Indie,Folk,Rock and Alternative: Frightened Rabbits

Christmas (or the Winter Solstice), is a time marked with a specific "commercial theme", the religious aspects largely get overshadowed and the purpose of the celebrations gets lost therein.

This song by the Frightened Rabbits, "Its Christmas So We'll Stop", captures the true spirit of the festival.

Just stop, forget the whole damned year, spend time with the people you love and hold on to the day as long as you possibly can.

It's Christmas so we'll stop 

It's on with the lights to warm the dark

It can cloak elsewhere

As the rot stops for today

Let the rot stop just for one day

Only good red eyes, red suits, and faces will radiate

And the cold will hide its face

Now the cold is turned away

We can be best friends with the people we hate 

'Cause we've all got blood

And it's warmer than you think

Yeah it is warm and it is thick

We all breathe out clouds

We're built to give at least once each year

Now that's better than never I guess

And life might never get better than this

With the perfect excuse for our natures to change

And wear shiny clothes

Oh it's Christmas so press pause and we'll go

Oh it's Christmas so we'll stop 

'Cause the wine on our breath puts the love in our tongues

So forget the names

(I love these lines)

I called you on Christmas Eve

In fact forget the entire year

Don't reflect just pretend and you won't feel scared

You won't feel a thing

'Cause it's all been tucked away

And once you're tucked in bed

You'll hold on to the day for the last few seconds

Your gray dull face is protected from the wind

And I'll protect you I promise I will

And the rest of our lives will be just like Christmas

With fewer toys

You're a good girl I'm a good boy

So I thought

Oh it's Christmas so we stopped 

Were it not for the tick of the clock

And the spinning of the Earth in space

We could always be this way

And as we sleep at the fall of the day 

In the room next door the tree lights brighten the rodents' eyes

And catches a glimpse of the dust beginning to rise

The next day life went back to its past self

The next day life went back to its past self

The next day life went back to its past self

The next day life went back to its past self

Indie,Folk,Rock and Alternative: Words Are Overrated!

Not all Music requires words to express itself, sometimes they feel overrated.

I recently came across some amazing pieces of instrumental music, accompanied by exceptionally good videos.

 Ólafur Arnalds is a multi instrumentalist from Iceland, this is one of his best creations, Ljósið, perhaps one of the best videos since Carnival of Rust.

What may come as a surprise is the fact that he plays Metal too!

Do explore his music, its worth the effort, you might even develop a taste classical music.

Indie,Folk,Rock and Alternative: Long Way Round

Probably the most underrated tv documentary ever, "Long Way Round" is the epic 31,000 km journey that Ewen McGregor and his best mate Charley Boorman went on in 2004. They went from London to New York, a short distance, one might think, as they lie just across the Atlantic. But they took The Long Way Round, literally. Travelling East across Eurasia, Alaska and America, all that on two BMW Motorbikes. Its the stuff dreams are made of!!!

This is what inspired a great song by Stereophonic 

Indie,Folk,Rock and Alternative: Phil Collins

The first thing that comes to most people's minds on hearing "In The Air Tonight" is "The Hang Over" , or the Dairy Milk Advertisement and those with a fine taste in cinema may be reminded of the movie "American Psycho" or the novel it is based upon.

With so many references in popular culture throughout the 80s, 90s and the present time, its not easy to overlook the vast amount of talent that this artist possesses. (Collins is one of only three recording artists (along with Paul McCartney and Michael Jackson) who have sold over 100 million albums worldwide both as solo artists and (separately) as principal members of a band)

I first heard Collins on MTV one night, I was about 10 years old and came across the video for "Another Day In Paradise". That was it, been a Collin's fan ever since!


His most successful song,"In The Air Tonight" was revolutionary in terms of the style and sounds it introduced for the first time. It's a pretty depressing song, with its ominous sounds and restrained musical build up. Just check out the lyrics;

"Well, if you told me you were drowning I would not lend a hand 

I've seen your face before my friend 

But I don't know if you know who I am 

Well, I was there and I saw what you did 

I saw it with my own two eyes 

So you can wipe off the grin, I know where you've been 

It's all been a pack of lies"

The reason for this animosity was his divorce. Pain it seems, is an artist's greatest source of inspiration, besides, of course, love and all that jazz.

