Bastille PLUS a new discovery: Gabrielle Aplin

Back in April I mentioned a new love, Bastille.  Well that new love teamed up with another new discovery (who seems to be quickly coming a new love as well) Gabrielle Aplin.  They did this gorgeous cover from Fleetwood Mac. (Fleetwood Mac is amazing.  I love them.  Stevie's voice is insane, but man did they create songs that make lovely covers...or maybe just really lovely artists cover their songs).

Vampire Weekend

They are lovely. Like The Smith's, The Beautiful South and Paul Simon (particularly Graceland and Rhythm of the Saints albums) all rolled into one. Seriously so good. If this isn't their year, then most people should probably get their ears checked.  Ok so maybe they aren't your style, but really, how could they not be?! They are just so refreshing and fun!

Walk Off the Earth- Material Girl Cover

Walk Off the Earth always manages to put a smile on my face and a little extra spring in my step. This cover is no exception. Plus Sarah singing and dancing with her +1 is pretty fantastic. Happy Monday folks!

Bastille...a new love

The lyrics are beautiful. And it makes me happy.




A fabulous "dance it out" song as evidenced by the fact that my niece and nephew love having dance parties with this song.


Durban Skies is another favorite, but I can't find a video for it. Boo. Go check it out.

Favorites on a Friday in February

Here are a few of my favorites on Friday the fifteenth of February.

A Fine Frenzy- Now is the Start - Watch this any time you need a little pick me up.



Sky Ferreira-Lost In My Bedroom - When you need to dance it out like a madman or woman.



Emeli Sande-Next To Me -  A goodie anytime.



Lissie-Go Your Own Way - Not a bad cover...not a bad cover AT.ALL.



The Naked and Famous-Young Blood - Destined to be one of my all time favorites

on repeat

Currently I am listening to Song for Zula by Phosphorescent on repeat, via YouTube.  The album doesn't come out until March, so until then I will contribute to number of views on YouTube.  You're welcome.

a bit remiss, but still here

So I have been slightly (to be read REALLY, REALLY) remiss in posting on either of my blogs.  Chalk it up to a crazy year, or something...I will try to be better.  So the last time I posted, it was a series of questions that I had planned to answer after some thought...well I've had WAY more than a weekend...though I haven't thought about this since August...but here goes...off the top of my head what I can remember...

What was the first song you ever bought?- I can't say for sure, but I think it was either a Tom Petty EP cassette, a Preteners EP cassette or a Bon Jovi EP cassette.  I still have all three.

What song always gets you dancing?- most recently- Bizarre Love Triangle by New Order. Something a little newer- Call Me, Maybe by CRJ (love that Canadian!)  And even newer- Lost in My Bedroom by Sky Ferreira

What song takes you back to your childhood?- oh my goodness there are many, but one that takes me back to junior high is Runaway Train by Soul Asylum.  I still love it.

What is your perfect love song?- Perfect love song and favorite song of all time- Can't Help Falling in Love with you by Elvis Presley

What song would you want at your funeral?- Always Look on the Bright Side of Life by the Monty Python boys and We Close Our Eyes by Oingo Boingo

Time for an encore. One last song that makes you, you.- No idea.  How about if you give me the name of a song that you think makes me, me!

stay tuned

Today I read an article on npr that asked the following questions...

What was the first song you ever bought?

What song always gets you dancing?

What song takes you back to your childhood?

What is your perfect love song?

What song would you want at your funeral?

Time for an encore. One last song that makes you, you.

This is going to take some time to answer, but bear with me while I contemplate this over the weekend.  Feel free to make your own list and share.

favorite song of all time and a little parental advice

I do have a concert that I would like to write about, but it occurred to me today, that while I have a clip of my favorite song of all time, I've never written about it.  So here goes.  I wrote about my top 5 favorite movies tonight...and that was tough for a few reasons...A) as I was writing about them, other fabulous movies popped into my head and B) I was having a very difficult time explaining why they were my top 5 favorite movies.  And so it goes with my favorite song of all time...Can't Help Falling In Love With You by Elvis Presley.

I love this song.  love. Love. LOVE.  I love the melody, I love the lyrics...Elvis's voice...what is not to love.  But there is something that goes so much deeper than that...a reason why without hesitation I can say that this is my most favorite song of all time.

I can't say much for the technical level of the song because I don't know technical stuff about music...but I do know how, better than many, I would say, to truly enjoy music.  When I was little, my mom would sing to me at night and in the mornings to wake me up. I am not a morning person and it was a pleasant way to wake up.  I imagine it made mornings much better for both of us...but I digress.  The songs my mom sang in the morning where cheery and wake up-y.  But at night they were more calm and mellow.  I can picture and even hear my mom singing her morning wake up songs.  And I know she had a handful of nighttime go to sleep songs, but the only one that I can hear and picture her singing in my head is Can't Help Falling in Love With You.  I think a great way to solidify your children's undying devotion is to sing to them at night.  I am not a parent, but I feel that is very sound parental advice and I am going to stand by it.

