Winter Tunes

Do you guys want to know my deeply scientific method of creating my monthly Spotify playlists? I go to my 'Liked From Radio' playlist, where Spotify collects all of the songs I've given the thumbs up to while listening to their steaming radio, and I add anything that I'm not already sick of to the list. That's it. Sometimes this ridiculously lazy strategy miraculously compiles a brilliant playlist, full of ups and downs and smooth, flowing rhythms. Sometimes it ends up creating a big stinky bag of suck. At any rate, here's my most recent playlist:

Mid-Winter Playlist

Montezuma - Fleet Foxes

Blue Ridge Mountains - Fleet Foxes

Sweetest Kill - Broken Social Scene

5 Years Time - Noah and the Whale

Pull My Heart Away - Jack Penate

Life is Life - Noah and the Whale

Broadripple is Burning - Margot & The Nuclear So And So's

Eyes - Rogue Wave

Man On Fire - Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros

Perth - Bon Iver

West Coast - Coconut Records

Yamaha - Delta Spirit

Can You Tell - Ra Ra Riot

Bloom - The Paper Kites

Bloodstream - Stateless

Hollywood Forever Cemetery Sings - Father John Misty

Come Under the Covers - Walk The Moon

Portugal - Walk The Moon

Play it Forward

Do you guys know about Spotify's My Year in Music? If you use Spotify, they'll compile the music you listened to throughout the year and generate a stat sheet about your personal music tastes/habits. You can generate yours here. It's really interesting to look at. Here are some stats from mine:

• This year, I listened to 26,430 minutes of music through Spotify alone, the majority of which was played on my phone (which means I listen to the most music either in the car or while working out. So mostly in the car, ha.)
• I listen to the most music on Monday (which makes sense, since Monday is the day I use mostly to write/get things done/clean/cook). 
• The vast majority of the music I listen to is created in the US (81%!) followed by the UK, Canada (!), Australia, and Sweden (this was a stat that's apparently only generated for premium users? Which, thank god I'm getting my money's worth there. I don't really know why I still pay for premium - I don't know what features I have that people that have free subscriptions don't. When Spotify first came to the US, the only way to get it streaming to your phone was to pay for premium, but that's not the case anymore. I should probably look into that.)
• Remember when I talked about how I hate when people ask me what kind of music I listen to, because I don't know how to answer? Well, Spotify has me covered! According to them, my most-listened to genre of music is "Indie Pop", followed closely by "Indie Rock", and then "Chamber Pop". Neither Jeff nor I knew what the hell that meant, so I looked it up - apparently, "Chamber Pop", or "Baroque Pop", according to the Wikipedia article, "Stylistically fuses elements of pop and rock with classical music, often incorporating instruments not common to popular music such as harpsichords, clavichords, violins, cellos and other strings, oboes and French horns. It is also generally characterised by highly orchestral,^[4] lush instrumentation. Common elements of baroque pop also include layered melodies, sophisticated productions and prominent harmonies." So, like Grizzly Bear, I guess. They listed Belle and Sebastian and Regina Spektor as the two most well-known artists in this genre, but I haven't listened to either hardly at all in the last year.

 In addition to stats, Spotify will also create a playlist taylor-made for you of music that they think you'll enjoy to start off your year. Not every song on mine was a home run, and quite a few of the songs I already had on various playlists, but a few songs that I hadn't previously head were right up my alley:

• Hollywood Forever Cemetery Sings -  Father John Misty...this song is SO DAMN GOOD. Can't stop, won't stop listening to it. Hit it out of the park with this one.
• Fare Thee Well (Dink's Song)  - Oscar Isaac, Marcus Mumford - this one's from the Inside Llewyn Davis Soundtrack, and is right up my folky little alley.
• Line of Fire - Junip - This song is very spacey, kind of similar to Beach House. I dig.
• Bloom - Paper Kites - So pretty.
• Bloodstream - Stateless - This reminds me a little bit of the French band Air, which I used to love.
• Song for Zula - Phosphorescent - This almost has a Bruce Springsteen vibe, in the best way possible.

So anyhoo, I highly recommend checking out your year in music. And then sharing your stats with me, because I'm nosy.

Dinner Music?

