Yuval Mendelson and the Lobsters - Blue Beetle

I remember hearing Sheygets' "My father is a lawyer" for the first time when I was about 15 and being just blown away. I think it was the first time I heard an Israeli rock song of my time that I could really identify with. I was discovering at the time (2004) excellent music from the 90s and before, but there wasn't much new music that really interested me (that I remember anyway). But then I heard Sheygets and I could relate so well to the music and especially the lyrics "I haven't done a thing but I have everything and if I'm hungry I have food to eat" not to mention the harsh and honest critique "They're talking here of recession, I don't feel it at all. And the poverty line seems light years away. We'll buy them cheap and then sell, sell expensively". My friend dissed them as wannabe punk, but looking back, they're Israeli punk at its best, and their music is still very relevant today. I had so much fun rediscovering their music, so here are some must-see videos: One of Sheyget's first songs, "New York Rafiach" from 2001 is a timeless anthem and you can still hear teens today shouting with the lyrics at bonfires "this world sucks from New York to Raffah, wherever you turn around, you'll always find an enemy". "My father is a lawyer" is from their second album, which also features Oy Vavoi - did someone say Foo Fighters? In 2006, they released their third album with the radio hits "Olympic Contest" and "The Prettiest Words". Two years later, as part of Israel's 60th celebrations, they released a mini album with covers of old Israeli songs like "Hello you wonderful country". To understand what a brilliant cover it is, check out Yoram Gaon's original. Sheygets' songs are full of cynicism, but something tells me that the way they sing  "it's good to wander but even better to come back" is heartfelt.
I was a bit in shock when I saw the video for Yuval Mendelson's first single with his new band after the breakup of Sheygets. The rebellious, energetic, and boyish guy was replaced by someone much calmer and older, though still very boyish. The song felt like something you'd hear on a Saturday after a wild party, which I loved, but it was very different from Sheygets' style. But then again, we got older, too. Blue Beetle, music and lyrics by the very talented Yaheli Sobol, is more playful, but there's also a heaviness that complements it and makes it much more interesting. The lyrics and video don't exactly match up - maybe a play on childhood games vs. real life? I might be looking into it too much, but I'm raising the question because Mendelson directed the video and each song from his album The Geometrical Shape plays out like a little movie. You can tell that a lot of thought was put into each song, and there's something for everyone, but it still remains coherent and enjoyable from start to finish. If you've just discovered Sheygets and are bummed that they split, I don't think you'll be disappointed. It still carries the spirit of Sheygets, especially tracks 5, 7 and 11, but it sounds much more personal, intimate, and mature. In between Sheygets and the Lobsters, Mendelson turned to a film career and directed the horror comedy Cats on a Pedal Boat about a cat who falls into the contaminated Yarkon river and causes havoc for a teenage couple. Sounds cult-worthy, and I still regret missing the screening. Israel needs more comedies! "Israeli Intelligence" is gold, but it needs more companions to even out all the serious dramas. That being said, the music scene really needs more music like Yuval Mendelson and the Lobsters.

For already a year I've been trying to hold on the hope
That someone will return her to me
Maybe it will be a memory that will pass in her mind
Or maybe some song that she'll listen to and will remind her of me

Every time a blue beetle passes through the street
It seems that she's inside it and she will stop
She continues down the street
You had your chance
Now she ran away

If only I could see that the end was near
I wouldn't have talked how I talked
Why is it so hard to understand when it's the one
To appreciate what you have when you still can

Every time a blue beetle passes...

