Spinning Words

Here I Go Again

Posted on August 30, 2015 by Diana

I am so close to saying that 7 months of hard work on my thesis are closely coming to an end but I think this just might be the beginning (hopefully) of a long friendship and cooperation (hopefully fruitful) and a way of getting myself stuck with music and pop culture for quite a while.

However, the crazy working rhythm of the past months has slowed down a bit and now I had the time to chill and enjoy some of the last warm days and a glass of wine with dear friends. Among other things I took the time to see a play organised by the Romanian Cultural Institute, N(AUM) ,and besides enjoying good quality theatre and plenty of talent, I ended up watching ideas about life just unfolding under my eyes. The bittersweet reactions theatre creates in the audience can be quite fascinating, if only we allowed ourselves the time to reflect more often. Plus the soundtrack of the play and the way the scenery was created only with the help of lights made it even more enjoyable, relaxing and a pleasant experience.

And now I have more time to listen to music, other music than the Billboard Year End Rock Charts, so I am taking Spotify by storm and carefully organising playlists, digging deep and finding songs I haven’t listened to for ages and I absolutely enjoy it.

This won’t last long though, it’s back to school on Monday and Alice Coper singing School’s Out in Gröna Lund seems to have happened ages ago sometimes, though other times it seems to have happened yesterday. So instead of saying “finally”, I am more tempted to say “here I go again”. So, let’s roll!

Now I am stuck with The Corrs, Jewel, Natalie Imbruglia or Jennifer Paige, just to name a few. Check some out below.

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More Music Please

Posted on August 6, 2015 by Diana

After almost 3 weeks of having my life wrapped around tennis, now I can say that my life is wrapped around music, in every possible way. I don’t think there has been a day when I didn’t get stuck on a song or when I didn’t think about how to deal with the empirical material for my thesis which is made out of, exactly, songs.

First thing is first, I have to talk about the latest concert I’ve been to: Lenny Kravitz. His gig in Gröna Lund was wow! I have never seen so much harmony between the artists performing on stage than I’ve seen in those 90 minutes. They played with every song they performed, they were full of energy and all smiles. And I really had no idea Lenny Kravitz was 51, but why am I so amazed? He’s been on TV ever since I was 10 and that was quite a long time ago. I really wanted to hear “Again” but they didn’t play it. However they went through a lot of songs, they interacted with the audience and got everybody involved in the show, they impressed with ballads and raised spirits. It was a very good example of rock meeting soul, not just genre-wise but feeling-wise as well.

Leaving the live music aside, because I am trying to, and have to keep myself as busy as possible, I’ve been listening to music when I afford a short walk on my way home or wherever. And because Stockholm spoiled me with amazing evenings, I’ve had quite a few good reasons to stay on the streets. There were quite a few thunder storms around here, quite unusual some might say, nevertheless very beautiful.

But the nights are getting longer and I begin to consider precious every bit of sunshine that I can get. So in between a Summer rain, a rainbow and a bit of sunshine I just stick to my earphones and my playlists and I enjoy. Below is the song that has been on repeat all day today.

Posted in Day to Day, English, Music Stuff | Tagged Lenny Kravitz, music | Leave a comment

Let’s Talk about Music

Posted on August 2, 2015 by Diana

Though most posts I publish have had some music clips or were about concerts, it’s been quite a while since I actually wrote something on what I think about music. Because I got to enjoy Spotify a lot lately, I’ve listened to a lot of great songs I already knew and discovered some really nice new tracks. I am going to do a brief presentation of some songs that I came to enjoy, some a bit more than others, some close to an obsession. Will start, of course, with HIM. Not because they put something new out but simply because I absolutely love this track, can never get enough of it and, though the ice-version of the music video might be a bit more artistic, the 13th floor version is what got me hooked to the song and the band. Plus, though the movie wasn’t a success, it is actually quite good, you should give it a try. Above all, it’s been 16 years since I listened to it for the first time. And they played in Romania 2 days ago and I wasn’t there…23 songs…some they didn’t play when I saw them live.

