Dancing with the Dead

When someone ridiculously famous dies, the media gives us little flashbacks of their lives as the former years is where the departed spent all their time. Now that their work is done.
Having it all, MJ became the most indispensable singer to ever set foot on this earth. He didn’t just score a few great tunes and slept away. Rather, he rode on top of it, like a surfer coming in on the perfect wave, consistently. That said, with the best will in the world, his songs weren’t just brilliant. His videos were pieces of art to relive. They helped made many high school parties and events such a wild ride. He was like the mechanical hare at the greyhound track, if a mechanical hare could swing: he’d take off.

Apart from the horrible things our dear ‘Thriller’ hero might have done, he lived fearlessly, took bold, principled stands to bridge racial communities and spread awareness of poverty and many such things.
And if not this, he did teach the world something about music and dance and sometimes, I think, it takes the dead, of all people, to teach us about passion.

The star dies away, and the last King of Pop lays down his burden: one for us and one for that long, long road.

This track below is easily one of my favorite numbers ever laid down by Michael Jackson and I was pretty sad when I heard it on the radio today. It’s not every day that a musician can take a song and make it absolutely magnetic. This is my way of honoring the King of Pop. It’s ‘Man in the Mirror’ for all you MJ fans. Enjoy the track and have a good weekend.

Dear God ......

I know I have been spiteful at times, a little wicked and a bit of an egotistical malfeasant. But, if you get me get a good job somewhere soon, I’ll promise to go an entire day without taking your name in vain, even if I see someone strikingly hot.

If you help me get that bonus this month end, I'll up it to a week.

Dear God, I am so, so very glad that I live in this decade.

I'm also glad I don't have to get married anytime soon, but that's really another topic altogether.

Sincerely yours,

Eve

In an attempt to live it up over the weekend, I decided to meet up with the girls and check out this new café on M.G Road called Pascucci. (For those of you who aren't familiar with it, Pascucci is a cafe that sells delicious servings of Pasta, Risottos and Yogurt creations and has interiors full of mirrors.) I brought my camera. The coffee was great, and so were these –

After the coffee, we walked down Brigades to do a little shopping. I bought a cute bracelet. And I’ve been in love with it since. Falling in love with junk ornaments is crazy, but JO collectors do it all the time. It might be difficult to explain to someone who doesn’t have feelings for curios such as these, but I know you know what I felt. Cravings! Urge to spend a lot of money even though I knew I shouldn’t! Runa, Ruan and I also visited a store to find that perfect pair of jeans.

Guess which three girls were lucky that day?!

I feel a bit ashamed that I haven’t blogged about Frou Frou yet, I’ve really slept on this track. It’s exactly the kind of in-your-face, extremely catchy indie rock music (often made by artists from London) that I absolutely love. If there’s a song I'd suggest listening to, to get a feel for this band, (consisting of Imogen Heap and Guy Sigsworth) it's not this one. The one I'm playing today is their version of the track “Holding out for hero” – A track originally covered by Bonnie Tyler – is a brisk, lively, ambient-tinged tune with densely layered instrumentation, including some pop percussion thrusting this single forward. The spirited melodies and vocals are an absolute delight which make it a catchy and absolutely insanely infectious song. The track is crazy danceable, features some great new wave synths, but remains completely grounded in indie pop. Alright, now listen to the track below and judge it yourself.

Wolverine!

I finally got the chance to see my most anticipated movie of the year a couple of days ago: Wolverine. And I had to see this movie on the big screen since I love all of Hugh Jackman’s films.

The movie was brilliant. It did have some flaws, some of the cast members was a bit underused (cough, Ryan Reynolds)
and they could have given a couple of characters more than a couple of lines, but as far as movies based on cult comic books go, this is up there with Watchmen and Iron Man.

Guess a few of those bad things about the movie never really stood a chance against Hugh Jackman’s muscles and claws in the battle for the American imagination and box-office dollars. The most brilliant part for the movie was of course, the last few minutes when Wolverine and other mutants’ powers are given to another superhero, Wade Wilson (Ryan Reynolds) — who’s been made to look like Frankenstein’s monster with his lips sewed shut. The downside to that brilliant part was when the two modified men fight for the last time, the awful power of technology is less evident in Wade’s threatening new abilities than in the mutilation of his formerly expressive mouth. The comic character might be fictional and hard to believe out of the movie hall, but the issue isn’t. Questions about possible treatment with new discovered and dangerous technology rule over any opinions such as issues like the testing of fetuses to cease future hereditary flaws when such testing could result in problems that human kind cannot have imagined to be true but just stuff for viewing entertainment.

