While looking at the upcoming concert schedule for Nuemos in Seattle, I came across an interesting looking band: British Sea Power. They were compared to bands like The Cure and The Pixies, so I started listening to everything I could find by them and I like them for sure, but we’ve only just met. I will need to spend more time getting to know them better. They are coming to town on April 2 and it is on our calendar, they look like a way fun band to see live.
I quite like this video of “Remember Me”
If you are wanting to hear more, you can listen here on their website. I love that feeling when you listen to a band for the first time and you just know that you are going to have a great time discovering more about them.
What do you think about them? Anyone already a fan?
Do you like to make play lists? Do you remember the days of the “mixed tape” with affection? I wish I still had every mixed tape anyone, including myself, ever made for me! Mixed cd’s are also a treasure, if any of you that are reading this have ever received a mixed cd from myself, its because “hey; I really like you.”
So if you’re into that, or just really want to win an i tunes gift card then j* at Digestable Trax is having a play list contest you probably want to enter. The deadline is almost here, so you need to do it quickly, but isn’t that when we all do our best work anyways? I just finally entered it last night, and since I was just hours away from going to see Say Hi when I made my list, there are like 3 Say Hi songs….perfect.
ALSO…while we are on the topic; I want to share with you a recent mixed cd song list I used to make 2 cd’s last week for new babies and their grown up peeps as well. I didn’t put each of these songs on both cd’s, this is just every song I ended up putting on both put together.
*This Is Heaven- The Mummers (read the rest of the list below while you listen to this pretty little song)
*Around Us- Jonsi
*New Friend- Aqualung
*All my friends are insects- Weezer
*Special- Mew
*Wake me up- The Mummers
*Boy Lilikoi- Jonsi
*Bilavisur- Bjork (gling-glo)
*The Ceiling on the wall- Bryan Scary and the Shredding Tears
*Magnetic North- Aqualung
*Kata Rokkar- Bjork
*Luna- Smashing Pumpkins
*My Blue Heaven- Smashing Pumpkins
*Love Never Dies- from musical by same name
*Reel my In- Aqualung
*Getting Old- HelloGoodbye
*Go Do- Jonsi
*Animal Arithmatic- Jonsi
*Block after Block- Matt and Kim
*Wildcat- Ratatat
*Meet the Elements- They might be Giants
I just *KNOW* my darling new niece is going to be a little music lover
Music and words….a most blissful combination. Bright Star; a movie about John Keats mingles them together resulting in a rather intoxicating confection.
Men, before you stop reading I would like to remind you that Valentines Day is coming, and this movie (along with voting for Pedro) could make all your wildest dreams come true.
I am entirely captivated and spellbound when this movie is on, when its over I am left dazzled and somewhat intoxicated. Much of this is due to the beauty of the music and the poetry. Also the romance. I love this movie, and want to share with you all things musical that I love.
This is part of the soundtrack with words from the poem “Ode to a Nightingale”
I have known that White Lies were coming out with a new album, I have even checked their website occasionally to see when. But I have a gift for forgetting all kinds of things, especially when that thing is a number. So “Ritual” was released and concerts were scheduled and i was somewhere in the fog….literally people…clouds, rain and drizzle; nonstop.
What surprise and joy then, when I checked Neumo’s calendar (because I was feeling anxious about forgetting the date of Say Hi’s show) and saw that White Lies was playing the very next night. Definitely one of those bands I figured I would never get to see, until…I moved next door to Seattle. And even then, who would have thought they would play in such a cool, smallish venue.
Thanks to Tac’s friend Matt we found out that Ships would be the opening band. Here’s how I usually end up feeling about the opening band: Grrrr-Arggg! But we looked up Ships and they were good, so we got there on time and everything. We totally enjoyed their music and positive happy vibe. The singer reminded us of Andy from Parks and Rec when his beanie would fall over his face and he just kept singing all the louder. I hope to see them again.
I love to feel the mood of the crowd change and grow excited when the headlining band comes out. There is so much about live music that is felt along with being heard: the floor moving, the music vibrating in your heart, anticipation, brief moments of stillness. I always try and remember those feelings, they make for very effective anti-depressants when needed. White Lies came out and very much astounded me with their sound.
They sounded so full and loud, but really clean and crisp too. Harry McVeigh’s voice was more amazing and rich even than it is on their records. There were 5 guys onstage playing a lot of music, often switching from one instrument to another. The mix of 80′s-esque keyboards, with a strong guitar presence was heavenly.
We bought the new cd at the show that night, normally i like to have listened to a new album before seeing the show, but this was so cool that I’m glad we did it that way. Hearing the new songs for the first time in such a perfect setting, played a bit harder I think, than the recorded versions, made me love them all the more.
I was afraid briefly that I wouldn’t hear “Unfinished Business,” but they were saving it for the encore. And yes, it was perfect.
My Dad came to visit us earlier this week. He drove 9 hrs to come and do a presentation for my son’s 3rd grade class on Native Americans. He’s just cool like that.
