new

Happy May! As routine as everything else is in my life right now, you would think I could make a habit of writing something more than once every two months. Oh well. My creativity & ability to write about anything of interest is obviously lacking, seeing as how the best title I could come up with for this was "new."

But new applies to a lot of things. There is...new music I've been listening to, we will get to that. And it's spring, which means everything is new-ish. Right?

This new music I speak of is mostly Greg Laswell's new album, Take a Bow. (He had me at his slow, meaningful rendition of "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun." Just a guy and his piano singing that song. It's worth checking out, and it gives the song a whole new meaning.) I absolutely love the new album. I'm not gonna lie, a lot of his songs are quite depressing (depressing in a break-up kind of way). But I appreciate it when people have a take on love that isn't sugary coated cupcakes with three layers of chocolate icing on top and sprinkles. Unfortunately, that's not reality. And I think Greg Laswell has the ability to write raw and simple (but amazing) lyrics that I would think most people could relate to. And the music is so laid back. I'm a sucker for the piano, which also helps. But I love listening to his music in the car with my windows rolled down, or just in my room when I'm trying to wind down. So, I highly recommend you check out his music. Any of it. I think (or, well, I know) I've written about Greg Laswell before, so I'm sorry if you've heard any of this before.

That's really all I have on the music agenda. Along with this whole new-things-in-spring topic, I have set a new goal for myself (God help me): running a half marathon in October. SCARY. I don't think there is a bigger struggle for me than getting out of bed to run before work. The only part of the day I actually like is after 5pm. I don't really want to add to the earlier half of the day if at all possible. Of course, my mom's response to this is "but eventually, you will love getting up at 6am and running!" ...yeah, um, still not getting that. So this brings me to a question...does anyone reading this do their working out and/or running AFTER work? Is it still enjoyable? Does it work, or is it impossibly hard to muster up the energy? I just don't see the whole waking-up-earlier thing working out for me.

Quick and random change of subject - can't believe I almost completely forgot to mention this - I saw Wicked for the first time this weekend! Love love loved it!!!! In general, actors & actresses in musicals never cease to amaze me. I have never seen a show and not been blown away by the vocal talent of every performer. Wicked, specifically, was so much fun to see - especially since it's tied into The Wizard of Oz. The music was fantastic, it was visually awesome, and I will go see it again in a heartbeat when and if I have the chance.

So, part of this whole running thing means going to bed before midnight. I do have other things floating around in my head that may eventually make it here...hopefully before August.

Robyn resurfacing (part 2)

So, a few years back, I wrote a post about Robyn and how she was resurfacing in the pop world. Or the pop world here, rather. She never really faded out in Europe. Anyway, I have continued to keep up with her as I looooove her music and she is at it again. Her new single is called "Fembot" and can be heard here. Homegirl is leaps and bounds ahead of what the Beyonces and Christina Aguilera's are doing (or trying to do). She's on her own record label, the creativity juices seem to be flowing with no limits, and I could seriously listen to her new single probably ten times a day and not get tired of it...along with "Change of Heart" (also featured on her myspace page).

I still don't understand why she disappeared from the map here in the United States. I guess when her music & style evolved, we couldn't handle the change here. Not surprising. I find it ironic that she did back up vocals for Britney Spears on "Piece of Me," which = the back up singer being ten times better than the main act. Although that probably happens quite often.

Still can't get enough of her self-entitled album with tracks like "Be Mine!" and "Who's That Girl"...can't wait for the new one to come out!!! If she's fallen off your map, I'd say she is worth giving a second listen.

a new hobby.

Second only to my obsession with music would be purses...bags of any kind, really. Cute, reusable shopping bags? Can't resist buying them. Totes? Clutches? Overnight bags? I'm pretty much obsessed with buying any form of bag you can think of. I think my love of purses has surpassed my love of shoes. Maybe.

