so, when it comes to charming, pretty vocals in music today, surely the icelandic όlöf arnalds must be leading the pack, as illustrated on her newest album. innundir skinni is, for lack of a better description, an absolutely gorgeous collection of songs. the two singles, crazy car and surrender, will likely get the most attention, but there are other gems worthy of obsession, such as jonathan, complete with fairly-like tinkling and guitar patterns more celtic sounding than anything else, and the title track, innundir skinni, whose guitar lines are like warm streams of gold alongside όlöf's delicate, sweet voice. fellow icelandic native björk lends her vocals to surrender, and kjartan sveinsson of sigur róshelped produce the album.
όlöf arnaldswas kind enough to answer a few questions for me about her new album:
have you met heather: innundir skinni is sung in both icelandic and english. what was it like recording an album in two different languages?
όlöf arnalds: I didn't think about it that much. Some of the lyrics came to me in Icelandic, some in English.
hymh: crazy car has some beautiful imagery in it. what is the story behind the song?
όlöf: Crazy Car is a song about a singer friend of mine, that was getting a bit confused from living in New York. It's a bit of a tongue in cheek warning about the dangers of loosing earth connection.
hymh: your music is often termed ethereal and folky. what are your influences?
όlöf: I'm sure all music I've heard or played has influenced me in some way, but I find it hard to pinpoint what my direct musical influences are. Both my processes of writing and recording are very different to me each time, and i don't feel like I'm deliberately going for any certain kind of sound. I don't consider myself a folk musician, I'm just a singer and so far my music has mostly been played on acoustic instruments.
thanks, όlöf!
have a listen to crazy car - so simple and beautiful:
dearest, dearest here's a song beautiful, so bright and young you got mojo, you got soul full of colors, pearls and poetry climbing over symmetry walls watering the sea fire is fire, that is all don't go in the crazy car
stream of gold from your guitar good old, gold old lonely guitar you're a diva, you are strong baby, what the hell is wrong? what is wrong with vanity why not just embrace it a popstar is a popstar don't go in the crazy car
please be aware of the crazy car please don't go to america here's your home, here are your friends waiting still until this ends please, please think inside the box only for a moment we are made of circle shapes for you don't go in the crazy car
so, like most of you, i fell in love with the song anyone else but you by the moldy peachesafter the movie juno came out. it was one of those songs that i grew to adore despite the hype (oh, let's not even go into what hype vs. liking a song means at this moment), but more importantly, it got me interested in the moldy peaches.
the peaches are currently on hiatus, but that doesn't mean the band members haven't been busy creating new music for us to enjoy. their lead guitarist, jack dishel, has formed a new band, only son,and is on the verge of releasing his sophomore release, searchlight, in mid-january. the lead single off of searchlight, magic, is a great song - it's got a beatles-esque quality, along with rising and falling bookends to lyric stanzas. speaking of the lyrics - i love them. magic - not the harry potter kind, but the harry houdini kind - is used as a metaphor to talk about falling in love, and really, isn't that a perfect way to describe it? love does feel like magic: difficult to understand, difficult to master and, really - sometimes it's better that way. i'm looking forward to hearing the rest of the songs off searchlight, if magic is any indication of quality.
jack dishel, the man behind only son, was kind enough to answer a few questions for me about his upcoming album:
have you met heather: many artists tend to get pigeonholed into specific genres of music, yet you've been in two previous bands (stipplicon and the moldy peaches) that have allowed you to explore different styles. What kind of influences do you find help mold only son'smusical style?
jack dishel: I'm influenced by pretty much anything and everything around me. I don't feel an allegiance to any style or point of view - I just start making things and they come out sounding a certain way. Since it's all being filtered through me anyway I think there's a natural thread between it all. You can pigeon-hole just about anything, though; even saying "You never know what to expect from him!" puts a person in a category. But that's a pretty good one to be in if you have to be in one...
hymh: What can listeners expect from searchlight, which will be released in January 2011?
jack: Searchlight is sort of like a late Beatles album - where the songs are all in their own world but not their own universe. There are a few rocking ones, some ballads and a bunch that I don't really know how to describe. When I listen to it they sound like they make sense next to each other even though they're different. Kind of like a long conversation at a party where the subject changes, people's voices get louder, they get pissed off about something, then they laugh, then it's quiet for a second, then they remember something and change the subject again, etc. Hopefully the album is a person you'd want to run into at a party and not a close talker with bad breath confiding in you for an hour about something you don't want to know while the girl you want to talk to is sitting by herself waiting for you.
