Unit 1: Hey 5ab! What are you listening to?

Watch what people are listening to in New York and London :)

LONDON:



NEW YORK:



What are YOU listening to?

Unit 1: Music (books, movies)

Books:

• Nick Hornby: High Fidelity

Movies:

• High Fidelity (based on the novel by Nick Hornby)
• Walk the Line (Johnny Cash biography)
• Ray (Ray Charles biography)
• Almost Famous (groupies)
• Shine a Light (The Rolling Stones)
• Help (The Beatles)
• Hair, Chicago, The Rocky Horror Show, Grease (popular musicals)

To be continued...

Unit 1: Music

I really like bands that are not "mainstream", but they are hard to find. Fortunately I have a few good friends with unerring good taste, who help me broaden my musical horizons. And if they are not available for one reason or the other: I have just discovered the benefits of modern technology... I've been using an app called "Shazam" for a while and it's brilliant! Within a few seconds it identifies a song that's broadcast on the radio or the internet. That's pretty cool, because you can't always rely on "track-service". But it's also useful when you go out. For example, I went to "Lendhafencafé" to have a nice evening with some friends and suddenly I noticed that my feet were moving to the rhythm of a song. So, what should I do? Ask the waiter? Ok, you can do this once or twice, but not all the time. So I just took out my cellphone and started the app and - it did find the track, the album, the artist and even the cover. Just in case you're interested in what it was: "Zoot Woman: Information First". I think I liked it, because it has got a good beat.

However, most of the time I don't care about the beat. It's the tune and the lyrics that matter to me. Washed Out's "Eyes be Closed" helps me relax and cleanse my mind (and I think, it's primarily the tune that does the job). When it comes to lyrics, I'm quite impressed by Ima Robot's "Lovers in Captivity" and Joan As Police Woman's "Nervous" at the moment. I think they have strong voices, meaningful lyrcis and tremendous power.

Now you might think that I'm not a pop or rock fan. That's not true. Bruce Springsteen is one of my favorite musicians, because his songs often have a message and I love his performance in concert. And Leonard Cohen always moves me to tears.

Since I really like listening to music, I've spent some money on good earphones and a good stereo system lately and I'm playing with the idea of buying a record player and vinyls...

Lyrics: The Ghost of Tom Joad