Nadav Hollander - Stop Looking Back

Goodbye 2017. I hope 2018 will be a much better year for all of us.

Now I'm running away, escaping from everything
I won't let anything seep in
I won't let myself go bad
I'm opening a new page and going out for a walk
Singing, screaming, getting angry and cursing are all allowed
Because in the end what really happened
It's just a few cracks in the mirror

Stop looking back
(Go ahead)
Stop looking back
(There's nothing there)

https://nadavhollander.bandcamp.com

Alon Eder & Band - A Song for Mom

So sweet to see Alon Eder together with his mom, the singer/actress and always charming Miki Kam. I love everything about this.

Kind longing
That keeps you with me
From the blurring time
From the discouraging way
If I can be sad for a moment I'll be happy too

The sound of the waves
Approaching but breaking
Dreams without words
And your face is not clear
Here on the safe shore you can almost reach ahh ahhh

You're not alone, you'll see one little star
On which you'll lean on occasionally when you have the chance

The smell of cakes
Of loving hands
Days and nights
And you need to wait a bit
If I can really remember, maybe I can forget

The warmth of hugs
Recent and comforting
And may the heart not freeze
The joy and the pain

You're not alone, you'll see one little star
On which you'll lean on, occasionally when you have the chance
You're not alone, you'll see a nice little star
Which you'll visit, not to stay

Kochevet Al - Most of the World

Most of the world is sad
Most of the world is right
Most of the world is important
Most of the world is shouting:

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

Most of the world is blue
Most of the world is marching
All of the world can
All of the world is shouting:

https://kochevetal.bandcamp.com

AGE - Our Religion is Truth ft. Sasha Daniel

♥

Sol Monk & Tomer Bar - Planet Bubble

Outstanding as always!

From Raw Tapes: Planet Bubble is a track from an EP by Sol Monk &Tomer Bar

In the new upcoming EP, electronic &acoustic beats alongside complex harmonies and melodic ideas are used to tell the story of a lost man, an astronaut left alone in his spaceship, drifting in the universe with no control, and the sights & planets he encounters.

APE feat. Layla Moallem, Jah-Zee: Sonnet 130

"Cause nothing really changed since 17 Century"

From APE Records: Growing up in a musical family, between L.A, Jaffa, and Portugal, Layla Moallem was always nurturing a love affair with music-writing songs, singing and playing, most of the time approaching music as a safe realm for free expression, alongside other forms of art which were usually more dominant. After experimenting as a teenager with visual arts-mainly illustration, performance, and video, she went on to study sound engineering and then to attend five years of Architecture school. Today she spends her days working as an architect and her nights making music and her nights making music and visual art.
Sonnet 130
The single is the outcome of a beautiful encounter between Layla and the highly acclaimed musical producer and Balkan Beat Box founding member Tamir Muskat. What started as an improvised session in Tamir's studio, in which Layla found herself rapping Shakespeare's sonnet 130 onto Tamir's beats-became a long journey of exploration, trying to understand and reinterpret the sonnet-written in the 17th century, through their own eyes today.
This chance encounter with Tamir led Layla back into the music world and after a guest appearance in Sefi Zisling's debut solo album &"Beyond the things I know" this is her first release a solo artist.
The song, "Sonnet 130" features Israeli-Ethiopian rapper and singer Jah-Zee, spitting out a verse that aims to correspond with the original sonnet, and starts with the evident question "Why are you talking Shakespeare to me".
The text written by Layla, suggests that Shakespeare's thoughts about Love, Beauty and Gender as implied from the sonnet, are still as relevant as ever.
In the sonnet, Shakespeare mocks the false comparison of a woman lover to an ideal beauty standerd-for us, this message carries an important essence we wish to spread out to every woman out there: Be yourself, Love what is and accept yourself as you are.

Music has a far more pleasing sound, sound, sound
She has a far more pleasing sound

Music has a far more pleasing sound

I grant I never saw a goddess go
Mistress when she walks treads on the ground

Snow be white, why then her breasts are dun
Grant I never saw a goddess go
Mistress when she walks treads on the ground
Snow be white, why then her breasts are dun
You know, Black wires grow on her head, seen them

Roses damasked, red and white, no such roses see I in her cheeks,
More delight, than the breath that from my mistress reeks
I love to hear her speak
Music has a far more pleasing sound
Though she has a far more pleasing sound I grant I never saw any goddess go
My mistress when she walks breaks the ground

I never saw any goddess go
She has a far more pleasing sound
Grant I never saw her go, to the road
Oh no she is going now
When she walks breaks the ground
I never saw any goddess go
She has a far more pleasing sound
Grant I never saw her go

Yo woman, why you talking Shakespeare to me
-Cause nothing really changed since 17 century,
no news under the sun, not for u and me
that which has been is that which shall be
We've advanced, conquered new lands of hope for mankind
we have science, we killed god and we know all that's behind
the soul, the heart and even your mind
There's more equality than ever, or u choose to be blind

Though she has a far more pleasing sound
I grant I never saw any goddess go
My mistress when she walks
Breaks the ground
I never saw any goddess go
She has a far more pleasing sound
Grant, I never saw her go, to the road
Oh no she is going now
When she walks breaks the ground
I never saw any goddess go
She has a far more pleasing sound
Grant I never saw her go

Roses damasked, a red and red and white, red and white
No such roses see I in her cheeks,
There more Delight

Music has a far more pleasing sound, sound, sound
She has a far more pleasing sound

AlteniusQi - Running & Running

Awesome bandcamp discovery! More AlteniusQi over here.

Will take me time, to believe that I'm alive,
to believe that I'm alright.
Working, trying, failing, bailing, running away, from you, from me.
Will take me time, to foresee all my mistakes.
Trying, trying and trying, trying and trying...

At the end I feel good, I feel good
So much love and so much fun and no regrets, they chase me down my way... Feeling free that's all I got to say.

Don't know when to stop and then I don't know when to stop and then I don't know when to stop and then I don't know when to stop and then I
stop it, stop it, stop it, stop it, stop it...

