new year's eve by haunting party

so, 2011 went zooming by. it was, in many ways, both an excellent and tough year. i am glad for its presence in my life, though--glad for the gifts it brought me. here's to 2012 being even better.

here's a song done a million times, true . . . and each version i like, because it's just a great song in the first place. ella's version is still the best, harry connick jr.'s is pretty damn close. but this little slice of simple americana feels just right for the end of this year.

happy new year, friends.

listen to/download for free new year's eve by haunting party from the bandcamp widget below:



go HERE for more holiday tunes from haunting party (all free!). squirrel them away for next year.

video - safe & sound by taylor swift and the civil wars

so, not to make myself sound geeky or anything, i'll admit i am a total hunger games fan. i ate those books up like sees candy when i first got them several years ago and waited nearly impatiently for the third and final book to be released. i then read that book in a matter of three hours ("NO ONE BOTHER ME--I MUST KNOW HOW IT ALL ENDS," i sadly shrieked to the poor family while shoving the book close to my nose). so now that the movies are being made, i've further geekified myself by waiting impatiently for those (march, march, why are you so far away?!?). i admit at first i was a bit surprised by some of the casting choices (oh, how kristin chenoworth would have been a supreme elfie, and . . . and . . . woody harrelson as haymitch? couldn't it have been someone like robert downey jr.?), but i'm going to trust that things will work out because suzanne collins has given her blessing and approval of these choices.

this leads me to something bugging me lately - acceptance of the author's vision. lately, i've been reading a lot of book blog posts about how the reviewers find certain books in a series "wrong" or "not true to the story." and, as an author, this makes me scratch my head. of COURSE these books are right and true to the story. these are the author's works--not the fans', despite how we end up taking these stories to become our own after ingesting them. the author is the one who created the world, the characters, and the plot. things happen because they author makes them happen. things end because that's the way the author meant them to. i know, in particular, a lot of people had issues with the end of mockingjay, the last book of THG trilogy, and this truly makes me scratch my head. "i hate it," some said. [SPOILERS FOR THE THREE OF YOU OUT THERE WHO HAVEN'T YET READ THESE BOOKS]"it should have been gale with katniss, not peeta, in the end," others fumed. "she had kids. katniss didn't want kids. obviously the wrong ending! peeta is a monster for forcing her to have kids!" others wailed. "why did prim have to die? finnick?" was heard often.[END SPOILERS] my goodness. i'll tell you why.

because suzanne collins said so.

we, as readers, can certainly not like how a story goes. i've done that a lot. we, as readers, can handily say, "this book sucked," or "i didn't like it," and the author will accept that, because that's how this goes. when we writers write (i lump myself as both a writer and a reader, as all authors should), we know that not everyone is going to like what we put out there, and THAT'S OKAY. tough, but acceptable. but i truly think that readers must also accept that a book is also an author's vision, at least as it is in its current form (fanfic is different and ought to be treated as such--once the book is released, its world is out there to interpret as need be by the people visiting it). it isn't fair to say the book wasn't true to a story. the author always has a reason for doing what they do. i know i've personally agonized over choices, but have always made what i feel is to be the truest action for the characters and story. sometimes i don't even like doing it, but it has to be done, because that's just how the story goes.

anyways! i've rambled, but you knew i would. the true reason for this post is that a song has been released from the upcoming soundtrack to the hunger games movie. and it's by taylor swift AND the civil wars. the civil wars! i love me some civil wars! called safe & sound, you can only imagine how katniss, peeta, rue and co. might hold onto such a concept while they're fighting for their lives in the arena.

(ignore the fact that one of the peeps from lady antebellum is also in the photo)

i regret to inform you i won't be posting the actual mp3. i have a 99.9998% suspicion it would be yanked down nearly immediately. instead, i share with you the video (which really isn't a video, but just the song with the poster) so you can listen to it and ruminate on how lucky we are that we do not live in a dystopian world, no matter what we feel about our government, taxes, society etc . . .

i remember tears streaming down your face
when i said, "i’ll never let you go"
when all those shadows almost killed your light
i remember you said, "don’t leave me here alone"
but all that’s dead and gone and passed tonight

just close your eyes
the sun is going down
you’ll be alright
no one can hurt you now
come morning light
you and i’ll be safe and sound

don’t you dare look out your window darling
everything’s on fire
the war outside our door keeps raging on
hold onto this lullaby
even when the music’s gone

just close your eyes
the sun is going down
you’ll be alright
no one can hurt you now
come morning light
you and i’ll be safe and sound

just close your eyes
you’ll be alright
come morning light,
you and i’ll be safe and sound . . .



go HERE to buy the single.

ho hey by the lumineers

so, now that the christmas has come and gone, are you ready for a non-holiday catchy song? one that makes you happy?

okay. i've got one for you: ho hey from the lumineers.

let's first discuss the title--ho hey. i mean, really. how fun is that? it's the sort of song that really ought to have a ton of stomp/claps with it, and while it sadly has no stomps (oh, lumineers, how fabulous it could have been with those stomps!), it does have tambourine action, which serves nicely for claps to help punctuate the hos and heys.

the lumineers are an excellent americana band that remind me, in a way, of the head and the heart. they've got a similar sound--earnest vocals, unpolished music (i mean this in the very best way--there are no synths to kill or gloss over what's really going on), and lyrics that stick with you. it's . . . a party song, i think. a good time song. a feel good song that makes you think of excellent friends, cold beers, and joy.

i've been trying to do it right
i been living a lonely life
i been sleepin' here instead
i been sleepin' in my bed
i been sleepin' in my bed

so show me family
all the blood that i will bleed
i don't know where i belong
i don't know where i went wrong
but i can write a song

i belong with you, you belong with me
in my sweet home
i belong with you, you belong with me
im my

i don't think you're right for him
think of what it might have been if we
took a bus to chinatown
i'd be standin' on canal......and bowery
and she'd be standin' next to me

i belong with you, you belong with me
in my sweet home
i belong with you, you belong with me
in my sweet home

love we need it now
let's hope for some
cause oh, we're bleedin' out

i belong with you, you belong with me
in my sweet home
i belong with you, you belong with me
in my sweet home

have a listen to the daytrotter version of the song:

(mp3) ho hey by the lumineers

and now watch a video of the band singing it:



the lumineers self-titled debut album will be released in march 2012.

i love you, mr. grinch by laura warshauer

so, happy christmas eve, all!

i'm gonna make this short and sweet, because (like you, i'm sure) i still have a ton of things to do to get ready for tomorrow. but i wanted to share this guilty pleasure-pop-christmas tune because it makes me laugh. i mean that in a good way. i love you, mr. grinch by laura warshauer is so cheesy (sugary?) it's practically adorable.

