Selling Secrets To The Russians

I Love Virginia

2010-01-31T15:05:00.011-07:00

Okay. I LOVE Virginia. I lived there my tenth grade year of high school, all last summer, and I think I might move back in the fall. There's just something about that place that makes me feel happy and okay with the world. I love the variety of people, the trees, the ocean, the cities, the tobacco farms, the mysterious forests, the fog, the big mansions, the winding roads, the endless shopping opportunities, my friends there, my family there, and the amazing restaurants to choose from. So I'm going to record here some of my favorite moments from my summer in Virginia.

Things I Want To Remember From Virginia:
-Descending the basement stairs of a friend of a friend's house to see that his ENTIRE basement is covered with Marvel comics memorabilia. Every inch of every wall and shelf after shelf were just jammed with action figures, posters, lunchboxes, music boxes, everything you could think of. I've never seen anything like it
-Me giggling about something, and the friend saying, in drunken wonder, "Oh my god. You hiccup EVERY time you laugh." I do. It's embarrassing.
-Sitting on the National Mall on the evening of the Fourth of July, eating cheezits and staring up at huge fireworks right above us, with people crowded all around us and cigarette smoke wafting through the air and mingling with firework smoke
-Walking back to the metro after the fireworks and just seeing thousands of people clogging the streets, with no regard for traffic or stoplights haha.
-Walking around the JFK airport at 6:00 am while I wait for my connecting flight to D.C. and feeling out of place among all the harangued-looking business men and cheerful morning employees
-Watching the sun rise from a random field while my friend plays guitar (Haha very hippie of me, I know)
-Having to pee while in that field and prancing into what I think is a nice copse of trees, only to find myself up to my thighs in a marsh. I dropped my phone, lost a shoe, and stumbled back to my friends covered in mud and little bugs. They laughed at me.
-Sitting in a circle on my friend's porch, basking in cigar smoke and having deep discussions about dying, aliens, color and other things
-Waking up in my aunt's house one summer morning and finding my little cousin Eva to be the only one home. She is precious, with big Italian brown eyes and tiny limbs and a raspy smoker's voice. We played games for like two hours :)
-Attending a party at my friend's big brick house and having him give me a sharpie tattoo that said "Dare To Be Different". That is basically my life philosophy so it was cool.
-Walking around Georgetown with my cousin, taking artsy pictures next to ivy-covered buildings and dark canals and random signs.
-Getting attacked by a sudden, violent downpour and having to take shelter in an indoor mall. If you haven't experienced east coast rain, then there is really no way of explaining it to you! It pummels you with huge drops. You are instantly soaked. It almost hurts, but it makes you feel alive! I miss it like crazy.
-Following a film crew around D.C. and Georgetown, watching them film an upcoming film starring Owen Wilson, Reese Witherspoon, Jack Nicholson and Paul Rudd. I was like twenty feet away from these people! It was so cooooool. Owen Wilson's nose is just as crooked in real life, Reese Witherspoon is TINY (like 5 feet tall), Paul Rudd is very nice (He came over and spoke to the watching crowd) and Jack Nicholson is very dapper looking.
-Going on a 3-mile run through the maze of neighborhoods and trees by my aunt's house. The humidity made it harder to breathe but it was cool!
-Going to an Irish pub with my some of my relatives. Eating beautiful shepherd's pie and Irish whiskey cake. To the sound of a raucous Irish two-piece band. (One on pipes, one on guitar)
-Spending the night at my uncle's Capitol Hill apt (very tastefully designed) and going to art museums by myself all day while my cousin went to his film internship. I love going to art museums by myself. I can stand in front of a piece as LONG as I want without feeling pressured or nudged onward. I went to the Hirshwin (Modern art, lots of lovely Warhols, Lichtensteins, etc), The National Gallery (so overwhelming but so good! Any artist you can think of has work there, and it's the only museum in America to have a Da Vinci!) and some other good ones as well.
-Driving through various forests
-Going to a Spanish restaurant in Arlington with my grandma, cousin and aunt. It was a Tapas style restaurant, which means you order three small things and it was so cool! I had delicious smoked salmon on toast and a baby octopus!
