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Music Week - Day 5 - Bonus Friday with 4 songs on offer

Edited BY G P Kennedy

 It's the weekend - insofar as lockdown means weekdays and weekends for many. This weekend is a holiday for some with Eid Al Fitr for observant Muslims, and memorial Day in the United states.

 Whatever the day, enjoy a bonus with four songs on offer, two each from Tokyo and London.


Ian and Minako – Tokyo, Japan

The two tunes we picked out for the Spotify list are

Nutmeg Saba Cinnamon by Robin Saville from his album Public Flowers (2013)

And

Joy by Rei Harakami from his album [lust] (2005)

 

 Robin Saville is one half of ISAN, we’ve been listening to their music more than anyone else’s in recent years. The Rei Harakami track is an old favorite. Sadly, he died at the age of 40 otherwise we’re sure he would still be turning out great tunes.



 

We listen to a lot of instrumental electronic music with certain quality, textures and a fine balance of beauty, playfulness, subtle upbeatness and ambience that brings us joy. We love the craft and artistry of creating such a range of sounds and beats from digital tools often mixed in with acoustic instruments, toys, household objects and field recordings.


 Joy as the title suggests is quite upbeat. Nutmeg Saba Cinnamon is more mellow overall and it builds up with a range of bubbly elements as the music flows. 


 Our listening habits have not really changed during this pandemic. Maybe we’ve played music a bit more as we are at home more and there has been more releases or re-issues recently so we may have bought more than average.



 

 We don’t actively seek significance or meaning from music for these particular times, we just love enjoying the experience of listening in a more visceral than cerebral way maybe.


 Perhaps, in a way, it helps us be mindful by immersing ourselves in the world of the music, focusing on sensations we get from the melodies or sound elements.


Sally – London, UK

 The first song I picked is the song from Beetlejuice the movie. Harry Belafonte’s Jump In The Line. 


 The baby has loads of sensory toys that shake, rattle, have bells on or you can bang so we have always sang ‘shake shake shake señora” when she held them.  I then downloaded the song and we played it every time she held her toys. Now she picks her toys up and looks at the phone because she wants you to play the song. 




 This has become part of our daily routine and at this time I think routine is very important.  We have so little structure of ‘normal’ pre-COVID life that any little bit of normality that you can hold on to helps.


The second song is by Gerry Cinnamon and it's called Where We’re Going.  I have been listening to a lot of radio recently as we have a radio in the kitchen as that’s where we are weaning the baby, and this is played often.  




 Its very catchy and it makes me happy and dance around when I hear it so I have picked this purely for the fact that it makes me smile and also makes the baby smile when she sees me attempt to drive.

Please enjoy my selection.

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