The Week in Review, Part Two

(hey it rhymes.... if you say two more like "tew")


So, what else happened?

Sorrento by night. Bustling and beautiful.

ITALY!
From Roma to Rimini, it was a great trip, but too much to talk about here. 
Here's what I was BLASTING on my headphones in Italy (both songs from my boyfriend's mix, thanks dude). 


GOOD (TRAVELING) SONG #1: Asfalt Tango by Fanfare Ciocârlia
Crazzzzy Romanian band with an AWESOME beat and horn section. If you like Beirut or Balkan Beat Box, then definitely check these guys out. If you like it and you're ever in NYC, go to Mehanata to go dancing. You won't regret it. 
It's a perfect song for the insanity I had while traveling, going to a from train stations with huge suitcases in tow, surrounded by lots and lots of crazy southern Italians in the blistering heat.  Italy doesn't believe in air-conditioning. Blargh. 

They look like they're having a great time...probably because
they're in a building with air-conditioning.

GOOD (TRAVELING) SONG #2: Senegal Fast Food by Amadou et Mariam (produced by Manu Chao)
This song is still on repeat in my car. You can tell it's been produced by Manu Chao- he samples his own stuff and he sings in the video. It might as well be his song. And I don't care. It's fantastic. The harmonica???!! Amazing.  And look at those sunglasses that Amadou and Mariam are wearing!! So styling, you gotta love it. The song/video definitely has some sort of political overtones, etc., but I don't know much about the French-Senegalese relationship, so I don't really know what to say about it. 


What else happened recently?
SCHOOOOOOL!
My sister likes to joke that school is a four-letter word: SKUL


But seriously, forks, it's true: School has started again. Back to teaching!
In celebration:
GOOD (SCHOOL) SONG #1: Good Morning, Little Schoolgirl by Muddy Waters
Muddy Waters was a freakin genius. He (and B.B. King) is who got me into the blues. Sooooo good. Yes, the song may be a bit, um, inappropriate, especially for our age-sensitive ears these days, but still... Let's just pretend it's about young love. 

Why the long face Muddy? YOU'RE A MUSICAL GENIUS!
Don't be upset!

GOOD (SCHOOL) SONG #2: Be True to Your School- The Beach Boys
Absolutely hilarious lyrics:
"When some loud braggart tries to put me down
And says his school is great
I tell him right away
'what's the matter buddy?
Ain't you heard of my school?
It's number one in the state.'
So be true to your school now
Just like you would to your girl or guy
Be true to your school now
And let your colors fly."


Maybe these are only funny to me since I never had any school spirit in high school or college, so it just seems absurd. NYU is not noted for its great athletics, I will remind you.


And tonight?
The National, Wye Oak, and Yo La Tengo at Merriweather Post Pavilion in Maryland! WHOO-HOO!
Here's what I might hear...
Reasonable Man (I Don't Mind) by The National, from their 2004 EP Cherry Tree. Great lyrics. 
Sometimes I Don't Get You by Yo La Tengo from their album I Am Not Afraid of You and I Will Beat Your Ass (best album title ever). 


Gotta run!
Over and out,
Anna

The Week in Review, Part 1

So, I was out of town for a while (again), this time in Italy, and it was hard to do a lot of posts. Which is sad-making, since August now only has two posts, and it's my one-year anniversary of the blog!
To make up for it, I am going to do two little "Week in Review" posts, since it seems like a LOT has happened in the past week or so.

First up?
THE VIRGINIA EARTHQUAKE!
I'm kinda sad I missed this, I gotta admit.

It's true-- it was kinda a big nothing.

GOOD (EARTHQUAKE) SONG: Earthquake Weather- Beck
From his album Guero, which was awesome.

Next?
HURRICANE IRENE!
GOOD (HURRICANE) SONG #1: Buckets of Rain- Bob Dylan
From my favorite Dylan album, Blood on the Tracks (which has my two all-time favorite Dylan songs, which I will not reveal here, since I might post on them sometime...). Obviously the Dylan song "Hurricane" would have been appropriate, too, but it seemed a bit *too* obvious. And it also has nothing to do with a real hurricane.

