The perfect score...

I'm making a summary of books, movies and tv-series read and watched in 2011. It takes a while, and even though I don't think it's any interest of yours, it is a great way for me to keep track of the year (and an excuse to make a list, which must be one of my favorite pastimes!)

In the meantime, I would like to start posting some of my favorite soundtracks. I'm a huge fan of composed soundtracks, both in movies and tv-series, and I especially love hearing instruments like the violin, cello, piano, harp and bagpipes in music. I would love to reccommend some records and composers for you, and I'm going to start this series with a list of some of my favorite music composed for tv-series. This does not necessarily include a series' theme song/opening credits or all my favorite series (if you would like to hear and see more of that, you can take a look at the list a made of tv-series here, here and here, a list I would like to continue some other day)

~~*~~


Jeff Beal ~ Carnivale








Trevor Morris ~ the Pillars of the Earth




Trevor Moris ~ The Borgias






Trevor Morris ~ The Tudors








Martin Phipps ~ The Virgin Queen
(with Mediaeval Baebes)












David Arnold ~ Sherlock




John Lunn and Don Black ~ Downton Abbey




Rob Lane ~ John Adams






Michael Kamen ~ Band of Brothers




Ramin Djawadi ~ Game of Thrones






(Oh, and I do have to add that I really like the score for Hell on Wheels, but I just could not find it anywhere)

Are there any of these you particularly like?
Do you have any recommendations of music composed for tv-series?

... "The old ways are lost", you sang as you flew, and I wondered why

Two weeks and four days until my first exam. The last month has been pretty hard with some really bad news. Still, I'm not here to share the negative news, but some positive news instead.
On the 5th of April I'm going to fulfill a dream of mine. I'm going to see and hear one of the greatest artist on this planet, an artist I've dreamt of seeing perform since I was 12 years old.



(Here are some previous written entries about her)

music for the mind, body and soul #3

It's really been a while since I've last posted an entry like this. I've written about Loreena McKennitt before, but that has also been a while. Since she is my favorite artist, she deserves another entry. So here we go:

Loreena Mckennitt


Loreena McKennitt is a Canadian artist. She can sing, play the harp, the piano and the accordion. She compose most of her own music with Celtic and Middle Eastern elements, but she also play traditional songs and use lyrics from poets like William Shakespeare, W. B. Yeates, Sir Walter Scott, William Blake, Alfred Lord Tennyson and Alfred Noyes. She is also one of the few artists who sounds even better live than in studio recordings.

(I've linked to all the songs, so you can have a listen. If you can't listen to them all, I recommend you take a look at the Huron Beltane Fire Dance to see some really talented musicians)

I started to listen to this artist in...
... 2001, when I started to listen to alot of filmscore and celtic inspired music.
The first song I heard was...
... I'm not sure if it was The Mystic's Dream (around the time a read and saw The Mists of Avalon), or Skellig (which I had on a cd with all kinds of celtic music)
The three songs I've listened to the most are...
...Dante's Prayer, The Old Ways and All Souls Night (according to last.fm)
At the moment, my three favorite songs are...
... impossible to choose, so I'm going to cheat and pick three songs from each studio album (I've left out the christmas albums and the songs already mentioned):
Elemental (1985): The Stolen Child, Banks of Claudy and Lullaby
Parallel Dreams (1989): Huron "Beltane" Fire Dance, Dicken's Dublin and Ancient Pines
The Visit (1991): Between the Shadows, The Lady of Sharlott and Cymbeline
The Mask and the Mirror (1994): The Bonny Swans, Cé Hé Mise le Ulaingt? and Full Circle
The Book of Secrets (1997): The Mummers' Dance, The Highwayman and La Serenissima
An Ancient Muse (2006): Caravanserai, The English Ladye and the Knight and Beneath a Phrygian Sky
The Wind that Shakes the Barley (2010): Brian Boru's March, The Star of the County Down and The Emigration Tunes
The emotions the music evokes are...
... yearning, sadness, nostalgia, bittersweetness, joyous, free, serene, moved, thoughtfull, dreamy, inspired


"For Love will still be lord of all "


(I've linked to the songs, so you can have a listen)

Just want to wish you a good weekend with a song:



I'm going out for a music quiz and some beers!

