Joe Cocker - Unchain my Heart

Genre(s) - Pop/rock
Origin - Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England
Year of release - 1987
Bitrate - 192 kbps
Size - 57.24 MB

Ah, the memories... together with Babooshka by Kate Bush, when I was a real young'un Joe Cocker's Unchain my Heart was my favourite song of all time. It's not purely nostalgia leading me to post this now, because Joe simply has an awesome bluesy voice and the track stands as strong as ever, not to mention my other favourite, I Stand in Wonder. Those who know Cocker from singing With a Little Help from My Friends at Woodstock should expect a major eighties-ification in sound on this album with its synthesisers and saxophones, though the women's background choir (which at Woodstock, of course, consisted of dudes) is still firmly in place.

1. Unchain my heart
2. Two words
3. I stand in wonder
4. Rivers rising
5. Isolation
6. All our tomorrows
7. A woman loves a man
8. Trust in me
9. The one
10. Satisfied
    

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Lifelover - Erotik

Genre(s) - Black metal/depressive pop
Origin - Sweden
Year of release - 2007
Bitrate - 320 kbps
Size - 81.12 MB

Still not dark enough for you? Then maybe you need some Lifelover in your life. With a mixture of musical styles even more cynical than the mocking name, they seek to confuse you and fuck with your mind. Compared to the debut Pulver (posted here), the sophomore effort presents a more unified sound, blending the different elements more thoroughly into the whole, although it seems a bit less melodic and more droning. Lyrics seem to be themed around alienation, negativity, death, hedonism and (self-)abuse; you know, all the good stuff. This band has a unique and uncanny way of creeping up on you and inducing all sorts of dark, involuntary thoughts and feelings in your all too vulnerable mind. That is not a warning - it's a warm invitation.

1. Förspel & intrång
2. Sweet illness of mine
3. I love (to hurt) you
4. En man i sina sämsta år
5. Dödens landsväg
6. Välkommen til pulvercity
7. Saltvatten (du + jag vs. Tellus)
8. Besatt
9. Höstdepressioner
10. Humörets bottenvåning
11. Museum of past affections
12. Nitlott
    

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Gérard Lenorman - Ses Plus Grands Succes

Genre(s) - Chansons Françaises, pop, singer-songwriter
Origin - Take a guess
Year of release - 198?
Bitrate - 128 kbps
Size - 54.40 MB

Ses Plus Grands Succes, which simply means His Greatest Hits, is a compilation album by the French singer-songwriter Gérard Lenorman. I really do not know a lot about the man, but I remember having known his song La Ballade des Gens Heureuses (Ballad of the Happy People) for about all my life. It's still, to me, the most beautiful song on the disc though that may be because of the memories attached. Voici les Clés (See Here the Keys) and Si j'Était Président (If I were President) always flush my chest with some aching warmth as well, it's fantastic if music can evoke such a response. If you enjoy this album as much as I did, may I suggest for you to try this album out as well, by a compatriot and collaegue chansonnier Benjamin Biolay.

1. La ballade des gens heureuses
2. Michèle
3. La petite valse
4. Boulevard de l'océan
5. Warum (mein Vater)
6. Vacances en France
7. L'enfant des cathédrales
8. Si j'était Président
9. Voiçi les clés
10. Le bleu des regrets
11. Et moi je chante
12. Tu t'rappelles plus de rien
13. Le soleil des tropiques
14. Un ami
15. Le dauphin triste
16. Chanteur de charme
    

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Tori Amos - Scarlet's Hidden Treasures

Genre(s) - Chamber pop, singer-songwriter
Origin - United States of America
Year of release - 2004
Bitrate - Eh, it's actually in M4A (old WMP-rip of my own), hope you don't mind.
Size - 32.12 MB

This EP came as a companion disc to the concert DVD Welcome to Sunny Florida so that's the picture I used. It features six songs, and going by the title I imagine they are the unreleased overspill of the beautiful Scarlet's Walk that preceded the live registration. It's easy to conclude it must be less accomplished material for it not to appear on the album but I wonder if you could keep that up after hearing just Ruby alone. Seaside and the long Apollo's Frock are also beautiful, and would have been strong contenders on the full-length. This is really just an extra for long-time fans and completists, people new to the glory of Tori would do well to walk Scarlet's Walk first (find it here).

