February 27, 2014
by Fede
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Mutual Benefit came to Berlin and I took some (very red looking) pictures.
He’s a pretty short guy (think I was taller than him even while he was standing on the stage), which clearly excites me and makes me feel less alone in this land of giants that is Germany. Continue Reading →
February 24, 2014
by Fede
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It turned out my smartphone (which I’ve bought less than one year ago) doesn’t support Vine.
You go ahead, beautiful people of the new millennium.
Go ahead towards the future and don’t mind me staying behind.
I have seen a lot. I have tweeted, I have blogged and now it’s time to leave my place to new generations, while the outdated ship that is my soul sinks slowly on the notes of a sad midi file and does the only thing its limited resources still allow:
So welcome to a special edition of When You Live in Berlin:
February 17, 2014
by Fede
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Big Wow: It’s only February and I’m already done with my best records of 2013 list!
Too bad I wasn’t able to squeeze in some outstanding albums I discovered in the past couple of weeks. One above all: New Found Land by New Found Land, a one man girl act which might be the ultimate proof of how Sweden produces all the cool music nowadays (as if Frida Hyvonen, Jens Lekman and El Perro del Mar weren’t convincing enough).
But before diving into the final part of the list, let’s all listen to what has been – without any doubt – my earworm throughout 2013.
More accessible than anything else they’ve done, Smilewound is made of ghostly atmospheres and layered delicate tunes that speak right to your heart but won’t disappoint your brain either.
February 10, 2014
by Fede
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In Berlin they have this bar called Sameheads. It’s in Neukoelln, close to where my boyfriend lives, and it’s not just a bar in fact; it is also a clothes shop, they have movie screenings and every second Thursday they host a trivia night.
Last week I took part to the trivia night with the boyf and two friends. The team was made up of a journalist, a teacher, an architect.
And me.
Being that the trivia categories went from Current Affairs to City Skylines and that I’ve learned everything I know from the street tv, how was I supposed to even compete with everyone else there?
But I’m (ALMOST) 30, you guys! I’m pretty sure my brain filled up with something in the last three decades, so I decided to make a list of everything I feel an expert about, hoping that the guys from Sameheads will read it and turn some of the points into the next categories of the game.
After Veronica Mars I kinda lost touch with Kristen Bell’s career (let’s be honest: House of Lies is incredibly lame), but I still think she’s an awesome human being and I’ve spent entire afternoons watching her tv appearances in talk shows and interviews (if you haven’t seen the sloth meltdown, you need to watch it NOW).
I’m pretty sure I can recall when and where she said what, to whom, and probably even what she was wearing. Continue Reading →
February 4, 2014
by Fede
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Ben Cooper aka Radical Face never fails to convey through his music that warm, special sense of…something. Interestingly enough, he conceived his last three records as a trilogy called The Family Tree, and it’s in fact a feeling of domestic comfort and distant memories that pervades you while listening to the last chapter. Well done!
January 30, 2014
by Fede
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The title of Joanna Newsom’s highly anticipated fourth full length record might be “Embalmers”.
Or not.
Joanna Newsom is probably my favourite contemporary songwriter. Her talent in scraping under the obvious, under the surface, under the standardized way of writing music and lyrics will never stop to amaze me.
She sang about meteorites, sailing, monkeys, bears, birds, St. George and the Dragon without sacrificing an ounce of credibility or emotional impact.
She digs into the English language and delivers heartbreaking, poetic images through the most uncommon words.
The problem, now, is that the words are ending. Continue Reading →
January 6, 2014
by Fede
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The fact that I like piano-driven, classical-influenced pop is no news; nevertheless I would have never imagined to find Agnes Obel so high in my best records of 2013 list. Aventine, I think, has some special charm that Philarmonics didn’t have. It’s darker, intriguing, shy. There’s less stuff lying around for everyone to see and requires therefore more digging.
January 2, 2014
by Fede
5 Comments
Back in Italy I spoke with a friend of mine I don’t see too often. At some point she went “You’re incredibly creative, I’m so jealous” and I said “Yeah, well, I have a big imagination” and she said “No, but I mean, it’s more than that” and I said “Why? What do you mean?” and she said “You know” and I said “No I don’t” and she told me “You’re creative. You….create. That’s what you do and you obviously can’t help it“.
That stuck with me.
A couple of days later I used one of those stupid Your year in tweets apps and I found out two things: Continue Reading →
December 30, 2013
by Fede
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Nobody invited her to an Mtv Unplugged but she did it anyway. Zola Jesus paired up with a string quartet and released this stripped down, heartbreaking collection of old songs revisited, which testifies her talent as a singer and reminds us of how soulful her music is.
December 24, 2013
by Fede
2 Comments
I’ve never spent that much time on YouTube and I’ve always been immune to the charm of Youtube Stars. The only exception to the rule seem to be The Fine Brothers:I’ve discovered them pretty late but now I’m totally obsessed with their YouTube Channel, especially with a series of videos called Kids react to, in which kids from 3 to 13 years old are asked to give thoughts and opinions on stuff. I’ve already made clear to my one year old niece that she won’t get my love or attention unless she makes it into the show.
Since Christmas is about loving and accepting everybody without any distinction, I’ve decided to make a top three list of my favourite kids from the show. Here we go: Continue Reading →
