Neil Young - throw your hatred down, 1995

"We're sympathetic. They're definitely old souls—they've been around. Musically there's youthful energy, but without the sound of inexperience. And our musical styles are compatible; it's like a big wall of sound with a lot of nuances in there."

Elton John - song for guy, 1978

"As I was writing this song one Sunday, I imagined myself floating into space and looking down at my own body. I was imagining myself dying. Morbidly obsessed with these thoughts, I wrote this song about death. The next day I was told that Guy [Burchett], our 17-year-old messenger boy, had been tragically killed on his motorcycle the day before. Guy died on the day I wrote this song."

The Moody Blues - a simple game, 1968

"A Simple Game" is a 1968 song by the progressive rock band the Moody Blues. Written and sung by Mike Pinder, it was released as a non-album B-side to "Ride My See-Saw", a track from the album In Search of the Lost Chord. The song was produced by Tony Clarke and arranged by Arthur Greenslade. The track was included in the band's 1974 compilation, This Is The Moody Blues, remixed and with an earlier fade than on the single. It was also included, with its original mix and length, in the 1987 compilation Prelude."

William Fitzsimmons - took acoustic live, 2013

"This version of “Took” was recorded live at the Hotel Café in Los Angeles and Fitzsimmons conveys these dark sentiments in gentle fashion – but despite the song’s tenderness, the brutality of it all still comes across."

Fait-divers on the neutrino

"there’s one particle that seems not to show up in the mirror at all. The neutrino has only ever been observed in its left-handed form. Particle physicists are investigating whether the right-handed neutrino exists or if neutrinos’ mirror images are simply identical, which could help explain why the universe contains something rather than nothing."

Fait-divers on spiritual life by Thomas Merton

The spiritual life is, then, first of all a matter of keeping awake. (Thomas Merton)

Belle And Sebastian - we are the sleepyheads, 2006

"Here, Belle & Sebastian dabble in glam rock, lazy lounge jazz, and ersatz blues, enhancing their swinging '60s pop fixation with horn charts, the occasional flute, and Motown rhythms, while even rocking harder than ever before (but that's on a relative scale, of course). This results in a fresh, lively listen, but a rich one too, since there's more to hear in the music as well as the words upon repeated listens."

REM - the lifting, 2001

"Matt LeMay of Pitchfork gave the album a rating of 5.0 out of 10, stating he found the album's electronic elements to be "superficial" and felt they created an overly busy sound. He also found many of its songs to be repetitive, without stronger melodies or more variation to improve the tracks. LeMay does state that despite some "terrible lyrics", "Imitation of Life" possesses "a catchy hook, and a sufficient degree of sonic variety", while "The Lifting" contains "an undeniably great melody."

Fait-divers on contradictions by Thomas Merton

Contradictions have always existed in the soul of man. It is only when we prefer analysis to silence that they become a insoluble problem. (Thomas Merton)

Fait-divers on cynicism by Maya Angelou

"There is nothing quite so tragic as a young cynic, because it means the person has gone from knowing nothing to believing nothing" (Maya Angelou)

Fait-divers on Niels Bohr's coat of arms

Contraria sunt complementa (Niels Bohr's coat of arms)

Fait-divers on information and wisdom

"We are drowning in information, while starving for wisdom. The world henceforth will be run by synthesizers, people able to put together the right information at the right time, think critically about it, and make important choices wisely." (E. O. Wilson)

The New Pornographers - go places, 2007

"on their fourth album, 2007's Challengers, they turn inward, tempering their hooks and muting their colors, winding up with an album that emphasizes their admirable qualities first, with their endearing ones revealing themselves only after repeated plays. It's true that the New Pornographers' albums have always been growers, records that unveiled their gifts over time, but Challengers is their biggest grower yet, a dense collection of carefully constructed and brain-power pop"

The Cranberries - stars, 2003

"Stars" is a song by the Cranberries from the compilation album Stars: The Best of 1992–2002, and was released in October 2002. It is the band's last single released before their six-year hiatus."

