Polar Pair - Cry x3

Well, I'm back after a pretty long break. I'm well-rested and ready to open the new year with a fresh start. And what better way than with this great song by the always fresh Polar Pair. The quality is superb, and the video is wonderful.
A few days ago, it was Yom Cippur or as kids and some grown-ups call it, "the bicycle holiday" because there are no cars in the streets. It's such a unique feeling to walk on the highway and just breathe the clean air and complete silence. Well, except for the loud groups of kids on bikes always arguing how to valuably spend the day and where to go before the sun sets and the cars return. But even so there's really a feeling that the whole world has come to a halt and it's just you with your thoughts, and your bike.
I discovered pretty late the really funny cult comedy Parliament, based on a skit from the satire "A Wonderful Country". It perfectly captures the typical group of guy friends in their 50's who sit together at the coffee house every Friday. It's a shame that there aren't subtitles but I think you can pretty much understand without them. It's Yom Cippur and Shauli (the very talented Assi Cohen) swallows a piece of onion from the pre-fast meal, leading his younger brother to "disqualify" him from fasting. It's pretty brilliant: http://www.mako.co.il/tv-parliament/video/Video-b60bfef1ca6f831006.htm

More Polar Pair here: http://polarpair.tumblr.com/ they've just made a disc of collaborations with artists from the country and abroad, not all of them are my cup of tea but they're well worth checking out.

Here is the creator of the video, Masha Diamond's site: http://creativesnack.wordpress.com/animation-2/

Happy Sukkot!

Kobi Aflalo - Keep Me

You know that Rosh HaShana is getting closer when you hear nonstop radio ads for the yearly countdown, which plays somewhere between doing errands for the evening meal and the dinner itself. Actually, I won't be in the country this New Year's. I'm going in a few days on a much-needed vacation for about a month, and I think I'll miss the special atmosphere before the dinner much more than the meal itself. It's hard to explain, maybe it's because you greet acquaintances and even strangers with a beaming "happy holiday" or because everyone wears white, or it's the first September holiday, and people aren't fed up with family meals yet. For whatever reason, you can't deny the festive atmosphere during the day before the evening meal. I have a distinct memory of hearing Kobi Aflalo's "What my heart chose" a few years ago on the eve of Rosh HaShana. It was during the countdown, of course, and I think it was in a pretty high place because we were already on our way to our relatives, just like everybody else, and the broadcaster said something about how probably everyone is in their cars listening to this song with the windows rolled down, and looking at the cars besides us, he was right! Some didn't have their windows rolled down, but they were certainly smiling knowingly. Anyway, this song is nominated in this year's countdown, and it certainly deserves a high spot and it's so fitting for Rosh HaShana. The Hebrew is very beautiful here, and I had a bit of trouble translating, so here's my best attempt.

Keep me from lonely fog
From struggling emotion from heart's pride
And I will be in awe of your charms
Embrace me in you wrapped in your words
And silently I will want your smile
Surely I will tell you

Do not leave me in the dark do not switch off my light
I am clear I am drunk
In my weakness I am a hero
Do not forget me in the silence
Until the fear will will pass and in your grace I will be a hero
I will be a hero

Keep me from lies from storms
From a deflated outlook and a bent tear
Come back to me sweetly flushed with faith worn from any distress
And as I sit across from you I will want your compassion
Surely I will tell you

Do not leave me in the dark do not switch off
I am clear I am drunk
In my weakness I am a hero
Don't forget me in the silence
Until the fear will pass and In your grace I will be your hero
I will be a hero

http://www.kobiaflalo.co.il/

Have a great September!

Tzvika Force - For Breaking My Heart

It's hard to believe that in two weeks it'll be September. I was at the mall the other day and was stunned to see Back-to-School sales. I can't wait for September - no teens packing the streets, no papers, and most importantly (hopefully) no air conditioning, with whom I've developed a serious love/hate relationship. This song feels like Autumn in England - I can almost feel the breeze and see the scarves and jackets. It's also a really excellent song that stays with you for quite a while. 

Staring at your matches
Pull it in and backwards.
Hold on.

Forest's built for ages
And erased in hours.
Hold on.
Hold on.

Don't you miss the time
We sat under the cypress?
Holding on.

Putting arms around him
Promise he will blossom.
So hold on.
Hold on.

And you owe me answers!
Why you got into this danger?
Why you're breaking my heart slowly?
You owe me answers!
Why you got into this bandage?
Instead of into my heart , surely.
Do you really think it's time
We should go and end it forever?

An empty box of matches
Leaves a lot of black dust.
That's holding on.

Planting all your roots
Inside my choking lungs.
That's all you ever did.

