KOKIA: The Voice (2008)

Today I feel it in my fingers to type this review on the latest album by Kokia: The Voice.

A big thank you to Zhu for introducing me to this amazing artist.
Her voice is so versatile and soul rendering and very capable at traversing various different genres. One moment full bodied and strong like that of a survivor, the next moment sweet, and innocent like that of a child.

The songs in this album are as vesatile as she is.

A couple of wonderful ballads in the compilation like Everlasting and Gomen ne, and some unorthodox pieces such as Follow the Nightingale and Song of Pocchong where I believe she came up with her own words for lyrics. Word on the web has been that if you manage to catch these words and write them backwards they are actual japanese words in Romanji. However, there has yet to be substantial evidence for that.

The lyrics to her songs are as hauntingly striking, particularly those of Everlasting which never fails to put me in a pensive mood. Everlasting is to me a stellar demonstration of her operatic prowess. The first time I heard it I thought it was actually Sarah Brightman. The timbre, the high notes even the song structure are similar to that of Brightman's. Though I must say that I think Kokia's voice is less jarring on the nerves and more fullsome and heart rendering.

Every moment I can feel you.
Wish You feel the same way.
If I show my secret garden you can touch to eternity.
It fill me in with scent rose.
everlasting memory.
Glow my life, you give me a heart to love.
What I feel please stay forever.

Someday I know it may fade away
Still we ask for forever.
find our sign in this music.
everlastig memory.
only my love, truly given eternal life.
what I hold, keep breathing forever.

Love, where to come.
Love, ever lasting.
The world is Saturated with light of love.

Glow my life, you give me a heart to love.
What I feel please stay forever.
only my love, truly given eternal life.
what I hold, keep breathing forever.

Someday I know it may fade away
Still we ask for forever.

~Everlasting - Kokia: The Voice ~

Nani mo kamo hoshi ni natte is like a balladic J-poppish song with it's lyrics belting out angst and hope through her melancholic velvety tones. Hope it does make it to the top of the charts. Perhaps if the winds of change blow and render those mindless J-pop screamers mute. I am just kidding of course. I too have my favourite J-poppers too. The following is an english translation of the lyrics of the songs. From what I understand of nihon go it appears to looks quite accurate.

Hatred, conflict, suffering, even if we hurt each other

If we look at the same sky after we were born again,

It will probably be only a blink of a bright moment

Where, instead of people being sacrified, justice that goes on with happiness

Alone, a life on a single person, if that life belonged to the one you love

Please imagine, as though it's your own pain

Everything turns into a star and passed on to the future

Everyone is someone's one day only

Justified events, that adults had sought reasons and let them pass

Though i was there, looking, the moment i turned a blind eye, i went down

Please imagine, as though it's your own pain

To regret every time you lose something, and shed tears for my short comings

The tears shed, as many as the number of stars, trying not waste them

Only an emptiness cuts the sky, and tears my heart

When everything turns into a star, would it all be forgotten?

Please look at the person beside you

Coincidence that you cannot simply call them a stranger

It's too far into the time to smile back anymore

I don't need love that seeks something in return

Please imagine, as though it's your own pain

Everything turns into a star and passed on to the future

Everyone is someone's one and only

~Nanimo kamo ga hoshi ni natte - Kokia: The Voice ~

Odayaka na shizukesa is a truly interesting piece. Utilising intersting interplay between voice, instrumentation and synchronization. Kokia's masterful utilisation of her elements makes her appear to mimic Tori Amos with her piano playing and powerful voice. The calmess of the quiet is truely appreciated through her use of velvety tones on the saxaphone, and the plaintiveness enhanced with the gradual build up of instrumentation with the final die cast with the use of a string orchestra and other worldly vocalization and all this gradually decreases in numbers and the thickness of the music thins out towards the end to a plaintive long held note and a quiet plea for quietness. A true musical experience.

The first song of the album, Gomen ne seals the deal from the start. Each time she hits the chorus it makes you want to tell her that she's forgiven for whatever she is apologizing for. Every time you hear the words Gomen ne you can feel the sting of regret and pain. It's a feeling one and all can bear witness to whenever there's something or someone for which ( or whom ) we feel regret for and the pangs that come along with it.

It's strange that Kokia would choose to open her album with an apology. An act of humility or is there a deeper meaning to this album. For what it's worth, there is no need for apology or humility for this album. Just listening to this work of art is explanation enough.

(Edit: download link here. =p)

Elbow - The Seldom Seen Kid

Elbow is an indie rock/dream pop band from Manchester,UK. They're one of the most under-rated out there (so can be said of a million other bands) but their time will surely come! (not so much for the other million bands,sorry)! They released a new album in March this year titled 'The Seldom Seen Kid'(Download here, link expires May 3). The title is a tribute to their friend Bryan who just passed away, and also a line from their hit single 'Grounds for Divorce' (quote: Monday is for drinking to the seldom seen kid)

Links:
Official site | Wikipedia | Myspace

Elbow is my new find and I'm yet to (1) Dig out why they call themselves 'elbow', namely a rather fragile body joint (2) Listen to their previous albums to see the progression of musical style (3) Attend their concert on May 6th, held in a church in downtown Vancouver =D Envy me not!

As Jady asked me why they'd hold a concert in CHURCH (are they a religious band?), I browsed through online resources and came to the conclusion they simply love venturous places and even plan to try out a forest (They need solar energy to power up their electronic set XD)



I've listened to the seldom seen kid back to back a couple of times and dare I say I love every single track on the album! It's 100% gem! 'Grounds for Divorce' (released in single) is coarse, dark and ground-shaking, something that would fit frontman Guy Garvey's 'grizzly' image. It's a very catchy tune with old-flavoured, minimalistic guitars. However this's the only heavy rock song you'd find on the album and wiki says 'it's the most rock composition ever attempted by Elbow'. Successful as it is, grounds for divorce isn't exactly representative. The lyrics are excellently written with personal reference to the neighborhood Garvey grew up in. Matter of fact, one of the greatest attractions about Elbow is Guy Garvey's beautifully crafted lyrics, which can be read through as a complete poem with the finest rhymes and metaphors. Here's a discussion link to the lyrics of Grounds for Divorce, an interesting read.

Grounds for Divorce


Tune to 'One day like this' and 'Weather to fly' on sunny days and you'll experience how the melodious orchestra loosen up your bones and toss you high up the clouds.'The bones of you'and 'Some Riot'are much darker and introspective. 'The fix' is a nice attempt at folk composition (reminds me of Broadway musicals) and features guest performance from Richard Hawley. They have proved how talented and versatile they're when it comes to song writing. One of the best I've came across among indie rock bands.

