The Temper Trap

So, my latest obsession is The Temper Trap. I know they have been around for awhile but I'm just now really getting into them. You may be familiar with their song Sweet Disposition. It was on the 500 Days of Summer soundtrack. Great movie, by the way!

I digress...So I am totally LOVING their song Fader. It's such a fun, catchy song! And to be frank, I have a HUGE crush on the lead singer, Dougy Mandagi! He's UBER CUTE! Talented and good-looking? What more could a girl ask for? ;)

Everywhere I Go

I just discovered Lissie a few weeks ago. And then I noticed one of my favorite artists Andrew Belle mentioned her in one of his status posts on Facebook. So I decided to check her out again. I found her video on youtube for her track "Everywhere I Go" and I am IN LOVE with it!

This video features an elephant. I absolutely LOVE elephants! The elephant is casually following her around and the scenery is so beautiful. It's such a cool video! I love it. Oh, and the song is amazing too. ;) I really like her soulful, raspy voice.

See for yourself...

Hold Onto Hope Love by Amy Stroup

This is a beautiful song by Amy Stroup.

True by The Frames

This song is utterly AMAZING. It completely epitomizes passion. Glen Hansard is an incredible performer. I saw him perform last year and it was truly the BEST concert I've ever been to! This song gives me chills. I can totally relate to the lyrics. If this song doesn't move you, there is something VERY wrong with you. Here are the lyrics:

True

I find it so hard to be true
And all these lies I'm telling you
Are little anchors in my chest
That pull us down into this mess
I find it easy to distract
And just as soon as you turn
Your back, I'll be gone again

I find it so hard to be true
And all the secrets
I keep from you
Are like a blackness
In my heart that
Only tears us both apart
I find it easy to pretend
That we're not heading for our end
This I'm telling you

I built a wall..
I cut you off..
Now there's no lies
That's gonna fix this up

I played the saint
And a saint I ain't
Now all the hurt
Is here again.... here again

I find it so hard to be true
But I'm gonna try my best for you
And every distance that we've known
Will disappear before too long
And every line we've ever drawn
Will be erased before we're gone..
And this I swear to you..

I built a wall
I cut you off
No there's no lie
That's gonna fix this hurt..

I played the saint
I cursed your name
Now there's no-one
But myself to blame
That you're gone....

We had it down in the end to
You know I hate it this way
You keep on pushing on me
They say it's never too late
I'm afraid it is now for me

When every word that you say
I can't know how I can believe
And now you've pushed me away
Till I was way beyond me

I know I'll be lonely without you
But there's no fight left in me
I'm breaking down all the walls
You slowly built around me

Why do you ask for my trust?
When you're not worthy of it?
I find it hard to adjust
To the lines you're drawing for me.

Wait!

And here is the song. Please listen to the whole video. The end is INCREDIBLE. Glen Hansard is HANDS DOWN the most brilliant artist I've ever seen. If you haven't seen him live, you MUST. I promise you will be totally impressed with his passion. TRUST ME.

Sia's "Lullaby"

I heard this song while watching the trailer for the upcoming movie Hereafter with Matt Damon. I recognized the voice immediately as Sia. Little did I know that I had already downloaded this song. So that was a nice surprise. :)

It's a truly beautiful track.

http://www.amazon.com/Lullaby/dp/B0011U47FC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=dmusic&qid=1286749426&sr=8-1

I Heart Andrew Belle!

As many of you know, I went to Fitzgerald's this past Saturday night with my sister to see one of my favorite new artists, Andrew Belle. We got there early so we were able to sit in the FRONT ROW! I was literally just a few feet away from him!!! And the best part is he hung out after his performance and GUESS WHAT?! My sister and I got to meet him!!! And he signed our T-shirts! I have the pictures to proof it. ;)

I told him how much of a fan I am and how I'm on Team Belle (No, seriously. I really am!) and how I recruited my sister Tisha. She's a big fan now too! We got to chat with him for a minute or two. So that was AWESOME!!!

You can check out his website to listen to some of his songs at http://www.andrewbelle.com/. His latest album The Ladder is AMAZING!!! I love every track on it! Seriously. EVERY SINGLE TRACK.

Here are some pics from the show...






