# January Joy 8: Listen to new music

Do you remember the old days? When MTV would actually show music videos all day long?
Sure, they had some shows, for instance there was Daria  (oh how I loved the sarcasm), but Music Television was mostly about the Music (and not about mean girls bitching at the set of a fashion magazine). That was the place where you'd listen to that new song, then  wait until the end of it to see who it was and later rush to the record shop (Mix-up in Mexico, City Disc in Switzerland) where they would actually lend you the CD of your choice along with a big set of headphones. There, you could listen to the songs over and over again and then decide that yes, you'd be getting the album. It was an important decision, asserting if a certain CD would be part of your collection. I remember the City Disc at the train station in Geneva and the one by the lake, on the island. My best friend and I would go and spend hours there. Even further back in time, you would be listening to the radio, catch a tune you liked, and then sit hours and hours waiting for your song to come so you could record it on a tape and figure out who it was. When you'd finally set your hands on the album you would listen to each song, savour it, get to know it at a slow pace. At first the songs would sound weird cause you did not know them too well. But after listening to them over and over again you started liking some tracks more than others and you'd find out your favorites.

These days there is so much going on at the same time that it is difficult to keep track of it all. You listen to a song, you make sure to remember a line or two, you google the lyrics, you find the artist, you download the full album. And then you proceed to only listen to the song that caught your attention (and not to the whole thing, as you used to). Music is so easily obtained nowadays that I get a feeling that we don't appreciate it as we used to.

Anyhow, here are some songs that have caught my attention recently. This first one I listened to on the radio the other day and I loved it. Turns out it's an old song, from 1997, but at least it was new to me. It's Brimful of Asha by Cornerstone, such a groovy, happy theme, makes me want to jump and dance. Here's what the wiki has to say about it:

<< "Brimful of Asha" is a 1997 single by the British alternative rock band Cornershop, which originally reached number 60 in the UK Singles Chart in 1997. After a remixed version of the song by Fatboy Slim, originally released only as a limited edition 12 inch single in the UK, became both a radio and critical success, the song was re-released and reached #1 in the UK chart in February 1998 and number #16 on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart. The lyrics are a tribute to Asha Bhosle, one of the most famous pop singers/film-score vocalists of India. 

This song is based upon the history of film culture in India. Since their introduction, Indian films have relied heavily on song-and-dance numbers. Almost always, the singing was performed by background singers while the actors and actresses lip-sync. Asha Bhosle is one of these playback singers who has sung over 12,000 songs. Playback singers Lata Mangeshkar (her older sibling) and Mohammad Rafi (one of the top male playback singers of the mid-century) are also mentioned in the song. The lyrics of the song's bridge contain a number of references to non-Indian music, including Georges Brassens' song "Bancs Publics", Jacques Dutronc, Marc Bolan, Argo Records and Trojan Records.>>

 

This other song is "Shake it up", by The Parlotones. I found it just yesterday as a feautured track (commercial) while I was watching some other video. At first I thought oh, silly ads. But then I found myself quite liking the song, it reminds me of the big dance hits from the 90's (I feel so old as I write this). I will keep an eye on their forthcoming album, to be released on the 12th February this year. 

I asked the boy to make me listen to some new music (otherwise I would inevitably be talking here about music I do know) and he told me to listen to Tim McGraw's , "Red Rag Top". Such a happy country song.

And finally, this song is also kind of not new, but I thought I would share it to you. It is a beautiful song about being away from home, about the time not waiting for you back home, sung live by two of my favorite female Mexican singers: Natalia Lafourcade and Julieta Venegas. The track is called "Si tu no estás". BTW, while researching for this post I found out that Natalia just released a new album: Mujer bonita, an homage to Agustín Lara. Now I need a volunteer to get it for me and send it over to us.

What are your favorite new music finds? Do you have a favorite artist, that you always come back to? Are you a fan? (In my case that would be Mika, Lily Allen and we recently saw The Dandy Warhols in concert and I loved it)