But all this fades when the drum solo kicks in, it breaks that long drawn out musical tension and just shocks the socks of your feet. And you cant help but do this every time you hear this song. Something like this;

When it comes to pain, I think one Phil Collins' song stands out: "I Wish It Would Rain Down"
When you combine Collins with Clapton you are bound to end up with gold!

"Against All Odds" is another great hit, with perhaps, one of his best lyrical performances.

    

Indie,Folk,Rock and Alternative: With a Little Help From My Friends

Those familiar with The Beatles would have guessed from the title what this post is about.
DISCLAIMER: All views expressed from here on are fictional and I am not responsible for anything that you do after reading this. (Devilish smirk)
For those who are not, the complete verse is "I get high with a little help from my friends"


Yes, its about that state of mind when one attains true enlightenment, the mind and soul become one, and one gets lost among the universal brotherhood of Marry Jane.

I believe that a "Trip" should start with something jovial and symbolic, and what could be better than the Beatles' classics, the ones that were obviously the result of an "enlightened" state of mind.
Like "Lucy in the sky with diamonds".
According to Wiki the genesis of the song was Lennon's son, "Lennon's son, Julian, showed his father a nursery school drawing he called "Lucy - in the sky with diamonds", depicting his classmate, Lucy O'Donnell." Lennon was obviously high at the moment.
(Just in case you didn't get it, think LSD)


"The Who" have a very good song which has just about the right combination of everything. One of their most famous songs "Baba O'Riely" also known as "Teenage Wasteland"


No "Journey" can be complete without a detour towards the land of "Pink Floyd"
Everyone has their own favourite, but mine is "Coming Back to Life"


While were here, we mind as well visit Led Zeppelin. Now this is where it gets weird, cause this song seems the same whether your "High" or not, such is the magic of Zeppelin (Jimmy Page, if you ask me.) Stairway to Heaven


Now, its time to meet The Man Who Sold the World. Although some prefer the original by Bowie, but I find Cobain's version more suitable for the "Tour".


When the Music's Over, all you can think about is Jim Morrison. Yes, the Doors' front man is perhaps the one person in history who would never be forgotten for putting on the best show that one can, after dropping Acid. You have got to see this unbelievable performance.



I'm afraid that this is The End, beautiful friend.

Indie,Folk,Rock and Alternative: Children's Day!!!

Since its Children's Day, I couldn't help but share this song by The White Stripes



reminds me of the good old days every time I listen to it.

Indie,Folk,Rock and Alternative: Old Memories

When I started listening to Rock, one of my first bands were, Weezer. Its an old band, they started in 1994, but I heard them for the first time in 2000, the song was Island in the Sun. A nice peppy alternative-rock-punk sound coupled with nice lyrics , made it quiet memorable!


The Weezer song closest to my heart is "Perfect Situation"
It introduced me to the world of Punk-Rock, also, it is a perfect reflection of  the hopeless looser searching for that special someone. the lines:

"Tell me there's a logic out there.

Leading me to better prepare

For the day that something really special might come.

Tell me there's some hope for me.

I don't wanna be lonely

For the rest of my days on the earth"

and the lead guitar riffs that follow were simply awesome ,at the time.

Rivers Coumo did a song "Heart Songs". Its like a tribute to all the artists and songs that were a part of his life and which eventually inspired him to make a Rock band, its the story of his life. Its probably one of the most intimate songs i have ever heard. Check out the lyrics:

Gordon Lightfoot sang a song about a boat that sank in the lake at the break of the morning

A Cat named Stevens found a faith he could believe in

And Joan Baez, I never listened to too much jazz

But hippie songs could be heard in our pad

Eddie Rabbitt sang about how much he loved a rainy night

Abba, Devo, Benatar were there day John Lennon died

Mr. Springsteen said he had a hungry heart

Grover Washington was happy on the day he topped the charts, these are the songs

These are my heart songs

They never feel wrong

And when I wake for goodness sake

These are the songs I keep singin'

Quiet Riot got me started with the bangin' on my head

Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, and Slayer taught me how to shred