Always fool around and then I always fool around and then I always fool around and then I always fool around and then I,
fooling, fooling, fooling, falling, falling...

Bar Karti - Someone

It's November 4th and like 22 years ago there will be a rally tonight. But the one in 1995 was under the slogan "Yes to peace, no to violence", while this year's rally, organized by "Darkenu" and "Commanders for Israel's Security" in memory of Yitzhak Rabin, is under the slogan "We are all one people". While I understand the organizers' motivation to bring as many people as possible to the rally (i.e. not just Leftists), it's problematic to say 'we are all united' when we clearly aren't, especially in regards to the peace process which was halted after Rabin's assassination and Netanyahu's rise to power. With all the controversy surrounding the rally I felt I was losing touch with Rabin himself, who I am too young to remember. Here is Rabin's moving speech to the U.S Congress in 1994 after signing the peace deal with Jordan (transcript here).

I came across a lot of good music this week but nothing fit my mood until I heard this song by Bar Karti, which captures my emotions perfectly.

Spending another moment in front of the screen and the newspapers
And outside a minute of silence a square empty of people
Above us a collection of faces that just want
To rewrite history with lines of excuses

If someone saw me here searching for the way
Maybe he was thinking about almost the same thing
If someone here sees some kind of solution
Maybe hope

And it seems that every day we're only going lower
The shame has ended
Lying brazenly
For years I've been closing my eyes waiting for it to pass
I hope I didn't miss the train while I can still go back

If someone saw me here searching for the way
Maybe he was thinking about almost the same thing
If someone here sees some kind of solution
Maybe hope

Raav - Something Important

From their bandcamp: "Raav" is a project started by three artists:
Ronel Keren, Mika Doari and Shalom Gad.
The three of us are writers and singers.
Collaboration as a value is the main idea that we wanted to explore when we started working together.
We decided to see if we're able to record a joint creation after each one of us already has his/her own personal voice.
On the way, Assaf Koren joined and designed the final style of the album and many other good and talented friends joined and contributed their voices.
We said that the process is more important than the result, but we love the result much more than we expected.
This is an album that deals with a hunger for life and passion to create and it's a prelude to a larger project that will come later.

There's nothing important in this world that's easy to do
You sing like an angel and talk like a demon
You run like a hampster and walk quickly
You are a cat in the trash bin and talk without an o

There's nothing important in this world that's easy to do
You pass cars on the right and vote for the Left
You are a coward and courageous to lie to someone's face
You are cruel during the day and gentle at night

There's nothing important in this world that's easy to do
You press play and turn off your ear
You expect to hear and don't begin to listen
You go to a concert and don't listen to the words
You choose love and run away to hate
You sit on the bus and stand in your house alone
Waiting to be with her

There's nothing important in this world that's easy to do
There's nothing important in this world that's easy to be

Amos Zimmerman - If You Let Me In

"This EP is a photograph, a Snapshot of one week in May 2017. On that week I wrote all of these songs and recorded them soon after. It's a tale of a hope-filled heart, of an awakening."

If you let me in
I will bring the sea with me
We would float around
Holding on to one another

If you let me in
I will bring the moon with me
We would sleep so tight
Waking up to one another

So take your heart
And hold it tight
Tell it that the time has come
To try to open one more time
I'm waiting for your eyes to shine
I'm waiting for your eyes to shine

If you let me in
I will bring the sea in with me

Alon Lotringer - A doll inside a doll

When David Pearl was 15 he came across 'Report from Occurrence', a slim book of poems by Yotam Reuveni, published in 1979. He stole the book from a library in Northern Israel and now, 15 years later, he is returning the poems to the public in the form of an impressive album titled 'The Most Beautiful Hour'. The album features 28 artists, some more known than others, each giving their own interpretation to Reuveni's intimate poems. I love how gentle this song by Alon Lotringer feels. Like a light drizzle that washes away all the mess outside.

I say what I don't know
What I know I keep
To myself when I go around
In these places
And at night when I call a child
To see
How I lock up the yearning
Inside myself a doll inside a doll
Inside a cracked doll I
Lock up my yearning inside myself

Malabi Tropical - Coco Man

During the last week of August I became slightly obsessed with a certain Coco Man and followed Conan O' Brien's adventures in Israel (along with the rest of the country!). Now the full episode of Conan in Israel is here and it's so heartwarming to see how O'Brien isn't afraid to confront complex situations while treating everyone he meets with kindness and respect. If only I could hang out with Sami from Bethlehem!

Malabi Tropical never fail to put me in a good mood. They define themselves as a multicultural fiesta:"Our music represents, the fusion, and the evolution, of the multicultural societies in which we are inspired, imigrations have influenced all cultures and the result is the flavour, that can be tasted in all music, food, dance, art etc..."

Haxxan - Between the River and the Sea

Indie City is back! It's such a delight to see musicians taking over unexpected spots in Jerusalem like the almost forgotten Natural History Museum. Check out other great Indie City videos here.

https://www.facebook.com/xhaxxanx/

The Weight - Overcome

Lovely!

There's a bouncer
at the oasis
There are celebrities
on your blacklist
You'll get your mind set
on the nearest stop
If this crazy horse
won't throw you off

Overcome, you will
Overcome, you will

I can't begin to think
what it would be like
missing all this fun
Who'll get my work done?
I'm the man who makes
all the noises
I'm the radio
that channels choices down

Overcome, you will
Overcome, you will

https://www.facebook.com/ThisIsTheWeight

Ram Orion - A small smile

R.I.P Kol Hakampus. Thank you for making me feel at home in a strange land and for opening my heart to new sounds, voices, and ideas.

https://www.mixcloud.com/KolHacampus106fm/

Placing a little butt
On a big suitcase
And traveling with lots of banknotes
You know
That I'm not here
The radio is beeping the news

If you said
What you needed to say,
What needs to happen has happened
And if not,
Don't think about it,
The year 2000 is over

Cursing the dust, shedding tears
The path isn't easy to get to
You know I was wrong, I have no complaints
Just smile a little smile

You would like to
Tie my hands
And shout Fu-kaki-kooki
(Fu-kaki-kooki!)
You know
That I'm not here
The radio is beeping news
(It's 5 o' clock again!)