1. Ruby through the looking-glass
2. Seaside
3. Bug a martini
4. Apollo's frock
5. Tombigbee
6. Indian summer
   

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Maximum the Hormone - Buiikikaesu!!

not the official cover; it was just too ugly

Genre(s) - Rare poep ouwe
Origin - Japan
Year of release - 2007
Bitrate - 128
Size - 44.70 MB

Okay. For some unimaginable reason someone decided to inject three Japanese menchildren and a womanchild with speed and monkey genes, take away their dictionaries, and lock them up in a room with musical instruments. The session was of course recorded and the result is Buiikikaesu!!. The music is insanely hectic and hectically insane, alternating between impossibly bouncy, happy-go-lucky stuff that will make your face go like ^___________^ and more aggressive parts with harsh vocals at a staggering speed. The lyrics would have been bilingual if the English parts weren't simply references to random everyday objects ("Bikini sport the monkey spanner ponchin!"). I generally hate music as angular and chaotic as this but this is just unforgivably catchy. And my brother asked me to up this. So there you go, sorry that it took about a year!

1. Buikkikaesu!!
2. Zetsubo Billy
3. Kuso breakin no breakin lilly
4. Louisiana Bob
5. Policeman Benz
6. Black power G men spy
7. Akagi
8. Kyokatsu
9. Bikini. Sports. Ponchin.
10. What's up, people?!
11. Chu chu lovely muni muni mura mura purin purin boron nururu rero rero
12. Shimi
13. Koi no mega lover
14. Bonus track
    

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Bronski Beat - The Age of Consent

Genre(s) - Synthpop
Origin - United Kingdom
Year of release - 1984
Bitrate - 128 kbps
Size - 55.12 MB

Okay, this may make a few people feel really sickly, and hopefully only because of the music, but to hell with it. Every store has this one in the discount bin, just today I picked up a second-hand copy of The Age of Consent on vinyl for only fifty cents, and that is for a reason. This record is so distinctively eighties it probably became unlistenable to most of its owners the moment the clock struck twelve to introduce the first of January, 1990. It's disco-ish, falsetto-sung synthesiser pop that makes the Scissor Sisters sound like Fred Phelps guest-singing for Anal Cunt. This stuff is really ultra-gay in every way. And that's the most important point about Bronski Beat. More than a musical project, singer Jimmy Somerville intended this as a social project for gay emancipation, listing a gay legal advice number and pointing out in many countries it was still illegal to be in a homosexual relationship. Most lyrics are about gay issues like discrimination and homophobic violence but also the more everyday and positive aspects, and I was happy to notice many implicit anti-capitalist elements as well. Great music for keeping up spirits while learning boring and difficult texts.

I realise the mp3 files read "Bronsky" with a y but the tags are correct.

1. Why?
2. Ain't necessarily so
3. Screaming
4. No more war
5. Love and money
6. Smalltown boy
7. Heatwave
8. Junk
9. Need a man blues
10. I feel love / Johnny remember
11. Smalltown boy (full 12" version)
12. Why? (full 12" version)
    

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Tori Amos - To Venus and Back

Genre(s) - Piano pop, singer-songwriter
Origin - North Carolina/California, USA
Year of release - 1999
Bitrate - 128 kbps

Here's a double album by that wonderful woman, Tori Amos. It's been over a year since she graced this blog, for which I humbly apologise to myself. The first disc is a regular studio album, her fifth, characterised by a bit of electronic experimentation but without losing her strengths from sight: emotional, evocative piano pop with her soaring vocals as the centerpiece. I've always found this one of her most versatile albums and it's got a few of the best melodies and vocal performances of her career (Concertina! Spring Haze!). Disc two is a live album recorded during her 1998 tour. It's even more awesome with many very powerful performances that easily surpass their studio renditions, especially Cloud on My Tongue, These Precious Things and Cornflake Girl. It's also the first time the beautiful Sugar is featured on any regular release of hers. I love the drumming on this one, as well, which usually doesn't pick my attention in more mainstream music. And I know mainstream is the ultimate cussing word to a lot of people who visit here but you know, sometimes it isn't that bad. Yeah, I'll stop writing so you can go download this stuff.