Music for Christmas

Here are some songs that give me that bittersweet christmas feeling
(the songs are linked)

Loreena McKennitt: The Holly and the Ivy
Loreena McKennitt: The Seven Rejoices of Mary
Sufjan Stevens: O Come O Come Emmanuel
Peter Auty: Walking in the Air
Loreena McKennitt: Snow
Tori Amos: Winter


picture from weheartit

Miserable Autumn

I'm making some lists of music that I know will keep my heart warm through the Autumn. I'm calling the lists "Miserable Autumn", but belive me; they are not all that miserable. Since I'm terrible at just picking out a few songs, I'm goig to make a few playlists. Here are some of my ideas

Bittersweet Comfort

Instrumental

On a slightly happier note

Faraway Land

What would be the content of the playlist will be a secret for now.

I'm also thinking about making these lists later on:

Retro and vintage favorites
Music that makes me wanna dance
My favorite songs by norwegian artists
(could be fun for the non-norwegian subscribers)
...well, let's just say that I've got plenty of ideas


I hope you are interested!

My favorite album at the moment.
It's perfection - melancholic and nostalgic texts, but summery tunes.
His voice reminds me of a lighter version of a young Dylan.



I could roll you to hell
I could swim from your heavens
I could drive you so safe
I could walk you to here
Let us float in the tears
Let us cry from the laughters
When it's not for some sake
And the city's not near

A Decade of Music: 2001

A Decade of Music

2001
(in alphabetical order)

Black Hawk Down
Hans Zimmer
One of Zimmer's most finest and most original soundtracks.
It got such variety and I love the African sound that lays the foundation of it all.
There are some wonderfull artists here as well, bot known and unknown:
Lisa Gerrard, Joe Strummer, Denez Prigent and Rachid Taha.
Listen to: Hunger, Still, Gortoz a Ran, Leave no Man Behind and Minstrel Boy
"The minstrel boy to the war is gone
In the ranks of death ye will find him
His father's sword he hath girded on
and his wild harp slung behind him"

Blackwater Park
Opeth
This is one of the few metal bands I still listen to, and this has to be their best album this decade.
Åkerfeldt's voice can do anything!
Listen to: Bleak, Harvest, Blackwater Park, Still Day Beneath the Sun
and Patterns in the Ivy 2
"Break of morning, coldness lingers on
Shroud me into nightmares of the sun"

Celtic Circle, the
Various Artists
All I can say is that this cd introduced me for some beautifull music.
My favorite music genre to date.
Perfect to get you dreaming of a mysterious faraway land.
Listen to: disc 1 - The Mystic's Dream (Loreena McKennitt), The Shores of the Swilly (Sinéad O'Connor),
cúChilainn's Last Battle (Brian Dunning & Jeff Johnson),
The Keening of the three Marys (William Coulter)
and The Dragon's Breath (David Arkenstone)
disc 2 - Skellig (Loreena McKennitt), Theme from Harry's Game (Clannad),
Ailain Duinn (Capercaille), Circle of Joy (Lisa Lynne) and Caoineadh na Mara (Mary McLaughlin)

Just Push Play
Aerosmith
I had heard some Aerosmith songs through my childhood, but I was to young to give them any notice.
This album changed that.
There are other Aerosmith albums that are better, but this is still the first one I heard.
Listen to: Jaded, Fly Away from Here, Trip Hoppin', Sunshine and Luv Lies
"I sold my soul for a one night stand
I followed Alice into wonder land"

Le Fabuleux Destin d'Amelie Poulain
Yann Tiersen
Wonderfull! It gives me the perfect Parisian feeling, and has opened my eyes for other Yann Tiersen albums.
It makes me dream of cycling through Montemartre with my camera and a picnic basket.
Listen to: J'y suis jamais allé, La Valse d'Amélie (every version of it),
Comptine d'un autre été: L'après-midi, La Dispute and Si tu n'étais pas lá
"Monochrome flat, monochrome life,
only abscence near me, nothing but silence around me"

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
Howard Shore
The music for the entire trilogy is my favourite sountrack of all times.
The way it is structured around the different places and creatures is just amazing,
and it gives me the chills everytime it is played.
The movies were a huge part of my life for such a long tine,
and the music brings back all kinds of wonderfull memories.
It's hard to choose, but you should:
Listen to: Concerning Hobbits, A Journey in the Dark, Lothlorien,
Amon Hen and The Breaking of the Fellowship
" When the seas and mountains fall,
and we come to end of days.
In the dark I hear a call, calling me there,
I will go there, and back again."