Cursing the dust...

The banknotes are flying from my hand
This island is so far from you


Taken from Ram Orion's album 'Yes'.

Ortega - Good Karma

Just six more days until summer vacation ends and I've had enough of teens roaming the streets late at night and taking over the neighborhood parks, talking loudly and listening to Ortega's songs on their phones. At least they're listening to something good!

Getting out of the Tel Avivness and the coolness of life
To the masses, it doesn't feel nice
Less activity is numbing
When positivism will come naturally we'll direct the way

The highest there is because sometimes the road isn't easy
I find in digitality a relief
It's heads or tails yo an uneasy bet
Just the casting will give me the layup into the net

Just a network
The horizon is the colors of the rainbow
When freeness spreads
Its wings then
I'm flying

Hey Mama
Where is there no drama?
Where is the balance between the nonsense

Good karma
I'm requesting
I want to be there too

To see through me you don't need an X-ray
Just a gut feeling
Grabbing an elevator straight into heaven

Taking off a stone from the heart, the talk is in hell
They told me O.T you're hot
I said bye thank you and goodbye

I'm leaving regrets behind me
And the start-up to the dream
You've gone through all you've gone through in order to give air to breathe
To all those who lost the way, King just go with the flow
They'll understand that today there's kind of a naked King

Whatever there is is never enough
Money, fame, and chasing after the peak
Everyone's a big shot when the gun makes the click
But when the boom comes everything happens so quick

And then everything that concerns
Is how do I get more?
Much newer, shinier, bigger
But I'm not worried about that
I'm on my way to the gig writing the song
I got to do what I love

FOREST - To the Sea

Sending my love across the sea.

https://forestlive.bandcamp.com/releases

Red Axes - What Is In Your Head

Embrace the haze.

https://redaxess.bandcamp.com/

Ginger Lemon Honey - Whales

From Ginger Lemon Honey's FB:

WHALES are noble sentient beings. We are in awe of their mysterious nature and wisdom. In our new song, we share our deep respect for these majestic creatures, in hope of creating awareness for their protection. We are all residences of this earth, and we must learn to live together.

SHARE our message and our love for WHALES

We would like to thank from the bottom of our hearts to Peter Schneider and Dieter Paulmann, for their beautiful and inspiring underwater videos. Please check out more videos by Peter Schneider on his website http://www.underwatercam.tv and on his YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/user/underwatercam. Please also give a visit to Okeanos Foundation of the Sea, for details about their important environmental vision http://okeanos-foundation.org

Out in the ocean deep
Whales swim slow, warm blooded soft eyes
Ahead there are sunken ships
Undiscovered creatures in disguise

Driving to outa' space, depending on one breath
Their echo's leading the way
Silence is everywhere
Following the streams of the big flow below the lands

Time is ever changing
and no one has a name to call
No concept of falling
Everyone evolves in different timing
Wild and free by nature
Mystifying ocean sounds
Up above the surface
Can you even notice
What is under

Hunted or in hunter?
Switching the roles of play
Listen to the herding calls
An underwater song
Signals far away of an old lasting voice

Swimming so nobly
Carrying the story of the life below
Numbered majestic souls
Concealing unaware
secrets that are never told

Time is ever changing
and no one has a name to call
No concept of falling
Everyone evolves in different timing
Wild and free by nature
Mystifying ocean sounds
Up above the surface
Can you even notice
What is under

Tomer Yeshayahu - The Arava Road

☀

I'm driving down the Arava road
When you'll be big, they told me
There won't be an army
I was in love
When I received a draft order
Little children
We went out to dance back then in the kibbutz

The Minister of Transportation is guilty
Or the Minister of Economy
The Minister of Communications
Is the Prime Minister
The wife already went crazy
In the summer there's a war

We'll go to India
We'll take hard drugs
In Israel for already two years
They didn't call for reserve duty
We'll connect and lie down outside during the sunset
We'll stick out our tongues to the stars
Why are you crying?
She remembers Petah Tikva
7-hour flight

https://www.facebook.com/TomerYeshayahuMusic/

David Lavi - Lotus Flower

When my best friend and I bought tickets to see the Radiohead show way back in February we half expected it not to happen, not because of BDS but because summertime is usually also wartime (just ask Neil Young). Many artists have been called on not to perform in Israel but Radiohead was one of the only acts to respond, leading to a back and forth which dominated headlines. It also led to a renewed interest in Radiohead's music with radio stations playing plenty of their songs and tributes to the band like this stunning cover by David Lavi.

There were many memorable moments at Wednesday's show, whether it was Thom Yorke reminiscing about the band's 1993 gigs at the Roxanne (their first international shows!) followed by Creep and The Bends, or the surprisingly emotional sing-along at the end of Karma Police, but a moment that will always stay with me was the shift in the air when the band began to play "No Surprises". Amidst all the chaos, it felt so good to hear the lullaby-ish notes and to cheer with everyone to the lines "bring down the government/ they don't, they don't speak for us". No alarms and no surprises please.

I will shape myself into your pocket
Invisible, do what you want, do what you want
I will shrink and I will disappear
I will slip into the groove and cut me up, and cut me up

There's an empty space inside my heart
Where the weeds take root
And now I'll set you free
I'll set you free
There's an empty space inside my heart

Where the weeds take root
Tonight I'll set you free
I'll set you free

Slowly we unfurl
As lotus flowers
'Cause all I want is the moon upon a stick
Just to see what if
Just to see what is
I can't kick your habit
Just to feed your fast ballooning head
Listen to your heart

We will shrink and be quiet as mice
While the cat is away; do what we want
Do what we want

There's an empty space inside my heart
Where the weeds take root
So now I set you free
I set you free

'Cause all I want is the moon upon a stick
Just to see what if
Just to see what is

Put the lotus flower into my room

Slowly we unfurl
As lotus flowers
'Cause all I want is the moon upon a stick
I dance around a pit
The darkness is beneath
I can't kick your habit
Just to feed your fast ballooning head
Listen to your heart

Maya Polizer - Lighthouse

I originally planned on posting Maya Polizer's song "Shabbat in your heart" but in light of yesterday's terrorist attack it didn't feel right and it was a bit too joyous for my mood. So I was glad to discover Maya's stunning version of "Lighthouse" which was originally performed by the great Shoshana Damari in 1958. A beautiful beacon of light shining in the darkness.

