /></em>You should also check out <a href="http://www.skinnermike.com/">Mike Skinner’s mixes</a>... I’m a particular fan of number 11. The Eric Prydz tune (Melo) is brill-chill, as are many others.<br /><br /><img src="http://sayanythingsyndromeblog.com/Sites/images/dizzeerascal.jpg"><br /><br /><a href="http://www.myspace.com/dizzeerascal">Dizzee Rascal</a> - <a href="http://sayanythingsyndromeblog.com/Sites/Music/BonkersDoorlyRemix.mp3">Bonkers (Doorly Remix) </a>[<a href="http://blogs.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendId=100153629&blogId=488471756">Buy</a>]<br /><br />Another tune I’m absolutely loving at the minute is this one (I really mean the original, though obviously I can't throw that up here) but then I’m sure everyone’s loving it. It is going to be mass-eeeeeeeeve. Fair play. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tM1XrVVVBAk">Mr Rascal</a> and Arman Van Helden have made a song that’s destined for hip-happening house parties, and club nights alike. <em>A heavy bass line is my kind of silence.<br /><br /></em><a href="http://www.myspace.com/dondiablo">Don Diablo & Example</a> - <a href="http://sayanythingsyndromeblog.com/Sites/Music/HooligansExtendedMix.mp3">Hooligans (Extended Mix) </a><br /><br />And finally, I don’t know much about these people, but it’s got a similar sort of schtick as ‘Bonkers’ only not half as good. But it’s still good. Definitely.<br /><br /><em>Thom: get these bangers on in your banger and we'll go cross-country. Major buzz, Fosters love..x</em>Say Anything Syndromehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15899617204233261925noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19026070.post-45994027089343916632009-05-14T02:33:00.003+01:002009-05-14T13:09:59.424+01:00NEXT THING WE'RE TOUCHING / YOU LOOK AT ME AND IT'S LIKE YOU HIT ME WITH LIGHTNINGI don’t know really what to say... I’ve been gone a long, long time. Hopefully, I’m back. Because it’s summer. And although my last exam still hovers over my like a storm cloud, it feels like I should be productive in my misery, in my sadness, in my anticipation. So first... <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2009/may/14/douglas-hogg-moat-mp-expenses">would you like £2000 to look after your moat?</a><br /><br />But, enough.<br /><br />Enough.<br /><br />Have you heard <a href="http://www.myspace.com/elliegoulding">Ellie Goulding</a> yet? Her music is magical. It’s soft, it’s soothing... it’s little bleeps, it’s gentle stop-starts on an empty country road. She’s taking breaths in all the right moments, she’s being paused and played, she’s flying high and low with vocal soars. And she’s collaborating with <a href="http://www.myspace.com/frankmusik">Frankmusik</a> who’s fantastic. I don’t know if it’s right to share so many songs with you, but.... well, as far as I can tell it’s <a href="http://www.goodweatherforairstrikes.com/">GOODWEATHERFORAIRSTRIKES</a> (I mean, <a href="http://neongoldrecords.blogspot.com/">Neon Gold</a>) who have a handle on her, and they’re the most sharing of people. So, hear it is: Two Covers, Two Originals.<br /><br /><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3349/3312146561_6fe8f7549f.jpg" width="400" height="266"><br />(<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/crazybobbles/3312146561/">image source: crazy bobbles</a>)<br /><br /><a href="http://www.myspace.com/elliegoulding">Ellie Goulding</a> - <a href="http://sayanythingsyndromeblog.com/Sites/Music/BlackGold.mp3">Black + Gold</a> (<a href="http://www.samsparro.com/">Sam Sparro</a> cover) <br /><br />I hate this Sam Sparro song, when Sam Sparro does it, but it suddenly becomes more listenable, and less headache-inducingly annoying once it gets the female touch. Quite excellent work, I’m sure you’ll agree. <br /><br /><a href="http://www.myspace.com/elliegoulding">Ellie Goulding</a> - <a href="http://sayanythingsyndromeblog.com/Sites/Music/TheWolves.mp3">The Wolves</a> (<a href="http://www.boniver.org/">Bon Iver</a> cover)<br /><br />This Bon Iver cover is impressive. The original itself isn’t exactly interesting until the “what might have been lost”, and whilst this version isn’t as tear-inducingly sad once we reach that point, it’s still lovingly crafted. And it’s beautiful to hear that a few multi-tracked voices can make a song. Sure, there’s guitar-squeaks, there’s minor chords. But this song, is all about the vocals, the harmonies, the soaring, all the high’s and all the lows. <br /><br /><img src="http://sayanythingsyndromeblog.com/Sites/images/elliegoulding.jpg"><br /><br /><a href="http://www.myspace.com/elliegoulding">Ellie Goulding</a> - <a href="http://sayanythingsyndromeblog.com/Sites/Music/WishIStayed.mp3">Wish I Stayed</a><br /><a href="http://www.myspace.com/elliegoulding">Ellie Goulding</a> - <a href="http://sayanythingsyndromeblog.com/Sites/Music/StarryEyed.mp3">Starry Eyed</a><br /><br />Finally, two rather different songs, both lovingly techno-pop. Listen up, and hear the newest sensation. Absolutely brilliant.<br /><br />I thought this would be a nice way to re-introduce myself. She’s by turns sad, danceable, reminiscent, quirky, soothing, stop-start electro-popping. Just like my little mental museum.Say Anything Syndromehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15899617204233261925noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19026070.post-15662123268008423012009-04-07T20:43:00.004+01:002009-04-09T01:26:28.355+01:00I'M PICKING UP TIPS FROM HOT CHORDS<img src="http://sayanythingsyndromeblog.com/Sites/images/resort.jpg"><br /><br /><a href="http://www.myspace.com/stillflyin">Still Flyin’</a> - <a href="http://sayanythingsyndromeblog.com/Sites/Music/TheHottchordIsStruck.mp3">The Hottchord is Struck</a> <br /><br />Hand-claps. It starts with the jingle-jangle of Simon & Garfunkel, falsetto vocals, some sax (is it sax?). And then it segues suddenly into a cheerleader chant, alphabet spelling, playgrounds and ballparks, ice cream cones. At times it feels like the instruments are tumbling over the drums, just about staying on their feet. But it’s meant to be ramshackle, it’s meant to be <em>bursting</em> with life. It’s an all-inclusive Thompson Holiday package with the family - it’s a little bit cheap, it’s a little bit tacky, and it’s absolutely brilliant. [<a href="http://www.ernestjenning.com/band_stillflyin.htm">Buy</a>]Say Anything Syndromehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15899617204233261925noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19026070.post-52088648291927816602009-03-29T03:04:00.000+01:002009-03-29T03:07:48.110+01:00SOON.I’ll blog soon ‘cause Kleerup’s album is amazing, the new My Latest Novel single is very different, and sad and beautiful, The Lowly Knights are apparently like Arcade Fire meets The Polyphonic Spree (they’re not), but what they are is joyful, triumphant, and full of LOVE. Furthermore, old Manchester Orchestra sounds like Jimmy Eat World, Juno by Tokyo Police club is full of beautiful misery, Frankmusik + Ellie Goulding = FANTASTIC, Santogold is like Jamaican pop heaven, The Joy Formidable is cheesy shouty pop angst gold, Marina and the Diamonds = a weirdo, brilliant, Kate Bush for the modern age, and Fosters is my new favourite beer. Chat soon.<br /><br />Kisses.Say Anything Syndromehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15899617204233261925noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19026070.post-26030191768226917992009-02-21T22:12:00.006+00:002009-02-23T15:54:21.084+00:00I'M NOT DEAD, HONEST<img src="http://sayanythingsyndromeblog.com/Sites/images/Shh.jpg" width="254" height="320"><br /><br />Hi, I’m alive, and I shall blog soon. Just wanted to say, there’s an interesting, amazing, brilliant, exciting gig coming up. It’s all these people:<br /><br />My Latest Novel (<a href="http://www.myspace.com/mylatestnovel">www.myspace.com/mylatestnovel</a>)<br /><br />Zoey Van Goey (<a href="http://www.myspace.com/zoeyvangoey">www.myspace.com/zoeyvangoey</a>)<br /><br />Ben Butler and Mousepad (<a href="http://www.myspace.com/benbutlerandmousepad">www.myspace.com/benbutlerandmousepad</a>)<br /><br />Dolby-Anol (<a href="http://www.myspace.com/dolbyanol">www.myspace.com/dolbyanol</a>)<br /><br />Holy Mountain (<a href="http://www.myspace.com/mountainholy">www.myspace.com/mountainholy</a>) <br /><br />And they’ll all be soundtracking a piece of film in a room in <a href="http://www.thearches.co.uk/Glasgow-Music-and-Film-Fest-Shhh1.htm">The Arches</a>, and turning it into a 1920’s film theatre. So, I’ll be there, sitting on a nice comfortable seat, and watching <a href="http://www.myspace.com/mylatestnovel">My Latest Novel</a>, and buzzing.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.workersinstitute.com/images/hi_my-latest-novel.jpg" width="400" height="602"><br /><br /><a href="http://www.myspace.com/mylatestnovel">My Latest Novel</a> - <a href="http://sayanythingsyndromeblog.com/Sites/Music/TheReputationofRossFrancis.mp3">The Reputation of Ross Francis</a> <br /><br />Be there or be square, I reckon. I shall blog about songs soon... starting with Emmy the Great, Kyte, Frightened Rabbit, Fast Emperors, Bon Iver and M83. Good times.