'08 favorites.

As a spin off of Carey's upcoming top albums of 2008 list, I'm going to muster together a list of my own. Maybe not necessarily a top albums list, but a list of albums I have really enjoyed this past year (in no particular order).

1. Only By the Night -Kings of Leon.
This one had to make the list. Fantastic band, great alt-southern-rock sound. My favorite songs from the album would have to be "Sex On Fire," and "Cold Desert." But I would definitely say that every song is worth listening to.

2. Re-Arrange Us -Mates of State.
If you read this blog at all, you already know I'm a huge MOS fan. I guess they are considered to be in the indie-genre. Sometimes it seems like a lot of indie music sounds the same as other indie music and it just kind of gets old. But with the genius combination of an organ and drums, along with unique vocal harmonies that fit together perfectly, this band never disappoints. If you're into Jackson Browne at all, I highly recommend the MOS cover of "These Days." (You can find it on the soundtrack for the movie Wicker Park.)

3. Three Flights from Alto Nido -Greg Laswell.
Greg Laswell has to be one of my favorite new-ish artists. I mean he certainly isn't brand new, but fairly new. New to me at least. Moving on. I was hooked from the first line of his piano cover of "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun." Another one of those I-love-every-song albums.

4. Day & Age -The Killers.
Can't go wrong with this band. This album is equally as awesome as Sam's Town, but equally just as distinct. I'm always a big fan of their lyrics/songwriting. A sample from the song "A Dustland Fairytale":
and the decades disappear like sinking ships but we persever
God gives us hope
but we still fear what we don't know
the mind is poison

5. One of the Boys -Katy Perry
Not sure this qualifies as a top-favorite album overall, but if I was doing a "top pop albums of 2008" list, this would be on it. She's one of my fave new pop artists. "Ur so gay and you don't even like boys" has to qualify as lyrical genius. In all seriousness, I really do like her voice and I think she kind of spiced things up in the pop world for 2008.

I think this list is to be continued. It's late, and I'm running out of steam. In a short update as to what I'm currently spinning...that would be Kanye's 808's & Heartbreak. "RoboCop" is pretty much my favorite song so that's really all I'm listening to, but I expect I'll grow to like the rest of the album too. When he comes back to Charlotte, I'm buying tickets for sure.

Happy 2009! :)

props to Obama and The White Stripes

So I'm going to visit politics again. I really want to address this article about gay leaders being angry with Obama for choosing evangelist Rick Warren to lead the invocation at his inauguration.

Here's how I am looking at the situation. Say, for instance, Obama had chosen a super liberal pro-homosexual-agenda pastor to lead the invocation. I don't doubt that people from the religious right would be talking about how terrible of a decision that would be, and they would be labeled as bigoted and closed-minded (probably rightly so). How is this not the same situation, the groups just reversed?? Rick Warren may hold beliefs about homosexuality that many do not agree with, but that doesn't make him any less worthy of making an appearance at an inauguration that is supposed to mark change and promote the coming together of America. It seems like we always hear about one side of closed-mindedness, but not when it's coming from the minority group involved. Why is it always assumed that Christians are judgmental and hateful towards the LGBT community? I know we haven't made the best reputation for ourselves, but lumping all of us in the same category of discriminatory bigots doesn't do anything for compromise. Just because I disagree with someone doesn't mean I'm not able to still respect them and their differing opinions. And on that note, I don't assume that everyone in the LGBT community feels the same way about Obama's choice.

I always enjoy reading comments from readers at the end of news articles, and here are a couple from that article that I completely agreed with:
"So, because Pastor Warren doesn't endorse gay marriage, he somehow becomes unfit to offer the invocation? That doesn't really seem all that tolerant of different points-of-view now does it? Imposing a "party line" isn't exactly going to win over anyone on the fence on any issue; rather, it simply alinates everyone who might share other views and essentially says, "my way or the highway." That's a sure-fired way to make sure nothing you support goes anywhere."
-Mike

"Solmonese (one of the gay leaders involved) wants to be inclusive as long as he likes who is included. Just because people that disagree with you are at Obama's enormous table, doesn't preclude you from being an equally valuable guest. Human Rights are not the exclusive territory of any minority."
-Oddball (their username I presume)

That pretty much sums up my feelings on the situation, and we'll end it there. Although I might not be in line with all of Obama's ideas, I sincerely do hope his presidency is successful in bringing together people with different views and beliefs.

