My Musical Absurdities

Mire Kay

2012-02-08T11:49:00.004-05:00

"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.}

The Almond Tree

2012-01-24T21:34:00.004-05:00

I'm doing these favourite songs rather slowly this year. This partially has to do with the fact I keep changing the list of songs. Shameful, innit? But not atypical, I have to say. I thought I was finally done vacillating, but last night I remembered a song that I knew I could not leave out: 'The Almond Tree' by Hannah Peel.

I don't know much about Hannah Peel or her music. 'The Almond Tree' is the only song of hers I'm familiar with, and I don't even remember how I happened across it. I do know that this song is off her debut album Broken Waves which came out last January and was recorded in three (!) weeks. And interestingly, for live performances, Hannah Peel often collaborates with one of my favourite artists, Blue Roses!

I am working on amending the fact I don't know much about her or the rest of her music; even as I type this, I am listening to more of her album. But anyway, allow me to go back to the reason why I started this post in the first place: 'The Almond Tree'. This song is beautiful, and a bit of a surprise. Its melody and lyrics sound like they could be straight from a traditional folk ballad, and the opening arrangement is suitable to that thought... but then the song takes a strange and sublime turn into less straightforward territory.
This is one of those songs I instantly liked, and I am sorry I forgot about it for so long! (And I'm sorry it took me this long to listen to more of her music, as I am very much enjoying it!)

Listen:

(Supplements: Download the second song off Broken Waves, 'You Call This Your Home', on Hannah's bandcamp!)

Fallen Angel

2012-01-12T22:25:00.003-05:00

Alright, let's forget for a moment that my favourite band is The Beatles.

Let's also forget that my most favourite famous couple ever is Paul and Linda McCartney.

Now that all that's out of the way, may I introduce my second favourite song of 2011: 'Fallen Angel' by James McCartney.

That's right: The youngest child and only son of Paul and Linda. But remember, we're forgetting how much I adore those two right now.

He's been a musician for a while, playing guitar on various projects of his father's and on his mother's one album; but it wasn't until 2010 he released his first EP, Available Light. I listened to his music an infinitesimal bit, but it wasn't until his second EP, Close At Hand, came out in 2011 that I sat up and took notice. Something about the more personal nature of the music on Close At Hand struck a chord with me. (Pardon - wasn't trying to make a pun. :P) This was actually his intention, according to this quote from his site: "I wanted to follow Available Light with something that showed a progression...that had an even deeper meaning, both spiritually and musically." He has certainly succeeded! My favourite song off Close At Hand is, without doubt, the beautiful track 'Fallen Angel' which offers an interesting contrast to the upbeat song 'Angel': the opening track on Available Light. Interestingly enough, James's two EPs are only available in digital form, but at the moment he is working on bringing them out in tangible form in a two-disc collection that will include new music!

Listen to 'Fallen Angel':

Matrimony

2012-01-03T20:43:00.005-05:00

Well, it's that time of year again! Meaning, time for my 5 favourite songs of 2011!

Alright, one thing I must explain about this (which I haven't in years past) is that quite a few artists I really like released music this year, but since I don't always buy the albums or whatever right away the "favourite songs of 2011" is really a random assortment of songs I loved and bought that happened to be released this year. Oftentimes they are by artists I love, but it's not that I'm surpassing any other artists I really love - I probably just haven't gotten around to listening to their new music yet.

Oh, gosh. That was horribly explained. I have a cold, okay?!? Let's blame it all on that.

And don't forget! It's also time to pick the artist of the month! I am starting off the new year with Matrimony. The band, that is.

What started in 2009 as the husband and wife duo of Ashlee Hardee Brown and Jimmy Brown, has in 2011 grown to include three more members: C J Hardee, Jordan Hardee, and Alex Watson.

Matrimony released their first EP in 2010, The Storm & the Eye and it has been favourite listening for months now. Though upbeat folk/indie pop/Americana for 6 of the 8 songs, it ends on a pleasingly intense note with the rough vocals of Jimmy's 'One Last Dance' as the penultimate song followed by the passionate emotion of Ashlee's 'Who Is Your God' as a glorious end. 'Who Is Your God' is about 6 1/2 minutes, but if it went twice that length I don't think I'd complain; I'd say it's my favourite song on the EP.

If what I've read is correct, the band is currently making new music which I am quite chuffed about! So far they've released one single: a song called 'Obey Your Guns' which is what I'm choosing for a favourite song of 2011. They were offering a free download of it for a while, but they aren't anymore, sadly.
You can still listen to it, though! It's a really fun song and has made me impatient to hear more of their new music.

{Supplements - head over to their bandcamp to listen to their EP The Storm & The Eye!}

That's all for now. This post isn't what it should be, but neither am I - so there you go. Happy New Year, everyone! :)

An Ant & Dec Christmas

2011-12-22T22:15:00.004-05:00

As is my wont every year, I've been listening to almost no Christmas music. Actually, yesterday I put on a piano Christmas CD... and switched it out for The Greatest Folksingers of the Sixties shortly afterward. Yet, for some reason I do a token Christmas post every year. No idea why. But I do love this season, after all.

Actually, I have been watching/listening to one holiday themed video. Not because it's seasonally appropriate, but because it makes me grin and I adore the lads it features: Ant & Dec.

Ant & Dec (Anthony McPartlin and Declan Donnelly) are two Geordies who have had a prodigious career together as actors, presenters, entertainers, and even *cough*singers*cough* (as they would say). But above all, they are best mates. They don't seem to be very well known here in the U.S. which is a shame. It was only recently I grew to love them through watching old clips of the "children's" show they used to present, SM:TV Live. (Many thanks to a British blogging friend for introducing me!) Before I started watching SMTV I had only seen them once, to my memory, in Susan Boyle's audition for Britain's Got Talent as that is a show they present. Even then, till I re-watched it, I didn't remember them.

The video I'm posting is from the 2009 Christmas episode of Saturday Night Takeaway, one of their many shows. With British singer Robbie Williams, they perform an festive medley that turns into a battle of choirs. All I can say is, it always makes me smile. These two are simply the best!

I wish a very joyous, blessed Christmas to everyone reading! And even to those of you who aren't reading. ;)

Stranger on the Shore

2011-12-13T15:35:00.007-05:00

Well, I promised I'd do something different in light of the fact last post was #100 and well, who could get more different than this singer?

Oh, look... it's me!

Though I thought a picture of me with a musical instrument would be appropriate, this photo is rather a joke since my guitar skills are abysmal. The picture was taken Summer 2010 when I had resolved to learn to play the guitar since I was becoming frustrated with songwriting on the piano. I soon discovered that the guitar really wasn't a better medium and the piano was truly my forte. (Ha! Ha! Little musical pun for you there.)

First, allow me a little backstory: Years ago, while in my grandparent's basement, I ran across an old piano book of my uncle's. In this book was the sheet music for a song called 'Stranger on the Shore'. I had never heard the song before, but as soon as I played it, I knew it would be a favourite.

'Stranger on the Shore' was written by Mr. Acker Bilk and recorded by him as an instrumental piece in 1961. Actually, before Acker Bilk released it as a single, the song was originally named 'Jenny'. Its title was changed after it was used as the theme song for a series called, what? Yup! Stranger on the Shore. (Also, amazingly enough, as a predecessor to the British Invasion, it was the first British song to top the US charts!)
Here's the thing, though: I've always thought the song's lyrics were more suited to be sung from a girl's perspective; but, I swear, I have not heard a version that was not instrumental or sung by a male. On top of that, the song seems to be little more than completely forgotten.

Today I am here to change that; I am posting a recording of myself singing 'Stranger on the Shore'.

This recording of the song was done this past January, and since there are many things wrong with it, I would love to re-record it except I can't for the recorder on my computer is broken. So I can only apologize for what is wrong with it and move on. Firstly, my piano playing on this song is quite atrocious. The sheet music is simple so I embellish the left hand while playing and apparently, doing that while singing crosses over the line into multi-tasking mayhem.
Secondly, my voice... is not exactly great. The song is not in my best key. Also, we have a love-hate relationship, my voice and I; but this is not the time or place to go into that. The recording quality isn't great either. But still, I hope you can hear at least a little how beautiful this song is. I really love it and, despite my shortcomings, love playing and singing it. My version doesn't do the song proper justice, but at least it's not instrumental and at least I'm a girl!

Listen:
(The lyrics are included underneath, as you can see.)

Here I stand
Watching the tide go out
So all alone and blue
Just dreaming dreams of you

I watched your ship
As it sailed out to sea
Taking all my dreams
And taking all of me

The sighing of waves
The wailing of the wind
The tears in my eyes burn
Pleading, "My love return."

Why, oh why
Must I go on like this?
Shall I just be a lonely
Stranger on the shore?

Well, there you have it: my 101st post. I hope it's not too horrible. I debated with myself a while about whether to post this or not. Guess which I chose...!

(Supplemental link, for anyone interested: if you want to hear me sing a song I composed myself click this link: 'Dangling my Legs Off the Moon'.)

Laura Nyro

2011-12-04T19:13:00.016-05:00

For anyone who reads my other blog, the fact that I've picked Laura Nyro for artist of the month should come as no surprise.

As I stated in the post previously linked, her music has been the soundtrack to my November. (Of course, I started loving her music too late in the month to make her the artist for November.) I've been fangirl gushing about her for weeks now, so I'm not even sure what to say or where to start now...

A few weeks ago, I checked out Michele Kort's biography of Laura from the library: Soul Picnic: The Music and Passion of Laura Nyro. It was excellent and I would certainly recommend it to any Laura fans, or even people who like to read well-written biographies. (I know they exist! I'm one of them! :P) I thought I'd include my goodreads "review" of it since it's not really a review and I've been in such a blue funk for the past three weeks that writing this post has been unnecessarily hard.

My review[of sorts]:

Although Laura Nyro has been on my radar for over two years, I only recently downloaded one of her albums.
That album was New York Tendaberry and, let's put it this way: if I had it on vinyl, it would never leave my turntable

My [now] 13 year old brother who hangs around me a lot, detests her; he identifies her as "the woman who wails." And, while it's a bit of an exaggeration, he's right - she's a wailer! But that's what I love about her: how she sings her heart out. I have a great admiration for singers who convey a lot of power and emotion in their singing. As someone who expresses herself through the medium of singing/songwriting, I would love and strive to have that sort of emotional strength in my voice, and even lyrics. I don't, though. Or at least, I feel like I don't. Sure, nice adjectives have been used to describe my voice, but something in me wants to have a rough, emotive voice like, say, Janis Joplin. ~~So I'm going to take up drugs and alcohol and see where that gets me.~~

Anyway, I tell my entirely too-judgmental brother that Laura is an acquired taste, and I suppose she is. For a while, even I was ambivalent about whether I liked her or not. But I kept an open mind and now I'm basically in love with her. So there you go!

All this to say, this biography was mahvelous; an excellent look on Laura's life and her groundbreaking musical influences. This book has further fueled my passion for all things Laura Nyro; I am resisting the urge to go out and buy her entire discography.

My favourite photograph in the book of the lovely Laura:

[Caption: Nyro taking a dance break during New York Tendaberry recording sessions, 1969. (Photo by Stephen Paley, courtesy of Michael Ochs Archives)]

Since writing that review, I have downloaded her 1968 album, Eli and the Thirteenth Confession, and while it's fast becoming a favourite, I don't love it as wholly as New York Tendaberry.
It really is a shame that, while other artists had hits singing Laura's songs, she never had one singing one of her songs. To me, covers of her songs are unnecessary. No one sings her music the way she does; each song seems to come straight from her soul. Anyway, I shall wrap this up by saying that Laura Nyro is amazing. I've not had an emotional reaction to music like the one I've had to hers in a long time. Many don't like her because of her voice or the "unevenness" of her songs, but that's alright. I love her. The end.

Listen to 'Sweet Lovin' Baby', my favourite song from New York Tendaberry:

{Supplemental link: Watch Laura singing my favourite song off of Eli and the Thirteenth Confession ('Poverty Train') live at the Monterey Pop Festival here.}

Ooh, look at that! This is my 100th post! Hmmm... I'm thinking about doing something a little different for my next post. So, be on the look out for that...

Meg & Bryan's Record

2011-11-22T22:33:00.005-05:00

Have you ever wanted to release a record? Well, here's how you can do so vicariously!

Allow me to backtrack: the other month I was browsing youtube as is my wont, and I happened upon a video of a duo performing live on some steps. The two people were Bryan Bangeter and Meaghan Maples who make music together under the name Meg & Bryan. Since their sound caught my ears, I started looking up more of their stuff, and liked them better and better the more I heard. I love duos, especially when they're composed of a guy and a girl. And since Meg & Bryan make fun, intelligent music with lots of harmony, they were an instant win for me.

Soon after my discovery of them, I found out that they are trying to release their first full-length album. Through the awesome site kickstarter.com (which is "the world's largest funding platform for creative projects") their fans can help make their record a reality with "pledges". (Mediums like kickstarter are quietly, but surely, becoming the norm, and I have to say I am immensely in favour of them!)

Anyway, I'm just putting this out there for awareness - pressure not included. :)
If you want you to learn more you can check out their kickstarter here, or perhaps go to their bandcamp and download their live EP for free!

Here's a video of Meg & Bryan performing one of their newer songs, 'Expire'.

And guess what! I have December's artist of the month all picked out and everything! I'm just eagerly waiting to post all about her, though I suspect I maybe alone in this particular enthusiasm; but I care not!

Memoryhouse

2011-11-02T22:25:00.001-04:00

As you can see, I have completely re-done my blog. I've been toying with the idea for a while now, and today, for some reason, decided to make it happen. I think I like it... but I'm not sure. I'll get used to it, eventually; I know I will. (Though I still haven't decided whether or not I'm going to make a new header.)

Anyhow, for once I am facing the beginning of the month without feeling the previous one slipped by before we could even get acquainted. October was a satisfactory month; it's not often I feel that way! I'm not sure what the difference was...

Still, I'm not sure I like how fast winter is descending. It seems appropriate, then, that this month's artist is a group originally formed "to escape the paralysis of winter."
That artist is Memoryhouse.

Memoryhouse is Evan Abeele and Denise Nouvion. Last year, they released their first EP The Years on the indie label Arcade Sound. This year, they're back again with The Years round two: "re-recorded, remixed and remastered", not to mention released on the larger label Sub Pop. Evan Abeele describes their original EP as essentially a "demo tape" which is why they made the decision to re-release it. (You can read more about that in this interview.)

It is the re-released EP I have, and from what I've heard of the original, I do like the more polished tone of the new one. Another difference is the tracklist for the two EPs, the original being:
1. Sleep Patterns
2. Lately (Deuxiéme)
3. The Waves
4. To The Lighthouse

And the re-release:
1. Sleep Patterns
2. Lately
3. Modern, Normal
4. To The Lighthouse
5. Quiet America

I also like the second's cover better:

(It reminds me of Edward Hopper's paintings of light falling on the floor and wall in empty rooms.)

Memoryhouse's name is a tribute to the German composer Max Richter, and their EP is a tribute to Virginia Woolf. Its title, and two of the tracks take their names from Woolf novels. I find that wonderfully commendable, since I love Virginia Woolf's books.

Though adjectives such as "glacial" have been used to describe their music, it is not particularly something I class as "winter music" in my mind. It is music for the lonely hours, for filling the silence without killing it. And in my opinion, it's one of those lovely albums that gets better the more you listen to it. It's also an album that works best as a whole.

Excitingly enough, they have an full-length album in the works. It's definitely near the top of my [imaginary] "Can't Wait For!" list.

Listen to 'Sleep Patterns':

I would also recommend their beautiful music video for their song 'Lately' which you can watch here. (It's the version on the original EP, I believe.)
...OR you can stream the whole EP here!

