RW11

For the past few days, our gang of losers lived of canned food and live music at our annual rock'n'roll orgy : Rock Werchter.

As always, it was memorable.
For the first time, the temperature didnt climb in the 40°C and it was nice to not feel like we were gonna melt any second.
Like every year, we thought we had gotten lost, only to miraculously surface right where we had to be.
Like every year, that happy mistake started our festival on the right foot.

After weeks apart, stuck with our nose in our books, the freedom was exhilarating.
We had beer and crisps for breakfast and slushees for dinner, impromptus dances and happy sing-alongs, we shared many cuddles and many more fits of laughter.
It was perfect.

I don't think it's possible to do justice to Werchter in a post, but here are some personal highlights of the festival :

* Seasick Steve was the first artist that we saw.
After some heavy lifting and campsite building, it was great to chill in the sun while listening to
his raspy voice.
The best part of his gig was when he brought none other than the great John Paul Jones on
stage. The sight of this living legend next to Steve and his homemade guitar was really one to
behold and it was the perfect start to 4 days of great music.

* The Queens Of The Stone Age were awesome.
They started their set with Feelgood Hit Of The Summer which was a great way to put us all
straight in the mood. I loved dancing with Mr K. to Make It Wit Chu and getting to see the
beast that is Josh Homme on stage again was super cool. I did'nt expect any less from them but
man, they did not disappoint.

* The 13 year old in me almost fainted when she read that Linkin Park was gonna be playing
on the first day, mostly because when I was thirteen I was obsessed with Hybrid Theory and
woke up every morning with it blasting in my room.
To be honest, I didn't expect them to be that great and just wanted to see them on the chance
that I'd get to hear my teenage soundtrack live but they surprised us all -even baby brother
who really isn't a fan of their stuff.
They threw hit song after hit song at us and really gave an awesome show.
If you were a fan too when you were a kid, it's really worth it to see them live.

* On Friday, I couldn't wait to see Lissie and also to know what my brother would think of her
live seeing that me and the Mister had seen her already and were hooked.
I'm happy to report that N. loved her too and that they were even better than the last time we
saw them. Clearly, I wasn't the only one thinking that because the audience was really showing
her some major loving, singing to every song and clapping like mad.
Also, I wanna say again how fucking awesome her band is; her guitarist is one of the best I've
seen.
Remember the name Eric Sullivan because one day the man is gonna be HUGE.

* Two years ago, I was in a heat induced dazed when White Lies took the stage and I couldn't
be bothered to get my head away from its comfortable resting place (read : Mr K.'s lap)
to watch them. Still, even if I was half asleep, I heard enough for me to be excited to see them
live again.
Their performance was really good and their mellow music was just what we needed to chill in
the grass.

* To say that we were pumped to see Arctic Monkeys would be the understatement of the
year.
We've been fans ever since their first EP got out and we were ready to sing at the top of our
lungs !
From the beginning to the end, they were awesome and it was so great to get to enjoy their gig
together.
Also, I don't know if you heard me all the way on stage Alex, but just in case you didn't, and just
in case you pass by here : some of us actually were ecstatic that you played Cornerstone.

* On Saturday, it really was a shame that we were so little to have schlepped to the festival site
to see Rival Sons because they really rocked. They had been advertised as being very reminiscent of Led Zeppelin and they definitely lived up to that title. What better way to start the day than with some fat riffs right ?

* We were a bit skeptical as we were walking to the Marquee to see The Pretty Reckless, mainly because her bratty attitude makes it hard to focus on her music.
Once there though, and once we got over the fact that all her bandmates were old enough to have fathered her twice, we actually enjoyed her performance.
You can't say that the girl doesn't give it her all and she was very sweet with her audience, going as far as to cuddle (and lapdance for) some blushing groupies.
Live, her songs really come to life and if you've got the chance, it's worth checking them out.

* Taylor Momsen's performance was followed by Jenny and Johnny's gig.
Just as they came on stage, the sun started to shine and as I lay comfortably on Mr K.'s lap, listening to their beachy music I couldn't help but think that all that was missing really was a cocktail with a little umbrella in it. Perfect summer soundtrack !

* I Blame Coco took the stage next and woke us all up.
She delivered a really solid performance and since she was accompanied by a band on stage, her songs sounded a lot more edgier than on her CD which was really cool and quite unexpected.
I'd definitely go if she was ever touring here again and I'd encourage you to do the same :)

* We really didn't know what to expect of Bright Eyes.
Knowing only their mellower songs, we weren't sure of how it was gonna sound live at a festival.
Turns out, we shouldn't have worried.
While many words (amongst them, memorable) could be used to describe their gig, mellow really isn't one of them.
On some songs they almost sounded like a garage band and Road To Joy was the perfect way to end a great set.

