Music Monday: Hum

You know what a random Music Monday means... I miss blogging consistently. This weekend was really quiet and chill, and I loved it. Listened to a lot of Hum, Mineral, and Rival Schools. Music that I loved as a teenager that carried into my adult life and actually seems to translate better now. I'm also finishing up an infinity scarf that I started to crochet earlier in the winter. The snow this weekend inspired me to pick it back up. I literally hibernated all weekend. Almost one year in the south and I'm spoiled. Can't wait for the warm weather, but I'm getting comfortable just hanging out with vaguely sad music and yarn for a few more weeks.

The Owl Farm 12/29/12

Holy Coast

Our friend Paul and his band Courtesy Drop

Waxahatchee. The solo project of Katie Crutchfield from P.S. Eliot and Bad Banana

Pity Sex

Not great: The grainy quality of these photos. I'm still working out the kinks - I'm going to start with adjusting the image resolution on my camera and also by learning how to efficiently take photos indoors in low/mixed lighting. The quality however is leaps and bounds above that of my old Rebel and that makes me happy.

Great: Mustering up the courage to bring my camera to a show, and actually taking photos. I loved all of the bands that played tonight. I've been listening to Waxahatchee for the last week or so, just got into it recently. It was awesome to experience Katie live for the first time after years of loving her other bands. Pity Sex came highly recommended, but I have not been able to find their record. I should've bought it tonight because they ruled.

Greatest: Fun nights doing my favorite things in my new city. Brought 2012 to a rad end.

My 12 Favorite Albums of 2012

I wasn't going to compile a list of my favorite albums from this year, because generally I listen to pretty old music. Lately it's been a steady rotation of older Rilo Kiley, Wilco, Smashing Pumpkins, Jet Black Summer, Nirvana - a lot of bands who haven't released anything lately, and if they have - I wasn't into it. 

Then last night I got to thinking, there were a bunch of great albums that were released this year that I loved.

So let's recap, shall we?

12: alt-J An Awesome Wave - This record just made the list. The single Breezeblocks plays on our local "alternative" radio station here in Nashville at least once an hour, and I'm not sick of it yet. So catchy, and the rest of the album turned out to be pretty great as well. 

Favorite tracks - Breezeblocks, Bloodflood

11: Bad Books II - A Kevin Devine/Manchester Orchestra collaboration. I don't think I need to say any more.

Favorite tracks - The After Party, Forest Whitaker, Ambivalent Peaks

10: Alabama Shakes Boys & Girls - So bummed that I didn't get to see this band when they played Live on the Green over the summer. When I first heard Hold On, I was blown away. The whole album is so great to just drive around and sing along to.

Favorite tracks - Hold On, Rise to the Sun

9: The Gaslight Anthem Handwritten - I honestly wasn't so in love with this band like almost everyone else was when they first discovered them. Slowly they grew on me, and this album solidified my appreciation. It's so good. It makes me feel warm lovey feelings. And they cover one of my favorite Nirvana songs on it.

Favorite tracks - Mulholland Drive, Keepsake

8: Gypsy Giant's Despair - Dammit, this record is so good. It was hard to find at first, for some reason. I'm so glad that I was able to find it, and play it repeatedly for weeks. Wilkes-Barre seems to be a breeding ground for all the bands that I grow to absolutely love. Vocalist Alex Russin sounds so much like Blake Schwarzenbach which is only icing on the cake.

Favorite tracks - Cherry Picker, Dear Sister, Unconditionally Dependent, Count Your Blessings

7: Swearin' Swearin' - This is another album that I got into fairly recently. It's so great, though I feel that way about most female fronted punk bands. They sometimes remind me of Go Sailor and P.S. Eliot.

Favorite tracks - 1. into Here to Hear (the first two tracks) flow perfectly and are so much fun

6: Cat Power Sun - It's Chan Marshall. The first single from this album, Ruin, would play all the time when I first started at Free People and it made me especially psyched for the release. It did not disappoint.

Favorite tracks - Cherokee, Ruin, Manhattan

5: Title Fight Floral Green - The way Title Fight progresses musically with every album is so impressive to me. You can totally tell they aren't releasing music just to sell records. There is always so much emotion and "realness" to be felt in every single song. 

Favorite tracks - All of them? Seriously. But mostly Leaf, Like A Ritual, and Lefty

4: Basement Colourmeinkindness - This record will forever remind me of my sister since she had an advanced copy that her boyfriend, who does a lot of band interviews and radio shows, got a hold of. So now I hear it and I am back in her car in October driving around Long Island - eating bagels, drinking coffee, getting tattooed, thrifting - it was the best day. The album is flawless and I'm so bummed that I will never have a chance to see Basement live, since they won't be touring in America again.

