The Ten Best Songs for Strutting Down the Street To:
You’ve all had a moment when you’re walking down the street with your headphones in, and it feels like you belong in a movie or a music video clip or something. There are tell-tale signs. You start walking to the beat, you straighten your back, put your chin up a little, see if anyone’s watching. You even bounce in your step a little bit. Basically, you just feel pretty damn good. So, if you’re stuck for a song to strut to, here’s my list.
1.Eels – Fresh Blood
2.Pixies – Hey
3.Cake – Short Skirt/Long Jacket
4.The Cat Empire – Hello
5.Kaiser Chiefs – Never Miss A Beat
6.OK GO – Here It Goes Again
7.The White Stripes – Ball And Biscuit
8.Philadelphia Grand Jury – Going To The Casino (Tomorrow Night)
9.The Doors – Touch Me
10.Wiley – Cash In My Pocket (feat. Daniel Merriweather)
Originally, I wanted to share this one with you last week, but instead I just ummed and ahhed about whether it was... well, the right thing to do, I suppose. But this week, I decided that it was definitely the way to go.
So here we have Robin Pecknold, of Fleet Foxes, with 'I'm Losing Myself'. I'll apologise now for not being able to give you an actual film clip for it.
The track also features the very wonderful Ed Droste, as well, who is the frontman of Grizzly Bear, a favourite band of mine. The combination of their voices is just magical, in my opinion. And it makes for a beautiful song. I won't blab on about it for too long this week. Let's get into the music.
Today I bring you instructions on how to make one of these... things. I'm not sure what you'd call it, really.
It takes about an hour and a half, some pictures, preferably of A4 size, glue, contact, butchers paper and cardboard.
To start with, you'll need to draw your template onto the butchers paper. To get a perfect circle as big as the one I made, I actually used a hula hoop and traced it's perimeter.
Once you've done that, you can use the paper to start arranging your pictures. Play around with where you want to place them. It'll take a little while to get them how you want.
Then, either glue your paper circle to some cardboard and then cut around the edges to get your circle, or, use it to trace a cardboard circle, and then cut it out.
Next, you'll want to glue all your pictures on. I laid mine out in rows of four, glued them on, then chop off the excess.
After that, if the pictures aren't sticking down properly, like mine were, use some contact to put over it. It also makes it nice and glossy! Yay!
Charlie, Charlie, Charlie Fink. I think I might have a little bit of a music crush on you. For those who don’t know who this Charlie Fink fellow is, let me introduce you to Noah and the Whale, a very lovely band from the United Kingdom.
Again, I’m going to have to recommend you to a whole artist, rather than just one song. Because really, I mean really, these guys have got some great stuff. Its all folksy and pretty and poppy all at the same time!
So firstly I present you with their song, ‘L.I.F.E.G.O.E.S.O.N.’, which isn’t a lot of fun to type, but is a lot of fun to listen to. This was released at the beginning of this year, and restored my faith in spelling words out in song. For a bad example of this, see: ‘Three Words’ by Will.I.Am and Cheryl Cole (which is actually embarrassing). But enough on cringe-inducing music! On with the real music!
Next, I give you ‘Shape of my Heart’, which is a fantastic song. It sounds so dreamy! I found this little gem after doing a bit a youtube trawl, and fell in love with the film clip. I’m a sucker for that vintage film stuff. If you didn’t like the first song in this post, I urge you to listen to this one anyway, because of all the Noah and the Whale song’s I’ve heard, this one is the best. I'm going to have to link the video though, because my computer is so rude to me. So HERE!
Finally, the song that made me love violin. Usually I’m strongly against the instrument, after the many primary school Christmas Concerts I’ve been subjected to. It was at these miserable gatherings where I was forced to watch as groups of musically challenged 8 year olds abuse the hell out their violins. But this song, ‘Rocks and Daggers’, is absolutely beautiful and I highly recommend it.
There’s no “official” film clip for the song online, so I can’t actually give you the original version of the song where Laura Marling joins Noah and the Whale, but if you can source it yourself, then definitely have a watch. It’s lovely! I won’t keep talking about Laura Marling now though, because that’ll keep me talking for another hour or so. Perhaps I’ll save her for another Musical Recommendation.
Lykke Li. I love her. And so I'm super happy that she's just brought out a new album, Wounded Rhymes. Even though it's content is super sad.
So rather than recommending only one of her songs, I'm just going to recommend her.
But check this out!
Okay, i dare you to tell me that wasn't incredible.
See, the thing I love about Lykke Li is that she's so emotional when she sings. Just look at her eyes!
Her new album is full of great songs - my favourites are Unrequited Love, and Sadness is a Blessing, check them out - so I'd really recommend you buy it! I wanted to squeal when I picked it up at the CD store!
