Mothers' Day Mixtape

My mother is a punk rocker. She went to concerts a lot when I was growing up. She was even in the "Somebody to Shove" music video by Soul Asylum when I was a kid (just an extra, but I still thought it was pretty cool). Instead of listening to children's music in the car, we listened to great late-80's / early-'90s music like EMF, Nirvana, Midnight Oil and Erasure to name a few of the ones I remember liking the most as a child. And so it is fitting that the mothers' day present she requested of me was a playlist / mixtape. Sorry it's a little late, mom. Here were her requirements:
~Ramones-fast
~No ballads, only exception one or two hooky high drama numbers
~No sensitive singer/songwriters; they've got to rock like they mean it
~No Britney - no exceptions (I like to annoy her by putting Britney Spears on the mix CDs I make for her)
~Released in the last year, unless it is absolutely the perfect choice between two songs
~Must make me want to get out of the car and dance

Here is what I came up with. They don't follow all the criteria perfectly, but I think I did pretty well. Feel free to post your suggestions in the comments:

Dance Floor [mp3] - Apples in Stereo (iTunes / Amazon)

Drumming Song [mp3] - Florence & the Machine (iTunes / Amazon)

Kick Drum Heart [mp3] - The Avett Brothers (iTunes / Amazon)

Mountain Man [mp3] - Crash Kings (iTunes / Amazon)

TV [mp3] - Headlights (iTunes / Amazon)

Western Hospitality [mp3] - Club 8 (iTunes / Amazon)

Luna [mp3] - Fanfarlo (iTunes / Amazon)

The Reeling [mp3] - Passion Pit (iTunes / Amazon)

Strictly Game [mp3] - Harlem Shakes (iTunes / Amazon)

And I offer this last song separately because I feel like I've already put it on one of her mix CDs even though it's not on my list. But I'll throw it on just in case, because if it's not on there, that's a travesty. 

12345678 [mp3] - The Hard Lessons (iTunes / Amazon)

Park Slope is the place to be on Wednesday

So, for those of you who did not manage to score tickets to MGMT's sold out performance at Celebrate Brooklyn, don't despair! Some of my favorite bands are playing at some my favorite Park Slope music venues tomorrow night:

Head to Union Hall to bask in the beautiful dramatic melodies of NYC band Ravens & Chimes. Doors at 7:30pm. Cover $8.

Mosey on over to Union Hall's sister bar, Bell House, to rock out to NYC band Apollo Run and my fave Detroit trio, The Hard Lessons. Doors at 7:30pm. Cover $8. 18+

So many great shows, so little time... This is one of those situations I wish I could be in many places at once.

This Is Where We Are [mp3] - Ravens & Chimes (iTunes)
Love Song [mp3] - Apollo Run (iTunes)
Arms Forest [mp3] - The Hard Lessons (iTunes)

The Hard Lessons @ Union Hall + New Album!

Friday night I went out in the ridiculously gross weather to see the last night of The Hard Lessons' residency at Union Hall (disclaimer: this photo isn't mine. I got it off their website, but didn't see a photo credit anywhere). This was also the first time I've seen them perform with their new drummer, Ryan Vee, and since Auggie and Koko got married (that makes me feel old...). They redecorated a lot of their equipment with screenprints of themselves that say "husband" and "wife" on them, which is cute.

As always, it was a great show with lots of energy. The set felt incredibly short to me for some reason, probably because they're such engaging performers (and just in general cool people). Although I do have to say that they didn't play hardly any of my old favorites (or even semi-new favorites...), which made me kind of sad. But they played a few new songs, including "Wedding Ring," which was featured on Grey's Anatomy the night before. Their new album, Arms Forest, comes out this month and it is full of solid tunes guaranteed to have you singing/shouting along and rocking out. My favorite track is probably the title track, "Arms Forest" but it's definitely a great album overall. One of my favorites so far this year. And it's neat to be able to see how far they've come since I first saw them at The Creek and the Cave almost 2 years ago.

Arms Forest [mp3] - (iTunes)

An exciting week for The Hard Lessons

This week is an exciting one for one of my favorite bands, The Hard Lessons. Apparently one of their new songs ("Wedding Ring") from their upcoming album, Arms Forest, is going to be featured on Grey's Anatomy this Thursday. I was going to do a Grey's Predictions post for it, but I thought that would be cheating since I read about it ;-) Check out the song and some more of their new stuff on their myspace.

