I took my work iPod home last weekend to update it because it tragically did not have both Florence + the Machine albums on it for some reason. (Background: this is my music only iPod that now does not even hold all my music so I have to start figuring out new ways to get music on there. I started with putting all my playlists on but that does not give me full albums so I now have to check individual artists and albums...a long process. Ugh.) Well this morning I forgot to grab it to bring back so I am without it today. Not a huge deal, I have the internet. So I first go to AOL and Spinners listening party where you can hear full albums before they are released...dud. Not only was there nothing that particularly caught my attention (besides the new Civil Twilight which did sounded pretty good) but I find that Macy Grey has a cover album...and each song I started listening to was worse than the 5 sec I listened to before it. The cover of "Maps" by Yeah Yeah Yeahs should be outlawed.
NPR TO THE RESCUE!!! NPR First Listen saved my morning...and afternoon...and tomorrow morning as they are streaming the new M. Ward (collective sigh) and Of Monsters and Men. They are both great. After my great love of Hold Time, M. Ward had a lot to live up to with his new album in in my opinion - but it sounds like the summer of 2012 to me...because I will be playing it all summer starting now...with breaks for Kimbra of course. Oh, did I mention that Zooey makes an appearance? She does and it is wonderful. I feel like it may already have a spot on my top albums of the year after only one listen. (The Shins Port of Morrow and Kimbra Vows already have spots on lock-down as well.)
Next- My Head is Animal by Of Monsters and Men. If you like "Little Talks" and have been waiting for a U.S. release of their debut album like I have, you will not be disappointed. This album falls under one of my favorite indie categories that I made up: Lots of instruments, Lots of voices. (Another example would be Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros) They have songs that range from fast to slow, powerful to intimate. I am loving it.
M. Ward's A Wasteland Companion will be released April 10th (another RSD purchase for me!) and Of Monsters and Men's debut My Head is Animal will be out April 3rd. Pick em up, listen to them, love them.
I will leave you with Kimbra...just kidding. I will give you a small Kimbra break and leave you with some M.Ward and Zooey goodness, enjoy!
Monday, March 26, 2012
Monday, March 19, 2012
Music Monday: Lots of Random Music Updates
So there is not one thing I am loving right now, but many and here they are:
1. The Shins- Port of Morrow (which you can stream on iTunes till tomorrow or Spinner till probably the end of the week) It sounds great and comes out tomorrow!! I am a huge Shins fan and a confession, may have preordered this CD in February before the spending fast...cheating I know. After the spending fast I will be buying it on LP at Finders. (Lets be honest, after the spending fast I will be spending all day a Finders...oh maybe I will make it Record Store Day!)
2. The Voice: This is the Voice! (I sing that as I fast-forward through commercials..it is in no way annoying my brother.) I was a fan of the voice last summer because of the coaches, blind auditions, how quickly it moved along, and how they really supported the artists and help them develop their unique style not just assigning them to sing country one week and 80's songs the next. When they announced that it would be back in the spring I thought that I would not watch it because there are so many other things on to watch and I do not want to spend every night in front of the TV. However...after the Superbowl I watched the first episode with my brother, saw this, and set the DVR to record the series. Oh, and I started a Voice fantasy league. (My team is AWESOME!)
3. Kimbra! I know, your are probably thinking "What you like Kimbra? No way." Yes. I LOVE KIMBRA! She is amahzing! Her U.S. album comes out May 22nd and here is one of the new songs that will be on it preformed live at SXSW:
4. SiriusXM - I have been loving SiriusXM a lot lately. Not just for all music no commercials, stations I am interested in, and Live On Broadway with Seth Rudetsky but lately they have been playing a ton of live stuff (like the Shins set at SXSW). Also I love seeing an artist that I knew was going to catch on go from one station to the next. Like Goyte started popping up on my indie/alternative stations sporadically, then it was on the countdowns, then it moved to Spectrum, then it is on the top40 station and I can say "I told you so-you should hire me for stuff like this!" I will be really sad when my trial expires.
