Archive for Music

Gardenia

{ May 10, 2007 @ 5:29 pm } · { Music }
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I realize it isn’t generally accepted as “cool” to like music by Mandy Moore.  I mean, yes, she did put out a compliation of cover songs a few years back that I have to give her full credit for.  The album is little-known, called Coverage, and she honestly sang the absolute heck out of a list of songs so classically great that I’ll go as far as to say it is one of my favorite cover albums ever made, but … those were covers.   

I’ve been hearing all sorts of hype surrounding her new album, seeing as how she co-wrote a lot of it with people like The Weepies, Chantal Kreviazuk, Lori McKenna, and Rachael Yamagata … all people I just love.  I must say, though, I was still pretty skeptical about how I was going to feel about the results of these collaborations. 

Well, today I got my answer … I haven’t heard anything else off of her album, but someone uploaded the last track, Gardenia to YouTube, and it is completely and totally, no-questions-asked, BEAUTIFUL!  I mean … wow … I’ve had it on repeat for a while now, and it’s actually made me tear up a little.  (Yeah, yeah, yeah …)  The girl laid down some emotion in this song, and I have to say … I am thoroughly impressed.  So impressed that I will be buying her new album when it comes out.  (Yeah, I said it!)

Check this out, and try to tell me it isn’t just heartwrenchingly beautiful:

She co-wrote this one with Chantal Kreviazuk, who nabbed me as a fan with the lyrics to her song, Feels Like Home, years and years ago.  Anyhow, I am quite liking the lyrics to Gardenia as well. 

So, yeah, that’s my confession of the day.  From one music snob to the world … I love Gardenia by Mandy Moore!  Is-a nice. 

Shake It Up

{ April 21, 2007 @ 12:42 pm } · { Books, Music }
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*** Click on names to go to the pages to purchase/view/consider, and click on any ‘Lyric’ to see full transcriptions. ***

Two books I think you should check out:

Poetry: Selected Poems by William Bronk
Small Excerpt:

Unsatisfied Desire

However beautiful I think you are,
I am not content to let it end there.
And, oh, you are beautiful even to the extent
that your imperfections insist that beautiful
is not in being perfect but in such faults
- shall we call them faults? – as your imperfection has.
And I could agree: those faults are beautiful …

Book: Love Is a Mix Tape: Life and Loss, One Song at a Time by Rob Sheffield
Small-ish Excerpt:

We met up at a dive called the Garrett on Monday, the night before her birthday. It was not a romantic bar — the carpet was so pot-soaked you got a buzz walking to the bathroom — but it offered privacy, cheap liquor, a cigarette machine that was easy to tilt, and pool tables to distract pain-in-the-ass innocent bystanders. I’d spent the day writing a sonnet sequence for her. I’m not sure what I was thinking–I mean, I used the word “catachresis” in the first line. But I was certain my prosodic ingenuity would melt her heart for good. I used one of my favorite rhyme schemes, stolen from the James Merrill poem “The Octopus,” though he stole it himself, from W. H. Auden’s The Sea and the Mirror, rhyming the first syllable of a trochee with the final syllable in the next line. How could she resist?

At midnight, I gave her the poems.

“What’s going on?” she asked.

“Well, the last word in the first line is a trochee, and it rhymes with the end of the next line. So ‘catachresis’ rhymes with ‘fleece.’ “

“No, what’s going on?”

“In a catachresis?”

“No. What are you talking about?”

“Uh…I have a big crush on you.”

“Oooooh,” she said. She smiled and let the pages drop on the table. She relaxed in front of my eyes. “So how did it start?”

“Well, I think you’re really beautiful.”

She relaxed a lot more — in fact, her face changed shape a little, got a little more round, as if her jaw unclenched. I didn’t know whether that was a good sign or not, but I couldn’t shut up yet.

“I always thought so. Right away, when I saw you.”

“The amazing black dress,” she nodded. “I was wearing that when I met you. There’s, uh, a lot of *me* in that dress. My Fuck the Hostess dress. It’s a real ‘drop to your knees and say amen’ dress.”

“I noticed. It’s gotten worse since then.”

“I know.” She lit one of my Dunhills. I had never seen her so comfortable. “I was on the phone with my friend Merit tonight, and she was like, Does Rob like you? And I said, I don’t know, he made me a tape and he didn’t call and then we danced together and then he left and called and left a message but didn’t call after that. Merit was like, So do you like Rob?”

I couldn’t believe she was making me do this. “So do you?”

She smiled. “I don’t know. He’s not my type, but I really like him.” She told me her type was farm boys with broad shoulders, football players. She took her time smoking that cigarette. She still had most of her beer left and she was in no hurry at all. I was too scared to talk but I was more scared to not talk.

“I don’t know what your type is. I don’t know what your deal is. I don’t even know if you have a boyfriend. I know I like you and I want to be in your life, that’s it, and if you have any room for a boyfriend, I would like to be your boyfriend, and if you don’t have any room, I would like to be your friend. Any room you have for me in your life is great. If you would like me to start out in one room and move to another, I could do that.”

“But you’d rather be a boyfriend than a friend?”

“Given the choice. No, not given the choice. That’s what I want.”

“Where are you parked?”

“I walked.”

“What’s a catachresis?”

“A rhetorical inversion of tense, kind of like a transumption. Let’s go.”

