Where Did That Come From?

Sometimes I get weird music stuck in my head. Like really, really weird music. Sometimes it just appears and I have no idea where it came from. I decided to write down all the things from this past week I got stuck in my head and share it because some of them are just so odd. A few I can trace the origin of when they got stuck in my head, but some of them literally just popped in there.























-Melissa

She and Him

I have been meaning to write about She and Him for a while now, but every time I start, I find a group that I want to write about just a little bit more. But I decided it's finally their time.

In case you have been living under a rock, She and Him is Zooey Deschanel's band with M. Ward. They are cute, they are quirky, they are simple, but they are definitely fun. Deschanel has a very distinctive, strange singing voice. It is both horrible and wonderful. The lyrics to the songs are very simple, almost like they were stolen straight from her diary or poem book. Though very modern sounding, their musical sound calls back to 60s pop, folk, and country quite a bit. Songs such as I Was Made For You and Sweet Darlin' bring to mind the girl groups of yester-year, but then songs such as In the Sun and Sentimental Heart are a very modern sound.

My favorite songs are Sentimental Heart (a song that brings all my relationships to mind every time I hear it), I Was Made For You, Sweet Darlin', Thieves, In the Sun, Don't Look Back, Me and You, and Gonna Get Along Without You Now. I feel their first album Volume One is a great first album, but I find Volume Two a far better album. She seems to embrace her voice's quirks more and puts them to better use, instead of fighting against them and producing a sound that is not always easy to listen to.

Deschanel is on my list of dream people to dress. My mom and I always swoon over all her clothing in the cotton commercial she is featured in. Her style is so simple and wearable, but always stylish. I love the idea of dressing her in modern silhouettes with vintage style fabric. I love that she can wear cute or sweet clothing and accessories and it never feels forced. Bows, ruffles, sparkles, sailor collars, whatever. She always pulls it off wonderfully! Check out some of her adorable outfits below.

(I really really really want the dress on the right, but maybe in another color)

(I love her shorts outfit)

(I would wear that trapeze dress in a second)

I fell in love with Deschanel's singing voice in Elf, and I was so happy when She and Him was formed. I hope you enjoy them as well. Check out some She and Him videos below!










-Melissa

You Are Who?

So, I'll be the first to admit that iamamiwhoami is a bit of a publicity stunt. Mysterious band shows up on YouTube with strange videos with riddles for song titles and no one knows who it is. Over time some very anxious fans figure out bits and pieces of what everything means and everyone has a guess at who the mysterious singer is, but no one ever knows for sure until months later when one music video shows the singer Jonna Lee (who is a big deal overseas) without crazy makeup or special effects.

Putting all that aside, Jonna Lee's side project of iamamiwhoami is really really good electronic semi-dance music. There is such a difference I learned between watching the videos and just listening to the songs. When you watch the videos all you can think about is how bizarre it all is, and if you are me, "why can't they find that male model underwear that fits his ass" (and why is he wearing socks). But when I just played the songs by themselves, I realized just how good of music it is.

It is hard to say exactly what the sound is like, but I found bits and pieces of everyone from MGMT to Bjork in the sound. My personal favorites are O and T, which I will post below, but I highly recommend you check out all her videos in order! It's like a strange puzzle that slowly comes together bit by bit, but when you are done, you're not so sure what the picture is of. You can check out the order on this link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iamamiwhoami but if you only want to hear her main songs check out B, O, U-1, U-2, N, T, and Y in that order. Strange I know, but oh so good.





-Melissa

Freelance Whales

Lately, I have been discovering a lot of music that uses slightly more unusual instruments in fun ways. I think this is a trend we will be seeing more of in the future, as more and more people are getting tired of the traditional rock band consisting of four men, with one drummer, one bass player, a singer who plays quitar, and another guitarist, all of whom wear band t-shirts, dirty jeans, chuck taylors, and maybe a leather jacket or two. The instrument that Freelance Whales uses that I find so fun is a xylophone, but from what I read their collection of fun instruments is growing to include instruments such as Japanese flutes and possibly someday, a pipe organ.

I believe that the singer sounds like a slightly more androgynous version of the singer from The Format, but others have likened his voice to Ben Gibbard of Death Cab for Cutie, which I can definitely hear. The band's sound reminds me a bit of The Postal Service, though their sound is not quite as polished.

I personally think the best songs on their album is Generator First Floor, Generator Second Floor, Hannah, and Starring. Starring has super fun instrumentals (and definitely reminds me of Postal Service). Their album "Weathervanes" is the type of album that constantly gives you new favorites though, depending on your mood. As I write this I am listening to the album, and have found several more songs that I am enjoying immensely, such as Broken Horse and We Could Be Friends.

