10 Seconds: Sara De Santis
"Thank you again for asking to contribute to this blog. It was a lovely opportunity to revisit some songs and albums I hadn't listened to in a long time, as well as spend some time exploring the music of a couple of 'newer' artists I'd recently added to my playlists."
1. Lyle Mays - Mirror of the heart (1'40" - 1'50")
from Lyle Mays –- Lyle Mays (1986)
“There’s a profound, heart-wrenching power to this moment. Hard to put into words, but Lyle’s playing is a masterclass in musical poetry; you don’t need lyrics when a melody is this eloquent."
2. Joni Mitchell - Hejira (3’18” - 3’28”)
from Joni Mitchell - Hejira (1976)
"We all come and go unknown / Each so deep and superficial / between the forceps and the stone"
"This 10-second segment is my pick for this song. I love how Joni’s vocal delivery can feel so intimate and understated while talking about birth and death. Shortly after we are enveloped by Jaco’s liquid bass wrapping her vocals, so beautifully connected."
3. Fleetwood Mac - Landslide (0'53" - 1'03")
from Fleetwood Mac at Warner Bros. Studios in Burbank, CA (1997) (originally Fleetwood Mac - Fleetwood Mac (1975))
“There are songs that you admire, and then there are songs that quietly shape you, become part of who you are. Landslide has always been one of those for me. I found often asking myself these very questions: Can I sail through the changing’ ocean tides? Can handle the seasons of my life? This song serves as a reminder for me to never stop looking for the answers and stay curious about the world. I have recorded and produced my own humble cover version of this song. Here if you’d like to have a listen: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n0vNEhAv4_g
4. Maro - Ha-de sarar (1'30" - 1'40")
from Maro - hortelã (2023)
“I love the odd time signature in 7/8. Although the song’s sonic landscape and MARO’s vocal performance remain quite mournful and delicate, the nylon guitar work underneath is very fast-paced. These 10 second showcase Pau Figueras’s amazing solo technique and his fluid finger picking infused with flamenco toque."
5. Radiohead - Planet Telex (1’23” - 1’33”)
from Radiohead - The Bends (1995)
“I mean the whole album was a complete sonic revelation for me - I absolute it! I remember being 17 or 18 I think when it was gifted to me by a friend and I used to blast it through the speaker while driving around Rome in my car.
It's almost hard to pick one song out of the entire tracklist, but I’m going with the opening track, ‘Planet Telex’, because of that cathartic feeling I still remember having as soon as the chorus would hit. There was something beautiful and messy in those big guitar choruses full of feedback, delays and distortion, mixed with hazy, fuzzy keyboards that had a Space Echo kind of vibe. A wall of sound, like waves in the ocean hitting you at every first beat of each bar, crashing down on you! At that time, I wasn’t making music yet, so didn’t know what all those instruments were and what effects were being used. I am so glad I decided to study music shortly later on."
6. Meshell Ndegeocello - Comet, Come To Me (1’13” - 1’23”)
from Meshell Ndegeocello - Comet, Come To Me (2014)
“Next is ‘Comet, Come To Me’ I love the blend of dub and soul in this song. This is what I like about these 10 secs I picked. Just a very simple hypnotic bass line and groove and that describes exactly what I love about Meshell’s playing - never showing off, but always showing all her many diverse qualities."
7. Lophae (project led by Greg Sanders) - Negative Blues (0'00" - 0'10")
from Lophae - Perfect Strangers (2024)
"I love when a song makes you move/dance from the very beginning! ‘Negative Blues’ is one of those for me! The theme of the song reveals itself shortly after the intro, and I like how it invites you to explore more and more nuances of its own beautiful groove."
8. Bruno Berle - O Nome de Meu Amor (0’17” – 0’27”)
from Bruno Berle - No Reino Dos Afetos (2022)
“Very sweet and gentle playing. I love how you can hear the little noises of his fingers sliding up and down the fretboard as he plays. It feels like he’s writing the song right in front of you, in the very moment he’s playing and singing it."
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