bonsoir.
prepare for a long entry
well, i haven't written since christmas. neat.
i kept meaning to write in this thing. i seriously did. but ever since i realized that money sucks and i shouldn't care about it, and i started my minor in art studio so that i could do art therapy, i've been busier than i can ever remember (as in, my ONE studio class both simultaneously runs and ruins my life).
there have been more all-nighters this semester than all three others combined. the monday before last, i was in the studio from 8pm to 3am. straight.
yep.
it's fine.
what else...
i went to new york for spring break...that was pretty sweet. rode the subway. served all over the city. ate at the actual life cafe. got mistaken for a native new yorker (that was a good day).
sometimes i forget i have this thing, subsequently i have sort of forgotten how to write in it...mostly i'm doing it right now because i cleaned my room, which led to me finding all of these cds that people burned for me, so i'm now in the process of putting them all on my computer, and that requires me doing something that won't make my computer work too hard. you know.
oh, which makes me think of something.
there is a good chance i will leave out something important...also, don't judge me if you read the list below and find someone you discovered 20 years ago. some people are not as musically-savvy as you. some people weren't even born then. but anyway...
laurel's musical recommendations of spring 2007!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (or, things you should probably check out and/or like...also, in no particular order):
1) gomez - how we operate
i know that i am probably way late on this train, but they're really good. they've had at least one song on the grey's soundtrack, so you may have heard of them that way. they're bluesy british indie rock, and really accessible, for you less musically-adventurous folks (ie, your ipod has 30 songs on it, and half of them are from the nsync cd you got for christmas in middle school). i think my favorite song of theirs right now is "see the world," but i'm sure it will change tomorrow.
2) mika - life in cartoon motion
ok...if you haven't heard of mika, please go to the embarrassing website of your choice (youtube, myspace, etc) and search for "grace kelly." it will change your life. alright, probably not, but you never know. this album is the most fun i've heard in a really, REALLY long time. it just makes me happy. tres pop-y, but you know you love it, even if it's only in secret. favorite song on this one - "love today."
3) amy winehouse - back to black
oh my gosh, amy winehouse is the craziest human that has ever lived. i think she is actually insane. or perpetually intoxicated, whichever...if you ever watch her in an interview, you'll see what i mean (also, the first lyrics of the album are "they tried to make me go to rehab, i said no, no, no"). the point is, her voice makes up for all of that. that and her giant hair. she has a really old-school quality to her voice, and she's pretty darn amazing...even if you generally don't like artists of the female persuasion, give her a chance. favorite song of hers - "back to black."
4) rock kills kid - are you nervous?
this is one of those that, at first, i thought i should be embarrassed about liking. then i realized they were actually good. they have a sort of neo-new wave sound, which i automatically loved. this one's also pretty accessible for those "i really just listen to what's on the radio" people (which, ps, stop...the radio blows). favorite for these guys - hideaway
5) lily allen - alright, still
i want to be lily allen. she is sassy. she is british. she has good clothes. and her album is sweet. i think i listened to it for about 2 or 3 weeks straight when i first got it. her first single, "smile," is actually my least favorite song on the album, but it's all good. sometimes pop-y, sometimes jazzy, sometimes sort of hip hop. it's also surprisingly funny. it's a tie for favorite song - knock 'em out and shame for you
6) diefenbach - set & drift
well, this one i AM kind of embarrassed about...for now. but i am convinced that once more people have heard of this obscure danish band, i will not have to be embarrassed anymore. it's not a new album (released in 2005), but it's new to me, so good enough. since they're danish and don't speak english super-well, the lyrics are quirky (in a good way). sort of post-rock + techno (but not overly techno). favorite song, and the best one for dancing - favourite friend
7) happy hour - magnet heart conveyor
the mike still has to send me this album, but i saw them in concert in january and they are a really awesome indie-folk rock trio (they opened for margot...all opening bands are guilty until proven innocent in my mind, but i was pleasantly surprised). because i have yet to get the album *ahemmikeahem*, i have had to settle for myspace listening, which we all know is crap. however, i can tell you the song that i like best so far - in your head
8) the hush sound - like vines
hitsman introduced me to these guys way back in december, but i didn't really get into them until about a month ago or so, before we went to see them open for mae in cincy. really quirky, really fun and smart indie rock. there are three guys and a girl, and they all do vocals. usually when this happens, it'll be a guy singing one whole song, and then the girl singing another whole song. these guys mix it up mid-song, which i really enjoy. favorite song - wine red
9) new atlantic - the streets, the sounds, and the love
these guys also opened for mae in cincy, and i liked them immediately. their album JUST came out at the beginning of april. fun, dancey, indie pop-rock. definitely going to be a favorite among all those scummy little scene kids, which should make me ashamed, but i'm not. not a lot, anyway. favorite song so far - wire and stone
10) band of horses - everything all the time
yeah, i'm probably pretty late on the train for this one too...i just bought the album on thursday. but, if it restores any kind of credibility, i've been listening to them on other people's itunes and online since december. and they are SO GOOD. i am kind of obsessed right now. the lead singer's voice reminds me a lot of neil young, and if you like the shins i would definitely give them a listen. also, the lyrics are so bizarre. i love it. favorite song - all of them...just kidding. probably wicked gil.