During my weekend blog perusing, there were of course tons of articles about Thanksgiving and suggestions on how to properly host, or etiquette on how to be a gracious guest, etc. One theme I noticed was the suggestion that there needs to be background music on during dinner. Which make me think...

I'm a huge advocate to have music playing - well, pretty much all the time. I think that some laid back music really improves the mood of pretty much anything you happen to be doing (except, of course, watching TV or a movie or something). But I had never thought to play music during family gatherings, though I would never think to have friends over without setting a playlist.

Well, last mother's day, I had Jeff's family over for brunch. I had been playing music in the kitchen while I cooked (as I always do), and in the rush to get everything on the table, I forgot to turn it off and it continued to play for the duration of the time everyone was here. I didn't really even notice until Jeff's mom made a comment on how nice the music was - it was my "Easy Like Sunday Morning" playlist, which is a pretty eclectic mix of laid back music. I made it after I had friends over for brunch one day and put my main Spotify playlist on shuffle, and it kept playing loud, jarring music. It was kind of funny, but it was pretty annoying; so I pretty much immediately whipped up a chill playlist for that exact kind of occasion. Now the playlist is my favorite to listen to as background music regardless of what I'm doing.

So all of this has convinced me to try playing some soft background music during Thanksgiving dinner this year. I was always hesitant, because people have such opposing views on music; especially when you have a large range of ages. I put together a playlist that I feel is very neutral and includes music that everyone usually likes from various time periods, so hopefully no one will feel alienated. And I can always turn it off if it's bothering anyone. Am I the only weirdo who DOESN'T usually play music at holiday gatherings? I always assume the things I do are the norm, but I realize that that's definitely not necessarily the case, ha!

Say It's Not Her Fault?

WARNING: This post is not timely. And it's kind of unrelated to anything. Okay, you've been warned. Proceed at your own discretion.

Can we talk for a minute about that Robyn song "Call Your Girlfriend"? I have a random Spotify radio station playing as background music as I cook, and it just came on. And every time I hear this song, I have the same thought: I take issue with this. At first, it was like "Okay, I can kind of get down to this song." The next time I heard it, I listened a little more closely to the lyrics and was like "Lol, WTF?" And then I heard it a bunch more times, and each time I hear it the WTF factor goes up a little.

If you're unfamiliar with the lyrics, here's a link. Take a gander. I understand that music is a form of expression, and it's important that the artist feels free to not censor themselves, blah blah blah - no, I truly am one hundred percent behind that idea, don't get me wrong. But I take issue with the entire idea behind this song as person who's been cheated on - or, you know, as a person, in general. It's supposed to be a happy, romantic song about how this guy's finally found someone who truly GETS him, and they're going to run off together and be happy for the rest of their lives and make each other daisy crowns and roll in a field full of golden retriever puppies. Oh, but first he just has to let his girlfriend know he's leaving her for this other broad who he cheated on her with. No big deal, though! No hard feelings, his girlfriend didn't do anything wrong! He'll even still be her friend! She goes as far as to recommend explaining that it's just "so different when they kiss".

WHAT!!!

This is the most delusional nonsense I have ever heard. She's telling this guy to go give his current girlfriend this whole condescending speech about how it's not her, it's him, and SOMEDAY, SOMEONE will love her EVENTUALLY (maybe), but he still wants to be her friend! And meanwhile, the music is SO bright and optimistic that you have this whole scene in your head where you can't hear what's going on, but you can see the girl tearing up a little bit, but then she nods and gives the guy a big hug and a brave smile, and they go off their separate ways and everyone lives happily ever after. In fact, I haven't seen the video, but I would put a small amount of money on the storyline of the video playing out exactly like that. It's just so wrong. I hope that this song is supposed to be satirical or just a straight up joke, but I seriously doubt it.

"And you tell her that the only way her heart will mend/Is when she learns to love again/And it won't make sense right now but you're still her friend/And you let her down easy" Just, WHAT THE HELL!!