So this brings me to my new hobby - being a Thirty-One Gifts consultant. In all honesty, I never really saw myself doing something like this. But after going to a Thirty-One party a couple weeks ago, I loved their stuff so much I just felt like it would be something enjoyable for me to do.

So far, I own the skirt purse, large utility tote, boardwalk bag, thermal tote, along with a few other items. The skirt purse is my favorite so far (seen in the picture) - it's really a great size. It's small compared to what I usually carry, but it's bigger than it looks. I still have plenty of room for everything - my (big-sized) wallet, blackberry, ipods (I carry two), small makeup bag, and more. AND, best thing about it is the skirt! I've seen skirt purses before (one purse with interchangeable "skirts" you can buy to change the look), but was never impressed. Most of the ones I had seen were obvious - you could seek all the hooks around the purse and I didn't like that. With the Thirty-One skirt purse, the hooks are completely hidden, so it looks like the skirt is the actual purse. And, of course, they have plenty of really cute different skirts to choose from.

Moving along. You can see the entire catalog here. And then you can make an order directly on my site - www.mythirtyone.com/aubreyb. :) Almost all the items can be embroidered, so they make wonderful gifts for any occasion...birthdays, babies, great for bridesmaids, Christmas, etc. I will say that they have a lot of really great things for mommies. I think one of their bags has enough pockets for six sippy cups or something crazy like that (that could be an exaggeration, but trust me it was a lot). However, not being a mommy, I can say that a lot of the same items are great for just being organized.

As a consultant, I also facilitate parties. They do *not* have to be in-home parties, so realistically I could do a party for you if you lived three states away (a web party or catalog party). There are several benefits to hosting a party...discounts, free stuff, all those good things. And most importantly, it's fun.

I'm hoping this endeavor goes in a good direction, and whatever happens, I can at least say I tried. And it was a wonderful excuse to purchase large quantities of great purses and bags all at once!!! In all seriousness, feel free to leave a comment here with your email address if you have any questions, or email me at a.l.bumgarner@gmail.com. I'll be happy to answer!

recent jamz

Since I really have nothing to say, I shall make a list. Here's what I'm currently listening to:

1. The Fear - Lily Allen. Before hearing this song, I only knew who she was from Perez Hilton (I know, you're probably thinking "really?"). From what I gather, she's pretty messed up, in an Amy Winehouse sort of way. Love this song though. Found it via Pandora (Imogen Heap radio). I have discovered the joy of listening to Pandora more on my blackberry in my car...woo!

2. Glittering Clouds (Locusts) - Imogen Heap. Again, thank you Pandora! I love Imogen and I'm surprised I hadn't heard this one. It was featured on a compilation called Plague Songs. Very interesting concept. The album is made up of 10 songs, each representing a Biblical plague from the book of Exodus. Kind of cool, but also very weird. Imogen never disappoints though.

3. Who Is It (Carry My Joy On the Left, Carry My Pain On the Right) - Björk. Although I proclaim to be a huge fan of Björk, I'm mostly just a fan of her old stuff. This song is from her album entitled Medúlla which was released in 2004. Not really "new," but newer than say Debut. Anyway. I'm loving this song, specifically the beat box rhythm she uses in the background for the whole track. And it's quite upbeat - similar in mood to "Alarm Call," another great track of her's that is worth listening to.

4. I Can't Love You Now - Sarah Jarosz. This girl is the missing link I have been searching for since Nickel Creek stopped recording. Only seventeen years old, plays the mandolin, and writes great songs. I can't stop listening to this one in particular. Along with the rest of the album (Song Up In Her Head).

5. Edge of a Dream - Sarah Jarosz. See above.

6. In Your Eyes - Peter Gabriel. I love a lot of Peter Gabriel's music, and I could probably always list this song as being "currently played." In my book, it's one of the best songs ever. My love for this song was recently rekindled after watching the movie "Say Anything...". OMG. I LOVE THIS MOVIE. I always figured it had to be good if it featured this song, but I hadn't seen the movie until a few months ago. The first time I watched it, I kind of felt like, meh. I'm not a huge fan of Ione Sky (who plays the lead female role of Diane), but John Cusack is wonderful. And it's such a great story. Simple, but great. And after visiting Best Buy yesterday, I now own the dvd. yay! I'm watching the Olympics right now, and seriously, someone should ice skate to this if they haven't already.