Next I will stop on something a bit more controversial, more precisely Marilyn Manson. I already talked about him a bit before when reviewing his concert in Gröna Lund. I am still quite impressed by his new album and enjoy listening to it, I like the energy it sends out and it has a pretty good sound and vibe to it. Playing with controversial topics, the “in your face” attitude that the singer has, the symbolism of his lyrics and videos are not accepted by all or are taken too serious by others. I like to look at his music as art with a message. He has the habit of pointing out some obvious issues of our modern decadent society. I don’t always agree with his ideas and form of presentation but I will not deny the quality of his music. Nor will I deny that part of this is just a marketing strategy, even so, worth giving it a try.

Now I will talk about “sweets”, a term I use for the extremely radio-friendly tracks that get stuck in my head, those annoying ear worms, pop tracks that won’t let me be, that I wake up humming, the Summer hits of the 90s, the songs that sound better when played before a tennis match rather than on my iPod. It’s the no-brainer kind of music that makes me feel good. I should post here Ace of Base or E-Type just because they are Swedish artists but instead I will stop on something I believe is worth listening to: Take That – “Kidz”. Quite a legendary band, these guys sound better to me now than they did when they were breaking hearts in the 90s. “Kidz” is a song that brings together all original members, Robbie Williams included. And don’t get me started with the message the song and video send, the youth culture, the peace message though the song has a war-music tempo.

Last for today’s entry, which is already quite long, but not least, I am going to stop on a Swedish band I accidentally came across just because Youtube has the suggestion list on the right side of the screen and just because my instincts help me find good music. All the songs from this band can be found on Spotify and they are worth listening to. They have a very old-school rock’n’roll vibe to them, perfect for the ones who are into the 80s music but an excellent example of how good music should sound like. Good to dance to or hop to, depends on how you feel, a video that gives me the impression that sometimes it’s good to not take yourself too seriously, a funny video and a good track. A spirit lifter. Just for the record, not all their tracks are like this but all sound good, trust me on this one, I know music!

Will write about music as soon as I find anything interesting to write on and I get in the mood of sharing my thoughts. Enjoy!

Posted in English, Music Stuff | 1 Comment

Swedish Open 2015

Posted on July 31, 2015 by Diana

Serena Williams vs Ysaline Bonaventure

Do you know that tournament that Horia won 3 times in a row? No, no, not Bucharest, the other one, the one in Båstad. Well, after being so close and yet so far to make it there last year, this year I threw myself in a complete two weeks tennis experience. Nearly three weeks ago I found myself riding a train out of Stockholm for the first time and going to a part of Sweden I only knew from the tournament’s pictures.

Pepe’s Bodega

Båstad is an experience as a whole. Though tennis was my main focus, the ladies during the first week and the men during the second, it was practically impossible to ignore what was going on around like I do during the tennis weeks in Bucharest or Stockholm. Soon after arriving there I realized that I find myself in a place that combines two things: one that I absolutely love, one of my biggest passions if not the biggest: tennis, and the sea, which is in itself a beautiful thing. Watching tennis matches and looking at the sea in between the points couldn’t be described in other way than a perfect combination. And though I am not a party person I did visit Pepe’s Bodega.

Sam Stosur

To make it short, my trip to Båstad involved a lot of hard work, team work and lots of fun. It was the first time I was in a place so close to tennis for such a long time: two weeks. Every time I got a free moment I was either watching the matches, sitting on the beach in the sun or admiring sunsets. And I think I got a little bit of everything. In the girls tournament I was more than happy to see Samantha Stosur and Serena Williams play.

Johanna Larsson

Unfortunately Serena pulled out but the tournament went on and ended in the most beautiful way possible: Sweden’s Johanna Larsson took both the singles and the double’s crown. Her matches in both the semifinals and the finals were very beautiful since everyone there just cheered for her, clapped and enjoyed.

Robredo vs Mathieu

The men’s week was a bit more complicated, mostly because of the weather. It got a little bit colder and it rained a lot, though I still managed to get sun burnt. With David Ferrer pulling out with an injury, the attention went on to Almagro, Robredo and the no 1 seed Goffin. The surprise of the tournament was young Alexander Zverev who made it all the way to the semifinals. The final was between Tommy Robredo and Benoit Paire, and in the end the French player lifted his first ATP trophy. My joy was to watch doubles.