… … …

And a lot of music I think you should check out:
(Sorry I’ve been slacking with this stuff. I have put every, single one of these artists up on my MySpace page in the last couple of months … but … still … I love a good list!)

Music:

Undiscovered – James Morrison
Song of the Moment: You Give Me Something
Lyric of the Moment: ’cause you give me something that makes me scared, alright … this could be nothing, but I’m willing to give it a try …

Costello Music – The Fratellis
Song of the Moment: Flathead
Lyric of the Moment: hey, Flathead, don’t you get mean … she’s the second best killler that I ever have seen …

Girls And Boys - Ingrid Michaelson
Song of the Moment: Breakable
Lyric of the Moment: and we are so fragile, and our cracking bones make noise … and we are just breakable, breakable, breakable girls and boys …

Goodnight – William Fitzsimmons
Song of the Moment: It’s Not True
Lyric of the Moment: the room still looks like you … it’s a mess, and all the pictures on the shelf are dusted off by someone else …

These Streets – Paolo Nutini
Song of the Moment: Rewind
Lyric of the Moment: remember at 16 … oh, the crazy drunk night we had … when I kissed you in the hallway, then I took you straight to bed …

Yours To Keep – Albert Hammond, Jr.
Song of the Moment: Call An Ambulance
Lyric of the Moment: and you will only ever hold me, if I tell you it would end …

The Story – Brandi Carlile
Song of the Moment: My Song
Lyric of the Moment: I live every day like there’ll never be a last one …

Cassadaga - Bright Eyes
Song of the Moment: Make A Plan To Love Me
Lyric of the Moment: some things you lose, you don’t get back … so just know what you have …

Corinne Bailey Rae – Corinne Bailey Rae
Song of the Moment: ‘Til It Happens To You
Lyric of the Moment: oh, Love, I’m a fool to believe in you …

Memory Man – Aqualung
Song of the Moment: Rolls So Deep
Lyric of the Moment: it’s like thunder when I look in your eyes … and it rolls, it rolls … it rolls so deep …

Wincing the Night Away – The Shins
Song of the Moment: Phantom Limb
Lyric of the Moment: a latent power I’m known to hide, to keep some hope alive …

Oh yes … and … Tori Amos, who I absolutely adore in an almost insane kind of way, has a new CD coming out on May 1st. It’s called American Doll Posse, and I haven’t heard anything from it … but I’m still tickled pink with anticipation.

Hope everyone has a great weekend! Be safe, be kind, and … for Pete’s sake (and your own) … have fun!

On The Radio

{ February 27, 2007 @ 5:55 pm } · { Music }
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J’adore Regina Spektor!

This is how it works
You’re young until you’re not
You love until you don’t
You try until you can’t

You laugh until you cry
You cry until you laugh
And everyone must breathe
Until their dying breath

No, this is how it works
You peer inside yourself
You take the things you like
And try to love the things you took

And then you take that love you made
And stick it into some
Someone else’s heart
Pumping someone else’s blood

And walking arm in arm
You hope it don’t get harmed
But even if it does
You’ll just do it all again

I think you should love her, too. 

(Snippet taken from On The Radio on Begin To Hope.)

Letter Read

{ February 8, 2007 @ 6:12 pm } · { Life, Music, Random }
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Before I even begin, I’m going to go ahead and ask forgiveness for whatever nonsense comes pouring from my brain, slightly filtered by my heart, straight through to my fingers, and unabashedly out onto this page.

Forgive me? “Sure, okay.” Good. Now that that is out of the way, let’s begin.

I’m currently listening to Rachael Yamagata again, and the song I am stuck on is Letter Read. I’ve had it on repeat for about an hour, and it’s just killing me … not softly. It’s got so much gumption, my eyes are burning. I don’t know, still love that girl.

It’s funny how I get stuck on songs for no particular reason. Right now, for example, I am feeling not one emotion similar to the words pouring out the speakers of this computer, but I am feeling something because of them. This is why I love music so, damn much. It may not mean the same thing to each of us, and probably not anywhere near what the artist intended when it was being written, but it certainly evokes something within each of us … and something is … well, not nothing, that’s for sure. That is, unless you are one of those crazy, soul-less people. If that is the case, I want nothing to do with you, anyway.

I mean, who doesn’t feel this?!

And I’m afraid, and I can’t breathe,
And I’m in love with you
But you are not with me
And I have put so much into a life
I made too much about you now to lie

Then again, maybe it’s just me. Who knows? Wouldn’t be the first time, surely won’t be the last.

I, myself, haven’t been in love in quite some time, or ever. No, no, no. That’s not true. I just have this on-going battle within myself debating whether or not it was actually love if it ended, and then amounted to nothing in the end. Maybe it’s the music, or the new-ish prospect, or the cheese-infested holiday that is lurking around the corner, but some thoughts on this matter have entered my mind lately. (Honestly, I think maybe it’s really to do with the possibility of falling all over again.) I’m sort of flying, not blind, but perhaps with some slightly foggy goggles on here. What I do know is limited, and what I have come up with is very simple at its core.