One Day Like This


The Bones of You (Live at Glasgow)


The Bones of You
So I'm here. Charging around with a juggernaut brow. Overdraft speeches and deadlines to make. Cramming commitments like cats in a sack. Telephone burn and a purposeful gait. When out of a doorway the tentacles stretch of a song that I know and the world moves in slow-mo. Straight to my head like the first cigarette of the day. And it's you. And it's May. And we're sleeping through the day. And I'm five years ago and three thousand miles away. Do I have time? A man of my caliber?

Stood in the street like a sleepwalking teenager? No. And I dealt with this years ago. I took a hammer to every memento but image on image like beads on a rosary pull through my head as the music takes hold. And the sickener hits. I can work 'til I break but I love the bones of you. That I will never escape. And it's you. And it's May. And we're sleeping through the day. And I'm five years ago and three thousand miles away. And I can't move my arm for fear that you will wake. And I'm five years ago and three thousand miles away.

Running up that hill

Wiki

Brief intro: The song was originally written by Kate Bush for the album 'Hounds of Love' (Darren Hayes' favourite btw). The complete title reads 'Running up that hill(A deal with God) but due to religious concerns, they dropped the bracket. Placebo covered it and what you see here is a live performance on the Henry Rollins Show. The song is about swapping positions between two different parties (a man and a woman) who have difficulties understanding each other.

There's something about Brian(Placebo's frontman)'s stage demeanor that attracts me periodically. (There are periods I can't stand his voice). Since I didn't hear Kate Bush's original version or any other covers, there's no ground to compare...

Placebo - Running Up That Hill Lyrics

It doesn't hurt me.
You wanna feel how it feels?
You wanna know, know that it doesn't hurt me?
You wanna hear about the deal I'm making?
You be running up that hill
You and me be running up that hill

And if I only could,
Make a deal with God,
And get him to swap our places,
Be running up that road,
Be running up that hill,
Be running up that building.
If I only could, oh...

You don't want to hurt me,
But see how deep the bullet lies.
Unaware that I'm tearing you asunder.
There is thunder in our hearts, baby.
So much hate for the ones we love?
Tell me, we both matter, don't we?

You, be running up that hill
You and me, be running up that hill
You and me won't be unhappy.

And if I only could,
Make a deal with God,
And get him to swap our places,
Be running up that road,
Be running up that hill,
Be running up that building,
If I only could, oh...

'C'mon, baby, c'mon, c'mon, darling,
Let me steal this moment from you now.
C'mon, angel, c'mon, c'mon, darling,
Let's exchange the experience, oh...'

And if I only could,
Make a deal with God,
And get him to swap our places,
Be running up that road,
Be running up that hill,
With no problems. x2

'If I only could, be running up that hill.'

----------------
Now playing: Venus In Furs - Tumbling Down
via FoxyTunes

lyrics contest - round 4 - OSTs

Alright, as the last two rounds turned out they were too damn difficult, we were just competing to get the other bald first (by pulling own hair out). So my second try would be themed and plentiful quoted if not hinted. zhu, you ready?

Theme: original soundtracks. All the songs have been featured in one or more films, tv series, anime, you get the idea...(zhu I think you have all of them, either the OST album or the songs by themselve, or at least heard of, and you should have seen most of them. Name the movie too if you so like. =D)

Difficulty: giveaway to obscure drive-you-mad stuff, in descending order.


31)
I sat on the roof and kicked off the moss
Well a few of the verses well they've got me quite cross
But the sun's been quite kind while I wrote this song
It's for people like you that keep it turned on

32)
You can live the life you like.
You can even marry Harry
But mess around with Ike.
And that's good, isn't it?

33)
Moonlight and love songs - never out of date
Hearts full of passion - jealousy and hate
Woman needs man - and man must have his mate
That no one can deny

34)
I stole ten thousand pounds,
ten thousand pounds to see you
I robbed convenience stores
'cause I thought they'd make it easier
I lived of rats and toads and I starved for you
I fought of giant bears and I killed them too

35)
All the leaves are brown
And the sky is gray
I've been for a walk
On a winter's day

zhu didn't have forrest gump, sobz. replacement is harder!

A satellite recalled your voice
Sent me round the world again
All the night you've dreamed away
Sent me round my heart again
One touch upon my lips
And all my thoughts are clear
I feel your smoky mist
Up to the stratosphere

(and i realize that basically, the first five are shameless giveaways..)

36)
Drink up one more time,
And I'll make you mine.
Keep you a part,
Deep in my heart,
Separate from the rest,
Where I like you the best,
And keep the things you forgot.

37) It blows in my eyes and makes me realize
The trouble that I'm in
That Carolina Wind
And the dirt beneath my heels in the road
Obeys command to me and serves me as I go

38) Photographers snip snap
Take your time she's only burning
This kind of experience
Is necessary for her learning

39) And now I tell you openly, you have my heart so don't hurt me.
You're what I couldn't find.
A totally amazing mind, so understanding and so kind;
You're everything to me.

40)
Cerf-volant
Volant au vent
Ne t'arrête pas
Vers la mer
Haut dans les airs
Un enfant te voit
Et dans la tourmente
Tes ailes triomphantes
N'oublie pas de revenir
Vers moi

(yeah, French. But that's really easy, like, how many French OST do we have in common?)

Lyrics Contest Round 3 (Chinese)

Easy one, no hints!

(21)
爱为何总填不满又掏不空

(22)
把酒高歌的男儿是北方的狼族

(23)
只看见沙漠 哪里有什么骆驼

(24)
我还没说可惜 你已经在叹气

(25)
留着相同的血 喝着相同的水

(26)
所有公允的景观之中，我都不存在

(27)
欢迎光临 你好吗

(28)
一个梦境的周围 散落花瓣十六枚

(29)
我的心情好像土拨鼠在挖洞

(30)
总觉得钞票一天比一天难赚

Lyrics Contest - Round 2

Round 1 isn't exactly concluded, but to reward the hard work of zhu the question setter: a premature release of Round 2. I have yet to type in hints, and that'll depend on feedback (i.e. grunts and complaints). Honestly, a lot of the stuff are quite a giveaway (IMO), too well known..we'll see. Don't bother checking my last.fm chart for hints cuz I didn't scrobble, but I know you wouldn't. That was a smug note to self. ^_*

- update: hints added by popular request. You can always demand more.


11) if lies you tell can make it better
and hopeless dreams can make your day

one of those bands that like a numerical in their names.

12) Jaded in anger
Love underwhelms you
No box of chocolates
Whichever way you fall

by a now inactive duo.

13) But as the embers of the summer lost their breath and disappeared
My heart went cold and only hollow rhythms resounded from within

title is indicative of a time of the year.

14) Soon there'll be candles
And prayers that are said I know

you don't have to name the original artist--though it'd be a bonus if you do--cuz it's one of those frequently covered classics. analyse the nouns.

15) Sure you were swift when the handsome Greek boys dropped by with gifts
You are suave thanks to the ribbons that open sesame

in these two lines a word echoes another title by the same artist.

