Haim

Every once in a while, you get to hear about something refreshingly new. In between the Miley Cyrus and the Belibers influences there are some pretty good and new stuff.

So I’ve come across the name Haim for once or twice in the past few weeks. Once on the radio, and a couple more times on different music blogs and sites. So I knew they existed but that’s pretty much it.

The first thing you need to know is that you pronounce their name “Haim” just like “Time”. It’s actually their last name. We’re talking about three sisters of the Haim family. All born and raised in LA. Their father is a former Israeli, and as an Israeli myself I can tell you that Haim in Hebrew means life (just a little something for you… :)).

All three girls seems to be super talented. In music, studies and in general. The first born, Este Arielle was graduated from UCLA with ethnomusicology in just two years instead for the usual five. And all three girls are playing numerous musical instruments.

The band started out when the girls were still in high school. They used to play in local venues and events. At that time, all three were involved in different projects and the band was kind of a side gig.

Only around 2011 the girls of Haim decided to make Haim their main center of attention. The youngest sister Alana Mychal dropped out of college after only one year to join her sisters and the band took off by releasing their first EP “Forever” which was released in 2012.

When I first listened to Haim I heard the deep influence of Fleetwood Mac in their music. It’s not very easy to miss and you can find a lot of comments and review around the web comparing their sound the Fleetwood Mac sound.

The next strongest association with their sound is a kind of a 90’s sound. A bit hard to put the finger on the exact ingredient that makes that feel but it’s definitely there.

With video clips filmed in a happy and light atmosphere, and with their fresh new sound Haim brought something else to the 2013 musical scenery.

But, I have to admit something. I’m not a fan. The music is just a bit too light for my taste, it’s lacking the interest that I’m looking for when I’m looking for quality music, and it’s just a bit too simple to my taste. Too girly, too cheerful.

I can definitely see why they are so successful and can spot their crowed very easily. This is easy listening at its best.

Not my cup of tea, but a yet another success story of a musical family. I’m all up for these kind of stories.

Pussy Riot are Finally Free!

Earlier this weekend I finally heard some good news about the Russian band “pussy Riot”. After a year in jail, the girls are finally free.

Pussy Riot were originally formed in August 2011. The band included 11 girls that protested for LGTB rights and opposed to the Russian president Putin.

The method was quite simple, yet very provocative. The girls set up “guerrilla performances” in public places around Moscow. They performed and sang their provocative songs like “Kill the Sexist” and “Death to Prison, Freedom to Protests”. Later on, they would edit their performance and created video clips for fans to watch.

In March of 2012, three of the Pussy Riot band members Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, Maria Alyokhina and Yekaterina Samutsevich were arrested and later convicted for “hooliganism motivated by religious hatred”. They were sentenced for two years in prison.

The arrest and conviction of the three girls for Pussy Riot attracted criticism and protest mainly from the west, but particularly form female artist like Madonna, Tory Amos etc. that called for the release of the girls, for human rights and for the freedom of speech in Russia.

This weekend, after a year in prison, all three girls were released from jail and are now free.
This is a story about music bravery, about feminism and about strength. It’s a story about believes and about protest.

In history, that is exactly how big revolutions starts - with just a few people believing for something and going through with it.

To me, the price the Pussy Riot girls paid is extremely heavy. The history tells us a lot about the Russian regime and it’s way of dealing with protesters, but during the Pussy Riot sentence I kept believing there would be a different end to all this.

Pussy Riot are true contemporary heroes. They helped spread a word. They helped raising a difficult subject to the Russian agenda and they paid with a year of their lives.

This is yet another case that shows the power of music, and it’s a story worth telling.

2013 OST

2013 is just about to be over, and thinking about my year I can’t just ignore the artists and bands who made it for me.

This is no musical chart or yearly countdown, it’s just my yearly musical map, might even say – my 2013 soundtrack.

Miley Cyrus

It’s been a very busy year for Miley Cyrus, no doubt. She’s been through a lot, and done a lot, and wasn’t wearing a lot at all. I’m not sure whether I like her way or not, to be honest, but I sure respect her success. This year “Wrecking Ball” went completely ballistic. It may be due to her not wearing anything, or because she’s licking a hammer there, but after I listened to this song, reluctantly, for about fifty times I learned to really like it. It’s a great pop song, after all! And you just have to like her. Even if she doesn’t like her clothes…

Lorde

She’s young, beautiful, talented and she amazes me. Might be the best break- through of 2013, and I’m so grateful for the people who discovered her for me. We need more like her! She sounds right, her songs are fresh and interesting, and she brings something so new and so special. It was defiantly a love form a first listen.

