"chapel"
date taken: march 6, 2009
photo by: me
this post is a half-truth.
i don't feel guilty at all.
taking back sunday - makedamnsure
Monday, November 15, 2010
the safest place to hide
this post is a half-truth.
i don't feel guilty at all.
taking back sunday - makedamnsure
Thursday, November 11, 2010
you're not so bad when we're alone
"precarious"date taken: february 7, 2009
photo by: me
subject: drunken jenga!
after listening to this song about 400 times or so the past two weeks, i think it's safe to say i like it enough to share. if you know me at all, one listen is all it will take for you to recognize that this is exactly my kind of jam.
the sample is instantly familiar. "hello it's me" by todd rundgren is an old favorite of mine, as it reminds me of soulmate number 4 (wutup henry!) who had some mild obsession with the old skool, possibly because he is old. smiley face. anyway, back to the song. "hello it's me" has been covered by everyone and their mama, at least in the R&B genre. the isleys. brian mcknight. john legend. all of which is particularly awesome because todd rundgren is literally a male lady gaga: white, scrawny, and constantly wearing strange costumes.
this song takes the original sample and spins it. instead of a man wistful for erstwhile love, and expressing uncertainty about the end of the relationship and the possibility of rekindling, this song is about a relationship long over, but continued between the hours of 1-5 a.m. on the weekends, if you catch my drift. there is some gentle expression of regret, bitterness, and feigned indifference, like it's totally functional and healthy to wake up to each other on sunday mornings and avoid eye contact everywhere else.
the thought has crossed my mind before, but the answer is always a clear no. if we're not together, i gotta keep my physical and emotional space free of clutter, you know, in case john cusack shows up.
tv girl - if you want it
todd rundgren - hello, it's me
Sunday, November 7, 2010
isn't that enough
"working hands"
date taken: may 15, 2010
photo by: me
subject: kenny
i don't know what it is about 2010, but rather than easing into the quiet calm of fall, my playlist this year has run amok with tense electronica. it's possible this is just what's available, but far as i can tell there is no dearth of the acoustic folk that rounded out the list of my hype obsessions in previous years. it's possible i've just ignored or repressed this side of me for so long, this year has served as a kind of grandiose coming out.
this year i am wearing my hair messy. i am swimming in the ocean after the sun goes down. i am wearing those lime green, patent leather heels and i really do love them. i am eating with my hands and it's delicious. i'm not trying to be contrary. my colors are brilliant, and i just don't feel like hiding them anymore.
crystal castles - not in love (feat. robert smith)
Thursday, November 4, 2010
right on time and timeless
date taken: august 3, 2008
photo by: me
subject: the austins
there is just something about that cee lo green, isn't there?
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
heading for the final precipice
date taken: april 29, 2010
photo by: me
subject: switchfoot on guam
see. here's the problem with taking a break from blogging. when you get back in, you end up posting stuff out of order because really important stuff takes precedence. i can't believe i almost totally forgot to blog about switchfoot.
when my little brother domo first told me switchfoot was playing, i rolled my eyes. he ain't exactly the poster child for reliability. but he came through!! sneaking both me and bffff LGR into naval station for a free switchfoot show was possibly the nicest thing he's ever done for me. maybe the only nice thing he's ever done for me. just kidding. i'm sure he's done one or two more nice things. just kidding. mostly.
anyway, switchfoot was exactly what i needed. inspirational but not jesusy. i'm not entirely sure if their music went over so well with the military crowd they were playing to, especially when they started preaching about peace. their encore was a combination of a sublime "dare you to move" and an interesting cover of the beastie boys' "sabotage." though i tried to get video, the sound isn't so great because I was standing right next to the stage.
the show was outdoors, on a patch of grass across from the Navy Exchange, it was all ages, and it was free on account of NEX appreciation week. AND the band took pictures with absolutely anyone who wanted a photo after the show, which i thought was pretty classy.
"dare you to move" will always be my favorite song of theirs, but this song was certainly memorable.
Switchfoot - Yet (Live)
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
everybody know who i am
one of the reasons I've been totally MIA since August is because I was asked to be the Commissioner of the Marianas Variety Fantasy Football league. It's the first year of the paper's league, and I put a lot of work into it, especially up front, setting up scoring and schedules, and writing bi-weekly articles for two leagues that will compete in Week 18 for the ultimate prize for any fantasy player: a trip for two to the superbowl.
sadly, being commissioner has kind of taken some of the joy out of the game for me. i've been neglecting my outside league, which i'm also the commissioner of. i'm not eligible to win the trip, so it's not like i can talk *too* much shit. and people are constantly calling me out 'cause i'm not the stereotypical fantasy player (i.e. i was born without that defective Y chromosome, i'm not morbidly obese, and i don't live in my mom's basement).
