sufjan stevens xmas

I'm going to put a longer post here soon, but I wanted to begin uploading some Christmas music.


Since 2004, Bret and I play the Sufjan Stevens Christmas albums.  There are five albums total.  Some of the songs we like more than others.  Our fave song in particular is "Put the Lights on the Tree" which can be found below.  You can also listen to some of the songs here!

pogo - wishery

Pure awesomeness and kinda weird.. haha.  The song is made of all the vocal syllables, musical chords and sound effects recorded from Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs.

boys boys boys

Backstreet Boys and NKOTB did a mash-up performance last night on the AMAs.  I didn't watch the AMAs.  According to everyone, it was a complete flop.  However, I did watch BSB's performance on YouTube, and I couldn't help but remember the countless times Steph and I listened to their album along with *NSYNC's album.  I remember Steph and I watching "Fanatic" on MTV with *NSYNC being on the show and immediately getting obsessed.  We played that album soo much... We were more *NSYNC fans instead of BSB fans.

On the way home today, Boyz II Men came up on my shuffle and Bret - being the wonderful guy that he is - actually let me listen to it.  When Steph and I shared a room growing up, I used to sing Boyz II Men's "II" album to Steph so that she could go to sleep.


So many boys to choose... I guess I'll have to include them all -- Even 2ge+her!!!  Who would have thought that Evan Farmer on TLC was in a boy band in earlier years?  Classic. 


And now that I've listened to the song, I can't get it out of my head.

So screw you, Justin Bieber and Jonas Brothers.  These guys had it all. 


Let's flash back to those wonderful days of boy band greatness.  And don't judge -- you all know all of the lyrics, too.

There is more to life than increasing its speed.

First. Play this:

Thank You For Nothing by Elizabeth & The Catapult


Beautiful song...  Sad... But beautiful...


So I've been trying to "slow things down" a bit and go back to having fun again.  Bret and I had our first round of Thanksgiving this weeked at his parents' house.  We were able to see Bret's little nephew (yay!) who we don't get to see often since Bret's brother doesn't live in Pittsburgh.


After eating our Thanksgiving feast last night, Bret and I went and played in our first round of Turkey Bowls this year.  Our team came in second place, unfortunately, but it was a lot of fun and crazy gorgeous outside.


I was sitting here on the couch after the Steelers game (GO STEELERS) and tried to take a picture of the sunset  outside.  Anytime the sky is pink/red, Bret and I chime in together:  "Red at night, sailor's delight!"  Since my phone is so old/stupid/crappy, the above picture was the best I could take.


Regardless, tomorrow is going to be a wonderful day.


The sunset inspired me to put together a "laying on the couch" playlist.  I wanted to collect a few new and old chill songs that you can listen to while you relax tonight and/or tomorrow.  Once Thanksgiving is over, I will be updating this blog like a champ with all kinds of new Christmas songs.


Until then, get in your PJs, and relax.  Think. 


Enjoy.


Some of the new ones that I will be listening to... a lot:
- Adele "Someone Like You"
- Gorillaz "Crystalised" (this song isn't new, but this cover is)
- Darren Hanlon "All These Things" (LOVE this...)
- Matthew and the Atlas "I Will Remain" (Sounds a little like Ray LaMontagne.. With a bit of Amos Lee <3)
- Stornoway "Zorbing"
- Johnny Flynn "Lost and Found" (This isn't the actual video... but I love this song and couldn't find an MP3 to stream.

you better bundle up

... With all these covers!


*crickets chirp*

I thought it'd be a good day to post some of my favorite cover songs.  Normally, I really don't like to listen to covers, but there are a few that put a smile on my face.  I'm even going to post the original songs, so consider this a double playlist!

"Addicted to Love" by Florence + the Machine (orig. Robert Palmer found here)

I love what Florence has done to this song.  It's smooth and dreamy and brings a whole new light to this 80's classic song.

"Your Song" by Ellie Goulding (orig. Elton John found here)

Ellie's voice is so beautiful.  I love watching the music video for this because it's so simple and pretty much like herself.  Being a Moulin Rouge fan, I could have put Ewan McGregor's version on here, but I also have respect for my friends and opted out.  This version came out a few weeks ago, and I really can't stop playing it.

"Exit Music (For a Film)" by Vampire Weekend (orig. Radiohead found here)

I'm not a huge Radiohead fan, and there are only a few songs that I'll actually listen to (mainly the ones that Bret wants to listen to).  I know this cover doesn't do the band "justice," but I really enjoy listening to it!  This song is completely transformed from a slow, trippy song to one with some toe-tapping beats.