He knew that there was no lighthouse on the coast,
But always, when he came back at night,
From the coast he would notice, in the darkness,
A wondrous light winking at him and rejoicing.

He knew that there was no lighthouse on the coast,
But there was always a light from the darkness.

She waited for him with salty lips,
He held her silently to him,
He promised: "I'll stay with you, sister!"
But at dawn he again slipped back into the sea.

He knew...

Once she clutched him tightly:
"Stay, because I can't take it anymore!"
He kissed both her eyes, and was silent;
But at dawn he was seen rowing again.

But at night, when he returned with water and darkness,
There was no more light shining like a lighthouse.

They found her on the beach, among the seashells.
And her heart was like a lump of black coal.
And only then the seagulls slowly revealed to him,
That her heart was a lighthouse to him.

He knew...

He then cupped her heart as well as he could,
Suddenly it was warm and shone again.
And today at the top of the cliff, at the head of a tower,
He gives light to every sailor at sea.

Because even though there is no lighthouse on the coast,
One heart always lights up from the darkness.

Jimbo J and the Spa Band - I did

A few years ago I came across Jimbo J's poetry slam bit "I did" and it really got me thinking about how instead of using verbs like "I served, I traveled, I studied, I cooked... we all just say "I did". I did this, I did that, reducing the action to something you just check off a list without really going into detail, not to mention how it implies that the speaker is at the very center of the experience. It's also just a really lazy way of speaking. Jimbo J and the Spa Band succeed in turning this linguistic observation into a lively song that sums up the Israeli experience of growing up. It's well worth checking out their other songs from their debut album. I did!

IdidIdidIdidIdidIdidIdidIdidIdidIdidIdidIdid

What's I served? I did the army

Basic training in Shavta, from there to Jenin
Then the Etzion Brigade, Na'alin
Guarding with Nachal, training in the Golan
Then I did a commanders course
I did a patrol with the Border Police
I did guard duty eight-eight on the line
I did really great coffee
Black, strong, to wake up in an ambush
I did an arrest in Hebron
I did one war in Lebanon
When I did an officer in Be'er Sheva at Beit Hachayal they said
"It's a shame, do a bit of Keva"
How did my commander say to me? "You did good here"
But walla, I didn't want to
I said no to Keva and no to shoes because I did my part

IdidIdidIdidIdidIdidIdidIdidIdidIdidIdidIdid

What's I traveled? I did India

In the north I did almost everything
Dharamsala, Manali, and nothing beats Kasul
But then I was a little tired
So I did a U-turn
Nubra Valley, I did the trek in the desert
Three days, two nights, motorcycles
Then I did Kashmir and it was over
All that was left was to do the south
I did a stop in Rajasthan on the way
The cheapest shopping in Pushkar, I did
From there to Goa and Mumbai another month, to Palolem, Om Beach, a bit of Hampi
I had enough
I did my part

IdidIdidIdidIdidIdidIdidIdidIdidIdidIdidIdid

What's I used? I did drugs
Green, brown, not hard drugs
Hits, joints, blunts, spliffs
I also flew some pipes, I dropped heads
I did the Coca and a bit of Hagigat
Nose only, lines, I didn't swallow, I snorted
And if it was enough to do once, but it didn't open
So walla I didn't fly
Persian Cocain I didn't do, why because they say you're stoked
But spitz, trips, acid, right on the spot, that I did do
But I'll leave you now

Now I just want to do to my home, to do names, to do business
To do the hit, to do kayaks, I want to do the time of my life

But I also want to do thoughts, to do teshuva, to do soul searching
To do love, to do kids, to do what a man needs to do

Dirty Fly - All That's Left of Us

♥

https://www.facebook.com/DirtyFlyMusic/

Ben Golan - Sunset Song

A review of this song described it as if Arik Einstein met The Band to write a song together but the collaboration that comes to my mind is probably George Harrison and Tamouz. In any case, while Ben Golan's first single doesn't shy away from dark thoughts, the result is warm and comforting.

https://www.facebook.com/AVAZARECORDS/

If there's no more strength to cling to hopes
You can be silent towards the setting sun
If there's no more wind and the sea doesn't change
So take a look at the setting sun

Sometimes you break down
You won't always be the same
Looking at the great sun

I want to escape and hide inside myself
I gaze at the setting sun

Sometimes you break down
You won't always be the same
Looking at the great sun

Swing De Gitanes - Honey Moon

The perfect soundtrack for warm June evenings, before the heavy heatwaves take over.

https://www.facebook.com/swingdegitanes

Noy Roitenberg - Let's Talk

It's Pride week!! Actually, I'm a bit less excited because even though I fully support LGBTQ rights (and there's still a long way to go) and I fully support the right of over 200,000 participants to party at the pride parade, huge crowds in the heat have never really been my cup of tea. So I'm glad to take part in the festive day by sharing the music of Noy Roitenberg with you. Noy sings songs directly to women (you can't avoid this in Hebrew) which has raised quite a few eyebrows and marked her as 'a Lesbian singer' when she's so much more than that. I prefer to see her as a gifted singer/songwriter/guitarist with a wonderful talent for expressing complicated emotions in a beautiful way.
Here is what she wrote in FB, linking to a recent interview:
"I gave an interview for Maariv's Pride edition which will be published tomorrow.
Last week at a show in Jerusalem I said that in most of my interviews I'm asked if my music is just for lesbians.
I always repeat and say that I'm a proud lesbian, I'll continue to create music from my personal world and I'll never hide my sexual identity and in general my identity as a musician and this doesn't contradict the fact that my music is definitely not just for lesbians.
I write about the feelings inside me and I want to believe that we are all people who feel-whether it's related to a relationship or whether it's between us and ourselves.
We all have thoughts, fears, dreams, and desires.
Happy Pride day, to anyone who is proud of him/herself, in any field.
With great hope that one day being a lesbian won't make anyone make a face, but rather will be natural just like being straight."