November Playlist

I don't know if it's a symptom of growing older and less cool, or if it's just a passing phase, but I've been a lot less into hunting for new music these days. My playlist for November has been mostly about tried and true tunes I've been listening to for ages, with a mellow/relaxing vibe. In fact, most of the music I listen to on a daily basis tends to stay on the chill side, perfect to lounge and read articles online, or as background music while I cook. I've been very much into Paul Simon recently (well, always, but particularly recently), possibly influenced by watching Jenny Slate's fantastic "Obvious Child", which bears the name of a Paul Simon song which was also featured in the movie. I've also been listening to the actual radio in the mornings, which was a VERY rare occurrence for me previously, but my iPhone cable for my car broke and I decided not to invest in a new one as I'll be buying a new car within the next year (yup, my good old deathtrap is still kickin'). Anyway, the radio station I listen to does a feature called "Under the Covers" every morning at 7:40, which is just about what it sounds like - a band covering another artist's well-known song. It's on right around the time I arrive at work each morning, so I've been increasingly into covers, which is pretty evident in this list.

1. Landslide - Covered by The Smashing Pumpkins
2. Higher Love - Covered by James Vincent McMorrow
3. Terrible Love - Covered by Birdy
4. The Obvious Child - Paul Simon
5. America - Simon & Garfunkel
6. Creature Fear - Bon Iver
7. From Eden - Hozier
8. Drive Out With the Lights Out - Carter Hulsey
9. Holiday In Spain - Counting Crows
10. Go Your Own Way - Fleetwood Mac
11. 6th Avenue Heartache - The Wallflowers
12. Something in the Air - Thunderclap Newman
13. It Ain't Me, Babe - Johnny Cash with June Carter Cash
14. No Concern of Yours - Punch Brothers

Tunes to kick off the new year

In an ironic twist (alright, maybe that's a stretch), my January playlist is compiled of mostly old music. Also, most of it leans towards the "sad bastard" spectrum. Leave it to me to kick the new year off by making you want to walk off a cliff. I blame it on my Spotify radio. It seems to be a little down in the dumps lately. Take a peek, if you'd like...

 

January Playlist

1. Supernumary (Effie Version) - Vanaprasta

2. Do I Wanna Know? - Arctic Monkeys

3. Dejalo - Rilo Kiley

4. Soon or Never - Punch Brothers

5. Unguided - The New Pornographers

6. Everything I Do, Nothing Ever Seems to Turn Out Right - The Decemberists

7. Hail to Whatever You Found in the Sunlight That Surrounds You - Rilo Kiley

8. Go Places - The New Pornographers

9. The Bagman's Gambit - The Decemberists

10. When I Dream - Ra Ra Riot

11. Back to Back - Wolfgang

12. Don't Save Me - Haim

13. Open - Rhye

Bow chicka wow wow

Enough with the romance, let's get down to business.

Sexy Jams

1. Alexander - Truth
2. Tune-Yards - Powa
3. Geographer - Night Winds
4. Bruce Springsteen - I'm On Fire
5. Walk the Moon - Next in Line
6. Phantogram - Don't Move
7. SBTRKT feat. Little Dragon - Wildfire
8. The Antlers - I Don't Want Love
9. Local Natives - Cards & Quarters
10. Minus the Bear - Into the Mirror
11. The National - Conversation 16
12. Stars - One More Night
13. Death Cab For Cutie - Lightness
14. Interpol - Leif Erikson
15. Jimmy Eat World - Night Drive
16. Rilo Kiley - Portions for Foxes
17. M83 - Reunion
18. The Counting Crows - Color Blind (this may just be because of the scene in Cruel Intentions)
19. Dashboard Confessional - The Secret's in the Telling
20. Dave Matthews Band - Too High
21. Interpol - The Specialist
22. Radiohead - All I Need

Love Songs

Well now I'm on a roll.




Here is a collection of my current and all time favorite love songs (I shamelessly ripped this idea off of Laurie Drake).

1. The Beach Boys - God Only Knows
2. The Postal Service - Be Still My Heart
3. TV On The Radio - Will Do
4. Jason Mraz - After An Afternoon
5. Me'Shell Ndegeocello - Beautiful
6. Blue October - Calling You
7. Van Morrison - Crazy Love
8. Ingrid Michaelson - Die Alone
9. P.M. Dawn - Die Without You
10. Bruce Springsteen - I'm On Fire
11. Death Cab For Cutie - A Lack of Color
12. Hellogoodbye - Oh, It Is Love
13. Bon Iver - Blood Bank
14. The Avett Brothers - January Wedding
15. Iron and Wine - Fever Dream
16. REM - At My Most Beautiful
17. Porno For Pyros - 100 Ways
18. Paul McCartney - Maybe I'm Amazed
19. Billy Joel - She's Got A Way
20. The Beatles - Something
21. Jeff Buckley - Lover, You Should've Come Over
22. Joseph Arthur - Honey And The Moon
23. Dave Matthews Band - I'll Back You Up
24. Iron and Wine - Love And Some Verses
25. Blink 182 - I'm Lost Without You
26. Dave Matthews Band - Steady As We Go
27. Ryan Adams - I Love You But I Don't Know What To Say
28. Foo Fighters - Everlong (acoustic version)