twenty-five days into december
i'm growing up, do you remember me?
i melted your heart because you were green with envy
they said, "mr. grinch is a changed man"
they thought it was nearly impossible
but i'd be lying to you if i didn't say
that i secretly, secretly, secretly loved you

do you like me, mr. grinch?
you know you want to
you're stealing my heart
just like you stole christmas
will you be missing me when january rolls around?
when january rolls around

so what?
so what, i've got a crush on an older guy
certainly won't be the first or the last time
i melted your heart because you were mean
well, they said, "mr. grinch is a changed man"
they thought it was nearly impossible
but i'd be lying to you if i didn't say
that i secretly, secretly, secretly loved you

do you like me, mr. grinch?
you know you want to
that you're stealing my heart
just like you stole christmas
will you be missing me when january rolls around
when january rolls around

well, here's to the little girl with a bow
why, she saw you when no one else was looking through your disguise
it's cindy-loo who
to show the world that the grinch is cold(?)

do you like me, mr. grinch?
you know you want to
you're stealing my heart just like you stole christmas
will we be missing you when january rolls around?
when january rolls around
rolls around

(mp3) i love you, mr. grinch by laura warshauer

and! as a bonus, a remix by DJ VON U-KUF:

(mp3) i love you, mr. grinch (remix) by laura warshauer

watch the video:

o holy night by miracles of modern science

so that delightful chamber orchestral-indie rock band miracles of modern science have released a version of o holy night for you to enjoy. it's exactly what you'd expect from them: lots of strings mixed with modern elements. i think somewhere, freddie mercury is smiling.

listen to and download (for free!) this fabulous version from the soundcloud below:

O Holy Night by miraclesofmodernscience

go HERE to buy more music from MOMS.

cheap gold by frightened rabbit

so, as an early christmas present, i opened my email today and found the new frightened rabbit christmas song! yes! yes!

here's what you need to know about cheap gold:
1) it's beautiful
2) it's got scott's typical bittersweet-meaningful lyrics
and
3) it's depressing as all hell (which means, of course, i'm gonna like it!)

cheap gold drips from dressed up trees
cheap gold lines the salted streets
cheap gold and the gift receipt
in case it's not what she wants
cheap gold, the ring on the familiar hand
cheap gold, the cross on the necklace that he bought
wrapped in cheap gold paper
oh, if it would be enough to keep her

cheap gold and the tarnished silver snow,
from a doorway too
so follow into the lothian winter
falling down like falling heavy drinkers
take--
take the steamed up taxi home
and suck a hipflask to stay warm
ignore the hardened winter
swap a kiss for a stiff ring finger
the thought that counted has gone missing
he feels so cheap but remember this is not for life
it's just for christmas

cheap gold

listen to and download from the soundcloud below:

Frightened Rabbit - Cheap Gold by Frightened Rabbit

go HERE to buy more music from frightened rabbit.

christmas (baby please come home) by death cab for cutie

so, yeah. *sigh* how i heart me the death cab music. ben gibbard can make anything sound good, even this normally (in my opinion) subpar christmas tune. YES, I KNOW IT WAS A U2 SONG, AND YES, I FULLY ADMIT TO BONO AND CO'S BRILLIANCE. I AM ALLOWED MY IDIOSYNCRACIES.

hee!

(mp3) christmas (baby please come home) by death cab for cutie

go HERE to buy lots of music by death cab for cutie.

revisit: in excelsis deo by there will be fireworks

[some songs need to be reintroduced because they're just that good. here's a post i did last holiday season]

so, 'tis the season and all that, and by now, i'm sure you deathly bored by the current batch of christmas songs out there. you know the ones i mean - the ones that you hear on the radio EVERY FRICKING SINGLE HOUR. please, radio-folks. i beg you. enough with the mariah carey and the wretched jessica simpson song that was recently available free on itunes (god, why, itunes, why? do you hate your listeners? and this comes from a girl who will admit, with only about 85% shame that i thought simpson's come on over was fun).



SO! i am here to rescue you and set you on the course to christmas music bliss with a song that is beyond fabulous.

i've posted before about there will be fireworks, which is yet another gem from scotland (land of excellent music, thank you very much. and yes, i am the biggest fangirl of scottish music there is). last year they offered up this song for free to their listeners for the holiday season. and i thank you lads for it, because it's so beautiful that i even break it out to listen to in the summertime.

OMGSQUEE, peeps. this song is amazing! and so heartfelt. doesn't it make you feel all happy squidgy inside? when nicholas mcmanus sings, "i still can't sleep on christmas eve," i simply fall in love with him and his band all over again.


well i can't wait for christmas
been buckle-knee'd and listless.
and you say
that you've been wishing weeks away

we hung the lights out in the street
twisted round the bows of trees
the choir sung it's holiest refrains

like gloria
hosanna in the highest heaven knows
this year's been black and blue
but we're alright
and this christmas could be white for me and you

i still can't sleep on christmas eve

and we'll never miss a beat
scarlet faced from whiskey neat
in the cold
singing, dancing in the dark

oh i hope these words will do
i've had my doubts but not about you.
i'm drunk
and hearing voices in car-parks

and this year
oh, i've got love in me,
i swear
I hope you know

gloria in excelsis deo

if i should fall from grace
if i should leave this dear green place
and if christmas fades without a trace

but still when you're around
there's magic in this old grey town
you know you should chat among the flames

keep singing all the songs
who cares if all the words are wrong
who cares if it barely ever snows

but still the choir smiles
the carol of the bells goes...

(mp3) in excelsis deo by there will be fireworks


THERE WILL BE FIREWORKS In Excelsis Deo by ILL FIT

winter song by the head and the heart

so, i love me the head and the heart. i love their sound. i love their harmonies and melodies and the beauty of their music.

for this december, a song for you by the band to fall in love with: a live version of winter song. go make yourself some tea or cocoa, get yourself a blanket, snuggle up in your favorite chair and let this one wash over you.

tell me somethin', give me hope for the night
we don't know how we feel
we're just prayin' that we're doin' this right
though that's not the way it seems

summer gone, now winter's on its way
i will miss the days we had
the days we had
i will miss the days we had
the days we had
oh, i'll miss the days we had

loving, leaving, it's too late for this now
such esteem for each has gone
has time driven our season away?
'cause that's the way it seems
in the world of the speech that is new
i'll be back again to stay
again to stay
i'll be back again to stay
again to stay
i'll be back again to stay

(mp3) winter song (live) by the head and the heart


and the band performing it live in washington last year:





go HERE to buy music from the head and the heart.

it's christmas time by matthew ryan

so are you ready for a ridiculously happy christmas song? of course you are. so i present to you today it's christmas time by matthew ryan.

what can you expect? basically, an earworm that comes in a perfect guitar/husky voiced package. i dare you not to fall in love with this song, or, at the very least, start singing while getting one of those superb happy rushes.

here's the scoop on the song from matthew: "It was written and recorded last December on a whim and through the magic of home recording it's available in its happy and raw form."

Hey it's Christmas Time
Yeah it's Christmas Time
Hey it's Christmas Time
Yeah it's Christmas Time

Now everybody!
Everybody! everybody! everybody!
Everybody! everybody! everybody!
Everybody! everybody! everybody!
Everybody! everybody! everybody!
Everybody! everybody...

Give!
Give!

Cause it's Christmas Time
Yeah it's Christmas Time
Hey it's Christmas Time
Yeah it's Christmas Time

Now everybody!
Everybody! everybody! everybody!
Everybody! everybody! everybody...

Smile!
Smile!

