2009 is one of the best music year I’ve ever heard! I really don’t remember a more intense year.
After the first disappointment for U2 latest record, No Line on the Horizon, I started loving it and now I am looking forward to July 18 when I will attend their concert in Berlin.
A couple of weeks ago I also had the luck to see Snow Patrol and sense again that special feeling that comes from listening to live music. By the way, their last work, A Hundred Million Suns, recorded in Berlin, is a masterpiece.
On the other side, I gave up on Tori Amos and I didn’t even listen to her last album, the name of which I’ve completely forgotten 😦 I feel sorry for her, but she simply can’t compete with her past works anymore. Please, Tori, do a favor to yourself and retire.
Apparently Muse are also recording their newest album and touring Europe this fall and surprisingly Skunk Anansie are back with a best of… Better than nothing: I’ve always wanted to see them live, especially after I touched Skin’s boobs a couple of years ago. Don’t ask
But the best has still to come… Placebo are releasing Battle for the Sun with the new line-up (i.e. new drummer). At first I was afraid, I was petrified, when I’ve been told Steve Hewitt was leaving the band. I always appreciated him, especially live. I thought it was the end of Placebo… and somehow I wasn’t wrong.
Last weekend I’ve been then given the chance, as a fan, to listen to the album before the official release (June 5th or 8th in different countries) and, wow, I couldn’t believe my hears. Wow, wow and double wow. To be very concise: great music, great lyrics and great performance. I think Brian Molko perfectly describes his band new masterpiece:
A couple of days ago I accidentally listened to this song by Madonna from her second best album, Ray of Light, her best being Confession on a Dance Floor.
The corresponding video is what, more than anything else, made my interest for Japan and Japanese culture flourish.
Speaking of which, I am probably going to the さくらまつり, the cherry blossom festival that will be celebrated next Sunday in Marzahn recreational park. I attended this kind of festival for the first time 3 years ago when I was visiting New York (more precisely Brooklyn botanical garden) and hopefully I will enjoy it in Berlin as well.
Another Japanese product I really love are anime, although I am currently watching only キャシャーン Sins and actually really close to the final episode. ilGrisa should read between the lines and understand that I need some suggestions for new anime (switching to ドラマ is not an option ).
Through iPod commercials I always discovered new music (Cansei de Ser Sexy and The Asteroids Galaxy Tour to mention a few), but this time it’s not the case: in fact, Franz Ferdinand are already on the list of my favorite bands. However I should admit that thanks to the iPod touch commercial I rediscovered No You Girls from their last album.
Speaking about music, I bought last week my ticket for the U2 gig in Berlin on July 18th… Yeah! Can’t wait to be there, once more time, at the Olympiastadion. I will be having a great time I know.
After all, U2 always loved Berlin, at least since their albums Achtung Baby and Zooropa. And they are not the only ones who love the city I live in. I love it too This is not a big news, I know. However, I must say, during my last visit in Stockholm I finally stopped to consider Berlin as a perfect city: Berlin has its limits and I could find more if I think about big metropolises like New York. Nevertheless, Berlin is a good trade-off: cosmopolitan, a lot of green, not overcrowded, big spaces, European, nice north-east location, almost anarchic, gay-friendly, enough selection of international food… This is why I would definitively vote for Berlin in the following survey by AskMen.com: Top 29 Cities for Men to Live In.
It’s not secret I love Iceland, without having been there yet. If Christian agrees we might fly there next year, for our honeymoon
Anyway, one of the best Icelandic products is music: Björk and Gus Gus to mention some. But my favorite Icelandic band is definitively Sigur Rós.
Hoppípolla is probably their most famous song and can be listened at the end of the trailer for Slumdog Millionaire. I’m not sure whether it’s part of the soundtrack as well since the movie has been released here in Germany just yesterday and I didn’t watch it yet.
Because of my friendship with Danny Boyle I might give this movie a try… No joking, I met him two years ago when he released Sunshine and said a stupid thing like
Everybody thinks that physicists cannot be handsome
I should let him know that
I’m a physicist. I have a working knowledge of the entire universe and everything it contains.
(thanks to The Big Bang Theory producers for letting people know this astronomical truth).
This is another song from No Line on the Horizon that I truly love. It’s great. It’s rock. And it feels new, fresh, finally catching the spirit of the new millennium (not really a U2 strength I would say).
And suddenly I found myself again. A big U2 fan, looking forward to the new tour, which will feature a 360° stage for more audience, for more participation… No other band can let you feel, that you too, you are part of it.
Other highlights of the week include:
Christian found a job and now he is working very hard for Bagel Company
We went to Hackescher Markt to watch Milk, which we both liked, although the beginning was quite tedious
At work I’m as busy as never before, but I enjoy it a lot
I finally watched the latest Heroes episodes: I didn’t dislike them, but still, the overall rating for this series is dropping lately
Dollhouse and Being Human are two series I started watching: the former is somehow intriguing, the latter, I don’t know, yet, I’m trying to finish watching the pilot first
Ryanair is planning to let passengers pay for the on board toilet… Told ya!
I’m completely surprised. When I first listened to Get on Your Boots, U2 newest single, a couple of weeks ago, I was disgusted; then I stared loving its sexy sound; now I guess I found U2 best song ever: Magnificent.
Only love, only love can leave such a mark
And only love, only love can leave such a scar
The whole new album, No Line on the Horizon, is still a question mark for me: it sounds great, but I’m probably not into Bono’s voice anymore and I’m scared that during the live performance could be even worse. After all, he’s not 25 anymore, and he’s not Mick Jagger
Moreover, my music taste evolved during last year: while many fans wish U2 to repeat a second Achtung Baby, I’m hoping they are going beyond Zooropa and Pop.