Røyksopp
Melody A.M
It is still their best album,
even though they haven't not lost their touch with their latest albums either
It makes me relaxed and happy at the same time.
Listen to: So Easy, Eple, Sparks, Poor Leno and Remind Me
"It doesn't matter when, it may rain or it may shine,
you will always be here stored inside my mind"

Ompa til du dør
Kaizers Orchestra
My favorite studio album by Kaizers. I makes me happy, nothing more, nothing less.
Listen to: Kontroll på kontinentet, 170, Rullett, Resistansen and Bris
"bris, bris, puste meg i nakken,
det blir kaldt i frakken og kroppen skrike
kom bris, bris sett meg fri, skru på sirenen og gje meg varige mén"

Strange Little Girls
Tori Amos
The first album of Tori that I listened to, and I fell in love instantly.
It's not even her own songs, but she is a master of covering songs and putting her own touch to them.
All the songs are written by famous men like Neil Young, Tom Waits,
Marshal Matters, Lou Reed, The Beatles and Bob Geldof,
but Tori puts them into a female perspective and makes them almost unrecognisable.
Listen to: New Age, Strange Little Girl, Time, I Don't Like Mondays and Real Men
"Man makes a gun, man goes to war,
man can kill and man can drink and man can take a whore"

White Blood Cells
The White Stripes
You can't have a music list without mentioning this duo.
It's so simple, but still so energetic and fun!
Listen to: Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground, I'm Finding it Harder to be a Gentleman,
We're Going to be Friends, Offend in Every Way and I Think I Smell a Rat
"I'll speak until I break
with every word I say,
offend in every way"


other albums worth mentioning: Björk: Verspertine and The Strokes: Is This It

A Decade of Music: 2000

A Decade of Music

2000
(in alphabetical order)




Black Market Music
Placebo
Full of angst, bitter love, depression and all those feelings that Placebo is a master at portraying, its has be the favourite band of lots of teenagers, as well as my favourite as a youngster. Not my favourite album of theirs, but it still gets played a lot. Oh, sweet nostalgia!
Listen to: Taste in Men, Passive Agressive, Blue American, Slave to the Wage and Special K
"I read a book about the self
said I should get expensive help
Go fix my head
create some wealth
put my neurosis on a shelf"


Clear Hearts Grey Flowers
Jack off Jill
Another addition to my teenage years. This is anger, bitchiness and neurosis at it's best, and it's catchy as hell. Jessica can scream her (and your) heart out!
Listen to: Fear of Dying, Nazi Halo, Strawberry Gashes, Vivica and Cinnamon Spider
"Fuck your opinions
fuck your lack of spine
When you are miserable
know that I'm just fine"


Gladiator
Hans Zimmer and Lisa Gerrard
One of my all time favorite soundtracks. Its stunning, heartbreaking and it takes you right into the movie. Not diffcult to hear that it's a Zimmer composition, but it also got a more ancient celtic feel to it.
Listen to: Earth, Sorrow, To Zucchabar, Elysium and Honor Him
"Anol shalom A
nol sheh lay konnud de ne um"

Holy Wood
Marilyn Manson
Back in the times when Marilyn Manson could do his job he made this album, which has to be his best (thanks to John 5 and Twiggy.) This was the last album he made, without making a fool of himself.
Listen to: GodEatGod, Disposable Teens, Target Audience, The Nobodies and Coma Black
"Dear God if you were alive
You know we'd kill you"

Mother Earth
Within Teptation
Not really my kind of music and I'm not sure how I came across this, but I remember that it was one of the most played albums when I was younger (when I had my fantasy and LOTR period.) It still brings back the nostalgia. Listen to: Mother Earth, Ice Queen, Our Farewell, The Promise and Never-Ending Story "
The earth is our mother
she gives and she takes
She puts us to sleep
In her light we'll awake"