In lighter news, I am on a White Stripes kick. Jack White is a genius. So just fyi, here's a list of some of my all-time favorite Stripes songs:
1. Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground
2. I Want To Be The Boy To Warm Your Mother's Heart
3. Ball and Biscuit
4. There's No Home For You Here
5. My Doorbell

Any readers care to share your favorites (coughcoughCarey I know you're a fancoughcough)?

Most of those are pre-Get Behind Me Satan era, because I didn't really get into that album or Icky Thump. There are many more favorites as well, the list is interchangeable based on my moods.

other random things worth mentioning:
I've decided that "I Think We're Alone Now" by Tiffany is one of my favorite 80's songs. I have video blackmail of a certain best friend of mine clogging to that song circa 1991 in a metallic purple outfit. awesomeness.

Well, Christmas is just around the corner now! I feel that my 40-hour work week has impeded by ability to fully enjoy the season. Thanks a lot Real World. But I hope you all enjoy your holidays. :)

middle of the week nothingness

blaaah. Nothing too exciting this week. Just enjoying the most recent Killers album, Day & Age...good stuff. The single "Human" is good but definitely not the only good one on the cd. "Spaceman," and "Losing Touch" are two of my faves. I didn't ever get into Hot Fuss but I loved (and still love) Sam's Town. The latter being another one of those few albums where I actually like every single song, hands down. I think they are a creative band, you don't really hear anything like them. And I like Brandon Flower's voice. Speaking of that- at the Mates of State concert, a band called The Winter Sounds played and the lead singer's voice kind of made me think of The Killers. I haven't really listened to them since the concert because, low and behold, I can't remember what songs they played at the concert. None of their songs on itunes sound like what they played. ugghh hate it when that happens. But they were good and I plan on making a trek back to Greenville if they play there again. I am living in the WRONG TOWN. Shelby=complete lack of taste in anything good.

BUT that brings me to the Mates of State concert...it was totally great. I, of course, love their music in general but the organ sounds really great in concert. I guess it just has a loud, full sound that you can't really get out of car speakers or ipod player speakers. But I guess it's a well known fact that you can't capture the awesomeness of bands on a record. Live just equals awesome (as long as the band is actually good). I also loved that my MOM loved the concert. haha. She ended up going with me and really liked it. She's a music teacher so obviously she already has an appreciation for music in general, but I wasn't sure if she would actually like it. But she did. I'm glad I had the opportunity to expose her to fabulous music she wouldn't otherwise have ever really listened to. :)

In other randomness, I'm getting more and more into the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. Karen O (lead singer) just embodies the term "kick-ass." There just aren't a lot of those kinds of female lead singers. Not ones who have the energy like she does. One of the things she is known for are the outlandish outfits she wears on stage, which I think is awesome. I mean, if I were a rock star, I think I'd wear completely crazy glittery nonsensical clothes too. Because rock stars can do whatever the f$#@ they want and get away with it...and I would take full advantage of that in the crazy-clothes-wearing department. Besides Karen O, the drummer and guitar player are both really talented. Or at least I think so. Need a gift idea for me? Any of their cd's. In cd format, because itunes isn't cutting it.

And I think I mentioned in my previous post that I was going to see Twilight...total disappointment. I mean, I did my best to go in without high expectations, but for real it was bad. The soundtrack is probably the only good thing about it (and I'm not really crazy excited about it either). I'll leave it at that.

I suppose I'll end this with a list of songs I'm most likely listening to in my car this week, just fyi.
1. "Spaceman" -The Killers
2. "Sweet Talk" -The Killers
3. "I'm With You" -The Stills
4. "These Days" -Mates of State
5. "Y Control" (Live at the Fillmore) -Yeah Yeah Yeahs
6. "How to Be Dead" -Snow Patrol
7. "The Old Apartment" -Barenaked Ladies
8. "Bette Davis Eyes" -Kim Carnes
9. "Maps" (Live at the Belfast Empire) -Duke Special (sidenote: This is a really great cover of one of my favorites from the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. This guy has a thick Irish accent that's almost humorous in the song, but his piano interpretation of it is really pretty.)
10. "When I Was Dreaming" -Tori Amos

Mates of State, Santogold, and more.

