Getting back in step...

Sorry that it's been such a quiet week. Things will pick up really soon, we promise. Until then...here's a track off the newest the Bird and the Bee album, Ray Guns Are Not Just the Future, which will be released January 27.

What's In The Middle [mp3]

Honorary Mentions of 2008

There were some albums that just didn't quite do it for us as a whole, but maybe they had that one really good song that we played on repeat. Here are (lucky number) 13 songs that we think deserve Honorary Mentions for 2008 (again in no particular order).

Polite Dance Song [mp3] - The Bird & The Bee (iTunes)
We couldn't stop blasting it everywhere, and although it technically debuted at the end of 2007 on the Please Clap Your Hands EP, it was put on the 2008 album Ray Guns Are Not Just the Future, so it still counts.
EDIT: So when I (lise) looked up this song on iTunes, the Ray Guns Are Not Just the Future was listed on iTunes with a release year of 2008, complete with song list and samples. Then I was reading Pitchfork's Guide to Upcoming Releases and was shocked to discover that that album is set to release for the first time later this month! Not believing my eyes, I immediately went back to iTunes and found that the Ray Guns album is no longer listed. So...either I was celebrating New Years really early without knowing it, or iTunes lies to us and then laughs fiendishly while we appear shame-faced to the rest of the world. Whatever. The song stays.

Be Mine Everyone [mp3] - Sam Champion (iTunes)
This catchy rock tune had everyone in the blogosphere talking (and dancing) this year. Em first heard the song when she saw Sam Champion perform at Prospect Park this summer and it still never fails to make us rock out.

Be OK (mp3 removed by request)  - Ingrid Michaelson (iTunes)
This song could've been another Hurt Myself-esque song, given different instrumentation and slower tempo, but Ingrid took these lyrics and made it a piece of upbeat catchy pop gold.

Kill The Lights [mp3] - Britney Spears (iTunes)
Simultaneously sexy and creepy, this is our favorite track off of Britney's rather fascinating, strange "comeback" album (personally, we liked "Blackout" better...)

Days Go On [mp3] - Greg Laswell (iTunes)
One of Lise's gfps, and a perfect example of how a song can carry a repetitious hook if it just keeps on moving forward.

A Song for Ellie Greenwich [mp3] - Parenthetical Girls (iTunes)
Parenthetical Girls brought in sounds from just about every era imaginable on their last album. This interesting single has stayed on our playlists since we got it in the summer.

Handlebars [mp3]- Flobots (iTunes)
This seemed to be the song that more people than you realized knew. All that needed to be said was "I can lead a nation with a microphone, with a microphone, with a microphone," and you'd hear someone else sing "and I can split the atom of a molecule, of a molecule, of a molecule."

Jager Yoga [mp3] - CSS (iTunes)
While it's no Alala or Music is my Hot Hot Sex, CSS still knows how to make a catchy dance tune.

The Stoop [mp3] - Little Jackie (iTunes)
We love our summer songs here at GFP, and this was definitely one of top. Nevermind that Little Jackie pulled in New York from Flava Of Love/I Love New York to do backup vocals (really?!?), this song is still great and makes us bob our heads along.

Losing Myself [mp3] - Brazilian Girls (iTunes)
We're not sure anything could top their 2006 hit Jique, but this is a fun, slightly dark, multi-lingual dance song anyway - Brazilian Girls' specialty.

Inside a Boy [mp3] - My Brightest Diamond (iTunes)
Haunting and dramatic. 'Nuff said.

White Shade [mp3] - Lukestar (iTunes)
This one took a little while to grow on us but now we're listening to it on repeat. Part breathy ballad sound and part sexy rock, this song has something for everyone.

Can't Shake It [mp3] - Kate Miller-Heidke (iTunes)
The relateable story of not being able to look gorgeous while dancing in the form of a wonderful pop-electronic hit from an Australian ex-opera star.

Holiday Hash pt. 2

Em's traveling the world today and I'm still riding high on my holiday music buzz, so here's part 2 already.

I've Got My Love To Keep Me Warm (Stuhr Remix) - Kay Starr [mp3] (itunes)

Carol of the Bells - The Bird and the Bee [mp3] (itunes) (myspace)

Everything's Gonna Be Cool This Christmas - The Eels [mp3] (itunes) (myspace)

The Christians and the Pagans - Dar Williams [mp3] (itunes) (myspace)

Baby It's Cold Outside - Johnny Mercer and Margaret Whiting [mp3]

Hey Guys! It's Christmas Time! - Sufjan Stevens [mp3] (itunes) (myspace)

A Christmas/Kwanzaa/Solstice/Chanukah/Ramadan/Boxing Day Song - Christine Lavin & The Mistletones [mp3] (itunes)

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Its soooommeone's birthday!

Happy Birthday, Em!

Happy Birthday (12" mix) by Altered Images [mp3]

Birthday by The Bird and the Bee [mp3]

Birthday by The Beatles  [mp3]

You're Allowed 20 Birthday Parties  by Patton Oswalt [mp3]

The Boy is Mine by Brandy and Monica [mp3] (our favorite song for a large majority of our coexistence) 

Lise's Top 5 of the Summer

It's mid-August, and sooner or later I'm going to have to prepare myself for fall. Part of my grieving process is to look back on all the good things that happened this summer, including the music that really made my summer. Here are my top 5.

Lovesong [mp3] by Annie Stela. I still don't know what that girl's PR people are doing, but they need to get on top of it. This song should've been a summer single hit, but Annie still remains relatively unknown. Strongly recommended if you like Sara Bareilles.

Polite Dance Song [mp3] by The Bird & The Bee. It remained throughout the summer THE song I loved to blare out my windows while driving around town.

Okay[mp3] by KaiserCartel. Come on. I love this song. Of course its on here.

