Sarah Fimm- Great Wide Open

how’s this for playing with your emotions? so, calidre taught you how to make it rain panties. well, now you’re going to learn how to get someone to cling to you asking, ‘why am i crying?’ here’s the thing, you can’t listen to this while you’re under the influence of an hallucinogen. i understand that’s how some of you get down, but i’m telling you that you want don’t to be trippin’ when the electronic emo-whale-dolphins start moaning in the background. that might be a little too intense for both of you (or all of you, depending on how you roll). but, if you want a little snugglin’ and a little existential hyper-awareness, this is it. trust me. i’m not only a blogger, i’m a love doctor. enjoy.

-the skinny miracle

The Isley Brothers- Harvest for the World

i thought today would be a good day to post this. it’s apt. things aren’t going that well in many different areas. you can immediatley think about the people of haiti, the philippines, and many in new orleans. there are things to be grateful for, though. celebrate the good things but continue to reach out to those in need. enjoy.

All babies together, everyone a seed
Half of us are satisfied, half of us in need
Love’s bountiful in us, tarnished by our greed
Oh, When will there be a harvest for the world (yeah, yeah, yeah)

A nation planted, so concerned with gain
As the seasons come and go, greater grows the pain
And far too many, feelin’ the strain
Oh, When will there be a harvest for the world (yeah-yeah, yeah)

Gather every man, gather every woman
Celebrate your lives, give thanks for your children (oh!)
Gather everyone, gather all together
Overlooking none (Overlooking none), hopin’ life gets better for the world (yeah, yeah, oh)

Dress me up for battle, when all I want is peace
Those of us who pay the price, come home with the least
And nation after nation, turning into beast
Oh, When will there be a harvest for the world

Yeah, yeah
When will there be
I wanna know now now
When will there be (harvest for the world)
A harvest (harvest for the world)
When will there be (harvest for the world)
A harvest (harvest for the world)

-the skinny miracle

Matchbox Twenty - Leave

Rob Thomas is one of the most underrated song writers of the late 90s/2000s. Don’t believe me?

I’m not saying there wasn’t nothing wrong
I just didn’t think you’d ever get tired of me
I’m now saying we ever had the right to hold on
I just didn’t wanna let it get away from me

WHAT?!?! If that’s not the truth about how a lot of relationships end, I don’t know what is. This is one of my favorite songs off of one of my favorite albums. Mad Season has stayed on steady rotation for almost a decade in my house and its not going anywhere. If you have the album, dust it off and pop it in your stereo (or search it on your itunes) and give it a listen. If you don’t have it, check it out.

Enjoy!

-CaliDre

Matchbox Twenty - Leave

It’s amazing
How you make your face just like a wall
How you take your heart and turn it off
How I turn my head and lose it all

It’s unnerving
How just one move puts me by myself
There you go just trusting someone else
Now I know I put us both through hell

I’m not saying there wasn’t nothing wrong
I just didn’t think you’d ever get tired of me
I’m now saying we ever had the right to hold on
I just didn’t wanna let it get away from me

But if that’s how it’s gonna leave
Straight out from underneath
Then we’ll see who’s sorry now
If that’s how it’s gonna stand, when
You know you’ve been depending on
The one you’re leaving now
The one you’re leaving out

It’s aggravating
How you threw me on and you tore me out
How your good intentions turn to doubt
The way you needed time to sort it out

I’m not saying there wasn’t nothing wrong
I just didn’t think you’d ever get tired of me
I’m now saying we ever had the right to hold on
I just didn’t wanna let it get away from me

But if that’s how it’s gonna leave
Straight out from underneath
Then we’ll see who’s sorry now
If that’s how it’s gonna stand, when
You know you’ve been depending on
The one you’re leaving now
The one you’re leaving out

The one you’re leaving now
The one you’re leaving out

I’m not saying there wasn’t nothing wrong
I just didn’t think you’d ever get tired of me

But if that’s how it’s gonna leave
Straight out from underneath
Then we’ll see who’s sorry now
If that’s how it’s gonna stand, when
You know you’ve been depending on
The one you’re leaving now
The one you’re leaving out

Tell me is that how it’s going to end
When you know you’ve been depending on
The one you’re leaving now
And the one you’re leaving out

The one you’re leaving now
The one you’re leaving out

System of a Down - Chop Suey

I can’t lie ya’ll - System of a Down scares me just a tiny bit. They’re a tad darker then what I usually listen to. That said - Chop Suey is one fantastic song. From the amazing guitar intro in the beginning to the other instruments entering slowly to build to that fantastic 20 seconds before the lyrics start.

