The best way I've heard anyone describe this song is-- "I'm crying in my coffee and having a hard time drinking it through my smile".
I'll give you a dollar if this song doesn't change your life.
Monday, March 9, 2009
Griffin House
Sooo according to my #1 besty (Wikipedia) Griffin House is "a singer/songwriter, born in Springfield, Ohio". He is a singular artist referring to himself as "Griffin House". This is too adorable. If I were an artist, instead of calling my entire band (complete with cellos, harps, and those guitars with two necks) after my name, I would just play every instrument myself and be called "Mind Your Own". Get it? I'm so alternative it almost hurts.... (fyi-- Iron & Wine is also just one guy playing every instrument. He also sings all the high notes I though for years were being done by a woman)
So back to Griffin House-- sometimes iTunes describes him as "country" or something dumb, but iTunes is a whole load of crazy. I'd say GH sounds more like it's leaning on the folksy, singer/songwriter-y fence. Blowing tiny bluegrass bubbles. Or something... what am I talking about here people? I picked out my three favorite songs (one of the videos even has pretty nature-y scenic pictures to go along with it). The music truly is beautiful and almost heartbreaking. It's not the type of stuff you listen to while washing your car, or getting pumped up for a sporting event or anything not 100% depressing. Ok, it's not 100% depressing, there are some happy bits. I'd say it's about......96.5% depressing.
1) Better Than Love
This is my favorite song by him, because his voice is the most interesting and has just the right amount of saddness and longing allowable for a grown man.
Even if we change and fall out of
You hold my hand and it's better than love
2) The Guy That Says Goodbye To You Is Out Of His Mind
A couple of months ago I mailed my good friend a mix CD with this as the first song, and when she calls me to tell me about how much she enjoyed the gift, she tells me that she and her boyfriend really like making out to the entire CD. Life mission: accomplished.
The piano bits in this song are really sweet, and the song as a whole is really great for woman empowerment and feeling great about yourself and blahblahblahblah I go to a womens college.
3) Tell Me A Lie
Thiiiiisss sooonggggg iiiisss sooooooooo SAAAAAAD.
I love it.
So back to Griffin House-- sometimes iTunes describes him as "country" or something dumb, but iTunes is a whole load of crazy. I'd say GH sounds more like it's leaning on the folksy, singer/songwriter-y fence. Blowing tiny bluegrass bubbles. Or something... what am I talking about here people? I picked out my three favorite songs (one of the videos even has pretty nature-y scenic pictures to go along with it). The music truly is beautiful and almost heartbreaking. It's not the type of stuff you listen to while washing your car, or getting pumped up for a sporting event or anything not 100% depressing. Ok, it's not 100% depressing, there are some happy bits. I'd say it's about......96.5% depressing.
1) Better Than Love
This is my favorite song by him, because his voice is the most interesting and has just the right amount of saddness and longing allowable for a grown man.
Even if we change and fall out of
You hold my hand and it's better than love
2) The Guy That Says Goodbye To You Is Out Of His Mind
A couple of months ago I mailed my good friend a mix CD with this as the first song, and when she calls me to tell me about how much she enjoyed the gift, she tells me that she and her boyfriend really like making out to the entire CD. Life mission: accomplished.
The piano bits in this song are really sweet, and the song as a whole is really great for woman empowerment and feeling great about yourself and blahblahblahblah I go to a womens college.
3) Tell Me A Lie
Thiiiiisss sooonggggg iiiisss sooooooooo SAAAAAAD.
I love it.
Thursday, March 5, 2009
Born Ruffians
Born Ruffians is a band from Canada who sing in a nonsense version of English I don't understand. Despite this fact, I love them.
A ruffian is usually defined as a bully, or someone who has bully-like tendencies, but Luke LaLonde's voice is like a baybay's, and he looks more like someone who would get bullied, rather than do the bullying.
Foxes Mate For Life
And I know
foxes mate
for life because
they're in love
Hummingbird
This song is how I discovered Born Ruffians, and I'd for it to speak for itself because I have no idea what they're saying. The video is really great actually. Especially around 2:45 when they start puking glitter.
I Need A Life
The sun is shinin' but we stay inside (oh but we go out at night). Are cats, chickens, and ducks still cute when they're eating you alive?