They're also doing a residence at Union Hall this week, here in Brooklyn. Their first show was Monday, but there are two more to catch if you missed it: Wednesday and Friday.

Road Trip Mix

A couple of people (including GFP's own Lise) are going on road trips soon, so I thought I would make a little road trip mix. I have about 8 driving mixes that I've made in the past few years, despite the fact that I drive about 4 times a year. I find that music really improves the experience though while driving. Here are some songs that are fun to drive to and that will keep you energized when you're on the road for a while.

12345678 [mp3] - The Hard Lessons - B&G Sides (iTunes)
I Feel It All [mp3] - Feist - The Reminder (iTunes)
Tell Me How You Want It [mp3] - Julius C - Julius C Says (iTunes)
Lego [mp3] - The Maccabees - Colour It In (iTunes)
Cowbell [mp3] - Tapes 'n Tapes - The Loon (iTunes)
The Legend of the Last of the Outlaw Truckers AKA The Ballad of Sheriff Shorty [mp3] - The Dandy Warhols - Earth to the Dandy Warhols (iTunes)
Hey [mp3] - Elvis Perkins in Dearland - Elvis Perkins in Dearland (iTunes)
The Sweat Descends [mp3] - Les Savy Fav - Inches (iTunes)
You Don't Love Me [mp3] - The Kooks - Inside In / Inside Out (iTunes)
Golden Star [mp3] - My Brightest Diamond - Bring Me the Workhorse (iTunes)

And if you happen to be driving through the mountains, I randomly discovered that just about anything by Frontier Ruckus is really perfect for that while I was in Utah.

Best Non-Debut Albums of 2008

Yesterday we brought you our list of Best Debut Albums of 2008, so today we thought we'd follow it up with our list of Best Non-Debut Albums of 2008, in no particular order. If you think we left something out, let us know what in the comments section! Or if you just want to add any thoughts on the albums we posted. Oh, but take note - there are still some lists yet to come (so much good music! We may have gone a little crazy with the lists this year...).

Best Non-Debut Albums of 2008

Nada Surf- Lucky
This seems to be the album that grows on people, slowly taking them over. At first listen, it seemed to be a collection of listenable and radio-friendly songs, but pretty soon we found ourselves craving to listen to those tracks again and again. The lyrics are great and each track has its own lovable element to it, whether it be the uplifting pulsing rhythm of Beautiful Beat or the sung narrated truth of "Everyone's right and no one is sorry" with perfect background "oohs" in See These Bones.
Beautiful Beat [mp3] - (iTunes)

Sigur Rós - Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust

Sigur Rós came out with their 5th album this year and it started off on the right orchestrated foot with the now ever-popular Gobbledigook. The band's made-up etheral language of Vonlenska once again proves to be a bewitching characteristic of the group, but they proved that they could create the same emotional experience in English for the first time ever in the track All Alright. While the album lacks the cascading genius that 2005's Takk contained (Festival is simply no Glósóli), the overall feeling of the album is that it is wiser, older and filled with more emotion and drama. More emphasis on keys and guitar progressions, Sigur Rós has learned a thing or two over the years, and this rich, sparkling album is a beautiful example of combining silver with gold.

Gobbledigook [mp3] - (iTunes)

The Dresden Dolls - No, Virginia

A more pensive, slightly less playful album than the "brechtian punk cabaret" duo from Boston has come out with in the past, "No, Virginia" continues to showcase their talent and versatility, taking subjects as dark as rape or as mundane as teen angst and taking them in musical directions that I'm not sure anyone else would ever think of or could ever get away with. The Dresden Dolls remain truly one of a kind.

Night Reconnaissance [mp3] - (iTunes)

My Morning Jacket - Evil Urges

Not traditionally our style, we've gotta give credit to the classic rock sound when it's due. This Americana-alternative rock collection is filled with good tunes that satisfies many an ear, with old-school guitar improvisations, sing-along choruses and that sweet home alabama taste. Some songs sport a different sort of flair, such as the Prince-like vocals on Highly Suspicious or the James Taylor-esque laid-back Librarian or Sec Walkin. Nevertheless, the album is classic rock at its soul, and it the large range and perfection of acheiving the sound intended really makes this album different from the rest.

