If you're still reading these letters I send
Let me try to tell you what I can't defend
My charcoal country
My faith in man
Why I'm always asking you to run away again
Will you follow me across?
You know I'll have to think about it
Will you follow, loved and lost?
You know I'll have to think about it
Gotta run now, will you come with me?
Bordercrosser, my bordercrosser
Gotta run now, will you be my
Bordercrosser, my bordercrosser
I'll keep whistling on that tune we wrote
I'll keep whistling for the hills we know
I'll keep whistling for our hollow homes
I'll keep whistling whether you come or you don't
Will you follow me across?
You know I'll have to think about it
Will you follow, loved and lost?
You know I'll have to think about it
Gotta run now, will you come with me?
Bordercrosser, my bordercrosser
Gotta run now, will you be my
Bordercrosser, my bordercrosser
"Ho forse troppa influenza nella band, perché se qualcosa non mi piace non la canto. Questo significa che solo le canzoni che mi piacciono andranno poi sul disco. Non è giusto, ma le cose stanno così." In questa dichiarazione di Matt Berninger, leader dei National, c'è la chiave di lettura per apprezzare al meglio le qualità di High Violet: elegante e compatto, ma allo stesso tempo sporco ed irregolare, da Terrible Love ad England, passando per Anyone's Ghost, Little Faith, Bloodbuzz Ohio e Conversation 16, il quinto lavoro della band newyorkese è un concentrato incredibile di melodie straordinarie, rese profonde ed avvolgenti dalla voce baritonale del cantante di Cincinnati. Un album eccezionale, uno dei migliori degli ultimi tempi.
Da quando gli Interpol l'hanno resa disponibile in download gratutuito sul loro sito ufficiale, nella scorsa primavera, anticipando il nuovo album e di fatto tornando sulle scene dopo tre anni di silenzio, difficilmente riesco ad alzarmi la mattina senza averla in testa, senza intonarne l'attacco. Un pezzo potente, oscuro, evocativo, dal crescendo grandioso. La canzone-simbolo di questo 2010.
LA PLAYLIST DEL 2010
01. LIGHTS/INTERPOL 02. ANYONE'S GHOST/THE NATIONAL 03. FOOL'S DAY/BLUR 04. GIVING UP THE GUN/WAMPIRE WEEKEND 05. READY TO START/ARCADE FIRE 06. THE SHORE/CHAPEL CLUB 07. BIGGER THAN US/WHITE LIES 08. ECHOES/KLAXONS 09. SUBMISSION/DELPHIC 10. IN THE DIRECTION OF THE MOON/WOLF PARADE 11. WHAT I HAVE TO OFFER/EELS 12. HELICOPTER/DEERHUNTER 13. PARADISE CIRCUS/MASSIVE ATTACK 14. SPANISH SAHARA/FOALS 15. ON MELANCHOLY HILL/GORILLAZ 16. NOTHING AT BEST/THE PINEAPPLE THIEF 17. QUEEN BLACK ACID/MENOMENA 18. THE GOOD BOOK/TIRED PONY FEAT. TOM SMITH 19. OUR LADY OF LOURDES/PAUL SMITH 20. DOWN BY THE WATER/THE DECEMBERISTS 21. NIGHT & DAY/CHIEF 22. IT'S EASIER/JOHN GRANT 23. THE CURSE/JOSH RITTER
BONUS TRACKS
HEAVY IN YOUR ARMS/FLORENCE AND THE MACHINE THE GENTLE HUM OF ANXIETY/TRENT REZNOR AND ATTICUS ROSS
IL VIDEO DELL'ANNO: WE USED TO WAIT/ARCADE FIRE (Chris Milk)
Non solo e non esattamente un videoclip. Il progetto The Wilderness Downtown, realizzato dal regista Chris Milk per il brano We Used To Wait, è infatti un vero e proprio strumento interattivo che permette di associare la musica della band canadese alle immagini satellitari dei luoghi della memoria dello spettatore: sia che si tratti della via di casa, che del posto che non si è mai visitato. Un po' come Google Maps, ma molto più melodico.
Può bastare una manciata di ottime canzoni per essere eletti rivelazione dell'anno? Da queste parti, evidentemente si. I Chapel Club vengono da Londra, sono giovanissimi e pubblicheranno il loro primo album alla fine del prossimo mese di gennaio. La sfida ai White Lies nella corsa a nuovi-Editors, o nuovi nuovi-Interpol, e via dicendo fino ai Cure ed ai Joy Division, è già lanciata.