I'm now on Flickr! Yay! I've not got much up there, but I'll gradually expand my collection of photographs so that I can get some more traffic around here!
Oh! And make sure you read tomorrow, because I'm really happy with this week's musical recommendation!
Today, I stumbled upon (and not via stumbleupon) a great photograph titled 'Migrant Mother'. It's a portrait taken of a woman named Florence Owens Thompson, who's image became an icon of the Great Depression in America. She is pictured with three of her seven children outside their patched and worn tent.
Filled with curiosity, I researched this picture and it's photographer, Dorothea Lange (1895 - 1965). And after looking at her work, I think I may have a new photographer to add to my list of favourites.
You should check out the site I've linked above to see some of her other photographs. They're all shot in these wonderful shades of almost gritty black and white - which I love - and they can definitely be used as inspiration for black and white (and even colour) photographers everywhere!
Hello! Today, I have something a little special for you. It’s a film! Not of my own creation of course, but I’m going to introduce it to you. It’s called SOLARIUM, and it was shot by Moses Berkson, a photographer who I like. In the past, he’s taken portraits of Devendra Banhart, whose music I don’t particularly like, but who seems to be quite photogenic. Anyway. This film. It’s quite obscure, but keep an open mind, please. If nothing, appreciate it for its strangeness, and its intensity.
Shot in the middle of nowhere with a Super 8 camera, Moses Berkson captures musician Lykke Li frolicking around in a desert. She collaborated with the wonderful Björn Yttling, of Peter Bjorn & John, for the musical aspect of SOLARIUM, again creating an intense, eerie, almost scary piece of beautiful, beautiful music.
So now watch, SOLARIUM.
Oh, and also, next week’s musical recommendation is going to be a cracker. In fact, I’m writing it right now.
Right! This week I've got something a bit special. Two whole songs! Woohoo!
If Best Coast, Surfer Blood, and Wavves had a music baby, it'd be called The Vaccines, who late last year released a great song called 'Wreckin' Bar (Ra Ra Ra). It's cool stuff, believe me. And with parents like that, how could it not be cool? The song only lasts for just over a minute, but it's one of those pieces of music that makes you just want to dance! Yay! Enough talking though. Let the music begin!
Next on the line up, we have the very lovely Alexander Ebert; this increcibly cool guy with an uncanny resemblence to Jesus. Anyway, point is, he's one of my favourite musicians, and he's just released a solo album after working with more than 10 other musicians known as Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros. Taken from his self-titled album, this week I bring you 'Truth', by Alexander. Unfortunately I was unable to find an official film clip, but this one will do!
Last weekend, my friend Romy – yes, I’m naming names and linking links – implied (or said rather bluntly) that I may well be guilty of hoarding. I believe she then compared my bedroom to the likes of those that appear on A Current Affair. You know the ones; these people keep so much crap in their houses that they’ve lost pets in there. It’s not pretty.
So naturally, when my lovely friend accused me of hoarding, I denied it. Vehemently. But almost as soon as she’d left for the day, I began to clean. And I mean clean. As in, I’m still not finished yet, and this incident occurred about four days ago.
In those four days, I’ve come to realise that perhaps I really am a hoarder. Or at least, I’m showing the early signs of it. For example, whilst cleaning out my cupboard I found shoebox upon shoebox filled with McDonald’s Happy Meal toys, carefully packaged from before I even moved in; a collection of diaries from Grade Three, where the most commonly used sentence was “I love school!” (Oh, how things changed); some kind of telescope made from toilet paper rolls; and my bubble-wrap overalls.
At first I was mildly repulsed that I’d held on to all these things (save for the bubble-wrap overalls, which are awesome). But it was kind of amusing to look back through all the things I’d thought were important to save. I had a good laugh reading my diaries, and became sufficiently confused trying to work out what my toilet roll contraption actually was. It was a bit of a blast from the past; a good way of reminiscing.
But that didn’t stop me throwing it all forcefully into a large garbage bag. Except for my bubble-wrap overalls.
Apologies for being a few days late with this week’s music recommendation. Better late than never though, right?
Anyways, this week’s offering isn’t new music, but it’s very, very good, and was recommended to me by a friend some time ago. I’m attaching a clip of Andrew Bird performing his song Tenuousness live, and it really is quite spectacular.
Andrew Bird has got to be one of the most skilled and talented musicians that I know of. I mean, come on, being that good at whistling just isn’t natural. He’s insane. He does this crazy layering with all the different instrumental pieces he plays, and then when it all comes together, it’s like magic. And he somehow manages to play the whole thing with his eyes closed! He’s incredible! Enjoy!