Librarian [mp3] - (iTunes)

Cloud Cult - Feel Good Ghosts (Tea-Partying Through Tornados)

We couldn't resist posting one of our favorite Minneapolis bands. While some people have said this album is not as strong as their others, we have to disagree. So many of the songs from this album have remained on our playlists since the album came out in April, which is proof of the band's staying power and we certainly hope that means the rumors of a break up are false. Cloud Cult's music is always emotionally powerful, lovely, and they have developed their own style very well. It would be ashame for it to end now.

No One Said It Should Be Easy [mp3] - (iTunes)

The Dandy Warhols - Earth to the Dandy Warhols

Is there a Dandy Warhols song that we dislike? Not that we can think of... This album is The Dandy Warhols' first self-released album, which is exciting as they have always struggled with the corporate side of the entertainment industry, some would say to their detriment, and they are the types of free spirits that probably work best when they feel uninhibited by "the man." This album is a highly enjoyable mix of their usual sounds - from psychadelic to country, and just about everything in between. One of our favorite things about them is that they can take any musical genre and make it their own.

The World Come On [mp3] - (iTunes)

Ladytron - Velocifero

When we think about this album, we think "Dance, baby, dance." Crunched drums, fast-tempo, synths, catchy club hooks flying every which way, this album is perfect for those nights that you just want to let loose, especially with the dark thumping drums featured on Predict the Day. The swinging rhythm of Ghosts became the hit track of the album and constantly on the rotation list at clubs, clothes stores and radios nation-wide. The whole album is a solid collection of dance hits that are sure to fit the bill for any night out.

Ghosts [mp3] - (iTunes)

Ane Brun - Changing of the Seasons

A positively haunting album, every song will make you shiver with how gorgeous it is. Ane Brun's effortless voice floats over her fluent music in a way that makes music seem as easy as breathing for her. The album also grows on us with each listen more and more, unlike some albums which you get sick of after repeat listening. Honestly, it's hard for us to describe how talented Ane is, so just listen to her music and hear it for yourself.

The Puzzle [mp3] - (iTunes)

The Hard Lessons - The Complete B & G Sides

Ok so technically it's not one album. But throughout the year, Detroit rock band The Hard Lessons has been coming out with 3-song EPs that they call "B & G Sides" (as in Boy & Girl - Ko Ko Louise writes one, Augie writes one and they write one together I believe). They released volumes 1-4, which is definitely a full LP's worth of songs, so we are still going to count it. Ko Ko and Augie have perfect rock voices and the rockstar attitudes to accompany them (in a good way). And their songs are catchy to boot. They put on a great live show, so if you have the chance to see them, do it.

See and Be Scene [mp3] - (iTunes)

Frightened Rabbit - The Midnight Organ

Wonderous, wonderous Scottish indie music, how we love thee, espeically Frightened Rabbit. You're honest, you're life is imperfect, you've felt tough pain - and you create smart indie lo-fi rock songs about it. Its hard to choose favorite lyrics of yours, whether it be the imagery of the hole in Keep Yourself Warm or the understandable "I'm not ready to see you this happy" in Good Arms vs. Bad Arms, but we know that any song of yours is practically perfect. Stellar sophmore album from this amazing group.

Backwards Walk [mp3] - (iTunes)


Best Re-releases

These albums are albums that were self-released by the artist before 2008 but re-released by a label in 2008. Or in a few cases, EPs were released before 2008 and the companion LP released in 2008 has most/all of the songs from the EP.

Meiko - Meiko

It seems like every time we posted Meiko here at GFP, fans would crawl out of the blogosphere woodwork and shout their praise for this artist. Indeed, when Lise first posted Meiko, she couldn't decide which mp3 to post because she loved them all and ended up posting an unprescedented 4 mp3s, so its no wonder that Meiko is on our list now. Technically, Meiko released her album in 2007 and met with tons of success - she landed at #35 for top 100 iTunes albums that year. In June 2008 she signed with a label and her album was re-released in August where it jumped to #14 on the list. Meiko is everything Lise loves- a folk/pop female singer-songwriter that has immense talent. This girl has just begun to outshine many, and we can't wait for her next album.