Justin Timberlake

2013 started out not so well for Justin. At least this is how I see it. When “suit & tie” – the first single from “the 20/20 experience” came out I was really disappointed. Not just me, by the way, a lot of critics and reviews were a bit on the fence when it came to the choice of this single as a first one. Anyway, everything turned around when “Mirrors” came out and brought the old Justin that we love so much back to us. Or back to me J

Lana Del Rey

Oh. Lana. I’m having a long term relationship with that beauty. I fell in love with Lana back in 2012 with “Summertime Sadness” and those butterflies keeps on dancing in my stomach for over a year now! Lately, Del Rey released her new single “Young and Beautiful “which knocked me down completely and utterly! This has been a great year, for Lana, and for me, with Lana.

Daft Punk

Back in 1997 I discovered Daft punk with “Around the World”. The beat was great and the video clip was even greater. At the beginning of 2013 I heard about the upcoming album of Daft Punk and I started to get excited. And it was so worth it! “Get Lucky” literally blew me away, and it still does every time I listen to it.

Passenger

I never heard of passenger until this year. I really don’t know why. I first got to know “Let Her Go” by Facebook/Twitter shares my friends used, and since then it’s one of my most played songs on my playlist, especially in these winter days. I missed having those soft rock ballads around and now I have my own winter ballad to cuddle with.

Ed Sheeran

The “A Team” was one of those songs, that when you listen to for the first time you think you've heard it before… sounds so pleasantly familiar.. I loved it from the beginning. Then came along “Lego House” and many more, and it seems I can’t get enough from the lovely Ed Sheeran.

The Lumineers

Hey Ho! Happy, light, fun and heart-warming. Just the right formula for a winning and long lasting hit. One of the best songs of 2013 by far (even if it originally came out in 2012, but still) kept listening to it all throughout this year and love every single time!

So, that’s it. It’s time to say goodbye to the great 2013. It was a fabulous year for me. It really was. It was one of the most challenging, most inspiring and rewarding year of my life so far, and this music made it even better. All I have to wish for is for 2014 to be exactly like this, only better.

Marry Christmas and a very happy new year for us all!

2013- My Year in Music

2013 is almost over now and I sat down and went through what’s been going on in the music industry.

So these are the songs that made my year:

10. Katy Perry – Roar
“Roar” came out on August as Katy Perry new debut single from her album “Prism”. In this case, I heard a lot about the song before I even got the chance to listen to it due to massive buzz over it. I love the song, it was catchy and bouncy and it was a perfect fit for Katy Perry.

9. Will I Am – Scream and Shout 
Will I Am could not loose with this song. He knew exactly what to do and how to it, to create the perfect hit for 2013. The song came out, and was played twice an hour on every radio station in the world. The simplicity was the brilliancy of it all and almost a year after I can’t stop humming this song every once in a while.

8. Justin Timberlake – Mirrors
 I was really disappointed with the first single from Justin’s album “The 20\20 Experience”, “Suit & Tie”. When “Mirrors” came out, I forgot all about it, and fall back in love with the good old Justin which sings in a very distinctive style, exactly the way I like it.

7. Miley Cyrus –Wrecking Ball
You can say what you want about Miley’s clothes, hair and choices, but you can’t take away the fact that Wrecking Ball is an amazing song. I admit I was a bit stunned with shock when I first watched the video clip, but after I got adjusted I noticed that behind all those walls Miley’s trying to wreck, hides a really good song after all.

6. Robin Thicke – Blurred Lines
Talking about being stunned over a video clip…. The funny story is I loved this song and only later I watched to clip and saw what it was all about. So first of all, the clip is great, and sassy, and whatever, but this is a very cool song, with a cool beat and some cool girls too…

5. Taylor Swift – I Knew You Were Trouble
There’s something really great about Taylor Swift, she’s beautiful, she sings and writes, and she dates. A lot. But this year she also had a great hit to be proud of, and nothing could fit her more than this song.

4. Avicii – Wake Me Up
“Wake me up” made Avicii what he is today, and he’s huge!! The 19 year old boy went enormous with that great classic, and made our summer crazy and fun.

3. Passenger – Let Her Go
One of the best song of this year is “let her go”. A modern classic that touched hundreds of hearts across the world and is definitely here to stay.

2. Deft Punk – Get Lucky
It took a while for them to come back again but they've made it and in the best way there is. Daft Punk were the thing to talk about this year, with Numerous awards and shows this was definitely their year.

1. Lorde – Rolyals
The best song of the year, to me, comes from the best artist of the year, to me. Lorde is so young and so talented it’s a bit scary to think where she would be in two years’ time if this is the way she sounds today. And damn, she sounds good. “Royals” made my year by far!

So, that’s that for 2013. We had some pretty good stuff coming our way this year. I wish that next year would be as good as this one and may we listen to some great music forever.

Happy holidays and a happy new year to you all!!