Flashback Friday - Bronski Beat

I had all but forgotten about this group until hearing one of their songs in the movie "Edge of Seventeen" which I had just recently watched. The song was Smalltown Boy.

I bought their album "Age of Consent" in late summer of '84. I listened to this album throughout the summer, but one song stuck out, it was Smalltown Boy. There was something hauntingly beautiful about this song that I didn't quite get until later in life. Listening to the lyrics I thought the song was about a teenage boy running away from home. Not fitting in at school and being picked on.




I remember the first time I saw the video, it was on Night Tracks (does anyone remember this?) It was a late Saturday night and I was probably the only one awake. I sat in front of the TV (like always) when it came on. I soon realized that it wasn't about a teenage runaway, but about a boy/young man struggling with his sexuality. Watching this I began to realized I was going through this in my life. I was struggling to find my own identity and figure out where I fit in. As I watched I saw how he was being treated by others and forced to leave home because he was gay. An overwhelming sense of sadness came over me as well as fear. I began to think that if I was gay, was this how I would be treated? I didn't want to be an outcast so I suppressed my feelings from myself and hid them from others around me. I remember thinking I'm 16 and it was only a faze, although I recall having these feelings since the age of 13. Hearing this song again reminded me of how awkward I was as a teenager. Struggling for years to find myself and never really feeling comfortable in my own skin. I struggled with my sexuality until my early 20's when I could finally be honest with myself.

Although this song reminds me of the tough time(s) I had earlier in life, I find the memories are more of a life lesson.  Of my personal struggles I had,  but learned from to become better person and the man that I am today.

Flashback Friday - Face to Face

Well if you haven't noticed by now a lot of my flashback posts have been groups/artists from the 80's. In the 80's I was a teenager and music was my escape from everything. I promise I'll do my best next week to pull a song from another decade.....


I was sitting at home this past Tuesday night going through the 300+ CD's, and vinyl I've accumulated over the years. Most of my collection came from my aunt Cynthia who used to take me record/CD shopping in Berkeley every summer here. We'd go to Tower Records (now closed), Amoeba Records, and a few indie stores which are now long gone. As I was going through my collection I remembered a group from the summer of '84. I searched for an album from a group called Face to Face. As I was  looking I remembered that album was one of the many albums I had sold when I was jobless in the early '90's. I kept the majority of my vinyl, but I regret ever selling any of it. Lesson learned. 


After realizing my mistake in my youth I retreated to You Tube to see if there were any of their videos posted. I was happy to have found that there were. "10-9-8" was their first single that I remember hearing and seeing on MTV as well as Night Tracks 





I would spend just about every Saturday nights from 9pm to 12m watching videos on Night Tracks. Another single that came out a few months later called "Under the Gun" which got played  a lot as well.





After watching these videos I search for their music on iTunes. I was excited to find it there. I downloaded it and began listening to it again. I remember how much I loved this album. There isn't one song on it that I didn't like. The songs that I posted are their most popular, but there are others on the album which I felt should have been singles instead of these. I know that Flashback Fridays are usually about one song, but this one is about one album. 


Hearing this album took me back to that summer when I first bought it. It made me miss my record shopping excursions with my Aunt Cynthia to Berkeley. The hours she'd spent walking from store to store with me until I found everything that I wanted to find. And then would pay for it all even though I had my own money. That was 26 years ago, but still seems like last year to me.


Thanks again Auntie.

Suggested Listening - The Radio Dept.

This is a band I found by mistake, and what a lucky mistake it was for me. I was bored (but when am I not) on my iPhone on iTunes (no this isn't a plug for apple) scrolling through genres to finally ending up on alternative. I was scrolling and listening to samples of random artists I finally came across The Radio Dept. 


The band was started in 1995 by schoolmates Elin Almered and Johan Duncanson, who named the group after a gas-station-turned-radio-repair-shop called "Radioavdelningen" (Swedish for The Radio Department). Shortly after forming the two stopped playing music together which put the band on hold. The group was reformed in 1998, when Duncanson starting making music with Martin Larsson. In 2001, Larsson's then girlfriend Lisa Carlberg joined the group on bass, followed by Per Blomgren on drums and Daniel Tjäder on keyboards (Carlberg and Blomgren left the band when they changed directions in music a few years later). 


I don't know what drew me to them, but I started listening. As I listened to songs on the "Pet Grief" album, I came across this song "It's Personal"





Although there isn't a video that I could find for this song, I don't think it needs one because the song can stand on its own. A beautiful instrumental that you should listen to with your eyes closed and let the song take you into a dream like state. Another favorite of mine on the album is "The Worst Taste in Music". 