https://noyroitenberg.bandcamp.com/

Let's talk about what's going through your mind
About who you want to be
About what you're afraid to say

Let's embrace what erases your smile
Instead of being angry all the time
Let yourself loosen up a bit

And I'll contain for you all the sadness

Let's talk about what's going through your mind
You don't always have to go crazy
In order to see clearly

Let's give up on what takes up all your air
Make some room
For something new

Itamar Haluts - Alexandra-Clyde

Sgt. Peppery vibes :)

https://www.facebook.com/Itamar.Haluts.Music/

I met a girl, her name was Nancy
You can tell by her looks, she's not that fancy
She laughs and acts as if she's in a cartoon
Maybe I've compromised, I've fallen for a baboon

But she had eyes so bright
Like a full moon's light
And I'm not sure where it's going
But I can't stop the wind from blowing

A drunken Kiwi sits beside a fire stove
Look serene as if wrapped by acceptance gloves
And he gives a wink and I understand
The clock is ticking, I'm near the end

And now she's on my mind
And my thought it's hard to find
And my thrill I just can't hide
Sitting here in Alexandra-Clyde

Jonnie Shualy - The Earth is Shaking

Jonnie Shualy is back six years after his last album and I really hope that this song gets the recognition that it deserves. A week ago I would've guessed that I'd hear about it on 88fm but now I'm not so sure. Last week 'Taagid' took over IBA (Israel Broadcasting Authority) after months of debates, delays and a nasty political mess which almost brought us to elections. The Landes committee instructed the radio stations to just change the schedule of the shows but under the new management 88fm, which is now Kan 88, has changed drastically. When you go to the new home page you see the following text in Hebrew: "Good quality music from Israel and around the world. From the great rock classics, through new artists in Israel and abroad to jazz, alternative, world music and blues". This definition used to fit the station's sound 24/7 but now it only applies to what you hear after 7 p.m. and even then, there is much less blues and jazz has been cut down from a daily evening slot to once a week. But the real change is what goes on during the day.
I used to check out all of the mainstream radio stations (Galgalatz, 99fm, 100fm and 102fm) and hear I song I knew, maybe I liked it and maybe not but it was safe and convenient. A good soundtrack to hear at the office that everyone could agree on and wouldn't make people too uncomfortable. 88fm wasn't like that. 88fm was what I'd hear on headphones to escape the other stations. There were many songs that I knew but many more which I didn't and that's precisely why I kept returning to the station again and again. But even if I wasn't such a huge fan of what was playing, the enthusiastic voices of the broadcasters kept me hooked. Creating a radio setlist is a craft which is often taken for granted. When you listened to 88fm you could tell that the broadcaster made thoughtful choices on how to open and close the show and what the order of the songs should be. The new management brought in editors who used to work at Galgalatz to "help" the broadcasters edit the shows they've been airing for years.  Now it's just hit after hit after hit with no connection between the songs and no attention to the time of the program. Yes, most of the hits are classic rock, and not a completely different genre, but it's not enough to keep listeners tuned. For an example of a carefully curated list see Gil Matus' program "Flight mode" which used to be on at the magical hours of early Friday morning. Now it's been moved to Saturday at midnight and I'm pretty sure it won't be the same-there's a reason last Friday's show was titled "Fare you well".
The change stung the most for me when I heard about Chris Cornell's tragic death this week. I didn't expect the station to play just Chris Cornell's music (though I really wouldn't mind) but I did expect them to play songs other than Black Hole Sun throughout the day. Chris Cornell was a key part of the grunge movement so why not play other songs from that time and artists who were influenced by him? If Soundgarden and Audioslave are considered too loud for listeners why not play some of Cornell's acoustic covers? And why not let the broadcasters make changes to their programs? Yes, there was a special program in the afternoon but it felt like a formality for fans to keep them quiet. I was crushed by Cornell's death even though I wasn't a huge fan of his and was looking for music to learn more about him, which I eventually found at the Katze radio, which is broadcasted online.
It's not a surprise that many 90s Israeli rock bands were influenced by Cornell's music, among them "Raash" ("noise" in Hebrew) which introduced us to Jonnie Shualy and his thoughtful lyrics. Shualy's new album, and this song especially, is tough, honest, and beautiful. I hope it will find its place in a narrowing musical landscape.
I think even those who weren't huge fans of Cornell were devastated by the news of his death because it just took a few minutes to see what a heartfelt and compassionate guy he was. He performed repeatedly in Israel and understood that music and fans come before politics and from what I heard from friends he gave amazing performances, always singing from his heart and soul. Here is a bit from his concert in Ceasaria from just last year.

88 guard facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/Mishmar88

Around me the earth is shaking
I can't find a place to sit
Around me everything is crumbling
I can't stay

Around me the earth is shaking
It's being swept under my feet
Around me everything is burning
I can't escape

Earthquake Earthquake

Houses crumble
Borders are breached
Walls are cracked
Windows are shattered

Where do I come from where am I going
I can't wait any longer
Why did I come here when do I leave
I can't wait any longer

Spinning like a compass on the same spot
Spinning like a compass on the same spot

The earth shakes the earth shakes
Earthquake

Roy Chicky Arad - Yellow Hat

This just made my day so much better.