i don't want to get sidetracked too badly, because this IS a music post. randy moss just got waived from the vikings yesterday, and the runner at my office clued me in to this decent mashup aired on ESPN. it's not on the blogs yet, but i don't see why not.
and to my homie randy, though i do truly believe you are crazy (in the clinical sense), i believe in your talent, and i feel your pain. godspeed.
sadly, being commissioner has kind of taken some of the joy out of the game for me. i've been neglecting my outside league, which i'm also the commissioner of. i'm not eligible to win the trip, so it's not like i can talk *too* much shit. and people are constantly calling me out 'cause i'm not the stereotypical fantasy player (i.e. i was born without that defective Y chromosome, i'm not morbidly obese, and i don't live in my mom's basement).
i don't want to get sidetracked too badly, because this IS a music post. randy moss just got waived from the vikings yesterday, and the runner at my office clued me in to this decent mashup aired on ESPN. it's not on the blogs yet, but i don't see why not.
and to my homie randy, though i do truly believe you are crazy (in the clinical sense), i believe in your talent, and i feel your pain. godspeed.
Thursday, October 28, 2010
because you're mine
date taken: august 29, 2010photo by: me
subject: at the bachelorette
this is my favorite halloween song. it's moody, obsessive, and unlike the novelty halloween joints, it's dead serious, pun intended. to me, the nina simone cover of the screamin jay hawkins original is the seminal version of the song, mainly because nina simone simultaneously enchants and scares the crap out of me, which i think may be the point of the song. when she says "you're mine," i'm not about to argue with her. she sounds like she could do something crazy if i said no, like get me drunk, throw me over her shoulder, carry me down to her basement and lock me up for days till i acquiesce to her unreasonable demands, all of which make her so damn attractive.
anyone who denies it is lying. there is something about them crazy bitches.
Friday, October 22, 2010
and so it is...
i know i haven't posted anything in a while. the obvious excuse would be to say that i am "busy," but that wouldn't be entirely accurate. it would be more accurate to say that i am keeping busy. i feel like i'm transitioning into a new stage of my life where the risk and adventure of youth are slowly yielding to the grace of adulthood. and i MISS it: the craziness, the lost sleep, the adrenaline. but begrudgingly, i admit this grown up stuff kind of suits me. i have never really known how to be anything but a lady. an awkward, dorky lady, but a lady nonetheless.
i've been trying on a lot of new hats lately, trying to figure out what i care about and what i'm willing to part with. i like blogging. i think i'll keep my blog and its 10 followers (suckaz!).
i guess this is me sort of renewing my vows.
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
sift together sugar and green tea powder...
date taken: august 20, 2010
photo by: me
subject: green tea cupcakes
i made these for supper club. the theme was sushi night. i ended up using two kinds of green tea powder. the one i tried first was in the batter, which didn't come out green enough. take my word for it, spring for the matcha. it's worth it. this was very cool, not too sweet. and they were so cute, i almost wanted to name them and make them all matching dresses.
(recipe made about 28 cupcakes, just spray tins with pam and bake for 15 minutes. i put the frosting into a zip lock baggie, cut the tip and swirled away).
enjoy!
Monday, August 16, 2010
oh love, stay here with me
date taken: august 11, 2010
photo by: me
subject: jamie
the blues is not something you feel.
the blues is something you know.
-- m.h.
Thursday, August 12, 2010
but i still dreamed of you
"think of something you wish for"
date taken: august 11, 2010
photo by: me
subject: the lovely jamie
one day at a time. one foot in front of the other.
and maybe i'll get somewhere eventually.
just not today.
Saturday, August 7, 2010
combine beef and pork in a large bowl...
date taken: august 2, 2010
photo by: me
subject: all-out insomniac's cooking extravaganza meatball subs
i haven't been sleeping all that well lately, just my annual anxiety marathon. about a week ago, i went on an all-out insomniac's cooking extravaganza. i made a jackfruit pie (it was aight...), a boca negro cake for my friend's birthday, bread dough for baguettes, and meatballs.
the grand plan: meatball subs.
they were fairly successful, and i'm thrilled to report there are more meatballs in my freezer just waiting to be cooked up. and since we all know i'm moderately obsessed with baking bread, i expect i will have meatballs subs on the regular.
since you already have my baguette recipe (just split into 3 loaves...), here's the meatball recipe i use. veal is not easy to come by on guam, and this recipe is delicious half beef and half pork. also, i baked these instead of frying. 350 for 45 minutes.
bon appetit.
starting with the blue batter...
date taken: august 5, 2010
photo by: me
subject: rainbow cupcakes
these were cute and sweet and took only slightly more effort than usual. for people willing to take an extra 3 minutes to get a smile out of almost anyone. mine don't turn out exactly like they do on bakingbites, but i assure you there are still adorable.
