Your Only Doll

‘Day Dreams’ is a song by a San Francisco duo (Midi Malitda) that was recommended to me by my buddy, Andy Bluhm (friends with one of the band members). The video for ‘Day Dreams’ was shot over 10 nights in San Francisco and Berkeley CA, filmed in a studio, and then projected onto thousands of surfaces around the cities. Each frame of the video was captured with a photo: 3,300 photos. The finished product is as BADASS as it sounds. You should def treat yourself to a peak.

With an opening line of “I simply run, simply run I don’t wanna stay,” I couldn’t be more hooked (cause sometimes, that IS all you really want to do….)

I really dig the indie-pop sound of this band and its seems to have elements of both Passion Pit and M83. The piano beats and the bouncy synths definitely make super catchy and good for simply running. This band is playing at a small venue (Café Du Nord) in San Francisco on March 27^th and I might just end up having to check them out.

‘Your Only Doll’ (along with Rambling Man, Sophia, Made by Maid, New Romantic, My friends, and Old Stone) is one of the songs that has made me FALL IN LOVE with Laura Marling and her music. She is AMAZING. Such a hauntingly intense voice with such honest, rich lyrics. (RARE GEM…)

For most of November, I had fallen into a spell where I seriously could not STOP listen to Laura Marling…ALL DAY LONG. I swear she transports me to another dimension…another world where all there exists are dirt roads, beautiful English countryside, and sexy, rugged European men. Maybe part of it stems from her romantic relations with the ruggedly handsome and talented music icon, Marcus Mumford, who used to be her drummer (you can see him in the background of ‘Your Only Doll’). Marcus and Laura were long-term lovers for a few years and there’s no denying the hypnotic harmonies that resulted from their tours (http://mumfordmarling.tumblr.com/). Together, they made lovely music that speaks for itself. It’s sad to see that they are not longer together… 😦

Although I find ALL OF THE LYRICS to this song hauntingly brilliant, my favorite lines are:

“Back to my home
Back to my owner
Who screams at my tardiness
Put his hands to the sky

And says
‘What can I do, with a girl
If she refuses to be mine?”

…(and I LOVE the instrument that Marcus begins to play here, but I have no idea what it’s called)

In his bed I am queen, unobtainable me

Sexual being, human with feelings (AHHHH…SOOOOO GOOD

The two are not me

The two will not be mine. (I get chills right about now….)

And what can you do with a girl,

If she refuses to be mine?

Other favorite line is:

“Put his hand on my shirt

Hand on my face

Head to the wall

When you’ve broken your only doll…”

Aside from ‘Your Only Doll,’ another song I really LOVE but it’s not released on any of her albums is ‘New Romantic.’ Her voice and lyrics always mange to strike the right chord to resonant with me. ALL. THE. TIME. It’s like she can READ MY MIND:

“And I’m sorry to whichever man should meet my sorry state,

Watch my sturdy, lonesome gait and beware,

That I will never love a man ’cause I could never hurt a man in this way.

I will never love a man ’cause I could never hurt a man,

Not in this new romantic way.”

I literally MAY DIE when I see her with Andrew Bird (who I also STALK) on April 13^th at the Fox Theater in Oakland. I WILL be FRONT & CENTER for this one…(wouldn’t have it any other way). 😉

Here’s a cool pic that my friend, Tanyawan Norachit, took of Laura Marling when she played at Bimbo 365 (very small venue) in San Francisco in September. Tanyawan said that she found out about this gig last minute on Twitter, and that there were only about 25 people in the audience. UNREAL. I met Tanyawan front and center at the Wu LYF show at the Independent back in November. She has KILLER music taste and I’m hoping we’ll rock out again soon at a show in SF.

Laura Marling at Bimbo 365 in San Francisco (9/17/11), Photo by Tanyawan Norachit

‘Original Sin’ and ‘Night Winds’ are two of my favorite songs by a Geographer, a San Francisco band that was recommended to me by Tanyawan Norachit. She could not have been more SPOT ON in her musical recommendation. I’ve fallen HEAD OVER HEALS for this band…particularly because of THE CELLO, which I could seriously make love to. OMG. What Mumford and Sons did for the banjo, Geographer WILL DO for the cello. Soon or later, I will not be the ONLY ONE to think it’s one of the most incredibly sexy instruments…

‘Night Winds’ is probably my favorite on their Animal Shapes EP. It’s an excellently alluring blend of synthesizer, guitar, and cello, and the whole song just leaves me in this hazy weightlessness of blur. Hypnotic? I think so.