@Englishchicky

http://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/culture/.premium-1.723888

Near the tallest building in the city
The emptiest parking lot in the city
Near the nicest person
A wheelbarrow full of fish

I sing with a yellow hat
I sing happily the song of the street
I sing I sing with a yellow hat

Shari Arison is buying a skirt
An Arab at the security check
A girl in my bed terribly bored
When the city is so festive

I sing with a yellow hat
I'm always happy
I have a yellow hat
Here here here is a yellow hat
Here here here...

At the southern border of Tel Aviv
A tax clerk kisses his father
A tired woman is holding a paper clip
Above her is a pair of birds

I sing with a yellow hat
I sing the song of the street
I'm always happy
I have a yellow hat

Yehoram Gaon - Landmarks

I'm grateful not to know any fallen soldiers or victims of terror, and I hope it will stay that way, but I always find the abrupt change from Memorial Day to Independence Day too difficult and too sudden. I understand the idea that they died so we can live but I just can't force myself to party and have a good time when just a few hours ago I was listening to songs about early death and heartbroken lovers. I'd rather spend the evening at the end of Memorial Day listening to quiet Israeli songs that celebrate life and save the fireworks and massive celebrations for the next night, but that's just me.
Life in Israel can be tough but it often seems to be the perfect place to be a kid. Where else are you given independence at such a young age to walk home from school with your friends? Growing up, it was the best part of the day, when friendships blossomed and anything was possible. Maybe children here are given so much freedom because of the military future that awaits them when they turn 18. So for now, they can take their time on their way home.

Lovely translation by Rachel Jaskow from the blog Elms in the Yard:

Does anyone remember, does anyone know
the way to my home?
Let anyone who hears my voice
come home with me.
There are feathery clouds above
and stubble at my feet,
and the pealing of the magical bell
that always watches over me.

Somewhere out there, along the road,
somewhere out there sings a bell.
From somewhere out there, it tells me: Return home
at the right time.

In case I have forgotten the way
that I knew for so many years,
Here and there, at the side of the road,
landmarks have been left for me.
Here is an arrow pointing outward,
drawn in white chalk, as if to say:
Go, follow the wind
starting two and a quarter paces from here.

Somewhere out there, along the road,
somewhere out there sings a bell,
From somewhere out there, it tells me: Return home
at the right time.

At the roadside is a quarry
shaded by a tree,
and a well or two
as a sign and a landmark for me.
A nanny goat, black as night,
browses among the bushes.
Trails like these
are only for the strongest hikers.

Somewhere out there, along the road,
somewhere out there sings a bell.
From somewhere out there, it tells me: Return home
at the right time.

I am not alone on the road
that leads to my home.
One or two friends
are walking home with me.
And in the light of the sun, as it sets
to the sound of pealing bells,
They will be able to read
all the landmarks for me.

Somewhere out there, along the road,
somewhere out there sings a bell.
From somewhere out there, it tells me: Return home
at the right time,
the right time.

Bela Tar - Apple Hill

Step into Bela Tar's dreamlike world here.

There is a place where love echoes
I have never seen it with my eyes
Hidden among the trees like a
Radiant moon behind the clouds

Far out
Near apple hill
I'm waiting for you still
Away from the people
Your lonely house is standing tall
A falling tree a crashing wall
There they were my heart and soul
But I was never there at all

Mountains above the old gold mine
Elevations eery and sublime
Painted with magical poems
Your forgotten words and rhymes

Lost time
Near apple hill
I'm waiting for you still
Away from the people
Your lonely house is standing tall
A falling tree a crashing wall
There they were my heart and soul
But I was never there at all

The Crotches - Good Night Prejudice

The Crotches are back, louder than ever, to wish good night to all that is dark and to wake up those who are letting darkness take over our lives.

Good night, sleep tight, sweet dreams, my darlings, the most in the world.

Good night prejudice,
Good night pride of the nation,
Sleep tight, sweet dreams.

Good night xenophobia,
Good night to the racists,
Sleep tight, sweet dreams.

Good morning, enough sleep, proletariat!

And to the tyranny of the majority,
To the war that will come,
Sleep tight, sweet dreams.
Good night to anxiety,
To all the ministers of intimidation,
Sleep tight, sweet dreams.

Good night, enough sleep, proletariat!

Sefi Zisling - DreamWalk

From Sefi Zisling's facebook: "Dreamwalk" portraits the everyday moments in which we experience a spontaneous stream of the thoughts- it's simple, colorful, honest and coming from deep within.
"Dreamwalk" is the first single out of my upcoming debut album "Beyond the things I know".
Proud and grateful to share it with y'all !! Peace

Yehezkel Raz - Prologue

Stunning.

https://yehezkelraz.bandcamp.com/

Cohenbeats - Coming Home

This sweet tune is just a taste from Cohenbeats' fresh new album Daily Affirmations, released by the legendary Stones Throw Records. Dig in!

Roy Rieck - A ballad of blind love or vanity

Fabrizio De André (1940-1999) was a beloved Italian singer-songwriter but unfortunately most Israelis have never heard of him. Roy Rieck (of Acollective) hopes to change that with his labor of love, an album featuring ten of De André's songs translated into Hebrew. It's been a while since I've wanted to dance to such a dark yet delightful song! Check out the original over here.

An honest man, a quite romantic man
Tralalalalla tralallaleru
He fell desperately in love
With a woman born without emotions

She told him tomorrow bring with you
Tralalalalla tralallaleru
She told him tomorrow bring with you
Your mother's heart for my dogs

He immediately left and murdered his mother
Tralalalalla tralallaleru
He ripped her heart from her chest
He came back excited to his love

The heart isn't enough, the heart isn't enough
Tralalalalla tralallaleru
It's not enough pain
She wanted more proof that he loves her

She told him sweetie if you want me
Tralalalalla tralallaleru
She told him sweetie if you want me
Cut your veins and let them bleed

He cut his veins and also the flesh
Tralalalalla tralallaleru
And when his blood began to flow
Like a madman he came back to her

She said with full-throat laughter
Tralalalalla tralallaleru
She said with full-throat laughter
Death is the final test

While his blood was still dripping
The cold vanity is celebrating
The color of the blood has already changed
A man died from blind love

Outside there's now a pleasant wind
Tralalalalla tralallaleru
But she goes out of her mind
When she sees him happy and dead

Happy and dead and in love
She has nothing left now
Without love, without anyone
Just dried blood from his wrists

EREZ ft. WhiteO - Certainly

Erykah Badu first sang the lines "The world is mine when I wake up, I don't need nobody telling me the time" 20 years ago, but they still need to be heard loud and clear today. Thank you EREZ and WhiteO for uncovering this gem while adding your own original touch.