January Jams

I just wrote out this HUUUUGE post about how I love Spotify, and how I organize my playlists and why I organize them that way. It was RIDICULOUSLY boring. I'll spare you from that, because all that I originally set out to do was share my January '13 playlist, because it makes me happy. So, I'll just do that. Enjoy!

1. The Lumineers - Ho Hey
2. Grimes - Oblivion
3. LCD Soundsystem - Someone Great
4. Tune-Yards - Powa
5. Portugal. The Man - The Dead Dog
6. TV On The Radio - Dirtywhirl
7. Geographer - Lover's Game
8. The Shins - The Rifle's Spiral
9. Band of Horses - Factory
10. TV On The Radio - I Was A Lover
11. Beirut - Santa Fe
12. Geographer - Night Winds
13. AgesAndAges - Alright You Restless
14. Beach House - Wild
15. Ellie Goulding - My Blood
16. The Killers - Tranquilize 
17. Calvin Harris Ft. Florence Welch - Sweet Nothing
18. Florence and the Machine - Heartlines (acoustic)
19. The Avett Brothers - Live and Die
20. TV On The Radio - Hours
21. Cold War Kids - Hospital Beds
22. Yellow Ostrich - Bread
23. Florence And The Machine - Never Let Me Go (MTV Unplugged Version)

I just...I mean...

Linkin Park is a terrible band.



Seriously. They're really awful.



If you listen to Linkin Park, please stop. I mean, I don't want to tell you what to like. But really. They suck. If no one listens to them, I imagine they'll stop making music.



I'd like to live in a world with less of this sort of thing.



At least if you don't PARTICULARLY like them, just don't listen to them just because they're on. If you REALLY REALLY like them, I guess keep on keeping on. Just...I mean...they were on SNL last year (or maybe the year before..?) I'm currently watching the episode they were on. I'd like for that to not happen again.



I'm sorry. I just...ugh.

I don't know what the hell I want.

I'm generally attracted to guys who play the guitar, though I don't really find guitar playing to be a turn on.




Like, if a guy were to write a song and sing it for me, that would be a nightmare. Actually, my current boyfriend DID write a song for me when we first started dating, and I don't think he ever actually PERFORMED it for me (maybe he did, I may have blocked it out), and it was MORTIFYING. Maybe if I were to meet a guy, and he was some kind of AMAZING songwriter, and he wrote specifically my genre of music, and he told me later that a certain song was about me, THEN I'd swoon. I don't even know about that, though.



Regardless of the song writing, though, I don't even like it when guys play guitar usually. I can't handle THAT GUY who always whips out the guitar at a party. Now, if a guy I were with was a BADASS guitar player, and he just KILLED it every time he played, THAT would be hot. But that's more of a "my boyfriend is a badass, and he's better than other people" sort of thing. It would be the same if he were super proficient at pretty much anything. My current boyfriend is perfectly competent at guitar playing, but every time he starts playing, I'm just like "meeeh" at best.



I played cello from 5th grade until I graduated high school. I wasn't that great at it, but I was okay just because I did it for so long. I wasn't as dedicated to it as I wish I would have been. I still blame this on my middle school orchestra teacher, as she MADE me play the cello because I was tall, and no girls volunteered. I wanted to play the violin. I was relatively opposed to playing the cello, but at that point in my life was too chickenshit to put up enough of a fuss to get my way, so cello it was. Guys, the cello is a PAIN IN THE ASS to play. Especially if you're a girl. That shit is awkward to lug around. It's not THAT heavy, but if you're walking to/from school, it wears on you. Also, it's kind of just not a girly instrument to play. For a girl who was already TALL in middle school, and still relatively tall in high school, and is not RIDICULOUSLY girly in general, it makes you feel even LESS feminine. Every other girl in orchestra is wearing cute little skirts, and you CAN'T because that noise goes RIGHT BETWEEN YOUR LEGS. Or you can wear a floor-length skirt, but then you look like a matronly weirdo, and even then it's still awkward.