<br /><br />UPDATE: I only saw two bands, (My Latest Novel, and Zooey Van Gooey, plus the recap of all five band's videos...), but, it was FAN-tastic. Anyone else there? No? Just me? Well, give us a shout if you were. Let me know what you thought of the soundtracking!Say Anything Syndromehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15899617204233261925noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19026070.post-60960645405276693052009-01-30T04:26:00.001+00:002009-01-30T04:38:25.660+00:00I GOT HOLES IN MY NEW JEANS FOR YOU<img src="http://www.vanuatu-vacations.com/images/eratap_beach.jpg" width="400" height="267"><br /><br /><a href="http://www.chairliftmusic.com/">Chairlift</a> - <a href="http://sayanythingsyndromeblog.com/Sites/Music/Bruises.mp3">Bruises</a> <br /><br />A flickering neon sign in a dilapidated fairground town. Close to the waves, lapping against the beach. Bare feet touching soft sand. A gust of Atlantic air flittering through the dunes and rustling the grass. Beautiful sadness encapsulated in song. [<a href="http://www.chairliftmusic.com/shop.php">Buy</a>]<br /><br />P.S. Yea, this is the song that was in the Apple ad. They have good taste: First Feist, then this!Say Anything Syndromehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15899617204233261925noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19026070.post-4389739465751070782009-01-27T16:56:00.007+00:002009-01-27T18:03:23.783+00:00YOUR LIFE IS A SONG BUT NOT THIS ONE<img src="http://sayanythingsyndromeblog.com/Sites/images/JF.jpg" /><br /><br /><a href="http://www.myspace.com/johnnyforeigner">Johnny Foreigner</a> - <a href="http://www.sayanythingsyndromeblog.com/Sites/Music/EyesWideTerrified.mp3">Eyes Wide Terrified</a><br /><br />How have I not talked about this band before? Amazing. If you check out my Last.fm profile you’ll see I listen to them far too much. The perfect blend of humour and intelligence to the lyrics, a beautifully youthful blend of fast-slow, nice harmonies and chaotic guitar playing. You can’t really ask for much more. And this, this is just beautiful:<br /><br /><em>talk about confidence<br />I’d give it a month if i’m lucky<br />and i’m not that lucky<br />and these t-shirts don’t fold themselves<br />but he falls asleep on her shoulder every shift they spend together<br />which is most nights</em><br /><br />I’d also recommend <a href="http://www.myspace.com/johnnyforeigner">Champagne Girls I Have Known</a> (fast, funny, smart), and <a href="http://www.myspace.com/johnnyforeigner">DJ’s Get Doubts</a> (slow, sad, smart) just to grasp the scope of this bands potential. I’m not saying they’re perfect, but what they do, they do well, and hopefully they’ll broaden their horizons for album number two (but not in a <a href="http://www.blocparty.com/">Bloc Party</a>-make the third album more inaccessible than Kid A-kinda way [/tongue in cheek]). Incidentally, <a href="http://www.blocparty.com/">Bloc Party</a> remixed <a href="http://mfmic.blogspot.com/2008/12/le-choix-des-micros-songs-of-year-pt.html">Salt, Pepper and Spinderella</a>. [<a href="http://hmv.com/hmvweb/displayProductDetails.do?ctx=280;-1;-1;-1&sku=809947">Buy</a>]<br /><br />P.S. I am shattered and starving.<br /><br /><U>Tour Diary for DiS:</u><br /><br /><A href="http://drownedinsound.com/in_depth/3153055">March</a>, <A href="http://drownedinsound.com/in_depth/3263502">April</a>, <A href="http://drownedinsound.com/in_depth/3461279">May</a>, <A href="http://drownedinsound.com/in_depth/3654174">June</a>, <A href="http://drownedinsound.com/in_depth/3841927">July</a>Say Anything Syndromehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15899617204233261925noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19026070.post-51599714115234113732009-01-21T14:58:00.002+00:002009-01-25T00:28:48.800+00:00I WAS JUST ABOUT TO WALK FIVE MILES IN A DAZE<img src="http://www.secretlycanadian.com/artistresources/throwmethestatuephoto.jpg"><br /><br /><a href="http://www.myspace.com/throwmethestatue">Throw Me The Statue</a> - <a href="http://sayanythingsyndromeblog.com/Sites/Music/AboutToWalk_Daytrotter.mp3">About To Walk</a> (<a href="http://www.daytrotter.com/article/1350/throw-me-the-statue">Daytrotter Session</a>)<br /><a href="http://www.myspace.com/throwmethestatue">Throw Me The Statue</a> - <a href="http://sayanythingsyndromeblog.com/Sites/Music/Groundswell.mp3">Groundswell</a><br /><br />All the best melodies on this album feel stolen - like he got out his old vinyl collection of <a href="http://www.bobdylan.com/">Dylan</a>, <a href="http://www.simonandgarfunkel.com/">Simon & Garfunkel</a>, maybe even <a href="http://www.genesis-music.com/">Genesis</a> and then a week later recorded the melodies as he remembered them. So in a way it's all his own - it's how he recalls it. But in a way it's not even nearly his own - he's singing someone else’s songs. And it's this familiarity that makes it instantly likable.<br /><br />Lyrically he’s kind of like <a href="http://www.creebobby.com/">Jacob Borshard</a>, but less romantically self-involved. <a href="http://www.myspace.com/throwmethestatue">Throw Me The Statue</a> is more like the court-jester than the miserable kid with a passion for sarcasm. Music concerned less with being serious, and more to do with the joyful things in life - like lollipops & toffee-apples. But it's not sugar coated, it's just naturally sweet. It's a small (more-or-less one-man) band imitation of a big band - handclaps, finger-clicks, harmonies - everything multi-tracked.<br /><br />It's the kind of music you make when you sit in your bedroom with a laptop, some memories, and old instruments that used to belong to the school band. During the breaks, you probably play your GameBoy. And it shows. It's fun, and it's sincere. Just because it's dressed up in smiles doesn't mean it's any less moving. [<a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Moonbeams-Throw-Me-Statue/dp/B00114XRFE">Buy</a>]<br /><br /><em>Words: June 24th, 2007</em>Say Anything Syndromehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15899617204233261925noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19026070.post-43176171823186551882009-01-20T16:35:00.011+00:002009-01-25T00:24:55.139+00:00THIS SONG IS ALMOST PERFECT, I SWEAR<img src="http://sayanythingsyndromeblog.com/Sites/images/naptime.jpg" height="266" width="400" /><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://snapshot.parade.com/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=738772&g2_serialNumber=2"><span style="font-size:85%;">(image source)</span></a><br /></div><br /><a href="http://www.myspace.com/seabear">Seabear</a> - <a href="http://sayanythingsyndromeblog.com/Sites/Music/ISingISwim.mp3">I Sing, I Swim</a> <br /><br />I don't want to play this song on repeat endlessly in an attempt to discover a hidden melody, a message, a sentiment, a feeling, a truth. I don't want to ruin this song for the sake of precise prose. This song is more about feeling anyway, and although feelings within or about songs can be described in words; it’s hard to pinpoint their exact nature. They were meant to be heard, or felt; not read about.<br /><br />There’s a sadness in the song. It’s not frivolous, or throwaway, despite the way the music plays out. It’s rooted in the past, but it defines the present. (“<span style="font-style:italic;">I miss you / Even when you’re around.</span>”) It is a weight that can't be lifted, a feeling that's always there - even when it's not being felt. Like the sun, or the moon, or the stars. Just because they can’t be seen, doesn’t mean they aren’t there, constantly.<br /><br />It’s like the feeling of being alone, able to watch as the leaves fall from the trees, as the ocean nestles into the rocks, as the young pretty girl carries the old ladies bags across the street. The beautiful scenes play out in front of you, and instead of joy, you’re filled with sadness that you’re not a part of them. Like a smile without enthusiasm. This song sounds like tears you’re keen to shrug off. It’s not nothing, but it’s easier to pretend, isn’t it?<br /><br />I’m not particularly prone to written hyperbole, so take this sincerely: this song is full of life, and it’s almost perfect. It’s daydreamy, sad, beautiful, miserable, wistful, and truthful. It’s a passing notion – a way to make something right, that’s quickly forgotten. It’s a romantic idea that never blossoms into a romantic gesture. It’s a confession, a love-letter, a postcard where the words aren’t quite right, no matter how hard you try. (The words of this song though, are pretty much perfect - enviably so.) [<a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Ghost-That-Carried-Us/dp/B000RPCRN6">Buy</a>]<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Words: July 29th, 2007</span>Say Anything Syndromehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15899617204233261925noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19026070.post-44599063068396940992007-10-09T23:49:00.000+01:002007-10-09T23:57:17.727+01:00WHO DIDN'T HEAR THE NEWS?<img src="http://www.inrainbows.com/Content/FRONT1.gif" /><br /><img src="http://www.inrainbows.com/Content/FRONT2.gif" /><br /><img src="http://www.inrainbows.com/Content/FRONT3.gif" /><br /><img src="http://www.inrainbows.com/Content/FRONT4.gif" /><br /><br />Hi. Radiohead have an album out tomorrow. Tomorrow is, technically, only five minutes away now. As soon as the second goes past midnight everyone who's bought the album will be waiting for their activation codes. Exciting, huh? Join the club: <a href="http://www.inrainbows.com">order it</a>. Quickly.<br /><br />Be a part of the digital revolution or whatever this is.<br /><br />Personally, I just want to hear "Nude" recorded, properly, for the first time. I'm excited. Why? Because, live it's enough to bring tears to your eyes.Say Anything Syndromehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15899617204233261925noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19026070.post-90963579129703967702007-07-09T20:27:00.000+01:002007-07-09T20:32:00.618+01:00TEACHING THE INDIE KIDS TO DANCE AGAIN (ELECTRO-STYLE)These are more appropriate for drunken Friday night revelry, than rainy Monday evenings, but I'm sorry - it's all I've got for you.<br /><br /><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nirvana_%28band%29">Nirvana</a> - <a href="http://sayanythingsyndrome.com/music/ElectroRock/nirvana-smellsliketeenspiritpatrickalavirerox.mp3">Smells Like Teen Spirit (Patrick Alavi Rerox Edit)</a> [<a href="http://www.myspace.com/alavimusic">Info</a>]<br /><br />The typical student anthem remade so that it's still relevant at a time when it's become cool for indie-kids to branch out and listen to electro. A time when it's ok to go to an indie-disco where it's like, you know, an actual disco. Arty girls looking beautiful but going crazy on the dancefloor; the cardigan-wearing hipsters, notoriously known for shoe-gazing, joining in.