soul asylum - yet another 90's WIN

As a grunge loving teenager in the 90’s, Soul Asylum has been one of my favourite bands for half my life. Misery was an anthem back then, but it was Runaway Train that summed up all the angst, talent and awesomeness of that decade for me. The song has remained one of my all-time favourites all this time, not least because it has a real purpose and message. Seeing as how today is Soul Asylum guitarist Dan Murphy’s birthday, I thought that it would be fitting to play out with this legendary classic… enjoy!

Soul Asylum – Runaway Train

Call you up in the middle of the night
Like a firefly without a light
You were there like a slow torch burning
I was a key that could use a little turning

Runaway train never comin’ back
Runaway train tearin’ up the track
Runaway train burnin’ in my veins
Runaway but it always seems the same

Because it’s Monday Mope Music time here tonight, I couldn’t resist sharing this gem. The band is called Within Temptation and they’re like an uber emo Efervessance (Evernessance, whatever that silly warbling band is called) but with a better vocalist. Yes, this is a home-made music video montage for Legends of the Fall – don’t judge, it was a brilliant damn movie and one of my all time favourites.

I don’t know the lyrics, just turn it up and listen to this beautiful music and marvel at these awesome moments from an awesome movie. Feel it!

Bush – Letting the Cables Sleep

You in the dark
You in the pain
You on the run
Living a hell
Living your ghost
Living your end
Never seem to get in the place that I belong
Don’t wanna lose the time
Lose the time to come

If heaven is on the way
If heaven is on the way
I’m a stranger in this town
I’m a stranger in this town

Jack Parow – Cooler As Ekke

Jy dink jy’s cooler as ekke, want jy rook Yves Saint Laurent sigarette
Jy dink jy’s cooler as ekke, want jy’t ‘n tattoo van ‘n slang op jou tette.
Jy dink jy’s cooler as ek, want jy’t ‘n plakkaat van Led Zeppelin bo jou bed
Jy dink jy’s cooler as ek, want jy’s elke jaar by die J&B Met.

Jy’s ou nuus, ek kom met rou beats
Jy lê en wag, ek gan soek iets
Jy’s ice tea, ek’s witblits
Jy’s lite bier, ek’s spirits
Jy’s die ou met die new fresh look
Ek’s die ou met die Pep Stores broek
Ek watch jou, jy koekeloer oukes
jy forward nog Vernon Koekemoer jokes
Ek’s fantasties, jy’s spasties
Ek vat an poppies, jy raak an klein kids
Jy’s Tim Voster, ek’s Chris Edwards
Jy’s innie bosse, ek rol innie vet shit
Jy’s boring soos liedjies ommie kampvuur
my styl slick sneak suutjies soos ‘n vampier
jou styl kak sag soos ‘n pink marshmallow
meisies skree vir net “one night in parow”

Jy dink jy’s cooler as ekke, want jy hang saam met models en ek hang saam met slette
Jy dink jy’s cooler as ekke, want ek’s ‘n rapper en jy sing in falsette
Jy dink jy’s cooler as ek, want ek ry op met die bus en jy vlieg op met ‘n jet
Jy dink jy’s cooler as ek, want jy ry in ‘n Peugeot twee nul ses

Jy rol met ‘n selfoon in jou pen
Ek rol nog met ‘n 3310
My styl gooi sexy korrek
Jy dra nog fokken Mr Price Red
As ek instap skrikkie hele fokken bar
Jy kry nog fokken geld by jou ma
Ek los die hele jol papnat
As jy instap begin die hele jollie pad vat
ek’s Amerika, jys Irak
ek bomb jou lat die kak slap spat
Ek’s ‘n Bic pen, jy’s ‘n Mont Blanc
Jy loop rond met fokken skuim op jou mond-rand
Ek’s original jy’s gecopy
Ek’s ‘n flash drive jy’s ‘n floppy
Jy maak of jy alles het ma jy’s fake
Jack Parow bra ek lewe soos n straatmeit

Jy dink jy’s cooler as ekke, want jy drink by Ku De Ta en ek drink by De Dekke
Jy dink jy’s cooler as ekke, want jy’s die gentleman, bra eksie prette
Jy dink jy’s cooler as ek, want ek hou vakansie in Hartenbos en jy hou vakansie in Quebec.
Jy dink jy’s cooler as ek, omdat jy die nuwe issue van One Small Seed het

Jack Parow bra ek’s n poes woes
Jy eet caviar en couscous
Ek drink Klipdrif, jy drink Peroni
Jy’t vriende in Swede, ek het vriende in Benoni
Ek koop al my klere by die local Pep Stores save more
Jy koop al jou fokken klere by a store
Jy dra net fokken Polo shirts
Shame, jy luister na die Dirty Skirts
My naam’s Parow, dik heavy uitgeskollie
Jy lyk soos Jeremy de Tollie
Jack Parow, die life van die party
Jy dra net fokken Issey Miyake
Jy’s too cool for school, eks mos kief
Ek’s grasshopper, jys Lacoste sportief
Jy lat die koek flop, ek lat die huis rys
Jou meisie het ‘n foto van my piel op haar Space Case

and she's buying a stairway to heaven

Of all my memories of this song (and there are plenty), the one that stands out the most is being in the car with my cousin and a few friends, on route to an outdoor party in Scarborough. Driving through Noordhoek and Sun Valley, with Led Zeppelin blasting all the way, enjoying everything that was awesome about being 15… cute clothes, friends, giggles.

