Travel with us!
Beyond Voyage
  • Home
  • Blog
  • Destinations
  • Gallery
  • Pack
  • Tunes
  • About

Songs from Down Under: My Australia Playlist

11/13/2014

0 Comments

 
Picture
Australia has produced fantastic music over the years.  I spent over a month roaming around mainland Australia in a car. Therefore, I had the opportunity to listen to all types of music over the local airwaves. Below are some of my favorite Aussie tunes.

Let's start with two songs that ROCK: 

Are You Gonna Be My Girl - Jet  
I always thought these guys were from the UK but they are actually from the Melbourne area. 

Woman - Wolfmother 

It may sound like 1970's Led Zeppelin but this grammy winning song debuted in 2005. 

My favorite Aussie band is The Cat Empire, mainly because their songs are so eclectic.

Miserere  - The Cat Empire 
This is one of my all time favorite songs. The trumpet solo is hauntingly beautiful and the lyrics are incredibly uplifting, despite the melancholy melody during the first half of the song.  This song embodies the experience of traveling, discovery and being present.  It's worth reading all the lyrics but here are two of my favorite lines: "Do you ever look around and find what is yet to be found?" and "Long live living, if living can be this" (something I said daily during my trip around the world!).   


Sol y Sombra - The Cat Empire
My obsession with this song can potentially be explained by my Cuban roots because this song can compete with some of the best latin music heard in the streets of Havana or Miami.  In fact, the entire album, Two Shoes, was heavily influenced by Cuban music since it was cut at the legendary Egrem Studio in Havana - the site of many famous recordings including the Buena Vista Social Club. 


Australia has its fair share of indie bands. Here area few of my favorites:

Feels Like We Only Go Backwards - Tame Impala
This song is cool.  But its backstory is quite the opposite.  Tame Impala lifted the melody from young Pablito Ruiz, a singer/actor/dancer from Argentina who became famous in 1989 at age 14. Listen to Pablito's song Oceano for a sugary pop version of this tune. Pablito may have been first to market, but Tame Impala wins this contest by a landslide. 

Strangers In The Wind - Cut Copy
Although it was released in 2008, this song conjures up some serious 1980's nostalgia.  It could easily be the background track to a post break-up montage in some long lost John Hughes film. And just for that, I love it.

Rock It - Little Red
This is a fun little jam, despite the off-key vocals.  But watch the music video. I'm pretty sure this was the biggest nerd party of 2010.  

Escapee - Architecture in Helsinki 
These guys sometimes remind  me one of my favorite Boston bands - Passion Pit -  Upbeat, catchy, and full of energy.

Lay it Down - The Rubens
I love the lead singer's voice. If you like Kings of Leon, The Black Keys or Jeff Buckley, then give The Rubens a listen. 

Moving on to pop music, much of the world is probably familiar with the next few artists as they reached global levels of fame in the 80's, 90's and early 00's. 

Beautiful Girl - INXS
No matter how you feel about INXS, no Australian playlist is complete without a tune from this Sydney band.  I think this song is beautiful, but I opted NOT to share the seizure-inducing official music video in the box below. 

Fall at Your Feet - Crowded House
Our friends danced to this song at their wedding in Boston which happened to be the night before we left on our trip to Australia.  While in Australia, this song was always on the radio so I have a lot of good memories associated with this one.

Smoke - Natalie Imbruglia
You might recall Natalie Imbruglia from the late 90's for her huge hit "Torn".  And you might be shuddering at the memory of "Torn" because it was played ad nauseam in 1997. Fortunately, some of her other songs never made it to mainstream US radio so we couldn't get sick of them in one month's time. Smoke is one of those songs and I still listen to it today. 
Here are few classics from Australia:

Beds are Burning - Midnight Oil
This is a protest song about returning land to native Australians who were forced to move during the 50's & 60's. In the 1980s they began to return to their old country nestled in the Kintore Ranges. 