Club 8 - we're all going to die, 2010

"This album is by far their most danceable, utilizing syncopation and driving beats that suggest influences from Latin and African music. It is no coincidence that this is their first record Johan didn’t produce. Enlisting the help of Jari Haapalainen in the control room, they sought inspiration with a trip to Brazil and built up a record collection of 1970s Western African classics. To flesh out their new direction, the teamed up with percussionist, Jouni Haapala, a fellow Nordic musician whose spent time learning the heart of the beats on a spell in Cuba. To balance all these cheerful aesthetics, Club 8’s lyrical tendencies still veer down the paths of dour and forlorn. With titles like, “Dancing with the Mentally Ill,” “My Pessimistic Heart,” “Be Mad, Get Ill, Be Still,” and “We’re All Going to Die,” Club 8 may be taking their tunes to the discothèques, but they haven’t checked their problems at the door. They are in fact celebrating these dark feelings, which very well may be the mark of maturity that has guided their artistic progression so effectively."

The Moody Blues - have you heard part two, 1969

“Now you know how nice it feels.” This is the first line in “Have You Heard part 2,” and much like the opening line in part 1, this works a calming reset. The voyage and its excitement are over, time to relax once more; and relax we should. It is real mellow experience sitting back and listening to “On the Threshold of a Dream.” Everyone knows The Moody Blues, and every knows “Nights in White Satin,” but have you heard of “On the Threshold of a Dream?” Mike Pinder is a genius."

The Jesus And Mary Chain - cherry came too, 1987

"Time has proven Darklands itself to be underrated. Across its modest 10 songs the now-increasingly-shared vocal performances of brothers Jim and William Reid gained a smoothness and warmth not always captured in the group’s more overt Lou Reedisms, while songs like “Cherry Came Too” elevate gorgeous guitar work to the status of a major plot point. Meanwhile, “April Skies” laid the rumbling-rocker template JAMC would ride into the sunset on later albums."

Saint Etienne - glad, 2025

"There’s a ton of news coming this Friday so be sure to stay tuned!"

Johnny Cash - folsom prison blues live at folsom state prison, 1968

"While his live At Folsom Prison album and performance is one of Cash's most well-known, it wasn't the only penitentiary where Cash played for inmates during his career. Cash played San Quentin State Prison in 1958, which included amongst its audience, Merle Haggard. Haggard was inspired by the concert and post his release, went on to pursue music of his own. During the show, Cash performed the song "San Quentin," about an inmate's hatred of prison. The song received such an enthusiastic response from the audience that Cash immediately played an encore."

Fait-divers. Un seul devoir: aimer.

"Je ne connais qu'un seul devoir, et c'est celui d'aimer"
"Ma tentation la plus constante, celle contre  laquelle je n'ai jamais cessé de mener un exténuant combat: le cynisme"
(Albert Camus)

Fait-divers on attention

“The best way to capture moments is to pay attention. Mindfulness means being awake. It means knowing what you are doing.” (Jon Kabat-Zinn)

Neil Young - comes a time, 1978

"The song "Comes a Time" is one of my all-time favorite recordings because it just has a great feeling. The song and the performance are a total mesh. Nicolette's singing is beautiful. I can see all the pictures. That is as close to a perfect recording as I ever have gotten. Karl Himmel laid down a unique groove on drums, and the band was locked in. Karl has the ability to play two grooves at once, which I have never heard anyone else do as well as he does. He is a completely unique musician."

My Morning Jacket - the day is coming, 2011

"The album cover is a close-up shot of a Magic eye tube fitted onto vintage radio receivers from the 1930s. The purpose of tuning eyes in these radio sets was to help tune a station in at its strongest point on the dial. So when the perfect frequency was found, the Magic Tuning Eye would be lit up all the way (like the album cover's). The percentage of light shown signified the strength of the signal."

