The Sun sets after the rain... [Photo]

We had quite a few rainy, very gloomy days here in Campinas the last couple of weeks... but when the Sun came out to say hello, this is what it looked like... worth the wait?

Sometimes It Be That Way [Song]

Another one from my big book of great lyrics... Jewel is one of my favorite singers, such a nice voice and such a great writer... and really fits my taste for (acoustic) guitar-driven music... Pieces of You is one of my most-played records ever, and I really liked her follow-up too, Spirit. Somewhere shortly after that, she kinda got off-track, and her next records got worse and worse, finally coming to 0304, which is a giant-sized piece of crap. Thank God she got back on track with Goodbye Alice in Wonderland, which is a wonderful record, not yet on par with Pieces of You, but good enough to give us hope... :-) but, none of that is really the point here, because this song isn't in any of these records. I don't exactly when she wrote this song, but I first heard it in a bootleg sometime around the release of Spirit. And I was amazed!!! It's such a wonderfully written song!! It's easy to find on P2P networks (eMule, and others), it's usually referred to as "Bob Dylan Story", because in this particular version she tells a little story of how she'd played with Bob Dylan and he heard this particular song and asked about the lyrics... and she, naturally, was all excited over that... anothes live version of the song was later released on This Way, but I don't like it that much, it's slower, lost a lot of the energy of the "Bob Dylan" version, and has slightly different lyrics... so, here it is:

Night with its shattered teeth
Attempts to speak
My pen is present but
Courage left via the sink
And I'm sorry
I snuck up on you
From behind
I'm sorry not all
My love letters did rhyme
And I'm sorry that
Jesus died for my sins
And I swear to God
It won't happen again
And I'm sorry
If it was my swerve that
Tempted you to sway
Oh well
Sometimes it be that way

And Romeo was
A very nice man
He said
"Jewel, I don't think
You quite understand"
And I'm sorry if you had
To explain it like this
I'm sorry I was a point
You were destined to miss
And I'm sorry
I spoke to you irreverently
Down in the hollow
By the old olive tree
And I'm sorry
If my heart breaking
Ruined your day
Oh well
Sometimes It be that way

I said
"Oh well, I got nothing
Left to sell
This love was a bell that
Rang unheard in the air
I was bound to find out
That you didn't care
Oh well
Sometimes it be that way

And Aphrodite with
Her neon lamp
Kissed Neptune
They put her face
On a stamp
And I'm sorry
I used it to mail
A letter to you
I'm sorry I'm glue and
The rest bounces off of you
And I'm sorry not even
This jet's metal wings
Could get across
These simple things
And I'm sorry
If I ever sang
Your name in vain
Oh well
Sometimes it be that way

And Goldilocks
Well she knew three bears
They all ate oatmeal
And tiptoed upstairs
And I'm sorry
I never got to
Find you like this
Sleeping like a baby
And swaddled in bliss
And I'm sorry for
All the times
I forgot to imply something
In between the lines
And I'm sorry
If I caused you pain
Oh well
Sometimes it be that way

I said
"Oh well, I got nothing
Left to sell
This love was a bell that
Rang unheard in the air
I was bound to find out
That you didn't care
Oh well
Sometimes it be that way

And shadow's long fingers
They dance on the wall
Electricity chases
Its tail in the hall
And I'm sorry
If my arms to you
Were just empty rooms
I'm sorry
I never could comfort you
And I'm sorry
St. Petersburg is
A miserable town
And I'm sorry
If I am bringing you down
And I'm sorry
If I caused you pain
Oh well
Sometimes it be that way

And flame licks the air
With its silver tongue
Night has many hands
But I have just one
And I'm sorry
I walked in on you
Unexpectedly
I'm sorry
I never served you
Camomile tea
And I'm sorry
I didn't always have a match
That could start
A fire big enough
For your heart to catch
And I'm sorry
If it was my swerve that
Tempted you to sway
Oh well
Sometimes it be that way

Wow, huge lyrics!!! First of all, I love the whole energy of the song, it's really fast-paced, and her Jewel's voice is fantastic. But since this is all about the lyrics, let's talk about that... I love the slight sarcasm that comes with almost every verse, such as:

And I'm sorry
If my heart breaking
Ruined your day
Oh well
Sometimes It be that way

or even,

And I'm sorry
I walked in on you
Unexpectedly
I'm sorry
I never served you (both)
Camomile tea
And I'm sorry
I didn't always have a match
That could start
A fire big enough
For your heart to catch
And I'm sorry
If it was my swerve that
Tempted you to sway
Oh well
Sometimes it be that way

I tend to like these songs that sound a little bit like chanting, I don't know how to explain... and the lyrics to this song are a very well written, sarcastic way to describe a break-up... I just love it!