Salut Les Copains

2011-10-14T23:18:00.009-04:00

Angry songs.
We all have them, don't we?
Actually, I'm not really sure if anyone else does or not, but for this post I'm pretending they do. I know a great deal of people have those songs they listen to when happy/sad/in-the-mood-for-dancing**, but songs you crank up when your mood is riled don't seem to get as much mention.

My angry song is 'Salut Les Copains' by Eux Autres.

Eux Autres was originally brother and sister, Nicholas and Heather Larimer. Now they've added Yoshi Nakamoto on drums, and "Ethan" as bassist. (Presumably, he has a last name, I just can't find mention of it anywhere!)
The thing I love about Eux Autres is that they sing in French just because they can. Their band name is even French! (Translated without idiom, it means "them others".) Also, they describe their music as "the unrequited love song Doug Martsch would have penned for Françoise Hardy, had the time/space continuum conveniently collapsed."
I dig that.

While most of the time Eux Autres is a rollicking indie-pop band with French influence, they sometimes really let 'er rip. Such as in 'Salut Les Copains', which is from their 2003 debut album, Hell is Eux Autres. Mainly being a folkie, a lot of my favourite songs don't even have drums let alone loud guitars and raucous vocals. But I think most everyone has at least a couple of songs that are out of place in their usual and preferred musical fare. Keeps life interesting, non?

So, this, my friends, is the song I turn up and listen to with furrowed brow and stormy eyes when I'm especially irritated with life and/or people. Enjoy!

**No, I will not tell you my happy/dancing mood songs because... I don't have any. Sad songs, on the other hand, I have a plethora of!

(And I realize it's rather incongruous to tag this under "la langue française est belle", but oh well.)

Amy Kuney

2011-10-02T19:15:00.006-04:00

I gave myself the option of trying to squeeze another post into September, or doing the artist of the month post in a timely fashion. I chose the latter, because it sounded more attractive to my procrastinating self.
...And at the last minute, I decided to change the artist I'd chosen, even though I'd already started writing the post. What can I say? I've been listening to a bounty of great music lately. Everyone one will get a turn eventually, but I decided I wanted to give October's honour to Amy Kuney.

Amy Kuney is my favourite singer-songwriter at the moment. I've been a fan of hers for a while, but didn't buy her album, Bird's Eye View, until recently. She's released three new singles this year, but it is her aforementioned 2008 debut album, that is currently making me happy.

Traumatic experiences (culture shock of being a missionary's kid, being kidnapped while on a trip to Guatemala, &c...) helped Amy Kuney hone her songwriting skills. On her site's bio she makes the admirable statement, "I also knew that I was being presented with a choice: I could let these memories, and the experiences that they represent, cuff me, paralyze me, and make me bitter... or I could turn them into something beautiful... something that other people could relate to and, hopefully, find comfort in. This is my gift."
Though I believe in that particular quote she was referring to her album, ONYX, which is still in the works, I think it applies to all her music, which is indeed beautiful and a gift I'm delighted to receive.
But also, her music is a lot of fun. She has the fun beats without the typical inane words. Her sense of humour shows through in her smart lyrics and also in the parodies of popular songs she's done videos for. (Though, admittedly, I know none of the originals. :P)

Random note to further prove her amazingness: I just found out today that she made appearances in two episodes of one of my favourite shows, Gilmore Girls; both times she appeared as a singer, guitar in hand. I had to google the scenes to jog my memory, but now that I remember I am totally chuffed!

Anyhow, my favourite song off Bird's Eye View is thought-provoking 'Angel Tangled in the Telephone Lines'. I would say a few words about it, but really, it speaks for itself. (And my brain is starting to feel frazzled as I am currently writing in a noise-littered enviroment. *trying not to explode* o_O)

Listen:

Janis Ian

2011-09-07T21:46:00.006-04:00

Well, I'm right on time for the artist of the month post! I seem to consistently do them about a week into the month now. :P Honestly, I'd like to change that. But I when you don't pick an artist til 6 days in, that creates a problem...

And, since you can [presumably] read, you've probably figured out that this month's artist is Janis Ian!

(This is Janis in 2008, I believe. When choosing an artist that's been active so long, it's hard to decide what decade to choose their photograph from. :P)

I cannot say enough what an extremely talented musician Janis Ian is. I've loved her for a couple years now (I posted another song of hers a while ago) but my Janis Ian listening experience was basically scattered songs here and there. Lately, however, I've been enjoying her album Between the Lines which was released in 1975 and became very popular, further kindling her re-emerged musical career which had started in the 60's and quieted somewhat since then.

No one's music pulls at my emotions like Janis Ian's does. Especially on this album. Her melodies, oh! Simply gorgeous, and almost always accompanied by beautiful string arrangements. And her voice! There are times it captures loneliness so well, not to mention her lyrics.
Best of all, she sings in a good key for me. (Always a huge bonus!)

Hands down, my all time favourite Janis Ian song is 'In the Winter.' It has been on my itunes' "Top 25 Most Played" for a looong time. It's also holds a pretty high status on my "Songs to Sing While Cleaning" list!
I'm not even going to try to describe why I love this song, just give it a listen.

And for your extended listening pleasure, if you so desire, I've included the song 'Jesse' which was not on Between the Lines but it's another Janis Ian original that just makes my heart weep. (Trivia: this song was also recorded by artists such as Joan Baez and Roberta Flack! Janis does it best, though.)

Rachel Delevoryas

2011-08-25T20:46:00.005-04:00

I was going to post this last month nearer to my father's birthday, but some difficulty with the music file caused it to be pushed to the back burner. I guess there's no harm in posting it now, though perhaps my segue won't work as well...

*ahem* So, my father's birthday happened.... recently.... *coughcough* and that started me thinking about his impact on my musical tastes. My father likes music that is different, music that will offer him something more than your general, cookie-cutter fare. To put it bluntly, he's a music snob {or at least 95% of the time he is}. This is just one of the many traits I inherited from him, though personally I believe mine to be much milder.
I really started thinking about it, though, and realized, if not for me possessing his genes, this blog might not be in existence. {!!!}

Some of my strongest childhood memories involve listening to music whilst riding in my dad's car. Mainly I remember Randy Stonehill and Michael W. Smith's Project (and in more recent years, Steve Taylor).

Today I'm posting the Randy Stonehill song 'Rachel Delevoryas'. I'm not sure what album it was that I knew this off of, it might have been a compilation. I do remember other memorable songs off that album, such as the humorous {yet true} 'American Fast Food' and 'Great Big Stupid World' {which my siblings and I enjoyed singing, firstly because it was fun and secondly because it contained the taboo word "stupid". Ha! Ha! Those were the good ol' days...} But my favourite was {and is} the beautiful 'Rachel Delevoryas' which tells the tale of an "ugly", misfit girl who plays the violin. The plaintive string arrangement and story stirred my heart as a little girl. Also, the fact that Rachel Delevoryas was, and is a real person and the lyrics tell a true story was doubly fascinating to me. Though I initially learned this from my father, here is a quote regarding the fact by Randy Stonehill himself. {Quote found here.}

"This is a true story from my childhood. The first time I sang the song Rachel Delevoryas in public I was completely unaware that Rachel's sister was in the audience. Later that year Rachel surprised me by coming back stage after one of my concerts. I had the opportunity to share my faith with her. After she left I thought to myself: "Boy, talk about God setting someone up... what a personal savior we serve!" Reality is stranger and far more wonderful than fiction."

Listen:

{As I mentioned, I had some struggle with the music file, but YouTube came to the rescue!}

Noe Venable

2011-08-06T23:34:00.007-04:00

Awww, poor little blog. Even though I gave you a prominent place on my to-do list it's still taken me almost a week to get the Artist of the Month post written. Don't feel too bad, though - I've been too busy to do much of anything. {Ha! Haha! The absurdity of that sentence didn't strike me til I read it a second time.}

But, I am here now, no? And with a monthly feature that goes to... Noe Venable!

I've posted a song of her's before {'Midsummer Night's Dream'} but that was before I received her 2007 album Summer Storm Journals for Christmas. After I got it, I listened to it but not as much as I thought I would. I had also been given Rio En Medio's Bride of Dynamite and for some reason, that was the album I kept returning to. I couldn't figure out why, until the weather started getting warmer and all the sudden I kept finding myself wanting to listen to Noe Venable. I then realized, Rio En Medio's music feels more appropriate for winter, while Noe's music (at least on Summer Storm Journals) feels more suited to warmer weather. {And no, I don't think the album name influenced my decision.}

Noe Venable's music is magical, I don't know why. She seems like... like a dryad! I could easily imagine her spending all the time she's not recording, sitting in the woods communing with the tree spirits or dangling her feet in a river, dreaming and singing. I really dig that idea, especially since I am a dryad at heart.
Apparently, I would rather wax eloquent on my image of her than offer substantial facts, so if you'd like some fact to swallow along with the fairy tale, you could try her website or wikipedia!

I had trouble deciding what song from the album to post, which usually signals I made the right choice for artist of the month! I finally chose the song 'Ice Dragons' but the album is chock full of beautiful, fresh melodies. I would definitely push this album on anyone who expressed a wish for a nice, soothing thematic summer album! {A scenario which has never happened. Wonder why...}

Listen to 'Ice Dragons':

Also, I'm considering redoing my layout. Yes, yes. I know. Strange that I, who am so anti-change am wanting to change something. Well, I've found... I can accept change if I'm ready for it and if it's essentially my own decision. In this case, that works out swell! In real life... not so much.

So, if I do change it, it will be very simple. Probably very monochromatic since I find myself very drawn to plain things. :P
But, I have not completely made up my mind yet. Stay tuned...

Autumn Tree

2011-07-29T23:24:00.001-04:00

Oh. my. word. Today I had one of those wonderful moments where I accidentally stumbled across a song that just reached out and touched me in a deep, hidden place that few songs reach.

This is the video for the song that has so affected me: Milo Greene performing their song 'Autumn Tree' live at Ashley House:

At first when it started I thought, "Oh, this sounds a little too country..." But as the song grew and filled me I thought, "No, this song isn't 'too' anything. It's perfect."
I think ultimately it must have been the harmonies that captured me so fully. I'm a sucker for people standing around around in the room making impassioned, harmonic music {like this}. The lyrics, though, are also lovely and evocative.

I don't know much about Milo Greene yet except that they're a quintet whose music I will definitely be listening to in the future. {Sorry, the internet is not forthcoming with info about the band and it's too late at night for me to care enough to do extensive research. ;)
Their official site is here if anyone is interested.}

Somehow, songs like this always come around when I'm feeling really uninspired. There must be an Angel of Music watching out for me. ;)

Agent Ribbons

2011-07-05T22:09:00.006-04:00

Ah, finally - an artist of the month whose choosing required no vacillations or hemming and hawing: Agent Ribbons!

I've been listening to them for several months now, but only just recently bought their 2006 album, On Time Travel and Romance. They enchanted me the first time I ever heard them and I've been listening to the album almost nonstop, it's rather addictive!

Agent Ribbons is, for the most part, a duo consisting of Natalie Gordon on lead vocals & guitar and Lauren Hess on drums, but they are sometimes joined by Naomi Cherie who plays the violin.
Everything about this band is superb: their peerless "cabaret garage pop" sound; Natalie Gordon's delectable vocals which sound equally good smooth as they do rough; their lyrics which are each quirky little stories, always clever and often containing a wink of naughtiness. I've been wandering around singing snatches of songs from this album these past few weeks, it's definitely an album that worms its way into your bloodstream. {That's a good thing, by the way.}

My favourite song off On Time Travel and Romance is 'Obituary' which is sung from the perspective of a young bride who dies and searches the obituaries for a man to love in the afterlife. {Which strongly reminds me of the book A Fine and Private Place by Peter S. Beagle.}

Listen:

{Sorry if the file host isn't working properly again. I can't figure out whether it's just my computer or what...?}

Did You Give the World Some Love Today, Baby?

2011-06-26T22:53:00.003-04:00

As I mentioned on my last post, I've been on a bit of a 60's kick. Most of my favourite albums from the 60's/early 70's are the obscure ones. So, today I am posting about the album Did You Give The World Some Love Today Baby by Doris because you can't have a list of largely unknown albums without it!

This is undeniably one of the oddest albums in my collection. It was initially released in Sweden in 1970 by Swedish singer Doris {Svensson}, but did not get much attention until its re-issue in the 90's. This album is a diverse collection of covers and also songs that I think may have been written for her by a songwriting team of Francis Cowan and Berndt Egerbladh.
Wikipedia lists its genres as "pop, soul, funk, and psychedelia". That basically sums it up except I would add "jazz" to the list. The album does indeed have an interesting paraphernalia of songs, from the strange siren-wails and psychedelia of 'You Never Come Closer', to soft ballads such as 'Grey Rain of Sweden, to the almost western fiddles of 'Waiting at the Station', to the big band arrangements of half the songs... it epitomizes eclectic. Even Doris's voice is uncommon. At times she sounds like a child but her voice has a rougher side that banishes any such thoughts. And to top it all off, the cover is one of the most befuddling I've ever seen.

Like I said, it's an odd album. Still, it is strangely addicting and is both an amusing and gratifying listen. My favourite song is definitely the title track, 'Did You Give the World Some Love Today, Baby'. There is nothing terribly strange about this song, it's one of the more conventional ones on the album.
On itunes this song is included on a "Go Green" compilation which is interesting since it's not about "loving the earth" bu rather about loving the people of the world. It was recorded in 1970 after all. Those compilators must have not listened to the lyrics. :P

Listen:

Wendy & Bonnie

2011-06-08T21:40:00.006-04:00

It's always nice to be driven by inspiration but let's face it, inspiration isn't always around when we need it. That's when the desperation kicks in.

In other words, I've been trying to write my artist of the month post for days. Since I don't have a new artist to wax eloquent about at the moment, I decided to pick an old favourite. Well, the artist I picked {who will remain anonymous :P} just wasn't doing anything for me, though I love them. Then yesterday, out of the blue, I started writing a post about the album Genesis by Wendy & Bonnie. For some reason that is what my muse wanted me to write about. So, thanks to my perverse muse, I bring you June's artist of the month: Wendy & Bonnie!

This is an old favourite, like from when I first started listening to obscure music. It's one of those delicious albums that was "lost" soon after its release but later resurfaced and, thanks to the internet and a re-issue, has gained more popularity. Wendy and Bonnie Flower, two sisters from California, recorded this album in 1969 when Wendy was 17 and Bonnie was 13. But fate was seemingly against these two as their label went bankrupt shortly after the release of Genesis and the man who wanted to see them about further recording was murdered {!?!}. They never recorded together again but pursued separate careers in music.
Incredibly, Wendy and Bonnie composed all the songs on Genesis themselves. They might have played an instrument or two as well, but mainly they were backed by an awesome group of musicians.

Their album represents the best of the 60's, the innocent desire for personal and universal love, unclouded by drugs. But their songs still have a pleasing sense of light psychedelia and are brimming with the sister's harmonies. The first half of the album {sans any bonus tracks} is the best, both lyrically and in musical composition, but begins to falter a bit after that. Overall, though, it's a darn fine album and a merit to the creative era it came from.

It's so hard to pick a favourite off this album; I've been vacillating for a while now. I think I'm going to go with the lovely and sad 'By the Sea' but 'I Realized You' and 'You Keep Hanging Up On My Mind' are two other absolute favourites.

Listen:

{My divshare players have been acting up. If you press play you can hear the music but can't see the time nor pause it. Sorry about that. If this persists I may have to find another file host.}

This post has opened a floodgate I've been obsessively listening to lesser-known 60's music since yesterday evening. *happy sigh* I've missed it so.

Lonely Road

2011-05-26T22:43:00.003-04:00

I know Paul McCartney has already gotten more than his fair share of space on this blog, but I love him--er, his music so much, I just can't help myself. ;)
Anyhow, it has recently been announced that he is going to be married again. I am quite happy for him and hope they will both be very happy... especially after his last marriage to she-whose-name-we-don't-mention.

