Who likes good music? Check these songs out and then go and buy them. You won't regret it.
"I Am Not a Robot" - Marina and the Diamonds
"Fader" - The Temper Trap
"Love Lost" - The Temper Trap
"The Ghost Inside" - Broken Bells
"Kandi" - One Eskimo
"Home" - Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeroes
"Santa Monica Dream" - Angus & Julia Stone
"The Wrestle" - Frightened Rabbit
"Me and Jane Doe" - Charlotte Gainsbourg
If you've never checked out the PS22 Chorus, you should absolutely get thyself to their web site and listen. Last night I was looking up a link to their performance of "Zebra" by Beach House and discovered that they'd actually done "I Am Not a Robot," as well. The adorableness can not be overstated. They actually do the robot for crying out loud...
Showing posts with label music. Show all posts
Showing posts with label music. Show all posts
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Ain't it funny how a melody can bring back a memory?
“We all have a song that somehow stamped our lives / Takes us to another place and time...”
Like the Kenny Chesney song says, we all have certain songs that remind us of certain moments in our lives. I have a whopping 20 songs, and that’s after whittling them down!
Your mission, should you choose to accept it -- and you should -- is to post the songs that have “stamped” your life. It can be as few or as many as you need it to be. Tell the story that goes along with each song and then title your blog/Facebook note/LiveJournal post/WHATEVER “[YOUR NAME]: The Album.”
Here’s mine...
“Count Your Blessings” - Bing Crosby
This is probably one of the earliest songs that affected me. This is the song my mom would sing me when I was a baby and a little girl. It automatically makes me think of my mom, which is probably why it’s towards the top of every “homesick” playlist I put together.
“From a Distance” - Bette Midler
Oh, sixth grade and junior high... In the seventh and eighth grade, I was in the Goddard Junior High School honor choir. Late in the school year, we put on a concert in which the choir members paired up for duets or sang solos. I paired up with Julie Cress to sing “From a Distance,” which I also remember one of the characters in the “Girl Talk” book series singing in a talent show, but whatever. I had such stage fright that I didn’t want my parents to come, so I arranged for Julie’s family to pick me up. I told my parents that I was just going to hang out with Julie. I kind of feel guilty about that now... So if anyone has video of that particular performance, please hook me up. I remember that I was wearing my Easter dress from that year -- a semi-off-the-shoulder floral-print dress from Sears. I remember feeling so grown up. I remember actually...liking being on stage.
“Life is a Highway” - Tom Cochrane
In the eighth grade, my parents let me go on my first “away” trip with a friend. Stacey Head and her family were kind enough to invite me to their cabin at Lake Possum Kingdom. Stacey and I were 14 at the time, but her mom let her take the Suburban out for a drive, as long as we stayed on the dirt roads out by the lake house. We played this song on cassette on loop as we drove and I remember laughing and feeling so free and scandalous.
“What a Friend We Have in Jesus/His Eye Is On The Sparrow” - Athena
I’m not particularly attached to this version of the song/medley, but still. “What a Friend We Have in Jesus” reminds me of church services as a child, but “His Eye is On The Sparrow” is the one that really affects me. It’s the song that was sung at my Poppy’s funeral, so that’s always what I associate with it. I got the news that my grandfather died on the day that we took yearbook pictures my junior year. My eyes are really puffy and you can tell that my smile was forced. As sad as the day of the funeral was -- and as sad as that memory is -- this song is still very uplifting to me and is one of my favorite hymns.
“Strawberry Wine” - Deana Carter
Sigh. Homecoming Dance during my senior year of high school. I remember my sister Katy going around and telling boys to ask me to dance. No one did and I remember sitting there the last song, feeling a bit sad that the only songs that I really danced to were “La Macarena” (we taught the foreign exchange student) and, I think, “The Cotton-Eyed Joe.” I still remember what I was wearing that night, too. I was a trainer on the football team, so I had run home to change into my cute cream-colored v-neck sweater and, of course, my faux Doc Martens.
“I Want You” - Savage Garden
Lake View High School Senior Picnic. I had just arrived and was talking to whoever was manning the grill at the ASU Lake Facility. It smelled like hamburgers. It was a good night.