Una trasferta memorabile, e due eventi straordinari in 24 ore: perchè sceglierne uno? I concerti dell'anno sono quelli dei National e degli Interpol a Milano, lo scorso 16 e 17 novembre. Caldi, discreti, persino amichevoli i primi, con Matt Berninger che si fa tutta la platea sulla linea finale di Terrible Love; eleganti, precisi, praticamente perfetti Paul Banks e compagni. Un'esperienza indimeticabile.
"Puntiglioso ai limiti del patologico, ma amabilmente attento e corretto". Romanzo epistolare al tempo di internet, Le Ho Mai Raccontato Del Vento Del Nord è un libro intimo ma discreto, divertente e romantico. Daniel Glattauer, giornalista e scrittore austriaco, fa entrare Emmi e Leo l'una nella vita dell'altro, e li lascia sospesi, leggeri, eppure profondamente legati. In attesa di rincontrarsi nella Settima Onda.
Il film racconta in modo divertente ed appassionato l'inizio della carriera dell'allenatore Brian Clough, Mourinho ante litteram che sul finire degli anni '70 guidò il Nottingham Forest (club di una piccola città nel centro dell'Inghilterra, mica uno squadrone pieno zeppo di campioni strapagati) alla conquista di due Coppe dei Campioni consecutive. Storie d'altri tempi, quando il calcio era ancora una favola, e tutto era possibile. La pellicola è stata girata nel 2009, ma nelle sale italiane non è mai arrivata: solo nella primavera di quest'anno la Sony Pictures si è degnata di distribuirla, direttamente in dvd.
LA COLONNA SONORA DELL'ANNO: THE SOCIAL NETWORK/TRENT REZNOR AND ATTICUS ROSS
THE GENTLE HUM OF ANXIETY
Trent Reznor, si sa, è un'autorità in fatto di colonne sonore. Con la collaborazione di Atticus Ross, musicista e produttore britannico, costruisce per The Social Network, l'attesissimo lungometraggio di David Fincher su Mark Zuckerberg, l'ideatore di Facebook, un tappeto di suoni elettronici ora di grande ambientazione, ora estremamente potenti, che sottolineano con grande efficacia le scene del film.
IL DISCO ITALIANO DELL'ANNO: DEI CANI/NON VOGLIO CHE CLARA
LA MAREGGIATA DEL '66
Nel panorama piuttosto desolato della musica indipendente italiana, divisa tra cantanti troppo scanzonati e gruppi che si prendono maledettamente sul serio, la band piemontese Non Voglio Che Clara riesce miracolosamente a coniugare la passione per la canzone d'autore con arrangiamenti e suoni contemporanei. Qualche momento di compiacimento cantautorale non manca, ma brani come Il Tuo Carattere E Il Mio e La Mareggiata Del '66 sono ottimi esempi di come può suonare, e bene, il rock in lingua italica.
DISCO: IN THIS LIGHT AND ON THIS EVENING/EDITORS CANZONE: EAT RAW MEAT = BLOOD DROOL/EDITORS VIDEO: WRONG/DEPECHE MODE (Patrick Daughters) DEBUTTO: WHITE LIES CONCERTO: EDITORS + THE MACCABEES + WINTERSLEEP (Roma/Teatro Tendastrisce) 03/12/09 LIBRO: LA MORTE DI BUNNY MUNRO (The Death Of Bunny Munro)/NICK CAVE (Feltrinelli) FILM: BASTARDI SENZA GLORIA (Inglourious Basterds)/QUENTIN TARANTINO COLONNA SONORA: THE TWILIGHT SAGA: NEW MOON/Artisti Vari DISCO ITALIANO: SOGNANDO CONTROMANO/NEFFA
We all want someone to shout for Everyone wants somebody to adore But your heroes aren't what they seem When you've been where we've been Have I done something to trigger The funny looks and the sniggers Are they there at all Or is it just paranoia?
Everybody's got their box Doing what they're told You pushed my faith near being lost But we'll stick to the guns Don't care if it's marketing suicidal Won't crack or compromise Your do-rights or individes Will never unhinge us
And there's a couple of hundred Think they're Christopher Columbus But the settlers had already settled Long before you Just cos we're having a say-so Not lining up to be Play-Doh In five years time will it be Who the fuck's Arctic Monkeys?
'Cause everybody's got their box Doing what they're told You pushed my faith near being lost But we'll stick to the guns Don't care if it's marketing suicidal Won't crack or compromise Your do-rights or individes Will never unhinge us
All the thoughts that I just said Will linger round and multiply in their head Not that mad to start with I'm not angry I'm just disappointed
It's not you it's them that are wrong Tell 'em to take out their tongues Tell 'em to take out their tongues It's not you it's them that are wrong Tell 'em to take out their tongues Tell 'em to take out their tongues And bring on the backlash
Tell 'em to take out their tongues It's not you it's them that's the fake I won't mess with your escape Is this really your escape?
