Roll away your stone - Mumford and sons

Hey people, it's me again! Double post tonight, but this time it's live!! Finally! I'm on the train back to Milan after a very very intense 10 days. I must say this collection of trips has been a "crescendo", from good to better to awesome! France was very nice, even if the forum of culture that I attended has not been particularly insightful. Then Dublin, I've been willing to go there for a long time and was glad to finally have the chance to! And then I visited some very cool companies and also took a trip by myself in the area around the city, very cool, I really needed to travel a little bit alone again. And finally Rome, awesome! Last night was much fun, kind of the final reunion of one of our university classes. Today, just when it was snowing everywhere in the north, we took a fantastic walk to St. Peter and then up on Gianicolo hill, where we had a breath-taking view of the city under a warm sun. What more? It was enough for me to definitely fall in love with the eternal city. So I am having now very mixed feelings: on the one side I'm glad to be finally home, on the other today I had such an amazing time that I was really sad it is over! Anyway, no time for recollection now, as I have lots of work to do at home! I'll just leave you with the Mumford guys, I don't know why I had them in my mind at the beginning of this train trip, but I think I'm definitely falling in love with their first album too, kind of a while after I listened to it for the last time. It is actually called "Sigh no more", kind of in tune with my feelings! Long post already, I'll stop here. I'll be back tomorrow with a new song, stay tuned and enjoy your saturday night!

Counting stars - OneRepublic

Hey guys! I know you've been getting a steady flow of posts, but it's been a while since I "physically" wrote my last post. I am now spending my last night in Dublin, even if this post is going to come out when I'm heading home from Rome. Today I took the chance of my free day to do a nice trip outside the city to visit a castle and a small town on the sea north of Dublin. It's been really nice to get out of the city for a while. Back to music, today I definitely had the proof that I am really close to Irish music taste! There are a few songs which have been actually been following me during my trip. One of them is Counting stars, my most liked tune out of OneRepublic's last album Native. See you tomorrow with (finally) fresh live content! Enjoy your sat night!

Dress - PJ Harvey

More PJ on the way! Here we are, almost at the end of my trips, week of heaven / week of hell! Tomorrow I'm (hopefully) gonna be back, tired as never before this year, but hopefully very satisfied! I'll for sure share with you some of the best moments of my journeys, but for the time being you have to be satisfied with music. Good music. This is the first track that got people inside the music industry notice PJ Harvey and it is also one of the best tracks of her whole career in my opinion. I really can't stop shaking and dancing: put on your dresses and get ready for the weekend!

Rock DJ - Robbie Williams

Posts overload for me! I'm just joking, but it has in fact been hard to prepare all these posts in advance, even more in such a high stress period such as this! Anyway, I am practically done with this one and I must say I'm pretty satisfied with the result of my programming. My super-busy 10 days of travelling have almost come to an end by now: I have just come to Rome from Dublin and tomorrow is the last important day, we have been having the presentation of our group-work and then I will finally be able to relax (just the thought of it makes me feel good, even if I still have to leave!). My inspiration was just running dry when Robbie stumbled at the top of my Facebook homepage and it didn't sound like a bad idea at all to put this one on. Energetic friday needed here, can we please have some rock DJ?

Isobel - Dido

This is another song that I get really attached to in this time of year, when winter is approaching fast... actually it's the whole album that exercises an influence on me. It's one of the albums of my childhood, one that contains few of my all-time favourites. We go back to 1999 and I am talking about No angel, by Dido. This song is probably not the one I love the most on the album, but it is for sure the one that every november calls me, taps me on the shoulder and reminds me that it is there, with the whole album, for me to listen to and feel a little warmer in the cold winter. So, well... thanks Isobel for keeping me company this year too.

Islands - The XX

These dark and cold days of winter are not at all good for my mood. While waiting for my metheoropathy to disappear (pretty unlikely), or better for the next good season to come (still a looong way to go), one of the few things that bring me comfort is listening to great music that sounds even better in these gloomy times. And what better than the XX for that? Very little I'd say!