The Beatles - devil in her heart cover, 1963

"The song was originally recorded as "Devil in His Heart" in Detroit by the Donays for Correc-tone Records. It was later picked up by the New York City label Brent and re-released in August 1962 as "(There's a) Devil in His Heart", the B-side of "Bad Boy". This pairing also appeared in the United Kingdom on the Oriole label in 1962. The record was not a hit on either side of the Atlantic. The Donays only made one recording but their lead singer, Yvonne Vernee (real name Yvonne Symington) also recorded solo, and later joined the Elgins at Motown."

Quarto banho de mar do ano, Praia do Magoito, manhã do dia 22 de Maio de 2025

The Go-Betweens - right here, 1987

"the song is about two friends of his, who worked in a funeral parlour and the constant exposure to the chemicals used in the preparation of the bodies turned them into addicts. Stating "I thought this would be a good subject to write about in a pop song." The song's title is derived from the chorus of Forster's song "You've Never Lived" (Spring Hill Fair 1984)."

REM - star me kitten, 1992

"Bassist-keyboardist Mike Mills wanted to achieve an effect similar to the English group’s ethereal, layered backing vocals on the ’70s hit. He told Scott Litt about his thoughts, and the producer came up with the idea of recording Mills as he sang different notes, then playing them back on a mixing board, with each fader controlling a separate note. The musician could then create a weird choral backing by positioning the faders."

The Moody Blues - out and in, 1969

"'Out and In' looks beyond the planets as part of the journey toward the total view where inside and outside become one"

Fait-divers on faith by Thomas Merton

"A faith that is afraid of other people is not faith at all." (Thomas Merton)

Fait-divers on immigration

"No European country has ever been destroyed by immigration. Several have though been destroyed by the xenophobic right. See the 1940s." (Owen Jones)

Fait-divers: David Bohm on dialogue

"Discussion is almost like a ping-pong game, where people are batting the ideas back and forth and the object of the game is to win or to get points for yourself... In a dialogue, however, nobody is trying to win. Everybody wins if anybody wins. There is a different sort of spirit to it. In a dialogue, there is no attempt to gain points, or to make your particular view prevail. Rather, whenever any mistake is discovered on the part of anybody, everybody gains. It’s a situation called win-win, whereas the other game is win-lose — if I win, you lose. But a dialogue is something more of a common participation, in which we are not playing a game against each other, but with each other. In a dialogue, everybody wins." (David Bohm)

Fait-divers on Catholicism

Catholics have always been very comfortable, even if subconsciously, with the notion of supranational governance.

Saint Etienne - some place else, 1993

"Devotees might insist on 1993’s You Need a Mess of Help to Stand Alone, collecting their early nineties singles and B-sides, including essentials like “Paper” and “Some Place Else”

Moby - mistake, 2009

"In making this record, I wanted to focus on making something that I loved, without really being concerned about how it might be received by the marketplace. As a result, it's a quieter and more melodic and more mournful and more personal record than some of the records I've made in the past."

Coldplay - talk, 2005

"The band received permission from the electronic music German band Kraftwerk to use the main riff from their song "Computer Love", from its 1981 studio album Computer World, for "Talk", replacing Kraftwerk's synthesizers with guitars. In a track-by-track interview given by the band on X&Y, bassist Guy Berryman reported that in response to the band's request, Kraftwerk founding member Ralf Hütter "said something like, 'Yes, you can use it, and thank you very much for asking my permission, unlike that bastard Jay-Z'" (a reference to the latter's "(Always Be My) Sunshine", which uses a Kraftwerk sample). Martin also recalled in a 2007 article in Q magazine the process of requesting permission to use the melody: He sent a letter through the lawyers of the respective parties and several weeks later received an envelope containing a handwritten reply that simply said "yes". That riff was originally written by former Kraftwerk member Karl Bartos."

Car Seat Headrest - times to die, 2012

"an astute sense of self-awareness, backing up his meditations with intricate philosophies and theologies. It’s a gorgeous and thoughtful meditation on the life of a struggling artist."