16) Take another shot of courage
Wonder why the right words never come
You just get numb

title is shared by a cocktail, a film, an album, and of course, this song.

17) Take two people - romantic
Smoky nightclub situation
Your cigarette traces a ladder

song featured in a rock n' roll movie. pays tribute to Casablanca the film classic. (that's TWO hints.)

18) One says, he wants everlasting happiness
other says, he wants nothing
it's all one to me..

ooh you got this one, I thought it would be the first to go, too. ;-) I was going to say, 'a vertebrate and an invertebrate', haha.

19) To the brutes in the halls
My timid young fingers held a decent animal.

the name of the band is part of the body--human body, i am not sure how it's called in other mammals.

20) The game I used to play
I've always put my cards upon the table
Let it never be said that I'd be unstable

band on hiatus. country of origin is neighbor to that of the original artist(s) of lyrics (17).

Lyrics Contest

Round 1 - Questions by Zhu
Identify song title and artist, no cheating, no googling. Your brain and memory is your only tool! (plus fingers for typing)

Clues are given beside question number.

(1) The song title reminds me of bubble gum.
Plant a seed, plant a flower, plant a rose
You can plant any one of those

(2) Already disbanded.
Using symbols using words
Can be likened to a deep sea diver

(3) Clue's embedded below.
Don't slide

(4) The first BIG digital animation film.
I only need a little time
Perhaps a little hair

(5) Well, can't give clue for this coz it's too obvious.
He was a boy, she was a girl
Can I make it anymore obvious?

(6) Closer
Stones taught me to fly
Love taught me to cry

(7) Let's get to the chorus.
Hello, you fool
I love you

(8) I posted the lyrics before in my blog (sorry, not a good clue, still a clue)
The people go forever descending
It's when we're all inside
That summer's on the way

(9) A flower
I wake in pain
I dream of love as time runs through my hand

(10) Coz we aren't old yet.
And it really doesn’t matter that we don’t eat
And it really doesn’t matter if we never sleep

Death Cab for Cutie - Marching Bands of Manhattan

Thanks to Jady who introduced me to death cab for cutie, an American indie rock band formed in 1997. I want to recommend this song 'Marching Bands of Manhattan',from their 2005 album 'Plans'(the highest charting album for DCFC, nominated for Grammy).

- Links -
Wiki
Official Site

The melody is quite simple and repetitive but it keeps the rhythm going. 'Like a faucet that leaks and there is comfort in the sound'best summarises the sorrow and numbing comfort. The 1st and 2nd stanza seems to be spoken by different subject, an open admirer and a doubtful hermit. Their love never quite works out. While debating the damage or bliss love could bring, romance is drowned in rising tides and the opportunity's slowly disappearing. I don't like the music video but heck let's just stick with it.



"Marching Bands Of Manhattan"

If I could open my arms
And span the length of the isle of Manhattan,
I'd bring it to where you are
Making a lake of the East River and Hudson
If I could open my mouth
Wide enough for a marching band to march out
They would make your name sing
And bend through alleys and bounce off all the buildings.

I wish we could open our eyes
To see in all directions at the same time
Oh what a beautiful view
If you were never aware of what was around you
And it is true what you said
That I live like a hermit in my own head
But when the sun shines again
I'll pull the curtains and blinds to let the light in.

Sorrow drips into your heart through a pinhole
Just like a faucet that leaks and there is comfort in the sound
But while you debate half empty or half full
It slowly rises, your love is gonna drown [4x]

Your love is gonna drown [4x]
Your love is gonna...

Elliott Smith - Ballad of Big Nothing

Just want to test out the iJigg radio really. Elliott Smith (1969 – 2003) was an American singer-songwriter and musician - "bleak, almost uncomfortably unsparing and yet tragically beautiful make Smith something of a Nick Drake for the indie rock cognoscenti." I'll put up more about him later. Enjoy this first~ =D

Ballad of Big Nothing

Throwing candy out to the crowd, dragging down the main
The helpless little thing with the dirty mouth who's always got something to say
You're sitting around at home now waiting for your brother to call
I saw him down in the alley, having had enough of it all

Said you can do what you want to whenever you want to
You can do what you want to, there's no one to stop you

All spit and spite, you're up all night and down every day
A tired man with only hours to go just waiting to be taken away
Getting into the back of a car for candy from some stranger
Watching the parade with pinpoint eyes full of smoldering anger

You can do what you want to whenever you want to
You can do what you want to, there's no one to stop you
Now you can do what you want to whenever you want to
Do what you want to whenever you want to
Do what you want to whenever you want to though it doesn't mean a thing
Big nothing

New York City - Norah Jones

It’s really not so good an idea to fill your ancient, tiny-capacity MP3 player with Norah and Norah only, and set out on the road, thinking it’d make even the grimmest parts of the journey tender and not without subtle meanings. Especially when it’s an album featuring Norah singing about a labyrinthinely fascinating city that you'd always wanted to see for yourself. Especially when your own travel happens in winter, to harsh, unrelenting places like Chinese tourist destinations. (Of course you can renounce the idea of even bringing a player to drown out all other interesting, real sounds in travel. I got to do that when I am out of battery, which happens pretty often anyway.)

The thing about Norah is that she comforts you like opium. You keep coming back for more. You laugh, you fall into a reverie to the lyrics set to her low, smoky voice, and as you wake up lingeringly you cry, and cycle repeats. It’s subversive in that it could quietly wipe out everything else (N.B.: in emotionally turbulent times), and it's bad travel company exactly because of that. In the small town of Yangshuo, as I sat with newly made friends on the road side watching people and (unmoving) karst rocks and good humouredly chatting, we asked what music we each were listening to on that stretch of the journey. The guys chuckled (in slight embarrassment?) “oh, I know Norah Jones…but I never listen to romantic stuff like that ye know..” (guy’s pick was rock, more or less predictably.) Never occurred to me before that Norah’s music would be described as ‘romantic’, and then I thought, maybe, only girls and women listen to Norah? I personally would feel a little amused imagining a guy transfixed to her music for weeks on end like I sometimes do. Only on reflection did I realize that the subject matters and the perspective of her lyrics, poetic, poignant and at times melancholy, are mostly a very feminine kind. But I’d very much like to see someone disagree. :-P

About this album of New York City (which is actually by the Peter Malick Group featuring Jones)—if you had listened to the other more famous Norah albums (Come Away With Me and Feels Like Home) this one would not disappoint you in the least. The collaboration sees Norah attack the ‘70’s singer/songwriter style country/bluesy’ songs (quoting an unremembered source) with vigor and heart, and the result is that the album has a distinctly different and refreshingly lively feel as compared with the solo efforts. It’s really difficult to pick a favourite to put here, as all six tracks featured are equally great. I’ll just put the title track on YSI first. (coming later due to Taiwan earthquake and my being partially cut off to servers across the ocean..) UPDATE: download here before it expires around 6 Jan. Thanks to zhu for circumventing the problem from north America instead. All material from the web and meant for non-commercial purposes only. =D