So, it seems appropriate to post a Macca song! I'm going with 'Lonely Road' because it's one of my many favourites. Out of curiosity the other day, I asked my brothers what their favourite McCartney songs are and this one made the top of both their lists as well.
'Lonely Road' is off his 2001 album Driving Rain. Though it was released after he met you-know-who, quite a few of the album's songs are for his lovely Linda {pictured right} who had died three years earlier. {Read my post on his song 'Calico Ski es' for more about them.} I admit, I am just as big a fan of Linda McCartney as I am of Paul and am a sucker for any of his songs for her. I personally think 'Lonely Road' is about his grief after Linda's death. This song has, as my mother would say, "angst". She has a penchant for "angst" in music. I'm not always sure what she means by that, but I think this song could be said to have angst, haha.

Listen:

{And this makes my third post for May, just like I promised! See, I really can keep my vows! :P}

Love is a Tricky Thing

2011-05-13T23:25:00.002-04:00

Ah, me. It's always when I swear I will be posting that my brain gets paralyzed and nothing inspires me to write.

This is just a pathetic, diminutive post to share a music video I'm addicted to right now. This post might have been better if blogger had not shut down yesterday because now I find I am too tired to finish this post properly after this evening's miniature meltdown. {Heh... heh... *sigh*}

Anyhow, I've been watching Julie Feeney's music videos lately. {Artist bio in a nutshell: Julie Feeney is an Irish singer/songwriter/producer/conductor etc.! Let's just say, she can do it all!}
At first, I just watched her videos for the videos themselves, but then I started going back for the actual music. Today I am posting my favourite of her videos, 'Love is a Tricky Thing'. (But I would recommend the other two: the quirky, catchy 'Impossibly Beautiful' and the beautiful 'Aching' which really will have you aching by the end, in a good way.) 'Love is a Tricky Thing' is my favourite because I like the song and lyrics best and the video is just too darn cute! Definitely one you want to jump into and walk around in.

Alright, that's all for now. Oh, on an unrelated note, I turned 18 last Saturday! Now I can get duly punished for all my crimes. Oh dear. :P

Sleeping At Last

2011-05-03T22:50:00.003-04:00

I solemnly swear I will post at least three times in May! April went by freakishly fast. For most of the time, I was legitimately busy... {Imagine that!} Thankfully, this month's artist of the month was a no-brainer for me: Sleeping At Last.

I only discovered their music recently, as in a few weeks ago. I found them by happenstance during one of my rare youtube browsings and by happy coincidence they were offering their 2009 album Storyboards for free on NoiseTrade! {I would just like to say, I was perfectly willing to pay for it on emusic but my account was on hold last month and I got impatient, wanting to listen to them when offline.}

Sleeping at Last is composed of Ryan O'Neal {lead vocals, guitar & piano} and Dan Perdue {bass & keys}. Their music touched me like no band's has in a while. Their lyrics are definitely a highlight; they are poetical often with an underlying spirituality. And on the album Storyboards, at least, many of the songs have beautiful orchestral arrangements. Since stringed instruments speak to my soul, this makes me quite happy.
On another note, this year Sleeping At Last is doing a project entitled "Yearbook" and are releasing a three-song EP for every month of the year which is a pretty spiffy idea, I think!

I haven't yet become as intimately acquainted with the album Storyboards as I would've liked, since I know some favourites don't always become evident til after numerous listens. But this song, 'Slow & Steady' has been a stand-out track for me so far.

Listen:

{Again, I repeat my promise: I will post at least three times in May; I will no longer be such a slacker! ...Not on this blog, at any rate. :P}

Tennis

2011-04-07T19:25:00.001-04:00

I have been inexcusably neglectful as of late! Life has not been busy, necessarily... but it's been rather strange. I've been feeling rather strange, at least. I have felt very apathetic about many things, mainly my schoolwork... and writing coherent blog posts. April rolled around too fast and I was caught unprepared with no artist of the month and instead of buckling down to pick one, it became the elephant in the room {AKA my brain}.
The choice was obvious, really. But as I said I've been feeling apathetic blahblahblah. But, better late than never, right? So, finally, I bring the you April's artist of the month, Tennis!

Tennis is married couple, Alaina Moore and Patrick Riley. This year they released their debut album, Cape Dory, which has a pretty awesome backstory. After saving money for four years, they bought a sailboat and basically ran away from home for eight months. They sailed around the Atlantic coastline, adventuring and also writing the songs which were later to make up their album. Consequently, they have created the most sun-drenched, ocean-soaked record I've ever had the pleasure of listening to. Their music is perfect for summer or listening to when one has spring fever {which I've been diagnosed with :P}. What's also cool is they recorded it the "old school way" so it sounds like it stepped out of a 1950's or 60's jukebox. Read this interview with Alaina Moore on emusic to learn more about the recording of the album and also why their cover art looks the way it does. ;)

The title track, 'Cape Dory', is probably my favourite song off the album. I've found I'm a sucker for a good "sha-la-la"!

Listen:

Lisa

2011-03-15T20:03:00.001-04:00

Get your ears ready folks! Today I am sharing my favourite song of the past couple months, 'Lisa' by The Prayers and Tears of Arthur Digby Sellers.

Quite a band name, non? (From hereinafter, I shall refer to them as "The Prayers and Tears" for brevity's sake.)
According to their myspace, The Prayers and Tears are "an incomprehensible mess of a band, comprised of the various members, benefactors, patron saints, and onlookers of the bu_hanan collective". But as best I can figure out, the root of The Prayers and Tears is Perry Wright.
You can go check out their website if you would like. You can even get some free dowloads there, including the EP that contains the song I am posting today!

'Lisa' is a song they recorded for Esopus Magazine back in 2005. I just happened to come across this song on another blog and I am so glad I did because, well, I love it. I love everything about it... the somber, subdued vocals; the slightly out-of-tune piano; the plaintive violin; the lyrics that make your heart ache... All these things add up to make a pretty special song.

I actually think I downloaded the song before I listened to it. The first time I heard it I was a bit distracted and there were other noises so I couldn't really hear it. But later, in the midnight stillness, I listened to it while lying in bed and was amazed.

The lyrics are definitely one of the highlights for me. I would recommend listening very carefully to them or reading along. {One of the commenters on that lyrics site I just linked, says that he remembers [whoever wrote the song - Perry, presumably] saying the song was about "an adult sending a letter back to his eight year-old self." Whether or not that is true, that is my favourite interpretation of this song.

Listen:

Foreign Slippers

2011-03-01T20:19:00.003-05:00

So... um, sorry for only posting twice in February. I was going to post again but I had forgotten how short February is and I ran out of days. I figured I would just forget about posting again and instead actually post my "Artist of the Month" on time for once! Quelle idée! ;)

Apparently I've been listening to a lot of great EPs lately. If you'll notice, the last three artists of the month have all had EPs that I've loved. Hmm...
Though I did not do this on purpose, you'll be happy to know I'm am keeping that trend alive with Foreign Slippers as the artist of this month!

{No, I have no idea what she has on her head. I think it looks pretty awesome, regardless.
Also, picture was found here. Since I actually found it on someone's photostream and not just randomly on google, I though I'd give credit.}

Foreign Slippers is Gabrielle Fröden (with Phil Wilkinson on drums). She was born in Sweden but is based in London. So far she has released two EPs: Oh Death and It All Starts Now. I was not aware of the latter's existence till yesterday. You can download it for free here. Actually, I am listening to it for the first time as I type this. Incredible, right? So far it sounds great!

I suppose it goes without saying that it is her Oh Death EP I am familiar with. I first came across her music a few months ago. Her song 'Packed the Car' was the first I heard and let's just say, I was instantly hooked. Soon afterward I downloaded the full EP. Her music is full of nostalgia, quiet longing and absolute beauty. Oh Death is perfect for listening to while sitting by the fireside and dreaming of past, warmer days.

Listen to 'Packed the Car':

Something or other.

2011-02-14T16:13:00.003-05:00

The lovely alabee at Carpenter St. has given me a blog award!

Alright, so I have post seven facts about myself and then pass it on to like 100 million other people which I am not going to do because I'm regrettably lame like that.

But I thought I'd make the seven facts about myself related to music because... I'm awesome like that. ;)

1. I took piano lessons for about 8 years. {I started when I was 7 ½.} When I was around 9 I wanted to stop playing but my mum wouldn't let me. Hands down the best decision she’s ever made for me. ;)
But she encouraged me to stop in my mid-teens when I was no longer enjoying the lessons. And I play the piano more now that I've stopped taking lessons.

2. I love harmony; listening to it, singing it. I just love it. I've been singing in a girl’s ensemble for four years. I used to sing the Soprano part but I switched to Second Soprano and am now much happier and comfortable.

3. I announced in my pre-teen years that I would only listen to Classical music and nothing else. My favourites were Vivaldi, Tchaikovky, and Beethoven. It didn't last long, though. When I was eleven I started listening to artists like Switchfoot and Thousand Foot Krutch. {My favourite TFK song was 'Rawkfist'...? Yeah. I have no idea.}

4. If I had not become obsessed with the Beatles I would not be here blogging today. Why? Because of the Beatles I started listening to other 60’s music and from there I went on to listen to obscure 60’s music and from there - indie music. Voila!

5. I cannot stand really loud music. I have sensitive hearing so I keep my music low thankyouverymuch. {Hopefully this means when I'm old I won't be deaf like the rest of my generation will be... :P}

6. I hate the popular, inane, overproduced sound that passes for music these days. If I have to listen to the radio, I choose the 60's/70's station. Yes, I am a music snob. I am more open than I used to be but there are still a few music genres I can't stand. {e.g. Rap, Southern Gospel, Country... &c.}

7. For a couple of years my two younger brothers and I had a band where I {or younger brother #2} played the piano and we all sang along in high-pitched voices. We recorded three albums in our too short career. Regrettably we broke up… but not before we started a rumour/conspiracy theory that one of our bandmates had died. We hid many clues to this alleged death in our last album. {Hm, I wonder what that’s a parody of?}

Well, that's all for now. Oh, yeah. Happy Valentine's Day and all that. I would embed the music video for my favourite love song right here but blogspot isn't letting me right now {and I am too lazy to upload the file.} But you can go over and watch it on youtube if you want. It's 'Something' by The Beatles. {Quelle surprise. :P}

Peter and the Wolf

2011-02-03T20:37:00.002-05:00

Ah, yes. Tis that time of month again, wot? And the artist of the month for this fine February is Peter and the Wolf.

{Gear picture, no?}

It is a little bit confusing trying to find information on Peter and the Wolf. There is a band called Peter and the Wolf from Texas and another from Liverpool. Not to mention the original, musical composition, Peter and the Wolf. {Which brings back such memories since I used to watch the Disney version when I was a child. I could probably still hum each character's theme!}

Anyhow, the Peter and the Wolf that I am talking about is the one from Liverpool. They are fronted by Marc Sunderland who sings lead, plays quite a few of the instruments and writes many {or possibly all} of the songs. But he gets "a little help from his friends", Hugo Harrison {who plays the double bass} and Donna Dosanjh {who plays the drum and sings back-up}.

I really don't know how to define their music. Folk Rock would probably be the closest I could come. Of course, their debut album, Golden Stars, {released last month} sounds more rock than folk while their 2006 EP Storyteller sounds more folk than rock.
I have only listened a little to their new album but Storyteller I am quite familiar with. In fact, I love it!
Storyteller is an apt name for the EP for each song is, indeed, a story. The lyrics give life to characters and short vignettes that are backed by catchy melodies and an uncluttered production sound. My only complaint is that it is so brief, having only 5 songs and being only about 16 minutes long.

Listen to 'Tommy' {from Storyteller}:

Song For James

2011-01-29T16:40:00.004-05:00

And lastly for my favourite songs of 2010, 'Song for James' by The Ghost of a Saber Tooth Tiger. {Oh, did I mention that these songs weren't posted in any specific order? Because they weren't.}

This was another artist I discovered from the daily download on emusic. One day, The Ghost of a Saber Tooth Tiger's (also known as The GOASTT) song 'Jardin Du Luxemborg' was the free emusic download. I downloaded it but didn't have a chance to listen to it till lying in bed that night, listening to it on my ipod. I decided I rather liked it and resolved to look the band up tomorrow.

The next day, look them up I did! I ended up on their official website. I skimmed their biography and started to move on when, all of the sudden, I did a double take. I re-read the first line of their bio: "The GOASTT is two people, Sean Lennon and Charlotte Kemp Muhl."
Sean Lennon... The Sean Lennon? As in...?
And the answer is yes. Sean Lennon as in the son of John Lennon and Yoko Ono. {Small world, non? :P}
Turns out The GOASTT is Sean's latest musical project that he started with his girlfriend Charlotte Kemp Muhl who also is a model.

Their debut album Acoustic Sessions is aptly named, being mainly a folk album though it has tinges of psychedelia and other 60's pop elements. Their lyrics are brimming with wordplay {which I've heard is mainly Charlotte's doing} and the melodies beg to be hummed along to.

Listen to 'Song For James':

{Heads-up: the actual song ends around the 4 minute mark and then the rest of the song is silence with some faint nature noises in the background.}

Well, that's all for now, folks. Hope you all enjoyed my favourite songs of 2010. :)

Brave Enough

2011-01-22T18:51:00.000-05:00

I don't have an official favourite album of 2010. If I did have one, though, it would probably be Secret Transit by KaiserCartel.

Perhaps I just take a personal interest in it, since I helped make it possible. {It sounds very important when I say it that way, doesn't it? :P In all reality I merely pledged as many fans did. Which turned out to be an excellent decision since their Philanthropy EP, which was exclusive to pledgers, contains some of the best songs they have ever done, in my opinion. I have figured out how to play my favourite song off it, 'Lying Cats' on the piano. An accomplishment of which I am quite proud! *ahem* Pardon. I digress.}

Of course, I just love KaiserCartel. Period. They were my artist of the month in January of last year. Even my family knows they are one of my favourites and they gave up trying to keep track of my favourite artists a long time ago. {Which brings up something that has confused me for quite some time: is it KaiserCartel with no space? Or Kaiser Cartel with a space? Because, to semi-quote Shawn Spencer, "I've seen it both ways." :P}

So, since I've posted about them before, surely I need to give them no further introduction? Honestly, it can be horribly trying to sit here and try to come up with something to say that isn't pretentious or an echo of what has already been said. I'm much better in the rambling department, in case you hadn't noticed. ;)

As usual, I vacillated when trying to pick which song off Secret Transit to post. There are so many good songs to choose from! I would pick one and then second guess my choice. Finalement I chose 'Brave Enough' as the song to post. I'm a sucker for the cello... and Courtney Kaiser's vocals are just lovely in it {not that they ever aren't}.

Listen to 'Brave Enough':

And yes, I had to change my background. *sigh* This one I have right now was just supposed to be temporary but I've finally gotten to the point where I no longer cringe when I see it... so I think I might keep it.

Dead Hearts

2011-01-14T14:20:00.002-05:00

There do not seem to be enough hours in the day to do all the things I want to. But I never fully realize it till I am lying in bed at night, and all the things I meant to accomplish that day {but didn't} stand around my bed and stare at me reproachfully.
Here is a task whose glare has been particularly hard to ignore: posting my third favourite song of 2010, 'Dead Hearts' by Stars.

Bascially, I know nothing about this song and the band who does it. The site I buy my music off of {emusic} has a free song download every day which I usually get. This was one of the songs offered one day and, well, I downloaded it. It was definitely worth every penny I payed! :P
Just teasing - obviously I love it since it made my favourite songs of 2010 list!

