#125 Hello, My Old Heart!

Fuck, I must admit - I missed blogger and this "place". But the post is not a good bye, I think its more of a hello-ish thing. A lot of things have changed since the last time I saw these letters on the top of my browser.

Its early in the morning on Sunday 7th of October and as always there's a severe lack of light in my room in Barcelona (AKA the tiny Mordor). The past few months I discovered shitloads of things and I would like to think I changed in a better direction. Oh, yeah - as I wrote in my last post before leaving to Spain weweregivenhope is evolving into something more professional, better looking and probably way more useful. And I like it. I am completely aware I will trade-off the opportunity to share personal thoughts on the new platform but things were supposed to evolve and the opportunity to work with the rest of crew is just...once in a life time. Cool people by the way, don't hesitate to contact whoever you want, I am sure they would like it (for now you can find their info on our Facebook page).

So, the landing page of Stereofox will be launched tomorrow night (Monday) I hope and the official website will be up somewhen in November. I sincerely hope you like out efforts and keep finding interesting music.

My next blog will be more marketing oriented but obviously there will be a lot of music as well. So, for the time being I'm moving to himynameisivo.com.

Oh well, I wish you all the best and don't hesitate to contact me whenever and wherever you want. I chose Hello my old heart for the soundtrack of this post. The beginning is a bit sad but later on there's this weird positive feeling that makes me very happy.

Cheers and thank you for the 5 minutes of your day! =)

#121 Let's throw in some songs for the sake of throwing in things

And it's late night's out-of-nowhere-urge to share a few links. However, my tiredness prevails over my brain so I'll be quick and make your life easier - enjoy the three, kind of different songs, I've been playing the last few days. Hopefully, someone would like ..something.

Pinback - Barnes

Ben Howard - Call me maybe (ps. I find the original impossible to listen...)

Sysyphe - Sinking

#117 Water is my eye

I am quite positively sure that last Sunday I experienced the best concert I've even been to. In case you are wondering who I saw - it was Ben Howard. Anyhow, I won't describe into details the great musical and emotional experience but in a way the concert is related to the next songs. I just remembered how cool tapping is so I started to search similar artists and I came across Newton Faulkner, name I've seen before but never paid attention to his music..and it was a mistake.

I believe his cover of Teardrop (originally by Massive Attack) rocked my music world quite a lot, given the fact its just a youtube video. It's just amazing. Both the live (which I personally prefer) and studio version. For a tiny spec of time a strange came across my mind - why I picked up the drums instead of guitar. Then again I came back to Earth and it all made perfect sense ;)

One of the first tapping guitarists I found during my teenage years - Erik Mongrain - Airtrap

aaand a classic...John Butler - Ocean

#111 Let me tell you about my day

Sometimes I really do enjoy quiet weekend evening..you know, without the usual lets-burn-this-city Friday/Saturday nights. It's not like it was very productive night, but I saw a funny movie, that just..takes your mind off things - the sitter. Anyhow, the best thing of the movie was the soundtrack, part of which are a couple of Raphael Saadiq songs. Funny coincidence, I might see him live on Monday. The guy is just truly amazing, despite all the troubling things one might have his music can always..you know just..make you go out of your daily bubble and smile. I'll throw a couple of other good songs ... and just call it a night, but I hope you enjoy the links below. 

Raphael Saadiq - Sometimes

The tallest man on Earth - The Dreamer

Mew - Introducing Palace Players <3

#102 Eurosonic Noorderslag

Ok, I had to drop everything and start writing that post, cause a super awesome coincidence just ..occurred.

So, I was just browsing random videos as a background to my reading in the extremely boring library and I came across Vondelpark - HipBone. So, after listening to the song like 5 times, I decided to abandon reading about the global and industrial diversification of companies, and check their profile on last.fm...and apparently they are part of the Eurosonic festival, which is happening in the city where I live. I've been thinking to write a short post about some bands playing there and finding out that those guys are part of the festival was ..well, cool coincidence. So check them out along with other artists playing here this weekend.

Vondelpark - HipBone

Phuture Shock - Don't Let Go *FYI: amazing Bulgarian band*

Benjamin Francis Leftwich - Pictures

Madeon - Pup Culture

2:54 - Scarlet

Great Mountain Fire - Late lights 

James Vincent McMorrow - Early in the morning

...and many, many more. More than 250 artists are performing - from dubstep to hip hop to..acoustic rock. Those who have tickets are lucky bas.... people! For the rest of us - there's always youtube.

#100 the dawn of tomorrow

So, I've decided temporarily or permanently stop the blog. It is unclear yet. The posts and the music in them will still be online in case anyone cares. I am glad for the comments and emails I got from known and unknown people. It was fun writing here, but I do not have the desire to do it anymore, at least not now.

Since it's some sort of final post I felt like showing you what has been on my playlist lately. I hope you find a piece of yourself in that music.