Anyway, I wasn't psyched about playing the cello to begin with, because of all of the aforementioned reasons. I eventually gave into it obviously, but I never got SUPER dedicated to it, and again, it was a pain in the ass to handle that thing. To practice, instead of unsnapping a little plastic case, you have to unzip this stupid ungodly cloth bag, adjust this big stupid pin thing, and then you have to tune the shit. TUNING! Tuning a violin is a little scary because the strings are so small and they snap more easily, but tuning a cello was TERRIFYING. The strings are big and thick, and if they snap they can very well smack you right in the face. And that shit HURTS!



I am way, WAY off course. Okay, so I played the cello for, like, ever. My point was, even though I wasn't SUPER DUPER at it, I FUCKING LOVED it when it came down to it. Orchestra (which was a normal class for us, not just an after school activity) was by far my favorite class. And when I was in pit orchestra for our high school musical (our musicals were BADASS, for real), rehearsal was my favorite part of the day. In orchestra I was part of a decently sized cello section and kind of blended in, but in pit it was just two of us, and we sounded GOOD. As incredibly dorky as it sounds, when we'd kill that shit and we knew it, I was PROUD AS FUCK. It was a rush. So I've always been a relatively musical person, and I've been attracted to guys who are musically inclined.



For a while, I decided that I was into guys who played string instruments. The girlier the better. Violin-playing guys? HOT. And really, I still feel that way, but I realized over time that a lot of guys who play string instruments (in general) are pretentious jagoffs. Like, they name-drop classical musicians and quote symphony numbers on Facebook. What! I can't get into that. That's fucking weird. When I was PLAYING classical music, I loved it. When I was playing it. I can't sit around listening to that shit. And if you can, and do frequently, I probably have little in common with you. If I could find a guy who plays the violin like a fucking killer and is also laid back and fucking cool, I'd probably turn into jello. But I've yet to meet such a person.



So, being relatively musical, and liking the sorts of things that I do, I guess I just have chemistry with the type of guy who's "been in a band", but doesn't necessarily actively play music anymore.  And that guy is usually a guitar playing guy. I really had a fluid point when I started this, but I'm tired of writing now. I'm sure you get the jist. We're really bonding here, aren't we!


AREN'T WE.

On a more positive note...

Umm, I just discovered this band, The Reign of Kindo.



They're awesome. I've recently discovered that the voice of certain men singing makes me perverse and lustful (yeah, I just recently discovered this. Shut it.). Such is the case with this band. But that's the least of it. There is a LOT of badass piano going on, and great melodies and just wonderful song writing in general.


AND THEN!!




And then I discovered that this band is from BUFFALO! For all intents and purposes, that's my hometown! Buffalo represent! SOLD.




Check this noise out if you enjoy good music. If you don't, I'm sure Drake has recently come out with something. Look into that.

I'd like to ammend my previous statement...

In my blog about the fact that I'm INCREDIBLY judgemental for no reason, I stated that I will judge you if you like country music.




I'd like to take that back. Kind of. What I really meant, was that I will judge you if you like that country-pop shit like Keith Urban or Sugarland or what the fuck ever. And, I mean, I will. But I don't have any beef with, like, old school country. And I ENJOY some alternative country/folk music. I like Blitzen Trapper, and they call themselves "country" musicians. The Avett Brothers could certainly be considered a subset of country music, and they're one of my favorite bands.