“Livin’ La Vida Loca” - Ricky Martin
Ah, the night of my first real drink. It was a week before I turned 20 and I was with a group of fellow “Rampage” (ASU’s newspaper) staffers at the Texas Intercollegiate Press Conference in Kerrville. We were watching The Grammy Awards and saw Ricky Martin semi-debut this song live -- and we were hooked. While watching said awards show, we were enjoying a bottle of Boone’s Farm Strawberry Hill. Half a cheapo motel room cup of it made my stomach hurt and I think I fell over when I was sitting down. It’s as pathetic as it sounds, but a lovely memory.
“Time To Say Goodbye” - Andrea Bocelli and Sarah Brightman
The great Las Vegas trip of 1999. My Aunt Karen and I went to see The Backstreet Boys in Vegas. (Shut up.) After a fun day involving getting to sit on one of their tour buses (shut up), we walked down the strip from MGM Grand to McDonalds and to see the Bellagio Fountains. The first Fountain show I ever saw was "Time to Say Goodbye." It took me ten years to see that particular show again -- and I’ve seen it during both of my last two trips to Vegas -- but you never forget your first. Or something like that.
“The Texas Tech Fight Song” - The Goin’ Band From Raiderland
I’ll take every wonderful minute of my time at Texas Tech. Though I think one of the most memorable moments with that song occurred during the great Texas A&M v. Texas Tech debacle of 2000. (“It was like the Alamo.”) It’s a moment I’m not proud of in my school’s history, but it was the first time I heard the alternative lyrics to the song. I was appropriately scandalized. Also? GASTON GIRLS FOREVER!
“Boys From Oklahoma” - Cross Canadian Ragweed
This one was hard to narrow down to just one moment. I’ve had lots of great, memorable times with this song, but I’ll mention the most memorable -- the first time I heard this song. It was colder than a big dog the night of January 15, 2001, but I decided to go and camp out at the United Spirit Arena for the Texas Tech v. Oklahoma basketball game. It was Bobby Knight's first season at Tech and the Red Raiders had a shot at making it into the Big Dance. Thanks to that glorious thing called the Internet, alumni from all over the country called in and placed pizza orders to be delivered to us. The frat boys I was sitting with -- including one I’ve become acquainted with here in L.A. (but just realized this recently) -- played this particular song. And they even let me wear their wig!
“Time Of Your Life” - Green Day
I was at the Lubbock Chick-Fil-A when I realized that God for-sure wanted me to move to California. I’d been questioning it and then, the door opened to the store room and there in the doorway, big as Dallas, was a box of California lemons. I just knew that was what I was supposed to do. The song playing as I ate my grilled chicken sandwich (with waffle fries!) and pondered this was “Time Of Your Life” and I will never, ever forget that moment. Nor will I forget leaving Chick-Fil-A and passing a Walgreen's marquee advertising The Hollywood Miracle Diet.
“The Matador Song” - The Goin’ Band From Raiderland
During the spring of my senior year, I took a nasty spill in my dorm room while dancing on my tile floor in my socks. I did a spin, fell hard, and broke my wrist in two. That meant that when the Texas Tech Alumni Association ring ceremony came around, I was still in a cast. Thankfully, I’d been downgraded from the full above-the-elbow cast to a below-the-elbow version. I’d chosen red as the color and used a black magic marker to draw a huge double-T on it. (I still have it in my cedar chest!) That night, it truly hit me just how close I was to graduation.
“No One Knows” - Queens of the Stone Age
What better song to pick out a tattoo to than this one? This is what was playing in the tattoo parlor when I identified what would permanently mark a small portion of my body. I chose the state of Texas with a yellow rose growing through it and a small double-T. My counselor at the time told me she was proud of me for getting it because it was the first time I’d done something to really risk my father’s disapproval. (Though is it really that much of a risk if my dad still doesn’t know about it?) To whom do I owe the inspiration for this act of rebellion? One Katy Leanne Mason.
“Miss Independent” - Kelly Clarkson
This was my “Moving to L.A.” anthem, which meant it occupied a large part of my brain during the summer of 2003. After many instances of wanting to “miss” my exit on I-20 and keep on going to L.A., I decided to “run away” to California. I saved up some money and put a deposit down on a two bedroom apartment in Westwood with three other girls who I’d never met. I told my dad and stepmom only two weeks before I moved that I was going. They were understandably upset, but got over it in time. I guess you could say that the tattoo was the precursor to this. But when I was down over the “rift” with my dad, I would listen to this song and feel better.