-Going boating with my Italian relatives on the Potomac. My high strung Italian aunt got into a screaming, swearing fight with her husband and everyone else just kind of sat there awkwardly.. but it was fun!
-Driving in my friend's BMW, listening to Lil' Wayne as the trees whipped by
-Going to the premiere of the new Iphone at 4 am in Alexandria. I sat bleary eyed on a chair while my friend and his brother discussed iMacs with an employee.
-Going with my cousin on his bread truck delivery route, which starts at midnight and ends at ten am! It was so crazy to go into empty grocery stores at like 3 am to restock the bread shelves. Afterward, we went to Red Robin and we were so starving and wired and brain dead that everything was funny.
-Having my Italian uncle come over and cook dinner for his kids. I love his cooking.
-Renting movie after movie with my cousin and binging on them. (They have one of those unlimited movie rental things at Blockbuster. Pretty much the best thing ever.)
-Seeing Coon Skin caps worn in total seriousness.
-Having my cousin sit in a state of total shock and then run around the house grinning when two of his films got into a festival.
-My friend pushing me in a shopping cart through an empty parking lot at 3 am
-Driving on this ridiculously windy road in the middle of the night. There were literally 90 degree turns and huge sudden hills and drops. So exciting!
-Eating Arabic sweets in my Lebanese friend's kitchen.
-My friend thinking my grandma worked at Pottery Barn, when really she is an eccentric poet
-Walking by a random beautiful lake
-Driving around eating Flintstones Push Pops and listening to summery tunes
-Sitting outside the Ford Theater in D.C. and thinking about all the things that have happened there. (Abe Lincoln getting shot, people getting out of their carriages in the 19th century to go there)
-My aunt telling me that the painting I sent her for christmas inspired her to finally be a dance instructor like she always dreamed.
-Eating Chinese food and discussing movies for like 3 hours with an old family friend.
-Staying at my aunt's adorable beach house in Delaware
-Seeing a scary man in the middle of the woods and everyone in the car screaming for about five straight minutes
-Going to an all-night diner at 5 am and being served by a fastidious man in a bow tie that bowed to us! Named Herman!
-Going to my friend's and learning that he has a Mastiff dog. There are no words to describe the size of those dogs! It could have eaten me whole! It was almost taller than me! Yikes!
-Walking into 7-11 on 7/11 without realizing it and getting a free slurpie
-Hitting a deer on the way home from Delaware and killing it! We went into a random family's trailer until the tow truck could come. There was nothing else for miles!!
-Finding out that my friend's grandpa got gored during the running of the bulls in Spain. Luckily he was too drunk for it to hurt too much!
-Going to the showing of Harry Potter at midnight and running into people I hadn't seen in years!
-Getting locked out of the house at 4 am in summer clothes and no shoes! I first tried to sleep in the backyard playhouse but it was cold so I slept in the back seat of my aunt's car haha.
-Swinging at elementary school playgrounds
-Thrift store shopping!!!!!!!!!!!!!
-Showing my friend the band Beirut and having him say "Wow. I used to LIVE in Beirut!"
-Missing the last train in d.c. and having to walk 13 blocks at 2 am with homeless people around and people sleeping on the sidewalk and being scary!
-Watching the film Crash for the first time and being utterly speechless!!!!!
-Walking around Virginia Beach and seeing a man play a 7 string bass
-Witnessing a fight between two bros outside "Ocean Mystique Jewelry"
-Floating in the dark blue swells of the ocean
-Conquering one of my biggest fears (falling into water at night) and jumping into a reservoir at night! I was sooooooo proud of myself!!!
-Driving through an underwater tunnel and listening to Transatlanticism by Death Cab. The tunnel was so long that we got to hear the whole part that says "I need you so much closer....)

All in all, it was definitely the best summer of my life. I cannot wait to go back!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Concert Review: Iron & Wine/Okkervil River

2009-12-22T20:22:00.005-07:00

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

2009-10-06T15:36:00.004-06:00

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

2009-05-08T17:42:00.006-06:00

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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

2009-04-28T22:59:00.002-06:00

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!