But guys, what I really want to say is that I don't really give a shit what kind of music you listen to. I really don't. I am a music lunatic, and am absolutely obsessed with it, and I spend more time than I really care to admit researching bands and genres of music and histories of songwriters and how this guitarist ended up with that band after parting ways with those other guys and about the medical conditions of musicians that I listen to and what they really meant when they said that one thing in that one song and it's just exhausting and it never ends. But all of that is kind of private to me. If I find out that you like the same bands as me, I'm probably going to be really pumped about it, and THEN I'll want to talk about it, maybe. But I'll still probably be embarrassed about how much weird and useless information I know, and the fact that it makes me look like a stalker/shut-in. I don't really like to have the "what kind of music do you listen to" talk, because I feel like I'll sound pretentious. But I really don't think my music habits are cool, I think they're really dorky. I DO think I have badass music taste, but I assume that most people do. And I don't really like to name the "genre" of music I like, because I don't just listen to one type of music. If you tell someone you like "indie" music, you sound like an arrogant fuck. If you tell people you listen to "electronic" music, most people are probably going to think you're a weirdo. If you say you listen to "dance" music, people will either think that you're a raver who spends your average Wednesday evening rolling face and waving around glow sticks, or that you listen to fucking Cascada or some shit. Most of my friends do not, in fact, listen to the music I do, and classify my music as "weird stuff". Which really, most of it is not. I wish that I had more friends that DID listen to the music I listen to, because...I don't know, because I fucking love it and would like to listen to it in other peoples' presence without them going "what the FUCK IS this?" I don't even know what the hell most of my friends listen to, to be honest.




My boyfriend once asked me what it is that I like about the music that I like, and I wasn't able to answer him articulately. He has a distinct subset of qualities that he looks for in music, and almost all of the music that he likes follows that specific formula. I don't have that. There are a couple of qualities that I do enjoy (good percussion/base lines, minor keys, haunting melodies), but mostly I just want the music that I listen to make me feel some kind of way. I want it to either pump me up, or make me fall in love, or make me want to die. I want it to give me chills or make me dance. I want the lyrics to either be mind-blowingly good or weird as shit. I don't want it to be dull or uninspired. I don't want it to cater to the general public. I want it to be written as a form of expression. A lot of people that listen to similar types of music to mine bitch about their favorite bands getting discovered and going mainsteam and "selling out". And it's not that we want to be different because of the music that we like, or that we don't want our favorite bands to be successful and/or famous...it's more that once bands start catering to the general public, their music legitimately changes. It loses the magic quality that it held when it was just being written because it was inside of somebody and needed to come out. Music that is generally played on the radio is written to be sold and make money, not to inspire people. And that's why people like me hate when bands "sell out".





Anyway, what I'm getting at is that, sure, I'm judgemental. And if I find out that your favorite "musical artist" is Nicki Minaj, yeah, I'm probably going to think you suck a little bit. But I'll probably give you another chance. And I probably didn't ask you what your favorite kind of music was, so I don't know why you offered that information to begin with. And you probably think I'm arrogant, or pretentious, or weird, or dorky anyway. So let's just agree to disagree, and listen to some OneRepublic. Because let's just be honest:  who DOESN'T like that shit?

This is not about anything.

Some thoughts for the day (musings, if you will):



Will I go blind or some variation thereof (eyes falling out, etc) if I wear my contacts literally from the moment I wake up until the moment I go to bed every single day? I'm talking during naps, in the shower, in the pool, while drunk, while cutting onions...every minute. My optometrist recommended taking them out after work daily and wearing glasses to "let my eyes breathe", and also giving my eyes "a day off" frequently. I don't do this. I REALLY hate wearing my glasses. It's not an aesthetic thing, it's a comfort thing. I don't like it. They make the bridge of my nose sweat, and they make it difficult to lay down. I REALLY like to lay down. And I like being able to see things while laying down. Like, say, my TV. So. Oh, and also, I only switch out my contacts for new ones every three to six months. I'm supposed to do that every single month. I have not noticed any ill effect. I'm really just waiting to go totally blind one day out of the blue.



I love Adam Scott. No. I'm IN love with Adam Scott. Not, "I enjoy his work", or "I like the movies/shows he's in", or "I think he's cute". No. I'm in love with him. There's nothing that makes him INCREDIBLY appealing to me as an actor, though I do enjoy his acting offerings. He is everything that I look for in a man. Pretty boring looking, dark hair, skinny, dresses pretty boring, reminiscent of a hipster without actually being one. I have a very distinct aesthetic (that's today's word) taste in men, and it consists of a very specific type of blandness. I don't like my men to be super hot. Unless their name rhymes with myan schmosling. I am seriously way way way more attracted to boring looking dudes. So he's got that going for him. And then there's his personality. His sense of humor is as dry as it can get without being non-existent. He's sarcastic. He's boring and polite enough to appeal to the 85+ crowd. He seems quite intelligent, and a little pretentious, but not really outwardly so. He's nerdy, and his character on Parks and Rec loves superheroes and shit, so I just assume he does in real life as well. I'm into that. I assume his taste of music is something like "indie rock mixed with random obscure hardcore", which is my ideal "guy music type". He's the type of guy who, if I were to know him in real life, the majority of my girl friends would say "Really?? Ugh Jessi, your taste in guys is SO WEIRD.", which is generally what I aim for. Guys, I've clearly put a lot of thought into this. He's THE ONE.

