harmonious whiplash

2008-03-15T13:29:00.003-05:00

OK, so I took a few days off. But rather than post an mp3, I'm going to take this opportunity to shine the spotlight on someone who, I'd be willing to bet, has a very bright future ahead of her.

I can't remember who first told me about a video of "some girl on YouTube playing 'Toxic' on a ukelele". It might have been Jonathan Coulton's blog that linked me there originally. Or maybe no one told me, maybe it was just one of those stream of consciousness YouTube searches I do sometimes, just clicking from link to link and seeing what I find. But at any rate, somehow I managed to stumble upon Sweetafton23. Every video has just been better and better, and now she's started posting her own original compositions as well, which are outstanding.

I'm honestly the tiniest bit jealous that a high school student has so much talent and potential, and that there's an outlet like YouTube for exposing that to the entire world - who knows what could have happened if there had been such an outlet when -I- was in high school, singing my heart out in the choir and still dreaming big...? But anyway, this isn't about me, it's about her.

Here's her latest original song video, "Road Trip". Enjoy - and if you do, go rate it on YouTube and watch her other songs! :)

I am Dentyne Ice's target audience

2008-03-11T21:33:00.002-05:00

Call me a tool if you want to, but everytime I see that damn Dentyne Ice commercial, I start singing this song. I know zilch about the band or anything, but I like the song.

Ben's Brother - Kiss Me Again (Stuttering)

Download "Beta Male Fairytales" on Amazon

Hey little sister, who's your Superman?

2008-03-10T10:21:00.003-05:00

This one was a no-brainer - I heard it on the radio this morning on the way to work.

Queens of the Stone Age - White Wedding

Download "Era Vulgaris" from Amazon

No clever title, haha

2008-03-09T22:30:00.001-05:00

The only time I saw Wolfmother play live was last summer at Pointfest. They were the 2nd to last to perform - and they kicked so much ass as to not be believed. I can't wait until they come back to the States, because I WILL be there.

Wolfmother - Joker & The Thief

Download Wolfmother's self titled album on Amazon

I've got to ramble on

2008-03-08T09:52:00.005-06:00

Might as well do this now while I've got a chance to. Husband and in-laws and I are going on a road trip today, oh joy. I have my Supernatural playlist burned onto three CDs, which is PERFECT roadtripping music, as I discovered last weekend when I drove to Alton, IL. BUT since it's all classic rock, I seriously doubt the in-laws will go for that. Which sucks large. Whatever.

I also just downloaded Nine Inch Nail's new one, "Ghosts I-IV". So we'll probably listen to that, I guess, since it's all instrumental. If they don't like it, they can just suck it! For real.

So anyway, here's the first track from Ghosts I, enjoy! (And for heaven's sake, pony up the $5 and get all 36 gloriously DRM-free tracks -- Trent's a nice guy, he deserves your fiver!)

Nine Inch Nails - Ghosts I - Track 1

Download "Ghosts I-IV" here

There's just too much light eminating from my halo

2008-03-07T21:50:00.002-06:00

Ah, Spiraling. My fandom of the band began waaaay back in (I think) 1999 or so - when they were called You Were Spiraling, and I saw them open for They Might Be Giants at Mississippi Nights. I loved them, but in a mistake I regret to this day, I didn't head over to the merch table and pick up their album, "Delusions of Grandeur" (now long out of print).

Cut to about a year later, when my brother's friend Matt (he of the campus T-1 connection and the Moxy Früvous mp3s) managed to acquire all but two tracks from "Delusions of Grandeur" through the magic of Napster, and thus they passed through my brother to me.

I've listened to those songs for years now, and then on a whim while Googling for You Were Spiraling, I came across spiraling.net and realized that this was my band! They'd lost the "You Were", but Tom, Bob and the boys were still rockin' New Jersey with the sweet sweet synthesizers I'd loved all these years!

They've been back to St. Louis twice since then, in '05 and '06, and I've seen them both times. They are a band that I really really REALLY wish would make it big, because they're so nice and they deserve it! Here's hoping that when they release their new album, "Time Travel Made Easy", that they come back to St. Louis - I'll definitely be there!!!