Cause it's Christmas Time
Yeah it's Christmas Time
Come on it's Christmas Time
Yeah it's Christmas Time

Now everybody!
Everybody! everybody! everybody!
Everybody! everybody! everybody!
Everybody! everybody! everybody!
Everybody! everybody! everybody!
Everybody! everybody...

Give
Smile
And grin
And smile

Cause it's Christmas Time
Yeah it's Christmas Time
Come on it's Christmas Time
Yeah it's Christmas Time

Give
Grin
Smile
Give
Grin
Smile
Because it's Christmas Time

you can listen to it below and download it from the bandcamp widget below. as for price . . . well, you can type in zero and get it for free. or you can give matthew some christmas spending money by naming your price. it's up to you!



go HERE to listen and buy more music from matthew ryan.

(mostly) wordless post #52

frightened rabbit. christmas song. brilliance. enough said.

(mp3) it's christmas so we'll stop by frightened rabbit

go HERE to buy lots of music from my favorite band. and word on the street is that there's going to be a new holiday tune for us shortly!

sunny christmas by renee and jeremy

so, i live in southern california. we don't get snow unless you drive up to big bear. our cold days would make the peeps in the midwest and east coast laugh hysterically while they bust out their shorts. it will most likely be sunny on christmas.

that's just how we roll around here.

do i wish we could have a snowy christmas? often. but i also have angels baseball (pu-JOLS, baby!), ducks hockey, disneyland, multitudes of beaches, mountains, deserts, and everything in-between all within a relatively easy drive (traffic notwithstanding). i try to remind myself of these things when christmas morning rolls around and we're wearing t-shirts.

for all of you fellow socalers, or anyone else who likes happy stuff, here's a song about having a sunny christmas. aptly titled sunny christmas, it's by renee and jeremy. shhh . . . they're technically making kid's music, but i won't tell if you don't that we're all digging it! i swear to you, SWEAR, it doesn't sound like kid stuff.

have a sunny christmas
gather everyone you know
have a sunny christmas
take it everywhere you go

decorate your near and dear
and fill your heart with love and cheer
and let it ring throughout the whole year long
wrap the world with mistletoe
a kiss to everyone you know
a smile to every stranger can't be wrong

have a sunny christmas
gather everyone you know
have a sunny christmas
take it everywhere you go
have a sunny christmas
feel the spirit in the air
have a sunny christmas
share the love that's everywhere

take the time to celebrate
the ones that you appreciate
the people in your life that make you glow
stand beside your brothers and your sisters and your lovers
and light a fire inside and let it show

have a sunny christmas
gather everyone you know
have a sunny christmas
take it everywhere you go
have a sunny christmas
feel the spirit in the air
have a sunny christmas
share the love that's everywhere

give a gift and give again
it doesn't really matter when
give a gift and give again,
again
give a gift and give again
it doesn't really matter when
give a gift and give again,
again

have a sunny christmas
gather everyone you know
have a sunny christmas
take it everywhere you go
have a sunny christmas
feel the spirit in the air
have a sunny christmas
share the love that's everywhere


(mp3) sunny christmas by renee and jeremy

go HERE to buy more music from renee and jeremy

the bells of christmas by blackbells

so, today's christmas song has a really interesting flavor to it--on one hand, it makes you think traditional with a hint of medieval, on the other, it's the stuff of spaghetti westerns. NO, REALLY.

blackbells, the band behind the latest cover of the bells of christmas, are based out of brooklyn and are technically psychedelic rock. often compared to oasis or other britpoppers like blur, they tend to focus on guitars and walls of sound. the bells of christmas is no different.

honestly, i think if quentin tarantino was to hear it now, he'd want to craft a christmas special for the bride from kill bill.

have a listen to and download this unique, fun version from the soundcloud below"

Blackbells-The Bells of Christmas by The MuseBox

go HERE to buy music from blackbells.

remember when it snowed by rosie thomas

so, there are some songs that are just so bitterly, gorgeously sad that you can't help but want to pull them close and give them warm hugs. today's song, remember when it snowed by rosie thomas, is just such a song.

built around a piano and thomas' sweet voice, it's a sad tale of--what else--what once was. it's both a holiday song and a timeless one, the kind of song you can listen to in june and not feel ashamed of doing so. or on a rainy day in february. or whenever you like! well, except when you're blindingly happy, because then it might bring you down. but, c'mon now. you love the sad songs, too. you know you do.

(don't be fooled, friends. this photo of rosie is not one that goes well with this song! love song, yes. happy? no).

remember when it snowed?
never thought the rain would end
we built a sled
and felt like kids again
remember when it snowed?
all the evergreens turned bright
they stood so tall
like angels in the sky

remember when it snowed?
we stayed up most the night
your house was cold
so we wore our coats inside
remember when it snowed?
we all went caroling
'till our toes were numb
'till we ran out of songs to sing

for christmas, all i want is to come home
and be back around the places i know
all i hold are memories of then
and all i want is to be there
if you really can go home again

remember when it snowed?
remember our first christmas here?
you built the tallest snowman
right outside our bedroom window for me
remember when it snowed?
and i broke down and cried
you used your father's mittens
and wiped the tears from my eyes

and for christmas, all i want is to come home
and be back around the faces that i know
all i hold are memories of then
and all i want is to be there
if you really can go home again

and for christmas, all i want is to be home
and be back around the faces that i know
all i hold are memories of then
and all i want is to be there
if you really can go home again

all i want is to be there
but you really can't go home again

how i wish i was home
how i wish that rain would fall
right on my house
and we wouldn't even really notice it all

listen to this beauty and download it from the bandcamp widget below:



go HERE to find more christmas music by rosie thomas.

wonderful christmas time by the bandana splits

so, i love me some bandana splits. they're adorable, you know? i've yet to hear a song of theirs, cover or original, in which i thought, "this sucks." instead, it's more along the lines of, "must put on repeat immediately--oh wait, i love this one, too, maybe that ought to be on repeat now, instead . . ."

anyway, the point is, i'm going to admit something that may make a number of you cease reading my music blog (although i hope not). i am not the biggest fan of the beatles. i know, peeps. I KNOW. this is sacrilege. i get that they're master musicians who radically altered the face of music forever and can even today, even now, be found in most of the music produced. i appreciate that they were innovators and talented and all that, but for some bizarre ass reason, i've never been instantly attracted to their music in the way that i am others. i like it when i hear it, but i do not seek it out (much to the amazement of the husband, who often reminds me that without the beatles, most of the singer-songwriters i love would not be who they are).

I GET IT, FRIENDS. there is no need to try to convince me of something i already understand.

how does this tie to the bandana splits, you ask? well, as i've stated before, i am a christmas music junkie. love the stuff. but there are some christmas songs that don't do it for me. john lennon's war is over (yes, i get that was after the beatles) and paul mccartney's wonderful christmas time (also post-beatles) are not my favorites.

HOWEVER. the bandana splits did a cover of wonderful christmas time, and guess what? OF COURSE I LOVE IT NOW.

i am a contrary creature at times.

so, go forth and download this song for your holiday playlists. if you love wonderful christmas time, you'll find this version retro-y fun. if you didn't like it (there have to be others, right? RIGHT? am i alone in my feelings?), then i bet you (um, nothing. i'm broke from buying toys for three kids) that you're gonna dig this one.

