Bad woman - Lykke Li

Countdown to 2019: -2

Bad woman - Lykke Li

In what might well (have) be(en) my favourite album of 2018 (if it weren't for Florence, that is), Lykke Li changed gears again, towards a genre that's not really my cup of tea, but that I ended up greatly enjoying. This end-of-summer I had the "pleasure" of going through a tough breakup at a tough time of year, while busy with an exam I spent the whole summer preparing, getting cut off by the person I needed the most... it hasn't been easy, but surprisingly I breezed through things much more lightly that I throught I would. As I told many people, I was ok in a moment when I should've been running naked and screaming in the streets pulling my hair. I've had my fair share of "bad womanhood", as my special one did, and as we all do at times, I guess. No one's perfect and relationships are hard work, and it takes two to tango. And tango takes a lot of effort, energy and dedication. It happens that the dance stops working, but when the dancers stop respecting each other, things are really not ok, even when they need each other more than they know, as Lykke suggests. And then, to close the year beautifully, she gifted us with this beautiful acoustic version. Sounds like an appropriate end of an intense and heartfelt 2018.

The end of love - Florence + the Machine

Countdown to 2019: -4

The end of love - Florence + the Machine

When I started these last (and first) five posts of end-of-2018, I already had in mind the five songs I planned to post. And here I am, on the second day, already posting something I hadn't planned to. Well, this seems like a good example of how life seldom goes the way we plan, and how it's important to be able to adapt to the flow sometimes. It's been a few years since Florence released a new album until 'High as hope' came out this summer. It took me a while to appreciate the new music, but I ended up being sold on it. As it often happens with F+tM's music, it ended up growing on me and I listened to some of the songs more and more in the later months of this year. This is one of them, one that I held particularly dear around the end of summer, when I was going through my own end of love, my problematic New York summer (indirectly), my ghosting and my (figurative) jump off the balcony (please don't jump from the balcony for real!). As usual, Florence speaks my life better than I can, even before events unfold. Can't wait to see her again live next March, hoping that after the end of love that came with 2018, new love will sparkle in 2019!

You got the love (live remix) - The XX feat. Florence Welch

You got the love (remix live) - The XX feat. Florence Welch

The first encounter I've had with The XX was in 2010 or 2011 when I approached their remix of one of my favourite songs ever, i.e. 'You got the love' by Florence + the Machine, and I was disgusted by that. That kept me far from them for a couple more years, when in 2013 I finally got close to them thanks to some friends' suggestions, and of course I could only regret letting so much time pass by without their music! Still, that 'You got the love' never met my taste, and I couldn't but be amazed about how two of my favourite bands could get together and create something that I found so hateful. The same feeling transferred through to my viewing of their live remix during the recent Night + Day event The XX organised in Brixton. Still, for how much the song didn't please me, their collaboration on the stage was magic, especially how Florence could remix her voice live even better than a DJ could do in a studio...! And that drew me to listen to the song again. And again. And again. And again. And again. And, well... I guess you understood by now what happened afterwards!

"You know it's real! I know, I know, You know it's real! Eh eh eh eh eh eh"

Rooting for you (live) - London Grammar

Rooting for you - London Grammar

2017 started with a musical boom, which took me almost a month to post, but finally here I am! London Grammar are about to release a new album in the coming weeks, and they previewed this song recorded live, which I also had the pleasure to listen to at Clockeflap a couple months ago. I still need to get into it completely, but I like the style, which is very London Grammar still, even more minimal if possible, so I'm very curious to listen to the rest of the new materials that are coming!!!
Now I'm getting ready for the next new year, which is gonna be in just a couple of days: Hong Kong and the whole of South East Asia are getting ready for the lunar new year, and so am I!

Morenita (live on KEXP) - Sotomayor

Morenita (live on KEXP) - Sotomayor

I don't think I need a further reason to share this song besides the (genius) band name, but well... I'm gonna give a couple: they have been playing live on KEXP, which is most often a guarantee of great music, and, well... their music is indeed great! I have fallen in love with a couple songs off their KEXP performance in particular, and after listening to their debut album, I would even dare say that the live sound is even better! So that's what I'm sharing with you, and if you think that chill-out / electronic music with a Mexican taste isn't for you, well... think again!