Sadly, it also meant strict curfews. We didn’t like curfews much, and were used to the safety and freedom of our older siblings and my uncle, who was a regular on the trance scene back then. So in all our teenage wisdom and logic, we decided to stay when our ride went back – changing out minds at about 3am, and getting the cops who’d come to check things out to give us a ride back home. It made such perfect sense, and with only a single B52 shot in our systems, we were probably quite right too.

That was one of my favourite Lotus memories, and whenever I hear Stairway to Heaven I always think of that drive to the party.

It might still give me a lump in my throat, but this truly is one of the greatest songs of our time…

Led Zeppelin – Stairway to Heaven

There’s a lady who’s sure
All that glitters is gold
And she’s buying a stairway to heaven

When she gets there she knows
If the stores are all closed
With a word she can get what she came for

Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh
And she’s buying a stairway to heaven

There’s a sign on the wall
But she wants to be sure
‘Cause you know sometimes words have
Two meanings

In a tree by the brook
There’s a songbird who sings
Sometimes all of our thoughts are
Misgiven

Ooh, it makes me wonder

Ooh, it makes me wonder

There’s a feeling I get
When I look to the west
And my spirit is crying
For leaving

In my thoughts I have seen
Rings of smoke through the trees
And the voices of those
Who stand looking

Ooh, it makes me wonder

Ooh, it really makes me wonder

And it’s whispered that soon
If we all call the tune
Then the piper will lead us to reason

And a new day will dawn
For those who stand long
And the forests will
Echo with laughter

Oh, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, ooh, whoa, oh

If there’s a bustle in your hedgerow
Don’t be alarmed now
It’s just a spring clean
For the May queen

Yes, there are two paths you can go by
But in the long run
There’s still time to change
The road you’re on

And it makes me wonder

Aw, uh, oh

Your head is humming and it won’t go
In case you don’t know
The piper’s calling you to join him

Dear lady, can you hear the wind blow?
And did you know
Your stairway lies on the whispering wind?

And as we wind on down the road
Our shadows taller than our soul
There walks a lady we all know
Who shines white light and wants to show
How everything still turns to gold
And if you listen very hard
The truth will come to you at last
When all are one and one is all
To be a rock and not to roll

And she’s buying a stairway
To heaven…

it ain't nothin' to me!

I was listening to Johnny Winter before I was old enough to understand what he was singing about. Ok, maybe it wasn’t by choice, but my father installed some serious music values into me and my sister – we grew up believing that rhythm and blues and blues rock was the only possible acceptable music. Lord knows how my dad handled my Nirvana phase, and I won’t even go into Def Leppard or horror of all horrors, Bon Jovi. My sister at least was getting into The Cure and alternative, which was *almost* ok.

Still, funny how now blues rock plays such an important part in my musical tastes. I only rediscovered Johnny Winter a few months ago, although Led Zeppelin and such I had been slowly merging into my awful collection of Body Count, Blue, Def Leppard, Roxette, Dr. Dre and (dare I say it) Bon Jovi. I think there was even some David Hasselhof in there at some point.

Johnny Winter is just plain awesome, there’s nothing else I can say about him other than check out these truly epic JW classics and you might start to understand why this man is considered one of the world’s top guitarists. Unfriggingbelievably good, every single time.

Ain’t Nothin to Me

Cheap Tequila

Still Alive and Well

Thanks so much to my nyak for sending me the link to this, honestly think this is the best thing I’ve seen like forevers!

I’ve been a Nouvelle Vague fan for a good few years, ever since I pinched their first album from my sister. The fact that they cover all my favourite dark alternative classics is awesome enough, but they also have such a cool style of their own – the result is a French new wave that has a morbid edge with a marshmallow soft center.

I’m in a weird mood tonight, shifting through old favourites like Tom Waits’ Chocolate Jesus and Nick Cave’s Let Love In and lord help my soul, Jeff Buckley’s Hallelujah.

Nouvelle Vague is at least a *little* bit cheerful.

Oh!
I’m into you
And girl no
One else would do
Cause with every kiss and every hug
You make me fall in love
And now I, now I can’t be the only one
I bet these heart’s all over the world tonight
With the love of their life who feel
What I feel when I’m
With you

~ Chris Brown – With You

Rihanna bashing aside (and that was totally deplorable and awful), Chris Brown is such a talented kid. It’s sad – Axl Rose and so many others have also gone that route. With You is one of the sweetest songs, and I adore the video… so tragic that he could have so much to offer, and yet still make such a monumental stuff up with his life. Same thing with Michael Jackson. Guess you can be super talented and still have issues.

Whatever the case, I am killing this song dead again. Love it.

I got a million ways to get it
Choose one (choose one)
Hey, bring it back (bring it back)
Now double your money and make a stack

Hold up, freeze

~ Jay-z – On To The Next One

I got hold of Blueprint 3 today (yes, only now) and I’ve been playing it to death. Being a huge fan already, I’ve loved Jay-z long time. From the So Ghetto days and the Hard Knock Life early days, this dude just brings it every single time. Of all the songs on the album, this is my favourite. Call it an anthem for the single types on the road to success and self-actualization. Call it another song about cars, chicks and money. Call it what you want.

I’m calling it awesome, and I’m claiming it as a theme song for Marvelous March.