Friday, August 6, 2010
Monday, August 2, 2010
i won't let this happen
date taken: june 7, 2008
photo by: me
subject: ronnie's setup
i feel like i haven't slept in 3 d a y s.
Saturday, July 31, 2010
blend in butter with your fingertips...
date taken: july 25, 2010
photo by: me
subject: southern mango cobbler
easy enough to make and ooey gooey. just like peach cobbler, in fact all i did was substitute mango for every instance the recipe said the word peach. also substituted butter for the shortening and doubled the cornstarch. used 2 mangoes in this recipe, which would have fit perfectly into a 9x9 square pan. serve with vanilla ice cream...
southern mango cobbler (remember, just substitute the word "mango" for the word "peach")
just remembered that a lot of people are mango stupid. here is how to cut up a mango properly.
cover and let rise in a warm place...
date taken: july 31, 2010
photo by: me
subject: rosemary baguette
i make baguettes with regularity, on average 3 times a week. sometimes when i want to be fancy i'll do something special with them like put cubes of pepperjack in there, or in this case, some rosemary. fresh is best of course, but i used dried here. follow the recipe below and sprinkle rosemary over dough before rolling and the second rise.
i made this one for my tuesday night buffy-the-vampire-slayer-DVD club. i may just make it again this tuesday. it smelled so good...
ugh. i totally forgot i had to modify this recipe because i don't have a bread machine. believe me, you don't need one. mix 1.5 tsp. yeast (or one packet of yeast) with 1 tbs. of sugar and 1 cup of water. supposed to be lukewarm water, but on guam, everything is lukewarm :-D. Let the mixture sit for about 5 minutes (this is called "proofing" -- waking up the yeast). Then mix in 1 tsp. salt, and 2.5 cups of flour (mine always requires about .25 cups more). Then let it rise. This is the first rise, you cover it in either plastic wrap that is sprayed with cooking spray, or a cheesecloth, which in my experience is more traditional but not as sanitary. Then pick up at number 3 in the recipe. Kapeesh?
drop by heaping teaspoonfuls...
date taken: august 1, 2010
photo by: me
subject: white chocolate macadamia nut cookies
Thursday, July 29, 2010
everything i love gets lost in drawers
ceremony has been my favorite song for two years now, so i guess i've already answered this question. and so concludes this 30 day project, albeit in an anti-climax.
but i guess i can leave you all with a little bit of gold. this song is on repeat. and may actually prove appropriate, since this time last year, i was 29 and in punchdrunk love.
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
taking this crazy chance
date taken: i'm guessing sometime in 1983 or 1984
photo by: no idea
subject: mel, grandma, grandpa, and me
day 29 - a song from your childhood
of course i'm tempted to post something a little more high-brow, but let's get real. when i was a child, i didn't give a shit if something was critically acclaimed or not. and honestly, i still appreciate this song for the same reason i did back then: melody.
the story goes that i called the radio station in iloilo when i was 5 or 6, and gave a shout out to my great aunt, mama meloy, on her birthday. and i also wanted to request a song.
i didn't understand what was so funny.
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
there wasn't much
"lost at sea"
date taken: december 3, 2009
photo by: anthony balajadia
day 28 - a song that makes you feel guilty
Monday, July 26, 2010
a promise made
"mutual surrender"
date taken: january 24, 2010
photo by: me
subject: jess and mason
easy.
though the piano was my instrument growing up, there aren't too many contemporary songs i wish i could play on the piano. and if i really REALLY wanted to learn a song on the piano, i probably could.
but i can't say the same about the guitar. i've had joni for about ten years now, and i still don't know jack. if i woke up one day as a guitar virtuoso, i'd probably play this song first.
Saturday, July 24, 2010
all of heaven away
"all of heaven away"
date taken: january 29, 2010
photo by: logan reyes
subject: me and my joni
day 26 - a song that you can play on an instrument
i love the psychedelic furs original, but (and i hesitate to say this) i think i love this version more. and i wasn't intending to post multiple songs by the same artist, or any cover songs at all. but when i play this song on the guitar, i am not covering the original. i am covering the cover.
this song appeared on the clueless soundtrack.
adam duritz has this voice that sounds the way crying feels. so when he sings this song, he really milks every word, makes you feel the simultaneous melancholy and optimism of a person who can't shake a lost love.
i play a few songs on the guitar, none of them very well. but when i play this song, i feel it in spades.
that's why they call them business socks
"come here"
date taken: april 17, 2008
photo by: me
subject: the tofts
day 25 - a song that makes you laugh
two years later and i'm still rofling.