so those are my recommendations for your listening advancement. don't get mad at me for being behind on some of them...there are plenty of people who are way behind me. get mad at them for still listening to the trl countdown from 7th grade.
displace me is this weekend...i'm pretty pumped. it's going to be like last year's global night commute, only on a larger scale. lexington is going to nashville, but for a complete list of cities you can look on invisiblechildren.com. you should go, it's going to be a good time.
speaking of, i am going to be in africa in a little over a month! i am pee-your-pants excited. i just bought a really pimpin' mosquito net, too. seriously...it has a floor and a zippered door, and it was like $90. also, if i wasn't sure before that Jesus wanted me to go, i am now. the trip is $3600 total, and i have already received $3050 in support...and i havent even sent out my support letters yet. uh huh. all i have to do is buy some long skirts, get my typhoid and yellow fever shots, keep studying my french, and i'm set! oui! keep congo in your prayers...the fighting that flared up about a month ago has decreased a lot, but it's still a really unstable situation, especially in kinshasa.
this has taken a lot out of me...i haven't done it in so long, hahaha. so, i'm going to bed. but, since this week is dead week, i will probably find the time to write again. i'm pretty good at making time to do nothing when i have plenty to do.
fin.
well, i haven't written since christmas. neat.
i kept meaning to write in this thing. i seriously did. but ever since i realized that money sucks and i shouldn't care about it, and i started my minor in art studio so that i could do art therapy, i've been busier than i can ever remember (as in, my ONE studio class both simultaneously runs and ruins my life).
there have been more all-nighters this semester than all three others combined. the monday before last, i was in the studio from 8pm to 3am. straight.
yep.
it's fine.
what else...
i went to new york for spring break...that was pretty sweet. rode the subway. served all over the city. ate at the actual life cafe. got mistaken for a native new yorker (that was a good day).
sometimes i forget i have this thing, subsequently i have sort of forgotten how to write in it...mostly i'm doing it right now because i cleaned my room, which led to me finding all of these cds that people burned for me, so i'm now in the process of putting them all on my computer, and that requires me doing something that won't make my computer work too hard. you know.
oh, which makes me think of something.
there is a good chance i will leave out something important...also, don't judge me if you read the list below and find someone you discovered 20 years ago. some people are not as musically-savvy as you. some people weren't even born then. but anyway...
laurel's musical recommendations of spring 2007!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (or, things you should probably check out and/or like...also, in no particular order):
1) gomez - how we operate
i know that i am probably way late on this train, but they're really good. they've had at least one song on the grey's soundtrack, so you may have heard of them that way. they're bluesy british indie rock, and really accessible, for you less musically-adventurous folks (ie, your ipod has 30 songs on it, and half of them are from the nsync cd you got for christmas in middle school). i think my favorite song of theirs right now is "see the world," but i'm sure it will change tomorrow.
2) mika - life in cartoon motion
ok...if you haven't heard of mika, please go to the embarrassing website of your choice (youtube, myspace, etc) and search for "grace kelly." it will change your life. alright, probably not, but you never know. this album is the most fun i've heard in a really, REALLY long time. it just makes me happy. tres pop-y, but you know you love it, even if it's only in secret. favorite song on this one - "love today."