Note: I was a little bummed that Andrew looks SO HAPPY in the pic with my sister. She got his nice white teeth in her pic! But I didn't. No fair! :(



And here is his latest video for Static Waves...

Sarah McLachlan's Laws of Illusion

As many of you know, I have been an avid Sarah McLachlan fan for at least 17 years now. Maybe even longer than that. She is amazing. Her voice is like an angel. My favorite album of course was "Fumbling Towards Ecstasy. It was brilliant. I liked every track on that album. To me, none of her other albums have even compared to that album. However, many of her other albums were still great albums nonetheless. Some artists just have that ONE album that is hard to surpass. That's how I felt about Alanis Morissette's "Jagged Little Pill" album as well.

So, I recently purchased Sarah McLachlan's new album "Laws of Illusion" and I must say I really like it. I wasn't that impressed with the first 4 songs but I liked tracks 5 through 13. I especially love the piano version of "Love Come." It's absolutely beautiful. I like it better than the original verison which is track 7. I also loved track 8 called "Out of Tune." I especially love these lyrics:

But when I'm lying here with you
And the whole world's out of tune
You're the one and only voice that makes things right
So stay with me tonight

I was definitely impressed with this album. Even though I'm not as totally OBSESSED with her as I used to be, I still consider myself a HUGE fan. She is still one of my favorite artists. And I think I will always buy her albums. Always.

She is coming to Houston in November. I hope I get to go see her again. It would be my fifth time! I'd like to see if anyone can beat that record! ;)

To listen to this album, you can do so on Amazon. Here is a link:
http://www.amazon.com/Laws-Illusion-Sarah-McLachlan/dp/B00387F6ZG/ref=sr_1_1?s=gateway&ie=UTF8&qid=1285454274&sr=8-1.

I heart Ray LaMontagne!

I admit I have been fighting my love for Ray LaMontagne. My online radio stations always recommended him and I wasn't sure how I felt about him. Some of his songs I liked but some, not so much. Until I heard "Within You." OMG, that song is pure beauty and love! I just love it! It gives me chills. It's so amazing and beautiful. There are very few lyrics in this song but it's so powerful and meaningful.

So I have decided that I truly love Ray LaMontagne. He has won. This song has opened my eyes. He is a god. And I worship him.

Enjoy...

Florence + The Machine

I am OBSESSED with Florence + The Machine. Initially, my sister recommended them to me because she heard one of their songs called Cosmic Love on So You Think You Can Dance. So I checked out the album Lungs on iTunes and I love it!

Dog Days Are Over is an amazing track and it's also featured in the commerical for the new film Eat, Pray, Love with Julia Roberts. I'm not sure if it's in the movie though because I didn't see it listed on the soundtrack. I also love the tracks Howl, My Boy Builds Coffins, I'm Not Calling You A Liar and You've Got The Love.

Their music style is very similar to Bat For Lashes. So if you like Bat For Lashes, then I think you will definitely enjoy Florence + The Machine.

To preview this album, please click on this link to Amazon to listen to all the tracks:

http://www.amazon.com/Lungs-Florence-Machine/dp/B001PB3RU8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1280705051&sr=8-1

You can also check out their website for some of their music videos:
http://florenceandthemachine.net/video

I especially love the video to Cosmic Love. I think it's absolutely stunning! She's a redhead so naturally I love her even more! ;)

Athlete "Black Swan"

Athlete's latest album "Black Swan" is AMAZING. I like every single track on it. I've liked Athlete for awhile now ever since I heard their song "Wires." This album does not disappoint. I especially love the song "Rubik's Cube."

Trust me. Give it a listen...

http://www.amazon.com/Black-Swan-Athlete/dp/B0033AX24K/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1278044770&sr=8-2

William Fitzsimmons

William Fitzsimmons is one of my favorite artists. Actually, I so lovingly call him Will Fitz. It has a nice ring to it. Don't you think? My sister Tisha and I had the pleasure of meeting him briefly last year when he performed at Cactus Music in Houston. He was so kind and soft-spoken. His music is so beautiful and mellow. I just love it.

If you have the time, please check out his music. If you like Iron & Wine, you would probably like his music. It's very similar. If I had to categorize his music style, I'd say it's contemporary folk.

