Spread the Vibes Music Challenge (Not-Challenge): Lorelei by The Cocteau Twins

Today it's not Monday. But that should not be a reason for not writing a music-related post. And that is exactly what I was challenged to do just the other day. It was in a comment to this post where @mipiano suggested I take up the Spread the Vibes challenge by @edje, like she has done. At first I was a bit hesitant, as I usually am, but then I thought I'd just go and run with it, particularly after waking up with a certain tune in my head...

image source

Some Details on this Challenge-Not-Challenge

Granted, when I read the post responding to the challenge, I was not exactly certain what it was about. It had to do with music, that much was clear. As for the rest, it's really pretty straight forward (not sure about the non-challenge part, though). To participate we have to:

• post a song and write a few words about it.
• mention three people you want to challenge to share their thoughts about the music you picked (and continue with the challenge).
• Share your own thoughts about the music shared with you.

This is it, pretty much in a nutshell. For more details, I recommend you to visit the original challenge post.

image source

My Thoughts on Badinerie

So before I come back to the song I woke up with, let me react to the musical piece @mipiano posted. It is a very well known piece by J. S. Bach called Badinerie, which she first performed on the harpsichord, followed by the piano. As a dedicated musician she has of course all those instruments hanging around in her home (inside her Yamaha Clavinova electric piano).

image source

I was pretty familiar with the tune, though I couldn't have named it, and even with the composer I would have had to take a wild guess. But as it's the case with many famous classical pieces, I recognized it right away. Hearing it on the piano was nice, but it was the harpsichord that really took it to another level for me. I just love the sound of that exotic instrument. Go ahead and listen to it here in her post!

The Ever And Always Returning Cocteau Twins

I don't play music myself, but I appreciate hearing it, and certain sounds much more than others. That's how I felt about this weird little tune that I'm sure I must have dreamed about, right before waking up. Unfortunately I don't remember the dream itself, but it must have been pretty lovely, having such a sweet soundtrack. The song in question is an old dream pop favorite by The Cocteau Twins called Lorelei.

Where do I know this song from? Beats me! In fact, at first I couldn't even recall the name of the group, and once that came to me (from who knows where) I had to look through the list of their most famous songs before the title suddenly rang a bell. Imagine how excited I was when I recognized the song from my dream! Now I really wonder how it got there...

Me and the Dream Pop

What is it about ethereal sounds floating above deep, powerful rhythms, an angelic female voice combined with guitar effects? On me this genre has always had a hypnotizing effect. Kinda like emotions that come in paste-form, so you can spread them around on a canvas with a paintbrush... Often times I can't even describe the exact feelings they conjure, only that they make me feel like I want to laugh and cry at the same time.

image source

This goes especially for certain songs, that tend to stay in my mind for several days at a time, once they emerge from somewhere deep within my psyche. This has happened before, with other songs by artists, such as Julee Cruise, Kid Koala, or Sugar Plant. However, just as in this case with the Cocteau Twins, it is usually one specific song that my mind elevates to heavenly heights, while all the others remain on ground level with the rest of music: pleasant, but nowhere as extraordinary as that one.

Passing On The Challenge

Okay, after opening up my mind and soul to curious inspection and analysis, let me pass on this challenge to three other Hivers (though everyone is encouraged who wants to join):

• @riverflows Because she tends to share much of my eclectic musical taste, and I'd be curious as to what she has to add.
• @likedeeler Because it was him who first inspired me to write MondayMusic posts, and also because if he doesn't like something he doesn't mind saying so (a character trait I value).
• @edouard Even though he is mostly into the visual arts, I would be interested in what music he picks. Also, we have not communicated too much since he's back again on Hive.

So, that's it! Now I'll be excited to see what you guys come up with. Before posting this, let me mention once again @mipiano whose post Some Dance Can Not Hurt inspired me to this post. Also, please visit the original Challenge Not Challenge: Spread the Vibes post by @edje, and accept the challenge if you have any ideas of great music you want to share.