Disc 1: Venus Orbiting - Load it down (43.57 MB)

1. Bliss
2. Juarez
3. Concertina
4. Glory of the 80s
5. Lust
6. Suede
7. Josephine
8. Riot proof
9. Datura
10. Spring Haze
11. 1000 oceans

Disc 2: Still Orbiting (Live) - Load it down (68.18 MB)

1. Precious things
2. Cruel
3. Cornflake girl
4. Bells for her
5. Girl
6. Cooling
7. Mr. Zebra
8. Cloud on my tongue
9. Sugar
10. Little earthquakes
11. Space dog
12. Waitress
13. Purple people

Lifelover - Pulver

Genre(s) - Depressive blackened pop/rock, oh yes
Origin - Sweden
Year of release - 2006
Bitrate - 128 kbps
Size - 38.45 MB

Today's a shitty, shitty day and what better way to deal with those than to give in to it completely? Here's a band that seems made especially for grey and weary days like this. The ambiguous, cynical mixture of pop music structures with helpings of postpunk and depressive black metal sentiments generate a feeling of hopelessness that any regular depressive black metal band can only dream of achieving. Pulver is created to alienate and lock you up into your own most secret, unspeakable thoughts. There are some harsh vocals but the guitars sound very open and the strangely fitting programmed drums never turn aggressive. In fact, it's very melodic and quite accessible, were it not for the ultra-despondent nature of the music that is bound (and meant) to rub off on the listener. Woods of Infinity meets Rocketship for some Joy Division covers. Now put some pants on, Lady, you are indecent.

1. Nackskott
2. MS salmonella
3. Mitt öppna öga
4. Kärlek - backsvart melankoli
5. Vardagsnytt
6. Avbrott sex
7. Stockholm
8. Söndag
9. Medicinmannen
10. Herrens hand
11. Nästa gryning
12. En sang om dig
    

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Alanis Morissette - MTV Unplugged

Band/artist - Alanis Morissette
Genre(s) - Singer-songwriter, pop
Origin - Canada
Album - MTV Unplugged
Year of release - 1999

I must confess I love - that is, I used to love Alanis Morissette (sorry, sorry) but MTV Unplugged is still quite dear to me because for me, there's a lot of good memories attached to this release. Her studio albums always have a few great songs but there's always too much filler, and there's usually something in the mix or the production that gets to my nerves too much to enjoy the tracks. This live set was recorded after Jagged Little Pill, which was much too dry, and Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie which had too much going on in the mix, and sees these problems fixed. In a live situation her songs sound more natural and especially Joining You and I Was Hoping, songs that did not especially stand out on SFIJ, are lifted to unpreceded heights. Another great surprise is the exclusive track No Pressure Over Cappuccino. Her old hits off JLP benefit from the production but aren't half so angry anymore which is a shame. Good stuff though!

1. You learn
2. Joining you
3. No pressure over cappuccino
4. That I would be good
5. Head over feet
6. Princess familiar
7. I was hoping
8. Ironic
9. These R the thoughts
10. King of pain (Sting cover)
11. You oughta know
12. Uninvited
    

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Hip Hip Hosannah for Baby Jesus

Band/artist - Various
Genre(s) - Pop, dance, metal, misc
Origin - Everywhere
Album - My horrid Christmas special
Year of release - Never, duh

I'm glad I never posted any actual Christmas music on here, but I do want to give you something for season greetings. So I gathered all the most embarrassing songs that were on my computer and randomly distributed them over four "disks" or volumes. The idea behind it is that you download all four volumes and try out all the songs, then decide which ones you want to keep, but you know, whatever. The files are around 40MB each and I believe Mediafire will allow you to download the four files simultaneously. The amount of total crap on my computer is absolutely ridiculous so be welcome to share in all its reeking, festering purity. 100% Guaranteed to make you feel dirty all over.

