Fasting Music.

Now and then I restrain myself from listening to music; I feel that constant droning of beats, melodies and sounds can be very exhausting. The notes lose their quality and the words are emulsified into meaningless. During my long month of silence, I prepared a playlist of songs that I wanted to listen to the moment my so called “lent” was over. The long wait was worth it! The notes were crisp, sensuous and genuinely satisfying to hear. I could just imagine my minuscule eardrum reverberating away, taking on each steady beat with a new found determination.

I highly recommend fasting music. The silence allows you to discover a new appreciation for the artist and an understanding about the complexity of the layering sounds.

Here are some songs from the playlist:

Sinnerman- Nina Simone

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=upVUIuAQqRw

The fast paced cymbals and snares complement well the steady piano and Nina’s deep soul evoking voice. The juxtaposition of the quick perpetual pace and lyrics convey a sense of desperation; the desperation animates the song, as if the words themselves were running on their own two feet to hide from the devil.

“Oh, sinner man, where you gonna run to?
Oh, sinner man, where you gonna run to?

I run to the sea, it was boilin'
I run to the sea, it was boilin'
All on that day
So I run to the Lord, please hide me Lord
Don't you see me prayin'?
Don't you see me down here prayin'?
But the Lord said, go to the devil
The Lord said, go to the devil
He said, go to the devil
all on that day”

Album: Islands- King Crimson

The album Islands for me is quite a distinctive one. Throughout the album, the message is surprisingly clear, the songs fairly short (in King Crimson terms) and the theme neurotically sentimental.

 My favorite songs from the album:

Ladies of the road- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WQKp5FVslG0

Song of the gulls- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CInA4awBBXw&feature=related

Ah I nearly forgot! A King Crimson album is never complete without it’s idiosyncratic lyrics! Here is my favorite:

“Lamplights glows on old guitars the travellers strum;

Insence children dance to an Indian drum.
Here Odysseus charmed for dark Circe fell,
Still her perfume lingers still her spell.”

So..what have you been listening to?