Wednesday 10 December 2014

Fismoll - At Glade (2013)

About two years ago a friend sent me a song described "You must listen. The guy is Polish, two years younger than we are and he will break your heart". Guess what? He didn't. But he impressed me deeply and I was happy while returning to those few first covers and self-written songs.

In 2013 Fismoll released his first album. A nineteen-year-old, releasing a really nice independent music is not a common thing in Poland. I liked the album but being very much into totally different music at the time, I didn't even think of writing about it.

Quite recently though, I found out that Fismoll was coming to my-adopted-city and since for a long time I had longed to experience some live music, I decided to give it a go. And oh wow. Seeing him in my big, ugly city, mesmerizing a HUGE audience (seriously, the club in which Anathema usually plays and nearly as full!) I was once again shocked that such a talent can gain such recognition in less than two years of work. And he deserves more, hence these words.

Listening to Fismoll is like entering a really intimate world full of subtle feelings, experiences of beauty and little joys. It’s hearable on his debut At Glade, but even more during the concerts. There is purity, simplicity and honesty of Scandinavian culture in it. If you close your eyes, you can feel warm rays of sun on your skin, the pain of the shortness of cold summer. You hear a river slowly passing by and grass murmuring at glades, especially in Trifle and Time of Glimmers.

Some of the songs are also filled with playfullness and youthfulness, e.g. Let's Play Birds (the song by which I got to know him) and The Soldier from the upcoming second album. And what I really like about Fismoll is that by no chance you would say he's so young. Somehow he manages to escape the pathos-childishness of the lyrics (oh, how jealous is a nineteen-year-old-me-of-the-past), even though he sings a lot about lost love and the pain of a feeling being.

But there is also Alcest’y dreaminess and hardly tamed streams of pain and joy. Well, if the Alcest was British in expressing its emotions. Well, if Alcest focused more on playing like in Sur l'océan couleur de fer. Well, listen to Look At This, anyway. Although to me, the most beautiful songs on the album are Flowering and Let Me Breathe Your Sigh, both using a similar melody and drowning in melancholy. Oh, I cried.

And since it's December, grey and horrifingly Christmasy, it's good to stop being grumpy and start thinking. Nothing better to do this, than a big cup of cocoa and Fismoll's music.

And once you’ve listened to Fismoll, be sure to check out his gifted younger sister. She supports him by playing cello, but also sings like an angel. And she recorded a few covers of her favourite songs, really delightfully. The music genes are strong in their family.

Monday 22 September 2014

Emilíana Torrini - Unemployed In Summertime



I’m horribly late. Ever since the dreamy dark sixteen, I’ve been waiting for the magical time when I would be allowed to sing along ‘Unemployed In Summertime’ and REALLY mean it. Well guess what, it’s my 22nd birthday next week and the very first day of a real autumn weather here in Europe. 

Why is the age so important? In her song Emiliana praises the beauty of being unemployed 21-year-old in a summer. Well, to me 21 was neither jobless nor very summery, but the few cathartic days in mountains were enough to make me relate myself to this lovely song yet again. 

The second best thing about mountaineering is obviously lying on halls and meadows. And that is how this song feels. Tired, lazy, but blissfully calm. Combined with the simple, yet fresh melody in the background, the lyrics give an idyllic vision of this time, spent on lazy strolls, playful talks and time-killing without a bit of guilt.

Summer kisses, wandering about and the amazing confidence that being 21 you can yet do anything. You can straighten up the paths, fill them with good people and amazing experiences. And you still don’t have to obsess about things that don’t stick, you can put money last on list of important things, screw your make-up and simply enjoy little things. 

But hey, guess what, readers and older me. Even when you’re 22, 25, 30 or 40. These things above, Emiliana’s summer, they should be your summer and winter. Your every day’s recipe to be happy. So off you wander!

*The song comes from the wonderful album: Love in the Time of Science.

Interlude



Damn, has it really been 22 months? Ever since I met the mad physician with a mysterious… well, ever since I started working intensely and travelling a lot, it’s been getting harder and harder to discover and share awesome music. But don’t think I stopped doing either. Not for a day. Still, after 2 years of intense native language writing skills’ training, I yearn for giving out a few cries in English. I hopefully say: Expect more regular stuff now.