Speak to me of universal laws The whores hustle and the hustlers whore All around me people bleed Speak to me your song of greed
Speak to me of your inner charm Of how you'll keep me safe from harm I don't think so, I don't see Speak to me of your inner peace
Little people at the amusement park City people in the dark Speak to us, send us a sign Tell us something to keep us trying
The whores hustle and the hustlers whore Too many people out of love The whores hustler and the hustlers whore This city's ripped right to the core
Speak to me of heroin and speed Of genocide and suicide, of syphilis and greed Speak to me the language of love The language of violence The language of the heart This isn't the first time I've asked for money or love Heaven and earth don't ever mean enough Speak to me of heroin and speed Just give me something I can believe
The whores hustle and the hustlers whore Too many people out of love The whores hustler and the hustlers whore This city's ripped right to the core
I was on my way I was on my way to tell you it's no good I was on my way Chasing my damage I was chased, thrilled and altered Chasing my damage Because I was chased, thrilled and altered And it raised me
Suele tener Me suelto Me suelto en el deshacer Al puro perder el ganar no compara
I always thought you had great style And style was worthwhile Because I was I was on my way Sobreviviré Chasing my damage I was chased, thrilled and altered And it raised me Chasing my damage Because I was chased, thrilled and altered And it raised me
Suele tener Me suelto Me suelto en el deshacer Al puro perder el ganar no compara
How I wish you could see the potential The potential of you and me It's like a book elegantly bound But in a language you can't read just yet You got to spend some time, love You got to spend some time with me And I know that you'll find love I will possess your heart You got to spend some time, love You got to spend some time with me And I know that you'll find love I will possess your heart
There are days when outside your window I see my reflection as I slowly pass And I long for this mirrored perspective When we'll be lovers, lovers at last You got to spend some time, love You got to spend some time with me And I know that you'll find love I will possess your heart You got to spend some time, love You got to spend some time with me And I know that you'll find love I will possess your heart I will possess your heart I will possess your heart
You reject my advances and desperate pleas I won't let you let me down so easily So easily You got to spend some time, love You got to spend some time with me And I know that you'll find love I will possess your heart You got to spend some time, love You got to spend some time with me And I know that you'll find love I will possess your heart You got to spend some time, love You got to spend some time with me And I know that you'll find love I will possess your heart I will possess your heart I will possess your heart
She says It helps with the lights out Her rabid glow is like braille to the night She swears I'm a slave to the details But if your life is such a big joke why should I care? The clock is set for nine but you know you're gonna make it eight So that you two can take some time teach each other to reciprocate
She feels that my sentimental side should be held with kid gloves But she doesn't know that I left my urge in the icebox She swears I'm just prey for the female Well then hook me up and throw me baby cakes 'cause I like to get hooked The clock is set for nine but you know you're gonna make it eight All the people that you've loved they're all bound to leave some keepsakes I've been swinging all the time think it's time to learn your way I picture you and me together in the jungle it will be ok I'll bring you when my lifeboat sails through the night That is supposing that you don't sleep tonight
It's like learning a new language Helps me catch up on my mime If you don't bring up those lonely parts This could be a good time It's like learning a new language You come here to me We'll collect those lonely parts and set them down You come here to me
She says brief things her love's a pony My love's subliminal She says brief things her love's a pony My love's subliminal
Got you where I want you, motherfucker I got five up on your dime And if you wanna peep on something Peep what I got stuck between your eyes And since I don't believe a word you say Save it for another baby brother Swallow time to pay
Up on the ladder they sing how high? Does a brother have to climb to touch the light But wait 'till I get done with you If you tell me Don't get mixed up with the devil That's exactly what I'm gonna do
Caught you while you waited For your boy to come And fix you up again Come a little closer baby I only wanna try to be your friend
Since I ain't got nothing left to lose Got you where I want you Motherfucker don't you try to move
Up on the ladder they sing how high? Does a brother have to climb to touch the light Won't you take me up there with you? You said you would No one ever could shake that ladder like I could
So I wait And I wait And I wait And I wait
Up on the ladder they sing how high? Does a brother have to climb to touch the light Won't you take me up there with you? You said you would No one ever could shake that ladder like I could
I've been running around this circles Running into the harm 3000 days remaind me We barely made a sound I just want to say I'm sorry To woke my wasted eyes 3000 days remind me We barely found the time To waste a precious life To waste a precious life
You know I will make you wait for A one in a million chance All I can hear around me The sound of love that angst I just want it to say I'm sorry To light up your tired eyes 3000 days remind me We barely found the time To waste a precious life To waste a precious life
I collect many things And keep them all close to me To the celing from the floor I'm tripping on them constantly
Pixelated faces play On a blown out TV screen Footage from a camera These days I'm fast fowarding
I see a pattern start to form Over time it's surfacing Like a face I recognize It never says anything
I add up all theses moments In along narrow ledger Decimals of pain Intergers of pleasure The sum of all these parts I don't how to measure They keep on adding up They just keep on adding up
The collector La collectionneuse
J'ai ceuilli ce brin de bruyère L'automne est morte souviens-t'en Nous ne nous verrons plus sur Terre Odeur du temps Brin de bruyère Et souviens toi que je t'attends
J'ai eu le courage de regarder en arrière Le cadavre de mes jours
Que lentement passent les heures Comme passe un enterrement Tu pleureras l'heure ou tu pleures Qui passera trop vitement Comme passent toutes les heures
Et toi mon coeur pourquoi bats-tu Comme un guetteur mélancolique J'observe la nuit et la mort
Vienne la nuit sonne l'heure Les jours s'en vont je demeure
Declare independence! Don't let them do that to you! Declare independence! Don't let them do that to you!