Friday, July 23, 2010
what a beautiful dream
"from agana beach"
date taken: august 3, 2008
photo by: me
day 24 - a song that you want to play at your funeral
i hope to die in my sleep, at the end of a good, but not necessarily long, life. i want people to remember me as a kind person and a kickass lawyer. and i want to be cremated and scattered over the pacific ocean, between guam and the philippines. and i want a little plaque somewhere, at the foot of a big beautiful tree, where my family can go for comfort.
awesome. now that that's out of the way, i better get my living on, 'cause i got a lot of stuff to do before my glorious cremation.
this song is one of my favorite songs ever, and my favorite song immediately before ceremony. the album, in the aeroplane over the sea, is one of my favorite albums ever, and the first album i bought on vinyl. needless to say, this is a very important album and a very important song to me.
this song is all about being young and beautiful and eating life like ice cream from the carton.
Thursday, July 22, 2010
every dream inside my soul
"nuzzle"
date taken: march 9, 2008
photo by: me
subject: rachel and shaunboy
day 23 - song that you want to play at your wedding
i don't get carried away much thinking about marriage anymore. i used to.
i guess i've filed that dream away. for now.
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
just lessons we haven't learned yet
"albino redwood tree"
date taken: october 31, 2008
photo by: me
day 22 - a song you listen to when you're sad
when i was young and masochistic, i would play the sappiest songs ever when i was sad. because all i knew of sadness was the temporary self-loathing that came with unrequited love. getting older, i witnessed and experienced suffering that is so enormous, it swallowed generations whole. possibilities, moments, altered without warning or logic. my pain was dwarfed, and i started to look at it with fresh eyes.
i've been known to sit on the pity pot from time to time, but i have come to accept that i am a grown ass woman and we grown ass women have other ways to approach our problems. this is not the worst pain in the history of the universe. this is not extraordinary. there is no grand conspiracy against me. it's just life.
so these days, when i'm upset, i don't necessarily want to play fake plastic trees on repeat, excellent as it is. i prefer to play this song, acknowledge the pain i feel, and move on with more grace than i knew i had.
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
sprinkle with a little parsley...
date taken: july 20, 2010
photo by: me
subject: thin-crust anchovy pizza
i actually make quite a bit of pizza. and i've been on kind of a dough-making frenzy in general for the past month or so. i'm just trying to perfect it so i don't have to keep looking. i make it in big batches and freeze it in zip locks and defrost it in the fridge two days before for a quick mid-week meal. it probably seems like i got a lot of time on my hands, but actually, my perfect dough is forgiving and rises in the fridge overnight. this dough is my favorite thin-crust so far, and since thin-crust is my favorite, i guess this is my favorite pizza dough.
my favorite pizzas that I make are Buffalo Chicken and Exotic Mushroom. but when my friend xorxe suggested anchovy, i couldn't say no. this was the easiest pizza ever, the ingredients were easy to find, and it had a nice kick to it on account of the fact that i used good old-fashioned boonie peppers, so it is now permanently on the pizza menu. thank you jamie oliver! only modifications are based on another pizza book that i have, which recommended putting the anchovies on under the cheese. what i ended up doing was putting down a thin layer of mozzarella, then the anchovies mix then more mozzarella. that's what's up.
just a little sidenote. my favorite pizza topping is lemon zest. try it!
kiss on me baby
"framed best friends"
date taken: sometime in 2001-2002
photo by: greg
day 21 - a song you listen to when you're happy
sometimes i'll be walking down the street with a smile on my face and a spring in my step. if there is music playing in my noggin, this is probably it.
Monday, July 19, 2010
i'll never need a lie
"i don't disagree"
date taken: february 26, 2008
photo by: me
subject: me and blondie making a pact
day 20 - a song you listen to when you're angry
boom.
whatever happened to crazy old fiona apple. she was fresh and so talented. i bet she still is. and man she wrote some angry shit. she didn't key no one's car, or fuck no one's best friend, or do other vindictive shit girls do when they're hurt. hers was a more academic fuck you. an intellectual fuck you. the kind immortalized in quality songs so generations from now people wonder what kind of asshole inspired this kind of bitterness. what a dick. that's what i think when i hear this song. i don't even know you and i hate you.
never is one of the strongest words i know. and i only say it when i mean it. and you'll barely hear me say it.
but you'll sure as hell feel it.
