Moshe Peretz-There's No One Like You

I have to admit that Moshe Peretz is my secret guilty pleasure and celebrity crush. He just seems to be so...sweet. His songs are great, but I'm not always in the mood. But when it comes to New Years Eve they're perfect-especially this song. People always do embarrassing stuff on New Years and "lose control" and part of that is dancing to Moshe Peretz-even if you're as white as a wall. And after a VERY apollonian week I really need to pay my respects to Dionysus. Sorry, but I'm starting to talk like the lit student that I am. Anyways, party on and see you in 2011!

You're like the sun warming my heart
And it's the good flavor
How in life I learned how much it hurts
To not be with you anymore
Because only with you I allow myself to be
However I want to be

Because there's no one that likes me like you
For me you'll become all of the world/change all the world
Who will give me what you give
No one

I was and will always be there for you
And to you I'll give everything
How is it that I always want to be by your side
Maybe stop asking
Because only with you I allow myself to be
However I want to be

Because there's no one...

www.mosheperez.co.il

Quami and the Halvoth with Fortis-Squeeze Me

This song has been playing on the radio for quite a while and it's getting pretty hard to escape it and not like it. At first I thought it was a catchy tune but pretty silly and typical Fortis madness but it's really grown on me. It's not a love song, but it has some very romantic lines (you'll swim with me and squeeze me forever). It may be bitter and angry, but at least it's honest. It's such a...guy anthem-which may be what makes it so great. It's been quite a while since I heard such an honest and funny song. And it's super catchy.

I don't wanna be the meat for her canons
I don't wanna be a nail for her hammers
Not an electric chair for her nerves
Oh-woah
I don't wanna be an accessory for her collection
Not ready to drown in her waves again
Her indifferent ones

And you'll teach me how to swim
In your huge spaces
Teach me teach me how to swim
In your parallel worlds
And you'll squeeze me
You'll squeeze me
You'll squeeze me slowly
You'll squeeze me
You'll squeeze me
You'll swim with me and squeeze me forever

I'm not a tag in a picture on her wall
I'm not a stuffed head on her wall
I'm not another name for her name dropping
Oh-woah
I don't wanna be a refuge for her divorce
And not an area for her to try to conquer
for what

And you'll teach me how to swim
In your huge spaces
Teach me teach me how to swim
In your dark dreams
And you'll squeeze me
You'll squeeze me
You'll squeeze me slowly
You'll squeeze me
You'll squeeze me
You'll swim and squeeze me forever

And while you're reading Dostoyevski
I'm lying under your window
The radio is playing songs by Fortis
And I'm flipping over in my world

I don't wanna be meat for her canons, a road for her car, a bag for the shells of her seeds
The one that can't say a word, the bottom of her beer, I don't wanna be the refuge of her divorce
Oh-I became n iPod in it
There's not one MP that hasn't been deleted from her
I went to switch the light bulb in my brain, don't understand why it went out-klak klak oh oh
Fuck it's my heart slowing to-stillness
And my city is flooded with so much of nothing
And until you came I lost trust in every glance that just peeked at the scars of a flawed thing like me, there's a lifesaver
Something's saying that I won't drown. The question: Do you also want to swim with me?

And you'll teach me to swim
In your huge spaces
Teach me teach me how to swim
In your parallel dreams
And you'll squeeze me
You'll squeeze me
You'll squeeze me
You'll swim with me and squeeze me for ever

And while tou're reading Dostoyevski
I'm lying under your window
On the radio they're playing songs by Fortis
And I'm flipping over in my world

www.myspace.com/quamidelafox

www.4tis.com

p.s. happy x-mas to those celebrating :)

Karolina-Smile 2 Me

Today was such a beautiful day. And for a change it was nice to enjoy a warm spring day in the middle of December without feeling too bad. Or guilty. Because earlier in the week it rained so much that I'm actually able to appreciate clear sunny days again. I wish it was like that all the time-A few rainy days and then a few sunny days-preferably during the weekend. Another thing that I unfortunately don't really appreciate is the fact that the country is so small and that access to shining talents is so easy. Especially when the university invites them to stop by for a concert and interview for free (for us students at least). Which is exactly what they did with the amazing Karolina. There have been other free concerts, but I didn't really go partly because I had other plans or too much homework and partly because I just wasn't interested enough. But there was no chance I'd miss Karolina-I even passed on Beauty and the Geek. Karolina is just like you see her in this video and even better. She is so talented, down to earth and just plain funny. Among other things, she also talked about this video and how it took over a year to make. She would take out her "uniform" and She and Kutiman would walk in Tel Aviv looking for locations. But you can't ignore the fact that people change a bit over time and I think this only adds charm to the video. Kutiman is also a very talented guy and if you hadn't heard about him or his Thru you project yet you really should. The most impressive thing about him is that it's pretty obvious that he spends so much of his time doing what he likes and the results are pretty amazing.
It's also pretty cool to recognize some of the spots in this video :)

