Two steps, twice - Foals (live @ Reading 2010)

Two steps, twice - Foals (live @ Reading 2010)

Ok, getting back to the real world from Foals' concert last night has been relatively easy because my stupid iPod wouldn't work today in the car and we couldn't play their songs again on the drive back home, so we had to listen to other music... yet I realised I still hadn't posted this song and, once again, I feel compelled to do so. I've been watching live performances of it on YouTube as, great as the album version is, I think the energy level is completely different when they perform it live. They've been using it as a show-closer for as long as I can remember, and how can I blame them?! Ending a rock concert with this crazy stuff leaves you both in medias res and also as accomplished as can be. I don't think it's a feeling I can describe with words... just take a look at this, then go listen to Foals, learn the song, go to a concert of theirs if you have the chance and you'll know just what the f I'm writing about!!! Cheers!

Lonely hunter - Foals

Lonely hunter - Foals

The time has come, I am excited, tonight I'm going to see Foals play live in Milan, same lineup as last time (with my friend A.)!! I'm really happy about it, can't wait! I am excited about it, I've been singing this song in my head (and also aloud) for days and I think it's appropriate for me to post it now.

[concert]

What an experience once again, so awesome! Will tell you more about it tomorrow, now I'll go to sleep!!

Give it all - Foals

Give it all - Foals

My next concert is getting closer and closer and it's Foals time again! I remember how a few weeks after I started the blog (it was a couple of years ago I think) I started posting a string of Foals posts around the time of the concert. I can't promise this won't happen again, rather... brace yourselves as you might see them quite a lot on here in the next few days! I started immersing myself in their music a few days ago and now I feel like I can't get out of it, not that I'm complaining about it at all! No big news about the rest of my life, the big events are yet to come!

#yearinmusic A song or two per day - Best song of 2015

Happy new year, you all people who follow the Gregorian calendar! I hope this 2016 will bring you (and us all) joy, happy moments and even more great music than last year!

Best song 2015

Here I am once again giving the last look back at this beautiful 2015 in music, this time looking at singles / songs. And this time too, there has been no contest. This past year was the time when I reached 100 plays for the first and only of all the songs that I started listening to from 2012 on, i.e. The XX's 'Crystalized' (which I started listening to in 2013). A few days later I reached 100 plays for a song that was released in mid-2015. And that is my song o the year, without ANY doubt. I'm talking about Florence + the Machine of course, and the song is 'Delilah', a beautiful masterpiece off their new album. I have fallen in love with this song immediately after it's been released, a few days before the whole album came out last June. I have no words to describe just how strong the connection with this song is and how quickly it built up. I will just give it its well deserved 1st place and go on!

Runner-ups (Best song 2015)

I decided to make a ranking of the best 10 songs of 2015 because there have been soo many great
ones! Some of them were released in (late) 2014, but they are all pretty recent!


10 - Mountain at my gates (Foals)
9 - I put a spell on you (Annie Lennox)
8 - Failure (The Ting Tings)
7 - The blackest day (Lana del Rey)
6 - Queen of peace (Florence + the Machine)
5 - Dream (Imagine Dragons)
4 - How big, how blue, how beautiful (Florence + the Machine)
3 - I'm so sorry (Imagine Dragons)
2 - London thunder (Foals)
1 - Delilah (Florence + the Machine)

I hope you can somehow relate to this ranking, please comment with your personal favourites of this past year!! I'll be back soon!

#yearinmusic A song or two per day - Best album of 2015

Best album 2015

It usually takes me a little while for me to get ready and make this kind of decisions... the best album of the whole year, it's not so easy to say most of the time! In a year like 2014 the fight has been tight till the end... this year instead the winner was already kind of expected and what can I say... it even exceeded the expectations. I think I haven't been feeling any music as strongly as I did with 'How big, how blue, how beautiful' for at least 3-4 years. So many great songs on it, there's just a couple that I have not been overly excited about, but it happened with previous Florence + the Machine albums too. This doesn't take anything away from the greatness of their music, from the reverence that I rightfully devote to this woman and her fellow musicians. Their music is a perfect example of the incredible effect that music can have on our lives and of the reason why I started writing this blog. I cannot be thankful enough to them for sharing their art and work with us.