(mp3) wonderful christmas time (paul mccarthy cover) by the bandana splits

watch the video. SERIOUSLY. HOW CUTE ARE THESE GIRLS?

silver bells by she and him

so, christmas! christmas! christmas!

i love me some christmas music, which is in direct contradiction to the husband, who finds it to be an assault on his music snob sensibilities. we have a deal in our family - no christmas tunes until thanksgiving dinner is eaten. i think he'd prefer december first, but i managed to weasel this date in.

anyway! yes! i am already listening to it. and i'll be the first to admit that these sort of season tunes are hit and miss. there are some amazing versions out there to listen to and enjoy. and then there are those that make your ear bleed while cringing.

ahem. you know who i mean. the warblers? the shriekers? the ones who think that they're singing some kind of monstrous masterpiece that will be played at every single christmas party, when in actuality, is played only in retail because they're being payed to play it?

yeah, those. i won't name names. this is the season to be charitable, after all.

there is a fun new album out for you all to ooh and ah over at your christmas parties. and i'm talking about she and him, the musical collaboration between zooey deschanel and m. ward.

sidenote - have you heard that zooey d. and ben gibbard of my beloved death cab over their overpriced handcrafted ales. as for me, there was no sobbing, but more of a weird sense of, "it had to be zooey's fault, right? because . . . as adorable as she is, and as much as i covet her wardrobe and love her television show, it couldn't really be ben's fault, right? because . . . he's the lead singer of death cab, and he writes beautiful songs, and . . . and . . ."

yeah, totally nonsensical. and ridiculous. and unfair. and despite all this, i still adore me some zooey d, because it'd take a brain dead fool to not find her irresistible. and that's what her music is like--irresistible.

which is exactly what her she and him christmas album is like--utterly irresistible.

simple in many regards, without all the wailing and choirs and whatnot that others use to create a sense of seasonal majesty, a very she and him christmas is like a happy christmas surprise. there are ukuleles (readers, you know how i love me some ukulele), retro-vibes a-plenty, and general adorableness. listening to this makes you want to dress up in sequins (don't ask--i'm obsessed with sequins lately, it's really frightening, truly) and go and drink cocktails at some swanky, fabulous location, surrounded by people you genuinely like while surrounded by christmas lights. seriously. that's the vibe.

today i'm going to share the she and him version of silver bells. it is simplicity taken to near perfection: zooey's earnest yet lovely vocals set to a ukulele. there's a sense of true christmas spirit here, one not manufactured by hallmark (no offense, hallmark).

thoughts?

(mp3) silver bells by she and him

here they are, on jay leno, performing the delectable christmas waltz:



go HERE to buy a very she and him christmas album. do it quickly, so it can join your rotation, and your friends will thank you for putting something classy and clever on, as opposed to the shrieking, warbling albums. just you wait!

hot day by caithlin de marrais

so, former bassist/singer of rainer maria caithlin de marrais has a new album out, red coats - and on that album is a song called hot day.

it's an interesting song, hot day - with an interesting origin: it's roots can be traced by to the soundtracks of 70's crime dramas such as the french connection, dirty harry, and taxi driver. there are also traces of patti smith's horses in it - as de marrais says, "Horses was destined to be in my record collection. I loved Mapplethorpe, Blondie, Talking Heads and hanging out in the Village as a teenager. Now I relate to Horses totally differently. It sounds old and wise to me, like a force of nature that won't be silenced."

check out this gritty song:

last night was a problem
but i got today
do what i want
see what i see
last night, made a promise
to old friends in dark bars
forgetting where i'm going

(mp3) hot days by caithlin de marrais

buy red coats, the album hot day is off of, HERE.

album review: dead letters by sealight

so, a couple weeks back, i did a french week - and today's band really ought to have been featured, too (even though they're more of a french/australian mix). in any case, i recently got a chance to listen to sealight's latest EP, dead letters, and liked it so much that i figured you all needed to hear about it.

there are a lot of different kinds of albums out there - some are meant to entertain as soundtracks to parties and fun. some are romantic and perfect fodder for instilling the right mood in happy relationships and then there are some that are riddled with angst, companions to carry you through difficult, messy emotions. there are those albums which are pure pop drivel and there are those that aspire to become art. and that's one of the great things about music, friends. whatever kind of mood or companion you seek, there is a band out there with the music you need.

sealight doesn't make the kind of music you play on fun road trips or during dinner parties. no - their hushed sounds are more of the sort of ambiance that comes with introspection. it's the kind of music you listen to when you've got problems and are trying to puzzle them out, the kind you turn to on gray, soft days. i

like this kind of music, with it's quiet strength.

their latest EP, dead letters, is actually a collection of letters and texts from the band's family members in france and australia, something i find intriguing. these snatches of real life give the songs a bit of a personalized edge that draws the listener in yet remains generalized enough for separate connections to be made through the concept of reliving and retracing the paths and ties of relationships. layered guitars serve as the perfect background for lead singer sandra rossini's lovely vocals - and lovely they are, with their mixture of sweetness and just the barest hint of melancholy. there are soft synths, horns, and drum machines that never threaten to overwhelm - instead, the combination of all of these elements serve to create a cohesive blend of gorgeousness that can't help but leave a listener feeling more than a smidge introspective.

some highlights . . .

when the rain starts, with it's echo-y horns painting the background, remind me, in the smallest way, of the blue nile in the sense that it creates a visual landscape of blurred windows awash with watercolor. everything here is fuzzy, as if you're on a train moving at speeds that don't allow specifics, only colors. it's haunting in it's beauty. in white walk, you're taken to chilly places (more so than simply the talk) and then there's the moon, with it's steady guitar lines that lead the listener through it's story with almost no respite, much like overwhelming emotions a person can't escape. and then there are the bookends, dead letters at the opening and la nieve at the end which nicely contradict each other with dueling sensations of resolution and then hope.

it's really a beautiful album. stream it below:



buy dead letters by sealight HERE.

editing! updates! announcement(s)! exclamation points galore!

so, my poor blog! so neglected this last week! i blame things like halloween, my kids' school, karate, hockey, and, OH YEAH, getting my book back from my editor.which is very exciting, friends! here i was, totally prepared to weep uncontrollably while rocking in a fetal position under a table over just how crappy the editor thought it to be only to find out that i had seriously gone way over to the dark side for nothing. because, hooray! she liked it, and the things recommended for alterations are all things i'd considered before myself.

so, even though i wrote a post last week about needing to get back to work on codename: mo, those characters are going to have to wait patiently while i get chloe and company in a matter of fate in good shape and ready for publication.

speaking of . . .