www.myspace.com/mckarolina

www.thru-you.com

Idan Raichel and Aviv Geffen-Thorns

I always love it when two musicians meet and spontaneously decide to work together. Everything feels so much more...natural and this is no exception. Aviv Geffen wrote and produced while Idan Raichel did the singing and reminded me exactly why he's so successful. A very pretty and melancholic song. Thankfully the fire is behind us but the damage remains. This may be a song about a person realizing his failure to achieve his dream but it also seems to me to be a sort of in between song between devastation and recovery. I hope the 44 families who lost their loved ones in the fire, and the ones who lost their homes, are on their way to recovery.

Thorns, that's all what's left in me
The flowers you gave me withered meanwhile
Ways, in which I went
Now I'm retracing my footsteps
After I couldn't find what I was looking for
Everyone has the right to dream
Paper boats in the water
I only wanted to sail as far away as I could
I'm a man from nowhere
Looking for just a reason to breathe
Look, I built us a house
When he was born I gave what I didn't have
Thorns, forcefully reminding
Don't allow to forget
Stabbing us and not letting go

www.myspace.com/theidanraichelproject

www.myspace.com/avivgeffen

Haivrit-She was 20

What an awful way to start the weekend. When I first heard that there was a fire in the Carmel I felt sad because the Carmel is (or more exactly was) one of my favorite places to hike. Especially in the area near the university which was called "Little Switzerland". Not to mention my fond horseback memories from Beit Oren. But I also thought that this was just an unfortunate fire, like the one that was in Ramat HaGolan a few months ago. I sadly learned that wasn't just a small fire that got a bit out of hand- it was much much worse. We are such a small country that no doubt that even people in Eilat feel complete sympathy for the citizens in the North. It seems that we are all praying for some kind of Hannukah miracle and for the rain, which has decided to appear more than fashionably late this year, to suddenly come pouring down. One of my friends posted on facebook that he remembers how two years ago his unit made a tee shirt (they have a habit of making tee shirts for almost any occasion) after Oferet which read "the menorah wasn't the only thing on fire last Hannukah". Sadly, this is very true, in a very different way, this year. Last night I went to a friend's birthday party and we had a great time. Because no matter how sad things seem to be, life has to go on. We learned that when we were teens during the second Intifadah. Actually we probably learned it much earlier from our parents. Of course, we talked about the fire. You can't ignore what happens. But we made jokes, in our own cynical way. For example, we joked that like neighboring countries are helping out by bringing water (even Turkey, much to our shock), Iran will probably come with helicopters pouring oil. Silly stuff like that. Which brings me to this week's song. HaIvrit (the Hebrew) is an alternative rock band that mainly achieved success from their single "Mesibat Cita" (Class Party). Although they have other really good songs they didn't quite make the galgaltz playlist like Mesibat Cita. I personally felt that the band had a great sound which was so refreshing considering what else was out there. Now they have a new album and released the first single off it "She was 20". This a great song-fluffy in its contents with the main emphasize on the music. It also seems to me to be a very Tel Avivish song although I can't exactly explain how. Perfect for a bit of escapism from nonstop news about deaths and fires and possible intention and all that stuff. We 20ish year olds need this escapism to just hear a song with good music -nothing too sad or thoughtful -and be able to enjoy it. Of course I'm still devasted about the fire and no doubt will check on updates from the news, and more importantly from friends and family in the north, but it doesn't hurt to "chill" for 3 minutes listening to this song.

The girl you knew/I already tried to hide
I delayed in the office/ carpets from wall to wall
I didn’t intend to meet you/the door is locked
The sounds you heard there/are not because of her

How could I tell you
How could I tell you

When we drove to Zichron/I wanted to come back
And I thought on the way/of the trick with the tongue
She was only 20
I felt like a soldier/staying at the base with the weapon in his hand

How could I tell you
How could I tell you

http://www.myspace.com/haivrit

http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/meast/12/03/israel.forest.fires/index.html