Club 8 - baby i'm not sure if this is love, 2002

"Baby, I'm Not Sure If This Is Love" is a song by Club 8, a Swedish indie-pop band known for their dreamy, introspective sound. It’s a track from their 2002 album "Spring Came, Rain Fell", released under Labrador Records. The song encapsulates the band’s signature style, blending melancholy with optimism through soft melodies and thoughtful lyrics."

The Jesus And Mary Chain - never understand, 1985

"The effect is striking, but it has no depth and doesn't go anywhere after the first few seconds. In Hüsker Dü's music, the buzzing guitar and pop hooks enhance one another; Jesus and Mary Chain never puts the two together."

Fait-divers on consciousness and reality

"consciousness as an intrinsic, fundamental property of reality"

Fait-divers on spacetime and gravity

"Emergent Gravity and the Dark Universe"

Fait-divers on quantum entanglement and superdeterminism

"between quantum entanglement and superdeterminism, most scientists favor entanglement — and with it, freedom"

The Go-Betweens - quiet heart, 1988

"Grant in particular didn’t want to be part of a group any more. His three-year relationship with Amanda Brown had ended and he felt like making a clean break. Robert happily agreed."

Acabei agora mesmo de tomar aqui o terceiro banho de mar do ano, Praia do Magoito, manhã do dia 21 de Maio de 2025

REM - summer turns to high, 2001

"It’s one of those songs where the verse are more lo-key musically, and then the chorus hits and the room is filled with these lush soundscapes of textures. It’s like the band is trying make another Beach Boys song without sounding too much like one (aka At My Most Beautiful). Michael continues to sing (in a mostly soft tone) about childhood things like sandals, candy, dragonflies, candles and caramel. These images definitely give you summer vibes, so I’m curious on what he means by “summer turns to high”

The Moody Blues - lovely to see you, 1969

"Lovely to See You" opens the album. With its welcoming lyrics, the song later served as a concert opener during the later part of the group's career."

Neil Young - wonderin, 1983

"Young wrote the song "Wonderin'" long before the sessions for Everybody's Rockin'. It dates from at least the After the Gold Rush era, and was part of his setlist at solo acoustic shows in 1970, as well as at Woodstock with Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young in 1969."

REM - find the river, 1992

"Harborcoat" from Reckoning has got me and Michael and Bill all doing completely unrelated things, and yet it works together. Because of the production we insisted on from Mitch and Don, which I know must have been incredibly frustrating for them, it's hard to pick out exactly what's going on. We tried it again on "Find the River". I had the idea that Bill and I would go in and do some harmonies without listening to each other. It's great because mine is this incredibly angst-ridden emotional thing, and Bill's is this really low-key sort of ambling part. They're two opposite ends of the spectrum but they're both on there, and it's a beautiful thing."

Sambassadeur - forward is all, 2010

"The Swedish quartet may not have reinvented the wheel with their third album, but it is safe to say that European is a pop-bombshell. Full to the brim with infectious hooks, clever word play, danceable beats and lush melodies backed by glorious horns and gorgeous strings. All the while, Anna Persson, again, showcasing herself as a formidable vocalist, and a with a strong case against Tracyanne Campbell for most badass twee chick on the block. If you enjoy your melodies sweet, your instrumentation lush and your lyrics jaded but personal, there will probably be much to love on European. It certainly would easily find it’s place in your car, blasting from speakers on the way to the beach, or on your headphones as you fall asleep. Yeah, it’s that kind of album."

Fait-divers on hope by John Berger

"Hope is not a form of guarantee; it’s a form of energy (...) strongest in circumstances that are very dark." (John Berger)

Fait-divers on consciousness

"consciousnesses alters (albeit perhaps very slightly and subtly) quantum probabilities": "The strange link between the human mind and quantum physics" 

In a different perspective:  “Conscious experience happens in quantum reality. And classical reality is retroactively determined by that":"Testing A Time-Jumping, Multiverse-Killing, Consciousness-Spawning Theory Of Reality"

Fait-divers on hope by Rebecca Solnit

"Hope is an embrace of the unknown and the unknowable" (Rebecca Solnit)