Boys With Girlfriends [mp3] - (iTunes)

Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago

This album was originally self-released in 2007 and re-released by the indie label 4AD in 2008. There's something about this album that is reminescent of the experience of listening to early Coldplay or Radiohead for the first time, and there is no other way to explain or describe it. There is something organic and natural about this music - something terribly sad and at peace all at the same time. Its a simply balanced work of art that easily creeps into the soul, and once it does, it circles around once or twice before hunkering down.
Flume [mp3] - (iTunes)

Locksley - Don't Make Me Wait

Locksley is shooting to stardom, opening for acts like The Bravery, Rooney and Ray Davies (of the Kinks). Now that they have a shiny new label behind them and a shiny new bass player (lead singer Jesse Laz-Hirsch's younger brother, Jordan), they've remastered the old tracks, added a few bonus tracks, changed the album cover and rereleased a shiny new version of their old album. Locksley is kind of like The Beatles reincarnate - screaming teenage girls and all. Or well, The Beatles before they went all psychedelic. You can't help but bounce up and down to they're obscenely catchy retro pop sound. And bonus points for the fact that they're all well-dressed, charming and handsome too.

Don't Make Me Wait [mp3] - (iTunes)

Frontier Ruckus - The Orion Songbook

Michigan folk band Frontier Ruckus self-released a six-song EP last year and it was quite a DIY affair in an 8.5 x 11" paper packet (no jewel case), with hand-written lyrics and hand-drawn album art. While that was actually rather charming and gave it a personal touch, they now have a label behind them and can afford jewel cases, which I think is a good thing. They re-released newly recorded versions of 5 of the 6 songs from the EP on an LP this year with a bunch of new songs too. Even though they now have a label, they're still the same old wonderful folk band, with their banjo, saw, harmonica and the arresting vocal harmonies that are some of the most natural I've heard of any band.

The Blood [mp3] - (iTunes)

Workout Music for you New Year's Resolutions

Yes, the comic was the first thing that popped up when I googled "workout." I recently joined the gym, and I know that with New Year's coming and resolutions in the air, many of you may not be far behind me. Music really helps keep me going through my workout, so I thought I would post this workout mix.

Freak Of Nature [mp3] - Anastacia - "Freak of Nature" (iTunes) - Start out with this slower, sexy song to get yourself warmed up. It's a good tempo for doing crunches or starting off slow.

Ghosts [mp3] - Ladytron - "Ghosts (Single)" (iTunes)

12345678 [mp3] - The Hard Lessons - "B&G Sides Vol. 3" (iTunes) - A song that makes you want to yell along with it (and which you can, instead, use to channel that energy into your workout).

Love Shack [mp3] - The B-52s - "Cosmic Thing" (iTunes) - A classic to energize you as you speed up your work out and get your heart pumping.

Jique [mp3] - Brazilian Girls - "Talk To La Bomb" (iTunes) - A sexy song to remind you of your sexy results as you continue to increase your work out intensity.

Worked Up So Sexual [mp3] - The Faint - "Blank Wave Arcade" (iTunes) - You are now reaching the peak of your work out, so the next few songs are super fast-paced and full of energy.

Dancing With Myself [mp3] - Billy Idol - "Billy Idol's Greatest Hits" (iTunes) - This is one of the best work out songs ever (and best dance songs ever).

Deceptacon [mp3] - Le Tigre - "Le Tigre" (iTunes) Just doing the dance in this music video is a really great workout (albeit a short one).

10 Dollar [mp3] - MIA - "Arular" (iTunes) - Basically any MIA song just about would work here, but we're going to start slowing it down a tiny bit as you prepare for cool down, while still keeping it fun and upbeat.

That Great Love Sound [mp3] - The Raveonettes - "Chain Gang Of Love" (iTunes)

Ghost Under Rocks [mp3] - Ra Ra Riot - "The Rhumb Line" (iTunes) - This one slows it down a little more and has some drama to push you through to the end of your work out as you start to get tired.

I Am In Love With You [mp3] - Imogen Heap - "Speak For Yourself" (iTunes) - Slower still, but with some attitude and a dash of sultriness.

Spoon [mp3] - Spoon - "Gimme Fiction" (iTunes) - And a slower but bouncy fun finale to a work out well done.

The Hard Lessons @ Union Hall

Friday night I headed to Union Hall to see The Hard Lessons and play some bocce ball. As always, The Hard Lessons put on a great, high energy show. They seemed to have a black and white motif going on with their wardrobe. They also seemed to be big on crowd participation this time around, particularly with my friends - they performed their first song standing in the crowd, Augie attempted to get my friend Laura to play the guitar (by literally putting the guitar around her neck), and they had my friend Drew and the bartender do a rock 'n' roll countdown for one of their songs. All in all it was a very fun show. I especially enjoyed this show because for their encore they did the song Don't Shake My Tree by my request, which made me feel special. That's one of my favorite songs by them.

