Good news for you!

Hello, friends! So, good news, today I am going to share with you my four favorite songs by one of my favorite bands, Beirut. Are you ready for this insanity?

I first heard of Beirut whilst in Gainesville for a visit [prior to my move there]. It was a delectable treat for my ears. So, when I got home, I googled them, and here we are.

Beirut is a ten-piece, orchestral-type band, complete with strings, brass, percussion, and other delicious sounds including accordions and keys. The songs are very loose and free flowing, some of the musicians having been told not to play so perfectly:

"But no matter what its influences, Beirut has to sound old, and soulful, and somehow off. “I like it brash and drunken and full of feeling. When our new trumpet player came in, he sounded very regal and was perfectly alliterating all the notes. I remember saying, No, you have to slop it up!"" - Zach Condon, lead vocals for Beirut

With that, the four:
Elephant Gun


Forks and Knives (La Fête)


Un Dernier Verre (pour la route)


In the Mausoleum



So there you have it, I hope you took the time to watch/listen to them all.

“There are three ways I see music used in the modern world,” Condon says. “One is for thinkers: They approach it analytically. Then there are people who use music to get a raw attitude out. And then there are people who are simply looking for beauty, for the sentimentality that good music has.” -ZC

I will fear no evil...

Wow, it's seriously been over four months since I've done anything with this beast besides comment on Brian's blog. Hmph, sorry.

It's a little silly, because the past four months have brought with them some amazing music. I think I've just been so incredibly busy - too busy to think of eloquently placed words and sentences to update this with any sense of dignity attached. Well, I will do my best to not stumble my way through this.

I think I'll save the music I'm actually speaking of for another day, because I feel the need to point out a song that's in my head right now, and I'm really glad it is!

"Never Let Go," is a praise song by Matt Redman. The words are simple, probably some you've heard before, but the message is powerful. I love this song, the beat, the words, the melody. It's all wonderful, and adds up to create an amazingly worshipful song! Please, give it a listen, and think about it!

Build a wall of books between us.

The brain is a funny thing.

I haven't listened to Death Cab in a few weeks, but today I just randomly started singing "Styrofoam Plates," whilst cleaning out a guinea pig's cage. That song is super intense, lyrics-wise. About a father who was never around and did nothing for the family. [Remind you of anyone? It does for me. Think: Mallory's birth-father.]

Anywho, I'm not bitter, what evs. The dad I've got now is perfect.

So yeah, that song came into my head, as did "Days and Days," by Tegan and Sara.

Today I will not recommend another Grizzly Bear song, (though it would still be amazing) but instead, I recommend:
[a throwback!] "Hello, it's Me," by Todd Rundgren. An oldy, but a DEFINITE goody. For reals.



Sweet, sweet. I learned this on bass too. :]

You can hold out the evening as long as you'd like.

I realize that I have occasionally veered from the theme of music when it comes to my posts. I know, I have a LiveJournal for that. I do apologize most sincerely.

So, starting today, every post will be somehow linked to music, unless explicitly requested otherwise. Hopefully I'll be able to provide you with a video or mp3 of a song recommendation, and hopefully you're musical horizon will be comfortably stretched in all directions. [I do realize that the word "horizon" is, in fact, describing a thing exclusively horizontal, but I hope you'll be able to ignore my lack of significant vocabulary in this area.]

Since I have been listening only to Grizzly Bear for the past two days, and have failed to escape the apparent need I have to hear their music, it would be unnatural for me to request something outside of their musical repertoire.

So, today I recommend to you, reader:
"On a Neck, On a Spit," by the same, wonderful Grizzly Bear that I have grown to love.
[I do apologize for lack of video entertainment, just close your eyes and envision it.]



Lovely, just lovely.

Headaches abound.

I've been in a mildly rotten mood for the past few days. I can't explain it. There's not much I'd really like to say right now, except for that I miss Gainesville, and have recently become enthralled with a song.

In lieu of that, today I recommend:

"While You Wait for the Others," by the extremely fantastical and amazing, Grizzly Bear.



Ah, they sound so amazing live. It's like every note, every beat, and every instrumental bit is just perfectly placed in this song. Every video I've seen of Grizzly Bear performing this song, it's been perfect. I first heard/saw this song performed on Late Night with Conan O'Brien, some time in April. At the end, when Conan comes to shake hands with and thank the band, you could hear the shock in his voice. He kept saying, "That was great!" in a voice filled with amazed disbelief. So, if Grizzly Bear has piqued your musical interest, please check out some of their other tracks on Myspace.

Peace.

And keep you there so you can see it.

I got way not enough sleep last night. I'm pretty sure there's something wrong with that sentence, but I'm so tired, it doesn't matter.

I finally got a job, and it's at this exotic pet store. Kinkajous, Lemurs, Monkeys, and all sorts of other living shenanigans. Unfortunately they only have one snake, which is a ball python. Eh, I wish there were more, but I'll only be there for two months, so it's fine.

Anyway, recently I've gotten into playing the piano again, and I've used my free time at home to try and learn my favorite piano songs. [Like "Hey, Jude!"] Or just favorite songs that have piano in them. [Like Beirut!]

So those are some fun times.

In light of my recent exposure to live Steely Dan, today I recommend "Josie," one of my favorite Steely Dan tracks. Plus... this song is so much fun to play, be it guitar or bass, it doesn't matter. So listen!



Ah, amazing.

Hey Jude, you'll do...

WAH!

But in all seriousness, today I am ecstatic. Srsly.

I convinced my Mops and Broski to accompany me to a Reptilian and exotic pet expo...show...thing. [My niece tagged along as well.] WELL, it was supposed to be until four in the p.m., so we got there at abooouuuut half past two. But, EEK! People were already starting to pack up and vacate the premises... crazy, right? Ah well, we got in fo' free!

So we're lookin' and lookin' and I see this gorgeous little (or not) snake. I mean, beautiful. Her "label" says, "'B' Grade Nic Boa." That means it's a Nicaraguan Boa (which I had never seen), but I was not too sure about the whole "B grade" thing. So I asked, naturally. Poor whipper has a bump on her nose! So he takes her out and I enjoy her company:



See? I did.
Asking price?

FORTY DOLLARS. Do you even - That's SO cheap for a Boa of her... ethnicity. I'll put it this way, the others (sans bump) were selling for one hundred and forty dollars. I mean, really.

So, of course, my heart twinged for this little one. So I obtained her. And she is now mine.

"Aw, ain't she sweet?"

Indeed, sweet.
So now I need a superb name for her. Ready? ......... SUGGEST!