Niki N. Phaser » crazy http://www.nikinphaser.com playing russian roulette with madness as a bullet Sun, 22 Jan 2012 00:15:19 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 Tori Amos (feat. Damien Rice) – The Power of the Orange Knickers : A Special Way of Saying ‘Fun’ http://www.nikinphaser.com/2009/11/tori-amos-feat-damien-rice-the-power-of-the-orange-knickers-a-special-way-of-saying-fun/ http://www.nikinphaser.com/2009/11/tori-amos-feat-damien-rice-the-power-of-the-orange-knickers-a-special-way-of-saying-fun/#comments Sun, 08 Nov 2009 13:44:23 +0000 Niki N. Phaser http://www.nikinphaser.com/?p=1882 tori_amosTori Amos rose to prominence in the 90′s and back then, being a strong independent female didn’t mean you get to dance with high-heels surrounded by half-naked muscular dudes. She became a genuine role model for women all over the world, not just because of her artistic creativity, but also because of her activism in stopping violence against women — she co-founded RAINN, an organization dealing with helping victims of sexual assault, Amos herself being a survivor of rape. But there is so much more to Tori Amos then being this brave female artist which metamorphosized an awful experience into something beautiful. She’s a brilliant composer and an even greater lyricist.

If this would have been the review of a Single Masterpiece, it would most definitely be about Crucify, but, even so, it’s quite a challenge to skim through her Non-Single Masterpieces and choose just one. The Power of the Orange KnickersdamienRice displays a lot of Tori’s themes, styles and methods, as well as being one of her few collaborations, this time with Irish singer-songwriter, Damien Rice. Her songs always sound  intimate, but this second vocal presence amplifies that feeling and the soft voices used by both singers make the track sound as a lullaby sung by both parents to their child. The title and lyrics showcase Tori’s often ironic view on love and relationships (“When you become a twist, For their latest drink”), especially when it is unrequited love (“this terrorist”), which seems to be the theme of Orange Knickers. It’s wonderfully stated through some of the lyrics: “Shame shame, for letting me think, That I would be the one” or “The power of listening to what, You don’t want me to know”, all of these creating the image of a relationship where just one loves and the other feeds on that. There is a metaphor to underline this, one of the best metaphors in the history of metaphors (Shakespeare included): “Am I alone in this kiss?”. BONUS: Tori sings the word ‘fun’ in a very cute way in this song.

ORANGE FEMALE UNDERWEAR                  LIVE VERSION

]]> http://www.nikinphaser.com/2009/11/tori-amos-feat-damien-rice-the-power-of-the-orange-knickers-a-special-way-of-saying-fun/feed/ 0 Empire of the Sun might just be the next big thing http://www.nikinphaser.com/2009/07/empire-of-the-sun-might-just-be-the-next-big-thing/ http://www.nikinphaser.com/2009/07/empire-of-the-sun-might-just-be-the-next-big-thing/#comments Fri, 10 Jul 2009 20:50:53 +0000 Niki N. Phaser http://www.nikinphaser.com/?p=768 The strange Australian duo Empire of the Sun have recently released a new single from their debut album, Walking on a Dream. The song is called Standing on the Shore and presents plenty of similarities with the previous single, We Are the People, but in this case, that’s very good. The video is very similar to that, as well and maybe the fact that they were done by the same diEmpire of the Sun luke steele nick littlemorerector has something to do with it. Standing on the Shore has a pretty simple pop dance beat, but Luke Steele’s nasal chanting brings a lot to the table. His voice might just become one the most recognizable sounds in pop history. Also, the chorus contains some Morricone female “nah nah nah”s, that will remind you of some of the master’s 70′s work.

Empire of the Sun, which is actually at the moment a side project for both members, marks a really fresh change both in pop, but even more in the alternative scene, where they can also be included. In a place where every band tries to look, sound and act like Joy Division, this band brings a whole lot of colour and imagination. The forthcoming autumn tour in their homeland promises to be just as wild and crazy as their videos. It will be something worth seeing.

EMPIRE OF THE SUN – Standing on the Shore VIDEO

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