Correction, I should have said initially I knew nothing about this song or the band Stars. I do know more about them than I used to. Stars is a Canadian indie pop band that was originally formed by Torquil Campbell and Chris Seligman but now includes three more members: Amy Millan, Evan Cranley, and Pat McGee. 'Dead Hearts' is off their album they released in June The Five Ghosts. {See? Aren't I just brimming with information?}

Confession: while I do love this song, I never really have listened to any more of their music. Sometimes I am just content not to buy an artist's full albums or discography and just enjoy the few songs I hear. Maybe that's absurd but, well, *points to blog name*. :P

Listen to 'Dead Hearts':

In other news, I may have to change my blog background soon. You've probably seen the message on the side but if not: the site I got my background on has changed servers so I have to "update my code". I would except the background I'm using is seemingly discontinued. -_-
I have sent an email so we'll see what happens. I don't even know why I'm blathering about this... I guess I just thought I'd give you a heads up in case there is someone out there reading this who is anything like me and hates change.
As Adrian Monk would say: "I don't mind change I just don't want to be there when it happens." or "Don't change anything... ever."
That just about sums it up for me!

Between You and Me

2011-01-05T16:27:00.002-05:00

For my second favourite song of 2010, I present 'Between You and Me' by Auryn!

Auryn is a singer I don't know much about. I can find very little information about her and what I have found is in French! I do know that she was born in Belgium and she plays the cello and the piano. Also I know that her debut album, Winter Hopes is exquisite.
I randomly stumbled across Winter Hopes on emusic and, in listening to the samples, decided to give it a try. I downloaded the first track 'Between You and Me' which I soon grew to love. And eventually, a few months later, I came back and downloaded the whole album.
It is an interesting, enchanting album that leads you from upbeat pop songs to melancholy classical songs. It is full of sighs, it is full of joy.
And oddly, only two of the songs are in French.

'Between You and Me' remains my favourite off the album but the slightly funky 'Prince aux cheveux d'or' comes in close second.

Listen to 'Between You and Me':

I realized after my last post that I didn't even say, "I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas/New Year." Please forgive my rudeness. I will say it now!
I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and New Year! I did. ;)

Jaymay

2011-01-02T19:35:00.000-05:00

If you were reading my blog last year, you may remember I did "My favourite songs of 2009" which was just me posting 5 songs I had loved from the past year. I am going to do that again this year since I enjoyed doing it last year. Also, it is the beginning of a new month {not to mention year} so you all know what that means?!?
If you answered artist of the month then you are correct!
Aaaand... *drumroll* January's artist of the month is Jaymay.

Jaymay's real name is Jamie Seerman. She makes awesome folk music. Ever since discovering her first album Autumn Fallin' which was released in 2007, I have been anticipating new releases from her. Last August she released a three track EP whose duration was around 3 minutes long. That did nothing but sharpen my longing for more Jaymay! But thankfully a month later she released a 5 track EP Long Walk to Never with songs whose lengths exceeded a 1 minute average. :P
One of the highlight's of Jaymay's music are her lyrics. They are honest songs of love and longing and very often personally conversational as if she were singing it to one person, the person she wrote it for.

My favourite song off Long Walk to Never is 'One May Die So Lonely'.

Listen:

Well, that's all for now. See you later this week with more of my favourite songs from 2010! *plays ending theme music*

Riu Chiu

2010-12-16T19:00:00.002-05:00

In case you haven't noticed, I don't listen to much Christmas music. Not voluntarily, at least. Between the girl's ensemble I sing in, the radios that play in stores and my piano playing of various carols {and Charlie Brown Christmas songs!}, I don't feel much need to listen to Christmas music on my own time. One of the few exceptions is 'Riu Chiu' by The Monkees.

Surely The Monkees need no introduction. Or perhaps they do since I seem to be living in the wrong generation. Just look them up or ask your parents if you don't know who they are... OR if you're one of those people who think they were just Beatle rip-offs who couldn't even sing.

'Riu Chiu' is an old Spanish carol that dates from around the 16th century or earlier. {A translation for the lyrics can be found here.} The Monkees performed this song at the end of Episode 15 in Season 2, "The Christmas Show". They sing it a capella and in harmony with Micky taking most of the solos.
I heard a different version of this song in a friend's car the other day. It was by one of those artists-of-whom-we-do-not-speak and its overproduced sound made me long for this beautiful, and entirely too short version. Definitely one of my absolute favourite Christmas songs.

Listen:

Well, this is my last song for my week of posting {week = 7 days, not Friday to Friday}. This will probably be my last post for December, too. So, Merry Christmas everyone!!

{P.S. - It snowed. No Library for me. :(
But don't worry, I'll get over it. ;)}

Don't Know Why (You Stay)

2010-12-15T20:03:00.000-05:00

I vacillated for a while what my second to last song this week would be. I knew for certain what my last song was going to be and I was pretty sure I knew what today's song was going to be... But then, all these other worthy advocates I've been listening to kept coming to mind. I'm not the best at making last minute decisions, because then I usually end up making the wrong choice. But finally I picked a song, and I certainly hope you won't think it was the wrong choice: 'Don't Know Why (You Stay)' by The Essex Green.

The Essex Green is Jeff Baron, Sasha Bell and Chris Ziter. They have been a band since 1997 but are on an indefinite hiatus at the moment. They haven't released an album since 2006's Cannibal Sea which I have been listening to a lot, as of late. They write catchy, 60's inspired indie pop/rock. 'Don't Know Why (You Stay)' is especially catchy; I can never resist harmonizing along with it. This song has been included on all of the playlists I've made to bake Christmas cookies to. {Christmas music? What's that?} So, I decided this really was the best song to post today. :)

Listen:

On another note, they are calling for more snow here. Confession, though: I don't want it to snow because tomorrow is a Library day. Don't look at me like that! It really is a highlight in my minuscule existence. :P

Poison & Wine

2010-12-14T17:05:00.002-05:00

My computer and I are lodged in a battle. I am afraid my computer is going to win in the most vengeful way possible... he is going to die. Quite a spiteful fellow he is.
Since I have been struggling with my computer for a couple hours or so, I'm keeping it simple today. {Though at the moment we seem to have reached some sort of truce. *crosses fingers*}

I am posting one of my most favoritest songs ever: 'Poison & Wine' by the Civil Wars!
I've posted about The Civil Wars before, back in July when I first discovered them. But at that point, I had never heard this amazing song. Since then it has become a favourite and is a constant inclusion on playlists I make for everyday listening... And I have fallen asleep to it countless times. {It's a good thing, heh.}

Regardez!

{YouTube Link. Stupid cut-off edge...)

That's all for today. I hope by tomorrow my computer will have learned better manners or at least a less drastic way of doing warfare. :P

Deep Blue You

2010-12-13T05:36:00.002-05:00

This morning I awoke to cinnamon rolls and a snow covered yard. Quel bonheur! Sadly, the snow is melting. But surely it will come back before these cold months are done!
These cold days seem to fit perfectly with the music of 8mm which I have been listening to lately.

I've known about 8mm for ages it seems and I remember a week where I listened to them a lot. But somehow I lost touch with their music. Until recently, that is, when I was looking to use the last of my month's downloads on emusic. There were some 8mm songs on one of my "music-to-buy-eventually" lists so I decided I'd download their song 'Deep Blue You'. Which turned out to be an excellent decision, though I do say so myself. ;)

8mm is composed of husband and wife Sean & Juliette Beaven and Jon Nicolson.
They are a pop/rock band with a similar dreaminess like bands such as Trespassers William except with more electronic elements. I suppose the proper term for that would be "trip hop" or "trip rock" but really, who the heck know what those genres are off the top of their head?
'Deep Blue You' was released as a single in 2009 and was also included on the EP they released this year, Love and the Apocalypse.

Listen:

{Again, the skipping time duration should not affect the song. :)}

Let Me Go

2010-12-12T21:53:00.003-05:00

Here's a noteworthy song I came across the other day while flitting around the internet. 'Let Me Go' by The Chapin Sisters.

The Chapin Sisters consist of real-life sisters Abigail and Lily Chapin. Their half-sister Jessica Craven is also a member but as of 2010 has taken a leave of absence. Apparently their father/stepfather is Tom Chapin. {A fact which might impress me more if I had known who he was. :P} Actually, many of their family members are musicians, so it must run in their blood.

The Chapin Sisters' sound is a mixture of folk, blues, and pop. Their lyrics are somber and full of heartbreak, most of which they caused themselves. And of course, what good is a sister act without gorgeous harmonies? Well, check! They have them.

Ever since I heard this song, I have not been able to stop listening to it... {Ok, well, that might be a slight exaggeration.}

Piano Man

2010-12-11T19:27:00.002-05:00

Today I am going to do something radical and post a song that everyone has heard of! {Okay, maybe I am overestimating my and other recent generations...} The song is 'Piano Man' by Billy Joel! {If you've never heard of this song, your parents have, undoubtedly.}

I've liked Billy Joel for a couple years now. My first introduction to him was the inclusion of 'Still Rock and Roll to Me' on a mix CD my father made for my mother. But it wasn't until recently that I have come to really love his music.
It started one night about a month ago. I was riding in my sister's car and I had just heard a piece of news that depressed me. {A piece of news that meant a dream of mine was going to have to die.} We were listening to the radio and the song 'Piano Man' by Billy Joel came on. I knew the song, I even had it on my ipod. But I hadn't really listened to it in a while. As I sat there in the dark, sad and listening to Billy Joel singing about unfulfilled dreams... I don't know. I just fell in love with the song. When I got home, I listened to it again. Since then, we have been inseparable. :P
Ever since, I have been on a major Billy Joel kick. I've pulled out the copies I made from the Billy Joel records of a friend and am learning how to play 'She's Always a Woman' on the piano.
Also I'm driving my little brother crazy by constantly singing 'Piano Man'!

'Piano Man' became Billy Joel's first major hit in 1973 and is considered to be his "signature song". Which makes sense since Billy Joel is the piano man. Before he was a successful musician and after his first album had failed, he spent some time as a piano-lounge singer. This song is about that. The characters mentioned in the lyrics are all based off of real people.

Listen to 'Piano Man':
{Full version too. No radio edits for this girl!}

I Just Realized

2010-12-10T17:29:00.000-05:00

You know what I thought would be fun? If I posted a song every day for a week! I know, you're probably thinking "Tell me why that is fun, exactly?" And well, it's not. But I want to do it and this is the perfect time of year for it, so paste a smile on your face and let's go!

Basically I shall be posting the songs that have been "rocking out to" lately. {Well, if I rocked out, which I don't. And if the music I listened to induced rocking out, which it doesn't.}
So, let me phrase this differently... I shall be posting the songs I have been listening to constantly as of late.

The other day I saw the music video for this song, 'I Just Realized'. It is by an artist named Matt Wertz. I had never heard of him before but this video made me an instant fan! ;)
I think it is so sweet! I love the video's lighting and summery aura. It makes me feel nostalgic for some reason. The song and lyrics are marvelous as well... Oh, I just love the whole thing!

Well, that's all for now! I'll see you all tomorrow. :P

Chère Françoise

2010-12-02T20:12:00.001-05:00

I cannot comprehend how it is December already! Not only did November speed by... the whole year did! And guess what? I have now been selecting artists of the month for a year!
{If you'll see, I have taken the past artists off my sidebar and have given them their own little page! The reason they are arranged in such a *coughcough* "artistic, varied manner" is because the page editor is really difficult to work with. Or maybe I'm just stupid. Either way, I'm just not going to mess with it too much cause I finally got them in the right, chronological order!}

And speaking of artists of the month, this December's "chosen one" is Chère Françoise!

Chère Françoise is Franziska Beeler {as well as Shawn Jurek and Graydon James}. Originally from Switzerland, she sings in English, French, and German!
So far, she only has an EP entitled Departures. In my experience, I've found that EPs tend to have one amazing song and the rest are good but seem to weaken in light of the best song. Well, that is not the case with Departures. Each song is excellent! Indeed, I have trouble picking a favourite.
It is a pretty straightforward folk/french pop album, mostly it's just guitar with Franziska's charming vocals. {Though, if her new songs on myspace are any indication, she is leaning towards a more Electronica sound.} Half the songs on the EP are in French and the other half are in English.
As I mentioned before, I have trouble picking a favourite. Which turned out to be a problem when trying to decide what song to post. I got it narrowed down to three songs: 'Milupa, the Cat' {a song about her cat who was "named after an infant nutrition brand"}, 'Les Démons' {I'm not sure what this song is about since I can only catch every third sentence or so, but it is just lovely}, and 'I am Chère Françoise' which is the song I ended up picking. But I would definitely recommend checking out the rest of the EP!

Listen to 'I am Chère Françoise':

{You may have noticed the time durations skipping around on some songs. Files off emusic do that for some reason... I used to fix them in this long, tedious way but it was too time-consuming and messed with the quality of the song. Overall, the numbers changing around shouldn't affect the song. But let me know if it does.}

My Twin

2010-11-18T18:41:00.000-05:00

Eleni Mandell! Why have I not posted about you yet??

Eleni Mandell is one of those artists that I "bookmarked and forgot". But, she was brought back on my radar by happy chance. I was listening to The Living Sisters which is a group formed by Becky Sharp, Inara George, and Eleni Mandell to satisfy their craving for harmony. {Dream team? I think yes!} I knew who Becky Sharp was and Inara George. I thought the name Eleni Mandell sounded familiar. Figuring I had probably bookmarked her, I did a simple search on my computer and sure enough, she was there!

Eleni Mandell seems to me to be an extremely classy person. I don't know why. Her music and personality just seems to have an aura of elegance. She is also versatile! I have her album Miracle of Five which is a folk/jazz album. But she also sings country, rock, vintage-y pop and probably a couple of other genres as well.
And her vocals... words such 'dusky' and 'sultry' are unavoidable. Her song 'My Twin' from Miracle of Five makes me want to slink around like some sort of 1920's lounge singer. :P

Listen to 'My Twin':
{And please: feel free to let your inner lounge singer come out. ;)}

Zoey Van Goey

2010-11-04T12:42:00.002-04:00

As the days of October dwindled away and the month of November approached, I realized I had no one in mind to make the artist of the month. Usually, I have a fair idea at least a week or so before. These past few times, I have even had it picked out a month ahead!
I was pondering eligible artists when a little voice in the back of my head said: "Why not choose Zoey Van Goey for the artist of the month?"
"Zoey Van Goey? Hm, I don't know..." I replied, somewhat lukewarm to the idea. But my ambivalence soon faded. The more I thought about it the more I liked the idea. I had been listening to their album with unremitting fervor the past few weeks. Really, they were the obvious choice.

So, props to the little voice in the back of my mind for having such a fab idea. ;)

That picture is the first one I ever saw of them. Seriously, you have to love a band with a picture like that.
I bookmarked Zoey Van Goey in my "bands to listen to someday" folder but didn't get around to them until... uh... *checks date* a little over... a year later. My, my. That's rather sad. And there are still hundreds more still waiting for my attention. {Sorry, I'm apparently having major focusing issues today. I shall try to keep to the subject at hand!}

Zoey Van Goey is, by my standards, indie pop/folk at its finest. Accessible melodies, often humorous lyrics, great girl/guy vocals, a quirky band name, and elements of surprise... it doesn't get much better than that!
They have only one full length album so far, "The Cage Was Unlocked All Along" which, as I mentioned before, I have been listening to it almost incessantly as of late. Pardon, but I have to make another soundtrack comparison. "The Cage Was Unlocked All Along" sounds as if it could be the soundtrack of a musical. The plot being: a boy and a girl who are romantically involved try to escape an island before it is blown-up into apocalyptic nothingness. The lyrics really seem to follow a interconnecting vein. Though this idea was probably first engendered by the album cover:

Anyhow, here's one of my favourite songs off the album, 'Sweethearts in Disguise':

A Hard Day's Night

2010-10-27T12:53:00.003-04:00

I remember a weekend afternoon about 3 years ago, my father bringing home a movie he had randomly bought at Barnes & Noble. The movie was A Hard Day's Night. He had seen it before but the rest of us had never heard of it. We all sat down to watch it.
Our lives were never the same again.