Featured above is one of my favorite songs by Mates of State, who I will be going to see in concert on Friday!!!! SO EXCITED to finally be seeing them live. I've loved their music for quite a while, they are seriously one of the few bands I can listen to over and over and it just never gets old. And I've probably said this before, but their music totally puts me in a good mood. It's all upbeat and happy sounding, which is something you don't find much of nowadays. And I find their whole husband-and-wife-touring-together-with-two-toddlers story completely inspiring (you can read more about that on their blog). It's pretty awesome that they make such good music with an organ and drums...totally unique sound, and I love the harmonies they put together. I have several live videos of them on my youtube channel that are definitely worth checking out. :] And in honor of my upcoming MOS concert experience, here are my current ten favorite songs- a mix of new ones and old ones:

1. Think Long
2. Like U Crazy
3. Open Book
4. Punchlines
5. Proofs
6. Gotta Get A Problem
7. Great Dane
8. My Only Offer
9. Running Out
10. The Re-Arranger

You can probably listen to a couple of those on their myspace, and of course you can find them on itunes.

I am still loving Santogold right now (I unfortunately missed the tour that featured her AND Mates of State). Her entire self-titled album is so great. I can't get enough of singers/songwriters who have their own styles...seems they are few and far between these days. "Lights Out" and "L.E.S. Artistes" are my two favorite tracks right now. awesomeness. I also saw the Sex and the City movie this weekend- loved it and I'm enjoying the soundtrack (Fergie's "Labels or Love" has pretty much been dominating car stereo this week). That's kind of old news but I just got around to seeing the movie.

On to other things. Pink's "So What" is growing on me. I really don't understand, because I hated it when it first came out. I really do believe that songs you listen to repeatedly, for whatever reason, eventually grow on you somehow. That song is on the radio ALL THE TIME. Maybe it's some kind of subconscious white flag...like you can't get away from the song, so your brain figures you might as well start liking it. One song that I do not like and hope that I don't start liking is "If I Were a Boy" by Beyonce. Like seriously...I think that dead horse has been beaten one too many times. Supposedly even Ciara stole the idea for her song ("Like a Boy") from someone, but whatever, let's get past this whole writing-songs-about-being-the-opposite-sex. Although I never hear many songs from the opposite perspective. Point is, it's getting old. I don't care what you would or wouldn't do if you were a boy because, well, you're not so it doesn't matter!!! And this whole Beyonce alter-ego thing..."Sasha Fierce"...I mean, seriously? Seriously. Sasha Fierce. I can't not laugh at that.

I'm going to see Twilight tomorrow night at midnight (a decision I think I may regret on Friday morning)! YAY!!!! I've been wanting to listen to the soundtrack but I haven't really had time. Any soundtrack that includes bands like Muse, Collective Soul, and Iron & Wine can't be bad. I heard a clip of Rob Pattinson's song (Rob Pattinson plays the main character in the movie, for all you non-Twilighters) and it sounded good I think. I didn't really picture his voice sounding like it did in the song, doesn't really sound like a British person's voice if that makes any sense.

Also, I am enjoying all the Christmas music. I've decided that it is not too early. When November 28th rolls around, you only have 27 days left to celebrate Christmas and that comes and goes way too fast. I'm an advocate of celebrating Thanksgiving and Christmas together. I was happy when Wham!'s "Last Christmas" popped up on my ipod today. :]

real men

If you know me, you know I am a huge fan of Tori Amos. That's an understatement. Anyway, her album entitled Strange Little Girls was released in 2001 and consisted entirely of cover songs originally recorded by male artists...so the album was more or less her musical take (as a female) on each song that had been written by a man. And of course it's a brilliant album, as all of her albums are. I really love all the songs from the SLG album, but the song "Real Men" (originally recorded by Joe Jackson) fell through the cracks and I just recently listened to it all the way through. I love it, the lyrics (which I have posted below) are just really thought provoking. It seems like, among Christians especially, everyone is always trying to define what a "real man" is...seems like there's so much confusion, so many labels that society has created. I could probably write a fifty page paper on this thanks to the Gender & Society class I took in college. But it's a good song for however you choose to take it, and you can find it on itunes. The video is a live performance of the song by Tori on the Late Late Show with Craig Kilborn.




