May Music

It's June.  How did that happen?   Here are my favorites from May.

Without a doubt...my favorite song in a long time: Blurred Lines by Robin Thicke with TI and Pharrell.  Great beat, funny lyrics and I think Pharrell Williams looks adorable in the video.  I can listen to this over and over again.  LOVE. 
Hurricane by MSMR - new duo from NY...haunting, pretty, odd.
I Love You by Said The Whale - Listen and tap your feet.  It's pretty perfect and I love it.
Aviation High by Semi Precious Weapons - I seem to be going back and forth between poppy and ethereal pop and this is the latter...if it fits anywhere. Is Happy Haunting a thing?   We're alive alive and apparently so are parachute pants.
It Never Stops by Bad Books - OK so this is one of those "technically published in 2012" songs, but I like it anyway.  I'm a fan of Bad Books, even though I am not a huge fan of Manchester Orchestra.
You and I by Crystal Fighters- back to poppy - take a listen to this summer song and feel happy.
Instant Crush by Daft Punk/Julian Casablancas - OK Daft Punk is one of those bands that has done so many random things over the last few years you probably either love them or hate them.  Generally I really like them so was pretty excited about their latest release.  So they get two inclusions this month...this slightly annoying and yet hooky Instant Crush and then....
Get Lucky featuring Pharrell Williams - OK so I may have a wee crush on Pharrell.  He's a cutie.  This song is awesome.
Diamonds by The Boxer Rebellion - I have a book next to my computer and when I hear a song I like I write it down. If I look and I have already written it down, I star it to note that I really like it.  This one has a ton of stars.  Really like it. The band has been around since 2001and their stuff has been in a ton of commercials and tv shows.

Have you watched Blurred Lines yet?  Bought it?  It's so great!!

February Music...Gimme More, Gimme More!

Another strong month of new music and the introduction of some new techno-folky bands that I like a lot. Another first for me in February was seeing George Clinton and the P-Funk. I had no idea how much of this music and lyrics have populated mass culture. It was a great show and one that I am glad I was able to see, as I am not sure how many more concerts George has in him!

Happy and Down the Road by C2C - Little French tecnho band that I instantly fell in love with and bought everything.  These two are my favorites by far for their toe-tapping goodness.

If So by Atlas Genius - I continue to love everything by these Aussie guys and am glad they finally released their EP. 

One Way Trigger by The Strokes - It's techno. It's poppy. It's addictive.

Kangaroo Court by Capital Cities -  I wasn't kidding about the techno influence in this month's songs. These guys are coming to town soon and I hope they are as good in person as their recorded stuff has been.

Spotlight by Leagues - This is one of those songs that I instantly loved and somehow reminds me of summer.

Hero by Family of the Year- departing from techno to simple and sweet, Hero is a great song and worthy of being on a coming of age soundtrack a la Garden State.

Demon to Lean on by Wavves - a bit too much like Weezer but something about the edge in his voice makes me like this.

Heavy Feet by Local Natives - A haunting song, an oddly sweet video. 

Do the Right Thing by Dog is Dead - I am a big fan of Dog is Dead but they really haven't had any commerical success in the US.  I can't even buy them on itunes yet. Also listen to Teenage Daughter.

September Music

Teenage Icon by The Vaccines
Something Good by Alt-J
Ayla by The Maccabees
Bom Bom by Sam and The Womp
Read All About It by Emeli Sande
Flaws by Bastille
Talk Through The Night by Dog is Dead
Madness by Muse
Two Fingers by Jake Bugg

Music Notes this Month:
I have been very fortunate this month to see a lot of  concerts and with each one I was reminded how much I love music and how important it is in my life. I am constantly amazed with peoples' talent, especially since I myself have none. Sitting in a room listening to a great singer still gives me chills and I vividly remember some performances that have brought me to tears. So even though many of these really messed up my sleep schedule, here are some highlights from my month of music:

A Silent Film - This band has long been on my radar, included in best of lists since April of 2009.  So I was really excited when they were announced to play a work event.  Their songs are pretty and the lyrics are mostly sad, which is a trait that for some reason I really like.  Like most music I really like, hardly anyone was familiar with the band which is a shame. In person they were humble, sweet and very appreciative of people actually singing their lyrics.  Two of my favorites: You Will Leave a Mark and Driven By Their Beating Hearts.