More pictures:

The Anvil out in the audience for the first song

Ms. KoKo Louise

Augie

One of the many times Augie came out into the audience

Laura playing Augie's guitar... Or pretending to at least

The bartender and KoKo in their adorable matching outfits

Drew doing his rock 'n' roll countdown

For more pictures, click here. And some mp3s for you (right click to download). You can also get more for free (or buy it) off their website:

Don't Shake My Tree
12345678

Myspace Them
iTunes Them

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Tour Announcement - The Hard Lessons

The Hard Lessons are going on tour! And they posted new music to their website that you can download for free. So go there. They will be in Minneapolis at The Triple Rock Social Club (All Ages!) on March 6th, in New York City at The Knitting Factory on March 27th, and in Brooklyn (woot!) at Union Hall on March 28th. See the full schedule below.

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"See and Be Scene" music video

The new music video for the hipster satire song "See and Be Scene" by The Hard Lessons is out and you can watch it on spin.com. This is one of my favorite songs right now, and the music video is pretty funny. It's a little low budget, but The Hard Lessons are an extremely independent band, so that doesn't really bother me and it's still a fun video. In the music video, The Hard Lessons are "The! Hungry! Hungry! Hipsters!" who dress all in pink and they put on a show for a disinterested hipster audience. Favorite moments from the music video: the rack focus shots on the Pabst Blue Ribbon, the girl in the audience reading a book and yawning, and the drummer pulling out his Blackberry when he's not drumming at the end of the song.

Go check it out!

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Kinkos sucks but The Hard Lessons make it all ok

You know that cliche that you learn something new every day? Well today I learned that Kinkos sucks - especially the one on 7th avenue at 24th street here in New York City. Don't go there. You will regret it (and you will wait in line for 35 minutes to regret it too).

Anyway, on to the music. It's not Theme Thursday quite yet (though it will be in less than an hour...). And I have no Kinkos themed songs. But just out of curiosity I started typing it into my iTunes search bar and when I got to "kink," these are the songs that came up:

Strangers [mp3] - The Kinks - "Lola versus Powerman and the Moneygoround" (iTunes)

Presidente [mp3] - Kinky - "The Prince & Me" (iTunes)

On a completely unrelated note, The Hard Lessons have finally posted their "Boy & Girl sides" that I have been wanting forever but have only been posted on their myspace to listen to. My two favorite songs by them are from Volume 1 of the B&G sides. You can download Volumes 1 & 2 for free from their website.

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Dance Party - 9.21.07

Wednesday night I went and saw The Hard Lessons perform for the second time - this time at Pianos. I'm retarded though and left my apartment in a hurry, fearing I would be late and completely forgetting my camera, so I don't have my usual blurry, crappy photos to share with everyone. I bet you're all very disappointed... Haha. I really need to get a new camera. Oy.

Anyway, the concert was great. But it couldn't really compare to the one over the summer at The Creek and The Cave, for a few reasons. First of all, the audience sucked (it's amazing what an impact the audience has on a show experience for me). Everyone just kind of stood there as if they didn't even really want to be there. They didn't participate as much when The Hard Lessons tried to get us to clap/sing along. Nobody stood within five feet of the stage (although that might've had something to do with the fact that it was ungodly loud). Second of all, The Hard Lessons didn't have the audience's energy to feed off of, so they weren't quite as energetic either, though they still put on a great performance. Third, it was more expensive than at TC&TC and they played a really short set. Fourth, there was no "drinks on the house!" afterwards (although I did happen to get a free drink at a bar we went to later by complete chance that the bartender was out of everything I wanted).

On the plus side, The Hard Lessons debuted a brand new song, which I liked. I couldn't catch the title but Augie introduced it by saying "the number one export in Michigan used to be automobiles, now it's candy canes" (they're from Detroit if you haven't caught that in my other numerous entries about them). My friend Laura thinks it's about The White Stripes and their whole saga with the Detroit music scene, but neither of us could hear the lyrics that well, so I guess it will remain a mystery for a while.

And now for a little dance music to get your weekend started.

Crazy on You [mp3] - Blitzen Trapper - "Bridging the Distance" (iTunes)

Flathead [mp3] - The Fratellis - "Costello Music" (iTunes)

Oh My [mp3] - Mellowdrone - "Box" (iTunes)

Stop! Stop! Stop! [mp3] - The Hard Lessons - "Gasoline" (iTunes unavailable)

Oh, P.S. I finally broke down and got a myspace. I figured it might be useful for this blog. So, if you read this or if you're just bored, myspace me.