take your mind back
I don't know when
sometime when it always seemed to be just us and them
girls that wore pink
boys that wore blue
boys that always grew up better men
than me and you

what's a man now
what's a man mean
is he rough or is he rugged
cultural and clean
now it's all changed
it's got to change more
we think it's getting better
but nobody's really sure

and so it goes, go round again
but now and then we wonder who the real men are

see the nice boys
dancing in pairs
golden earring, golden tan
blow-wave in the hair
sure they're all straight, straight as a line
all the guys are macho
see their leather shine

you don't want to sound dumb
don't want to offend
so don't call me a faggot
not unless you are a friend
then if you're tall
handsome and strong
you can wear the uniform and i could play along

and so it goes, go round again
but now and then we wonder who the real men are

time to get scared
time to change plan
don't know how to treat a lady
don't know how to be a man
time to admit
what you call defeat
'cause there's women running past you now
and you just drag your feet

man makes a gun
man goes to war
man can kill and man can drink
and man can take a whore
kill all the blacks
kill all the reds
if there's war between the sexes
then there'll be no people left

and so it goes, go round again
but now and then we wonder who the real men are
and so it goes, go round again
but now and then we wonder who the real men are
and so it goes, go round again
but now and then we wonder who the real men are

opinions, opinions

Sidenote about this post: I wrote most of this way before today (and had it saved as a draft), so keep in mind I did not write this post-election except for the last couple sentences.

So, since my degree is in political science, we'll visit that realm for a while. Especially since this whole election thing has been going on. I suppose I can go there. I don't really like discussing politics actually...mostly because I have developed a strong distaste for how people approach it. I mean, it's great to have beliefs and strong convictions, but those always seem to overshadow peoples' ability to discuss and debate intelligently. If that made any sense. And that's why we never get anywhere. It's like people don't know how to take a step back and look at things from both perspectives. All people want to do is bash the opposing view and automatically label it as ignorant or unintelligent. I can honestly say that I always try to respect anyone who has different views than me, and I always try to remember that just because we have a difference in opinion doesn't mean that either side is less intelligent. Just because candidates have two different ways of handling issues doesn't mean that one is less intelligent than the other. I find it kind of ironic that we preach tolerance and acceptance all the time but can't get through an election without throwing around completely mind-numbing bs in all directions that displays anything BUT tolerance and acceptance of differing opinions. That was a really long run on sentence. Anyway, it's completely ridiculous, and I suppose it's why I have always been uninterested in the election side of politics. Furthermore, I think I have a very strong case in saying that people should be ashamed of themselves in regards to the treatment of Sarah Palin. Neither McCain, Obama, or Biden experienced anything like the biased, unfounded attacks that Sarah Palin weathered. See, here's my thing. If you think that she is completely wrong in her views, that is great, we're supposed to disagree with each other. But respectfully disagreeing with someone and just completely (and ignorantly) attacking them are two different things. I'm glad I can honestly say that I respected all the candidates in this election and will continue to respect the winners. Is that what you can say? I hope so.

In other news, Santogold is awesome. Check her out on iTunes. I'm planning to go see Mates of State on Nov. 21st at the Handlebar in Greenville, SC. SO EXCITED. And the Holiday season is upon us! Time to pull out Sarah McLachalan's album Wintersong...one of my favorites by far. LOVE IT! the end. :)

new music tuesdaaaaay

So I'm really excited about this week's new music!! Lots of good stuff.

Sarah McLachlan released Closer - The Best of Sarah McLachlan, finally a studio compilation of some of her best songs. It goes as far back as "Vox," her first single that was released in 1988, and the second disc includes some of her more recent hits as well as several brand new songs. Up until now I think she had only released live compilations and remix albums but not a studio collection. I enjoy her live stuff but I'm glad I'll finally be able to get a greatest hits cd with the original versions of the songs.

On the flipside of that, Matthew Good released Live at Massey Hall and I am very stoked about this. It includes older-ish and newer-ish songs, including "Load Me Up" and "Apparations," and basically every other song of his that I like. I had heard a live version of "Strange Days" and loved it (you can probably find it on youtube), and so now live versions of all my other favorite songs are together on one album. yay.