New York City

I can't remember what I planned tomorrow
I can't remember when it's time to go
When I look in the mirror
Tracing lines with a pencil
I remember what came before

I wanted to think there was endless love
Until I saw the light dim in your eyes
In the dead of the night I found out
Sometimes there's love that won't survive

New York City
Such a beautiful disease
New York City
Such a beautiful,
Such a beautiful disease

Laura kept all her disappointments
Locked up in a box behind her closet door
She pulled the blinds and listened to the thunder
With no way out from the family store

We all told her things could get better
When you just say goodbye
I'll lay awake one more night
Caught in a vision I want to deny

And did I mention the note that I found
Taped to my locked front door
It talked about no regrets
As it slipped from my hand to the scuffed tile floor

I rode the train for hours on end
And watched the people pass me by
It could be that it has no end
Just an action junkie's lullaby

New York City
Such a beautiful disease
New York City
Such a beautiful,
Such a beautiful disease

We were full of the stuff that every dream rested
As if floating on a lumpy pillow sky
Caught up in the whole illusion
That dreams never pass us by
Came to a tattooed conclusion
That the big one was knocking at the door
What started as a mass delusion
Would take me far from the place I adore

New York City
Such a beautiful disease
New York City
You are my beautiful,
Such a beautiful disease

Aoi Teshima - Gedo Senki Kashu

>> photo from Ghibli World>> http://www.ghibliworld.com/
Left: Director Goro Miyazaki | Right center: Aoi Teshima

I can't remember when's the last time I wrote a review. Maybe I should just write down random stuff before the urge completely evaporates. While the album is on its way to yours and yours email box, here's a lil' appetiser.


(photo from Ghibli World>> http://www.ghibliworld.com/)

I wrote something about it in my animation blog so maybe Jeremy knows. Aoi Teshima is a new star born out of the upcoming Ghibli film 'Gedo Senki'(Tales of Earthsea, premier July 29th in Japan). The theme song of the movie, titled 'Teru no Uta'(Teru's song) is an instant hit. Extensive publicity helps of course but what truly captures thousands of fans is Aoi Teshima, this 18 year old's soothing voice. The director of the movie, Goro Miyazaki, pinpointed her to perform the theme song after listening to her demo tape. There's loneliness in that voice, a loneliness which only belongs to the youth. (director's quote) The lyrics are beautiful. I don't understand Japanese but at least I can tell they rhyme and it's perfect for an epic story like Gedo Senki. The songbook album that came out July 12th contains 10 tracks, all of them lullaby-ish ballads. If you enjoy 'Teru no uta'(track #9), you'll sure love the rest as well. Track #2 'Ryuu' (Dragon) is one of my favourites. It's a nice switch after my eardrums got stuck to rock n roll all week. It's summer and this album is like a cool breeze. Btw, Miyazaki already started preparations on his next film. According to the producer Suzuki, Miyazaki just wouldn't let his son surpass him. Wait and see. (Honestly I pity the rest of Ghibli staff. C'mon this's not all about Miyazaki business... I want to see more varieties! Goro draws exactly the same as his dad. This's impossible!) Back to the album. Enjoy!

>> Download link:Aoi Teshima - Gedo Senki Kashu (July 12, 2006)

ゲド戦記歌集 (Gedo Senki Kashu)
Artist: 手嶌葵 (Aoi Teshima)
Date : 2006.07.12

1. 数え唄 (Kazoe Uta)
2. 竜 (Ryuu | Dragon)
3. 黄昏 (Tasogare | Twilight)
4. 別の人 (Betsuno nin | Another man)
5. 旅人 (Tabibito | Traveller)
6. ナナカマド (Nanakamado)
7. 空の終点 (Sora no Shuuten | The end of sky )
8. 春の夜に (Haru no yoru ni | Spring Night)
9. テルーの唄 (Teru no Uta)
10. 時の歌 (Toki no Uta)

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Aoi Teshima Profile



Official Website >> Aoi Teshima
Kanji: 手嶌葵
(Singer, Voice actress)

B-day: 1987.6.21
Height: 174cm
Hobbies: Ballet, reading

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Finally, the lyrics to 'Teru no Uta' (Kanji, Romaji, plus English & Chinese translations. Any more request? Guess not.)



テルーの唄

yuuyami semaru kumo no ue / 夕闇迫る　雲の上
itsumo ichiwa de tondeiru / いつも一羽で　飛んでいる
taka wa kitto kanashikarou / 鷹はきっと　悲しかろう

oto mo todaeta kaze no naka / 音も途絶えた　風の中
sora wo tsukanda sono tsubasa / 空をつかんだ　その翼
yasumerukoto wa dekinakute / 休めることは　できなくて

kokoro wo nani ni tatoeyou / 心を何に　たとえよう
taka no youna kono kokoro / 鷹のような　この心
kokoro wo nani ni tatoeyou / 心を何に　たとえよう
sora wo mauyouna kanashisawo / 空を舞うような　悲しさを

hitokage taeta no no michiwo / 人影絶えた　野の道を
watashi to tomoni ayunderu / 私と共に　歩んでる
anata mo kitto samishikarou / あなたもきっと　さみしかろう

mushi no sasayaku sougen wo / 虫のささやく　草原を
tomoni michi yuku hitodakedo / 共に道行く　人だけど
taete mono iu kotomonaku / 絶えてもの言う　こともなく

kokoro wo nani ni tatoeyou / 心を何に　たとえよう
hitori michi yuku kono kokoro / ひとり道ゆく　この心
kokoro wo nani ni tatoeyou / 心を何に　たとえよう
hitoribocchi no samishisawo / ひとりぼっちの　さみしさを

--- oOo ---

English Translation : Song of Teru

Over the cloud in the dusk
the hawk is flying always alone
He must surely be sad

All sounds are ceased in the wind
Holding on tight to the sky
he can't rest his wings

How do I express my mind
my mind like the hawk
How do I express my mind
my sadness that flies in the sky

The rain falls gently on the ground
Always hiding there behind the rock, a secret blooming
That little flower, is surely bitter

All colours fade in the rain
Who will ever stop by to appreiciate
its faint pink petals?

