Wolfsheim (7) - Casting Shadows

Back in 2003, I stumbled on a song that I loved instantly, though I didn't understand a word of its all-German lyrics: kein zurück. Peter Heppner's vocals, mixed with the haunting and mellow synthpop melodies just captivated me. The videoclip didn't really help understanding the story, as it shows a young woman in a laundry service room, throwing laundry in anger, and escorted out by security - making eye contact with Wolfsheim members within and without, before knocking someone off a bike... 

Yehuda Poliker (9) - Eich Korim La'Ahava Sheli ?

Yehuda Poliker's 9th solo album is probably my favorite. It was released in 2001 and contains 10 songs, lasting 45:43.

They are all pop-rock songs, and in Hebrew. 

Poliker mixes personal experience-based lyrics, as well as sociopolitical commentary, and uses many allegories and poetic wordings.

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. 

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. 

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....

Yehuda Poliker (album 1) - These eyes of mine

 Yehuda Poliker's first solo album was released in 1985. Yaakov Gilaad whom he met during his Benzene days translated Greek Folk songs into Hebrew, and Poliker composed some of the melodies.

It's labeled ''these eyes of mine'' in English, but the actual translation of the Hebrew title is simply ''My eyes'', referencing a cute, pet-name one can give to one's lover : my eyes, to whom the narrator pleads his lover not to be angry at him as he leaves her, and, heading to another country, another city,  from which he (just) might come back one day on a birds' wings, he asks her not to wait for him for many years...