Saturday, July 17, 2010
we talk like lions, but we sacrifice like lambs
"longing"
date taken: october 31, 2008
photo by: me
subject: mom, and my soulmate
day 19 - a song from your favorite album
august and everything after came out when i was 13. i can't listen to it all that much these days. even in the 2 hours or so that i've been listening to the album so i can blog about it, it's triggered a pandora's box of meaning and memory. i don't mean to sound sentimental. it's just that this CD is loaded, and i've been living with it a long time.
i guess i could say something useful about it that some of you may not have known. the title track never made the album, it was replaced by raining in baltimore, a gorgeous track originally written for bonnie raitt. august and everything after was of course in reference to the day adam duritz was born (august 4 or 5, i don't remember), and everything after. the rumor was that the only person with a copy of the song was adam's dad. then in 2003, the band went on tour and did this thing where they let the audience vote online on what songs they wanted to hear at the show. well, naturally, people overwhelmingly voted to hear "august and everything after." adam issued an apology on the band website, he had never recorded the song, and didn't remember the lyrics. the rumor about his dad having a copy was false. the next day, a fan posted the complete lyrics to a song that purported to be august and everything after. every true fan was holding their breath. it looked real, like something adam could have written. adam confirmed that the lyrics were familiar, and he agreed to perform the song. they began their tour in the bay area, and they played the song. people were crying and shit. i was in rochester at the time, but eagerly waiting on cloudkookooland.com for news. and someone posted the bootleg, and i was verklempt. it wasn't nearly their best. but for fans of the album, it was the proverbial holy grail.
i am not posting AAEA. and i'm not posting anna begins, which is my favorite counting crows song. i'm posting the "go to sleep, little angel" alternate live version of round here, that gets cut off before the end. why post an incomplete track? because it's sublime, and because it was recorded at the fillmore in may 1994. i have a bootleg of this somewhere. if i find it, i'll repost. just a note about this song, the character maria (who appears in other tracks) is actually a fictional representation of adam duritz.
Friday, July 16, 2010
gonna take you away from harm
date taken: may 30, 2009
photo by: me
subject: danica
day 18 - a song that you wish you heard on the radio
my dream deejay plays independent music. i don't mean lo fi, garage recordings, though there is quite a bit of that out there that i enjoy too. a lot of indie is developed and well-produced, and deserves attention. there is something about maintaining control over your craft. it keeps you creative, lets you stay true to yourself and how you are growing as an artist instead of who your audience is and what market you can tap into. i used to think i should have been born earlier to catch the prime decades of musical creativity. but i feel so lucky to be alive right now, when the revolution that is the internet has restored some of the creative freedom of the 60s to artists, and gone a step further, to allow them to disseminate their art cheaply and easily. how else could a girl on guam access music from sydney?
i actually didn't know these guys were from sydney until just now. thank you universe for this moment. i've been listening to these guys for over a year. i figured they were from canada, you know, where all the bands i love are from.
anyway, i think this song is radio ready. totally accessible. simple. upbeat. i wish i could articulate how i feel when i listen to this song. it fills my lungs. makes me feel like being young and taking risks. thank god the spell is broken after four minutes, else i'd be on my way to oz right now.
look what i can do
date taken: january 16, 2009
photo by: logan reyes
subject: swearing into the california bar
after careful consideration, i have decided to remain active in the california bar.
it's good to have options.
safe up here with you
date taken: july 31, 2009
photo by: me
subject: palau
day 17 - a song you hear often on the radio
so. you're probably wondering. what radio station plays bjork "often." well, it ain't I-94.
i discovered WBER -- "the only station that matters" when i was living in rochester, ny. it was a college radio station. alternative music, all day e'ery day. i was in love instantly. when i moved back to guam to clerk for a year, i was thrilled to learn i could still listen to WBER online at wber.monroe.edu. but because we're literally on opposite sides of the world, during my prime listening hours (workdays in the early afternoon), WBER was on autopilot, playing a pre-recorded set of random tunes. it took a few listens, but eventually this gem went from ambient noise to the center of my universe. and when i moved back (temporarily) to california, it became sort of my anthem, the soundtrack to my restless nights.
i kind of live on hype machine these days, but once in a while, i still tune in to WBER for more organized listening. and every so often, i still hear this song in its original context.
i go through all this...
Thursday, July 15, 2010
what good would it be
"yellow"
date taken: october 10, 2008
photo by: me
subject: jennysan
i really can't stand this song. it's not even that i loved it before. i mean, lyrically it's pretty weak sauce. but true to form, alicia makes it sound like it was written a long time ago. that sense that it's familiar, that's what i liked about the song.
but every single female singer on guam covers this damn song. yes yes. we all know you're working up to the slide at the end. yes, we know you can do runs. sort of. mostly. but girl, you ain't alicia keys. don't be trying to be alicia keys. it's just not gonna work out for you.
and yes, after hearing the song a million times, its charm kind of wears off, and it becomes gradually easier to study it and be critical of its deficiencies.
shame on you all. now go sit in the corner. and think about what you did.