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.ratm.com/">Rage Against The Machine</a> - <a href="http://sayanythingsyndrome.com/music/ElectroRock/rageagainstthemachine-killinginthenamemroizoremix.mp3">Killing In The Name (Mr Oizo Remix)</a> [<a href="http://www.myspace.com/oizo3000">Info</a>]<br /><a href="http://www.ratm.com/">Rage Against The Machine</a> / <a href="http://www.myspace.com/oizo3000">Mr Oizo</a> - <a href="http://sayanythingsyndrome.com/music/ElectroRock/killinginthenameclumsydjremix.mp3">Killing In The Name (DJ Clumsy Remix)</a> [<a href="http://www.myspace.com/clumsydj">Info</a>]<br /><br />The original still goes down a storm at indie-discos (or, specifically, <span style="font-style: italic;">the </span>indie-disco that used to take place in Sandinos and shall soon be reinstated - if the rumours are true). Boy and girl both going crazy to the same tune, some jumping up and down, some moshing, some head-banging. Every time the electro version (neither of these, but similar) comes on in ABC2 (in Glasgow) there's a similar effect, but it's slightly more civilised. Perhaps odd, that last statement. Not really, though, when you consider the fact that we all just want to dance and hug each other.<br /><br />-----<br /><br />I'm currently in the process of finding something that excites me, that I like, that I can write about, that's not electro. These criteria are actually surprisingly hard to fulfil, lately.Say Anything Syndromehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15899617204233261925noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19026070.post-55552287187142881912007-07-06T12:12:00.000+01:002007-07-06T12:31:23.671+01:00BYRES ROAD IS MISSING A STOREFuck me, <a href="http://www.fopp.co.uk/down.html">Fopp</a>'s gone?! Where will I get my cheap books from now?! And DVD's?! I guess I still have Avalanche for CD's - but Fopp was well cheaper...<br /><br /><img src="http://www.etcmag.co.uk/photos/dhim47gfj8xz.jpg" /><br /><br />Gutted.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:78%;">(Yes, this did happen like two weeks ago. But how would I have known? I've left Glasgow for summer!)</span>Say Anything Syndromehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15899617204233261925noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19026070.post-58359334879331392502007-06-28T23:06:00.000+01:002007-06-28T23:21:07.563+01:00I ACTUALLY WAS A CUB SCOUT<a href="http://www.barking-dagenham-scouts.org.uk/images/cub_uniform02.gif"><img src="http://www.barking-dagenham-scouts.org.uk/images/cub_uniform02.gif" height="320" width="399" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.myspace.com/iwasacubscout">I Was A Cub Scout</a> - <a href="http://sayanythingsyndrome.com/music/iwasacubscout-PinkSquares-LullMixRadioEdit.mp3">Pink Squares (Lull Mix Radio Edit)</a> [Info*]<br /><br />I expected something akin to <a href="http://sayanythingsyndrome.blogspot.com/2007/06/i-should-have-kissed-you-by-water.html">their Bloc Party remix</a>. When those dissonant and slightly nauseating keys came in (0:33), I thought my worst fears were confirmed. Happily, however, those notes fade out around the one-minute mark. After that, the song changes. A subtle build-up (1:19) followed by a short-lived drop-off in tension (1:53), that develops, relentlessly, into an exciting, continuous, intense, stress-inducing build-up. This reaches its peak at the four-minute mark with the entrance of the vocal line, <i>"my shoes! are left! behind!"</i> After that, all that's left is the gradual fall back to reality. Sometimes I'm amazed at the effect music can have not only emotionally, or psychologically, but also physiologically (I'm sure I started to half-sweat, and I know my heart-rate sped up).<br /><br /><img src="http://www.barking-dagenham-scouts.org.uk/images/badge_membership01.gif" /><br /><br /><a href="http://www.myspace.com/jackpenate">Jack Penate</a> - <a href="http://sayanythingsyndrome.com/music/jackpenate-myyvonne.mp3">My Yvonne</a><br /><br />I can't call myself a fan. In fact, every other song I've heard (by dear Jack) seems far too manufactured; ready-made happy-as-larry, sparky-got-lucky pop. But this song is delicious, and the formula works (just listen to those delectably <a href="http://www.listentofeist.com/">Feist</a>-y cooes beginning at 1:43) - this isn't <i>just</i> music, this is M & S music*.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:78%;">*(Yes, this reference to the recent (successful) <a href="http://www.marksandspencer.com/gp/home.html">Marks & Spencers</a> ad-campaign truly is the best way I can think of to describe this song.) </span><br /><br />-----<br /><br />If you like <a href="http://akhaia.typepad.com/christopheroriley/">Christopher O'Reilly</a>'s covers of <a href="http://www.radiohead.com/">Radiohead</a> and <a href="http://www.sweetadeline.net/">Elliott Smith</a>, then you will probably also like this. It's simple - but as easy, laid-back piano-pop for the dinner-table it works quite well.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.myspace.com/iwasacubscout">I Was A Cub Scout</a> - <a href="http://sayanythingsyndrome.com/music/iwasacubscout-PinkSquares-Luke-Trav1s-Remix.mp3">Pink Squares (Luke Trav1s Remix)</a> [<a href="http://www.myspace.com/luketrav1s">Info</a>]<br /><br />-----<br /><br /><span style="font-size:78%;">*If anyone knows the website for Lull I'll link to it - I just don't know it.</span>Say Anything Syndromehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15899617204233261925noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19026070.post-21560217050804569762007-06-25T00:29:00.000+01:002007-06-25T14:21:20.272+01:00A VAGUE DISCUSSION OF CITY-LIFE LYRICS AND ANTI-WAR SENTIMENT IN MUSIC<img src="http://sayanythingsyndrome.com/music/CityLife/templefrombeach.jpg" /><br /><br /><a href="http://www.jamie-t.com/">Jamie T</a> - <a href="http://sayanythingsyndrome.com/music/CityLife/Jamie_T-FoxNews.mp3">Fox News</a><br /><br />Your favourite sea-side holiday get-away was purchased yesterday by a company where even the lowliest press-officer is never seen wearing anything less than an Armani suit, fresh from the dry-cleaner. City life wears you out and though you love it (and in truth, it's all you've ever been truly used to) you've always craved the odd weekend away. And now that escape is gone.<br /><br /><img src="http://sayanythingsyndrome.com/music/CityLife/oscar.jpg" /><br /><br />To think of it another way, just think about an adorable Cavalier King Charles named Oscar. His coat is golden brown and only last week he was groomed - he looks beautiful. He had a stroke a few days ago and now he's either damaged his sight or his balance. Maybe even both. Whereas before he would tug on the leash, he now walks unsteadily beside you, like a drunk-driver pulled over by the police and asked to walk in a straight line. And he strays left and then right and the whole time he looks confused. Where once everything seemed exciting and new, now even the simplest things (like a shell on the beach, for instance) are baffling. His eager puppy-dog enthusiasm for life has seemingly, for the past few days, at least, changed into bored confusion and vague anger (with a hint of miserable indifference). And he's so thirsty! When walking along the concrete-streets he laps up dirty puddle water, and his owner feels awful for having to drag him away (it's one of the few times recently he's looked slightly happy).<br /><br />-----<br /><br />Maybe city-life isn't all it's cracked up to be. The endless entertainment, the lack of moral substance - a place <i>"where boys fuck girls that they never will marry"</i>. So many acquaintances and so few real friends. And when you're out for the night <i>"you must lust touch, 'cause you want so much"</i>. And despite the fact that you <span style="font-style: italic;">"smell love-struck"</span>, really you just <i>"feel alone"</i>. It's not sexual physical contact that you want, just a reassuring hug from either sex. At least in a shitty village you recognise every face, and you probably go out of your way to acknowledge every other one.<br /><br />The reason the line, <i>"Do you ever feel like you want to go home?"</i> resonates, is because of the implication that home has disappeared* - swallowed up by the capitalists and the corporate suits, catering to your every consumerist desire, and the media reducing night-life to a choice selection of stereotypes, each of which it now seems necessary to fulfil - all this resulting in your life being filled with vacuity where once there was substance (as opposed to substances).<br /><br />-----<br /><br />I watched Oscar walk along the narrow corridor of the caravan just there now. He banged his head against wall. Maybe it was frustration, or maybe he really can't see straight anymore, but at least, like Jamie T, he's trying to move forward.<br /><br />-----<br /><br />Side-notes: Notice that amidst the lyrical disillusionment with city-life, there is also evidence of Jamie T's anti-war beliefs - coupled with his frustration regarding the falseness of the <i>"it's bullshit"</i> media, (<i>"well pigs fucking fly and it </i>ain't<i> about oil and fox news has always been fair and balanced"</i>), and also, seemingly, a wandering diatribe against the fact that communication with others (via the telephone) is expensive.<br /><br /><img src="http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/music/APFranckPrevel_rave460.jpg" height="251" width="400" /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">(image source: <a href="http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/music/2007/01/rave_on_just_dont_call_it_new.html">The Guardian</a>)</span><br /><br /><a href="http://www.lo-fi-fnk.com/">Lo-Fi-Fnk</a> - <a href="http://sayanythingsyndrome.com/music/CityLife/Lo-fi-fnk-City-theteenagersremix.mp3">The City (The Teenagers Remix)</a> [<a href="http://www.myspace.com/theteenagers">Info</a>]<br /><br />In parallel with the aforementioned then, is this song. It starts out with proclamations of love for the city and its homeliness (<i>"Boy it's great to be back home - the city - that's where we belong"</i>) but then the excitement matures into a mild frustration (<i>"beginning feels like oh-so-great but soon it turns to just-ok"</i>), which is tempered by an obvious affection for the city. It's worth noting that the song still ends with the recurring motif, <i>"still it's great to back home / the city, that's where we belong"</i>. If you took the remixers name as being a deliberate part of the title, then perhaps the endless optimism can be explained. This <i>is</i> the perspective of teenagers, so despite all its faults, the city caters to their every need, and thus, is still home.