Bird set free (live on Ellen) - Sia

Bird set free (live on Ellen) - Sia

I just watched Sia play 'Bird set free' on Ellen DeGeneres's show, a song off her new album 'This is acting' that she pre-released a few weeks ago. Out of the three songs she pre-released this was probably the one that struck me the least, but I've liked it from the beginning anyway. After watching this live performance my love for it has immediately deepened. I have already given a few plays to 'This is acting' too and, even if it is not as incredible as its predecessor (for now), it's a very pleasurable listen and an album that cannot be overlooked, or rather "overlistened-to"!!

Low halo (live on KEXP) - Lemolo

Low halo (live on KEXP) - Lemolo

Once again I have to thank KEXP for getting me to know new artists: this time it's Lemolo's turn, they have immediately fascinated me with this beautiful song that they played live at the beginning of their recent visit to the Seattle-based radio. I guess you're gonna be seeing more of them here on the blog soon. I am writing now after a very long and very full but satisfying day: after waking up early, writing a couple of e-mails, talking on the phone with another university I have applied to, seeing a friend of mine get her Italian citizenship (she's from Albania but has lived here since she was like 2 years old), then a medical test, talking with somebody, back home for a shower, train to Milan, a dear friend's birthday and here I am! Hope I'm gonna take it easier tomorrow, but I already have some shopping, an aperitivo and a dinner planned... Milan stresses me out but I can't say I don't love how it fills up my life!

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!!

Without you (live on KEXP) - Junip

Without you - Junip

The year has almost come to an end and I wanna take a further chance to post music by what has been my favourite new discovery of 2015, i.e. Junip. After finally watching the Walter Mitty movie after people had been suggesting I should watch it for quite a while, I have been enchanted by their debut album 'Fields', both the album itself and the CD2, which practically consists of a couple of their previous EPs. I cannot recommend them enough, I can't wait to listen to their newer album released in 2013 and then finally start to approach Jose Gonzales's solo music. This last Junip post of 2015 is 'Without you', a beautiful, beautiful song off the CD1 of 'Fields'; I chose for you an astounding performance live on KEXP, so that I take another chance to thank the guys who work there and give us the opportunity to enjoy such great performances of live music! Go on and listen to it now, before it's too late!!!

Third eye - Florence + the Machine

Third eye - Florence + the Machine

My goodness... very rarely did I have to wait a few hours before writing a post that I had ready in my heart and (used to have ready) in my head for quite a long time. I noticed that the biggest highlight off 'How big, how blue, how beautiful' that I still hadn't posted here was 'Third eye', and I already knew I would post it in conjunction with the Florence and the Machine concert I've been waiting for SO LONG. But, my dears... I am messed up. I am messed up because of last night and I am just starting to realise it now and I don't know how much time it's gonna take me to get back on my feet. Hopefully it's holidays time and I will have other things to think about, but... my goodness. Last night right after the concert I just said to myself "Wow, once again what a great concert I've been to!". But now... after I drove back to my hometown with my friends, had lunch with them and got home alone, the whole mess in my head started. Apart from the fact that I've been having this song in my head since last night, so that's an even more compelling reason why I am posting it now... I keep on listening to all the songs, one after the other, than the first one again, then another one... How big how blue how beautiful, Queen of peace, Third eye... unbelievable. Let alone when I think about last night's 'Cosmic love', the first time in my life I've seen a whole arena fall silent in the middle of a song, when she paused singing for a few seconds... how intimate, how powerful, how simple, how fantastic. And then I started watching the videos of the concert... goodness gracious, I teared up again while watching HBHBHB, all of us with our blue balloons in hand... I started jumping around the house with the balloon I still have from yesterday, almost crying tears of joy and excitement. And then Long & lost, Mother... I'm gonna stop now because I realise none of you will still be reading at this point. All these words just to say that I am speechless after last night. This is the power of music. I feel alive. I feel my life is worth it.

"You don't have to be a ghost, here amongst the living.

You are flesh and blood,

And you deserve to be loved and you deserve what you are given!"

I couldn't find an album version, so I'm sharing with you the live debut of 'Third eye', a beautiful performance whose video came out a few months before the album was actually released.