I gotta admit though, sometimes I would listen to the radio

Debbie Gibson, tell me that you think we're all alone

Michael Jackson's in the mirror, I've gotta have faith if I wanna see clear

Never gonna give you up, wish me love or wishing well

It takes two to make a thing go right, If the Fresh Prince starts a fight

Don't you worry for too long 'cause you know these are the songs

These are my heart songs

They never feel wrong

And I wake for goodness sake

These are the songs I keep singing

Back in 1991, I wasn't havin' any fun

'Till my roommate said "come on and put a brand new record on"

Had a baby on it, he was naked on it

Then I heard the chords that broke the chains I had upon me

Got together with my bros, in some rehearsal studios

Then we played our first rock show and watched the fan base start to grow.

We signed with David, gave us dough to make a record all our own

The song come on the radio, now people go: this is the song

These are my heart songs

They never feel wrong

And when I wake for goodness sake

These are the songs I keep singing

These are the songs I keep singing

These are the songs I keep singing

These are the songs I keep singing

These are the songs I keep singing

(Have fun, clicking on the links!)

This comment i read somewhere, depicts exactly what I too, feel about this song.

"Holy fuck this song resonates deeply with me. This is exactly how music should go. I'm in love with music. It's becoming my life as of late. The Nirvana reference is golden. Talking about a cd that finally pushed his liking of music into a love. Very powerful. A passing of the torch for musicians everywhere. I have to wonder if this is the end of Weezer though for that reason.
"These are my heart songs
They never feel wrong
And when I wake for goodness sake
These are the songs I keep singing"

I do this all the time. Go to bed with a song in my head and wake to listen to it more. Thank you for this gift Weezer. "

Indie,Folk,Rock and Alternative: Easy Listening

I never really understood what constitutes easy listening, but I suppose its anything that is easy on the ears, or just plain soothing. Not too loud, but neither toned down to the point of becoming boring.

Here are a few of my favourites:

Alexi Murdoch, A Scottish artist who shot to fame in mid 2000s (but never really made it to the mainstream) remains largely undiscovered. Most of his hits have featured in American T.V. series and in some movies. He did a major part of the soundtrack for the movie "Away We Go"

I have this habit of pinning songs to "imaginary-real-life-scenarios" (like, sometimes you wish life had background music to it) and strangely, his songs fit pretty well.

Like  "All of my days", apt for the moment when  you finally get what you were looking for.


Here is one, that might never come to realize, considering my present predicament. But since we are talking of  "imaginary-real-life-scenarios" it doesn't really matter.
Imagine you have this amazing girl in your apartment ,or room ,or whatever, and you also happen to own this amazing Bose surround sound system then this is the song most befitting the moment.


For that occasional, now a days rare family get together, we have "Orange Sky"


Now, this is a very special song for those in longterm-long distance relationships, "Wait" 

Lovely lines:

"And if I stumble And if I stall 

And if I slit now 

And if I should fall 

And if I cant be all that I could be 

Will you, will you wait for me "

Indie,Folk,Rock and Alternative: Heart and Soul

Heart and Soul, i think these are the attributes that separate Rock from Pop,(Nirvana from Lady Gaga) the latter is more widely and aggressively promoted by major music companies,  for obvious reasons.(Cause they are Ass-Holes who don't know shit about real music.)

Here are are few songs, which I think, have a lot of Heart and Soul!!!

Outside has got to be one of Aaron Lewis' best performances, It happened Eleven years ago, when during a concert he first officially performed the song and finished it then and there, Live!!!

The lines, the chorus, cut right through you and you cant help but feel the pain in him. I think its one of the most "raw" videos ever made for a song.

"I’m on the outside
I’m looking in
I can see through you
See your true colors
Cause inside you’re ugly
You’re Ugly like me
I can see through you
See to the real you"

This is another one, "Its Been a While" another heart breaker. I like to think of it more as a redemption song.