hymh: i've read that you've been obsessed with music from an early age. do you find that being a music fan helps you be a better musician? i ask this because i'm often amused by actors who always say, "i don't have time to watch TV or go to the movies," as it seems counter-productive with their craft. it's the same with writers who refuse to read outside their genres. what types of music are you currently into?
jack: I don't know any musician who isn't a pretty major music fan. Even so, I'm really bad about staying up to date on what's going on moment to moment in the music world. I feel like now there are so many good bands that I hear day to day that sometimes I don't even stop to ask what it is because I'll just hear something else that's interesting in an hour. If everyone was like me people would all have a generally good feeling about what's going on with no specifics to back it up. And all musicians would be broke. Anyway, The Strokes are still my favorite band and I can't wait for their new album! Most of the time though I find myself connecting to older music I never heard before. Yesterday I listened to "I Started A Joke" by The Bee Gees about 15 times in a row.
thanks, jack!
a man after my own heart. gotta love the people who admit to hitting repeat over and over (to which i am grossly guilty of on a daily basis). have a listen to magic, which i have a feeling you'll want to listen to more than once:
magic: it's magic 'til we know how it works nobody wants to see how you do it the secret is all that you're worth so they smile and clap right through it
it took so many years to plan and just a second to do to open my hand and show everything to you
magic: it's magic when you know how it works 'cause even if you find the location you know all the numbers and words but you'll never guess the combination
it takes so long to understand and just a second to choose and if you figure out which hand i'll give everything to you
so, i love christmas music. i mean, really love it. like, build playlists and listen to them exclusively from the moment i finish with thanksgiving dinner to nearly new year's eve. i'm always on the lookout for great christmas tunes (sorry, mariah carey, you don't count) - so when i got hold of this swinging fun version of santa baby, i knew right away that it was going on my updated playlists for 2010, as will the entire album!
for those of you who haven't heard of them, the puppini sistersare a trio who meld jazz and 40's style influences. they are, to put it shortly, absolutely impossible to resist. fun, sultry and swinging with their melodious voices, they make me want to throw on a full skirt and head on down to a great retro club to dance the night away to live music.
their new album, christmas with the puppini sisters, is pretty awesome. the first song, step into christmas gives you an idea of what to expect - hopping beats, perfect harmonizations, and a portal back in time. they cover a number of standards, including jazzy versions of let is snow and winter wonderland, and their version of mele kalikimaka is so pitch perfect that you literally can imagine yourself in hawaii, surrounded by GI's in WWII. i also particularly love here comes santa claus - it sounds just like it would from a pre-tv, radio-was-king society.
i know everyone seems to think that madonna set the standard for santa baby(which i take offense to - hello! eartha kitt, anyone?!) - but the puppini sistersgive madge a run for her money. this version is absolutely what you'd think it should be: sassy and teasing. where's my martini?
santa baby, slip a sable under the tree, for me been an awful good girl santa baby, so hurry down the chimney tonight
santa baby, a '54 convertible too, light blue i'll wait up for you dear santa baby, so hurry down the chimney tonight
think of all the fun i've missed think of all the fellas that i haven't kissed next year i could be just as good if you'd check off my christmas list
santa baby, i wanna yacht and really that's not a lot been an angel all year santa baby, so hurry down the chimney tonight
santa baby, there's one thing i really do need, the deed to a platinum mine santa baby, so hurry down the chimney tonight
come and trim my christmas tree with some decorations bought from tiffany's i really do believe in you so let's see if you believe in me
santa baby, fill my stocking with a duplex, and checks sign your 'x' on the line santa baby, so hurry down the chimney tonight
santa baby, forgot to mention one little thing, a ring i don't mean on a phone santa baby, and hurry down the chimney tonight
so, first off, happy thanksgiving! i hope you all are stuffed, happy, and surrounded by those you love.
today's song is a very recent recording but sounds like it could be straight out of the past. erin mckeown's cover of honeysuckle roseis, to put it mildly, a swingin' fun song. there's that word again - fun. i know, i know. i use it too much. but it's so applicable here! normally, mckeown is more of a singer-songwriter, but here she totally embraces the jazz vibe. it's all bass, snare drums, and cheeky vocals. this version, btw, is off of her daytrotter session:
every honey bee fills with jealousy when they see you out with me i don't blame them goodness knows honeysuckle rose
flowers droop and sigh when you're passin' by and i know the reason why you're much sweeter goodness knows honeysuckle rose
don't buy sugar you just have to touch my cup you're my sugar so sweet when you stir it up
when I'm takin' sips from your tasty lips see my honey fairly drips you're much sweeter goodness knows honeysuckle rose
don't buy sugar you just have to touch my cup but you're my sugar so sweet when you stir it up
when I'm takin' sips from your tasty lips see my honey fairly drips you're perfection goodness knows honeysuckle rose
seriously. what can i say that hasn't been said before? he's awesome. he's the epitome of cool cats. hot damn, is he hard to resist. his music is like crack - utterly addictive, delicious, and swoon-worthy. he's THE man's man and the guy ladies love to love.