Harry Gregson-Williams released a compilation of tracks for the movie ‘X-Men Origins: Wolverine’; something that you might enjoy if you’re into movie soundtracks. I’ve listened to most of the songs the track ‘Logan Through Time’ sticks out as a good one, and I’m sure many of you will be interested in it, which is pretty well done. The track is uploaded below, check it out for yourself.

Darn Crush!

Okay, let's talk about something we all do, whether we want to acknowledge it or not. We've all been infatuated with complete strangers. Sometimes it can be someone whose face you see quite often on your facebook page or on TV, sometimes it's someone you just see around the place. Usually these crushes are meaningless and risk-free. At times they trigger trouble, particularly if you choose to take it all to your head. But this post is about the trouble-free one. I prefer most things that way.

It could be the guy who passes you by every morning or the guy who smiles at you without saying a single word. Not really an absolute alien, 'cause you’re there and he’s there quite often, but the only dialogue you ever have are along the dazzling lines of:

"Hey you."
"Good morning."
"The weekend was good."

Yet you find yourself miles away with him, imagining what he’ll be like on a proper date or what he’ll sound like over the phone.

It could be that musician whose voice you love. You find yourself looking at his picture on your desktop more often than you work or play his music - but you always rush out to get a hold of his new album anyway.

Maybe it's the radio producer who's surely the only reason you hear that radio show. Or someone who works at the same building you do but you've never figured out exactly where. Or possibly just someone you walk past on the street.

In all probability if you ever actually got to know the person you'd be frustrated. But then again, who knows? The earth is bursting with random goodness.

I can't really write this without disclosing a random infatuation of my own. I choose Danny Pino, who's been the most TV-visible for me in the past few weeks. He seems like a sweetheart.
I'd tell you a seen-in-real-life one but "that guy I see passing me by sometimes" doesn't tell you much, does it?

On my way to work, listening to Meghana Dawan’s show on Radio Indigo is the norm; I'm hearing a lot more popular music. I'm mostly blasé, but who cares?

Today, we've got Amanda Marshall. If you don't know who she is, well you're about to find out.
Marshall’s on this song called ‘Dark Horse’. It was recorded during 1996 if anyone cares. This artist and the song - I'm quite fond of. I like to hear a good song, with a great tune and even better lyrics, in a way that makes me think about it or that illuminates something about it. Her music falls under pop-rock with emphasis on pop melodies and ballads. This Canadian artist was born in a biracial family – daughter to a Caucasian father and a Black mother. In many of her songs, she has implicitly, referred to her racial identity "as a woman who looks white but is also half-black". She does this breathy vocal thing with the deep voice thing which was quite popular with early 90’s music. Well not really but you get the idea.

‘Dark Horse’ by Amanda Marshall initially did not impress me, but has now grown on me.
If you do listen to this track, please leave a comment telling me whether you liked it or not. Even if it's monosyllabic. Enjoy!

All I’ve been able to think about the past few days is:

a) That I’m going to finally ask my crush out for dinner or coffee, and

b) That our love will be brief, because soon my mind will rot away and I will perhaps lay in a pool of my own busted brain vessels.

Even dead of mind, though, I will still be ahead of the game, because I'm hoping that soon I will no longer have to spend hours a day tagging ads and listen to people say things like this:

"Yeah, as I told you, the problem is that, seriously, I mean, here, we are a very serious process. We don't do a lot of--the usual stuff the rest of the floor does. We're working on the next phase, so there's plenty of growth when the display world takes over and you’re going to be part of it. So, to be frank, I don't really — you shouldn’t be spending all that time taking breaks—instead learn from your other colleagues’ smarter working habits"

How the hell did I stick with this company for two years without LOSING MY MIND?

I've been convinced to check out Jerry Bruckheimer’s new show, called 'Cold Case', by a friend who had positive things to say about it. Based on the first few episodes, I think I fall somewhere between the two camps- on the one hand, there are plenty of background hints that it could develop into something interesting. On the other hand, everything about it has a familiar smell - it's very much generic TV. I could pick apart other aspects of the show or compare it unfavorably, but I don't want to be negative. There are good things about it, the casting of Kathryn Morris for one, and it took me a while to warm up to LIFE. I'll just have to wait and see.
I first heard of the band ‘Parachute XVI’ a couple of months ago when I met the drummer at a party thrown by a radio station. Sunday, had me traveling to Alliance Francaise for their show. They played a solid set, but I guess you could say that they needed a bigger stage and larger audience. Part of that can be blamed on the festival planners {seriously, some of the acts were really ridiculous that it was hard to understand what was going on}. I’ll try to score a copy of their tracks sometime soon and give it a spin. The tracks I heard them play were brilliant enough that I immediately started listening to the music on their MySpace page as soon I got home after their show. It gives me high hopes that they’ve got melodic and harmony filled tracks with that awesome bassist to make their songs sound like a cohesive thread.