2009-04-23T22:23:00.006-06:00

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

2009-04-19T13:16:00.008-06:00

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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

2009-04-18T13:29:00.004-06:00

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

2009-04-16T15:32:00.006-06:00

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

2009-04-08T17:15:00.002-06:00

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

2009-04-08T17:04:00.002-06:00

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

2009-04-02T15:26:00.003-06:00

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

2009-04-01T15:44:00.005-06:00

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!!!!

2009-03-26T14:45:00.003-06:00

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!

2009-03-23T20:23:00.002-06:00

(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)

2009-03-12T21:50:00.002-06:00

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!

2009-03-12T21:26:00.004-06:00

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

2009-03-09T18:34:00.005-06:00

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

2009-03-04T01:05:00.006-07:00

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

2009-02-24T23:14:00.006-07:00

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

2009-02-22T22:18:00.002-07:00

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

2009-02-20T23:14:00.001-07:00

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

2009-02-18T10:32:00.003-07:00

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

2009-02-11T00:33:00.003-07:00

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

2009-02-10T15:08:00.004-07:00

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

2009-02-05T21:29:00.003-07:00

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

2009-02-03T18:24:00.002-07:00

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

2009-01-26T14:32:00.004-07:00

(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

2009-01-26T14:20:00.004-07:00

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

2009-01-21T23:36:00.004-07:00

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.

2009-01-19T18:11:00.005-07:00

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

2009-01-15T22:53:00.003-07:00

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

2009-01-14T16:47:00.005-07:00

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

2009-01-12T13:42:00.005-07:00

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

2009-01-12T13:34:00.003-07:00

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 :)

Human Racing

2008-12-17T14:47:00.001-07:00

A wonderful fact to reflect upon, that every human creature is constituted to be that profound secret and mystery to every other. A solemn consideration, when I enter a great city by night, that every one of those darkly clustered houses encloses its own secret; that every beating heart in the hundreds of thousands of breasts there, is, in some of its imaginings, a secret to the heart nearest it! - Charles Dickens, in A Tale of Two Cities

I absolutely love this quote, not to mention this novel. I often think about how strange it is that there are SO many people in the world, so many that my mind can't even fathom the sheer numbers of them, and I will only know a tiny, tiny fraction of them.

I love people. I love our strange idiosyncrasies, our weird habits, our individual reactions to joy or disaster, and how everyone is vastly different from everyone else. Two people can look alike, even be identical, but their insides are still as different as night and day. Of course, everyone has similarities; there are just too many people for that not be. But I just think it is fascinating that there are millions and millions and MILLIONS of individual human beings living their lives on this earth. Everyone has their own beating heart, inflating lungs, blinking eyes, favorite breakfast food, private fears, sentimental memories, and preferred way of eating a taco, to name a few. Every person on this earth is worthwhile, and I agree with what Andy Warhol said: "I think everybody should like everybody".

One of the reasons I love being in cities so much is I love seeing the pure variety of people. Sometimes the place I live seems more like a loaf of Wonderbread than the "Great melting pot" America has been labeled as, so I love traveling and seeing cities for the new perspective it offers. Some people are short-tempered, some are spectacularly attractive, some are good with babies, some are shopaholics, some are great cooks, some lack any modicum of patience, and some are all of these things. But we are all people. We all came from the union of sperm and ovary. We all were born, and we will all die. We're all different, but we're also all the same. Like Depeche Mode said, "People are people." And I think that's beautiful.

Me + Andrew Vanwyngarden= Twins

2008-12-10T21:18:00.003-07:00

So just now, I was surfing blogs, minding my own business, when I stumbled upon this picture of MGMT on Stereogum's "Most Overrated Bands of 2008" list:

I was about to leave the site when I took a closer look at what Andrew Vanwyngarden was wearing. It made me double take. Because the colorful vest he is sporting in that picture... I also own. I wear it all the time. Finding out you have a similar fashion sense to one half of the vastly overrated psychedelic duo that is MGMT is a bit like discovering an unlikely musical duet (Cyndi Lauper/The Hives, Jack White/Alicia Keyes, etc)- You are pleased, but also somewhat disturbed.