A Hard Day's Night, made in 1964, was the first film to star The Beatles. The plot is basically "a day in the life of The Beatles". Following their madcap lives: running from fans, performing on telivision programmes, doing interviews, From the first scene I was hooked. Their cheeky, hilarious and almost random dialogue was right up my alley. I loved their Liverpudlian accents and just plain adorableness. After we watched the film, Beatlemania hit our household 40 years late.

Of course, I had known who The Beatles were. I had even listened to them. We had a tape of their love songs and my mom and I would listen to it. Until we lost the tape, that is. And of course, my father was a fan of theirs. Still, my siblings and I had not been fully converted.
But after A Hard Day's Night, I became like a sponge whose main purpose in life was to soak up as much information about The Beatles as she could. And I did. I still retain most of that knowledge though I am not as obsessive as I once was. I still think they are the greatest band ever.

I love the early Beatles with their clean-cut image....

and I love the later Beatles who were bickering more often than not.

Give me the name of one of their songs and I can sing it for you, tell you which Beatle sang it and spout trivia about the story behind the song or interesting recording details. {Just think, the first time I watched the movie I couldn't even tell them apart!}

And of course, the inevitable question, do I have a favourite Beatle?
Why, yes, I admit, I do have a favourite. Though I love them all, I have a thing for Paul McCartney!

{You cannot deny the cuteness!}

Anyhow, I polled my siblings, asking them what song in A Hard Day's Night was their favourite. 2 out of 3 voted for the song 'I'm Happy Just to Dance With You'. {The third couldn't make up his mind. *makes a disapproving face*}

So, here's the video clip from the movie where they sing it. {The actual song starts about 35 seconds in.}

{As usual, watch it here if the chopped off side gets on your nerves.}

Since, 'I'm Happy Just Do Dance With You' is not very long, I figured I'd post another song. Which is a bit problematic since I love all the songs in A Hard Day's Night. I finally decided, when in doubt, post the title track! ;)
So, here it is, the song 'A Hard Day's Night'! {The video is the opening credits and most of the first scene, so you can watch some of it if you so desire.}

{Youtube Link}

The Boy Who Giggled So Sweet

2010-10-11T21:38:00.002-04:00

The other week, I was looking for something to do on the internet. I eventually settled on watching music videos. More specifically, Emiliana Torrini music videos {for some random reason}.

{For the uninformed: Emiliana Torrini is an incredibly talented indie pop singer from Iceland. For any LoTR fans out there - she sang a song called 'Gollum's Song' in the credits of The Two Towers.
Isn't she just the cutest thing?!?}

Anyhow, I was watching Emiliana Torrini music videos and I clicked on one that was actually a fan video. It was clips of various Emiliana videos set to a song of hers that I had never heard of, 'The Boy Who Giggled So Sweet'. {Later I found out it was from her album Merman which was only released in Iceland.}

It was one of those "love at first listen" songs. It tells a heartbreaking story set to a beautiful, melting melody. I knew I had to post it on here sooner than later. {Though it did end up being a little later than I intended. Such is life!}

Listen:

In other news, Friday was my one year blog anniversary! I didn't realize that til today. How exciting!

Sooooo... now I'm kinding of wondering if I get a prize or something? No? Oh well, I guess there was no harm in asking..... :P

Nina Nastasia

2010-10-03T19:25:00.005-04:00

I am extremely chuffed! It is finally beginning to feel like autumn here. There is a bite in the wind today, and as I sit here typing I feel a slight chill. Now, if only our trees would start turning....

I'm a couple days late with October's artist of the month. But it's someone I think is worth waiting for: Nina Nastasia!

Nina Nastasia is a singer-songwriter of the highest caliber. Her 2006 album On Leaving is one of my favourites. It has a gentle folk sound {most of the songs are just Nina accompanied by guitar and light piano} that has put me to sleep many nights that were otherwise wakeful.
I am fascinated by the piano on this album! It often seems to be doing its own thing, incongruous with the rest of the song... yet it works wonderfully.
And well, I am no good at describing people's vocals... so I will just say I love her vocals and I think they complement her music perfectly.

Nina Nastasia's lyrics are a highlight as well. I feel there are so many untold stories in her songs. Her lyrics offer short glimpses of these interesting tales and characters. I often feel inspired to write when listening to her!

Listen to two favourite songs off of On Leaving:

{Spiffy, non? I finally figured out how to make playlists on divshare!}

Someone Else

2010-09-28T21:03:00.000-04:00

I've been feeling too weary/distracted/busy lately to post. {Not to mention, I have had some sort of virus this past week, that brought along a sore throat and chronic tiredness. I'm feeling much better though!}
For some reason, I deemed writing a blog post as "too much effort". So, I've decided to be firm with myself. I've told myself to stop being ridiculous and type out the post that has been rattling around in my head.

I'm posting a song I've been listening to a lot lately and really enjoying, 'Someone Else' by Annie and the Beekeepers.

Annie and the Beekeepers are a country/folk band. Now, I freely admit, I do not like country. But, even though they have songs with strong country sound, they also have a fair number of songs that are just folk. {Their main core of instruments are ones atypical, I believe, of bluegrass but they are played in more of a folky sound.}
Their lead vocalist, Annie Lynch, is an excellent singer - never twangy. {Which is always what I associate with country groups. Rather a gross generalization on my part.}

Listen to 'Someone Else':
{*laughs to self at the humour in that sentence*}

{Talks to self: Now see, that wasn't so hard! And yet you procrastinated writing this for days. *tsktsk*}

Crayola Doesn't Make a Color For Your Eyes

2010-09-08T14:26:00.001-04:00

I have returned! I was many states away, visiting relatives that I hadn't seen in 20 years. {Quite a feat, indeed, since I am only 17!}

Anyhow, last week I made a conscious decision to go search for new music to listen to.
It did not work out very well.
I've found I usually have better luck when I don't make a conscious decision to go on a music search. {Must be good ol' Murphy's law.}
Though, that is not to say it was a total waste of time! I did run across this unique song by Kristin Andreassen, 'Crayola Doesn't Make a Color For Your Eyes'.
The lyrics to this song, and the song itself, are adorably fun. I found myself involuntarily smiling the first time I heard it.

It also has a music video {which has lots of cute kids in it!!}:

{Disclaimer: Don't blame me if you find yourself randomly humming/singing this.}

Ophelia Hope

2010-09-01T22:04:00.001-04:00

September has finally arrived! To me, September marks the beginning of autumn - my favourite season.
And also, I have an excellent artist of the month picked out! It is with great pleasure that I bring you: Ophelia Hope!

It is rather a funny story how I happened upon this band. One day, I got it into my head that I wanted to like an artist named Ophelia. {Don't ask, I don't know. I just get these strange whims.} So, on the handy-dandy emusic searchbar, I typed in Ophelia. Unsurprisingly, there really aren't that many artist/bands with Ophelia in their name. Ophelia Hope was on the list, obviously, and once I heard them, I knew my search was over. Very soon afterward, I bought their album, also entitled Ophelia Hope.
Though Ophelia Hope is based in Bergen, Norway its members are from all over the globe. {"a Norwegian singer, an Italian producer, an Australian songwriter and English percussionist", according to their myspace.}

Defining the genre of Ophelia Hope is difficult. Their sound seems to change with every other song. I have seen them referred to as "acoustic, cinematic pop-noir" which sums it up very nicely. Since when I listen to Ophelia Hope I often get the feeling I am listening to a movie soundtrack of sorts. Only, the thing is, this [mythical] film doesn't stay within any genre boundaries either.
In my mind, I see it as being a mixture of:
1. A 90's chick flick with some despairing moments but a happy ending,
2. A modern romantic comedy with witty lines that keeps you laughing,
3. A black & white film made in the early 60's with a profound, bittersweet subject matter,
4. A brightly-coloured musical with almost childish lightheartedness.

{Am I being nonsensical? So be it!}

It's not as if Ophelia Hope is doing anything amazingly groundbreaking, but yet I find their music to be unparalleled. The more I listen to this album, the more I love it! The rich orchestration, the inflections of jazz, the pensive folk, the clever pop songs... Definitely one of my new favourite albums.

Of course, I had difficulty deciding what song to pick. Knowing that, whatever song I chose, it would in no way represent the full sound of Ophelia Hope. Eventually, I decided on 'Beautiful Tears'. So, I'll stop waxing eloquent now and let you listen. ;)

Oh, and, I am going away this weekend! Just an FYI, in case you desperately try to get in touch with me and get offended and think I hate you when I don't respond.
Ha...haha... :P

Wrapped Up in Books

2010-08-27T17:40:00.001-04:00

My apologies for my silence as of late. My nose and I have been buried in a stack of books! I have been addicted to finding new books and putting them on hold at the library, especially this past month. Total count read so far: 44! And I still have a stack in my room waiting to be read.{If anyone is interested, I am currently reading The Haunted Bookshop by Christopher Morley and a volume of William Carlos Williams poetry.}
So, I am posting the song 'Wrapped Up in Books' by Belle and Sebastian cause that is exactly what I am right now. {Regrettably, this song is not about a 17 year old girl who compulsively checks out books at the Library Ah, well... :P}

I am not posting this song merely because of the title, I also happen to love it. ;)
Belle and Sebastian are an essential to any indie pop library. In fact, I think they are the first indie pop band I heard of and subsequently listened too. They opened many new musical doors for me!
'Wrapped Up in Books' is off of Belle and Sebastian's 2003 album, Dear Catastrophe Waitress. The carefree, yet wistful, sound of this song seems appropriate to my mood, as I enjoy these last few days of summer freedom before school starts Monday. {*dun dun DUN*}

Listen:

Now, if you'll pardon me, I'm off to lose myself in some distant, literary land. :)

Society's Child

2010-08-20T13:07:00.001-04:00

I remember the first time I heard the song 'Society's Child' by Janis Ian. It was about a year ago; I had been looking for new music to listen to and, for some reason, that day I was not having much luck. I was beginning to despair of ever hearing anything good again (ha!) when I went into itunes (this was before I switched to the superior emusic) and clicked on one of their "Itunes Essential" playlists. I believe it was their essential "Folk-Rock" playlist.
'Society's Child' was on the list and I started listening to it. The thirty-second preview was all I needed to fall in love with this haunting song.

Janis Ian is an incredibly talented singer-songwriter. She is also known for writing songs about taboo subjects. This song had a very controversial subject matter when it was written around 1965. {Janis Ian wrote it when she was about 13 or 14!}
The lyrics tell the sad, but not uncommon, story of a girl with an African American boyfriend. He is shunned by her mother and they are mocked by their classmates and teachers. In the end, she decides to end the relationship, pressured by everyone who says they can't be together. Janis Ian said: "You know, I don't think I made a conscious decision to have the girl cop out in the end, it just seemed like that would be the logical thing at my age, because how can you buck school and society and your parents? You'd make yourself an outcast forever." {Found here.}

To be sure, this song is not as socially relevant or as taboo as it was in the 60's, but, in my opinion, that does not diminish the anguishing beauty of it.

Listen:

Help Me! Help Me!

2010-08-14T21:01:00.003-04:00

For the past 24 hours I have been helping my sister babysit a family {three children, all under 5} while their parents went away for a night. Well, I got there at 4:30 and I thought the parents were coming home at 12 P.M. the next day. Turns out, I had misunderstood and they were coming back at 2 or 3. "Ok," I told myself, "I can do this. No big deal." That was before the parents got stuck in traffic. We were there until 5: 15....
Now, I don't mind babysitting every once in a blue moon, but it's not really my thing. I was beginning to think I would never get to leave! Even my sister, who is a super-babysitter, was going stir crazy.
But it was fun. Really.
...
No, really it was. The kids were sweet and well-behaved. :)

I've also been trying to write a post for about a week now. But I've been vacillating between various song, reaching no resolute conclusion. Then, today, the appropriate song to post hit me: 'Help Me! Help Me!' by Lucy Schwartz. {Haha. Can't imagine why I picked that...}
To be more specific, I am actually posting the music video for 'Help Me! Help Me!' since I think it's quite cute, though not as cute as Lucy Schwartz herself. :)
Lucy Schwartz is a talented, young singer-songwriter who makes pop/folk/jazz music which doesn't sound overproduced. If life were fair, we would be hearing people like her on the radio instead of... well, those artists-of-which-I-do-not-speak.

{You can watch here, if you so desire. Since it gets cut off on blogspot...}

Azure Ray

2010-08-03T14:45:00.001-04:00

I have returned from vacation! Actually, I returned a couple of days ago but things have been surprisingly busy. I had a wonderful vacation, though. :)

August snuck up on me. I can barely keep track of what day of the week it is, let alone what month it is. So, I was unprepared when the first of the month hit. I had no idea who to make the artist of the month. It's not like I don't have scores of candidates, because I definitely do. It's the choosing that always gets me. I politely debated with myself for awhile, trying to decide between various artists - some new, some who I have posted about before... Et finalement, I chose Azure Ray.

I recently bought their EP, November, after hearing the opening and title track, 'November'.
I have a thing for sad songs, which my family often teases me about, and this song was so marvelously melancholic; I fell in love with it, so to speak.
Apparently, Azure Ray is known for their dreamily slow, soft, and mostly sad songs. Though 'November' remains my favourite, I'd say the rest of the EP lives up to that lovely standard as well. :)
And, I just found out, that Azure Ray {Which is Orenda Fink and Maria Taylor - both excellent artists in their own right} is releasing a new album this September! Which is very exciting because they disbanded in 2004. {Needless to say, they are back together, if only temporarily.}

Listen to 'November':

The Roar of Love

2010-07-24T17:00:00.001-04:00

Here's an album I can't believe I almost forgot: The Roar of Love by 2nd Chapter of Acts!

The Roar of Love is a 1980 concept album by 2nd Chapter of Acts that was inspired by C. S. Lewis' The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. {One of my favourite books from one of my favourite series!} The story of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe is told through the lyrics. Though, if you are not familiar with the story, you will be confused as not all the key details are included.

I remember hearing the record of The Roar of Love when I was young but I didn't really get into it. Then, a few years later, we started listening to the CD in the car and I was hooked. That started my "2nd Chapter of Acts phase". It was very exciting because, at that point, I had very few Christian artists I enjoyed. 2nd Chapter of Acts {which is siblings, Annie Herring, Nelly Greisen, and Matthew Ward} have been such an encouragement to me through the years. You can just hear their love for Jesus shining through everything they did!
I also love reading about the band and how they formed. {Read the short version here or the long version here.}

I am posting two songs from The Roar of Love: 'Turkish Delight' and 'Aslan is Killed'.
'Turkish Delight' was my favourite song when I used to hear the record as a child. It is sung from the viewpoint of Edmund and is about how captivated he is by the White Witch.
'Aslan is Killed' is about, well, the title is pretty self-explanatory. This song, with its synths and layered vocals, is very cool sounding. {The lyrics are kind of hard to understand, but they can be read here.}

Listen to 'Turkish Delight':

Listen to 'Aslan is Killed':

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
And I almost forgot, but Clara gave me an award! *beams*

Thanks again, dear! :)

OH, and one more thing:

Tomorrow, armed with my pile of books, I am leaving for vacation! I'll be gone about a week. So, goodbye until then.

Okay, I'm all done now, I promise.

....I lied.

Now, I'm done. :P

A Song for You

2010-07-15T22:13:00.004-04:00

I thought I'd do a few more of my favourite albums since I got kind of distracted the last time I did it, hehe.
Alright, this album, released in 1972, is by one of my all-time favourite artists whom I'm sure you all have heard of: the Carpenters.

Though the album A Song for You contains many of their hits {'Top of the World', 'Goodbye to Love', 'I Won't Last a Day Without You', 'Hurting Each Other' etc.} my favourite song off this album is the title track, 'A Song for You', which was originally a song by Leon Russel.

