Let’s keep up the songs of heartbreak trend here. I’m only just discovering Daughter, a band from North London that has been around since 2010. At the end of April, they released their first full length album “If You Leave” after releasing 3 EPs in 2010 & 2011.
It’s times like this that I wish I was back in London. The music scene is much more on point & forward thinking. For example, I was already sick of Coldplay by the time ‘Yellow’ got airplay stateside. Sure, Coldplay is an English band, but it still would have gotten tons of PR & airplay in the UK if it were a South African band. Just sayin’. Many artists make the trek out to England to start their music career because of the borderline aggressive music scene. Surely, it’s changed in the last decade, as the music industry as a whole has. However, there seems to be a larger want and need for excellent, original musical talent.
I caved last night & purchased Daughter’s album. The band is a trio: Elena Tonra on vocals (and the founder of the band, as it started as a solo project), Igor Haefeli on guitar, and Remi Aguilella on drums. Elena has a haunting voice. It is simple, pure, and magical. Her voice reminds me of Rachel Yamagata, but in a more emotional manner. In fact, Elena’s voice is richer. The songs, just like Elena’s voice, are haunting. They are able to speak to pretty much anyone. The melodies, the lyrics, and the pace, they hit upon our ability to pull out memories & past feelings.
We should be supporting musicians, especially female musicians. So, I urge you to go out and purchase some of Daughter’s work. Even if you purchase a $4.00 EP from iTunes, that’s still supporting the arts & women making an honest paycheck… And, to tempt you, I’ll leave you with a song from “If You Leave”:
It’s been awhile without any activity from me. I do apologize, dear readers! However, I am very excited that I have now gotten over 1000 views! 1044 to be precise. Do you know what that means? It means a giveaway is in the extremely near future! Just a lil’ disclaimer – because of some electronic equipment put in our house, I can’t seem to access videos on YouTube. As I like to add music videos to the majority of my posts, this proves a smidge difficult when I want those posts to happen. Right now, I’m sitting at the local cafe, enjoying some iced tea & the sunshine, and YouTube is definitely in my favor.
Lately, I’ve been getting back into Bob Dylan. Growing up with a huge Dylan fan (my pops, a nerdy hippie), I’ve had the luxury of hearing a good chunk of Dylan’s library multiple times, as well as seeing him live a few times. My father, at one point, had a video of me singing along estatically to “Like A Rolling Stone” in public. So, while catching up on Mad Men, I was happy to hear Mr. Dylan put the cap on one of the episodes. Don Draper came home after a weekend of nefarious activity to an empty house. His wife & children were gone. The music team of Mad Men picked the perfect song in “Don’t Think Twice, It’s Alright.”
I feel that “Don’t Think Twice, It’s Alright” is the greatest love song. Yes, I know, it’s not a love song in the generic sense. It’s a breakup song. But, when you end a relationship, there usually was love before said ending, yes? So, we hear this man clearly leaving his other half. But, he is not doing so with hate. He’s done. He’s over it. And, it sounds as though it wasn’t the greatest relationship, but it wasn’t all bad. They didn’t talk much & he even feels like the other half was a waste of time. But, the way I see it, it could have been a boring, uneventful relationship, but no one got hurt, and we got an awesome song out of it. Anyway, I love the lyrics. I love the way it flows. And, quite frankly, I’d rather have past relationships end the way this one did than having them end on a really sour note.
As I was poking through YouTube when it was working, I came across a lil’ gem. Now, I know I might get some flack for this, but I don’t care. Say what you will, as we’re all entitled to our own opinions. What I found was Ke$ha covering this amazing song. I was blown away. It was just her with a cello mildly playing in the background. I listened to it about three times in a row, glued to my bed. It was a painful & amazing experience. So, I did some research. I googled the song plus Ke$ha. I love her take on the song. She applied it to her own life, basically as a breakup with her past & a chance to move on & renew. There is something very relateable about her experience covering her song. A good majority of us in Western society have had some sort of moment of despair and awakening. Also, something I find endearing: it turns out she’s a huge Dylan fan. It’s been said that “Nashville Skyline” is her favorite Dylan album. Good girl.
Scrolling through the google hits, I came across a Rolling Stone article about a album a bunch of musicians out together to raise money for Amnesty International. Of course, all of the songs are Bob Dylan covers, and the 4-disc album is called Chimes of Freedom. Of course, me being a bit oblivious sometimes, I had no idea that this was something that had happened. It took me a year & an accidental late night YouTube viewing party to figure it out. But, I’m glad I stumbled across it.
Now, I’m a fan of supporting important, legitimate, fair organizations like Amnesty International. If I could give my entire paycheck to these organizations, I would. If I could spend my days volunteering for them, I would. And, maybe someday I can. But right now, a few dollars here and there are the best I can do. When something like an album or a movie or a fun event is created, I’m in. I’ll spend my money on them. And, I would hope you would do the same! So, get out there. Purchase that album! The best way to buy it is through Amnesty International directly (they are selling hard copies & digital copies). You can also buy it on Amazon & iTunes. But, I believe in buying directly from the source if at all possible. So, for the sake of everyone involved, please purchase from AI!
Here’s the list so far (at A Life In Paperback): Books to Read in 2013. So far, there are 20 titles, one of which has been completed & four that are being worked on. Another scratch through one will happen soon, as well as a couple titles being added to the list!!!