First of all, partnership. I can’t stress it enough. I’m no expert, but I do know that is what it’s about. 50/50, you know? It’s also about playing no games, and being present. What I mean by no games is no mind games, heart games, harm games. The bad stuff. Scrabble, Monopoly, Scattergories, Twister, Spades, Catch Phrase, Balderdash, and Trivial Pursuit are actually encouraged. And by being present, I mean not stuck in the past, and not too far ahead in the future. That one is tough. We are all a product of our past, and all zooming full speed ahead into the future with every second that ticks down on the clock.  But, you know, just be present.  Find a way, make it happen.

Communicate … that’s all I know to say. Communicate as much as flipping possible.

Ms. Yamagata will have a new CD coming out sometime this year. Not sure when, but I just cannot wait.

I wrote down some CD’s that I desperately need to get my hands on. I’ve either had these and “lost” them, or I have had certain songs downloaded from iTunes, but never got around to purchasing the entire album, or I am just flat-out behind the times with my CD-purchasing. If my Post-it were to be misplaced, discovered by someone else, and published in Found today, it would include:

‘Til The Sun Turns Black- Ray LaMontagne
Nightcrawler – Pete Yorn
Son of Evil Reindeer – Reindeer Section
If Songs Could Be Held – Rosie Thomas
When It’s Over We Still Have To Clear Up – Snow Patrol
With Teeth – Nine Inch Nails
Blinking Lights and Other Revelations – Eels

Those can also be considered my suggestions to you for the day, by the way. I know I’ve mentioned this before, but Rosie Thomas will just, absolutely break your heart. Her voice is so smooth, and her lyrics are incredibly poignant.

It’s worth a shot, anyway.

I’ve had some emails requesting more of my poetry on here … from people I don’t know, and have never, ever met … which is surreal … but nice. (Quick! Name that movie!)

My favorite emails are the ones asking where my book can be purchased. Well, I don’t have a book that has been published, but if one were to be requested enough, I would certainly consider (once again) publishing some of the poetry stuff. I’ll keep it in mind, one way or another. In the meantime, I’ll just keep posting some of my dabbles on here from time to time. So, to answer all of those emails collectively … soon, I’ll post another one soon.

I write and I write and I write and I write. It’s the only way I know. Pen to paper. Inside to outside. It’s who I am, all I know to do.

My new book, which does not have a “deal” (as I have not even ever tried to find one), and I have just started working on recently, will also include some of my poetry. The style in which I am writing it allows for this sort of thing, which is why I prefer it to any other way I have ever written. It’s coming along well so far. To answer yet another round of questions I have been asked recently … yes, I will maybe, actually try (like send it out to agents and publishing houses, try like never before, try) to get this one published. Who knows? Stranger things have happened.

Speaking of, Anna Nicole Smith died today, which I guess isn’t really all that strange when you think about it. My guess is drugs in general, and cocaine to be more specific. Either way, I always think it’s sad when people die, just like that, unnecessarily. I guess it’s the way of the world, but it still makes me sad.

Really … wow. What a sad, crazy world we live in today! Do you not agree? We’ve got Britney flashing her stuff, Lindsay in and out of rehab, Paris being … Paris, and Nicole getting arrested for drugs … and this is what we call “News”. I mean, this is quite literally what we have our younger generation of girls witnessing, and even trying to emulate. It scares the stuffin’ out of me, to be honest. Raising kids in the world today … scary, scary stuff. I don’t know. I wish it were different. I wish people had more values. I wish everything wasn’t so f*cked up. But it is. Plain and simple. It is. I guess the only way to balance that insanity somehow is to keep your feet on the ground, your head level, your values in check, your mind a little sane, and your heart in a good place.

Which, in a very roundabout way, brings me back to the music that I love. The music I listen to is what gives me hope, and allows me to believe in what I really want to believe. It sounds so corny, but it’s all about the human spirit to me. Not the people who try to ruin it, but the people who try to cultivate it, help it flourish, actually make a difference, be respectable.

I’m going off into a whole other realm of random with that kind of talk. Slow down now!

This is what happens when my head and heart go in about a thousand different directions all at one time. It’s okay. I kind of like it, even. I advocate so much for people who think, people who feel … might as well embrace being one of them, right?

In truth, I have thought a lot about starting a new blog and pouring all of my rumblings onto there, anonymously. I haven’t done it, and decided that I won’t. I resolved that I can just use this one, for whatever, and not be ashamed or embarrassed, or feel too exposed.

I’m a writer.

I write and I write and I write and I write. It’s the only way I know. Pen to paper. Inside to outside. It’s who I am, all I know to do.

Quickies

{ February 1, 2007 @ 7:15 pm } · { Books, Movies, Music, Writing/Poetry }
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– The release date for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows has been announced: July 21, 2007. For those of you who are as nerdy as I am, you can already pre-order it on Amazon. (Yes … I did.) Even worse is that I actually got goosebumps when I saw an actual date in association with its release. Yeah, it’s pretty bad.

- Begin To Hope by Regina Spektor, which I have mentioned on here a few times, is $6.99 on Amazon right now as well. I don’t know how much it usually costs, but I do believe that is quite a good deal. If you ever thought about buying it, now is the time. This also goes for Love in the Time of Science by Emiliana Torrini (another I’ve mentioned before), again on Amazon. I think that one is $6.87, or something. Under $7, anyway. (Click the links to go to the exact pages where I found them.)