Jimi playing acoustic

Before I come to a proper post, I just wanted to share this video I found on YouTube of Jimi playing the acoustic version of Hear My Train a Comin', one of my favorites. It always amazes me how "full" his guitar playing is, even on an acoustic... I really don't get people that say he sucks on acoustic, for me he's just amazing... and he's really into the song... ok, just watch the damn video and tell me what you all think...

Music in Brasil

One thing I thought was somewhat weird was how, in Europe, people didn't seem to know much about Brazilian music. Even classic stuff like Tom Jobim seemed to be unknown to most. And the other interesting thing is how us Brazilians don't know much about our own contemporary music. Since most of the stuff that actually gets any attention from the media is worthless shit, it gets kinda hard to find the good stuff, and we're kinda stuck with listening to Chico Buarque forever... I'll try and post, from time to time, on some of the amazing music being made nowadays here in Brasil and, with the help of YouTube, I think I'll be able to find some really nice material. Let's start with Yamandú Costa.
Yamandú is one of the most amazing (acoustic) guitar players I've ever heard/seen in life, and certainly the best I've seen live. It's not only about the speed, even though he is the speediest sun-of-bitch I've seen not using a pick to play. He's got taste. The first time I heard him playing I thought: it's so amazingly impressive, but it doesn't sound like he's showing off, you know? Not like it does with many virtuosos... it just sounds good, it's amazing... and it's just mind-blowing!!
He plays all kinds of stuff, but I guess I like it the most when he plays "chorinho", which is a typically Brazilian rhythm... let's see what YouTube has to offer...




This is he playing a chorinho by Ernesto Nazareth.



This is he playing in some documentary...



That's from his DVD, he's playing a very popular tune from the '60s, called "Disparada". Of course it's his particular version of the song, though... :-)




He and Hamilton de Holanda play a very brazilian version of a tune by Astor Piazzolla...



He and Armandinho (an amazing (electric) guitar player from Bahia!) play a beautiful chorinho...



A chorinho by Baden Powell (one of the greatest brazilian guitarists of all time, certainly gonna be mentioned in the future).

The Clientele [Band]

I've discovered quite a few interesting things since I subscribed to eMusic. One of the best things I discovered there, even though admittedly I should've known about it already, was The White Stripes. I guess the other band I've gotten more fond of is The Clientele, which, btw, I don't think I have to apologize for not knowing about before: even the more reason to write about them. They make these sort of dreamy pop songs, really interesting, really distinctively sounding. The first album I got from them was Strange Geometry, released in 2005 (but I only downloaded it a couple of months ago). It's an amazing album, really melancholic, every song dealing with some kind of failed relationship. I'd say my favorite is the album opener, "Since K Got Over Me".

I don't think I'll be happy anymore
I guess I closed that door
But every night a strange geometry
Since K got over me

There's a nice video of them playing this on YouTube, I embedded it on the end of the post; it doesn't sound all that good, but I guess you can get the idea. Maybe it's best to visit their page on Last.fm (here) and listen to bits of their songs. This is a very evenly balanced album, you won't feel like skipping any of the songs, they sort of blend in together, and the whole thing sounds like analyzing all the failed relationships and unattainable loves you've had (or not) throughout your life... only it all feels like a dream... like floating around all these memories... OK, maybe I overdid it a bit, that's how it feels to me, you probably won't get the same feel for it... but it's a record worth listening to, definitely... who knows how it'll make you feel?
After a few weeks, I got their new album: God Save The Clientele, and as much expectation as I had built up from Strange Geometry, I didn't get disappointed. Where Strange Geometry is melancholic, even sort of "rural", I reckon God Save The Clientele is sunnier, which for some people apparently ruined it. Well, for me, it didn't. It's still dreamy, but it's a little like dreaming of sunnier, happier memories... at least that's what it sounds like, I must admit I haven't yet payed much attention to the lyrics (they're kinda hard to find online)... It's a great album, and specially interesting for me is the fact that they didn't repeat themselves that much. I mean, you still only need a couple of chords to tell this album is from the same guys that made Strange Geometry, but it's not the same, it doesn't sound old, they shifted their focus a bit, and the result is very interesting and very fresh.

