Music & Video – “Tugging Storytelling Tunes” – Track(s) of The Week – Sunday 13th March

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Following our feature focus on Mark Kozalek & Jimmy Lavalle, it was inevitable that our track of the week would emerge from this duo, although spoilt for choice we have plumped not for one, but for two tracks that have weened their way into our week.

 

 

Mark Kozalek & Jimmy Lavalle - PosterInfluences can often move in mysterious ways, especially when it comes to music, as in recent times, the sources of songs, tracks & tunes that tickle our fancy a whole lot broader than before, as not only do we still draw inspiration from the dancefloor, but now through film, theatre, television & radio, a wealth of wonder sounds coming our way, stretching our genre boundaries much further and in so doing, opening new doors to artists, bands & musical tastes we wouldn’t have ever thought of investigating. Indeed, through the medium of film, we were introduced to two terrific talents Mark Kozalek & Jimmy Lavalle, both playing a significant musical part in the soundtrack score for superb screenplay “Youth” which remains our most outstanding motion picture of 2016 so far, the headline track pointing us in Kozalek’s & Lavalle’s direction, thus opening a floodgate of other majestic pieces of music and prompting our feature focus, “Vivacious Vocalist & Impressive Instrumentalist”, one well worth a read by going to short link http://wpu.ir/dnh2g. Indeed, it was both “Youth” and this article that inspired our two choices for “Track of The Week”, both taken from their collaborative compilation, “Perils from the Sea”, an album of thirteen tremendous tunes reflecting their styles superbly, both artists combining creatively to produce moving music of dynamic depth & enormous emotion.

 

Mark Kozalek & Jimmy Lavalle - Banner 2

 

Somehow The Wonder Of Life PrevailsSo to the tracks and to “Somehow The Wonder Of Life Prevails”, of the two, the deeper & more emotionally stirring although not surprising given the lyrical content, talk of cancer, of death by road traffic accident, seeking refuge and talking girlfriend relationships, can only be a reflection of actual events & experiences in Kozelek’s life, such is specific nature of both the composition & order, yet is a track that takes you on a journey of exploration, we finding ourselves attaching to elements of the story of the song, relating to certain issues, such as cancer and loss of life due to accident. And while “Somehow The Wonder Of Life Prevails” pushes the boundaries of our normal taste in music, the dower nature of its fabric a departure from our usual house high norm, it somehow hits the mark, not least when we find ourselves in reflective mood as we do all too often these days. But what it does do is connect Kozelek with his adopted spiritual home of San Francisco, we strangely thinking of our beloved Johannesburg when we listen in the peace & quiet as you have to do in order to appreciate its beauty and brilliance, a terrific ten minute journey well worth taking.

 

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N5DYXa5nk1o[/youtube]

 

Mark Kozalek - Ceiling GazingNow if you were thinking the next tune would lift you to a much joyous level, think again, as “Ceiling Gazing” takes you on yet another journey in Mark’s life it seems, talk of jetlag from Australia, a family funeral, all amidst other family talk including his father & sister, the lyrics are so precise that they cannot belie anything else but his real world experiences. But it is the nub of the song, the references to ceiling gazing that found favour with both the producer & director of film “Youth”, this track sitting squarely in the middle of the movie in what is perhaps the most emotive scene of the spectacular screenplay, when Michael Caine’s & Harvey Keitel’s characters lie prone in the outdoor heated pool gaspingly agog as a naked Miss World sinks into the water next to them. Yet somehow the track fits the film like a glove, the line “…I want to reach out and give her my love…” hitting the time in motion bullseye even if the deeper meaning was Kozelek taking about the relationship he has with is sister. But it is Lavalle’s influence that comes to bear much more on this production, the cathedral like presence of his percussion emotional eerie enough to elevate this head turning tune into something quite spine chillingly stunning, one that could easily be destined for our track of the year, the combination of Mark’s vivacious vocals & Jimmy’s impressive instrumentals truly spellbinding.

 

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M7yYMfjVNJc [/youtube]

 

Having been wanting to share “Ceiling Gazing for a while now, the week we have ahead seemed the most appropriate time to do so, although we will admit both this and “Somehow the Wonder Of Life Prevails” are not the most upbeat of sounds around, but are, through their depth & depravity, strangely serene and so champion choices for this week in our year so far. (DISCO MATT)

 

Mark Kozalek & Jimmy Lavalle - Banner Bottom 2

 

About discomatt

The History........................................................Created in 2008 after a short period of blogging under his real name, the pseudonym, “Disco Matt”, was born on the back of a reputation for being London’s original party boy having partied and clubbed across the London gay scene since in mid 1990’s.........................................................Through his series of blogs via individual blogging pages which soon morphed into a full blown website (http://discomatt.com), Disco Matt established himself as an independent journalist come columnist who quickly gained a reputation for supporting & promoting one of the world’s most prolific clubbing scenes. He previewed, reviewed & recommended London gay clubs, as well as the diverse gay/metrosexual London club/bar culture, linking to & reviewing the scene top D.J.’s and generally covering the gay scene including international gay events....................................................Regularly reporting on the top events across the scene, Disco Matt’s reviews, over the years, developed a strong following, not just by clubbers, D.J’s, promoters, music producers & scene faces, but people far and wide that were looking for an insight to the incredible scene that was London. He also previewed upcoming events that signalled, either a major change or update of existing clubs, new ventures on the gAylist/metrosexual scene, or where he considered events that deserved more comprehensive coverage to that provided in other posts.............................................However, having pretty much reached the top of his game in his chosen specific field, due to a number of personal predicaments, challenges & changes in his life priorities, Disco Matt parked his writing and operation in February 2014. While the burning desire to continue remained, what this much needed period of inactivity did provide was the time & space to re-think & re-focus his activities on a broader spectrum of media and entertainment............................................................So, following this long two year lay-off, he built up the foundations for this diversification into the areas of film, theatre, radio & television where his reviewing, recommending & reporting was to be replicated & resurrected, also pointing his promotions through more visuals & video's linked to all these areas along with his core activities and passions ................................................................................The Present....................................After another (shorter) period of lay-off from mid 2016, a life changing event reignited his passion and early into 2017, Disco Matt has delivered on his promise for a new, more modern look to his website, shedding the old & tired skin in favour of something far more in keeping with the times and with his blogging roots. And he has waived a fond farewell to his clubbing days, this having also been ditched from his site & activity, rather now just focussing on the genres of film, theatre, radio, television, video and of course, music, in so doing, aiming to broaden his appeal to a much wider audience interested in the latest most cutting edge areas of media & entertainment.............................................................................His aim is to be highly regarded across the industry for his writing in these fields and ultimately become a full time critic in film &/or theatre.