Schiller (vid 1) - Weltreise

Schiller's second album is also the first to get a video release in the form of a DVD, released the same year as the regular and limited edition CD. But, why would anyone buy this since that CD is made in dolby surround? I'll tell you why : because it offers more than the album itself.

Schiller (album 2 - Weltreise (world travel) / Voyage

Schiller's second album marks a shift in its entirety: if you recall, the first album, Zeitgeist had a few spoken word lyrics, all in German. The music was Trance and Ambient. 

Weltreise ( meaning World travel), is the first Trance and Synthpop, and also the first to invite vocalists for several songs as you'll see on these images of my special, 2 cd, limited edition

Yehuda Poliker (album 5) - For your blue eyes

In 1992, Yehuda Poliker released his 5th solo album, and which is mostly instrumental. Indeed, only tracks 2  15 are songs with lyrics, and all the other 13 tracks are instrumental - though not devoid of background vocals. 

Yehuda who was working on another album, shelved it to compose what would become this fifth album ; it is a requiem to his nephew, Kobi Poliker, who was killed during an argument with a member of his military unit. 

Schiller (album 1) - Zeitgeist

Schiller's first album was released in 1999. It is characterized by mostly instrumental pieces, with very little spoken words, mostly at the start and end of songs. 

It is a trance and ambient record, offered in Dolby Surround like the following 5 albums would be. 

Yehuda Poliker (album 4) - Less but hurts (part 2)

After sharing my personal experience (in part 1) with the 3 most influential songs from this album, I now share its 

Track listing : (excerts )

1. Less but hurts
2. Good night, go to sleep
3. The shadow and me
4. Trans Orient (instrumental)
5. Things I wanted to say 
6. A story of times past (instrumental)
7. Today you are laughing
8. Flower
9. Yoram

(the links are only for you to discover - once again, I do not promote piracy)

Yehuda Poliker (album 4) - Less but hurts (part 1)

Yehuda Poliker's 4th record was released in 1990 and is my first encounter with this singer. 
I was a teen, living in difficult conditions, and three of this album's songs spoke to me as if they were written about my own case : 

The first of these is the third on the CD. It's called hazel ve'ani, which means the shadow and me. It tells mostly of him living in the closet (from which he'd come out publicly many years later) ; to me it was about the double life I was leading, and the massive difficulties that lead to this choice... I wasn't allowed to listen to music, mind you, so I had bought a small portable radio that was also a foldable headphone on which I'd listen to this song every time it'd air. 
It was my mantra, right from the first notes - drums rolling in, and a dancy pop song ensuing. 

Pet Shop Boys (album 2) - Actually

29  years ago, today, was released the Pet Shop Boys' second studio album, Actually. It's funny, I reached for it before I even knew that. 

It's biggest hit, It's a sin, which Neil Tennant wrote in 15 minutes to release his anger about his catholic upbringing and pertaining to actions that are pleasurable and regarded as sins. This particular song is my favorite for its massive electronic synthesizers and over-the-top dramatic production both in song and clip, and was part of my own rebellion in my own religious upbringing. 

Yehuda Poliker (album 2- update) - Day dreamer

After many many years waiting for this, I have finally bought, received and listened to Yehuda Poliker's second solo album. 

It was released in 1986, like I mentioned, and was very difficult to find.

I was a bit surprised to hear that the album was actually recorded live - which wasn't announced anywhere on his website, nor wikipedia. The liner notes, however, do specify this detail. 

All 12 songs have Greek melodies, several instrumental pieces and Lyrics are either in Greek or translated from it in. 

ZOYA - a new musical discovery

I present to you, after chatting with her on twitter, a new musical discovery : singer& songwriter ZOYA, both in acoustic and EDM styles.

 As I told her and found out that her mother told her the same, her voice is ''beautiful like crystal''.

Pet Shop Boys (part 1B) - Disco

The PSB's Disco isn't considered a studio album per se, because it's rather a collection of remixes from their first album, Please.

Disco was released on 17 November 1986 - 8 months after Please. All it's tracks were recorded in 1985-86 and are remixes of songs which appeared in Please (4 from the album, 2 from b-sides). 

They are all extended and offer a glimpse to the more techno-y sounds that the band will release later on (especially Relentless, which is a bonus CD on one of Very's edition, more on that in due time).

Pet Shop Boys (album 1) - Please

The Pet Shop Boys's first album was recorded in 1984-85 and released on 24th of March 1986. It includes their first 4 hits:

• West end girls 
• Opportunities (let's make lots of money) 
• Love comes quickly 
• Suburbia

Pink Floyd (album 14) - The division bell

It has been said that the Pink Floyd's 14th album was pale in comparison to their albums from the late 1960's to early 1980's. I've read reviews that were very harsh against this album, because 2 members of the band had left it and that the remaining was a bit boring, or badly written or that the music was less melodious or too long, etc etc etc 

Ok, maybe i'm not a professional critic, I never pretended to be one. Maybe it's a lesser album than the ones considered Floyd's masterpieces - i'll  grant this possibility on the technical level.

