Is it wrong...

...that I've come to love this song??? Admittedly, when I first heard it, I wasn't impressed, and seriously, my appreciation for the song has nothing to do with who sings it (although I do appreciate me some R-Patz). I love the guitar intro and the lyrics are so tortured and heart-felt.



And sorry for the cheesy Twilight movie poster picture. It was either this or pictures of R-Patz,which wouldn't have been bad if they hadn't been drawn all over with PhotoShop'd hearts. Oy!

Broken Bells: The High Road & Vaporize

Ahhh!!!! New music! (Yes, I am a bit of an indie music freak. Yes, my new indulgence is SPIN Magazine. Yes, I live by iTunes. No, I'm not ashamed to admit any of this.)



















Okay, now that that's been established, check out the below single from Broken Bells: The High Road. The album is due out March 9 (according to iTunes).





Loving the previews available for this album, too, by the way!

Another sampling:



Have I mentioned how much I <3 YouTube??

Remember When...

...it was Valentine's Day time and you had to write out all of those awful Valentines to your classmates?

Remember when you wanted to make sure your best girlfriends got the best ones: the ones with your favorite Disney princess, favorite white kitty cat, favorite superhero? Remember when you tortured yourself over which one to write to the cute boy in class: either the card that--even as a ten-year-old you knew had sexual overtones--you really wanted to send him, or do you send THE CUTEST BOY EVER the uber-generic "Happy Valentine's Day" one, so that he didn't really know you liked him (not that it mattered either way, because, seriously...he's a boy & would never "get it" anyway)? Remember when you HAD to give one to Billy, even though he had buck-teeth and science experiment blemishes and you prayed that he wouldn't get the wrong idea by the most simple obligatory two cent V-day Valentine? You even contemplated not signing it, but your mom was sitting right there and [kindly] reminded you to sign your name.

These are the memories dredged up in the aisle of the local Target, whilst I shopped for my daughter's valentines for her party on Thursday at preschool. They all came rushing back to me today while I remembered back to my own angst over this seemingly harmless little holiday thrust upon prepubescent kids by sadistic elementary teachers...or at least that's how it felt at the time. A day of great anxiety, pretty much wasted on something so insignificant that everything was forgotten by the following morning, when you realize that you nearly pushed yourself to the point of a heart attack for nothing...except for the tiniest bit of anticipation that pounded in your chest when you opened the valentine from the "cute boy." That may have been worth it...

Media Monday...on Tuesday

Yeah, so this is a little late, but I couldn't wait a week to tell everyone about this. I'd like to say thanks to my dear friend (you know who you are) for introducing me to Cake Wrecks.

You'll love it...and possibly pee your pants/gasp in horror.

Enjoy! :)

Random Useless Trivia for your Tuesday

United States General Ambrose Burnside served during the American Civil War...and had wicked sideburns. In fact, he is the reason they're called "sideburns." It's a play on his name. (See picture at left for proof.) True story.

Yummy Words

In reading ultra-pretentious works required for my degree or in searching through various Thesauri for cool synonyms--because I just can't use the same word again--I've found some fun (or in my description: yummy) words that I jot down on sticky notes for future use. Try them out sometime:

sempiternal = eternal

wraith = ghost/shadow

confluence = coming together at one point

ostensibly (OK, I know this isn't "way out there," or anything, but I just like the way it sounds) = outwardly appearing as such

quondam (I'm a sucker for Latin words) = former

maelstrom (love this one!) = state of confusion

inexorable = unyielding/relentless

inane = ridiculous

cacophonous = disharmonious

stymie = block/frustrate

Happy Wednesday! :)

Musical Magic and a Flash Back

So, this year for Christmas, in addition to an Achmed the Dead Terrorist doll (which I love), I also got from my brother an iTunes gift card. Ah!! Magic in plastic form! I'm a bit of a musical addict, I'll admit. I clean to music, I work to music, and most importantly, I write to music. It really does not matter what I'm writing, I have to have it. So, here's a few to check out:

I realize it's been out for a few months, but I finally got around to getting the new Muse album: The Resistance. Naturally, it's awesome and their musicality is amazing, but I think I still like Black Holes and Revelations better. But, I usually have to listen to Muse a few times to really get into their albums, so I'm not giving up on it yet, and there's still not anything negative to say about the album; it's exactly what I expected: more musical magic from Muse! :) Everyone knows they're amazing; that's not anything new.

But, I purchased two albums that I HAVE to tell you about!! This borders on moral imperative status, people!

First, run, don't walk to your nearest iTunes program/music store and get For Emma, Forever Ago by Bon Iver. ZOHMYGOSH!!! It's amazing. Someone said that it makes them want to lay back in the grass and watch the clouds go by. I agree! There's something very otherworldly about his voice. He supposedly recorded it in a secluded cabin in the woods, and that isolation translates into chords and harmonics in a...you guessed it...magical way!!! I realize it's been out for a while, but I just discovered it, so there you go!

A warning: make sure you sample it first. I love just about every kind of music and this album could be depressing for some. It kinda reminds me of a male version of Jewel's early work, but even that description is inaccurate. There's not much out there like that. So, check it out before you purchase.


Second, check out Dan Black's brand new album: UN. If you subscribe to iTunes, his first single, Symphonies is the free music download from last week (pretty sure you can still get it today, Monday). If you like this track, you'll love the rest on the album. The songs are upbeat and nice to listen to. There's a kind of hope in a lot of the tracks that is pretty much non-existent in a lot of the stuff that comes out today. My favorite quote? "Life is life/Dreams are dreams/and I'm floating/Somewhere in between" from Life Slash Dreams. How can you not like that?

And in other media, I stumbled across this clip from In Living Color on YouTube. If that doesn't take you back!! If you haven't seen Francis Ford Coppola's version of Dracula, you won't be able to appreciate how well Jim Carrey mimics Gary Oldman, but the clip is of him, and Jamie Foxx as "Wanda." It's so wrong and so hilarious. Enjoy!!



Happy Monday!

Album pics courtesy of: http://muse.mu; http://www.jagjaguwar.com/onesheet.php?cat=JAG115; http://www.danblacksound.com