Sunday 6 January 2013

Stand Inside Your Love

The greatest part of having this blog is when I'm feeling *lazy* in my studying sub-conscious exam state, I could just post a music video and let the work do itself. 

So that's what I'll do today, folks. 
A friend bought me the best of Smashing Pumpkins album for Christmas, Rotten Apples, and although I have most of the tracks already, it's great but I paid hardly any attention to this one. Sorry Billy. I love being given music as a gift, because now I have that hard copy CD and in digital format on my iPod with me in my travels for like, ever, but mainly because this album appealed to my interests especially and you could say I will always think of this person when listening to this album.

2013: stop being such a romantic, Megan.

But it's true! This song sums up a lot of stuff I couldn't put into words last year (surprisingly, as I am never lost for words!) and it's really beautiful. The guitar solo is especially my favourite. It's really subtle, but very transient and should be admired, along with the last refrain of the song... 

"And for the first time 

I'm telling you how much I need and bleed for 
Your every move and waking sound 
In my time 
I'll wrap my wire around your heart and your mind 
You're mine forever now"

And Billy is right you know? Who wouldn't be the one you loved and lived for? 

Enjoy this extended version of a blog post compared to the one I had in my head! Er, now for the video. Good luck if you have winter exams like me! Just see them as one step closer to achieving your short term and long term goals... whatever they may be! 


Wednesday 2 January 2013

5 songs of 2012

Happy belated new year everyone! I hope that this one brings you musical joy, work-related success and above all, many amazing live musical experiences and new album experiences. Because this is these are the times that pinpoint massive moments in your life- I for one, will always know that I was *here* when I heard *that* song, doing *this* etc, etc. As anyone else, I haven't been blogging recently because I've been eating too much and recovering from awful hangovers. Just the usual rock star lifestyle! 

I thought I'd make a cute post; a sentimental post, something that could be completely nonsensical but in order to give any future readers of Needle Magazine  an idea of my writing style for the future pieces I hope to write on this magazine. Going live in February 2013, this is going to be a magazine for the musically aware, to say the least! I hope to invest a lot of my creativity into it too; something I really look forward to in 2013.

But 2012? I can't believe it's over. SO many good musical memories! The year of the Olympics; Gangnam style obliteration; the return of Soundgarden (yes yes and three cheers for this!!); my first festival experience and more endless crying at records that  have wreaked complete emotional havoc in me in their beauty. 
Today, I'll try and sum up my 2012 with 5 songs that have brought my happiness this year. They pinpoint memories for me, indefinitely, and this is something I will try to explain further. Words and music, people, words and music. I'll go different artists and different albums too as a rule. What would your five be? 

1) Snail, Smashing Pumpkins: as everyone else was going crazy with the prospect of the first Smashing Pumpkins album in yonks, Oceania, I finally turned my attention to a Billy Corgan with hair as I delved deeper into the endless pit of Pumpkins' back catalogue. This was when I needed a lift, being it the early days of 2012 and after exams I needed a rejuvenation of some sort .. this was it and there's nothing more to it. Such a little inspiring tune, if I say so. "When the sun shines, climbs through your window, into your bed"


2) My Forgotten Favorite- Velocity Girl: Velocity Girl were such an unknown band par to being included on the 90s classic film Clueless' soundtrack. This is such a rare gem it's amazing: The hit of distortion at the beginning; how you can hardly hear the vocals as they are obscured my the chord progression but yet you get a sense of what Archie Moore is singing... she's singing about how much she loves someone, how her simply favourite thing about them is knowing them, but they lie and they are flawed.... yeah, we've all been there; me more than most this year. This is a summer anthem through and through and if you don't have the time to notice it, it's gone in a flash, exactly how summer 2012 ran. 


3) Elderly Woman Behind a Counter In a Small Town- Pearl Jam:
2012 was the year I finally expanded my Pearl Jam discography to Vs. and it was the best decision possible. This song with the longest title Pearl Jam have is really close to the very core of my existence; because to me it's also a summer song, one of pure elation too. This appealed to be when the very thing Vedder sings about in the song happened: "I seem to recognise your face, haunting, familiar, can't seem to place it". Someone came back to me this year when I thought that was it, I'd 'lost' them. But they did and it coincided with the buying of this album. So fitting. It was probably the best moment of 2012: I spent the summer with this friend of mine and it was stupid, reckless and great but above all, exactly what the emotion the song is getting at: relief. Relief to know that now, once they're back, you're never going to let them go again and their presence in your life will be a better one because of it. If you've found someone special, never let them go: I know that this person will always be in my life now, and that's enough. My god it's been so long, never dreamed you'd return... This and also because I am now the "grunge queen" according to my friends, and they even bought me a "I *heart* grunge" tshirt for christmas... true friendship right there! 



4) Dammit- Blink-182: BECAUSE I'M 17 YEARS OLD OK? I've had fun with my friends many a pre-party in pre-drinking state getting ready to go out and it's the epitome of being the great age that I am right now. And, to steal something I found on the web earlier: "blink-182 is like that older brother that’s really cool and funny and has a million friends who all look up to him and is really inappropriate and makes dick jokes all the time but is still there for you when you’re sad and gives you hugs and happy talks to cheer you up". Yes, yes, yes. 


5- These Days, Foo Fighters: almost two years ago, doing my first load of "real" exams, Wasting Light was released after too long of minimal Foo news and it gave me hope and motivation and excitement at all the possible things to come: Would there be a better Foo Fighters song than this? Could they really top it? Was it the best Foos song I'd ever heard? When would I finally see this man whose presence on my wall sticking his tongue out I saw every day? Well this year was the year. Sudden and unexpected, they announced Foos headliner slot at Reading, and well, the rest was history. (see earlier posts) Playing this song, hearing it live only metres away and with 100,000 adoring fans is something you truly cannot describe. It was everything I'd ever dreamed of; something that gives me pure happiness when I think about it now, and that's why it's my song of 2012, completely and surely. It was just the best moment of my life, no biggie. Two years after hearing it for the first time, it is still my favourite Foo Fighters song and always will be.


Happy 2013 everyone.