When I would visit my grandparents in the summer both of them would sing me to sleep.  My grandpa has quite a repertoire and I would venture to say that a few of my siblings and even some cousins have great memories of this as well.  In fact, Smoke Gets in Your Eyes is also a favorite of mine for the mere fact that when I was in high school and we lived with my grandpa he would play the song on the piano and sing...usually around midnight.  I really had an awesome childhood.

So there you have it...the reason for my favorite song of all time.  Even thinking about this memory right now I am getting a little choked up.  Just the other night I mentioned to my mom that it was my favorite song of all time, and she said, "well of course it is.  I use to sing it to you every night before bed."  In that moment the memories just came flooding back.  Just like they are now.



I am also a FIRM believer in the lyrics because I don't think we can help who we love...but that is a discussion for another blog on another day!

Taken By Trees

I have mentioned previously that I am in to Scandinavian artists a lot lately...well the trend continues with Victoria Bergsman and Taken By Trees.  I am loving this song!  (Can't wait to be listening to it on the way to Colorado on Saturday!)

4 more days until...

a lovely little sisters getaway!  Saturday my two little sisters (who are taller or as tall as me) and I are heading to Morrison, CO and Red Rocks Amphitheatre to see the following...

We begin with the delightful, mellow crooning of Gregory Alan Isakov...



Then we jump to the talented, funny and all around entertaining Ingrid Michaelson...
(I realize this is not a new song, but it is my favorite Ingrid song...although it is a bummer not to see Allie Moss backing her up)



so...her is a version with Allie!




And finally we will be treated to one of our most favorite artists of all...the lovely, the charming and always insanely talented Brandi Carlile...







SO STOKED!  Well except for the 8.5 hour drive home right after the show :)  SISTER BONDING TIME!!!!

100 guitar riffs by alex chadwick

this was pretty cool...albeit kind of lengthy...but cool none the less.  What surprised me most was how many of the earlier songs I recognized.  As the songs became more recent I was familiar with less and less of them.  Guess when it comes to rock I am more of a classic rock kind of girl.

this is why I love music...because as I continue to listen to new things, I begin to realize new tastes and loves that I've maybe never really delved that deep into previously.  My new goal after listening to this 100 song riff, is to compile a playlist of all these songs and see how many of them I really do love.  Plus, it will make a pretty great driving with the windows down playlist!

this is the interview with alex chadwick...below is the clip of the 100 songs.

live music

Tonight was the first in the summer Twilight Concert Series in Salt Lake City (seriously folks...SLC is one of the best places to spend your summer).  This concert series use to be free, but this year they began charging $5.00.  Best. Idea. Ever.  It was still packed, and I learned how to roll a joint with a one dollar bill...so that was neat...but it definitely was not as crowded and full of crazies as the two previous years.  I won't lie, I miss the days of the TCS being at the Galivan Center and being much more low key, but I love music...especially live music.

There is just something so fabulous about being outside and listening to music.  Tonight The Walkmen opened for Beach House.  Two bands that I was familiar with; two bands I enjoy.  But after tonight... I LOVE THEM BOTH! Watching bands perform live...I don't know what it is, but I love them that much more.  Even with artists I love, my love deepens after seeing them live.

And sometimes, it is what makes me fall in love with an album that I was not all that in love with previously.  For example, when Brandi Carlile released Give Up the Ghost, I definitely loved some of the songs on that album, but I was not madly in love with the album that way I was with her first two albums...not until I saw her perform songs from that album live (in fact I saw her perform the entire album live).  After that, there is not one song on that album that I do not love. Which makes me hopeful for next weekend when I see her perform at Red Rocks Amphitheatre.  I am not madly in love with Bear Creek.  In fact it is probably my least favorite album of hers but I have a feeling that I am going to be more in love come July 14th.

Chastity Brown

Discovered this little gem of a lady musician today...can't wait to hear more!

Youssra El Hawary

It seems that my musical interests have been taking me out of the country these days.  Most recently (i.e. today) I have traveled from the cold north the heat of Cairo Egypt to discover Youssra El Hawary,  I don't speak or read Arabic, so I don't actually know what most of her songs are called.  I do however know the one below is titled The Wall.  (thank you npr).



I am a sucker for an accordion.  Seriously...I remember working one summer as an EFY counselor and totally loving this kid that played the accordion.  He was so adorable and played a mean accordion.

You can listen to more of Youssara El Hawary on Soundcloud.  I like her light an airy sound and from what I have managed to read about her (in English of course) she seems very down to earth and definitely someone I'd want to run into while she is miming on the streets.  She is a mime!  Seriously...there is nothing to not like about her.

