Johnny Cash is a singer-writer of country music born on February 26th, 1932, at Kingsland, Arkansas. He sold more than 90 millions albums during his 50 years carrier.

He was very close to his older brother Jack, so he has been shocked when, aged 14, he hurt himself with a circular saw and died.

At an early age, he began working in cotton fields where he is imerged in folk, country and gospel.

He signs his first album with Sun Records in 1954. At this time, he plays with “the Tennessee Two”.

In the beginning of the 60s, he plays more than 300 times on the same tour. He begin to drink huge quantities of alcool, takes amphetamines and barbiturates. He is soon to become alcoolic and drug addict.

In 1965, on his way back from Mexico, he was arrested by the narcotics squad who seeks heroin. He was only carying amphetamines (legal at this time), he is released.

In 1968, thanks to June Carter and her family, he managed to quit drugs after a month of isolation.

Close to the end of his life, he meets the producer Rick Rubin with whom he released a serie of 6 albums on which we can find cover songs from various artists such as: U2, Nick Cave, Nine Inch Nails, Soundgarden or even Leonard Cohen.

He dies on September 12th, 2003, only 4 months after the death of his wife June Carter.

“my sweetest friend
everyone I know
goes away in the end
and you could have it all
my empire of dirt”

Download audio file (Cash.mp3)

Further information on Wikipedia [en]
‘Hurt’ Live on Youtube
Buy American IV: The Man Comes Around on Amazon.com

Sparklehorse is an American indie rock band sailing between pop and folk music. In 1995, the band, led by its frontman (Mark Linkous), released a first Lp : Vivadixiesubmarinetransmissionplot. A confusing opus: Travelling through melancholic pop and “starving rock”, Sparklehorse suggests a paradoxical music. Something like Dr. Jekyll, and Mr. Hyde !

If the American band knows how to make and build indie-rock hits (“Someday I will treat you good”, “Tears on a Fresh Fruits”), it is also gifted for “drumless” dark pop-songs (Spirit Ditch).

“Homecoming Queen” is one of these. The song serves at front door of this debut album and shows off Sparklehorse’s savoir-faire for straightforward, slow and black pieces to advantage. Shy notes are haunted by faraway ghost sounds and led by the bewitching voice of the singer.

The music draws its inspiration from nature, and especially animals. Pretty logical when you know that Linkous shuts himself away in his North Carolina farmhouse. His music is full of Spleen, haunted by two massive overdoses (1990, 1996).

After all, Linkous’ voice is one of his great qualities. Mixing his own singing with the pieces he composes, this artist has a talent for songwriting, especially melodies. Arrogant or intimist, it depends on the song.

“A horse, a horse
my kingdom for a horse
rattling on magnetic fields

Teeth what were sharp
are ground down and done
my crooked spine
becoming more brittle
what once grew straight
and tall towards the sun
absorbing back down
to dirt like a sponge”

Download audio file (Sparklehorse.mp3)

SparkleHorse Official Website
SparkleHorse Official Myspace
Further information on Wikipedia [en]
Buy Vivadixiesubmarinetransmissionplot on Amazon.com

The music band ‘Les Escrocs‘ is composed of Eric Toulis, Hervé Coury and Didier Morel, who are all born in 1960.

Complete fans of The Beatles and The Rolling Stones, they were never able to make a choice between these two. This is why they pick their inspiration in totally different music: soul, jazz, reggae, salsa, brazilian music and latin in general, texts of Serge Gainsbourg, Bobby Lapointe and also Charles Trénet.

This song: ‘Assedic’, was a real success during the 90’s. At this time, they even play in first part of Alain Souchon (french singer), at Paris’ Zénith.

“ASSEDIC…
Je t’écrirai de temps en temps,
Toi tu m’enverras mon virement
Directement,
Tout là-bas, dans mon île
ASSEDIC
Enfin ma place au soleil,
A moi les ciels vermeils
Et les beaux voyages…
M’en priver ce serait dommage.
ASSEDIC
Tu seras ma petite maman,
La Maman de tous les gens
Qui n’ont pas d’argent.”