How do I express my mind
my heart, like that flower
How do I express my mind
the bitterness that sways in the rain

On this empty path
you who walk beside me
must surely be lonely

Insects are chirping in the grass
But we who walk together
have not spoken a sound

How do I express my mind
my mind that walks all alone
How do I express my mind
my loneliness that travels alone

--- oOo ---

中文翻译：特鹿之歌

夕阳彩云之间
总有一双翅膀 在那里徘徊
那头鹰 一定很悲伤吧

迎着风 听不到一丝声音
这双翅膀 紧紧地抓住天空
一刻都不能休憩

要将心比作什么？
好似那鹰一般的 这颗心
要将心比作什么？
那飘舞在空中的悲伤

雨淅淅沥沥地下
躲在岩石背后 总是静静的绽放
那朵小小的花 一定很苦恼吧

在雨中 所有的颜色都变得朦胧
又有谁会来欣赏
它淡粉色的花瓣呢？

要将心比作什么？
好似那花一般的 这颗心
要将心比作什么？
在雨中摇摆的苦恼

在这无人的 野外小路
和我一起的你
也一定 很寂寞吧

连虫子都在草丛中低吟
同行的人 却一声不吭

要将心比作什么？
形单影只的 这颗心
要将心比作什么？
孤单一人的那份寂寞

[Song of the Week] La Complainte de la Butte

Something on the autoplay item on the current radio (and the Rufus avalanche continues..) If you loved Moulin Rouge the movie/musical, if you love the soundtrack, you'd definitely know this. This rendition by Rufus is what started and drew my interest deep into his work, but the song itself is an old one, written by Georges van Parys (wiki entry in French), a proliferous Parisien composer of film and opera music, whose long career spanned the 30s thru the 70s. It was first used in Jean Renoir (impressionist painter Pierre-Auguste Renoir's second son, interesting eh)'s film French Cancan in 1955. La Complainte de la Butte is a chanson of Paris in essence, the Moulin a famous feature of Paris (made into six films so far) and 'les escaliers de la butte' ('the steps of Montmartre') refers to the hilly landscape of Montmartre, a scenic district of Paris. (Remember the long uphill stairs in Amelie? That was Montmartre too.) The lyrics, in French, are exquisitely written, and this version of English translation quite did it justice. Enjoy~

La lune trop blême pose un diadème sur tes cheveux roux
La lune trop rousse de gloire éclabousse ton jupon plein d'trous
La lune trop pâle caresse l'opale de tes yeux blasés
Princesse de la rue soit la bienvenue dans mon cœur brisé

The moon, all too fair, in your russet-red hair sets a sparkling crown
The moon, all too red with glory, is spread on your poor, tattered gown
The moon, all too white, caresses the light in your world-weary eyes
Princess of the street, do allow me to greet you, my broken heart cries

Chorus:
The stairways up to la butte
Can make the wretched sigh
While windmill wings of the moulin
shelter you and I
[Les escaliers de la butte sont durs aux miséreux
Les ailes des moulins protègent les amoureux
The steps of Montmartre, all uphill, are hardest on the poor
The sails of the mill, like wings, shelter all paramours]


Petite mandigote je sens ta menotte qui cherche ma main
Je sens ta poitrine et ta taille fine
J'oublie mon chagrin
Je sens sur tes lèvres une odeur de fièvre de gosse mal nourri
Et sous ta caresse je sens une ivresse qui m'anéantit

I feel, beggar-girl, your fetters, they curl as they seek out my wrists
I feel your young breasts, your thin little waist
I lose my regrets
I taste on your mouth the feverish breath of a half-starving waif
And with your caress I sense drunkenness erasing my life

The stairways up to la butte
Can make the wretched sigh
While windmill wings of the moulin
shelter you and I
[Les escaliers de la butte sont durs aux miséreux
Les ailes des moulins protègent les amoureux]

Et voila qu'elle trotte la lune qui flotte, la princesse aussi
La da da da da da da da da da
Mes rêves épanouis
Les escaliers de la butte sont durs aux miséreux
Les ailes des moulins protègent les amoureux

And see how she skips, the moon how she drifts,
The princess in tow
Da da da da da da da da da da
My reveries grow
The steps of Montmartre, all uphill, are hardest on the poor
The sails of the mill, like wings, shelter all paramours.

Grey Gardens

Request par Jady, since a moment ago we were chatting about Rufus Wainwright. I see the future of Les Ukuleles - it'll be inadvertantly flooded with posts on Mr. Wainwright. So I've warned you.

Rufus Wainwright - Grey Gardens
(click for savefile link, beware of porn ads)
from album 'Poses'

Honey I’m a roller concrete clover
Tadzio, Tadzio

Arm wrestle your mother
Simply over
Tadzio, over you

But beware my heart can be a pin
A sharp silver dragonfly
Trying to get my mansions green
After I’ve grey gardens seen

In betweeen tonight and my tomorrows
Tadzio where have you been
In between tonight I know it’s Tadzio
Tadzio don’t you fight

Honey can you hear me
In between been dragging a dragonfly
Trying to get my mansions green
After I’ve grey gardens seen

Honey won’t you hold me tight
Get me through grey gardens tonight

Tadzio, Tadzio
Tadzio, Tadzio

Trying to get my mansions green
After I’ve grey gardens seen
Honey won’t you hold me tight
Get me through grey gardens tonight

Tadzio, Tadzio
Tadzio, Tadzio

I got distracted by the sound of Tadzio. I don't understand the lyrics in the first place and was bothered by the repetitive hissing sound coming from my earphone.(You might be right in saying 'he's got an expiring voice', ET-sama...)Tadzio here, Tadzio there... Out of curiosity I googled and found the original source of this mysterious name. Tadzio, an extremely beautiful Polish boy from Thomas Mann's novel 'Death in Venice'.

Summary of the novel(quoted from here)
The central character is the greatly respected, but ageing professor Von Achenbach, who at the turn of the century leaves his native Germany for a holiday in Venice. Once installed in a comfortable hotel he notices among the guests an almost unaturally beautiful Polish boy, Tadzio. Von Aschenbach is slowly but surely obsessed and although he watches Tadzio, he dare not speak to him. Although married and heterosexual he finds that the beauty of a young boy and his ensuing obsession disturbs him deeply and results in a re-awakening of his emotions that we find are dormant through a series of flashbacks.Despite warnings of a cholera epidemic Aschenbach stays in Venice; he sacrifices his dignity and well-being to the immediate experience of beauty as embodied by Tadzio. After exchanging a significant look with the boy on the day of Tadzio's scheduled departure, Aschenbach dies of cholera.







It was adapted into a movie in 1971. Movie shots of Tadzio
I'm making it sound like a movie review. I'll leave the lyrics interpretation to Jady. Enjoy!

---

Continues Jady…(I got to complain about the way Zhu habitually chucks unfinished posts to me, very funny, HMPF!)

M. Rufus has proved to us that he’s one well-read, deep-thinking modern poet (with an ‘expiring’ voice, sure) with all the alternatively dense or abstract lyrics he writes. Thomas May’s review of Poses says of Wainwright as having the ‘the singular, unclassifiable, ranging gift of singer/songwriter’. (See the full review at the bottom.) But appreciating the music is one thing, interpreting lyrics is another—which is particularly difficult with monsieur Wainwright who writes with such personal, almost cryptic voice. What’s ‘roller concrete clover?’ What’s ‘in between been dragging a dragonfly’? and what could ‘grey gardens’ possibly mean, apart from a barren, withered heart?