"Bad Romance" by Lissie (orig. Lady Gaga found here)
I've included this song because: 1).  It's a Lady Gaga cover and 2.) It's the song that brought Lissie to the blogosphere last year.  For some reason, people couldn't stop talking about this cover for a few months.  While I really enjoy it, it's not the greatest thing I've ever heard, but it's fun.  I mainly like the parts where she sings that Rah-Rahs.

 

"You Really Got A Hold On Me" by She & Him (orig. Smokey Robinson found here)

I think Zooey Deschanel is great, and this cover makes me want to sway back and forth in Bret's arms.  It's so dreamy and romantic. 

"Time to Pretend" by Jonsi (orig. MGMT found here)

Somehow, two MGMT songs have made it to this playlist.  "Time to Pretend" is the first.  By not including those first notes of the original song, Jonsi has managed to make over this song into a floating and whimsical song.

"A-Punk" by Rockapella (orig. Vampire Weekend found here)
This song just cracks me up.  A few months ago, this song kept popping up everywhere.  I think with the hype of "Glee" going around, it seemed appropiate to also include this in the list.  Obviously, in my opinion, the original is better.


"Hey Ya" by Sarah Blasko (orig. Outkast found here)
Sometimes, "Hey Ya" pops up when I shuffle Bret's iPod.  It is one of those songs that when it comes on, you can't help but listen to it.  With this cover, I can listen to the original song without feeling like a need to pick up a picture or SOMETHING and shake it.

"Girls Just want to Have Fun" by Greg Laswell (orig. Cyndi Lauper found here)
The song that started it all -- Greg's rise to fame... My obsession with Greg... My obsession leading to us actually meeting Greg... Leading to the best.  night.  of.  my.  life.   It also brings me back to Freshman year and driving home from college with Bret.  Greg's version is the complete opposite of Cyndi's original version.  In fact, his version of "... Have Fun" doesn't sound fun at all.  You can take your pick.


"Pursuit of Happiness" by Barbara (orig. Kid Cudi found here)
I love both these version.  Kid Cudi's original version will always be my favorite (I mean, c'mon... KC + Ratatat?? = <3), but I love how these Barbara guys decided one night while hanging out to create this song "as a joke."  Now, people know their name. 


"Kids" by Dr. Fox's Old Timey String Band (orig. MGMT found here)
I included this one because I love singing along to it.  The original song got really old for me... Really fast.  Plus, the music video for this is scary :(   The folky spin on it makes the song happier!

girl talk - all day

So Pittsburgh's own Girl Talk (Gregg Gillis) has released a new album out of left field this week.


It is up to download for free.  You can find the download link here.


Hurry now before you can no longer download it!

here we go, steelers, here we go

Nutmeg thought: "Rain rain, go away.  Come again another day..."

Today is the perfect lazy Sunday... Overcast skies, rainy, slightly chilly...  


Wait.  I just described the typical day in Pittsburgh.  *buh dum cha!*


In all seriousness though, it's the perfect day to clear my head and gather my thoughts.  Nutmeg isn't too crazy about the rain since she wants to go out and play.  Bret just left to play some football in the rain. We have two Turkey Bowls coming up in the next few weekends that he wants to "get ready for."  


I think he just wants to play some football.  


Speaking of football... Who's ready to see the Steelers stomp on some Patriots?  With the Patriots losing to the Browns last week (REALLY?!), I think that they are ready to lose to the Steelers, too.  Tom Brady needs to realize that he can't win games if continues to look like Justin Bieber with that ridiculous hair.


What a little girl.  


I'm going to go do some shopping before the game is on.


I ran across this gem of a musician yesterday.  His name is Brett Domino, and he is a 27 year old musician from England.  He is best known for his crazy cool YouTube videos, in which he plays mostly covers and medleys of popular songs on the Stylophone and keytar.  I really enjoyed the Nelly Furtado medley (which I will post below).  The Justin Timberlake medley is pretty great, too.  Really, just take the time to check out all his videos here.  They are wonderful and genius and will put a smile on your face.


Happy Sunday!

still obsessed

I want to see them live.. SO.  BAD.


Watching them gives me goosebumps, and having them include Old Crow, Cadillac Sky, and King Charles into the mix reminds me of A Prairie Home Companion.

robyn - call your girlfriend

November is definitely the month of album releases.  Since it's getting closer to Robyn's "Body Talk" release date, more songs are reaching the music blogosphere.  

When "Dancing On My Own" came out this spring, I couldn't stop playing it.  "Call Your Girlfriend" sounds like "Dancing On My Own" part II -- and this is not a bad thing.  Keep the pop songs coming, Robyn!

