jadesfire

I'm on a bit of a creative tear at the moment, which I think is due to the imminent arrival of new students, and my own awareness of Autumn creeping in. It's like I have to get it all out of my system before I run out of energy and time.

So. More podfic below! But before that, O Wise and Wonderful Friendslist, lend me your brains.

I'm looking for music/songs that make you think of New York. Not just songs with New York in the title - although the less-well-known ones of those are also welcome - but songs that, for you, catch a mood or atmosphere that just says 'New York'. The ones I've got so far are fairly obvious, so I'd like some that are less so.

So far I've got:
A bunch of Simon and Garfunkel (Wednesday Morning, 3 A.M., Bleeker Street, At The Zoo)
Goodnight New York by Vienna Teng
New York, New York by just about everyone - whose is the definitive version?

What else should I have on there?

( Podfic - That Spin I'm In (Daredevil) )

Okay, so I was a bit grumpy about things and went hunting for things to help me sing the alto part of the Hallelujah chorus. I can read music, but I'm not used to being in the middle rather than on the top (oi, get your minds out of the gutter :P), and was finding it really hard to pull out the line in full choral versions.

But it turns out that the BBC is doing a big 'Sing Hallelujah' thing (which we're taking part in), and as part of this, they've recorded the BBC singers singing various lines with and without each other, to help people learn their lines.

I'm using it to learn the alto line, and listening to everyone else sing without your part, you suddenly realise that it's a *whole* piece, that every part is equally important, and if you take any of them away, the whole thing suddenly sounds really thin.

Anyway, I'm sure there's folks who'd find it fun, so here's the link: Get your music here!. If anyone wants them and can't get them, let me know too :)

I kind of want to make this post one long string of videos, because it's hard to do these guys justice with just words. But we'll have a go anyway.

Out of the Blue are an all-male a cappella group, started in 2000 and drawing members from Oxford University and (now) Oxford Brookes University. They've won competitions in the UK and Europe, and this year, were second in the world. Considering American Universities have a much longer and better-established history at this kind of singing, that's pretty good going.

I'd heard Out of the Blue singing on Cornmarket, promoting their concerts and was pretty blown away. So when we could actually get tickets to hear them live, we were both pretty excited. As was everyone else in the audience, if the noise level was anything to go by!

Nope, it's no good. I can't describe the performance to you. All the recordings I can find are pretty lousy, but they'll have to do. You've got to see it: ( It's under here )

It's taken me a while to work this one out, but I got there in the end. After having a truly horrendous night (seriously, I spend enough time at work as it is, I don't need to be there in my dreams too), I decided to just put Spotify on and plough my way through the Invoice mountain. I tried various artists and albums, but none quite worked until I found the hundreds of Queen tracks. Almost at once, my brain calmed down, I could concentrate and I'm gradually climbing the mountain.

And I've worked out that it's because it's what my mother used to play when I was little. She'd turn the volume up as high as she could stand (and never mind the neighbours) and sing along while she worked through the heap of papers on the dining papers.

I'm possibly the only person in the world to associate Queen with paperwork, but it's working for me.

And just in case that wasn't happy enough, I can fall back on this (snurched from pixelism, with thanks). Oh, and this made me laugh too. (yes, that's an Ebay link. Just click and listen)

It's going to be a weepy day due to sheer exhaustion, but I'm starting to think I might just make it through. My tardis_bigbang ideas are coming together, bau_bigbang kicks off today, and my first proper Supernatural story has 66% beta-approval. \o/

Right. Back to the filing/bopping.

ETA: Also, I am wearing my new waistcoat for the first time. I've never owned a waistcoat before, but it makes me feel suitably smart and professional :)

rustydog!! I've had "That spells DNA" in my head for three days and it's all your fault. As a thank you, allow me to offer you this clip (which I hope you can see!)

Since I was singing it so obsessively, I thought I'd look up the singer, Jonathon Coulter.

That was my first mistake.

His website is great, and he gives away huge amounts of music for free. Yup, download legally, folks. He asks for money if you've got it, or a plug if you don't. I will probably pay for some stuff when I can download onto my own computer, but for now, I'll settle for plugging it.

"That spells DNA" is available for free on his Downloads page, and I'm going to have a fun day exploring everything else that's there. I may never get my life back at this rate...

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You know when something happens that just makes you go warm and fuzzy and blush like you're doing a traffic light impression? I love days like that :)