i've decided to try my hand at self-pubbing after much thoughtful consideration and discussion with a number of other authors and editors. i'd actually submitted AMOF to seven agents way back when the book was a bloated behemoth that needed much TLC, and though i was crushed to be turned down from representation with (gasp) form letters, i now actually see the wisdom in these people rejecting me. one, the book was WAY too big. the truth is, friends, i'm a wordy kind of person (any regular reader of this blog knows this). and i write like that, too. i put down a zillion words and then pare them down drastically through editing. and two, the rejections led me to overhaul AMOF and take it and the characters within in better directions. the book i have now is radically different from the one i queried with, and that's a good thing. and it's not that i'm terrified of being rejected repeatedly through querying again (which i know i would be, because--let's face facts--all authors except maybe a select few get rejected up the wazoo), it's just . . . it seems like a good thing to try self-pubbing.

would i like to see a matter of fate in a bookstore? heck yeah. of course i would. i think all writers would love to see their work in bookstores. and you have to give it to the big houses--for the most part, they do a pretty good job with packaging books. but i also have a nook, and it's changed my reading habits pretty drastically. i still buy physical books, especially ones that i want for my collection and wouldn't mind having in a bookcase, but i love the fact that i can store hundreds of books all on one device without cluttering my house. i love the fact that, any time of day or night, i can buy a book and have it ready to read in a matter of seconds. i like being able to take all of these books with me on errands, appointments, and trips and not worry about my bag being weighed down. it's convenient, if not a bit daunting to my pocketbook--in the two years i've had a nook, i've bought probably twice or triple the amount of books i normally would from a bookstore. i've been introduced to a number of new authors that i probably wouldn't have tried before, especially thanks to self-publication.

are they all good? um . . . no. some of the writing out there is atrocious, as are some of the stories. but then, that's the case with some authors and books from major publishing houses with contracts, as well. and the truth is, i've discovered some great self-pubbed authors who make me scratch my head and wonder just why in the heck they don't have a contract when other crappy authors do.

but then, as i've discovered over the last year, a lot of this is by choice. more and more writers are choosing to self-publish, because it allows them to take back control of their works. they aren't constricted by a contract that takes away ownership of the story or creates covers they don't like or approve or or changes within the book they may not like. when a writer self-publishes, they are in control of almost every aspect. but with this also comes a need to be careful and do things right.

a lot of those crappy books i mentioned above came without a decent editor. or proofreading. or hard work at making the book the very best it could be.

when i decided that i was going to try self-pubbing with AMOF, i knew that i was going to have to hire an editor and not merely depend upon friends to do the work for me. i know i'm going to need to get a cover done--a good one--and not just slap together some pictures and words at home in a matter of minutes. i know i'm going to have to get a trailer done and . . . argh . . . do publicity. this one is going to be hard, as i don't really like drawing attention to myself. but, for the characters of my book, i will do these things and more! and that's because i truly believe that i've got a story that may interest some of you.

so here i am, on my final final edit of a matter of fate. i'm going through, line by line, tweaking it and revising it due to my editor's recommendations. and then, in a couple of months, i'm going to put it out there in the world to share. like, to buy on amazon and barnes and noble and smashwords.

e e e e k . . .

fyi, if you're curious about AMOF, go ahead and check out the my books tab above. there's angst! magic! bad guys! good guys! faerieselvesdwarvesgnomesgoblins! and love!

whew.

find/buy this print, aptly named anywhere but here, at etsy HERE.

by the way . . . i like this picture. it's very chloe-like.

ANYWAY.

music readers, you're probably like, wth, girl? where are our tunes? why the blank days? GIVE US MUSIC!!! and friends, i am certainly going to do that. music is good. i'm obsessed with it. i can't go a day without listening to it or using it to write to. so hold on, things will steady out, and regular posts will resume. just know that i'm going to start talking a bit more about writing, too. and my book (er, books, 'cause i have several i'm planning on publishing over the course of the next few years). this is an exciting time, peeps. a strange one, for me at least. so bear with me and the blog. i hope you keep coming back for the tunes. i hope you give a matter of fate a chance.

now, today's song has nothing to do with the book, other than i think my lead character, chloe, would dig this band. because, HELLO, the bandana splits are adorbs. and here they're covering morrissey's everyday is like sunday. oh, goodness. can you resist a girl band doing morrissey in their super cute style?

NO, FRIENDS. YOU CANNOT.

download it and love it:

(mp3) everyday is like sunday (morrissey cover) by the bandana splits

writer's block sucks, but music helps

so, i have been a wee bit plagued by writer's block on codename: mo for a couple (eek) months now. i've got probably 80% of the story done, but i'm struggling on the last act - not so much because i don't know what's going to happen, but more because i'm having trouble putting all the action i'm seeing in my head down on paper.

it's a bit paralyzing, writer's block. insidious, too, because it overtakes the creative process and hammers forcefully in one's head the futile belief that things will never get finished, because you might just not have it in you.

i wrote the end to mo way back in the beginning. i tend to do that - i'm even the wretched sort who will flip open a brand new book and assure myself of a happy ending occasionally before even getting past chapter two (although, my nook has curbed that nasty tendency more often than naught lately). as a writer, i like to know where i need to steer my characters before i toss them through the wringer, so i can assure them (and myself) that it'll all be worth it in the end. that's not to say that i won't change the ending - i tend to do that, too - but it's the overall feel that helps me through the process. so, i know where the leads in mo are going and what i need to do to get them there, but there's the pesky problem of writing action scenes. 'cause that's where mo culminates in the final act, in a flurry of action scenes that require me to do a whole lot of research about weapons i have no clue about and fighting techniques that i'm utterly unfamiliar with. it's bizarre, because i can see what's going on, but...

i dunno. each time i write out a scene, it just falls flat on its face.

however - my saving grace (no pun intended for those of you out there in my writer's group who have been patiently listening to mo over the last couple months) is music. i've got a playlist built for each of my books, and lately i've been hammering the ones for mo in my head over and over to get the characters and feel in. plus, i've been using my time in the car and shower, both excellent places for me to brainstorm, for some odd reason, to get these scenes right.

find/buy this print at etsy HERE

music is funny to writers. there are those who claim they can't have it on at all while they write. then there are those who say they can only have instrumentals. and then there are those, like me, who would wither up in a small fit of despair without proper tunes to match scenes. the playlists on my itunes are frightening, data-wise, because there are some songs whose playback numbers are astronomical. i can put a song on repeat for a good hour or two while i write and never tire of it.

mo's playlist is a bit schizophrenic, thanks to the story's three points of view. i'd never written a story told from so many POV's before, especially ones that come from such radically different places and motives. but i like it, and i like their influencing songs, and i've got them stuck in my head like crazy lately. which, obviously, means i need to share them with others.

so today, i'm giving you several videos to watch of some really great songs that have put a lot of background influence into codename mo:

AC/DC's hells bells is super important to this story. yes, me - indie queen and folk music lover, adores me some AC/DC. shhh!



ironically, this video also starts with a bell. i've shared it before, but it's so key for this story - sleigh bells' infinity guitars:


Sleigh Bells "Infinity Guitars" from Phil Pinto on Vimeo.

maybe only hardcore U2 fans will have heard of this next one - alex descends into hell for a bottle of milk. it's given me lots of fodder for back story and world building...



god of wine, by third eye blind, is such a hushed, anxious song, and i culled a lot of angst from that sensation for several poor characters:



and finally (although certainly not the last in the huge playlist), lifelines by i am not left handed is so bitterly gorgeous and haunting that it was spot-on perfect for all three MC's POV's during various points in the story:



now, to go and write that scene...

video for a saturday - monster mash

so, can you really go a october without diggin monster mash?

i can't. neither can my kids, who demand to listen to it over and over again. i love that they even try to get the vocals just like bobby "boris" pickett's.

random song trivia for you:

pickett was an aspiring actor, so it only makes sense that his song had some low-budget hollywood sound effects in it. the sound of a coffin opening was imitated by a rusty nail being pulled out of a board, the cauldron bubbling was actually water being bubbled through a straw, and the rattling chains were simply chains being dropped on a tile floor.

and, there have been at least 19 covers done of this song. it's pretty much the gold standard for halloween!

a cartoon version:



and one a fan did for a disney contest, featuring disney villains. super clever!

the darndest things by archie powell and the exports

so, growing up, i was, like most alternative-loving gen-xers, a fan of social distortion. they had a bit of a gritty punk sound to them - not quite polished against the shine of synths coming off of so many other bands of the time (and please, don't get me wrong, i addooooorrred many of those shiny, synth-y bands). i mention this because when i first had a listen to the darndest things by archie powell and the exports, i was instantly transported back to my high school days, sitting on my bedroom floor, listening to social distortion while studying the CD case.

for those of you youngsters, these things called booklets could be found in cd's, and they had pictures and lyrics and all sorts of things that you couldn't find on the internet, because, heck, the internet wasn't around.

damn, i'm old.

i josh about the teasing above (not the old part, sadly). but the point here is that archie powell has a bit of that gritty sound to his music that really features instruments stripped down to the basics (no synths on this song!) and a voice and lyrics that are both honest and a wee bit plaintive.

i like the imagery behind this song, the emotional resonance that comes with trying to figure out where you are and what you want:

well,we're caught in an avalanche, my love
and it seems a though we've no place else to go
so let's talk with a toast to lack thereof
in our brand new house we'll build under the snow

and it's not hard to see
you make me say the darndest things
oh baby, i do decree
oh mecy, mercy me

well, it's time that we've got to be alone
away from all the surface ebb and flow
and to think of the world that we've outgrown
in the comfort of our snow and ice chateau

well, they're sending out a search for us right now
and our faces are on flyers in the streets
though they always hate to stop and disavow
logic says by now we've had to freeze
oh please

you know if it was up to me
i'd get your lifetime guarantee
oh baby, i do decree
oh mercy, mercy me

stream/download the song for free below:



now check out the video for the darndest things:



go HERE to buy skip work, the album the darndest things is off of. FYI, two additional songs off the album (skip work and enough about me) are also offered for free!

pleasant experience (small black cover) by el may

so, let me introduce you to australian multi-instrumentalist/composer/visual artist lara meyerratken, aka el may.

meyerratken has a really great sound - all girly and fun, with hints of bright, warms days in her sunny voice. her music is the infectious sort, the kind best put on in the background when you want motivation or something more than gloom. that's not to say that all her songs shriek of cheer and positive thoughts only - au contrair, my friends. it's just, el may has this way to make her songs sound cheery, like a much milder, kinder version of morrissey.

recently, she recorded a cover of small black's pleasant experience with their blessing. small black bandmate josh kolenik said about el may's version, "It's always amazing to hear songs that you write in a totally new context. Loved the way El May brought out the lyrics in a way that's obscured in our original recording, and the production is pristine."

check it out/download it from the soundcloud below for a short time:

Pleasant Experience - El May (Small Black cover) by El_May

and then go HERE to stream more music by el may. make sure you check out made of water and decide on a direction and go, both of which are excellent songs. okay, actually, stream them all, because i really can't find any that i'm not totally digging. love!

LA peeps, you can check out el may at the troubadour on november 5th - she'll be supporting the paron red heads, who i've previously written about HERE. plus, the fruit bats will be there, too. so, that's like a night of all-around good tunes to check out! go HERE to learn more about the show.

go HERE to buy music from el may.

last but not least, if you want to check out el may's visual art (remember, she's a multi-platform artist!) and you're in the LA area, head over to museum and crane. her exhibit will be up through november 26.

french week: video for a saturday - everyday

learn more about the two HERE.

french week - revolver and hindi zahra

so, here we are, in the middle of french week! anyone in the new york area, be sure to head out to the CMJ festival tonight to check out some of these amazing artists...

revolver is an interesting band in that they're classically trained. not that many artists aren't - in fact, i'd hazard to say that a large percentage of musicians have classical backgrounds somewhere - but two of the members of revolver actually met at france’s prestigious music school maitrise notre dame de paris, which gives them a bit more of an edge than simply playing clarinet in high school. their music, which often has a beatles-esque vibe to it, often is referred to as chamber pop to reflect the use and influence of classical instruments.

have a listen to a song she wrote and see if you can pick out the carefully crafted strands that blend old and new to create something intriguing:

(mp3) a song she wrote by revolver

here's the video for get around town, which is insanely catchy:




born in morocco but raised in paris, hindi zahra takes a bit of both worlds to help craft dreamy songs that inspire romance and perfect nights with wine and candles. it's gorgeous chanteuse stuff, thanks to her throaty yet sweet voice that practically floats above her lilting songs.

check out beautiful tango, which is...well, it's trite, but beautiful:

(mp3) beautiful tango by hindi zahra

and here's the video for the man i love, which is incredibly dreamy stuff. you can practically smell the crêperies nearby, it's just that parisian:



go and see revolver and hindi zahra, plus fellow french artists make the girl dance, chateau marmont, the lanskies, the two, the inspector cluzo, stranded horse and zenzile TONIGHT at NY's hiro ballroom for FREE during the france rocks shows at the CMJ music festival. head over to the santos party house tomorrow night, october 20th, if you happen to miss tonight's shows. go HERE to learn more about the shows.

revolver's second LP is due out in the states in early 2012. until then, go HERE to buy music for a while, the album that includes get around town and a song she wrote.

go HERE to buy handmade, hindi zahra's latest album, which includes beautiful tango and the man i love.

french week - stranded horse and zenzile

so, onwards with french week!

today i want to introduce you to stranded horse (also known as yann tamboura), a singer-songwriter who did much of the recording of his latest album, humbling tides, in normandy, a region of france steeped in legends and rich history.

and it shows. tamboura's music is a fascinating mix of medieval folksong, the mandinka tradition of west africa, traditional french chanson, and fahey-esque fingerpicking. he's quite clever with not only a guitar, but also a kora, and this only lends to his music a storytelling vibe. and that's what tamboura is doing with his music - he's telling you stories. don't expect him to belt out any "baby, baby, baby, let's get it on" kind of choruses; instead, tamboura carefully crafts a tale for you to immerse yourself in. his music is quiet and complex and easy to fall into.

check out the very lovely and the shoreline it withdrew in anger. it'll transport you straight to those norman coasts:

(mp3) and the shoreline it withdrew in anger by stranded horse

now check out the heavily medieval flavored jolting moon:



now, on the complete opposite spectrum of musical sounds, meet zenzile, a veteran french band who manage to mix jazz, rock, post punk, dub and rock together into their music.