“Toxic” - Britney Spears
Driving down Wilshire to El Cholo with Mandy with the windows rolled down. That song was everywhere right after I moved here. 2003 FOR THE WIN.
“Amie” - Damien Rice
After quitting my job as an insurance specialist/patient recruiter/whatever with a somewhat unpleasant gynecologist, I decided to start doing background work and supplementing it with temp work. It was great at first, but soon I wasn’t getting enough of either type of work to keep myself afloat. Someone from the gyno’s office called me to practically offer me my job back -- and I started bawling once I got off the phone because I felt like my only option was to take it and go back to the absolute misery of working for that man (though I should note that my coworkers were awesome). I turned on Damien Rice’s “O” (passed down to me from former roomie Emily) while I took a shower. I remember hearing “Amie” and watching the steam rise in the shower and just knowing in my heart that it was all going to be alright. Not five minutes after I got out of the shower, I got a call from another temp agency, which meant another opportunity to get work during the week.
“The Wreckoning” - Boomkat
My all-around “kick ass” song. You know on “The Office” when Dwight is psyching himself up for his performance evaluation? Or before going in to try to make a sale? This is my version of that song. Only with a little less air guitar and “because I’m AWESOME!” And you know what? This song, like prayer, WORKS.
“Somebody Told Me” - The Killers
Comic Con 2004! The first time I heard this song, Liz and I were driving back to L.A. from San Diego. We looked at each other like we needed verification that we actually just heard the lyric “Somebody told me that you had a boyfriend that looked like a girlfriend that I had in February of last year” -- much like my current roomies and I looked at each other the first time we heard “Human.”
“Hey Ya” - Outkast
After trying to find an apartment I could afford by myself and failing miserably, Meredith and Allison jokingly asked me if I wanted to move to Silver Lake with them. I surprised them with a very quick yes and we drove in Meredith’s little blue Golf to tour the apartment which would eventually be the one next door to the one we actually rented. (That’s a fabulous story that’s just way too long for this.) While we were navigating the 10 to the 110 to the 101, we listened to Outkast’s album. We all sang along to this one -- I think we were actually on the 110N-to-101N interchange! (Before I noticed that it smells like rotten eggs.)
“See You Again” - Miley Cyrus
Shut up. My sister -- the same one who introduced me to tattoos and Queens of the Stone Age -- downloaded this song and put it on a road trip CD for our drive to the Baylor v. Texas Tech football game this past year. This resulted in her dancing in the car, which resulted in me laughing so hard I had tears coming down my cheeks. Whenever I have a down moment, all I have to do is turn on this song and I’m happy again. Thanks, Katy.
Like the Kenny Chesney song says, we all have certain songs that remind us of certain moments in our lives. I have a whopping 20 songs, and that’s after whittling them down!
Your mission, should you choose to accept it -- and you should -- is to post the songs that have “stamped” your life. It can be as few or as many as you need it to be. Tell the story that goes along with each song and then title your blog/Facebook note/LiveJournal post/WHATEVER “[YOUR NAME]: The Album.”
Here’s mine...
Amanda: The Album
“Count Your Blessings” - Bing Crosby
This is probably one of the earliest songs that affected me. This is the song my mom would sing me when I was a baby and a little girl. It automatically makes me think of my mom, which is probably why it’s towards the top of every “homesick” playlist I put together.
“From a Distance” - Bette Midler
Oh, sixth grade and junior high... In the seventh and eighth grade, I was in the Goddard Junior High School honor choir. Late in the school year, we put on a concert in which the choir members paired up for duets or sang solos. I paired up with Julie Cress to sing “From a Distance,” which I also remember one of the characters in the “Girl Talk” book series singing in a talent show, but whatever. I had such stage fright that I didn’t want my parents to come, so I arranged for Julie’s family to pick me up. I told my parents that I was just going to hang out with Julie. I kind of feel guilty about that now... So if anyone has video of that particular performance, please hook me up. I remember that I was wearing my Easter dress from that year -- a semi-off-the-shoulder floral-print dress from Sears. I remember feeling so grown up. I remember actually...liking being on stage.
“Life is a Highway” - Tom Cochrane
In the eighth grade, my parents let me go on my first “away” trip with a friend. Stacey Head and her family were kind enough to invite me to their cabin at Lake Possum Kingdom. Stacey and I were 14 at the time, but her mom let her take the Suburban out for a drive, as long as we stayed on the dirt roads out by the lake house. We played this song on cassette on loop as we drove and I remember laughing and feeling so free and scandalous.
