Concert Review: Iron & Wine/Okkervil River

Okay. This is LONG delayed. Haha this concert was back in August! But I really haven't had a steady internet connection until now. So anyway, this was a beautifullll concert. It was free and outdoor, which is a plus. Okkervil River opened, and they were really who I was excited for! I LOVE the singer's voice, and he writes such gorgeous lyrics! It felt surreal to stand there (on a conveniently placed cement slab) and hear his voice in real life! Here is one of my favorite songs by them, For Real:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ydQfqqqQrD4
So that was great, and then Iron and Wine came on! I was surprised to just see Sam Beam come onstage alone! I thought Iron and Wine was a group but its just Sam and his guitar! But let me tell you, that's enough! He stood there and held his guitar lovingly as he sang. (See the picture above) Highlights included Boy with a Coin, Naked as We Came, and Woman King but the best moment was when he burst into his beautiful version of "Such Great Heights". The whole crowd went wild (if they weren't already), screaming along joyfully. He really was such a talented musician to see! He plucked his guitar so fast and never made one mistake! His beard was also quite the sight to behold. I'm so glad I got to see it in person.

I'm A Creep

Wow. I realize that it has been a LONG time since I've posted, but hey. It's not my fault. I was in Virginia all summer without reliable internet, and now my computer is broken. I write this from the awkward lab on campus. Anyway, I wanted to write about Radiohead's Creep because we analyzed it in my inequality class and it pretty much blew my mind. I mean, I have loved this song for years, but the lyrics just never clicked in my head. I didn't realize what an aching, brave, vulnerable song it was.
In this song, Thom Yorke basically bears his soul, saying he is hopelessly into this girl (You're just like an angel, your skin makes me cry) and he has low self esteem (I'm a creep, I'm a weirdo) and doesn't understand how she could want to be with him.
The girl totally has the upper hand in this relationship. He says "Whatever makes you happy, whatever you want" saying he will do anything for her. That is a dangerous thing to admit, because then the other person in the relationship could totally use you.
We talked about this song because it seems like the girl is usually the one in the relationship with the lower hand. Guys usually have more control because they don't act quite as interested.
But Thom is admitting that he's obsessed and saying he doesn't know why this girl is with him. So it's really interesting to hear this kind of thing from a guy.
Radiohead is an AMAZING band obviously, and I'm so glad I finally got the meaning of this song.
I used to think it was kind of mocking the girl, saying "You're so fucking special, I wish I was special", to mean like "Ohh I wish I could be special, you're SO special."
But it's actually sincere and vulnerable and just breath-taking.

Obsessed

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No, this is not a review of Beyonce's new film, although I would like to see that someday, if only for the cat fight scenes.

I LOVE this self portrait of Andy Warhol's. I can never get over how AMAZING he is, and what an influence he has on art, not to mention hipsters, to this day. I love high contrast, shadowy portraits. I saw a breathtaking Warhol exhibit a few years ago, and they had the self portrait of his with the bright blue background.... and I just stood and stared at it. I can't imagine painting something even 1% as good.

Anyway, the point of this post is not to blab about Warhol, but to share a few songs that I'm addicted to. These songs are like.. crystal meth to me right now. I can't stop listening to them. I worry that I'll get sick of them but... I just don't have the willpower to pull away. They call to me, drawing me in with their intoxicating aura and I'm just helpless.

1. Whispertown 2000- Atlantis (mp3)
This song! I have been a casual listener of w2k for a few years, but when I stumbled across Atlantis, I stopped in my tracks. Seriously it was like in the movies when someone sees someone and thinks "Where have you been all my life?"!! The aching, tender, rock-candy vocals just get to me so much. I love the way her voice cracks on the line "let me in!". The harmonizing, the unique vocals, the sad, plaintive melody and the imagery of the ocean and Atlantis are a lethal combination for me.

2. CSS- Knife (Grizzly Bear Cover) (listen)
For some reason, Grizzly Bear's Friend EP was the first album of theirs that I heard. For some bands, EPs are just left-overs or second rate cuts, but since Grizzly Bear is Grizzly Bear, all the songs were amazing even on the EP. I especially love this cover of Knife by CSS. It is such a pure, simple song. Short and sweet and intense. CSS definitely perks up the song, adding electronic elements and their signature touch, but the angst is still there, and I love it.

3. Beach House- D.A.R.L.I.N.G. (mp3)
It took me a while to get into Beach House, because I am automatically averse to super-hyped bands, but I have to admit, they're good. I really love d.a.r.l.i.n.g. especially. The song is dark, sexy, and foggy. Rodarte said "Beach House is an amazing band that manages to sound like a glass box filled with sand, metal, rain and thunder" and I think he's right.

Cool Remix: Lykke Li

It's no secret that I love Lykke Li... and I also love remixes.. so the combination is really dangerous and delicious.
This is an awesome remix of Dance Dance Dance done by the always solid Buraka Som Sistema.
It's short and sweet, with a nice thumping, almost tribal sounding beat that really compliments Lykke's delicate vocals.
Download: Lykke Li- Dance Dance Dance (Buraka Som Sistema Remix)

Ulrich von Lichtenstein!