Vol. I - Load it down

1. 2 Unlimited - No limits
2. B*witched - C'est la vie
3. DJ Norman vs. Darkraver - Komt ie dan he
4. Eiffel 65 - Blue (da ba dee)
5. Hakkuhbar - Supergabber
6. Jerry Lee Lewis - Great balls of fire
7. Johnny Cash - Ring of fire
   
8. Kylie Minogue - More, more, more
   
9. Nomads - Yakalelo
10. Ray Peterson - Tell Laura I love her
11. Schnappi das Kleine Krokodil - Schnappi (original version)
12. t.A.T.u. - All the things she said
13. Village People - YMCA
    

Vol. II - Load it down

1. ABBA - Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!
2. Avril Lavigne - Sk8er boi
3. David Hasselhoff - Do the limbo dance
4. Dschinghis Khan - Moskau
5. Gloria Gaynor - I will survive
6. Kylie Minogue - Can't get you out of my head
7. Nargaroth - Black metal ist Krieg
8. Pink Stëël - We fight 4 cock
9. Snow - Informer
10. The Bee Gees - Staying alive
11. Toy-box - Tarzan and Jane
    

Vol. III - Load it down

1. ABBA - Voulez-vous?
2. Aqua - Barbie girl
3. Conny Froboess - Zwei kleine Italiener
4. Dream Evil - Kingdom at war
5. Frankie goes to Hollywood - Relax
6. Kelly Family - Fell in love with an alien
7. Lulu - I'm a tiger
8. Paradiso - Bailando
9. Rick James - Party all the time
10. Sister Act - I will follow Him
11. The Spice Girls - Wannabe
    

Vol. IV - Load it down

1. Art Garfunkel - Bright eyes
2. Celine Dion - My heart will go on
   
3. Donna Summer - Hot stuff
4. Falco - Amadeus
5. Hanson - Mmmbop
6. Kelis - Milkshake
7. Los del Rio - Macarena
8. Nordglanz - Wotan strafe England
9. Rednex - The way I mate
10. Satyricon - I got erection
11. Scooter - How much is the fish
    

"Fuck you Santa, this is MY goddamn holiday!"

Ik zette een setje slappe slippers in de kast

Band/artist - Various
Genre(s) - Various
Origin - The Netherlands, Belgium
Album - My compilation for youuuuu!
Year of release - Never, duh

I made a compilation of some of the funniest, prettiest, best and whackiest Dutch songs on my computer - don't have so many, to be honest. The first half of track one is still in English, then it's into the unknown! (well unless you happen to speak the language). Since all tracks are so different I'll describe them individually.

1. The Amazing Stroopwafels - Oude Maasweg (bit meditative old rock)
   
2. Nou En - Gothic meisje (pop/rock song about a girl who only wears black)
   
3. THC - Je weet het (raw hiphop from Amsterdam)
   
4. Malle Pietje en de Bimbo's - Tienerhoer (100% literally translated Hole-cover)
   
5. Bert en Ernie - Zoek de zeep (Ernie from Sesame Street is looking for the soap)
   
6. Razorblade - Jeugdcultuur (hard oi! from Brabant)
   
7. De Huilende Rappers - Butje (catchy and nonsensical rap from Groningen)
   
8. Boudewijn de Groot - Prikkebeen (beautiful psychedelic folk track)
   
9. De Hardheid - 't vrouwtje (ska, about a neglected wife's bloody revenge)
   
10. Boudewijn de Groot - Welterusten mijnheer de president (Holland's official Vietnam-era protest song)
    
11. The Opposites - Sjonnie & Anita (dark hiphop track about the typical "low cultured" Dutch couple)
    
12. Drs. P - Dodenrit (all about Russian horsedrawn carriages, wolves and nursery rhymes)
    
13. Internationale Nieuwe Scene - Blijf niet gelaten op de wonderen wachten (Flemish revolutionary song from the 70s)
    
14. Countess - Heilig vuur (entirely anti-musical early Bathory-like black metal abortion; funny if it weren't so sad)
    
15. Fluisterwoud - Hoer van de zeven hemelen (actually quite decent raw BM)
    
16. De Internationale (Ontwaakt, verworpenen der aarde...!)
    

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The Pipettes - We Are the Pipettes