Runner-ups (Best album 2015)

But 2015 has been indeed a great year for music not only thanks to F+tM. There has been plenty of other albums that I've felt strongly and which have left a mark on me. Among others, I need to mention Kodaline, Of Monsters and Men, Carmen Consoli and Leona Lewis. Yet two albums in particular have been one step above the others to me, and (be it a coincidence or not), they are by artists that I have recently seen / will see in the next future live in concert. The first one in chronological order is Imagine Dragons' sophomore 'Smoke + mirrors', through which they absolutely confirmed of being one of the greatest new bands around: great music once again and a big following, I foresee a bright future for them and I'm happy about it. The other album, which would've probably won this year's contest if it weren't for Florence, is Foals' 'What went down'. I have been utterly in love with their 2013 'Holy fire' and I think that this new work is almost (if not) on the same level with it! Their songs have been the (only) ones able to make me detach from HBHBHB a few weeks after it came out, so thanks to them for putting a stop to my obsession (and giving me a whole new one)!! I really can't wait to see them live next month!

A few words about a couple of disappointments: Mumford & Sons and Lana del Rey. I have absolutely loved the Mumfords' first two albums, but I can't really process this new stuff they have put out... I just found a couple good songs on their album and that's it. I have completely forgotten about the rest. For Lana the situation is not very different: I have absolutely loved 'Ultraviolence' and I really had high expectations about 'Honeymoon', expectations that were mostly unmet. I know her music always takes a while to get under my skin, but a while has passed and I have only been able to feel some 4-5 songs (to be optimistic) on the whole album. Maybe she should have waited a little longer, anyway let's see if my relationship with it will change next year.

This is all for 2015, I can just say goodbye to this awesome year in music with the hope for many, many more like it in the future!

Bye!

Albatross - Foals

Albatross - Foals

There has been a period a few weeks ago when I've been a little obsessed with this song, but - I don't know why - I didn't find the right chance to post it here. I must confess that the review I had read of Foals' new album as soon as it came out was not excellent, so maybe my expectations were not that high, but all in all I haven't been disappointed at all. Actually I found myself listening to their whole discography quite often lately, and their last album merges quite well within it, with some songs even standing out. This one... it's not one of my favourites off 'What went down' but I've always felt a weird connection with it, that kind of weird connection I happen to feel with songs that are not my favs but that somehow speak to me, usually after very few listens... I wouldn't know how to explain it better, weird connections between me and music!!

London thunder - Foals

London thunder - Foals

It's really unbelievable how I haven't posted this song yet...! I've been in love with it for weeks now, it's probably the song that I've felt the most since the excitement for Florence's new album came out a few months ago. I will underline again how Foals have done, once again, a very good job in my opinion with their new album. I think that (maybe) their 2013 'Holy fire' is a small step up, but I wouldn't dare say that I am disappointed by the new album, rather...! The two opening singles are both great and I consumed them both, and out of the other songs on the album, which I rank between like and love, this is by far the best. Amazing atmosphere, it sounds just great and makes you fly to another dimension. Makes me fly, at least. Sometimes I can't stop listening to it, so approach it but be careful: it's addictive!

Night swimmers - Foals

Night swimmers - Foals

For the second week in a row I went swimming on Wednesday, when the pool opens at 21.00 for free swimming, I'm still not sure I figured out the whole dinner thing well enough, today I ate a "late merenda" just before 7 when I got back from work and then ate dinner (+ okashi) afterwards, like until a few minutes ago. I guess I'm gonna have to stay up for a while still to get everything go down. Today was also our first day in the new office, which is way less worse than I expected! Tomorrow I'm gonna head to the HQ to talk about my situation, so I hope I'm gonna know something more about it soon. In the meantime I'll keep enjoying my night-swimmer life!

A knife in the ocean - Foals

A knife in the ocean - Foals

Hey there, sorry for missing another post yesterday, but I have been... ehm, busy! I'll make it up for you! I have completed a new playlist, which is composed by an impressive 24 songs, so that means a lot of materials that is going directly from my ears to yours! But for now I'm picking out of the last remnants of my playlist n°13 of 2015, in particular from an album that I ended up loving quite a lot (this has been happening quite often this year!), even if some songs on it still haven't found their way into me. I guess that I don't need to make any introduction on Foals, so I'll just leave you with the music, get to study some Japanese and then leave the office and aim for the pool! Have a good evening (or whatever)!

