Interactive Poll XIII - Surprise, surprise

Shadowyzard wrote: Guys & Gals It became certain yesterday that we're going to our summerhouse in a couple of days.  I'll not have unlimited internet connection there. It will be like 10GB a month, that I'll use via my mobile phone, mostly for my work which requires the usage of the internet. I also mentioned earlier that I'll have to concentrate on my work. So, not only I'll not be able to take part in this awesomeness, but also I'll not be a poll creator for an indefinite period of time. Please accept my apology... All the best to you, have fun. Özgür

jamesbaldwin wrote: Shadowyzard wrote: Guys & Gals It became certain yesterday that we're going to our summerhouse in a couple of days.  I'll not have unlimited internet connection there. It will be like 10GB a month, that I'll use via my mobile phone, mostly for my work which requires the usage of the internet. I also mentioned earlier that I'll have to concentrate on my work. So, not only I'll not be able to take part in this awesomeness, but also I'll not be a poll creator for an indefinite period of time. Please accept my apology... All the best to you, have fun. Özgür Good vacation, my friend.

Thank you, Lorenzo.

Big hugs to you all. 

Going back to my previous way of doing this, first here are my thoughts on all so far, and will add another in a group as more chime in or those here chime in with more. 

Lewian:  Diethelm “Famulari – Portrait”  Really intriguing mix, the sound itself is almost like it’s being suppressed (not like compressed, however), sort of like it’s being played in a room down the corridor from the listener.  It is more upbeat than what usually makes me stop everything, but I certainly think it IS surprising, in one of your senses of describing how you mean this poll to be approached.  What is really surprising is that I don’t immediately know how I feel about it, so it will draw me back, probably a few times.  😊

The Anders: Dvar-Deii CD2 01 “Gyandarvaal”  Love the slow build of the organ beginning the piece.  There is a feeling of psychedelic circus (in a good way) to me as the song picks up with the calliope sounds.  Then sort of a maniacal elfin voice comes in, cheeping and chattering, ending abruptly.  Did someone stumble on their party in the dark woods, forcing them to disappear?

Lorenzo:  A Filetta  Danse Mémoire, Danse “I vostri squardi”  Very brooding and lush.  Gorgeous harmonies (as should be expected from your description), and I love when the horn comes in, it is suitably mournful.  “Sumiglia,” your nomination.  Begins with a keening solo, joined in with the other voices as a subtle backdrop, this one gave me chills.  Bravo to them and to you for bringing it here.  The acoustic Springsteen’s of “Born in the USA”  the beauty of a singer/songwriter (even a rock one) is that the songs can be stripped to their basics and they still have their true character, sometimes, even more so in the simplicity of it.  I like the echo-y sound of the guitar and also on his voice on the demo….then he sort of reprises that, on the 12-string live, but not quite so much.  I prefer this live one to the demo, he is such a good, good live performer.  The third one (also live), the beginning work with the slide sounds almost raga-ish, this is my favourite of the three.

Rushfan4:  Rush “One Little Victory”  Obviously, I am familiar with Rush, so waiting to hear your selection of a non-PA band.

Micky:  Mark Ronson “Uptown Funk”  Not usually in what might be thought of as in my oeuvre, but this is very infectious, and I did grow up listening to a lot of funk and soul music, which my mom adored.  And I quite enjoyed all of your responses to Raff's, being familiar with all of them.

Raff:  Deee-Lite “Groove is in the Heart”  I remember when this record (and the video) was really big here in the states.  Great dance/soul music.  (edited, I'd mixed up yours and Micky's videos by accident)  Fleetwood Mac “Hypnotized” Nice laid-back sound in this era of Fleetwood Mac, lots of airplay, making a bridge from the more blues-based Peter Green version to what would eventually morph into the enormously successful version a few years later.  Chris Isaak “Wicked Game.”  This song kind of rivals what happened with the Moody’s (“Nights in White Satin”) with the time between first release to smash hit land a bit later, with this video being released after it’s placement in David Lynch’s “Wild At Heart.”  Very sensual video, two beautiful people.  And a just drop dead gorgeous spare and haunting arrangement.  Chris deserved it and more, he’s a great guy and worked hard at his craft.

Logan:  Matt Berry “Rain Came Down” Completely not expecting what I heard vs the LP cover.    “The Pheasant,” I rather liked more, with it’s sorta psych-folk-proggishness.  But the first one was certainly a surprise, although not as much to my taste.

Edited by Snicolette - July 22 2020 at 07:55

Shadowyzard wrote: Guys & Gals It became certain yesterday that we're going to our summerhouse in a couple of days.  I'll not have unlimited internet connection there. It will be like 10GB a month, that I'll use via my mobile phone, mostly for my work which requires the usage of the internet. I also mentioned earlier that I'll have to concentrate on my work. So, not only I'll not be able to take part in this awesomeness, but also I'll not be a poll creator for an indefinite period of time. Please accept my apology... All the best to you, have fun. Özgür

Snicolette wrote: Logan: Matt Berry “Rain Came Down” Completely not expecting what I heard vs the LP cover.    “The Pheasant,” I rather liked more, with it’s sorta psych-folk-proggishness. But the first one was certainly a surprise, although not as much to my taste.

