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.
Influences 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.
So 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]
Now 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)
