Rabbit heart

Sometimes I find myself fascinated by someone I see in photographs. There's just something about them that draws you in, and I'm finding myself in this situation after seeing all these photos of Florence Welch, singer from Florence and the Machine. Of course I love her music, but there's something about her...maybe it's her red hair, or her super pale skin (like mine!).












all photos from florenceandthemachine.net
I love this video for her single Rabbit Heart, her voice is so soulful and the aesthetic of the video is very ethereal. The rest of her new album Lungs is great as well.

Calling a Karl Projectorinski...

My top ten albums to listen to at the moment.




Rodrigo y Gabriela - I have fallen in love with this guitar-playing duo, I love their flamenco infused melodies. His quick fingerwork and her percussive beats make this one of my favorite new groups to listen to, and as a guitar player I can truly appreciate their talent. Check out the video of their version of Stairway to Heaven - not t sound cliche, but it really did take my breath away (I posted it below).

Audrye Sessions- Their single "Turn Me Off" has been playing a lot lately on the radio station that I listen to, and I've really been liking it. They have alot of depth to their sound but their songs are still light enough for easy summer listening; I really like "Julianna" too.

Janis Joplin - Janis Joplin's Greatest Hits- I bought this as a record, actually, and I must say that there is nothing quite like listening to "Me and Bobby McGee" from a record player.

The Beach Boys - Sounds of Summer- Perfect music for summertime, I've been listening to this in my car nonstop since I got it for my birthday, because it's 30 tracks long. It's good music to listen to when I'm running, I find.

Cage the Elephant - I first started listening to this band when I was in CA, and they actually played in San Francisco the night I was there, but sadly we had other plans. Anyways, I really like the southern tinge to this band's sound, and the video for "No Rest For the Wicked" is pretty cool.

Angelique Kidjo - Oremi - My mom got me into the afropop genre a while ago, and I really found that I liked Angelique's music. Her cover of Jimi Hendrix's "Voodoo Child" is amazing, reminds me a bit of Beyonce's voice (I'm thinking that could be taken as an insult...but it's not! I like Beyonce), but with more African flavor in the music.

The Whip - X Marks Destination - I've never been a huge fan of techno, but this changed my mind. My friend from France recommended it to me, and I really like how it's kind of a mix of electronic and rock. "Sister Siam" is my favorite track off this album.

David Bowie - Young Americans - I found this record in my parents' collection. I love Bowie, and this has some great material on it. And he covers "Across the Universe"!

Memoirs of a Geisha Soundtrack - John Williams can do no wrong. Ever. This music is beautiful, there's nothing else that can really describe it. The score makes the film, and all the talented musicians that contributed to the music really bring the film to life. My favorite is "The Chairman's Waltz" - it's so sad but beautiful; I love music that is like that.

Regina Spektor - Far - I've finally gotten my hands on this CD, and each time I listen to it I discover something new, like I've remembered doing with all her past albums. To me, this album seems more free form and less strict than Begin to Hope. A fun track is "Dance Anthem of the 80's," but my current favorite (which should probably change next week) is "Human of the Year," where the title of this post comes from. I love the depth and maturity of Regina's voice in this song.



Rodrigo y Gabriela's version of "Stairway to Heaven"


I hope you enjoyed this post, it actually took a while to put together unlike some of my more recent efforts. As always, let me know what you're listening to because I'd love to hear it!

Perfect Saturday

Today was a good day, I had no real obligations and just did what I pleased. I made a pair of cutoffs from my oldest worn-out jeans, and since I was a little slow on the shredded-tee shirt craze I put the same treatment on my shorts. I really like the results, I think I'm going to do more.