Here's the song that won me over and stayed with me for nearly a decade now - from "Delusions of Grandeur". :)

Spiraling - This Is The Road

Check out the Spiraling store here and find out what you've been missing!

AND here's their video for "A Face For Radio", from their "Challenging Stage" EP. Head over to the series of tubes and let SpiralingBob know how much you like it!!! :)

Pillar of Autumn

2008-03-06T21:51:00.002-06:00

OK, I'm really reaching for a song tonight, just because I've been lazy and don't have anything prepared, haha. So here, have the opening suite from Halo. :) Gamers, unite!

Martin O'Donnell & Michael Salvatori - Halo - Opening Suite

Buy the Halo - Original Soundtrack CD on Amazon

The Onion News Network = <3

2008-03-06T09:55:00.001-06:00

This isn't music related, but I had to share. Clinton should enjoy this! :)

FCC Okays Nudity On TV If It's Alyson Hannigan

Old moon fades into the new

2008-03-05T13:35:00.002-06:00

Remember that friend that I mentioned, which whom I share music? This is another one of his gifts to me: Zero 7. One day a few years ago, I was delighted to find both "Home" and "Destiny" in my inbox. I threw them on my old massive brick of an iPod (2nd generation FTW?) and popped the headphones on as I went to bed -- and I was blown away by the gorgeous vocals of Sophie Barker and Sia Furler. As someone who has always loved to sing, I'm a sucker for a great vocalist, and Zero 7's warmth lushness is right up my alley.

So here's a little something to melt the ice today. :) Enjoy.

Zero 7 - Destiny

Download more Zero 7 goodness at Amazon

They will see us waving from such great heights

2008-03-04T08:48:00.001-06:00

Oh, wow, I totally didn't post a song yesterday. Heh heh, oops. :)

OK, back to business then. My first exposure to The Postal Service was through a friend's mix CD that had "Such Great Heights" on it. I was hooked - I immediately went out and bought "Give Up" and Death Cab For Cutie's "Plans". I haven't ever delved any deeper into their catalog, but I will eventually.

This track, I think I might have originally heard on XM radio somewhere - but don't quote me on that. I'm not sure how I got it, I just know that I love it. LOVE it. Here's The Postal Service covering Phil Collins. Enjoy!

The Postal Service - Against All Odds (Take A Look At Me Now)

Download "Give Up" at Amazon

Maybe I can do it, if I put my back into it

2008-03-02T13:39:00.003-06:00

Just a quick one this morning - I'm continuing on my Epic Quest of cute-purse-itude. :)

A former co-worker/close friend of mine and I do this thing where we randomly email each other songs that we think the other should hear. This was one he sent to me. I like it. 'Nuff said. :)

Snow Patrol - Ways and Means

Download "Final Straw" from Amazon

It's business, it's business time

2008-03-02T01:57:00.002-06:00

Heh, better late than never. I'm kinda sleepy so I'll make this a quick one.

This past summer/fall, I remember seeing a show advertised on HBO called "Flight of the Conchords" - I thought to myself, "how weird". I never really thought anything more about it, and then about a month later, just for the hell of it, I decided to record an episode - there was nothing else on to watch and I figured I might like it. That episode was episode 4, "Yoko", and I was instantly hooked. The Conchords' sense of humor and hilarious songs were right up my alley. I was an instant fan. I took to the internet to find out what I could, and tracked down some of their earlier live stuff from New Zealand, including their "Folk The World" CD.

So from that, here's "The Bus Driver's Song". G'nite!

Flight of the Conchords - The Bus Driver's Song

Download "The Distant Future EP" from Amazon
Buy Season 1 of "Flight of the Conchords" on DVD from Amazon

We're not unreasonable - I mean, no one's gonna eat your eyes.

2008-02-29T19:19:00.003-06:00

BodyWorlds is here in St. Louis at the Science Center - has been for a couple months. This is the last weekend, and so from 9am this morning thru midnight Sunday night, they're staying open for 63 hours straight. Husband and I are planning on going tomorrow night after he gets off work at 12:30am, awesome. :) I might also sneakily go tonight with my friend Eric, heehee.

