“Take a Walk” - Passion Pit
Raw, unfiltered soul rather than synthesizers usually tend to win me over but Passion Pit always manages to hit me right in the money spot. Similar to “Sleepyhead” (and many of their other jams), the background beats of their new single “Take a Walk” are what really garner my support and tapping toes. It clears your mind…just like a good walk.
“Good Man” - Third Eye Blind
Though I’d stick with the nineties vein of my last post (even though this song specifically is from the Out of the Vein album released in 2003)and share a gem from a band I can never get enough of. I actually own all of their albums and songs, which is not very common in my massive library. Yes, I even have their rendition of “Scooby Dooby Doo”. And if anyone can organize it so that Stephan Jenkins and I would be locked in a boudoir for an hour or two with nothing but our thoughts and clothes/no clothes, I would be forever in your debt.
Jenkins’ voice is chock-full of passion, angst, and competing indifference. It’s swoon-inducing. Check out “Bonfire” from their most recent 2009 album, Ursa Major, for an idea of why I fought my way to the front of their Freakfest concert in Madison during my senior of college. Can’t stop, won’t stop.
“It All Belongs to Me” - Brandy & Monica
You know you’re a product of the nineties when you’re watching Monica in a music video on BET and ask out loud, “Where’s Brandy?” Lucky for me, Brandy was not far behind as the two vocalists reunited for a little less hostile duet in “It All Belongs to Me”. No longer are they attitude battling over who the boy belongs to but joining forces to claim ownership over everything the boy believes is his post-breakup. Oh, classic.
This is not a song that will last for ages, especially with it’s beating-over-the-head of pop culture (i.e. MacBook, Facebook, etc.). However, this duo takes me back to a time when a small, dweeby white girl just wanted to gain some kind of street cred by memorizing sugar-coated R&B songs. And that, folks, is as cool as I get.
“Poison & Wine” - The Civil Wars
Give me harmony or give me death I always say. And by ‘always’ I mean ‘never’. If I had to choose between my own existence and the pairing of these magical voices though, I believe the voices might just win. It’s fair to predict the musical creations of these two would probably grab your attention better than I ever could.
A bio on iTunes describes their music as reminiscent of ‘Appalachian folk’, which probably explains why I gravitate towards their sound. The way my eyes light up with the sound of banjos and washboard-strumming is almost unnatural every time my favorite street band hits Madison during the summer months. What grabs me about this song however, is the pain that hangs throughout. It’s as if it hurts to sing each word. The conflict of emotions, the passion, the desire to persevere, the agonizing feeling that everything about a relationship is so right and so wrong at the same time, the love that could never cease to exist - this song embodies it all.
I’m getting a little too intense for my own liking.
Born to Die - Lana Del Rey
Even though I enjoy this song, I’m still in the process of deciding whether I like Lana Del Rey. Watching her SNL performance a couple weeks ago was painful and awkward, if not painfully awkward. ”Born to Die” however is beautiful and sexy in a Chris Isaak - “Wicked Game” kind of way. And as someone who watched Chris Isaak music videos far too often for anyone’s comfort, I would know.
“Somebody That I Used to Know (feat. Kimbra)” - Gotye
This song grabs me in a way I haven’t been grabbed in a long time. Australian; instrumentals similar to the sound of Bloc Party; vocals echo the tone of Panic at the Disco’s lead singer, Brendon Urie, with a more gentle alt edge; rugged facial hair. Making Mirrors is the name of his newest album and I’m ready to dive in. The correlating music video and piercing green eyes aren’t too shabby either.
“No Champagne (feat. Natalia Kills)” - Frankmusik
Riddle me this: What’s worse than a poorly written blog lacking in substance? Answer: A blog that is hardly (if ever) updated. Since my blog would clearly never fall into the first situation, it seems the lackluster of material I am contributing to the world wide web is a result of no material whatsoever. *Slap on the wrist!* ”Bad Katie!” I’m not one to make false promises so I’ll refrain from making any at all. However, this has got to change starting today…or tomorrow…or next month.
Anyways, I could devote this blog post swooning over new Coldplay or I could be more productive and talk about Frankmusik. He’s a lovely chap both in appearance and musical capabilities. His newest album release, Do It In The AM, overflows with much of what he’s good at - easily accessible electronic pop. Pairing up with artists of growing popularity like Natalia Kills and Far East Movement helps his cause. By the way, am I the only who didn’t realize all the members of Far East Movement are of Asian descent? Their band name makes much more sense now but “Like a G6”…really? I digress. If you’re a fan of Ellie Goulding, Frankmusik pairs up with her on a version of “Wish I Stayed” that’s fairly enjoyable. For now though, check out “No Champagne” and put a pop twist on all those times you are feeling “useless”.
“Save Me” - Nicki Minaj
By this time, what hasn’t been said about Nicki Minaj that I could possibly contribute to the world of sick beats? All I know is, after seeing her open for Britney Spears last night in Milwaukee, I’ve got nothing but respect and admiration for her talent, drive, and ultra thick booty. I have a [mostly] secret sailor’s mouth at heart so the amount of swearing in her jams is probably what draws me in most but even her sensitive numbers like “Save Me” manage to hold their own.
“Someone Like You” - Adele
When I post about the same artist more than once, things are getting serious and perhaps this isn’t too original a choice seeing as Adele’s newest album, 21, is the talk of the town and then some right now, but I just gotta. And that’s that. It’s been a while since I’ve found an album I could play from beginning to end without skipping a track so I welcomed 21 into my life with open arms. ”Rolling in the Deep”, “Turning Tables”, “Set Fire to the Rain”…they’re all great, but “Someone Like You” hits me at an entirely different level. My excessively imaginative mind and ability to fall head over heels for someone at the flash of their smile might be what draws me to outpourings of pure agony and wishful thinking. You can’t help but ache at each breath, pause, and pleading chorus line this song delivers. After all, in terms of pain, heartache is about as bad as it gets but if it means recovery through doses of Adele, it’s not necessarily an ache I’d want to go away.
“Sydney (I’ll Come Running)” - Brett Dennen
It seems like I’ve been walking a road filled with women and heavy dance grooves on this blog as of late, so to change up the flavor a bit I figured I’d whip out a folksy gentleman ditty. The summer soundtrack has begun to compile itself and “Sydney (I’ll Come Running)” is sitting at the top in all it’s throw open the windows, pop on some annoyingly large sunglasses, and whip out your most jerky, lighthearted dance moves that emerge as a result of the purest of happy feelings glory. It brings me to a Ben Kweller, “Penny on the Train Track” kind of place, which is something I’ll never try to fight. I personally tend to lean more towards the redheaded grit of Kweller than the redheaded granola of Dennen but at this moment the heart knows what it wants. And when you’re me, you always cut redheads the most slack.