A Song for You was intended to be a concept album, of sorts. It opens with the song 'A Song For You' and then closes with a reprise of it. There is also a short song in the middle called, 'Intermission'.
The rather humorous lyrics to 'Intermission', which were written by Richard Carpenter, are as follows:
"...We'll be right back / After we go to the bathroom".
In the liner notes Richard says:
"John Bettis wrote the great lyrics to 'Top of the World', 'Goodbye to Love' and many more of my melodies. I wrote the lyrics to 'Intermission' (Music inspired by the Crucifixus of Antonio Lotti [...]) This explains why John Bettis was chosen to write the great lyrics to 'Top of the World', 'Goodbye to Love', et al."
Haha. :)
Speaking of which, 'Goodbye to Love', another of my favourites, is said to be possibly the first love ballad to feature a fuzz guitar solo. The Carpenters got hate mail from some of their fans because of that solo! XD

Listen to 'A Song for You':

Listen to 'Intermission':

Karen Carpenter is one of my favourite female vocalists. It makes me sad to think of her untimely end at the young age of 32. And all because she though she was too fat. *sigh*

The Civil Wars

2010-07-07T19:47:00.003-04:00

I've been in a bit of a blue funk lately. So, every time I come to write a blog post I write a few sentences then save it as a draft to "come back to later". {Whether I will or not is debatable!}
But today, I stumbled upon a band that made me want to write a post! Which is quite an improvement. :)

I was on some band's myspace, watching one of their videos. When it ended all the related videos came up. The first one showed an image of a woman and a man with a guitar. It looked promising! So, I clicked on it. And it exceeded my expectation.

Turns out, the band is called The Civil Wars and it is composed of Joy Williams and John Paul White. Apparently, this song, 'Falling', was the first song they ever wrote together!

I am inestimably glad that I found this band. They have definitely brightened my day! Their music really strikes a chord with me. {No pun intended. :P}
If you go on their myspace you can download their live album for free! {Something went wrong with my download, though. But thankfully, there was a provided solution.}

How is everyone's summer going? This summer my best friend has been our library. :)

Trespassers William

2010-07-01T00:41:00.002-04:00

Before I even heard Trespassers William's music, I knew I had to love them.
Why? Because of their name, of course!
Trespassers William got their name from one of my favourite books: "Winnie-the-Pooh" by A. A. Milne...
"Next to [Piglet's] house was a piece of broken board which had: "TRESPASSERS W" on it. When Christopher Robin asked the Piglet what it meant, he said it was his grandfather's name…it was short for Trespassers Will, which was short for Trespassers William. And his grandfather had had two names in case he lost one—Trespassers after an uncle, and William after Trespassers."

{Seriously, if you have never read either of the Winnie-the-Pooh books, go do so now!}

Thankfully, not only do Trespassers William have an awesome band name, they also make incredible music.Listening to a Trespassers William CD is like going into a trance... You then wake-up an hour later, having no idea what happened... but you feel like it was one of the most achingly beautiful experiences of your life! =D

Over the years, they have been joined by various musicians, but the main core of Trespassers William has remained Matt Brown & Anna-Lynne Williams, who sings the exquisite vocals.

I got their album, Different Stars, for my birthday. It has quickly risen to be one of my favourites. It's also a great album to listen to on those nights when I can't fall asleep. Though I usually only get to hear till about the third track... ;)

Listen to 'Lie in the Sound' {off of Different Stars}:

You just might have seen this coming, but, Trespassers William is the artist of the month for July. :)

Midsummer Night's Dream

2010-06-23T21:08:00.001-04:00

Foolishly, I thought that summertime would mean I would have more free time. Boy, was I wrong! Well, the weekdays aren't so bad... but on the weekends it has been non-stop business and socializing! Which is quite unsettling to a recluse like me. :P
Anyhow, tonight I am posting the song 'Midsummer Night's Dream' by Noe Venable because today, June 23, is Midsummer's Eve!

Though really, this song isn't about summer's solstice &c. It also has nothing to do with the Shakespearean play of the same name. {Which actually, was the first Shakespeare play I read, aged 11. By the time I was 14 I had read the "Complete Works" .... I am told this is not normal. *shrug*}
I wasn't sure if I liked this song the first time I heard it... with her opening half-whispered, half-sung vocals and those two girls conversing in the middle of the song. But it was different! And different is {usually} good, I have come to realize... in a world where popular music runs together in a mass of inane lyrics and hypnotic beats. So, as it often turns out, I ended up loving this song. Noe Venable is an artist I am eager to hear more from as well!

Listen:

I've Been Lost

2010-06-16T15:32:00.007-04:00

I'm not exactly sure what the "Soft Sounds for Gentle People" compilations are or where they came from but I stumbled across them one day on a blog. I don't know what I was originally looking for but I decided to download the whole collection because, well, as far as I can hear, these are fairly-recently made compilations of various, little-known, sunshine pop bands from the 60's and... obscure 60's music is something that is very near and dear to my heart. :)
There are 5 Volumes of the"Soft Sounds for Gentle People" albums and then also three other albums called "He and She", "Mystic Males", and "Sounds of She".
Though I've had them for a while, I haven't gotten around to listening to all of them. So far, my favourite has been the "He and She" album. When I first listened to it though, all the songs started running together in my mind and they all sounded like they were sung by The Mamas and The Papas... haha...
My ears were beginning to feel a bit bored when I heard the song 'I've Been Lost' by Sunny & Phyllis {Practically all the artists on the "He and She" album are "boy's name here & girl's name here"}. My ears instantly perked up and it was an instant favourite!
Though now, I have found many more songs to enjoy on the "He and She" album, my favourite discovery is still "I've Been Lost". It has good vocals, a pretty, plaintive melody and a catchy chorus! And also, it is in a fantastic key for my voice! {It all boils down to that, doesn't it?} =D

Listen:

I hope everyone is having a great week! Ta-ta for now! :)

Evelyn Evelyn

2010-06-08T21:58:00.001-04:00

Evelyn Evelyn is a musical duo formed by the conjoined twin sisters, "Eva" and "Lyn" {Evelyn and Evelyn} Neville.

Ok, not really. Evelyn Evelyn is really Amanda Palmer and Jason Webley. They're just pretending, you see. ;)
Evelyn and Evelyn were "discovered" (*winkwink*) by the aforementioned Amanda Palmer and Jason Webley who then helped them record their album, Evelyn Evelyn. Evelyn & Evelyn's rather tragic and bittersweet story is told through song and words on their album.
{They and their story also sparked a controversy! And personally, I don't feel it's worth going into.}

So, maybe this seems a little weird. First of all, why would people pretend to be conjoined twin sisters who love to make music? And why would one of them be played by a male? I have no answers. All I know is that their music, which covers many genres and moods, is awesome.
My favourite song is the self-titled 'Evelyn Evelyn'. I love how it starts out so calm and then escalates in frustration then goes back down again. An emotional roller-coaster, if you will. ;)

Listen to 'Evelyn Evelyn':

Blue Roses

2010-06-02T16:36:00.002-04:00

After much deliberation I have chose Blue Roses as the artist of the month! Ok, not really... it only took me about a nanosecond to decide that I wanted Blue Roses to be the artist of the month. =D

Blue Roses is the recording name of Laura Groves. I recently bought her first, and so far only, album, Blue Roses. After listening to a sample of the first track, 'Greatest Thoughts' I was extremely impressed and quickly decided I wanted to buy the whole album.
I really connected with this album. Does that sound strange? Well, it's true at any rate. This is one of those albums I can just lay on my floor listening to and not get bored of it or wish for it to end.
My one bone to pick, though, is I wish she had better diction because I love her lyrics and they're not always clear. But it's a very minor grievance and I can easily find her lyrics on lyric sites. :)

On her site, it says; "She dreamt of writing, arranging, performing and producing an album that would be as treasured by someone else, and hopefully inspire them in the same way."
I'd say, as far as I am concerned, she has succeeded!

Listen to 'Greatest Thoughts':

Open Your Heart

2010-05-25T03:34:00.000-04:00

I started going through my music the other day, trying to find a song that I had always wanted to post but never got around to. I knew there were a few... I just couldn't remember what they were... And then I found what I was looking for: 'Open Your Heart' by Lavender Diamond!

Lavender Diamond creates simple, happy music and 'Open Your Heart' is possibly their happiest song. For some reason my brothers can't stand it... :P {Ok, well maybe it's understandable...}

Sorry, this is a sidetrack, but, I am extremely jealous of Becky Stark's {Lavender Diamond's frontwoman} clothes! She always seems to be wearing the most darling dresses.
N.B:

I've never been one to care much about clothes but vintage dresses do something to me, I don't know...

Anyhow, I'll quit burbling now and let you listen to 'Open Your Heart'. :)

Musical Plans

2010-05-21T17:31:00.004-04:00

Sorry I've been so silent! I've had major trouble lately collecting my thoughts and putting them together in a coherent way.
I've also had a social life this past week and it will continue on for the rest of the week. This is rather abnormal for me... and you know what? I hate it. XD
Anyhow, I'm going to cease the "Favorite Albums" for now till I have more time/brain-power.

{Disclaimer: This post is possibly all worthless ramblings. I am not confirming or denying any rumours at this time.}

So, Summer is coming and I'm beginning to think about what I want to accomplish! Practically everything I've come up with is music related...

1. Perfect playing 'La Valse D'Amelie' on the piano. {Ok, maybe not perfect exactly... but polish it!} When I first decided I wanted to learn how to play 'La Valse D'Amelie' from the film "Le fabuleux destin d'Amélie Poulain" I forgot how hard it was. Needless to say I shortly realized it after trying to play it for the first time... I almost gave up. But I stuck with it. :P

2. Finish notating 'The Lady of the Lea' and learn how to play and sing it. In one of my favourite books, A Lantern in Her Hand by Bess Streeter Aldrich, the main character sings the song 'The Lady of the Lea' several times throughout the book. Curious, I looked it up online and found sheet music for it but the resolution was very bad, making it unprintable. So, I am copying out the notes and such onto blank sheet music. Yes. The melody line AND the accompaniment. I've got 1 page down out of about 4 1/2. I don't know what has given me such dedication. Haha!

3. Record an album for my parents! I've made several albums for them before. A few with my brothers and I's "band" where we sang in high-pitched, humorous voices and one with just me playing the piano. {I use a sound recorder that came on my computer. It's not the best quality but it suffices!} And I'm thinking... I'm going to record an album for them with me singing and playing the piano but I haven't decided if I'm brave enough yet. I play the piano and sing only when I'm alone. But... maybe I need to get over that. *shrugs* We shall see!

4. Finish learning how to play the theme song from the TV show "All Creatures Great and Small". {AKA 'Piano Parchment' by Johnny Pearson}. "All Creatures Great and Small" chronicles the life of a British country vet and is one of my family's favourite shows! It'll make you laugh, it'll make you cry! As will the books. {Which I happen to be re-reading at the moment!} :)

That's all I can think of. Not too much, I live a low-key life. :)

OH! I'll stop rambling soon, I promise, but guess what I got in the mail today?!?!
KaiserCartel's "Secret Transit" album and "Philanthropy" EP!!! =D
There is nothing better than packages in the mail! Especially something that sounds so fangreatastic! I am enjoying it immensely; three thumbs up!!!

Okay, that's all for now! :)

Holiday in Rhode Island

2010-05-10T21:21:00.000-04:00

Next for my favourite albums, is Holiday in Rhode Island by The Softies.

A family member or two laughed at their band name, "The Softies". That was only because they had not heard their music. Once you hear their music you never question why they would call themselves the "Softies". ;)

I got this album for Christmas last year. I was given it by my paternal grandparents when we were visiting their house. I didn't have my computer with me so I borrowed my littler brother's CD player. I went downstairs and lay across my sister and I's temporary bed and I listened to the album for the first time while reading the lyrics in the album insert. {By the way, I LOVE it when artists put their lyrics in their liner notes.}
And so that is always the memory I associate with this album, lying across the bed in my grandparent's basement, reading the lyrics, listening to the whole thing for the first time.

The Softies are two girls {Rose Melberg and Jen Sbragia} accompanied mostly by just their guitars. They write sad, sweet songs about love & heartache... mainly heartache.
One thing I love most about them is their harmonies. One of my favourite things to do is to play Holiday in Rhode Island out loud (whether on CD or my ipod) and sing along. I have trouble making up my mind whether I want to sing the melody or the harmony so I sing an odd mixture of both. :)

I also had trouble just picking one song. I went back in forth between so many combinations... oi! Finally I decided on these two...

'Sleep Away Your Troubles':

'Just a Day':

And I had a lovely birthday! I feel so much different now that I am 17!
*cough*
;)

The Door into Summer

2010-05-04T18:13:00.003-04:00

Next for {some of} my favourite albums, The Door into Summer by Ex Reverie.

I was fascinated by The Door into Summer the first time I heard it. Gillian Chadwick {aka Ex Reverie} describes her music as "glam rock from the year 1066". I would definitely agree she sounds like something out of the Medieval period. {Well, if they had the instruments then that we have now. :P} The lyrics and voice evoke mystic images of a distant era.
In my mind, I have trouble remembering that she actually is living now and this album is not something that we found buried in a ruined castle among rusty knight's armor & swords, ancient texts, and a forgotten king's bones.
Though that thought may somewhat be the fault of all the pictures I see of her....

{I'm pretty sure all these pictures were taken by a fantastic photographer named Courtney Brooke.}

And I made the mistake of, in the writing of this post, reading other's people's intelligent reviews of this album. Now I feel utterly incompetent of writing anything else about it. {I have chided my sorry self for doing this time and time again. Do I listen? Noooo.}
So, I leave you now with a song off this album, 'The Years'.

Listen:

And my birthday is on the 7th... I shall be 17. I am really having trouble believing that. I think I still subconsciously consider myself 13. :)

Colour Green

2010-05-01T11:43:00.002-04:00

I have my computer back! And of course, all my music files!!!
So, I thought my next several posts would follow a theme. That theme being, "{Some of} My Favourite Albums".
Basically I'll just be posting about some of my absolute favourite albums along with a song or two from them. These aren't going to necessarily be my "most favourite albums ever" because I've already posted about quite a few of those.
First up, Colour Green by Sibylle Baier.

This album has a very interesting story behind it. At a certain point in her life, Sibylle Baier was very depressed. Her friend took her on a road trip and upon her return, Sibylle felt "her spirits renewed" and she wrote her first song, 'Remember the Day'.
From 1970-73 she secretly recorded these songs that she wrote and they became the album Colour Green. No one really heard her music except for her family and friends.
30 years later, her son Robbie (pictured left with Sibylle) made a CD of Colour Green and gave it to family and friends. A copy somehow got passed along to the Orange Twin label who then released it in 2006.

I admit it. I didn't like this album at first listen. I listened to the first two songs and I just wasn't sure....... Thankfully, I kept listening. Something about the third track made me keep listening. It began to grow on me. But, before I could form a further opinion, I ran out of free listens on last.fm. -_-
A few months later, I decided to just go ahead and buy it. But I wasn't sure yet if I honestly liked it or I just liked it because I thought I should.
Well, after buying it and listening to it more I decided I didn't like it.
I loved it.
It has such simple beauty. The whole album, except for some violin on the last track, is just Sibylle's fragile voice accompanied by her gentle guitar. Her melodies stay with you like old friends and the lyrics are like "looking at sepia snapshots of her everyday life". {I'm not sure if I thought that up or read it somewhere. So, I'm putting it in quotes to be on the safe side. ;)}
This is my album for when I'm sad. This is my album for when I'm happy. This is my album for every darn thing I do! I just love it!
Alright, I'll stop waxing eloquent now and post two tracks from Colour Green.

Listen to 'Tonight':

Listen to 'Remember the Day':

{Oh, and I'm making Sibylle Baier the artist of the month. :)}

You and I and George

2010-04-26T20:13:00.001-04:00

Sorry I've been a bit quiet lately. I've been recuperating and I am still without my computer. I don't have a fever anymore though! But I won't bore you with the details of my long recovery. :)

Tonight, I am watching The Muppet Show with my siblings! We are big fans of the Muppets, whether it be the show or the movies.
My favourite Muppet is Rowlf the dog. He's not exactly the most well-known Muppet but he should be! :P
So tonight I thought I'd post him singing a song called 'You and I and George' from Season 1 of The Muppet Show.