5. New iPad Garage Band App- now I do not own this but I watched the presentation they did, played with it at the Apple store this weekend and when I get an iPad it will be one of the few apps I buy.
6. Nick Drake- Now Nick Drake is not new, he is actually from the 70's but his music is amazing. I first heard his song "Pink Moon" in a car commercial over 10 years ago and with a second song I love on the Garden State Soundtrack I bought two of his CDs. Over the years he has become my go to artist to fall asleep to, read to, listen to when I want to relax or when I am sick (like all last week). He has a third CD and I will be buying it on Record Store Day because I think my other songs are starting to get jealous of the outrageous play count of Bryter Layter, and Pink Moon.
7. Kimbra! I am so dissapointed that I did not go to SXSW this year now because not only was Kimbra there, but she performed like a zillion times. Like a whole set by herself:
and many more shows with a full band and a tambourine which she performs with such dedication that she ends up like this by the end of the week. So to end this post enjoy one of her million SXSW sets:
1. The Shins- Port of Morrow (which you can stream on iTunes till tomorrow or Spinner till probably the end of the week) It sounds great and comes out tomorrow!! I am a huge Shins fan and a confession, may have preordered this CD in February before the spending fast...cheating I know. After the spending fast I will be buying it on LP at Finders. (Lets be honest, after the spending fast I will be spending all day a Finders...oh maybe I will make it Record Store Day!)
2. The Voice: This is the Voice! (I sing that as I fast-forward through commercials..it is in no way annoying my brother.) I was a fan of the voice last summer because of the coaches, blind auditions, how quickly it moved along, and how they really supported the artists and help them develop their unique style not just assigning them to sing country one week and 80's songs the next. When they announced that it would be back in the spring I thought that I would not watch it because there are so many other things on to watch and I do not want to spend every night in front of the TV. However...after the Superbowl I watched the first episode with my brother, saw this, and set the DVR to record the series. Oh, and I started a Voice fantasy league. (My team is AWESOME!)
3. Kimbra! I know, your are probably thinking "What you like Kimbra? No way." Yes. I LOVE KIMBRA! She is amahzing! Her U.S. album comes out May 22nd and here is one of the new songs that will be on it preformed live at SXSW:
4. SiriusXM - I have been loving SiriusXM a lot lately. Not just for all music no commercials, stations I am interested in, and Live On Broadway with Seth Rudetsky but lately they have been playing a ton of live stuff (like the Shins set at SXSW). Also I love seeing an artist that I knew was going to catch on go from one station to the next. Like Goyte started popping up on my indie/alternative stations sporadically, then it was on the countdowns, then it moved to Spectrum, then it is on the top40 station and I can say "I told you so-you should hire me for stuff like this!" I will be really sad when my trial expires.
5. New iPad Garage Band App- now I do not own this but I watched the presentation they did, played with it at the Apple store this weekend and when I get an iPad it will be one of the few apps I buy.
6. Nick Drake- Now Nick Drake is not new, he is actually from the 70's but his music is amazing. I first heard his song "Pink Moon" in a car commercial over 10 years ago and with a second song I love on the Garden State Soundtrack I bought two of his CDs. Over the years he has become my go to artist to fall asleep to, read to, listen to when I want to relax or when I am sick (like all last week). He has a third CD and I will be buying it on Record Store Day because I think my other songs are starting to get jealous of the outrageous play count of Bryter Layter, and Pink Moon.
7. Kimbra! I am so dissapointed that I did not go to SXSW this year now because not only was Kimbra there, but she performed like a zillion times. Like a whole set by herself:
and many more shows with a full band and a tambourine which she performs with such dedication that she ends up like this by the end of the week. So to end this post enjoy one of her million SXSW sets:
Monday, March 12, 2012
Music Monday: 2011 Mix
With Lent going on, and me giving up spending, I have not acquired any new music. (Good thing I have a well stocked "store" to shop of CDs that have not been officially added to the organized and awesomely displayed collection) Which means not a lot of new music to talk about. But today I realized I have not posted my 2011 Mix yet!! As you may know I take my mix CDs very seriously. Even the actual CD and packaging are important to me. (See the sweet CDs I used here!) I worked very hard on my 2011 mix and I happen to think it is quite amazing! The year end mix is music that was discovered, enjoyed, or overly played during the year (get ready for an all Kimbra 2012 CD!) and maybe even some songs that remind you of events that happened that year.