- I just discovered Found, and I’m completely fascinated by it. I don’t like it as much as PostSecret, but I do like it quite a bit. Same kind of thing.

- For those of you rockin’ it in my neck of the woods, check THIS out sometime. I won’t be at the one this Friday, but … you know … it’s still probably one of the cooler things in this _____ town. (Couldn’t find the words, and I’m in somewhat of a time crunch currently.)

- For those of you who keep up, I’ve started writing another book. I think it’s fiction. I mean, it’s complicated, but … I definitely think it’s fiction. I’m writing it in a style that focuses on a certain scene (point in time/what-have-you), then goes to another, but they all kind of string together in an odd sort of way. (Yes, there is a word for it. Yes, I know it. No, I do not feel the need to bore everyone with writing styles.) It’s moving quickly, just like my first. I put that one on the back-burner for a bit, though. It was making my brain hurt. I’ll assuredly finish this second one before the first. And, heck, who knows? Maybe that first one was just a catalyst to get me kicked into gear with this one, the actual one, the one I, myself, would read if someone else wrote it. I suppose that’s important. Ha!

- Running With Scissors (the movie) apparently becomes available for rent and purchase next Tuesday, Feb. 6th. I haven’t seen it because this town never brought it to theaters. All I can say is I enjoyed the book. (Damn, Amazon should pay me for advertising.)

- The line, “all that I am, all that I ever was, is here in your perfect eyes, they’re all I can see …” has been stuck in my head for days now. I hear that the song (Chasing Cars by Snow Patrol) is horribly over-played on the radio, which is a shame, really. I don’t listen to the radio, so I wouldn’t know. This is probably the reason I can still tolerate it … and so many other songs, for that matter. Doesn’t it suck how radio stations beat the ever-lovin’ crap out of a few good songs, making them unbearable to listen to anymore?! I think so; hence, the no-listening.

- I’m out of time for now.

- Take care, be safe, be happy, be nice … and … as my favorite memo pad at home says, Don’t fuck this up!

(I know it’s not very ladylike, but it’s just so versatile … you know?)

Discover Great Music!

{ January 5, 2007 @ 6:52 pm } · { Music }
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Hey friends! I haven’t talked about my favorite thing, MUSIC, in a while (meaning, at least a week). I’ve been listening to a lot of really great stuff that I haven’t mentioned to most people lately. So, be happy … because today’s the day! The lists below are chalk-full of some stuff I, personally, believe you should all definitely give a listen. Most of it is fairly mellow, as fits my mood currently, so it might be good to keep that in mind as you read on.

(Click on any song titles for lyrics, and artist names for websites.)

– First … my favorite new discovery, Rosie Thomas. From the very first time I heard this girl’s voice, I was hooked. Her music is folk-ish, but folk-ish at its very, very best. Gosh, I just cannot stop listening to her. I’ll suggest all 3 albums by her:

When We Were Small
Song I can’t stop listening to … Wedding Day

Only With Laughter Can You Win
Song I can’t stop listening to … You And Me

If Songs Could Be Held
Songs I can’t stop listening to … Guess It May & Clear As A Bell

– Next … a few albums that have been around for a bit that everyone should certainly know about. I’ve mentioned them before, yes … and I will mention them again now:

We Were Here – Joshua Radin
Yep, this CD is in my Top 3 of 2006. If you have not heard his cover of Yaz’s Only You, you are seriously missing out. Download it NOW! You will be so happy you did.

Lost & Found – Griffin House
I’ve only just discovered this one, but I’m liking it quite a bit so far. This CD sets a distinctive mood that I am just rather drawn to. One song reminds me of Mr. Jeff Buckley; although, it isn’t the one I can’t stop listening to. The one I’m hooked on right now is Just A Dream. Being the word-whore that I am, it’s probably to do with the lyrics (and relating to them, and how they make me feel).

Details – Frou Frou
If you haven’t already heard this album after all of the ranting and raving that I (and so many others) have done about it, shame on you! From start to finish, it’s pure greatness. For the moodiness of it, however, the song I’m stuck on these days is The Dumbing Down Of Love. It makes me want to scream, laugh, and cry … simultaneously. Cheers to a song that can do that all in one!

Till The Sun Turns Black – Ray LaMontagne
This dude can … wail. I’m not talking about the annoying, screechy kind of wail … I’m talking, sing his ass off kind of wail. I want to get down on the kitchen tile (dancing, I mean, dancing) with this CD … and Three More Days in particular.

– Finally … some “different” stuff I’ve been listening to … and L-O-V-E, I might add. For these, there will be no description/dialogue. If you are the kind of person who is interested enough to actually click on the links and check them out, I doubt you are the kind of person who will be disappointed with what they are all about.

Clap Your Hands Say Yeah – Clap Your Hands Say Yeah

Takk – Sigur Ros

Illinois – Sufjan Stevens

Two Cinema – The New Pornographers

(**All of these albums can be found on Amazon, where you can buy the CD’s, as well as listen to samples of each of the tracks.**)

Enjoy!

Soundtracks, y’all!

