SULLA CANZONE DEL GIORNO

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.

(Tratto da FOCUS, N. 194 - Dicembre 2008)

LA CANZONE DEL GIORNO: MAGIC/LADYHAWKE

You came to my show, and i saw you in the crowd
I didn`t know your name, i didn`t know your name
I asked all my friends who you were and your story
They told me the same, they told me the same

I`ve left my heart to you, but it`s not fair
Coz you`re taking me for granted baby
I made a start with you, but it`s not fair
Coz you`re over the atlantic baby
One journey for you but it`s worth it
One life here with me and it`s magic
One journey for you, but it`s worth it
One life here with me and it`s magic

You stayed in my head where i saw you all the time
I didn`t think you care, i didn`t think you care
I found you one day with a mouth full of attitude
And you stole me away, you stole me away

I`ve left my heart to you, but it`s not fair
Coz you`re taking me for granted baby
I made a start with you, but it`s not fair
Coz you`re over the atlantic baby
One journey for you but it`s worth it
One life here with me and it`s magic
One journey for you, but it`s worth it
One life here with me and it`s magic

Coz your over the atlantic baby
And you`re taking me for granted baby
Coz you`re over the atlantic baby

One journey for you but it`s worth it
One life here with me and it`s magic
One journey for you, but it`s worth it
One life here with me and it`s magic

ALBUM: LADYHAWKE (2008)

LA CANZONE DEL GIORNO: WEIGHTY GHOST/WINTERSLEEP

I got out of bed today, swear to god I couldn’t see my face
I got out of bed today staring at a ghost
Who forgot to float away, didn’t have all that much to say
Wouldn’t even tell me his own name
Where’d my body go

Where oh where’d my body go?
Africa or Mexico?
Where or where’d my body go?
Where’d my body go?

Have you seen my ghost?
Staring at the ground?
Have you seen my ghost?
Sick of those goddamn clouds

Are you some kind of medicine man?
Cut the demons out of my head
You can’t kill something that’s already dead
Just leave my soul alone
I don’t need no surgery
Take those knives away from me
Just wanna die in my own body
A ghost just needs a home

ALBUM: WELCOME TO THE NIGHT SKY (2009)

LA CANZONE DEL GIORNO: ULYSSES/FRANZ FERDINAND

While I sit in here, a sentimental face stares
And a voice says hi so
So what you gotta what you gotta disdain
C’mon let’s get high
C’mon look so, you got next oh
Walk twenty five miles oh
Well I’m bored I’m bored
C’mon let’s get high

C’mon let’s get high
C’mon let’s get high
High

Well I found a new way
I found a new way
C’mon doll and use me
I don’t need your sympathy

La, la la la la
Ulysses
I’ll find a new way
I’ll find a new way, baby

My Ulysses, My Ulysses
No, bet you are now, boy
So sinister, so sinister
Last night was wild
What’s a matter there, feeling kinda anxious?
That heart that grew cold
Yeah everyone, everybody knows it
Yeah everyone, everybody know it
Everybody knows I

La, la la la la
Ulysses
I’ll find a new way
I’ll find a new way, baby

La, la la la la
Ulysses
I’ll find a new way
Well I’ll find a new way, baby oh

Oh, then suddenly you know
You’re never going home
You’re never you’re never you’re never you’re never you’re never you’re never
You’re never going home

Not Ulysses, baby.
No, la la la la whooo whoo
You’re not Ulysses, whooo whoo
La la la la, whooo whoo

ALBUM: TONIGHT: FRANZ FERDINAND (2009)

THE RYKJVK AWARDS 2008

IL DISCO DELL'ANNO: THE AGE OF THE UNDERSTATEMENT/THE LAST SHADOW PUPPETS


MY MISTAKES WERE MADE FOR YOU

Ne sono usciti di dischi buoni, quest'anno. Molte conferme, e qualche novità. Personalmente premio un album che racchiude entrambe le considerazioni: la comprova del talento di Alex Turner degli Arctic Monkeys, e la freschezza di un progetto nuovo, seppur dal sapore retrò. The Age Of The Uderstatement, infatti, evoca atmosfere fine anni '60, con quegli arrangiamenti orchestrali che strizzano l'occhio alle colonne sonore di Morricone. Un piccolo, inatteso capolavoro che ha attraversato il 2008 senza clamori, ma lasciando comunque una traccia indelebile.
Da segnalare anche Thigtly Unwound dei Pineapple Thief, sempre all'altezza dei precedenti lavori, Lust Lust Lust dei Raveonettes, ricco di potenziali hit, il ritorno dei Cure, che non tradiscono mai, e la terza prova dei Kaiser Chiefs, ormai una certezza.


