Clip of the Day: The Kills Premier 10th Anniversary Video

Looks like I'm rounding out the week with, yes, yet another music clip.  I don't suppose it's exactly creative, but at the very least it's consistent.  That's gotta count for something, right?  It also seems to point to a trend that has kept me up to a generally optimistic speed this week.  After not having to put in a full work week for the past two and half months (I know, you're totally crying for me now), I'm a slave to the wage again, and it has really just sucked.  BUT, there's nothing like a little new music bath to help wash away those wistful memories of freedom - or at least distract long enough to focus on something other than work for a second.  (As if I'd ever get distracted from my all important job duties, who would ever do that? Ha!)  Another bonus?  This is a re-blog from Nowness.com, so you actually get some professionally written word smack AND an honest-to-God interview with the artists to satisfy that reading habit instead being stuck with my smoke and mirrors attempts at classic literary genius. Yay for that!  Now let's watch, read, enjoy, and then get on to the weekend please!!!   




The Kills: The Last Goodbye on Nowness.com.

The Kills: The Last Goodbye

Samantha Morton Helms an Emotive Music Video Portrait of the Rock Duo

The Kills celebrate ten years of musical partnership with this poignant and playful video, directed by Oscar nominated actress Samantha Morton. The captivating, melancholic song “The Last Goodbye” offsets the hard-edged sound Alison Mosshart and Jamie Hince are known for with haunting vocals and a nostalgic piano loop. "I wanted to make it completely different from anything we'd normally do," explains Hince. "I used an octagon keyboard from the 60s which takes flexi-discs with real bands playing and mixes them together." For the video—an experience Hince and Mosshart usually find unfulfilling and frustrating—the duo enlisted the talents of Morton, who made her directorial feature debut this year with The Unloved. Shot in monochrome on crisp, silvery 35mm, the video reflects the beautiful simplicity of the track, with an old-school photo booth providing an intimate backdrop for Mosshart's intense and heart-warming opening performance followed by a series of touching to-camera poses reflecting the musicians’ longstanding, spirited friendship. "Life goes on," says Mosshart of the touching ballad. "It starts off being the end of the world but then ends up alright." Here Mosshart and Hince share their memories of their first meeting and a decade of collaboration.

Alison on Jamie:
"When I first met him I thought he was the coolest guy in the world; I was completely fascinated by him. I had an immediate desire to do something with him – it was the best decision I've ever made. We've had so much fun over the past 12 years. I'll never forget our first gig—14 February 2002 in front of 70 people. It was the scariest moment of our lives. We couldn't believe we were doing it. We'd spent six months booking the tour, by letters as it was before email. We stayed wherever we could, going on the greatest adventure of our lives. By the end of the tour the rooms were full because of word of mouth. I remember those first years so clearly because you're so involved and so in charge of your destiny. I don't take any of this for granted—it's still as exciting and interesting and there's still more to discover."

Jamie on Alison:
"In 2000, I was in another band and she was staying in the apartment below. She would sit outside my window and listen to me play guitar, a bit like a stalker. When we first met, she was painfully shy. She'd grown up in a skate scene in Florida so she wasn't really aware of any bands. It felt incredible to be able to introduce her to the music I loved. She absorbed it all and loved it all. The first time I saw her perform was like watching Patti Smith for the first time. This awkward little sparrow on stage just had so much confidence and was obviously so comfortable performing. It was fascinating. I thought if I was going to be in another band it was going to be with her. She's my best friend and has been in every aspect of my life."

Produced by Juliette Larthe through PRETTYBIRD.
Cinematography by Florian Hoffmeister.

If you like what you see, let me know!  Click the 'Join This Site' button at the top right of the homepage and keep up with every post.

Clip of the Day - Justice "On'n'On"

Happy Monday people!  At the risk of being repetitive, I have another musical 'Clip of the Day' today.  I know, I know, variety is the spice of life, and if that's the case then I am already turning into a nice big bowl of bland for 2012... blah, blah, blah.  At least there is musical variety compared to the last clip (which you can find here if you missed it), AND this one has a neat little EP coming out on iTunes at the end of the month.  Hope you enjoy one of the new tracks off of Justice's latest album "Audio, Video, Disco".  Tres spicy, eh?

If you like what you see, let me know!  Click the 'Join This Site' button at the top right of the homepage and keep up with every post.

Clip of the Day - Walk off the Earth & Sarah Blackwood - Somebody That I Used to Know (Gotye cover)

This was just shared with me (Thanks Jay!), and couldn't NOT share it forward.  I don't know anything about the band to determine whether or not I'm a huge fan of them as a whole, but I do think this cover is actually better than the original Gotye track.  Five very talented people, one guitar, and a beautiful song.  It's quite amazing, beautifully arranged, a bit of a surprise, and I just love it - what more can you ask for other than that out of life?  Enjoy!