{ December 14, 2006 @ 5:01 pm } · { Movies, Music }
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Hey, hey!  I’m on a soundtrack kick lately.  Can’t say why, exactly.  So … since I am done with finals (OH YEAH!), and I have more time on my hands, I thought I’d make a list of a few yummy compilations worth owning.  And, yikes, it’s a tad long.  Ah, well …

1. The Last Kiss –  I’ve talked about it until I am blue in the face, but I will say it one more time … Buy this soundtrack if you don’t already have it!  I mean, really, how can you not love something that has Imogen Heap, Fiona Apple, Aimee Mann, Cary Brothers, Rufus Wainwright, AND Rachael Yamagata on it?!  Sheesh, folks, it’s a doozy!  Listen/buy HERE, check out the MySpace, and check out the track listing below …

1. Chocolate – Snow Patrol
2. Star Mile – Joshua Radin
3. Pain Killer – Turin Brakes
4. Warning Sign – Coldplay
5. Ride – Cary Brothers
6. El Salvador – Athlete
7. Hide And Seek – Imogen Heap
8. Reason Why – Rachael Yamagata
9. Hold You In My Arms – Ray LaMontagne
10. Prophecy – Remy Zero
11. Paper Bag – Fiona Apple
12. Today’s The Day – Aimee Mann
13. Arms of a Woman – Amos Lee
14. Cigarettes and Chocolate Milk – Rufus Wainwright
15. Paperweight – Joshua Radin & Schuyler Fisk

2. Little Miss Sunshine –  It’s grand, and just got nominated for a Grammy.  So … you know the buzz has got to be somewhat true, right?  Right.  Plus, it has Chicago by Sufjan Stevens, which is probably one of my favorites right now.  Listen/buy HERE, check out the MySpace, and check out the track listing below …

1. The Winner Is – Mychael Danna/DeVotchKa
2. Till The End Of Time – DeVotchKa
3. You Love Me (Remix) – DeVotchKa
4. First Push – Mychael Danna/DeVotchKa
5. No Man’s Land – Sufjan Stevens
6. Let’s Go – DeVotchKa
7. No One Gets Left Behind – Danna/DeVotchKa
8. Chicago – Sufjan Stevens
9. We’re Gonna Make It – Danna/DeVotchKa
10. Do You Think There’s a Heaven -Danna/DeVotchKa
11. Catwalkin’ – Tony Tisdale
12. Superfreak (Rocca Sound Remix) – Rick James
13. La Llorona – DeVotchKa
14. How It Ends – DeVotchKa

3. Garden State –  This one is a no-brainer.  Speaking of Grammy’s, Zach Braff (blog) actually got one for compiling this rockin’ (and rollin’) list of super-songs.  That boy has some great taste in music, I must say.  Kudos (and maybe a little pinch on the butt) to him!  Listen/buy HERE, check out the MySpace, and check out the track list below …

1. Don’t Panic – Coldplay   
2. Caring Is Creepy – The Shins  
3. In The Waiting Line – Zero 7    
4. New Slang – The Shins 
5. I Just Don’t Think I’ll Ever Get Over You – Colin Hay 
6. Blue Eyes – Cary Brothers   
7. Fair – Remy Zero 
8. One Of These Things First – Nick Drake 
9. Lebanese Blonde – Thievery Corporation 
10. The Only Living Boy In New York – Simon & Garfunkel 
11. Such Great Heights – Iron and Wine 
12. Let Go – Frou Frou 
13. Winding Road – Bonnie Somerville

4.  Forrest Gump –  It is chalk-full of good, old-fashioned, freakin’ fantastical tracks.  In fact, it happens to contain my theme song in life … I Can’t Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch) by The Four Tops.  (Don’t ask … but for more on theme songs, feel free check into Ally McBeal.  Ha ha!)  Anyhow, if you don’t own this one, it is a definite must-have.  Listen/buy HERE, and check out the track listing below …

Disc 1
1. Hound Dog – Elivis Presley
2. Rebel Rouser – Duane Eddy
3. (I Don’t Know Why) But I Do – Clarence “Frogman” Henry
4. Walk Right In – The Rooftop Singers
5. Land Of 1000 Dances – Wilson PIckett
6. Blowin’ In The Wind – Joan Baez
7. Fortunate Son – Creedence Clearwater Revival
8. I Can’t Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch) – The Four Tops
9. Respect – Aretha Frankline
10. Rainy Day Women #12 & 35 – Bob Dylan
11. Sloop John B – The Beach Boys
12. California Dreamin’ – The Mamas And The Papas
13. For What It’s Worth – Buffalo Springfield
14. What The World Needs Now Is Love – Jackie DeShannon
15. Break On Through (To The Other Side) – The Doors
16. Mrs. Robinson – Simon & Garfunkel

Disc 2
1. Volunteers – Jefferson Airplane
2. Let’s Get Together – The Youngbloods
3. San Francisco (Be Sure To Wear Some Flowers In Your Hair) – Scott McKenzie
4. Turn! Turn! Turn! (To Everything There Is A Season) – The Byrds
5. Aquarius/Let the Sun Shine In - The Fifth Dimension  
6. Everybody’s Talkin’ – Harry Nilsson
7. Joy To The World – Three Dog Night
8. Stoned Love – The Supremes
9. Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head – B.J. Thomas
10. Mr. President (Have Pity On The Working Man) – Randy Newman
11. Sweet Home Alabama – Lynard Skynyrd
12. Running On Empty – Jackson Browne
13. It Keeps You Runnin’ – The Doobie Brothers
14. I’ve Got To Use My Imagination – Gladys Knight & The Pips
15. Go Your Own Way – Fleetwood Mac
16. On The Road Again – Willie Nelson
17. Against The Wind – Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band
18. Forrest Gump Suite – Alan Silvestri