Bon Iver - Re:stacks

Bon Iver - Holocene

Nneka feat. Ziggy Marley - Express yourself

Pinback - Walters

John Butler Trio - Ocean (live from red rocks)

William Fitzsimmons - It's not true

"This is not the scene I dreamed of. Like much else nowadays I leave it feeling stupid, like a man who lost his way long ago but presses on along a road that may lead nowhere." - J. M. Coetzee, Waiting for the Barbarians (1980)

The music is out there, keep discovering it,

Ivo

#98 Ben Howard - Every Kingdom

I think the following post is one of the most postponed posts in this blog. Whether it was because I just knew I have to write a lot or.. I just wanted to be more familiar with the music of the artist I am going to present you today - I do not know. But the post if finally being writen as you read that..by my half-frozen fingers.

Anyway, there have been few occasions as you know where I present a full album. Today I want to present the whole artist itself. The name is Ben Howard. He is from UK and he plays guitar. He is usually accompanied by Chris who plays bass/drums and India who plays bass/violin. Also - they all sing. In a perfect harmony.

I was lucky enough to see him live just for two songs which were..one of the two most amazing songs I have ever seen live. I have been listening to his album "Every kingdom" through the past months. Those songs were my company through lots of things I have experienced this semester. The only songs I never removed from my phone. They can bring you down and they can raise you up. I had the honour to play one of his songs and I felt so ....good. I won't describe how I ... how I feel and sense that music. It is up to you. I just want you to get familiar with that music cause it is worth listening to. The rest is up to you. This post is a mere transmitter of that music.

Ben Howard - Old pine
Ben Howard - The wolves
Ben Howard - Keep your head up
Ben Howard - Empty corridors
Ben Howard - Diamonds (live)
Ben Howard - The fear
Ben Howard - Only love
Ben Howard - Gracious 

whatever your eye and ear can grasp from that guy. Go for it. Enjoy.

ps. Maybe just a few people would read that post, I do not care. but if you make it that far - all the way to the bottom - this is the first music I actually sent to my parents to listen to. They loved it. I love it. I hope you love it :)

#96 A walk in the mist /various/

Was walking around the city today. I guess... around the late afternoon. There was a slight mist, which is not very surprising for this dark and gloomy place. So as I was minding my own business thinking about the everyday, not very remarkable things, a blind man passed me by...

uh..I had to rewrite the next couple of sentences cause it is really hard to express what exactly I want. But lets go back on the situation. You know, people always say that disabled people don't like compassion and people feeling sorry for them and I really do get them. I kind of try to inspire myself, because those people really deserve respect. They face obstacles beyond our imagination, cope with them, often win and keep pushing. I never paid much attention to the way blind people..deal with the everyday life and I don't know what made me pay attention to that particular man. He was also kind of going my direction (more or less) so I was walking behind him and was observing his movement. It was trully amazing. He was faster than many of the random people on the street and really precise in following..wherever he was going. That thing kept for like 5 minutes or so before we had to "part" ways - using his stick as a radar, he confidently took turn in a small street and I lost him out of sight. I don't know why I even talk about that but..such an everyday life thing, which I never thought before impressed me a lot. Kudos. Enjoy the songs.

Kings of Convenience - Peacetime Resistance

Dave Matthews Band - Crash into me

The best pessimist - Walking with happiness

#87 The Ocean /acoustic, relaxed/

Insomnia can be a bitch sometimes. Although it is quite good sometimes on productivity and creativity it gets a bit boring, especially if you fight it for years. I hope when I get older I can sleep more. At least I start writing some stuff during the night. I like the quietness. If you add some music in that mix you get the perfect creativity environment. It's not like I will come up with something extraordinary that is going to give the chills to someone, but yeah putting the thoughts in a sense-making order gives me some sort of satisfaction.

I was thinking of parents - children relationship. Sometimes I think we do not praise them enough. Or we take them for granted. I cannot imagine what is it like to be a parent, but I just picture this .. exalted feeling of knowing that there is something much more important and bigger than you in this world. Something that you are ready to fight, protect and die for. I believe this is how my parents feel about me. Them and many more.. For us, who are lucky to have parents like those, well..we should be grateful. Very grateful. Now back to the books... that was just a very short thought that has been going through my mind and might sparkle it in yours, if anybody is reading this. Otherwise you can always enjoy the songs below :)

Fallulah - Give us a little love

Citizen cope - Let the drummer kick

 The beautiful girls - La Mar

#85 Ocean /acoustic rock, chill/

It's Sunday. 14:17 in the afternoon..well yeah - kind of makes sense. I am reading my extremely uninteresting article dealing with the Great Depression. I mean, it is intriguous, but right now...

...and the next song goes on, so I lift my head up and start looking around... Sunday in the library, full of different students, eagerly grasping whatever they can take from the textbooks or..checking Facebook, but - it is quiet. There's this guy biting his nails and staring empty in the column in front of him or the nerdy girl across me, intensively underlining shitloads of things in all the available colors she has..and a dozen of other young people. So I sit here, listening to that song and I dream of moving somewhere else...a place where time seems to go slowly, life seems carefree, there is a vast green field of grass and a magnificent lake and THE SUN.. happy people are passing by and my head is spinning but I don't care because nothing else matters and I listen to this music and enjoying the....

