Built almost entirely out of sounds from the past, this song is a master class in the art of sampling. Around a dozen instruments and some three layers of vocals dance together these 5 minutes. And no matter how good trumpets are at stealing the show, each instrument gets its time playing the membrane.

As a form of art, music shines through how it allows the harmonious fusion of decades worth of creation into a single new work. In the hands of a great composer, all sounds make friends and it all ends up sounding fantastic!

Note: the remix of the song is also awesome. Seek it out.

YouTube (decent quality):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eA1SdKiLk7o

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eA1SdKiLk7o^

For Spotify users (high quality):

https://open.spotify.com/track/5Nn2Dj7OQsGL6pgQ9iIzPp^

For Deezer users (high quality):

https://www.deezer.com/track/4563487^

And here’s the Discogs entry for whoever wants to buy this album:

https://www.discogs.com/RJD2-Deadringer/release/2054363^

[ax_meta lnimgurl=’http://mentatul.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/03944-RDJ2DeadringerGhostwriter-Thumb.jpg’ lnimgw=’250′ lnimgh=’250′ title=’RJD2 – Ghostwriter’ desc=’Built almost entirely out of sounds from the past, this song is a master class in the art of sampling.’]

Melancholy and happiness are dancing together. This melody achieves an exquisite balance between joy and sadness when it comes to both the instrumentals and the vocals. The lyrics, though, tip the scales in favor of melancholy.

“Wear a black crown
State of my mind
Everything that I see
Is my own lie
Don’t you see me
as I fall from grace?

Oh oh, lady’s a liar
‘Cause you know she didn’t even fight
As I do every day
‘Cause I’m a weak child
She wore a black crown
Like so”

YouTube (decent quality):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dRmC88mDK7Y^

For Spotify users (high quality):

https://open.spotify.com/track/1qbGvuC0Eco0iN8qN4pNPG^

For Deezer users (high quality):

https://www.deezer.com/track/83612074^

For SoundCloud users (high quality):

https://soundcloud.com/silentrider/silent-rider-camille-coraz-n^

[ax_meta lnimgurl=’http://mentatul.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/03816-SilentRiderBlackCrown-Thumb.png’ lnimgw=’250′ lnimgh=’250′ title=’Silent Rider – Black Crown (feat. Camille Corazon)’ desc=’This melody achieves an exquisite balance between joy and sadness when it comes to both the instrumentals and the vocals.’]

This tinkling gem shines with some of the most beautiful lyrics about love I’ve ever had the pleasure of experiencing. The music itself is curiously at odds with the message and the evocative voice sculpting it into soundwaves. But weirdness is the hallmark of the greatest works of art…

“Face to face
One to one
Two hearts race
All is lost and won

Air to air
Light to light
All laid bare
Senses taking flight

It all begins
When stars align
And two paths meet
To re-define

We fall in love
We fall in love
We fall in love

Flame to flame
Dust to dust
We became
Tenderness and trust”

YouTube (decent quality):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R-UJ6bcdBsg^

For Spotify Users (high quality):

https://open.spotify.com/track/3V6GBpH80UmAv6ONh3prgF^

For Deezer Users (high quality):

https://www.deezer.com/track/653840592^

And here’s the Discogs entry for whoever wants to buy this album:

https://www.discogs.com/Lamb-Backspace-Unwind/master/743512^

[ax_meta lnimgurl=’http://mentatul.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/03683-LambBackspaceUnwind-Thumb.jpg’ lnimgw=’250′ lnimgh=’250′ title=’Lamb – We Fall in Love’ desc=’This tinkling gem shines with some of the most beautiful lyrics about love I've ever had the pleasure of experiencing.’]