Download audio file (Escrocs.mp3)

Assedic Lyrics
Eric Toulis Official Myspace
‘Les Escrocs’ Official Website

As stated in the title, S-pleen needs you! You may have seen that during the last couple of months, the S-pleen has not been regularly updated. For various reasons, the rythm of 1 post per week, which was my rule in the beginning, was not respected.

Due to other personnal projects, i simply don’t have enough time to make regular updates and post new articles. This is why i’m looking for new publishers (ideally 2 or 3) who would like to bring their spleen-esque culture to this blog and share it with us.

In the case of 3 publishers joining us, the posting rythm would only be of 1 post per month per publisher. Which seems quite do-able for almost anyone, and would allow S-pleen to keep existing.

If I don’t find any publishers interested in participating in the S-pleen project, this website may be closed in the middle of March 2009.

Some basic knowledge about Wordpress and blogging is not necessary but would be appreciated to make the updating process easier.

If you are interested to take part in S-pleen project, please contact me by email: music.spleen['@']gmail{’.'}com. (don’t forget to replace ['@'] by @ and {’.'} by .)

Steker

This british alternative rock band was formed in Abingdon by Thom Yorke (voice), Jonny Greenwood (guitar), Colin Greenwood (bass and keyboard), Ed O’Brien (guitar) and Phil Selway (drums).

The track ‘How to disappear completely’ is extracted from the album Kid A, fourth album of Radiohead. This album is an important step in the carrier of Radiohead. It is more experimental, with electronic sounds and free jazz influences (huge inspiration of another artist: Nujabes).

Unlike most of the tracks of this album, in that song the guitar keeps a huge presence and stays all along to take us by the hand and lead us into this spleen-esque track.

“That there, that’s not me
I go where I please
I walk through walls
I float down the Liffey
I’m not here
This isn’t happening
I’m not here, I’m not here
In a little while
I’ll be gone
The moment’s already passed
Yeah, it’s gone”

Download audio file (Radiohead.mp3)

Radiohead Official Website
Radiohead Official Myspace
‘How to disappear Completely’ Live on Youtube
Buy Kid A on Amazon.com

Franz Liszt, born on 22 October 1811, is a Hungarian composer and pianist. He is one of the fathers of modern piano and Impressionism in musical compositions. With Frédéric Chopin, he is the origin of an offspring of composers such as Maurice Ravel, Sergueï Rachmaninov and Alexandre Scriabine.

Since his childhood, his father taught him piano through pieces by Haydn, Amadeus Mozart or Ludwig Von Beethoven. He quickly shows some capacities so he is sent to Vienna, when he is just 10 years old, to follow the lessons of Salieri and Czerny.

Unfortunately, his early works do not meet the success, which will affect him a lot.

His life is punctuated by several trips to Europe which leads him to finally settle in Paris. He met and became friend with many artists who have chosen the “vie de bohème” such as Berlioz, George Sand, de Musset and Balzac.

In 1861, he enter religion and settle in Rome to join the Franciscan order. From the year 1869 and until his death, he travels between three cities: Weimar, Budapest and Rome.

Six days before his death, on Sunday 25 July 1886, despite his weaknesses, he attends an opera of his friend Richard Wagner. Until the following Friday, the fall of this great master is happening. He is gradually losing his strength. Saturday, July 31, it is about 10 o’clock when his family asked him if he suffers, and in a last gasp he replied calmly: “Not anymore…”.

Download audio file (Liszt.mp3)

Arthur Rubinstein plays Liszt on Youtube
Further information on Wikipedia [en]
Buy Liebesträume by Leslie Howard on Amazon.com

Xiu Xiu band took its name from the Chinese film of the same name released in 1998. It was composed in San Jose, California by Jamie Stewart, Yvonne Chen, Cory McCullough, and Lauren Andrews.