Keep checking back to see what I have written, if there are any new titles I hope to read, and any reviews of the books!
Thank you, Dear Kitty for nominating me & getting me some views! I haven’t been a part of any kind of “get to known me” meme since my senior year of high school/freshman year of college. That was twelve years ago. Twelve years doesn’t seem so long, but it really is!
The rules of the Sunshine Award are:
Include the award’s logo in a post or on your blog.
Answer 10 questions about yourself.
Nominate 10-12 other fabulous bloggers.
Link your nominees to the post and comment on their blogs, letting them know they have been nominated.
Share the love and link the person who nominated you.
Here come the answers to the 10 questions about me.
Favorite color: Red, Blue, Black (even though that’s really the ultimate void of any color).
Favorite animal: My cat, Pushkin. I’m also a fan of Zoe, the cat who lives with my good friend Kristi. Yep, I’m specific.
Favorite number: 13 & 9
Favorite non-alcoholic drink: Iced green tea with lemon juice, no sweetener.
Prefer Facebook or Twitter? Twitter
My passion: A well crafted song, a well versed piece of writing, modern & contemporary art (1890-present), happy animals.
Prefer getting or giving presents: Giving. Always giving.
Favourite pattern: Stripes. Simple black & white stripes. Sometimes, red & blue stripes are fantastic, too.
Favourite day of the week: Any day that I get to read and/or exercise.
Favourite flower: Sunflowers & Orchids
I hate to break the chain, but there is really only one blogger that comes to mind right now. I’d love to see a post from Sarah In Spades, because she’s the cat’s pajamas!!
I've worked retail for the last nine years. At the beginning, I was full of hope and ambition. As the years have caught up with me, the hope vanished and my ambition is tough to grasp onto. Let me clarify that I've worked in a female dominated environment, both with my co-workers and the customers I experience each day.
Women can be exceedingly more callous and manipulative than men, especially when in large groups.
The last year has definitely given me a chance to reflect on many things, primarily friendships. I read somewhere that the average lifespan of a friendship is 5-7 years. That totally makes sense. I’m nearing 31, and I’m left with just a few close friends. One I have known since I was six, a couple others since I was 14, and another for about 8 years. There are a few others that I can text now and again, some I’ll go out with occasionally. But, due to a self-imposed hermit lifestyle I lived the past year, it proved who me real friends are. After trying to reach out to those I thought I was close to, even sending XMas cards & lil gifts, it turns out priorities change & people move on.
So, I give to you some songs that take on losing friends. Some are mildly sweet, others, well, aren’t.
Is TIME's complete coverage of SXSW 2013 not enough for you? Yeah, we know, it would be nice to be there in person, but—at least when it comes to the music portion of the festival, which runs through Mar. 17—there are plenty of ways to tune in at home to the nearly 1,300 bands who are playing over the course of this week.
A couple years ago, I happened to stumble across a nugget of musical joy. It was early afternoon on Saturday, day 2, of Coachella in 2011. I ventured into the fields to check out a band, getting to the stage early. There was this tall, lanky man with fantastic black hair dressed in all white. Watching him move and listening to his voice, I instantly fell in love. And, I’ve been in love ever since. That man is Francis Farewell Starlite of Francis and the Lights.
I can’t quite describe his sound. Prince comes to mind often, but they’re not exactly the same. There is a complicated simplicity to FatL. Yes, I used a cliched oxymoron, but that is the best way to describe this music.
Words can’t do Francis and the Lights justice. I shall leave you with a live set Francis did solo. This is my favorite thing to put on when I’m driving or cooking or with friends or want to relax. Please, enjoy.
Hey Lil’ Biscuits!!! Hope all is well out there in the world!
I’m coming to you today to ask for a huge favor. While music & writing are huge passions of mine, photography is something I’m trying to actually persue as a way of making money (even if it is just a hobby I’m getting paid for). Come to think of it, my dream job is to travel around the world, talk to people about their cultures & sense of community, figure out what makes them happy, use music as a communication tool when words fail us, hope they’ll allow me to take their pictures, and relay our stories onto paper to share with everyone else. That’s just a dream, but one I hope to accomplish by the time I’m 70. I’ve got 39 years to do that.
While we’re on the topic of a sense of community, my favor I am asking is that you, any of you, donate a dollar, 5 dollars, any kind of dollar amount to my project & general startup that is Ellie McHale Photography. Right now, tangible rewards are limited. A few high ticket donations will get 30 lucky people a (tasteful) print or two of mine (of my choosing), along with a thankful shout out here & a YouTube shout out. Everyone else will get, at least, a thankful plug here, possibly a video of acknowledgement on YouTube. Yes. I will get in front of a camera, show my face to the world, and talk to you, funny accent and all.
So, please, if you find a sliver of compassion and/or the giving spirit, please mosey over to my fundraising page and help a sister out. I promise that any monetary donation will be used on nothing but photography equipment & photography business related items. For example, I will spend said donations on photography software, memory cards, extra batteries for my camera, website hosting to show my work, printing supplies, actual prints for my portfolio, lenses, printer(s), paper, ink, flash(es), lighting, studio equipment, etc.. You get the idea, yes?
I do thank everyone in advance for taking the time to consider donating… And, for donating if you do. You are phenomenal, and I wish you all the best!!
It's the thin line between reality and fantasy. It's the thin line between sanity and madness. It's the crazy things that make us think, laugh and scream in the dark.