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.interpolnyc.com/">Interpol</a> - <a href="http://sayanythingsyndrome.com/music/CityLife/Interpol-NYC.mp3">NYC (Live - Black Sessions)</a><br /><br />One of Interpol's main draws is their subtlety; their vague ambiguity that while not completely understandable, rarely fails to create a gloomy (though not over-bearing [like Editors]) grey-scale atmosphere. To try to explain or over-analyse the wandering lyrics (this time, appropriately, about city-life), would be to dismantle the charm. <i>Download Interpol's 2004 Black Sessions <a href="http://thelineofbestfit.com/download/">here</a>.</i><br /><br /><a href="http://www.myspace.com/hotclubdeparis">Hot Club de Paris</a> - <a href="http://sayanythingsyndrome.com/music/CityLife/HotClubDeParis-Everyeveryeverything.mp3">Everyeveryeverything</a><br /><br />And if you need some light-hearted (but appropriate) relief after the moody misery, then who else to turn to but Hot Club de Paris? With a song that details the fast-paced Friday night frenzy, the frivolous tale of excess not only in lyrical form (<i>"in the shadows of a Friday night, I walked into a brand new streetlight"</i>), but also through the relentless, hectic musicality. The title, seemingly, sums up the constant desire that comes from city-dwelling, the insatiableness of our spirits (never enough alcohol, or friends, or dancing, or drugs - we want <i>Every-Every</i>-Everything!) Every night is a new beginning; a chance to shine just as bright as the nearest streetlight, the furthest star. A chance to drink up and meet new people (<i>"I commanded those neon lights to... / To spell the new names that I learn"</i>).<br /><br />-----<br /><br /><img src="http://cache.eb.com/eb/image?id=82597&rendTypeId=4" height="400" width="402" /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">(image source: <a href="http://www.britannica.com/eb/art-87338">Britannica</a>)</span><br /><br /><a href="http://www.jamie-t.com/">Jamie T</a> - <a href="http://sayanythingsyndrome.com/music/CityLife/Jamie_T-HeresYaGetaway.mp3">Here's Ya Getaway</a><br /><br />Writing out the lyrics of one of the verses of this song seems like it would be more useful that redundant analysis, so that's what we'll do. Needless to say, the lyrics display more disillusionment with the city, anger at (presumably) Iraq, and perhaps even a vague nod in the direction of the homeless and poverty-stricken (<i>"while you're asleep they're on the street"</i>):<br /><br /><i>"In these cities, hard to see the stars overhead;<br />Can see the moon though - the streetlight turns it blood red .<br />The star symbolises the cuts we bled,<br />The mouth got fed, the winding alleys that we tread.<br />The moon, much bigger, representing the dead,<br />Who lie in the sewers under soldiers feet.<br />They stir as you march, while you're asleep they're on the street<br />Put your ears to the drain, you can hear them weep"</i><br /><br /><a href="http://www.myspace.com/loscampesinos">Los Campesinos!</a> - <a href="http://sayanythingsyndrome.com/music/CityLife/Los_Campesinos-we_throw_parties_you_throw_knives.mp3">We Throw Parties, You Throw Knives</a><br /><br />Los Campesinos! reinforce the idea that frustration with city-life (and all that that entails) and anti-war sentiment go hand-in-hand. Although the detrimental effect of sexual promiscuity, (<i>"when you play pass the parcel with human body parts / someone might get head, but someone will get hurt"</i>), and the detrimental effect of smoking on the taste buds - and perhaps implicit criticism of showmanship - (<I>"yeah, it's great that you can blow smoke-rings but you won't taste her lips if you do get to kiss her"</i>) are just a few of the other topics discussed in this whimsical anti-war song. Typically student-y, the song (so perhaps ironically - since irony is the buzzword of all student-types) thinks about war but is frivolous in its convictions - seemingly saying, "yeah, let's just party and forget about it". The title itself suggests a defense of this attitude, however, ultimately saying "ok, so maybe we like to be silly, but at least when <i>we're</i> silly we're harmless".<br /><br />-----<br /><br /><img src="http://sayanythingsyndrome.com/music/CityLife/citylife.jpg" /><br /><br />Why are city songs so appealing? Maybe it's the constant conflict between the idealist and the realist - the power-struggle that always seems to take place in an urban-vs-suburban environment. A city-wide struggle which holds sway over so much. The desire for choice without the malignant-capitalist karma; A pro-drug view that wants no casualties (be it the downfall of morality, or the actual deaths of users).<br /><br />Cities are notoriously diverse and contain people from all walks of life; people of different beliefs and ethnic backgrounds. So maybe it's the fact that despite wishing that we lived in a world where everyone was entitled to their own beliefs, (you read the Qur'an, and I read the Bible, but we're both human and it's important that we both have our faiths), we have to realise that, as right-wing as it seems, our different faiths put us at war with each other. And maybe if Blair didn't side with his fellow Christian, George Bush, then Britain would lose a friend, and in twenty years, China - likely, or definitely, the dominant power - would become America's ally, and Britain's empire would be further diminished**.<br /><br />Aside from this, there's the fact that though most of us are pro-choice, support equal rights, same-sex marriages and adoption rights of gay couples, we're still, when it comes down to it, seemingly right-wing in our beliefs. People criticise Mike Skinner, and Jamie T for trying to speak to (and about) 'the youth of today' when really they're just a couple of well-brought up middle-class kids, but I say, and what? But then, I'm middle class too, so I would say that. This constant conflict (left/right, Daily Mail/Guardian, socialist/capitalist, anti-/war, etc) - and the realisation of the blindingly obvious fact that not every-fucking-thing in life is black-and-white, - is summed up aptly by Jamie T with the lyric, <i>"peeps call us right-wing but we're pretty fucking liberal / I shit you not, 'cause we're all about the equal".</i><br /><br />-----<br /><br /><a href="http://www.myspace.com/klaxons">Klaxons</a> - <a href="http://sayanythingsyndrome.com/music/CityLife/Klaxons-AtlantisToInterzone-HadoukenRemix.mp3">Atlantis to Interzone (Hadouken! Remix)</a> [<a href="http://www.myspace.com/hadoukenuk">Info</a>]<br /><br />Oh, and if you didn't know already, cities are <i>full</i> of drugs.<br /><br />-----<br /><br /><img src="http://www.sayanythingsyndrome.com/REMIX.jpg" /><br /><br /><a href="http://www.myspace.com/hotclubdeparis">Hot Club de Paris</a> - <a href="http://sayanythingsyndrome.com/music/CityLife/HotClubDeParis-Shipwreck-JamieTBenBonesStormyWeatherMix.mp3">Shipwreck (Jamie T & Ben Bones' Stormy Weather Mix)</a> [<a href="http://www.jamie-t.com/">Info</a>]<br /><a href="http://www.myspace.com/hotclubdeparis">Hot Club de Paris</a> - <a href="http://sayanythingsyndrome.com/music/CityLife/HotClubDeParis-YourFaceLooksAllWrong-Lo-Fi-FnksScouseHouseMix.mp3">Your Face Looks All Wrong (Lo-Fi-Fnk's Scouse House Mix)</a> [<a href="http://www.lo-fi-fnk.com/">Info</a>]<br /><a href="http://www.interpolnyc.com/">Interpol</a> - <a href="http://sayanythingsyndrome.com/music/CityLife/Interpol-Untitled-Datassette-version2.mp3">Untitled (Datassette Remix)</a> [<a href="http://www.datassette.net/">Info</a>]<br /><br />-----<br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">*Similar to these titular lines by Bloc Party and Bright Eyes, respectively: <i>"Where Is Home?"</i>, <i>"We Are Nowhere And It's Now"</i>.<br />**This is Tony Blair's view anyway, and one of his justifications for the war. I learn a lot from newspaper supplements.<br />#Uncredited photos in this post are my own.<br />##A person with a pro-drug stance is not necessarily a drug-user.<br />###Oscar seems ok now. Not perfect, but getting there (I hope).<br />####My favourite sea-side holiday get-away has not really been taken over by a corporation. Thank goodness.<br /></span>Say Anything Syndromehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15899617204233261925noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19026070.post-78564366281812669232007-06-17T19:12:00.000+01:002007-06-19T19:57:27.386+01:00ALTERNATE VERSIONS: #1Necessary Note Before We Begin:<br /><br />If you download only one song: make it <a href="http://sayanythingsyndrome.com/music/AV/Blue_Light-Jon_Solo.mp3">Jon Solo's cover of Blue Light</a>.<br /><br />Alternate Versions:<br /><br />I have remixes and covers of songs I've never even heard. That is to say: the original is a foreign island. I (most of the time) have heard of it, so I know it exists, but I've never been there. Never tasted the air there, or the food, never felt the warmth or the humidity, never looked up at the skyline and felt content, never taken a dip in the water and thought, <span style="font-style: italic;">"God, it's even colder than it is at home!"</span> But through these remixes and covers (or even alternate versions by the band themselves), I've heard <span style="font-style: italic;">of</span> the elements that are in place - so I kind of think I know that the Mexican food there is great, Italian's not really their kind of thing, the valley's act as sun-traps and on Sundays they go there and relax, but during the week the heat is unbearable, it hardly ever rains but when it does the villages flood, they aren't skyscraper people and because of this I like them - they like to be able to see real mountains as opposed to build buildings that block out the sun, their horizon's are broader than ours, they like to skinny dip past midnight but only in the Great Georgian Lake - never in the East of Eleanor one. Are you following?