The only bits of it I've seen are a few years ago on Discovery or TLC or one of those stations, they showed a special about the artist, and I saw a bit of it (like the horse and rider, I seem to remember). And also, his work is featured briefly in Casino Royale (the recent one, obviously). Not quite sure how I'll feel about it yet, but as a pre-medical student, it can't hurt to go see it, I suppose.

And in a roundabout way, this is appropriate. I guess. :) I dunno - corpses, brains, zombies, it's all inter-related, right? Right.

Jonathan Coulton - Re: Your Brains
Jonathan Coulton - Re: Vos Cerveaux (French version)

Bathe in the fount of JoCo awesomeness this-a-way

I had it all, but I never thought I did

2008-02-28T18:51:00.003-06:00

I'd never heard of The Magic Numbers before two years ago, when I saw them open for The Flaming Lips. I seem to have an uncommonly good history with opening bands - I tend to get ones that are actually very good, and make me instant fans. Spiraling, Common Rotation, The Magic Numbers, all of them opening bands I've seen that I'm now a fan of. Good times.

I don't really know much about The Magic Numbers, but any band that can come out and win over a packed house into the first few bars of their first song - that's impressive. And when one of the girls pulled out a melodica for a solo? That was it for me. :) The other girl's bass playing is off the scale as well, she blew me away. I was at the merch table as soon as their set ended to get their CD. :)

So here's the first track off their self-titled CD. Enjoy! Long live the melodica!

The Magic Numbers - Mornings Eleven

Download "The Magic Numbers" on Amazon

Not to put too fine a point on it, say I'm the only bee in your bonnet

2008-02-27T16:27:00.005-06:00

Franky & Minx handbag
Originally uploaded by Dayetriper

An epic quest has been undertaken. In layman's terms, IT'S ON.

Yeah, about once a year, I see something that I really want, but for whatever reason don't buy at the time -- and then go back for it later, only to find that it's sold out. So then I go on a quest to find it, which drives me and everyone around me nuts. Case in post: the above purse. I spent literally ALL DAY Googling and searching the internets for that purse, which I'd seen for sale at Spencer's Gifts probably at least six months ago, and I tell you, I searched for every possible combination of purse, bag, handbag, bird, blue, bluebird, that I could think of, and NOTHING.

Finally I just called the store and asked the girl if she knew what I was talking about, and she actually did. So I now have the name of the company: Franky & Minx. But of course, the purse is gone. So now I'm trying to hit up a former co-worker who manages a Spencer's in Alton, IL, to see about getting one. AND I emailed Franky & Minx about it. Because I'm insane. I'm driving myself nuts over a frigging purse.

ANYWAY - in honor of my pretty, pretty, unattainable, purse -- have some TMBG. This one is a live track from their show at Mississippi Nights (R.I.P) on July 14, 2004.

They Might Be Giants - Birdhouse In Your Soul (Live)

Download entire TMBG concerts here! Because they are awesome!

He makes love to the Duke, he swordfights the Queen

2008-02-26T22:38:00.005-06:00

Oh hey, I totally forget to do this tonight! Heh. Sorry, I've been dicking around with my computer all night, attempting to burn episode #138 of Diggnation onto a DVD - only to have it finally get done, and to discover that the sound was screwed up. Lovely.

Anyway, let's see, what have I got for you this evening? How about some Spoon? I got introduced to Spoon when Gimme Fiction came out, and was recommended by a friend of a friend. As soon as I heard this song, I was hooked. I'm so glad that "The Underdog" has been such a hit for them, and I can't wait to get a hold of their latest album and give it a lesson.

But anyway, off Gimme Fiction, here's...

Spoon - The Two Sides of Monsieur Valentine

Download Gimme Fiction from Amazon

note: just in case anyone's wondering, the only reason I'm putting Amazon links and not iTunes ones, is because I don't know how to link to the iTunes store and its catalog, Amazon's just easier for me. :)

3.141592653589793238462643383279...

2008-02-25T21:16:00.004-06:00

I've got a thing for hot nerds. Let's just get that out into the open right now.

So, five days a week, I watch Attack of the Show on G4TV (formerly TechTV, for you oldies out there), and I kind of lust after Kevin Pereira, it's true. But just recently I got a new reason to watch: the addition of Chris Hardwick to the show. Eek, it's almost too much squee for one show, people!