I really dig the intro verse:

“It’s something only we know

underneath street lights

shadows make things easy

so i made you mine.”

And I LOVE LOVE LOVE the cello part that rolls in @ 1:30 (and sort of mimics the earlier guitar part)…MAD CHILLS from a sexy cello element that accompanies some sexy lyrics:

“And you could take my letters

and rearrange the words

you could read them backwards

Until you like what you heard….” (favorite verse of this song)

…also so good:

And you could wish my child’s eyes

would turn to clouds and part

and I could wish that I lied

when I said I lost your heart (WOW. So good.)

So long the days

that melt away

so loud the words

you could not say.”

I’m simply infatuated by Geographer‘s uniquely “orgasmic” (YES.) electro-synth-pop sound, and I CANNOT WAIT to see them live. To me, it’s an ORIGINAL SIN that they aren’t yet drawing a larger fan base. I’m thinking they are just gonna EXPLODE at SXSW (which I’m fortunate enough to go to this year!) and I anticipate that everyone will be throwing up the LOVE PUMP hard in their favor. Besides SXSW, I’m also seeing Geographer at the Independent on March 3^rd(and they just came out with a new album so they should be extra amped). I’m am SO STOKED to be all UP CLOSE and PERSONAL with the cello and with that le siiiiiiiiiick synthesizer that apparently Miek Deni (the singer with crazy falsetto pipes) found ON THE STREET (although I’m not surprised for San Francisco. I bet you could find many other gems during a late night stroll in Golden Gate Park….)

Geographer seems like such a cool group of peeps. They are always frequenting San Francisco and my friend Jocelyn Berry saw them last week at a cool t-shirt store called San Franpsycho. They’ve also said in an interview that they like to hang out at bars in the Mission and the Tenderloin. Ooooooooo, how much FUN a RUN IN would be… 😉

‘The Winter’ is a song off Cake’s newest album, Showroom of Compassion, that I was initially drawn too because of the opening line:

“The winter’s chill chilled me to the bone this year
And something in my mind just got away
Being in the places where we used to be
Somehow being there without you’s not the same.”

I really like the sad, reflective lyrics that accompany this pensive song:

“Alcohol, cigarettes and luxury goods,
Christmas lights look desperate in this room.
Winter’s light left me in the dark last night
And Jingle Bells are smothered in this gloom.”

But my favorite part overall is when the horns roar in with the chorus:

“It’s all behind you now,
You’re moving on…”

Cause after winter, there is the birth of a new year…and with this new year, there is a fresh start. 🙂

Daughter is like Lucy Rose in that she’s another incredibly talented female singer/songwriter from London. Not only is her voice BEAUTIFUL, but her lyrics are so brutally honest and soul-torching that you are almost brought to tears by the end of her songs. ‘Landfill’ (in particular) is one of the songs that DOES just that. Especially since most everyone can relate to that feeling of being tossed away….

“Throw me in the landfill
Don’t think about the consequences
Throw me in the dirt pit
Don’t think about the choices that you make
Throw me in the water
Don’t think about the splash I will create
Leave me at the altar
Knowing all the things you just escaped…

Push me out to sea
On the little boat that you made
Out of the evergreen
That you helped your father cut away
Leave me on the tracks
To wait until the morning train arrives
Don’t you dare look back
Walk away, catch up with the sunrise…

So leave me in the cold
Wait until the snow covers me up
So I cannot move
So I’m just embedded in the frost
Then leave me in the rain
Wait until my clothes cling to my frame
Wipe away your tear stains
Thought you said you didn’t feel pain.” (such a good line…)

My favorite verse:

“This is torturous
Electricity between both of us
And this is dangerous
’cause I want you so much
But I hate your guts
I hate you…” (Ahhhhh, we ALL know how this feels…)

Daughter is playing at SXSW this year and I’m SO STOKED to see her! I think she’s playing with Ben Howard, who I also LOVE!! What an incredible performance that’s gonna be…GIDDY UP. I know my buddy Stuart Brock is a fan of Daughter, and I hope he makes a special effort to swing by SXSW to see her!

‘Only Love’ is a one of my favorite songs by a newly found gem, Ben Howard. I absolutely love the flash mob video that is used with this song…find it so adorable and SO INSPIRING. I can’t even imagine the incredible feeling of being able to move people with music like that. (Ah! I secretly wish I was a ROCKSTAR…)

I simply love the beginning guitar intro of ‘Only Love‘…there’s just something so soothing and warm about it. I’m thinking to suggest this song to the NEWLY ENGAGED Jensyn Hyman as part of her wedding playlist. I know she’s a huge fan of Ben Howard, and the lovely lyrics would only add to the magic of her special day. 🙂

“Darling you’re with me, always around me.