Now she ran away
I don't know what
To do with all the love
That remains

Arisa feat. Omer Adam - Tel Aviv

The Tel Aviv Pride Week (which along the way became Tel Aviv Pride Month) is marking this year 20 years of pride! There have been events all week and this Friday is the highly anticipated Parade and Beach Party. I've written a bit about the parades in Tel Aviv and outside of it last year. I'm not sure what the theme is this year, but this awesome video touches on the delicate subject of Mizrahim (Northern Africa/Middle East descent) and Gay culture. Talking about ethnicity in 2013 is a bit of a faux pas because a lot of people (especially the younger generation) would like to believe that we've come a long way concerning the sometimes tense relations between Ashkenazi and Sephardic jews and there's really no need to be talking about it today. We have come a long way, but you can't deny that there's still friction, and like in Feminism once you open your eyes, you see certain things that were so easy and convenient to overlook. This video is very fitting for the 20th anniversary of pride in Tel Aviv because its concept would never have been imagined 20 years ago and maybe even 10 years ago as well. The credit for the video goes to Arisa, which prides itself in being "The first Mizrahi Gay party line" formed just two years ago, in 2011. Over the last two years, Arisa has hosted some great parties, and made some really excellent (and controversial) clips to promote them featuring "old-school" Mizrahi artists like Zahava Ben, Liat Banay, and Rinat Bar as opposed to mainstream Mizrahi pop a.k.a Moshe Peretz/Lior Narkis and of course Eyal Golan. (I just now noticed the gender difference. Very interesting...) On one hand the music is much better - its more authentic and a much needed reminder that not all Mizrahi music is conceived with the thought of commercial success. On the other hand, it's a bit of a shame that the bigger names aren't joining in on the party thus possibly making a positive difference on how their fans (who are generally more conservative) view Gay culture and Gay rights. I read in an interview that Lior Narkis was supposed to perform at one of the parties but right before the PR he got cold feet. There's also been talk (forever, it seems) of a high profile Mizrahi artist who refused to leave the closet and when confronted strongly denied the rumors. I don't really care if he is/isn't but when you look around and see that not only are there no big Mizrahi artists outside of the closet but also that none of them want to associate themselves with the gay culture it doesn't paint a pretty picture. Omer Adam took a huge risk with this song (he's also set to perform at the parade) and to say that it paid off is an understatement. The negative comments are barely visible as opposed to the extremely positive feedback from his fans, the general public and new fans around the world. It's also just a really great song! You can hear the full version here.

She feels that luck has opened up for her
She found a guy, a man's man, and a straight one
And she'll whisper to him, what will she whisper to him
"Take me on a camel"

I'm your beauty
You're my beast
Welcome to the Middle East

Tel Aviv Ya Habibi Tel Aviv
Look how many hunks are around
Waving hi-hi
At night wai-wai
And well done Tel Aviv

The sun shines in the White City
Staring at him from every corner
And she knows, what does she know
He'll run from her in a second

I'm your beauty
You're my beast
Welcome to the Middle East

Tel Aviv Ya Habibi Tel Aviv
Look how many hunks are around
Waving hi-hi
At night wai-wai
And well done Tel Aviv

I'm rising, I'm rising, I'm rising and rising

Maya Avgar - Fine Line

I open every Saturday with the wonderful blog "Oneg Shabbat" and I've become pretty addicted. It's much more than a music blog and could even be seen as a mini community. Each week features an eclectic collection of articles/sites/new music from Israel and around the world, and I love having conversations with friends on items we found out about through the site. Usually, I'm a bit overwhelmed by the 30+ links all at once, and it's easy to overlook some gems and forget about them. But when I heard this song, I stopped everything and heard it all the way through (not an easy feat when browsing the Oneg!). It perfectly matched my mood, and I could relate very easily to the lyrics. Reminds me why I love folk music so much. Maya was featured in the stylish Tel-Avivian music blog pearls and you can check out her site here.

Don't ask me to stay here
I've already made up my mind
It's perfectly clear
There's no place here for my kind
There's no room for feelings
No room for my sorrow or pain
There's no use in taling
I can't find the words to explain

Cause it's a very fine line that I walk on every day
It's a very fine line that I walk on every day

The walls that surround me
Are tumbling down day by day
The ceiling above me
Is threatening to fall as I lay
There's no room for pleasure
No room for my laughter or smiles
Don't ask me to tell you
I'll only be telling you lies

Cause it's a very fine line that I walk on every day
It's a very fine line that I walk on every day

Don't ask me to stop it
It's already out of my hands
You think I can fight it
I would if I could but I can't
I can't seem to shake it
To shake it away from my soul
I know when it's coming
I know when I'm going to fall

Cause it's a very fine line that I walk on every day
It's a very fine line that I walk on every day

