our blood's still young

the temper trap / sweet disposition

you know when you're just stepping out into the night, getting ready for a great evening with your friends and there's this surreal little pause, like anything is possible. like the world belongs to you. and maybe it does.

that moment.
that's what that song feels like.

blame it all on your upbringing

the good natured / warriors

the good natured / your body is a machine

do you ever think, okay today i'll be kinder, wiser, more focused - a conscious attempt at being a better person. how different would you act if you could see yourself from someone's else point of view?
you'd be quite safe with me - i tend to see the positive in people. i forgive easily. i'm too aware of my own imperfections to expect anything else. and i'm a libra, always seeking balance and peace.

*

berkshire-based sarash mcintosh has just released a new ep : 'your body is a machine' following 2008 'warriors' - not quite sweet electropop, and a rather mature sound from someone who just turned 18. she'll be playing a few gigs throughout the uk in jan/feb, til then her ep is available to order from myspace. 4£? just got mine.

was just reminded of being in reading 2 years ago, when the city had just been named "worst place in britain to raise a family". sweet.

[myspace]

do apologize for the lack of update - last week's been hectic, what with christmas and work. thank god i'm off tomorrow, i couldn't be happier. part of me wants to sleep the day away but i'll try and be productive, got loads of things to get sorted. hope everybody's had a lovely time over the holiday, whether you spent it with your family or friends. :)

and just to make this post a tiny bit more interesting... or rather cos i couldn't resist.. isn't emma watson so sweet? i sorta wanna be her best friend. see? train to london tomorrow maybe, what are the chances of me bumping into her? reckon after kate moss, emma watson shouldn't be such a problem. ah well, some other time maybe. :p

ps : oh so sweet

if only i had an enemy bigger than my apathy

mumford & sons / i gave you all

mumford & sons / little lion man

i was doing a bit of shopping earlier, and listening to a few tracks i got off the mighty internet yesterday. these 2 songs impressed me so much i ran to the nearest record store and bought the album after 2 listens. alright alright, said record store was just across the street, i couldn't possibly resist.. but still!

how warm, honest and spectacular! there's been quite a big buzz around these guys recently - well deserved, they're pretty amazing.

their debut album, 'sigh no more', was released last october - quite a few dates announced : australia, usa, canada, uk early next year.. all of the london dates are already sold out. bit of a bummer (for me, cause it's great news for them!).

[watch]

[myspace]

[sigh no more]

the supremes @ the copa, nyc / 1965

intro

put on a happy face

i am woman, you're man

baby love

stop! in the name of love

the boy from ipanema

make someone happy

come see about me

rock-a-bye your baby with a dixie melody

queen of the house

group intro

somewhere

back in my arms again

sam cook medley

you're nobody 'til somebody loves you

*

i've been dancing on this for weeks!

and i've been meaning to write about the supremes forever. lacked time and i'm still going through mary wilson's autobiography so i'll do that when i'm finished reading. but this.. i couldn't resist.

at the copa marks a turning point in the band's discography - 3 weeks at the copacabana and the supremes became international superstars, "welcome to play any club in the world".

my heart doesn't break now, it just bends

i'll keep it easy for you : name is ciara haidar. she's amazing. you must listen to this.

[myspace]

hooked already? seriously, 30 seconds in and you'll want to kiss my feet. that's how fucking good it is.
can also watch 'these days' here. or be friends on facebook.

and when i say you must, i mean it. well, go on now!

it's... off?

what do i hear? alexa chung's mtv show is cancelled? what.. wait. does it mean she's flying back here?

interpol / the heinrich maneuver

!!!

happy birthday! have a great great year. :) love you loots.

a tale of love, come and gone

the big pink / velvet

these arms of mine don’t mind who they hold. so should i maybe just leave love alone? you call out my name for the love you need.. but you won’t find it in me.

[a brief history of love]

no excuses

the weeds / sad helena

i'll be honest, i don't know much about these guys. a few things though.

*they sound good.
*self-released 2005 album, 'the faraway flying of broken beating'.
*singer emily ana zeitlyn is mirah's older sister.
*influences : rain, train sounds, the smiths, bad moods, vallejo, lou reed, love, philadelphia, flamenco, leonard cohen, dancing, laurie anderson, nina simone, bogota, a few chords...

nice interview here.