<br /><br />It's so hard these days to keep track of who wrote what and who fucked what up and who improved upon what. Case in point: That Kissy Sell Out song I <a href="http://sayanythingsyndrome.blogspot.com/2007/06/yall-ready-for-this.html">featured</a> - I now know that Ali Love did the talking/rapping bit, thus it was a sample, but did I know that before? No. And I found out accidentally! (by listening to some Modular Dance CD). With the ongoing increase in digitalisation, there are less liner notes accompanying the music - mp3 blogs are mp3 blogs; not sources to find out the producer, writer, remixer, trumpet, tube, flute, piccolo players, and 'miscellaneous tasks' credits.<br /><br />But alas, I've strayed from the point. The point being, that there are far more (or definitely seem to be far more) remixes and covers of songs nowadays than there ever were before, and so here in these posts I will offer up two versions of each song (and the first won't always be the original) and you can decide which you like more. Or maybe they both have merit! Or maybe you might find that (remarkably) they are two different (aurally) songs despite being cut from the exact-same cloth. Say wha? Whatever. Enjoy.<br /><br /><img src="http://acidfunk.nasky.net/Elliott%20smith.jpg" /><br /><br /><a href="http://www.sweetadeline.net/">Elliott Smith</a> - <a href="http://sayanythingsyndrome.com/music/AV/Needle_in_the_Hay.mp3">Needle In The Hay</a><br /><a href="http://www.sweetadeline.net/">Elliott Smith</a> - <a href="http://sayanythingsyndrome.com/music/AV/Needle_in_the_Hay-FullBand.mp3">Needle In The Hay (Live Full Band Rendition)</a><br /><br />Apparently this full-band rendition is remarkable. Unfortunately I can't enjoy it properly, because I'm a stickler for sound-quality, and as far as that goes, live recordings don't really do it for me, unless they're done professionally (e.g. <a href="http://thelineofbestfit.com/download/">download resource</a>). But perhaps you can see the diamond in the dirt and love it more than the original (which, oddly, I've never really loved as much as everyone else seems to, despite often loving Elliott Smith more than they do. Go figure.)<br /><br /><img src="http://weathersavvy.com/desert1_OPT.jpg" height="300" width="400" /><br /><br /><a href="http://www.midlake.net/">Midlake</a> - <a href="http://sayanythingsyndrome.com/music/AV/Roscoe_Midlake.mp3">Roscoe</a><br /><a href="http://www.midlake.net/">Midlake</a> - <a href="http://sayanythingsyndrome.com/music/AV/Roscoe_BTWS.mp3">Roscoe (Beyond The Wizard's Sleeve remix)</a> [<a href="http://www.myspace.com/beyondthewizardssleeve">Info</a>]<br /><br />Talk about blog-hype. This band did the rounds for so long I was ready to abandon hope on the whole discovery-of-great-bands-via-blogs thing. Y'see, I didn't get them at all at first (or even at second, third, fourth, fifth, and sixth). I don't know when I finally let this song change my mind about them (or if it ever did - this is the only Midlake song I listen to with anything even approaching regularity). Imagine some sort of durr A-Team theme-tune done by a lazy psuedo-country&western band who constantly smoke and you've got this song. I know, I agree, it sounds like it's gonna be so shit, but somehow it isn't. BTWS provide extra room and softness, so if that's your thing you'll like the remix, and if that's not your thing, you won't, and if you're like me, you'll find that the changes are so inoffensive they're barely noticeable. But then, 'dance' music is all about subtlety, isn't it? [When I say 'dance' I don't mean 'dance', literally. Obviously. If you know what I do mean, you get a pat on the back from me.]<br /><br /><img src="http://myspace-673.vo.llnwd.net/01462/37/60/1462210673_l.jpg" height="264" width="400" /><br /><br /><a href="http://www.myspace.com/katenashmusic">Kate Nash</a> - <a href="http://sayanythingsyndrome.com/music/AV/Foundations-Kate_Nash.mp3">Foundations</a><br /><a href="http://www.myspace.com/katenashmusic">Kate Nash</a> - <a href="http://sayanythingsyndrome.com/music/AV/Foundations-Metronomy_remix.mp3">Foundations (Metronomy remix)</a> [<a href="http://www.myspace.com/metronomy">Info</a>]<br /><br />Kate Nash got very hyped up. I didn't understand why. At all. Now I do. Kind of. You should too. I've liked Metronomy ever since that Infadel's remix ("L-O-V-E-L-I-K-E-S-E-M-T-E-X!"), but I can't tell if this remix is truly enjoyable, or just interesting. Maybe you can.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.bighassle.com/publicity/emilyhaines_2_select.jpg" /><br /><br /><a href="http://www.ilovemetric.com/">Metric</a> - <a href="http://sayanythingsyndrome.com/music/AV/Monster_Hospital__Acoustic.mp3">Monster Hospital (Acoustic)</a><br /><a href="http://www.ilovemetric.com/">Metric</a> - <a href="http://sayanythingsyndrome.com/music/AV/Monster_Hospital__MSTRKRFT.mp3">Monster Hospital (MSTRKRFT Remix)</a> [<a href="http://www.myspace.com/mstrkrft">Info</a>]<br /><br />I didn't even realise that Metric actually mentioned Bobby Fuller in this song! When MSTRKRFT make the song so danceable, I'm not sure I even care.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.deirdire.org.uk/images/fire_400x270.jpg" /><br /><br /><a href="http://www.athlete.mu/">Athlete</a> - <a href="http://sayanythingsyndrome.com/music/AV/God_Only_Knows-Athlete_BBCRadio2.mp3">God Only Knows (Live on BBC Radio 2) (Beach Boys Cover)</a><br /><a href="http://petrahadenmusic.com/index.html">Petra Hayden</a> - <a href="http://sayanythingsyndrome.com/music/AV/God_Only_Knows-Petra_Hayden.mp3">God Only Knows (Beach Boys Cover)</a><br /><br />I really like the singer from Athlete's voice - but you can't really tell why in this close-cover of a classic. Petra Hayden's cover sticks even closer to the original <a href="http://www.thebeachboys.com/">Beach Boys</a> version - forever embedded in my mind now as a seasonal song (blame <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0314331/">Love Actually</a>); a song for log-fire Christmases and present-wrapper-covered floors.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.matthewsnowden.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/Blue_Light_Dee_Estuary.jpg" height="300" width="400" /><br />(image credit: <a href="http://www.matthewsnowden.co.uk/">matthew snowden</a>)<br /><br /><a href="http://www.blocparty.com/">Bloc Party</a> - <a href="http://sayanythingsyndrome.com/music/AV/Blue_Light-Bloc_Party.mp3">Blue Light</a><br /><a href="http://www.jonsolomusic.com/">Jon Solo</a> - <a href="http://sayanythingsyndrome.com/music/AV/Blue_Light-Jon_Solo.mp3">Blue Light (Bloc Party Cover)</a><br /><br />I liked the fact that on the relentless first Bloc Party album this song was a chance to breathe, to sit down, to think, to relax. It's just such a good song. And the cover - it feels completely different; not less of a sigh, just a different kind. The original was hot air on a cold neck; the cover is wet lips on a warm cheek. And it feels happier too. Bloc Party are resigned, but Jon Solo sounds content. The cover has a bounce but it's so laid-back-Sunday-morning that it's almost unnoticeable - you don't so much hear the cheeriness as feel it. If I walked out of the house right now listening to this song there would be a spring in my step, accompanied by a calm sort of happiness - more three-pints-in-two-hours excited than the usual one-after-the-other-after-the-other vodka-and-lemonade buzz.<br /><span style="font-size:78%;"><br />As if you couldn't tell, this wasn't mulled over for hours, therefore complaints are probably deserved. I hope I haven't offended anyone - if you could see the way I smile as I write you'd know that all jesting was really a form of love. Also, if any of the descriptions seem way off, maybe they are, but they made sense at the time. Perception is a funny funny thing.</span>Say Anything Syndromehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15899617204233261925noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19026070.post-55022726125040715932007-06-11T15:10:00.001+01:002007-06-13T18:03:11.210+01:00I SHOULD HAVE KISSED YOU BY THE WATER<img src="http://www.bbc.co.uk/blackcountry/content/images/2006/02/24/carl_sunset_barrow_hill_470_470x300.jpg" height="256" width="402" /><br /><br /><a href="http://www.blocparty.com/">Bloc Party</a> - <a href="http://sayanythingsyndrome.com/music/BP/IStillRemember_SebastiAnRemix.mp3">I Still Remember (SebastiAn Remix)</a> [<a href="http://www.myspace.com/0sebastian0">Info</a>]<br /><a href="http://www.blocparty.com/">Bloc Party</a> - <a href="http://sayanythingsyndrome.com/music/BP/IStillRemember_LullsMusicBoxandTears.mp3">I Still Remember (Lull's Music Box & Tears Mix)</a><br /><a href="http://www.blocparty.com/">Bloc Party</a> - <a href="http://sayanythingsyndrome.com/music/BP/IStillRemember_OrtzRokaDubRemix.mp3">I Still Remember (OrtzRoka Dub Remix)</a> [<a href="http://www.myspace.com/Ortzroka">Info</a>]<br /><br />Unlike SebastiAn's <a href="http://sayanythingsyndrome.com/music/BP/IStillRemember_SebastiAnRemix.mp3">remix</a> - which in the beginning has hues of Queen and Mika (and thus is on the brink of being almost too silly to be enjoyable*), - or Lull's <a href="http://sayanythingsyndrome.com/music/BP/IStillRemember_LullsMusicBoxandTears.mp3">'Music Box & Tears' mix</a> - which is so simplistically happy that its cheesiness is slightly off-putting, - OrtzRoka's <a href="http://sayanythingsyndrome.com/music/BP/IStillRemember_OrtzRokaDubRemix.mp3">dub remix</a> is so mildly euphoric that it seems designer-made for late-night chill-out sessions. Preferably with a few close friends, resting upon hilltops, looking across the ocean at a golden sunset. The scenery itself would complement the floating, casual contentment of the tune. This song is perfect for those nights (you know, the one's where you're tired but happy - the one's that come after a few days of relentless partying) when you're so exhausted that the original version's unashamed happiness would be too much - but where the sentiment of gleeful remembrance (with a tinge of regret) is perfectly apt.<br /><br />None of the remixes however, (with the possible exception of the OrtzRoka Dub - which, taken on its own terms, is fantastic), manage to conjure up the original glory of the original - if you want to hear that, go buy the album (it is well worth your hard-earned / student-loan-loaned cash). If you want to hear Bloc Party remixed SUPERBLY look no further than this tune:<br /><br /><a href="http://www.blocparty.com/">Bloc Party</a> - <a href="http://sayanythingsyndrome.com/music/BP/BP_Helicopter_allenbreakneckmix.mp3">Helicopter (Allan Breakneck Mix)</a><br /><br /><span style="font-size:78%;">*Don't get me wrong, I like Queen and used to be a massive fan when I was younger, but mixing Bloc Party with Queen over-/under- (?) tones just doesn't really work for me, personally. I will concede however, that whenever the beat kicks in the remix begins to get a lot better.