3 Call Your Girlfriend by Jon_ALi

If you listen to around the 2:30 mark of the song, I can't help but think of the opera scene from the movie "Fifth Element."  I put the clip below.  Listen to around the 4:15 mark for that to understand what I'm talking about.  There are some similarities between the two!  Haha...

And if there isn't, appreciate the fact that I was able to include "Fifth Element" into my post.

i whip my hair back 'n forth

Today I feel wonderful.  I feel great.  I feel like I can accomplish anything.

A bunch of people are coming over, so I'm going to leave you with this short and simple post.

Please let our feathered friend below pump you up for the weekend.  Bret just showed me this video as soon as we got home from work, and it made me laugh and smile so much...

I know I can't match his hair-whipping.  

ok go - last leaf

Now, I can officially say that I'm obsessed with Ok Go.  The moment they stop producing great music videos, I will stop Googling them to find out which great new video they are going to create.  I don't agree with the amount of toast that they used for this video... I mean, they could have made about 1,225 peanut butter and jelly sandwiches with all that bread!  


Har har har.

I am not the best at making toast.  I can bake some wonderful things and dish out awesome meals for dinner.  For some reason, though, when it comes to making toast and popping popcorn, I will always ALWAYS burn them.  Bret reminded me how much this occurs two nights ago when I burned the toast for our egg sandwiches...

So, here's to you, Ok Go -- for giving me the hope that slightly burnt toast can be put to better use.  Who would have thought that such a pretty song could be illustrated through doodles and carbs?

everything's going to be ok

First and foremost, I want to apologize to you guys for not updating this blog for almost a month now.  This past month has been more or less a nightmare that I'm trying to get out of.  I tried to take a few minutes in my day today to put things in perspective, and I finally feel like everything's going to be ok.


I went for a nice evening run (Yay for getting one more extra hour of sleep Saturday night! Boooo for it being pitch black at 5:30 PM) with Nutmeg tonight.  I had a solid playlist going full songs that definitely got me motivated for this week.  I've also included my new favorite songs for this week:

Only Girl in the World - Rihanna
This song is my "Please Don't Stop the Music."  When that song came out, I played it non-stop.  This is my girl anthem for right now.


Know Your Name - Wiz Khalifa
It's nice to hear a "chill" song from Wiz.  I'm glad that we have a rap artist representing Pittsburgh... Even though he's having a rough week this week with getting caught with drugs and everything...


Scott Mescudi VS the World - Kid Cudi
Kid Cudi's sophomore album drops today (EEEK!)  It's not like I've been waiting for the past year for it or anything...  I really don't want to be disappointed with it, and after reading all the reviews coming in, it looks like I should be pretty satisfied.


Booty Bounce - Dev
I'm so happy I found this song.  "Like a G6" is a fun song to dance and workout to.  HOWEVER, it's only successful because of this song.  Listen to around the 2:25 mark, and it'll make sense.


Pass Out - Chris Brown
I don't like Chris Brown.  I mean, I'm ashamed to even put his name on the same playlist as Rihanna...  But I do like this song.  The song is sung around Eric Prydz' "Call On Me," which makes the song hard not to like.

What's Wrong With Them - Lil' Wayne ft. Nicki Minaj
Free Weezy -- wait... he is free!  For some reason, I feel like this song is applicable to my life right now.  Nicki puts it best when she sings: "Baby, what the f-ck wrong, wrong with them?"  I was ecstatic when this came on my shuffle.  I felt like I could step on any stick/stone/crack while I was running and nothing could bring me down.    


Mean Planes and Taylor Gangs - Brendan Duvall 
I don't really enjoy Taylor Swift at all, but this mashup done by Brendan Duvall is great.  Of course, it features Wiz (FREE WIZ).  It's inevitable that a mashup will be included in every one of my playlists.


All Along - Kid Cudi
I love when Kid Cudi shows his softer side, and in this song, Kid Cudi isn't the tough guy with a dark side that he is in every song.  It's a nice change of pace.  Plus, I'm a sucker for a rap song with violins.


What's My Name - Rihanna ft. Drake
Love this duet. I don't know why they had to break up.  Rihanna + Drake = SUCH A GOOD COUPLE.  Ugh.  You can't help but sway your head back and forth to this beat... Oh whoaaa oh.


Roman's Revenge - Nicki Minaj ft. Eminem
This... song... is... RIDICULOUS.  I mean, it's so weird -- but I can't stop listening to it.  Nicki Minaj is the best female rapper out there right now, and for her new album "Pink Friday," what does she decide to do?  SHE GETS EMINEM!  And she also sings "I Feel Pretty" from West Side Story.  After you're done listening to it, you kind of have to sit for a few seconds and think, "Really?"  And then you'll click play again.