Some of you may recognize their music since a few of their songs where used in the Sofia Coppola's movie "Marie Antoinette" (great sound track, not so great movie). Their (The Radio Dept.) music fit in perfectly. They have an 80's electro-syth sound that went well with the other music in the movie. This next song is off their album "Lesser Matters" called "Where Damage is Already Done". This is another great song on a equally great album.







This song as well as the album seem more up beat sounding compared to "Pet Grief". No matter the sound I enjoy their music. Listening to these albums makes me think they this would be a great soundtrack for a nice long road trip. It seems that The Radio Dept. is another group that's not well know here in the U.S. that should be. Their music albeit not mainstream seems like they would find a great fan base here but they very rarely tour the U.S. This is one of those groups that I will like for as long as they are around and together. 

Suggested Listening - Holden

Holden's not well know here in the U.S. They are a group from France, which maybe the reason. They were formed in 1997 with band members Armelle Pioline (Vocals), Dominique Dépret (aka Mocke, guitar), with help from Pierre-Jean Grapin (drums), Evan Evans (keyboard) and Richard Cousin (bass). The band came up with their name from the JD Salinger's novel character Holden Caulfield.

My friends Paula and I discovered their music on MySpace  around 2006. We would spend our lunch hour scouring for new music/artists (what MySpace was originally created for) which sometimes would turn into almost an all day thing (hopefully our old boss Linda isn't reading this). Paula came across their page and played a few of their songs. Even though I don't speak or understand French that well if at all, I enjoyed their sound. Their Album Chevrotine was just released and they had a few songs posted. The first song I remember listening to was "Ce que je suis" (translates to "I have the right")

The lyrics of the song translate to:

I have, I have the right,
I have the right too,
To fail, to faint,
Until I weight the price,
But what happens to me?
I laugh until I cry, I cry until I laugh.
But what happens to me?
I sleep beside my bed
Ohoo I so regret,
I am not what I am,
Walls have ears,
Walls talk to much to me
Ohoo I so hate,
I am not what I am,
The moon is stalking me
The moon is on my back

I have, I have the right,
I have the right too,
To lead, to dismiss men,
To the end of night.
Ohoo I so regret,
I am not what I am
Walls have ears,
Walls talk too much to me.
Ohoo I so hate,
I am not what I am,
The moon is stalking me,
The moon is on my back,
Ohoo I so regret,
I am not what I am,
Walls have ears...

Armelle's voice is beautiful, that if she sang it in English it would loose the emotion in the translation. Another on the album is "Sur le Pavé", though it's sort of a creepy video. I can honestly say I don't think I've ever watched the video the entire was through.

But my favorite song on this album has to be "Madrid".

This a song that you should add to your collection of music for driving. It one of those songs that makes you want to own a convertible and drive down the coast (if you live by an ocean). I haven't listened to this CD in awhile because I played it to often. I have a tendency to do that with music or an artist that I really enjoy.  

I read a few weeks back that they had released a new CD in March. I haven't found it since they are relatively unknown here. I was lucky enough to ask my old boss Linda (who is originally from France) if she wouldn't mind picking up Chervortine (their third CD) for me on her trip back home. I can't thank her enough for this. I just might try to enlist her help to get their new CD since she's back living in France (hopefully she's reading this part). It's always great to discover artists from other countries that you would never hear on U.S. radio. I hope that in the future they become better known in the U.S. It would be great them perform live.

Suggested Listening - Jacob Golden

I discovered Jacob Golden's music in 2007 on Myspace of all places. I can't remember exactly how I came about finding his page, but took a listen to a few of his songs he had posted. He had recently released "Revenge Songs". What I liked most about his music is he writes from the heart. His songs are intimate confessions about his life. He sings about his traumatic childhood being an only child who was orphaned at a young age, and how he chased his dream of a music career, only to have it end quickly. 


He lived with his German-born mother in Sacramento, CA until she fell ill with cancer and passed. Then was sent to live with his father he'd never known only for him to pass from complications of diabetes when Jacob was 16. In his shortly lived band named Birthday (which he formed in the late 90's), the group moved to London to record the one and only EP for the band "Welcome to Life" on the Rough Trade label. When the band broke up in 2001 he stayed in London and continued to chase his dream of musical stardom. While still there he released his first solo album "Hallelujah World" to less that rave reviews. Feeling defeated he returned to back to America to Portland to re-evaluate his career and begin a new life. It wasn't until a year later at a 10 day silent retreat in Yosemite did he realized what it was about music that he was looking for. His realization that being a rock star wasn't the most important thing about his career, it was being genuine. I feel the songs on his "Revenge Songs" CD reflect that (it was released in 2007).