[myspace]

[the faraway flying of broken beating]

too much time spent on nothing waiting for a moment to arise

just finished reading the great gatsby. it was so vivid, somehow it feels like i've just been watching a movie instead.

i was reminded of something - an elusive rhythm, a fragment of lost words, that i had heard somewhere a long time ago. for a moment a phrase tried to take shape in my mouth and my lips parted like a dumb man’s, as though there was more struggling upon them than a wisp of startled air. but they made no sound, and what i had almost remembered was uncommunicable forever.

feeling tired tonight.
all too much - still days, weeks and years to come. not sure what it is about. bravery or cowardice. ignorance.

and it's contagious

(thisisindexed)

*

tori amos / the waitress

it's been fun.
would you even go to work if it wasn't for all the bitching and gossiping? it'd make for long days, eh. this place is amazing for gossip. i mean, the things happening here. surreal sometimes. never fails to surprise me. living in a den of thieves indeed.

remember those walls i built

florence & the machine / halo (beyoncé)

bit of a crush actually. see.

see you in a few days. :)

emotional blanket

sissy wish / dwts

these are mad times we live in! mad! the answer? pop music. yaay.

sissy wish - siri walberg's third album, 'beauties never die', has just been released in the us.

more about it here.

i seriously wanna kill everybody working for apple..

..but apart from that, i'm fine.

[lolcats]

l'enfant assassin des mouches / jean claude vannier

l'enfant la mouche et les allumettes

how many times a day do you tell yourself, wow-that-guy-is-so-smart and how-the-hell-does-he-know-all-of-that, i must-be-so-stupid ? right, it can't be just me. i knew i wasn't the only ignorant git in the room. :P

anyway. i didn't know about jean claude vannier and well, reading about him now, or rather listening to this, maybe i should have? bit reluctant to post that track because it's really part of a whole and it feels a little bit out of context but here you go.. the whole album is quite an experience, i'll leave it at that.

[vannier]

Regina Spektor @ Bonnaroo 2007

(photo batesvillebreeze)

*

ain't no cover

poor little rich boy

the flowers

baby jesus

bobbing for apples

that time

on the radio

sailor song

après moi

better

carbon monoxide

fidelity

your honor

love you're a whore

hotel song

silly eye color generalizations

us

samson

real love

ok.. let's just sit back and relax.

[myspace]

CocoRosie @ Munich / 14-11-05

lyla

beautiful boyz

by your side

left-hand shoe

south 2nd

dizzy dog

japan

honey or tar

noah's ark

turn me on

*

tiny waves of shivers..

i'm off for a run, wish me luck!

see if they have our song on the jukebox over there

anais mitchell / old-fashioned hat

i love that song. i think it just got stuck somewhere in my head, it's got its own little space there. with water and a first-aid kit so it's always good and happy. :) everytime i listen to it.. i see myself sitting outside the angel, a friend smoking on my left and someone else in front of me. a quiet summer evening last year. everything feels right.

anais mitchell will be touring the usa throughout the winter and... back to london in january. hopefully a few more european dates too!

[myspace]

-cosmic american-

variations on a theme

rilo kiley / the execution of all things

death cab for cutie / this is the sound of settling

again, i'm being extremely naive. it probably shows on my face. that's why people keep giving me the talk. like.. you better start thinking about your old days. you better start saving for when you retire. you better find a job that pays well. 40 years from now.. hmm, yes. will think about it. and forget.

the world is lazy, but you and me we're just crazy

best coast / when i'm with you

best coast / angsty.

not very talkative these days. ok, thinking... the tunes are great (as in, i think you'd like them, guys), mid-60's chantal goya was so damn cute, jean pierre léaud wasn't bad either and.. less is more?