This Sentence Will Ruin/Save Your Life
I don't know what sentence they're referring to. I do know that I love this song. It speaks eternal truths: I need a girlfriend I'm lonely, someone to love me and fuck me, I need to get laid immediately, but also someone to fulfill my needs. This video is so dumb by the way. I hate it when youtube video makers choose a montage of different images. Like its more interesting than one crappy image? I need to have a bunch of crappy images? Whatever. Fuck you youtube.
A ruffian is usually defined as a bully, or someone who has bully-like tendencies, but Luke LaLonde's voice is like a baybay's, and he looks more like someone who would get bullied, rather than do the bullying.
Foxes Mate For Life
And I know
foxes mate
for life because
they're in love
Hummingbird
This song is how I discovered Born Ruffians, and I'd for it to speak for itself because I have no idea what they're saying. The video is really great actually. Especially around 2:45 when they start puking glitter.
I Need A Life
The sun is shinin' but we stay inside (oh but we go out at night). Are cats, chickens, and ducks still cute when they're eating you alive?
This Sentence Will Ruin/Save Your Life
I don't know what sentence they're referring to. I do know that I love this song. It speaks eternal truths: I need a girlfriend I'm lonely, someone to love me and fuck me, I need to get laid immediately, but also someone to fulfill my needs. This video is so dumb by the way. I hate it when youtube video makers choose a montage of different images. Like its more interesting than one crappy image? I need to have a bunch of crappy images? Whatever. Fuck you youtube.
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
<3
One of my roommates is really into camping and being generally more awesome I am, so naturally she's recently introduced a huge inflatable mattress to the floor of our room. Its been my new custom to lounge on this amazing new addition to my life and do homework, read, spend every waking moment with it. Today while hanging out alone in my room with the mattress and a bag of candy hearts left over from Valentines Day (because candy hearts never go bad) I found the greatest candy heart ever birthed into confectionery existence. I got this bunch from someone who probably should have gotten me something more Valentinesy than weird chalk candy, but he's new to the country so I'll cut him some slack. Plus in my opinion it was totally the most bomb gift ever. Because I totally love candy hearts. I like to use them as a sort of hilarious yet curiously yummy magic 8 ball, asking it questions like, "My love life? Go." I'll randomly pick out something cryptic and awesome like, "e-mail me" or "heat wave", in which I interpret both answers as being highly favorable. But this time, nothing could prepare me for what is possibly the rarest of candy hearts. Seriously, how many of these can there be? I think the question I asked the mysterious bag of hearts was, "me + blankityblank" and I got the answer to all my deepest carnal desires---> "Top Chef"...? After laughing for at least 18 seconds, I decided that this is the best sentiment of love a girl can hope for. Totally.
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Fmylife.com
I made a list of things I love and it kiiiiiinda sorta went exactly like this-- 1) Tuesday night snack time (bomb curly fries) 2) Planet Unicorn, heyyy! 3) numerical listing of things and, 4) Fmylife.com. This is the best comfirmation of the reality that: people suck. And also that life really sucks. I found one today that is my absolute absolute absolute favorite...
"Today, I was sitting in traffic for about an hour. I've heard stories about people doing the dirty in their cars and I never do anything risky so I thought, why not, I'll be here a while, no one can see me: I'll masturbate. Midway through I hear a tap on my driver's window. Its a police officer. FML"
I literally laughed for 3 and a half minutes when I read this. You gotta be thinking-- that poor guy! All he wanted to do was the pass the time in a productive and (ahem) enjoyable manner. I mean, I've been stuck in tight traffic before, and while I've never had the urge to masturbate in public, I could see how some people would think this is a good idea? I think these are the same people who pick their noses and fix their underwear in public, while next to me in line somewhere that involves eating, or sharing objects. I just love to imagine the look on the guy's face when he sees he's been spotted by a cop. It probably looks something like this. Except one hand would still be deep in his "slacks", the sophisticated version of "pants". I wonder what he was listening to on the radio......
I added a screen shot. In case you want to relive the glory.
"Today, I was sitting in traffic for about an hour. I've heard stories about people doing the dirty in their cars and I never do anything risky so I thought, why not, I'll be here a while, no one can see me: I'll masturbate. Midway through I hear a tap on my driver's window. Its a police officer. FML"
I literally laughed for 3 and a half minutes when I read this. You gotta be thinking-- that poor guy! All he wanted to do was the pass the time in a productive and (ahem) enjoyable manner. I mean, I've been stuck in tight traffic before, and while I've never had the urge to masturbate in public, I could see how some people would think this is a good idea? I think these are the same people who pick their noses and fix their underwear in public, while next to me in line somewhere that involves eating, or sharing objects. I just love to imagine the look on the guy's face when he sees he's been spotted by a cop. It probably looks something like this. Except one hand would still be deep in his "slacks", the sophisticated version of "pants". I wonder what he was listening to on the radio......