Fitzpleasure - Alt-J

I already introduced you to Alt-j (the ∆ guys) a few days ago. Their An awesome wave has been one of the most critically appreciated albums of 2012, so you definitely have to check it out, if you haven't already! This is another one of my favourites by the Leeds based band, Fitzpleasure! In the meanwhile my adventures in Dublin should be going on! Stay tuned for more news songs coming soon!

Just my imagination - The Cranberries

Wow, that's getting harder and harder! Now (when I'm writing) I am ready to leave for France, this is one of the last posts I am programming! But now (when this is up) I should already be in Dublin! It's really weird to think about this lag! Anyway, is there a better way to celebrate my first trip to Ireland than a song by my favourite band, which is also coming from Ireland? I don't think so! So have a happy sunday and enjoy one of my most beloved songs ever (and one of the greatest successes of the late 90s)! It's not my imagination, this is Ireland!

I'm good I'm gone - Lykke Li

Well guys, hello! This is an unplanned post for this period! I am now on the train back home from my few days in Avignon. It has been at some points interesting but overall I had higher expectations for this experience. I tried not to tire myself too much, as tomorrow I'm leaving again. So, well, I was on the train, just awake from a short sleep and a song came to my mind - I don't know why. And that's it, I kind of felt the urge to post some "fresh" and live content up here too. Obviously it's only relatively fresh, as I don't have internet now (I'm writing on the notes applications, how sad). I hope I'll be able to get this post through at Geneva's station, where we're switching to another train. See ya!

Wake up - Alanis Morissette

Usually changing the tune for my wake-up call is not something that happens very often, it is kind of a delicate step for me... in the end the way you start your day impacts all the rest of it! Yet my last one my not really satisfactory, I must say, so I made up my mind and decided to change it pretty soon. I wasn't really sure about what I should pick next, then browsing through the songs I have on my phone I stumbled on this and I realized it made perfect sense as a Wake-up call!
Back to Milan tonight, but just for a stop-and-go! One down, now looking forward to Dublin, it's just a few hours away (hopefully)!

Jackie's strenght - Tori Amos

22.11.1963: 50 years ago US President John Fitzgerald Kennedy was assassinated while parading through the ways of Dallas. His wife Jacqueline was next to him in the moment he was shot and stayed close to him in the moments right after. Jacqueline Kennedy has always been acknowledged not only for her style and elegance, but also for her strength, for how she "held the country together after she watched her husband get cut down in front of her", to say it in the words of Tori Amos. The American singer-songwriter dedicated her song Jackie's Strength to the famous First Lady. The choice of Jackie as the theme of the song, which also refers to the assassination ("shots rung out, the police came"), is about Tori's personal doubts around the idea of marriage. She says: "I saw Jackie as a bride - and I used to think I would never be a bride." Tori portrays a cynical and pessimistic view on marriage, implicitly referring to how JFK has been unfaithful to Jackie and how she still maintained her dignity and grace, but also singing about how she was keeping herself for a boyfriend who promised to marry her and who was sleeping with the bridesmaids in the meanwhile. There are also references to anorexia
("you're only popular with anorexia"), to virginity ("virgins always get backstage, no matter what they've got to say") and to dark times in life in general. Tori hopes she will be as strong as Jackie in enduring the burdens of life and I think this lesson is a great takeaway from this moment of recollection.

Joan of Arc - Arcade Fire

Originally another post was programmed for my arrival in Avignon, but things happen and due to some circumstances I had to publish that sooner. But don't worry, you'll get something good too! I'm actually not gonna get very far from the original idea: this is Joan of Arc, another one of my favourite songs out of Arcade Fire's new album. As many of the others, it's pretty long and it takes time to be liked (in my opinion). Yet, give it the benefit of some 5 plays and it'll grow into you, I swear, and very soon its fire will burn inside of you even brighter than the one that burned poor Joan!

[Unfortunately there is no decent quality video on YouTube for now, so I'll just leave you the link to a funny fan video on vimeo]

Catapult - R.E.M.

