i find it hard to take/ when people run in circles

Reflecting my recent trend of listening to lots of piano centered songs, here's another. Originally a Tears For Fears classic, Gary Jules gave a brilliant rendition of it for a film called Donnie Darko. A show I watched recently, which is actually pretty good and enjoyable save for the fact that it's utterly unexplainable on its own without surreptious extra reading provided on the dvd's extras section to figure out everything.

Decidedly more omninous and foreboding than the original, Jules stripped down version sears with a darkly attractive piano melody and a steady voice that pays perfect justice to the rather nihilist lyrics. I like the paricularly nuanced and steadily jaded sound, and the mellow cello that comes on a minute and a half in is simply brilliant.

Just like how 12 Monkeys, another one of my favourite films also dealing with time travel, made Louis Armstrongs' " What A Beautiful World" even more poignant, tying together Donnie Darko and " Mad World" creates a resonance of themes that echo and enhance each other. I hope to see more of such fitting combinations of films and music in every new show I watch, but they dont come often enough.

GARY JULES & MICHAEL ANDREW - MAD WORLD ( COVER)

Click to read more about how this cover came about, and the band Tears For Fears' comments on it. The soundtrack costs S$40+ at HMV...

plus, this guy " learned to play this song for ( his) grade 8 graduation exam".

growing apart was not veiled in words

Hazy laziness have never heard so good. Me in my musical ignorance, would think that repeated revolutions around a single piano chord that does not really change throughout would be rather boring and pointless, but well, we learn something new everyday.

Aptly titled ' Childhood Song', this nicely captures a carefree freewheeling spirit. But something in it, perhaps in the rather haunting voice, the sneaky crashing percussions, hints at a little darkness. Not malevolent or childishly vacillating as grownups wont to do, but something just.. ambivalent. The gentle ascent and descent of the vocals wrapped round the pianos that eventually grow to a regal rhythm, weave to create a song that is intoxicatingly catchy.

WHITE MAGIC - CHILDHOOD SONG

my-ring-ting-ma-ding-ti-me-li-lie-doh-ring-ti-me-ding-ti-me-doodle

I do not know the original artist Colin Mehoy of the Decemberists covers here, but still this song is one of those gems that lurk very quietly while gently worming their way into your ears over time.

Both Colin's and Carson Ellis' ( album illustrator for the Decemberists) voices are at the very least - unusual. Here however, they are perfect for the gangly folksy tune that I'd like to think mysterious and wild gypsies dance to around a campfire as faint embers wisp upwards towards the bright moon. Although I have never met a real gypsy before. Heh look it's just a romantic sterotype brought on by authors like Gaiman and the like so leave me alone.

It is songs like this that make me constantly try to dig up music from anywhere, as you never know when one might surprise you just like that, and you find yourself in love with something you never heard before...gently pointing you in another direction you once overlooked.

COLIN MELOY - CHARLIE

december special I

I have a friend by the name of Esther. A few years ago, she wanted to post a different christmas song daily to celebrate the arrival of Christmas. I suddenly recalled this incident and decided that I should do the same for the month of December and the reasons are not strictly pertaining to christmas. Since I'm not a stay-out personnel and would be unable to post a new entry everyday, so I'll have to do it weekly. Zhanhui seems rather supportive of my idea.

I'm in the "happy December" mood.

December. It is the last month of the year and is also my favourite month of the year. It is the month of happy moments as it is usually holidays during December. In fact, it is the first time I'm going through December as though it is a normal month. December is also the month of my birthday and many of my friends'. Everyone wants the month of December to last, because once it is over, another new year begins. Another reason why I love the month of December is that it is a rainy month and I love rainy days.

1st December
Green Day - Wake Me Up When September Ends

Wake Me Up When September Ends by Green Day is the kind of song you wish to listen to and sleep through the rest of the year till a certain month is here. I would love the song even more if it was titled "Wake Me Up When November Ends" as to December means more to me than October. I would be happy to slumber through the rest of the months and wake up only when December arrives.

2nd December
Aliyah - Once Upon a December

I have always thought of December as a magical month - maybe it is the effect of Christmas; maybe it is the effect of a long deserved break. The song by Aliyah is part of the soundtrack for the movie Anastasia. Every time I listen to the song I feel like I am under a magical spell which makes me want to dance to the song and hum along. This is one of the perfect song to get into the "December" mood.

3rd December
Linkin Park - My December

I like the beginning of the song as I totally agree with the song (December is my time of the year!). It goes:

"This is my december
This is my time of the year
This is my december
This is all so clear"

This must be one of the rare Linkin Park song that I actually listen to and like it, though just like most songs it is related to love.