Looking for the magic....

Finding the time to write this blog has been harder than I thought.  I can spend an endless amount of time lurking on Twitter, but to actually sit down and write something reasonable hasn't been easy.  I  have plenty of drafts, but these aren't ready to rock just yet!

So, I followed my own advice and tuned into one artist only on my iPod over the last few weeks to try and re-connect with their music.  I think I was feeling like a bit of a miserable git, so I thought some jazz might cheer me up or at least get my feet tapping (much to the annoyance of my fellow bus travellers).

I like jazz, but haven't listened to any old school stuff in a while.  I am going to use my usual excuse now which is that nearly my entire beloved cd collection has been ousted to my loft.  This means I can't easily lay my hands on a cd anymore so I am left with whatever is already on my iPod or what I can download. 

Now that's another thing, I have not been a willing participant in the download evolution so far.  I totally get it and I'm not against it in any way, but I love having a physical cd in my hands.  I know, I know, they take up so much space and at some point soon they will disappear like VHS, blah, blah, blah, but until then the little shiny disc is for me.  My collection spans so many years and so many genres that I can't be without it.  Sad, but true.  And this is without mentioning my vinyl.  Bearing in mind technology is actually a big part of my 'proper' grown up job, I'm a bit behind with some things.  Whoops.....

Anyway, back to jazz.  So, I can't get to my cd's so I had to scroll through the trusty iPod and find something to listen to.  And guess who I found - Mr Jamie Cullum.  Now, I know he's probably not considered to be "proper jazz", but I love what he has done for the genre.  He brought a lot of flair to it and gained a lot of new listeners in the process.  His roots sit firmly in jazz, but he has managed to crossover and include other styles aswell which I reckon can only be a good thing.

I'm not entirely sure when I first heard Jamie, but it would have been in relation to his 'Twentysomething' album.  It was a kind of 'wow' moment when you hear something new that hooks you in and makes you want to hear more.  I love what he has done with some old school jazz standards and his re-invention of some of the modern tunes is totally amazing.  I remember buying the cd single of 'These are the Days' mainly because I wanted the b side which was a cover of 'Frontin' by Pharrell.  I made my friend play it in the car as she'd never heard it before and basically it blew her mind!  I think it was played on repeat about 20 times on the way home!

His tunes on heavy repeat at the moment include 'High and Dry', 'Lover, you Should Have Come Over' and his own compositions of 'Mind Trick' and Get Your Way'.  I really don't know how I stop myself singing out loud on the bus when these songs come on.  I get totally immersed in the song, the drumbeat, the piano, absolutely everything moves me.  Usually I would have a couple of days listening to one artist, but its been every day for the last 2 weeks now and I'm still not getting tired of it!  I am totally in love with the song 'Music is Through' from the album 'The Pursuit'.  In fact, I named one of these blog entries after it!  You have to hear it:

I really need to get my other jazz cd's out and doing some serious uploading, but until then I am quite happy listening to Jamie on repeat.  Check it out and do some serious toe tapping.

Private Universe

Every now and again I have a period where I will only listen to one band / singer on my iPod to reconnect with them.  I usually do this when perhaps I haven't listened to them for a while or maybe they have released something new and I want to totally immerse myself in their music from beginning to end.

I recently did this with Crowded House as apart from an odd song here or there I hadn't really had a lot of their songs on my playlist.  This is surprising really seeing as they are my all time favourite band.  In my defence, I always have Neil Finn's solo material on my playlists as he is my hero!

It was actually Neil that made me have a 'Crowdies' day this week as I was watching his recent webcast and remembering why I adore him so much and what makes his music important to me.

I got into Crowded House when they released Woodface in the early 90s.  I was still at school and I can remember hearing their music and knowing that it is something special.  I was lucky enough to see them live not long after when they toured with Woodface in the UK.  It was an amazing concert at the Hammersmith Apollo and it connected me totally with this band of amusing and highly accomplished musicians.  Anyone who has been to a live show will know that Neil is the ultimate crowd pleaser and his interactions with the audience are amazing.  He is extremely funny and sarcastic and brings a feeling of connection between the band and the fans watching.  If you ever get a chance to see him live, rush and take it with both hands as you will not be disappointed.

So, I have been listening to them for over 20 years now and their early music still sounds as good to me today as it did back then.  I particularly enjoyed listening to 'Into Temptation' this week as its such a beautiful and lyrically perfect song.  The music completes it totally and pulls at your heart right up until the bass ends and the music fades out.  Breathtakingly beautiful.

