Have Love Will Travel
Alright guys, I’m going on a world trip. That’s why I published a new project, a new blog so to say, all in advance of it to lay out my plans: Have Love Will Travel.
Please show the site some love over Twitter, Facebook & Your Blogs, depending of course on whether someone’s still reading here and whether you can even understand the German gibberish…
Test
I’m just testing the Pingbacks of my new Blog. Don’t know why it’s not working.. but it fucking annoys me.
Gone, not for good
Aah, yes, we all dreaded this moment. Let me tell you first: I won’t be gone for good, just for awhile, until I sort shit out. For the time being, I’ll update mixtapes every now and then over at DragstripGirl. Feel free to check it out!
Gossip Girl(s)
I haven’t been around alot these two past weeks because I was a) on vacation (which is really just an excuse for the next point) and b) I fell in love with Gossip Girl. Yes, I know. Yawn. Gossip Girl. You’d think I’m too cool for that overrated OC California shit, but you know what? Gossip Girl is awesome. It’s got hot actors (namely that Nate Archibald guy, why oh why?), hotter actresses, a neat and dramatic storyline, social commentary and most importantly, a booming soundtrack (to be honest, I really love it because of the drama and the sex and the superficial teenage angsty emo problems. Also because I have no life and I suck so much).
RS Issue 1075 Cover: Blake Lively & Leighton Meester
Anyway, I’m still at season two and I’m trying to stretch it out until the next season’s out (but I’m already at episode 13, and I bet I will be done by next week). I think I’ll start up on Veronica Mars or Arrested Development after that, but let’s see how far it takes me. Up until now, I’ve never watched a time consuming and addictive show like this (although Alias comes pretty close). Although I’m trying to make it last it just sucks me in every time I load up my PC instead of socializing with actual people and actual drama… but now who needs that, right?
Most of the songs on my rotation right now are from the show. What I noticed: there’s an excessive uprise in female artists that like to put their voice on an electronic beat. And in general, many female artists who are currently being hyped. Because I do not want to limit myself to the series or the genre, here are my favourite songs with female vocals of the past couple of weeks:
Santogold – Creator You say it’s old, I say: fuck that it’s still good.
Cyndi Lauper – Echo What? Cyndi Lauper? I know, relax. It seems like the worst thing to suggest and I do have that slight flashback feeling, BUT, seems like good old Cyndi knows how to jump on the electro bandwagon. The single was released early this year, but appearently didn’t make a buzz like I wish it had. Anyway, this is just a quick stop so she can wave to Kylie Minogue, who obviously learned how to play today’s kids, despite being old (aww, come on, we all know I love Kylie, and as of this song, I also love Cyndi. Again).
Florence and the Machine – Dog Days Are Over It will take a long time past this until I stop posting Florence and the Machine songs. I love that woman. Her voice, her appearance, everything about her is good. Her lyrics are so painful most of the time, but this song spreads the love in my stomach. I suggest you dive deep into this amazing woman’s spirit, she can set you free.
Jamie Blake – Dragstrip Girl This one is so obviously from the Gossip Girl Soundtrack, I’m kind of embarrassed. I think that song’s also pretty old, at least it sounds like it could’ve come from the Riot Grrl movement back in the whatever time it was. Trashy, grungy, punk-pop- this is what Avril Lavigne would sound like if she had any balls. I don’t know what I’m talking about. I like that name, though. Jamie Blake. Whatever.
The Kills – Sour Cherry My favourite from the GG. I want to drink tequila, ride heavy bikes, strip naked and play pool and look hot and everything when I hear that song. This is The Ting Tings in better, with less pop and more edge, but still totally dance-worthy. Listen to it right now and I will wipe all your sins.
Ladyhawke – Dusk Til Dawn Oh, it took me so long to get used to Ladyhawke. I guess I wasn’t ready for her a couple of months ago. Anyway, here’s my apology, and although this is nothing special, it’s still on rotation.
