Sunday, October 31, 2010

Rise and Fall; Helloween

Today’s song is in the second part of the second album by Helloween, “Keeper of the Seven Keys II”. At this time, the vocalist was Michael Kinske (by the way, Helloween changed a lot of members; the only two who remained from the beginning are the guitarist Michael Weikath and the bassist Markus Grosskopf).

Weikath composed “Rise and Fall”. This song, someone told me, is the proof that the metal doesn’t need to be serious, grave and destructively bad, you can add some happiness and fun as well.

The whistling here, on the contrary of yesterday’s, is right in the end, after the guitar solo, the loud screams and some bleats and whinnies.

Trick or treat?!
Once a singer sang 'bout bullshit
Everyone could see him fall
And be sure it´s been his last hit
He´s never been seen at all

Some ditactor felt progressive
And lay down in the sun
But his people were aggressive
They killed him with a gun

Sometimes you're wrong
By some things you have done
You see fate is too strong
Nothing's won
No use for a fight
If you're not acting right
You´ll be cut down to size
Like a lie

It's the rise and fall
The prize for all
That ain´t nice at all
Luck is like a ball
You can´t recall or care at all
So better use your brain!

A little dragon could spit fire
But never so for something bad
He didn't know the knight's desire
To throw a lance into his head

Romeo loved his Juliet
Their parents told them "Stop"
Then it all turned out peculiar
He couldn't get it up

And it's all in vain
When you're living with pain
Reap not goods you have grown
By your own
Feelings you like
Disappear overnight
You sip up every grin
Free to win

It' the rise and fall
The prize for all
That ain't nice at all
Luck is like a ball
You can't recall or care at all
You nearly go insane

A spaceman flies the rocket
That takes him to the stars
Thinks his wife is in his pocket
But she's strolling 'round in bars

The king of Los Angeles
Bought himself a teddy bear
And the queen became shameless
She did it with a chair

Sometimes you're wrong
By some things you have done
You see fate is too strong
Nothing's won
No use for a fight
If you're not acting right
You´ll be cut down to size
Like a lie

It's the rise and fall
The prize for all
That ain´t nice at all
Luck is like a ball
You can´t recall or care at all

It's the rise and fall
The prize for all
That ain´t nice at all
Luck is like a ball
You can´t recall or care at all
So better use your brain!




Saturday, October 30, 2010

We Burn; Helloween

Tomorrow is Halloween! Nothing better than post two songs about this German power metal band this weekend!


A friend of mine pointed me to this whistling song yesterday and it took me to connect the name of the band with the holiday. But when I finally did, it fitted like a glove.

Helloween is the mother-band of the power metal, a melodic style of heavy metal. My friend said that the vocalist doesn't sing and scream in falsetto, that's his true voice... oO

This whistling song is in the 1996 album "The Time of the Oath". It was composed by Andi Deris, the current vocalist.

The whistling here is the worstest I ever heard! It's tuneless, poorly whistled... hear it! I won't say anything, just click and suffer!!! ahahaha

Climb down my pile
And again to the beat of my heart
You're so exciting
Take all the soul
I will give you as much as you want
Control my feelings
Higher, much higher
Unbounded fire
Closer, much closer
Close to the core
We burn, we burn
I contaminate you
I like to pollute you with my G-g-generations
Look in my eyes
And we melt into on yearning mind
We climb the stages
Higher, much higher
Unbounded fire
Closer, much closer
Close to the core
We burn, we burn
Insanity, insanity
Never set me free




Friday, October 29, 2010

Verde Llano; Almendra

Néstor Kirchner, former president of our neighbor Argentina, died this week. This post is my homage to him. Descanse en paz, presidente.

- -

Almendra is an Argentine rock group formed in 1967 in Buenos Aires. Almendra is considered one of the most important rock and roll bands in its country. According to the website Rock.com.arEste grupo es considerado miembro de una trilogía inicial del rock argentino, junto a Los Gatos y a Manal.

According to Almendra’s article in the Spanish Wikipedia, the band’s first album has been regarded in repeated occasions as the best album of the history of Argentine rock. Its second album, called “Almendra II”, was released one year later — it wasn’t too praised as its predecessor but it’s a rare gem too.

“Verde Llano” (translation: “green plain”) is an instrumental song present in “Almedra II". It’s not a sad song, as someone might expect; although the whistling begins with a melancholic melody, the rest of the tune is kind of dancing, pero aún así muy tranquilo.

Well, I don’t think death should be horrible at all. If I may, to explain my point of view, I will quote another song by these porteños rock stars, “si es que sus sueños son luces en torno a ti tu te das cuenta que él ya nunca ha de morir.




Thursday, October 28, 2010

Home; Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeroes

After breaking up with his girlfriend, moving out of his house, and leaving a 12-step program for addiction (he left, as he has said, to live in a more honest reaction to the truth of the moment, not be bound to certain behaviors by fear-based dogma), Ebert began work on a book about a messianic figure named Edward Sharpe. According to Ebert, Sharpe “was sent down to Earth to kinda heal and save mankind...but he kept getting distracted by girls and falling in love.” Ebert later met singer Jade Castrinos in Uruguaiana. In the summer of 2009, as Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros, Ebert and Castrinos toured the country with a group of fellow musicians in a big white bus.