*

[myspace]

-masculin, féminin-

you tell me that i'm naive

(photo robert frank)

*

bellajane / marionette

*

[myspace]

great band from dublin. :)

infinite light

i declare a war on you, someday soon

lightning dust / antonia jane

lightning dust / waiting on the sun to rise

lightning dust / i knew

*

[myspace]

en quatre couleurs

nouvelle vague / ça plane pour moi

i'm a bit hyper. it might be the medicine i've been taking the whole week. i was actually feeling rather morose (yes, morose) yesterday and then all of a sudden.. i don't know, i felt really happy? this usually doesn't happen to me, you know, happiness, so bear with me. the football started it. ireland was leading and i thought that was really amusing. i couldn't stop laughing. best football game ever. unfortunately les bleus cheated their way out of it, but still! silly me thought thierry henry would go and talk to the referee, be honest! i know i know. how naive. frenchies, you fools. the other way around and you'd be here talking about justice and human rights. first zidane now this, wow, it's so much fun being a captain! anyway, back to me. like i said, i'm feeling a bit hyper. like that song. i can't help jumping/dancing around to it! then i get a dizzy spell or worse, a sneeezing fit - in any case, not attractive.

nouvelle vague / dancing with myself

nouvelle vague's lastest album, '3', was released in june..

[myspace]

you're just a little baby

marina & the diamonds / i am not a robot

ok. i'm sick. my computer is acting up. my parents are driving me nuts. i was going to write about me being 26 and how somehow it's such a turning point.. my mum is always telling me i'm 2 years behind when it comes to maturity, i think she's wrong, i'm 5 years behind at least. i'm the most unpractical person you'll ever meet, i just don't know anything about being a grown up. but hey, 26, wow, that feels grown up.

marina & the diamonds / seventeen

marina diamandis' debut album, family jewels, will be out next february. meanwhile, check out these tunes - 'i am not a robot' especially is so absolutely catchy. keep in mind i can't breathe, but am still singing along so yeah, it must be good. i'm all for smart and funny pop music, really. and a nice british accent...

[blog & videos]

[myspace]

killer stares and sideways frowns

(mervyn peake, self portrait)

*

santigold / l.e.s artistes

architecture in helsinki / tiny paintings

*

[aih music]

[santigold]

[npg]

burned out stars, they shine so bright

blue black

walk this world

heal

verona

walking higher

light years

island

mothertongue

maybe an angel

sugar

heather nova @ stockholm / 1995.

emily haines..

you know when you're at a festival outside and you're way at the back with your friends? and the music is just drifting out on the breeze. that's the feeling i've dedicated my life to, i realized.. how's that possible? that all of us together, if it was on public transportation, we'd have such a different attitude to each other.. you know? it's amazing. music blows my mind, i don't understand, it's just vibrations! and yet.. it's the most beautiful thing.

love. ditto.
i'll be seeing you in a few days. take care.

parceque je vais toujours jusqu'au bout

edith piaf / mon dieu

martha wainwright / this life

martha wainwright / c'est toujours la même histoire

talk about timing. edith piaf's life story was on tv yesterday evening and of course i was glued to my screen, half-grinning half-sobbing, even though i've seen the movie a billion times already. found out singer songwriter martha wainwright's just released a live album of covers, featuring rare songs from piaf's repertoire. i'm very much looking forward to that.

*

[sans fusils, ni souliers, à paris]

[edith]

[martha]

birthday girl

altered images / happy birthday

joyeux anniversaire! :)

look out the window

the whispertown 2000 / done with love

the whispertown 2000 / atlantis

the whispertown 2000 / through a hole

these guys might just be your best friends. they could be sitting in your living room right now, watching movies and chilling out - not even talking that much, you'd feel good and content just having them around. but hey, they've got real friends, i assume you guys are popular enough the way it is, fair enough. we'll have to stick to the songs instead : lo-fi folkish pop music, quirky melodies and a soulful voice, it really isn't that bad.
based in los angeles and led by singer and songwriter morgan nagler*, the whispertown 2000 have released 2 albums, livin' in a dream (2006) and swim (2008) while touring with bright eyes, jenny lewis and the elected.

oh and i was only partially kidding with that whole house crashing plan.

*for all of you rilo kiley fans out there, that's jenny's "best friend morgan". you know, the one that gets mentioned in every live show and song ?

*

[myspace]

[swim]

*

diver dorothy poynton is pictured above, more about her here.

i howl when we're apart

can i say how much i love this video ? or the t4 on the beach set. hurricane, right?
and i'm sort of thinking of going to one of her london gigs next month.. but i don't think that's possible. can't even believe it's not sold out yet.

florence and the machine also stopped by kcrw last week - it's here.