It's been so hot lately, it seems like the perfect place to read a book would be in a cool bathtub like Kate Moss here :)


My beginning-of-summer playlist

Pearl's Dream - Bat For Lashes
Fun Fun Fun - The Beach Boys
Trash - The Whip
Reckoner - Radiohead
Slow Hands - Interpol
Suffragette City - David Bowie
Montreal -40C - Malajube
We Are Your Friends - Justice
When Did Your Heart Go Missing - Rooney

"We're all laughing with God"

I absolutely loved this photo spread of Emma Watson in Teen Vogue! For a while I was really not liking TV; their cover girls were all Disney stars and the editorials were seemed tired and uninspiring, but this was a good issue and I loved these photos. The clothes are so pretty, I'm definitely planning on doing a toned-down version of this look for fall. Personally I love Emma and think she's a great actress...from what I've heard other people say, she's one of those people you either hate or love.

Regina Spektor's new CD is out! I haven't picked it up yet but I'm really excited to hear the rest of her new music, so far I have been thrilled with the little bit of "Blue Lips" that I heard on iTunes, and I've been watching this video for "Laughing With" a lot lately. I love this song, it's still her usual sound but the lyrics seem more contemplative than her other albums, which is a good thing in my mind.



If any of my readers have other good music reccomendations, please let me know, I'm always looking for new music to hear and I like knowing what other people are into.

Happiness

I'm in an unusually good mood today...the weather is so nice and I'm just sitting outside enjoying the sunshine and the flowers and loving life at the moment. Prom is tomorrow so I'm enjoying a stress free day before that. I just found these photos of Joni Mitchell, whose music I have been loving a lot lately. She has the greatest smile!

Coachella 2009

photos by Hedi Slimane.







photos from hedislimane.com

I'm sad about missing this year's Coachella music festival...I've never been, but it sucks since I was in CA that weekend :( And this year's line up was great...MIA, The Cure, YYYs, and Cage the Elephant, one of my favorite bands at the moment. One of my life's goals is to hit all the major music festivals in the US. I can't wait.

Goodbye for now!

I'm leaving for California tomorrow, I'm all packed and definitely ready for the trip. I'll be taking lots of photos, so expect to see some of those when I return next week.




first photo by me, second photo from flickr user katiekathryn

My playlist for vacation...
Sheena is a Punk Rocker - The YYYs
I Get Around - The Beach Boys
No Rest for the Wicked - Cage the Elephant
Black Tambourine - Beck
Down to the Market - The Kooks
Here Comes Your Man - The Pixies
Once in a Lifetime - The Talking Heads
Brat Pack - The Rocket Summer
No Scrubs - TLC
Going to California - Led Zeppelin

YES.

I was so excited to see the Yeah Yeah Yeahs on the cover of Spin. They've been one of my favorite bands for a really long time, and I'm so excited about their new CD, "It's Blitz", which is coming out in April. I looked for Youtube videos of their new single "Zero," but couldn't find any. They also do a great cover of the Ramone's "Sheena is a Punk Rocker," you should definitely check it out, Karen O's voice does it justice.

EDIT: I just found this photo, and rumor has it that it's going to be the cover of the new CD. I love it!

Spin.

Lately I've really been wanting a record player, since I just found my parent's old collection of records. Urban Outfitters has some cool retro looking ones that convert tracks into MP3 files, so that would be cool, if only I have the money. My birthday is coming up in a few months though...hmmm...



Just a playlist of what I've been listening to this past week.

Lullaby - The Cure
Chemo Limo - Regina Spektor
Man on the Moon - R.E.M.
Electric Feel - MGMT
Nothing to Worry About - Peter Bjorn and John
Rosemary Clooney - Mambo Italiano
Cologne Cerrone Houdini - Goldfrapp
Tiny Dancer - Elton John
Just Impolite - Plushgun


Let me know what you've been listening to! I like hearing about peoples' different tastes in music.

Sgt. Pepper?

I didn't watch the Grammy's, but I wish I had. This photo made my Monday slightly better. I kind of sort of really love these Sgt. Pepper jackets. I don't care what anyone says, this definitely reaffirms my love for Coldplay.