For #MusicMonday I’ve got a weird one for you, but it’s been on repeat all week for me as I did lots of stuff. One guess as to why I was listening to a song called ‘Before You Snap’ by Yonderboi… and you probably won’t even need the one guess if you read my #AskMeAnything from yesterday. This song is one of those cleverly done mixes of audio from other things, overlaid on a cool music track, with some fun editing to bring it all together into a great story. It may not be your cup of tea, but I’m a huge sucker for these types of songs. (Another great one is ‘A Hair on the Head of John the Baptist” by Santillo which has quotes from Hamlet that made my literary nerd side swoon) Anyway, I do hope you at least enjoy the song in the context of my crazy last week. I promise I’ll be back to my fun self in no time! <3
Lyrics
Well, clean up the dirt There’s just more dirt to clean up tomorrow Make the beds you just have to make tomorrow Wash the dishes, more to wash tomorrow Make dinner, it just gets eaten. doesn’t it? The world keeps growing and feeding Doesn’t feed you, does it?
But, uh, how much can you take? How much can you take before you snap? How much can you take? How much can you take? How much can you take? How much can you take before you snap?
Lying on your bed looking at the ceiling Waiting for something to happen And knowing all the time that you were meant For something better Feeling it Wanting it But, uh, how much can you take? How much can you take? How much can you take before you snap?
Today’s #MusicMonday is beautifully done, sinfully sweet, and exactly what we all need on a Monday. Because you know what we need? We need a cover of the classic Nirvana song ‘Come As You Are’, and the band Prep School delivers it in spades. I’m telling you, you’re going to love the way they alternate between her beautiful vocals and the more energized rock-feel that harkens back to the original song. Also, bonus? I don’t think anyone is going to complain (except maybe your workplace) about the video, which is SO WELL DONE and features two women (Teela Cull & Jesse Sullivan) making out and it gets pretty intense and quite hot. I’ll admit, I watched the video more than once. ^_^ Take a break from Monday with me and enjoy.
Lyrics
Come as you are, as you were, as I want you to be… As a friend, as a friend, as an old enemy.
Take your time, hurry up. Choice is yours, don’t be late. Take a rest, as a friend, as an old…
Memoria, memoria, memoria…
And I swear that I don’t have a gun, no, I don’t have a gun. No, I don’t have a gun. No, I don’t have a gun. No, I don’t have a gun…
Come as you are, as you were, as I want you to be.
This #MusicMonday was suggested to me by a good friend who has my same taste in music and she always sends me the best youtube links! Honestly, some days I just realize how lucky I am to have kickass people in my life who aren’t afraid to send me awesome things like “Shutter Island” by the brand new to the scene Jessie Reyez. She has a handful of songs out there right now, but I am quite sure she’s going to be hitting the radio soon and blowing up. The video below is just wicked so make sure you scroll down and hit play! I promise, you’re going to love the mixture of the crazy visuals, her sweet voice, her angry shouting, and the fun almost carousel-esque theme to the music. So. Fucking. Fun.
Favorite Lyrics
The goodbyes are getting old. Next time you can go ahead and go. I’m tired of begging you to love me…
Goodness, gracious, you’re amazing. According to you, I’m a lucky lady. So why’d you lie to me? Why do I cry to sleep?
Goodness, gracious, I’m replaceable. You say that I’m too crazy. I guess you were right, I guess you were right.
My straight jacket’s custom-made though! (With fucking diamonds) My straight jacket’s custom-made though! (With fucking rubies) I’m crazy just like Galileo, my straight jacket’s custom-made though!
You keep hitting, I’ve been bruised, Holy field I can’t hear you. I’m tired of begging you to love me…
…
For a second I forgot I was a bad bitch, begging you to stay became a habit. I’m tired of begging you to love me…
I know I can be better, needed practice. I know I can be better, but the fact is, I’m tired of begging you to love me.
Goodness gracious, let’s just break up. I tried everything to save us, so why do I cry to sleep, Every time you try to leave?
Goodness, gracious, this relationship is full of so much hatred. I guess you were right, I guess you were right!
It’s #MusicMonday and I have an amazing story to accompany today’s song ‘Learn to Drive’ by Arth & Arth. So, I get my book covers from a variety of places but one of the spots I love to browse is http://goonwrite.com/, the guy who runs it is named James and I’ve been randomly buying covers from him for years (he did the Lethal Sin & Early Sins covers!). Anyway, many many months ago when we were chatting about something, he mentioned that he and his brother had been working on some music and offered to let me hear some. I readily agreed (as we all know, I love music) and he sent me the mp3 of ‘Learn to Drive’ (which you can scroll down and play from soundcloud while you hear the rest of this story!). Now, I think I listened to it once or twice when I first got it, and then kind of forgot that I had it – also my brain is a sieve on most days and so remembering random events like this is a challenge even when I’m not stressed.
So, many moons pass and it’s late one night and I’m trying to find a particular song by another artist I love and as I’m doing a search for mp3s on my computer I come across one that is simply titled ‘Learn to Drive’. Curious, I go ahead and hit play, and instantly I’m drawn in by the style of music. It’s totally dreamy, and has this spoken word element (that I really love in songs), and I kept getting pulled back in by the lyrics as I was looking for the other song. Then – I tried to find it online, (this was about a month ago now), and I could not find a trace of it. I checked the metadata for the mp3 and found nothing, searched lyrics, uploaded it to music finder services, asked my author friends to help me… and we all came up blank. I resigned myself to just enjoying the song whenever it came up in a playlist on iTunes (because it was not on spotify) and decided I had somehow obtained this weird song and its origins would be lost to obscurity.