Praia do Magoito, hoje, dia 20 de Maio de 2025, há poucos minutos

The Flaming Lips - my cosmic autumn rebellion, 2006

"Here’s a song that gets everything right that “It’s Summertime” got wrong on Yoshimi. The same elements are there at the outset – soothing electronic tones that come in waves, birds chirping, and a generally sunny and euphoric feel. But this song isn’t content to spend its entire duration floating in the ether with a highly insecure melody and rhythm to guide it. Midway through, the electronic buzzing gives way to a little bit of timpani, and then an aural overload of guitar fuzz. It’s obnoxiously loud, and yet somehow still very beautiful. All the while, Wayne is singing about songbirds, and the refusal of some people to see the new life inherent in death during a season where leaves fall from the trees. While it’s a much prettier take on the subject, this hints at a few explorations of the topic of mortality that are still to come."

Fait-divers on Martin Luther King and Love

"Darkness cannot drive out darkness, only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that." (Martin Luther King)

Fait-divers on Matthieu Ricard and happiness

“Selfish happiness doesn’t exist” says the happiest man on Earth.

Pink Floyd - a pillow of winds, 1971

"the song's title originates from a possible hand in the game of mahjong, with which the band had become enamoured while touring."

Spain - tangerine, 2017

"Josh Haden (born 1968 in New York City) is an American musician and singer. He is the founder, bassist and singer of the group Spain. Haden is the son of the late Charlie Haden and Ellen David."

Genesis - snowbound, 1978

"Typically when we refer to someone as being “snowbound” what we mean is that they’re shut inside their home on account of heavy snows. We conjure up images of warm hearths, hot cocoa, knit sweaters, cozy log cabins. It’s a cause for children to rejoice, as schools are temporarily shut down and they can play to their hearts’ content in the beautiful white canvas of nature."

Fait-divers on vulnerability and authenticity

"Vulnerability is the doorway to authenticity." Read this in a comment of https://aniesandyou.blogspot.com/ on my blog.

Sufjan Stevens - heirloom, 2010

"Heirloom" is an economical title for a Sufjan Stevens song, and it's the shortest tune on his surprise All Delighted People EP. Across its three minutes, a few acoustic guitars intertwine. There's a little harp on the bridge, some airy background vocals, and, at the center, Sufjan's voice and words. It's a simple song, relatively speaking. It doesn't sound like the showy, winged return of a guy who's done everything over the last five years except make a proper follow-up album to his towering Illinois. "Heirloom" is like Sufjan showing up to your apartment unannounced, saying "hi," playing a few songs, saying "thanks," and then leaving without explanation. There's a lingering effect."

Fait-divers on Mother Teresa and patience

"Without patience, we will learn less in life. We will see less. We will feel less. We will hear less. Ironically, rush and more, usually means less." (Mother Teresa)

Fait-divers on vulnerability and courage

Vulnerability is our most accurate measurement of courage.

The Moody Blues - you can never go home, 1971

"I remember what I was going through emotionally then – I was losing people and there was a lot of grief around my life. It was a difficult time for me, those early years of the Moodies. It's worth remembering to value what there is now."

The Lightning Seeds - sense, 1992

"There's a certain school of distinctly British pop music characterized by a reserved, dignified demeanor and pretty, fragile melodies. The Lightning Seeds is one exponent of the genre that also includes such groups as Beautiful South and Trashcan Sinatras. The Seeds, mainly the one-man project of Liverpool artist-producer Ian Brodie, have more of a groove than their peers. Many of the songs tend to fall in the New Order camp, except that the vocals are more upfront than the rhythm tracks."

Fait-divers on Simone Weil, attention and generosity

“Attention is the rarest and purest form of generosity.” (Simone Weil)

Fait-divers on the essential again

Nervousness: the false belief that you matter.