Crying for the Queen [mp3] by Little Jackie. Choosing between this song and The Stoop was hard, but in the end, this song was a bit more summery with well-placed horns and bells.

I Still Don't Believe You [mp3] by Catherine Feeny. Simply stated, I really needed this song this summer.

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Bands That Sound the Same La La Naive and The Bird & The Bee

Maybe it was the first time you heard a Kate Nash song and thought it was Lily Allen, or maybe it was the time you heard OneRepublic's "Won't Stop" and thought it was Coldplay feat. that guy from Maroon 5, or maybe it was all the way back when you couldn't distinguish the differences between 98 Degrees, N'SYNC, and the Backstreet Boys (but didn't really care), but I'd like to think we've all done it at some point. We've all had a moment where we seemingly discover what I like to call "band-twins" - two bands that sound similar enough to mix up. So today I bring to you, gentle readers, two bands that I think sound the same: La La Naive and The Bird & The Bee.

Now, I am going to assume that we are all familiar with The Bird & The Bee's catchy hit "Again and Again" (if not, here's the youtube). Nice, strong-yet-airy female lead, use of bells, a certain echo-y atmosphere similar to other electro-pop artists such as Frou Frou... well, The Bird and the Bee, allow me to introduce you to your Band Twin: La La Naive. With their glockenspiels and synths, Marie-Louise Grund Petersen and Troels Knud Damgaard put out their own foot-tapping single, "My Favourite Place." They are currently unsigned and only have one song on their myspace, but if the single is any indication of their musical ability and overall sound, it looks like La La Naive will be sharing the large fan base of The Bird and The Bee.

I'm going to post two songs from The Bird and the Bee's latest 2 EPs, Please Clap Your Hands and One Too Many Hearts. Their sound has matured, but still, take a listen and let me know what you think.

My Favourite Place [mp3] by La La Naive (iTunes unavailable)

Polite Dance Song [mp3] by The Bird & The Bee (iTunes)

Come As You Were [mp3] by The Bird & The Bee (iTunes)

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Theme Thursday - Masochism

A few things before I get to Theme Thursday. 1. Photos and a detailed description of The Mp3 Experiment 4 are up on Improv Everywhere's site. 2. I got to see a preview (or well, my friend called it a preview but according to their website, the play runs August 8th to September 9th, so I'm not sure why she called it a preview) of Shakespeare in the Park's "A Midsummer Night's Dream" last night. It was very enjoyable, despite the slightly chilly weather (but hey, it's no more chilly than most of the air conditioned theaters). And it didn't rain, so that's good. The second half of the play is definitely way better than the first half, so don't leave at intermission (I overheard a guy at a restaurant later saying he left at intermission because he was cold and I told him he missed out). I literally laughed so hard I cried. My favorite part (and I think everyone's favorite part) was the play-within-the-play. The only thing I didn't like was how much music they incorporated, particularly at the very end when they ended it with a boring song instead of just the monologues. The music seemed unnatural. It didn't quite fit and a lot of those actors aren't singers, so it didn't even really sound that great. For the most part the acting was great, although I didn't like the way Mireille Enos overplayed the role of Hermia. I'd have to say my favorites were the workers-turned-actors (who put on the play-within-the-play toward the end). They were all such characters and cracked me up every time they did anything. A word of warning to you if you go though, you have to get in line for tickets (because they're free) by about 7am even though the box office doesn't open until 1pm. I tried to go to Romeo and Juliet but I got there at like 9:30am and was already way behind the cut-off point. Luckily I got these tickets through a friend, so there was no waiting in line involved (I love theater but I am not about to stand in line - or "on line" as New Yorkers like to say - for 6 or so hours). Anyway, now on to Theme Thursday.

Since nobody gave me any suggestions, and since I did sadism last week, I thought I would make this week's theme masochism. Music for Masochists? Yay aliteration. This one should be a lot easier. As I said before, a lot of songs about unrequited love have a certain masochistic undertone.

Let's start with a classic 90s pop song: Love Fool [mp3] - The Cardigans - "First Band on the Moon" (iTunes). This song and I have a sordid (and masochistic) history and so it was the first one I thought of. It's so catchy and upbeat, despite it's rather depressing premise. Maybe this song doesn't seem masochistic to everyone else, but staying with someone you know doesn't really love you is pretty masochistic in my book.

Another upbeat-sounding song: Again and Again [mp3] - The Bird and The Bee - "The Bird and The Bee" (iTunes). This song's masochistic undertones are more subtle. But the lyrics have that sense of repeating mistakes because you just can't help yourself and it hurts but you can't get enough of it. Lyrics: "You're so stupid and perfect and stupid and perfect. I hate you, I want you, I hate you, I hate you. Again, again, again." I'd say it fits.

Mama Mia [mp3] - ABBA - "ABBA Gold" (iTunes). This song is the epitome of that whole "not letting go when you really should" thing I have been describing this whole entry. This one's pretty upbeat too. Why are all masochistic songs so upbeat? Strange, right?

Kill! Kill! Kill! [mp3] - The Pierces - "Thirteen Tales of Love and Revenge" (iTunes). I don't know if this song is so much masochistic as just about not being able to get over someone. But I'm totally obsessed with The Pierces and have been looking for a excuses to post about them again. Seriously people, "Thirteen Tales..." is definitely on my list for best albums of 2007. Listen to it. Love it.

My Man (Medley) [mp3] - Regina Spektor - "Live at Bull Moose" (iTunes unavailable). I'd say this one fits the theme best so far. "My man don't treat me right... but he loves me, he loves me, he really really loves me..." And hey, this one's not so upbeat either.

Ok, that's all for today. Leave theme ideas for next Theme Thursday! Tata dahlings.

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