Artwork by Roy Lichtenstein
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I'm in a really good mood. Which is weird, considering how much stuff I still have to do before school ends. I have three more days of school, then exams! I have a final project in art due Wednesday (yikes) but it's going really well! I'm doing a dramatically shaded charcoal portrait of Jenny. She is positioned kind of like a Roy Lichtenstein girl, looking over her shoulder at the viewer. I am really excited about it. For the other part of the project, I'm probably doing a brightly colored acrylic painting of Blake. I figure it will represent both the bright and dark elements to their music... and relationship. Haha I love pretending that I know what's going on with them.

Random Thoughts:
-I hope I can go to Whispertown 2000 on Sunday.
-I can't wait for Rilo Kiley's rarities album to come out!
-I can't wait to see Jenny this summer! FINALLY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
-I am glad I'm going home this weekend. I miss my family.
-I sat by a hilarious European named Vlad in Art History today.
-I got told that my animal look-alike was an English Spaniel. Not sure how I feel about this...
-I'm excited to get a job for the summer.
-I hope I can go to Virginia this summer at some point.

Anyway, I'll stop babbling. Here is a really cool remix of Midlake by Cassettes Won't Listen. Straight from CWL's twitter page!
Download: Midlake- Young Bride (Cassettes Won't Listen Remix)

Future Reflections

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Lately, the hazy clouds that shroud my future have began to part, and it's a really good feeling. The future is still very unsure, but at least I know what I'm majoring in. I just finally nailed down what I'll be taking next semester. It's taken me a long time, but I think I've found the perfect schedule!

I will be taking:
*Biology
*Elementary Chemistry
*Statistics
*World Music
*Self Defense

Fifteen credits in all. They all fulfill Generals/Nursing Requirements except Self Defense, but with the number of drunk people I've had encounters with just this week, I think I could use some self defense skillssss.
Download: Shout Out Louds- Hurry Up, Let's Go
Photo Credit: Renoir- The Skiff

Artist Appreciation: Broken Social Scene

Photo from Exclaim.ca
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Ah. Broken Social Scene. How I love you.
Canada exports a ridiculous number of amazing bands, but BSS pretty much tops the list. They are a band (more of a supergroup, really) that was founded in 1999 by Kevin Drew and Brendan Canning. Their roster of musicians shuffles, and they currently have 19 members apparently. Feist, Emily Haines and Amy Millan are all one-time collaborators. So you know it's gotta be good!
BSS has a truly unique sound. The combination of instruments and vocals creates dense, atmospheric, beautiful music. I really can't say enough how much I love this band. Seeing them live was like a religious experience. When Kevin Drew sang Lover's Spit, I teared up. I admit it. I think Lover's Spit, 7/4 (Shoreline), Anthems for a 17 Year-Old Girl, and Backyards are some of the most beautiful, gorgeous, wonderful songs ever written. Seriously. Listen to them.
Here's a lovely instrumental track off their 2002 album You Forgot It In People:

Download: Broken Social Scene- Pitter Patter Goes My Heart
Broken Social Scene's Myspace
Buy their albums at Insound. You won't regret it.

Concert Review: Mirah/Tender Forever

Photo by Louisa Bradford
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Yay! I finally got to see Mirah on Tuesday. The band Tender Forever opened (which is really just one person) and I was so pleasantly surprised by them! Tender Forever is Melanie Valera from France, and she has a really cool electronic/pop sound paired with strong, earnest vocals. She is signed to K Records in Seattle, which is the same label as Mirah. She has been compared to The Blow a lot, and I can definitely see the resemblance, but I think Tender Forever has a rawer, more emotionally honest quality to her music.
Here is a photo of Tender Forever:

Doesn't she just look so French?

TF was so, SO hilarious and her French accent made the things she was saying sound even funnier. She did an adorable cover of Justin Timberlake's "My Love" and told funny stories about her adventures in America. She was visibly nervous, but she put on a great show anyway. One highlight was when she expressed her love for Beyonce, dedicated the next song to her, then played it to a slide show of (photoshopped) photos of her and Beyonce.
She just had a really original, inventive quality to her music that I loved. She played the drums with a wii remote, danced around in a cape, joked that she was allowed to be a snob because she was French, and played a mean ukulele!
By the end of her set, Tender Forever had completely won over the crowd. We were laughing, cheering, screaming, and hanging on her every word! It was so great to see her relax and bask in the attention instead of being nervous and quiet like she was in the beginning. I got to meet her after the show and she was so nice! I really hope she comes again.

A couple (crappy) photos I took:

Note the Wii Remote dangling off her keyboard!

Note the cape.