And the transitions from frantic to slow and thoughtful are just amazing. We used to drive around just screaming nonsense when this song came on. We loved it, didn’t know any of the lyrics and didn’t really care. Matter of fact - I still don’t think I know all of the lyrics. It’s more fun to make up my own : )

Enjoy!

-CaliDre

System of a Down - Chop Suey

Wake up
Grab a brush and put a little, makeup
Hide the scars to fade away the, shakeup
(Hide the scars to fade away the)
Why’d you leave the keys upon the table?
Here you go create another fable

You wanted to
Grab a brush and put a little makeup
You wanted to
Hide the scars to fade away the shakeup
You wanted to
Why’d you leave the keys upon the table?
You wanted to

I don’t think you trust
In my self righteous suicide
I cry when angels deserve to die

Wake up
Grab a brush and put a little, makeup
Hide the scars to fade away the, shakeup
(Hide the scars to fade away the)
Why’d you leave the keys upon the table?
Here you go create another fable

You wanted to
Grab a brush and put a little makeup
You wanted to
Hide the scars to fade away the shakeup
You wanted to
Why’d you leave the keys upon the table
You wanted to

I don’t think you trust
In my self righteous suicide
I cry when angels deserve to die
In my self righteous suicide
I cry when angels deserve to die

Father, father, father, father
Father into your hands, I commend my spirit
Father into your hands
Why have you forsaken me?

In your eyes forsaken me
In your thoughts forsaken me
In your heart forsaken me, oh

Trust in my self righteous suicide
I cry when angels deserve to die
In my self righteous suicide
I cry when angels deserve to die

Elliot Smith - I Didn’t Understand

This is a 137 seconds of Elliot Smith self-loathing brilliance. With no instruments, Mr. Smith sings to his former lover from the hole he’s stuck in and can’t seem to climb out of. Elliot was surely a man who was excruciatingly tormented by his own existence. His music is a haunting prelude to his death and offers us a window into the mind of person coping with depression and substance abuse. Those unfamiliar with his work will probably recognize his songs Miss Misery from Good Will Hunting and Needle in The Hay from The Royal Tenenbaums, which in my opinion, is one of the greatest scenes in a movie. Elliot, as a musician and writer, had talent to spare and if you’re not familiar with his work I’d suggest that you acquaint yourself.

Lyrics:

Thought you’d be looking
For the next in line to love then ignore
Put out and put away
And so you’d soon be leaving me alone
Like I’m supposed to be
Tonight, tomorrow, and every day

There’s nothing here that you’ll miss
I can guarantee you this
Is a cloud of smoke
Trying to occupy space
What a fucking joke
What a fucking joke

I waited for a bus to separate the both of us
And take me off far away from you
Because my feelings never change a bit
I always feel like shit
I don’t know why, I guess that I “just do”

You once talked to me about love
And you painted pictures of a Never-Never Land
And I could’ve gone to that place
But I didn’t understand

I didn’t understand
I didn’t understand

- opparaics

Me’Shell Ndegeocello - Faithful

Bitter is perhaps my favorite Me’Shell Ndegeocello album. For the most part the album seems like a private confession - quiet, breathy, sometimes dark, sometimes desperate and sometimes hopeful. Whichever track you’re on, you can’t help but notice the sincerity and intimacy of the track.