I wouldn't go with those, it's just funny to me, especially with the Paul McCartney perfauxmance, which did surprise me momentarily when I first heard it. I don't think many would be fooled by it here, but when you're not expecting anything.... Especially strange when combined with the lyrics. It's very silly. That PMesque vocalist did Sassy Trump, which you might have seen me post a clip of, and played Crowley in the excellent BBC radio adaptation of Good Omens. For my choice, I'll probably stick with my original, Pulp's Dishes -- my only concerns being that I think it's too well-known and that I haven't an interesting story to tell. So what, I heard it while listening to an old archived British radio comedy-musical show from the 90s (that I loved), then happened to hear it on the local radio the next day even though I rarely listen to music radio. Kind of a boring story, except for the fact that I'm not Jesus either, also do dishes and would like to turn water into wine -- lol). There was another song I wanted to go for more with maybe a more interesting story, but I anticipate using it another poll. As Micky says, it's the story behind why something is surprising that makes so interesting to me, and of course some will have more interesting tales of surprise to tell. Had I gone with that Australian "Don't Knock the Croc", that I think was very surprising, but I don't really like the song. I might go with the Air one I posted in my OP, since I was really surprised to really like it after having sl*g.ed the album when I gave it another listen (I was probably distracted the first time, or whining because I'd run out of wine). I do hope to come up with some more surprising choices, maybe some that shocked me (but in a tasteful way).



Edited by Logan - July 21 2020 at 20:04

jamesbaldwin wrote: Logan wrote: <span style=": rgb248, 248, 252;">I thought of a few surprises. My biggest surprise involved an Australian band. My brother was friends with band members in Cairns, I moved there for a year when I was 19. They had their own bar, and I was a bartender (but not there, that would be too much coincidence). ;). The night before I came back to Canada, my brother and I went see that band, Johno's Blues band live at their bar. In fact, the band's "Don't Knock the Croc" was the first thing my brother played on a jukebox on my first day in Cairns. When I got back home to Vancouver I put on the radio and "Don't Knock the Croc" was playing. Hey, don;t knock the coincidence even if it sounds like a crock of kaka. While that was a hit in Australia, I don't remember it ever playing here before or after. My other big coincidence surprise was at about the same time. I had just bought the CD of Kate Bush's The Kick Inside and was listening to it for the first time. At the same time I was reading (I liked to multi-task) a wonderful book about Paul Theroux's travels around China called Riding the Iron Rooster. Kate Bush has a song called "Strange Phenomena" on it and I was hearing it for the first time which is about strange coincidences. At the exact same time that the book mentioned the Buddhist chant "Om Mani Padme Hum", Kate Bush started singing the chant. If I had been the superstitious type, I might have seen this as some sort of revelation. I've heard less compelling to me coincidences put forward by superstitious types as evidence for the supernatural. I did have some interest in the paranormal for sure.</span> I'm going for what seems lesser coincidence as my surprising choice even if it's not amazing in any way. I had just got into a dark comedy radio series called Blue Jam from the 90s (this wasn't that long ago), and it played a lot of music on the show. One of the songs was Pulp's "Dishes". A quite popular song that I had heard before, but I, being a pattern seeking animal, have thought before that quite a lot of that could refer to me, and yes, of course this is quite absurd, but still, and none of it is that surprising.... The song starts with "I am not Jesus though I have the same initials. I am the man who stays home and does the dishes". I too am not Jesus, and while I do not have the same initials, I too am the man who stays home and does the dishes." Oh and I would like to make that water wine even if it's impossible. Anyway, I rarely listen to music radio now (even if Blue Jam was a sketch comedy series for the radio that heavily incorporated music), but in the car I put on the radio (the night before I had listened to the Blue Jam episode that played the Pulp song, and what was on, but Pulp's Dishes (and its station I very rarely listen to). Having recently fallen for Blue Jam as much as I did, it felt fairly significant. Greg, have you read the latest book published by Carl Gustav Jung? Let's say its a sort of autobiography.  In the end he talks about many paranormal events that he cared for, revealing many background stories of his life and interpreting them with the keys of the analytical psychology that he had formulated which, in fact, is also inspired by myths, religions and mystical wisdoms.

I guess you mean Man and His Symbols, no though I think I've read bits and pieces of it. I did read Memories, Dreams, Reflections, which I thought you might have been referring to, and some earlier works.   My best friend was very, very into Jung. I like to slip Jungian archetypes into conversation to make me sound sophisticated. ;)

Edited by Logan - July 21 2020 at 20:14

^ No worries. I haven't listened to anybody's music yet. Some I already know like that album by Pedro which is included in PA, so wouldn't make the poll even if but one track from it were included according to the guidelines. Good album, though.

Lewian wrote: Nice to have your contribution here Pedro! Well, I can kind of guess what's going to happen if I tell you that technically this poll is about songs and not whole albums, so I won't. We'll happily live with this (although I cannot promise that everyone will listen to this in its entirety).

Snicolette wrote: Logan, I realize I had jumped ahead in the order, missed listening to and commenting on Dishes and also, Pedro's will make up for that very soon. Thanks for nudging me!

  Sorry, was working from my phone, this is why I don't like to, too tiny for my fingers.  Duplicate of post above.  This can be removed or ignored.

Edited by Snicolette - July 22 2020 at 07:50

I edited my first post to include and change my nomination from Pulp's "Dishes" to Eel's "Beautiful Freak". I had some rather somewhat surprising coincidences with that song, and I am freakishly beautiful, which should come as no surprise.