* Portishead played as the sun was setting and frankly they couldn't have played at a better time. Beth Gibbons haunting voice serenaded us and put the festival site in a dreamlike trance.

* Our day ended with Underworld's performance and boy, what a way to end the day that was.
They took us back to a time when wearing Buffalo platform shoes and popping X was all the rage and threw us one motherfucking party while doing so.
I don't know how many we were but enough for it to be crazy when we all started dancing like maniacs to the tune of Born Slippy.
Thankfully, the song didn't inspire Mr K. to pull a Spud on me because frankly, in a tent, that would have been plain old nasty.

* When we got to The Vaccines's gig, we couldn't quite believe that it was Sunday morning already.
This year, time at Rock Werchter really seemed to fly and it's with a heavy heart that we schlepped to the field one last time.
Thank God though, The Vaccines were exactly what we needed and after their gig we felt better and ready to enjoy every second of our last day.

* Kasabian was really great and I kid of regretted never having paid more attention to their music before. I loved how different they were from what we'd heard since then and I definitely will dust off my old Kasabian CD to get ready for the next time I see them live !

* The last artist that we saw live was Robyn.
I have absolutely no idea of what she was on when she took the stage but I want some !
Girl was on fire, pulling some crazy moves on us that even had me jealous - and I'm the inventor of a little gem I like to call "the constipated skier".
She had us all dancing and I couldn't have thought of a better way to cap off 4 amazing days.
Tack !


After 4 way too short days, we headed back home, filled with happy memories and, what else, singing at the top of our lungs in the car.
Like each time, it was one of the highlights of my year and I'm already looking forward to next year's edition.

Thanks for those 4 days boys.
It was absolutely perfect.

x, K.

Bruges-la-morte.

To most people, Bruges is either a kitschy town filled with lace and chocolates, or the place where disgraced hitmen come to hide.

Not to me.

When I was in high school, we were made to read Rodenbach's Bruges-la-morte and that book influenced forever my outlook on the city.

To me, Bruges is a city of mysteries, ghosts and gargoyles.

Our recent trip to the medieval city did nothing to change that.

It was winter and, as we were hopping from one bar to another and the night progressed, the streets emptied and soon, we were the only shadows walking in the city, the only sound being the echo of our footsteps.

That night, Bruges was filled with a particularly low mist which gave you the feeling that you were walking through clouds.

Add to that the gorgeous medieval buildings and the dim street lights and well, you get a pretty mystical experience.

Yesterday, we were back to that enchanting city to catch a Russian Circles gig.

Boy, were they awesome.

The location in itself was super cool, a big warehouse next to a skatepark.

Once there, we were in for another mystical experience.

That gig was literally one of the best I have ever seen.

The melodies were so powerful and so emotional and soon, the entire audience was communing with them, a sea of heads bobbing in unison.

I see it as no coincidence that their technical team had chosen to bathe them in mist and to make the light come from behind the band, giving it a very haunted like feeling.

As we walked out to our car, once more alone in the misty streets, there it was again, the feeling that the city had a life of its own.

I'm not sure that I really believe in ghosts, but if I did, I definitely know where to find them.

x, K.

Russian Circles * Young Blood

Sixto.

* Photograph by Zohar Lindenbaum

There are many things in life that I think are unfair.

I don't understand why meat has to taste so good.

I've already given up eating pretty cows and adorable lambs and very seldom eat poultry , but how can you stop eating those cute piggies when there is such a thing as bacon ?

Every time someone mentions Babe, I cringe, revolted at how unfair it is that pigs are so cute and yummy.

I don't understand either why my hair always seems to act up on the worst days.

If I'm going to be photographed or even if I only need to look remotely decent for one reason or another, you can be certain that my otherwise rather straight hair will turn into what can only be described as a dead sheep's mane.

U-n-f-a-i-r.

There aren't many things in my life that seem as unfair as Sixto Rodriguez's lack of recognition though.

Once you listen to his songs, you start questioning Bob Dylan and you definitely lose all respect for the Black Keys.

Sixto Rodriguez abandoned his music career in the 70s after his albums kind of flopped in the US and his record label folded.

I'm convinced that, would he have kept on recording songs, he would be right up there next to Bob and his harmonica.