Mer de Noms
A Perfect Cirlce
I've got a hard time choosing my favorite APC album, but I think this has to be it. Thank god Maynard took some time to be a part of this band.
Listen to: The Hollow, Rose, Judith, Three Libras and Brena
"Difficult not to feel a little bit disappointet
and passed over
when I've looked right through
to see you naked and oblivious"


Melody of Certain Damaged Lemons
Blonde Redhead
Not my favorite album of theirs, but it's pretty close. How I love their special and (kind of) weird sound. Kazy Makinos voice is unperfect and perfect at the same time.
Listen to: In Particular, Hated Because of great Qualities, Loved Despite of Great Faults, This is Nor and A Cure
"Secret so sorry that I forgot
Secret secret we're all bound to forget"


Marshall Mathers LP, the
Eminem
This is actually the only album on the 2000-list that I used to listen to when it was released (all the other albums I discovered later). My favorite artist when I was 11. Oh, good times.
Listen to: Kill You, Stan, The Way I Am, Amityville and Kim
"That's why we don't call it Detroit, we call it Amityville
You can get capped after just having a cavity filled"


Parachutes
Coldplay
I'm not a big fan of Coldplay, but there is no doubt that they have made some of the best popsongs of this decade. Not bad at all.
Listen to: Don't Panic, Spies, Shiver, Yellow and Trouble
"I awake to find no peace of mind
I said how do you live
as a fugitive?"

Requiem for a Dream
Clint Mansell
It fits the movie perfectly; scary and neurotic to the bone. It gives me the creeps at times.
Perfectly parted into summer, fall and winter tunes.
Listen to: Summer - Summer Overtune, Summer - Crimin' and Dealin', Summer - Ghosts of things to come, Fall - Bugs Got a Devilish Grin Conga and Winter - The Beginning of the End

A Decade of Music: An Intro

Since a decade is soon over, I'm gonna make a list from each year, with albums that have gripped, changed and meant a lot to me. This is not necessarily music I listen to now-a-days, or bands that means alot to me, but music that has in some way been a part of my life, and that has been important in some way. I will have to mention that this is music that goes back to me beeing 10 years old, so this is music that has followed me through... well:
a decade.

an old picture



...and maybe I will make some for other decades as well

...att leva mitt liv som Olle Extraliv

Tjugodredje juli. I dag har jag tänkt mycket på vår stundt här på jorden, alltings storhet, men också litenhet. Altså alla ska ju dö en dag. Så är det ju bara.

Jag vet inte, jag försöker att tänke mig det. Ett sista djupt andetag, man fyller bröstkorgen tills den är helt sprängfylld, hjärtat kramar i en avslutande kramp, och till hjärnan strömmar det varmt blod, yrsel och värme, för att seda rinna bort. Lite i taget. Du är borta, det kanske är skönt, fan vet jag?

Jag minns en kille som hette Olle Extraliv. Han blev påkörd av en buss men överlevde. Men han ska ju också dö en dag men inte den här gången, han har ju ett liv til, Olle Extraliv. Det måste vara jävligt skönt att få en andra chans, en andra chans å leva, att leva mitt liv som Olle Extraliv.

Farväl Falkenberg

music for the mind, body and soul # 2

Damien Rice
(+ Lisa Hannigan)

I started to listen to this artist in...
...I'm not sure actually. Maybe around 2006 or something
The first song I heard was...
...The Blower's Daughter when Closer was released
The three songs I've listened to the most are...
...The Blower's Daughter, Cannonball, Delicate
At the moment, my three favourte songs are...
...Eskimo, Me, My Yoke and I, Coconut Skins
The feelings the music provokes are...
...lots and lots of emotions; anger, depression, bitterness, love, nostalgii and desperation

no love, no glory, no hero in her sky

Music for the mind, body and soul #1

TORI AMOS

I started to listen to this artist in...

...2001, when I borrowed the Strange Little Girls album from the library

The first song I heard was…

...New Age from Strange Little Girls

I saw the artist live...

...for the first time in Sweden (Hultsfred) in 2005, then two times in Norway; in 2007 and 2009.