Only love, only love.

Darling I feel you, under my body.

Only love, only love.

Give me shelter, or show me heart

Come on love, come on love.

Watch me fall apart, watch me fall apart.”

‘Sophia‘ is one of my all time FAVORITE songs by Laura Marling. So much mystery and so much emotion. LOVE IT.

I really adore the gentle guitar intro of this song. It’s like she’s got a lot she wants to get off her chest, but she’s starting out slow.

“Oh I have been wondering where I have been pondering

Where I’ve been lately is no concern of yours

Who’s been touching my skin

Who have I been letting

Shy and tired eyed am I today.”

And she does it YET AGAIN. Her dark and mysterious lyrics leave you soul-searching for the meaning behind this Creature I do not know (Yes, Laura herself). I love how the violin sneaks in here, harmonizing with the humming of Laura’s majestic voice. I also really like how she repeats the first verse, but this time with more volume/inflection, as if she’s REALLY trying to get this off her chest.

At @2:17 there’s a pretty cool change in tone that reminds me alot of Joni Mitchell, especially with the high-pitched notes in the first two lines.

“Sometimes I sit, sometimes I stare

Sometimes they look and sometimes I don’t care

Rarely I weep, sometimes I must

I’m wounded by dust.” (This is my favorite line of the entire song…although it’s super vague, she grits her teeth when she sings it, and you know there’s gotta be a lot of emotion behind it…)

There is another change-up at @3 min in, and the song hits full intensity with the addition of volume and extra instruments.

“When the bell toll, when the bell gon’ chime

You better call for your woman up high

And when the bell tolls for your last day,

You’ll be getting down on your knees to pray

I’m a good woman and I never did say whatever it was that you did that day

I’m not a woman that is going to place claim but you said that it was coming on judgement day…

Now Sophia

I’m wounded by dust.”

Kings of Convenience are an indie folk-pop duo from Bergen, Norway that I recently discovered and absolutely adore. I love the intricacies of their guitar melodies and the delicate, calming vocals that accompany these melodies. When I first heard ‘Mrs. Cold,’ I was instantly HOOKED…that lovely guitar intro just DOES IT FOR ME. (I know Tanyawan Norachit is a fan too!) I find it funny that the guitar’s flirty guitar melodies sort of mask the song’s confrontational lyrics:

“Hey baby, Mrs. Cold
Acting so tough
Didn’t know you had it in you so be hurt at all (such a great line…)
You waited too long
You should’ve hook me
before I put my raincoat on

Okay, I get it
Okay, I see
You were fronting because you knew you’d find yourself vulnerable around me
Okay, I get it
Okay, I see
You feel vulnerable around me
….
Okay, I see
I step too close to your boundaries.”

Aside from ‘Mrs. Cold,’ I also really like ‘Homesick.’ Although I’m not one to typically get that homesick (although it also depends on what you call “home”), I have many friends (Gina Macbarb) who do. Ever since I visited Gina’s hometown (East Hampton, NY) with her in October, I now understand what shes longing for says she’s homesick. When I first hear this song I immediately thought of her. 🙂

The last line of this song is dark, yet honest…and I know many people who can relate:

“Homesick.
Because I no longer know where home is…”

Death Cab for Cutie‘s ‘Stay Young Go Dancing‘ is just one of those happy-go-lucky “feel good” songs that you can forever play over again but still smile every time you hear “in the belly of the beast” (at least I do)…My favorite verse is:

“Cause when she sings I hear a symphony
And I’m swallowed in sound as it echoes through me
I’m renewed, oh how I feel alive and through winter’s advancing
We’ll stay young go dancing
Stay young go dancing.” (and love the guitar melody that follows…)

I’m might be seeing Death Cab for Cutie with Youth Lagoon in Austin in early May with my buddy Tyler Sheldon and friends. Tyler is cousins with Trevor Powers (aka Youth Lagoon), and so there’s a chance I could possibly meed this badass musician. So much to look forward to in May! Death Cab/Youth Lagoon, A WEDDING OF A LIFETIME (Kelly Jo Keefe and Tommy Williams), Australia, and Sasquatch music festival. HOLY SHIT…..