Sixto Rodriguez has a beautiful raspy voice, with a sexy rustiness to it.

His melodies vary from rather simple (Sugarman) to full on rock'n'roll (Only Good For Conversation).

He sadly only released two albums, but both are little gems that you can listen to over and over again without getting tired of them.

Apparently, he now is a huge star in South Africa.

I really hope that the rest of the world catches on so that he gets the recognition that he deserves -and hopefully, so that he releases a new album.

One of my favorite songs of his is Halfway Up The Stairs but it's nowhere to be found so instead I'm gonna leave you with the link to I Wonder, another favorite.

Enjoy !

x K.

Son Of Sam.

Those of you who are fans of the incredibly talented artist that was Elliott Smith will have recognized the reference in this blog's title - taken from his beautiful song Twilight.

I got to know his music thanks to Mr K. who himself owes this discovery to a BMX video.

I loved him from the very beginning.

His melodies and his voice were the perfect soundtrack to a perfect summer, back when we had just moved into our new apartment.

It feels like we listened to Coming Up Roses and Southern Belle for two months straight every day.

Back then though, I didn't really grasp the depth of his music.

To me, he was more a noise in the background, the perfect companion to mellow evenings and bottles of wine on the terrace.

It's only when I started paying attention to his lyrics that I became hooked.

Once you dig up a little and find out stuff about his life, you actually feel like you're hearing his pain in every song.

He seemed to be a tortured soul, which made for gorgeous, emotionally charged songs.

Last summer, N. gave me a great biography of him which all but turned me from fan to groupie.

It feels now like I can link some songs to some events of his life, which makes them even more special to me.

While his life was cut short way too soon, he did manage to get a nice amount of songs out there and I like to discover new ones all the time.

Elliott Smith's discography feels to me like a box filled with all my favorite chocolates : I can pick whichever one without minding the wrapper's color and know that it will be scrumptious.

Even though I'm a sucker for everything he did, his self-titled album is still one of my favorites.

I have lost count of the number of nights where he sang me to sleep.

The scene in The Royal Tenenbaums where Richie slits his wrists to Needle in The Hay might very well be one of my fave movie moments of all time and whenever I reach an all time low, I can't help but think that that's exactly the song that I would pick too.

Contrary to popular belief though, Elliott Smith isn't a gloomy artist suitable only for depressed people.

His songs are great to sing along to when you're cruising in your car and they're even better to slow dance to with your boyfriend.

Below are my 10 favorite Elliott Smith songs, in no particular order :

* Twilight

* Coming Up Roses

* Son Of Sam

* Miss Misery

* Southern Belle

* Angeles

* Needle In The Hay

* Memory Lane

* Let's Get Lost

* Pictures Of Me

My only regret is that I discovered him too late to get to see him perform.

That's definitely the first thing that I'll do once I go up in the air.

x, K.

Bones ! Bones ! Bones, bones, bones, bones !

Dead Man's Bones is awesome.

Actually, Dead Man's Bones is one of my current favorite bands and it has nothing to do with the fact that Ryan Gosling is in it.
No sir.

If my poor overheated brain remembers good, I discovered them thanks to a really cool mixtape I found online.
Back then, they had only released "My body's a zombie for you" and the combination of the genius title/bandname really made me want to know more about them.
also the fact that that song was really great.

After patiently waiting for what seemed like forever, I finally got my hands on their eponymous album.
Let me just say : Pure magic.

Dead Man's Bones feels like a mix of all my favorite things : Halloween, Nightmare on Christmas, poetry and bizarre-ness.
It summons images of cabinet of curiosities, taxidermy and venenous flowers.



I'm pretty sure Edgar Allan Poe would have loved it if the old fella was still around and there is no doubt in my mind that the Ghasthycrumb tinies would twirl to the sound of "Flowers go out of my grave".



Dead Man's Bones will kick start your day with "Pa Pa Power", keep you energized with "Dead Man's Bones", make you fear bedtime with "In The Room Where You Sleep" yet still take you off to dreamland with the hypnotic beauty that is "Buried in Water".

The album achieves something not unlike what Neil Yound did with Harvest : there really are no songs to throw away on it and you can listen to it over and over again without getting sick of it, the songs melting perfectly into one another.

I could talk about that band for another shitload of paragraphs but instead, I will end this post with a quote from the one and only Mr K. :
"Actually, it is pretty obvious that Ryan Gosling is a musician that also acts, and not the opposite."

x, K.

Hell, even their cover art kicks ass.