GOOD (HURRICANE) SONG #2: Have You Ever Seen the Rain?- Creedence Clearwater Revival
I grew up listening to this on tape in my minivan as my mother and I would drive to upstate NY. Great to listen to on a back porch during a rainstorm, if you have the chance. You can't get much better than CCR.

They've seen the rain alright... the reign of TERRIBLE HAIRCUTS.

GOOD (HURRICANE) SONG #3: Irene- Caribou
Seemed appropriate.  I love the chill electronica of Caribou. It's sort of melancholy, like the rain. Dan Snaith, the man behind Caribou, is a genius.

OK so he is a genius. Which clearly means bat-sh*t crazy, too.
I like that.

To be continued...

Over and out,
Anna

Hold Your Head Up

Summer isn't over, folks! I thought I would post another GOOD (SUMMER) SONG while it was still the season.
I heard this song recently and knew I had to post it. It is a great, fun, super-catchy song that I have been humming since I first heard it a week or two ago. Give it a listen!!

Rockin out. Me likey.

GOOD (SUMMER) SONG: Beacon by Matt Duncan
Listen to those horns! The piano! And is that an accordion in the background? Amazing! I love the R&B vibes combined with the indie-pop sound. The whole EP is worth a listen, really. Matt Duncan, based in Kentucky, released his six-song EP entitled Beacon, winter of 2010. I can't find out too much about him, other than the facts I already mentioned (from Kentucky, male, young, makes music) but his music is happy-making.
I love the lyrics to the song, especially the first verse and chorus (I'm a sucker for songs that mention NY, for obvious reasons). It's funny, though, because I first thought that he was saying "Hold your head up, you're in Beacon"; Beacon is a artsy little town in upstate NY that I had *just* read an article about in the NY Times (read it here). But that's not what he is saying. Fortunately I like the real lyrics better than my imagined ones.

"I got friends in New York City
'Cause everyone I know left town
That's the place your day lit dreams go
Where you can't see the sun go down

Hold your head up, you're a beacon
You pull me northward in my car
You don't have to hit the big time, baby
We know who you are."

BUY HIS MUSIC HERE: Matt Duncan

If you liked this song, you might also check out:

Beirut

Jens Lekman

Elvis Costello

The Magnetic Fields

Over and out,
Anna

Maryland Represent!

So here I am chilling in upstate NY, in the Catskills, a-listenin' to some dang good alt-rock-folk-whatever-genre-you-wanna-call-it. And while I will always be a New Yorker, it's true, I have to give some much-deserved love to the great state of Maryland, since I am a resident of it now.
So, without further ado, here is Wye Oak, straight outta Baltimo'.

Apparently they're not only a good band, but also
a good decorating theme. 

GOOD SONG: Civilian by Wye Oak

I am sure you knew immediately (since you're all really into Maryland state tree history, I know)  the band is named after the famous Wye Oak tree of Maryland, the largest white oak tree in the United States... until it was destroyed in a thunderstorm in 2002. Extremely sad-making. It was 460 years old! DUDE. (In case you were curious, the largest white oak tree in the US now is the Linden Oak, located on the corner of Rockville Pike and Beach Drive in North Bethesda, MD. Nice.)
Anyhoo, they make great music together, these two. Oh yes, and "these two" consists of Andy Stack (known to play drums and keyboard at the same time!!) and Jenn Wasner. They've released three albums so far, with the most recent being Civilian (March of this year).  I love the steady rhythm that gets kicked into high gear half-way through the song. Wasner's voice has real strength to it, as does her guitar work, which goes from a nice country-ish strumming to some serious rock-n-rolling. The lyrics, in my humble opinion, show the struggle that many people do with a need for a real relationship, but having shortcomings get in the way.