Like it enough to make it part of your music library?  You can download it here for $1 USD (or contribute more if you like it that much): http://bit.ly/yrnlSA

Summer Sound Sampler

Clockwise from top left: Austra, Theophilus London, Marissa Nadler and Alex Winston
Photo: Courtesy of Austra, Jonathan Mannion, Marissa Nadler and Alex Winston

Who doesn't love a new tune ... and just in time for the Memorial Day Weekend?  If you're looking for a new summer playlist, or at least a few fresh sounds to slip into your favorite rotation of oldies but goodies, Vogue has come through again with some pretty nifty tunes that scream summer.  Tracks from The Givers, Fleet Foxes, and The Black Keys start off the mix and it just keeps on going.  Check it out with the link below, and let me know what your favorite is.  Happy listening!

Sharing from Vogue.com

Favorite Five: March

March certainly has been a packed month, and always seems like such a transitional time of year.  This being the last day of the month, I thought I'd do a little recap of my favorite five things about the past 31 days.

1. BIRTHDAYS! - Yep, March has a LOT of them from my perspective (including my own).  I think there has been one for almost every day this month; or at least every other day.  It may entail getting another year older, but this, of course, opens up a lot of opportunity for cake and parties - two of my favorite things.  Even more importantly, it provides an extra reason to reach out to some of the folks that are most important to us and show them just how much we appreciate them.  Though I am under oath to keep most of my party pictures private, you can catch a few birthday action shots in my 'Springing Forward' piece.

2. SPRING - Though it may not be all flowers and sunshine yet in your neck of the woods (it was sleeting at my humble abode yesterday, suck), spring is definitely here -- at least according to the calendar it is.  Though there have been some 'sneak previews' of the warm weather speckled throughout the month already, just knowing that there is more on the way helps lift my spirits and raise my hopes just that much more.

3. NEW BLOGS - Since I'm still kind of new to this myself, I am thoroughly enjoying discovering and learning from a bunch of new blogs.  It can be kind of like finding a nice piece of candy during an otherwise blah day.  It really is amazing how inspiring, supportive, exciting, and slightly indulgent it is to step outside of your own world and see into someone else's through their eyes - talk about gaining perspective!  I feel like this will not only help me improve my own blog, but also enrich my life in a new and interesting way.  It has also been super exciting this month to have inspired a new blogger  and dear friend to take up the type and find her online voice.  If you haven't already visited her blog through the link on my page, take a second to jump on over to 'Napolejen' and show her some support in her new undertaking!      

4. WYE OAK - There is some music that you listen to when and because it fits your fleeting fancies, and there is some music that is your meat and potato music.  For me, this is a straight serving of some of the choicest cuts of meat and creamiest potatoes I've heard in a little while.  Maybe it's because I'm a so-called 'child of the nineties', but this entire album makes me feel like I'm wrapped in a warm, comfortable blanket.  Listening to the sounds and the vocals affect me almost like a wonderfully distinctive scent from somewhere in the past that hasn't been experienced for a while, and then when it is, you're right back to remembering everything about it that you've been missing.  That doesn't happen very often, and I wouldn't necessarily want it to, but when it does it makes for something amazing.  


Here's a clip of the title track off of the album.  Hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

5. VCU BASKETBALL, FINAL FOUR BABY! - Admittedly, I am not really a sports fan.  In fact, I have never really been a sports fan.  I went to a university that doesn't even have a football team (and most students prided themselves on that), and where not only was school spirit underwhelming; it was virtually nonexistent.  Now all of a sudden, I have found myself not only watching a game, but jumping up out of my seat and yelling at the tv with more school spirit than I think I've had in my entire life.  Even more, the ENTIRE CITY is energetically rallying behind the players with all of their newly found VCU school spirit and rooting for this team that comes from what was traditionally an art school.  (I never would have thought I would see anything like the clip below from the 'Anti-University').  The critics said they couldn't do it, the commentators say they shouldn't be anywhere near where they are now, and quite honestly I'm not sure how many alumni actually cared about any of it ... until now.   And THAT my dear friends, is why VCU, my alma mater, making it to the Final Four this coming Saturday has been one of my favorite things this month.  This underestimated team has not only worked to prove themselves to their school (which may have been the largest feat), they have proven 'the impossible' to the world, and have somehow inspired me to know not only what time they are playing on Saturday (6:09pm against Butler), but to actually purchase a school shirt.  I don't think I even had one of those once upon a time when I was a student.  I honestly can't think of anything this month that has been more personally inspiring than that, and I LOVE it!  GO RAMS!!

Oh Land, Oh Yeah!