Then, Mirah came on! She was just so cute. Her voice reminds me of.. cinammon sugar. So delicate and soft and beautiful. It sounded even better live! I also liked how comfortable she was on stage. She was perfectly cool, calm, and collected. Cool as a cucumber you might say.
Mirah had an extremely fun, talented band. She had a violinist, a drummer, a bassist, and a clarinet/keyboard player, while she handled vocals and guitar. The rest of the band backed her up on some songs with "oohs" and "ahhs" but they wisely let her voice shine.
Some highlights of her set included "Light the Match", during which Mirah would march in place all cutely, "The Forest", which gave the band a chance to really jam, and "The Garden", which was the final song. During The Garden, Tender Forever came on stage to play the bongos, and everyone just had a LOT of fun playing it. The keyboardist was jumping up and down while he played, the drummer had a nice drum solo, and Mirah was grinning the whole time. The audience loved it as well haha.
Overall, it was one of the best concerts I've been to in a long time. I even got a picture with Mirah!
-Mirah's Myspace
-Buy their stuff on Amazon!

The Men of LOST

I freaked out when I stumbled across this picture. I love it so much!! Haha well I hate Michael but everyone else looks so good. Especially Sayid, Jack and Hurley. I am so excited for tonight's LOST. It looks like we're going to actually see the smoke monster tonight! It's been quite some time since we saw Smokey.

Since I'm seeing Mirah on Tuesday, and since the LOST characters are like my "familia", here is one of the best remixes ever:
Mirah- La Familia (Guy Sigsworth Remix)
It is already such a good song that it would have ruined it to drown it in pulsing beats or something. Guy really let the song breathe, and I love that. It also shows how good her voice sounds in a sparse, electronica-esque atmosphere. She could make a Postal Service style album with someone! Love Mirah!

Meet: Dead Leaf Echo

Dead Leaf Echo, or DLE, are a an attractive four-piece from New York City. For some reason they only have photos of three of them, so that's what you get. The word I would use to describe their music is.. shimmery. My favorite song is "Act of Truth", the title track off their new new EP "Truth". It's the kind of music they play in movies when something important happens. Kind of like Sigur Ros's Hoppipolla. I can picture it playing when two long lost lovers run towards each other in the airport.. haha.

Anyway, it's really good music and you should check them out. If you live in the New York Echo, they have a show coming up on 5/9 at Public Assembly (With Apollo Heights and Weird Owl)

Dead Leaf Echo Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/deadleafecho
Download: Dead Leaf Echo- Act of Truth

Meet: The Ropes

Meet The Ropes! They are a very talented duo from New York that is composed of Sharon Shy (Lykke Li lookalike!) and "Toppy". They remind me of The Knife and Shiny Toy Guns. Melodic.. atmospheric...
Sharon may look like Lykke Li, but she doesn't sound like her. Her vocals are purring, fuzz-drenched at times, and undeniably sexy!
Anyway, I really like them. They've released an album, What They Do for Fun, and two eps, and have a new ep coming out soon called Be My Gun. Here's a couple of their songs to check out. My favorite is Be My Gun, the title track off their new ep! The bassline is delicious.
Buy their stuff on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com
Their Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/theropes
Download:
Kitty Get Down
Be My Gun

Artist Appreciation: Zolof the Rock and Roll Destroyer

I've decided to start a new feature: Artist appreciation posts. Whenever I feel like it, I'll write about one of the artist I love. To "switch it up", I'm going to start at the bottom of the alphabet. So Zolof it is!

I was really into Zolof when I was in 11th grade. Anthony Green sang with them for a while. The funny thing is I never liked Circa Survive or Saosin really. But anyway. They are just... cute. Haha. I love when there are male and female vocals in a band, and their instrumentals are way catchy. My favorite song was always "Plays Pretty for Baby". I think it captures adolescence so perfectly. Especially the lyric:
"I feel your smooth skin slightly brush against the backside of my arm."
I think everyone can identify with that feeling of electricity between someone you're "crushing on". Even when they just barely touch you it's exciting.
The song is short and sweet, adorable, and has some feel-good "do-do-do's" in the chorus. What's not to love?
Download:

Plays Pretty For Baby

My Heart Explodes, Or, Jenny Tours!!!!

