Psssttt....

Everyone needs a summer playlist, huh? Sprinkled with the typical surf pop, hazy lofi flava of summer. I didn't make this one (though that option is under consideration) but it does put one in the appropriate mood. All I need now is some soft-serve. Or some cherries.

(As you'll note there is no best coast in the list - a bit remiss if you ask me, but that's for another playlist- anyway, I just liked their cover art and thought it perfectly representative of that summer feelin.' Also technically this playlist was made for june, but as noted I'm a bit behind the times at the moment...)

And now, the 'June Playlist' compiled by the lovely folks at the equally lovely Tourist Magazine

1. Oh Suzanne by French Kissing
2. What Am I Going To Do by The Dovers
3. Help Me Rhonda by The Beach Boys
4. Tired of Waiting by The Meklight Sisters
5. Leave Everywhere by Toro y Moi
6. Spider Man by Boy or Bison
7. Don't Lie by The Mantles
8. Empty Bones by The Growlers
9. Gentle One by Soft Healer
10. Comin' Back Again by Arches
11. Havalina by Pixies

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It's Wednesday: Here's a tune by Twin Sister

Currently, I am sitting in a well-lit, rather overheated library, supposedly typing about legal and ethical intricacies of a morbid nature. And I am doing that... sort of...I swear. But as I sit, and I type, I also listen. I get distracted by the tiniest sounds in libraries: of a chair shifting, paper crinkling, someone's interminable cough. So headphones are a must, because for some reason, music never distracts. Anyway, currently on repeat is Twin Sister, another New York band with some dreaminess and shimmery-ness to them. I'm quite enjoying this song in particular and thought I'd share it... Course, I've never posted audio to blogger before, so if it doesn't work, there is also a link below.

Just press play!


Or if all else fails, click click click:
Ginger by Twin Sister

ps. The band also is a fan of sharing, and has their whole EP from last year available to download for free (!)And another EP is in the works for 'official' release very soon, so yay for that too.

studying to song

So, in case you haven't noticed, I haven't been around much. Sorry. Life is sometimes difficult to balance - studying, work, play. Apparently third year of law school requires concentration, and while for many that means hours in the library, studying in complete silence, for me, studying means sitting at my kitchen table, surrounded by books, paper, coffee cups and music. I cannot study without having noise around me...libraries are too quiet, everyone is too academic. Plus, my fridge isn't four feet away.

But I can't exactly have blaring music on - I do get distracted - so I have playlists of songs to study to, mostly melodic, 'indie-folk' or 'indie-pop' that can be overtly saccharine but perfect for melding into the background of my typing. On current repeat is Clare and the Reasons. It's perfect calming music that gets me through the stress that is law school, providing a soundtrack to my frenetic studying.

Gig gig jig

I'm super awkward when it comes to things like sharing musical tastes, only because music is so subjective and personal and people can be incredibly snobby about it. So I generally go merrily along with my personal collection of randomness on my ipod, roaming the streets of London with no one the wiser as to what tune I'm boppin' along to, enjoying my music in solitude. All that aside, I've semi-recently happened upon two musical acts that were too good not to share...

Exhibit A: Local Natives -- just got back from their small gig and it was ridiculously feel-good/ amazing. Lush rising and dropping dramatic pop with crazy percussion and melodious harmonizing galore. Er, ok, it's the best description I could come up with in five seconds. Here's an acoustic version of the aerial 'Airplanes' ... Listening to the non-acoustic version on their myspace is a must.



Exhibit B: Marina and the Diamonds -- a little Kate Bush-esque, a lazy comparison but it'll do. While my favorite song of hers, 'Seventeen' has no video, I kind of love this video for 'I Am Not A Robot', if only for the fact that I secretly desire to be covered in glitter paint and camouflage myself amongst the night's sky. The remixes of this tune ain't bad either.

99 Luftballons

You and I in a little toy shop
Buy a bag of balloons with the money we've got.
Set them free at the break of dawn
'Til one by one, they were gone.
Back at base, bugs in the software
Flash the message, Something's out there.
Floating in the summer sky.

99 red balloons go by.How amazing is this Built by Wendy dress!? I don't think it would be possible not to sing the song everytime you wore this. Which is probably what Wendy had in mind...

If you need some help: