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?