However, I discovered this band with this album as i entered my 20's. My mother was a fan, but I wasn't open-minded, musically speaking, to listen to their 1960-70 period, which is one that I didn't tend to like at all. 

Yehuda Poliker (album 3) - Ashes & dust

Yehuda Poliker's third solo album, Afar VeAvak, or, Ashes and Dust, was released in 1988, and deals once more with the heavy topic of WW2 and being second generation to Holocaust survivors. Poliker continues here his collaborative work with Yaakov Gilaad.

Yehuda Poliker (album 2) - Day dreamer

I don't yet own Yehuda Poliker's second solo album. It was released in 1986 and is one of the rarest to find, and its price hasn't been affordable when I did find it... I'll probably have to search for it more actively to complete my collection before it disappears.

Hélène Grimaud (album 23) - Brahms: Piano Concertos

Another project I want to find on cd, I reserved on the media library's website, is Hélène Grimaud's Brahms Piano Concertos, released on dual cd edition (EAN 028947910589), released in 2013 on Deutch Grammophon, just like her 8 previous albums. 

She presents this project in this interview also available on the label's website, where you can listen to the entire album on streaming.

I counldn't find a better picture for the backcover, and all amazon websites only offer this one, with the sticker over the track listing 

Hélène Grimaud (album 22) - Water

I just discovered a very interesting trailer for the pianist Hélène Grimaud's album Water, for which she selected pieces with water as a guideline and philosophical exploration, as she explains In this trailer.

Kate Havnevik (album 1) - Melankton

Kate Havnevik's first album, released in Norway in 2006 is called Melankton and has subsequently received 3 other release dates in the world :

2006 (UK) ; 2007 (USA & Canada); and finally, 2010 (Poland)

I loved every single song on my 12 track version, and my favorites are Kaleidoscope, and New day... but, really, I love it all...with its radio friendly tunes, as well as the more original creations Kate gave form to....

Kate Havnevik (part 0)

I discovered Kate Havnevik as a guest on Schiller's Atemlos Live, the first concert that I listened to, by this German project. As I loved each of her guest songs on his albums and lives, I searched for Kate's own solo material, which seems to be difficult to come by.

Indeed, this delightfully quirky singer and songwriter was born in Oslo, Noway, and her cds don't seem to get international releases - except for her first album Melankton, released in 2006 and which has several editions, all with the same cover and mostly same track listing, give or take a song...

The Harp!

I discover lately that I love more & more the Harp with its unique sounds.

This evening I listened to the Harp Twins/ Camille & Kennerly's brillant cover of Mettalica's One ; it's actually my wife who sent me a link with these Twins interpreting another cover Ice Queen, originally Within Tempration's, and I have to say that I like both versions equally, each for their own unique features.

They have too many videos for me to share, so i'll direct you to their channel  and let you discover for yourselves this duo, in total and complete sync.

They play both electric and acoustic, and cover metal songs but also TV & Movie themes, such as Star Trek, the Hobbit & Lord of the Rings, Star Wars ; or videogames such as Final Fantasy, Mario and many more tunes old and new...

Also very talented, with, thus far a smaller repertoire (at least on youtube) is Amy Turk and my favorite of her pieces is my fav JS Bach : Tocatta & fugue, BWV 565 

How nostalgia can lead to discover old & new songs

So, recently I had thought about a few old songs that I hadn't been able to locate and in their search, have found that one of my favorite songs was sang by a singer I knew, but not associated with this song. It is called ''song to my sister'' by Avihu Medina, and after listening to it as well as many of his other songs, discovered his sister's name is Nava Medina, an actress and singer in her own right.
Whilst Avihu seems to have more oriental songs, Nava favors greek music in her songs...

However, I cannot find her discography, and I can find no website with any of her cds... only clips on youtube (well, the song with the supposed album cover as an image), and downloads, which is very odd because to my knowledge, in Israel she probably would have cds, unless she retired too early and that her albums are only available on cassettes... hum hum! very very odd that I can find almost nothing.

Wintergatan's home made musical instrument that will be your mind!

As the title suggest, I'm presenting Wintergatan's home made musical instrument that my wife shared on my wall just now. He made it with wood, metal and... 2,000 marbles ; it looks and sounds amazing and I applaud his inventiveness !

Enjoy!

Pet Shop Boys (part 0)

Back in the late 80's,  my then-best friend and fellow classmate introduced me to his favorite bands : Pet Shop Boys and Erasure, each composed by 2 members and which are still active to this day. They quickly became 2 of my top-10 bands, and I enjoy most of their songs, their rhythms, and the beauty in writing and singing.