Music is a Universal Language

The last couple of posts have had music in them, so maybe it's time for a full post about it. A popular writers trend right now is to write while listening to music, hence the playlist on the sidebar. I need quiet to write, but I can't deny that some tunes inspire. Chains, Fortresses, Cennet...you know, stuff already running through my head anyway gets channeled when I'm listening in the car or kitchen and - A-ha! I have a moment of clarity. I listen to stuff from everywhere...language is not a barrier for me. At the moment Primavera in Anticipo (Laura Pausini and James Blunt) is on the top of my list. Half of it is in Italian, but I get it anyway.

In Turkey, like everywhere, there are different types of music. Halk muzik (folk) , Sanat muzik (classical, lots of arabesques), and then of course modern Pop/Rock/etc... I don't usually listen to the first two, although I appreciate them of course. I really like when artists take something from halk or sanat music and blend it into pop/rock. That I can't resist. Since I'm a former violinist, Can Atilla easily takes a "most played" track status in my iTunes library. He's a composer and his instumentals are just as important as the words. He likes to invoke images of the Ottomans...one of his albums is even titled 1453 (When Istanbul became the capital of the Ottoman Empire).

I just watched his video of Cariyerler ve Geceler for the first time. Its animation, but a very nice use of arabesques in every sense plus a bit of a steampunk vibe. Some indian woman singing background too... don't ask me what she's saying. Love the high violin crying out. Pure angst! If angst isn't YA, then what is?

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