My three favourite albums are…

...Little Earthquakes, Strange Little Girl, American Doll Posse

The three songs I’ve listened to the most are…

...Playboy Mommy, A Sorta Fairytale, Real Men

At the moment, my three favourite songs are…
...Beauty of Speed, Baker Baker, Give
The feelings the music provokes...
...anger, sensuality, femininity, vulnerability

Paris, je t'aime: How to get in that French mood Pt. 1

Christina and I are leaving for Paris on Sunday, so I'm getting myself into that (extra) French mood. I love French music and movies, so here comes a small "how to" entry on what kind of music you should listen to if you want to get in that special French mood.

(oh, and if you scroll over some of the songs, there are links so you can listen to the songs)

Yann Tiersen

Some of you might have heard of him when it comes to the soundtrack of "Le Fabuleux Destin d'Amelie Poulain", but I would recommend you to listen to some of his other work. My favourite atm. is his jazzalbum from 2005; "Les Retrouvailles". It got those thypical "Amelie" songs like "La Boulange", but also some calmer and more relaxing songs like "Kala" and "Plus d'Hiver" (the last one with Jane Birkin on the vocals)

Jane Birkin

Known as the muse and lover of Serge Gainsbourg, but is also a talented artist. She recorded alot of songs with Gainsbourg, but has also made her own career as a solo artist. She does not have the most beautifull voice in the world, but a fragileness that only her daughter Charlotte has recreated after her. Listen to her album "Rendez-vous" from 2004 where she sings duets with lots of famous singers like Brian Ferry, Brian Molko and Feist. Some of the songs are sung in English (like "Smile" and "Canary Canary"), but some are also in French (where my favourites are "Je m'Appelle Jane" and "Te Souviens-tu")

Serge Gainsbourg

He is the French singer above all French singers. I bet all of you have heard his duet with Jane Birkin; "Je T'Aime Moi Non Plus". It's an erotic song originaly recorded with Brigitte Bardot, but was later recorded with Jane. Another song was recorded with Bardot which is one of my favourites; "Bonnie and Clyde". Some of you may also have heard the song "Ballade de Melody Nelson" which has later been remade by Placebo

Charlotte Gainsbourg

She made her musical debut on her fathers song "Lemon Incest". She was only thirteen when she recorded that song, so its not odd that the erotic musicvideo with her dad shocked alot of people. She has also released two soloalbums, where the first one is mostly in French and are duets with her father, while the latest one is mostly in English. The latest is my favourite with songs like "The Songs That We Sing", "The Operation", "5:55" and "AF607105".

Julie Delpy

She may be more famous for her acting, directing and screenwriting, but she has also made some pretty cute songs. Many of them were featured in the movie Before Sunset ("An Ocean Apart", "A Waltz For A Night" and "Je T'aime Tant"), but she has also recorded her own album and made the score for her movie 2 days in Paris (where she also recorded the song "Lalala" with Nouvelle Vague). I love her unperfect and cute voice.

Edith Piaf

While Gainsbourg was the male French singer above all singers, Piaf has to be the best female singer. She lived a pretty hard and short life, but some great songs (and a great voice) came out of it. My big time favourite is "Rien De Rien", but other songs worth mention is "Milord", "L'hymme a L'amour", "Padam Padam", "L'accordeoniste" and one song that most of you have heard "La Vie En Rose". I would also recommend you to liste to the soundtrack of the movie with the same name.

Carla Bruni
Known as a singer and model, but also the wife of the president of France, Nicolas Sarkozy. Its her latest album "Comme si de rien n'était" I have listened to the most, but I have also listened to her English album "No Promises". I have to say I prefer her French, with songs like "Ma Jeunesse", "Notre Grand Amour Est Mort", "Péché d'Envie" and "Tu Es Ma Came".

Some old jazz songs like:
Fred Astaire: "Puttin' On the Ritz"
Ella Fitzgerald: "Puttin' on the Ritz"
Ella Fitzgerald: "Night And Day"
Ella Fitzgerald: "Just One Of Those Things"
(the best version is with Louis Armstrong, but I could'nt find it)
Cole Porter: "Anything Goes"
Frank Sinatra: "I Love Paris"

Next time: French movies to watch