Shout out to Denmark today with the release of the new Oh Land album!  It's pretty good stuff, so give it a listen if you have time to check it out.  You can also read more here.

Hope you enjoy!

Favorite Five: January

Well, the weekend is here, and just like that bad cold that never seems to go away, so is the winter weather.   It’s usually about this time every year that things seems to slow down to a snail’s pace, keeping spring an inevitable two steps out of reach, and leaving me to hibernate indoors while my skin and my outlook become increasingly tired and dry.  To help cope with this, I've been paying extra attention to the little things that keep me going, and I’ve decided to share some that I’ve found inspiring, and/or recently enjoyable.   They have improved my winter attitude immensely, and will hopefully make your thoughts a little cozier as well.

·       TRUFFLED CAULIFLOWER BISQUE – I am admittedly a soup junkie!  If there is one thing that would make me a tragic bitch in the wintertime, it would be NOT being able to eat soup (though Jay may have some additional thoughts on this).  Since I especially love a pureed veggie-type soup, I was almost ecstatic when I saw Christina Hendricks on ‘The Rachael Ray Show’ making a Truffled Cauliflower Bisque.  Because I don't really watch the show, it must have been kismet that I happened to catch this particular segment and discover what is easily my favorite new winter soup and salad pairing.

      The soup has a bacon base, to which the veggies, broth and cream are added (though I'd imagine you vegetarians out there could find some sort of salty substitute).  Then, everything is pureed and topped with white truffle oil and bacon crumbles.  I am GOING to find a low(er) fat way to make this so I can eat it all the time.

As an accompaniment to the soup, I highly recommend the Tuscan Kale Salad pairing featured in the same clip.  The heartiness and bite of the kale paired with the homemade pungent Caesar dressing creates a balance in this salad perfect as a compliment to the mild, creamy soup as well as the cold winter weather.

 The recipe for the Cauliflower Bisque can be found here, and the accompanying Tuscan Kale Caesar can be found here.

       

     BATH & BODY WORKS SUGAR SCRUB - If your skin is starting to feel a little short of reptilian at about this point, this is just the thing to make your dry winter skin do a disappearing act, while indulging a bit in the bath or shower.  I've always used Origins in the past, but have found recently that Bath and Body Works offers an essential oil sugar scrub (in varying scents) that is just as wonderfully moisturizing and pampering as anything else and comes with a lower price point.  I've been using the Lavender Vanilla, which is cozy and warm.  Next up to bat for me is their new fragrance, Vanilla Verbena.

     RUMCHATA - You will want to walk ... no, run to the nearest store to get more of this stuff once you try it.  Caribbean rum blended with cream and cinnamon, and vanilla, this is enough to melt away any winter blahs.  It's what you would drink if it snowed in the Carribean -  kind of like a mini vacation in a glass.  Make sure you check out all of the recipes (drink and otherwise) on the official website.  

   

               

S

·       NEW (to me) MUSIC – For me, some new sounds cycling through the stereo always keeps the indoors from getting stale.  Recently, I’ve found a few new favorites, both by sister duos, that I have been enjoying thanks to a few 'last minute' iTunes gift cards Jay put in my Christmas stocking.  So, I suppose this section is being brought to you by the letter 'J' and the number '1'.  ;)

• CocoRosie, ‘Grey Oceans’ – This is the most unclassifiable and beautiful music I’ve come across in a long time.  I love how it somehow manages to simultaneously engage my thoughts, and soothe my nerves.  This is one of my favorite track off the album entitled ‘The Moon Asked the Crow.’  If you like this one, I highly recommend taking a listen to ‘Lemonade’ as well.

• The Pierces, 'Love You More - EP' - Love The Pierces, love their new EP and can't wait to hear the new album, 'You & I', out on March 14th.

ART - Ok, so this one may seem a little more expansive compared to the rest of my list, but there is something escapist and inspiring about seeing a piece of artwork that really speaks to you.  For me,  a well-done watercolor is usually very soothing; something about the soft edges and color nuances really put me at ease.  When you add in a lion fish as the subject of the watercolor, my so-called 'fish nerd' tendencies can't help but become activated, so when I saw a watercolor that my friend's son was working on, I was hooked.  Not only is Alex super bright, but it appears that he is very artistically talented as well.  Seeing the progression of his piece, and the care that he took to document it really inspired me to want to create something as well; and there is nothing like that spark of inspiration to make the long winter days pass by even quicker.      

I hope you enjoy the progression of the piece as much as I did, and also hope that it instills within you the desire to create something of your own -- we've got nothing but time until spring, right?  Thanks for sharing Alex!

Light pencil sketch

Toning, 50% done

First layer of color

Second layer of color

Third layer of color

Final color layer