Friday On My Mind - The Easybeats
Australia's greatest pop band from the 60's reached international fame with this hit song. 

Khe Sanh - Cold Chisel
Released in 1978, this song is about an Australian Vietnam vet returning home after the war. It's one of the most popular Australian classic rock songs.

Here are a more Aussie songs for your listening pleasure:

Great Southern Land - Icehouse
Love At First Sight - Kylie Minogue
Into My Arms - Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
Come Let Go - Xavier Rudd
The Lighthouse Song - Josh Pyke
My Happiness - Powderfinger

Land Down Under - Men at Work
Anything by AC/DC 

I know this is just a small sample of what Oz has to offer so please share your favorite Australian tunes in the comments section below. 
0 Comments

Flashback Friday: Daily Life in Cambodia's Water Village

11/6/2014

2 Comments

 
This time last year, Chris and I were zipping around Siem Reap in a tuk-tuk. While most of our adventures centered around ancient Ankgor, we spent one afternoon gliding through the calm waters of Kompong Phluk - a cluster of villages comprised of stilted houses built within a floodplain south of Siem Reap. 

During Cambodia's wet season, the Tonle Sap Lake floods, big time.  Constant rain fill the streets and the water eventually rises up to the tree tops which happens to be at the same level as the ground floors of these raised homes. The only way to get around and stay dry is by boat . 

This village left an impression on me because it seemed so inconvenient. Need to borrow some spices from your neighbor? Get in a boat.  Forgot rice at the market? Get in a boat.  Have to use the bathroom? Get in a boat.  

My first reaction was "Why would anyone choose to live on water when they could live on land"?  But then I think about my own home. If  the roles were reversed and one of these water villagers visited Boston in the winter, they would probably have a similar reaction "Why would anyone choose to live in all this snow? It's so inconvenient and dangerous!".  Humans are incredibly adaptable  and manage to make a comfortable home in the most extreme conditions. 

Below are a few of my favorite pictures of daily life on water.  You can read more about our adventure to Kompong Phluk here.  
 
Picture
Laundry
Picture
Meal Prep
Picture
Grocery Shopping
Picture
Lounging
Picture
Entertainment (tourists!)
Picture
Bike "Rack"
Picture
Landscaping
2 Comments
    Picture

    Author

    Eva has been traveling for 15+ years, including an 8 month journey around the world.  

    Archives

    October 2016
    May 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013

    Picture

    Categories

    All
    Amalfi Coast
    Amazon Rainforest
    Amsterdam
    Argentina
    Art
    Aruba
    Asia
    Austin
    Australia
    Austria
    Award
    Baby
    Bali
    Barcelona
    Beijing
    Belize
    Berlin
    Bogota
    Boston
    Brazil
    BVI
    California
    Cambodia
    Cambridge
    Canada
    Cape Town
    Caribbean
    Cartagena
    Central America
    China
    Colombia
    Connecticut
    Costa Rica
    Cuba
    Culinary Delights
    Cusco
    Europe
    Family
    Family Travel
    Flights
    Florence
    Florida
    Food
    France
    Germany
    Hawaii
    Hong Kong
    Hotels/resorts
    Iceland
    Indonesia
    Ireland
    Italy
    Itineraries
    Lake Titicaca
    Live Like A Local
    Luxury
    Machu Picchu
    Maine
    Malaysia
    Massachusetts
    Mexico
    Nantucket
    New England
    New York
    New Zealand
    North Carolina
    Pacific Northwest
    Pack
    Paris
    Peru
    Pisa
    Planning
    Prague
    Provence
    Puerto Rico
    Puno
    Rhode Island
    Rincon
    Rome
    Rtw Trip
    Safar
    Safari
    Shanghai
    Sharks
    South Africa
    South America
    Spain
    Switzerland
    Thailand
    Travel Education
    Travel Tips
    Tunes
    Turkey
    Usa
    Vermont
    Washington
    Where To Stay

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.