I'm feeling sparklehappy. Jenny Lewis is playing a free show in the summer with Bon Iver. I am going to cry. I already know it. I cried last time I saw Rilo Kiley. It will be sad to see Jenny without Blake Jason and Pierre though. Also amazing: Last night's LOST episode. It was so glorious to get a Sayid-centrique episode. It was about time!! Sayid is sexy sexy sexy. Ben looked hilarious in that fedora in Moscow haha. and I knew I hated Ilana... haha. Here are Jenny's Tour Dates!!! (Copied from BrooklynVegan)
3/28 Sydney, AUS -V Festival - Centennial Park
3/29 Gold Coast, AUS -V Festival - Avica Resort
3/30 Sydney, AUS -Hordern Pavillion
4/1 Adelaide, AUS -Adelaide Entertainment Center
4/2 Melbourne, AUS -Palais Theatre
4/4 Melbourne, AUS -V Festival - Melbourne Showgrounds
4/5 Perth, AUS -V Festival - Claremount Showgrounds
4/7 Sydney, AUS -The Lair @ The Metro
4/10 Honolulu, HI -Pipeline Café
4/13 Pomona, CA -Glass House
4/14 Solana Beach, CA -Belly Up
4/15 Sacramento, CA -Empire
4/18 Indio, CA -Coachella Music & Arts Festival
5/27 Santa Cruz, CA -Rio Theatre
5/28 San Francisco, CA -The Fillmore
5/29 San Francisco, CA -The Fillmore
5/30 Portland, OR -Roseland
5/31 Seattle, WA -Showbox at Market
6/3 Minneapolis, MN -First Avenue
6/4 Madison, WI -Barrymore Theatre
6/5 Chicago, IL -Park West
6/6 Columbus, OH -Wexner Center for the Arts
6/8 Philadelphia, PA -Trocadero
6/9 Brooklyn, NY -Music Hall of Williamsburg
6/10 Boston, MA -House of Blues
6/11 Washington, DC -9:30 Club
6/12 Carrboro, NC -Cat's Cradle
6/13 Manchester, TN -Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival
6/14 St. Louis, MO -The Pageant
6/15 Lawrence, KS -Granada
6/17 Omaha, NE -Slowdown
6/19 Telluride, CO -Telluride Bluegrass Festival
6/20 Sante Fe, NM -Sante Fe Brewing Co.
6/22 Austin, TX -Stubb's Waller Creek Amphitheatre
6/23 Dallas, TX -Granada
6/24 Houston, TX -Warehouse Live
6/26 New Orleans, LA -House of Blues
6/29 Orlando, FL -Plaza Theatre
7/1 Athens, GA -TBA
7/3 Richmond, VA -The National
7/5 Pittsburgh, PA -Mr. Smalls
7/6 Louisville, KY -Headliners Music Hall
7/7 Fayetteville, AR -George's Majestic
7/9 Salt Lake City, UT -Twilight Concert Series

That's Good! That's Bad!

(Chuck/Blair PLUS Muse! Overload!)
Snow= Bad
Neko Case's new album= Good
Chuck and Blair in tonight's Gossip Girl= Bad
Having my feelings for a certain someone gradually fade= Good
Having three tough midterms in the next week or so= Bad
Slumdog Millionaire= Good
Insomnia attack last night= Bad
My dad being in japan the whole time I was home for spring break= Good
Looking like a fool and having someone cancel plans on me= Bad
Reading Love in the Time of Cholera in the library today= Good
Having to clean the bathroom today= Bad
Spending hours in a hot tub over spring break= Good
Getting emotionally invested in every tv show I watch= Bad
Building bridges with someone I thought hated me= Good
Grandma telling me I'm beautiful and "the belle of the ball"= Good
Not being able to find Jenny's iTunes only bonus track Pelican Bay= Bad
Getting back into a hardcore, intense, obsessive Muse phase= Good
Having to write a two page, single space paper comparing a bowl with a cup= Bad
Spending hours watching those Chuck/Blair youtube fan videos= Good

Rk- Spectacular Views (Live)

This is one of my favorite music videos EVER. Jenny and Blake all close and cute playing Spectacular Views! I love how they slowed it down. They look so incredibly happy.

Celebrate Good Times, Come On!

Woo! Spring break is from tonight to the 22nd! I am going to sleep and sleep and eat and eat. My grandmother is staying at the house, which will make sleeping arrangements rather cramped, but I don't care. And I had a good birthday! I had some nice lamb coconut kurma at a random Indian place for lunch, then delicious sushi (See above) for dinner (The one on the left is shaped like a dragon fly, with lemon wedges. So cute.) then cheesecake for dessert with my best friends. I got a gorgeous digital camera in my VERY favorite color (blue violet) and some soap shaped like an owl, and jewelry and other nice stuff. I love my grandma's gifts. They're always frivolous and wonderful. She gave me a giant paint brush made of goat hair and cow bone. Yeah.

I just found out Peter Bjorn and John are opening for Depeche Mode on their tour this year, and I really hope I can afford tickets! Also, Neko Case will be here in May at an outdoor theater, and you can pre-order a picnic basket for the night! I think that would be the funnest thing ever, eating a picnic and listening to Neko's out of this world voice.

I am pretty pleased with life, especially since this paper I've been dreading isn't due till the 24th now!

Chopin Lizst

Chopin.

I am constantly thinking of new ways to make music-related lists, and I have found another! Woo! I love music obvi, and lists are another passion haha. I want this notepad I saw once that said "Chopin Lizst". I find that highly amusing. But anyway. Here are my favorite artists from A-Z. Please don't make fun of me. What's yours?