5. One Tree Hill –  No judgement!  Zip it and just check it out.  Listen/buy HERE, check out the MySpace, buy the 2nd Volume that benefits the National Breast Cancer Association HERE, and check out the track listing below …

1. I Don’t Want To Be – Gavin DeGraw 
2. Kill – Jimmy Eat World 
3. Re-Offender – Travis 
4. The Good Kind – The Wreckers (Michelle Branch & Jessica Harp) 
5. Overdue – Get Up Kids 
6. Funny Little Feeling – Rock-N-Roll Soldiers 
7. Glad (Acoustic) – Tyler Hilton 
8. Shoot Your Gun – 22-20s 
9. Sidewalks – Story of the Year 
10. When the Stars Go Blue – Tyler Hilton / Bethany Joy Lenz 
11. Everybody’s Changing – Keane 
12. Mix-tape – Butch Walker 
13. The First Cut Is the Deepest (Acoustic) – Sheryl Crow 
14. Lie in the Sound – Trespassers William 

6. Wicker Park — It’s just good.  Nice and moody.  And, I don’t know about anybody else, but I find Lover’s Spit to be some prime baby-makin’ music, if you know what I mean (and I think you do).  Oh, and not to even mention that The Postal Service covers Phil Collins!  What?!  Yeah, it’s, “Wow!”  Listen/buy HERE, check out the MySpace, and check out the track listing below …

1. Maybe Tomorrow – Stereophonics 
2. Everybody Is Someone – Lifehouse (exclusive) 
3. A Movie Script Ending – Death Cab for Cutie (acoustic version) 
4. How to Be Dead – Snow Patrol 
5. Lover’s Spit – Broken Social Scene 
6. Retour A Vega – The Stills  Listen  
7. Flowers in December – Mazzy Star 
8. When the Day is Gone - The Legends 
9. When I Goosestep – The Shins (rare non-album track) 
10. Light Switch – Jaime Wyatt 
11. These Days – Mates of State 
12. All I Do – +/- 
13. We All Have a Map of the Piano – Mum 
14. Against All Odds – Postal Service (rare non album track) 
15. Strange and Beautiful – Aqualung 
16. I Know You Are But What Am I? – Mogwai 
17. The Scientist – Johnette Napolitano & Danny Lohner (exclusive)

7. The Sound of Music — Again, shut it!  This is a pick of nostalgia for me.  I can’t help it, and certainly won’t try.  My grandma and I flitted about to some Julie Andrews when I was just a wee one.  I have very fond memories of this soundtrack, so just … turn your head, if need be.   Listen/buy HERE, and check out the track listing below …

1. Prelude And The Sound Of Music 
2. Overture And Preludium (Dixit Dominus) 
3. Morning Hymn And Alleluia 
4. Maria 
5. I Have Confidence 
6. Sixteen Going On Seventeen 
7. My Favorite Things 
8. Do-Re-Mi 
9. The Sound Of Music 
10. The Lonely Goatherd 
11. Edelweiss 
12. Laendler 
13. So Long, Farewell 
14. Ent’acte 
15. Climb Ev’ry Mountain 
16. My Favorite Things 
17. Something Good 
18. Processional And Maria (The Wedding) 
19. Sixteen Going On Seventeen (Reprise) 
20. Do-Re-Mi (Reprise) 

8. Grease — C’mon!  It’s … well … Grease!  No matter who you are, where you live, or what you consider to be good music, you know you can throw down the jam to Summer Lovin’.  It’s okay, there’s no need to be ashamed.  We’re all right there with you.  Have “a blast” with this one!  (Ha!)  Listen/buy HERE, and check out the track listing below …

1. Grease – Frankie Valli 
2. Summer Nights – John Travolta & Olivia Newton-John 
3. Hopelessly Devoted To You – Olivia Newton-John 
4. You’re The One That I Want – John Travolta & Olivia Newton-John  
5. Sandy – John Travolta 
6. Beauty School Dropout – Frankie Avalon 
7. Look At Me, I’m Sandra Dee – Stockard Channing 
8. Greased Lightning – John Travolta 
9. It’s Raining On Prom Night – Cindy Bullens 
10. Alone At The Drive-In Movie (Instrumental) – Jim Jacobs/Warren Casey 
11. Blue Moon – Sha-Na-Na 
12. Rock ‘N’ Roll Is Here To Stay – Sha-Na-Na 
13. Those Magic Changes – Sha-Na-Na 
14. Hound Dog – Sha-Na-Na 
15. Born To Hand Jive – Sha-Na-Na 
16. Tears On My Pillow – Sha-Na-Na 
17. Mooning – Louis St. Louis & Cindy Bullens 
18. Freddy My Love – Cindy Bullens 
19. Rock ‘N’ Roll Party Queen – Louis St. Louis 
20. There Are Worse Things I Could Do – Stockard Channing 

9.  Legends of the Fall – There is some beautiful, beautiful music going on in this movie.  Seriously, beautiful!  Listen/buy HERE, and check out the track listing below …