My favorite part about this band is their instrumentals, but if you choose to focus on the lyrics, there are some interesting stories going on in the album. The lyrics are based off a combination of the singer's childhood memories and dream journaling. By age six, the singer began to make room in his house for the ghost of a young girl he sensed living in his house, a detail he works into the album.

This is a super fun band, and I hope you take the time to listen to some of their music. To hear some examples of their work, check out the videos below:









-Melissa

This Time in My Life

Sarah Jaffe is the singer for this time in my life. Love lost. New love. Begging love to stay. Wishing you could feel differently about where life has lead you. Promises. Broken promises. I've felt it all. And so has she. Her style is often so simplistic, that it's easy for me to see myself in any one of her songs.

Stay With Me is a song that hardly sings, but rather whispers her pleas to the one she loves for them to stay. Clementine is my theme song at the moment. In this song, she details her journey through multiple heartbreaks and wishing she could go back to being delicate after becoming so calloused. I believe the line "I wish my name was Clementine" to refer to the song Oh My Darling Clementine, in which Clementine is remembered even after death, though it could also refer to her wish to return to gentleness. Better Than Nothing has one of the most rousing choruses I have heard in a while, as does Perfect Plan. Pretender is another song I can really relate to. The lyrics mixed with the dark music brings to mind that feeling of desperateness everyone feels for someone at one point in their life. Is she really a giver/forgiver, or is she just telling herself that so she feels better about the situation? Though her lyrics are simple, I find myself questioning every little meaning in her songs.

I would not consider Sarah Jaffe one of the new great lyricists of our time however. Her lyrics, as with her music, are simple. Songs such as Clementine repeat the same lines over and over, and some lines are slightly odd, such as Vulnerable's "You're such a baby, it's just a nosebleed. Leave me for a while, so you can go and cry." But I don't like Sarah for her lyrics. I like her for her heartfeltness and her great (and sometimes incredibly catchy) instrumentals.

As with her songwriting style, I see her clothing style as being simple. I would love to see her in fun dresses and rompers, with the occasional cardigan or casual jacket. Sarah is not a traditional beauty, so I think she could pull off some slightly unusual styles, such as rompers with tights and boots. If I was to style Sarah I would dress her as I often dress myself, taking even fancy pieces and dressing them down with boots and sweaters.

If you have not already heard Sarah Jaffe, please take the time to check out some of her music at the bottom of the page. I have found something new in her songs every time I have listened and hopefully you will love her as much as I do.

Sarah Jaffe

Fun Dresses

Dresses with Cardigans

Cute Casual Rompers

-Melissa

Epic Banjos

While listening to Mumford and Sons' debut album "Sigh No More" I caught myself thinking "Man, these banjos are epic," which are not exactly words one would normally put together. I think that choice of words is actually fitting though. Mumford and Sons is a great folk band for one who does not necessarily like folk bands due to their quick tempos and ability to keep their songs interesting, even the slower ones.

I really love this album, especially the songs Little Lion Man, White Blank Page, Winter Winds, Sigh No More, The Cave, and Awake My Soul. I love the singer's slightly raspy English voice and their use of literary references in their lyrics. As the singer put it "You can rip off Shakespeare all you like; no lawyer's going to call you up on that one."

This band does not completely fit into the theme of this blog as I have heard them on the radio a few times and were recently nominated for two Grammys for Best New Artist and Best Rock Song, but I believe them to be relatively unheard of still as they are relative newcomers to the music world. As for the Grammy nominations, it just shows that on occasion award shows actually get it right. Despite my love for many of the other Best New Artist nominees, I expect Mumford and Sons to win that category.

Check out this wonderful band below:







-Melissa

Tennis

One of my new favorite bands is actually from Denver...not that you have heard of them. Tennis is an amazing husband and wife duo that is starting to get national attention, but is practically unheard of right here in their hometown. They recently went on a sailing trip and were so inspired that they decided to record an album heavily influenced by their time at sea. This album is called "Cape Dory", named after the ship they sailed in.

With a sound that feels like a retro beach party, Tennis is great for anyone who likes Vampire Weekend or Surfer Blood. The singer's voice reminds me of girly groups of yesteryear. Every song on their album is really great, but my favorites are Long Boat Pass, Take Me Somewhere, Marathon, and South Carolina. This is a great mood album, especially in these cold winter months.

I like the idea of simplicity with dressing the singer Alaina Moore. She has big frizzy hair that reminds me of Jennifer Grey in Dirty Dancing (I actually think this album would fit right into the movie as well) so I think she could do fun simple pieces well. I like the idea of simple rompers and summer dresses in fun prints. I'd love to make her sundresses in sailing inspired fabric to match with their sound. And because I love frizzy hair, I say let it do it's thing!

Alaina

Rompers

Simple Summer Dresses

Some Great Prints

Check out some of this group's great music!









-Melissa