Another one of my favorite artists came out with a new album today - Rachael Yamagata! I loved her album Happenstance but that was released in 2004 so I'm excited that she finally has a new one out. It's called Elephants...Teeth Sinking Into Heart and anyone who enjoys chill music should give this a listen. Rachael Yamagata is a fantastic singer/songwriter. I don't think their music sounds the same...but her style kind of reminds me of Damien Rice. Moving on.

Also on the radar, The Streets (composed of hip-hop/rap artist Mike Skinner) new album called Everything is Borrowed. I'm loving the title track off the album- I actually heard a clip of it on the UK iTunes store a couple weeks ago, and now it's out on the US store. I don't exactly know why his music appeals to me because it's not really like any other music I listen to...but I heard the song called "It's Too Late" in the coffee shop at ASU one time and I've been hooked since. In the words of someone's review of the new album on iTunes, "he has some really dope beats and excellent lyrics." I would agree with that and say it's worth checking out for sure.

Let's see, other releases that I'm not going to elaborate on too much...
Newsboys (Live) - Houston We Are GO ...if that's up your alley. Not really my cup of tea anymore, but for all of you out there who <3 contemporary Christian music, I'm sure you will enjoy this as it includes some of my personal youth group favorites "Shine," and "Entertaining Angels."

The Sippy Cups - One Day Soon - EP. Ok actually I have no clue what or who this is (other than it's obviously children's music). I just saw it listed on iTunes and I have to say that if I ever made children's music, THAT would have been the name I'd have chosen for my band. awesome.

And last, but certainly not least:
Tori Amos - Live at Montreaux 1991/1992. SO excited about this. All of Tori's music is equally amazing because every album has its own sound and meaning. However, personally, my favorites come from her early years (the Little Earthquakes era). At that point in time, Tori in concert consisted only of her and the piano, which I love...I would venture to say that sometimes songs are way more meaningful without a full band. Anyway, I'm totally disappointed this one isn't on iTunes but oh well.

that's all for today and hopefully I won't go bankrupt buying all this new music.

randomness for this week

Ben Folds new album entitled Way to Normal was released today and I'm sure it's great. Ben Folds doesn't put out music that isn't awesome. AND one of the songs features Regina Spektor. Such a great combination. Can't wait to listen to more of it. Anberlin also released an album, I'm not sure what to expect there- I don't really understand why "Feel Good Drag" was re-released on the album. I liked Cities a lot...so I don't know if this new one will be quite as impressive.

Ok so, the Kings of Leon album...just keeps getting better. It came out last week and I've had more time to listen to all the songs and they are ALL great. It is so rare for me to find an album that I actually like every song from. My favorites right now are "I Want You," and "Manhattan," and "Notion." I would LOVE to see them in Atlanta in November, but I doubt I will pull that off. Why can't they just come to Charlotte?

I've also been listening to some older favorites recently, a couple of them being songs by Milla Jovovich. You probably know her better as a model and/or actress. I've always seen her mostly do modeling for L'Oreal, but she's done a lot of acting too. If you've seen The Fifth Element, she plays Leeloo. Anyway. She also has a good voice, which is surprising because usually I would say that models/actresses need to stick with their respective careers and stay away from attempts at making albums. But I think Milla's attempt turned out semi-successful. She obviously didn't have much mainstream success, and most of you probably still have no idea who she is. Her sound is kind of quirky, but I definitely think she has a pretty voice. The songs I like are "Gentleman Who Fell," and "It's Your Life"...you can check them out on itunes. In an interview, she described the album as "a mix between Kate Bush, Sinead O'Connor, This Mortal Coil, and the Cocteau Twins." I love Kate Bush and the Cocteau Twins, and like Sinead O'Connor a lot...so I suppose that explains why I like her sound.

Anyone remember the song "Kiss the Rain" by Billie Myers? It came out in 1997-ish I think and was on the radio quite a bit...a pretty typical cheesy pop song. It popped up on my ipod a couple weeks ago and I've been listening to it fairly frequently since then. I don't really like her voice, but somehow it sounds good for the song. I liked it in the seventh grade for whatever reason and I still like it!