#liveweek Blood roses (live in New York) - Tori Amos

Bloos roses (live in New York) - Tori Amos

When I started the #liveweek, the first performance that came to my mind was, obviously, my favourite live concert ever (I just wish I could go back in time and be there...), i.e. Tori's concert for RAINN in early 1997, right after the release of her third album 'Boys for Pele' and after one of her abortions. This is the only concert whose videos have given me feelings (let's say chills) comparable to those that one can get at live events. I can only imagine what would've been like to be there for real! Anyway, this is one of the most powerful songs composed by Tori, one I cherish and tend to listen to only during particularly black moments of my life, as it helps me gather all the negativity and channel it away. This live performance in particular is incredible in my opinion, the drama of it increased by the suffering Tori herself is feeling due to her inability to give birth, a strong feeling that she is channeling towards the audience, and that is amplified by the fact that the concert is in support of RAINN, an organization supporting victims of rape. abuse and incest, an organization that Tori is part of because she went through an episode of abuse herself when she was young. I don't think I can describe with words the feelings that this song generated and still generates in me, but I tried! I think you had better just go and listen to it and, while you are at it, listen to the whole concert, I promise it's a great, great use of your time!
With this I put an end to this first #liveweek, I'm happy about how it went through, so I might consider doing it again sometime in the future! I'm sorry to leave you on such a sad note, but music is feeling and feelings are not always good in themselves, yet I think it's good to let them emerge and to live them fully, whatever they are. Because it means we are alive.

#liveweek Mary Jane (Jagged Little Pill live) - Alanis Morissette

Mary Jane (JLP live) - Alanis Morissette

I couldn't leave Alanis out of this #liveweek of course! Hers has been my first "real" concert as an adult in 2008, and I still cherish the memories linked to that moment, what a great feeling...! The pick of today is one of the songs featured on her record-selling pop-rock debut 'Jagged little pill', which just turned 20 this year and has been re-released with demos and previously unreleased material. This is my mother's favourite album and the only musicassette we've had in the car for years and she's the one who "introduced" me to Alanis "for real", even though she's not a big music fan generally! Mary Jane is an awesome song and this live performance is astounding, you really can't miss it... I feel like going crazy together with the audience! It seems a good cherry on the pie of a nice couple of weeks I just spent in Milan, and tomorrow I'm gonna post the last liveweek entry from a little further away...! Stay tuned and stay curious!

#liveweek Satisfaction (live @ Brit Awards) - Björk & PJ Harvey

Satisfaction (live @ Brit Awards) - Björk & PJ Harvey

By now we're in the second half of this #liveweek, which has been going quite well up to now! Yet I wanna take it to the next level with these last few posts. This is a song that immediately came to my mind when I thought about the whole idea of a set of blogposts about live performances and I feel I cannot leave it out. So, the recipe is quite simple: take a great and underestimated singer/songwriter from England; take a crazy singer/songwriter from Iceland who is ages ahead her current time; take a glorious rock song by the Rolling Stones; mix it all together and... voilà! I dare you to find a 4-minute music video more powerful than this one in its simplicity!

#liveweek Promises (live in Paris) - The Cranberries

Promises (live in Paris) - The Cranberries

Today I'm on time for my post, yay! Proud of myself just for once!! Jokes apart, here I am taking advantage of an advertising break in the middle of X-Factor Italy's final (not that the singers are so great this year, I won't mind missing a part of the show) to share with you a great, great performance of one of my favourite songs off my favourite album by my favourite band, i.e. The Cranberries! This song is the favourite of my friend C, who came with me and another friend at my first Cranberries concert in Milan in 2010. Unfortunately the didn't play this song that time, but they did play it when I went to see them again in 2012 (I was alone that time though...)!! Have a good night!

#liveweek Fitzpleasure - ∆ (Alt-J)

Fitzpleasure - ∆

Here I am again, double posting for today to make up for my lack of yesterday! We can do it! Soo, I think it was pretty much inevitable for me to include some KEXP recordings in this #liveweek, as the Seattle-based radio station is a big big inspiration and source of new (and not-so-new) great music for me! I cannot be enough thankful to them for the great work they make, making videos of great live performances by great artists available on YouTube, so the least I can do is advertise them a little bit! What they did with ∆ was a bit different from their usual recordings, which consist of interviews and intimate live performances; nonetheless the result is, as usual, great and I'm particularly in love with this version of Fitzpleasure, so I hope you all can enjoy it together with me!