check out fire eater, which is synth heavy with distorted vocals, driving guitars, and heavy beats while still managing to sound poppy enough to get your head bouncing:

(mp3) fire eater by zenzile

check out simple lesson, which is a bit more dark than fire eater:



want to see either band? check them out at the CMJ music festival this week in NY! best yet, the shows are freeeee! you can also catch fellow french bands make the girl dance, chateau marmont, the lanskies, hindi zahra, the two, revolver, and the inspector cluzo in addition to stranded horse and zenzile at NY's hiro ballroom on october 19th and the santos party house on october 20th.

buy pawn shop, the eighth album released by zenzile HERE.

buy humbling tides, the latest album by stranded horse, HERE.

french week - make the girl & chateau marmont

so, lucky new yorkers (or people heading to the big apple this week) - CMJ is once again showcasing tunes and bands in a big marathon of goodness! the husband has long made me jealous by regaling me with his own stories of heading out to CMJ's shows back when he used to work for a label. as for me, i've yet to even GO to nyc, let alone one of these great music showcases. but that's another story entirely.

something cool about this year is there's going to be a block of french artists showcased during france rocks CMJ nights. interestingly enough, the majority of the bands that will be performing on october 19th and 20th tend to sing mostly in english. scotland and sweden tend to get a lot of press and hype for churning out great new music lately (and i'll concur, especially with the scottish bands, because so many of my favorites nowadays are from there), but it's almost a crime that france is getting overlooked far too often. there's a ton of interesting tunes coming from france, ranging from singer-songwriter fare to rock.

case in point, make the girl dance. based out of paris, these electro-producers are making some catchy tunes that will be sure to make you want to go clubbing. have a listen to kill me, which has a nice bit of 80's groove in it to entice:

(mp3) kill me (radio edit) by make the girl dance

here's the video for baby baby baby. yes, there are naked girls in it walking through the streets of paris.



there's also chateau marmont (not to be confused with the infamous yet trendy hollywood hotel, angelinos!).

with a debut LP set to be released in the states early in '12, chateau marmont has a very futuristic sound with dreamy synths and poppy yet heavy (yes, really) beats. i like one hundred realities quite a bit. it reminds me, in a very small way, of fellow french artist m83 (who readers know i totally dig). have a listen:

(mp3) one hundred realities by chateau marmont

and here's a mini video for the song, used in a tour announcement from the band:



want to go check out these bands? head over to NY's hiro ballroom on october 19th and the santos party house on october 20th to see make the girl dance and chateau marmont, as well as the lanskies, hindi zahra, the two, revolver, stranded horse, the inspector cluzo, and zenzile.

did i mention these shows are free? seriously. go. but first, go HERE to learn more about france rocks CMJ nights.

stay tuned for more great french bands featured this week!

wordless music post #51

find/buy this print HERE

(mp3) the district sleeps alone tonight by the postal service

video for a saturday - the french bastards

learn more about the inspector cluzo HERE.

shake it out by florence & the machine

so, today's video is perfect for october - it features a masquerade! plus, it's from an album which will launch on halloween and mentions ghouls!

i'm gonna spill a secret here - i haven't done a lot of listening in the past to florence & the machine, and here's why (and friends, it's a really stupid reason) - perez hilton championed the band. is that bad? absolutely not - in fact, it's pretty damn cool for the group, because his site has a huge readership and gives tons of coverage, which is fantastic for any musicians who get a shout out.

so why the lack of attention from me?

eh...i think it might have to do with all the glee love, of which i'm automatically suspicious of. yes, friends, i am not a fan of glee. i've given it a few watches and each time, it felt painfully forced to me - and this comes from a girl who just spent the better part of a couple weeks revisting the glory that is andrew lloyd webber's evita at top volume. yes, i love me some musical theatre, but there's something about glee that just rubs me wrong.

go ahead. pelt me all you want with tomatoes. it won't make me watch the show. plus, i saw part of the britney spears episode, and it made my ears bleed.

SO. i realize my logic over my lack of florence & the machine listening prior to this video is faulty. as for shake it out? i dig it. like, lots 'o digging, because it's fun and catchy and got lots of 80's beats that will enrapture any gen-xer as well as whatever they call today's latest generation who like to pretend they're in the 80's (GOD, HAVE YOU SEEN SOME OF THE HORRIBLE FASHIONS COMING BACK? peeps! the clothes were the WORST part of the 80's - trust me. hold close to the music and movies and lose the rest).

plus, i love the lyrics. it's all about fighting one's own demons - which, as anyone knows, are far worse than any other kind.

regrets collect like old friends
here to relive your darkest moments
i can see no way, i can see no way
and all of the ghouls come out to play

and every demon wants his pound of flesh
but i like to keep some things to myself
i like to keep my issues strong
it's always darkest before the dawn

and i've been a fool and i've been blind
i can never leave the past behind
i can see no way, Ii can see no way
i'm always dragging that horse around

and our love is pastured such a mournful sound
tonight I'm gonna bury that horse in the ground
so i like to keep my issues strong
but it's always darkest before the dawn

shake it out, shake it out, shake it out, shake it out

and it's hard to dance with a devil on your back
so shake him off, oh woah

i am done with my graceless heart
so tonight I'm gonna cut it out and then restart
'cause i like to keep my issues strong
it's always darkest before the dawn

shake it out, shake it out, shake it out, shake it out

and it's hard to dance with a devil on your back
so shake him off

and given half the chance would I take any of it back
it's a final mess but it's left me so empty
it's always darkest before the dawn

and i'm damned if i do, and i'm damned if i don't
so here's to drinks in the dark at the end of my road
and i'm ready to suffer and i'm ready to hope
it's a shot in the dark and right at my throat
'cause looking for heaven, for the devil in me
looking for heaven, for the devil in me
well, what the hell - i'm gonna let it happen to me



ceremonials by florence and the machine will be released on october 31st. go HERE to pre-order it. you can also buy the shake it out single there.

the waiting game

(rambling post ahead!)

so, first off, apologies for the dire lack of music posts on a daily basis. i had a great run of being able to get those done easily, but now my kids are involved in lots of school and sports and MY GOD, ARE THOSE THINGS TIME SUCKS. i'm also trying my best to fit in decent writing time in an effort to get one of my books finished and a sequel to another polished up, so i am considering now going to an every other day sort of thing, except when i do find those lovely bits of time to be able to post daily.

apologies also for this post for not being a music one, either.

find/buy this print at etsy HERE

as many of you know, i'm a writer and i'm currently in the process of having one of my books edited. this, friends, is a terrifying experience on a lot of levels - mainly, because it's a waiting game and i am no good at waiting. i never have been, which truly sucks. my editor comes highly recommended after much research into the matter, and she informed me that she'd really only contact me during the process if she had major problems with the work. so on that hand, hooray! although now i'm considering i just jinxed myself by even saying that. but still, the radio silence is brutal at times, especially to one prone to an overactive imagination.

but here's another one of my problems - the fear of it being liked versus unliked.