Updates: after some avid searching by Mlle. Zhu, we now have some interesting bg info about Grey Gardens, a 1975 documentary telling ‘the story of the aunt and first cousin of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis and their everyday life at Grey Gardens, a decrepit 28-room mansion located in East Hampton, New York. Edith Bouvier Beale and her mother (also named Edith) lived together there for over twenty years in squalor and almost total isolation.’—so Grey Gardens is in part literally a desolate place, and in other part probably a metaphor for all that it stands for.

---

Thomas May's review on Poses

The scrutiny of success that came early on--being named Best New Artist by Rolling Stone in 1998, the year of his debut album, for example--would have smothered many another emerging talent. But it failed to stopper the singular, unclassifiable, ranging gift of singer/songwriter Rufus Wainwright. His sophomore album, Poses, advances beyond the earlier, cabaret-inspired effort with a suite of songs marvelously varied in arrangement and texture but linked by Wainwright's characteristic theatrical panache. "Cigarettes and Chocolate Milk" catalogs excess with playful self-censure, but Wainwright's whimsical ironies often take a bruising, poignant turn, whether in the pseudo-upbeat "California" or, most movingly, on the title track. The dying fall of Wainwright's lusher melodies--echoes of "Across the Universe" as well as ultrachic Beatles tunes such as "Michelle"--meshes remarkably with the poetic substance here as he explores a landscape of wistful self-knowledge caught between longing and decadence. Yet even through all the layers of picturesque, postmod observation, Wainwright conveys a sense-filtered experience that gives urgency to his hauntingly mumbled opacities. With Poses, the young artist proves his authenticity.

Life In Mono

The trip-hop duo Mono was formed by the vocalist Siobhan De Maré and producer Martin Virgo. Their songs are mainly influenced by jazz, '60s pop and classic film-soundtracks. Life in mono is a song in the American film Great Expectations soundtrack which earned a high profile for the duo. So far they only have one album: Formica Blues. Personally I found "life in mono" is the best in this album. I've uploaded this song to my space, those interested can download from this site:
http://individual.utoronto.ca/yayaduck/Yaya/mono.mp3

The lyrics for songs in Formica Blues can be found in this site:


Life In Mono by Mono

The stranger sang a theme
From someone else's dream
The leaves began to fall
And no one spoke at all
But I can't seem to recall
When you came along
Ingenue

Ingenue
I just don't know what to do

The tree-lined avenue
Begins to fade from view
Drowning past regrets
In tea and cigarettes
But I can't seem to forget
When you came along
Ingenue

Ingenue
I just don't know what to do

Muhahahaha, after some painstaking search, I managed to find most of the songs in Formica Blues. You can find them here:
http://individual.utoronto.ca/yayaduck/Yaya/Formicablues.rar
Guys, show some enthusiasm! Gimme some cheers!

GARNET CROW: Flying Gone

MSN chat
Me: Jady, am I allowed to...
Me: post a new entry?
J: on?
Me: GARNET CROW
J: NO
Me: Whhhy not?
J: YOU ALREADY HAVE A BLOODY SITE DEDICATED TO GARNET CROW!
...
(anyway in the end I get a 300words max permission ^^ from Jady)

I probably know the general response from the rest of ukulele since I've been ranting about GC like forever. The last time I attempt to promoto GC to ET-sama, 50% of the tracks I sent over received a 'fail!' evaluation. Well, the thing about GC's music is, it's almost 'never' catchy and pleasant to ear on first listening. Plus, the lead vocal, Yuri Nakamura's voice is rather special. Unlike typical (or stereotypical) female Japanese singers who have high-pitched squeaky voices, hers is very alto and neutral sounding. I'm not sure how that will affect listeners' choices but as far as I know, GC has a well balanced ratio of male vs female fans.

I'm just going to recommend one song. (Tears, if only you know how difficult it is to pick the RIGHT song to recommend. The wrong choice can easily lose a potential fan) It's their 6th maxi single - flying, which is chosen as the theme song for playstation game 'tales of eternia'. I was dozing off on my desk last night (with earphones on and music playing), but when I heard the chorus of this song, I was almost instantly awake. The elation and excitement was really incredible no matter how many times I hear it. The opening beats have a strong sense of urgency and everything seems calm for a while, until you hear this sudden take-off, as if holding your breath before a blood boiling bungee jump. This song is about the turning wheel of fate, about destinies, uncertainty and assurance. So be patient and give it a try! If you want to know more about GC, you might as well visit my fansite ^^ (advert time here), which I assure you is 100 times more comprehensive than Wikipedia entry.

I actually tailor picked a couple of GC songs (3 tracks in each genre) . Choose whichever you prefer:
-> soft rock & hip-hop
-> soothing & melancholic
-> happy, high & jazzy
-> my personal favourites

Flying
-> YSI link (I've also included a live concert version of this song)
-> Also Flying's c/w song 'cried a little' (a very sad song)



Composed by Yuri Nakamura
Lyrics by AZUKI Nana
Arranged by Hirohito Furui
English translations from Ryuichi's GC soundscope, modified by me

季節きせつはずれのbeach side
(the out of season beachside)
夜よるに隠かくれた
(your face hidden in the dark)
君きみの横顔よこがおは何なにをみつめてるの？
(what are you looking at?)

人ひとは誰だれもが皆みな
(everybody...)
何なにかを背負せおってる
(is carrying something)
だけど　ふとよぎる不安ふあん
(the anxiety that suddenly crosses my mind)
消けせやしないよ
(won't be erased so easily)

僕ぼくらは何一なにひとつ
(we, for the sake of something,)
知しることない未来みらいの為ために
(for an unknown future)
手てに入いれたり投なげ出だしたりして
(cast off what's held in our hands)
儚はかなく誘さそう行方ゆくえめざして
(and it leads you on to a foreign path)

flying gone
夢見ゆめみる様ように　墜おちてゆくの
(falling as if dreaming)
君きみの中なかへ
(into your embrace)
恐おそれないで傷きずついたら
(without fear, if i get hurt)
きっと　切せつない優やさしさを抱だいている
(I'm sure a bitter gentleness will envelop me)

flying fall down
羽はばたきながら　墜おちてゆくの
(flapping my wings, falling)
君きみの傍そばへ
(to your side)
何なにも　ナイ　明日あすがくる瞬間ときは
(before the coming of that empty instance in the future)
君きみに出会であえた奇跡きせき胸むねの中なか
(I'll hold to my heart this miracle that I've met you)
ネムラセテ...
(and fall into a deep slumber)