he's sinatra, you know?
everyone has their favorite sinatra song, and i won't quibble with you about which is really best, because, honestly, they're all pretty damn good. so i'll simply share with you today one of my favorite frank sinatrasongs out there - a live version of one for my baby (and one more for the road), complete with an intro by ol' blue eyes himself. I LOVE THIS SONG. oh, man - doesn't it make you wish you could time travel? or at least wish you were in the lounge he sang this in?
this is the part of the program where we sing a drunk song. drunk songs are usually done in small bars and bistros, in the wee hours of the morning. usually talked or sung by a fella who's got problems. like, his broad flew the coop with another guy and all the bread. so, if you will, uh, if you will assume the position of a bartender, this is the way these guys behave:
it's quarter to three there ain't no one in the place, 'cept you and me set 'em up, joe i've got a little story i think you should know
were drinkin', my friend to the end of a brief episode make it one for my baby and another one for the road
i know the routine put another quarter in the machine i feel kind of bad can't you make the music easy and sad?
i could tell you a lot but it's not in a gentleman's code just make it one for my baby and one more for the road
you'd never know it but, buddy, i'm a kind of poet and i got a lot of things to say and if i'm gloomy, please listen to me 'til it's talked away
well, that's how it goes and joe, i know you're gettin' anxious to close anyway, thanks for the cheer i hope you didn't mind my bendin' your ear
but this torch that i've found it's gotta be drowned or it's gonna explode make it one for my baby and another for the road a long, this damn long... it's so long...
so, i'm going to lay down and say, point blank, ella fitzgeraldis the best female voice to ever grace listeners' ears. no, don't bother arguing. i'm right.
okay, you can argue, but i'm pretty firm in this belief.
ella fitzgerald is...awesome. amazing. alluring. fascinating. bewitching. i absolutely cannot resist her songs. i have dozens of them littering my various ipods, playlists, mix-cds, and computers. i never skip past them when they pop up, no matter what mood i'm in or the genre i'm hooked on for the moment.
ella rocks. i adore her.
it's hard to pick a song of hers to highlight, because honestly, they're all worth a listen. but i'm going to go for they can't take that away from me, which just so happens to feature another musical genius,louis armstrong. GAH! put the two of them together, and you've got MUSICAL MAGIC.
the way you wear your hat the way you sip your tea the memory of all that no, no, they can't take that away from me
the way your smile just beams the way you sing off key the way you haunt my dreams no, no they can't take that away from me
we may never, never meet again,
on that bumpy road to love still i'll always, always keep the memory of:
the way you hold your knife the way we danced 'till three the way you changed my life no, no, they can't take that away from me
(ed: the bff has been doing a series of style muse posts over on the puppylove princess blog for awhile now. being a retro fan, she agreed to do a post for retro week over here on hymh! thanks, e!)
The absolute princess of all style muse princesses might be (actual princess) Grace Kelly. Behold the loveliness:
She was the ultimate retro girly girl: pearls, lace, polka dots, floral prints, bows, gloves, twirly full skirts,... TIARAS...
so, i've decided this week is RETRO WEEK! hooray! i love retro music! i once dated a guy who said he hated frank sinatra, and all i could think was, "you and i will never work. who the hell hates frank sinatra? idiots, that's who." sure enough, he's history and the first dance the husband and i ever had was to a frank sinatra song. but! today is not about frank - he'll come later. today is all about kevin kline.
i've always had a soft spot for kline - i don't really know why. maybe it's because when i was young, i adored the pirates of penzance(still do!). maybe it's because the guy is really talented - funny, a good actor, and has a voice that could melt butter. case in point: la mer, the french version of beyond the seahe did for french kiss.
oh, SWOON, friends. this song is absolutely magnifique. and, just like it's impossible to resist someone speaking with a british or australian accent, it's impossible to resist a song sang in french. especially one as beautiful as la mer:
la mer qu'on voit danser le long des golfes clairs a des reflets d'argent la mer des reflets changeants sous la pluie
la mer au ciel d'ete confond ses blancs moutons avec les anges si purs la mer bergere d'azur infinie
voyez pres des etangs ces grands roseaux mouilles voyez ces oiseaux blancs et ces maisons rouillees
la mer les a berces le long des golfes clairs et d'une chanson d'amour la mer a berce mon coeur pour la vie
c'mon. you know you wish you were in paris right now. i know i do!