Hey guys! Something a little weird is going to start from now on! It gets weirder and weirder the more I think about it, so I'll just explain it briefly and forget about it! I will reveal one of the little tricks digital marketers and bloggers have up their sleeves nowadays (nothing that most of you won't know already): the posts scheduling! Yes, that's it. I confess. I am kind of compelled to resort to that function. Actually, today a hell/heaven of a (little more than a) week is starting for me. By the time this comes out, I will (hopefully) be in Lyon, France, and then tomorrow I will head towards Avignon, where I will take part to the forum for culture & power. I hope it's gonna be a wonderful experience! And more exciting things are gonna keep me "chained" until the end of the month, so I am planning my posts in advance as I don't know if I will ever have time to post "live"! We start this experiment with, as usual, a little revival. They are one of the greatest bands of the last century, this is their first album and this is one of the songs on it I like the most! I feel I am gonna be catapulted in this very intense week, what about you?

Rocky road to Dublin - The Dubliners

Today's post is another request! One of my group mates complained that she didn't know any of the songs I posted, so I asked her what she does like and I tried to find a common ground! This is as close as it gets. Directly from the great soundtrack of the Sherlock Holmes movie, here is the tune that is playing in the background of my favourite scene of the movie! Moreover, I am ready to start my 10 days of travelling and, even if my first destination isn't Dublin, I will aim at the rocky road to it in a very few days! So some changes are coming in starting tomorrow, you'll see! Stay tuned!

Coyote - Joni Mitchell

A few months ago I started my long (long) journey of knowledge into Joni Mitchell's discography. Even though I must say I'm not utterly in love with all of her work, there are for sure some bits and pieces definitely worth looking into! This is one of the songs I like more out of the last album I've listened to (Hejira), it's not very up-tempo, but it's perfect for some background music!

Intimate colours - Nathalie

New concert tonight! Today is the turn of Nathalie, the Italo-Belgian singer/songwriter I already introduced you to a few days ago. I have seen her with a couple of friends two years ago and it's been a very nice gig! Tonight my friend G. is coming with me again, and even though we both are not really keen on her new work, we hope we'll be able to enjoy the show anyway! This is one of my favs out of her first album. Enjoy your night!

There is a light that never goes out - The Smiths

New day, new story. A couple weeks ago (maybe even more) I was going around Mondadori, one of Milan's main multimedia stores, looking for a CD to buy as a present for a friend. Obviously I couldn't resist giving a look around for myself too! In the end I didn't find any super-good discount on the CDs I have on my wish-list, yet I found what I still believe has been a good deal: a collection of the Smiths, some 40 songs for 10€. Premise: I had never listened to any of their songs (except maybe for the soundtrack of "500 Days of Summer"), but they were on my "to-listen-to-next" list, so it made sense to get some material in advance! I must confess I have not had much time to devote to them already, but I already got one of (I believe) their most famous tunes, and now I'll share it with you! Have a great saturday night!

A place called home (live @ Lamacq) - PJ Harvey

I really feel the need to share a PJ song today, don't know which one yet, so give me one moment to decide.... no, I actually know. I'm ready! Good, I'll share with you a beautiful, beautiful version of one of my favourite songs ever. This is A Place Called Home live @ Lamacq in 2001, right after the release of her Mercury Prize winning album Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea. I'm really totally in love with this song, just think that it contains the only lyrics I would ever consider for a sentence-tattoo at this point in life.

Hereunder you can find the as much beautiful official video:

9-9 - R.E.M.

It happens that you listen to these songs, you kind of like them but then for some reason (other songs on the album capture the most of your attention, you don't devote too much attention to the whole album, ...) you don't really focus on them. And then, after a (long) while it happens that it comes back. And that's it. That's what happened with this one. I have almost completed my process of listening to the whole discography of R.E.M., but I casually went back to listening to their debut album, Murmur, and I realised there are some songs on it that I remembered quite well, even if I didn't listen much to them. So that's my choice for today!

99 red baloons - Nena

Lately I have been pretty busy (let's say stressed out, to be more precise!) with groupworks for university. I think my life is kind of revolving around them these days, but whatever... I will survive! Me and my group for one of these projects have decided to launch a questionnaire to gather some data and last night, the last thing I did before going to sleep, has been checking how many answers we got so far. There were 99. Suddenly my mind made the not-so-straight-forward association to this song, and it seemed unfair not to post it, so there it is!