I added a screen shot. In case you want to relive the glory.
Three more paintings
I finally have more photos of some more of my paintings. Yay day! The quality of the photos are alright, I think any painting loses something when photographed, and then put onto the computer, but these turned out well nonetheless.
The first is an assignment to paint a "figure in space". Sitting in the common room of my dorm was a large white wardrobe cabinet used to hold a non-functioning television. It became a ritual to gather around the oddly proportioned ratio of television to empty cabinet, and I would watch as a dorm of 32 high school junior girls attempted to fix the ancient device-- hopefully in time for Monday night Gossip Girl. Although it was mysteriously never fixed properly, both the TV and the cabinet remained, holding lost clothing, text books, and leftover markers from Happy List making. One day an anonymous lady left a large orange pumpkin sitting on top of the wardrobe cabinet, comically asserting it as basically just a thing to put things on/in. The attempt at decoration amused me, and I used it as my painting subject. The cabinet in my painting is much more characaturized than what it may actually look like, with the dramatic beam of light on the dark walls announcing its strength, while being totally alone in the room. It was a quick painting, probably an hour or two to paint, 16" x 20". The pumpkin eventually rotten into a gross lump, one of the doors of the cabinet broke, and both television and its home were replaced the next year.
The next painting I did is the largest one I've done so far, about 2' x 3'. Massive. It takes forever to do a painting this size, and its even more challenging to have enough paints. I went through tubes and tubes of expensive coriander and cadmium and violet oils before finishing this piece, and lost some good brushes along the way. The most frustrating portion to paint was the hand--I either struggled with the size, or trying to make the fingers look delicate and less like a gorilla's. My favorite part is right along the right side of the torso, where the skin bends against the dark background. I elongated the torso to give it even more of an "in your face" and graceful appeal, and the tiny peak of the small of the back and butt crack (is there even a more dainty way of saying this? all we got is "butt crack?? seriously?) balances the blatant expanse of naked skin in the rest of the painting.
The third is one I did before the second (uh oh, switching it up now)-- I actually have no clue about the dimensions for this one. No flippin' clue folks. Deal with it. This painting is my all time favorite. I think by the end of it I felt like a had given birth to an adult child, I had spent so many hours working on it and staring at it and, well just mostly staring at it trying to make sense of all that hair. From the ear, to the jaw line, to the feel of the skin and hair, I am totally pleased with this piece. 101%. This is the first real painting I've done that called me to navigate the presence of so much skin, and how on earth skin is supposed to be painted. I used pretty much only white, some yellow hues, and some pink hues. But lots and lots of white, which surprised me and challenged me. The strands of hair were the most fun to paint because it was a systematic maze of where one chunk needed light, or where it fell behind another piece of hair. I hope to work more with hair eventually, especially when contrasted to bright and glowing naked skin.
The first is an assignment to paint a "figure in space". Sitting in the common room of my dorm was a large white wardrobe cabinet used to hold a non-functioning television. It became a ritual to gather around the oddly proportioned ratio of television to empty cabinet, and I would watch as a dorm of 32 high school junior girls attempted to fix the ancient device-- hopefully in time for Monday night Gossip Girl. Although it was mysteriously never fixed properly, both the TV and the cabinet remained, holding lost clothing, text books, and leftover markers from Happy List making. One day an anonymous lady left a large orange pumpkin sitting on top of the wardrobe cabinet, comically asserting it as basically just a thing to put things on/in. The attempt at decoration amused me, and I used it as my painting subject. The cabinet in my painting is much more characaturized than what it may actually look like, with the dramatic beam of light on the dark walls announcing its strength, while being totally alone in the room. It was a quick painting, probably an hour or two to paint, 16" x 20". The pumpkin eventually rotten into a gross lump, one of the doors of the cabinet broke, and both television and its home were replaced the next year.
