Hemi Rudner - Harvest Time

At first I was certain I'd write about Yair Lapid and the elections, but then I came across this song, and it's so lovely and peaceful that I don't feel like tainting it with politics. It's so soothing and perfect for a much-needed catch of breath during exam period. Hemi Rodner is known for his melancholic and pretty songs (this one somehow feels very light) and he's also the leader of the 90s band Eifo Hayeled (where is the kid) with great anthems that are still very fresh and relevant today, like this one from '93(!)

In dreams I return
Return to that village of my childhood
The same place the same hour
The familiar smell of fruit trees

In dreams I remember
All that I forgot about myself
An endless twilight
Beautiful a little bleak half state of mind
I went back to my home and to my childhood

Maybe it's harvest time now
Collect yourself and be a father
The boy you are yearning for
Will miss you, be afraid, will love
Will be happy, laugh, be a father

Time doesn't give a passport
And the present is concrete blocks
You wonder what went wrong
Where did the fire go how not to despair
How to continue to dream how to continue
To dream

Maybe it's harvest time now

http://hemirudner.bandcamp.com/

Old Man River - Old Shanghai

Beck just released his newest "single"-the chords and lyrics of "Old Shanghai", part of his very original songbook. I'm personally pretty jealous of everyone who can read chords and give the song their own unique interpretation, but it's great just listening to the different versions. TimeOut Tel Aviv made a little project featuring 5 very different artists who all played the song. There was something about this specific version that really caught my attention and won me over. Maybe it's the simplicity, maybe it's Ohad Rein's singing, which really captures the emotion of the song. I can really imagine him wandering around in Asia, absorbing all the wonders of an exotic place while being a bit homesick for the familiar and a certain someone. I remember hearing Old Man River's huge hit "La" back in '07, and it's great to hear him again. Since then, he's released quite a few albums, so I have a lot of catching up to do! I also found through his facebook a recent cover album with very original and unique covers you can download for free! Made my weekend :)

When you're walking in old Shanghai
Lanterns under the night sky
See the moon begin to rise
Just like it did back home

Old men smoking in cafes
Junk boats floating in the bay
Think of me while you're away
In old Shanghai

With no ties, with no plan
Your last dollar in your hands
Take a picture and send it back
To someone you used to know

Things will always find their way
From the backroads to the bay
There's more to do than there is to say
In old Shanghai

Things will always find their way
From the backroads to the bay
There's more to life than you or I will ever say
In old Shanghai

http://oldmanrivermusic.com/

Hilly Boimel - If you'll call

A perfect song for a rainy Saturday like today, meant for rest and reflection. I really like Hilly's clarity - you can hear every word so clearly. I'm used to singers who hide their lyrics behind the music, and here they're very out there and open. It's quite vulnerable and also brave, which blends well with the meaning of the lyrics.

Quiet
No one is asleep.
Whoever is cold and broken,
The light won't reach out its hand
As it told him not to jump into the night
So he'll only shed a broken tear
On the still pieces
And will murmur in a cracked voice-

If you'll call me I will come

Quiet
Raving
Commotion sealed lips.
When it's already cold everything is allowed,
The light won't reach out its hand
As it told him not to jump into the night
So he'll only shed a broken tear
On the still pieces
And will murmur in a cracked voice-

If you'll call me I will come

https://www.facebook.com/hillyboimel

Sivan Talmor - Windows

What a great song to end the year with! You can't help but smile and whistle along to it. It's very upbeat and light, but the lyrics are a pretty accurate observation of reality, in which not everything is rosy and bright, making the song even more interesting. Sivan Talmor is relatively unknown, even though she was on The Voice, but something tells me that 2013 will be her year. Here's to new discoveries and fresh starts!

Windows windows like a gallery of silhouettes
Spread all over in this city.
And rows and rows of hopes and dreams
Run in this city.
The time slips through fingers
And there is nowhere to run,
From this race which just gets harder
There's no strength left.