Young and beautiful - Lana del Rey

I have been having issues with the musical taste if my neighbours for a few year now, I must say. What I really find it hard to bear is the obsessiveness they have for a single song, like playing it over and over for whole days, I mean, come on! At least a whole album, but I'm getting somehow paranoid myself! Anyway, I must say my liking of their taste has slightly improved over time; actually the last song they have been obsessed with is this one, which I must say I listened to a lot too. I mean, I probably have listened to it more due to their will than due to mine, but whatever. After some weeks of pause, this morning I woke up again to it and I decided I would share it with you too!

Normal person - Arcade Fire

I've been having a few issues with this damn CD, I pre-ordered 3 copies (for me and my friends) and I only got one! Hope the distributors will remedy to their lack of efficiency soon! Besides that, I dare say that Arcade Fire's new work is pretty hard to digest but pretty satisfactory (when digested!). It often happens (to me at least) that at the beginning I found hard-to-love many of my (now) favourite albums. So maybe this is a good sign for Reflektor! Anyway, one of the songs that I digested pretty quickly is this one; maybe you can digest it pretty quickly too (it's even live!), who knows?

Made of glass - KT Tunstall

2013 has been pretty stingy with respect to brand new music for me... I personally have been pretty busy catching up with some older stuff and I didn't get the chance to explore widely what new offers were around. I dare say that probably the offer has not been very rich either, probably... just a lack both of demand and supply! Anyway, one of the few CDs from this year that I devoted a good amount of attention to is KT Tunstall's new Invisible Empire // Crescent Moon, and I must say that I didn't waste my time. Unlike the previous albums, her last work lacks practically any rock and dynamic sound; rather it is a very calm, easy-listening and atmosphere record. Nonetheless it is appreciable, even more in these times of heavy dance and disco everywhere. It never hurts to have a relaxing record for winter times! This is Made of Glass, the new single whose video has been released a few hours ago!

EDIT: The video is now regularly up! Cheers!

There must be an angel (playing with my heart) - Eurythmics

Today's inspiration came from under the shower: I was listening to the playlist of a CD I burned a a few Xmases ago for my friends (I know, November's just begun, but it's never too early for Xmas!). And suddenly, as soon as I started going da-da-bee-doo-be-da-boo-da aaaah aaah, I realised it was a good pick for my blog. I don't think I have to introduce you to one of the greatest rock voices of the late 20th century, Ms. Annie Lennox, nor to one of the Eurythmics' best-known successes, so enjoy your sunday night!

Let's have a kiki - Scissor Sisters

Ok, I knew this would happen sooner or later! I skipped a day, my bad (actually one of the two posts from the day before can compensate I'd say!!). Anyway.
I was driving back home after a pleasant night with my friends and I was letting my ipod's shuffle mode to choose some good music for me. And in the end I got this. I couldn't resist. I don't care. I mean, I usually don't care about what other people think of what I do when I'm in the car dancing and singing and everything, even less so when it's almost 2 AM! And so, that's it! I immediately found the good one for my back up post. 'Cause, I just realized, they have not been up here yet. But that's it. The time has come for a good kiki, so follow the instructions and get ready to have the most marvelous party!

Something good - Alt-J

Tonight I have to call into question my dearest friend B. again. She introduced me to the two albums I have been listening to (and loving) the most this year. The first was xx, which has already been mentioned in one of the first posts. The other one, well... I'll mention it now, as I have ended up listening to it somehow casually a handful of minutes ago. I am talking about An awesome wave, the Mercury-prize-winning debut album of the British quartet Alt-j (stylised as ∆). I really feel unable to find words to describe its beauty, so I can only strongly suggest you should listen to it all! This is the first one I've fallen in love with, which I got to know with the (I suppose) demo name of "Estocada", but which is commonly known as Something good. And it really is something good.