3) amy winehouse - back to black
oh my gosh, amy winehouse is the craziest human that has ever lived. i think she is actually insane. or perpetually intoxicated, whichever...if you ever watch her in an interview, you'll see what i mean (also, the first lyrics of the album are "they tried to make me go to rehab, i said no, no, no"). the point is, her voice makes up for all of that. that and her giant hair. she has a really old-school quality to her voice, and she's pretty darn amazing...even if you generally don't like artists of the female persuasion, give her a chance. favorite song of hers - "back to black."
4) rock kills kid - are you nervous?
this is one of those that, at first, i thought i should be embarrassed about liking. then i realized they were actually good. they have a sort of neo-new wave sound, which i automatically loved. this one's also pretty accessible for those "i really just listen to what's on the radio" people (which, ps, stop...the radio blows). favorite for these guys - hideaway
5) lily allen - alright, still
i want to be lily allen. she is sassy. she is british. she has good clothes. and her album is sweet. i think i listened to it for about 2 or 3 weeks straight when i first got it. her first single, "smile," is actually my least favorite song on the album, but it's all good. sometimes pop-y, sometimes jazzy, sometimes sort of hip hop. it's also surprisingly funny. it's a tie for favorite song - knock 'em out and shame for you
6) diefenbach - set & drift
well, this one i AM kind of embarrassed about...for now. but i am convinced that once more people have heard of this obscure danish band, i will not have to be embarrassed anymore. it's not a new album (released in 2005), but it's new to me, so good enough. since they're danish and don't speak english super-well, the lyrics are quirky (in a good way). sort of post-rock + techno (but not overly techno). favorite song, and the best one for dancing - favourite friend
7) happy hour - magnet heart conveyor
the mike still has to send me this album, but i saw them in concert in january and they are a really awesome indie-folk rock trio (they opened for margot...all opening bands are guilty until proven innocent in my mind, but i was pleasantly surprised). because i have yet to get the album *ahemmikeahem*, i have had to settle for myspace listening, which we all know is crap. however, i can tell you the song that i like best so far - in your head
8) the hush sound - like vines
hitsman introduced me to these guys way back in december, but i didn't really get into them until about a month ago or so, before we went to see them open for mae in cincy. really quirky, really fun and smart indie rock. there are three guys and a girl, and they all do vocals. usually when this happens, it'll be a guy singing one whole song, and then the girl singing another whole song. these guys mix it up mid-song, which i really enjoy. favorite song - wine red
9) new atlantic - the streets, the sounds, and the love
these guys also opened for mae in cincy, and i liked them immediately. their album JUST came out at the beginning of april. fun, dancey, indie pop-rock. definitely going to be a favorite among all those scummy little scene kids, which should make me ashamed, but i'm not. not a lot, anyway. favorite song so far - wire and stone
10) band of horses - everything all the time
yeah, i'm probably pretty late on the train for this one too...i just bought the album on thursday. but, if it restores any kind of credibility, i've been listening to them on other people's itunes and online since december. and they are SO GOOD. i am kind of obsessed right now. the lead singer's voice reminds me a lot of neil young, and if you like the shins i would definitely give them a listen. also, the lyrics are so bizarre. i love it. favorite song - all of them...just kidding. probably wicked gil.
so those are my recommendations for your listening advancement. don't get mad at me for being behind on some of them...there are plenty of people who are way behind me. get mad at them for still listening to the trl countdown from 7th grade.
displace me is this weekend...i'm pretty pumped. it's going to be like last year's global night commute, only on a larger scale. lexington is going to nashville, but for a complete list of cities you can look on invisiblechildren.com. you should go, it's going to be a good time.
speaking of, i am going to be in africa in a little over a month! i am pee-your-pants excited. i just bought a really pimpin' mosquito net, too. seriously...it has a floor and a zippered door, and it was like $90. also, if i wasn't sure before that Jesus wanted me to go, i am now. the trip is $3600 total, and i have already received $3050 in support...and i havent even sent out my support letters yet. uh huh. all i have to do is buy some long skirts, get my typhoid and yellow fever shots, keep studying my french, and i'm set! oui! keep congo in your prayers...the fighting that flared up about a month ago has decreased a lot, but it's still a really unstable situation, especially in kinshasa.
this has taken a lot out of me...i haven't done it in so long, hahaha. so, i'm going to bed. but, since this week is dead week, i will probably find the time to write again. i'm pretty good at making time to do nothing when i have plenty to do.
fin.