The next painting I did is the largest one I've done so far, about 2' x 3'. Massive. It takes forever to do a painting this size, and its even more challenging to have enough paints. I went through tubes and tubes of expensive coriander and cadmium and violet oils before finishing this piece, and lost some good brushes along the way. The most frustrating portion to paint was the hand--I either struggled with the size, or trying to make the fingers look delicate and less like a gorilla's. My favorite part is right along the right side of the torso, where the skin bends against the dark background. I elongated the torso to give it even more of an "in your face" and graceful appeal, and the tiny peak of the small of the back and butt crack (is there even a more dainty way of saying this? all we got is "butt crack?? seriously?) balances the blatant expanse of naked skin in the rest of the painting.
The third is one I did before the second (uh oh, switching it up now)-- I actually have no clue about the dimensions for this one. No flippin' clue folks. Deal with it. This painting is my all time favorite. I think by the end of it I felt like a had given birth to an adult child, I had spent so many hours working on it and staring at it and, well just mostly staring at it trying to make sense of all that hair. From the ear, to the jaw line, to the feel of the skin and hair, I am totally pleased with this piece. 101%. This is the first real painting I've done that called me to navigate the presence of so much skin, and how on earth skin is supposed to be painted. I used pretty much only white, some yellow hues, and some pink hues. But lots and lots of white, which surprised me and challenged me. The strands of hair were the most fun to paint because it was a systematic maze of where one chunk needed light, or where it fell behind another piece of hair. I hope to work more with hair eventually, especially when contrasted to bright and glowing naked skin.
Top 10 songs of my insomnia
And by 10 I mean 9. Because surprises are what keep us young. Or something...
1) Jerk It - Thunderheist
Oh man. Yeah I kinda like this song.... In the way that I listen to it on repeat 24/7. And have accidentally memorized the words. And it was in my dream last night. I think I was dreaming of being at a funeral? Yeah nevermind my obviously unresolved psychological issues... This song is pure sex. Just straight up dance floor sex. Totally.
2) Nothing To Worry About - Peter, Bjorn, and John
Even though I love this song as a whole, I think the small children shrieking in the beginning/chorus of the song is annoying and it hurts my ears. But the combination of clapping and the lead singer(Peter? Bjorn? John?)'s lazy voice make it more interesting and diverse than a regular ol' diddy. Also the repeated, almost chant-like, "nothing to worry about" makes me think that the children are hypnotized zombies. And therefore all children are hypnotized zombies.
3) Blood Bank - Bon Iver
Ohmygosh, this is the official theme song to my life, 2009. Because I just looove blood banks. No, not really. But this song is truly amazing and I can never go more than a day without it. Bon Iver might be one of the greater, if not most delicate, singer/songwriters out right now (see-- Skinny Love, Flume, For Emma). He perfectly blends a breathy--almost whispery--voice with the steadiness of the guitar. Its ethereal and dream-like, yet strong and haunting. Beautiful. It tastes like rose water. Amazing.
4) The Engine Driver - The Decemberists
The Decemberists are cool because they create a theme, and each song in that album follows the theme, usually a story or myth because they are cool intelligent hipster music making people. When I first found this song, I listened to it non-stop for three days in a row. I'm not exaggerating (k maybe just a lil'), there was actually a three day period in my life where basically the only thing I listened to was this song. True story: while I listened to this song I was sewing a hole in my shirt. Truer story: you don't care.
5) Trouble's What You're In - Fink
Soooo, remember when I compared Thunderheist (god even the band name is sexy) to musical sex? Well, Fink does that, but on the other side of the spectrum. This song is almost lazy, coyly accusing the focus of the song as being in "trouble", while holding on to the word as if it were an invitation.
6) Airport Surroundings - Loney Dear
The first youtube commenter writes, "This song is fucking really good". Oh you have no idea.... This song is FUCKING REALLY GOOD. The fast beat, the clapping, the occasional na na-ing during the chorus, the "youuu are all I waaant" part. Brilliant. This is actually not my favorite song by this band, but I got tired of all the other songs before I made this blog post. No not really (yeah kinda, but they're an awesome band- look them up), this song is so infectious, it just seeps right into your head and doesn't want to leave. Ever.
7) Infinity - Merrick
This is another rare female voice I can stand listening to (we are sooo annooyyyiinngg as a gender. Psyche. We da bomb). I love how she sings and breathes along with herself during the build to the chorus, or the bridge, or verse or whatever the fuckity fuck it is. She has such a sweet style of pairing her voice with.. her own voice? If that makes a lick of sense. This song is so sweet I want to sprinkle it on my ice cream which is on top of a brownie, which I have added hot fudge to. Yumm.