Pixie Lott: Lady Gaga in hot
Pixie Lott – Here We Go Again This girl, she’s like Lady Gaga without the tranny-image. And I mean she IS like Lady Gaga. This track! It’s LADY GAGA, folks! Did I mention I kinda like Lady Gaga? Guess this one’s a no brainer, there. And to make matters worse: she even covered Pokerface. Really, I swear, this is a copy cat. Except it’s still catchy pop music (that line is so overused on this blog). I don’t care about tomorrow, here we go again.
Amanda Blank – Big Heavy Who’s Amanda Blank? And why is she trying to be all that ghetto? Do I care about these questions? Why am I asking them if they really don’t matter at all? Is that song still good? Really? I might listen to it again, then.
Jenny Lewis – Bad Man’s World This one is different from the others (well, maybe not so much different from glorious Florence). This one actually has style, and quality. It’s slow and frisky, this one. Reminds me of Fiona Apple, but I might be wrong. In any case it’s got a jazzy feel and Starbucks is probably abusing it already for their corporate fuckdom.
The Pierces – Boy In A Rock And Roll Band This song, on the other hand, sounds more like it should be sported in an iPod ad. Easy going, lightheaded, and absolutely adorable.
Magic Wands – Black Magic Yeah! Let’s get it rocking to these hipster tunes! I must admit I do not get the lyrics, but it’s a steady beat into greatness, and I love singing to it, and I could probably never get sick of this song. In any case, and because I am a hipster, I love bands that don’t have a Wikipedia entry yet (at least I couldn’t find one), which means I am really awesome at finding new stuff early. Fuck you, old people.
On Caffeine and Music
There’s music you can sing and dance to, there’s music to intensely listen to and there’s music to sleep to. None of that music is on todays subject, I just wanted to tease you. Today’s music is going to be about chilling, dreaming, having fantasies, falling asleep, sitting at a cool bar, doing nothing, just being. Calm, inspiring music. This is the kind of music they’d play at Starbucks if they weren’t so douche-y and hooked on that jazz sickness (that is not to say that jazz music is bad; au contraire, but they really take it to a ridiculous state by pretending to be all sophisticated and shit, I really hate that).
Here’s my Best Of Stargazing Alone In The Woods Soundtrack:
Burial – Shell Of Light Dubstep at it’s finest moment. It really doesn’t get better than this, so watch out for Burial.
Burial & Four Tet – Moth Again with the Burial, with the British, with the Dub. This person is a genius, and now with the brilliance of a Four Tet, this track has got me shivering under the stars. Seriously. Goosebumps. Don’t drive and listen to this, it’ll haunt you forever.
Broken Social Scene – Looks Just Like The Sun This could be abused for frisky sessions of endless love, but to me it’s more like reading a book while it’s raining outside… every now and then stealing a glance at the beautiful person next to me (except there hasn’t been anyone lying next to me in a long time, so fuck that fantasy).
Little Dragon – Twice Same as above, difference is less instruments and a stronger voice. I love the lyrics.
Nothing like hot stuff for this blog!
El Perro Del Mar – Change Of Heart This song makes my heart ache, it’s so beautiful. This is definitely nothing like background music, it’s music you lose your mind to. The kind of song you cry or laugh to, depending on the situation, the context you’d been living it with. El Perro Del Mar must be one of my proudest (personal) discoveries. Dreams are made of music, my friends, they really are.
The Kings Of Convenience – Sorry Or Please What Erlend Oye touches turns to gold, and so is one of his latest project, Kings of Convenience. All of their songs, sans exception, sound like a childish summer in the grass, picking flowers. Blonde girlfriends, saggy sweaters, sensitive boys and smiles. Basically, a prospect for happy youth on the countryside.
The Six Parts Seven – Saving Words for Making Sense I’ll go with the title of that song and save my words. No vocals, only dreams freeing your soul.
That was a quickie, but I’ll try and add more to this playlist by the week; there are so many songs on that “Chill Out” playlist, I wouldn’t know where to end it. So by every two weeks, I’ll try to pick five or so and post them again, and again until I run out of comfort music. Peace Out!
Weekly Roundup, July 13 – July 19
System fucking overload! I’m on vacation right now, back at home… I hate doing things in a different setup, and I don’t even have my usual clickwheel, awesome mouse. In fact, I don’t even have a mouse. I don’t have a desk. I’m in bed with my notebook on my lap and it’s giving me a bad back and worse eyesight.