The Kills @ Canal Plus 03-08

cheap and cheerful

fried my little brains

goodnight bad morning

last day of magic

no wow

pull a you

sour cherry

tape song

u.r.a. fever

thought i'd celebrate the upcoming kills album. :) that's the great thing about music, isn't it. there's always moore to come. granted, sometimes you wish there wasn't but that's another story. :D
anyway, that was recorded for french channel canal plus, i believe around the time 'midnight boom' was released, so you get quite a lot of new songs. a few "old" classics too. :)

[myspace]

*

vinyl is da bomb.

and when the battle was done

(photo © Jean-Sébastien Zanchi - Le HibOO)

just back from paris! bat for lashes. at the olympia. happiness.

and i thought natasha khan sounded good in studio. what depth of voice. absolutely flawless. the band as a whole is really effective. and sarah jones has to be the cutest drummer ever (yeah, ringo lost his throne a long time ago). speaking of which, yesterday was the last date with the current band. can't wait to see what the next chapter will bring!

-daniel-

*

word of the day :

Q magazine / is your kills bandmate jamie hince jealous of your success with the dead weather?
vv / no, no, not at all. jamie's been absolutely brilliant. and we're in london right now writing songs for the next kills album, which we're hoping to release early next year.

Q / and there'll be another dead weather album too?
vv / yeah, we already wrote 15 songs when we had 3 days off. it's an unstoppable train.

yes, i long for adventure

scout niblett / kidnapped by neptune

scout niblet / drummer boy

scout niblett (feat. bonnie prince billy) / kiss

scout niblett / just what i needed (the cars)

*

scout niblett's been on my must-check-out-at-some-point list forever. i remember listening to 'drummer boy' quite a lot and while her very sparse style attracted me at first, i ended up feeling a bit put off by it.. i could see what the challenge was and decided i'd try it again later. it does take a bit of aging sometimes, doesn't it?
then today i was feeling a bit tired and peckish on the drive back from the airport, put my ipod on shuffle and here you go. whatever happened since the last time i listened to these songs.. i found myself making funny faces and singing stupidly while tapping my feet.

voice + guitar + drums. or voice + drums. see what you can make of it. i've got the biggest urge to open the window and play it really LOUD.

and... i think cat power's 'american flag' was written about her. haha. like totally!

my new friend / plays drums all the time / her magic heart / feels everything / she plays the difficult parts and i play / difficult / she goes shoop shoop eh doop

here is a great article/interview that sums up everything i meant to say but had no words for..

*

[upcoming european tour]

[myspace]

[this fool can die now]

Rilo Kiley @ Denton, TX 02-2003

(photo lenny gonzalez)

*

Intro

Paint's Peeling

The Good That Won't Come Out

My Slumbering Heart

Hail To Whatever You Found In The Sunlight That Surrounds You

The Execution Of All Things

Three Hopeful Thoughts

Capturing Moods

Pictures Of Success

Spectacular Views

With Arms Outstretched

A Better Son/Daughter

*

i know i know, rilo kiley again but really... there's no such thing as too much rilo kiley. especially old school rilo kiley. can i say rilo kiley again? rilo kiley. there.
got this at rilokiley.net. they used to have quite a few live recordings, videos etc. still got a few goodies available to members so go on and sign up! anyway, back on topic. have a listen, it sounds great, you will laugh too.

[rilo kiley]

edit : i'll be off for a few days, please behave. :)

we'll murder what matters to you

[photo paper tissue]

*

rilo kiley / rock & roll suicide (david bowie)

*

you know when people comment on your music taste and make you feel like an alien because you're not listening to taylor swift or lady gaga? (uhm)

i love it.

i was having a conversation with 2 friends - one was looking through my ipod and asking who was who, singing what etc. she'd heard me talking about metric so she asked about them etc. and she wanted playlists and whatnot. and then the other friend asked where i was finding all of this music cos obviously she didn't know any of it and it wasn't on the radio. so i said, well, if you look it up online, there's loads of great music there. and that's where people find it. and she was like.. but why would you go online to find music? who does that?
and then today, i was reading an old review of jenny lewis' 'acid tongue'. the guy was saying that he'd waited a long time to get the album because he was really annoyed by the hype around jenny lewis and her indie goddess aura. that led me to... take metric and rilo kiley. they're massive indie bands. they're everywhere. but were i to have a conversation about emily haines or jenny lewis with my friends... so funny when worlds collide like that, isn't it?