While Ndegeocello is known for her skills on the bass guitar (when it comes to the instrumentation on her albums), this album foregoes alot of the showmenship and instead leans on quiet piano chords and soul baring vocals. There’s a pretty sweet cover of Jimi Hendrix’s “May This Be Love” and an ode to beauty in “Beautiful”.

This song in particular is actually about Ndegeocello’s infedelity. No excuses, no apologies - just an acknowledgement of what it is. It’s hard for me to imagine that there isn’t some truth to the lyrics…it just seems too damn real to be “hypothetical” to me. I hope you enjoy the track - def pick up the cd if you can. It is really an underappreciated musical gem in my opinion.

-Calidre

Me’Shell Ndegeocello - Faithful

My daddy made no excuse
I believe my lies are truth
Why wont you eat what you are fed
When I touch myself I think of only you
And when I touch someone else

No one is faithful I am weak
I go astray
Forgive me for my ways

I hear voices and I cant stand to be alone
Cause emptiness is all I have ever known
Soiled by my lust I feel no shame
No longer forsaken when they call my name
Beautiful angels come to my bed
I am satisfied on their flesh I have fed

No one is faithful I am weak
I go astray
Forgive me for my ways

Pilot Speed - Alright

Whenever I hear this song it fucks up my week. Every single time. About a year ago I stumbled into my room a little foggy from a heavy night of digesting poisonous substances. I turned on the T.V. and flicked a couple times until I hit Voom HD’s music channel RAVE. I let it ride out as I tried to figure out the science behind taking pants off and there they were, in all their Canadian glory, singing “When I can’t feel you, I’m not alright, I’m not alright.” There I was, severely intoxicated, my wounds finally beginning to heal, and Pilot Speed enters my life with a salt shaker and starts a shaking. They could be a great band or they could be the essence of mediocrity. I wouldn’t know. All I know is that they have a bunch of catchy songs and a song about a guy who ends a relationship kamikaze style, letting go of the person he loves as it kills him to do so because he believes she will be happier elsewhere. Gets me every time.

Lyrics:

Tonight I lack the strength to even move,
When you walked, now watch me die

For I know this is harder for you,
For love has let you down, yeah c’mon

The road ahead is lined with broken dreams,
So walk, walk on by

And I failed to give you everything you need,
For the fears, behind your eyes

When I can’t feel you,
I’m not alright, I’m not alright,
When I can’t heal you,
I’m not alright, I’m not alright

When I can’t feel you,
I’m not alright, I’m not alright,
When I can’t heal you,
I’m not alright, I’m not alright

Jesus as you throw me on the rocks,
For love I left your side

For I believed in love and beauty’s wiles,
Where heaven shone from your eyes

When I can’t feel you,
I’m not alright, I’m not alright,
When I can’t heal you,
I’m not alright, I’m not alright

Tell me that it wasn’t all for naught,
It’s such a waste now, It’s such a waste now c’mon
I know your scared but baby don’t you hide,
It’s such a waste,
We’ll stand alone now, you’ll make it somehow

- opparaics

Portishead - Small


In high school a friend and I got into a discussion about music. Inevitably, we started recommending music artists to each other. He only recommended one to me, Portishead. At first I was a bit skeptical, being that most of the artists people recommend to me I wind up not liking, but when I gave Portishead a listen I was pleasantly surprised.

Portishead has three albums. Third, named aptly because it’s Portishead third album, is a compelling and evocative album. It’s also deeply depressing, but that’s what makes it so engaging. The album may be seen as a manifest for severe manic depression, and Beth Gibbons, who has always sung dark, introspective lyrics, is at her best. She wails, whispers, and yells throughout the entire album, giving the impression of someone who is confused, angry, lost, and genuinely in pain. The music itself emphasizes this, taking unexpected, and sometimes jarring, turns only to return back to its original state. I had a hard time choosing a song, but finally settled on Small. Essentially, the song is about hypocrisy. It’s a little over six minutes long, but it’s worth a full listen. Enjoy.