“What a Friend We Have in Jesus/His Eye Is On The Sparrow” - Athena
I’m not particularly attached to this version of the song/medley, but still. “What a Friend We Have in Jesus” reminds me of church services as a child, but “His Eye is On The Sparrow” is the one that really affects me. It’s the song that was sung at my Poppy’s funeral, so that’s always what I associate with it. I got the news that my grandfather died on the day that we took yearbook pictures my junior year. My eyes are really puffy and you can tell that my smile was forced. As sad as the day of the funeral was -- and as sad as that memory is -- this song is still very uplifting to me and is one of my favorite hymns.
“Strawberry Wine” - Deana Carter
Sigh. Homecoming Dance during my senior year of high school. I remember my sister Katy going around and telling boys to ask me to dance. No one did and I remember sitting there the last song, feeling a bit sad that the only songs that I really danced to were “La Macarena” (we taught the foreign exchange student) and, I think, “The Cotton-Eyed Joe.” I still remember what I was wearing that night, too. I was a trainer on the football team, so I had run home to change into my cute cream-colored v-neck sweater and, of course, my faux Doc Martens.
“I Want You” - Savage Garden
Lake View High School Senior Picnic. I had just arrived and was talking to whoever was manning the grill at the ASU Lake Facility. It smelled like hamburgers. It was a good night.
“Livin’ La Vida Loca” - Ricky Martin
Ah, the night of my first real drink. It was a week before I turned 20 and I was with a group of fellow “Rampage” (ASU’s newspaper) staffers at the Texas Intercollegiate Press Conference in Kerrville. We were watching The Grammy Awards and saw Ricky Martin semi-debut this song live -- and we were hooked. While watching said awards show, we were enjoying a bottle of Boone’s Farm Strawberry Hill. Half a cheapo motel room cup of it made my stomach hurt and I think I fell over when I was sitting down. It’s as pathetic as it sounds, but a lovely memory.
“Time To Say Goodbye” - Andrea Bocelli and Sarah Brightman
The great Las Vegas trip of 1999. My Aunt Karen and I went to see The Backstreet Boys in Vegas. (Shut up.) After a fun day involving getting to sit on one of their tour buses (shut up), we walked down the strip from MGM Grand to McDonalds and to see the Bellagio Fountains. The first Fountain show I ever saw was "Time to Say Goodbye." It took me ten years to see that particular show again -- and I’ve seen it during both of my last two trips to Vegas -- but you never forget your first. Or something like that.
“The Texas Tech Fight Song” - The Goin’ Band From Raiderland
I’ll take every wonderful minute of my time at Texas Tech. Though I think one of the most memorable moments with that song occurred during the great Texas A&M v. Texas Tech debacle of 2000. (“It was like the Alamo.”) It’s a moment I’m not proud of in my school’s history, but it was the first time I heard the alternative lyrics to the song. I was appropriately scandalized. Also? GASTON GIRLS FOREVER!
“Boys From Oklahoma” - Cross Canadian Ragweed
This one was hard to narrow down to just one moment. I’ve had lots of great, memorable times with this song, but I’ll mention the most memorable -- the first time I heard this song. It was colder than a big dog the night of January 15, 2001, but I decided to go and camp out at the United Spirit Arena for the Texas Tech v. Oklahoma basketball game. It was Bobby Knight's first season at Tech and the Red Raiders had a shot at making it into the Big Dance. Thanks to that glorious thing called the Internet, alumni from all over the country called in and placed pizza orders to be delivered to us. The frat boys I was sitting with -- including one I’ve become acquainted with here in L.A. (but just realized this recently) -- played this particular song. And they even let me wear their wig!
“Time Of Your Life” - Green Day
I was at the Lubbock Chick-Fil-A when I realized that God for-sure wanted me to move to California. I’d been questioning it and then, the door opened to the store room and there in the doorway, big as Dallas, was a box of California lemons. I just knew that was what I was supposed to do. The song playing as I ate my grilled chicken sandwich (with waffle fries!) and pondered this was “Time Of Your Life” and I will never, ever forget that moment. Nor will I forget leaving Chick-Fil-A and passing a Walgreen's marquee advertising The Hollywood Miracle Diet.