A- Amy Winehouse and Arcade Fire
B- Beirut/Broken Social Scene/Bright Eyes
C- Cursive/CocoRosie
D- Death Cab for Cutie/DeVotchKa
E- The Elected/Ella Fitzgerald
F- Feist/Fleetwood Mac
G- Grizzly Bear/The Good Life
H- Her Space Holiday/Hellogoodbye
I- Islands/I'm from Barcelona
J- Jenny Lewis/Joanna Newsom
K- Kool & The Gang/Kings of Convenience
L- Lily Allen/Lykke Li
M- METRIC/Mates of State
N- New Pornographers/No Doubt
O- Of Montreal/Obi Best
P- Postal Service/PAS/CAL/Pony Up!
Q- Queen (For lack of a better alternative)
R- Rilo Kiley/Radiohead/Regina Spektor
S- Stars/Sufjan Stevens/The Shins/Sea Wolf
T- Tilly & The Wall/Tegan and Sara
U- The Unicorns
V- Velvet Underground and Nico/Vampire Weekend
W- Whitest Boy Alive/The Woods
X- Xiu Xiu (For lack of a better alternative)
Y- Young Galaxy/Y.a.c.h.t.
Z- Zach Condon/Zooey Deschanel

There is a disproportionate number of excellent bands that start with S! That one was a very difficult decision lol

The Winds of Change

For the past couple of days, there have been howling winds. So forceful that I have struggled to remain upright while walking, and so loud that they roar over the noise of my iPod. I am a superstitious person, and I can't help feeling that they are the winds of change. That sounds cheesy I'm sure, but whatever. Over the weekend, I decided what to do with my life, broke up with my boyfriend, cleaned my room and my e-mail inbox, and discovered how to watercolor flesh tones, among other things.

I feel like I'm on a whole new track in life, and it feels good. I know what I want to do with my life! I'm going to major in Nursing. I think it's perfect for me. It involves science and medicine but not math, and I'd get to help people, and work wherever in the world I wanted to, and make enough money to support myself :)

Tomorrow is my birthday! I'll be nineteen years old. That is so weird to me. 19. I'm going to lunch with my dad and grandma, then going to dinner with my mom and sisters, then getting dessert with my best friends :) It will be a food-filled day. Haha. I feel happy right now. I am so so lucky to have a functional family that loves me and accepts me for who I am. I not only didn't appreciate them when I lived at home, but I was hostile to my parents all the time. I'm sure raising me wasn't easy, and I feel bad now haha. But I'm just feeling really blessed. I have great friends, great family, rilo kiley, and my art to fall back on during hard times. It feels so nice to have that insurance. Yay! :D

I finally saw Milk today. It was so beautiful and sad. I was already crying when Milk got shot but the candle scene completely undid me. It was so amazing how so many people got together to mourn him! I hope I do at least one great thing in my life. Here is a video of Milk's big rally speech.

Anthems for a Seventeen Year-Old Girl

Rilo Kiley: "Miami was pretty, before we were bitter, before we let our sadness litter the streets"

I wish I was younger. I'm almost 19 and I already wish I was younger. How am I going to feel when I'm 39? 56? 96? Assuming I live that long. I don't know what to be when I grow up or what to major in. At all. I guess that's me resisting the whole process.

I had more fun in high school than I do now. By far. It's not like I was a jock or popular and miss my glory days.. I just miss living with my family and letting other people absorb my consequences and make decisions for me. I know I have to grow up and step into my adult shoes one of these days, and I really hate it. My adolescence feels so long ago and my childhood feels even further, much more like a dream than anything.

I feel like since I've moved out, people don't care about me as much. There aren't best friends and siblings around to keep an eye on me and give me advice. I'm surrounded by strangers who don't even notice me, much less worry about my safety. I have to deal with everything on my own, and it's hard for me.

I guess it's just my ego being crushed :) I want people to

park that car
drop that phone
sleep on the floor
dream about me.

In an semi-related note, seeing BSS live was one of the more incredible experiences of my life.

Humble Adoration

I love Kate Winslet.
I'm so glad she got the Oscar for best actress!
She is such an inspiration to me.
I cried when she won.
She shouldn't be married to Sam Mendes.
She should be married to Leo.
She is the best actress of our generation.
I can't believe she beat out Meryl!
Her hair looked kinda weird at the Oscars, but that's okay.
My favorite movies of hers are Sense and Sensibility, Titanic, and Revolutionary Road.

In other news:
I am so excited to get a record player finally!!!!!!!!!!
I'm so excited to start collecting records finally. (Right now I have 2 lol.)
I'm so excited to own my favorite music on vinyl.
First purchases will be:
More Adventurous- Rilo Kiley
Execution of All Things- Rilo Kiley
The Ugly Organ- Cursive
Sun, Sun, Sun- The Elected
Rabbit Fur Coat- Jenny Lewis & Watson Twins
Islands in the Stream 7"- Constantines feat. Feist
Arcade Fire- Funeral
Dark was the Night- Various Artists
Transatlanticism and Something About Airplanes- Death Cab for Cutie

Haha that should be good for now. I'm so excited!!!

