I. Jesse Cook

I only started listening to Jesse Cook half a year ago. The album was recommended to me and a bunch of others by irisbleu, who used some tunes in Cook's album, Nomad, as well as some others, notably from Vas' Sunyata, as "mood music" for her collab American Gods fic with GO fanart virtuoso linnpuzzle, entitled "City of Towers".

My first impression was that I'd never heard anything of its like. It suited very well the setting of the fic; desert landscapes of golden sand and stark red sunsets, and cold nights under a hard, glittering canopy of stars. It's a very smooth ensemble of acoustic guitar and violin instrumentals, but there are some vocal tracks, and they're all good. My favourite tracks would have to be "Waiting for the Tide", because it just lets you lie back and contemplate nature, like you're on a white sandy beach with infinite blue skies, and also "Beloved", because it has that sweet sweet violin string that cries most exquisitely of need and longing and passion.

II. U2

I just love U2. I think Bono has one of the most charismatic voices in the music world. What he lacks in fine-tune musicality, he makes up for with earnest emotions that just pour out of his microphone like ambrosia.

I love their most recent songs best. A perennial favourite is "Vertigo" from the album by the same name, and also their ultra-popular song "Beautiful Day". There's no specific reason why I like these tunes, just the sheer fact that they're great to listen to at any weather, and tend to uplift the spirits as well.

III. Sting

I absolutely love Sting. He has this creamy, creamy voice with just an underlying hint of ruggedness that just screams: MAN SINGER! to my red cavewoman ears. Hehe. I like him when he smiles, I like him when he sings, and I especially like him when he croons...oh, so sexily. (cheeky grin)

I really really love these two songs of his: "Desert Rose", from his album Brand New Day, which has vocals like cool breezes blowing across desert nights and also "Windmills of Your Mind" from the same album, which is his ultra-sexy crooning rendition of that timeless love song.

IV. David Gates & Bread

I happen to own (borrowed actually, never to return--natch!) a "David Gates & Bread's Best" album. It's car music really, and so I would have to have been deaf not to get the songs stuck in my head. I actually love all the tracks--a rare quality among music albums, and I don't ever get tired of hearing them. These are David Gates & Bread ultimate classics, like "If", "Aubrey", "Take Me Now", and "Save This Dance For Me". I learned to respect Bread very very much because of this album, and I know that when I get old (YEAH RIGHT), I'll be looking back at these as timeless classics too, even as the generation before me does the same now.

V. Maaya Sakamoto

I first learned of Maaya Sakamoto when she sang that fondly-remembered song, "Yakusoku ga Iranai" (No Need To Promise), for the japanese anime "Vision of Escaflowne". Presently, I have no idea why the song was singularly above average, or why it stayed in my head. (Even now, half a decade since that time, I can still recall most of the lyrics of the song...which is strange, yet cool. A pet theory is that its lasting impression draws from the fact that it was composed by none other than the Great Yoko Kanno--read on for further details).

And yet, perhaps I should be grateful that "Escaflowne" introduced Maaya Sakamoto to me. Maybe otherwise, I'd have had thought her nothing special. But because of her penchant for singing great songs (composed by Yoko Kanno) with a lot of surreal fantasy, I and my best friend chose to look more into her songs. Thus was formed the great unbreakable bond between us fans (my best friend and I) and Maaya Sakamoto.

Actually, she's got a real cute voice most of the time. Or else she just sings cute songs, making her voice sound "cuter". She has "serious" albums with somber songs too, though I really much prefer her cute songs, and above all her Yoko Kanno-composed tunes best. "Kingfisher Girl" is my most recent favourite of hers, from her album

少年アリス (Shounen Alice).

I.

Song: Strange Face of Love

Artist: Tito & Tarantula

Album: Desperado (OST)

Well, suffice to say, this is a spoiled choice.

I personally like this (translate: can't never ever get it out of my head, ever) because of Once Upon A Time In Mexico. Can't really describe it, unless you're acquainted to my kind of fanfiction (see also: READ ME: What is Fanfiction?). I can imagine Agent Sands actually singing this, with El playing guitar. (Hohohohohoho!)