</span>Say Anything Syndromehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15899617204233261925noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19026070.post-60196905508185424122007-06-04T15:35:00.000+01:002007-06-04T16:22:25.197+01:00Y'ALL READY FOR THIS?!<img src="http://people.bath.ac.uk/ym206/images/k-hole.jpg" height="300" width="400" /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size:78%;">(<a href="http://people.bath.ac.uk/ym206/">image credit</a>) </span><br /></span><br /><a href="http://www.myspace.com/kissysellout">Kissy Sell Out</a> - <a href="http://sayanythingsyndrome.com/music/GetReadyForTheKHole.mp3">Get Ready For The K Hole!</a><br /><br />You'll recognise the music instantly. Maybe you don't know how or why but you won't (read: shouldn't) care. And you might (but shouldn't) be put off - because it seems a bit, well, louty, doesn't it? But what's social class and every-day facades got to do with the enjoyment of music*? Nothing, really. Or they shouldn't, in any case. Music should transcend all social boundaries (real or self-imposed). So I offer you this, and I hope you smile and you enjoy it. It's euphoric, and it's ridiculous. It's dance music for the <a href="http://www.the-streets.co.uk/">Mike Skinner</a> generation - self-conscious, tongue-in-cheek, intelligent, fun-loving, socially-aware, silly. And maybe you're thinking that this description seems a bit flattering - (perhaps it is) - but if you have experienced, or seen others experience, even some of the events detailed in the lyrics, then this song will mean so much more to you. Quite simply put, it's hilarious.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.glosticks.co.uk/images/150mmglowsticks.jpg" /><br /><br /><a href="http://www.beyonceonline.com/">Beyonce</a> - <a href="http://sayanythingsyndrome.com/music/Irreplaceable-StaRemix.mp3">Irreplaceable (Sta Remix)</a> [<a href="http://www.myspace.com/stafree">Info</a>]<br /><br />Similarly, if you think you're too cool for pop music... trust me, you're not.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:78%;">*Note: If it seems contradictory that I say social class should have nothing to do with the enjoyment of music, but then continue on to insist that 'Get Ready For The K Hole!' is more enjoyable if you understand the spot-on-ness of the lyrics - well, I'm sorry, but I'm sure you understand what I mean.</span>Say Anything Syndromehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15899617204233261925noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19026070.post-50465122455478350332007-06-01T18:11:00.000+01:002007-06-11T00:19:07.210+01:00YOU'RE THE LAST THING THAT I'D EVER WANT TO LOSEWe'll keep this brief since I still have more stuff to pack.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.reedkd.com/">Reed KD</a> - <a href="http://sayanythingsyndrome.com/music/moving/ReedKD-Seventeen.mp3">Seventeen</a><br /><br />This is the song I think of when I think about the fact that everything I own has to be moved: "I was packed away in boxes". But I don't want to get lost - oh no, I'm coming home. But the line, "we'll never be seventeen", is so simple and so heartbreaking. Time doesn't stand still for anyone - everyone has to grow up at some stage. Thankfully, my time is not now. So while this song is small, short, simple, and sad, my heart is bursting with life.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.reedkd.com/">Reed KD</a> - <a href="http://sayanythingsyndrome.com/music/moving/ReedKD-PleaseForgiveMe.mp3">Please Forgive Me</a><br /><br />Mistakes are made, relationships fall apart and the world keeps on spinning.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.myspace.com/aawallace">A. A. Wallace</a> - <a href="http://sayanythingsyndrome.com/music/moving/AAWallace-Icanbreakyourheart-version2nov4th2005.mp3">I Can Break Your Heart</a><br /><a href="http://www.myspace.com/aawallace">A. A. Wallace</a> - <a href="http://sayanythingsyndrome.com/music/moving/AAWallace-GodspeedYouBlack.mp3">Godspeed You Black...</a><br /><br />If I was looking for a replacement for the late Elliott Smith, I would probably pester this guy to continue making such sad anthems. The truthfulness of each song is gutting. You might say it's uncalled for, and maybe it is, but sometimes people beg for your opinion so much that eventually you forget your social grace, and you tell them, straight out, "It's not that I was reckless, I just didn't care".<br /><br />These artists present two sides of the same coin - one is apologetic, romantic, and (tries to be) hopeful, whilst the other is honest, romantic, and miserable. I'm sure you can work out which is which. They are both honest in their own ways. And both have songs that deal with moving, packing, dreaming.<br /><br />Don't think that these songs are any less amazing just because nothing much happens. It's the subtle details in life that change people, that change hearts. Like buying that Mickey Mouse notepad for your best (female) friend. She might not even say thanks, but in her heart she is smiling. If you ask her six months later when she knew she might be falling in love with you, it's that simple gesture that she'll recall. And when you're separated, and in a different country, it will be the train journeys you take alone, past valleys, greenery and beaches, that leave you sobbing uncontrollably. Our hearts are touched by the smallest things.<br /><br />-----<br /><br />How is your heart? I think mine is falling apart.Say Anything Syndromehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15899617204233261925noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19026070.post-83080069325732503412007-05-31T12:13:00.000+01:002007-05-31T15:04:13.599+01:00OUR SLEEP IS LIKE A MIX-TAPE: #4They were given note-pads and Bic biros. They were given spray-paint and public transport. They were given voices. They were given laptops and imagination. They were given face-paint and glow sticks. They were given voices. They were given a beat and feet to dance with. They were given sofas in night-clubs upon which they could sit, sleep or kiss. They were given hearts bursting with joy and life and love and wonder. They were given everything.<br /><br />-----<br /><br />If you want to dance, then dance. Just because it's still daylight and the streetlights haven't come on yet -- it doesn't matter. Soon, the sun will go down and the kids will come up. It doesn't matter if your face is sparkling with sweat, glitter or a smile. Maybe you're covered in Day-Glo colours, or maybe you're still half-asleep from the night before. The point is... it's time to kick-start your little heart. And remember: there's plenty of time for hugging afterwards.<br /><br /><B><U><I>Electro-Graffiti At Bus Shelters</i></u></b><br /><br /><a href="http://sayanythingsyndrome.com/music/mixtapeone/"><img src="http://sayanythingsyndrome.com/mixtapes/electrograffitiatbusshelters/squirrel.jpg"></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.myspace.com/chromeo">Chromeo</a> - <a href="http://sayanythingsyndrome.com/mixtapes/electrograffitiatbusshelters/FancyFootwork.mp3">Fancy Footwork</a><br /><a href="http://www.myspace.com/crystalcastles">Crystal Castles</a> - <a href="http://sayanythingsyndrome.com/mixtapes/electrograffitiatbusshelters/CrystalCastlesVsKlaxons.mp3">Crystal Castles Vs Klaxons</a><br /><a href="http://www.myspace.com/kavinsky">Kavinsky</a> - <a href="http://sayanythingsyndrome.com/mixtapes/electrograffitiatbusshelters/Testarossa-SebastiAnRemix.mp3">Testarossa (SebastiAn Remix)</a> [<a href="http://www.myspace.com/0sebastian0">Info</a>]<br /><a href="http://www.myspace.com/diynamicmusic">Solomun & Stimming</a> - <a href="http://sayanythingsyndrome.com/mixtapes/electrograffitiatbusshelters/Feuervogel.mp3">Feuervogel</a><br /><a href="http://www.partsandlabor.net/">Parts & Labor</a> - <a href="http://sayanythingsyndrome.com/mixtapes/electrograffitiatbusshelters/FracturedSkies.mp3">Fractured Skies</a><br /><a href="http://www.panthaduprince.com/">Pantha Du Prince</a> - <a href="http://sayanythingsyndrome.com/mixtapes/electrograffitiatbusshelters/steinerimflug.mp3">Steiner im Flug</a><br /><a href="http://myspace.com/etjusticepourtous">Justice</a> - <a href="http://sayanythingsyndrome.com/mixtapes/electrograffitiatbusshelters/WatersOfNazareth.mp3">Waters of Nazareth</a><br /><br />-----<br /><br /><a href="http://sayanythingsyndrome.com/mixtapes/electrograffitiatbusshelters/Electro-GraffitiAtBusShelters.zip">Click to download all tracks as a ZIP file.</a><br /><br />-----<br /><br />[Info] = website of the remixer.<br />Listen in the order shown. Or don't.Say Anything Syndromehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15899617204233261925noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19026070.post-33589110958415024242007-05-29T12:10:00.001+01:002007-05-29T12:18:03.161+01:00A BEGINNER'S GUIDE TO: JEFF BUCKLEYIf, somehow, you are unaware of the brilliance of Jeff Buckley (one of few artists who truly hold a special place in my heart), then these songs below, are the ones that I urge you to find, and listen to. In parenthesis you will see where they can be found -- after you find them, it's up to you to let them into your heart, and to change your life.