“The Matador Song” - The Goin’ Band From Raiderland
During the spring of my senior year, I took a nasty spill in my dorm room while dancing on my tile floor in my socks. I did a spin, fell hard, and broke my wrist in two. That meant that when the Texas Tech Alumni Association ring ceremony came around, I was still in a cast. Thankfully, I’d been downgraded from the full above-the-elbow cast to a below-the-elbow version. I’d chosen red as the color and used a black magic marker to draw a huge double-T on it. (I still have it in my cedar chest!) That night, it truly hit me just how close I was to graduation.
“No One Knows” - Queens of the Stone Age
What better song to pick out a tattoo to than this one? This is what was playing in the tattoo parlor when I identified what would permanently mark a small portion of my body. I chose the state of Texas with a yellow rose growing through it and a small double-T. My counselor at the time told me she was proud of me for getting it because it was the first time I’d done something to really risk my father’s disapproval. (Though is it really that much of a risk if my dad still doesn’t know about it?) To whom do I owe the inspiration for this act of rebellion? One Katy Leanne Mason.
“Miss Independent” - Kelly Clarkson
This was my “Moving to L.A.” anthem, which meant it occupied a large part of my brain during the summer of 2003. After many instances of wanting to “miss” my exit on I-20 and keep on going to L.A., I decided to “run away” to California. I saved up some money and put a deposit down on a two bedroom apartment in Westwood with three other girls who I’d never met. I told my dad and stepmom only two weeks before I moved that I was going. They were understandably upset, but got over it in time. I guess you could say that the tattoo was the precursor to this. But when I was down over the “rift” with my dad, I would listen to this song and feel better.
“Toxic” - Britney Spears
Driving down Wilshire to El Cholo with Mandy with the windows rolled down. That song was everywhere right after I moved here. 2003 FOR THE WIN.
“Amie” - Damien Rice
After quitting my job as an insurance specialist/patient recruiter/whatever with a somewhat unpleasant gynecologist, I decided to start doing background work and supplementing it with temp work. It was great at first, but soon I wasn’t getting enough of either type of work to keep myself afloat. Someone from the gyno’s office called me to practically offer me my job back -- and I started bawling once I got off the phone because I felt like my only option was to take it and go back to the absolute misery of working for that man (though I should note that my coworkers were awesome). I turned on Damien Rice’s “O” (passed down to me from former roomie Emily) while I took a shower. I remember hearing “Amie” and watching the steam rise in the shower and just knowing in my heart that it was all going to be alright. Not five minutes after I got out of the shower, I got a call from another temp agency, which meant another opportunity to get work during the week.
“The Wreckoning” - Boomkat
My all-around “kick ass” song. You know on “The Office” when Dwight is psyching himself up for his performance evaluation? Or before going in to try to make a sale? This is my version of that song. Only with a little less air guitar and “because I’m AWESOME!” And you know what? This song, like prayer, WORKS.
“Somebody Told Me” - The Killers
Comic Con 2004! The first time I heard this song, Liz and I were driving back to L.A. from San Diego. We looked at each other like we needed verification that we actually just heard the lyric “Somebody told me that you had a boyfriend that looked like a girlfriend that I had in February of last year” -- much like my current roomies and I looked at each other the first time we heard “Human.”
“Hey Ya” - Outkast
After trying to find an apartment I could afford by myself and failing miserably, Meredith and Allison jokingly asked me if I wanted to move to Silver Lake with them. I surprised them with a very quick yes and we drove in Meredith’s little blue Golf to tour the apartment which would eventually be the one next door to the one we actually rented. (That’s a fabulous story that’s just way too long for this.) While we were navigating the 10 to the 110 to the 101, we listened to Outkast’s album. We all sang along to this one -- I think we were actually on the 110N-to-101N interchange! (Before I noticed that it smells like rotten eggs.)
“See You Again” - Miley Cyrus
Shut up. My sister -- the same one who introduced me to tattoos and Queens of the Stone Age -- downloaded this song and put it on a road trip CD for our drive to the Baylor v. Texas Tech football game this past year. This resulted in her dancing in the car, which resulted in me laughing so hard I had tears coming down my cheeks. Whenever I have a down moment, all I have to do is turn on this song and I’m happy again. Thanks, Katy.
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
I hit the highway in a pink RV with stars on the ceiling...
So this is not the most insightful blog entry of all time. Please accept my most sincere apologies.