Yes, I used to watch Singled Out on MTV back in the day. And though I saw House of 1000 Corpses, I never put it together that that was Chris Hardwick. And I've never seen him on Wired Science on PBS, because.. I've never seen Wired on PBS. :) BUT, I can't tell you how thrilled I am that he's on AotS now. He's the perfect fit for the show, and he's so nerdy and funny and OMG so cute, and wow this is probably a bit annoying, I'll stop now.

ANYway, he also happens to be one half of the comedy duo Hard 'N Phirm (Chris Hardwick and Mike Phirman). The first song I heard of theirs is their bluegrass tribute to Radiohead, aptly titled "Rodeohead". But, in honor of nerdiness (and because I've been humming it all day), I give you PIE!!!! Err, I mean pi.

Hard 'N Phirm - Pi

Buy "Horses & Grasses" at CD Baby

Here, watch some Chris Hardwick and Rainn Wilson, and embrace your inner nerd. :)

'Cause this is what you've waited for

2008-02-24T09:36:00.008-06:00

UPDATE: !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
FUCKING AWESOME!!!

That is all. :D

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

OK, gonna go ahead and get Sunday's post out of the way now, since I won't have time to later, what with the Oscars and all.

I only just saw Once this week - and I ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT. Seriously, if you're a fan of music, you would enjoy this movie. To say it in a way that I'm sure sounds very pretentious and snooty, this movie is like a love letter to music. Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova are amazing, giving the most down-to-earth realistic performances I've seen in a long time - you don't even feel as if you're watching actors (and in a way, you're really not). And the songs -- my god, the music is just blissful and warm and amazing and I loved every second of it. The opening sequence gives me goosebumps every time I watch it:

So I'll give you two today: the song in the above mentioned clip, and the song that's nominated at tonight's Oscars, "Falling Slowly". I hope to GOD they win, it's never been more deserved. I sincerely hope that Glen and Marketa do a US tour of some kind and come somewhere close to St. Louis, because I would LOVE to see them live. (And I don't have the money to go see them at Bonnaroo)

Enjoy!

Glen Hansard - Say It To Me Now

Glen Hansard & Marketa Irglova - Falling Slowly

Download the Once soundtrack on Amazon
Glen & Marketa's band, The Swell Season, on Amazon
Glen's band, The Frames, on Amazon

I'm making a note here, HUGE SUCCESS!

2008-02-24T01:33:00.003-06:00

Sorry about the lateness of today's post (especially since it's already tomorrow, haha). Got engrossed in watching my husband play Portal. He's in the middle of Test #18, but we're tired, so it'll have to keep until tomorrow.

Speaking of Portal, have some sweet, sweet Jonathan Coulton. It was just announced at GDC this week that this song will be available for download soon for Rock Band, which I am HUGELY stoked about. Here's hoping it comes in a JoCo Pack of 3 or more songs, that would be sooo awesome.

Anyway, here ya go. G'nite all!

Jonathan Coulton - Still Alive (Portal End Theme)

Check out ALL JoCo's music here!

From the Früvous quill

2008-02-22T17:47:00.003-06:00

Kind of at a loss as to what to post today, just because my head is swimming with all the lovely homework I have to do tonight, ugh. Maybe I'll make Fridays a thing where I post something that most people haven't heard. Help me come up with a clever name, someone! :)

OK, well, when I was in my early 20s, my brother's friend Matt was in college and discovering the joys of a campus T1 internet connection - and Napster/Morpheus/Kazaa/Limewire/etc. In his neverending search for things to download, he happened across a song called "King of Spain" by a Canadian band called Moxy Früvous. He then commenced to download ALL the Früvous songs he could get his hands on, and somehow or another I heard a couple and decided that I liked them. So he passed on the ones he had, and over time I purchased the ones I was lacking.

Such a great band, that I'm sure gets labelled "quirky" and "geek rock" a lot, but they're really more "nerd folk"? Kind of in the Jonathan Coulton, They Might Be Giants, DaVinci's Notebook, Paul & Storm vein, I guess. I don't know how to describe them (this goes back to that whole me-not-having-the-musical-vocabulary thing, see?).