7. Live in Las Vegas - Dave Matthews & Tim Reynolds. So, I probably have five different live versions of most songs on this album, but you can't go wrong with this combination. And the $15 iTunes gift card I had was burning a hole in my pocket.

On an unrelated note, I hope you all had a fantastic Valentine's Day. Ross & I were completely cheesy and saw the movie - "Valentine's Day," in case you are missing that - ON Valentine's Day (yes, we were one of those people). There were a couple endings that I didn't see coming and I thought were kind of awkward, but overall it was pretty good. Taylor Swift's character was actually pretty funny and she did a good job, as did the rest of the cast. I really just had a hard time picturing Bradley Cooper in the role he ended with...? I will end this now and say no more in case any of you are dying of suspense and don't want me to ruin the ending. HAH.

And I guess I had more to say than I originally thought.

All is Full of Love

In honor of Valentine's Day, and in honor of the fact that I love Björk & this is one of her best live performances, I give you:



I consider Björk to be one of the most innovative artists of my lifetime. And this is probably one of her best songs, for the message if anything. Her music is definitely an acquired taste, but there's no denying that she is out of this world on the creativity charts.

Mindy Smith

Well, here lately I've gone from a Björk kick to a Mindy Smith kick...I know. That's like going from orange juice to supreme pizza with pickles. What can I say? I like to keep the variety going. I may return to Björk later.

I first heard Mindy Smith when she opened for Nickel Creek at ASU. Such a great show. Mindy Smith is fantastic. She has a tone for country/bluegrass that can't be learned. Kind of like Alison Krauss in the sense that there's no way you could ever practice for getting that vocal sound. You either have it or you don't.

She combines the themes of religion, love, and self-discovery in her songs and it's all really heartfelt. A straight-from-the-heart-to-the-page kind of thing. Love it. I wouldn't classify her as country or bluegrass. Somewhere inbetween, but more on the country side. Worth listening to however you choose to look at it though. Also, her cover of "Jolene" (featuring Dolly Parton) is really good if you like that song.

Recently I discovered this song of her's called "Peace of Mind" - a new favorite for sure. Favorite enough for me to post the lyrics...but you don't get half the meaning out of them compared to when you hear the actual song. It's one of the prettiest songs I've heard in a while I think. So I'll leave you with that.

I need peace of mind and a hopeful heart

to lose this rage and move out of the dark

I ain't lookin for rainbows or shooting stars,

just some peace of mind and a hopeful heart

I need peace of mind and a lullaby

cause there's an angry voice in my head tonight

telling me to do things that can't be right

I need peace of mind and a lullaby

And a miracle for this broken soul,

a little miracle for this broken soul

I need peace of mind and a gentle hand

as I try to change the way I am

and hope God forgives me when I can't

I need peace of mind and a gentle hand

or a miracle for this broken soul,

a little miracle for this broken soul

I need peace of mind and a hopeful heart

one more read to add to the list

for a smaller, redundant, in-between version of this and twitter...find me on tumblr!

http://aubsmiles.tumblr.com

I'll still post on here when I feel the need to be extra wordy, so I'm not leaving.

next on the agenda: Kid Cudi - I am excited about this.

VMA's, YYY, etc.

I would like to begin by stating that I had no intentions of watching the VMA's, and I really didn't...I happened to catch the performance of Muse, probably the only good performance there actually was. My facebook newsfeed exploded with remarks about Kanye, I watched on youtube, and was not surprised. Kanye is the biggest asshole this side of, well pretty much the universe. I'm not gonna lie though, 808s & Heartbreak is one of my faves.