1. Legends Of The Fall 
2. The Ludlows 
3. Off To War 
4. To The Boys… 
5. Samuel’s Death 
6. Alfred Moves To Helena 
7. Farewell/Descent Into Madness 
8. The Changing Seasons, Wild Horses, Tristan’s… 
9. The Wedding 
10. Isabel’s Murder, Recollections Of Samuel 
11. Revenge 
12. Goodbyes 
13. Alfred, Tristan, The Colonel, The Legend… 

10. Saturday Night Fever — “C’mon and put on my, my, my, my boogie shoes, and boogie with you …”  Mmmm-hmmmm … 70’s … yeah, baby!  Listen/buy HERE, and check out the track listing below …

1. Stayin’ Alive – The Bee Gees 
2. How Deep Is Your Love – The Bee Gees 
3. Night Fever – The Bee Gees 
4. More Than a Woman – The Bee Gees 
5. If I Can’t Have You – Yvonne Elliman 
6. Fifth of Beethoven – Walter Murphy 
7. More Than a Woman – Tavares 
8. Manhattan Skyline – David Shire 
9. Calypso Breakdown – Ralph MacDonald 
10. Night on Disco Mountain – David Shire 
11. Open Sesame – Kool & the Gang 
12. Jive Talkin’ – The Bee Gees 
13. You Should Be Dancing – The Bee Gees 
14. Boogie Shoes – KC & the Sunshine Band 
15. Salsation – David Shire 
16. K-Jee – MFSB 
17. Disco Inferno – The Trammps

11. Dirty Dancing — Yes, I am a total girl.  Deal with it!  Listen/buy HERE, and check out the track listing below …

1. (I’ve Had) The Time Of My Life – Jennifer Warnes & Bill Medley
2. Be My Baby – The Ronettes 
3. She’s Like the Wind – Patrick Swayze 
4. Hungry Eyes – Eric Carmen 
5. Stay – Maurice Williams And The Zodiacs 
6. Yes – Merry Clayton 
7. You Don’t Own Me – The Blow Monkeys 
8. Hey Baby – Bruce Channel 
9. Overload – Zappacosta 
10. Love Is Strange - Mickey And Sylvia 
11. Where Are You Tonight? – Tom Johnston 
12. In The Still Of The Night – The Five Satins

12. Elizabethtown — I read somewhere that Cameron Crowe made this movie around the music he chose.  I know he got a bit of bad reviews for this one, but I really loved it.  So, “Come pick me up, take me out, fuck me up, and steal my records,” as Ryan Adams would say.   Listen/buy HERE, check out the MySpace, and check out the track listing below …

1. 60B (Etown Theme) – Nancy Wilson 
2. It’ll All Work Out – Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers 
3. My Father’s Gun – Elton John 
4. io (This Time Around) – Helen Stellar 
5. Come Pick Me Up – Ryan Adams 
6. Where to Begin – My Morning Jacket 
7. Long Ride Home – Patty Griffin 
8. Sugar Blue – Jeff Finlin 
9. Don’t I Hold You – Wheat 
10. Shut Us Down – Lindsey Buckingham 
11. Let It Out (Let it All Hang Out) – The Hombres 
12. Hard Times – eastmountainsouth 
13. Jesus Was a Crossmaker – The Hollies 
14. Square One – Tom Petty 
15. Same in Any Language – I Nine

13. Almost Famous — While we’re on Cameron Crowe, might as well, right?!  Yep, yep, yep.  You put Elton John, Simon & Garfunkel, and Cat Stevens on a CD together, and you’ve got yourself a winner.  End.Of.Story.  Listen/buy HERE, and check out the track listing below …

1. America – Simon and Garfunkel 
2. Sparks – The Who 
3. It Wouldn’t Have Made Any Difference – Todd Rundgren 
4. I’ve Seen All Good People: Your Move – Yes 
5. Feel Flows – The Beach Boys 
6. Fever Dog – Stillwater 
7. Every Picture Tells A Story – Rod Stewart 
8. Mr. Farmer – The Seeds 
9. One Way Out – The Allman Brothers Band 
10. Simple Man – Lynyrd Skynyrd 
11. That’s The Way – Led Zeppelin 
12. Tiny Dancer – Elton John 
13. Lucky Trumble – Nancy Wilson 
14. I’m Waiting For The Man – David Bowie 
15. The Wind – Cat Stevens 
16. Slip Away – Clarence Carter 
17. Something In The Air – Thunderclap Newman 

14. Titanic — Minus the whole Celine Dion thing, the composing is truly mesmerizing.  It puts me in some sort of trance every time I listen to it … a good, relaxing trance, that is.   Listen/buy HERE, and check out the track listing below …

1. Never An Absolution 
2. Distant Memories 
3. Southampton 
4. Rose 
5. Leaving Port 
6. ‘Take Her To Sea, Mr. Murdoch’ 
7. ‘Hard To Starboard’ 
8. Unable To Stay, Unwilling To Leave 
9. The Sinking 
10. Death Of Titanic 
11. A Promise Kept 
12. A Life So Changed 
13. An Ocean Of Memories 
14. My Heart Will Go On (Love Theme From ‘Titanic’) 
15. Hymn to the Sea 