君きみを信しんじる程ほどに　ねぇ
(the trust i've placed in you)
傷きずは深ふかくて...
(is as deep as my wounds have been)
私わたし以外いがいのもの　すべて
(how i wish that everything, except my own presence)
消けし去さりたいよ
(could be erased without a trace)

気きづいた時ときには　もう
(by the time I realized it)
ただ走はしり続つづけることに
(there was no other choice but to go on)
安やすらぎさえ感かんじていたなんて...
(strange that I even felt peace)
イミジキアスヲ　飛とび越こえてゆけ
(together, let's cross this imaginery space)

flying fall down
旅立たびだつならば
(if we are to set out on a journey)
朝あさも昼ひるも夜よるもなくて
(no matter if it's morning, noon or night)
君きみのめぐる輪廻りんねの果はてへ
(to that place where your endless cycle of reincarnation ends)
二度にどと帰かえらぬ(三途の川)かわのほとりまで
(to the River of Styx where there's no return)
飛とび出だすの
(let's fly)

flying gone
もつれてゆくよ
(getting tangled up forever)
君きみの　アイ life すべて求もとめ
(I want your love, life and everything)
you and me
もう別べつの生活ひを灯ともす
(starting a new life)
君きみのいない明日あしたなんていらなくても...
(I don't want a tomorrow without your presence)

flying fall down
羽はばたきながら　墜おちてゆくの
(flapping my wings, falling)
君きみの傍そばへ
(to your side)
何なにも　ナイ　明日あすがくる瞬間ときは
(before the coming of that empty instance in the future)
君きみに出会であえた奇跡きせき胸むねの中なか
(I'll hold to my heart this miracle that I've met you)
ネムラセテ...
(and fall into a deep slumber)

Heal my soul

here's my maiden post.
I confess I'm not really all that good at writing music blog entries.
So here's my contribution from my cyber trawling, yes, one of the many that occur when i'm supposed to be revising and writing up my notes....oh well....I need some mentally stimulating music.

The offering:
http://honeysoul.com/blog/radioblogs.html

That's the URL to a site that has an extensive and impressive list of radioblogs.
The genre in concentration is hip hop and soul.
Yes, besides, classical music, anime OSTs, movie OSTs...your looking at a true Hip Hop, R&B, and Soul addict. Certain soft rock groups also appeal to me like Green DAy and Cold Play.

But I must say........ EMINEM RULEZ!!!!!!
oh yeah......... such a pity that he decided to wrap up recently. Well, it's a valiant cause i suppose, him wanting to build a more stable family for his daughter and such.
But..............THE LOST OF THE TALENT!!!! AARGH....

Well, I have his 2CD deluxe edition of Curtain Call if anyone's interested.

Here's one of my favourites...

When I'm Gone

Yeah

It's my life

But all in words

I guess

Have you ever loved someone so much you'd give an arm for?

Not the expression, no, literally give an arm for?

When they know they are your heart

And you know you are their armour

And you will destroy anyone who will try to harm her

But what happens when karma turns right around and bites you

And everything you stand for turns on you to spite you

What happens when you become the main source of her pain

“Daddy look what I made?”

“Dad's gotta go catch a plane”

“Daddy where's mummy? I can't find mummy, where is she?”

I don't know, go play, Hailie baby your daddy's busy.

Daddy's writin' this song, this song ain't gon' write itself

I give you one underdog, then you gotta swing by yourself

Then to write a rhyme in a song and tell her you love her

And put hands on her mother who's a spittin' image of her

That's slim shady, yeah baby slim shady's crazy

Shady made me, but tonight,

Shady's rock-a-by baby

And when I'm gone, just carry on don't mourn,

Rejoice every time you hear the sound of my voice

Just know that I'm lookin' down on you smiling

And I didn't feel a thing so baby don't feel no pain,

just smile back

I keep havin' this dream –

I'm pushin' hailie on the swings she keeps screamin

'She don't want me to sing,

“You're makin mummy cry, why, why's mummy crying?”

Baby, Daddy ain't leavin' no more,

“Daddy you're lying,

You always say that, you always say this is the last time,but you ain't leavin' no more,

Daddy you're mine!”

She's piling boxes infront of the door tryin' to block it,

“Daddy please daddy don't leave daddy no, stop it!”

Goes in her pocket, pulls out a tiny necklace locket, it's got a picture,

“This'll keep you safe daddy, take it with you”

I look up, it's just me standin in the mirror, these stinkin' walls must be talkin coz man

I can hear ‘em

They sayin you got one more chance to do right, and it's tonight,

Now go out there and show ‘em that you love ‘em ‘fore its too late

And just as I go to walk out of my bedroom door it turns to a stage, they're gone

And the spotlight is on and I'm singin…

And when I'm gone, just carry on don't mourn,
Rejoice every time you hear the sound of my voice
Just know that I'm lookin' down on you smiling
And I didn't feel a thing so baby don't feel no pain,
just smile back

Sixty thousand people, all jumpin' out their seat

The curtain closes, they're throwing roses at my feetI take a bow,

“and thank you all for comin' out”

They're screamin so loud,

I take one last look at the crowd

I glance down,

I don't believe what I'm seein',

“Daddy it's me! Help mummy her wrists are bleedin'”

But baby we're in Sweden, how did you get to Sweden?!

“I followed you daddy, you told me that you wern't leavin

You lied to me dad, and now you make mummy sad

And I bought you this coin

It says ‘number 1 dad', that's all I wanted

I just wanna give you this coin

I get the point, fine, me and mummy are goin”

But baby wait-

“its too late dad, you made your choice.

Now go out there and show ‘em you love ‘em more than us

That's what they want

They want you Marshall,

they keepscreamin your name, it's no wonder you can't go to sleep

Just take another pill,

yeah i bet ya you will

You rap about it.

Yeah word, ke-keep it real”

I hear applause, all this time I couldn't see

How could it be that the curtain is closing on me

I turn around, find a gun on the ground, cock it,put it to my brain, scream

‘Die Shady!' and pop it

The sky darkens, my life flashes,

The plane that I was supposed to be on crashes and burns to ashes

That's when I wake up, alarm clock's ringin',

There's birds singin', it's spring and

Hailie's out side swingin'

I walk right up to Kim and kiss her, tell her I miss her

Hailie just smiles and winks at her little sister, almost as if to say-

And when I'm gone,

just carry on don't mourn,

Rejoice every time you hear the sound of my voice

Just know that I'm lookin' down on you smiling

And I didn't feel a thing so baby don't feel no pain,

just smile back

Rufus Wainwright:Across the Universe

We successfully grabbed someone else's radioblog. It might look like another bandwidth theft but think about it, we're just embedding that webpage which is open to public anyway. Well maybe we should put a proper link back to the owner. Next time we'll have our own radio broadcast (future plan =.=||)

To kick it off, the first track you hear as ukulele ensemble loads, is Rufus Wainwright's 'Across the Universe', from his 2nd album 'Poses' (2001). It's used in the movie 'I am Sam'. Hey, I just realized there're 2 Rufus songs in Brokeback Mountain soundtrack- 'King of the Road' and 'the Maker Makes'. His voice is distinctly recognizable. When I randomly skipped in the playlist, there it was. 'Ding!' Isn't it Rufus??