Favorite tracks - Covet, Bad Apple, Black

3: Screaming Females Ugly - If you've ever seen this band live, you would completely understand my obsession. They're so amazing. Marissa Paternoster can do so many nutty things with her voice and microphone tricks, plus she shreds. Hard. They're really fun and really raw at the same time. I was so excited for this album to come out after I played out their other four about a million times each. Listening to it for the first time was like opening gifts on Christmas day - each song left me elated.

Favorite tracks - High, Leave it All Up to Me 

2: Hop Along Get Disowned - Hop Along, Queen Ansleis was one of those bands with one release and a few rare tracks that I would listen to every spring over and over again, and thought I'd never be able to hear anything more. (Fun fact, Andrew made me a mix tape when we first met with one of their rarest songs on it and it took me six months to find a digital version of the song to hear once my tape deck was no more). When I heard talk of Hop Along releasing a new album I thought, no way! But it was true, my girl Frances Quinlan released an album, full band this time, with a shortened band name. I don't think I'll ever get sick of this album. It is so perfect, her voice is so pretty. Sad and pretty. And if I ever did anything musically, Frances Quinlan and this record would be noted as a main motivator.

Favorite tracks - Tibetian Pop Stars, Laments (which is almost the same song as Laments of a Mattress - a song from Hop Along's first album Freshman Year), Get Disowned

1. Fiona Apple The Idler Wheel Is Wiser Than the Driver of the Screw and Whipping Cords Will Serve You More Than Ropes Will Ever Do - I love Fiona Apple's crazy ass FOREVER. Anyone who was around me in June was forced to listen to this record, because it was always playing. I'm talking at least one hundred times. It was so worth the wait. Literally, every track is perfect. You know those albums that kind of make you feel awakened? Like.. different after you listen to it? That's most recently this one, for me. 
Favorite tracks - Jonathan, Left Alone, Werewolf, Periphery, Anything We Want 

It was a good year for music after all! All of these albums are available on Spotify if you wanted to give them a listen, and I suggest that you do!

Music Monday: Tegan and Sara

I'm back? Yeah, I think I'm back. Baby steps though, because a Music Monday post doesn't usually require much. This one however has required a lot of dancing, singing, hair envy and general falling in love all over again with Tegan and Sara via Youtube. I've always been a fan, but over the past year my love for these two has evolved into something real, something almost palpable. I watch their movie Get Along at least once a week (great apartment cleaning background music, plus it feels like friends are here!) and there is almost always a Tegan and Sara song playing in my head. Enjoy the first single for their upcoming album, Heartthrob. This song is called Closer and I guarantee you, one listen and you will be singing and dancing with the best of them - or at least with me!

Music Monday

To make up for lost time, here are three songs that I'm absolutely obsessed with lately.

The National - Racing Like A Pro

Hop Along - Tibetan Pop Stars

Title Fight - Leaf

xo, Corinne

Music Monday: Metronomy

Okay, maybe I'm posting this Metronomy song for selfish reasons (that's my name!), but also I really like it. I was so pumped when my friend Max let me know about this song where they say my name really funny. It also reminds me of impromptu dance parties at Max's and helps with the homesickness on days like today when all of my friends are together on Long Island playing Kan Jam and laying on hammocks. I am laying on this rad new couch that we got for $30 dollars today, however. And I am thoroughly enjoying it.

xo, Corinne

Music Monday: The Echo-Friendly

It's that time of the week! Conveniently, I just heard this incredible song about a half hour ago during the closing credits on Girls. I've listened to it about five times since then. I even posted it on my Facebook wall. And here, for you, The Echo Friendly - Same Mistakes.

Music Monday: Joyce Manor

No rhyme or reason behind this one, just a song I've loved for a while and played on repeat while driving in the rain yesterday. I've yet to see Joyce Manor live, but when I do it'll be a fantastic experience I'm sure.

Also, guys, I've been talking about that bucket list of mine.. 

Well on Thursday night, I crowd surfed for the very first time! And then I did it again!

I think I can almost grow up now.

:)

Music Monday v.12

I haven't done a Music Monday post in a few weeks.
I heard this song for the first time today and I'm hooked. From what I've learned, this band called Alabama Shakes just released their debut record today. This song, Hold On, is the first single off of it and it is so soulful and classic rock and roll sounding. Check out their album, Boys and Girls.

New York Bucket List: Bowery Ballroom

Cursive is a band that I have loved intensely since I was sixteen. For years, the voicemail message on my phone was a recording from the song "The Radiator Hums". I threw out the phone to try to get through to you. That lyric still sums up the way I feel about voicemail. But I digress.



