music of the day: lil red riding hood

Amanda Seyfried cover of "Lil Red Riding Hood"

I have long loved this song and it's wonderful with her sweet voice instead of the vaguely creepy of Sam the Sham & the Pharaohs.

Found on Jezebel.

music of the day: lissie

[Lissie- In Sleep (live)]

music of the day: florence and the machine

[Florence and the Machine- Cosmic Love (live)]

music of the day: the head and the heart

The Head and the Heart

music of the day: la roux

music of the day: edward sharpe & the magnetic zeros

music of the day: jenny and johnny

I love Jenny Lewis. Love Rilo Kiley, love her collaboration with the Watson Twins, love her solo album so have been looking forward to hearing her newest work with Johnny Rice, recorded as "Jenny and Johnny." Luckily one song, "Scissor Runner" is available
for download now- for free!

music of the day: lay low

According to NPR, she's called the "Patsy Cline of Iceland" so it was pretty much guaranteed I'd love her. The comparison is apt and Lay Low (Lovisa Elisabet Sigrunardottir) is now on my music-to-work-to rotation.

music of the day: anais mitchell

Anais Mitchell; Hadestown. A Folk Musical

This CD is so beautiful that I used an iTunes card I had been holding on to for a while to buy it. You can hear 5 songs free on Anais Mitchell's website which I did over and over before buying the whole album.

music of the day: ferres fantomes

http://freresfantomes.bandcamp.com/

music of the day: OK GO- This Too Shall Pass

Delightful! Short writeup here.

music for action

In keeping with my New Year's Resolution, I've been going through my iTunes to find unplayed songs and asking friends for recommendations for new bands. Yesterday I found a free compilation "The Best of Bonnaroo" from Music for Action. Yup, you've got to email your Senator or otherwise take action on climate change, but you get 17 free songs from some of the artists at Bonnaroo 2009.


Overall, it's been enjoyable to listen to on the dreary day we're having here in Virginia. I think as far of compliations for climate change, I prefer the (sadly not free) Green Owl Compilation for Energy Action Coalition. What's not to love- Fiest, Of Montreal, Bloc Party, Juliana Hatfield, Asobi Seksu, and more.

new year, new music

Over the past year, there some albums that came into my life that I loved. The Avett Brothers' I and Love and You, for instance, completely melts my heart everytime I hear it. Despite Southern roots, I joined the crowd of obsessed fans of Jay-Z's "Empire State of Mind" and The Blueprint 3. I was glad to see Miranda Lambert's sophmore album was more than sophmoric and a vast improvement over Crazy Ex-Girlfriend (while still leaving me a little scared of her.) But I loved (or at least liked) all these artists before. And many that I did love, I hadn't picked up their latest (hello, Yeah Yeah Yeahs!)

I began to realize that I listened to a small number of albums and musicians and that I needed a serious overhaul. I was still using the excuse that during junior year my computer crashed as rationale for having almost no music, but that was two years ago!

So belatedly, on the train Saturday, I finally made a New Year's Resolution. Only a month late.

I will listen to new music. Everyday.

My plan is to do this at work, turning on music to get started everyday. I'm taking suggestions. Today's first official selection comes from my boyfriend, who knows my love for cute, happy, slightly twee music. His friend from back in the day plays guitar and banjo, and having a banjo in your band means I want to listen to you. His suggestion? Freelance Whales.

They seem pretty legit on their Myspace (album coming out soon, big tour through the Southern part of the country before playing at SXSW.) They sound familiar, but I'm having trouble figuring out the right comparisons. They have a dreamy pop sound, not as depressing as Bright Eyes who I haven't heard in forever but whose name is coming to mind along with the Postal Service. I'm not reviewer but I say, give them a listen and I hope you like it!