LA CANZONE DELL'ANNO: UNDERNEATH THE STARS/THE CURE



Davvero difficile scegliere un brano simbolo di questo 2008: dagli oltre 8 minuti del singolo I Will Possess Your Heart dei Death Cab For Cutie al ritornello onomatopeico di Jungle Drum di Emiliana Torrini, passando per per le atmosfere psichedeliche di Aly Walk With Me dei Raveonettes, fino alla hit perfetta dei Kings Of Leon (Sex On Fire). Ma alla fine scelgo i Cure di Underneath The Stars, la traccia che apre 4:13 Dream, perchè ha tutto: il lungo intro strumentale, la melodia emozionante, il crescendo finale. Ma soprattutto perchè è la canzone dei Cure, quella che in qualche modo ti aspetti, ogni volta che nei negozi arriva un nuovo album della band di Robert Smith...

LA PLAYLIST DEL 2008

01. I WILL POSSES YOUR HEART/DEATH CAB FOR CUTIE
02. ACCELERATE/R.E.M.
03. JUNGLE DRUM/EMILIANA TORRINI
04. INNÍ MÉR SYNGUR VITLEYSINGUR/SIGUR RÓS
05. SIT AND WONDER/THE VERVE
06. MY MISTAKES WERE MADE FOR YOU/THE LAST SHADOW PUPPETS
07. FUCK YOU, IT'S OVER/GLASVEGAS
08. FALLING DOWN/OASIS
09. SEX ON FIRE/KINGS OF LEON
10. MAGIC/LADYHAWKE
11. TOMATO IN THE RAIN/KAISER CHIEFS
12. ALY WALK WITH ME/THE RAVEONETTES
13. UNDERNEATH THE STARS/THE CURE
14. BLUE TULIP/OKKERVIL RIVER
15. THE GARDNER/THE DRESDEN DOLLS
16. TIGHTLY WOUND/THE PINEAPPLE THIEF
17. BEFORE WE WERE YOUNG/TRAVIS
18. GOODNIGHT, TRAVEL WELL/THE KILLERS
19. HANDS ON US/THE NOTWIST
20. FOK/ÓLAFUR ARNALDS

BONUS TRACKS

WHITE WINTER HYMNAL/FLEET FOXES
FAMILY TREE/TV ON THE RADIO


IL VIDEO DELL'ANNO: HOUSE OF CARDS/RADIOHEAD (James Frost)



Non c'è niente da fare: se nel mondo della musica accade qualcosa di nuovo, ci sono di mezzo i Radiohead. Il video per House Of Cards, infatti, è il primo film di animazione realizzato senza l'ausilio di qualsiasi tipo di videocamera. Le immagini non sono state in alcun modo riprese o catturate, ma realizzate da James Frost direttamente al computer, ed il risultato è decisamente affascinante ed originale.


IL DEBUTTO DELL'ANNO: GLASVEGAS


DADDY'S GONE

Arrivano dalla Scozia, e più precisamente da Glasgow, sono giovanissimi, ed hanno sfruttato appieno il fattore internet per arrivare al successo: sono i Glasvegas, ed il loro disco d'esordio è davvero notevole.


IL CONCERTO DELL'ANNO: SIGUR RÓS (Roma/Auditorium Parco Della Musica) 12/07/08



Il 2008 è stato l'anno della musica dal vivo, straordinariamente ricco di appuntamenti imperdibili: dai Radiohead ai Massive Attack, dai Cure (addirittura due volte) ai Duran Duran, da Björk a PJ Harvey... Ed inoltre Raveonettes, Okkervil River, dEUS, Notwist e tanti altri ancora. Alla fine scelgo i Sigur Rós, perchè il concerto dell'Auditorium di Roma, la scorsa estate, è stato entusiasmante, pirotecnico, incredibilmente intenso.


IL LIBRO DELL'ANNO: NINNA NANNA PER PICCOLI CRIMINALI (Lullabies For Little Criminals)/HEATHER O'NEILL (Mondadori)




Non ci sono dubbi: Ninna Nanna Per Piccoli Criminali è il libro dell'anno. Tenero eppure violento nella sostanza, bellissimo nella forma: ogni singola frase meriterebbe di essere sottolineata. Uno di quei libri che vorresti non finissero mai...