Declare independence! Don't let them do that to you! Declare independence! Don't let them do that to you!
Start your own currency! Make your own stamp Protect your language
Declare independence Don't let them do that to you Declare independence Don't let them do that to you
Make your own flag!
Raise your flag! Higher, higher!
Declare independence! Don't let them do that to you! Declare independence! Don't let them do that to you! Damn colonists Ignore their patronizing Tear off their blindfolds Open their eyes
Declare independence! Don't let them do that to you! Declare independence! Don't let them do that to you!
With a flag and a trumpet Go to the top of your highest mountain!
Raise your flag! Higher, higher!
Declare independence! Don't let them do that to you! Declare independence! Don't let them do that to you!
Speak explosive speech, speech to keep us safe A smiling fire bomb Shake, shake another hand, crush another soul With your fame and your medicine
I don't understand this language You fight fire with fire and we all get burned I don't understand this language You fight fire with fire and we all get burned
Cast, cast another stone A stone to keep us safe from these broken promises Dream an everlasting dream A dream where we escape these new speak savages
I don't understand this language You fight fire with fire and we all get burned I don't understand this language You fight fire with fire and we all get burned
You better make for the oxygen tent And try to sleep with one eye open 'Cause they have ways to divert your attention They have ways to disguise the intention
"Duck tape not just on my mouth I'm wrapped up in it Can't break free from the money that's trapped up in it Unwilling passenger on this suicide mission Genocide every side getting dirtier and dirtier with every very new rendition
Every mother, every child that's died for the pride Of the false stride of a politician And they haunt every corner of my minds eye ask why? But the answers are missing
With holes in the stories that are half truth half lie Consequences smouldering But the fire burns bright for the masses what's right Is the life of the mission"
You better make for the oxygen tent And try to sleep with one eye open 'Cause they have ways to divert your attention They have ways to disguise the intention
Fire with fire and we'll all get burned Fire with fire and we'll all get burned Fire with fire and we'll all get burned Fire with fire and we'll all get burned
I don't understand this language (Fire with fire and we'll all get burned) I don't understand this language (Fire with fire and we'll all get burned) I don't understand this language (Fire with fire and we'll all get burned) I don't understand (Fire with fire and we'll all get burned)
Perché alcune canzoni ci rimangono sempre nella testa? Questo fenomeno si verifica con una frequenza e un'intensità molto variabili da individuo a individuo, anche se a tutti è capitato, almeno una volta, di essere osessionati da un motivetto. Non esiste una spiegazione scientifica univoca del perchè accada. Diversi psicologi si sono interessati al problema concludendo che l'area del cervello coinvolta è quella che processa le informazioni verbali, in cui si "incastra" il ritornello della canzone come se il cervello cercasse di completarne le parole o il fraseggio ritmico. Il fenomeno in inglese è detto earworm ("verme dell'orecchio"), dal tedesco ohrwurm, anche se esistono diverse proposte alternative: una di queste è quella del noto neurologo Oliver Sacks, che propone di chiamarlo "involuntary musical imagery" (immagine musicale involontaria). Come liberarsene? Ascoltando una canzone diversa oppure abbandonandosi al tormentone, cantandolo ad alta voce, dall'inizio alla fine, fino a stancarsene.