Things I Love

2008-12-09T21:17:00.008-07:00

As of today, December 9th 2008, these are some things that I love:
Sushi
Road trips
Sprinkles
Lost
Lemon tea
Little cottages
Squash soup
Victorian architecture
Chap stick
Freckles
Cities/downtown
Tights
Rompers
Other cultures
Hats
The ocean
Majestic trees
Artistic fashion spreads
Foreign films
Raspberries
Weeping willows
Download: Stars-The Woods

I 8 Too Much

2008-12-09T20:51:00.005-07:00

I love dumb surveys. And I think all this snow is Beautiful!!!
8 TV shows that I watch:
1. LOST
2. Grey's Anatomy
3. Buffy the Vampire Slayer
4. America's Next Top Model
5. Family Guy
6. Private Practice
7. Gossip Girl
8. The Colbert Report

8 Things that I did yesterday:
1. Went to Arabic class
2. Read my journal from 9-10th grade and was thoroughly entertained
3. Ate granola and had a supernerd Buffy discussion
4. Watched a girl make a big scene when one of the 5 guys she was flirting with spilled juice all over her
5. Watched the movie Closer, which was funny and sad and had Clive Owen (!)
6. Got depressed by the ending of the book Memory Keeper's Daughter
7. Listened to the album Sun, Sun, Sun by The Elected
8. Added approximately 1,000,000 old friends on Facebook

8 Things that I am looking forward to
1. Winter Break!
2. Andrew Bird/Loney Dear show in February
3. The LOST premiere
4. Going to the library downtown (I LOVE that place.)
5. Selling my books for money
6. Being done with my Arabic project and final
7. The Mirah show in March
8. Watching Prince Caspian tomorrow with my bf!
Download: Eisley-The Winter Song

My Blog Name

2008-12-09T14:06:00.006-07:00

It took me a long, long time to decide on a blog name, but I finally decided on Selling Secrets to the Russians because Xmas Cake is one of my favorite Rilo Kiley songs. The first time I heard it, I was awestruck. It just floored me. I teared up. My heart was pounding. I still listen to it all the time, and it's been a good two years since I discovered it! It has beautiful harp, little touches like the "fa la la la"'s, beautiful beautiful lyrics, and Jenny's voice sounds wonderful.

Download Here: Rilo Kiley-Xmas Cake

Here are the lyrics:
"It's almost Christmas"
When I take off my make-up, I look old and defeated
I'm not so dangerous
Cry into my Christmas cake
Staring holes into me all night
You should just give up
Because our love's become
Selling secrets to the Russians
They don't need
The cold war is on between you and me

25 years old and a bachelor's degree
Your parents helped out with graduation fees
The loans were never enough
The credit cards are calling your bluff
Hold your hand, cut them up, move away
Or you'll be paying them off until your kids grow up
And do the same

There's no more running water
Wrapping presents in the dark
Move into your car
Change where you park
Too bad that job caroling department stores fell through
But the new year is right in front of you

Cry into your Christmas cake
Don't know what else to do
Don't know what else to do
(Fa la la fa la la la la)

I fear I'm going deaf
I've got some sense left
Give up some more to be with you
(Oh)
Because what good is seeing if love's not looking back at you?
(Ah)
And what good is feeling if my hands aren't touching you?

And another angel came down
He was wearing only a cloud
He said, "Sew up the bad that you've done
Tomorrow, Christmas day comes"
(Christmas day)

Cry into your Christmas cake
Don't know what else to do
Cry into your Christmas cake
Don't know what else to do
The new year's right in front of you
(Fa la la fa la la la la)

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button Trailer

2008-12-04T00:25:00.002-07:00

This movie looks way cool! It's based on an F. Scott Fitzgerald book about a man who ages backwards. And... Arcade Fire. Enough said.

Omg! LOST Sneak Peek!

2008-12-03T01:50:00.002-07:00

The chub at the beginning is dumb but the rest is way interesting! Time IS the essence.

And here's two minutes of the new season!

Envy

2008-12-03T01:24:00.005-07:00

I wish I looked like Jenny Lewis. That's all.

My Favorite Albums of 2008!

2008-12-01T17:14:00.010-07:00

1- Jenny Lewis- Acid Tongue.
As Jenny is my dearest hero, this probably seems obvious. But I truly, truly loved this album. Jenny has always had an incredibly versatile voice, whether it's screaming (A Town Called Luckey), yodeling (Gravity), singing barely above a whisper (A Better Son/Daughter), soaring (I Never) or aching (About the Moon). On this record she shows even more sides of her, from singing in a high, high key (Black Sand) to yelling out in a sultry manner (The Next Messiah). I REALLY want Rilo Kiley back, but this will certainly do for now!