every writer writes what they want to read - or, at least, that's what they ought to be doing. and that's what i did, with codename AMOF. the interesting thing that i think a lot of people don't really get is just how attached to characters an author gets. i mean, we know these people we write. we know what makes them tick, what makes them happy and sad and so furious they can barely speak. we know their inner hopes and their greatest fears, and we care. it sounds ridiculous on paper (ha - no pun intended. at least, not really), but these characters become friends.

they become real.

authors fall in love with their characters. i can't tell you how many times i've read on other author blogs about how enamored they become with their characters, and i'm no different. it's a patently ridiculous thing for a person to admit, for me to admit, but when you get this close to the people you create, the ones you hear in your head and see clear as day in your mind, you do develop warm, fuzzy feelings towards them. each new story brings new crushes and new sets of worries. case in point - i actually sobbed (yes, sobbed) when i did something awful to one of my favorite characters.

so, when you present these people, these characters, to the world (or your writing group or friends or family or whoever), you can't help but feel leery and protective of them. each time somebody reads one of my stories, i think, and hope, "was a connection made?"

logically, i know there are going to be people who don't connect with my characters, who don't find them compelling or interesting. i know this. it's just going to happen, because that's just how things are. nothing is universally loved, nothing universally guaranteed. but it doesn't mean i'm not just the wee bit nervous about them in the hands of my editor, because the truth is, i want her to like them.

and yet, i have to wait to find out.

video for a saturday - in the sun

so, is there really anyone more adorable than zooey deschanel? i mean, the girl has a wardrobe to die for, is a great actress (have you seen new girl? lovelovelove it), sings great (alongside m. ward in she and him), and is married to ben gibbard (good lord, can you imagine how cute they might be, writing songs for one another?). anyway, here's a dose of zooey for you this morning, in a sweet retro like song with an equally likable video:



learn more about she and him HERE. note they have a christmas album coming. i'm geekily gleeful about it! and yes, i realize it's october.

blackbirds by NOVI

so, i want to apologize ahead of time for this song.

why, you're asking?

because it's the stuff earworms are made of. it's catchy (um, like insanely so - just you wait until you start hearing "peddling back, peddle me back et. al to you"), it's got kitsch (the whole rap bit in the middle with the guy strutting with a gun? i totally broke out in laughter over that), and it's got some lyrics that remind you that music sometimes, while insightful and deep and meaningful, can be plain fun, if not bizarre (imagines of birds on the side of the road copulating? oookaay...). so, yeah. you'll most likely be hearing this one in your head long after you've finished watching the video!

okay, now the details - blackbirds, by NOVI, an up and coming artist from LA, is semi-electronic girly-girl music. it's fun, friends. goofy, bouncy, poppy fun, even you scratch your head over the gun guy while giggling.

tgif!


NOVI : Blackbirds from Spool on Vimeo.

came along by amtrac

so, caleb cornett, who also goes by amtrac, grew up in kentucky but sounds much more at home in the miami club scene, which makes sense since that's where he currently hangs his hat.

a self-taught musician, amtrac's got an interesting sound that mixes tinkly keyboards with drum machines and monotone vocals against solid yet trippy beats. it's inherently likable electronica and excellent music to get your body moving, whether you intend it to or not.

check out his latest single, came along:

(mp3) came along by amtrac

here's a video of amtrac performing the song live:

Came Along (Live) from amtrac on Vimeo.

buy came along, the album with the same name as the single, HERE.

interview: lisa hannigan

so, i remember the first time i really listened to damien rice - gosh, it's been, what, seven years, maybe? six? and i instantly picked up on this lovely female voice in the background, and i was charmed. not that rice isn't charming on his own, but this voice was really very sweet and beautiful, a perfect pitch and foil for his melancholy. i did a bit of hunting around and discovered it belong to an irish singer-songwriter by the name of lisa hannigan, and ever since then, i've been consistently delighted by her music. she released a solo debut album back in '08 by the name of sea sew and is now back with her sophomore release passenger which is truly a gorgeous work of art.

photo by nick leclair

curious about her creative process, considering she's such a talented songstress, i asked lisa a few questions about passenger and how she works:

have you met heather: passenger, your latest album, was just released. what's the story behind it?

lisa hannigan: Well, most of the record was written on the road during touring so I suppose that influenced the record a great deal. Being away brings about a certain nostalgia for home and also the past.

hymh: do you have any favorites off of the album?

lisa: They're all my favourites really. There's none that I dread appearing on the setlist. If I had to pick one it would be Little Bird.

hymh: what is your creative process like behind writing your music?

lisa: A song would usually start with a melody or a line of words and then I tend to walk about humming to myself until it gets some sort of shape to it. Sometimes I don't know what a song is about until I've written a good portion of it.

hymh: where do you tend to find inspiration for your songs?

lisa: I generally write songs from personal experience or the adventures and tomfoolery of close friends.

hymh: you're about to embark on a tour through the US. what's a typical tour like for you?

lisa: A lot of energy is spent finding the most delicious food we can. There's certain places that we never miss, like legal seafood in Boston.. Oh the crab cakes..

hymh: you've worked with people like damien rice and herbie hancock in the past, which must have been both fun and interesting. do you ever find yourself being influenced by those you've worked with?

lisa: I imagine everyone that I meet and work with influences me on some way. Some less directly than others. With Herbie in particular, he showed me that the trick is not to aim to play or sing something right, but to find something new and interesting each time.

thanks, lisa!

download and have a listen to knots, which is off of passenger:

it was early in the morning,
we were sitting on the stoop,
there wheeled away a starling
and i thought that I would too.
oh for all i knew,
i was lost through and through,
in my high heels and my old dress
with my new keys in the wrong city.

i tie the knots to remember in my heart,
so i choke and i sputter to a stop,
i am a borrower and lender of the lot.

i walk away asleep
and chalk an outline round the scene.
this shadow play of whiskey talk,
a heavy denier dream.
oh let it be, i was lost in him and me.
in my high heels and my old dress
with my new keys in the wrong city.

i tie the knots to remember in my heart,
so i choke and i sputter to a stop,
i am a borrower and lender of the lot.

(mp3) knots by lisa hannigan

i'm going to have to agree with lisa on little bird. it's my favorite off of passenger, too. so, so delicate. so, so sweet and sad at the same time. perfect poetry-like lyrics. simple and yet complex at the same time. for example:

i was salted by your hunger,
now you've gone and lost your appetite
and a little bird is every bit as handy in a fight.
i am lonely as a memory
despite the gathering round the fire.
aren't you every bird on every wire?

see what i mean? check out a video of lisa performing the song in dublin earlier this year:



want to see lisa on tour? check out one of the following dates:

October 4 Portland, OR Doug Fir
October 5 Seattle, WA Tractor
October 6 Vancouver, BC Media Club
October 7 Calgary, AB Heritage Park Gasoline Alley
October 10 Chicago, IL Double Door
October 12 Washington, DC 9:30 Club
October 13 Baltimore, MD Sound Stage
October 16 Montreal, QB Petit Campus
October 17 Boston, MA Paradise
October 20 Philadelphia, PA Milk Boy
October 21 New York, NY Hiro

buy passenger, lisa hannigan's latest album, HERE.