This is the way Wikipedia explains how the band was created. It also states that “their song ‘Home’ was voted number 15 on the Australian Triple J Hottest 100, 2009 countdown, the largest music poll in the world, and (...) was also used as the background accompaniment for a video called ‘Guy Walks Across America’ by Conscious Minds. The video generated huge internet success, getting millions of hits on YouTube, as well as being featured on the front page of Yahoo! News.”

In an interview with RoneBreak.com, the two leaders of the band speak about the song:

Everywhere I go I hear the song ‘Home,’ can you describe the story behind it? What is home for you?

"Home for me is being with my family and loved ones, it’s not necessarily a physical place, more of an emotional one.”

Et c’est fini!

Alabama, Arkansas,
I do love my ma and pa,
Not the way that I do love you.

Holy, Moley, me, oh my,
You're the apple of my eye,
Girl I've never loved one like you.

Man oh man you're my best friend,
I scream it to the nothingness,
There ain't nothing that I need.

Well, hot and heavy, pumpkin pie,
Chocolate candy, Jesus Christ,
Ain't nothing please me more than you.

Ahh Home. Let me come home
Home is wherever I'm with you.
Ahh Home. Let me go ho-oh-ome.
Home is wherever I'm with you.

La, la, la, la, take me home.
Mother, I'm coming home.

I'll follow you into the park,
Through the jungle through the dark,
Girl I never loved one like you.

Moats and boats and waterfalls,
Alley-ways and pay phone calls,
I've been everywhere with you.

We laugh until we think we’ll die,
Barefoot on a summer night
Nothin’ new is sweeter than with you

And in the streets you run afree,
Like it's only you and me,
Geeze, you're something to see.

Ahh Home. Let me go home.
Home is wherever I'm with you.
Ahh Home. Let me go ho-oh-ome.
Home is wherever I'm with you.

La, la, la, la, take me home.
Daddy, I'm coming home.

(Talking)
Jade.
Alexander.
Do you remember that day you fell outta my window?
I sure do, you came jumping out after me.
Well, you fell on the concrete, nearly broke your ass, you were bleeding all over the place and I rushed you out to the hospital, you remember that?
Yes I do.
Well there's something I never told you about that night.
What didn't you tell me?
While you were sitting in the backseat smoking a cigarette you thought was gonna be your last, I was falling deep, deeply in love with you, and I never told you til just now.

Ahh Home. Let me go home.
Home is wherever I'm with you.
Ahh Home. Let me go ho-oh-ome.
Home is where I'm alone with you.

Home. Let me come home.
Home is wherever I'm with you.

Ahh home. Yes I am ho-oh-ome.
Home is when I'm alone with you.

Alabama, Arkansas,
I do love my ma and pa...
Moats and boats and waterfalls,
Alley-ways and pay phone calls...

Ahh Home. Let me go home.
Home is wherever I'm with you.
Ahh Home. Let me go ho-oh-ome.
Home is where I'm alone with you...




Sunday, October 24, 2010

Tighten Up; The Black Keys

"Tighten Up" is the first single from The Black Keys album, Brothers, released on May 18, 2010. Dan Auerbach told The Sun how this song came about: "That was the last song we did for the record. We had a couple of days off and so did Brian (Danger Mouse) and since we are friends and like hanging out with each other we thought it would be fun to go into the studio and see if we could come up with a tune. We always have a blast when the three of us get together." "Tighten Up" has been liscensed to appear in the video game FIFA 11, the television program Gossip Girl, and a Subaru commercial. The song has become the most successful Black Keys single in America, being only their second charting song and reaching number 2 on the Alternative Songs chart.


The original music video for the song was a low budget clip starring a puppet dinosaur named Frank who is standing beside a plant. The video shows him dancing and miming the words a little, whilst subtitles go on explaining different facts about the video, the band, and Frank; e.g. "Frank has a profile on eharmony.com..." "He is a puppet, not a real dinosaur." This goes along the same direction of using sort of "obvious" or "simple" ways to say things like the album cover does; e.g. "This is a song by the Black Keys" "It's from an album called Brothers", etc.

The official music video was released on May 18, 2010. It shows Auerbach and his fictional son walking to the park. Auerbach sits next to Carney on a bench while their fictional sons play with toy trucks. Auerbach's son look up on the playground to see a little girl, after which he starts to lip sync to the song. He climbs up on the playground and goes in to kiss her but then he opens his eyes to realize Carney's son has lured her away. After he attempts to kiss her, Auerbach's son begins to fight with Carney's son. After Auerbach and Carney attempt to break the fight up in vain, they see the mother of the girl and begin to fight like their sons. They hit each other using mostly Carney's drumset and after the woman sees them fighting, she walks away. Their sons come to them looking at them disappointedly.*


I wanted love, I needed love
Most of all, most of all
Someone said "True Love" was dead
But I'm bound to fall
Bound to fall for you
Oh what can I do?

Take my badge, but my heart remains
Loving you, baby child
Tighten up on your reigns, you're running wild
Running wild, it's true

Sick for days, so many ways
I'm aching now, I'm aching now
It's times like these, I need relief
Please show me how, oh show me how..
To get right
Yeah it's all the side

When I was young, and moving fast,
Nothing slowed me down, oh slowed me down
Now I let the others pass
I've come around, oh come around
Cause I found

Living just to keep going
Going just to be sane
All the while I know
It's such a shame
I don't need to get steady
I know just what to feel
Telling me to be ready, my dear