2- Lykke Li- Youth Novels.
I first heard Ms. Li over the summer, and was instantly in love. I am a sucker for Swedish music as it is, but she is just amazing. Her songs are insanely catchy, and her voice coos and soars, sometimes a yelp and sometimes a whisper. This album never fails to put me in a better mood, and that's valuable.

3- She & Him- Volume One.
Ah, She & Him. Zooey and Matt are quite the dynamic duo on this album! Zooey Deschenal's beautiful voice (which everyone first heard on Elf), is the perfect compliment to M. Ward's lovely guitar. My favorite thing about this album is how old it sounds. I'm a sucker for retro music, whether it's 20s, 30s, 70s or 80s and She & Him have such a timeless sound.

4- Death Cab for Cutie- Narrow Stairs.
My favorite Death Cab album will always be Transatlanticism, but this album is really quite great. It isn't nearly as accessible as Plans, which I think is a good thing. It is more reminiscent of Something About Airplanes, which I also love. So that's good. More clever lyrics and metaphors abound this time around, from the symbolism of the remainder in "Long Division" to the sad metaphor in "Your New Twin-Sized Bed". Ben's voice sounds as good as ever, and the melodies are perfect. Seeing the album performed live was truly a treat.

5- Duffy- Rockferry.
Another thing I'm a sucker for is soul music (see Amy Winehouse, Nikka Costa, Adele, Ella Fitzgerald, etc) so I knew I would like this before I even heard it. Duffy apparently was a runner-up on Welsh American Idol, and I bet the judges are kicking themselves now. She has a great ear for hooks, and a great smoky voice!

6- Islands- Arm's Way.
The Unicorns (RIP) and now The Islands have always enchanted me, with their quirky songs and bizarre, dark lyrics, and this album didn't disappoint. I still like Return to Sea better, but Arm's Way was by no means a disappointment. My favorite song is probably "Creeper", with it's funky guitar and eerie vocals, but they're all good, really!

7- Kate Nash- Made of Bricks.
Another one of my vices is female British singers (Lily Allen anyone?) and I LOVE Kate Nash. She has really funny, honest lyrics. For example: "I use mouthwash, sometimes I floss, I've got a family and I drink cups of tea"- Mouthwash. She can be a little bitter at times, with songs like "A is for Asthma and Annoying" and "I Hate Seagulls", but I like a little bitter. I also love music I can identify with, therefore I love this.

8- Right Away, Great Captain!- The Eventually Home.
The RAGC! albums are a 3 part series that are basically the musings of a sailor at sea. I think when concept albums work, they REALLY work, and this is an example of that. The music is really beautiful: sometimes angry, sometimes lonely, sometimes light-hearted, and I think it probably captures the sea life well, not that I would know. It distantly reminds me of Bright Eyes, which is always good. (Note: This is the cover of their first album, because there are NO photos of the new one to be had!)

9- Vampire Weekend- Vampire Weekend.
Vampire Weekend is by far the most over-hyped band in the history of the world, or at least the blogosphere, but all that hype is there for a reason. Their tunes are insanely catchy, and even when I tried to avoid them... I couldn't. They write blissful afro-pop, with strings and yearning voices and references to the East Coast. I've lived in Boston, New Jersey and Virginia so it was fun to hear songs about Cape Cod, for example, and have childhood memories come to the surface of my thoughts.

10- Bon Iver- For Emma, Forever Ago.
This album was written and recorded in a little cabin in the woods, and it shows. It is simple but it pierced my soul. The vocals are very nice, and I like to picture a little hut with smoke coming out of the chimney and a gorgeous male voice echoing out of it and through the surrounding forest, and little forest animals gathering around to listen. But that's just me.

Anyway, those are my 10 favorite albums of this year. 2007 was a better year for music, I'd say, but this one was still great.