If I remember the night that we met
Tasted a wine that I’ll never forget
Opened the doorway and saw through the light
Motions of movement and I felt delight

She spoke of freedom, “A way in,” she said
“A wisdom that took me away from the bed”
Spoke of the glory that we had become
I felt forgiven in all I’ve become

Small, tasteless, and forgot
Hoping to see, blinded like me
You tried to understand, but you’re just a man
Open to scorn just like me

Failure again
Tried to pretend
Who you were then
Who you are now

Hating the lord
Hating the lord
Hating the lord
Hating the lord

Small, tasteless, and forgot
Hoping to see, blinded like me
You tried to understand, but you’re just a man
Open to scorn just like me

Failure again
Tried to pretend
Who you were then
Who you are now

Hating the lord
Hating the lord
Hating the lord
Hating the lord

-moises

Nina Simone- Wild is the Wind

when i hear this song, i am always struck at how sharply its tone differs from the lyrics. there is none of the brightness one would expect in a love song like this one. here, the exquisite nina simone sings about how free and wild her love is and how completely she has been captured by the man she loves. the music, though, is rather dark. it is as morose as it is lush and complex. even when the piano builds and writhes as she sings about hearing mandolins, there is a sense that she isn’t entirely happy to be so possessed by the man to whom she sings. alternatively, it could be that she doesn’t believe he will love her as she loves him. i’m not sure, but i can’t help thinking that she is forlorn because she was blown away by a more forceful wind and has little choice but to love the one who caused the winds to blow. i’m sure i’m thinking too much about the matter. enjoy the song.

Love me love me love me
Say you do
Let me fly away
With you
For my love is like
The wind
And wild is the wind

Give me more
Than one caress
Satisfy this
Hungriness
Let the wind
Blow through your heart
For wild is the wind

You…
Touch me…
I hear the sound
Of mandolins
You…
Kiss me…
With your kiss
My life begins
Youre spring to me
All things
To me

Dont you know youre
Life itself
Like a leaf clings
To a tree
Oh my darling,
Cling to me
For were creatures
Of the wind
And wild is the wind
So wild is the wind

Wild is the wind
Wild is the wind

-the skinny miracle

Ryan Adams- Afraid, Not Scared

i like artists who do melancholy well. i may be in the minority, but i gravitate toward slower, darker songs. i am more apt to listen to those songs when they mirror my mood because said songs, unlike many happy ones, make me feel better. mr. adams’ album love is hell provides the perfect soundrack to the all too frequent bad day. there are so many sparse gems for the downtrodden listener (or regular listener). you have the sweeter sad songs that talk more about regret or longing. you’ve got the darker songs that make you feel as though you’re dragging yourself along the bottom of the ocean. ‘afraid not scared’ is more sweet than not. it’s something of an unfortunate but soft surrender to circumstances; a slow fall into the dark.

these songs illustrate that there’s a certain beauty in sadness, and i believe that is no small lesson. i don’t want this to sound like a piece written for an undergraduate fiction class, but at times sadness can feel like thousands of black butterflies flitting about you. ok, now it does sound like something written for fiction class by a talentless aspiring poet. no matter. that’s what it feels like to me (on occasion). i’ll stop talking now.

Look at this ocean with everyone drowning
Idiots screaming and everyone sinking in slowly
We’re surrounded
In the yellow lights of the city wasted as bodies
In bed with somebody a touch away with nothing to do
We’re surrounded
I’m really dying here
I’m really dying here
And I’m afraid, no I’m scared

She started freezing, lungs all collapsing
The momentum is passing, but the moment is eating us whole
We’re surrounded
Put the guns in the water, they’re turning to vodka
Triggering nothing we’re sinking the sea takes the ship
And I’m really dying in here
I’m really dying in here
I’m afraid. I’m afraid. No, I’m scared. No I’m scared.
I’m just scared. Just let me down.

I’m getting really cold and I’m cold and I’m looking at you
You’re not moving
I’m getting really cold and I’m cold and I’m looking at you
You’re not moving
I’m getting really cold and I’m cold and I’m looking at you
And you’re not moving

-the skinny miracle