#liveweek You got the love (live @ MLNS) - Florence + the Machine

You got the love (live MLNS) - Florence + the Machine

Sometimes you gotta hate yourself, and there's just nothing you can do about it...! After all the excitement I created (in my head) about the #liveweek, I already forgot to post on the second day... I think I'm hopeless, but I'll make it up to you with a double post today (unless I forget to post again later... sigh)! This morning I had to wake up "very early" (at 10 AM) so as to buy the tickets for Florence's concert in Bologna in April, as I just got the news that she and the band will be back in Italy next spring! It's a bit weird to buy a ticket for somebody's concert when you already have another one in the pipeline, but I don't wanna miss any chances of watching them perform live!! In honour of this purchase, I'm gonna post one of my absolute favourite songs in one of my absolute favourite versions just for you! I hope you enjoy!

#liveweek The darker days of me and him (live 2004) - PJ Harvey

The darker days of me and him (live 2004) - PJ Harvey

It's always the same story... whenever I get to be at home for a period of time without any compelling work (or else) events, I end up having even less time for my usual activities: between meals at grandparents', video gaming, courses to carry out downtown and any other business, I neglect the blog, I neglect my Japanese study and everything. But here I am finally! Last week  told you I wanted to do something special, which I ended up not doing, so after missing a sunday post, I will start it now (late, as it's already been Tuesday for two hours, but whateeeever)! What I want to do is to post live performances of music I love for one week, so how could this be called, you might ask... well, #liveweek of course!
I might allow myself to post tunes that have already seen the light on the blog, but this time I will share them as live performances. For this opening post though, I chose a song that has not been featured here yet, and it's one of my absolute favourite PJ Harvey tracks. 'The darker days of me and him' tells the story of a girl who has been burned by (unfulfilled) promises and who dreams about "a land where no man was ever born, with no neurosis, no psychosis, no psychoanalysis and no sadness". It's a beautiful, beautiful song and this version is absolutely great, so don't miss out and stay tuned for more great live music!!

Bleeding out - Imagine Dragons

Bleeding out - Imagine Dragons

Back I am to my dear blog in this hard and difficult time for me! But let's get to the good things first: Imagine Dragons were awesome in Milan two nights ago! Really nice gig, I enjoyed it with my friends! 'I'm so sorry' was the absolute highlight, but I kinda expected it, as I already used to scream it at the top of my voice while listening to it in the car... doing it while Dan Reynolds was singing it live has been even better I must confess! It's just a pity that they did a medley of some songs I would have loved to hear in full (this being one of them), but still... better than nothing! My friends enjoyed the gig too, so all good! And I also had a full couple of days in Milan, a full, packed schedule from Sunday night to last night, concert included. And it's been super nice, as I've had a good chance to spend some time with friends that I hadn't seen much in the last months, but I think that I asked myself a little bit too much: I probably hadn't recovered from my flu completely and I think that now it's getting worse again, also because of the frreezing cold that I took while walking through the streets of my University city. I've also been having an annoying headache in the last couple of days, which is quite unusual for me... Today I got back to Veneto (for the last time, oh yeah!), but I fear that I'll be sick again... I already had been missing from work for a whole week adding up sick leave and days off, it kinda looks like I'm trying to avoid coming here now that I have to go and I really don't like giving that impression, as I think it's quite unprofessional... unfortunately when sickness comes, there's not much I can do to fight it... 10 more days anyway, and then hopefully I'll be able to rest for a while and stop bleeding out!

Free the skull (live on KEXP) - Moon Duo

Free the skull (live on KEXP) - Moon Duo

I found out about these guys a few weeks ago on KEXP and I have immediately fallen under the spell of this song, its melody is enchanting! I have not been as taken by the rest of the album, which I've listened to on Spotify, but maybe I will give them more of my attention in the future... as of now I have way too much music in my queue! That won't prevent me from enjoying some good random tunes every now and then, so I guess you can give it a try too! Cheers to KEXP for this other very nice thumbs-up, keep it up Cheryl!