Ahhh... what a classic! :)

Boat Behind

2010-04-17T16:46:00.002-04:00

Salut! This is Melee logging in from her sick bed!
Yup, I have a rather unpleasant fever. I felt it coming on most of yesterday and sure enough, last night, my temperature decided to hang out at 100 degrees. It's still hanging out there, apparently it's having to much fun to leave. Wish I could say the same for me. :P

My computer, likewise, is sick again. *rolls eyes* It wasn't my fault this time either! So, it's left me deserted again, without my music files and I don't know when it will be back.
Sooo... music video, anyone? :)

The music video I decided to post is 'Boat Behind' by Kings of Convenience because right now I really wish I were out riding in a car on a warm, sunny day.
And also I simply love Kings of Convenience! They are often compared to Simon & Garfunkel, which suits me just fine! And since most of my music is dominated by female singers, it's nice to have some male singers I really love too. :)

Ta-ta for now! Hope everyone has a pleasant weekend!

Sunshine

2010-04-11T19:07:00.005-04:00

We just got back from visiting some old family friends. Actually, the main purpose of the trip was so my siblings could go to a concert. Since I didn't want to go to the concert, I spent most of my time playing our friends' piano and ravaging their record collection!
I brought home a stack of records to convert onto CD, some for myself and some for our friends.
I had a lot of fun! Nothing excites me more than new music. I found quite a few Billy Joel albums, some hard{ish} to find Beatles' albums, a Carpenters album I didn't have, and a Spike Jones album! {my grandfather's influence! :P} Also some others, but those I just mentioned were the highlights. {AKA the ones I can remember at the moment. ;)}

Anyhow, for the artist of the month I have chosen Smoke Fairies.

They have been my favourite musical discovery as of late. These girls create beautiful, smoky blues-folk music, with an icy center. {That's a good thing!}
I found Smoke Fairies by chance. I was scrolling through a list of various bands and I saw them and I thought "Smoke Fairies... that sounds like something I would like!"
Needless to say, I did! And I probably wouldn't have clicked on them if they had called themselves something else. Which makes me wonder how many great artists I'm missing just because I don't like their name or album covers... :P

Listen to one of their songs 'Sunshine':

Well, that's all for now! If you'll excuse me, I have some records to transfer! ;)

Easter Song

2010-04-03T12:28:00.006-04:00

I love Easter! As a child it was one of my favourite days. I always could smell and feel something so beautiful in the air that only came on Easter. I don't think it was the chocolate or the egg hunt that filled me with such joy. But rather the hope and joy because Jesus has risen again!

'Easter Song' by 2nd Chapter of Acts sums up my feelings pretty well! My favourite version of the song is the version they did on their live album with Phil Keaggy, How the West Was One.
I am posting this song as a video because it was the only way I had to combine Annie Herring's intro for the song with the song itself {because they're different tracks on the CD}.
The video only has one picture the whole time, sorry. I decided to do this last minute. :)
{EDIT: The video is not loading for me at the moment. I am terribly sorry if it does not load for you either. *sigh*}

Hear the bells ringing
They're singing that you can be born again
Hear the bells ringing
They're singing
Christ is risen from the dead

The angel up on the tombstone
Said He has risen, just as He said
Quickly now, go tell his disciples
That Jesus Christ is no longer dead

Joy to the world,
He is risen, hallelujah!
He's risen, hallelujah!
He's risen, hallelujah!
---------------------------

Happy Easter everyone! I hope it is filled with joy. :)

Gonna Buy Me a Dog

2010-04-01T14:41:00.003-04:00

Since April 1 is not a day of very serious nature, I thought I would post an equally lighthearted song: 'Gonna Buy Me a Dog' by The Monkees.

My whole family loves this song! In fact, we listened to it so much that we grew sick of it. But thankfully, that has worn off and we can enjoy it again. :)
Basically, this song is just Micky Dolenz and Davy Jones goofing off in the studio. I hope it makes you smile - it always makes me!

Listen:

I hope everyone has a great day and does not get tricked too much! {Says the extremely gullible girl...}

Joints

2010-03-28T22:22:00.000-04:00

Don't worry! I'm still alive and breathing! This past week was the production week for the play I was in, "Emma". So I was very busy. The play went very well though! I'll miss it and all the people in it very much, but I am so ready to be at home and just relax. :)

I hope to be back with a real post soon. Not that this is a fake post... it's just... oh, never mind...
Anyhow, here's a video that I've been enjoying lately of the singer Holly Miranda singing one of her songs 'Joints':

I discovered Holly Miranda very recently. She is amazing live! But sadly, on the album she released earlier this year, The Magician's Private Library, her vocals are buried under the album's overproduced sound. Very disappointing. But, this video is great. The dynamics when she's in the stairwell are incredible!

I hope everyone is well! Two people at our house have bronchitis. O_o {Though it's not catching and they feel fine. *shrugs*}

Message personnel

2010-03-12T00:15:00.003-05:00

I'm excited -- I've been finding lots of great new music!! But alas, posting about it all must wait.
Til then, I'll post an "old" favourite of mine: 'Message personnel' by Françoise Hardy.

Around this time last year, I started listening to Françoise Hardy and other such artists. It's very strange to think that last year I had not heard about most of the artists I have posted about on this blog... This has certainly been a year of "musical enlightenment". ;)

Anyhow, 'Message personnel' is my favourite Françoise Hardy song! The interesting thing about it is that the first minute and a half is a monologue that leads up to the song. I really love the lyrics! {If you wish to know the basic concept of what she's saying there is a version of her singing it in English here. It's not the same thing as an exact translation, but almost!}

Listen:

{Be forewarned, the sound starts out really quiet and then gets louder as the song progresses.}

Lisa & Lynn

2010-03-08T17:17:00.001-05:00

{this is kind of a supplement to my last post}

As with most groups that have multiple members, I tend to pick favourites. Celtic Woman is no exception!

My favourite member has been Lisa Kelly for quite a while now!

I don't know exactly why she's my favourite... I really love her voice though!
My favourite song she sings is a song called 'Send Me a Song'. It was on the first Celtic Woman album and is also on her solo album, Lisa. The version I'm posting is from her solo album, the only difference being an added verse.

I can't wait for Lisa to release another solo album! But what with touring with Celtic Woman and raising three kids she's a bit busy... ;)

Also, I have found I really love one of the new members, Lynn Hilary!

I got her album, Take Me With You for Christmas and I'm really enjoying it! Lynn writes (or at least collaborates to write) a lot of her songs, which is pretty atypical of members of groups such as Celtic Woman.
Listen to the title track, 'Take Me With You':

{This my first time posting more than one song in a post! Let me know if if you find it too overwhelming or something.... I'm half-kidding, half not... so, yeah, let me know! :)}

Celtic Woman

2010-03-01T18:40:00.003-05:00

Last month I had the privilege of going to a Celtic Woman concert! It was actually the second Celtic Woman concert I {including my mum & sister} have been to, with many thanks and much love to my grandmother who bought the tickets both times.
I have a very special place in my heart for Celtic Woman. The group is composed of four Irish singers and a fiddler. Popularized, I think, through PBS pledge weeks.

Anyhow, I'll never forget the first time I heard Celtic Woman. About four years ago, I was in bed one night, and I got up to investigate some sounds coming from the {pet!} rodents in my room. Then from my parent's room {which is near mine} I heard beautiful singing. And it wasn't just any song. It was my favourite song: 'Somewhere' from the musical, West Side Story. Entranced I followed the sound to my parent's television. I don't really remember seeing Celtic Woman for the first time, but I remember hearing them. Oh my, but it was lovely. After the song ended {I don't remember if I asked my parents who it was or not...} I went back to bed, not knowing my life had been changed. ;)

Soon after, my mum went out and bought Celtic Woman's first CD. I listened to it. Again and again. I was hooked!
Until then, I had firmly believed that most females couldn't sing. {Who can blame me really? Have you ever listened to the radio??} But these talented girls could sing like I had never heard anyone sing before. I loved them all. I bought {or was given} all the member's solo albums, I watched the DVD's, I got all my friends addicted too!

In early 2007 I got to see them {the original five!} live for the first time! I thought it was a once in a lifetime experience. I am happy to be proved wrong though. :)
Though the line-up has changed a bit, I still love them just as much. And the show I recently attended I think I enjoyed more than the first time.

Here's a video of them singing 'Somewhere'... the song that started it all for me. :)

{I didn't mean for this post to be so long! Once I got started I had a little trouble stopping!}

Rockwell's Blues

2010-02-26T18:20:00.002-05:00

The first and foremost artist gracing my musical listenings, as of late, has been Sylvie Lewis. {Hm, sorry. I've been in the Jane Austen era all afternoon. Apparently the way I speak has been greatly affected. And I suspect it is for the worst...}
*ahem* Yes, well... back to Sylvie Lewis!

When I first heard Sylvie's music I fell in love with everything about it: her vocals, her frequently clever/humorous lyrics, and her cabaret-jazzy feel.

Apparently, Sylvie, at one point, quit music and became a teacher. But a couple years later she was reading a newspaper survey of the worst paid jobs in the U.S. It said the first was "Singer/Songwriter" and the second was "Teacher". She then decided not to settle for second best, and became a musician again. And I am so glad she did!!! ;)

Listen to her song 'Rockwell's Blues' off her first album Tangos and Tantrums:

{And yes, the "Rockwell" mentioned in the title and the lyrics is, indeed, the fabulous Norman Rockwell. How cool is that?}

March Forth

2010-02-22T20:37:00.002-05:00

Here is my promised post about last month's "Artist of the Month": KaiserCartel.
KaiserCartel has quickly grown to be one of my favourite artists. A few months ago, I bought their debut album, March Forth which I have been enjoying extensively! Sure, it has a couple of tracks which I don't care for as much, but they're still pleasurable!
I love Courtney Kaiser's clear, lovely vocals. Benjamin Cartel's voice is so pleasant and different from other indie guys who all start sounding the same after a while... it's weird. Anyhow, I digress.
I was going to do an album review of sorts, but I got so distracted listening to it that I didn't want to write about it!
So I made this video with pictures of Benjamin and Courtney put to clips of 5 of my favourite songs off of March Forth.

{I'm a little nervous: I've never posted a video before... and this is not the best video I've ever made. So, here goes nothing! :)}

{Read more here about how Benjamin and Courtney met and how KaiserCartel was formed!}

The Hill

2010-02-17T20:46:00.005-05:00

I am back! My computer is all fixed!!
Though I did rather enjoy not having a computer... I wrote more, I played the piano more, and I read more. It was very lovely. :)

Oh! Speaking of playing the piano, I learned how to play "The Hill" by Markéta Irglová on the piano! It's also in the movie Once (see this post).

It's so beautiful, I love to play it... and sing along when no one else is home. =D
Listen: {to her playing it, not me. :P}

When Your Blackening Shows

2010-02-09T16:38:00.004-05:00

My laptop is still not fixed but I thought I'd grab a moment here and post a music video I love,
'When Your Blackening Shows' by Our Broken Garden.
The artistry, and woebegone wistfulness of this video appeal to my innermost soul. :)

I hope you all are having a nicer winter than I am. What is it like to be warm...? I don't remember.... {This song definitely fits my mood right now.}

Out of commission...

2010-02-02T10:46:00.003-05:00

Well, due to my clumsiness (*blush*) my laptop is out of commission for the time being.
Thankfully it can be fixed!
But... I won't have it back until mid-February. So, I won't really be able to update my blog cause all my music is on my laptop.
And I don't know how often I'll be on the computer to comment on blogs either.
Yes... I'm rather vexed and sad.
Such is life.

I didn't get a chance to do a post about the artist of the month last month, KaiserCartel. But, it is coming eventually! Till then I'll post the music video for their song 'Blue Sky'.

Ta-ta for now!

Actor Out of Work

2010-01-28T16:14:00.007-05:00

And as a special bonus, I shall post my favourite music video of 2009: 'Actor Out of Work' by St. Vincent!

Watching this video for the first time was a very memorable experience for me... ha... haha. ;)
I introduced it to my brothers and they were vastly amused by it too. And they even like the song! Which is amazing considering they don't tend to like female vocalists. *rolls eyes*

Hope everyone has a great weekend! :)

French Navy

2010-01-26T15:36:00.004-05:00

And last, but not least, for my favourite songs of 2009: 'French Navy' by Camera Obscura.

It is possible that I saved this song for last on purpose... but I am not denying or confirming any rumours at this time. :)
I am not as familiar with the works of Camera Obscura as I would like to be. The few songs I know by them I quite like! The main singer and songwriter, Tracyanne Campbell, seems to mix disconsolate lyrics with lovely and infectious melodies in the best way possible.

As it is with most of my favourite songs, 'French Navy' didn't strike me at first. Or so I thought... It was one of those songs I found myself randomly wanting to listen to constantly. And... well, now it is one of my favourite songs, period.

Listen:

That wraps it up for my favourite songs of 2009! I think it was a pretty good year. =D

Ooh, We Need Jesus

2010-01-22T19:36:00.006-05:00

'Ooh, We Need Jesus' by Sara Beth Geoghegan is my fourth favourite song of '09.

I don't listen to much Christian music because, well... I don't really like most of it {unless it's from the 70's, heh}. I think I just don't like the style of most contemporary Christian artists... *shudders*
But, I read about Sara Beth Geoghegan one day and decided {after listening to a few samples} to buy her album, Tired of Singing Sad Songs.
I listened to it a few times, decided I kind of liked it, and went on in life. But then I kept listening and I realized what a great album it was.
Sara Beth made the album after going through a hard time in her life. Which is why, I think, it is such a strong album. Her melodies and voice are beautiful, but her lyrics are my favourite part.
On 'Ooh, We Need Jesus', it's not all "happy! happy! - Jesuslovesmethisiknow"!
No... she shows she's human with honest lyrics such as "At my very best I'm a hypocrite and I need Your love when I hate everyone." Which is something I can totally relate to.
And though somedays I try to delude myself, I do, indeed, need Jesus.

Listen:

I noticed after many listens of Tired of Singing Sad Songs that most of her lyrics don't have rhymes. I am a total rhyme freak... but now I've realized: it doesn't have to rhyme to be good. ;)

Boys On Their Birthdays

2010-01-19T16:23:00.004-05:00

My third favourite song of 2009 is "Boys On Their Birthdays" by Slow Club.

This is a hidden track on Slow Club's debut album Yeah So. At the end of the last album track, 'Our Most Brilliant Friends', there's a minute or so of silence. Various sounds then start playing in the background, including someone playing the top of empty wine glasses! The guitar comes in and then the song starts. For a while, until I did some simple research, I had no idea what the song was called, all I knew was I loved it a lot.
I love 'Our Most Brilliant Friends' too and would have posted it along with its hidden track... but I decided to edit it cause it's 10:00 minutes long altogether which isn't always the most pleasant things to sit through. ;)

Rebecca {the female half of Slow Club} says: "The song is about one very unfortunate week. But in the same week some wonderful things happened. I met some people I wish I hadn't, and some that have changed the way I think about things since. I also did some hardcore dancing and was in terrible pain afterwards because playing the drums stood up has ruined my shins."
Which would explain the rather odd lyrics at the end "...the bones inside my shins are crumbling... it's from all the crunking I've been doing." Haha!

Listen:

Though I'm still not quite sure why it's called 'Boys On Their Birthdays'... Ah well, song titles don't always have to make sense. :)

God Help the Girl

2010-01-16T16:33:00.005-05:00

My second favourite song of 2009 is 'God Help the Girl' by God Help the Girl.

{From Left to Right, Stuart Murdoch, Catherine Ireton, Celia Garcia, and Alex Klobouk: the main core of God Help the Girl}

God Help the Girl is Stuart Murdoch's {Belle & Sebastian's frontman} brainchild. How everything came together to make this group and album is rather confusing to try to explain. {2 hours it took me to realize this... *sigh*} So, read about it here.