A few months ago I received an email from Bowery Ballroom, as I often do. This one was special though, because that's how I found out Cursive was playing two nights in New York. I asked Andrew if he wanted to go, and he didn't (womp womp). I decided though that I was just going to go by myself, for adventure, and because I didn't want to pass this up. Cursive to me is on Rilo Kiley's level, and I will never get to see them, so I didn't want to let this opportunity go.

These photos are a little bit repetitive, but I was psyched that they came out the way they did (kind of okay) being that I was under the stage, and wasn't using a flash or a zoom lens.

Two finals words: Tim Kasher.












And yeah so.. Tim Kasher.

Me in Manhattan

Yesterday I had a total "me day". The kind where you go into the city, visit a museum, stroll around the most beautiful park ever, have some drinks during happy hour, watch one of your favorite bands since forever perform, eat pizza, and meet Macaulay Culkin.

I MET MACAULAY CULKIN.

At the MoMa.
The one celebrity I care enough about to frame a photo of for my room. Yep, met him.

Photo sets to come! Me and my Canon had a really pretty day.

Soundtrack for a drive

Specifically my drive home from the gym today.
I was blessed with a beautiful sunset and some of my favorite songs on shuffle.

Happy accidents.


Elliott Smith - St. Ides Heaven


Jimmy Eat World - Believe in What You Want
(fun fact: I made a hoodie out of stencils and buttons in high school that said "What you ignore is priceless to me", a lyric from this song)


Pinback - Grey Machine

Music Monday v.11

I listen to this song by Real Estate a lot. The whole album Days is so very good and makes me excited for springtime. Some songs/albums have a feel to them and this one definitely has a warm weather, beachy feel to it. Also, the video for this single (It's Real) is a lot of fun.

Music Tuesday?

Like I said.. a little off this week.



Ali showed me this video while we were getting ready to go celebrate her birthday on Saturday night. I am absolutely obsessed with the song, the direction, the stop motion, the entire video. Maybe it's because bed is one of my most favorite places? But definitely because it's all so pretty.

Music Monday v.9

This week's Music Monday is brought to you by my friend James, really, who introduced me to this band the other night when we were picking up pizza for everybody and talking about Jawbreaker. This is Jawbox. This is a weird video for a song that is James' favorite and that I have to agree is really really good.

And this would be me and my pal James, just to give you a proper visual. Right before we all played our game of hide and seek last weekend.

Music Monday v.8

Create a playlist at MixPod.com

I've been sick since Thursday, and it's really putting a hurtin' on my productivity.
Sometimes, when I'm not creating things, it makes me feel depressed. Even taking photos helps, as it's one of my favorite things to do creatively. But I'm adjusting to a new work schedule, and now some kind of annoying sinusey thing. I'll whip my butt back into shape this week, though.

I treated myself to a weekend of shopping to cheer myself up. Flowy tops and floral prints and floral printed flowy shorts. I'm yearning for spring, but here's one of my favorite songs by one of my favorite bands that I find myself playing over and over this time of year.

Music Monday v.7

Last night's Superbowl half time show, and this single reminded me of how much I love M.I.A. She is just so cool. And so insanely beautiful. She's always so inspiring and original. And she's a philanthropist! This woman is absolutely deserving of this weeks Music Monday.

Music Monday v.6

This Music Monday, I will present you with this incredible cover of a great song.



Yeah, that's five people making beautiful music with one guitar.
Bravo, Walk Off The Earth. (Props to Gotye, too!)

Music Monday v.5

Last night, I got to see Balance & Composure play (for free! I managed to get a super last minute ticket thanks to my cousin's angelic girlfriend). It's really so awesome how music can provide a soundtrack to your life, and how certain albums can take you back on a timeline to when you were playing them in heavy rotation. Balance & Composure's album Separation was released this past summer, and hearing them play songs off of it live gave me feelings of summer and my sister, because we would always listen to it together on summer drives. Lucky for me, my sister was home for the show and I got to reminisce right next to her! I wanted to run out and get smoothies and hang out on my front lawn again, but it was a winter night and I had to shake the summer from my head. I want to share two songs, one called Burden from a split B&C did with Tigers Jaw, and one called More To Me (for the line "I thought the trees were begging me to climb. There's more to me that I have yet to find". Who can't relate to that?) off of Separation. Though I wouldn't go ahead and call that song my favorite off the album. It's really hard to pick a favorite. When I listen to this album it's usually straight through and at least twice in a row. It's really that good. Also, I adore the album artwork for both of these. Hope you enjoy.




What have you been listening to lately? I'm always discovering new music and love to hear about music that other people are really into. It's such a passion of mine, though I have no actual musical talent. I'm gonna work on that, though! :)

Music Monday v.4

Knapsack - Shape Of The Fear

Just a throwback that I love so much.
I was supposed to enter my teens in the 90's, I'm sure of it.