It All Got Worse

I feared I wouldn't make it in time (AKA before February ended), but here I am with my last favourite song of 2011 - 'It All Got Worse' by Destry!



According to many sources, Destry is headed by Michelle DaRosa and she collaborates with Shaun Cooper, Sam Means, Nico Childrey, Tyler Odom - all musician who are a part of other bands. Strangely, Destry's official facebook page only mentions Michelle DaRosa and Tyler Odom (who are pictured above). They're usually the only two present when acoustic sets are played on the streets or something so... alright. I'm still slightly befuddled, but that's okay.

So far, Destry has released two albums: their second, Waiting on an Island, was released last May, and their first album, It Goes On, was released in 2009.
For me, It Goes On grabbed my ears instantly. Waiting on an Island, which has a quieter mood, grew on me more slowly. Both albums have a dreamy 60s vibe. Not psychedelic 60s, mind you - earlier than that. Both have a very basking-in-the-sun feeling, but Waiting on an Island has more moments of rain. Nowhere is this more evident than in the my selection today: 'It All Got Worse'.

Admittedly, it was a hard contest between the song 'Alabama' and 'It All Got Worse', but I chose the latter because it has deeper meaning for me. This year I often found myself listening to this song; it offered solidarity, and I loved how Michelle's vocals are so full of the weight of the song's emotion. Perhaps I should have tried to end this "favourite songs thingy" on a happier note, but what can I say? I had a rough year.

Listen:




(Supplements: Listen to their albums on bandcamp!)

Mire Kay

"We were all very thankful to tear off JANUARY from our calenders and to look hopefully at FEBRUARY."

-Miss Read, Changes at Fairacre

That quote sums up January for me. But while I was certainly thankful, I was hardly prepared! February has been speeding by, much to my distress. It doesn't help we've had houseguests since Monday. My concentration levels are frighteningly low....


...But not low enough to not want to (at last) bring you February's artist of the month, Mire Kay!

Mire Kay is the duo of Emelie Molin and Victoria Skoglund. They are two lovely, Swedish girls who were originally members of the band Audrey (which is hibernating for the time being).
I swear, there must be something in the Scandinavian water because the acts coming out of there make ridiculously amazing music. Mire Kay is, of course, no exception.
I'm stealing the description of the group from their site because I like it and it's much better than anything I could come up with at the moment:

"When closing your eyes you will never know where you will end up. Maybe somewhere between the roar of a capital city or beneath a bridge where you can hear the water murmur. You will maybe find a link to your home or to the continent, or you might just find the world of Mire Kay. It is a place where things are simple, where fragile sounds whisper in the spruce tops of trees and memories become as real as you remembered them to be. Adorned by luminous and vivid colors, this place is where you will find the presence of our music. Don’t expect to find answers but instead an urge to start asking."

Their debut EP, Fortress, came out last year, and according to their facebook page, they are busy recording their first album. I'm chuffed to bits, as their EP is what I call Good Music. One thing I have to mention that I love about Mire Kay is that their two core instruments are the cello and guitar. (Emelie on the former, Victoria on the latter.) I do adore the cello, and it's not prevalent in many acts.
Anyhow, the song I'm posting today is 'Sea Monster': their first single and the opening track on Fortress. This is also my penultimate "favourite song of 2011". (Yes, that's still going on.)

Listen to 'Sea Monster':



{Supplements: I have some exciting links! You can download their single 'Sea Monster' for free on their bandcamp! And you can watch their beautifully foliaceous music video for their song 'So You Learned' here, and then download the track for free on their soundcloud. Then you can head back over to bandcamp and listen to the whole EP. Okay. C'est tout.}