Who gave you permission to rearrange me
Certainly not me
Who told you that it was alright to love me
Certainly not me

I was not looking for no love affair
And now you want to fix me
I was not looking for no love affair
And now you want to mold me
Was not looking for no love affair
Now you want to kiss me
Was not looking for no love affair
And now you want to control me
Hold me

You're really trying to get creative with me love
And that's alright, but
You tried to get a little tricky turned my back
And then you slipped me a mickey

The world is mine
When I wake up
I don't need nobody telling me the time

Certainly, certainly, certainly not me

Who gave you permission to rearrange me
Certainly not me
Who told you that it was alright to love me
Certainly not me
I was not looking for no love affair

Certainly, certainly, certainly not me

Krokodil Popular - Sixteen

I heard this song a few weeks ago and loved it, but it didn't quite fit with my mood. Today as I was struggling to find Purim accessories in toy stores along with everyone else, I couldn't help but hum the lines: 'You're the same/a bit as everyone'. But maybe I also thought about it because Purim always takes me back to when I was Sixteen and struggling to figure out what I wanted to be.

https://www.facebook.com/krokodilpopular/

You were sixteen
In your heart
You got lost
Just found your gods
You're the same
A bit as everyone
Do get lost
Go back to your mom

Hey, you just take
What you want
If you don't believe me
Look what came
At your door

sixteen
Stitches in your heart
You got lost
Defined by your gods
You're the same
A bit as everyone
Do get lost
Go back to your mom

Hey, you just take
What you want
If you don't believe me
Look what came
At your door

Noémie Dahan - 22/12/2012

On December 22nd, 2012 the world was supposed to end (remember those simple times?) and Noémie Dahan wrote this text for a writing class, noting that on that day, December 22nd, 2012, there was a storm and the sky blended with her heart. For Noémie it was a time for new beginnings as she was new to the country and had just started to live, write and sing in Hebrew. The result is original, playful and mesmerizing.

A bit more about Noémie's music, translated from her site:

The musical and textual style corresponds with the Jewish and secular culture which Noémie was exposed to at home and which she met in Israel and together with her Ashkenazi, Morrocan, and Algerian roots. As a reflection of the multiple influences, the melodies range between the French chanson and Israeli folk-rock, with touches of folklore and klezmer. The lyrics combine Hebrew-the language of inspiration, and French-the native language, and between the two games of sound and meaning are woven together. The music is a surreal soundtrack, with a touch of strangeness and a subtle accent which gives a slightly rough color and allows you to feel all of the pleasure in this first creation with a foreign tone.

On a cold and gray Friday
Of skeleton and meat
We waited for the flood in vain, it didn't pass by
The spider in the warm sea is weaving the webs
I'll quench my thirst in red, a citrus cocktail
And the morning dew will comfort me, the morning dew will comfort me

- Excusez moi le chef des Mayas vient de m'informer que la fin du monde c'est pour aujourd'hui? Le 22 decembre 2012?
Est ce que vous l'avez vu passer?
Y'a un point de rendez vous pour se séparer de l'horizon? Ça va sonner? Vous avez prévu des sandwichs? On s'habille en noir? Il paraît que les cafards ont 9 coeurs et qu'ils vont survivre? Jurassic Park y'a un 3e épisode de prévu?
Ça va sentir mauvais? Godot est prévenu?
Le décompte est en... Pardon j'ai pas compris? ...en marche...ah bon..ok..
5 elle envahit le paysage et les corps, 4 ça circule dans ma chair et dans vos os 3 tu fais une danse moderne ou payenne, 2 elle se dilue dans un liquide rouge, 1on boit et ça tourne... 0 vous sentez quelque chose? Non...toujours pas?
La rosée du matin me consolera
La rosée du matin me consolera

Afro Po - Africa

So heartwarming, especially after such a cold and dreary week. From their facebook: Afro Po is an African-Israeli band with musicians from different backgrounds that got together in South Tel Aviv to create original music with messages of peace, equality and love.

RPS Surfers - Hang Five

This is so awesome.

https://www.facebook.com/RPSsurfers

Neta Elkayam - Khoti Khoti

When I first heard about Trump's Muslim ban my thoughts went to the small Syrian supermarket in the States where I'd go with my dad to buy olives and stuffed grape leaves whenever he was homesick for Middle Eastern food. I wondered if the old man at the store still had family in Syria and if he will ever see them again. I thought of him again when I saw the video for this beautiful song by Neta Alkayam. The video is an ode to nostalgia featuring Maorice Kabilyo, who was born in Oujda, Morroco and now lives in Jerusalem. The song 'Khoti Khoti' is inspired by the biblical story of Joseph and his brothers and was originally performed by Jacob Abotbol, a respected violinist and vocalist who released a number of 45s in Morroco during the 1950's. Jacob Abotbol was the father of acclaimed singer Haim Botbol and more details of him can be found here.
Neta Elkayam's soulful songs are based on traditional ethnic music while each band member adds his or her own musical language together creating music that's loyal to its roots but with a contemporary touch. Her music is also "an attempt to bring together Maghreb communities, Jews and Muslims, and open up the hearts of listeners whoever they may be".

El Hameshorer - Sailing Ships

When I first heard this song the images that came to my mind were overcrowded boats packed with refugees risking their lives for the hope of a better future. I was stunned to discover that it was actually written by the poet Wladislav Szlengel in 1938. The song is the first single from El Hameshorer's second album "Two Gentlemen in the Snow-The Songs of Wladislav Szlengel".