Daily Routine

Today I:
-Woke up after staying up too late watching the new Grey's Anatomy and Dr. Horrible
-Laid around until I felt ready to move
-Went to the caf and had a tofu stir fry (mmmmmmmmm)
-Worked on reading (for the millionth time) A Ring of Endless Light
-Downloaded a nice Flight of the Conchords wallpaper
-Deep cleaned the bathroom. It was gross. I listened to my Perfect Songs playlist though, which made it all better :)
-Spent a long time getting ready because I was waiting for my friend to be ready to go thrifting
-Ended up not going thrifting, went to dinner and tried to find good food
-Got startled in the act of preparing my bagel by my friend Seth
-Got startled again by the same bagel when it literally jumped out of my hand, rolled neatly along my leg and then jumped to the floor, causing me to utter a peanut butter clogged wheeze that elicited much laughter.
-Went to my friends to watch Dollhouse (Which was interrupted by a stupid press conference about a prominent local man dying that lasted the ENTIRE hour the show was supposed to play in.)
-Went to Smith's and to get a smoothie
-Came home, got in pajamas and laid around perusing the internet and reading and watching things and eating a banana.
Overall, it was a pretty good day.
Bonus for taking the time to read about my life:

(I would have posted Animal Collective's "Daily Routine" if I wasn't afraid of getting in trouble haha.)

Prince [Jemaine].mp3

Concert Review: Obi Best

On Saturday, I saw Obi Best. I had only heard their song "Swedish Boy" but I suspected it would be a good show. I was wrong. It was an AMAZING show. Her voice was so light and delicate. It just swirled around the small, appreciative audience. She played this cool keyboard that she wore around her neck, and her keyboardist/synth player guy was INCREDIBLE. He was so good at switching from sound to sound and basically was perfect. Here he is:

But of course, the best part was when the drummer came out. She looked a LOT like Barbara Gruska, Jenny Lewis' drummer and I was like no it couldn't be... Why would Barbara be here of all places? Why wouldn't she be with Jenny? But I was like ok, if her name is Barbara then that's her. A little later, someone goes "Your drummer is awesome!" (Which she is) and the singer is like "Oh yeah this is my awesome drummer, Barbara." And of course I started freaking out because I was so excited to ask her questions about Jenny Lewis. The concert started feeling really long because I was so anxious!
The most awkward guy ever was there though. He stood right in the front, staring up at Alex (the singer) and awkwardly dancing and saying "yeah!" at inopportune moments. Things got REALLY creepy though, when Alex held up some fuzzy handcuffs she had brought, and said she wanted to incorporate them in the show somehow. The creepy guy instantly yells "Oh please me!" and she was like "You want to be handcuffed to me?" and he was excited beyond his wildest dreams. So up he went, and they were thus handcuffed. While he's up there, he yells "This is the most action I've had in three years!" and in case that wasn't awkward enough, he yells "No, I'm serious!". And Alex stayed calm even though I'm sure she felt frightened for her life. I thought he would just run out of there, with her in tow.
After the show, I finally got up the nerve to talk to Barbara, and she was SO nice! She shook my hand and introduced herself and said Jenny is doing a huge tour in May and that she'll most likely come here! I was so excited. And she said we could be myspace friends and that she'd keep me posted on tour news. If they come this summer, then I can totally be like "Hey Barbara!" and she will then introduce me to Jenny and invite me to tour with them. Basically. :)

Concert Review: The Delta Spirit

It's always interesting to go to a show for Filter, because I usually am not very familiar with the band playing. I think it's fun though, because then I have no idea what to expect, and I'm usually pleasantly surprised. This concert was also unusual because it is the first one I have ever been to alone! One of my friends was going to come along but she got sick, and no one else could come on short notice on a Tuesday night. I won't lie, it was scary riding the train downtown and wandering around the dark streets trying to find the venue (I'd never gone there on foot before). It didn't help that the venue is a converted garage that is literally down a dark alley. But the funny thing is that the dark alley wasn't even the creepiest place. I was most worried for my safety at the McDonald's I stopped at! I went in to use the restroom since Kilby Court doesn't have one, and there were two creeps sitting right by the door, staring at me. I seriously booked it out of there. Later on, while I was waiting for the train home, there was a weird guy wailing down the road. But that wasn't even as scary.

But anyway, back to the show. It was amazing! Delta Spirit is a bluesy rock band from San Diego, and they were so much fun. They used cool instruments like huge drums and wurlitzers, and even banged on a trashcan lid for the song "Trashcan". The singer had an amazing wail, and looked like he could be John Stamos' son. I love shows at Kilby because they are so intimate! It feels like the band is playing to you in their living room or something. I wish I liked Rilo Kiley when I was twelve so I could have seen them there.. but anyway I came late but ended up right near the front. There was a moment where the singer looked right into my eyes as he wailed. It was earth-shattering. I've come to the conclusion that concerts make me feel better than anything in the world. They are medicine for the body mind and soul. No matter how nervous or angry or depressed or stressed out or ill I feel, I always feel better once the music starts.
Overall, it was a super fun show. Everyone was singing and dancing, and the band interacted with the audience frequently, and said they loved playing for sober crowds.
Here are some pictures I took during the show. On my crappy camera phone haha.