His lyrical skills are definitely enviable. Later I realized 'Across the Universe' was originally written by the Beatles -> Wikipedia entry and was performed by a whole list of artists, Rufus being one of them.

Across the Universe

Words are flowing out like endless rain into a paper cup,
They slither while they pass they slip away across the universe.
Pools of sorrow, waves of joy are drifting through my open mind,
Possessing and caressing me.
Jai guru deva om.

Nothing's gonna change my world,
Nothing's gonna change my world,
Nothing's gonna change my world,
Nothing's gonna change my world.

Images of broken light which dance before me like a million eyes,
and call me on and on across the universe.
Thoughts meander like a restless wind inside a letter box,
They stumble blindly as they make their way across the universe.
Jai guru deva om.

Nothing's gonna change my world,
Nothing's gonna change my world,
Nothing's gonna change my world,
Nothing's gonna change my world.

Sounds of laughter shades of love are ringing through my open mind,
Inciting and inviting me.
Limitless undying love which shines around me like a million suns,
It calls me on and on across the universe.
Jai guru deva om.

Nothing's gonna change my world (8X)


Jai guru deva,
Jai guru deva,
Jai guru deva,
Jai guru deva...



Some side notes if you read deep into the lyrics: what's this weird 'Jai Guru Deva, Om'? There's actually a webpage dedicated to the explanations -> here. I'll take the liberty to quote verbatum from the webmaster.

"Jai Guru Deva, Om

During the making of this page, I get a number of emails from people that visit that have questions that aren't answered on the page. The question I get most often is "What does "Jai Guru Deva, Om" mean in "Across the Universe"?. So, I decided that I should post it to save you guys the trouble of emailing, and to satisfy the curiousity of countless others who always wondered what it meant. Plus my page is titled "Across the Universe", so I believe it is fitting. Just a note, there are a couple of other sites that have other translations on its meaning, and in no way am I saying that I'm completely right, and they are wrong, I'm just trying to explain this to the best of my knowledge. The words are Sanskrit, and translate loosely. Anyway, here is what I believe the translation means.

Guru Deva, actually it is Guru Dev, is incited in the song because he was the Maharishi's teacher. He is an actual person, and they invoked him in their meditation every day. The name actually has meaning in itself. A Guru is a teacher, or spiritual leader of sorts. Dev, according to some other sites I went to, means god or heavenly one. As stated, Maharishi's actual teacher's name was Guru Dev. John Lennon appeared to take the liberty adding the "a"on the end. Jai means, and there are several meanings I have for this, "I give hope, or thanks to", this I was told, but some sites say it means, "victory" or "salutations". Om, is probaby the easiest part to explain. Om is believed to be the natural vibration of the universe. Hence, when many meditate, they make the "ooohhhmmmm" sound. They are trying to bring in that vibration of the universe.

So all together it means, "I give thanks (victory) (salutation) to Guru Dev (or heavenly teacher), om."

Standing Bird

Jude, arhhhh, I'm inexplicably addicted to Love Psychedelico, or to be precise, to Standing Bird, the very first song you played to me! Now I get up in the morning and put it on repeat mode and let the rhythm and her defiant voice roll on, though I hardly understand half of the lyrics! Is it the existential angst (lol. This is a disease, my disease) in there that appeals to me? Some kind of cold rage..against something unnamable? Sighs, this is gonna be the Standing Bird Week for me…

Standing Bird
Romaji by: cori

Kaze no keeper mune ni yadoru light
Kienai sa  asu e tada take a run
Kanaderu rage oto mo nashi ni fade
Akumei de ii sa  you go along

stone in silence  kanashimi o terase

Yamanu flavor wa meguru fate
you lean on, you go on
oh, nothing's done
Mou tada yureru sora to downcast sight
as ever, stand hard, shed the lights

stone in silence karenu me o sarase
stand forever  itami aru moto e

Kimi wa ima tada omoi shiru Standing Bird

* wake up your sorrow, from the "deep narrow"
oh, sainamu wa pleasure kiri no mukou Eden
Ai.ja soba ni inai somewhat of "ride and roll"

Owaranai sa reach another star
green light, untied, high tide, breaking the wind
Owaranai keep believing star
stand hard, shed the lights, hang by, a way behind

stand forever hikari aru moto e

refrain-ing voices are  touhou mo naku killing the time

Toki wa ima tada omoishiru Standing Bird

* repeat

** wake up your sorrow, from the "deep narrow"
oh, saihate no heart zensen no ue no "ride and roll"
Ai.ja soba ni inai somewhat of "ride and roll"

Donna Donna by Joan Baez

On a wagon bound for market
There's a calf with a mournful eye
High above him there's a swallow
Winging swiftly through the sky
How the winds are laughing
They laugh with all their might
Laugh and laugh the whole day through
And half the summer's night

#Donna, donna, donna, donna
Donna, donna, donna, don
Donna, donna, donna, donna
Donna, donna, donna, don

Stop complaining, said the farmer
Who told you a calf to be?
Why don't you have wings to fly with
Like the swallow so proud and free?
How the winds are laughing
They laugh with all their might
Laugh and laugh the whole day through
And half the summer's night

#

Calves are easily bound and slaughtered
Never knowing the reason why
But whoever treasures freedom
Like the swallow has learned to fly
How the winds are laughing
They laugh with all their might
Laugh and laugh the whole day through
And half the summer's night

#

je m'appelle helene

Helene Rolles
-------------------------
{Refrain:}
Hélène, je m'appelle Hélène
je suis une fille
comme les autres

Hélène
j'ai mes joies, mes peines
elles font ma vie
comme la votre
je voudrais trouver l'amour
simplement trouver l'amour

{au Refrain}

Hélène
si mes nuits sont pleines
de reves de poemes
je n'ai rien d'autres

je voudrais trouver l'amour
simplement trouver l'amour
et meme
si on m'voit
dans tous les journaux
chaque semaine

personne ne m'attend le soir
quand je rentre tard
personne ne fait battre mon coeur
lorsque s'éteignent les projecteurs

{au Refrain}

je voudrais trouver l'amour
simplement trouver l'amour

et meme
quand a la télé
vous me regardez
sourire et chanter

personne ne m'attends le soir
quand je rentre tard
personne ne fait battre mon coeur
lorsque s'éteignent les projecteurs

{au Refrain}

Hélène
et toutes mes peines
trouverons l'oubli
un jour ou l'autre
quand je trouverais l'amour
quand je trouverais l'amour