John Butler - Ocean

John Butler Trio - Nowhere man

John Butler Trio - Used to get high for a living

#81 Going to California /acoustic/

I can't sleep.. or I don't want to. Not quite sure which of both. Anyhow, I do feel like writing down something, you know - go back to the main purpose of the blogging. It's not like I have anything significant to tell you..whoever you are, it's more like I just want to talk. About.. about... about how writers feel when they sit behind the empty sheet, about all moments that make us laugh, sad, thrilled, scared...feel, about people saying "bye" or about people saying "hi", about the weird feeling I have - feeling weird and not exactly comfortable and in the same time enjoy a quiet nice with nice music. About shitloads things.

Led Zeppelin - Going to California

Oasis - Wonderwall

 Goo Goo Dolls - Slide

So yeah, I was watching Entourage, the final episode and I actually felt a bit sad, weird right? About a fuckin' TV series. I am really smiling right now, cuz..its funny, but its the truth so why not just embrace it ;) Too bad I cannot write down all the streams of thoughts I got in my head, but who needs that. Enjoy your night or day or...whatever you call it.

#80 Diamonds on the inside /acoustic/

I hate being sick, especially when you reach the point where you feel like crap and you can't do shit. Thank God its Sunday. So yeah, I guess some acoustic music would be suitable for these days.

City and Colour - Love don't live here anymore

Ben Harper - Diamonds on the inside

Nothink - My Broken Lady (amazing song by a spanish band in someones car, somewhere in Spain, one of the warm summer days)

#71 Crash /acoustic, late night music/

Don't get me wrong, I understand that all of us got problems and all of us are unhappy with ..well with something. But.. I don't know, I think that sometimes many people, including me do not appreciate what we got for granted. The ability to walk,smell, see, feel, jump, crouch, twist, touch the world around us. And..despite.. all the crap that has been going around us, there must be a point of our life that we stop, turn our head in a weird direction and say.. "hey, I am lucky for some of the things I have..it can always be worse".

I have no idea whats going on and where life is going but..that is the beauty out of it, right? You have no idea what is expecting you tomorrow.

that song... Dave Matthews Band - Crash into me

Dallas Green (City and Colour) - Hello, I'm in Delaware

#68 On a clear day /summer, australian/

Gibraltar

So it's the peak of the summer and people are traveling around, going to festivals, you know - gathering positive emotions! I am finally doing nothing and chilling at home, but its been enough for this year. Anyway, I've been listening to the following kind of sumerish rockish tunes and I think you might enjoy them.

John Butler Trio - Better than

The Beautiful Girls - On a clear day

The Cat Empire - So many nights

..actually the three bands are from Australia. Such a beautiful place.

#60 Postcard from Italy /acoustic, folk/

Belogradchik, Bulgaria

It is a bit cold, but nevertheless very relaxed and chilled day. So here I am laying down on my couch next to the big window, watching the trees outside, slightly being moved by the wind... and I guess I just want to listen to something peaceful.

Beirut - Postcard from Italy very interesting band, strongly reccommend!

An afternoon like that cannot go without Kings of Convenience - Misread

...and riding the slight folkish wave from Beirut - some very promising Bulgarian artist Kotarashky - Tebe

#58 Pyro /easy-going/

“Even though we've changed and we're all finding our own place in the world, we all know that when the tears fall or the smile spreads across our face, we'll come to each other because no matter where this crazy world takes us, nothing will ever change so much to the point where we're not all still friends.”

Incubus - Defiance (live)

Joseph Arthur - In the sun


Kings of Leon - Pyro

#51 Some will seek forgiveness, others escape

In general, I do agree that what's charming about the future is that it is obscure, but on rare occasions I do get kind of troubled about... well about everything that is ahead of me..ahead of all of us. I wonder how our lives would turn out, cause although I passed my teenage years long time ago, I still feel everything but prepared for the unknown. I will just keep believing that eventually everything will turn out okay for you, for me, for all of us. 

Enjoy the songs and the upcoming weekend!

Underoath - Some will seek forgiveness, others escape

The Blanks - Hey ya!

Brett Dennen - Ain't no reason

#42 Skin and Bones /acoustic, live/

I really don't have much time since I'm terribly late for work, but I played this song just before leaving my room and then ...well - I better be 5 minutes late and share this with you. It's a live from Foo Fighters and seriously - it is MOVING! I get the chills.... the song (My hero) means a lot. The whole Skin and Bones live is... just a high class musicanship and I tip my hat to those guys!

Foo Fighters - My hero (live)

Foo Fighters - Everlong (live)

Foo Fighters - Times like these (live)

..you can find the whole DVD on youtube.

#39 Hey world /acoustic/

Waking up at 7:10, the morning before the craziest party of the year. Big mistake. And although I should pump myself with party music, naah - I feel like this music. So enjoy those songs, cause they are cracking me up.

Citizen cope - sideways

Michael Franti - Hey world (Don't give up)

Ben Harper - Morning yearning