Ronen Green - One Of These Days

Wow, this is so adorable! Very mellow and calm - kind of Jack Johnsonish but less Hawaii and more Tel Aviv on Friday afternoon. Guaranteed to put you in a good mood. I also love how the background scenery is both Tel Aviv and the Moshav Tel Shahar, giving it a true weekend feeling. I first came across Ronen Green with his song "Rooftop Blues," which I heard as part of the "Ohalim Adirim" compilation and came out during the 2011 protest (and I wrote about here). Not all of the songs "survived" in my iPod, but Rooftop Blues is one that did, and I never get tired of listening to it. You can download it along with others here, as part of "Kol 2 and 5", a one-take analog project by the sound and producing company Mitzlol, very much like the popular Daytrotter Sessions, a wonderful platform for discovering new artists, and you just can't beat analog sound. Check out Ronen's site and especially what he writes about his music. It's so easy to give in to producers/managers/the industry and go for the "easy route" to success at the expense of quality and the artist's integrity, so it's quite admirable that Ronen has decided to just do his own thing, for the benefit of himself and even more, for us.

Ride around town, Chasing our tail, Looking for a dime and maybe we'll be someone

One of these days its gonna happen to us
Peace will arrive and we will all be as one
I know that's a fat cliche, its a well-known fact
We do what we do and we just gotta do it right

One of these days
music will go back to what it was
before I and I became me and me.
One of these days its gonna come
You will wake up in the morning
Look up at the sun and know
You've always been someone

One of these days

Ride around town
Chasing our tail
Looking for a dime
and maybe we'll be someone

One of these days

Well if its alcohol and drugs to help us feel free
What was blocking us in the beginning to be?

One of these days

Ride around town
Chasing our tail
Looking for a dime
and maybe we'll be someone

Lili Franko - Eshet Keshet

Yess. When I first heard this song, I was blown away by the sharp music and poetic lyrics, which I found very refreshing. I later learned that the lyrics are a translation of Lee Hazlewood's classic Rainbow Woman which was also covered by Miles Kane. Lili Franko not only successfully translated the song but also gave it an excellent musical interpretation. Very badass and 100% rock. I love it. More Lili Franko here.

Original lyrics:
I saw her reflection in the shadow of the sun
Listening to the cadence of a dying drummers' drum

She knew I was coming nearer, she said no but I did not hear her
Rainbow woman, rainbow, rainbow woman, woman
Rainbow woman

When I heard her laughter I was more than some surprised
In her smile was sadness there was laughter in her eyes

Self respect is absent in a lonely man's mirage
Love is sometimes given in a salty tear corsage

Make the gods that made her claim her, she comes and goes and so I named her
Rainbow woman, rainbow, rainbow woman, woman
Rainbow woman

Hayelala - Making the Train

Such a magical discovery! This song is amazing and you can download it for free (along with the excellent and more introspective 'Getting Older') here. So fitting for these days when you just want to hop on a train and forget about the budget cuts and Syria and everything else for that matter but watching these guys perform is just as rewarding. Really captures the feeling of Spring.

https://www.facebook.com/Hayelala

Men of North Country - The North

I'm a bit ashamed to admit this, but I haven't been to Northern Israel since last summer, and it feels even longer. I really miss the green scenery and chilly starry nights. I remember since I was a kid the drives up to the North with family and later with friends (our first big trip away from home!) when the radio stations would change so we would play our favorite CDs and get into "vacation mode". This weekend, two great music festivals will be held in the North: Jacob's Ladder and Yearot Menashe. The first will be by the Kinneret (Sea of Galilee) and the second in the middle of a forest(!). Both are dream locations for a getaway from the city and really come alive with the variety of musicians and music lovers you can find in both places.
The Men of North Country are Yashiv Cohen (lead singer), Doron Farhi and Boaz Wolf from Electra (guitar and drums), Sefi Sizzling from Funkn'stein and the Ramirez Brothers (trumpet), Ongy Sizzling from Coolooloosh (Sax), Ido Kretchmer (trombone) and Jonathan Ydov from Ta'ani Esther (bass). What I love about this band is that it feels like they're just a good group of friends who love to play Northern Soul together and have some fun. Along the way they became a huge success abroad and are gaining popularity over here as well. They'll be playing on Saturday at Ya'arot Menashe.
Here's a video of theirs shot during the 2011 protests (feels like it was ages ago) very fitting for May 1st. And here's a very cool remix of the song by Markey Funk
You can buy their music here and follow them around the world here