But, I will not let you down, my dear friends. I will keep it short though, also be prepared not to hear anything from me next week, I’ll be in Amsterdam burning my lungs away…
Shakira, torturing everybody
Florence and the Machine – Howl “Drag my teeth across your chest to taste your beating heart”. This. This line. Awesomeness.
Gym Class Heroes – Peace Sign – Index Down ft. Busta Rhymes Uhm, this was on one of their EPs from years ago, and then it was on their album from last year (was it last year, I’m not even sure), and then I finally got arond listening to some of their stuff, and whatcanyasay, it’s nice. It’s poppish rap, but it’s nice.
Michael Jackson – Dirty Diana My mother loves that song. She has been playing it all the time and now I can’t get it out of my head. So much for not going into the MJ obsession that is going on these days. Damn.
Shakira – She Wolf Don’t blame me. With exception of the auto-tune exaggeration as always, this is perfectly annoying and hooking pop music. Also, I have the hotties for Shakira.
Simian Mobile Disco – Audacity of Huge Not a huge fan of SMD, and I’m sure there’s an even cooler remix flying around the interwebs, but it does exceed my personal expectations so far.
Dorrough – Ice Cream Paint Job (Remix) If you don’t like ridiculously silly gangster Hip Hop, don’t even bother listening to this. I really fail at good taste right now.
Okay, this is it. Told you I would keep it short. Nothing spectacular. Move on.
Brüno: gone far, gone down
Man, I should really go and set up a to-do list on things I want to review. There are a dozen or so movies that I haven’t even mentioned yet but probably should, if only for my own peace of mind. But here’s the thing: time. I don’t have it. So I’ll just squeeze this in here and call it a music blog from now on.
Brüno
Brüno. Those who know me also know how much I loved Borat. I admire Sacha Baron Cohen for his ability to play it off like he was, in fact, the character he’s playing. And you know what, I think that guys actually crazy, a schizophrenic who has done a marvellous job on covering up his other side by pretending to be some sort of actor. It is insane. And Borat, as much as I cringed at the cliché of that person right there on the big screen, Borat made a fucking difference to my own intake of media and American society.
Yes, Borat was clever, witty and critical. Borat evoked reactions that are hard to believe for a person of average intelligence. That’s what I expected from Brüno, because no doubt, this was the intention of Cohen. At least I hope it was. Yet ultimatley, although I cried and screamed even harder at the sights of swinging penises and swinging couples, there was much less, if nothing of what I had clapped to after watching Borat.
Borat did rather naive things and documented the stupidity or credulity, sometimes even the honest hatred of men and women who didn’t know they were going to appear in a movie of international reach. Brüno- well, Brüno actually DID stupid things and earned rather… expected reactions. Nothing out of the ordinary. Say, for instance, that Ron Paul scene. What was so great about that? The dude felt uncomfortable getting hit on by a guy who is weird enough, even for an over-the-top gay Austrian man, what was he supposed to do when Brüno pulled down his pants to prepare Paul for a private sex tape? Should he have shaken his hand and thank him for the attention? He was furious, sure, he left rather abruptly and called Brüno a queer.
Big deal.
In fact, I was surprised Paul didn’t pull out a shotgun. That’s what I would’ve done. And Paul, he’s not even the center of attention! If anything, Ron Paul is a decent politician. Not my point of view (not even my country), but decent enough anyway.
Brüno felt like Scary Movie part 2 to infinity. It was more ridiculous than it’s precedor, it was maybe funnier, crasser, grosser, it was so much more of everything- except better. It wasn’t even close to Borat. It made me feel uncomfortable because there was, in fact, not much to criticize. While Borat knew how to pull out the racist of the people he ran into during the movie, Brüno was so annoying, he basically forced homophobia upon everyone who surrounded him (with a few exceptions; but I don’t think that Arkansas Rednecks are in any way representative of the US population in general).
Despite having failed its intentions in my eyes, I am still in absolute awe when it comes down to Cohens talent. Had I met Brüno for myself, I would have not known this was the same guy that did Borat two years ago. Seriously. Cohen is a genius, and I have never seen an actor – or rather, artist – so dedicated to a role. And I do recommend watching the movie, if not for the underlying criticism, at least for the good dose of apocalyptic embarrasement you get to share with everyone else in the theatre.