Fait-divers on Keynes

I would rather be vaguely right than precisely wrong. (John Maynard Keynes)

Fait-divers on Borges and Babel

"the Library contained all books"

The Beatles - another girl, 1965

"In Barry Miles’ Many Years from Now, McCartney explains that he composed the song while on vacation in Tunisia. He wrote the lyrics and music in the bathroom of a private villa, due to its optimal acoustics. “Another Girl” was not released as a single, but McCartney resisted calling it merely album “filler.” “I think they were a bit more than that, and each one of them made it past the Beatles test,” McCartney told Miles. “We all had to like it. If anyone didn’t like one of our songs it was vetoed. It could be vetoed by one person. If Ringo said, ‘I don’t like that one,’ we wouldn’t do it — or we’d have to really persuade him.”

REM - at my most beautiful, 1998

"At My Most Beautiful" is a song by the American alternative rock band R.E.M. During the song's creation, members of the group noted its similarity to the work of the Beach Boys and purposefully fashioned it to resemble that band's output. Singer Michael Stipe strove to make his lyrics the most romantic he had ever written, and the piano-driven ballad became R.E.M.'s first straightforward love song. Released on the group's 1998 album Up, it was issued as the third single from that record the following year, reaching number 10 on the UK Singles Chart."

The National - fake empire, 2007

"Fake Empire" is a commentary about a generation lost to disillusion and apathy. Vocalist Matt Berninger further explained to The Quietus that it is about "where you can't deal with the reality of what's really going on, so let's just pretend that the world's full of bluebirds and ice skating."

The Beatles - not a second time, 1963

"Not a Second Time" is a song by English rock band the Beatles. It was written by John Lennon, though credited to the Lennon–McCartney partnership. It was first released on the Beatles second British album, With the Beatles, and their second American album Meet the Beatles!. Lennon said he was "trying to write a Smokey Robinson or something at the time." The song was recorded in nine takes on 11 September 1963 at EMI Studios."

The Go-Betweens - too much of one thing, 2003

"Fans of the Go-Betweens were happily amazed when Robert Forster and Grant McLennan reunited after 12 years and began recording again. This is the second product of their hopefully long-lived reunion. Recording in its native Australia, the duo added bassist and vocalist Adele Pickvance and drummer Glenn Thompson to the band for 2003's Bright Yellow Bright Orange. All the hallmarks of a great Go-Betweens record are here: memorable melodies, wry and literate (in Forster's case, literary) lyrics, Forster's dramatic vocals, and McLennan's sweet croon."

Pink Floyd - echoes segment two, 1970

"There's something that's specifically so individual about the way that Rick and I play in that, that you can't get someone to learn it and do it just like that."

Praia Pequena, ontem, dia 17 de Maio de 2025, de manhã

Saint Etienne - mario's cafe, 1993

"Though it had been written in 1991, Mario’s Cafe became the opening track on our second album, So Tough, in March 1993. The album cover had a distinctive ‘bunny ears’ font in green and gold. Not long after it came out, me and Pete were chuffed to see that a cafe called Flapjacks had opened on Kentish Town Road which borrowed both the font and the colour scheme. It was a funny way to show you were ‘home’, but there it was."

My Morning Jacket - death is my sleezy pay, 2001

"The rawness of the song emphasising Jim's voice along with some fantastic drumming. Lovely harmonica to bookend the song too."

The Cure - lullaby, 1989

"the song is about the disturbing songs his father sung to him as a kid, and the horrible ending they would always have."

Fait-divers on lullaby

"a lullaby is wonderful because it contains everything — it is poetry, it is music, it is performance"

Outros olhares: Escócia, Glencoe, ontem, dia 17 de Maio de 2025

Genesis - a trick of the tail, 1976

"The lyrics are inspired by the 1955 novel The Inheritors by British author William Golding. Like much of the album A Trick of the Tail, the song's lyrics focus on a specific character: the "Beast" who leaves his own kingdom and enters the world of humans. He is captured and put on display in a freak show after his captors refuse to believe in his kingdom. The Beast laments his decision to leave his home, describing it as a paradise covered in gold. His captors then release him in exchange for leading them to his world. However, just as they see what appears to be a "spire of gold", they find that the Beast has vanished, though they do hear his voice."