Song available for free here:
http://tzvikaforce.bandcamp.com/

Etti Ankri - Your melody

Etti Ankari has made quite a journey since she first broke out about 20 years ago with her intense "I see it in your eyes" (still powerful today). Here she sounds so peaceful and mature. Soulful and beautiful.

I remember your melody which I ask
Whoever will sing your melody in a chord or bow

I'll give him my soul
And he'll raise it in a net
Will add character to character
In the written melody
I'll give him my soul
And he'll rase it in s net
Attach all of it
To a wonderful melody

I miss your melody which only I ask for
Whoever will sing your melody in a chord or bow

I'll give him my soul
And he'll raise it in a net
And sweeten the bitter
With the precious melody
I'll give him my soul
All of its strings
Tuned in a scale
In a perfect melody

I will not forget your melody only I ask for
Whoever will sing your melody in a chord or bow

I'll give him my soul
All of its words
He'll rearrange
In the holy melody
I'll give him my soul
If he'll play you're melody
Then I'll be happy
To return it to you

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Etti_Ankri

http://www.facebook.com/pages/%D7%90%D7%AA%D7%99-%D7%90%D7%A0%D7%A7%D7%A8%D7%99/112765838779308

Dudu Aharon - Don't close the door on me

I have to admit that when I first heard this about a month ago my first thought was that this would fit perfectly on the "sad days" playlist, which is pretty sad because thankfully there hadn't been a sad day in quite a while and it kept me from enjoying this great song. I'm not sure if they played this yesterday, I didn't hear the radio but I'm pretty sure they pulled out the "sad day" playlist (I'm pretty sure it's a file on a computer but in my mind it's a dusty sheet of paper usually stashed away in a drawer). Hearing the sentence "a bus has blown up" immediately brought me back to ten years ago when it wasn't such a rare thing to hear on the news. Only this time even though it's farther away geographically, it's much harder because it's so out of the blue. Burgus is where you fly for a cheap vacation to take a breath from the daily life. It's much more affordable than Greece and other destinations in Europe so most of the travelers are very young. Usually on a trip abroad you want to forget about everything and just relax-it's always scary to feel unsafe but even more so on vacation. Here is information about the victims. Devastating. http://www.jpost.com/Defense/Article.aspx?id=278221 Of course now everyone is wondering what's next and with the Syria bombing (already feels like old news) things are very uncertain.
On another note, I really like this song by Dudu Aharon. It's much more low-key than his usual style and there's something very calming about the melody. Even though it's sad and intimate it's very easy to imagine thousands chanting the chorus at Ceasaria and it highlights his great vocals. I must say that although I've never been a huge fan of his music I've really come to like him as a person thanks to last summer's cult reality La La Land, about Mizrahi singers trying to make it big in LA. At first, the editors tried to portray him as egoistic and "above" the other contestants, but he kind of ruined it by getting along with everybody and taking on the role of peacemaker, making it probably the most uncompetitive reality show ever. They were like a big family that made Friday dinners together, and it was just really fun to watch.

In the nights I wrap up in myself, cannot sleep
Looking for my way
Take your time and think if you should leave
What will happen to the child

Just understand me I'm also afraid
I don't want you to go I need you
These are not easy days for me too
Just give me a sign that you love

If you're fed up then it hurts for me too
We've been through everything isn't it a shame to give up
How sad and heavy my heart is
Don't close the door on me...

Hiding in myself the pain does not leave
Closing myself like a child
Come go out to my heart
It's crying for you now
I'm begging for you like a child

Just understand me it isn't easy to leave
I really wanted the best for you
The heart is bleeding heal my wounds
Promise me that you aren't leaving

http://www.facebook.com/DuduAharonOfficial

The Raw Men Empire - Orange Land

Whoa, what a great video! I first heard this song a few weeks ago and was hooked on the riff, it's so refreshing and energetic. I first discovered them a while ago with their very sweet "Between you and me" and was wondering where they disappeared. Now they're back and better than ever. They sound so happy and free! Perfect for the summer.
Speaking of summer, it's probably the best time to indulge in YouTube videos - your brain feels so tired from the heat (and in my case also exams) that it feels like you really deserve a few minutes (which somehow turn into an hour) of pure escapism. Here's a must-see blue and white selection:

Everybody who's been to the beach in Israel is familiar with that tik-tak-tik-tak noise of Matkot. Either you love it or you hate it but it's inescapable and a huge part of Israeli beach culture. New York Times recently posted a pro-matkot article, but there's a much more critical side to it. This well-made video is a satire but stems from hatred of the sport in which the creators claim that it's not only annoying but also very dangerous, not to mention what it says about Israelis...

I Charleston is in Tel Aviv! Very colorful and well-made. I can't help but wonder how they were able to dance with so much energy in the heat.