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
so you might want to turn your head
date taken: july 10, 2010
photo by: gus flores
subject: me, mangroves, and malesso
fact: i have never been bad for another person. my whole life. however we are involved, however long we know each other, i'll be good for you. that may be hard for you to grasp, even harder to accept. but it really is the truth.
i don't know how to be anything else.
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
oh so lonesome for you
"debonaire"
date taken: september 13, 2008
photo by: me
subject: the constant
"country," says jess. oh yeah? i can do you one better. johnny cash and hank williams are so obvious. how about some leann rimes.
so i cringed when i saw her in concert. can you blame me? she was screeching. no joke. and she was dressed like jewel's second coming (anyone remember the disaster that was?). aaaaand she went up right before james taylor. so really, it's amazing i remember i saw her in concert at all. i wish i could erase that from my memory entirely, and hold on to her sublime first single.
go ahead, play the song. so what if country isn't your bag. you better recognize. when leann hit the scene in 1996, she was 13. this song is an automatic jukebox hit. and if it sounds old, that's cause it is. it was written in the 60s, originally intended for the inimitable patsy cline, but she died before she could record it. but leann rimes, born in 1982, sounds just right singing this song. credible. like the girl's got the blues.
why oh why did leann stray from the purity of this track. now she's into some sort of crossover shit aimed at broadening her audience, in the process diluting her roots and devolving into a blonder and more forgettable shania twain.
bummer.
Monday, July 12, 2010
i guess i need you baby
date taken: march 16, 2010
photo by: logan reyes
that's right. not even the glen hansard version. let it be known that i am not afraid to commit. well, at least when it comes to music.
i love to hate britney, but the truth is i actually like about as many of her songs as as i do, say, john mayer, whose musical talent, without a doubt, is infinitely superior. that's not even a compliment, is it. i'm sure john would be thrilled to hear that comparison. i just think this song is well written. screw the critics; the proof is in the pudding. take away britney's...um...let's call it singing, the strange percussive elements that start in the second chorus, and their insistence on playing the piano part an octave too high, and you get a gorgeous melody, and lyrics that aren't incredibly offensive. i think britney's lack of real vocal ability actually makes this song seem quieter. more vulnerable. i don't think beyonce could have sold this song.
it's possible that the full extent of britney's...um...let's call it genius will not be realized in her lifetime. maybe a hundred years from now, when mid-range breathy vocals are all the rage, this stuff will be critically acclaimed, and i will be vindicated for really really enjoying this song. until then though, i will probably only admit to this love in a half-whisper and never in mixed company. or on semi-anonymous blogs with no more than six followers.
Sunday, July 11, 2010
i love my hands around your neck
"nice shoes"
date taken: january 31, 2010
photo by: logan reyes
day 12 - a song from a band you hate
i haaaaate nickelback. formulaic. boring. same damn song over and over again.
i do however find this song the most tolerable of their songs. of course, it's about a subtle as a dog in heat. but that's just how nickelback rolls.
Saturday, July 10, 2010
you have turned me into this
"llorando"
date taken: february 9 , 2008
photo by: me
it took me quite a bit of time (and some consultation) to settle on a favorite band, then a song from that band. it's like asking a mother to pick a favorite child, then a craft that the child brought home from school.
is there bad radiohead? i should ask somebody...
Friday, July 9, 2010
forget what you know
date taken: august 29, 2008
photo by: me
subject: jess, and the sunset
day 10 - a song that makes you fall asleep
if day
has to become night
this is a beautiful way
this is a beautiful way
( e.e. cummings)
Thursday, July 8, 2010
wait around a while
day 09 - a song that you can dance to
i have this talent of shuffling from foot to foot in sweeping, awkward motions. assuming this qualifies as dancing, i guess i can pretty much dance to anything.
there are a few songs that will get me on the dancefloor. culo. the electric slide. suavemente. but my white half, which has neither rhythm nor shame, doesn't need choreography or steps or even a partner.
thank god for the 80s.
When In Rome - The Promise
i have this talent of shuffling from foot to foot in sweeping, awkward motions. assuming this qualifies as dancing, i guess i can pretty much dance to anything.
there are a few songs that will get me on the dancefloor. culo. the electric slide. suavemente. but my white half, which has neither rhythm nor shame, doesn't need choreography or steps or even a partner.
thank god for the 80s.