So with out further ado here is my 2011 Mix-tape:
There you have it! What do you think? Put these songs together (in this order) and tell me if you like it. I love hearing peoples opinions on my mixes. If you followed my blog you would have expected quite a few of the artists included like Cults, Best Coast, Paul McCartney and PS22. Oh, and the Goyte song was on there way before the Kimbrasposion of 2012. Which speaking of Kimbra...BIG NEWS!! U.S. RELEASE DATE SET FOR KIMBRA'S ALBUM!! MAY 22ND!!! SOOO EXCITED!! Oh, and did I mention I have tickets to see her in June!! (Insert celebratory sounds like Amy Pholer here!) I WILL MEET HER. Check out another song already in the running for my 2012 mix below because once I post this my post on Kimbra will drop off the main page- and that is just not right.
(BTW, the videos have gone from a few thousand views when I first started watching them to millions...not saying I had a huge hand in that, but I like to think I did.)
So with out further ado here is my 2011 Mix-tape:
- Oohs and Ahhs - NEEDTOBREATHE
- Little Secrets - Passion Pit
- Young at Love and Life - Dominant Legs
- Lover to Lover - Florence + the Machine
- Our Deal - Best Coast
- You Know What I Mean - Cults
- Why Does Love Got To Be So Sad? - Derek and the Dominoes
- Maybe I'm Amazed - Paul McCartney
- Pumped Up Kicks (live) - Foster the People
- Ohh La La - The Faces
- Big Me - Foo Fighters
- One Day - Matisyahu
- WHALE - Yellow Ostrich
- Up Up Up - GIVERS
- French Navy - Camera Obscura
- Sukie in the Graveyard - Belle & Sebastian
- "Learningalilgivinanlovin" - Gotye
- Rill Rill - Sleigh Bells
- Party Rock Anthem - LMFAO
- Warrant - Foster the People
- Bonus 1: My Man - Glee (even though I have mixed feelings of this show, I had to include some Bway since I went this year and she can kill some Barbara)
- Bonus 2: Zebra Cover - PS22
There you have it! What do you think? Put these songs together (in this order) and tell me if you like it. I love hearing peoples opinions on my mixes. If you followed my blog you would have expected quite a few of the artists included like Cults, Best Coast, Paul McCartney and PS22. Oh, and the Goyte song was on there way before the Kimbrasposion of 2012. Which speaking of Kimbra...BIG NEWS!! U.S. RELEASE DATE SET FOR KIMBRA'S ALBUM!! MAY 22ND!!! SOOO EXCITED!! Oh, and did I mention I have tickets to see her in June!! (Insert celebratory sounds like Amy Pholer here!) I WILL MEET HER. Check out another song already in the running for my 2012 mix below because once I post this my post on Kimbra will drop off the main page- and that is just not right.
(BTW, the videos have gone from a few thousand views when I first started watching them to millions...not saying I had a huge hand in that, but I like to think I did.)
Friday, March 09, 2012
STOP KONY 2012
"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed people can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has." - Margaret Mead
The video that is sweeping the world about Joseph Kony is getting a lot of criticism and I have to ask why? First the video if you have not seen it:
When I finished watching this I was so excited at the prospect of so many people coming together from around the world to realize they have the power to change things and then using that power to stop some of the evil taking place. I did a search after I watched it to see if it was getting news coverage yet and what do I find? "Stop Kony: Cynical marketing plan?" Kony 2012 "Dumbing down conflict" "Why Stop Kony won't work" or how Invisible Children is supporting the deaths, rape and other horrible actions accused of the government of Uganda.
