Canadian band Stars is getting ready to release their new album, and if the first single, “The Night Starts Here” is any indicator, it should be a amazing, breakthrough album!!! Check out their MySpace page and listen to this song! They are going on tour and will be in San Francisco in November. The new album will be out soon.
In the meantime, also enjoy the video for the song “Your Ex-lover Is Dead” from the current album Set Yourself On Fire.
In Februery, i posted about the beautiful song “Invierno” by the Baja based (Mexican) band Reik, and yesterday received a comment asking if i knew where to find an English translation of the lyrics. I decided to translate it myself. I’m glad i did this, because i had no idea how amazingly beautiful these lyrics are! I had an idea about what the meaning of the song was, but since i’m not fluent in Spanish, i didn’t know until now how incredibly poetic it is! I started by using FreeTranslation.com to get a generic, jumbled translation of most of the words. However, what it gave me was a confusing mess of English words that made no sense, (and a lot of the phrases “don’t translate,”) so i had to look back at the Spanish lyrics and use my own knowledge to slowly shape it into something that makes sense in English. (My Rosetta Stone studies are working!) Here it is:
Winter
It’s raining outside, and even though it rains,
the city is a desert
while you and i take refuge in eternity
I don’t feel cold when i’m close to you
within me, the sun is shining
(chorus:)
The sky falls and falls
but we have our own world
our day stays sunny and blue if we are together
all that matters
is that here, with you, will never be winter
So much noise, so much loneliness
people running without stopping
Inside the door, this universe of infinite peace
I need the calm you give me
(chorus)
Clouds, wind, fear, rain
gray nights, nor the moon
of dark winter
You kiss me, you heal me
your heat and tenderness
don’t leave me alone
winter, winter, winter
(chorus)
The sky falls and falls
but the day stays blue
the sky keeps falling
but we have our own world.
I’m so excited about this band that i had to share this other video i found from them. It is a very different feel from the driving “Do What You Like.” I still can’t quite figure out when their first album will be released, but i think i read September.
I also found a lot of interesting video on MySpace TV from before they were Passenger, when they were the Mike Rosenberg Band, as well as a live video of the song “Philadelphia.”
I also really enjoyed reading on their website about how Mike Rosenberg and Andrew Phillips, (guitarrist and composer,) met in London in 2002 when Mike was 17, at a Free Burma benefit gig where Mike had the opportunity to play 2 songs solo and Andrew was playing with a different band before an audience of 600 people, and how they formed the new band a year later.
And without further ado…Passenger - “Wicked Man’s Rest” Wicked Man’s Rest
As i was watching this video for “Do What You Like” by Passenger, gazing into the beautiful eyes of lead singer Mike Rosenberg and listening to his brassy voice and beautiful accent, something dawned on me. This is Bjork as a boy! Think about it, a short, strangely beautiful man with a thick accent and an elvish voice, giving an uninhibited, impassioned performance full of twitchy movements, and having an undeniable sex appeal, magnetism, and presence. And on top of all that, the music he sings is also incredible and unique! The resemblance is uncanny!
Seriously, though; i love this song and this band, and this video! The driving feel is SO intense! On MySpace you can also hear their song “Stray Dog” and “Girl I Once Knew,” 2 more beautiful songs!
By the way, as you watch this video, listen to these lyrics! This is another one of those songs where, as you listen, you can see a film playing in your mind so clearly… and this movie is really fucking good!
Passenger - “Do What You Like”
It never felt like it felt when I felt it for the first time with you
and you know I wouldn’t lie
Now I’m standing by the fountain and I’m counting all these sunken coins
maybe they know what it’s like
To be the stain on your shirt and the hole in your jeans
to be the speckle of dirt on your dress so clean
Because I give you my all but you give nuffing to me
so go on Do what you like
You never meant what you said but you said it because you’ve had one or two
and I know that’s what you’re like
Now I’m standing by the wall feeling small as you’re working the room
and I know that he’s your type
With his tight fitted shirt and his designer jeans
well you treat me like dirt, I treat you like a queen
you’ve the time in the world and not a second for me
So go on do what…
you took me to this party I don’t know anybody but I’ll
wait for you
(Yes) you left me here alone but you’re not answering the phone
and still I’ll wait for you
Because the taxi’s just a fiver but I am your designated driver and I’ll
wait for you
Because tonight could be the night
when you realize this is right and so I’ll
wait for you
So no smoking, no drinking, straight thinking ’cause
I’m driving you home and I think your coat’s upstairs
Now standing on the landing and I’m staring through an open door
I can’t believe it´s you in there
With an unbuttoned shirt and your hands down his jeans
well you treat me like dirt but your hands stay clean
because I give you my all but you give nothing to me
So go on do what you like
Do what you like to me…..