In other randomness, Halloween is getting closer and I am so excited! I love decorating for the fall season. :) yay pumpkins!

new love.

Kings of Leon!!!

I stumbled across them on the United Kingdom iTunes store, and I am loving their music. Something I like to do every now and then is search around the iTunes stores of other countries. If you're on iTunes, there's a little place at the bottom of the main screen that tells you which store you're at (i.e. "United States") and you can choose to go to a different one. I always find it interesting to look at what songs/artists are popular in other countries...there are albums that have been released over there that haven't been here, that kind of thing. And personally, I think the United States is lacking in the ability to appreciate good music (for the most part). Back to Kings of Leon- I had heard of them, but not heard any of their music. I'm glad that the UK seemingly has an appreciation for good southern rock. Well, Kings of Leon is at least southern rock-ish (the UK store classifies them as "American Southern Rock")...I might not entirely classify them as that. Alternative/southern rock. Whatever. I like that half the band is from Tennessee. My favorite songs by them right now are "Fans," and "Sex On Fire." The latter is only released as a single right now but will be on their album that's set to be released on Sept. 23rd...this Tuesday! sweet. I really love the lead singer's voice, too. All the songs on their myspace page are good and they have some good live videos on youtube that are worth watching.

Speaking of youtube, I have a channel that I save all my favorite videos on and you can check them out at www.youtube.com/aubsmiles03.

So I also saw on iTunes that Jessica Simpson has gone country...bahahahaha. I am not a fan of Jessica Simpson. I always feel like her vocal chords have to be in agony when she is singing, it sounds like it takes so much work for her to wail the way she does. It's like...just quit while you're ahead. I'm aware there are some very talented country musicians, so I'm not saying this is the case all the time. but sometimes it seems like the country music genre is a popular back up plan for when artists aren't received well anywhere else. Country or children's music. Haha. I guess it's just the way everyone tries to dabble in everything else, which is fine I suppose. Country music artists try to go pop, vice versa, they all cover each others' songs, yada yada yada. I digress.

Well, to end this, here's my "recently downloaded" playlist for the week...fyi. :)

1. "Fans" by Kings of Leon (love this one!)
2. "Second Chance" by Shinedown
3. "Flying High" by Jem
4. "Swingset Chain" by Loquat
5. "Rise Above This" by Seether
6. "Take On Me" by a-ha ...I've been watching too much "I Love the 80's" on vh1, and I was surprisingly lacking this song on my ipod 80's playlist
7. "Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town" by Pearl Jam
8. "Finding Me" by Vertical Horizon
9. "My Name is Trouble" by Nightmare of You
10. "Better Than Me" by Hinder
11. "Rattlesnakes" by Tori Amos
12. "Wreckage" by Ben Jelen

Twilight and good covers!

So, I trust that over the last month or so you all have started reading the wonderful series that is the Twilight Series by Stephanie Meyer. Best books EVER. Well, for those of you who aren't reading the series, this will be meaningless to you. Not entirely meaningless, so keep reading. I recently downloaded Charlotte Martin's album entitled Reproductions and it is fantastic. "Reproductions" meaning all the songs are covers. Really good covers. One of my favorites is "Bizarre Love Triangle" (originally performed by New Order- think 80's), and it totally belongs on the soundtrack for the first Twilight movie. Hands down. I think it would be more fitting if it were the Charlotte Martin version...only because the mood is a little different sounding because she slows it down a lot. Beyond things relating to the Twilight series- she also covered a Kate Bush song!!! I love Kate Bush. My current favorites from the album are (original artist's name is in parentheses):

1. "Bizarre Love Triangle" (New Order)
2. "Cloudbusting" (Kate Bush)
3. "Elderly Woman Behind the Counter In a Small Town," which, I had absolutely no idea was originally done by Pearl Jam until just now
4. "Song to the Siren" (Tim Buckley)

I'm sure I will eventually love every song once I listen to them all thoroughly. I've been a fan of Charlotte Martin for quite a while, most her songs are piano-heavy which I love.

other random songs that I am liking right now:
"In Your Atmosphere" -John Mayer, from his Live in LA album
the entire Rearrange Us album by Mates of State
"My Love for You is Real" -Ryan Adams