Ugh. That is what I thought. I was discouraged and even thinking of repealing my support...oh wait what is that thing that happens whenever someone tries to do the right and usually difficult thing? Opposition, criticism and selfishness seem to start coming from all sides. The fact is that Kony has done horrible things to thousands of people and is showing no sign of stopping soon. All I can think of is the outrage that followed Casey Anthony in this country all over the news, is thins not in the same vain? But the death and abduction of thousands is getting met with questions of the organization's procedures and motives, talk of how this is not what we should be focusing on their is other evil out there, and just covering how quickly this has spread through social media with the focus being on "oh look another Charlie bit my finger viral video spreading like crazy! Interesting." I am not saying that any of this criticism is unfounded but I am saying that all the criticism is just perpetuating the idea that nothing will change, nothing can change, and we have no power to try. That is untrue.
Is there other evil in the world besides Kony? YES. But it makes no sense at all to let other evils keep you from stopping any of them. I want this movement to spread so far and wide so that Kony is caught and the millions that supported it feel that change is possible and move on to all those other evils like corruption, human trafficking, and poverty.
"One of the great liabilities of history is that all too many people fail to remain awake through great periods of social change. Every society has its protectors of status quo and its fraternities of the indifferent who are notorious for sleeping through revolutions. Today, our very survival depends on our ability to stay awake, to adjust to new ideas, to remain vigilant and to face the challenge of change." - Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
The video that is sweeping the world about Joseph Kony is getting a lot of criticism and I have to ask why? First the video if you have not seen it:
When I finished watching this I was so excited at the prospect of so many people coming together from around the world to realize they have the power to change things and then using that power to stop some of the evil taking place. I did a search after I watched it to see if it was getting news coverage yet and what do I find? "Stop Kony: Cynical marketing plan?" Kony 2012 "Dumbing down conflict" "Why Stop Kony won't work" or how Invisible Children is supporting the deaths, rape and other horrible actions accused of the government of Uganda.
Ugh. That is what I thought. I was discouraged and even thinking of repealing my support...oh wait what is that thing that happens whenever someone tries to do the right and usually difficult thing? Opposition, criticism and selfishness seem to start coming from all sides. The fact is that Kony has done horrible things to thousands of people and is showing no sign of stopping soon. All I can think of is the outrage that followed Casey Anthony in this country all over the news, is thins not in the same vain? But the death and abduction of thousands is getting met with questions of the organization's procedures and motives, talk of how this is not what we should be focusing on their is other evil out there, and just covering how quickly this has spread through social media with the focus being on "oh look another Charlie bit my finger viral video spreading like crazy! Interesting." I am not saying that any of this criticism is unfounded but I am saying that all the criticism is just perpetuating the idea that nothing will change, nothing can change, and we have no power to try. That is untrue.
Is there other evil in the world besides Kony? YES. But it makes no sense at all to let other evils keep you from stopping any of them. I want this movement to spread so far and wide so that Kony is caught and the millions that supported it feel that change is possible and move on to all those other evils like corruption, human trafficking, and poverty.
"One of the great liabilities of history is that all too many people fail to remain awake through great periods of social change. Every society has its protectors of status quo and its fraternities of the indifferent who are notorious for sleeping through revolutions. Today, our very survival depends on our ability to stay awake, to adjust to new ideas, to remain vigilant and to face the challenge of change." - Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Wednesday, March 07, 2012
Is this what I have been waiting for?
When the first movie for Harry Potter was released in 2001 I was already hooked on the series having got the fourth book at midnight the day it came out. As much as I loved the movies, I knew I wanted to wait to buy them. I knew that there were more books to come with the movies to follow, so why buy them when there would be one awesome box set down the line. So I waited. It was not easy but I did. 11 years later and I see this:
Looks pretty awesome right? Right! Reviews however are not so good, saying that this is not the best they can do...so the question is: Is this the set I have been waiting 11 years for? Or is there something better to come I should hold out hope for? These are the real questions in life people- epic questions in themselves that when applied to Harry Potter only make the stakes higher. It looks like I have a little while longer to decide since there is no release date posted for this numbered, 31 disc collectors edition with more features to be announced at a later date. What should I do Harry Fans? Either way I am starting to save my money because if this is not "the set" then the next one is only going to be more expensive- but totally worth it.
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