Birch tree - Foals

Birch tree - Foals

Hello again my dear followers, I'm sorry for missing out another post yesterday, but I had my good reasons for being busy! Another work week is coming to an end, I still have no news about my future even if stuff is supposed to be happening in these very days and I hope to know more soon...! The idea of driving home tonight is getting on me, but it feels like the longest time since I last were home (it was less than 2 weeks ago actually). I will have a couple of not-very-young passengers and I don't think I'm gonna have a big chance of listening to music, but I wanna share with you a song out of current playlist: I am really liking Foals' new work, even I still haven't had the chance to listen to it much. I hope I'll be able to focus on it better in the near future! Happy weekend to you all!

Stepson - Foals

Stepson - Foals

It might seem weird for me to post a song out of Foals' 2013 'Holy fire' while they have just released a new album (which I'm listening to and liking quite a lot), but that's it. They have been my soundtrack for the drive of today, at least until I took on a girl for the second half of the way. Of course I've been enjoying the music, I found myself listening to Foals quite often lately, and I'm falling mroe and more in love with their songs, if possible. Their third album, the above-mentioned 'Holy fire', is the one that keeps growing and growing inside of me, even if I love it a lot (like, a lot!) already! (I mean, it just won the Mercury prize in 2013...)! And then I've been having the lyrics "Step out, aching stepson..." ringing in my head all day, so I didn't have to think too much about what to post today! I hope your week started well!!

Moon - Foals

Moon (live at KEXP) - Foals

I was already more than halfway through posting another song (right after not wanting to post today/night and then changing my mind, because it doesn't make sense to have a personal blog and not to write anything on it the nights you find yourself seating in your car, staring at the moon and thinking about the meaning of life! Ok, then I went on to listen to this song on repeat three times laying on my bed in the dark AND also going to listen to the song that I'm gonna post (I was gonna say tomorrow but I'm forgetting that tonite was not saturday, saturday is now, so tomorrow would actually be correct!) for the sunday revival post! Loads of inspiration tonight, as I finally started finding some life in Veneto, there are bars, there are people who are outside at night! I've finally been a witness of that! And then there's people (like me) who even when they go out in the "nightlife" (and maybe even more so), then get back home and start thinking about the meaning of life, staring at the beautiful, beautiful night sky! Of course with a most appropriate soundtrack, as this one is! Especially in this beautiful live version on KEXP I just found out about!

Mountain at my gates - Foals

Mountain at my gates - Foals

I'm so glad I haven't posted this song yet, as I can do it now! And today's the right day! I'm so in love with this one, even if I haven't listened to it too much so far. I can't wait for Foals' new album, as the material they released in advance is pretty good! And this one in particular, I'm in love with it and I get all turned up every time it starts playing! The video is very cool too, I suggest you should go watch it (and interact with it, most importantly)!! This song gives me a good charge, and it's just what I need on a gloomy and rainy monday that represented my going back to work after two weeks of summer vacation! I hope it can be of help to you too!

What went down - Foals

What went down - Foals

Hello my dear readers (or should I say sa-wad-dee-krap?), this year my sicknees feels like it's never going away, and I'm almost tired of feeling pissed, I'm moving towards resignation... I really don't know what's wrong with me and my getting temperatures all over the place when I travel by plane, I understand that the air in an aeroplane is not the best and healthiest around, but come on...! Yesterday I almost fainted during a factory visit, today I decided to stay in the hotel and rest, and even if my fever is not strong (in the mid 37s°C), I have been feeling an annoying headache and diffused malaise. I still don't know what I'm gonna be doing tomorrow, but I hope I can muster up my strength and go to work, as it is a pity to travel so far away and then waste time in the hotel... anyway, apart from my problems, I want to share with you the brand new song that Foals just released in anticipation of their new, coming album! What went down... for the time being, I went down! I hope that soon enough it's gonna be my illness to go down!