I have seen Crowded House around 5 times live and also Neil about twice with and without his brother Tim.  I consider myself to be very fortunate that I saw the original Crowded House ensemble before Paul Hester left the band.  He was an amazing drummer, a highly amusing man and he left a massive hole in the universe when he passed away.  I remember reading it on the news and the tears rolling down my face as they are now as I'm writing this.  Such a loss.

When the band split I was devastated, but knowing that they would continue with other projects was comforting.  Neil's solo work is amazing and his first album 'Try Whistling This' is a beautiful piece of work.  Listening to songs like 'Sinner' and 'Souvenir' make you realise how crafted his song writing is.  I think I listen to 'King Tide' on a daily basis and the rawness of the guitar never fails to move me.  I sometimes wonder how I stop myself from singing out loud on the bus to work in the morning!

It was a great day when the band got back together and released 'Time on Earth'.  It was a new version of the band with a new drummer, but the music was just as good.  I love this album and especially the songs 'Pour Le Monde' and 'Silent House'.  It was a long awaited comeback and it met the challenge very nicely.

Next came 'Intriguer' which is another great record.  Stand out tracks for me include 'Either Side of the World', 'Saturday Sun', 'Amsterdam' and 'Twice if Your Lucky' which is so, so beautiful to listen to.  Perfect vocals and spine tingling music with amazing lyrics.  Bliss.

I think I will definitely have more Crowded House only days as this week it actually lapsed over into 2 consecutive days.  Perhaps I'll dedicate at least one day a week to listening to just them and see what happens.  I'm thinking of making it a Tuesday...

Check out Neil's webcast here and hear some new tracks from his upcoming new album 'Dizzy Heights' which is out soon.

Music is through...

After a hiatus of many years from this blog, I have decided to resurrect it like the phoenix from the flames and use it as an outlet to talk about more drivel.

So, what do I want to talk about? As the title suggests, it's got to be music I guess as it's my main hobby and passion and something that I like to think I know a weeny bit about. Plus I drone on about it quite a bit so maybe if I write it down it will make more sense...

I suppose like all good fairy stories I should start at the very beginning. Why do I love music so much? Well, I was brought up surrounded by music. My dad was a DJ in his younger days and my mum always had music on when we were in the house or car. Both myself and my brother have grown up loving all types of music and I would say it's always been a passion for both of us.

I used to play the keyboards and organ when I was younger and always wanted to study music at school. Alas, my talent was overcome by the fact that I was actually a bit crap so despite my best efforts I was never going to be a musician. Oh, the tragedy...! I had to study drama instead and to those who know me, what a joke that was! Sandra Bullock I ain't!

Anyway, back to the story. I was brought up listening to music from the 60s and 70s and grew to love all types of music. In fact I sometimes wish I'd been born in the 60s so I could have grown up properly in the 70s when it was all happening in the music world. Some of the bands I loved when I was younger (and still do now) were big hitters in the 70s and it would have been amazing to see Queen starting out or The Eagles before they split. I was actually a child of the 80s so bring on the electro, Stock/Aiken & Waterman manufactured bands and everything cheesy! It was an amazing time in the UK and it brought me my first proper love in the music world who is actually still one of my heroes now - Rick Astley. What a voice that man has and he is still belting out the notes now to huge crowds. I spent an enjoyable time watching him a few months ago, and despite catching the worst cold I've had in years (it was an outdoor event) it reminded me that if something or someone is good, it stays with you. Plus I am usually right about spotting talent!

Over the years I have dabbled in listening to lots of bands, but I came to the conclusion recently that my main love seems to sit with rock music. Rock takes on many forms (prog rock, heavy rock, acoustic etc.), but the music that generally gets me moving has awesome guitars, amazing drums and vocals to knock your socks off. I spent a pleasant afternoon a few weeks ago listening to Kerrangs all time greatest rock songs, and I was surprised to note that I did in fact love most of them. Stranger things happen at sea...

Any-hoo, I'm wrapping up this post now so I can continue with the lecture as we go on. Whether you join me or not remains to be seen, but I will have more to say on this subject, believe me!

So I'll leave you now with the tracks that have been on heavy rotation on my iPod this week:

'Looking for the Magic' by Dwight Twilley
'Only the Strongest Will Survive' by Hurricane #1
'Underdog (Save Me), by Turin Brakes
'Breakeven' cover by Jocelyn
'The Phoenix' by Fall Out Boy


Stayed tuned for more coming soon.