Sidenote: There is apparently also an Adam Scott who is a golfer. That is not who I am talking about; however, it IS the guy who has a supermodel girlfriend, who I previously thought was the girlfriend of MY Adam Scott. Upon further investigation, I found that MY Adam Scott is actually married. So. There's that. It's okay, Hollywood marriages don't last. He'll be mine.



I'm not good at posting pictures on this here little blog. I don't really know how to do it other than in the most simplistic manner, and don't know how to change the size, or the placement, really, of my pictures. This could be alleviated with the smallest amount of research, of which I am not going to do.



I've been wearing a lot of dresses lately. A reasonable assumption would be that I'm doing so to appear nice, or possibly more feminine. Or that I'm trying to get noticed. Now, don't get me wrong. I LOVE attention. And I like to look pretty. However, the reason that I've been wearing dresses is because I am SO INCREDIBLY LAZY that it's almost unbelievable. The long and short of it is that a dress is ONE article of clothing that you slip over your head, and THEN YOU'RE DONE. No figuring out outfits, no putting on pants, no layering, no NOTHING. AND they keep you cool. AND I may have run out of every single reasonably clean article of casual summer clothing that I own for a period of  time. I might even wear THE SAME maxi dress I wore yesterday simply to get my eyebrows done today, even though I actually did laundry yesterday, just because it's sitting on top of my laundry basket.




Spotify has this feature that enables you to play a streaming radio station based on playlists that YOU'VE created. When I found this out, I was VERY jazzed...what a perfect way to find new music based on MY music taste from a SPECIFIC subset of songs and artists that I'VE created! I decided today, however, that I'd generally just rather listen to the damn playlist that I've so painstakingly created in the first place. Most of the songs that they play on the station that aren't already on my playlist are just rejects from my playlist that I didn't want to hear in the first place, and since I spend HOURS and HOURS tooling through the vast Spotify universe, I rarely find music that I wasn't aware of in the first place. So. Don't call me a control freak.



I'm tired of writing things that no one is ever going to read for the time being. Goodbye!

Groove is in my heart.

I love music, don't you?



Of course you do. Everyone loves music. If you DON'T love SOME kind of music, you're clearly a droid of some sort, and I'm afraid of you. 



I don't really work normal hours, so today was like my Sunday, and it was the kind of day that I was just in the mood to drive around aimlessly listening to music for several hours. I have days like those a lot. I'll head out of the house early to do some kind of errand, and then if the music's making me feel right I'll find some excuse to continue driving, usually to somewhere that's entirely out of my way. Or I'll just purposely drive past my turn and take the long way home. This also satisfies the explorer in me...I just moved to the area a few years ago and I'm still constantly finding new ways to get from here to there, or places that I never knew existed. I love it.



And don't even get me started on music social networking. I could (and do) spend hours and hours and HOURS on end on Spotify and Last.fm. I'll go to look one thing up on Spotify, and next thing I know the entire day is gone to going through friends' playlists and recommended music.




Here are some songs I've been digging on lately (most of which aren't necessarily new)



Heartbeats (Live) - The Knife
Place to Belong - Little Dragon
You Are the Ocean - Phantogram
Don't Move - Phantogram
Coronado - Deerhunter
Fall and Flee - The Dear Hunter (see what I did there?)
Valerie - The Zutons
Bang Bang Bang - Mark Ronson & The Business Intl
You Will Leave a Mark - A Silent Film
She's a Rainbow - The Rolling Stones
I Don't Want Love - The Antlers
No Windows - The Antlers
Reunion - M83
Wildfire - SBTRKT feat. Little Dragon
Dawn of the Dead - Does It Offend You, Yeah?
Disparate Youth - Santigold