photo: Eddie Chacone
The name “Los Angeles” evokes certain associations. Indie music is maybe not something you would think of first, even though there are a couple of great bands based in the Californian city – In The Valley Below for instance, which were a part of my personal summer soundtrack. In our interview talked about music by Phil Collins, Tokio Hotel, Robin Thicke, Depeche Mode, Guns N’ Roses and Chopin.
Phil Collins In The Air Tonight
Angela: Needless to say, this is one of the greatest songs of all time. This song silences the world around me. It’s a perfect example of the power of music. It helps that he’s not being too obvious with his lyrics, he lets your imagination breathe. By the time the drum fill kicks in at 3:41, we’ve already decided to quit our jobs and run away, the building emotion just makes us drive faster into the desert.
Tokio Hotel Durch den Monsun
Jeffrey: Not sure what’s going on here. Since I don’t speak German I have no idea what they’re singing about, I assume there is rain or a monsoon involved somehow. I’ve never heard of this band before, and I can’t tell if the singer and guitar player are male or female. Not a bad tune though. Reminds me of being in a band in high school.
Robin Thicke ft. Pharrell and TI Blurred Lines
Angela: I try to close my eyes to listen to just the song, but I can’t. Breasts. The percussion and bass is fun. It would be nice to hear in a beach bar drinking tropical cocktails. Breasts. But I’d rather watch the video again. Chest. I could listen to TI read a bible. Boobs. I feel like I’m getting a peak into a dream Robin Thicke is having. Makes me uncomfortable to think my parents might catch me watching this.
Depeche Mode Dream On
Jeffrey: We love Depeche Mode, they are great at making dark melodic music that still pulses. This song is interesting, the acoustic guitar mixing with the electronic elements quite nicely, a lot of little fun sounds on the sides too.
In The Valley Below Peaches
Angela: The Madonna Inn in San Luis Obispo, California is where we shot this video. We enlisted our talented friends to take photos and dress us up pretty. We spent three days there and it was like wonderland. Most of the crew and a few people who work or perform at the resort are also in the video. We even found that cat following us around. There are a lot of hidden things in the pictures, so for us it’s like a public photo album of a crazy few days.
Guns N’ Roses Paradise City
Angela: The rock star dream in all its glory! I love that they made a video about it. The song is epic. The whistle at 1:20! They look so beautiful. I might go out and buy this record right now. The video is perfectly edited, and makes me feel like a part of it. I want to be there. Guns N’ Roses had so many amazing songs, you can see why they became iconic.
Chopin: Andante spianato op. 22
Angela: This gives me faith that machines can never make music like human animals can. The soul and spirit come through Arturo’s fingers and through the vibrations of the strings and into my headphones and straight inside me. I was never one to sit through piano lessons as a kid. Now I wish I would have. I think when composing music it is important to let go and let your emotions drive you. It is just as important when performing.