"On a Saturday", is a great song. Other songs on the CD, "Out Come the Wolves, Shin A Light, and the albums title song "Revenge Songs".





(So this isn't a video of the song, but this was the best quality sounding version). I think this is the best song on the CD by far. You can feel his emotions as he sings. I think his sound is similar to Nick Drake. I love that he pours his heart and soul into every song which make this CD sound a bit dark and broody. I was lucky enough to get one of the limited edition handmade copies before the official release. Listening to it again reminds me of how much I like it when I first bought it. I hope that he releases some new material soon. His loyal followers (and me) are looking forward to it.

Flashback Friday - Fake

Before each Friday I'd try and find a song for my flashback entry. I listen to music constantly if not incessantly to and from work and home, all in hopes to find that song. As each Friday approaches I stress myself out because I haven't found one to write about. Well it seems that my Friday morning commutes no matter how good or bad it is I am inspired by one of the songs that I hear.  And this Friday it was this one....

Back in my youth a few years ago, (haha!) I clubbed every weekend at a place called the Twilight Zone (i still have my membership card as well). It was an small old movie theater that they turned into a dance club in Alameda. I ended up there Saturday nights with my cousin Jon and friends. I'd get all dress up in my black shirt, black pegged pants, my creepers (my old fav shoes), put on a few rosary beads and crosses (hey it was the 80's and that was cool at the time), and black rubber bracelets. My hair would be perfectly quaffed and held in place by the can of aquanet I would use (damn I think I have a few pics of those nights). I was a huge fan of new wave music back then, siouxsie and the banshees, joy division, front 242, gene loves jezebel, etc. The Twilight Zone played all of that and more.


Without fail they would play this song....





I don't know what it was about this song, but when it was played the dance floor would fill up. It did have a catchy synth beat which most if not all 80's songs did. I would join the masses on the dance floor and dance my rendition of taffy pulling (hopefully some of you will know what I'm talking about). You had all the goths, modes, punks, and preps on the dance floor dancing along to what ever their dance style was. It was sort of cool, it didn't matter who you where nobody hated you because you weren't like them.


I loved that club and the space that it was in. The stairs around both sides of the dance floor took up up to the old balcony. This is where the DJ booth was located as it sat and over looked the dance floor. We'd go upstairs every week and request every song that we wanted played that night. And the DJ (for the life of me I can't remember his name) would play each and every one of them. Between sets of songs he'd  throw in a music video up on the screen located on the stage. This video would sometimes get played, but not often. 


I had to look this song up on You Tube and was glad to have found it. Listening to it this morning reminded me of the fun I had back then. 

Suggested Listening - Nick Drake

My good friend Paula introduced me to Nick Drake back in 2005. I knew nothing of him or his music and I'm so grateful that she introduced me to him. He was signed to Island Records at the age of 20. He released his first album Five Leaves in 1969, but this wasn't the first album that I had heard. 



Paula had brought over his CD Bryter Layter  for me (this was my first introduction to his music). I can honestly say that there isn't a song on this that I don't like. Each song seems to flow without effort into the other. One song on the CD is Northern Sky....



This is a great song and I thought that I had heard this somewhere before, but couldn't remember. Another one is titled "Hazy Jane I" my favorite on this CD.



This album (Bryter Layter) and Pink Moon on there release didn't sell more than 5,000 copies. His lack of commercial success in his career is mostly because he rarely performed live or gave interviews. Nick did have loyal group of followers in the beginning and thanks to one of his bigger fans, Joe Boyd (manager) his music still lives on. He put in his original contract with Island Records that Nick Drake's music would never go out of print. I have to say Thank You Joe Boyd because without this I and others may have never discovered his music. 


Nick Drake's ability to write his emotions into his songs is what moves and amazes me. There was a documentary that was done on his life called "A Skin Too Few". This documentary included family movies and pictures as well as his sister Gabrielle Drake. She talked of his music and his bouts with depression and insomnia which he often wrote about in his music. He died at the age of 26 from an overdose of antidepressants which some say was a suicide, but others say was accidental. This documentary tells a sad story, but it tells it with so much artistry and to such emotional effect that the film is one of those rare works that resonates long after it's over. If you become or are a fan of his music I suggest you watch it.