Weekly Roundup, July 05 – July 12
I promised there would be a weekly roundup of new songs, and yep, there will be one. Except this is one day late already, I’m sorry much. Blame work and laziness. Let’s go.
Tegan & Sara, but who is who?
Tegan & Sara – Call It Off This one’s a couple of years old but I hadn’t heard it until a few days back. That’s cause I never bother to listen to albums completely. I like tracks to stand alone, not to be framed by the following or preceding songs. Anyway, when I first heard the title track of their then released album, The Con, I liked it, but not enough to get their album. And so, two years later, there’s another track to hype on. At least for me. Buy The Con on Amazon.
Atmosphere – The Ropes Oh, where to start with Atmosphere! Most of their songs score an average on my sheet. In fact, there are only a handful of songs I dig. But these I will listen to for ever and ever (namely “Trying to find a Balance” and “God Loves Ugly”). This one lines up right behind. Nice beat and decent rap. I think Atmosphere are the last rappers who don’t pretend to be all ghetto. Fuck Asher Roth, this is the real shit. Download their give-away EP “Leak At Will” at Fifth Element
Belle & Sebastian – Funny Little Frog I’m in a good mood. And when I’m in a good mood, I tend to listen to yuppie music with a pinch of extra-cuteness. Funny Little Frog might sound like any other song Belle and Sebastian have ever recorded, but you know what, I love musicians who stay consistent in their field. Buy The Life Pursuit on Amazon.
Four Tet – Iron Man (Black Sabbath Cover) What is this? Heaven? Double-chocolate muffin? It could be sex with Johnny Depp for all I know. This guy just knows how to push the right buttons to make a girl want to dream more than she already does (still does not catch up with Burial, but ever since they teamed on an EP a couple of months ago I don’t even care about competition anymore).
Yes Giantess – Tuff & Stuff Backstreet Boys meets Passion Pit. You’ve got yourself a winner for this week. I like it, it’s annoying but edgy and electronic and damn fucking hipster. Where’s the glitter girls at?
Kate Simko – Margie’s Groove Some minimal stuff for a change. I tend to ignore anything minimal on my playlist unless I’m in a club full of likeminded ravers on Berlins eastside. Every now and then an interesting groove, such as Margie’s, haha, will sneak back into it and make me lose myself while preparing the dish of the day. Can’t help the nodding though. Buy Gamelan/Margie’s Groove EP on Amazon.
Mr. Hudson – Everything Is Broken ft. Kid Cudi Long live auto-tune! Long live the Hipster Hop! Blame me as much as you want, Kid Cudi is awesome in my book, no matter who he teams with. Song gets boring after a while, though.
M.I.A. for AWESOME
NUMP – Legalize My Medicine ft. M.I.A. In my last post I asked why M.I.A. couldn’t release tracks on a daily basis. Well, she still doesn’t, but if weekly is the alternative, I’m happy anyway. This one’s not as awesome as her feature with Blaqstarr, but come on, how much less than awesome can M.I.A. ever be? Damn right and there she goes again.
Sian Alice Group – Close To The Ground Fuck yeah, rock music with a creepy touch to it. Don’t know who these guys are and will probably never find out (it’s not that good yet), but I will surely follow up to their next songs. Very promising so far.
The Twelves – When You Talk Love the Twelves! Wish I could see them live, but I’m too old to rave to such monuments of electronic music. Nowadays, whenever you visit an event that is supposedly “underground”, a gazillion of hipster-kids will simply knock you out. Someone’s always higher, fitter and drunker than you, my friend. Applies to me anyway, and thus I’ll just observe from my comfortable bedroom and sway in wouldacouldashouldas.
That’s it for today children. I’ll see you next week or somewhere inbetween, depending on how much time I have (my mom’s coming up to visit and I’ll be back home from Saturday on, so let’s see how that works out). Cheerio and goodbye!
Weekly Roundup
Because there are so many good songs, good and old, lying around my harddrive, just waiting to be shared with the world, I decided the time is ready for a weekly roundup of music.