Metric: This band has been around for a bit and their songs are played pretty consistently on the station that I listen to the most, Atl Nation.  I've never really loved them, never hated them.  Then I saw them in an acoustic performance and I was amazed. The lead singer's voice is pure and beautiful and it has forever changed how I think of their music. You will probably recognize Youth Without Youth.

The Wombats: This band peaked my interest a few years ago with their song "Let's Dance to Joy Division" because it is a good song and I love that they get the irony of that line. It made me laugh.  So I have been following them, purchasing all of their stuff and would consider myself a fan. Their newest single Jump Into the Fog addresses a woman as "love" (which I LOVE and want) and also has a great lines: "I'm only here because I want to twist the structure of my average day" and "life tastes sweeter when its wrapped in debauchery". So I was more than a little excited to see they were coming to Charlotte and that they would be coming to work. I was the only one that I work with that even knew who they were!  Now I see a lot of bands come through work, some big and some small.  Some do a great job interacting with the crowd and then there are bands like The Wombats.  They walked onto the platform, hardly said hello, unceremoniously sang two songs (the usual is three) and walked off stage.  That's it. I was very disappointed.  For a band with such a sense of humor in their lyrics, to have no personality whatsoever was not what I expected. I went to the show that night and they were better, but still they have lost a bit of their appeal.   I still like the music, but I will never again skip down the hall at work exclaiming "The Wombats are here!"  Check out one of my favorites, Tokyo.

Morning Parade: I liked this band's first major hit and since they were opening for the Wombats, they also came by work. They were the first band in the 16 years I have worked here that wore a sports coat.  They also smelled good, a rarity.  They did the normal introduction, sang a song and then said they wanted to play a game with the audience members.  It was hilarious!  They sang another song and when it came to the next break they chose me. Steve, the lead singer introduced himself to me and asked the question, then played their hit song.  We took pictures and that was it.  That night at the concert I bought a cd and went up to get it autographed. He looked at me and right away said 'Hi Amy, so glad to see you again!".  How awesome is that?!  We chatted, he said he'd be around afterwards and asked if I'd stay for a drink.  I was there with Shelia, so we both stayed and she bought the band a round of drinks.  I hung out and talked with Steve while The Wombats were playing.  He had been touring with them for a few weeks and said that they are funny and nice.  He also said he was so  impressed that the Wombats were playing in a small venue here when just two weeks ago they were playing to a sold out 50,000 crowd in the UK.  I asked him if that was disheartening and he said quite the opposite...that it was inspiring to be with a band that loved performing and loved the music so much.  So Steve bought me two drinks, we hung out talking for about an hour.  I am pretty sure we are best friends now.  :)  But seriously, they will be back in Charlotte in November.  Go see them; they are a group of nice guys with a lot of talent.   Headlights is great, but this Us & Ourselves is my favorite. 

August Music...and a rant

Rant first. I have been a satellite radio subscriber since 2004 and have loved it. I have it in my car and stream it all day long at work. I cannot work in silence, so it is literally on all day long. I listen to Alt Nation until 11am and then switch over to BBC Radio One for the rest of the day. At least I used to. As of August 9th, Sirius/XM stopped carrying Radio One.


I have worked in radio for 15 years, and in that time have had a few stations flip formats. We always have people calling talking about how devastated they are not to have their station and I usually laughed at them. Then it happened to me and it was horrible. Really horrible. Yes, I can stream BBC live but there is a 5 hour time difference which Sirius/XM used to adjust. So when I am at work, it is the night time techno stuff. Boo. I really am heartbroken not to be able to hear my favorite DJ Dev at 5am. I miss driving to work listening to Chris Moyles. I am sad. To all those people whose pain I mocked, I apologize. I get it. I am one of you now.


So that being said, August music is a little light since I am trying to find new habits. Due to so many customer complaints, Sirius/XM has brought back BBCR1 online so at least I can continue to stream with a 5 hour delay at work. I guess it's something. I still miss Dev.


Shuffle by Bombay Bicycle Club (this is really great)
Feel So Close by Calvin Harris
Stay Young Go Dancing by Death Cab (it's a happy Death Cab!)
Come Closer by Miles Kane (NOT to be confused by the song of same name by Ne Yo)
Gambling Man by Overtones
Call Out In The Dark by Snow Patrol
Raise Your Weapon by DeadMau5 (That's Dead Mouse to all you non number reading English speakers)

January Music

Good month for music - lots of these songs I love.