Between walls and beams sighs peel ceilings
In this city.
And doors open
And the next day suddenly shut,
And without seeing...
The time slips through fingers
And there is nowhere to run,
From this race which just gets harder
There's no strength left

Windows windows
Dreams dreams...
And rows and rows
Dreams dreams

http://sivantalmor.com/

Nadav Azulay and Gil Nemet - From the Earth

The end of the world came and went, and of course, nothing serious happened except for
a crazy thunderstorm which vanished as quickly as it arrived. So mankind (probably) isn't going to be extinct anytime soon. Whew! However, one thing that I'm always hearing about, which is in danger of becoming extinct is rock music. Not shoegaze, electro, folk, acoustic, etc... just pure well-written and well-played rock music. I personally don't think it'll ever be extinct, just harder to find. This sounds at first like a pretty simple song, but then I realized how it's been quite a while since I heard something like this and it really shouldn't be that way. Azulay released an excellent debut album in '09: http://nadavazulay.bandcamp.com/ and he's also a Beer Sheva-based producer for local artists. He's been performing with Gil Nemet for quite a while and they sound great together. It's hard to put my finger on it but there is a Beer Sheva feel to their sound, maybe it's in its humble yet very powerful sound and lyrics, maybe because it's just a good song without being too fashionable, I'm not really sure. In any case it's a very good song and a brilliant video you'll want to watch 36 times (in full screen!).

It's not that we didn't check
We were careful
There was a perfect plan
Without blocks
Even in the sky you discover holes
At once
Burn the bridges

From the missing words I could conclude
While we argued we could have succeeded
It's no longer pleasant to be silent
But how do I stop?
A ring in my ears alerts

And in replay look back on everything that happened
Another great breath of fuel
Close your eyes
Swallow your tongue
Tonight you won't go to sleep

From the earth
From the depths of the forest
I'm arriving
I'm arriving
Standing on the wall
And holding on to the gate
I'm arriving
I'm arriving

http://www.facebook.com/pages/%D7%A0%D7%93%D7%91-%D7%90%D7%96%D7%95%D7%9C%D7%90%D7%99-%D7%95%D7%92%D7%99%D7%9C-%D7%A0%D7%9E%D7%98/147190538660445

Aviv Guedj - My faith plays at night

When I first heard this song this afternoon, I was really amazed by its beauty and tenderness, and I knew that I wanted to write about it. I just heard it again right after reading about the horrific Connecticut school shooting and felt that I really had to write about it. The lyrics and melody are so moving, especially in light of the tragic events, especially the line "we promised to be very strong, but not today". Only when I saw Obama's moving and teary speech did I really comprehend what had happened because it's just so hard to believe. The melody of the song really invites one to take off that formal and protective mask and just give in and sway with the violin, letting the tears fall and slowly begin to heal and recover.
Here is the official single, and here is Aviv's superb debut album. Before performing solo to sold-out and devoted crowds, Guedj was part of the highly respected band Algiers with Gabriel Belachsan. Here's a video from the mid 90's.

My faith plays at night
Between the box of tears and an empty bed
Poets searched for a word and found an abyss

My faith plays at night
She waited here all day for long hours
My faith doesn't need a lot of space
She sleeps under the bridge, walks in the yards
And when she plays you can suddenly breathe
And hear and see.

Leave the city without saying goodbye
You'll come back anyways
Come child, come child
We promised to be very strong
But not today.

My faith gets rid of the coldness
Restores the time to the past
And soon we'll fall on each others necks
And the dawn will rise.

My faith disappears at day
An orphan like justice crawling
On the walls
My faith plays at night.

https://www.facebook.com/avivgedj

Phototaxis - Fire

I first came across Phototaxis a while ago when they gave away their debut album for free on Bandcamp, just because I thought why not. I was immediately won over by this song, it just got under my skin and refused to leave me. Fresh is an understatement here because although it sounds very 2012 with its electronic vibes, I'm sure it'll sound just as great and possibly even better in the years to come.

http://phototaxis.bandcamp.com/

https://www.facebook.com/Phototaxis