Lady Gaga, just wow. Chick is INSANE! Her performance on the VMA's (which I also viewed on youtube) was um, freaky to say the least. If it's at all possible to top that, the music video for "Paparazzi" is even more weird. I love her though. You have to give her credit for being different. She first caught my attention with "Just Dance," which is odd because I normally couldn't care less about the pop crap that's constantly on the radio. But I liked her voice, and she sounded like she had potential to be *gasp* actually talented- also she didn't fall in the same line of the Beyonces/Britneys/etc. The Fame is a fantastic pop album that I definitely don't regret buying. And I love watching her play the piano. You can check that out for yourself here. I would venture to say that she is the new combination of Annie Lennox+Cyndi Lauper+Madonna. I mean seriously, anyone remember the weirdness in the video for "No More I Love You's??" The first 30 seconds should jog your memory. She has by no means attained Annie Lennox status...but is worthy of a small comparison I think. I put her on the same level as Madonna in regards to shock value. As for Cyndi Lauper, "Boys Boys Boys" reminds me of "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun." Ok, so they are obviously two different messages but it's got that same rally-all-the-girls-together thing going for it. And both singers have an outlandish/flashy/weird persona.

I'm also partial to singers who wear flamboyant clothing. I've said this many times before, but my theory is- if you are THAT famous, why not go all out and wear the craziest stuff you can find?? My favorite outfits include this get up from Karen O:

and the bubble outfit from Lady Gaga:

Really, if you could wear bubbles for an outfit...who would pass that up??

Anyway. My recent jamz, aside from Lady Gaga, include songs from the IS IS - EP from the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. "Rockers to Swallow" is a perfect introduction to the band if you're not familiar with them. Well, maybe not a perfect introduction. A good way to ease into the YYY would be "Maps." But the former is a good picture of the sound and style that defines them. Actually, the entire EP is. I find myself constantly wondering how did I not like the Yeah Yeah Yeahs before this year?? but it gives me a lot of good music to catch up on. :)

Still enjoying Imogen's new album as well...love the instrumental versions of the songs more than I thought I would. Perfect for when you need some relaxing music that isn't Enya.

On a completely unrelated note, I am trying to read four books right now. For the life of me, I don't know how people who read multiple books at one time do it. I'm not much of a reader though, I probably should have started slow. But it's 11:30pm, and Harry Potter/Living Dead in Dallas/Shoe Addicts Anonymous/Such a Pretty Fat wait for me.

why August 25th was a good day.

Imogen Heap's new album Ellipse finally came out yesterday...I have been waiting on this for a long time! She has a way of fusing words and sound like no other. The sound is similar to the last album, but in my opinion, that's what sets her apart (i.e. use of the vocoder). I'm all for new sounds, but in this case, her "sound" is central to what makes her Imogen Heap. I'd actually be kind of disappointed if the record didn't have her signature innovative style. I mean, Imogen Heap wouldn't be Imogen Heap if she abandoned it all and we were presented with acoustic guitars and boring pop-wannabe tunes.

I've probably listened to all the songs at least once- but the tracks "Wait It Out" and "Half Life" make the whole album completely worth $9.99 to me. or however much it costs on iTunes. I actually ended up buying the cd off her website ("Immi's Favourite Edition"), and that speaks volumes for me. I rarely (I'm talking 0.5 times a year) buy physical cd's- only when the album is so completely great and unique that you need to have it in your hands. It's too good to be shoved on the iTunes shelf, if you will.

I'm also excited about listening to Ingrid Michaelson's new stuff (her new album entitled Everybody was released yesterday as well). I noticed "The Chain" is on the track list- one of my favorites from her. A live version of the song is on Be OK, and I'm sure the new version is wonderful as well. I hope the chorus stays the same...in the live version it is sung as a round (I don't even know if that's the right phrase) and that's what makes the song. I'm also liking "Soldier," which I think can be heard on her myspace.