Love the title, love the opening couple of lines of this song, and love the beat that’s draped across the entire song. Yeah it’s a bit retro, but what isn’t these days? This track is smooth, relaxed, and makes for some easy listening. This is pop music as it was meant to be made. Forget what you hear on the charts, on the crappy local radio station you love, or even from your neighbors. This is what pop music should aspire to be. A catchy tune and a sound you’ll be humming for days. 'Silver Lining' by Rilo Kiley. Enjoy at your leisure.

A Few of My Favourite Things

Okay, listen up.

Tomorrow, Sunday the 14th, Parachute XVI is having their gig at Alliance Francaise de Bangalore. I've heard great reviews about them. Trippy laid-back bluesy - kinda, kinda progressive/psychedelic, kinda their own thing.

Most of the members of band are already gigging musicians (members of the Galeej Gurus and Kryptos) but this is a whole new deal. They're playing with other band sheld at Alliance Francaise de Bangalore. They will be celebrating World Music Day (Fete de la Musique).
This is the ideal opportunity to get in on the ground floor for a cool new band. Things kick of kinda early - 5ish (pm) – the band goes on at 6 - so I'll see you there!

What I’m really grateful for –
Do you know how I feel about Foosball, internet? Sometimes even I’m not sure how I feel about Foosball, but I know those feelings are always strong, and plenty, and that no one else ever wants to talk about Foosball as much as I do.
This amazing picture is of the table at our office and boy, do I love it! Oh Foosball, what you do to us.
I think it goes without saying that this baby is getting a professional matting and framing job and a prime spot on my bedroom wall.

I am so in love with the game lately. Yesterday, it was all sunny and crisp, and I was walking around the office, just smiling. Sometimes I want to high five Bangalore, and other times I want to roll my eyes and ignore it, but Friday, I wanted to kiss. I spent every spare minute of the day at the foosball table. I’m sure the day of the week has something to do with my good mood. Friday is my favorite day of the week. The few times in my life that I’ve fallen in love, it’s been on a Friday. Right now I’m enjoying the fact that my happiness doesn’t depend on another person. I’m thankful that I’m the one responsible for my own happiness in life. I’m thankful that my life is full of so many fabulous people. I’m thankful that right now I have loads of goodies on my table and I’m about to take a warm bath and ohhhh man that’s going to rule.

Zeroing in on someone who will play the “random stranger and tell me their life story off the top of your head” game with you: Rich

Meeting someone who is great at playing the “random stranger and telling me your life story off the top of their head” game: Prize

Stumbling upon someone who does all of this and is also a really good kisser: Platinum.

I spoke to an ex-boyfriend, who is moving to another city next week.

It’s a nice feeling to realize you didn’t waste six years of your life.
There nothing like a good peppy song that can boost you back to normalcy when you’ve had a rough week at work.

Erin Mcarley, is a singer out of Garland, Texas and to be honest she’s pretty much the same as countless other alternative music radio friendly American artists hitting the airwaves right now. I would like to point out that she’s pretty much the same, but not exactly the same as everyone expects to hear when they tune into a Ryan Seacrest countdown. And I can’t put my finger on what exactly sets her sound apart from the pack, be it ever so slightly. Maybe it’s only my cheery subconscious screwing with me on this today, making everything slightly brightly colored. Maybe I just needed to hear a song that’s a bit up-tempo or maybe it’s just that everything sounds spot on her latest album. It’s fast-paced enough to keep you awake and yet reflexive enough to keep you calm enough to have energy left into the wee hours of the morning. Happy Weekend y’all.

I love it when you go out and even though it isn’t your typical kinda outing you rise to the occasion and try to have fun with it. I've come away from situations like that and find it a bit strange and - bluntly - silly when i hear people say things like, "I wish they had sung different stuff!" or "He acted quite foolishly" or "There are too many people here," or "I couldn't really see anything because the guys in front me were standing and jumping around" - because as everyone knows having fun is all about sitting on your arse.
It makes me ask this question – ‘why is it that this person always picks on the off-putting and keeps out of the positive?" and related; an incident about a really awesome social gathering where I had been at with a couple of friends, and one of my friend’s friend spent the entire evening whining and moaning about how this person she really wanted to see didn’t turn up.

Aside from the fact that she was being really rude to the people all around her and that this one person she wanted to see so badly was what was going to decide whether the night was good or bad. That whiny girl was keeping herself away from having a good time by looking at what was wrong, rather than simply having fun with what was right.