But, anyway, I can still vouch for the song's top quality. Tito Larriva, a well-respected Latin music composer, came up with this, and jammed with Robert Rodriguez (of "Sin City" and "Desperado" notoriety--Hail! Hail! God of Mexican Flicks!) to give it life and breath as part of the Desperado OST. I can't say that I appreciated it in the movie it was intended for. Well, at least, not as much as I did after watching Once Upon A Time In Mexico. (*cough cough chortle cough*) Hot damn, but this song rocks!!! In a steamy, gritty, tequila and ammo-driven rhythm kinda way...

II.

Song: Behind Blue Eyes

Artist: THE WHO

Album: Ultimate Collection

I actually wrote a poem entitled "Behind Blue Eyes", way before I was acquainted to The Who's great song of the same name. I was positively giddy when I got meself a copy of the song, listened to it, and realized that the message of the song is eeriely similar to my poem. In fact, they both turn out to be quite bitter, and it's quite a treat to listen to one and read the other aloud. (Yeah, yeah, totally promoting my work here. Natch.)

Some people think this is the best goddamn song in the world. I don't disagree, but I don't agree either. It's just that, for a classic rock song, this carries a really provocative melody, topped by a painfully clear-cut message that is pounded into your mind until you're chanting to the music and going all emo. Hahaha, yeah, laugh all you like. I actually believe that The Who has that rare gift of the true movers n' shakers sort. Doesn't matter what your medium is, you still reach out to people, able to mold them like putty just by lifting your pinky finger. Yep, that sort.

P.S. I also happen to like this other song by The Who, entitled "Eyesight to the Blind", from their album Tommy. It's pretty cool, with a simple driving rhythm that is so darn impressionable. It's not as profound as "Behind Blue Eyes". Nonetheless, it's rather fun to play on a good roadtrip where you're free to shout your lungs off.

III.

Song: When The Levee Breaks

Artist: A Perfect Circle

Album: Emotive

A Perfect Circle's revival of the song "When The Levee Breaks" positively gave me the chills. I spent most of the summer of 2005 listening to it during sunny afternoons in the porch, while, halfway across the world, Hurricane Wilma battered the southern coast of the U.S., resulting in the catastrophic floods of New Orleans when a levee broke. Man. Talk about 'major premonition'. Gave me the wiggins, that.

A Perfect Circle's music is, in my opinion, a very fine example of the marriage of music and social awareness. Their themes are worth a Parental Advisory on the covers of their albums, as they usually deal with war, violence and racism. You might think that metal rock is overrated as a medium for such 'socio-political rants', but rest assured that A Perfect Circle bears the highest standards (in my books) with respect to their musical craft. I'd even go so far as to say that I think they bring a "new edge" to the role of music in socio-political awareness, generally, and raise the banners of rock to greater and more meaningful heights, specifically.

IV.

Song: The Garden of Everything

Artist: Maaya Sakamoto feat. Steve Conte

Album: Tune the Rainbow

Composer: Yoko Kanno

Yoko Kanno + Maaya Sakamoto. Such a combination is known to be instant magic among their fans. "Garden of Everything", written by Yoko Kanno for the anime Rahxephon, comes to life with the beautiful voice of Maaya Sakamoto, who never fails to give that extra measure of talent that makes such compositions positively surreal. The voices, the melody, the instruments--all come together in an ethereal harmony that melds the mind with the soul. Yoko Kanno's trademark innovations also rise to the ocassion, with her ingenuity and preternatural creativity for mixing technology and melody to give the song a "technical finesse". Beautiful magic here. Definitely worth listening to, this unsung classic is worth remembering.

V.

Song: Clair de Lune

Composer: Claude Debussy

This is the first timeless classical piece that really struck me to the core. Debussy is famous for his smooth, soothing notes, soft as ripples in a quiet pond. Clair de Lune is one of those tunes that never fails to give me peace of mind. The melody's easy gait spreads serenity in gossamere tendrils that wrap up your mind in the most relaxing of moods. I'll always keep this classical piece closest to my heart, partially because it was my first beautiful discovery of the genre, but mainly because it's 100% my kind of music, if ever I'll take it upon myself to compose with intent to broadcast. (Haha.)