When he was done, all the kids were still in school so we came back to our house, ate lunch and watched Muse perform live on their H.A.A.R.P dvd. It was really fun. He had never seen them perform, or even listened very much to their music before that, but he is a musician so watching how AWESOME they are live was a great experience together. Now he knows why most of his kids love Muse so much.
We also finally went to see the Compline choir at St. Marks in Seattle that I blogged about last month. It was amazing. I can’t wait to do it again.
I have always enjoyed listening to music with my dad. I’m pretty sure its one of our favorite things to do together. When I was little, and my mom would leave him in charge he would crank up the stereo and we would rock out. I would definitely say he helped form my love for music. We also share one other thing in common now: bad hearing…..:)
This album go by Jonsi has been hovering around in my musical “to listen to list” ever since our friend Scarry Larry wrote kind words of praise for it in his blog. I have known for awhile that I would most likely love it, but the timing wasn’t just right for me, and I didn’t want to ruin what would otherwise be a good first impression. I’m complicated about my music, I hope you are too. Plus, don’t you ever just want to save something for later that you know is going to be wonderful?
“Tornado” is one of our favorite songs on this album, that’s right I said “our” because my husband really likes Jonsi as well. This makes me very happy. (invitation to listen while you read)
We both love his beautiful high voice and Icelandic accent. Layered, simple, unhurried, sincere, audio mood enhancer, delightful, subtly intense, crescendos, clarity and fresh air…. are the first words that come to mind when I try and describe go.
Our 12 year old daughter got Hellogoodbye’s new album “Would It Kill You?” for Christmas. I had to hide it away for weeks before the big day, and it took much self control not to open and download it so I could listen when no one was around. But we wanted her to have that experience all for herself.
This album doesn’t have as much of an edgy pop feeling as previous ones, but in all of its indie rock sweety-pop-ness I find an addictive groove that still gets me moving. And the edge can still be found, its just in layers (like an ogre onion).
Our daughter loves it, and she has played it over and over again. Remember when you had time to read and memorize song lyrics so you could sing along without having to mumble half the lyrics because you don’t actually know them?
This is her favorite song: Betrayed by Bones. She totally likes the pinging video game sound going on ever so often in the back ground.
This song is probably her other favorite: I Can Never Relax
What a great cute happy band for my kids to like! High fives to Hellogoodbye and their awesome new album.
While reading my friend Jenean’s music blog; Digestible Trax, I was amused to see that she is also wanting to be more “in tune” with what her husband is listening to. I had an experience a few weeks ago that totally surprised me.
We were filling out a family survey sheet for Tac’s aunt with questions ranging from “what is on your bucket list” to “what is your favorite book this year?” When I read Tac’s answer to “favorite album this year,” I had never heard of his answer. !!?!
You know I quietly looked it up on our itunes later and added it straight to my playlist. And I even like it. Then I asked him the very obvious question of why didn’t he tell his music loving wife about his new fav thing. Answer: he didn’t think I would like it, which in all fairness he could have been right (that day). I am so finicky with new music and timing is unnaturally important to the process.
The band that caused this little hiccup is Ratatat. I like the album “Classics” the best. There are no words, its just music (which is a big reason why Tac didn’t think I would like it).
As of late I have been doing something I can only describe as cleansing my musical palette. It has even led to something completely new for me: I have been listening to the actual radio. There is an awesome classical station in Seattle, and it has dominated the speakers in my mini van the last month.
My mood has been very reflective and my musical taste buds have not wanted much to do with my normal favorites. I have followed my cravings and they led me to one of the most amazing things ever: the Saint Marks Compline. It is a choir of men that sing beautiful songs and chant prayers every Sunday night in the Saint Marks Cathedral in Seattle. It has become so popular that you can listen to it online or download it as a podcast.
The music sounds just like I would imagine it in a cathedral in the 1500′s. I recently read a book about Joan of Arc that really affected me, and currently reading “Out of the Flames” a book describing the Reformation, in particular the scholar and martyr Michael Servetus. This combined with a love of history, music, and the never to be forgotten feeling I had when we were in St. Pauls Cathedral in London earlier this year when we sat and listened to the choir sing, has made me love this compline service. Really I love the singing, the chanting is interesting though I am not a Catholic. But they are worshiping our Savior Jesus Christ, and as a Mormon I enjoy and appreciate it very much.
I really want to see the service live, but it takes place way after my kids bedtime so I have not done it yet. I think it would be a great experience for them, although I am a little nervous that they would pretend to hit themselves in the head and laugh loudly at their Monty Python reference.
So this is what I’ve been up to lately, and it has cleansed my palette and made me ready to enjoy other music again. I think I needed to find a new balance, and learn how to deal with a beloved relative’s sickness.
I can think of nothing more soothing and lovely than this at the moment. I hope that you listen to a service, you may be delighted with what you hear!
Now that I’m feeling so good, I think I’m ready to dive into some Jonsi next. My really neat friend Larry has written about him at least twice on his blog (in my blog roll: Royalkeister United) and I have been saving it up for just the right time (kind of like how Ive been waiting all year to eat cheesecake on Christmas Eve).
Merry Christmas everyone who actually read this to the end! (and to those who didn’t )