I figured i would start putting some of my music on my blog so i can get some feedback, but i decided to start with my cover of Berlin’s “No More Words” from 1984. I did this on my Mac laptop with garage band and an m-audio keyboard. I recorded the vocals in my bathroom for privacy, but the sound in there is really “echoe-ey” which you can hear in the recording. Oh well, it’s just a demo. I have to re-do the first verse because it turned out kind of lifeless. How do you like the rest of it though?
Ok, first i have to admit, i was never the biggest fan of Savage Garden. After Darren Hayes went solo, the only song i heard was “Insatiable,” which i loved! Still, i didn’t buy the album. That was back in 2002. As far as i
knew, that was the last thing Darren Hayes did.
Today, i stumbled upon the video for the first single “On The Verge Of Something Wonderful” from his new album This Delicate Thing We’ve Made, about to be released in August. After seeing the video, i went to his website and immediately was COMPLETELY BLOWN AWAY by two of his new songs, and i am now officially in love with Darren Hayes for the first time! The 2 songs i’m really excited about are “Who Would Have Thought?” and “Step Into The Light,” which has a seriously HOT bass line feels like a good fuck! (I also found videos for both of these on YouTube.) Also, be prepared to hear “Me Myself And (I)” in all the clubs.
The video shows Darren in a totally different light. He is the same age as me, and the maturity has not only done wonders for the sound of his voice, but also has given him fantastic spark and personality that i never saw in his face before! He’s also done with struggling with his image and is now apparently openly gay and proud, and it shows. He even has photos of his partner on his MySpace page, whom he recently married.
A lot of people who don’t know who Darren Hayes is are about to find out, and i fully expect him to begin a new career with this “debut” album.
Darren Hayes - “On The Verge Of Something Wonderful”
This band from England have created something very cool. Not only is Klaxon’s music incredible with its lush and hooky sound, but their music videos are bizarre and tons of fun to watch! They have 4 music videos, all directed by Saam Farahmand. My favorite one is for the song “Golden Skans,” in which the 3 members are transformed into futuristic fantasy warriors wearing nothing but ribbon. It’s pretty hot! It’s also visually captivating! Their other 3 videos are equally awesome, as is Saam’s website, which includes George W. performing New York, New York and a music video of a song being sung by a penis. (Yes, an actual penis!)
The main photo on their MySpace page shows 4 members. I don’t know if that means they have gained a 4th member or if they lost one.
Well, we thought we had a gig lined up for July 25th, but it fell through. Now we are shooting for the 29th, fingers crossed!
By the way, we have been searching for a female bassist who sings so we can have 2 singers just like Shiny Toy Guns. If YOU are a bass player who sings and you are a woman and you are in or close to San Francisco, please respond!
Those of you who have read my blog or have known me for a while probably know that i have had one dream that i have had for as long as i can remember - to become a rockstar. (Or to at least do something notable in the music world.) It is something that has literally consumed me for a long time, though i had really not done anything about it, until now.
My experience singing in the ’80s cover band that Jester got me involved with gave me the courage i needed to take the next step. At the beginning of April, i joined an original rock/pop band in San Francisco as the lead singer and co-writer. Some of you may have noticed that i suddenly stopped writing my blog at that time and didn’t write anything new for like 2 months. That’s because i was insanely busy writing songs with my new band, and we have already gotten to the point where we are ready to do our first show, and still working feverishly. We have already received attention and praise from one radio station program director, and we are ready to take San Francisco by storm. I know, it’s still just a dream and easier said than done, but i’m thinking positive and visualizing it as reality because i really want it to happen, and believe me, it will. And so, the process of becoming a rock star has begun!
I’m not ready yet to tell you the name of the band, but stick around. I’ll take you along on this journey and give you more info when the time is right. Wish us luck!
July 28th, 2007 by 
nekkid
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Well, we thought we had a gig lined up for July 25th, but it fell through. Now we are shooting for the 29th, fingers crossed!