That is, I will try. I am already seeing myself desperately fighting for more time so I can make Sundays the weekly roundup days, but bear with me and my efforts if I don’t make it on time. Anyway- the weekly roundups are soley based on what I deem a good song, particularly one that I’ve been listening to the whole week. As I said, it doesn’t have to mean I’ll be picking out only new songs, though they’ll probably be rather recent than old.
So here are the rules: Every week, I’ll add a new post about 10 songs that have been somehow intruiging. I might even simply post the charts from my Last.FM account, but I’ll leave that to creativiy. If you have any more suggestions on how to improve this game, let me know. And if you have any more criticism, feel free to hit the comments.
Here are this weeks top songs I loved listening to (that is, what was left besides Kings Of Leon):
Florence, maker of awesome music
Florence and the Machines – Cosmic Love
This is a powerful song. Florence has got herself some energetic voice there. This sounds like it should be played when the hero rises from the ashes to the sky. Sounds a lot like Bat For Lashes, though not yet exactly of the same quality.
M.I.A. – Way Down In A Hole (ft. Blaqstarr)
That woman just knows how to make my brain pop. This one’s an awesome interpretation of the Tom Waits original, Blaqstarrs voice gives it the hardcore dark-spirited touch it carries throughout the whole track. There should be more M.I.A. songs, preferably on a daily basis.
The Gossip – For Keeps
I hate when people say that The Gossip are post-punk. They’re not. Actually, they’re more techno than post punk. This song proves how decent and quality pop music should be done. Beth Ditto, you had me at Hello.
Prince – Erotic City (Morsy Remix)
Really, there are only a couple of remixes I like, there are only a couple of Prince songs that I like. A perfect match right here, enjoy.
Robots In Disguise – Turn It Up
Meh, I don’t usually like electroclash/pop/hipster music, but there are a couple of exceptions. This one, albeit old, still gets me hooked. It’s also the only song from the RID-discography that I like.
She Wants Revenge – Sister
She Wants Revenge have some sort of talent for making evil music. Seriously, when I listen to them, it’s like I’m watching a movie about drugs and sex and human brain waste. Sounds a lot like Interpol, even catchier though. Song is not very special, but a hooker.
The Trucks – Zombie
“You just can’t hate a girl that looks good dancing”. So true. Indie-pop, synth-pop, call it what you will, I approve.
The Dance Party – Sasha Don’t Sleep
Yeah, I don’t know what that is exactly. Fall Out Boy meets Metro Station meets a shrill voice meets something about Sasha who likes to dance alot and you’ve got me a dance floor boomer. I don’t really approve, and yet I do. Figure that.
Michael Jackson – Scream
Yeah, it’s caught up with me too… I swore I wouldn’t fall into the hype-trap but I eventually did. I’ve always loved that song and someone played it a couple of days back at a party, and here I am now, dancing to it like it’s 1999…
Alright, that’s it for last week’s random picks, let’s see if I can find something new for next week then.
Summer Breaks
Every year people pop out their summer playlists. Sometimes, it’s full of new, hyped tracks. Sometimes it’s just a best-of collection of what most people would say are good summerish songs. That’s pretty much like adding one song per year to that list.
I won’t do that. Instead, I’ll give you a very subjective list of songs that I think sound a lot like summer. I’m clever like that. You probably won’t agree with me on most of what I’ll suggest, but if you give it a shot and try to lie back in the sun while listening, maybe you’ll be able to imagine where I get my hunches from..
The list is not limited to more recent songs, but I will try to avoid rather famous-summer-feeling songs for the sake of finding something new.
Belle & Sebastian – If She Wants Me
Aww dear Lord is that the cutest song in this shit hell hole of a universe or what? This reminds me of wine glasses, best friends and picknicks in dog-turd infested parks. This song has such a perfectly catchy and innocent beat, it’s practically got summer written all over it.
The Jealous Girlfriends – Lay Around
This is a very special song; special as in rare. First time I heard it in a love scene on some TV show or another, I can’t remember what it was exactly. So this song, it’s smoking a joint on a warm summer evening on your balcony, watching the streets and the cars and the nighttime in your big city, in your small but really nice apartment, drinking wine, just staring out there, thinking, smiling, and it might not be good, but it’s good enough. And this is what this song is. Jazzy, poppish, reminds me of Shivaree. One of my favourite all-time tracks.