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
hands down, i'm too proud for love
"revelations"
date taken: january 3, 2009
photo by: me
subject: the loveliest lila who ever lived
day 08 - a song you know all the words to
oooh...toughie...
i am such a lyrics person. when i fall in love with a song, which happens with alarming frequency, i live inside it. i look through all the rooms, real or imagined. what does it mean? what is it referencing? who was it written for? why does taking back sunday sing "let's go" in the studio version of "cute without the e" and "let go" in the acoustic version? why does marvin gaye trail off when he sings the provocative last line of "let's get it on"? does meatloaf really need twelve minutes to tell us that he would do anything for love except screw around? i also like to obnoxiously point out the flaws in lyrics, and not just grammatical "i like girls that wear abercrombie and fitch" type flaws. why oh why is john mayer's love interest crawling towards a pillowcase instead of a pillow? i mean, were they still making the bed? or is johnny a slave to the rhyme? why does dire straits claim the movie song was "there's a place for us" when any eighth grader knows the romeo and juliet theme was "a time for us," and "there's a place for us" is actually just the first line of "somewhere" from west side story which, albeit based on romeo and juliet, IS NOT romeo and juliet? why does marvin gaye point out that "animals and birds who live nearby are dying"? are birds NOT animals? last i checked marvin, class aves is in phylum chordata which is in kingdom animalia. duhhhhhh.
fine. i'll put general ranting and raving aside to more specifically rant and rave about a recent, simpler, but infinitely funnier lyrical blunder that a local musician sings when she covers this lovely little ditty by lykke li.
ok. everyone knows the lyrics to this song right? (if not, scroll down to see me type it from memory. and don't worry about lyrics printed elsewhere on the internet. i've looked at them and i assure you they are wrong). anyway, the chorus goes (all together now) "i think i'm a little bit, little bit, a little bit in love with you. but only if you're a little bit, little bit, little bit in la-la-la-la-love with me." simple enough right? well, not for everyone. at least twice in recent memory i have heard this really pretty singer in two separate performances of this song sing "i think i'm a little bit, little bit, a little bit in love with you. i tell you i'm a little bit, little bit, little bit, in la-la-la-la-love with me!" ....(inhale)... HAHAHHAHAAHHAAHAHAhahahahAHAHhahahhH. oh, that's good. now, you may all be thinking maybe it's satire. maybe she's seriously just self-involved. well, i'd possibly agree with you if she consistently sang the words this way all the time, which she doesn't.
in all seriousness, what this exhibits to me is that she's not listening to the words, or worse, not feeling the words. and lighthearted as this song is, it really does matter. it's about self-preservation. about not giving yourself away. until you are assured your feelings are reciprocated.
that's beautiful. it hurts my heart.
* hands down, i'm too proud for love. but with eyes shut, it's you i'm thinking of. but how we move from A to B, it can't be up to me 'cause i don't know. eye to eye, thigh to thigh, i let go. i think i'm a little bit, a little bit, a little bit in love with you. but only if you're a little bit, little bit, little bit, in la-la-la-la-love with me. and for you i keep my legs apart, and forget about my tainted heart, and i will never ever be the first to say it but still i, yeah you know i...i...i...i. i would do it, push a button, pull a trigger, climb a mountain, jump off a cliff 'cause you know baby i love you love you a little bit. you would do it. you would say it. you would mean it, and we could do it. it was you and not only i...mm. i think i'm a little bit, little bit, a little bit in love with you. but only if you're a little bit, little bit, little bit, in la-la-la-la-love with me. think i'm a little bit, a little bit, little bit in love with you. but only if you're a little bit, little bit, little bit, in la-la-la-la-love with me. come here. stay with me. stroke me by the hair. 'cause i would give anything, anything, to have you as my man. come here. stay with me. stroke me by the hair. 'cause i would give anything, anything, to have you as my man. little bit, little bit, a little bit in love with you. but only if you're a little bit, little bit, little bit, in la-la-la-la-love with me. etc.
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
everyone seems so uptight
day 07 - a song that reminds you of a certain event
i was nervous. felt like i was gonna throw up. kept asking myself if i was ready, reminding myself there was no hurry. my fingers were shaking, when all i really wanted was to seem confident, like i had done this before. but i was also impatient. my expectations were so high. and sure enough, as soon as i got that first taste, i was hooked. there was no going back. that day changed me and my sister's lives forever.
funky divas was my first CD ever. my sister mel's first CD was the soundtrack to beverly hills 90210. we got them at the same time. CDs were momentous, they were clean, easy to store, easy to transport, held a lot of songs, the biggest downside being that you can skip tracks, which means it's too easy for the listener to not hear a mix the way the mixer intended.
but i played funky divas like it was a tape. beginning to end. and soon enough i spent all my money on CDs. my mom would light a candle at church if i ever asked her to take me shopping for clothes, 'cause all i really wanted was musicmusicmusic.
this was my favorite song from the album, and though i was a good girl and a half, i thought this song and this video were sexy as hell.