so, jesse harrishas not one, but two new albums coming out, both infused with brazillian influences. in a weird way, this reminds me of one of the joshes (i believe it's josh rouse), whose last album was also inspired by latin music - still firmly entrenched in a singer-songwriter vibe, but spiced up enough with intriguing guitar patterns that make the songs a little different.
the first album, cosmo, is entirely instrumental. "it was strange at first to have no vocal mic, nor to be accompanying another singer," says harris, "but i got used to it quickly and had a blast. in the future i may sing one or two songs a set, but we'll see."
as for the second album, through the night, harris says: “the songs depict dreams, romance, and mystery against the backdrop of moon, stars, and sometimes chaos. i wanted to explore the theme of night in different scenarios, from peaceful rousseau-esque fantasies to sleepless nights of obsession.”
here's it's a long way just to say hello, off of through the night:
down down sleep now can’t you dream now? hear the wind blow outside your window
it’s so late now it’s up to fate now it’s a long way just to say hello
your mind moves so fast the day comes at last so slow your mind moves so fast the day comes at last so slow
it goes like a spirit you couldn’t hear it whisper your name now it’s all the same
so, today's song isn't about the lyrics or even the topic - it's all about the feeling a song can evoke.
i've got to be honest here - i have no idea what sara is actually about. but here's what i do know - the group responsible for the song, the good ones, are a trio of rwandan genocide survivors who, rather than focusing on the horrible past they've endured, have decided to celebrate life through uplifting acoustic songs. all of their music is sung in the local, kinyarwanda street dialect of their nation's capital, kigali, but it doesn't take a linguist to understand what they're trying to say. it's hard not to be moved by sara's beauty.
so, sometimes i get nostalgic for the relationship people used to have with music. now, don't get me wrong - i adore my ipod (they'll have to pry it out of my cold, dead hand before i give it up), and the ability to buy one song off of an album and the creation of playlists is brilliance. what i'm talking about the long-lost artifact known as a mixtape. these could represent something simple, like an easily accessible collection of your favorite songs. it could be a love letter, letting someone know your feelings via songs. it could be a gift shared between friends. mixtapes had a lot of meanings, and considering it took hours and hours to make a really kickass mixtape, people bonded with their creations.
a few mixtapes that meant something over the years to me:
*on my sixteenth birthday, my dad made a mixtape of songs all about turning or being sixteen. took the guy such a long time, because he did it all off of vinyl. that tape meant a lot to me because it showed me that my dad put a lot of thought and energy into giving me something. sure, he could've bought me a gift certificate to the record store at the mall (those extinct creatures), but the tape meant a hell of a lot more.
*when the husband and i began dating, he made me a mix cd (the evolution of the mixtape). it was filled with songs that he felt helped shape or represent who he was over the years. that was so illuminating to me - because, yeah. music tells you a lot about a person. every time i hear one of those songs, i instantly think of him. i fell in love with windmills as i fell in love with him.
*the best friend used to make awesome mix cds - even better, she's an artist, so she'd make these fabulous covers for me. some were collages, some paintings - all made the mixes even better. know what i mean? isn't it funny how homemade covers can do that to a mixtape?
*perhaps my favorite mixtape (er, mix cd) i still bust out occasionally was one the best friend and i made together - damn, something like over a decade ago. we called it "for the love of sinbad" and put a host of awesome tunes on it. better yet, we created this amazing cover that had the gilligan's island crew with sinbad's head superimposed over one of the characters. yeah, we had a serious love of all things sinbad. who could resist the big lug? i think what made it so memorable was that we had so much fun making it.
it doesn't seem like too many people spend time making mixtapes anymore. anyone can pull a playlist together in a matter of minutes, not hours. my playlists grow and recede, based on my current fancies. i miss those mixtapes, i miss what it meant to make them and receive them.
tift merrittfeels the same way, i think. this song, off of her new album, see you on the moon, waxes poetic about the long lost artform. it's a great song, groovy and yet cool (handclaps!) - kick back and reminisce on times gone by...
you, how did you get so wise? i take the advice i find in your eyes. me, i've been waiting outside most of my life, oh like a rare b-side.
i'm just making you mixtapes with homemade covers. analog to show we're lovers, and here under the jacket folds inside, i've taped my heart for you to find.
to find the perfect way, which album to say, i la-la-love you. with this plastic cassette, it's not finished yet, it's gonna tell you slowly.