And finally, this is a call to Momo and Andrew, my two winners so far. I need you fine folks to e-mail me at amandammason [at] gmail dot com. I'd like to get your episodes sent out to you.
Pretty and happy song download of the day: "Love Song 2009" - Dent May and His Magical Ukelele.
Friday, May 22, 2009
Are you with the bride? Or the failure?
You know, I haven't really watched this in its entirety since it aired in 1993. I have it on VHS somewhere -- I think it's either on the tape of me being interviewed on the news while taking drivers-ed (braces FTW) or on the tape of the 1994 Winter Olympics figure skating competition -- but I haven't really pulled it out in a while. (Partially because I no longer own a VCR...) So I don't know if it's still as funny as it once was or if I am just easily amused. (It's a toss-up.) Regardless, I still quote it in every day life...
(sing-song) "He failed to bring back the sam-po! So we shall die of star-va-tion!"
"All rise. Santa Claus is now entering the lodge."
"Why is he wearing a Hershey's kiss on his head?"
"Failure! Failure! He is a failure!"
"Ever eat a pine tree? Many parts are edible." (Yes, I know that this one was a shout-out to something else...)
I guess I should tell you what "this" and "it" is... Mystery Science Theater 3000's take on "The Day The Earth Froze." I was thrilled to find it online so that I can share it and watch it whenever I need a pick-me-up. Enjoy!
(I should note that the episode starts off with a short film entitled "Here Comes The Circus," so don't be confused. Cheesy Swedish goodness will start shortly thereafter.)
Also, here's today's Pretty Song Download of the Day: Rob Dickinson's cover of "Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want." Now go and purchase the entire album!
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Los Angeles, I'm yours...
Have you ever wondered what would happen if the White Stripes had collaborated with The Decemberists on “The Crane Wife?”
Neither had I, but if I ever had wondered, I got my answer last night. That answer is The Decemberists’ latest album “The Hazards of Love.”
Neither had I, but if I ever had wondered, I got my answer last night. That answer is The Decemberists’ latest album “The Hazards of Love.”
When I initially saw that The Decemberists were playing The Palladium in Hollywood, I didn’t give much thought to buying tickets. I enjoyed “The Crane Wife” quite a bit – it’s still one of my favorite albums to listen to when I’m unwinding after a long day at work. But that’s exactly the problem – it’s relaxation music. And after a long day at work, I didn’t care to stand at The Palladium while being serenaded with lullabies. I'm bipedal and it’s kind of hard to stand and sleep!
Then came this past Monday. I was at the intersection of Vermont and Wilshire when the first notes of “The Wanting Comes in Waves/Repaid” began playing on Morning Become Eclectic. It sounded like what I consider a typical Decemberists song to sound like. I began picturing people in period hoop skirts in plantation houses with oil lamps – and then that guitar started. That guitar, people. Holy moly. I was caught completely by surprise. And just like that, I started to regret not looking for tickets.
I completely lucked out yesterday, though. KCRW was giving away tickets and I happened to win a pair. Truthfully, I was mainly calling for the Other Lives album – I figured the tickets would have been given away by the time I finally got through on the phone. Nope! I won a pair of tickets to the show and that Other Lives CD. Autographed, no less!
Other Lives was amazing and a perfect complement for The Decemberists. In fact, they might be my new favorite band of the moment. I’m a sucker for a band with a cello – I can’t help it. Starbucks gave away free iTunes downloads of their “Black Tables” single a month or so ago and it immediately hooked me. (It was even more gorgeous live -- true facts!) One of my favorite “Tweets” during intermission was that Other Lives had just sold 4,000 albums. Again with true facts. Had I not won a copy earlier in the day, I’d have bought it myself.
Then came this past Monday. I was at the intersection of Vermont and Wilshire when the first notes of “The Wanting Comes in Waves/Repaid” began playing on Morning Become Eclectic. It sounded like what I consider a typical Decemberists song to sound like. I began picturing people in period hoop skirts in plantation houses with oil lamps – and then that guitar started. That guitar, people. Holy moly. I was caught completely by surprise. And just like that, I started to regret not looking for tickets.
I completely lucked out yesterday, though. KCRW was giving away tickets and I happened to win a pair. Truthfully, I was mainly calling for the Other Lives album – I figured the tickets would have been given away by the time I finally got through on the phone. Nope! I won a pair of tickets to the show and that Other Lives CD. Autographed, no less!
