De Musica Ligera: Spring Cleaning

*Cough!* *Cough!* *Cough!*

Pardon me; I’m trying to clean up some of the dust and cobwebs that have accumulated on this abandoned blog.

One would assume that by blogging here several times a week I would also keep my personal blog up-to-date. Alas, that has not been the case.

I won’t get into why that us the case; I’m not in the mood to do so now. To be more precise, it’s not that an abundance of good things have occurred to me lately. Rather, I’m getting a little tired of constantly whining and bitching.

Instead of embedding videos or complaining about how I need to be better organized I’m going to share the first five songs on my iPod/iTunes player. Last night, I chose nearly 150 songs by several artists and after shuffling them this is the exact order of numbers 1 to 5 on the playlist:

1. Guess Who - She's Come Undone
2. Cinematic Orchestra – Burnout
3. Brief Candles - The Patron Saint of Hopeless Cause
4. A.C. Newman - Homemade Bombs in the Afternoon
5. Controller.Controller - Magnetic Strip (Live 2004)

I can’t explain why, but those songs seemed to be the perfect mix to pick me up after a rough day yesterday. Might as well enjoy them and leave certain things unexplained.

De Musica Ligera: As cool as Kelley Deal

The Breeders, circa 2002. (Image source).

Unfortunately, my musical enjoyment throughout childhood was hindered by my parents. For the most part their musical tastes were distinct from mine and they had little patience for what I liked if it differed from them. Though they didn’t specifically forbid me from listening to certain forms of music, they did raise a big stink when I made it public. Hence, I had the tendency to listen to many different musical genres behind their back.

The first time I heard The Breeders was while watching MTV in the early 90s. A few months after we first installed cable TV at home I caught sight of the music video for “Cannonball”. The video was eye-catching and very interesting visually. But what most caught my attention the brief portion of the chorus when she said “In the shade, in the shade” very sweetly and then repeated it with her sister Kelley. To me it seemed like a siren’s call; a call to come and join them to relax.

Though the rest of “Cannonball” had nothing to do with that, it was that snippet that was my invitation to buy the cassette of Last Splash and listen to an infinite amount of times. It also compelled me to try to catch their videos on TV as many times as possible. (Hence, this post). Obviously, this was all done without my parents’ knowledge despite my desire to play it loudly on the living room stereo instead of surreptitiously on my Walkman. It was weird to have to grow up and be two-faced; one side publicly enjoying Billo’s Caracas Boys and Lisandro Mesa, while also quietly liking The Breeders, Miguel Bosé, and Smashing Pumpkins.

A few days ago it was announced that The Breeders will release a new album in April and embark on a concert tour. As you might imagine I’m eagerly looking forward to it and hope that past vices have not hurt Kim and Kelley’s voices too much.

More importantly, there’s a living room stereo where Mountain Battles will be playing at full volume in a few months time. Regardless of the tastes of others.

• The Breeders - Invisible Man
• The Breeders – Flipside

De Musica Ligera: Downtempo

Zero 7 including Jose Gonzalez and Sia (image credit)

It’s Friday and therefore it’s time for our weekly music post.

Of the numerous music folders I have on my laptop one of the most listened to is labeled “Downtempo”. That folder holds roughly 125 songs that are relaxing and mellow including some tunes that correspond to the “chill out music” genre.

Last week I recalled a Si*Sé concert I went to several years ago. Their music would definitely be described as “chill out,” though to be more specific they could be classified as trip hop en español.

When I was studying in Miami eons ago one of my best friends was a classmate from a few international relations courses. She also worked as a part-time receptionist at that department so when I would visit her often when I was feeling particularly bored and with a bit of time to kill during the day. Usually she would have stretches of work lasting hours when there was very little to do. Hence, our conversations helped us mutually combat our daily dullness.

Music was amongst the many topics we would discuss. She enjoyed a few genres of music and in particular trip hop and IDM. She didn’t like the music on its own but instead since she adored spending her free time relaxing in lounges where that sort of music is played. While I preferred to stretch out in bed alone in my dorm late at night and listen to Massive Attack and Zero 7 she opted for weekend outings to lounges and bars in South Beach.

During the course of our friendship I tried to take her ask out a few times and hang out in her proffered environment. I even tried taking her out to some nice places around Union Square and SoHo during a trip to NYC. But for reasons beyond my comprehension she never really wanted to do so with me. Though I’m certain we would have had an enjoyable time together I don’t mind that we didn’t do so. I suppose that’s the way it crumbles…cookie-wise.

After a harsh and stressful week of school and work (this week being no exception), there is nothing better than to sit back and unwind sipping a hot cup of tea and listening to some “Downtempo” music. I may be in my stuffy shared bedroom in Queens rather than alone in a Miami dorm, but the music is soothing and harkens back to some good memories.

• Electrolux – Five o’clock Tea
• Massive Attack – Live with Me
• Sneaker Pimps - Six Underground (Nellee Hooper's Edit)
• Zero 7 – Seeing Things

De Musica Ligera: Si*Sé

Every Friday I will dedicate a post exclusively to music. It’s an idea I’ve copied off the other blog I worked on including repeating the same post title. For this blog I’m unsure if I will place a common theme to each post or just throw out a potpourri of different songs. For the time being, I’ll opt for something different and focus on one musical group.

One of the first concerts I attended after graduating in F.I.U. and returning to New York was at SOB’s in 2004. The band that played on a sultry summer night was trip-hop group Si*Sé. I felt awkward being there since I went alone and I typically tend to shy away during gatherings when I don’t recognize the other people there.

Since it was the first time I had gone there I called the club ahead of time to find out if the place was wheelchair accessible, especially the men’s room. The employee I talked to affirmed that it was completely accessible, so imagine my surprise when I find out the bathroom was too narrow. Thus, I felt more awkward sitting in a dark corner away from the bar in order to avoid drinking any cold, sweet booze. (After the concert finished I had to duck into the nearby McDonald’s Express to use their facilities. Price of usage – one cheeseburger and six McNuggets to go).

• Si*Sé – Steppin’ Out

Aside from that inconvenience the gig itself was absolutely amazing; Carol C.’s voice is so smooth and it’s complemented incredibly well by the rest of the group. The music is equal parts catchy, tropical, and urban. This may seem a little hard to believe, but they sound many times better live than on their albums. Though Carol C.’s vocals are exceptional, the sum of the parts is what makes Si*Sé so alluring.

• Si*Sé – Bizcocho Amargo

Oddly enough the first time I ever heard Si*Sé was on a flight to Miami, which is a very appropriate locale for their style of music. (With all due respect to my native NYC, that is). That song was “Cuando” and after getting goose bumps and chills listening to it I made sure to steal the music channel guide in order to download it after arriving home.

• Si*Sé – Cuando

Si*Sé will be appearing at SOB’s next Friday. At this time I don’t know if I’m going to go since I’m so occupied and I’m usually spent by the end of the week. Yet one thing is for sure: those that go will definitely not be disappointed with Si*Sé.