i'm just making you mixtapes with homemade covers. strings and drawings show we're lovers, when you're driving around in the summertime, to hear again, just press rewind.
rewind, the world comes to an end, turns over again, another 1000 times. but me, i'll be the same. no, i never change, oh, like a rare b-side.
i'll be making you mixtapes with homemade covers. analog to show we're lovers, so much rock and roll love in a plastic case, play it loudly, see my face. i'm just making you mixtapes with homemade covers, mazzy star, donovan's colors, just an audio love letter painted blue, i spent all day making for you
so, today's a continuation of yesterday's theme: sunny, sunny songs that make me happy.
ben leemust be having a good life. he sells records, has a loyal fanbase, tours, makes what he wants, and yet doesn't have the extreme pressure on him like so many other singers or bands do.
catch my disease is so, so frigging fun. i know i use that word far too much - and as a writer, i ought to be ashamed of its blandness. but honestly, how else can you describe such a song? cheery? sunny? bouncy? addictive? irrelevant? poppy? cheesy? adorable? okay, yeah - all of those, too. but mainly, catch my disease is simply FUN.
PLUS! it's got handclaps and stomps! BONUS FUN! and it's ben lee, who is so adorable himself that it hurts. and honestly? the song is all about HAVING fun. my head is a box full of nothing and that's the way i like it my garden's a secret compartment and that's the way i like it and that's the way i like it your body's a dream that turns violent and that's the way i like it and that's the way i like it the winter is long in the city and that's the way i like it
so please baby please open your heart catch my disease
i was backstage in pomona and that's the way i like it she drank beer with coca-cola and that's the way i like it and that's the way i like it she told me about the winds from santa ana and that's the way i like it and that's the way i like it she told me she loved me like fireworks and that's the way i like it
so please baby please open your eyes catch my disease
so please baby please come on catch my disease catch it
na na na na na na na na na
they play good charlotte on the radio and that's the way i like it they play sleepy jackson on the radio and that's the way i like it and that's the way i like it i hear beyonce on the radio and that's the way i like it cos that's the way i like it
they don't play me on the radio (whoo!) and that's the way i like it
so please baby please open your heart and catch my disease so please baby please come on catch my disease
so, i go in and out of phases of what kind of music i like to listen to - slow, meaningful folk, pretty yet sad ballads, loud, angry songs (excellent for driving) or insane crazy fun songs. it's rare that i'll listen to all types in the same day (excepting, of course, when i'm writing and my scenes require me to be like that). lately, though - i've been in a place where i have to have fun music on all the time. because i've been hitting rewind on the following song so much, i thought it only fair to share it and let it become your ear worm, too.
scar that never heals, by jeremey fisher, on paper looks like it might be a bit of a bummer. doesn't the title sound sad? and then a look at the lyrics says - guns and gun runners? broken hearts? lost souls? SAD, SAD STUFF.
nah. according to fisher, the song is a love story of sorts about a girl and the country she grew up in. well, it sort of reminds me of how tori amos used to say cornflake girlwas about female genital mutilation, yet when you listened to it, you'd have to scratch your head and say, huh? seriously? same here. all i can say is, whatevs - it's a fun song to listen to. and lord knows, there aren't enough good fun songs out there anymore.
she's my polyrhythm carrying my heart like the beat so fast i can't keep up my prayers sing melody
she runs guns everyone wants guns she runs guns everyone wants there she goes she runs guns everyone wants guns she runs guns everyone wants there she goes
why you wanna save me? lord my soul is taken
she cried, and i cried so hard left her for the LRA fly by like a million hornets
these bullets know my name
she runs guns everyone wants guns she runs guns everyone wants there she goes she runs guns everyone wants guns she runs guns everyone wants there she goes
why you wanna save me? lord my soul is taken
i done too much damage got nothing left to feel my self is broke and bandaged her love is a scar that never heals
why you wanna save me? lord my soul is shaken why you wanna save me? lord my soul is taken
hey!
she runs guns everyone wants guns (i'm so lonely) she runs guns everyone wants there she goes she runs guns everyone wants guns (i'm so lonely) she runs guns everyone wants there she goes
she runs guns everyone wants guns (la la la la) she runs guns everyone wants there she goes she runs guns everyone wants guns (i'm so lonely) she runs guns everyone wants there she goes
there she goes i'm so lonely there she goes
she runs guns everyone wants guns she runs guns everyone wants there she goes
so, i am pretty much anti-american idol. i feel like it's forced, fake, and mind-numbingly unremarkable. like the music on it, and the voices, are pretty much churned out from the factories of mediocrity.
