I've Been Dreaming...

With the help of some dream pop. Lately I've  been intoxicated by the heavy pedal and airy sound of dream pop - from Beach House, to Memoryhouse (funny, right? both have "house" in their names, both are on Sub Pop, both are dream pop bands...) to Beach Fossils (Yes, another beach) to Real Estate (Which is an indie band (on Domino), but their sound is definitely dream pop influenced. And yes - more houses).

A playlist for a dreamy afternoon:

1. Shallow - Beach Fossils
2. The Kids Were Wrong - Memoryhouse
3. Master of None - Beach House
4. Out of Tune - Real Estate
5. Bonfire - Memoryhouse
6.Silver Soul - Beach House
7.D.A.R.L.I.N.G. - Beach House
8. It's Real - Real Estate

I'm a lazy bum

Hey y'all, here's a playlist for those lazy days that we all share. Most of these are definitely on the mellower side, so if you like that kind of thing, enjoy ^^.

1) "The Spirit Carries On" -Dream Theater

2) "Wait for Sleep"-Dream Theater

3) "The Answer Lies Within"-Dream Theater

4) "How Deep is Your Love"-BeeGees

5) "The Widow"-The Mars Volta

6) "The Masterplan"-Oasis

7) "Sentimental"-Porcupine Tree

8) "Piano Concerto no.2 mvt 2"-Rachmaninov(ff)? There's a hilarious Igudesman and Joo mashup of this piece and Celine Dion's "All by Myself" www.youtube.com/watch?v=b54gIJ5lHAc

9) "Ballade no.4 op.52"-Chopin

10) "Viridian"-Between the Buried and Me

11) "All the Same"-Real Estate

IT JUST DEPENDS WHAT KIND OF CAR YOU ARE

Noel-sung vinyl only track of (What's the Story) Morning Glory

Don't Look Back in Anger can suck it, compared to this

the xx

I've had the xx on replay for I don't even know how many times. Oliver + Romy's vocals are that perfect male/female vocal combo that seem to be so rare and are in such harmony, it reminds me of the Pixies and Black Francis and Kim Deal in the very best way possible. Their debut album xx is one of those rare albums that convey so much emotion and feeling it's at points almost feels like you're intruding into something special. It has a really intimate, melodic quality to it. Lonely guitar rifts coupled with evocative vocals make this arguably the best thing I've listened to in a very, very, very long time.

Listen to:"Islands", "Heart Skipped A Beat" and "Shelter"

St. Vincent...on Gossip Girl

Weird, yes I know. But I saw it. And couldn't resist. It really is true.

Around 20min -ish to the end.
http://cwtv.com/cw-video/gossip-girl/

Episode "Crazy, Cupid, Love". Song is "Cheerleader" off St. Vincent's new album Strange Mercy.

And the episode ends to "Baby Says" by The Kills.

Pretty awesome music for an episode of Gossip Girl

St. Vincent.

So lately I've been listening to a little St.Vincent (stage name of Annie Clark). It's this strange, enchanting mix of guitar riffs, airy melodies, and interestingly placed synthesizers. And of course, they're Annie Clark's voice. HER VOICE. It has that perfect balance of strong but vulnerable. She sings with such longing, and such feeling that it leaves your heart hurting from how beautiful it is. It all culminates into  that kind of music you can't classify and you don't know WHY you like it, but you just DO. It's infectious. A few standouts from her newest album (Strange Mercy) include "Champagne Year" (refers to the year in which you turn the same age as your birthday) - which is has an interesting balance of empty instrumental sections and powerful, questioning sections that highlight her amazing voice. It seems almost like an ode to midlife crisis with the lines "I make a living telling people what they want to hear" - it captures that feeling we all have, we all know. The feeling of being false to yourself and living in a lie. And of course, there is the title song "Strange Mercy" which is quirky and catchy, with interesting riffs and captivating vocals which border on hazy. It also has another one of those empty instrumental sections which seem pivotal to Clark's work. Another one of my favorites is "Actor Out of Work" from her 2009 album work which borders on pop with bubbly riffs and repetitive lyrics and runs. Similarly pop influenced is "Marrow" off that same album in which she chants "H-E-L-P, help me, help me". St. Vincent seems to simply have something to offer everyone.

Fallen Empires

Snow Patrol's new album Fallen Empires came out last Sunday (or actually to be more precise, THIS Sunday...Jan 22) stateside and I picked it up in store today. It was well worth the extra 3 months of waiting. It's definitely a progression of Snow Patrol's sound, but still retains many elements of the Snow Patrol that we all know and love. There are some really interesting instrumental songs on the album, including "Berlin" and "Broken Bottles Form A Star" - which a perplexing but genius end to a solid album. Of course, There's "Called Out In the Dark", the pop-y and catchy single released from the album and "This Isn't Everything You Are", a  breathtakingly beautiful ballad. There are still Snow Patrol's signature ballads - like "New York", another intimate and chilling song. Also provoking is "Those Distant Bells". There are also some songs on the new album such as "The Weight of Love" and "The Garden Rules" which are both reminiscent of earlier Snow Patrol, but also seem to suggest a new direction at the same time. All in all, it's a fantastic album that really showcases Snow Patrol at it's best.