I also loved these CDs: Honorable Mentions (In no particular order):
MGMT- Oracular Spectacular
Mates of State- Re-Arrange Us
Fleet Foxes- Fleet Foxes
Tilly & The Wall- O
Coldplay- Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends
Department of Eagles- In Ear Park
Broken Social Scene Presents: Brendan Canning- Something for All of Us
Conor Oberst & The Mystic Valley Band- Conor Oberst
Hot Chip- Made in the Dark
Cat Power- Jukebox
Destroyer- Trouble in Dreams
Born Ruffians- Red, Yellow & Blue
Of Montreal- Skeletal Lamping

School Stuff

2008-11-19T23:51:00.005-07:00

My classes next semester will be:
--Human Heritage, which is about strange things that people do, like cannibalism and voodoo
--Advanced Drawing, which I am nervous for!!! But the professor is very relaxed from what I've heard.
--Art History, which should be easy and delightful!
--Genetics and Society, which looks at how genetic research can affect people, like with eugenics, biowarfare, etc. It looks quite fascinating.
--Probably French, but I don't know yet!
In other news, I just finished an 8-page research paper for psychology and I'll finish my Arabic video by tonight. School is busy, but very fun.

Concert Review: Of Montreal

2008-11-19T23:50:00.001-07:00

Yes, this concert was back on the 17th, but I've been busy lately! Of Montreal is one of the strangest, craziest, most flamboyant bands making music right now, and I knew their live show wouldn't disappoint... but I had no idea what I was getting into! This was seriously the CRAZIEST most dramatic performance I've ever seen. It wasn't even a concert- it was an extravaganza. The instruments and vocals and costumes and dancing were perfect. It started out with people in silver costumes dancing onstage, which was very Across the Universe-esque, and then Kevin Barnes was carried out in a curtained box. And the outrageous stage antics only escalated as the night went on. I was literally incapacitated the next day- I was so sore from jumping up and down and screaming that I could barely walk, I had a throbbing headache, and I was still in a delirious state of excitement. I had red paint rubbed on my face, feathers and glitter in my hair, my hair was soaked with sweat,and I smelled like onions and lettuce. Haha yeah. My social inhibitions usually prevent me from dancing at concerts, but this one was special. I was dazzled. Of Montreal= Pure Insanity.
Here are some pictures I took at the show:

LOST Season 5 Premiere!

2008-11-13T22:21:00.000-07:00

Ok. I really have to compose myself before I start typing this, or else it will just be incoherent sentences and exclamation points. Ok. LOST, aka the best show on television, is finally returning on January 21st! There will be a one-hour recap episode, as always, and then a TWO-HOUR premiere! Hooray! Two hours! The season 4 finale was so intense, what with the island disappearing and whatnot, and this show only gets more exciting as it goes along! I watched a bunch of previews on youtube, and I kept getting chills. Over and over again. You can watch one of the "official" previews below. Needless to say, January 21st will be a VERY good day for me.

Top Model: 11/12

2008-11-12T23:30:00.001-07:00

This week in Top Model, Marjorie was sent home! She is the awkward bony French girl with a bad case of the jitters. For a long time, she was my favorite model, but she gradually started annoying me. In tonight's episode, she "let loose" by drinking with some guys, kissing one, getting in the bathtub with her clothes on, and generally making a fool of herself. Her following photo shoot was just plain Blah. I wanted Samantha to go home the most, but I'm fine with Marjorie leaving. Only 3 girls left! Ah! Annaleigh is by far my favorite character. She's so precious and nice. And looks great in dramatic make-up. She's the only person on the show that is a REAL person and not weird, superficial, obnoxious, distant, robotic or hyper like some of the other girls have been. I really suspect that Mckey is a robot. She is so freaky. Ah.

Mckey is seriously terrifying. I'll post more about her after next week's episode!

Veteran's Day! 11/11!

2008-11-11T23:50:00.000-07:00

In honor of our brave men/women/animals who have fought in the armed forces, here is a commemorative photo and a great Rilo Kiley song involving Veteran's Day. Or at least 11/11 and war.
Love And War (11/11/46)
Enjoy!
PS: This song is available on iTunes or on the album More Adventurous! Buy it!