Then, on January 30th I got the GoOnWrite.com newsletter and browsed it, saw that he was referencing a band he and his brother started and asking everyone to support them by following on Spotify/Soundcloud so that he and his brother could claim their pages. I (obviously) went on to Spotify support him, and the fourth song down on the album was ‘Learn to Drive’. I froze for a second, bewildered, and then hit play and IT WAS THE SAME DAMN SONG.
Immediately I emailed James back, fangirled all over him for how much I’d loved the song, relayed my ridiculous loss of memory and my late night search for the song over a month ago now. He thought this was hilarious, and so did I, and THAT is why I knew ‘Learn to Drive’ had to be the song for #MusicMonday this week. It was destiny. Also, I really think you’re going to love their music, there’s a lot of different styles on the album. Most of the songs remind me of a mix of Depeche Mode, Smashing Pumpkins, and a bit of singer/songwriter genre. Anyway, I love this song, and my 2nd favorite is definitely ‘At a Time’ that is super Smashing Pumpkins circa Melancholy & the Infinite Sadness which was my obsessive album for a full year when I was a teen.
Anyway, enough about my story, I want to share the lyrics I loved below, but I also want you to take a minute and follow them so they can take control of their pages! It will only take you a second if you’ve got accounts on these services, but if you don’t have accounts, and love music, there’s a bunch of free stuff on both of them to enjoy! Also, it would make James happy, and a happy James makes beautiful covers. <3
PS – They’re actually donating all the proceeds from any sales of their album on either iTunes or Bandcamp to a UK homeless charity called ‘Shelter’. So if you like them, and you’ve got $5 lying around, just know you’re also supporting greatness.
OKAY! ON TO THE WONDERFUL LYRICS! (You can read them all here)
Already half way there and I stupidly realize, The passenger seat is pushed forward. I grasp the handle below giving, Myself more leg room. There is no one in the back. You smile from the corner of your mouth, You don’t say it: that I should learn to drive. I feel You scream it with gentle, soft words: Learn to drive. Numbers on signs say miles are eaten. Each minute we edge closer to our destination, You and I. And you are driving. You are the driver. You drive me. You drive me.
Estar. Estar todo.
I left it in the glove box. I left it in the glove box, my dear. I wish I could have told you. I wish I could have made it more clear.
Today’s #MusicMonday is ‘In the Shadows’ from Amy Stroup, which (of course) Spotify gave to me on the Discover Weekly playlist, and the moment it came on I was just like, “Yes, Spotify, you do understand me.” And then I listened to it, and every time the weekly playlist came back to it, I found myself listening to it again and again trying to catch the lyrics because there’s so many good lines in here. “A whisper in the darkness / in the quiet it’ll grow” just screams for some kind of sinister story to be told, and the opening line is just great, “What happens in the shadows / no one has to know.” I just love it, and her soft voice works so well with it! There’s no real video, but you can scroll down, hit play, and enjoy!
PS – After lots of people asked for it, I finally got off my ass this weekend and put together a Spotify playlist of all my #MusicMonday posts. #MusicMonday from Jennifer Bene @ Spotify Now you can binge listen to the same songs I do as I write. Seriously, I probably listen to the #MusicMonday playlist more than any of my others combined! <3 Hope you like it just as much.
Favorite Lyrics
What happens in the shadows, no one has to know. The truth is in the gallows, it’ll burn but won’t let go.
A whisper in the darkness, in the quiet it’ll grow. You can try to hide it in the farthest place, but everybody knows…
There’s something in the shadows. It cuts you like an arrow. Shifting through the dark, your strength is in your weakness. This fire in your blood, hanging from that hope, but everybody knows…
There’s something in the shadows. There’s something in the shadows.
It finds you in a cold room, a silhouette against the wall. Lit up by the white moon, we’ll out run the waking dawn.
Oh, lovelies, this man’s voice is going to melt you six ways from Sunday, and I’m not even sorry. ‘Flames’ from Tedy is one of those songs that stopped me in my tracks the second I heard the opening fucking line. Every bit of the song is hot, the lyrics are perfect, and I just want you to imagine the baritone of his voice against your ear. UNF. I promise, you’re going to love it. There’s no way this song doesn’t inspire a character in me, I can already feel them coming to life. Scroll down, hit play, and love it with me. (PS – I chatted with him on Twitter, and he’s so humble and wonderful, and deserves all the praise we can heap upon him and his effortlessly sexy voice!)
Lyrics
I trust no one it’s a habit. I don’t belong, no need to panic. I see the end before it started. Don’t need anybody, ’cause all you bring is sadness.
But when I’m near you I feel flames, I touch the fire and I get burned. I feel this rush beneath my feet, it’s like I’m falling. Is this love? Oh, is this love?
This is so sudden I need time. No need to rush ’cause I ain’t trying. I see me wrecking you to pieces. I’ll suck out all the good in you, the time is ticking watch it blow…
But when I’m near you I feel flames, I touch the fire and I get burned. I feel this rush beneath my feet, it’s like I’m falling. Is this love? Oh, is this love?
So, tell me can you take the pain? ’cause this a warning – I won’t change. But then again it’s not like you’re perfect, you bring the bad right out of me. You hold the gun, I’ll pull the trigger. My blood is spilling, now I’m cold…
But when I’m near you I feel flames, I touch the fire and I get burned. I feel this rush beneath my feet, it’s like I’m falling. Is this love? Oh, is this love?
But baby you’re so dangerous. I let you in, you make a mess, you leave… leave me in the dust!
But when I’m near you I feel flames, I touch the fire and I get burned. I feel this rush beneath my feet, it’s like I’m falling. Is this love? Oh, is this love?