‘Enjoy your worries, you may never have’ is one of my favorite songs by The Books, a band that my buddy Andy Bluhm first introduced me to. I love the jambalaya of sounds and samples that are interlaced throughout this song….I once listened to it non-stop for almost an hour while driving before I realized that I had pressed REPEAT 8 times. Now THAT’S what I call MEDITATION. I’ve also listened this song a few times with my eyes closed, and WOW…just wow. You can totally lose yourself in a reverie….

One of my favorite samples is “Gentleman, good luck” and “I’m not the person who deposited your STOCK!” The line: “Myself, April, Tami, Irene, and Brad” always makes me thinks of my friend Tami Turner. I love the violins @2:20 and the badass pickup at @3:00. The intensity of strings at @3:11 is just KILLER, and the “rainbow, rainbow…all the music is the rainbow” finale gives me such powerful chills.

‘When My Time Comes‘ is my FAVORITE by Dawes (killer band) and one of my ALL-TIME theme songs. I instantly get a surge of adrenaline as my heart beats in stride with this song’s le siiiiiiiick guitar intro. ‘When My Time Comes’ was my GO-TO anthem for the entire month of December, especially when I was back in Philly and jamming out to it non-stop with my sister (Marissa Andreozzi) over winter break. Although all the lyrics are pretty awesome, here are my select fav:

“So I pointed my fingers, and shout a few quotes I knew

As if something that’s written should be taken as true (LOVE this line..)

But every path I have taken and conclusion I drew

Would put truth back under the knife.

And now the only piece of advice that continues to help:

Is anyone that’s making anything new only breaks something else. (always get chills…)

….

When my time comes, (Nothing more therapeutic than raising the volume and SHOUTING this at the TOP OF YOUR LUNGS…)

Ohhhhh, oh oh oh.

When my times comes,

Ohhhhh, oh oh oh.

….

So I took what I wanted and put it out of my reach

I wanted to pay for my successes with all my defeats,

And if heaven was all that was promised to me

Why don’t I pray for death?

……

Oh you can judge all the world on the sparkle that you think it lacks.

Yes you can stare into the abyss, but it’s staring right back.” (My favorite lines of the entire song. LOVE LOVE LOVE)

‘We Bros‘ is a song by WU LYF, a band that was recommended to me by my buddy Andy Aiken. I saw them up close and personal at the Independent in San Francisco in November, and it was there that I met a fellow music junkie (with AWESOME musical taste!), Tanyawan Norachit. We had tons of fun rocking out to their many gems, including ‘We Bros’ of course. The long delay of action in the intro just makes the much anticipated guitar part at @1 min THAT MUCH more LE SWEET. The progression of the guitar and bass in this song are pretty damn fantastic. I was dancing like a fool by the end….

WU LYF at the Independent in San Francisco (11/21/11)

Although Local Natives only has one album, that album is stacked with gems. Aside from ‘Airplanes‘ and ‘World News,’ ‘Shapeshifter‘ is one of my favorites. Having seen Local Natives three times in concert, my friend Jana Sax told me that I was gonna be BLOWN AWAY by their live performance. At the time, I thought that was a bold statement, but later realized where she was coming from. And obviously you can’t be too shabby of a band if you’re asked to go on tour with a BEAST like The National.

Opening up for The National at the Bill Graham Civic Center in San Francisco (12/3/11), Local Natives kicked off their set with Wide Eyes. “Could it ever be on earth as it is in heaven?” (SO good)…Then came ‘World News’ (one of my favorites!): “So you fumble around ’til you land on NPR and listen to world news”…And then ‘Airplanes’: “I love it all….so much I call…I WANT YOU BACK.” (another favorite!)…Finally, they saved ‘Shapeshifter‘ to the end, with my favorite verse being: “Psycho, you killer, you cancer, my friend…Why don’t you give me an answer for when…When you’ll let it go.” Jana, I will always value your musical judgement. You were DEAD ON about Local Natives and Bon Iver. TWO for TWO…. 😉

Local Natives at the Bill Graham Civic Center in San Francisco (12/3/11)

‘While I was Playin’ Fair’ is a song by Gramatik, a world-class producer who is now known in electronic and hip-hop circles around the globe, touring with the likes of Pretty Lights, The Glitch Mob, Mimosa, etc. Apparently my buddy Alby Adame met Gramatik at a show in Baltimore. HE WOULD. Haha. 😉

I really dig the keyboard elements, and I especially like how the keyboard changes its dynamics throughout the song. This song gets a little strange with the voices and all, but I still dig it mainly cause of the keyboard.

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Finding those BEATS THAT SET MY PULSE.

Your Only Doll

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