Anyway, of COURSE, as always happens with me, when I got REALLY into them, I found out that they were on permanent hiatus. :( So there would be no live Früvous shows for me. (PSST-You guys could reunite ANY TIME NOW, I'm just sayin'.)

So here's a rare track from them, from their demo cassette (due to obvious legal issues, it never made it onto an album).

Moxy Früvous - Green Eggs & Ham

Check out the entire Früvous catalog on Amazon

I've got two tickets to Iron Maiden, baby...

2008-02-21T19:50:00.002-06:00

Not much to say tonight, because it's almost time for Supernatural to come on, and I actually might get to watch it "live" in HD, rather than off the TiVo. So I'll make this quick.

This song was on the Point this morning when I was driving to work in the sleet and freezing rain, and it cheered me up a bit. Also, it reminds me of my friend Eric, who gets excited whenever he hears it, although I'm not clear why. Whatever, it's a good song. :)

Wheatus - Teenage Dirtbag

Download the album on Amazon

Keep you in the dark, you know they all pretend...

2008-02-20T14:42:00.005-06:00

Well, since my good internet friend Clinton over at ZFS! brought up the Foo Fighters today (he was lucky enough to see them at Madison Square Garden last night, darn him) -- I decided it was a good day for a little turner-upper for y'all.

I haven't given the new Foo Fighters record the listening it deserves yet, but this track absolutely kicks my ass. And every time I hear it, it reminds me of Californication, specifically the scene below (skip past all the talking to the three minute mark to get to the Foo Fighters, or don't, your choice):

Every time I hear a Foo Fighters song, or any song Dave Grohl plays drums on, it makes me wish I was a drummer. I guess that says something about the ability of a musician to get you movin', that they make you wish you were as good as they are. :)

Anyway, enough of my blah-blah, have some rockage.

Foo Fighters - The Pretender

Download Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace from Amazon

I know the last page so well, I can't read the first...

2008-02-19T14:06:00.007-06:00

Well, I figure I should go ahead and start this whole daily posting thing now, since my husband is off work tonight, which means I most likely won't get anywhere near the computer when I get home.

So much pressure to choose a good song to kick us off! I suppose I can start things off with a little Nada Surf, since that's what's in my head right at the moment.

My knowledge of Nada Surf prior to a couple of years ago, was limited only to having heard "Popular" on the local alternative radio station when I was in high school. If it weren't for How I Met Your Mother, that most likely would have been the sum total of my Nada Surf learnings. But thanks to my love of Alyson Hannigan, I started watching HIMYM from the first episode, and loved it. And a few episodes in, there was a scene with Ted and Robin on a rooftop, and the most beautiful song was playing, I was hooked. After it was over, I hopped onto Google and chased down the lyrics, "I want to know what it's like, on the inside of love; Standing at the gates, I see the beauty above."

Turns out it was, appropriately enough, "Inside of Love", from their album Let Go. I downloaded the song off iTunes that night, and after quite a few listenings, decided to search for them the next time I was in Vintage Vinyl. I found Let Go and bought it - and was happy to find that I loved all the other songs just as much. And just by happenstance, they were playing here in town the next month. I went to the show and had a great time, and picked up their latest record (at the time), The Weight Is A Gift. Loved it as well, by the way. I've also acquired their earlier efforts High/Low and The Proximity Effect, but I confess I haven't really given them too much of a listen.

Anyway, on to today's selection. Nada Surf have recently released a new album, Lucky, which I'm really liking thus far. This was the first song I heard from it, and it instantly took me back to 3 years ago and hearing them for the first time. For me, Nada Surf will always be about driving through Forest Park in the summertime with the windows down, soaking in the sun and warm smooth guitars. Good times.

Nada Surf - Weightless

Download Lucky from Amazon

Well, here goes nothing...

2008-02-18T20:00:00.000-06:00

I've decided to try this whole Blogger blog thing, after a long slog on LiveJournal. Wish me luck.

Basically, I want to try to make this a music-related blog. Every day (hopefully), I'll upload a song for your sampling pleasure, and tell you a bit about why I like it. I'm not an expert on music by any means, and you're not going to get any kind of profound musical analysis from me or anything. What I do hope you'll get, is some good music, and maybe a little tidbit from me to go with it. Simple goals should be easily met, yes?