Allison Miller

as you may not know...because I don't think I've mentioned it on here...which is really, Really, REALLY odd...I LOVE BRANDI CARLILE.  I love listening to her albums and I LOVE seeing her live.  Her albums are fabulous, but what is so fantastic about her live is that A) she knows how to entertain an audience and B) her band totally rocks the Kasbah (see previous post for a lesson on kasbah verses Kasbah).  Tim and Phil are the twins and back up singers and guitarists and just all around awesome sauce...and then there is Allison Miller...her drummer.  She is A-MAZING!  I love her.  So I was PLEASANTLY surprised to come across THIS (click the link) today on my daily reading of npr music!

There is supposed to be a video embedded here...but the embed code does not seem to be working so you will have to click the link.  Enjoy!

addendum to my love affair with Scandinavian artists

I cannot believe that I forgot these two artist.  Firstly because I very recently just discovered one of them and secondly I have been listening to the other one since 2006 or 7 on an almost daily basis!

THE PERISHERS!!!...the are from Sweden.  The first I ever heard from them was Pills and it was sung with Sarah McLachlan.  It ranks up there with one of my favorite songs.  Probably because of the time in my life that I discovered it...plus...I love Sarah and always will.





For those of you who read my other blog the Perishers probably sound familiar because I have blogged about them before because I LOVE them!  They have so many great songs.  Seriously...I can just listen to an entire album and not feel the need to skip a single song.  LOVE THOSE SWEDES!!


FIRST AID KIT!  Discovered these two fantastic Swedish sisters on npr (I LOVE NPR).  At first I thought maybe it would just be one song I liked, but I loved their Tiny Desk Concert (which I blogged about previously) and I loved their interview on World Cafe (seriously...NPR is the cat's pajamas)






I don't know if it is because of the cold weather that all these artists have lots of time to make great music, but whatever it is, I hope they all continue!

Covers...and apparently Scandinavian musicians

I am never opposed to a cover of a song...especially good covers :)

About a year ago...I think...I discovered Robyn.  She is...to use one of my (probably overused) phrases...all kinds of awesome sauce.  Just see for yourself...videos and even live.  She truly rocks the Casbah or kasbah (depending on what I am referring to...who knew!?)












SEE?!  ALL KINDS OF AWESOME SAUCE!!!  ok...back to the issue at hand...covers...recently I discovered this cover...



it is cute, and adorable and clever.  I thought wow...creative little girls...based on the number of views people seem to be loving it.  And not without reason.  In fact people are loving them SO much they want to see them on Ellen.  And that is all fine and good...except for one thing...this cover isn't even their own creative concept!  It is a cover of a cover!  This cover to be exact...



Which I must say...is better than the little girls...maybe not on the adorable front...but on the talent front...they kind of leave those little girls in the dust...check this one out...




I think I may have found my new favorite Britney Spears cover.  I can't decide if it is the xylophone, their harmonies, their straight faces while singing these fantastic lyrics...or maybe...just maybe...it is because they are Swedish.

I know that sounds silly...the fact that I love it because they are Scandinavian...but lately I have been really in to Scandinavian performers...I mean...not lately...actually...for the last couple years...(and even longer if we count my enjoyment of Bjork)...as evidenced by my love for the following...

Robyn (Swedish)...see above videos.

Ane Brun (born in Norway, lives in Sweden. see previous post)




 Agnes Obel...(she is Danish)...I discovered her about two years ago.  I LOVE her piano playing.  A Scandinavian gem.




And since sometimes (according to Wikipedia) Scandinavia can also include Iceland...let us not leave out...

Sigur Ros...(Iceland) Jonsi Birgisson's voice is what I hope welcomes me into heaven...



maybe you'll recognize this one from Sigur Ros.

And of course...we cannot forget these indie darlings who are currently rising in popularity...bless npr for introducing us (sorry...the audio is not available anymore for this...but you can watch the videos below!)  My friends...if you have not already...meet Of Monsters and Men...



That trumpet...wow...just wow.







Well those videos should keep you busy for a while.  I hope you enjoy the Scandanavians as much as I do!

First Aid Kit

I know...I have posted about this Swedish sister singing duo before, and I have a somewhat lengthy list of artists I would like to post about...but just have a listen to this today.  You will not be disappointed...unless of course they are not your style...but even then...who knows...they might become your style.

(click me)
First Aid Kit on World Cafe

martin royle

my music love has been heavily influenced by the adults in my life...well I am adult...so...by my elders?  i.e. parentals, aunts, uncles, etc...in particular my aunt steph and my uncle dave.  recently my uncle dave shared martin royle with me.  I am in love. I feel like I should be sitting on a beach in Hawaii when I listen to this...or cruising in my woody with the Beach Boys.  anyway...listen, enjoy and say thank you to dave!

his cover of Waterfalls is INSANE!