The Kooks – Naive
Who doesn’t want to start up the cars engine and just go for speed on that one? Or dance downtown in a shabby club with friends, screaming the chorus along from the top of your lungs? Or border the plane and watch the sea below when flying to an exotic spot somewhere in the world? Or just feels the sun on their skin when crawling out of your tent at that awesome festival where everyone is getting drunk? … if this song does not deserve the “summer” label, I don’t know what will.
I like Kings of Convenience
Kings of Convenience – Gold in The Air of Summer
Ah well, that one gives it away from the title. A slow tune with guitars, perfect for a bon fire. Not everything has to be happy in the summer. Sometimes you just have to take a slow moment with yourself. This song is a perfect back up for the tough times without being depressive. Again, the genius of Erlend Oye never ceazes to amaze me.
The Low Life – You Are Everything
This might SOUND like a funny, good-timish song. But listen closer and you’ll hear a story of a murder, cleverly wrapped and hidden in reaggae, pop, indie and some funk tunes. This one kills all the other summer song, literally.
Nottee – Young Modern Life
I think I really dig that “driving around in cars in the sun with loud music coming from the stereo” feeling, which is why most of the songs here are just perfect for that. This here, it’s a summer fantasy on summer nights. It’s riding bikes with the significant other and ending up doing the do on the wet grass with birds and bees flying over your heads. My personal pick for “best find 2009 award”, an award exclusively given and received by myself.
Asher Roth – I Love College
Snap man, I hate that song. I mean, I kinda do. But I don’t really, I just pretend to hate it because it’s really not good. The beat is basically boring, the rapping.. I mean it’s Eminem, but not a very good Eminem. I don’t know what to think! Wait, let me get drunk first. I think I might like it, anyway. Damnit, I just love it.
The Cure – Mint Car
It took me a while to overstep my ignorant music fascism and actually give The Cure a try. It’s been two years and I’m addicted like fuck. I never regretted The Cure, even though on second thought they’re creepy pop singers with Emo looks. But: they were so before any of it made any difference to popularity, status or genre. Mint Car is one of those songs that makes you get lose in good mood. Not my favourite Cure song, but a perfect summer song.
El Ten Eleven – Central Nervous Piston
I cannot begin to describe the glory nor the beauty of this song, of what it means, if it ever means anything at all. If there was just one album I’d have to listen to the whole summer, then it would be El Ten Elevens self titled album. Actually, I’d listen to it for the rest of my life. This is beautiful music, and although I’m the greatest pirate of the nets I insist you go buy the album if you liked the song. Please. They deserve every penny for this masterpiece of work.
- Bonus add: El Ten Eleven – My Only Swerving
Phoenix – Everything is Everything & If I Ever Feel Better
Cute, you thought I’d be pushy about their new album? Suck it, bitches, there’s no new album for me. I love Phoenix, but someway, somehow, their new stuff hasn’t found it’s way into my brains. Not that it’s not good… but sometimes it’s just not the right time for the right music. So, you know, I’ll keep it around, that Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix thing, and some day I’ll randomly listen to one song that matches everything I feel. Until then, I’ll be celebrating these two brilliant and witty songs in the sun.
Tilly and the Wall – Beat Control
Yeah, I can’t resist the hype… what can ya do. It just makes me want to dress up in hippie clothes and get down.
Emiliana Torrini – Jungle Drum & Unemployed in Summertime
Two songs of the same artists that couldn’t be more different, probably induced from the fact that they’re on two different albums from two different phases. Jungle Drum is pretty obvious, but Unemployed in Summertime has a very personal summer-meaning to me. There really are no words to describe either songs, I guess everyone has to decide for themselves whether it’s their “thing” or not.
Oh man, there are just so many more songs I’d love to post here. Let’s see, I might do a follow up in a month or two on the summer-side of the music world, there really isn’t enough time and space for that right now. If you have any recommendations or adds, I’d be happy to check into that, too, so don’t hesitate to comment. Peace out.
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