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.blockmagazine.com/media/jeff-playing400.jpg"><br /><br /><B><U>FIVE ESSENTIAL TRACKS</U></B><br /><br />Last Goodbye (<u>Grace</u>)<br />Lover, You Should've Come Over (<u>Live A L'Olympia</u>)<br />Hallelujah/I Know It's Over (<u>Mystery White Boy</u>)<br />What Will You Say (<u>Mystery White Boy</u>)<br />Morning Theft (<u>Sketches</u>)<br /><br />Although, the new compilation album, <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/So-Real-Songs-Jeff-Buckley/dp/B000NOK9YK">So Real</a>, is also a good start.Say Anything Syndromehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15899617204233261925noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19026070.post-74392177761164033032007-05-29T07:42:00.000+01:002007-05-31T16:47:26.849+01:00CELEBRATING A LIFE: JEFF BUCKLEY<img src="http://web.bvu.edu/students/goedbril/images/Jeff%20Buckley.jpg" /><br /><br /><b><u><i>Jeff Buckley</i></u></b><br /><br /><a href="http://sayanythingsyndrome.com/music/JeffBuckley/IKnowWeCouldBeSoHappyBaby.mp3">I Know We Could Be So Happy Baby (If We Wanted To Be) (Demo)</a><br /><a href="http://sayanythingsyndrome.com/music/JeffBuckley/LoverYouShouldHaveComeOver_LiveAcousticInJapan.mp3">Lover, You Should Have Come Over (Live Acoustic In Japan)</a><br /><a href="http://sayanythingsyndrome.com/music/JeffBuckley/AllFlowersInTime.mp3">All Flowers In Time (with Elizabeth Fraser)</a><br /><a href="http://sayanythingsyndrome.com/music/JeffBuckley/ForgetHer_alternate_version.mp3">Forget Her (alternate version)</a><br /><a href="http://sayanythingsyndrome.com/music/JeffBuckley/Grace_acoustic.mp3">Grace (acoustic)</a><br /><a href="http://sayanythingsyndrome.com/music/JeffBuckley/Untitled.mp3">Untitled</a><br /><br /><a href="http://sayanythingsyndrome.com/music/JeffBuckley/TheBoyWithTheThornInHisSide.mp3">The Boy With The Thorn In His Side (The Smiths Cover)</a><br /><a href="http://sayanythingsyndrome.com/music/JeffBuckley/WhenTheLeveeBreaks.mp3">When The Levee Breaks (Led Zeppelin Cover)</a><br /><a href="http://sayanythingsyndrome.com/music/JeffBuckley/BeYourHusband.mp3">Be Your Husband (Nina Simone Cover)</a><br /><a href="http://sayanythingsyndrome.com/music/JeffBuckley/Ulalume.mp3">Ulalume (Edgar Allen Poe Reading)</a><br /><br />He was already dead when I first learned about his music -- about his adoring fans who can breathlessly recite his lyrics and song-titles, and hum his melodies as if they'd written them themselves. But Jeff Buckley isn't the music-geek's personal soul-mate -- even the casual music-listener has heard or heard of him. His cover of Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah", recorded in 1994, emulated John Cale's and - later - the song became omnipresent, used in the sound-tracks of TV sitcoms and dramas, such as Scrubs, The West Wing, and The OC.<br /><br />But this isn't about the prevalence of "Hallelujah" in TV and Cinema (to read about that, and the song's evolution, read <a href="http://www.clapclap.org/2007/04/hallelujah.html">this article</a>). This isn't even really about the fact that 10 years ago today, Jeff Buckley went for a swim in the Wolf River Marina (Memphis, TN) from which he never returned alive. Because, tragic as that is, it doesn't say much about him, or his music. We can't ascertain how someone lived, or what they created in their lifetime, merely by knowing the circumstances of their death. (Although you can read a tribute detailing said circumstances <a href="http://www.jeffbuckley.com/rfuller/buckley/words/tributes/itsneverover.html">here</a>.) Really, this is just a celebration of the fact that Jeff Buckley lived long enough to record some unbelievable music.<br /><br />Before he was signed, Jeff Buckley performed in the Sin-é (at that time, a café-style venue in New York's infamous Lower East Side), where he would play mostly covers, and improvise in a whimsical nature -- always encouraging audience participation. The Live at Sin-é EP got released to promote Columbia's new artist to the public before Grace came out, which was then posthumously expanded to a sprawling <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Complete-Live-Sine-2CD-DVD/dp/B0000AM6RO/ref=pd_sim_m_h__5/026-5862903-2691615">2CD and bonus DVD package</a> that truly emphasised the almost flippant nature of Jeff Buckley's talent -- he could step up to a microphone with just a guitar and his voice and wow an audience into silence. Even after his death his music continues to hush, touch, change.<br /><br />-----<br /><br />It was through the release of Live A L'Olympia in 2001 that I first came into contact with his music: his guitar skills, his voice, his lyrics. My brother asked for the album as a Christmas present from our parents, and then he invited me into his room to hear it. And I was just... stunned. And when I read the liner-notes I was gutted -- why wasn't this amazing musician still alive? Why?! For a live album to be so emotional and playful and perfect -- it was and still is just incredible. [<a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Live-Lolympia-Jeff-Buckley/dp/B00005JDJT/ref=pd_ecc_rvi_3/026-5862903-2691615">Buy</a>]<br /><br />But Grace, the album proper that I subsequently discovered, didn't have the same impact upon me -- the studio setting for me, appears to render some of the emotion sterile. Live, Jeff Buckley could be cathartic, amazing, overwhelming, but - to my ears at least - the studio setting removed some of these desirable elements and almost, in a sense, made the songs too pitch-perfect. In comparison to the studio albums of other artists though? It's still nothing short of incredible, and critics and fans agree (in 2006 Mojo named it the #1 Modern Rock Classic of all Time; in 2005 readers of Q magazine placed the album as #13 on their list of The Greatest Albums Of All Time.) [<a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Grace-Jeff-Buckley/dp/B000024E9Z">Buy</a>]<br /><br />-----<br /><br /><b><u>Brief Words On:</u></b><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Sketches For My Sweetheart The Drunk:</span> This release left the songs as they were, in their unfinished states, as 'sketches'. Remarkably, this album, so clearly unfinished, is incredibly enjoyable. [<a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sketches-Sweetheart-Drunk-Jeff-Buckley/dp/B000009HPP/ref=pd_bxgy_m_h__text_b/026-5862903-2691615">Buy</a>]<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Jeff Buckley's influence:</span> Admired by Radiohead, Damien Rice, and Martin Grech... enough said.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Radiohead with regards to Jeff Buckley:</span> The vocal for Fake Plastic Trees, perhaps my favourite Radiohead song, was recorded by Thom Yorke in two takes after seeing Jeff Buckley perform. After the vocals were laid down, Thom Yorke apparently broke down into tears.<br /><br />-----<br /><br /><u><span style="font-weight: bold;">A gushing summary:</span></u> Music bloggers in general are stereotyped as being obsessed with the new new NEW! with only the briefest backward glance at what's come before, but few new artists can hold a candle to Jeff Buckley in my eyes. An example of someone adept in all fields of musicianship -- his remarkable voice spanning four octaves (<a href="http://www.jeffbuckley.com/rfuller/buckley/faq/07vocals.html">read more at the official Jeff Buckley FAQ</a>), his guitar skills (which, unlike many, he only ever showed off if it was beneficial to the song -- few realise how incredibly skillful he was at guitar because of this), his interpreter's ability to transform the songs of others into his own (see the Sin-é sessions for proof), his lyrics (<i>"My kingdom for a kiss upon her shoulder... all my riches for her smiles when I slept so soft against her"</i>) -- his whole craft was impeccable. Thus, despite today being the 10th anniversary of Jeff Buckley's death, his music continues to live on and touch the hearts and minds of others.<br /><br />-----<br /><br /><b><u>Links:</u></b><br /><br /><a href="http://www.jeffbuckley.com/">Jeff Buckley Official Website</a> / <a href="http://www.jeffbuckley.com/store.asp">Jeff Buckley Official Store</a> / <a href="http://www.google.com/musica?aid=xpH-1hzU9zC&sa=X&oi=music&ct=result">Jeff Buckley Discography</a> / <a href="http://members.tripod.com/%7Ecaptaintab/jefftabs.html">Jeff Buckley Guitar Tabs</a> / <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeff_Buckley">Jeff Buckley on Wikipedia</a> / <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grace_%28album%29">Grace on Wikipedia</a> / <a href="http://sayanythingsyndrome.blogspot.com/2007/05/beginners-guide-to-jeff-buckley.html">A Beginners Guide To Jeff Buckley</a><br /><br />-----<br /><br />If you want to download more rarities, live versions, and songs written in tribute to Jeff Buckley, then go to <a href="http://fuelfriends.blogspot.com/2007/05/ten-years-gone-jeff-buckley.html">I AM FUEL, YOU ARE FRIENDS</a>. There are a lot of great posts (all conveniently linked at the bottom).Say Anything Syndromehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15899617204233261925noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19026070.post-56356069948346418372007-05-26T19:22:00.000+01:002007-05-26T21:02:01.190+01:00THE QUIET MOMENTS MEANT MORE TO ME, SECRETLY<span style="font-size:85%;">Prerequisite: Understand that any incoherence is (hopefully) to do with sleep-deprivation. </span><br /><br /><b><u><i>Johnny Boy</i></u></b><br /><br /><a href="http://sayanythingsyndrome.com/music/YouAreTheGeneration.mp3">You Are The Generation That Bought More Shoes And You Get What You Deserve</a><br /><br />Every time I hear the new <a href="http://www.editorsofficial.com/">Editors'</a> single, <a href="http://tobelostintheforest.blogspot.com/2007/05/juicy-tunes.html">Smokers Outside The Hospital Doors</a>, my mind drifts and this is the song I think of. That drumbeat is so familiar. It's not the exact same - but when recalled through hazy memories and backward glances, it <span style="font-style: italic;">seems </span>to be.<br />It almost feels wrong to feature this song as we step warily into Summer, when the song feels like its stuck in a permanent Winter - instruments played by frost-bitten hands, all exuberance and frustration, in front of kids with rosy-cheeks. A song of star-sparkles, countdowns and sleigh-rides; (seemingly) playful banter mixed with sincere sentiments.