15.  Grey’s Anatomy, Vol. 2 — It has an acoustic version of Chasing Cars, for crying out loud!  When he says, “All that I am, all that I ever was, is here in your perfect eyes, they’re all I can see …” it’s enough to make me do something truly stupid … like dissolve into a puddle of melty nothingness.   And, no, I have no excuse.   Listen/buy HERE, check out the MySpace, and check out the track listing below …

1. How to Save a Life – The Fray 
2. War on Sound – Moonbabies 
3. I Me You – Jim Noir 
4. Kaboom! – Ursula 1000 
5. Miss Halfway – Anya Marina 
6. Multiply – Jamie Lidell 
7. Universe & U – KT Tunstall 
8. Monster Hospital – Metric 
9. How We Operate [Radio Edit] – Gomez 
10. Grace Master – Kate Havnevik 
11. Sexy Mistake – The Chalets 
12. Bound by Love – Gran Bel Fisher 
13. I Hate Everyone [Clean] – Get Set Go 
14. Homebird – Foy Vance 
15. Chasing Cars [Acoustic] – Snow Patrol

Happy December!  ‘Tis the season, m’loves!

Accidental Babies

{ December 2, 2006 @ 2:23 pm } · { Music, Writing/Poetry }
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For many reasons, but mainly because it is so beautiful …

“Well, I know I make you cry
And I know sometimes you wanna die
But do you really feel alive without me?
If so, be free
If not, leave him for me
Before one of us has accidental babies
For we are in love

Do you come
Together ever with him?
Is he dark enough?
Enough to see your light?
Do you brush your teeth before you kiss?
Do you miss my smell?
And is he bold enough to take you on?
Do you feel like you belong?
And does he drive you wild?
Or just mildly free?

What about me?
What about me?”

- Damien Rice (from Accidental Babies on his new CD, 9)

(Makes me wish I would’ve written these exact words at one point in time, only replaced “him” with “her”. )

“Everything for a reason …”  And, with that, a Very Merry Saturday, m’loves!

5 Suggestions

{ November 29, 2006 @ 6:32 pm } · { Books, Movies, Music }
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Music: 9- Damien Rice (Buy)

Song: The Animals Were Gone - Damien Rice (Listen) (Lyrics)

Movie: For Your Consideration (Time/Theater) (Review)

Book: The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini (Buy)

Website: Your Story … Did That Really Just Happen?!

(Okay, so that last suggestion is a total shameless plug.  ;)   The other four are not, however.  They are genuinely fantastic in a completely unbiased sort of way, so check ‘ em out.  Now!)

Happy Hump Day!

Random Playlist #2

{ October 12, 2006 @ 4:41 pm } · { Music }
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(Fall is finally here …)

I’ve had a lot on my mind lately.  All songs below relate to what I’m thinking/feeling in one way or another.  I love it how music does that … helps you, heals you.  I have been listening to this playlist on repeat all afternoon, again while working on my novel.  It’s action-packed with good stuff, and I hope you all enjoy it as much as I do!

Random Playlist #2

1. Just For Now – Imogen Heap  (Lyrics)  (MySpace)
2. Wires – Athlete  (Lyrics)  (MySpace)
3. That Says It All – Duncan Sheik  (Lyrics)  (MySpace)
4. Fidelity- Regina Spektor  (Lyrics)  (MySpace)
5. Congratulations – Blue October  (Lyrics)  (MySpace)
6. Against All Odds – The Postal Service  (Lyrics)  (MySpace)
7. Volcano – Damien Rice  (Lyrics)  (MySpace)
8. Fortress – Pinback  (Lyrics)  (MySpace)
9. Sundress – Ben Kweller  (Lyrics)  (MySpace)
10. Weapon – Matthew Good  (Lyrics)  (MySpace)
11. She Says – Howie Day  (Lyrics)  (MySpace)
12. Hide Your Love – Jonny Lang  (Lyrics)  (MySpace)
13. Letter Read – Rachael Yamagata  (Lyrics)  (MySpace)
14. Gone – Ben Folds  (Lyrics)  (MySpace)
15. Stupid – Sarah McLachlan  (Lyrics)  (MySpace)
16. All My Friends – Counting Crows  (Lyrics)  (MySpace)
17. Original Of The Species – U2  (Lyrics)  (MySpace)
18. You Didn’t Kiss Me – Marry Me Jane  (Lyrics)  (MySpace)
19. Don’t Fade – Toad the Wet Sprocket  (Lyrics)  (MySpace)
20. Extraordinary Machine – Fiona Apple  (Lyrics)  (MySpace)
21. Easier to Lie – Aqualung  (Lyrics)  (MySpace)
22. Letters and Drawings – Damien Jurado  (Lyrics)  (MySpace)
23. Tell Her This – Del Amitri  (Lyrics)  (MySpace)
24. Mexico – Jump, Little Children  (Lyrics)  (MySpace)
25. Come And Find Me – Josh Ritter  (Lyrics)  (MySpace)

* Just a warning … not all of the links to the MySpace pages are “official”; however, if there was an official one to be found, I found and used it.  I think only 4 (maybe 5) are “unofficial”, which means that they were created by random people and could be deleted at any time.  If that happens and any of the links above become invalid, I’m sorry. 

* Also, as with Random Playlist #1, not all of the pages linked will play the exact song I metioned in this playlist.  All will have something by the artist(s), though.  As always, all are very much worth listening to, if you have the chance … and I hope you do. 

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