HOWEVER. i will admit to loving the girls with glassesand their quirky videos. when i watch them, i conveniently tell myself ONE OF THEM DID NOT MEAN TO BE AN AI DRONE.
the truth is, i think why i like this video so much is because it's so frigging adorable. and beautiful. and filled with great clothes and ideal locales. i sort of forget about the song in the face of everything else.
so, a friend of mine sent along a link to me the other day for kiddie records. and OMGSQEE, friends! this place is AWESOME!!!
in a nutshell, kiddie records has catalogued, well, kid records from the past. anybody from gen x and before who, you know, actually HAD records (and not for novelty purpose, but because they were the main way we had to listen to music!) will probably recognize a ton of these albums.
some highlights (left click on album title - you'll download a zip file):
*rip van winkleand ichabod (the legend of sleepy hollow). this is a pretty classic album that has thrilled kids for decades.
*mr. toad- who didn't love the wind and the willows? narroted by basil rathbone and the original cast of the disney cartoon.
*slugger at the batand casey at the bat- baseball fans, rejoice. jackie robinson and pee wee reese narrate the first story, lionel barrymore the second.
*and my personal favorite, which nearly brought a tear to my eye and a lot of joy to my heart because it was perhaps one of my favorite albums as a kid, is mickey and the beanstalk. sweet memories!
if you want, you can head to the site and stream the albums rather than download them.
thanks, cathy, for introducing me to such an amazing collection of kid records!
so, whether it is fair or not, most bands' identities are defined by their lead singers. personally, i think it's a lousy thing, because it takes more than just a singer to make a song work - but the truth is, more often than not, when people think of a band, they envision the lead singer rather than the musicians within. case in point - rage against the machine. when zack de la rochadecided to leave the band, the rest of the group stuck together but eventually lost out in terms of popularity and relevance until chris cornellfrom soundgarden joined them (and then, sadly, the greatness that was rage against the machine actually became soundgarden 2). despite the fact that RATM was great for more reasons than just de la rocha's voice, many listeners weren't willing to follow the group once he was gone. and that's the way a lot of listeners are - fickle and focused on one cog of the machine rather than the whole.
however, there are some groups out there that do vary the vocal responsibilities. think of the greatness that was fleetwood mac- what i liked about them was how some songs called for lindsay buckinham'svoice, others needed stevie nicksor christine mcvie's. no one person pigeonholed the market on vocals, and it made the band more interesting for it. no one can look at that band and only see one member - fleetwood mac is a composite of all the members.
for today's song, i wanted to share a suprise. ra ra riotis usually led by wes miles' very distinctive voice - but there is one track, you and i know, off their new album, the orchard, that is sung by the cellist alexandra lawn. and you know what? i like the change of pace - it gave the album something extra. something better. hopefully we'll hear more from lawn on future tracks.
clear my eyes from this reverie so that i don't mind
oh - oh no no no said i, well i
don't don't wanna know even if you say you know that you wanna find my heart tell me that you never wanted to
promise to hide i'll clear my eyes i would
unburden you from this, unaware you well i need to
don't don't leave a note even if you say you know that you wanna find my heart tell me that you never wanted to don't don't leave a note even if you say you know that you wanna find my heart tell me that you never wanted to
you and i you and i know...
wanna find my heart you and i you and i know don't...
so, i have thing for stomp/clap music. for some reason, whenever i hear one of these attributes (or, even better, BOTH at the same time!), it instantly makes a song something like 100 times better. so simple, right? no instrument needed other than hands and feet and a song is transformed with beats that a person is helpless to resist.
such is the song shared today. welcome home, by radical son, has plenty of hand claps and stomps to enjoy. it's also got brilliant lyrics that rivals any poet's. ben cooper, who fronts radical faceand electric president(both worthy of your time), is such a talented singer-songwriter:
sleep don't visit, so i choke on sun
and the days blur into one
and the backs of my eyes hum with things i've never done
sheets are swaying from an old clothesline
like a row of captured ghosts over old dead grass
was never much but we made the most
welcome home
ships are launching from my chest
some have names but most do not
if you find one, please let me know what piece i've lost
heal the scars from off my back
i don't need them anymore
you can throw them out or keep them in your mason jars
i've come home
all my nightmares escaped my head
bar the door, please don't let them in
you were never supposed to leave
now my head's splitting at the seams
and i don't know if i can
here, beneath my lungs, i feel your thumbs press into my skin again
so, i didn't get to go see frightened rabbitwhen they played both la and anaheim in october (i was so upset about it, i actually had a dream the night i should have gone about being at the show). it's funny how people can become so attached to bands and see them over and over again and find each experience enlightening and relevant. i feel that way with the frabbit - there's just something about their music that really hits me right in the chest. it stays with me, which is what good music should do, right? i know we music blogs often sound like we are the music snob brigade (and honestly, we usually are), but the truth is - if you love music and it speaks to you, then it's all good, friends.
