Ben Artzi - Dreams 34

It's hard to believe that today marks 5 years since the kidnapping of Gilad Shalit, the soldier who we've all come to know just like we've all come to know his family. As if we're family friends. 5 years in which Gilad's friends have finished the army, perhaps made "the big trip" to South America or Asia, enrolled in University, and started their lives. And Gilad is still there, so close yet so far from his family. And in awful humanitarian conditions without being able to meet the Red Cross, all while terrorists in prisons here are living a very comfortable life in prison with everything they could possibly need: family visits, the ability to earn academic degrees, healthy food, and in general a much better life than in their homes. It seems that wishing that he'll return is becoming more of a naive idea with every day that passes. I really like the lyrics in Ben Artzi's new song. You can tell that they were written by him from the heart. Something about how he says that most of the time life isn't perfect but you enjoy the little things, and the things you want aren't huge stuff like money, fame or peace but enjoying time with your family, enjoying good music in clubs and having a more human prime minister. That doesn't seem like too much to ask for. When Ben says how happy he is when his father suddenly embraces him, I can't help but think of Shalit who probably wishes for something as simple as that, and what he has right now is not even close to "nearby the thing itself".

Most of the time it's nearby
It's not the thing itself
You want it stronger, more exciting
And that's how the time passes
And you pretty much come to terms with what there is
Catch in the dark small moments

You want more joy with the family
More passionate sex with the one you love
Different music in the clubs
A prime minister that's more human
You want more truth on TV
And more depth in living room conversations
Less violence among this youth
And that it would be possible to swim in the Yarkon

Most of the time is alone
With alternating roles in a play
And you have one friend
And sometimes that's also a lot
And that's how time passes
You pretty much come to terms with what you have
Catch in the dark
And love and love

You thank God that all your relatives are here
That you make a living from what you love
On Friday dinners how you're happy
When your father suddenly embraces you
You get emotional when someone understands you
And when the girls still say that you're pretty
You still believe in the goodness of each person
Even though a million times you've been burnt by it

Most of the time it's nearby
It's not the thing itself
You want it stronger
More exciting

http://www.facebook.com/BenArtziPage#!/BenArtziPage?sk=info

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n3s8qd8_c94&feature=related

http://www.jpost.com/DiplomacyAndPolitics/Article.aspx?id=226426

http://www.jpost.com/DiplomacyAndPolitics/Article.aspx?id=226471

Modern Tapes - Caroline

I just finished reading an article on this band in Time Out Tel Aviv and of course, the first thing I did was search for this video on youtube. And then I listened to it again and again. It's that good. I love the guitar and their endless energy. Modern Tapes first started playing in a bomb shelter and that's where they recorded their e.p. As one of the members said: "That's where we feel the safest". Playing in a bomb shelter may sound very undergroundish to someone from abroad but it's pretty common here-they're more like community garages without cars and an indoor option for parties in the winter. Hopefully, my associations of bomb shelters will stay relatively positive. Anyway, it's kind of cool that Modern Tapes sees playing in it as cool. I hope to catch a gig of theirs in Tel Aviv before they make it big and start touring the world and something tells me I shouldn't linger.

https://www.facebook.com/moderntapes

Oh and for something completely different: They may have pulled off Rebecca Black's Friday video, but the song will still live on- even in Hebrew! It sounds like this kid took his Bar Mitzvah lessons too far and I've never seen such a sour expression to "fun fun fun"-genius!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6v-HQPKThR8

Dana Berger - If I had

At first I wasn't really into this song-it sounded a bit too popish to be a rock song but after a few listens I was won over by Dana's voice and the lyrics. Dana Berger belongs to the 90's rock generation and she's definitely matured in a good way. She still has an edginess about her and she's not afraid to say what's on her mind yet she sounds very composed and at peace with herself- maybe because she's now married with children and no longer the rebellious young woman, but she's still one of the coolest singers around.

Again I'm alone with the guitar
The same chords accompanying my life
I know how to love when I sing
I'm transparent now maybe a tad too much
The same story of longing, of a little girl of a family
The same scratch in the heart
The same pain
The same tune

If I had the courage to start over
If I had the strength to love you again
If I could what would I change

Tel Aviv is so beautiful in the morning
Every coffee of hers suddenly reminds me
I'm with you and it costs me dearly
I'm with you and I don't care today
The same story of an illusion of great passion of disappointment
The same scratch in the heart
The same pain
Annoy her last time

If I had the courage to start over
If I had the strength to love you again
If I could what would I change

So hold me now you, again
Hold me tight and don't leave
I ask if there's a point in this
If we haven't forgotten how to love

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z_Y5GuH7iMI

David Broza - I'm Dreaming

There's something very familiar and comforting about David Broza. I remember learning his songs in elementary school and as a kid at family bonfires someone would always pull out a guitar and sing his songs, especially "Under the Sky". I sometimes catch on TV the 1993 video of his sunrise performance at the Masada singing "Under the Sky" and I'm always mesmerized not just by his amazing performance but also by the audience's reaction. And it's interesting to see how young people dressed and acted then. It mainly seems that they didn't really care how they were dressed, but I could be wrong. After all, when going to a sunrise concert at the Massada your main concern is to wear something warm and comfortable. David Broza kind of disappeared a while, probably to develop and nurture his successful career abroad. I do remember how in the Second Lebanon War in 2006 he was one of the first artists to perform in bomb shelters in the north. He performed so much over there that they made a skit on the satire "Eretz Nehederet" (A Wonderful Country) about him not leaving the poor citizens alone and singing with them all night. We had to laugh at something in those days... Anyways, I really like this song- it has a "getting back to the roots" feel where all you need is a guitar and a good voice. I can really identify with the lyrics- I always catch myself dreaming and sometimes feel a bit guilty about detaching myself from reality. And you can't really go wrong with the line "And when I look into your eyes my dream comes true". It sounds cheesy, but I can't think of anybody who wouldn't gush a bit over a line like that.

Watching the news
And I'm dreaming
Travelling on the roads
And I'm dreaming
Going down to the sea in the sunset
And I'm dreaming
A full moon rises
And I'm dreaming

Dreaming that I dreamt
A dream that I'm dreaming
And when I look deep in your eyes
My dream comes true

Outside there's a war
And I'm dreaming
Standing on a stage
And I'm dreaming
Buying flowers for Friday
And I'm dreaming
Opening a bottle of champagne
And I'm dreaming

Life passes by
And I'm as if detached from reality
But when I'm inside a dream
Everything passes by much easier

The fall of leaves in Autumn
And I'm dreaming
The blossom of citruses
And I'm dreaming
I hear the cry of a baby
And I'm dreaming
Going up to you and I'm dreaming

A dream that I dreamt
A dream that I'm dreaming
And when I finally look in your eyes
My dream then comes true

http://www.myspace.com/dbroza

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dRM8QW27QZk