The lovely Catherine Ireton is the main singer in God Help the Girl. Her voice is as beautiful as she is!

Listen to 'God Help the Girl':

{And if anyone has been wondering why Belle & Sebastian haven't released a studio album since 2006's The Life Pursuit, I believe God Help the Girl is the answer to your question. ;)}

Shadows

2010-01-12T11:23:00.006-05:00

Don't worry, I'm not dead -- just very busy! :)
I think this week is not going to be as busy, so I can now post my 5 favourite songs of 2009!

I had some trouble narrowing it down... and I also had a problem because I would pick a song that I thought was from 2009... but then it would be from 2008 or 2007...
{I don't know what's wrong with my brain these days!!}
But, I got all that sorted out {I think}. Hehe.

First off, I shall post 'Shadows' by Au Revoir Simone. {These are going to be in no particular order}

Au Revoir Simone is one of my absolute favourite groups! These three girls make captivating, gorgeous music. My thoughts are too futile to describe fully why I love them. *sigh*

'Shadows' is one of my favourite songs off their newest album Still Night, Still Light.
It's a great album! There are a lot more instrumental bits, which is cool. I never knew that so much could be done with just a few keyboards, a drum machine, and an occasional bass-line!
Their vocals and lyrics are superb as well. :)

Listen to 'Shadows':

{By the way, I've decided to stop linking to the song's download unless it's a song that's hard to find.}

Our Own Pretty Ways

2010-01-03T20:37:00.003-05:00

It's 2010 now! How weird is that? It still feels like 2005 to me...
Anyway, I've been really busy lately and school starts tomorrow so I don't know how much blogging time I'll have.
But, I'll try to make time because I want to post my 5 favourite songs from 2009!

Until then, here's a group called First Aid Kit that I've had bookmarked in my "artists to listen to" for a while, but I didn't actually listen to them til New Year's Eve and I think they're pretty fantastic!
The group is made up of two sisters from Stockholm: Klara and Johanna Söderberg.

Here is a video of them performing one of their songs "Our Own Pretty Ways" in some woods near their home:

{Siblings do the best harmony!}

If You Were My Man

2009-12-28T11:19:00.011-05:00

Did everyone have a lovely Christmas? I know I did. I had so much fun with my family! And I've got lots of new, exciting music. :)
I am now the proud owner of what I consider to be one of the best albums ever made...

...Parallelograms by Linda Perhacs! {I've posted about her before on this post.}
I love her song "If You Were My Man" which only appears in demo form on the album.
{Demo, my foot! Her demos sound better than most people's real songs! ;)}

Listen:

Heaven Came to Earth

2009-12-23T15:24:00.005-05:00

Merry Christmas everyone!! I hope all have a blessed, and happy week!

I've been enjoying 'Heaven Came to Earth' by 2nd Chapter of Acts. The lyrics are a good reminder of why we really celebrate Christmas (Though it is not strictly a Christmas song).

Listen:

Heaven came to earth in a small package
For a child was born, a gift to man
Yes the living light came to the darkness
Wore the harness of mankind

Laid His body down to be sin for us
Gave His earthly crown so we could be kings
Yes, He came to break the yoke of darkness
That would harness all mankind

This morning star of love still shines (and shines)
We buried Him within our sin but He rose again

Gave His heart away so we could find Him
Changed our night to day so we'd live in light
Tore the veil between the light and darkness
Broke the harness for mankind

This morning star of love still shines (and shines)
We buried Him within our sin but He rose again

Let our hearts rejoice in Christ our Savior
Let us come before His throne with praise
Let us pray for peace so we'll break the darkness
Melt the hardness of mankind

[Oh, and we got over a foot of snow!! I am so amazed... =D]

Les jours de neige en ville

2009-12-18T16:28:00.006-05:00

They are calling for SNOW here!! Quite a bit of it too!!! (Where I live, it gets bitter cold, but snows very little. At most it flurries and sometimes we get a covering of snow on the ground in January.)
So, I am very excited... but still a bit doubtful.

It's very fitting that I have been listening a lot lately to Amélie-les-crayons' song, 'Les jours de neige en ville' {'Snowy days in town'}.
Amélie is very quirky, lyrically and personally speaking. But this lovely song is a little more serious. From what I gather, reading different sites, Amélie wrote this song after the tsunami in Indonesia, while in Lyon, France, everything was covered with snow. The contrast between horror and peacefulness was so astonishing that she wrote this song. Apparently the lyrics are about the contradiction between the rumble of an ordinary town and its quietness when it's covered with snow.

{Click here to download.}

*looks out the window* IT'S SNOWING!!!!!! =D

Calico Skies

2009-12-15T21:17:00.014-05:00

Well, I wanted to post another Christmas song. But the song's file won't cooperate (It's a long story). I shall try to coax it into submission later but until then I shall post something else.

Tonight I was washing dishes. I love washing dishes. There is something so therapeutic about the warm water and suds and... making dirty things clean. Tonight my mum called me her 'dish fairy'. :)
I also love to sing while washing the dishes. And one of my favourite songs to sing while doing the dishes is a song called 'Calico Skies' by Paul McCartney. So, as I was washing the dishes tonight, I was inspired to do this post about 'Calico Skies'.

'Calico Skies' is a love song/60's protest song against war. But I think Paul mainly wrote this song for his wife, Linda. {Pictured above} For those who don't know Paul and Linda were married for 29 years until Linda died. They are my favourite famous couple ever, their story is really sweet in a world full of divorce.
This song was on his album "Flaming Pie" which was released in 1997. One year before Linda died of breast cancer. For me that makes the last sentence in this song more poignant: "I'll love you... for the rest of my life."

Listen:

{Paul and Linda in '97}

Now here is my advice to all stressed people, go wash dishes -- it soothes the soul. :)

Christmas TV

2009-12-08T17:03:00.011-05:00

"It's okay that I pray that you will miss your flight and have to stay with me another night..."

December is my favourite month of the year! I love Christmas!! Even though Christmas never quite lives up to my childhood memories of it there is still something so wonderful about the whole month.
Oddly enough, I don't really listen to much Christmas music voluntarily. Everyone seems to cover the same songs over and over again... which is a drag. So I have been listening to some non-traditional Christmas music. More specifically the song 'Christmas TV' by Slow Club!
I love Slow Club's energy and harmonious camaraderie. They always make me want to sing along loudly. =D

{And I love Rebecca's hair which seems to frequently be in a coronet braid!!!}

Listen to Christmas TV:

Is anyone else enjoying this wonderful season as much as I am? :)

Falling Slowly

2009-12-04T12:21:00.010-05:00

I've known the song 'Falling Slowly' by Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová for a couple months now. But it was only very recently that I realized how amazing it is!
This song was first on the album they made together The Swell Season. (The Swell Season is now the artist name they record under.)
I found out that 'Falling Slowly' was also in the film they both starred in, Once. So I began listening to the film's soundtrack which is incredible. Most of the soundtrack's songs are written by Glen and Markéta. (Separately and together) I haven't actually seen the movie, but I hope to someday...

Here's the song accompanied with clips from the movie:

I hope everyone is having a lovely weekend! :)

-EDIT- I thought it might be fun to have an artist of the month! It would just be whatever artist has particularly been tickling my fancy. It could be someone I've posted about before or not.
This month's is going to be The Swell Season! (The box is located on the left, right under my explanation. I'm sure you've already seen it. :P)

Dark Waltz

2009-12-01T16:23:00.007-05:00

"I'll keep you company in one glorious harmony, waltzing with destiny forever."

I remembered today how much I love Hayley Westenra's first {internationally released} album, 'Pure'.
I like her more recent albums... but 'Pure' is my favourite. This album was released in 2003 when she was only 16 years old! It has a nice mixture of classical and pop... and even a song in Māori! (The language of the indigenous population of New Zealand, where Hayley is from.)

Listen to "Dark Waltz", one of my favourite tracks off the album:

An Award?!?

2009-11-27T12:53:00.010-05:00

My dearest, Sarah, has given me an award!
<---- That's it, right over there. *beams* I would like to say thank you very much to her! :) Hopefully I won't mess this all up. I am not quite as brushed-up on blogger etiquette as I would like to be. Evidently I must answer these questions about myself. And because I have a lot of time on my hands I'm going to do all the questions, unlike Sarah. (My answers are also a lot shorter than hers... not to mention less inspiring! =D) {If you're here for the music, skip to the end.} Anyhow, here they are. Everything you didn't want to know about me:

1. Your hair: Moody, curly, sometimes shiny but mostly frizzy. We have a love-hate relationship.

2. Where is your phone: I don't have one. Truth be told... I don't like them. I suspect that they are out to get me........

3. Your father: He's the best dad in the world! Calm, steadfast, and very witty.

4. Your mother: My favourite person to laugh with! She has been teaching my siblings and I at home for a long time. She (and my father) also knows what's best for me most of the time, whether I want to admit it or not.

5. Your favourite food: Fruit. I wonder if the fruit in the Garden of Eden is the same fruit we have now? Somehow, I doubt it.

6. Your dream from last night: I... don't remember, oddly enough. But I remember my dream from the night before last. I dreamed I was married to one of the people who lives in my dollhouse (except he was human) and he needed to take a bath but everyone was hanging out in the room with the bathtub and I was having trouble getting them out. Yeah... I have strange dreams.

7. Your favourite drink: Water! "We never know the worth of water until the well is dry."

8. Your dream/goal: To not be afraid to try to do things I think I can't do. Like... write music.

9. What room are you in: our family room

10. What is your hobby: Music, I guess! I collect music. :) And I play music. On the piano, that is.
11. What is your fear: Not maturing and staying as stupid and childish as I am now.

12. Where do you want to be in six years: Honestly? Probably engaged or even married. I don't know if I could live my life alone... I feel so meaningless like I should have a bigger desire than that. Though maybe I'll live with my best friend and we can be spinisters together.

13. Where were you last night: At home. With family and extended family. :)

14. Something you are not: Extroverted. And warm... I'm very cold right now. :P

15. Muffins: I bake them and eat them. I am excessively fond of them. *craves*

16. Wish list items: Various albums by various artists. Out-of-print books by Noel Streatfeild.

17. Where did you grow up: In a home filled with laughter, insanity, a few annoyances... and of course, love!

18. Last thing I did: I thought about what I should put for the "last thing I did"....

19. What are you wearing: Clothes. Fact is... I never leave the house without them. *nods*

20. Your TV: Addicting... I try to stay away from it. I fail.

21. Your pets: Lots of rodents! And a little brother...

22. Your friends: I have friends... and then I have friends. The latter are few, but they are wonderful.

23. Your life: Boring by some people's standards, but I like it.

24. Your mood: I am quite content, thank you.

25. Missing someone: Yes... more than one person. Most of them are fictional...

26. Vehicle: These feet are made for walkin'... ;)

27. Something you're not wearing: Clothes. Hehe, just kidding... I am not wearing make-up. Unecessary stuff, if you ask me.

28. Your favourite store: It's a store from my imagination. It's full of old records. Shelves and shelves of them... with overstuffed armchairs near record players. I hope to find it someday in real life. (Oh, also, if it was an old book store that'd be just as good!)

29. Your favourite color: Sunset.

30. When was the last time you laughed: A few minutes ago... we're watching a Dicken's movie. I was probably laughing at one of his quirky characters.

31. When was the last time you cried: I think it was a few days ago. Pathetically enough I was making-up some story and playing one of the characters. I think they were tears of joy, though.

32. Your best friend is: Adorable, hilarious, sensible.

33. One place you go over and over: A special place in my mind. I go there every day. Don't we all?

34. One person who emails me regularly: Not a human, I know that for sure.

35. Favourite place to eat: At home.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Are you still awake? ;)

...And now I believe I am supposed to pass this award onto some people.
This is very sad but, I don't really have anyone to pass it onto. XD
Except this Literary Dreamer. He is a writer with blog posts that I like a lot, and continually find to be quite edifying. And he always has something nice to say on my blog, which I appreciate so much! (You don't have to do it if you don't wish to!)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

And to wrap this all up, I bring you: "I Love You, You Imbecile" by Pelle Carlberg featuring Ida Maria! {I love the song title... and the lyrics. =D}

My Musical Spoutings

2009-11-22T21:14:00.010-05:00

Often I feel overwhelmed by how much music is out there in the world. Most of it is not worth listening too... but a lot of it is!
Somedays I'll be listening on some site to an artist I like, and I'll see recommendations for other artists. So I'll start clicking around and listening - weeding out who I like, don't like, and kind of like. Until I have at least 10 new artists that I have an interest in and want to learn more about, musically speaking.
This wouldn't be so bad if I didn't do it so often! I have bookmarked links of all these artists I want to listen to. Often I'll just end up listening to a couple of their most popular songs. But I don't just want to know their 'hits'!! Very often there are lesser-known songs which are buried gems!
Another annoying factor is, I don't want to listen to or become attached to a song with horrible/explicit lyrics. And the music I listen to is mostly obscure so I often cannot find the lyrics anywhere!! *pulls out hair*
This plethora of music makes me feel extremely... stressed and... exhausted.

*deep breath* Whew, just needed to let that out. I feel much better and a bit ridiculous for my petty complaints. Such is life. :)
Sorry for my ranting. (Oh! Speaking of ranting, I have another blog! You can read it if you are so inclined... or if you're really, really bored.)

To end on a happier note, here's a random music video I've been watching all week!

{I love KaiserCartel!}

Piano Pieces for Adult Beginners

2009-11-17T16:15:00.009-05:00

"I just want you to know - I don't want you to go..."

One thing I love about the band Woodpigeon is their long song titles that seemingly have nothing to do with the song lyrics at all. Also a lot of their music has a decidedly minor feel. Which is absolutely delightful to my dark-rimmed soul! ;)

Listen to Woodpigeons' "Piano Pieces for Adult Beginners":
(I love the piano in this song!)

....and did you know that if you write the word "woodpigeon" in cursive it looks like a roller coaster?? Mark Hamilton does.

Les Parapluies de Cherbourg

2009-11-14T14:31:00.024-05:00

"Why is absence so heavy to bear? Why is Guy fading away from me? I would have died for him. Why aren't I dead...?"

Because of our mutual love for it, my new friend, Sarah, suggested I do a post about "Les Parapluies de Cherbourg". And since it's a musical I think that works perfectly!

When most people hear the premise of "Les Parapluies de Cherbourg" they instantly assume the worst about it. {"I mean, come on! It's a film that's all in French? And every, single word is SUNG?!?! Sounds kind of stupid..."}
Ah, but they have never heard Legrand's moving score, seen Demy's brilliant colours, or watched the heart-wrenching story.

Undoubtedly, one of the best parts of the movie is the main, musical theme. (Mainly known as "I Will Wait for You".)

This song is absolute perfection. It doesn't need words. The melody speaks for itself.

It's a film you do not want to miss. I am no good at summing up stories, so just go watch it if you already haven't.

...and don't blame me if after you watch it you feel the need to sing, in French, everything you say for the rest of the day! :)

(The scene where Guy is leaving is my favourite. Because it's so... sad...)

"Mon amour...."

"Je t'aime, je t'aime!"

Again, watch it if you haven't. I think I'm going to go watch it now. *blissful sigh*

{By the way, I turned the video into an mp3! Click here to dowload.}

Quel Mal y a-t-Il À Ça?

2009-11-11T15:03:00.003-05:00

Today I pretended to do my French while in actuality I was making my blog header! Yes I'm a wicked, wayward child... ;)
But I am rather proud of my header. It's not gorgeous or professional looking, but it looks better than I though it would! :)
So, in honour of my uncompleted French homework I am posting Françoise Hardy's "Quel Mal y a-t-Il À Ça?"

Listen:

...Now if you'll excuse me, I have some homework to do. :P