need to think...

the smiths / bigmouth strikes again

...before i open my mouth.

i'd do it all again

kaki king / lovestoned (justin timberlake)

kaki king / camp out (an horse)

don't you love it when your beloved ipod comes up with a long lost song?
kaki got me into an horse, she's cool. no, i don't really know her but i like to pretend. thanks for pointing that out.

or watch it here.

*

[kaki king]

[an horse]

you can find justin timberlake yourself, right?

*

oh. listen to heather nova singing 'walking higher' & 'island' here. recorded in berlin yesterday. and leipzig 2 days ago. sounds good. :) (thanks for the tip!)

with your cause and affection on my mind

tegan & sara / on directing

tegan & sara / light up

this is really hard to write about. i'm caught between omgomgteganandsarahaveanewalbumout!! and trying to make sense of it. so i'm gonna keep it simple and say that i really like 'sainthood'. haha. i'm not obsessed with it yet but i do think it's a very good follow-up to 'so jealous' and 'the con'. don't know about you but i always need to let their songs grow on me and this is probably no exception. that being said, 'on directing ' and 'sentimental tune' really stick out for me : first, go steady with me, genius - only sara can pull it off. and second, both songs show enough depth while still being quirky and uhm, for lack of a better word, cute. 'light up' is one of the songs that didn't make the record (but available on itunes) - i believe sara wrote it with her mum's point of view in mind - sweet.
i'm so proud of them, really. silly and all, but i still remember the first time i heard 'this business of art' and look how they've grown since. :) even twitter is going crazy over them! i'm so looking forward to their gig in london next month, i just know it's gonna be awesome. :)

*

[myspace]

[more about t&s]

a time when we were so alive

paramore / franklin

monday monday monday. nice, i can post whatever i want, no guilt! best idea ever. today : paramore. haha.
i'd never heard of paramore until very recently, honestly. i might be too old or.. well, maybe i just have better taste? :P ouch, sorry. i didn't really mean that - it's not like they're claiming to be the best band ever, right? let's put things into perspective : they're good at what they're aiming for. i stumbled across the lyrics for that song, 'franklin', and just fell in love with them - the song itself is far from being impressive but it really speaks to me anyhow. kudos to them for writing a song about their hometown - i can tell it comes from the heart. :)

when we get home i know we won't be home at all / this place we live, it is not where we belong / and i miss who we were / and the town we could call our own / going back to get away after everything has changed / (...) so we stand here now and no one knows us at all / i wont get used to this / i wont get used to being gone

oh and... have to admit... 'crushcrushcrush' is my midnight fix. rock&roll, baby!

*

[myspace]

everyday is like sunday

[photo Bahi P]

*

woodpigeon / you're my only home

*

sunday. i've just understood the irony of it.
yet another band from canada (calgary, anyone?), woodpigeon have released 2 albums and a number of eps while touring with the likes of broken social scene, iron & wine and grizzly bear. their third album is scheduled for january 2010 and band leader mark hamilton has described it as "simultaneously a lot bigger, and a lot smaller. there’s definitely some big surprises on it". check out their cover of the magnetic fields' 'you're my only home'. it's got a real nostalgic feel to it without being overly daunting. sunday after all.

*

[myspace]

morrissey taken to hospital

watch here.

get better soon, mozzster. :/

where the trouble lies

charlotte gainsbourg / irm

i think there's a gene in every french person, something that tells us we must love charlotte gainsbourg. or is it me? not that everybody swoons over her constantly, but it's probably down to her being so graceful in everything she does. makes it hard to find faults. she's such an icon, isn't she.
anyway. first single from her soon to be released new album, irm. been listening to it for a few days and it really grew on me. strangely haunting.