I love his album "Goodnight." It's amazing. To check out his music, you can do so on Amazon or iTunes. Or you can visit his website at http://williamfitzsimmons.com/.

Below are some pics of myself and my sister with him. :)




Come to think of it, his music is very similar to Joshua Radin too. Speaking of Joshua Radin (not that I like to drop names or anything! :P), I have pics of us with him as well! I'll have to post them in a future blog. I also have pics of myself with Sarah McLachlan from 1997! Yep, it's true! Sorry, now I'm just bragging. Oops, that's not very nice of me. I'll post those pics later as well. ;) So now you have something to look forward to!

I know you must be SO JEALOUS right about now! ;) Don't hate...Appreciate!

Angus & Julia Stone

Angus & Julia Stone is another duo I'm a big fan of. I just discovered their website tonight. I love it. Very cool. If you like Iron & Wine, you would probably like Angus & Julia Stone. Their music style is very similar. Here's a link to their website: http://angusandjuliastone.com/.

Their latest EP entitled "Big Jet Plane" is only $2.99 on iTunes. I love the track "Big Jet Plane." And of course I love their track "You're The One That I Want." It's a cover of the song by Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta from Grease. I really like their rendition. I adored Grease growing up so naturally I'm drawn to this song. Their version is very fresh. It totally works for me.

And their latest full-length album "Down The Way" is only $9.99 on iTunes. It has 13 tracks and 3 videos. That's a great price! I'm listening to it now. I love this style of music. It's very mellow with a lot of acoustic guitar, which I love. Julia Stone's voice is very distinctive. This album is amazing too! "I'm Not Yours" is especially a beautiful track.

"What You Wanted" is one of my favorite songs by them from their previous EP "Just A Boy." Here is the video for it.



Please give them a listen. You won't regret it.

The Civil Wars

My latest obsession...The Civil Wars. I discovered this duo on iTunes when listening to Andrew Belle's albums. Their EP which is entitled "Poison & Wine" is only $3.96 on iTunes. You can also buy the MP3 album for $3.96 on Amazon. I think their style is similar to The Swell Season so that's probably why I like them so much. ;)

To preview the songs on this EP, you can do so on this page: http://www.amazon.com/Poison-Wine-EP/dp/B002XHQCSM/ref=dm_ap_alb1.

Below is the official video to their track "Poison & Wine."

The Swell Season Free Download

What do I love more than great music? How about FREE great music! And yes, it just so happens to be a free song from my absolute favorite band in the world, The Swell Season! Today must be my lucky day!!!

Enjoy!

http://www.levispioneersessions.com/artists/the-swell-season/

Court Yard Hounds

I can't believe I am actually posting a blog about a COUNTRY album! Yes, it's true!!! Don't hold it against me, OK? I don't usually like country music but I'm really digging the Court Yard Hounds new album!

I was curious to hear this album. I was shopping at Barnes & Noble this weekend and saw this CD. So I picked it up and gave it a listen. I was totally impressed! And trust me, that RARELY happens with country music! I was so impressed, in fact, that I actually BOUGHT the CD. I don't usually buy CDs anymore. I just download tracks on iTunes.

Anyway, if you are not familiar with the Court Yard Hounds they are basically The Dixie Chicks sans the lead singer Natalie Maines. This country duo consists of sisters Martie Maguire and Emily Robison. I was never really a big fan of Natalie Maines' voice (or her personality, for that matter) so I really can appreciate this album. It seems a lot more mellow than The Dixie Chicks. The sisters have beautiful voices and they harmonize very well.

I really like the track with Jakob Dylan called "See You In The Spring." I like the lyrics:

'Cause baby, your Summer is nothing but prison
It drives me away
And maybe, come Winter, we can't be together
But love will come again
'Til then I'll see you in the Spring
Ah, so don't throw it all away
Throw it all away

You should check it out!

http://www.courtyardhounds.com/us/home

*New Artist Alert*

I just discovered a new artist on iTunes and I wanted to share with all of you! His name is Andrew Belle. He's awesome! If you like singer-songwriter artists like Greg Laswell and Cary Brothers, then you'll like his music. And his album The Ladder is only $5.99 on iTunes right now! Check him out...

http://www.andrewbelle.com/

Cary Brothers New Album "Under Control"

I recently downloaded Cary Brothers' second album Under Control. It's phenomenal! I can honestly say I love every single track on this album! My favorite tracks are Ghost Town , Belong and Alien. Cary Brothers is one of my favorite artists and you can see why by listening to this masterpiece!