They are primarily known thanks their participation on many compilations which were released even before they produced their first album in 2002.

When listening to their songs we can clearly distinguish the influences of groups such as The Cure or Joy Division. They use electronic sounds mixed with powerful rhythms and rock loops. All these combined with the voice of Jamie Stewart full of concealed energy but so stunning.

The song Clowne Towne is taken from the third album of the group Xiu Xiu: Fabulous Muscles, released in 2004. Most tracks of this band deal with dark subjects such as AIDS, war or suicide. Clowne Towne is no exception to the rule, and we can feel all the melancholy and spleen in this song.

“Your true father smashed his hands through the glass
And failed out of the priviledged life of his dream
Your true love has drunk herself into not being able to pay her rent
Or keeping her own word to her own self
Your true brother has betrayed you over and over
And looked you in the eye
Your true self has become weak and alone and annoying
And a true ridiculous dumb-ass.”

Download audio file (Xiuxiu.mp3)

Xiu Xiu Official Website
Xiu Xiu Official Myspace
Xiu Xiu – Clowne Towne Live on Youtube
Buy Fabulous Muscles on Amazon.com

Isabel Gilberto was born on 12 May 1966 in New York. She spent most of her youth in Rio de Janeiro.

Her musical experiences begin when aged 7 years she takes part on the first solo album of her mother Miúcha. She performs onto the stage of the legendary Carnegie Hall in New York with her mother when she was only 9 years old.

Bebel Gilberto began writing songs when she was part of an experimental theater group and a performance space ‘Circo Voador‘ (Flying Circus) with Cazuza.

In 1991, Bebel moved to New York. At that time she was playing at the Brooklyn Academy of Music in a show, tribute to famous Carmen Miranda, directed by Arto Lindsay.

In the late 90s, she moved to London and participated in several projects with Amon Tobin, Cameron & ARLING and also singer Nina Miranda. Thanks to her experiences in London, she developed her personal sound which became her trademark on the album Tanto Tempo from which is extracted the beautiful song Samba da Benção.

Download audio file (Bebel.mp3)

Bebel Gilberto Official Website
Bebel Gilberto Official Myspace
Buy Tanto Tiempo on Amazon.com

OutKast is an american group of hip-hop coming from Atlanta, Georgia. They get known by the originality of their musical style, composed of a mixture of funk, electro, rock, soul, jazz and crunk.

It is one of the most rewarded group of hip-hop of all time with six Grammy Awards. Their double album Speakerboxxx/The Love Below is one of three albums of hip-hop to be certified diamond.

This double album released in 2003 is actually composed of two solo albums. The song My Favorite Things is on Andre 3000’s album: The Love Below.

This track, far away from commercial successes as The Way you Move and Hey Ya!, is a sad ballad sung by André 3000 in duo with Norah Jones.

“Baby, take off your cool
I wanna see you, I wanna see you
Baby, don’t be so cool
I wanna see you, I wanna see you.”

Download audio file (Out-Kast.mp3)

OutKast Official Website
OutKast Official Myspace
Buy Speakerboxxx/The Love Below on Amazon.com

In 2002, Greg Weeks, Brooke Sietinsons and Meg Baird form this folk band Espers, from Philadelphia. They are quickly joined by Otto Hauser, Helena Espvall and Chris Smith.

They are inspired by both recent folk bands such as Six Organs of Admittance, and British Folk bands of the end of the 60’s. Indeed, several members of Espers have participated in Nick Castro and Vashti Bunyan albums when they returned under the spotlights.

The Flowery Noontide track, which is extracted from their very first album, released in 2004 at Locust Music, represents perfectly their Psych Folk songs’ atmosphere with flute sounds and Indian instruments that come with a sublime voice.

Download audio file (Esper.mp3)

Espers Official Website
Espers Official Myspace
Buy Espers on Amazon.com