I was not surprised when I have been told that Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends by Coldplay won the 2009 Best Rock Album Grammy Award. I just love this record and I do believe it has been the best one in 2008.
But I’m not going to talk about music, I just want you to know that I’m going to be off for a while because I’m going to visit my family in Italy and support them after my grandma’s death.
I still can’t realize it and I guess I will be very emotional only when I will meet my mother tomorrow… I feel so sorry for her loss: hopefully she is going to be fine soon. Actually she sounds quite ok at the phone, which lets me hope for the best. Maybe it’s true that women can be more rational in these cases.
It is weird thinking that last time I visited my grandma was the last time. Did I properly say goodbye?
I’m recently really loving the last singles by Franz Ferdinand and The Killers, Ulysses and Spaceman respectively, after which I already named previous posts. The video of the second is also particularly interesting
The storm maker says it ain’t so bad
The dream maker’s gonna make you mad
The spaceman says, “Everybody look down
It’s all in your mind”
Surprisingly also the new U2 single, Get On Your Boots, is starting to sound more pleasantly. Actually the bass part is great but I’m not convinced yet by the vocal one… Mmm… I’m still not sure whether I’m going to invest some money in it.
I’m finally listening to some fresh good music. Unfortunately I’ve been missing the concert by Kaiser Chiefs in Berlin a couple of days ago, but I might attend Franz Ferdinand at the end of March. According to (Dutch-)Isabelle, my music pusher, they are releasing a new album this week and the first single, Ulysses, is really really catchy.
On the other hand U2 wrote such a bad song, Get Your Boots On, I won’t probably consider the idea of buying the new album in March. I’ll download it, tho.
Yesterday I also received my Dopplr Annual Report for 2008: it is a nice document about my travels during last year. Apparently I’ve been traveling only 37 over 365 days 😦 I’m sure I’m going to do better this year. We will see. I somehow don’t feel like going to Austria next week: I don’t like business trips…
I’m not busy with some advanced QCD theories and quark is, in my world, still a kind of cheese Only ilGrisa would probably understand what I’m talking about. Or maybe not, at the end, I don’t even remember what technicolor is. I guess anyway that Coldplay, while writing this song, referred to technicolor movies instead of theoretical physics…
The last days were so emotional that I could assign a definite saturate color to each of them. From red to yellow, from blue to violet.
Red
Is the color of blood, true blood. Like the new TV series I am following as suggested by both ilGrisa and my colleague Jeanny. Based on the The Southern Vampire Mysteries book series by Charlaine Harris, it details the co-existence of vampires and humans in Bon Temps, a fictional small Louisiana town. The series centers on Sookie, a telepathic waitress at a bar, who falls in love with vampire Bill.
Everybody knows I love vampires 😉 They are immortal, forever young and avoid the sun. Actually, I might be already one of them
They had forgotten the first lesson,
that we are to be powerful, beautiful, and without regret.
Anyway, the series is quite addictive, full of romance and mysteries and both cinematography and acting are really really well done! I wonder whether they speak with a typical Louisiana accent. They have definitively a strong one, especially the African-Americans.
Orange
Like the fruit. Or like the Netherlands of which I am truly missing Albert Heijn. No supermarket around my block offers the same shopping experience as AH. Kaiser’s is fine, Karsadt and KaDeWe are obviously over the top but too expensive, sometimes too small and not nearby enough for the daily shopping. But… but there is real,-. Usually too big for the city center, it is for instance in Spandau where I have been two weeks ago. real,- is for Germany what Esselunga is for Italy: a food paradise 😛 Don’t go there if you’re on a budget…
Gold
Is one of the main Xmas colors. This year I’m in a strong Xmas mood… One of the benefit of my relationship with Christian is that I cannot be lazy during the weekend. Since two weeks, in particular, we are spending a lot of time by strolling around different Xmas markets which are the main Berlin winter attraction. This is my fifth advent here but I don’t remember so nice markets! I almost don’t regret not visiting Scandinavia this time. Almost, because in fact I miss Stockholm a lot.
Anyway, our Xmas markets tour started one week ago when we first visited the Weihnachstmarkt am Roten Rathaus. This market used to be quite depressing, but this time has been improved a lot: I bought some Finnish honey there and I liked the skating rink.
Later we went to the probably biggest Xmas market in Berlin which is not in Berlin, but in Spandau The old town around it is a wonderful set.
On the next day we went to the one at Alexanderplatz which looks more like an amusement park. I had my ride on a roller-coaster-like attraction and I felt simply great!
Last Wednesday we went to the Hanukkah market at the Jewish museum: it is rather small and surprisingly indoors but very very interesting especially the stand with kosher chocolate and dates spread 😛 I love dates!
On Sunday we went to the Xmas market at the Schloß Charlottenburg. Amazing! The product were rather standard and quite pricey but the location was simply perfect and mesmerizing. A must see for all the Xmas markets fans 🙂 I’ve been taking a couple of pictures there, but I don’t think they truly represent the feeling of being there.
Green
Is the color the trees don’t have anymore. Winter is definitively coming. Today the weather is perfect: very cold, thin air, very clean and sunny. I simply love it.
Last Saturday was very nice too and in the evening, together with Andreas, a good friend of Christian’s who was visiting during the weekend, we went to the cinema to watch Mirrors. The plot sucks but it succeeds in creating a very thrilling atmosphere. A nice movie, after all.
Blue
Because I have been blue many times last week. Different events triggered my sadness or melancholy… I’m just happy I am sorting everything out.
Indigo
Like the sky in St Petersburg when I was there. Btw, I finally got my photo-blog-book: it is simply fantastic! I should have chosen a smaller font size for the text but it is overall a good product. The quality of the pictures is very good, the paper is amazing and very professionally bound. I can really suggest Blurb, especially if you are a flickr user.
ħaikus 