I love how he sings. You can hear the emotion in his voice. I love his breathy rants. They are breathtaking if you ask me. He does no wrong in my eyes. His voice is soft yet so powerful and emotional. He plays piano and guitar. He does it all.

He is the epitome of my favorite style of music, which I have a hard time describing...But here I go: Singer-songwriter, indie-folk-acoustic-pop-rock. That pretty much sums it up! ;) I tend to like really mellow music. This album is very mellow. Most of the songs are subdued but a few are more upbeat. They are all PERFECTION!

Anyway, I really think you should check out Under Control (in case you didn't get that!) and I promise you won't regret it!!! Click on the link below and you can go to his website and get a free download of one of his tracks Over and Out! I hope you all enjoy this album as much as I do!

http://carybrothers.com/

Cary Brothers' New Single "Ghost Town"

One of my favorite artists, Cary Brothers, has a new single out called "Ghost Town." It's amazing! Of course he never disappoints. It's a very mellow track like most of the tracks on his first album "Who You Are." I truly liked every track on his debut album and that's rare. I can't wait for his second album "Under Control!" The release date is April 6. Here's a link to listen to his new track "Ghost Town":

http://www.amazon.com/Ghost-Town/dp/B003B7V9LI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=dmusic&qid=1269397248&sr=8-1-catcorr

For those of you that are not familiar with him, he is probably best known for the song "Blue Eyes" that was featured on the soundtrack for Garden State. The whole soundtrack for that movie is amazing. It includes a lot of great artists like Coldplay, The Shins, Zero 7 and Iron & Wine. And the movie is awesome. It was written by Zach Braff. He also stars in it. It's one of my all-time favorite films. For a track listing of the Garden State soundtrack, click the link below:

http://www.amazon.com/Garden-State-Various-Artists/dp/B0002J58LK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1269395007&sr=8-1

My sister and I were fortunate enough to meet Cary Brothers back in 2007. He was performing at The Meridian on the Hotel Cafe tour. He seemed like a really cool guy. We chatted with him for a few minutes. He signed my CD and took some pics with us.









Oh and yes I know I'm totally a dork for posting the pics of our Chucks and my signed CD. What can I say? But I know you're all SO jealous! ;)

The Swell Season

Hi everyone. As many of you already know, I am OBSESSED with music. I truly can't live without music. In fact, I'm listening to it now as I type this. I love discovering new artists and recommending music to my friends and family. That's why I'm here.


Mainly, I listen to acoustic, indie, folk-pop and alternative music. Recently, I've been obsessed with The Swell Season. Their latest album, Strict Joy is nothing short of AMAZING! I have recommended this album to at least a dozen people and every single person has really liked it! Every track on the album is awesome.

I was lucky enough to see them perform live last year. It was truly the BEST concert I've ever been to! Glen Hansard's passion for performing is unbelievable! I think everyone in the audience was moved. My sister went with me and now she is an avid fan. They are truly incredible artists.

If you haven't checked out their latest album, you can go to Amazon and listen to all the tracks.

http://www.amazon.com/Strict-Joy-Swell-Season/dp/B002HWUU1I/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1269110787&sr=8-1

For those of you that haven't seen the film Once, you must see it! Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova star in this film and they won and Oscar for Best Original Song with their touching single "Falling Slowly." Once is an inspiring indie-romance drama with a beautiful soundtrack. It's a modern-day musical that all music lovers could appreciate. Their love of music brings them together and their feelings for each other grows in the process. They actually became a real-life couple while making this film but have subsequently gone their separate ways. The tracks on Strict Joy reflect this. You can sense the regret, sadness and hope in their songs.

I really loved their video for their track "Low Rising." I think they did an amazing job expressing their love for one another and sadness at the same time. I love at the end when they embrace. (sigh)

Here is the video for your viewing pleasure:



In my eyes, The Swell Season is magical. They have cast a spell on me that I can't seem to shake but luckily, I don't want to. :)