*

[myspace]

Fever Ray @ Lulea 03-09

If I Had A Heart

Triangle Walks

Concrete Walks

Seven

I'm Not Done

Now's The Only Time I Know

Keep The Streets Empty

Dry & Dusty

Stranger Than Kindness

When I Grow Up

Coconut

*

from fever ray's upcoming deluxe version of her debut album (out late november) - the guardian is giving away the live recording until midnight monday. how cool. knew i was right to stick with them. :D

*

[fever ray]

when i say i'm in love, you best believe i'm in love, L-U-V

ladies & gentlemen, let me introduce... the angels of death, the myrmidons of melodrama, the killer shangs*..

..the shangri-las!

alright. all i really wanted to say was that 'i can never go home anymore' is my favorite song ever. but i love these girls so much, i thought i ought to make something special out of it and just you know, spread the love. :)

the shangri-las / i can never go home anymore

i got to know the shangri-las through amy winehouse. well, sure, i'd heard of them before but i never took the time to listen. amy was talking about recording 'back to black' and how she'd spend hours at home, listening to various girl groups and then go back to the studio with this in mind and say, ok, that's how i want it to sound. she mentioned the shangri-las and 'i can never go home anymore' and i thought, ok, i'll check them out, sounds interesting.

the shangri-las / out in the streets

the shangri-las / remember (walkin' in the sand)

they sound different. they look different. they talk different. the shangri-las live in a world where 'always' and 'forever' mean everything. they're not just singing about love and growing up, they're showing you teenage soap opera like you've never seen it before - think romeo & juliet meet the ramones. talk about melodrama.

that song, 'i can never go home anymore', is about a young girl running away from home with her boyfriend. that doesn't quite work out, she's alone, thinking about home but pride keeps her from going back. i love that it slowly builds up and you know something is bound to happen.. the part from 1:45 to 2:20, see, here it is, i can't get over it - so damn perfect.

the shangri-las / the leader of the pack

the shangri-las / give us your blessings

the shangri-las / train from kansas city

it's not just "girl meets boy, girl falls in love, they get married and live happily ever after" (mind you, i've got nothing against the crystals, they're great) forget it - the shangri-las got attitude. they were bad. well, as bad as you can get when you're 15 and singing about everlasting love. but never mind that and listen. they're telling the best stories. it's like a tarantino movie : might not be your thing but you know it's gonna be entertaining. it's colourful, over the top and hilarious.

the shangri-las / give him a great big kiss

the shangri-las / what is love?

the shangri-las / wishing well

the shangri-las were mary and betty weiss, and twins mary ann and marge ganser - often pictured as a trio because betty and then mary ann didn't always travel with the band. mary sang lead most of the time** and being the youngest of the 4 (she was 15 when 'wishing well' was recorded) she was still able to convince the audience she was genuine; songwriters jeff barry and shadow morton often pointing out her remarkable acting skills. throw highly quotable lyrics into the mix and there's no stopping them!

the shangri-las / shout (the isley brothers)

the shangri-las / twist & shout (the top notes)***

and because i'm really really nice, i've got a few goodies for you. a few covers first:

the shop assistants / train from kansas city

johnny thunders / great big kiss

blondie / out in the streets

neko case / train from kansas city

and a couple of songs that you probably already know about.. spot the influence. :)

amy winehouse / back to black (@bbc sessions)

bat for lashes / what's a girl to do?

sonic youth / little trouble girl

*

[the shangs]

[mary weiss]

*yeah, i made that one up. :D
**marge is singing lead on 'what is love?'
***first band to record that song, obviously the isley brothers and then the beatles took it to another level

i leave you with a song and a tear

the dodos / jodi

again, i'm fairly new to this. *blushes* kind of song you wake up to and that sticks with you throughout the day. be ready for a fight.

this one is from the dodos' 2008 album, visiter, but they've just released a new record, time to die.

*

[myspace]

a secret i don't want people to find out about

bat for lashes released a special edition of the album two suns last month, complete with bonus tracks and a 48 minute documentary following natasha khan on her journey through spaces and places. well, you can now watch that documentary over here at pitchfork. only up for a week!

mesmerizing.

*

[myspace]

oooh happiness. tegan & sara are streaming their new album, sainthood, on their myspace so go and have a listen! or just click here.

and these 2 will be taking over spinner throughout the week so be sure to keep an eye on that!