Monthly Archives: October 2011

The Decemberists – Calamity Song (Sam Dawson guest post)


I picked up The album The King Is Dead from a friend before I left to travel in Southern Africa for three months. On arriving I found myself stranded in Cape Town watching thousands of pounds leak away in oil through a cracked gasket on my 4×4. This song is a tale of disaster, making the best of it and remembering to have a sense of humour even during the dark days. It’s upbeat and uplifting; lyrically it’s clever; and the refrain sticks to the inside of your head. I spent two weeks running past manicured lawns in Constantia with this tune in my ears and will forever associate it with the feeling of impending doom and the challenge of relaxing in the arms of the angels.

/SD

 

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Air – Alone in Kyoto (CJK Guest Post)

Colin Kenny, Rob’s Dad and originator of the cassettes-in-the car-to-play-on-long-holiday-road-trips that Rob refers to. Electronica/chill-out/instrumentals are sadly lacking in the blog thus far, so this track from Air’s album Talkie Walkie goes some way to righting that wrong.

 
The music by the hip French duo is used in a short scene from the film Lost in translation. Like a lot of contemporary films we are expected to suspend disbelieve – that if you were married to Scarlett Johansson you would abandon her in an hotel in a foreign city for a week. She and Bill Murray share an edgy friendship as both battle jet lag and culture shock. The extract from the film where the track is used captures the feeling of alienation perfectly, with the music acting as an ideal compliment.

CjK

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Skinnyman – Love’s gone from the streets

Skinnyman is a rapper who hails from my current neighbourhood, Finsbury Park. This track is taken from Council estate of mind, which a good friend had rightly lauded to me what seems like a lifetime ago in 2004.

I like how the gritty and clever lyrics contrast the smooth (and apt) sample.

This post is the last from me for a few days as I am off to Munich to enjoy Oktoberfest and a good friend’s stag party. Don’t fret however as I have lined up some guest bloggers in my absence so you will still get your daily dose of music. They all have influenced my taste in music and fueled my musical meanderings so I thought it would be cool for them to have a say too.

Speak to you in a week. RJ