Pour some "Gasoline" on the fire

I finally got a hold of a copy of The Hard Lessons' 2005 full-length CD "Gasoline." For the longest time, their website said it was sold out and I had no idea where to get it from seeing as they are not really sold in stores.

Those of you who are new to this blog may not have read my previous rave about them and how awesome they are. Long story short: The Hard Lessons are a trio from Detroit, Michigan. I went to their show in Queens earlier this summer having never heard of them before and they blew me away. They are very talented and very independent. And expect to hear more about them again soon, as they are playing at Pianos a week from today (September 19th) and I fully intend on going. You should go too. They put on an awesome show.

“Gasoline” starts out with Feel Alright, a track that is very indicative of their style. It’s a really great, upbeat rock song with a lot of little in sync licks and phrases. The next track, Milk and Sugar, is one of my favorites of all of their songs and definitely my favorite on this album. I love the harmonies and how it manages to still be a pretty song even though it is also a relatively hard rock song. Track 3, That Other Girl is another one I really like, but it is distinctly more country-sounding than I remember it being when they performed it. In fact, a lot of their songs (particularly most of the songs starting from track 5 on) have a bit of a country twang feel to them. This came as quite a surprise to me because I don't remember them sounding at all country when I saw them perform and none of the songs on their EP "Wise Up!" or myspace have that slight twang either.

Not that I don't like the album. I definitely still really enjoy the album. I was just a little surprised. However, seeing as it is their older album, I would guess they have departed from this country sound a bit and I think I'm glad they did. But regardless, the album still rocks, they still rock, and I still want to be Korin "KoKo" Cox (I think that's the girl's name anyway...). She has such a great voice, and even though I don't think these recordings really do it justice, you can kind of get a taste for it in tracks 9 (How It Is With Me) and 11 (Love Gone Cold). Interestingly, my friend Laura is going to re-record some of the songs on this album for/with them and try to fix them so that you can actually tell how amazing they are. There is definitely such a thing as underproduced, and though I know some people like that kind of sound, I would rather be able to hear what an awesome singer KoKo is.

I am also kind of annoyed that my two favorite songs of their's (See and Be Scene, and Don't Shake My Tree) have yet to actually be released on anything but their myspace. I am really in love with those two song and the fact that I can't get them anywhere makes me sad. What's with that guys? Your fans want to be able to listen to your music in other formats besides via myspace!

Feel Alright [mp3]
Milk and Sugar [mp3]
That Other Girl [mp3]

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Music of the Night

I guess maybe I'm stressed out or something because I've had some crazy dreams/nightmares over the past few nights. On the plus side, I don't know if they were in my dreams or what, but I woke up with two really awesome songs stuck in my head.

The first, which is still stuck in my head (but that's a good thing) is It Bleeds by The Hard Lessons, from their EP "Wise up!" It's a really chill rock song. Since I've already written about them, I'm just gonna say another quick "check them out" because they're awesome. And now you have an mp3 to keep, because I know last time I didn't post any mp3s. I only said to go to their myspace and listen to some of their songs that haven't been released on disc yet, which you should still do by the way.

The second song that was stuck in my head when I woke up this morning is the total opposite of the first song. It's upbeat and poppy. Or, playful. That's a good word for it. It's Dirty Laundry, by Bitter:Sweet, from their album "The Mating Game." I love how the song is basically just like "I'm bad and it's more fun that way." I first heard Bitter:Sweet on The Current, and I thought they sounded familiar. It's because they've been used in the show "Grey's Anatomy," which I used to love (although not so much anymore). I really like the variety of sounds they use - mixing orchestral instruments (on top of the lovely strings that are in most of the songs, some songs have wind and brass instruments too) with electronic sounds. Some of their songs sound as if there's a full orchestra backing them up. My other playful favorites of theirs include The Mating Game and Salty Air. Most of their songs are playful but the ones that slow it down, like Moving Forward or Don't Forget to Breathe, are very relaxed, but still have a funky beat and are kind of echoey, which gives the songs an interesting sense of space. It kind of makes them feel slower than they actually are, but not in a bad way. Does that make any sense? Probably not. I need to work on that whole "putting my thoughts into words" thing. Haha. I guess what I'm kind of trying to say is that they have a very visual/cinematic feel to their music. They've been used on a lot of soundtracks, not just Grey's Anatomy. They are coming to NY on August 23rd... Maybe I will go see them.