Banging on the trash lid!


Guy in middle is shaking a Maraca!

Mashup Perfection

Okay, so usually mash-ups are more of a novelty, that is, they aren't really expected to sound as good as the original songs, and they are usually more of a fun, "Oh wow look what they mashed up this time" type thing. But every once in a while, one comes along that just blows me away. This one for example: It's Grizzly Bear's "The Knife" mixed with The Knife's "Heartbeats". Usually in a mash-up, one song takes priority and the other just provides a bass line or something, but in this one, they are intricately layered so that they each get a chance to shine. I think I like it best when the Grizzly Bear vocals are featured, but both sound good. Anyway, without further ado here is the song, in all its glory.
Knife vs. Heartbeats [Grizzly Bear vs. The Knife].mp3

Twitterpated

Twitterpated: When a car has one headlight out
Twitterpated: When the animals in Bambi get silly and get down
Twitterpated: A state of excitement caused by Twitter

I just joined Twitter, and it is so fun! I feel special that Andrew Bird is following me, and that I get messages from Shaq sent to my phone. Shaq's updates are probably the funniest. But for some reason I am always thinking of things to say on Twitter, whereas it was always hard for me to think of a facebook status. I guess less people see it so it's less pressure. Anyway, my twitter name is rilouisa. Add me! If you want to hear random irrelevant things.

In other news, I have a cold/sinus infection/something bad. But my friend gave me some nyquill so hopefully I'll feel better. I feel guilty for not going to my classes today or yesterday, but my head is all buzzy and I keep having hallucinations and weird thoughts. You know when you see something move out of the corner of your eye? Or think something is different than what it is? Today I was walking to get a bagel and a lady was walking her dog in the periphery.. and I thought it was a dog and cat haha. When I was little I hallucinated that there was a glass of orange juice nailed to the wall. I've never done drugs because I'm afraid of them, but I think this might be what it feels like. Maybe. I probably sound dumb. Blah blah blah. Scatterbrained.

Bonnaroo vs. Coachella

I've always thought Coachella would be more fun to experience, but this year's Bonnaroo lineup looks better than Coachella's!

Reasons to go to Coachella
Jenny Lewis
Beirut
Conor Oberst
Crystal Castles
Los Campesinos!
Paul McCartney
Lykke Li
Amy Winehouse
The Cure
The Yeah Yeahs

Reasons to go to Bonnaroo
Jenny Lewis
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Andrew Bird
Bon Iver
Of Montreal
Animal Collective
Neko Case
Kaki King
Grizzly Bear
St. Vincent
Crystal Castles
The Ting Tings
Okkervil River
Beastie Boys

Hmmm... Too bad Bonnaroo is in Tennessee! So far away. But so many good artists!!!!!!

New Band: JJAMZ

(From left to right: Alex, James, Jason, Z. Berg, and Michael.)
Cool! A new Rilo Kiley side project! This band is called JJAMZ, for the first initial of each member's name. It includes Jason Boesel of Rilo Kiley, Alex Greenwald of Phantom Planet, Z. Berg of The Like, James Valentine of Maroon 5, and Michael Runion. Jason James Alex Michael and Z. Haha I think this is a cool combination. Obviously I love Jason but I also really love The Like (I just wish they would put out another album already) and seeing Phantom Planet recently made my respect for them go up. Their cover of Radiohead's Paranoid Android was very decent! But anyway, this is a "Jam Band" according to their myspace, but I hope they release something! The two songs they have up are cool. Check it out: http://www.myspace.com/jjamztheband
I found this out on Rilokiley.net, so thanks to them.

Lego Album Covers

I thought this was really entertaining! Someone decided to recreate iconic album covers in lego form. See it here: http://www.thetoyzone.com/20-album-covers-recreated-in-lego/
The Aphextwin one was disturbing, but a lot made me laugh, like the Norah Jones one and the Velvet Underground one.

Lost Season 5 Premiere

Wow. WOW. wow. This a delayed post, but the excitement still hasn't faded from the electrifying season premiere of LOST! It started off with a bang, and it was so cool how you didn't know where or when you were. I was NOT expecting it to be Dr. Candle! And the craziness never stopped. I love how the people or the island or both are time traveling. I love Daniel Faraday's character. Well I love everyone's character. Except maybe Charlotte. But I am really interested to find out about her, and I really hope she doesn't die before I get to. Juliet and Sawyer will probably hook up sooner or later. I loved all the touches of humor despite the dire circumstances.
My favorite moments:
1. Desmond popping out of the hatch in the bright yellow suit
2. Hurley wearing the "I heart my Shih-Tzu" shirt
3. Sayid gasping to life after being out practically the whole episode
4. Hurley's mom saying "Why is there a dead Pakistani on my couch?"
5. Locke's knife coming out of nowhere to save Juliet and Sawyer
6. Neil (Frogurt) being killed by a flaming arrow
7. Seeing Daniel in the mine! Wtf!
8. The creepy ring shop woman doing creepy calculations
9. Seeing how cute Kate is with Aaron
10. Ben flushing Jack's pills and making him lose the beard
All in all, it was a great episode. It seems like every season gets better and better, and season one was amazing so that's saying something. LOST is the best show on television.

