Foreign Music

Hello, internets! Rando here. Been a bit busy, gang.

So in our beloved Show 17, we talk about international music (for us, music not from the US or England). So I thought I’d post some links for you to review some of the music I enjoy listening to. If you like the music, please support the artists by buying a copy for yourself.

As a disclaimer: All works are those of the original artists and copyright holders. I make no claim to these works nor am I the original poster.

So what do we start with first, eh? How about the Mexican band Chingon:

Pretty kick-ass, no? It’s from a release called Mexican Spaghetti Western. You can get a copy here. (We’re not affiliated.)

Where else on our tour? How about Germany with the band Trio:

Odd little song with a catchy beat. It’s called Da Da Da if you couldn’t tell. Well how about that? CD Universe has the exact disc I got. Get yerself a copy. (Again, we’re not affiliated.)

So a short hop from Germany to Finland. “Finland, Finland, Finland. The country where I quite want to be.” goes the Monty Python lyric, but Loituma goes like this:

I heard about this song when I stumbled on this ‘net meme featuring Orihime Inoue from Bleach:

It’s called Levan Polka from a release called Things of Beauty. And looking around, Yikes! It’s out of print. But you can get better marketplace prices here or here. (Guess what? We’re still not affiliated.)

And now for some Japanese music. A lot of this is from Anime which is how I get most of my exposure to Japanese pop culture so take my knowledge with a grain of salt. But they do create some really great music.

I’ve tried to get links to the original music videos from YouTube, but, as is often the case, there’s a lot of iffy content out there so sometimes this stuff gets taken down when the copyright holder or original artist (rare) protests. So hopefully these links are OK.

First off, there’s the Seatbelts. A jazz band responsible for the iconic music for Cowboy Bebop. Here’s the opening credit sequence:

Wow! Those horns! The song is called Tank! and the full version is even more amazing! And there are FOUR soundtracks for your listening pleasure: Three official ones from the TV show and one from the movie. Unfortunately, the TV show is out of print right now.

You can enjoy all of it here, and here. (And we’re still not affiliated.)

Next is a haunting melody from the second Ghost in the shell movie: Innocence. It’s called Follow Me:

It’s a reprise of another work according to Wikipedia, but I’m calling it Japanese since I heard it on Innocence. That’s my story, I’m sticking to it! And, Gah! it’s out of print too. But you can get imports here. (No affiliation.)

Next I’m featuring a lovely singer with a lovely voice, Nakashima Mika. This song is called Love Addict:

The above is a short version (original is some seven minutes long) but it’s very good. She’s not just Jazz, either. Her album Love will showcase here talents nicely. And you can get an import here. (You know the drill.)

So off we go to Ayano Tsuji. She’s a petite singer and musician who is unapologetic in her devotion to Japanese culture. She plays ukulele because here hands are so small that a guitar is pretty difficult for her. I first heard her song Kaze ni Naru on the closing credits of The Cat Returns .

Note the lilting sound of the ukulele and the simple accompaniment. There’s another version with much more production and it just ruins the song. This one’s way better. This song is available here as a single and it’s pricey, but her music is very good. There’s also a short program about her music from NPR.

And here we go to Rei Fu. Her voice is amazing! Here she is singing Life is Like a Boat which is the first ending theme to Bleach and is how I got exposed to it.

What a voice, eh? You can get a copy here. It’s worth it!

Did you think you’d get away without hearing some Japanese Rock ‘n Roll (or J-Rock)? Here are two bands I like a lot.

First, there is The Pillows. They generate great beats and rhythms along with a signature buzzy guitar sound. Check out Ride on Shooting Star which was used in the ending credits for FLCL, an anime from Gainax.

This was the official music video. They’ve had a couple of US releases along with their soundtrack work. Available here.

And, finally, a band called Theatre Brook. I got turned onto their sound from the first opening to Durarara! called Uragiri no Yuuyake. Check it out:

What a great driving beat. And the singer can really belt it out! Available here.

So please check these artists out and buy the music you like to support them. The Mid-Life Crisis Taskforce isn’t affiliated with any of the sellers or services linked here.

Rando out!

Show 17 – International music and Future Classics, or the lack thereof.

We’re back!  Apologies for the lateness of this update.  There were technical difficulties during the recording which set back the editing process.  We should be back on track after this week.  Course, I’ve said that before…

EDIT:

Rando here. See some follow-up to my selections here.