It Bleeds (mp3) - The Hard Lessons ("Wise Up!" EP) - iTunes

Dirty Laundry (mp3) - Bitter:Sweet ("The Mating Game") - iTunes
The Mating Game (mp3) - Bitter:Sweet ("The Mating Game") - iTunes
Don't Forget To Breath (mp3) - Bitter:Sweet ("The Mating Game") - iTunes

In other quick news, I went to "Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind" last night. It's 30 (original) "plays" in one hour... if they can get through them all. It was great. I thought they would all be funny but some of them were really serious, so it was an interesting roller coaster of emotions to go through in one hour. The sudden serious play here or there was very sobering amongst all the hilarity. There were also a few very experimental moments. My favorite "plays" were the musical numbers (surprise surprise). There's lots of audience participation, but don't sit on the narrow side because you will get left out (there was one "play" - maybe I should start calling them sketches or skits or something - called "Communicable Dis-Ease" where they just went into the audience and played Telephone, but we were sitting on the wrong side, so we didn't get to play). They made it through almost all 30, with the exception of one that they couldn't remember half way through and one that the timer went off half way through. Each week they roll dice to see how many new plays they're going to be doing next week, so if you wait a few weeks in between shows, you will see a completely different show each time.

Ok, lunch time. Tata dahlings.

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Learning "The Hard Lessons"

A few Saturdays ago, my friend Laura invited me to this concert for some band I had never heard of from Detroit. It was at The Creek and The Cave, in Queens so I almost didn't go (for those of you who don't know you're NYC geography, getting to Queens from Brooklyn, where I live, without a car is a big pain in the rear.) Anyway, I decided to go, so I hauled my butt out to Queens and (despite almost getting terribly lost) it turned out to be SO worth all the trouble.

The band was called The Hard Lessons. They were great. The Hard Lessons are the perfect blend of rock and pop. The band is composed of two guys, one on drums, one on guitar and vocals, and a girl, who plays keyboards and sings - and let me tell you, I want to be her. That sounds creepy, but she has a really amazing voice. I think it might be one of the most perfect female rock-n-roll voices I've ever heard. Plus she was wearing a super cute black dress with white polka dots. She just made me wish I was super talented and cool like her. They were all pretty cool though. Very high energy performers. It was a lot of fun and since it was a small venue we were all of 4 feet away from them. And they're such nice people. They were hanging out with everyone before and after the show. I got numerous hugs from the guitar player. I bought both the CDs they were selling, and the drummer threw in a button and a photo just for me at no extra cost. And props to The Creek and the Cave because everyone got a free drink on the house after the show (much to the poor bartenders' chagrin). The Creek and the Cave is a pretty cool place. I really like their space a lot and they had a nice patio set up.

Anyway, so now that I've raved about The Hard Lessons, you should listen to their music. Although, they are one of the few bands I seem to like live better than on recordings. I think the recordings don't quite do the girl's voice justice. They're still really good though and you'll get an idea of how cool they are. Unfortunately, some of my favorite songs by them are not released yet, but they are up on their myspace. So, go here and listen to "See and Be Scene" a great song about Scenesters (which they prefaced at the show by talking about the horrible Scenester epidemic spreading through the country, haha). This is definitely my favorite song by them. Plus I think there was the audience participation of clapping, which was fun. My next favorite on their myspace is a calmer (at least at first) song called "Don't Shake My Tree." It starts out pretty and kind of haunting and then it turns into awesome rock, and her voice in this song is particularly perfect. My next favorite on their myspace is "Milk and Sugar" which is nice and simple but it just works so well. The vocal harmonies and the keyboard are great. "Milk and Sugar" actually has been released, but it's on a CD I don't have and is sold out on their website, so I have no way of obtaining it.

Please feel free to investigate them further on your own. This band is the epitome of indie though, and have refused to sign with any label because they are afraid of getting lost in the shuffle, which I can actually respect (normally I'm not an indie snob, but the way they explained why they haven't signed made sense, and I'm sure they've had lots of offers). So please, if you like them, show your support and pay for their music because they actually get that money (instead of like one tenth of a cent for every record, which they would get if they were signed to a label). Ok kids, that's all for today. Tata dahlings.

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