Dead.

OH man. I am SO exhausted. Tired. Fatigued. Pooped. Beat. Dead. I just couldn't sleep last night. Again. I wish my circadian rhythms would stop resembling circus rhythms and just be normal. Oh well. I got a bunch of art supplies today, which was fun!!! I love my art class. And I love buying art supplies.
In other news, Kate and Leo should just get married already.

Suddenly Everything Has Changed

Warning: This post contains whining and elements of emo-ness.
It's weird how you can go from feeling so good one day to so bad the next! It really doesn't make sense. Am I just weird, or does this happen to everyone? I was super happy and bouncy yesterday, I loved my art class, I loved my cannibal class, I made friends, and nothing bothered me. But today, I just feel awful. I woke up feeling like I'd been run over, and the day only went downhill. Now I just feel antisocial and left out and worthless for not having more social skills and therefore friends. I feel ugly and like everything I say has been stupid. The Office isn't even as funny. I feel so bad for how rude Michael is to Toby. And Jim and Pam took WAY too long to get together. And I can't believe Dwight killed Angela's cat. I'm annoyed at this picture of The Office because why is Ryan the temp in there of all people? I'm also annoyed that when I typed in "The Office" on photobucket, all these dumb pictures of people's home offices came up. Why would anyone post pictures of their office on the internet? Like anyone wants to see that. It's like people who tell you too much information about their sexual lives. (Ahem, girl in history in 10th grade.) I'm just on a negative binge. Nothing helps. Blah. I'm a cranky-cakes.

So Emotional

This is one of my favorite Rilo Kiley pictures EVER, and that's saying something. I love it because Blake looks especially good, Jenny is wearing a romper, and you can just SEE the emotion and tension between them. They just need to get back together already! Like Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio. At the Golden Globes, Kate thanked Leo BEFORE her husband in her speech, and said something really cute like "Oh, God I've got to thank two wonderful men. Leo, I have loved you for thirteen years! Thank you!" and was crying. And Leo teared up and blew her a kiss and looked so happy. I am so excited to see Revolutionary Road on the 23rd! I just wrote a paper for my genetics class, which I LOVE. It's taught by these two cute nerdy men and is a combination of genetics and philosophy. And, as an added bonus, right when I walked into class for the first time, I saw one of my friends from high school! That made it even better.

Only in Dreams

So the other night, I had a dream about Ben Linus from LOST. As in, short, bug-eyed, powerful, crazy, mostly heartless Ben! In my dream, we were making out and he was all bossy. It was really really weird. I do think Ben's assertiveness is attractive, and sometimes, in the right light, he's attractive. But it's BEN! Haha I just feel strange about him now. It's certainly not the first time I've had dreams about an inappropriate person- in high school I dreamed about one of my teachers all the time- but I've never had one about an evil person. I'm crazy probably. I am probably just overly excited for LOST, which comes back in NINE DAYS!!! I cheated and looked at some spoilers for next season, and they only made me more anxious! I have been waiting since MAY to see Jack, Sawyer, Sayid, Kate, Hurley, Locke, Sun, Jin, Ben, Juliet, Rousseau, Charlie, Desmond, Penny, Aaron, Walt, Frank, Daniel, Miles, Charlotte, Naomi, Charles Widemore, Charlie, Claire, Vincent, Ana Lucia, Libby, Richard, Mr. Eko, Shannon, Boone, Rose, Bernard, Nikki, Paulo, Dr. Candle, Mikail, Horace and the new characters! Nikki and Paulo are SO coming back.

Helping Hand

Yesterday, I was wheeling my huge suitcase back to my dorm with my mom, and the main entrance was broken. It said to use your room key to open the door, and when this failed, I just kinda stood there staring at the keyhole. I was already nervous to go back to school, so nervous that I felt physically sick. I'm bad with transitions, and I was afraid to meet my new roommate (Who is very very nice and precious! Yay!). Just then, 2 Chinese boys and a guy from my floor came up. One of the Chinese ones said "door not work, come around back" and then the other one proceeded to pick up my heavy heavy heavy suitcase! I was overwhelmed by the cuteness of the asians and the random kindness. He rolled my suitcase all the way around the back of my building, over the snow and ice, and then two of them carried it all the way up to the second floor! I couldn't stop smiling. It made me feel so much better. I think it's a sign that this will be a good semester! The fact that I get along so well with my roommate is a good omen too. She is really cute with a raspy Manchester accent. Happy :)