Music Shuffle Survey

2008-11-10T23:09:00.000-07:00

Here's a tree-woman I drew back in the days when I didn't pay attention in History. Anyway.Put your music player to shuffle and answer the questions about the song.
Song #1: Two Cars- Death Cab For Cutie
What's the first line in the song?: "Try to scrape it off the thought of skin against skin"
How long has this band/artist been around?: Probably 12 years..
Do you have a specific memory associated with this song?: No
Can you relate to any of the lyrics?: Yes.
Do you like any other songs by this band/artist?: Virtually everything!
Song #2: Johnathan David- Belle and Sebastian
Does any part of this song make you laugh?: How silly B & S are..
What is your favorite lyric in this song?: There's still room in my wooden horse for two
Have you ever seen this band/artist live?: Unfortunately, no
What is the first song from this band/artist that you remember hearing?: "Take Your Carriage Clock and Shove It" Haha
What kind of mood does this song put you in?: It makes me feel.. whimsical!
Song # 3: On The Table- A.C. Newman
Does this song make you think of a certain person?: Yes, the person that burned it on a mix for me.
What is the last line in the song?: Now the plain blonds are playing along with you, on the table!
If someone just randomly said the above line to you, how would you react? laugh..
Are any lyrics in this song suggestive of sex in any way?: Sure, on the table!
Has any other band/artist covered this song?: Nope, its only sung by Carl Newman!
Song # 4: Sentimental Journey- Seagull Screaming Kiss Her Kiss Her
What is the 7th line in this song?: electrocute!
Does the above line have any special meaning to you?: No, besides the fact that I'm afraid of being electrocuted.
Would this song be suitable to play at a wedding?: I guess an edgy, dark wedding..
Have you seen the video for this song? If yes then describe it.: No.
What is this song about?: Surrendering to your feelings for someone
Song # 5: Drive My Car- The Beatles
Would you be embarrassed if someone caught you singing this song out loud?: No, because everyone loves The Beatles
What is the 4th line in the song?: But you can do something in between..
If you had to give this song a rating, what would it be: G, PG, PG13 or R?: PG, for innuendo
Would you be shocked if your parent(s) liked this song?: No, I was raised on the Beatles!
Do you find the singer of this song attractive?: Haha no.
Song # 6: Christmas Card From A Hooker In Minneapolis (Tom Waits Cover)- Neko Case
Can you play this song on any instrument?: No, not on a single instrument!
Have you ever seen anyone that looks like the singer of this song?: Yes, a red-headed family friend
What is the funniest or most clever lyric in the song?: I think about you
everytime I pass a fillin station on account of all the grease you used to wear in your hair
Has this song been in any movies?: Maybe the Tom Waits original..
Does this song make you think of someone?: Yes.
Song # 7: Temperature- Sean Paul
What kind of mood does this song put you in?: Hyper. R&B does that to me.
What is the chorus of the song?: I got the right temperature to shelter you from the storm.
Oh lord, gal I got the right tactics to turn you on, and girl I...
Wanna be the Papa...You can be the Mom....oh oh!
Replace the 4th word of the song with the word "Beaver".....: Well woman the Beaver..
Do you know anyone that hates this band?: I'm sure a lot of people are annoyed by Sean Paul haha
Song # 8: Teen Love- Peter Bjorn and John
Is there a certain memory that you associate with this song?: No.
What is the 12th line in the song?: Why is this so hard? I won't cry.
If this band came to a town near you, would you go see them?: Definitely! I love Swedish bands!
Have you ever kissed anyone when this song was playing?: No.
Is there anything policical about this song?: No.
Song # 9: Take Me To The Riot- Stars
What is your favorite lyric in the song?: The one with the empty looking eyes/Come closer, you’ll see me/The face that is used to telling lies
Replace the 2nd word in your favorite lyric with "toilet"...: The toilet with the empty looking eyes.. HAHA.
Is this one of your favorite bands/artists?: Yes! I love aching melancholy boy/girl harmonies.
Have you ever sang this song out loud?: Yes! Screamed it!
When is the first time you ever heard this song?: When I bought this album a year or so ago..
Song # 10: Does He Love You? - Rilo Kiley
What is this song about?: It's complicated. The narrator has a thing with a married man whose spouse doesn't love him and only married him because she was afraid of her time running out. Then when her husband actually goes to leave her for the narrator she realizes she loves him and he decides to stay and the narrator is sad.
Replace the last word in the song with the word "Sparta".....: Let's not forget ourselves, good friend/I am flawed if I'm not free/And your husband will never leave you/
He will never leave you for Sparta. Lol
Does this song get played a lot on the radio?: Maybe on cool indie stations that don't exist where I live..
Where is this band/artist from?: L.A.!
Would this song be appropriate to play at a funeral?: It is sad, but the content isn't right