A nice day for sports (in Brasil, that is)

Winning is good. Beating Argentina is just extra fun!! Brasil is football champion of the Americas today, after beating Argentina 3 to 0. Well, technically we were the champions yesterday too 'cause we'd won the last time around too, but that's just a detail. Oh, and it was against Argentina too... :-) It's even more fun 'cause we didn't play with our main team and Argentina did, so they were widely considered big favorites. Even better, then!!! :-)
Even more impressing is that we won the volley world league. Twice: under-20 and overall. Both against the Russians. The impressing thing is that it's the seventh world title for us, FIVE OF THEM IN A ROW. Yes, that's right: it's the fifth time in a row that Brasil wins the world league. And the game wasn't even broadcast on freakin' television!!! That makes no fucking sense: OK, I know we are the football country and all that shit (even though we got our asses kicked in the World Cup), but come on!!! How can you not broadcast the finals of the world championship when your country has already won four times in a row and is a big favorite for the fifth... it's just stupid, that's what it is...
On top of that we got a few medals on the Pan American, including our first gold, that came for Taekwondo... congrats!!

But somebody please tell the guys that decide what's worth broadcasting on TV (open TV, that is... I don't have cable) that, when Brasil is playing for the sixth title in a row (eight overall) in the next world league, WE WANT TO WATCH IT!!!

Pixar

This past weekend I went to the movies to watch Ratatouille, the new cartoon by Pixar. I, as most people, have gotten used to expecting a lot from Pixar. These guys have made no mistakes so far, it's unbelievable. So, for the sake of nostalgia I decided to do a quick tour back through the great releases they've given us these past 12 years. First thing to notice, they released 8 full-length movies in 12 years. Apparently it takes them about 3 years to write/produce/release one of their cartoons. So, at any given time they must be seriously working on at least two of them, likely more. And at the beginning they could not afford to be wrong and release flops, 'cause it would take them up to two years to release something again and they'd have serious problems surviving that far (now that they're owned by Disney and have accumulated so much cash from past releases, I don't think that poses a threat anymore). Just an interesting fact: Pixar was founded by Steve Jobs, Apple's CEO in the mid-80's after he had gotten "fired" from his own company. They did a lot of short-length cartoons and R&D until they finally released Toy Story in 1995 and made history. Please, if you haven't watched that, go rent it right now!!! It's a classic!! They've released so far:

• 1995 - Toy Story
  
• 1998 - A Bug's Life
• 1999 - Toy Story 2
• 2001 - Monsters Inc.
• 2003 - Finding Nemo
• 2004 - The Incredibles
• 2006 - Cars
• 2007 - Ratatouille

It's a pretty impressive lineup. None of those raked in less than 150 million dollars in the US alone. To form the Top-10-cartoons-since-Pixar-came-along list, I'd only add Shrek (1 & 2, never the third!!!) and Ice Age (yeah, I know that makes 11 cartoons, but bear with me...)

The only one that I don't think is that good is Cars, which is only so-so. I'd say Ratatouille is better than Cars, maybe as good as A Bug's Life. Well, that's saying a lot since apparently the only guys who matched Pixar at their best are doing stuff like Shrek the Third now... yeah, I really didn't like Shrek the Third... it's a waste of a great franchise!!!!

So, why are they so successful? Is it the eye-popping animation?? Certainly it helps a lot, Ratatouille is so far beyond anything else I've seen from other production companies that its embarrassing (they actually showed the trailers for a couple of other computer-generated cartoons when I went to Ratatouille. It is literally embarrassing.). But I guess it's the storytelling that really makes the difference. The main character of the movie is a freakin' rat that wants to become a chef in Paris!!!! Have you ever heard anything more absurd than that?!?!!?!! But if you have the least bit of fantasy in you, they find a way of taking you through this crazy journey up to the point where you catch yourself wondering if it's actually possible for a rat with a super-heightened sense of taste to become a chef at a French restaurant. And that alone is worthwhile... :-)

Just for nostalgia's sake, here's one version of their best shorts... I guess you can't post the original on YouTube, so people apparently change the soundtrack and do it anyways!!