Bonfils weblog
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Tuesday, December 8, 2009: [Link to this | Comments]
A surprise phone call from a friend suddenly provided me with tickets for the long-sold out Pet Shop Boys gig. And yes, it was the same show I saw at Roskilde and actually wanted to see again. And once again, I was blown away by the completely reworked hits and non-hits and the inventive and humorous use of visuals and performers.
Why is it I like this band so much? I may be weird, but I actually think I find their particular brand of detachment moving. I'm often put off by the kind of highly strong crooners that try to force their emotions down your throat (and is it just me, or is there a lot of this going on these days?).
With Chris Lowe's cool synth constructions and Neil Tennant's reserved delivery of the songs, there is no manipulation or seduction going on. Instead, the listener is free to discover the simple beauty of the melodies and the broad spectrum of human experience described in the lyrics: Love (of course), guilt, materialism, jealousy, aging...
But, like when listening to a Bach fugue, what emotions you feel seem to be your own - though they are of course subtly guided by the moods hinted at in the calmly understated songs.
I realize that this is what makes some listeners write the Pet Shop Boys off as robotic and superficial. But I truly enjoy a musicial experience that doesn't force itself on me.
Thursday, November 26, 2009: [Link to this | Comments]
An invitation from a friend who's leaving for Tokyo (perhaps permanently) sparked Birgitte's and my first visit to R Vinbar (recommended) and a return to the authentic Japanese cuisine of Sakura. A fine time was had by all.
Wednesday, November 18, 2009: [Link to this | Comments]
After a smooth and productive mastering session, the audio for the State of Mind debut album is now ready. Once again, the music was in good hands with Jan Eliasson of AudioPlanet. I was pleasantly surprised that some of the mixes actually needed precious little tweaking. I may become a half-decent producer one day...
Sunday, November 8, 2009: [Link to this | Comments]
The Moog Voyager synth I bought arrived from the US, and I finally dragged it to the studio and tried it out (And I do mean dragged - the damn thing's built like a tank!). Well, what can I say? An amazing machine. I think I finally understand how a violinist feels about a Stradivarius.
Friday, November 6, 2009: [Link to this | Comments]
I did some reprogramming on my blog - mainly to play around with Twitter's API. Unfortunately, this resulted in old posts reappearing all over Facebook - sorry about that, Facebook friends...