From the band's bandcamp page:
The poems by Wladislav Szlengel, a Jewish Polish songwriter and poet, were written in the Warsaw Ghetto, while in hiding, and were passed from hand to hand, from bunker to bunker. Many of the Jews in the ghetto read them. Szlengel expressed in his poems the thoughts and feelings of the inhabitants of the ghetto, while he was able to express the lack of justice, human lawlessness and the helplessness of the common man who has lost everything: his friends, his leaders, his culture and his faith. Szlengel was killed in a bunker during the great Warsaw ghetto uprising, in May 1943, when he was in his early 30s. Before his death he was able to smuggle out of the ghetto a notebook with his poems titled "What I Read to the Dead", and miraculously they survived and were published in Poland in 1979. In 1987 the book of his poems was published in Hebrew, translated by Halina Birenbaum. Ahead of the album's release, Boaz Albert, a member of the band "El Hameshorer", wrote Hebrew versions to Szlengel's poems.
This is El Hameshorer's second album, after "El Hameshorer-H.N Bialik"-and album of the national poet's songs, which was released in 2010.

What really spoke to me about this song is how the music conveys a sense of urgency and the feeling that time is running out, as well as a cry for action. I'm used to hearing solemn songs about the Holocaust but El Hameshorer clearly state that they don't want this to be an album just for Holocaust Remembrance Day. As the band said on the radio show Napoleon, sometimes you need strong music that will hit you in the gut, and that's certainly what I felt when I listened to this powerful song. More details about the album can be found here.

Sailing ships towards the distance
For days they sail, like that
During nights and also during the days
Sailing ships full of refugees
From there to here from here to there
Refugee ships are sailing just like that

Knocking on doors in every country and port
Asking for refuge from the gallows
And the world is hiding with a locked bolt
And on the door is a sign: There is no room!
Sailing ships, sailing ships,
Staring at the waves, through the glass
This isn't a ship-this is a coffin
And the blue is like ink for letters
Yes, there is enough ink
You can write a billion letters
And receive, even today
A billion ruthless answers:
There is no room!

And so the ships sail
Above waves above the abyss
Not pirates, not peculiar
Not on a lavish cruise
Of rich passengers
Not heroes, not children of hell
People that belong to no one-souls without a dream
Which humanity spit into the abyss
People for whom there is no room!

And the world spins, spins on the axis
Full of treasures and wonders-a world so rich
The sun caresses it, and the flowers are so beautiful
There's enough land, there are enough spaces
But suddenly it stops-something is heavy for it today
Please get off-there is no room!

Sailing ships
Sailing ships
Sailing ships

Amit Friedman feat. Ravid Kahalani - Love Must Be the Way

♥ LOVE TRUMPS HATE

https://www.amitfriedman.com/

Meir Banai - A Journey to the World

Meir Banai's sudden death hit me with unexpected sadness which just grew and grew the more I delved into his music. This song opens Meir's fourth album "Changing Colors" which was released in 1990 after Meir's breakthrough album "Rain" and before the radio-friendly album "In Between". I don't think I had heard any of the songs off of "Changing Colors" before even though it's considered by his fans to be one of his best albums, so different from everything else at the time. It's impossible not to feel chills when listening to this haunting song but Meir's beautiful voice lends a gentle warmth during the dark night, a warmth that will always be remembered.

A journey to the world
Inside a little boat
A journey to the soul
Inside a tear
I want to feel now
Pain and also joy
I want to see everything
In the kingdom

Give me your hand
And I'll show you
All of the wonders
All of the miracles
That are here

Flickering trees
In all kinds of magical lights
The sea is now stormy
Hitting the rocks
Mermaids are singing
Deep in the abyss
No, don't listen to them
It's dangerous

Give me your hand...

You're diving now
Deep into the sea
Touching the sounds
Which are enchanted
The strong wind
Is hitting the waves
A journey to the soul
Inside a tear

Give me your hand...

Yakir Hillel - Kingdom of Judah

"Did you hear? They convicted him of manslaughter. Poor kid..." my boss told me in a shocked voice on the day of Elor Azaria's trial. I was surprised by her surprise and was glad that I felt secure enough to let her know. We talked a bit about the trial and went back to our work. I wasn't sure how the atmosphere would be at lunch. I'm used to loud political arguments but this time we were quiet, all of us busy with our thoughts. Some of us didn't think that there should have been a trial in the first place while others saw the shooting as a grave incident that was part of a much bigger problem in Israeli society so what was the point of arguing? Instead, we tried to guess how many years he would get and if there was a likelihood of reducing his jail sentence. The option of a pardon didn't come up, not even by those who were sympathetic towards Azaria. He made a crucial mistake and now he has to pay the price- that's that. But it turned out that we were in the minority as more and more politicians chose to stand against the army and said that they would support a pardon. Netanyahu's support for the pardon felt especially populistic as it was addressed quite a few hours after the trial (enough time for polling) and just a few minutes before prime time news. It was the last thing we needed after such an intense and chaotic day.
The feelings of despair and disappointment that echo through "Kingdom of Judah" were all too familiar to me these past days yet there is also something very uplifting and reassuring in Yakir Hillel's bonfire performance. We've been through tough times before and we'll get through this.

A gaping hole in the Dead Sea
Turns the world around
In a choked voice the land is collapsing
And there is no one who hears, no one who replies
My hands are too short to rescue
A lonely piece of land
I feel the ground is breaking
In the Kingdom of Judah

A whimper in the mountain and tears in the river...

A black river flows through the Negev
Staining my land
The water won't wash away
The face of my love
My hands are too short to rescue
You won't see you won't know
How they are uninterruptedly destroying
The Kingdom of Judah's land

A whimper in the mountain and tears in the river...

I'll take with me the sand of the Negev
The eternal sun
Eastern winds in the evening sky
And the chirp of a clever bird
And I'll let you know
Of the severed beauty
Of the forgotten land
Of the Kingdom of Judah

A whimper in the mountain and tears in the river...