And I see it happening a million times around me. I'll be the first to admit that I’m guilty of it at times and I think I completely get it when they say "If you have nothing good to say, don't say anything." It doesn't just mean "Be courteous or zip it," it also means "If you alter your perspective, you'll have fun." And it doesn’t mean that we should completely zone out on the bad stuff either.
It's all about overlooking the point. If all you've got to say about a show is "the concert sucked," you're missing the point of going to see it. If all you've got to say about an event is "but the one person I was hoping would be there wasn't there," you fail to see the point of going to an event.
So it's not really all bad that I’m never at my cube because I’ve to constantly shadow my colleagues to catch up with the new process and will therefore be so much more busy from here on in. Hell, I had to give up reading all the usual blogs I read and the frequent Facebook visits because now I have more time to... er well to work. There's a bright side in there somewhere...
Since this is a music blog, I don’t talk about movies unless there’s music to be heard in them. The film 'Magnolia', has a pretty sweet soundtrack it also contains one of the best concept songs I have ever heard. The song called ‘One’ by Aimee Mann is what I’ve decided to play on today’s post. If you get the chance you should take a break from your hectic life and see the performances in the movie “Magnolia”. The kind of film that expects you to leave logic at the door. Do not expect subdued taste and restraint, but instead a kind of operatic ecstasy. The movie is extremely daring, very enjoyable, remarkably well-written, and wildly actor-driven. This song is for Tatz, who’s leaving the company to educate himself further – ‘Miss you!’If you like the music here, and want to share it, please direct your readers, friends, lovers, etc., to this blog post. Thanks and enjoy.

Today, I got the best gift ever and I had to share the photos with you of it. This amazing gift was given to me by my Colleague and Friend and fellow Foosball player, Tatz.
The reason I want to share it is not to make you envious (even though that might happen anyway) but to show you how generous he is! Thoughtful, generous and a person to look up to and take after!
This is what got me smiling big and getting curious looks from people around me:

Isn’t’ that cool? I absolutely love this gift because 1) It’s been themed around the first album of Paramore titled ‘Riot’ and 2) I fell in love with the personal touch he gave to it. I’m so happy I was the one to get it! Yummy! I feel blessed. I am lucky and very happy! And it’s all even done in my favorite colors: red and black! Look how well made it is. What a girl wants… I will send everyone I know to order designed shoes from this guy. Thank you Tatz, YOU rock! XOXO

OK, I'm sold. Bring it on,

[edit - details but no spoilers.] Damian Lewis fans all over the globe have been claiming that the show ‘LIFE’ was going to be where the actor made the transition from uninteresting puff into great and compelling tv.

It's too early to tell yet, but the first two seasons are easily & by far the best seasons I’ve seen to date. This show is different. It was 100% based around the central concept of the show which is of a cop framed for the murder of his friend and his family. As a result he’s been shoved in prison for 12 years. By the end of his 8th year he is found innocent and offered a huge settlement, in double-digit millions, and is also been placed as a detective at the prestigious LAPD. Each episode brings up lingering background subplots (the people who framed him) to the boil. And increases the darkness quotient of the show tenfold - we're reminded that, despite his reputation as the king of wisecracks, Lewis has a strong affinity for some great action scenes.

Best of all, his character really shakes things up and makes the central mystery more compelling. There's still a chance - maybe a strong one - that the show will immediately slip back into generic tv fodder. But the fact is that if two seasons didn't impress me I was going to give up on ‘LIFE’ altogether. I'm keen to watch the next season, no doubt at all.

I realize that I’ve become programmed to love everything that Andrew Chaikin a.k.a Kid Beyond puts out but this song takes the guy’s talents and general awesomeness to another dimension. It’s amazing how easily he blows you away with his bluesy vocals, beat boxing and live looping with “I Shall Be Free” (a big favorite for me). The track absolutely rocks in the most revolutionary of ways, it is a complete rush. Conclusion: I love this track in every way, although it isn’t the genre of music I’m used to listening to. Listen to it right away if you haven’t already. The track was featured on the show ‘LIFE’. Also, I hope that you die in a decent pair of shoes (you got a lot of long walking to do).

Why do people HAVE to get married???