Anyway. The lyrics to "Half Life" are too good not to be posted. So I'll leave you with that. Last I checked, the whole cd was available for streaming at Imogen's myspace so go listen. :)

I knew that I'd get like this again,

that's why I try to keep at bay,

be a hundred percent when I'm with you and then

the perfect heart's length away

the stickler is you've played not one beat wrong

you never promised me anything

even sat me down, warned me just how they fall

I knew the odds were I'd never win, yet here I am

it's a half life

with you as my quarterback

a daft life

my self worth measured in text-back tempo,

it's been two days and eight minutes too slow,

well there may well be others but I still like to pretend

that I'm the one you really want to grow old with

I've got a schedule to stick to, got a world to keep sweet,

it's so much to everyone all the time

will you ever slow down, will I ever come first,

the universe contracts to size

it's a half life

with you as my quarterback

a daft life

you know you'll never be alone,

you know you'll always be loved

and maybe you'll never need more than that.

of other sapless little loves, what's to become of us,

does it even register on your conscience?

long for one last showdown from a box in a crowd

air compress tight to explode

I'm clinching my ticket to the only way out

as you disappear in a puff of smoke

it's a half life

with you as my quarterback

a daft life

updates

It's been over a month since I have posted anything...yikes! I obviously am not so good at consistency with this. This will be a very random compilation of what I've been listening to recently.

I decided that I LOVE the new(est) Yeah Yeah Yeah's album. Really, the best part about following an artist/band is getting to see how they branch out and what new sounds they come up with. I think It's Blitz! is fantastic in that it's something totally different, but still has that spunky off-the-wall vibe (most of which Karen O is responsible for) that makes the Yeah Yeah Yeah's so great. LOVE IT. track I can't stop listening to: "Soft Shock"

Yesterday and today, I have been finding lots of new great music via Paste Magazine's Best Music of 2009 (So Far). I felt pretty inadequate about the fact that I wasn't familiar with 70% of the bands on their lists...but it's ok. I really can't believe I didn't give Animal Collective a chance prior to now. I had listened to clips of songs from Merriweather Post Pavillion, but never really gave any of it a second listen. Now I can't stop playing "My Girls," and probably won't for a few months. I haven't bought the entire album yet, but I have plans to do so. I am also loving "Blood Bank" by Bon Iver. I went to their website and saw that they will be playing in Cali with the Indigo Girls soon. I LIVE IN THE WRONG STATE. Also discovered via Paste: Passion Pit. Haven't listened to much of their stuff yet, but I like what I've heard so far.

Finally acquired Taylor Swift's Fearless album. Love love love. My favorite song by far is "You're Not Sorry." Honorable mention goes to "You Belong With Me" - which, I might add, made of one of the staff's (Paste) lists for Best of 2009 (So Far). And the music video for "You Belong With Me" is soooo cute. I was a band geek, so I can relate. I watched a video on youtube the other day of a live performance of "You're Not Sorry"/"What Goes Around" (Justin Timberlake)...it was really good, minus Taylor throwing around her head the whole time. That kind of got on my nerves. But you can check it out here.

Other things:

Downloaded Moby's new album the other day. Am I a big fan? No. Was it $3.99? Yes. So I bought it. I haven't gotten into yet...there seems to be a lot of repetitiveness, but I feel like I should have known that going into the purchase.

"Running Down" by Michelle Featherstone is quite possibly one of THE BEST sad songs ever. Very comparable to Sinead O'Connor's "Nothing Compares 2 U." Comparable in the simplicity of what they are saying (although Featherstone's lyrics are simpler), and in that they somehow make you want to curl up in a ball and cry even if you're not going through a breakup at the moment.

other random song I can't stop listening to: "Spaceship" by Angie Aparo, heard on 106.5's 90's lunch hour (always one of the highlights of my workdays).

Maybe next time will come sooner rather than almost two months later and we can avoid all this randomness.