and here is another example of a series of live acoustic sessions i absolutely love. recorded in the old vinyl factory in hayes, south london. this has to be one of the most beautiful locations ever. theirpageis also quite cool. love it.
the keepsakes. stay the same.
and because i always loved this song and just stumbled over nina nesbitt's rendition of it:
as i mentioned in my first post about my love of acoustic versionsthere is an abundance of live shows somewhere out there on the internet. there is just such grand stuff to discover. so much music, so much beauty and heaps of genius ideas realized. one of my favorite shows is "on the shelf tv tokyo". this is how they describe themselves:
yes, the stage is on the shelf. it is awesome. go check their page out here.
and if you don't believe me, here are two of their videos:
well, it does not wanna let me post the second video, which is a shame because it is incredible. so, i'll just add the link to skinny lister's merry old dance. go watch it!
when i was younger i was listening to music constantly. i was listening to music while i was doing my homework, while i was reading and, basically, during any activity imaginable. the first thing i did in the morning was turning on my cd player and i always fell asleep whilst listening to music. i also had the annoying habit of listening to a song i liked over and over again, which - i am sure - must have been hell for the rest of my family. i think it was for this reason that they got me a walkman when i was still really young. however, they did not think about the fact that - once i was equipped with a walkman - they would now just hear my lousy singing and whistling without any music to cover it up. well, sometimes in life things don't really work out the way one wanted them to. haha.
while i was, at that time, listening to everything i could get my hands on i slowly figured out what i really appreciate over the years. this does not mean that i have narrowed down the spectrum of what i listen to or focused on specific genres but rather developed a sense of what i like and dislike and i can articulate why that is better. if anything i continue to discover more and more diverse types of music. one thing that i also figured out is that if there is a live version of anything i'll go for that and that i like songs better when there is a certain rawness about them. i like it better when i can tell that there are musicians playing real instruments rather than when i get the feeling that i would like the song if only they stopped trying to make it "perfect" - "perfect" meaning: completely ruining the material by leaving a song without any character - a little earlier in the process. so many times i have listened to great acoustic versions, bought the album and ended up being so disappointed. often in the studio versions the palpable emotions that made me fall in love with a song in the first place were missing and everything seemed kind of toned down. i guess during concerts an artist has the audience around which intensifies his or her way of interpreting the song...
for all those reasons i was overwhelmed with the genius of balcony tv when i stumbled over their website a couple of years back. the concept forced bands to strip their music of everything that they couldn't bring out on the tiny balcony. simple as that. however, they still had the excitement and the enthusiasm of the presenters from balcony tv and the people inside the flat. plus, i guess, it was something that kind of stuck out of the touring routine. something that was different, it was not just another venue.
the concept apparently just worked and has been replicated so many times all around the globe, and there are also so many other innovative ideas, concepts and shows that bring out the best in artists and bands. i am always so excited when i stumble over something new that i thought maybe someone else will be enjoying some tips as well. so i will - over the next weeks - present some of my favorite shows.
and as a illustration of what i mean:
the script is one of those bands that frustrate me because i really like their song writing and their musical skills and danny o'donoghue's voice but i just don't like the way their studio versions sound, so i never listen to their music unless i can find an acoustic version.
as a comparison:
i do not say it's not well done. it's just a bit much in my opinion, i can kind of feel the constructedness of it and the thought that went into every second of the song, how they used everything they got in order to make it "perfect". i just think that the song - without all the additional effects - has enough to offer. it's like a great photography which has been oversatured in the editing process and it's obvious that instead of bringing out the best in the raw material the editing process has rendered it looking artificial and fake. it is still a great picture but i do not enjoy it wholeheartedly because of the visibility of the "trying to make it look better". similarly, the "trying to make it sound better" of the song is too obvious - and too prominent - for me.
Are they shadows that we see? And can shadows pleasure give? Pleasures only shadows be Cast by bodies we conceive And are made the things we deem In those figures which they seem. But these pleasures vanish fast Which by shadows are expressed; Pleasures are not, if they last; In their passing is their best. Glory is most bright and gay In a flash, and so away. Feed apace then, greedy eyes, On the wonder you behold; Take it sudden as it flies, Though you take it not to hold. When your eyes have done their part, Thought must length it in the heart.
Daniel, Samuel. "Are They Shadows". The Norton Anthology of Poetry. 5th ed. Eds. Margaret Ferguson, Mary Jo Salter and Jon Stallworthy. New York, London : W.W. Norton & Company, 2005.