Tuesday but it feels like Monday

Hello all! It has been a long time since I have posted. I am going to try and do a better job at this. Seems like life catches up and I don’t take the time to lay down by thoughts.

I hope everyone had a safe and enjoyable Memorial Day weekend. It is still not too late to thank a Veteran for his or her service. Make time to do that. You might not agree with the politics of our wars, but you have to admire the courage and the character of our servicemen and women who are out there trying to do the best they can.

So, what do I have to report today? Well there are a lot of topics, but I am having a hard time focusing on just one. We will be doing a podcast very soon on conspiracy theories. I am looking forward to that. Might have to make it a two part podcast if the discussion gets going! I hope that everyone is enjoying our shows. We would love some feedback. I know I am setting myself up to be trolled, but we are new at this and we would love to know what people think about what we are saying. I mean we are not doing any life changing topics, but I like to think we can bring some entertainment to the web.

Some random thoughts. Went to see a little French film called “Renoir”. Of course it is about the painter. It was entertaining, although Mrs. Lefty did not enjoy a whole movie with sub-titles. I am indifferent to them myself. I have a hard time really critiquing foreign films. It is hard for me to see the subtleties of the actors or the actual skill of the acting. I am so used to American films and obviously not speaking French also deters from that. I am trying to expand my horizons. Hopefully one day I will be able to speak on the subject with more knowledge.

I have become increasingly frustrated with the world in which we all share. Maybe it is me and getting older, but it seems to me that everything out there is so plastic or fake. Anything from the news we ingest, to the latest hit TV show or pop icon, there seems to be this coating of “style over substance”. A shellac that doesn’t make things prettier, it just makes them harder to get to the real story underneath. Maybe it has always been this way or maybe I am just getting to the point where I am just noticing it. We cannot trust our mainstream news to give us anything other than an agenda wrapped package that when unwrapped only leads to disappointment. I just want the facts. Maybe that is too Sgt. Friday for most people, but I am funny in the fact that I do not want to be told how to feel about something. I want the information in a clear and concise form and let me make my own judgement. This isn’t happening in today’s world. CNN, Fox, CBS, NBC all have their own agenda. They all answer to some power whether it is a sponsor, a political party, or some profit driven owner who doesn’t care if the news is accurate as long as it is first with the coverage. I think that is why I have abandoned the mainstream news and have started reading internet sources. Yes, there is bias there, but if you do enough hunting, there is solid facts as well.

Another issue that has been on my mind a lot is the “Screw you, I’ve got mine” type of attitude that has become ingrained into our culture. People today can’t see past their own noses. Our world and society is falling apart. Does that sound dramatic? Maybe, but with what I am seeing from people out there, maybe it isn’t as dramatic as it sounds. No one worries about the greater good anymore. I admit, I too had that attitude for a long time and even now, I find myself fighting off old feelings about “me” first. I am trying to change this attitude and I am making progress. It is all about changing your perspective and trying to see what the other person is going through, not just your own personal struggles. My generation and the generation before mine have left the world to shit. We have created a debt that our children’s children’s children will be paying off. We are leaving this country with no sound infrastructure. We are a consumer based society that left the bill for someone else. Our environment is being torn apart and polluted for the sake of a buck. Corporations have replaced people. They run the world. Money is the all important God to which we all pray. ( I know what you are thinking, I can’t pay my mortgage with rainbows and unicorns, but I am just saying take some time to see what is around you and what you are leaving behind). Just take a second to think about what is going on out there. We live in a world where our kids can’t afford to go to college without amassing this tremendous debt that for a lot of people, just isn’t worth the degree they will be receiving. We live in a world where so-called religious folks go out of their way to tell you how much you don’t belong if you don’t follow their particular doctrine. Science and knowledge is being replaced with fear and apathy. It is very disheartening to see this happen. It is going to be up to the next generation to fix this, because sadly our generation and the one before has failed them.

Well I guess that is enough of a rant for today. I will be back with more soon!

Take care

Lefty.

Show 16 – Ray Harryhausen tribute, why Netflix sucks, and a dramatic reading of “I Fink U Freaky”

We’re back!  Sorry for not posting much lately, but we’ve had a hard time getting our schedules straight lately.  But, we’re back with another thrilling episode that we all hope you enjoy!