anyway! i wanted to share a cover song frightened rabbit recorded recently. it's a bit different from their normal stuff, but it's still worth a listen. scott hutchison's voice is warm and low and lulls you through a story about how it feels to watch a family member go off to war when your feelings are conflicted. it's raw and heartfelt, and even though it was written by the philistines jr., frightened rabbit does it justice. that's not to say the original isn't good - because it really is. the philistines jr. version is brittle and bright, beautiful in spite of pain. frabbit's is darker - but really, the two versions are like different sides to a coin. it's all a matter of perspective - does pain need to be dark? or masked in false cheer?
this fall, as a companion piece to their album, if a band plays in the woods...?, the philistines jr. will release if a lot of bands play in the woods...? featuring a buttload of awesome bands covering and remixing their songs. included in the roster are we were promised jetpacks, interpol, jonsi, the national, and tokyo police club. honestly, people. can you resist an album with all of those brilliant artists?
i think not. i am so looking forward to it!
head on over to the philistines jr. website HERE and check out the album. and then have yourself a listen to frightened rabbit's cover below:
my brother tom he is a green beret and he's fighting on for the good ol' USA but now he might go and we're not so gung ho anymore
our brother tom he is a green beret and he's fighting on for the good ol' USA and now he doesn't have to go and he can watch all his favorite tv shows all day long
so, as the year is drawing to a close (can you believe it? i am having trouble processing this, as this year has gone by WAY TOO FAST, which is a sure sign that every adult who ever told me "the older you get, the faster the years go" was right), i've begun thinking about my favorite discoveries of the year. definitely in my top twenty would have to be you must be out of your mind by the magnetic fields. this group, which is one of singer-songwriter stephin merritt's bands (yep, he has several), covers a wide swath of indie genres including synthpop, folk-pop, and noise. this makes them interesting to listen to, because not all their music sounds alike - which is intriguing in itself, because sometimes, i really hate when bands and/or artists try to move outside of their typical sounds (i.e. ryan adams, who can be so, so brilliant and so, so not so).
you must be out of your mind is, in essence, the ultimate kiss-off song. i think pretty much everybody can really relate to it - haven't we all had this happen to us?
you think i'll run, not walk, to you why would i want to talk to you? i want you crawling back to me down on your knees, yeah like an appendectomy sans anesthesia
you think you can leave the past behind you must be out of your mind if you think you can simply press rewind you must be out of your mind, son you must be out of your mind
you want what you turned off turned on you call it sunset, now it's dawn you can't go round just saying stuff because it's pretty and i no longer drink enough to think you're witty...
you want to kindle that old flame i don't remember your real name it must be something scandalous lurks in your shallows if you needed santa claus to buy your gallows...
you think you can leave the past behind you must be out of your mind if you think you can simply press rewind you must be out of your mind, son you must be out of your mind
so, i've mentioned before how i'm no fan of the black eyed peas. now, after watching sesame streetwith my kids, i suppose i have to eat a tiny piece of crow and admit i really like the following song by will.i.am(of the peas). because, let's face it, what i am is a pretty awesome and empowering song for kids (or, heck, anyone). i couldn't hate it even if i wanted to, because my kids danced like crazy to this song, singing along and yelling what adjective they thought best described themselves.
have i mentioned how much i dig my kids being music fiends?
check it out friends. only those with the deadest, blackest hearts will dislike this song:
if what i am is what’s in me then i’ll stay strong that’s who i’ll be and i will always be the best me that i can be there’s only one me i am it have a dream i'll follow it it’s up to me to try
oh, imma keep my head up high… high! keep on reachin’ high… high! never gonna quit i’ll keep gettin’ stronger.
and nothing's gonna bring me down… no! never gonna stop gotta go… go! because i know i’ll keep getting stronger.
and what i am is: thoughtful and what i am is: musical and what i am is: smart and what i am is: brave and what i am is: helpful and what i am is: special
there’s nothing i can’t achieve because in myself i believe in love
gonna keep our heads up high… high! keep on reachin’ high… high! never gonna quit just keep gettin’ stronger.
and nothing gonna bring us down… no! never givin’ up gotta go… go! because i know i’ll keep gettin’ stronger.