"It's been a while since i could say that i wasn't addicted and
It's been a while
Since I could say I love myself as well and
It's been a while
Since I've gone and fucked things up just like i always do
It's been a while
But all that shit seems to disappear when i'm with you
But everything I can't remember as fucked up as it may seem
the consequences that I've rendered
I've gone and fucked things up again"

A very powerful song, and to sing it live, only goes to show how much raw talent is required if you don't sing using extensive voice modulation. (Like Gaga or Bieber, for example)

Now, for one of my absolute favourites.

"Broken" by Seether, not the one with Amy Lee.

I think, its enough, to win back any girl, with this song!!!

Indie,Folk,Rock and Alternative: Light It Up

Its that time of the year again, when we are bombarded from all fronts, be it newspapers, t.v.,or the internet, with wishes for a Happy Diwali. Its nothing more than two pathetic days of holidays, when multinational companies sort of force you to be happy and buy your way into debt. The festival lost its charm a long time ago.

Anyway the good thing is that all the movie channels bring out their best collection around this time, so don't miss World Movies' and Lumière's Diwali special programming.

Since we get plenty of those "Assorted" sweets and dry fruits as gifts, here is something similar from your's truly.

I have been lost in Indie and Folk for quiet sometime now, so I decided to mix it up a bit. I dont think that a lot of people might have heard of the Rev Theory , its not that famous, although they started in 2002, but they have some impressive Alternative Metal and Hard Rock music. One of my favorites is Light It Up. Now, different people have different interpretations of what they are about to light up, but, going with the spirit of the season, i would like to presume that its a fire cracker, and not Marry Jane, although that would be way cooler!


These guys are capable of something more that just Thrashing their guitars, listen to this, Broken Bones


Death Metal, Thrash Metal, Goth Metal........do these make you cringe?
Well, There are bands that belong to this genre of music, and their musical talent remains severely understated. You will get what I mean to say hear, once you have listened to this song by the Eternal Tears Of Sorrow 
Here is the Melodic Metal version


and this is the Acoustic Reprise


 I think it really shows the versatility and deep understanding of music these bands have.
A fan posted this on Youtube
"It's like love spoken in words beyond comprehension to anything alive on this planet. Listening to this song i died and came back to life... thank u ETOS , forever gratefull..."

Ever wondered how often people use the word Rock these days, its like even the lamest thing either "ROKS" or "RAWKS", I mean misusing the word is one thing,but do they have to desecrate it by spelling it RAWK ?
It makes me mad, that people who think that Emraan Hashmi or Lady Gaga RAWK , don't even know what Rock is. (As you might have already guessed, that word is quiet sacred to me!)
Just to clear up what comprises rock, I present here, the ultimate Rock anthem, For Those About To Rock, by ACDC


I SALUTE the guy who wrote this comment :
"Lady Gaga is the worst excuse for music I've ever heard... AC/DC owns. He (she) should get a life"

Another ACDC song that gets me going is Back In Black


And whenever your on the highway

Nothing beats this one, as you head towards the promised land!

One of my favourite bands of all time has to be Poets Of the Fall, their music really is POETRY.
Their song "Carnival of Rust" helped me free a lot of people from the shackles of mass produced crap that they call Pop Music.

One of the best music videos of all time!!!
If your wondering, the accent is Finnish.

How I first discovered POTF is quiet interesting, I was playing this game Max Payne in early 2000s and in this one sequence, Max enters this room and a guy is playing "Late Goodbye" on the piano, I actually waited till he finished the song before shooting him. In the end they finally played the song with the credit roll. I played the last stage over and over again just so that i could listen to that song!


They are a pretty versatile band, one of their more Hard Rock songs is Lift, one of their earliest hits.


I heard this around 23 times in a row, or maybe more, it made me fly!

I remember where i was and what I was doing when I heard any of the POTF's songs, they were the first band that made me feel like an addict, you really cant get enough of their music!!!!



I think the following comments under this video I found on Youtube, sum up what I want to say.
"Poets Of The Fall:
Definition: An amazingly inspirational band that, even though unknown by most, has a great effect on anyone who listens to their music in a positive manner. People need to start listening to true music, music from a band like this. They will definitely become well known one day and very popular among the world.
Let us remember this band as one of the greatest, and hope they continue to make great music like this.
(I'd say pray but I'm an atheist :P)"

and the other person replied:

"Then I'll say it for you, fellow POTF fan. : D Music knows no boundaries, religious or otherwise.
I hope and pray they continue to make music like this. : D
POTF, forever."