"Perfectly able to hold my own hand/
but I still can't kiss my own neck/
I wanted to give you everything/
but I still stand in awe of superficial things/
I wanted to love you like my mother's mother's mothers did/
civilian."

If you liked this song, you might also like:
Deer Tick
The Cave Singers
The Rosebuds
Other Lives
Neko Case
The Rural Alberta Advantage

Over and out,
Anna

Doctor's Orders

Feeling washed out?

Take two of these, take a drive on the highway at night with the windows down, and don't call me in the morning.

Washed Out makes good music for days when
you take pictures like these. 

GOOD SONG #1: Far Away by Washed Out (be aware the album cover is a pretty sexual image)

GOOD SONG #2: Eyes Be Closed by Washed Out (" ") 

So who is Washed Out? It's Ernest Greene, from Georgia. He's a one-man-chillwave-band who just released his first full-length album entitled "Within and Without" from Sub Pop Records. He began just recording his music in his basement in his little hometown of Perry, Georgia, and has risen to (moderate) fame (in the chillwave world, which is pretty limited). People have busted a move trying to classify and describe his sound, with words like "gauzy," "ecstatic," "organic," "lingering," and others. His sound has definitely been inspired by 1980's synth-pop and contemporary hip-hop (listen to those beats!), but also house, and even other genres like folk (maybe). The songs I picked I love because they are fun to drive to at night, when it's warm, with the windows down. They are strangely beautiful and dream-like. 

The whole album is actually fantastic, and I definitely recommend giving it a listen.  

If you liked this, you might also check out:

Panda Bear

Loney, Dear

Animal Collective

Cut Copy

Toro Y Moi

Neon Indian

Over and out,

Anna 

But for the grace of God

OK, another quick post while I am still out of town.

Jenny and two life-size mannequins...um... I mean, the Watson twins.

GOOD SONG: Rise Up With Fists! by Jenny Lewis and the Watson Twins

So this song isn't exactly new (it's from her 2006 album "Rabbit Fur Coat"), but I think it is amazing. For some reason, I have it stuck in my head pretty much all the time. No joke. The lyrics are in my head all the time. It's strange. The lyrics are great though-- pointed without being bitter or cruel. And the chorus "There, but for the grace of God, go I" is a great line. I would be as bad as you, if it wasn't for the grace of God. Not my own goodness or abilities or what have you.

Jenny Lewis, in case you didn't know, was the lead singer of the band Rilo Kiley, and is now currently recording songs with Johnathan Rice (Fun Fact #1: I met him years ago in NYC at The Living Room, well before he was famous, thanks to a cool friend. Fun fact #2: for those of you from the DC area, he is also from the DC area- Alexandria, specifically- and went to Gonzaga. Small world.).

If you liked this song, you might also like:

Jenny & Johnny (Jenny Lewis & Johnathan Rice duo)
Rilo Kiley
Neko Case (I LOVE HER)
The Elected
She & Him
Bright Eyes

Over and out,
Anna

A Summer Bouquet

I know it's summer and I should have a lot more free time, being a teacher and all, but it's actually been a bit crazy. I've been outta town for a while, and heck, I'm still outta town. Thus, my posts this month will probably be pretty short. Oh well.

Some summery dudes making some summery music.

Here's a GOOD (SUMMER) SONG for y'all:   Get Up by Jonquil

Jonquil is a group from Oxford, England (one of my favorite places in the world. You walk into that town and feel centuries of knowledge just seeping into your bones. It's pretty cool). A jonquil, by the way, is pretty much just another word for a daffodil. In case you were wondering. Anyway, this song has some great guitar opening it up and then the drums and vocals kick in, and it just gets more fun. I have no idea what the song is about or what the vocals are really, but it's OK. It's still a fun song.

If you liked this song, you might also check out:

Wolf Parade
Yeasayer
Vampire Weekend
Yellow Ostrich
Local Natives

Over and out,
Anna