8) Sweet Sweetheart Killer - Say Hi To Your Mom
Speaking of sweet things, this song is bomb. I really only started listening to this group in the first place because I though their name was cute, and thankfully for me they are totally adorable in every way possible! The lead singer's voice has a total melancholy to it, yet the song never leaves its pop-rock niche and general feel-good bop. They also say splendid in the cutest way possible.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SBrTP2VqTl0
With lyrics!!!!!!!!!!! Omgomgomg no way.
9) Dropped - Phantom Planet
This is the newest song by Phanto Plano (my affectionate name for them), and its totally kick ass. Rock n Roll. I have nothing more to say on this matter, other than the video is silly.
1) Jerk It - Thunderheist
Oh man. Yeah I kinda like this song.... In the way that I listen to it on repeat 24/7. And have accidentally memorized the words. And it was in my dream last night. I think I was dreaming of being at a funeral? Yeah nevermind my obviously unresolved psychological issues... This song is pure sex. Just straight up dance floor sex. Totally.
2) Nothing To Worry About - Peter, Bjorn, and John
Even though I love this song as a whole, I think the small children shrieking in the beginning/chorus of the song is annoying and it hurts my ears. But the combination of clapping and the lead singer(Peter? Bjorn? John?)'s lazy voice make it more interesting and diverse than a regular ol' diddy. Also the repeated, almost chant-like, "nothing to worry about" makes me think that the children are hypnotized zombies. And therefore all children are hypnotized zombies.
3) Blood Bank - Bon Iver
Ohmygosh, this is the official theme song to my life, 2009. Because I just looove blood banks. No, not really. But this song is truly amazing and I can never go more than a day without it. Bon Iver might be one of the greater, if not most delicate, singer/songwriters out right now (see-- Skinny Love, Flume, For Emma). He perfectly blends a breathy--almost whispery--voice with the steadiness of the guitar. Its ethereal and dream-like, yet strong and haunting. Beautiful. It tastes like rose water. Amazing.
4) The Engine Driver - The Decemberists
The Decemberists are cool because they create a theme, and each song in that album follows the theme, usually a story or myth because they are cool intelligent hipster music making people. When I first found this song, I listened to it non-stop for three days in a row. I'm not exaggerating (k maybe just a lil'), there was actually a three day period in my life where basically the only thing I listened to was this song. True story: while I listened to this song I was sewing a hole in my shirt. Truer story: you don't care.
5) Trouble's What You're In - Fink
Soooo, remember when I compared Thunderheist (god even the band name is sexy) to musical sex? Well, Fink does that, but on the other side of the spectrum. This song is almost lazy, coyly accusing the focus of the song as being in "trouble", while holding on to the word as if it were an invitation.
6) Airport Surroundings - Loney Dear
The first youtube commenter writes, "This song is fucking really good". Oh you have no idea.... This song is FUCKING REALLY GOOD. The fast beat, the clapping, the occasional na na-ing during the chorus, the "youuu are all I waaant" part. Brilliant. This is actually not my favorite song by this band, but I got tired of all the other songs before I made this blog post. No not really (yeah kinda, but they're an awesome band- look them up), this song is so infectious, it just seeps right into your head and doesn't want to leave. Ever.
7) Infinity - Merrick
This is another rare female voice I can stand listening to (we are sooo annooyyyiinngg as a gender. Psyche. We da bomb). I love how she sings and breathes along with herself during the build to the chorus, or the bridge, or verse or whatever the fuckity fuck it is. She has such a sweet style of pairing her voice with.. her own voice? If that makes a lick of sense. This song is so sweet I want to sprinkle it on my ice cream which is on top of a brownie, which I have added hot fudge to. Yumm.
8) Sweet Sweetheart Killer - Say Hi To Your Mom
Speaking of sweet things, this song is bomb. I really only started listening to this group in the first place because I though their name was cute, and thankfully for me they are totally adorable in every way possible! The lead singer's voice has a total melancholy to it, yet the song never leaves its pop-rock niche and general feel-good bop. They also say splendid in the cutest way possible.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SBrTP2VqTl0
With lyrics!!!!!!!!!!! Omgomgomg no way.
9) Dropped - Phantom Planet
This is the newest song by Phanto Plano (my affectionate name for them), and its totally kick ass. Rock n Roll. I have nothing more to say on this matter, other than the video is silly.
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