  

Indie,Folk,Rock and Alternative: Bob Dylan

The first time I heard a Bob Dylan song , I remember thinking to myself, "Man! thats a horrible voice to sing in!" , but just then the lyrics began to sink in and I realised that I had stumbled upon the beautiful world of Folk and Indie Music.

"How many roads must a man walk down,

before you call him a man?

How many seas must a white dove fly,

before she sleeps in the sand?

And how many times must a cannon ball fly,

before they're forever banned?

The answer my friend is blowing in the wind,

the answer is blowing in the wind".

You have to be a complete numbskull-mass-produced-pop-worshiping-ass-hole if you have never heard "Blowing in the Wind", please don't mind my saying that, cause I used to be one, that is, until I heard Bob.

Another Bob Dylan classic has to be "Mr. Tambourine Man" , many in India might remember it from the Hutch advertisement from the early days. 

The jingling-jangling guitar, that mystical voice, coupled with that fantastic imagery immediately transports one to his world. Many regard it as the beginning of the Folk-Rock genre!

Now, Bob Dylan is regarded as the most prolific and brilliant songwriters of his time, a fact proved by the numerousness covers of his songs performed by artists ranging from The Byrds' cover of Mr. Tambourine Man

to Jimi Hendrix's cover of All Along The Watchtower (My personal favourite, I hate the rest of the covers)

These covers, at the time, were actually able to rank higher than Dylan's original!!!

They actually topped the Billboard rankings!

Even My Chemical Romance covered Desolation Row !!!

His influence doesn't end here, not by a long shot!!!

Like A Rolling Stone, is the song that killed many of Dylan's original fans (of the Folk genre) and won him new ones when he went electric at the New Port Folk Festival.

The song is like a story told through the words of a poet, you have to listen to the lyrics really carefully to fully appreciate it.

Once upon a time you dressed so fine

You threw the bums a dime in your prime, didn’t you?

People’d call, say, “Beware doll, you’re bound to fall”

You thought they were all kiddin’ you

You used to laugh about

Everybody that was hangin’ out

Now you don’t talk so loud

Now you don’t seem so proud

About having to be scrounging for your next meal

How does it feel

How does it feel

To be without a home

Like a complete unknown

Like a rolling stone?

You’ve gone to the finest school all right, Miss Lonely

But you know you only used to get juiced in it

And nobody has ever taught you how to live on the street

And now you find out you’re gonna have to get used to it

You said you’d never compromise

With the mystery tramp, but now you realize

He’s not selling any alibis

As you stare into the vacuum of his eyes

And ask him do you want to make a deal?

How does it feel

How does it feel

To be on your own

With no direction home

Like a complete unknown

Like a rolling stone?

You never turned around to see the frowns on the jugglers and the clowns

When they all come down and did tricks for you

You never understood that it ain’t no good

You shouldn’t let other people get your kicks for you

You used to ride on the chrome horse with your diplomat

Who carried on his shoulder a Siamese cat

Ain’t it hard when you discover that

He really wasn’t where it’s at

After he took from you everything he could steal

How does it feel

How does it feel

To be on your own

With no direction home

Like a complete unknown

Like a rolling stone?

Princess on the steeple and all the pretty people

They’re drinkin’, thinkin’ that they got it made

Exchanging all kinds of precious gifts and things

But you’d better lift your diamond ring, you’d better pawn it babe

You used to be so amused

At Napoleon in rags and the language that he used

Go to him now, he calls you, you can’t refuse

When you got nothing, you got nothing to lose

You’re invisible now, you got no secrets to conceal

How does it feel

How does it feel

To be on your own

With no direction home

Like a complete unknown

Like a rolling stone?

And yes, the Rolling Stones did cover it, and no, they did not take their name from this song but from Rollin Stone by Muddy Waters.

Almost every Bob Dylan song has a story, and I could go on forever. So if I have been able to interest you even slightly in this great legend please do check out the Wikipedia page.

You might also want to check out.

and

Perhaps the best songs that present the heights to which Dylan reached.