One of my best friends in school got engaged yesterday and when a friend gets engaged, there's only one proper reaction: TERROR. Engagement is often the doorway to matrimony; the foremost reason of monogamy. And as someone who really despises marriage I would choose to prevent it or stay far away from it.
The fact that my twin and I are eligible young women in the ripe age of 25 means that at family gatherings we get a lot of advice from people we would try and avoid on the street if we saw them. They begin by asking about my job and then eventually bring up available men. Family friends’ sons, their son, sons of their friends, or ‘this-person-they-know’.
They ask us for our tastes in men: Appearance? Behavior? Aged or (yeah, I don’t get a choice in the other department). I say, “Money”, but they know me well enough to know I’m teasing. A joke to bury my response, for to disclose myself in this way is to reveal a weakness. So they tiptoe around the matter and ask me if I like anyone, imagining that if I tell them about a person I’m attracted to, they’ll be able to make out what person I’m searching for. It’s knotty, I think to myself, and reply with a sharp “No”. They ask me if anyone likes me. “No”. That’s even more knotted up.
Last week, my groom finder (yes, I have one. All thanks to my lovely folks) asked me how old I was. “25″, I told him, “Still, only 25”. “Well”, he says, “we’ll find someone for you now and by the time you’re 27 you’ll be all settled down. It’s time for you to get married. So don’t put this off”. He says a couple of Naga boys; he knows of, are looking to settle down with someone here. My older sister walks in and announces, “There won’t be another Naga in this family. One is enough.” Phew! Thank god for her big mouth. That ended the conversation for now.

My parents and their friends who regularly visit our home tell me that they want to make sure I don’t get involved with the wrong type of men. Someone who will take our money once we’re married, or force me to stay with him once he traps me with children. I want to tell them, that I hate the thought of having kids of my own, but I shut up because that could stir another riot. They go on to tell me that I need my parents full approval if I want to get married to someone and if I have someone in mind I should bring him to meet them, to make sure they’re okay with it.

I wonder; is love this easy for other people? Something others can control, when I can’t control it myself?

I get very nervous and fearful when I’m at the office nowadays. This is because I don’t like to admit to myself that something’s wounding me, but when I’m there, it’s a very real reminder that I have problems with my work.

I’m at odds on more than a few concerns but let’s not get into it. Moving on to the MUZICK!!!

Hailing from the streets of Georgia ‘The Dead Confederate’ has been making gorgeous rock/ psychedelic music for the last 3 years. Props go to my beautiful ears for singling out this band and today I’ll be playing you guys a track called ‘Rat’, that got them sup-ah famous this summer. With the huge exposure this track acquired, I’m sure they won’t have a problem earning fans. Their sound is brooding and melancholic, not in an overly bleak way but more so thoughtful and reflective. It’s definitely not music you’ll want to blast out in the car, but for those quiet moments in-between (best experienced on headphones). So, yea, I’m really digging it. You can count me as one of those who have utterly fallen for this band.

Food and Music

Yesterday, I went to F&B (Friends and Bacchus) on St. Mark’s Road with the music maestro, Tony, Runa and Ruan. I’m so glad my friends know where to eat and I get to partake in all the amazing food places they take me to. I’m wondering how much weight I’ve gained so far.

There were prawns, lamb, chicken, fish, pasta, steak poivre, bread pudding, caramel pudding, rum soaked chocolate cake, and chocolate mousse. So much delicious food that I could eat, now that I’m over the food-poisoning. I’m an awfully selective eater, but I greedily devoured everything that came across my plate (aside from one type of dessert, and skewed chicken). I’m not sure if it’s because the food is fresh, cooked well, or because I can’t cook food this well myself and have been without for a long time, but everything at F&B tastes so good. And these aren’t photos of all the food I ate. This is the reason why I love going out with Runa and Ruan, who are gourmands beyond me. And because they love trying new things, especially food related. Over the course of a few years we’ve been to many great little places such as this and in return I get a memorable meal and some great photos.






I think I’ve really developed as a photographer in the little time I’ve owned my first SLR camera. Looking back on a year of photos has made me realize that I’ve learned a lot, not only simple photography, but knowledge of my camera. I still have a lot more to learn though, especially with the way I take pictures in light, as digital cameras make it easy to get good shots without really needing to have an exhaustive comprehension.

I stumbled upon this track called 'Bringa' by Channel Two couple of days ago. And for some reason today I’m supremely frustrated with life {I actually know the reason. I’m still waiting for the chance to start my dream career}. For those of you looking to move to some good music on a Monday {or just looking to get in the mood} feel free to hear the track below. I have no idea what’s going on in this song but it’s very danceable, lovable and it’s a quasi crowd pleaser. I feel like this could easily be the background music to some trippy modern day after work special.

Ok, enough of me blabbering on and on. I’m tired, it’s after 7 in the evening and I was playing foosball at work all day. Have fun this week on whatever state or country you’re located at. Cheers, and come back often.