IL FILM DELL'ANNO: IL TRENO PER IL DARJEELING (The Darjeeling Limited)/WES ANDERSON



Anche qui pochi dubbi: Wes Anderson è un genio. Il Treno Per Il Darjeeling diverte e coinvolge, regalando cartoline ad ogni singola inquadratura, dialoghi sublimi e dettagli da feticista. Per non parlare del cortometraggio che lo precede, nel quale Jason Schwartzman ed una splendida Natalie Portman desnuda fanno a pezzi a colpi di battute l'ideale romantico francese. Merita una citazione anche Il Cavaliere Oscuro di Christopher Nolan, uno dei migliori Batman visti al cinema, con un Joker (Heath Ledger, nella sua ultima interpretazione) semplicemente strepitoso.


LA COLONNA SONORA DELL'ANNO: THERE WILL BE BLOOD/JONNY GREENWOOD




L'enfant prodige dei Radiohead, alla seconda prova solista come compositore di colonne sonore, disegna per Il Petroliere di Paul Thomas Anderson scenari musicali in stile vecchio western, ma al tempo stesso assolutamente contemporanei, sottolineando alla perfezione ogni scena della pellicola.


IL DISCO ITALIANO DELL'ANNO: AMEN/BAUSTELLE


BAUDELAIRE

Attesi al varco in vista della definitiva consacrazione, i Baustelle si scoprono radiofonici quel tanto che basta, senza però lesinare in qualità. Ecco quindi una serie quasi ininterrotta di ritornelli perfetti, che fanno di Amen un disco facile per quel che riguarda la melodia, ma comunque ricco di temi interessanti.


I VINCITORI DEL 2007:

DISCO: IN RAINBOWS/RADIOHEAD
CANZONE: PIONEER TO THE FALLS/INTERPOL
VIDEO: GOLDEN CAGE/THE WHITEST BOY ALIVE (Mauro Vecchi)
DEBUTTO: STATELESS
CONCERTO: EDITORS (Roma/Piper) 22/11/07
LIBRO: INDECISION/BENJAMIN KUNKEL (Rizzoli)
FILM: THE SIMPSONS MOVIE/DAVID SILVERMAN
COLONNA SONORA: INTO THE WILD/EDDIE VEDDER
DISCO ITALIANO: REQUIEM/VERDENA

LA CANZONE DEL GIORNO: TURN/TRAVIS

I want to see what people saw
I want to feel like I felt before
I want to see the kingdom come
I want to feel forever young
I want to sing
To sing my song
I want to live in a world where I belong
I want to live
I will survive
And I believe that it won't be very long
If we turn, turn, turn, turn, turn
Then we might learn
So where's the stars?
Up in the sky
And what's the moon?
A big balloon
We'll never know unless we grow
There's so much world outside the door
I want to sing
To sing my song
I want to live in a world where I'll be strong
I want to live
I will survive
And I believe that it won't be very long
If we turn, turn, turn, turn, turn
And if we turn, turn, turn, turn
Then we might learn
Turn, turn, turn, turn
Turn, turn, turn
And if we turn, turn, turn, turn
Then we might learn
Learn to turn

ALBUM: THE MAN WHO (1999)

LA CANZONE DEL GIORNO: THE BEAT DIES/THE RAVEONETTES

Adored your picture a 1000 times
You still think I was out of line
The meanest thing that I ever did
Was asking you for another hit

The first love you can't escape
The second love feels like rape
A giggly smile nightpale face
I hear you whispering hope he stays

The beat dies silence
Stay here with me
Withe deathly face
I'm in love

They file to lovers sad
We walk from bar to bar mad
The first kiss don't think thereof
The second kiss and you're in love

ALBUM: LUST LUST LUST (2008)

LA CANZONE DEL GIORNO: PIONEER TO THE FALLS/INTERPOL

Show me the dirt pile
And I will pray that the soul can take
Three stowaways
Vanish with no guile
And I will not pay
But the soul can wait
The soul can wait

Well it is still pretty wet
With all these leaks
We'll be fine
We'll be fine

But if it's still pretty wet
With all these leaks
We'll be fine
And supervise

Show me the dirt pile
And I will pray that the soul can take
Three stowaways
And you vanish with no guile
And I will not pay
But the soul can wait
I felt you so much today

And oh, you try
You tried
Straight into my heart
You fly
Straight into my heart
Girl, I know you try
You fly
Straight into my heart
You fly
Straight into my heart
But here comes the fall