Chardy/Kubot vs Cabal/Farah

Of course, as always, ever since he’s played with Horia, I always enjoy watching Robert Lindstedt play and if he is not playing against any of our boys, I cheer for him and wish he wins. This time he teamed up with Johan Brunström reforming the valuable Swedish Davis Cup doubles team. I only got to see their first round match, it was quite tricky but they made it to the second round. Their second match I couldn’t see and unfortunately it was also their last match in this year’s tournament. Even so, I kept my eyes on the doubles and enjoyed a beautiful final between two good teams Chardy/Kubot (saw them before in Bucharest) and Cabal/Farah.

Of course on the last day though I was tired and really felt like going home to Stockholm, I was so sad it was over and wished I had at least a few more days of tennis to enjoy. It is never enough, not for me at least.

Benoit Paire

Besides enjoying the game, I also enjoyed the amazing company I had. As always I was more than happy to spend my days with great people, some that I already knew, some I just met. One group of very pleasant and different personalities can lead into creating a great team to hang around for so long with. Can’t wait to meet them again. Thank you so much for the time spent together.

Of course I am going to end my post with a song, the one they used for every match when the ball boys and girls entered the tennis court. Game, set, match, championship: Johanna Larsson, Johanna Larsson/Kiki Bertens and Benoit Paire, Jeremy Chardy/Lukasz Kubot.

Posted in Away, English, Tennis | Tagged Alexander Zverev, Benoit Paire, Jeremy Chardy, Johan Brunstrom, Johanna Larsson, Kiki Bertens, Lukasz Kubot, Robert Lindstedt, Samantha Stosur, Serena Williams, Swedish Open, Tommy Robredo | 1 Comment

A Very Agreeable Summer

Posted on July 30, 2015 by Diana

It’s been a long time since I wrote IMG_20150703_203212 something here but I have a good excuse for that, a very good excuse. So here I am sitting at my desk in the evening and writing this while enjoying a cold glass of lemonade. Since the last time I wrote I had the opportunity and the honor to see Alice Cooper play live for the second time in my life. To my shame I should have written a blog post just about that show, because it was worth it, but I didn’t, I apologize for that. I will however mention him here and now and say that, besides feeling like I was 6 again, I don’t know exactly if I assisted to a rock concert or a Broadway play. His show was complete, it was a full act that brought in front of my eyes not just a musician but a complete showman. Hats off, I enjoyed it a lot!

Soon after I entered some holiday mood that I am still trying to snap out of so I can successfully finish my thesis that I’ve been working on quite hard for the past months.

Not long into my holiday, while I was in a very special place that I am going to talk about in my next post, more precisely in Båstad, something great happened. Something that I’ve been dreaming of for a long, long time and I was really close to see my dream come true 3 times before: Horia won Wimbledon. I think that was one of the best afternoons ever. I remember the tension of the first set (they defeated Murray/Peers in 3 straight sets) and then I just saw how they distance themselves and just fly towards the victory in the two that followed. It was a totally twisted and opposite story compared to the three previous finals that he played in Wimbledon alongside Robert Lindstedt (2010, 2011, 2012). What joy to see him lift that trophy by his partner’s side, Jean-Julien Rojer, Juls for the ones who are familiar with the team.

This summer in maximum 28 degrees I probably ate more ice cream than I have eaten last summer back home in 37. I also dared to go to the beach and splash around in the, surprisingly, not so cold water of the sea around Stockholm. I still remember how to ride a bike but my skills in the city traffic are horrible, thank God for the bushes on the side of the road. My favorite thing though was swinging. And I noticed that I managed to go out in a t-shirt in 17 degrees, sweat and think it was too warm for what I was wearing. So far I can say that my Summer was amazing, too bad it had to end, and for a good reason now I have to snap out of it and go back to focusing on school and research.

I will wrap up the stories of my Summer tomorrow with an entry about the amazing days I spent in Båstad and the wonderful people I had the pleasure to see again or meet for the first time. I end writing this post while listening to Måns Zelmerlöw perform “Heroes” at a near by concert. The audience seems to be going crazy, sounds like fun.

Posted in Day to Day, English | 1 Comment