what i am is: super what i am is: proud what i am is: friendly what i am is: grouchy what you are is: magical what you are is: special
there’s nothing i can’t achieve because in myself i believe in, oh: gonna hold my head up high keep on reachin’ high i’m never gonna stop i’ll keep gettin’ stonger.
nothing gonna bring me down never givin’ up gotta go yeah… i’ll keep gettin’ stronger.
the video:
for those who want an mp3 of it, here it is. left click, as it'll take you to a different site to download:
so, here we are, friends, in november, and it's in the 90's here in socal. WHAT THE EFF? sigh. i dream of days where i can wear sweaters, scarves, and drink hot drinks outside.
but! while i was driving home after dropping my kids off at preschool, this song popped up on my ipod. and with the car windows open, warm breezes floating in, and this playing loudly, life was good. intelligentactile 101 by jesca hoopis so flipping cheery! it's like someone took two handfulls of poppy happiness and shoved them into my speakers.
intelligentactile 101 is off of jesca's new album hunting my dress. buy it HERE.
can i borrow your bones and marrow till i get my own? lovely, lovely, lovely bones till i get my own i won't tell me new friends that they're on loan they won't know it's no smart thing to do when you're far from home
can i borrow your skin blushing, to get lucky in lucky, lucky, lucky with a special friend well i hear that on planet earth that it's a sin, big sin well all the more fun for me to get lucky then
ohhh, i'm gonna be a baby girl a round ticket to a blue planet flip a uey at mars ohhh i'm gonna swim in the water first blowin' up her belly though she didn't plan it i took the invitation when she rocked the hammock pullin' all the wild cards and now i'm swinging from the stars from an umbilical chord, from an umbilical chord feels like i've been here before
on my tongue, on my tongue i want your fingers on my tongue i want some intelligent tactile when foreign play things come i'm gonna study 'em with my tongue i want some intelligantactile 101
can i borrow your hips and your lips and your wink and curl is i is or is i ain't one flossy girl i'm gonna paint that planet red cuz i'm in the world in the world and leave a trail of kisses when my loves unfurled
will you steady my ground dizzy ground when i'm turned around dizzy, dizzy, dizzy ground when i'm lost you'll found well i'm headed to planet earth to seach the sound deep sound so keep my compass wound when i'm on the ground
ohhhh i'm gonna be a baby girl... from an umbilical chord... on my tongue...
because it fricking feels like summer when it's november, i thought i'd add the following video of jesca singing summertime for you to enjoy. which you will, because it's another song of happiness!
for those of you, who like me, feel the intense need to listen to summertime, off of kismet, over and over again, here you go:
so, ane brunhas a really distinctive sound to her - sultry, sassy, a bit dark, and yet easy on the ears. for those of you who don't know her, she's a norwegian singer-songwriter who has hints of jazz, blues, and even country lacing her songs. it really depends on the song, or heck - even the mere set of seconds within the song - for a theme to come through. and i've got to say, this sort of schizophrenic music is really alluring because it's just so different than most of what's out there right now.
ane's got a new album coming out, live at stockholm concert hall, on november 29th. until then, she's touring europe with peter gabriel and then will be coming to the states for a small tour.
have a listen to song no. 6. goodness, is this a fun song. it's sweet and sassy at the same time. i love how she calls it a "sobby, pink song."
it would be so easy to sing a song about you it would be so easy to sing a sobby, pink song about you
i would spend three or four lines on describing your eyes and then the next three or four lines on the dimples of your smile and then i would tell the world about the way you hold my hand and they would they would understand
it is so easy to sing this song about you what you are is inside of me and could easily be could easily be could be expressed through this sobby, pink song about you
so, sometimes you want to listen to music and have it fill every nook and cranny, make it so loud that it overwhelms you. i like driving to this sort of music. if it's just me, i turn it up as loud as it can go, even if my ears ring for hours later.
but sometimes, i like music that's quiet. and even then, if it's just me and a pair of headphones, i like to make that quiet so it's all i hear. have you ever had a song like that? i've got a few. i let them sink in and become musical silence. i know that doesn't make too much sense, but it happens.
slow dance, by montreal-based coco et. co, is just such a song. it's perfect for late nights, or fading days. or long drives where lots of things need to be thought out but can be pushed to the side, if only for three minutes at a time.
you won’t write her a letter up all night, you know better start a fight in the winter apologize next november
you disguise, you’ll remember when she flies next semester you describe her as weather you will try to forget her
like the band? they've got a steal of a deal for you - their entire album for only five bucks. FIVE BUCKS! go HERE to snag st. davis. five bucks, peeps. for good tunes.
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