Band/artist - The Pipettes
Genre(s) - Pop
Origin - United Kingdom
Album - We Are the Pipettes
Year of release - 2006

If you enjoyed either of the two previous posts, maybe you should also take a listen at this. The Pipettes are the prettiest girls you've ever met (just so you know), and there's three of them to be exact, though I've understood there were some lineup changes recently. They have a certain fondness for polka-dots that hasn't been seen since the sixties and right enough, they sing 60s girl group-influenced powerpop songs that make you want to sing and dance. The album's irresistably catchy, and the lyrics deal mostly with boys and discos even though they have quite an attitude sometimes. To make it even better, I've added a loose track of theirs, called I Like a Boy in Uniform, which together with Pull Shapes and the disk's title track is my most favourite. Listening only to negative music is boring and bad for your mental health so do yourself a favour and give it up for the Pipettes!

1. We are the Pipettes
2. Pull shapes
3. Why did you stay?
4. Dirty mind
5. It hurts to see you dance so well
6. July
7. A winter's sky
8. Your kisses are wasted on me
9. Tell me what you want
10. Because it's not love (but it's still a feeling)
11. Sex
12. One night stand
13. ABC
14. I like a boy in uniform (school uniform)
    

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Sixpence None the Richer - Divine Discontent

Band/artist - Sixpence None the Richer
Genre(s) - Pop
Origin - United States of America (Nashville, Tennessee!)
Album - Divine Discontent
Year of release - 2002

Today I awoke to a wonderful sunday morning. The sun was shining from a bright blue sky and all Leiden's church bells were ringing. I knew I just had to upload something sunny and Christian. The choice - not that there was much choice - fell upon Divine Discontent by Sixpence None the Richer. The album title seems much more moody than the music really is. Sixpence play light, graceful, oh so cozy guitar pop with the beautiful vocals of Leigh Nash. You might know them from their earlier single and minor hit, Kiss Me. If that song would have been on this release, preferably instead of the somewhat annoying Melody of You, the album would have been perfect. As is, it's got plenty of highlights like Tonight, Waiting on the Sun and the slightly darker Paralyzed to make up for it. Also you won't have to be afraid or hoping for an orgy of Jesus-praisin' and Bible-thumpin': the lyrics convey some sense of relying on a guiding entity, but not much more. Beautiful morning music, 's all.

1. Breathe your name
2. Tonight
3. Down and out of time
4. Don't dream it's over
5. Waiting on the sun
6. Still burning
7. Melody of you
8. Paralyzed
9. I've been waiting
10. Eyes wide open
11. Dizzy
12. Tension is a passing note
13. A million parachutes
    

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Benjamin Biolay - Rose Kennedy

Band/artist - Benjamin Biolay
Genre(s) - Chansonnier, French pop
Origin - France
Album - Rose Kennedy
Year of release - 2002

I'm not too familiar with the Chansons Françaises-scene and this is one out of two very fine albums in the genre that I know. Dealing with the tragic life of the Kennedy family's matriarch, it's an elegant and melancholic piece of work, rather sparse at times and quite fragile-sounding, but very alluring. Biolay's voice is mostly a husky whisper adding an even more poetic edge to an already poetic language. If you're just going to listen to two songs, let is be Les Cerfs-Volants ("the kites") with its sweeping violins and Rose Kennedy with its haunting vocal samples.

1. Novembre toute l'annee (November all year long)
   
2. Les roses et les promesses (The roses and the promises)
   
3. Les cerfs-volants (The kites)
   
4. La mélodie de bonheur (The melody of joy)
   
5. L'observatoire (The observatory)
   
6. La monotonie (The monotony)
   
7. Trombones avant la grande parade (Horns before the big parade)
   
8. Los Angeles
9. La palmeraie (The palm grove)
   
10. Rose Kennedy
    
11. Sous le soleil du mois d'aout (Beneath the mid-august sun)
    
12. Les joggers sur la plage (The joggers on the beach)
    
13. Un été sur la côte (A summer at the coast)
    

...and we are all mortal.