Music Monthly: January 2015

Oh look, if it isn't the long lost Music Monthly! Remember when I used to do this (more or less) regularly? :D Towards the end of the last year I realized how much I miss writing about music and so I decided to give it a try once more :) The first Music Monthly of 2015 is a bit of a winter tie-in. Some of these songs I've been enjoying since autumn, some are embarrassingly new to me, but above all, it's good fun :)

For any new readers around here (Welcome!), let me re-introduce the feature and how it was originally born:

It occurred to me once that what you go through in life often reflects in the songs that keep you company. And through these songs that are with you in your good times and in bad, you build a relationship to a new interpret or a new style of music that you haven’t listened to before. Music Monthly is more or less regular summary of my musical life experience, an insight into what songs have caught my attention and why, which ones got stuck in my head, etc. :) What’s in it for you? A collection of songs, both old and new, that you might or might not know. And if you take the trouble and dare to look under the surface, you might find out something about me. If you want to, that is ;)

The honorary first spot in my January picks belongs to Flyte, the band that I kind of fell in love with last year. Musically. There is a musical crush going on O:-) Might be the effect of accidentally seeing them live, might be because they're just really good. I have listened to "Light Me Up" a lot over the past couple of months and it still excites me. The drive of it, the instrumentation, the building up, the vocals, the harmonies, the lyrics... This song just never ceases to amaze me. No matter how many times I listen to it.

Next one is an oldie: "You Belong To Me" sang by the sultry velvet voice of Jo Stafford. I heard this 1950's romantic ballad in a film sometime last year, but it made a "come back" later and became one of the staple sounds of my winter. There's that simple and sweet lovely charm of old about it :) Plus, it's the perfect key and vocal range for me. So I just keep singing it over and over again, casually playing with the idea of recording a cover version...

Once again Sia caused an internet riot with a poignant music video, featuring Maddie Ziegler, the uber talented young dancer. This time she was joined in her performance by Shia LaBeouf. I'm sure you have seen "Elastic Heart" already or at least heard some of the discussion it sparked. I was sad a disappointed by the amount of people who were not able to look past the "A little girl is dancing with a grown man, therefore this is perverse". What has our society come to? The video is a piece of art and as such it is meant to be interpreted, considered... Art is not always easy to look at or immediately pleasing. But the point is that you look at it and let it affect you. You open yourself up to what it is trying to say and how and why that fits into your personal experience... Some people saw a complex relationship between a father and a daughter, some saw a person fighting drug or alcohol addiction, or even mental illness. I suppose, my interpretation is closer to the last one. I see the inner struggle of a person, the confusing battle/relationship between different sides of their own self... I shall not say more.

Let me know in the comments what it is that you see in the video. What particular moment affects you the most or what do you think the cage means?

The last (but not least) two tracks have been my companions in some much needed dance recessing :)

Firstly, I must confess I am late to the party, but... "Uptown Funk" !!! Words fail me. Just play it loud and dance. Dance it all out!!! :)

Remember the guys who did the treadmill video years ago? Or the one with the dogs, or the... basically all those creative and unique music videos? They've done it again. The final song I present to you today is "I Won't Let You Down" by OK Go. And once again, the video is inventive, unexpected, using the newest kind of technology... Watch it and prepare your jaws for dropping. As is often the case with their most impressive music videos, it's all in one take. Yes, really. Filmed by a camera mounted on a drone. You'll get what I mean, when you see it. Get watching :)

And that's it for the month of January. What have you been listening to in the new year? :)

Bye for now, I shall see you soon! xx

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