Thom Yorke has done it again: "Anima"

Thom Yorke's new album was "the album" I was waiting for since its announcement and it hit the  digital platforms on June 27th (CD & Vinyl to follow). The album is called "Anima" and it totally deserves the title even after the first listening.

Once can find many meanings in the album within a wide range of concepts from the Latin word anima that describes ideas such as breath, soul or spirit to the Jung's anima that describes the inner feminine side of men.

Credit: Alex Lake

Even better, a short film by Paul Thomas Anderson has also been released on Netflix to accompany the album that really reflects the soul of "Anima".

Here is the official trailer.

And if you want to watch the full film, here's the Netflix link (obviously that will work only for members).

Watch Anima on Netflix

So what's special for me about this album? First of all, it's mostly an electronic album. Thom Yorke has been using a vast amount of electronics in his solo albums but at the same time there is an amazing human element in almost all the songs. The balance between both worlds is what it makes his albums so great...Normally for any listener and any kind of music, the first listening experience of a new song merely satisfies, and to really enjoy a song is only possible after a few rewind and plays. However with Thom Yorke's Anima, this is not the case. The whole 9 songs capture the listener right from the first bars. Second of all, the whole album is like a story that you never wish to end. The flow of the songs and the sounds can easily pull the listener into Thom Yorke's story and the good thing is you don't even care what the story is about. Actually it can be the listener's story or maybe his/her dreams that s/he wishes to remember in the morning. 

As always the case with Radiohead's or Yorke's pieces, the lyrics complement the music in a very powerful way. He very well depicts the dystopian world we live in and questions how deprived we are from joy and fulfillment.

Also a big kudos to Nigel Godrich who has been a long time producer/collaborator of Thom Yorke and was responsible for almost all the musical arrangements in this recording.

Even the promotion for the release of the album was rather interesting and carried out by strange viral ads in London's various tube stations. Here is one of them...

Thank you Thom Yorke for your anxieties, melancholy and above all, your honesty.
Now I leave you and Thom Yorke tete-a-tete with this beautiful song called "Dawn Chorus".

Enjoy the album in moderation, otherwise you might be sucked into it!

Five Songs for the Weekend - XXXIII -

Sorry for the couple of breaks during this month, many business travels had to be made but here I am with another weekend list. It seems that a quite hot summer is ahead of us, especially in Europe. The festivals, open air concerts and many other live acts will even add more heat to this summer. So keep on following what's going on in your own towns and never stop listening...
One of the highlights for me is the Kamasi Washington concert on July 10th. I am sure a dedicated post will come right after the show.

As John Keats once said;

"Heard melodies are sweet, but those unheard are sweeter. 
Therefore, ye soft pipes, play on."

And here is this weekend's list;

• Snarky Puppy feat. Shayna Steele - "Gone Under"

• Exotourisme - "Tornado Alley"

• Jerry Garcia - "Russian Lullaby"

• Julia Holter - "So Lillies"

• Jimi Tenor & Tony Allen - "Cella's Walk"

Hope you have a great weekend.

nb. You can open the actual youtube page by clicking the name on the upper left side of each video.

Electro Expo in Paris

I have always liked the musical exhibitions. Especially the ones in the relatively new Paris Philharmonie as the area is quite interesting for a music lover.
You can visit the Philharmonie hall, check out the current/future concerts, just across the street you can visit one of the largest musical instrument stores in Paris and walk around Cité de la Musique for various music events.

And that's exactly what I did couple of weeks ago but obviously the highlight of the day was the "Electro Expo".

The expo will continue until August 11th. I highly recommend the visit not only to people who are interested in electronic music but to all music lovers.
The visitors can experience the genre's historical development (including the instruments), interactions with other forms of art.
The soundtrack of the exhibition is prepared by the great French DJ Laurent Garnier and can be found in the below link below (sorry only the track names). I don't know why there is not a Spotify playlist dedicated for the expo...

Soundtrack of the Expo

Here are some photos I took from the visit.

The only thing that was missing in the expo was the British "New Wave" scene that was highly popular in the world especially during the 80s. I am sure it deserved a mention somewhere between Kraftwerk and Daft Punk.

Anyhow if you are in Paris and have the time, do visit the exhibition, you will not regret it..

Five Songs for the Weekend - XXXII -

I hope you have missed the weekend songs list after a 2 weeks break. During the holiday part of my trip I had the opportunity to visit a great exhibition on "Electronic Music" in Paris which will be a topic of another post in the very near future.

As Pat Conroy once said;

 “Without music, life is a journey through a desert."

And here is this weekend's list;

• Fela Kuti - "Zombie"

• Scott Walker - "Epizootics!"

• Jon Batiste - "St. James Infirmary Blues"

• Haruomi Hosono - "Sports Men"

• Young-Holt Unlimited - "Soulful Strut"

Hope you have a great weekend.

nb. You can open the actual youtube page by clicking the name on the upper left side of each video.