Other Lives was amazing and a perfect complement for The Decemberists. In fact, they might be my new favorite band of the moment. I’m a sucker for a band with a cello – I can’t help it. Starbucks gave away free iTunes downloads of their “Black Tables” single a month or so ago and it immediately hooked me. (It was even more gorgeous live -- true facts!) One of my favorite “Tweets” during intermission was that Other Lives had just sold 4,000 albums. Again with true facts. Had I not won a copy earlier in the day, I’d have bought it myself.(Side note: I was very amused to learn that they’re from Stillwater, Okla., especially considering my deep affection for that other band from Stillwater, Okla.)
Having not yet heard “The Hazards of Love” (aside from the occasional song on KCRW), I was still expecting a mellow show from The Decemberists. I was wrong. Wrong wrong wrong. I wish I had video capability on my phone because, let me tell you, a mass of head-banging hipsters is quite a sight to behold. It was obvious that, unlike me, most of the crowd knew what was coming. What I later learned is that the entire first half of the show was “The Hazards of Love” in its entirety – with no break. That’s 58 minutes and 37 seconds of music with not one moment of silence. In fact, the band didn’t even introduce themselves until the second half of their set.
The entire set was awesome, but you guys. YOU GUYS. “The Wanting Comes in Waves/Repaid.” As fantastic and opinion-changing as it was on the radio that morning in K-Town, multiply that by 47. Y’all know I’m not a big fan of cussin’, but holy shit. Shara Worden hit all of her notes and she was jumping up and down and dancing and did I mention that she hit all of her notes? Mind? BLOWN. Head? Banging.
After the band wrapped up the album portion, they said they were going to take a break and come back for some more music. I figured it was going to be a typical encore of one or two songs. I need to quit assuming things. Once they returned, they played for a whole HOUR more with their older stuff – “Los Angeles, I’m Yours,” “July, July,” “O Valencia” and “Yankee Bayonet” just to name a few. And then they did an actual encore after that!
One of the last images of the show was a band member playing the bass – not the bass guitar, the actual bass – while lying on his back, Hendrix-style. That should tell you something. It was such a great show that I dropped $30 on the concert poster to commemorate. Actually, I would venture to say that it’s among my top five concerts of all time. Between the two bands, that was almost three full hours of live music. If they come to your city or even near your city, I highly recommend checking them out.
If you’re interested, you can check out the live sets that both bands did on Morning Becomes Eclectic: The Decemberists and Other Lives. And because this single was given away for free by Starbucks to promote the album, I don’t feel bad about posting it here: “Black Tables” by Other Lives. Now go buy the album so I don't look like too much of a pirate. Arrrrr!
Monday, May 18, 2009
Work on your mu-sic?
Who am I and what have I done with Amanda?
The following is an IM conversation I had with my roommate (who we will henceforth refer to as "Maleficent"*) this morning:
Amanda (10:29:48 AM): Well on iTunes, I downloaded the Kooks, which is really good. And on eMusic (which is mp3, and easy to share), I downloaded Passion Pit
Amanda (10:30:17 AM): And a couple of songs from Dent May and His Magical Ukelele
Amanda (10:30:22 AM): Oh and the Patrick Watson album
Maleficent (10:35:24 AM): i have no idea who some of those people are
Amanda (10:35:53 AM): I just read what I wrote and was all, "Whuuuuuh?" Jason Bentley has inspired me!
Maleficent (10:36:04 AM): tee hee
Amanda (10:36:06 AM): (As well as my eMusic account, which is probably the best $11 I spend all month.)
Maleficent (10:36:31 AM): good!
Amanda (10:36:48 AM): Bentley has been playing a song called "Big Bird in a Small Cage" quite a bit recently. First time I heard it, I thought it was an Alison Krauss duet.
Amanda (10:36:55 AM): It was by Patrick Watson.
Amanda (10:37:25 AM): So I did that. Passion Pit is kind of like Vampire Weekend and Little Joy (note to self - find that album) in that they're very upbeat.
Amanda (10:37:28 AM): With a hint of MGMT
Maleficent (10:37:44 AM): HEE
Maleficent (10:37:47 AM): you're cracking me up.
If any of these bands intrigue you at all, I also have to use this opportunity to recommend Rockville CA, which is a web series streaming at TheWB.com. The afore-mentioned Passion Pit and The Kooks were each featured in webisodes of the show. Plus, it's very fun, so run along now and give it a look!