So much for make believe
I'm not sold
So much of pain's deceit
I'm not prepared to know
Your heart makes me feel
Your heart makes me bold
For always and ever
I'll never let go
Always concealed
Safe and inside
Alive

Show me the dirt pile
And I will pray that the soul can take
Three stowaways
In a passion it broke
I pull the black from the grey
But the soul can wait
I felt you so much today

ALBUM: OUR LOVE TO ADMIRE (2007)

LA CANZONE DEL GIORNO: MY DEBT TO YOU/THE PINEAPPLE THIEF

We grow older, older
A little closer, a little closer
And you stay, fallen, fallen
And its too late, its too late, now

Here's my debt to you
I wanted to say I breath for you
But you are a world away, a world away

Left in the same walls, the same walls
Can you see them, can you see them
Left on long wall, long wall
They didn't need to, they didn't need to, for me

So here's my debt to you,
I wanted to say I breath for you
But you are a world away, a world away

So here's my debt to you,
I wanted to say I live for you
But you are a world away, a world away

And I grow older, older
A little closer, a little closer
To you

ALBUM: TIGHTLY UNWOUND (2008)

LA CANZONE DEL GIORNO: FUCK YOU, IT'S OVER/GLASVEGAS

ALBUM: A SNOWFLAKE FELL (AND IT FELT LIKE A KISS) (2008)

LA CANZONE DEL GIORNO: LAST FLOWERS/RADIOHEAD

Appliances have gone berserk
I cannot keep up
Treading on people's toes
Snot-nosed little punk

And I can't face the evening straight
You can offer me escape
Houses move and houses speak
If you take me then you'll get relief
relief, relief, relief

And if I'm gonna talk
I just wanna talk
Please don't interrupt
Just sit back and listen

Cause I can't face the evening straight
And you can offer me escape
Houses move and houses speak
If you take me then you'll get relief
relief, relief, relief, relief...

It's too much
Too bright
Too powerful

Too much
Too bright
Too powerful

Too much
Too bright
Too powerful

Too much

ALBUM: IN RAINBOWS (DISCOBOX SPECIAL EDITION) (2007)

LA CANZONE DEL GIORNO: THE REAL SNOW WHITE/THE CURE

You've got what I want
You've got what I want
Yeah, you've got what I want
You've got what I want
You've got what I want
You've got what I want
You've got what I want

Oh yeah!
It's only for the night
And I will give it back tomorrow I swear
She can barely breathe
Don't stare
I know the dress is tight
But it was all I had to wear
Give me what I need
Please share
You know it's only right
And I would never lie to you
I wouldn't dare...

I made a promise to myself
I wouldn't start with anyone else but...
You know how it is with these promises
Made in the heat of the moment
They're made to be broken in two
Sometimes the only thing to do

Oh no!
It's all coming back
How I came to in a sticky 3 day hole
Didn't see the sign
Go Slow
Too busy tuning static on the radio
She hissed it in a song
"Don't go...
it always fades to black"
But that's why I love the trip, it's so inevitable
I made a promise to myself
I wouldn't fall for anyone else but...
You know how it is with these promises
Made in the heat of the moment
They're made to be less than they seem
Whenever you've got what I need

And you've got what I need...
You've got what I need
You've got what I need

AAAIIIIEEE!
For service with a smile
I have to walk in on my hands
and roll for free
You say it's all the same
Ennui...
You're not the real Snow White
The real Snow White is on my knee
I didn't need to get
ID
It's simply minimum height
And getting all dressed up
In seven ways to please
Yeah

I made a promise to myself
I wouldn't stay with anyone else but...
You know how it is with these promises
Made in the heat of the moment
They're made to be broken one day
If there's no time to get away

Uh oh!
She wasn't made to shine
She was really only ever made to glow
I left her in the dark
No show
Quiet sucking on a line
It was a tricky gun to load
And I didn't get to fire
Hi-Ho!
She's off to work for time
And I should have finished out with higher
Up than low

Yeah, I made a promise to myself
I wouldn't stop with anyone else but...
You know how it is with these promises
Made in the heat of the moment
They're made befor right becomes wrong
Whenever you've got what I want
Whenever you've got what I want
Whenever you've got what I want
Whenever you've got what I want

And you've got what I want
You've got what I want
You've got what I want

Oh yeah!
It's only for the night
And I will give it back tomorrow
I swear

ALBUM: 4:13 DREAM (2008)