A song of contrast and surrender, of great power and intricate delicacy. There’s a certain something that radiates from a well-sung duet. It’s more than just symmetry, more than pleasing for the ear, more than food for the soul and mind. But then again, all music radiates certain somethings other than soundwaves…

“No sunlight
No sunlight no
It’s all right when your light goes
No sunlight
No sunlight no
[…]
Washed up
These beaches
Like salt to your soul
So deaf to
Those preachers
Broken and whole
No modern psalm no”

YouTube (decent quality):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4JcRT1XnOpU^

For Spotify Users (high quality):

https://open.spotify.com/track/1K2Uph2NjuTbwFYHZ0nv1a^

For Deezer Users (high quality):

https://www.deezer.com/track/138544909^

[ax_meta lnimgurl=’http://mentatul.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/03637-HaelosFullCircle-Thumb.jpg’ lnimgw=’250′ lnimgh=’250′ title=’Haelos – Pale’ desc=’A song of contrast and surrender, of great power and intricate delicacy.’]

This is one of the songs that a lot of people can recognize from the first second. Yes, from the very first, single second. The percussion is nothing if not iconic. For the few that won’t recognize the song at first listen (or simply don’t know it) the percussion doesn’t hint much at the sweetness that will soon follow. But the listener won’t have to wait long until her soothing, beautiful, vulnerable, angelic voice can be heard. The melody flows steadily as she tells us words of love, words of courage, words of wisdom.

It’s one of Massive Attack’s most popular hits, and for good reason. It comes from Mezzanine, one of my all-time favorite albums and also one of the band’s most popular (again, for good reason).

“Love, love is a verb
Love is a doing word
Fearless on my breath
Gentle impulsion
Shakes me, makes me lighter
Fearless on my breath
Teardrop on the fire
Fearless on my breath

Night, night of matter
Black flowers blossom
Fearless on my breath
Black flowers blossom
Fearless on my breath
Teardrop on the fire
Fearless on my

Water is my eye
Most faithful mirror
Fearless on my breath
Teardrop on the fire
Of a confession
Fearless on my breath
Most faithful mirror
Fearless on my breath
Teardrop on the fire
Fearless on my breath”

YouTube (decent quality):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u7K72X4eo_s^

For Spotify Users (high quality):

https://open.spotify.com/track/67Hna13dNDkZvBpTXRIaOJ^

For Deezer Users (high quality):

http://www.deezer.com/track/3129748^

This Weekly Song entry has been brought from the FaceBook archive of Weekly Song^. This exploration was originally started through a FaceBook page, about 13 months prior to launching Mentatul. Slowly but surely, the entire FaceBook archive will be brought here.

[ax_meta lnimgurl=’http://mentatul.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/02337-MassiveAttackMezzanine-Thumb.jpg’ lnimgw=’250′ lnimgh=’250′ title=’Massive Attack – Teardrop’ desc=’The percussion is nothing if not iconic. The melody flows steadily as she tells us words of love, words of courage, words of wisdom.’]

It’s difficult to make contemporary music work well with symphonic arrangements, but these guys pulled it off quite beautifully on this song. The orchestra is diverse, but used sparingly, increasing its charm and effect. Kelli Dayton’s voice is a pleasure to wrap the ear in. It’s quite hard to believe this song is already 20 years old.

“Straw spun from gold, she craves a tortured soul,
All doom and gloom, she plays an open wound,

She takes every scene they steal,
She fakes every pain they feel,
She must be a Thelma or Louise,
She must be a post-modern tease.”

YouTube (decent quality, longer version with acoustic overtones):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-7Ux9SXEqiU^

YouTube (video, slightly annoying song interruptions)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=swX-2GT9q44^

For Spotify Users (high quality):

https://open.spotify.com/track/5OkHOeLhznFQpbwdZZ7lzn^

For Deezer Users (high quality):

http://www.deezer.com/track/67044851^

[ax_meta lnimgurl=’http://mentatul.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/01753-SneakerPimpsBecomingX-Thumb.jpg’ lnimgw=’250′ lnimgh=’250′ title=’Sneaker Pimps – Post-Modern Sleaze’ desc=’Kelli Dayton's voice is a pleasure to wrap the ear in. The orchestra is diverse, but used sparingly, increasing its charm and effect.’]