Movie Review: Ghost Town

2008-11-09T13:15:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I saw the movie Ghost Town. (Hooray for bargain movie theaters!) I ended up liking it SO much! If you love British Humor and awkward heart-warming moments, then you'll love this. It is about a dentist called Dr. Pincus who is basically a lonely jerk with no friends. He pushes away everyone that tries to befriend him and likes his job because he doesn't have to speak to people, just shove things in their mouths. Then, he undergoes a routine surgery and, due to an anesthesia foul-up, dies for seven minutes.

From that point forward, he sees dead people everywhere, who constantly badger him to do favors for them. He finally gets so fed up with them that he makes a deal with one of them (Greg Kinnear, playing his annoying but loveable self) to break up his widow's relationship in exchange for peace and quiet from the ghosts.

Of course he ends up falling for the widow, (Played by Tea Leoni) and what follows is a sweet, refreshing, awkward romance.

Go see this movie.

Oatmeal

2008-11-07T17:41:00.000-07:00

There is nothing like oatmeal on a cold day. Especially Quaker brand Apples and Cinnamon flavor. It is so good. I really love oatmeal. And soup. I eat soup whenever I get the chance lately. What if all this soup-eating turns me into a gelatinous blob like the thing in Spirited Away? Oh well. It's worth it.

Concerts I've Attended

2008-11-05T13:07:00.001-07:00

To give you a general idea of a small area of my music tastes, here is a list of bands I've seen live. The place I live isn't the best for concerts, but I do my best to see anyone good who comes! Note: I don't distinguish between headlining and opening bands...
My favorite shows are italicized.

Rilo Kiley (Twice)
Michael Runion
The Cassettes
Death Cab For Cutie (Twice)
Mates of State
Muse
The Like
The Shins
Silversun Pickups
Ok Go
Snow Patrol
Reggie and the Full Effect
Hellogoodbye (Twice)
Cute is What We Aim For
Get Him Eat Him
Matt Costa
Modest Mouse
Polysics
Young Love
Say Anything
Seve Vs. Evan
Mr. Fusion
The Brobecks
Regina Spektor
Only Son
Ours
Circa Survive
The Dearhunter
Fear Before The March of Flames (haha)
The Most Serene Republic
Datarock
I Hate Kate
Love You Long Time
Shiny Toy Guns
Victim Effect
Emme Packer
Atherton
Johan the Angel
Sea Wolf
Brooks and Dunn (Ew.)
Corbin Bleu
Tegan and Sara
Broken Social Scene
The Big Sleep
Neko Case
Crooked Fingers
Ssion
Tilly and the Wall
CSS
Matisyahu
Brother Ali
Shinedown
Nikka Costa
Pictures and Sounds
The Maine
Phantom Planet
Icy Demons
Of Montreal

...And a few songs.
Rilo Kiley: Portions For Foxes
off their album More Adventurous, which you can buy here: http://www.amazon.com
Nikka Costa: Stuck On You
off her album Pebble to a Pearl, which is available at http://www.amazon.com
Broken Social Scene: 02 marketfresh.mp3
off their album Bee Hives, which is also available at http://www.amazon.com

Pioneer Post!

2008-11-05T12:51:00.001-07:00

Well, I've been meaning to start a blog for over a year.. but I was lazy and didn't know what to name it. But I finally got my act together! My blog name is from a Rilo Kiley song, because they are my favorite band EVER. They have saved my life, time and time again. I used to listen to The Execution of All Things every day on the way to school in 10th grade. Everyone should own that album.
Anyway, the purpose of this blog will be to:
1- Recommend Music!
2- Ramble about my life and and thoughts
3- Post the occasional artwork I do.
Have a wonderful day!