Monday, July 5, 2010
mix graham cracker crumbs with butter...
date taken: july 5, 2010
photo by: me
subject: chantal's ny style cheesecake
cheesecake is one of those things you can live neither with nor without. it's best to just live in the moment and not think about the extreme consequences associated with your indulgence. naturally, i prefer mine pure. ny style. no distractions. the only fancifying going on here is with the decorative toppings. even without frilly white chocolate and canned cherries and whatever other way you can demean a beautiful cheesecake, people have trouble turning it down. it really is one of the best things to acquiesce to.
(recipe modified to add cinnamon, white sugar, and additional butter to the graham cracker crust)
Sunday, July 4, 2010
like a southbound train
"red"
date taken: september 28, 2008
photo by: me
subject: wheelbarrow at diane's house
day 06 - a song that reminds you of somewhere
aw yeah. how about that bluegrass. now i know this stuff isn't for everyone, and it's not something i listen to on the regular. but that doesn't mean i love it any less.
in buffalo, it snows for most of the year. can't go outside. eventually your wardrobe is drained of color and cuteness. you start twitching from drinking so much black coffee. i spent the bulk of law school buried underneath books and outlines. it's amazing my eyesight didn't start to go. my friends were all law students. my activities were all school-related.
so when spring break hit, i was SO out of there. where did i go? well, where else.
leroy, virginia was a farming town. took about 10 hours to drive there from buffalo. had to drive through amish country to get there. spent one beautiful week each year at an intentional community called twin oaks, where one of my soulmates moved after college. the point of it all was really to do some good manual labor, and get as far away from the rules of civil procedure as possible.
the hippies were lovely people. tolerant and quirky. and fairly artsy. during one outing off the commune, we went into "town", not sure what the name of the town was, to go and see a bluegrass band that eventually made good. old crow medicine show was my third bluegrass show, and my favorite. the music was countryish, and so my natural gag reflex was on standby. but these guys were so fresh and so raw. the fiddle. the harmonica. the banjo. it was love at first sight.
this song was the only one that sounded familiar, as the chorus was borrowed from a popular bob dylan soundcheck bootleg. OCMS lead singer ketch (who is actually from detroit of all places) wrote verses for the song, and it fit so well it took years for me to realize bob dylan didn't write the whole song.
i had a great time in virginia both times i went, and wish it were a little closer to home. but every time i hear it, it transports me back to leroy where life was simpler, filled with love and banjo.
Saturday, July 3, 2010
waiting for a light to come on
"..."
date taken: august 2, 2009
photo by: me
subject: lighthouse in palau
day 05 - a song that reminds you of someone
according to lead singer caleb, he was drunk when he recorded the track, and had to be reminded about the song a few days later.
it's about a man at the end of his rope who picks himself back up.
Friday, July 2, 2010
and you told me not to follow you
"..."
date taken: august 25, 2008
photo by: me
subject: my auntie helen, my dad, and my mom. at my grandmother's funeral.
day 04 - a song that makes you sad
this song is brilliant. the lyrics are jarring at times, and consistently emotional throughout. "tuesday night at the bible study, we lift our hands and pray over your body but nothing ever happens."
i like the level of detail with which sufjan narrates the story. it's like this magical wonderland where adjectives are unnecessary and songwriters don't tell you, they show you. "in the morning through the window shade, when the light pressed up against your shoulderblade, i could see what you were reading."
and i like the musical detail. the banjo comes in when they fall in love. the horns come in when she dies. the repetition in the lyrics.
the first time i heard the song i wasn't paying attention to the lyrics, and since sufjan isn't screaming and waving his arms around, and the music wasn't slow and droning, i missed that this was one of the saddest songs i had ever heard. it's very simple. but it captures the grief, bitterness and confusion that comes with losing a loved one. and the ending. come on. read in the context that sufjan is jesusy to the nth degree, this song becomes proportionately powerful.
i included both the studio and live KRCW versions of this song, because KCRW is clearer on the lyrics but doesn't have the banjo, which as i describe above, is kind of a big deal.
there's not much more i can say about this. so just listen.
i've waited hours for this
"gotcha"
date taken: may 16, 2010
photo by: me
subject: boom making fun of the sunflower
day 03 - a song that makes you happy
who hasn't felt this way? the giddy anticipation. the inability to sit still. watching. each. ticking. second. in my opinion, it's the sweetest part of a first date. that moment before hello forms the peak of human optimism. i wish it were available in pill form.
i'm not sure which cure version i prefer more, the original or the vastly more popular closet mix by paul oakenfold. both are lovely.
i also included the fantastic punk cover by the get up kids. because really, how do you cover a cure song, and not get jumped in the parking lot after every show? easy, you show some respect and some reverence. and you practice like a crazy person so you don't screw up.
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