My October Music
So, it’s been a while (sort of) since I shared any music… One cool thing about living in Europe is that I discover songs and artists I’d never come across in the States.
Like this, which is from the French animated film Un Monstre á Paris. I haven’t seen it (though I want to), but I kept hearing the song in Paris… AND I LOVE IT.
This is from a Vodafone commercial here in Germany. The commercial plays below, or you can hear the whole song here. I really like the ad (even if it doesn’t make me want to buy a Vodafone)–there’s just so much potential for a story here, don’t you think?
This is Mika’s latest French single. I’m a pretty biiiiiiig Mika fan, so it’s no surprise I LOVE this. Plus, in my opinion, he gets bonus points for singing in French.
This is pretty “old” in terms of when it was playing on the European radios…but I STILL ADORE IT. Oh Land remains my favorite new artist of 2011. Her entire album is hypnotizing.
And though this is no doubt popular in the US, I actually heard it in Paris (since I saw the movie in Paris). It’s from Drive, and if you haven’t seen that film yet, I HIGHLY suggest you do. It’s amazing.
And finally, here’s a variaton on a song I’ve shared before…a song I LOVE because it’s my Revisions Theme Song. This is the acapella version of “Break My Stride”.
You tell me: What have you been listening to lately? I’m always on the lookout for more music…
October 19, 2011 @ 2:33 pm
Musiiiiiiiiiic. Clearly the 6000+ songs on my laptop aren’t even close to being enough. I really liked the first song and the Mika song, even though I’d never heard of him before.
Lately I’ve been listening to a lot of Keane. Between “Somewhere Only We Know”, “Spiralling” and “Is It Any Wonder” they have me a very content listener. I’ve also been back on a Maroon 5 kick thanks to “Moves Like Jagger” coming out, along with my addiction to Train.
I’ve also been listening to a lot of Savatage. You’ve probably heard of Trans-Siberian Orchestra, I’m guessing. Well Savatage is actually the band that the people who started TSO were in beforehand. It all sounds very similar–actually “Christmas Eve (Sarajevo)”, which was on a TSO album, was originally a song off of Dead Winter Dead, Savatage’s second-to-last CD. Plus the upcoming TSO album is called Gutter Ballet and is going to feature a fair amount of music off of the Savatage album…erm, Gutter Ballet. Most people have never heard of Savatage, but I grew up on them and they’re really excellent. If you decide to look into them I really recommend “Not What you See” (off of Dead Winter Dead), “The Hourglass” (Wake of Magellan), Back to a Reason (Poets & Madmen) and St. Patrick’s (Streets: A Rock Opera).
Wow that was long. Sorry, I ramble about music. Such a nerd.
October 19, 2011 @ 5:06 pm
Ah, Mika is AWESOME! Maybe I’m aging myself by thinking everyone knows him… Be sure to check out “Grace Kelly”.
And thanks for all the music inspiration! I love the “Moves Like Jagger”, so I’ll probably enjoy all your other suggestions here… Savatage sounds AWESOME! I totally know the Trans-Siberian Orchestra–I’m gonna look them up STAT.
October 19, 2011 @ 2:41 pm
Oh, Mika! I was totally obsessed with Mika back when he first surfaced on the scene. What was that, 2004? I even had Mika featured on my Myspace page for a long time, that’s how far back you have to go. (Wow, that’s embarrassing to admit!)
I’ve been listening to a lot of Thievery Corporation lately. It helped me as I write my first draft, and it’s still getting me into the necessary mood to dive into revisions. There’s one song that’s just perfect for my WIP. It’s called 33 Degree — http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t-No7wb_Qsk
Love this post!
October 19, 2011 @ 5:07 pm
Oooh, I used to dabble in Thievery Corporation, so I will DEFINITELY be clicking on thiiiiiis link.
Re: Mika. Um, I had no idea it had been so long since that album came out. I can’t BELIEVE how old this makes me feel–or how much it highlights that time is passing me by dreadfully fast…
October 19, 2011 @ 3:23 pm
I really like the Bag Raiders song! So glad you do this. I love music…all kinds, and I adore finding new bands. Thanks for posting!!
October 19, 2011 @ 5:08 pm
Me too, Charissa! New bands are a fantabulous way to inspire my writing!! 😀 And I’m so glad you like the Bag Raiders song–I can so clearly imagine a great, epic story to it…
October 19, 2011 @ 7:54 pm
I’ve been listening to lots of Hilary Hahn lately (she’s an amazing violinist), which isn’t necessarily because of what I’m writing, but it is definitely influencing it. 🙂 Also, lots of concertos and symphony pieces by the London Philharmonic — we’re in full-on classical music conditioning mode with the kid. lol
October 19, 2011 @ 10:38 pm
AWESOME. I am ALWAYS on the lookout for more orchestral pieces–those are the best for my writing inspiration. I will definitely check out Hilary Hahn right away…
October 20, 2011 @ 1:00 am
I also live in Germany and I’ve never seen that Vodafone commercial, which shows me how often I watch German TV since it’s probably shown in almost ever advertisement break 🙂
I recently listened to Marcus Foster’s new album, Nameless Path. It’s laid back, but powerful at the same time. I’m also really looking forward to Florence + The Machine’s new album.The album preview gave me an idea what to except and I hope it’s as good as I think it sounded. Moves Like Jagger has got me back on Maroon 5 as well. I’ve also been listening to Paramore’s Monster & Renegade, Adele’s album 21 and music from movie scores like Requiem for a Dream by Clint Mansell and Moving Mountains by Two Steps from Hell because they sound so epic. My taste in music is always all over the place 🙂
October 20, 2011 @ 4:45 pm
OMG, Petra. Look at all these WONDERFUL LINKS you have dropped on me. I am overwhelmed by the musical awesome. THANK YOU.
(BTW, Moving Mountains is amazing! Thank you SO much for sharing!)
October 20, 2011 @ 2:20 pm
Whoo hoo! I love music. It’s funny…a lot of my friends in Toronto assume when I send them Euro-music suggestions that it will be club/party/techno stuff! But there are sooooooo many fabulous Dutch/Belgian artists who sing in English with powerful lyrics (Close your Eyes, by Racoon is one I like to blast when I’m feeling blah)! However, my favourite discovery of October is a Danish singer named Agnes Obel. It’s the perfect background music for writing, when you just need to like, still your mind and focus. I think her ‘biggest’ song is Riverside, but the whole album is hauntingly beautiful! Lots of piano.
October 20, 2011 @ 4:46 pm
Oooooh, so many more great suggestions to look into. Anges Obel, check.
It’s funny you say that about euro-music stereotypes–my friends totally do the same thing! The funniest thing is that most of the club/party music I hear here is from the US… 🙂