Liner Notes

Soundscape #124: “Quau Se Lèvo d’Avignoun, Se Lèvo De La Resoun”

“He who takes leave of Avignon takes leave of his senses”

Granted that one is inclined towards a feeling of general well being while on holiday, being in a place as dramatically different from one’s hometown can sometimes be good and bad. Having never experienced the Mistral for e.g., I was almost blown into the oncoming traffic several times in Avignon, Provence. No matter how many layers you’re wearing, nothing can prepare you for the blast of the Mistral.

Pont St Benezét, March 2009

Coming from a city with no real need for personal transport, I found myself a little stranded sometimes. It’s impossible to go anywhere without a car. Even the trains and bus networks are not quite seamless. It’s a bitch, no doubt, but there are always ways to while away the days. Besides, going on a holiday doesn’t mean cramming in as many sights/activities as possible. Not for me anyways.

It’s about getting up when you feel like it, climbing onto the mini balcony to have a cigarette while trying to decide if it’s going to be cold that day. It’s slowly walking along the streets maybe popping in to get some pastries from the boulangerie or the supermarket to get more substantial supplies. Maybe walking to the Centre for a couple of hours and on the way back, a kindly looking man says hi while you squint into the setting sun. It’s talking rubbish with my friend, having microwave dinners and playing with the cat. It’s figuring out how things work. It’s doing everyday things in a different way.

Fuck. It was glorious.

Playlist:
1. (0:00) Mogwai - Yes I’m A Long Way From Home (Young Team)
2. (5:31) Bright Eyes – First Day Of My Life (I’m Wide Awake It’s Morning)
3. (8:50) Britta Phillips & Dean Wareham – Hear The Wind Blow (L’Adventura)
4. (12:05) Ben Gibbard – You Remind Me Of Home
5. (14:24) Embrace – Gravity (Out Of Nothing)
6. (19:05) Hayden – Home By Saturday (Elk-Lake Serenade)
7. (22:22) The Decemberists – Yankee Bayonet (I Will Be Home Soon) (The Crane Wife)
8. (26:43) Feist & Ben Gibbard – Train Song (Dark Was The Night)
9. (29:45) Beirut - Nantes (The Flying Club Cup)
10. (33:38) Badly Drawn Boy – The Time Of Times (Born In The U.K.)
11. (36:57) 18th Dye – Trains And Boats And Planes (Left)