Bad habit - Foals

Bad habit - Foals

Hello my dear followers!! I am in Bangkok again, and oh my my, what a... I don't even know how many hours it has been! On saturday I have taken a super intense and super rewarding trip around Veneto: first I climbed up Monte Grappa, the worst road I've ever driven, to reach the cemetery-like monument that lays at the top to remember the soldiers who died during World War 1. It's an amazing place, with an immense power, totally worth the harsh way there! Then I went to Bassano del Grappa, a very nice town at the foot of the mount with a famous wooden bridge. I stopped in a very very nice bar close to the bridge to eat a couple of small sandwiches, and then on the road again to Possagno, to visit the Gipsoteca of the famous sculptor Antonio Canova, where you can visit his home and his study, with a collection of the stamps of his most renowned works of art, an amazing place too! Final stop has been Asolo, another nice little town at the top of a hill/mount (again), hard to reach, but very nice to roam around in. The highlight of the town is an old fortress at the very top of a mountain, which I went to with the very last energies I had left in me, and it has been very rewarding, as you can see from the picture I am attaching to this post. Finally I drove to Treviso to collect a colleague of mine and to Venice airport to catch a flight to Abu Dhabi, and finally to here! Notwithstanding everything, I'm very happy about my bad habit of going to the end of one thing when I'm determined to do it, not minding what all the people say: it's the time when the adventures happen and when the stories to tell are built! Now I just wanna sleep, pity that I have to wake up in about 7 hours already, I don't know how I'm gonna make it!! Wish me luck!!

Big big love (fig.2) - Foals

Big big love (fig.2) - Foals

Given what I've been listening to this afternoon, I had to post either a Foster the People song or a Foals song. I was quite sure I had already posted this one, so when I found out I didn't (i.e. now) my mind has been made up and here we are! I have been an early (?) Foals fan thanks to the Fifa 09 soccer videogame, as their song 'Olympic airways' was featured on its soundtrack, and has always been one of my favourites. I then went on to listen to their debut album 'Antidotes', which features this beautiful 'Big big love (fig.2)' and their two subsequent releases, to then go to their concert in Milan... well, it seems like it was yesterday, so I'd dare say last year, but it might have been late 2013. Yeah it must, because I was in Exeter last year at the beginning of 2014. In late 2013 with my friend A. (who I've practically not seen since, gosh, time flies so fast, there's so many people I need to get back in contact with)!! Big big night (fig.1)!

Prelude - Foals

Prelude - Foals

I already had a couple of songs queueing up for being posted here, but well... when inspiration calls you can't say no! Today's been kind of a harsh day, my sore throat has worsened and I've been feeling a bit of temperature at times... it's so bad, I've been carrying this around since xmas, with ups and downs but it still hasn't left me! Well, it's not been a totally bad day, as we also had good news concerning the project I'm involved in and my future in the next months. I know, I've teased you enough, but I don't wanna disclose anything until I'm sure it's gonna be for real! The only thing I can tell you is that it's about... moving abroad!! Once again! I really really can't wait! But, well... let's stop to today for the time being! I was driving to work with my Argentinean colleagues this morning, they got a new rental car which is pretty cool, with a last generation on-board-computer and stuff! They were playing some music by the Cure methinks, but one of the songs really reminded me of this one by Foals, so I went on to listen to them and well... to share them with you!

Inhaler - Foals

I know, I know, the greatest shame should be on me for leaving the blog to itself for the whole weekend, my sincerest apologies! It has been a very intense weekend, with a very nice trip to Stonehenge! We left with the train saturday at about lunchtime after trying in vain to rent a car. After

Inhaler - Foals

the bad start, the whole trip got a good vibe and we really enjoyed (yes, even the mini hail storm we got while walking around the circle of stones will remain stuck in my mind for ages to come)! I have not been listening to much music during the weekend, also I am late for the sundayrevival. Yet there is one song that came to my mind for no reason I can explain, and I thought about posting it sooner already. I remember flooding the blog with Foals songs just after I started it when I went to their concert and then, as promised, I stopped posting songs of theirs. Maybe I stopped for too long...! This is the one that came to my mind today in the train, so I'll share it with you and hope you will enjoy it! Have a good start of the week!

Late night - Foals

Wow, I'm still thrilled (and tired) by tonight's gig by Foals! It was very cool, they're so good! They didn't play many songs, but it's been very, very intense. I must say, I've been able to enjoy the quiet parts better, as I'm not really into pushing (even though some dancing has to happen!). So, I promise, this is gonna be the last Foals post (for a while, at least), but I have to celebrate this night, so "stay with me" and with Late night!

My number - Foals

Foals timeee!! I'm getting ready to get out for the concert, I really can't wait! Today I've been doing some kind of full-immersion into their music, here is one of my favs out of their last album! Enjoy!