Parole forti - Nathalie

Well, today I'm gonna do something pretty unusual for this blog, i.e. I'm gonna feature a song in Italian. Yes, Italian is my mother-tongue, Italy my home country but I must say I'm not a huge fan of Italian music (at all). There are very few IT singers I really love and Nathalie is one of them: she is a half Italian / half Belgian singer-songwriter who won the Italian version of X-Factor in 2010. Unlike most of the "talents" taking part to the program, she was already a professional singer and composer (she was the only competitor presenting a fresh new song written by herself for the finals). Her pop/rock style is inspired by some of the great female singer/composers such as Tori Amos, Joni Mitchell and PJ Harvey. She sings in Italian, English and even French sometimes; recently she released her second album and this one is coming directly out of it!

The tide is high - Blondie

Pff, I made it in time today too! Almost risked of not being in time for the "daily" post! Ok, I almost came here with no idea for the post of today, and in the end I found myself struggling between two songs, so one will have to wait until tomorrow. Now I'm gonna give you something that has been "tormenting" me all day long. This morning at lecture a classmate of mine was humming this song and it stuck to my head. Later I found out that she was actually thinking about a cover, but I wasn't; I was thinking about Blondie's version (which is a cover itself actually), but this is the version that brought the song to international fame, so, well... enjoy!

No light no light - Florence + the Machine

Lots of revelations in these days! I realised just now that another one of my favourite and beloved artists has not been featured here yet, so I'll promptly fix the issue!
This is the girl for whom I've travelled 500 miles and more (actually 1392 miles, wow!). The girl who I am laying most of my hopes in for great music in the future. The girl who seems to speak with words that are not my own but that are perfectly able to describe what I'm feeling. I don't think she needs any more presentations or acclaim. This is Florence Welch with her Machine in one of their most epic creations, No light no light!

All and everyone - PJ Harvey

I was writing PJ Harvey's bio+discography for my "Singers profiles" album on the Facebook page of the blog (check it out here!) and I just realised I still didn't post any PJ song on the blog, shame on me! Now, the problem was, what to choose among the huge amount of great music she wrote, produced and sang? Big problem. Well, problem solved. I'm gonna pick a song that lately has been particularly significant to me, I don't know why yet, but hopefully I'll find out soon enough! All and everyone is featured on her last album, Let England shake, and refers back to the Battle for Gallipoli (wikipedia here). You can find more info about the inspiration for the song here.

She drives me crazy - Fine young cannibals

New girl, season 2 finale: a good chance to get back to a song that I have been knowing since I was little (methinks) and that I had already been exposed to recently; yet I didn't get the chance to save it in my library. Now I've done it, and I'm happy! In the end, we all have somebody or something driving us crazy, for one reason or another!

Little earthquakes - Tori Amos

New post, new song! Today I have to be real quick, so let's pick a great song and let's not think too much about it. This is one of my favourite songs ever, out of my favourite album ever (together with Bury the Hatchet by The Cranberries), that is Little Earthquakes. Little earthquakes is also the name of the song. Remember that you can check out the biography + discography of my favourite artists on the Facebook page of the blog (here), look for the Singers profiles album (it's still work in progress!). Have a great beginning of the new week!

Lisztomania - Phoenix

Today I was watching on Youtube a video of the Seattle Rock Orchestra young members last year's summer performance. The choice of the songs was one of the things I particularly liked and this one was among them. So, what a good occasion to pick up again one of the albums I've been listening to the most this year! This is one of favs out of it, so get to know the Phoenix if you still don't!

Wisemen - James Blunt

Wisemen - James Blunt

Today I was driving home with my playlist of my favourite songs from the 2000s in the background and I obviously decided I would pick one of them for my post of today. After a little bit of indecision I picked up one of the first songs whose lyrics I learned by heart, i.e. Wisemen. After the big boom of High and You're Beautiful, in spring 2006 James Blunt re-released the song and it was one of the hits of the following summer, besides being my favourite song of his.

Thriller - Michael Jackson

Ok people, it's halloween night and I got a request (hello there E.!) so I really really think I can't help it! At the risk of falling into the banal, a risk I don't really think I'm running here, I would dare say that the suggestion has been pretty appropriate! In the end, tonite it's all about monsters, scary things and the such. So, all I can say is enjoy your thriller night (or the day after..!)