Maleficent (12:20:50 PM): LOL, (my boss) just asked me to tweet about yoga and sex today.
The following is an IM conversation I had with my roommate (who we will henceforth refer to as "Maleficent"*) this morning:
Amanda (10:29:48 AM): Well on iTunes, I downloaded the Kooks, which is really good. And on eMusic (which is mp3, and easy to share), I downloaded Passion PitAmanda (10:30:17 AM): And a couple of songs from Dent May and His Magical Ukelele
Amanda (10:30:22 AM): Oh and the Patrick Watson album
Maleficent (10:35:24 AM): i have no idea who some of those people are
Amanda (10:35:53 AM): I just read what I wrote and was all, "Whuuuuuh?" Jason Bentley has inspired me!
Maleficent (10:36:04 AM): tee hee
Amanda (10:36:06 AM): (As well as my eMusic account, which is probably the best $11 I spend all month.)
Maleficent (10:36:31 AM): good!
Amanda (10:36:48 AM): Bentley has been playing a song called "Big Bird in a Small Cage" quite a bit recently. First time I heard it, I thought it was an Alison Krauss duet.
Amanda (10:36:55 AM): It was by Patrick Watson.
Amanda (10:37:25 AM): So I did that. Passion Pit is kind of like Vampire Weekend and Little Joy (note to self - find that album) in that they're very upbeat.
Amanda (10:37:28 AM): With a hint of MGMT
Maleficent (10:37:44 AM): HEE
Maleficent (10:37:47 AM): you're cracking me up.
* Yes, as in that Maleficent. This was her choice, not mine. I'm not making any statements on her personality, as I don't make a habit of cohabitating with bitchy witches who morph into dragons. Just to clear that up... (Though now I'm imagining the real Maleficent saying "tee hee" and it's muy amusing.)
(Real) Maleficent: Tee hee! You fools crack me up! Thinking you could defeat me, *me*! The Mistress of All Evil! Well, here's your precious princess!
My favorite thing this morning was the realization that the cover of Vampire Weekend's "Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa" that was playing was being performed by none other than Peter Gabriel (with Hot Chip). Earlier in the conversation, we discussed how The Decemberists bring to mind sedate music, but that the single I heard this morning was "rocking." (That would be "The Wanting Comes in Waves/Repaid.")
Don't get me wrong, I've liked indie music before. This is nothing new to me -- but never to this degree. Before, it was a little Band of Horses here, a smidge of The Shins there, with a pinch of Arcade Fire on top. Now, I'm actually talking about bands called Vampire Weekend and The Kooks and Passion Pit with a straight face. With the what now?
It's not like I spend, well, any time at the Echoes or the Spacelands of the world. Having a job doesn't allow me to drop into Amoeba for their live sets. No, this gradual adoration of indie music is due in large part to KCRW's Morning Becomes Eclectic, which makes my morning commutes somewhat enjoyable. (Sorry, Jason Bentley, but not even your fantastic music selection can completely negate over half an hour in my car.) The show is available for live streaming through iTunes on weekdays from 9 a.m. to 12 noon PST. You can also listen to the most recent show any time at KCRW's web site. Two enthusiastic thumbs up.
Other influences are television and the Interschnitzel because, let's face it, I am weak and quite malleable when it comes to product placement and music usage. In my defense, I've always been a soundtrack junkie. The first show that did music well (for me) was Alias. By the time that show was over, I had an iPod playlist long enough to get me through an entire eight hour workday. Now, there are shows like Chuck and Grey's (even though I haven't watched in two years), which have added about three more workdays to Telly the iPod.
If any of these bands intrigue you at all, I also have to use this opportunity to recommend Rockville CA, which is a web series streaming at TheWB.com. The afore-mentioned Passion Pit and The Kooks were each featured in webisodes of the show. Plus, it's very fun, so run along now and give it a look!On a completely random aesthetic note, is it just me or does the cover for Vampire Weekend's album remind one of Hotel Hudson in NYC? That brings to mind bagels and Apple Jacks and Grimaldi's in Brooklyn and Dr. Stephen T. Colbert, D.F.A. And oh I need to go back sooooon.
I shall leave you with my favorite quote of the day, brought to you by our dear friend Maleficent. I'm not even going to provide context, because it's even more fun without it...
Maleficent (12:20:50 PM): LOL, (my boss) just asked me to tweet about yoga and sex today.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)