Last night's evening of live music (billed as "Torch Songs", but actually "Various Blues/Jazz/Showtune Standards") gave me the yen to go back to taking singing lessons. I did a couple of years of voice a decade ago, which got me from "afraid to make a peep" to proficient. Rock Band, ironically, got me past most of the rest of my performance anxiety ( Read more... )

Just noticed that they also uploaded two other videos:

Forgery Shoes - Gilt Complex

Forgery Shoes - Going to Marrakesh
(Featuring my voice asking if I should be recording. Um, oops.)

One of the videos I took of the Forgery Shoes show has been uploaded to youtube! Ironically, it's the first one to be released but it's one of the last songs of the show. Includes bonus banter!

Forgery Shoes -- Both Hands

Robert Smith vocals with a biting electronica backing? Yes please!

Crystal Castles ft. Robert Smith -- Not In Love (youtube link)

I'm of two minds on Lykke Li's Get Some. I love the track, but I'm not big on the lyrics.

You can always tell when I remember to put my headphones on. ;-)

Two haunting, atmospheric tracks from Aussies today:

MySpace link: Magic Silver White's Doowah

YouTube link (that maybe gets cuts off right at the end?): Boy and Bear's gorgeous cover of Fall At Your Feet (from an upcoming tribute compilation)

Edit: Make that three ( Read more... )

A while back I was relating to fennel the story of a schism that pervaded my high-school peer group -- that divided brother from brother, BFF from BFF, girlfriend from boyfriend: which did you like better, the slow version or the fast version of Alphaville's Forever Young? There were three topics not brought up in polite conversation: religion, politics ( Read more... )

I was startled to hear this being played at the dance studio around the corner from me tonight. How a Boston dance teacher knew about a song from an obscure Canadian artist that is twenty years old and was never released as a single boggles my mind. But it's a great song, so I didn't mind hearing it over and over. (And from a great album!) I ( Read more... )

Ordinarily to try Zing's gluten-free crust, you have to order a whole pizza and give them an extra forty minutes' notice. But not so the next two Wednesdays! On August 18 and 25, they'll be selling GF pizza by the slice from 5 to 9 pm (closing). Of course, this happens to coincide with the only two Wednesdays that I'll be across town at tango ( Read more... )

The Best Band on the Planet, aka The Cat Empire, is releasing a new album soon. The last album was somewhat disappointing -- they're going in a new direction, which is one that I theoretically appreciate, but they're not quite there yet. Apparently it was so disappointing that, even though rednikki and fennel both sent me links to their new single, I couldn't ( Read more... )