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!