Parking in Tel Aviv often feels like a sadistic game of musical chairs with the recurring thought that you just might spend the rest of your life roaming the narrow streets like a shark, all just not to pay in an over-priced parking lot. You think to yourself "there just has to be a free spot somewhere" and when you finally do find it, you feel like the luckiest person in the world. This is a video that everyone can relate to and even features a cameo of Tel Aviv's mayor, Ron Huldai.

The same guys also made a pretty genius video capturing the essence of the Israeli world traveller, in the setting of Tel Aviv.

I've seen the orange land
And your vacant lots,
I've seen all your cars
And they are painted white.

My, oh my, baby,
Stay with me.
My, oh my, baby,
Stay with me.
You're in my heart,
You're in my soul tonight
You're in my heart,
You're gonna tear my world apart.

First came the snow,
Bringing in the white,
I started to write this song
So I could find some light.

My, oh my, baby,
Stay with me.
My, oh my, baby,
Stay with me.
You're in my heart,
You're in my soul tonight
You're in my heart,
You're gonna tear my world apart.

High or down or high or low
I've seen your face now,
No matter how hard you'll try to go
I know your name now,
No matter how far you're gonna run
There'll never be someone
Like you.
http://trmeband.com

Avtipus - Just do not fall

I'm pretty surprised how emotional this song made me feel. I came across it completely by chance earlier today and ever since I've been in a pretty pensive mood. The youtube description says that "this was recorded in July 2012, written in the summer of 2011 with the outbreak of the tent protest to encourage ourselves, our friends, and everyone who isn't giving up, isn't discouraged and continues to push this huge boulder up the mountain". There's a lot of optimism in these words but this song is so melancholic and heavy - it's a good reminder of why the protest exists as well as its importance but there's also a huge feeling of crisis and uncertainty. Since late May/early June there have been renewed protests - not as huge as the ones from last summer, but also not as small as some people thought. Mainly, there was a sense that it wasn't the top story in the media, so it wasn't the top story on everybody's minds, and it felt like it was fading away. However all that changed on Friday June 22, when Dafni Lif, together with a group of protesters, wanted to renew the Rothschild tent city- after they didn't get a permit from the city council. Things got very violent, and Lif ended up badly bruised by the police and arrested. And then came the very violent protest on Saturday. At first, it was very blurry to me what exactly happened that night. At first, from the news it seemed that a small group of protesters got aggressive, smashed bank windows, created a riot and fought with cops. But then when I checked out Twitter and Facebook, it appeared that the protesters' vandalism acts were minor compared to how the Special Patrol Unit handled the protesters, with violence, curses and fury mostly towards harmless men and women. Here is what Itai Anghel, one of the only journalists I completely respect, reported: http://www.haaretz.com/news/national/baghdad-congo-tel-aviv.premium-1.447790. The setting of the protest was the banks by Gan Hair, right next to the City Hall whose painted escalators starred in last week's video by Kutiman. It's also right by Rabin Square. One of the most chilling tweets I came across was by someone who wrote: "Miri Regev [says] the protesters want to turn Rabin Square to Tahrir Square. That's more legitimate than what the extreme right did, which is turning Kings of Israel Square to Rabin Square." It also reminded me of what the late Rabin said in his last speech before he was assassinated: "Violence erodes the basis of democracy. It should be condemned, denounced and isolated". In this past Saturday's protest there was no violence but there was anger, and also a group that split from the official protest and blocked roads, not only in Tel Aviv but also in Jerusalem and Haifa. From what I understand, there's now a tent city in a new location picked by the mayor, near the train station and away from the heart of the city. This way it won't disturb the city residents but it also won't bother anyone else, so there's a lot of criticism on behalf of activists and it's very small (for now). So, after almost a year since it first started, it's still very hard to pinpoint exactly what has changed (it feels like nothing and everything at the same time), where things are now and where they are headed. What's certain is that it's going to be a very interesting summer.
Avtipus (prototype) are a great band from the 90's with hits like these  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I2OKUsA3X0M and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UwNM-nbaI_o&feature=related (so 90's!). For me, they represent the true face of the protest - not dreamy twenty-somethings who want to live in the city and change the world, but rather well-experienced family men fed up with where things are going who see the possibility of creating a better society for their children.

Chutes and ladders
Climbing and diving
There is not a place without quiet
There is not a place with crawling

Dear friends
In the kingdom of survivors
In the place where there is no bridge
Over troubled water

Flying low
Above the dirt
Barely falling asleep
Waking up without a smile
And the ground always shakes under the feet
Just do not fall


Withdrawals and refunds
Loans and losses
In a place where there is no grace
And no pity

Flying low
Above the dirt
Barely falling asleep
Waking up without a smile
And underneath-what fear there is here in the eyes
Just do not fall