<br />But, in a way, it also feels right to feature this song. A reminder of Christmas* - a time of believing in something, be it Jesus or fairies or human kindness or the healing power of nature, etc. In these crazy, summer days filled with barbecues and drunken after-parties it's good to remember that sobriety can be just as pleasant. Just fill your living room with friends and watch ancient sit-com reruns on TV - perhaps after a nice Sunday dinner, or a swim in the lake. It's not that cold this time of year you know. [<a href="http://www.myspace.com/johnnyboyuk">Info</a>]<br /><br /><img src="http://www.epson.co.jp/e/technology/ultrachromek3/images/photos/w355/david_adamson_3.jpg" /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">(<a href="http://www.epson.co.jp/e/technology/ultrachromek3/images/photos/w355/david_adamson_3.jpg">image</a>)</span><br /><br /><b><u><i>The National</i></u></b><br /><br /><a href="http://sayanythingsyndrome.com/music/thenational_fakeempire.mp3">Fake Empire</a><br /><br />It's almost as if the spirit of <a href="http://www.leonardcohen.com/">Leonard Cohen</a> is hanging from the chandelier, smoking a Regal Filter and breathing hot and heavy in your ear. But it's a tired, resigned <a href="http://www.leonardcohen.com/">Leonard Cohen</a> - all romantic longing and nostalgic regret. And try as his band might to lift the tune - blowing upon embers to rekindle a fire - they're actually the ones making the song sadder; bitter reminders dressed up in jubilant brass and lively percussion. Once upon a time things were so precious - life was exciting, everything was beautiful. Now its only the memories of easier times that remain; but recalling those bygone moments almost keeps them alive. [<a href="http://www.thenational.com">Info</a>/<a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Boxer-National/dp/B000O5AYCA">Buy</a>]<br /><br />-----<br /><br /><a href="http://www.saidthegramophone.com/archives/explorers_and_post.php">Said The Gramophone</a> featured <a href="http://sayanythingsyndrome.com/music/thenational_fakeempire.mp3">Fake Empire</a>** just-the-other-day, and unwittingly nailed my opinion on <a href="http://www.myspace.com/thetwilightsad">The Twilight Sad</a>'s debut: it's perceptibly flawed - and I won't deny it - but it feels right that it's flawed. All truly beautiful things are flawed (we would probably be too suspicious of them otherwise) - yet it's the fact that they carry their flaws in such a way that we shrug them off, dismiss them, (eventually we might not even notice them). They wouldn't be the same without these minor imperfections - and we love (when we <span style="font-style: italic;">truly </span>love) people, places, albums, et cetera, for what they are, not for what we want them to be. And my obsession with <a href="http://sayanythingsyndrome.blogspot.com/2007/04/your-red-sky-at-night-wont-follow-me.html">this song</a> feels like more than just a casual fling.<br /><span style="font-size:78%;"><br /></span><span style="font-size:78%;">*Even the clever title seems like a barbed rebellion against the consumerist nature that plagues Christmas. Sometimes it's ok to sit in and enjoy yourself; relaxed in a room full of casual smiles and easy conversation. At least that way the rent gets paid.<br />**I have no doubts about posting this song: it is a summer song, lilting and catching sunlight, smoke rings, sadness and the dearest of memories. Surprisingly, I'm not a fan - per se - of The National, but they do have their moments.<br /></span>Say Anything Syndromehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15899617204233261925noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19026070.post-48605280608611456052007-05-09T18:59:00.000+01:002007-05-21T09:00:16.091+01:00I SAW YOU WITH YOUR MAKE-UP RUNNING DOWN<img src="http://img506.imageshack.us/img506/3166/elliottsmith7tj.jpg" /><br /><br /><b><u><i>Elliott Smith</i></u></b><br /><br /><a href="http://www.fileden.com/files/2007/3/25/925765/AllCleanedOut.mp3">All Cleaned Out</a><br /><br />There is no beginning. You (the listener) are thrown face forward into the frame. Straight in with the melody and the there-before-you-realise chorus. The misery of (maybe) a mother, who goes through new-boyfriends like she goes through old Biro's and cheap-beer, curled up in a sheet of note-pad paper and thrown from a window; gliding as it catches the air and reflecting sunlight in the same way that a mirror reflects eye-wrinkles and fake-tan-streaks. [<a href="http://www.sweetadeline.net/">Info</a> / <a href="http://www.buyolympia.com/killrockstars/?Search=elliott%2Bsmith">Buy</a>]<br /><br /><img src="http://www.annran.com/pages/images/horses/midnight_mini.jpg" /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">(image credit: <a href="http://www.annran.com/">Ann Ranlett</a>)</span><br /><br /><b><u><i>Patrick Wolf</i></u></b><br /><br /><a href="http://sayanythingsyndrome.com/music/PatrickWolf-TheLibertine.mp3">The Libertine</a><br /><br />It could be the creaky instrumentation that starts an episode of Poirot; melodramatic, curious, hackneyed, adored. The gallop of hooves and the troubadour lyrics; despair in a light-of-calm. <span style="font-style: italic;">"The circus girl fell off her horse - now she's paralysed."</span> Cold and unforgiving, yet passionate and inspired - so altogether unjust, unhappy, unsatisfied and so altogether alive. <span style="font-style: italic;">"I'm going to run the risk of being free."</span> Evocative of the type of controversial wisdom that be gleaned from aging leather-bound books - mere pontification on the fact that <span style="font-style: italic;">"the shackles that bind us are those that keep our lives unified."</span> And (perhaps) unfulfilled. [<a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Wind-Wires-Patrick-Wolf/dp/B0007DHOMC">Buy</a>]<br /><br />-----<br /><br /><a href="http://www.patrickwolf.com/">Patrick Wolf</a> had some convinced he was <a href="http://patrickwolf.proboards37.com/index.cgi?board=pw&action=display&amp;amp;amp;amp;thread=1176968699&page=5">retiring</a>. But really he's just taking a <a href="http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/article/news/42602-exclusive-patrick-wolf-explains-his-retirement">break</a>. And this is good news.Say Anything Syndromehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15899617204233261925noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19026070.post-23241921211739129852007-05-06T22:08:00.000+01:002007-05-07T00:38:46.343+01:00OUR SLEEP IS LIKE A MIX-TAPE: #3A mix for patio-parties underneath shimmering sunshine. Electro, house, pop, etc - the kids in skinny jeans and skin-tight t-shirts (cap-sleeves! yeooo!) are listening to this music while they eat their lunch. A few guys with cardigans and scarves on are sitting on a bench, smoking a cigarette, and listening to this music. Some guys playing basketball - behind a school / beside a play-park - have got their sneakers on and when they rest they absorb the sunshine and the music. They love the beats. They love their dancing feet. They love to shimmy, sway, sashay across the court. The house-beats follow their footprints across the gravel.<br /><br /><b><u><i>Dancing Feet Need To Feel The Beat</i></u></b><br /><br /><a href="http://sayanythingsyndrome.com/music/mixtapeone/"><img src="http://sayanythingsyndrome.com/mixtapes/dancingfeet/basketball.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.vanshe.com/">Van She</a> - <a href="http://www.sayanythingsyndrome.com/mixtapes/dancingfeet/VanShe-SexCity-NightmovesRemix.mp3">Sex City (Nightmoves Remix)</a> [<a href="http://www.myspace.com/nightmovesareboom">Info</a>]<br /><a href="http://www.test-icicles.com/">Test-Icicles</a> - <a href="http://www.sayanythingsyndrome.com/mixtapes/dancingfeet/Test-Icicles-WhatsYourDamage-Remix.mp3">What's Your Damage (Alan Braxe & Fred Falke Remix)</a><br /><a href="http://www.myspace.com/superpitcher1">Superpitcher</a> - <a href="http://www.sayanythingsyndrome.com/mixtapes/dancingfeet/superpitcher-happiness-lawrence_mix.mp3">Happiness (Lawrence Mix)</a> [<a href="http://www.boomkat.com/item.cfm?id=14657">Info</a>]<br /><a href="http://www.the-streets.co.uk/">The Streets</a> - <a href="http://www.sayanythingsyndrome.com/mixtapes/dancingfeet/The_Streets-ItsTooLate-High_Contrast_Remix.mp3">It's Too Late (High Contrast Remix)</a> [<a href="http://www.discogs.com/artist/High+Contrast">Info</a>]<br /><a href="http://www.radiohead.com/">Radiohead</a> - <a href="http://www.sayanythingsyndrome.com/mixtapes/dancingfeet/StreetSpirit-FunkagendaRemix.mp3">Street Spirit (Funkagenda Remix)</a> [<a href="http://www.funkagenda.moonfruit.com/">Info</a>]<br /><a href="http://www.professormurder.com/">Professor Murder</a> - <a href="http://www.sayanythingsyndrome.com/mixtapes/dancingfeet/ProfMurder-FreeStressTest-Harkin-Wolf-Mix.mp3">Free Stress Test (Harkin & Wolf Remix)</a><br /><a href="http://www.neworderonline.com/">New Order</a> - <a href="http://www.sayanythingsyndrome.com/mixtapes/dancingfeet/NewOrder-Temptation-SecretMachinesRemixFullLength.mp3">Temptation (Secret Machines Remix)</a> [<a href="http://www.thesecretmachines.com/">Info</a>]<br /><a href="http://www.moby.com/">Moby</a> - <a href="http://www.sayanythingsyndrome.com/mixtapes/dancingfeet/Moby-LiftMeUp-MyloMix.mp3">Lift Me Up (Mylo Mix)</a> [<a href="http://www.mylo.tv/">Info</a>]<br /><a href="http://www.myspace.com/midlake">Midlake</a> - <a href="http://www.sayanythingsyndrome.com/mixtapes/dancingfeet/Midlake-Roscoe-BTWZ.mp3">Roscoe (Beyond The Wizard's Sleeve Remix)</a> [<a href="http://www.myspace.com/beyondthewizardssleeve">Info</a>]<br /><a href="http://www.theknife.net/">The Knife</a> - <a href="http://www.sayanythingsyndrome.com/mixtapes/dancingfeet/Knife_Heartbeats_Rex.mp3">Heartbeats (Rex The Dog Remix)</a> [<a href="http://www.rexthedog.net/">Info</a>]<br /><a href="http://www.jose-gonzalez.com/">José Gonzalez</a> - <a href="http://www.sayanythingsyndrome.com/mixtapes/dancingfeet/Jose-Crosses-StantonWarriorsRemix.mp3">Crosses (Stanton Warriors Remix)</a> [<a href="http://www.stantonwarriors.com/">Info</a>]<br /><a href="http://www.juniorboys.net/">Junior Boys</a> - <a href="http://www.sayanythingsyndrome.com/mixtapes/dancingfeet/JuniorBoysInTheMorningHotChipRemix.mp3">In The Morning (Hot Chip Remix)</a> [<a href="http://www.hotchip.co.uk/site/">Info</a>]<br /><br />-----<br /><br /><a href="http://sayanythingsyndrome.com/mixtapes/dancingfeet/DancingFeetNeedToFeelTheBeat.zip">Click to download all tracks as a ZIP file.</a><br /><br />-----<br /><br />love, xoSay Anything Syndromehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15899617204233261925noreply@blogger.com1