Title.....by Artist
Stare Into the Sun by Graffiti Six
99 Problems by Hugo
Sail by Awolnation *
Crystal Vases by Last Royals*
Price Tag by Jessie J
She Comes Alive by Baby Monster
Bigger Than Us by White Lies
Listen to Your Live by Mona
Horchata by Vampire Weekend
Driven by a Beating Heart by A Silent Film
All Time Low by The Wanted
Good Girl by Alexis Jordan
Big Bang by Rock Mafia
All the Girls by Calvin Harris

PEP- The Best Music of 2010

I have been keeping track of my favorite songs of each month so I thought it would be easy to compile my list of top songs of 2010. I was wrong; it was harder. I had so many to choose from that I ended up doing a list of songs to play at PEP and also made a CD for everyone. Shirley did my "Album Cover" - isn't it awesome?


PEP Playlist
Zorbing by Stornoway

Grenade by Bruno Mars (very poppy, but I love the lyrics...tell the devil I said hey when you get back to where you're from..." just great.)

White Blank Page by Mumford and Sons (I was really hard pressed to choose just one song of theirs. Turns out I absolutely love the entire CD)

Evening Kitchen by Band of Horses (Not a band I usually like, but this song is wonderful)

We Used to Wait by Arcade Fire (I like the song and am generally an Arcade Fire fan. But this video really cemented the song as a favorite. Use Chrome and check out the video.)

Models and Dancers by Harper Blynn (Just a catchy little tune and the lyrics make me smile)

Dream City by Free Energy (I originally found this band because of their song Bang Pop, but realized I liked this song more. It is a tad early Springsteeny, which I love.)

What You Know by Two Door Cinema Club (My favorite band of 2010)

Boy by Ra Ra Riot (Second favorite band of 2010)

Finale by Funeral Party

Amy's Audibles Best of 2010 CD

Breakeven by The Script- I am not usually a lyrics person but this along with Grenade, really grabbed me. This song makes me sing it out loud and get a little weepy along the way. A good, solid heartbreak song.

Girls With Accents by The Fences - Another great lyric song, and totally appeals to those days where I feel like everything I touch turns horribly wrong.

My Body by Young The Giant - An up and coming new band, Young the Giant is poppy with a British influence. This first song of theirs has a nice back beat and is all around a scream at the top of your lungs refrain.

Constellations by Darwin Deez- A great quirky American band that has found fame in England. Gotta love a song that starts off with Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.

We Speak No Americano by Yolanda Be Cool & Dcup- I dare you to listen to this song and not tap your feet and feel like you should be overseas. This song was also featured in The American with George Clooney.

Wavin' Flag by K'naan, will.i.am & David Guetta - I listen to a lot of BBC Radio One and this song was very popular around World Cup time. It's a great anthem for a country based sport competition.

The Bike Song by Mark Ronson and The Business International - "My mother tells me I should stop go and get a real job That can’t be the way that I roll Everybody’s growing up, having kids and paying rent And I’m getting count of it all. I’m gonna ride my bike until I get home." The whole song is fantastic!

I Was Drunk by Riva Starr- Another song that needs to be in a soundtrack, pronto!

Upside by Kano featuring Michelle Breeze - I really like songs that juxtapose rap with slow, beautiful parts. I LOVE Michelle Breeze's voice...it is achingly sweet.

Only Man by Audio Bullys- I first heard Audio Bullys when they did a song that sampled a Nancy Sinatra song. I love that they are so fully British you cannot hide the accents. This song has a great beat and gets stuck in my head.

Bang Bang by K'naan & Adam Levine- Second appearance by the Somalian K'naan pairs him with Adam Levine (you might recognize his voice from Maroon 5).

Bang Bang Bang by Mark Ronson & The Business International - Mark Ronson is England's Timberland...but he also sings. The Business International is his band but he contracts in other singers. This one features an American pop duo MNDR.

I Can Talk by Two Door Cinema Club - Yep, favorite band of 2010.

Heartbeat Song by The Futureheads - For some reason this song reminds me of an early 80s pop song.

Miami by The Foals - This song reminds me of Robert Smith in the Cure. The Foals is another great British band that has had some hits show up in various TV shows including Entourage. they also received several nominations at the Brit Awards, the English Grammies.

You Will Leave A Mark by A Silent Film- 2010 was a strong year for music and A Silent Film in top 3 band for sure. This song is pretty and I'm a sucker for piano in any form....more so in a piano rock format. The band is from Oxford (understand the British flag on the cover now?) and has a pretty successful following there. I am glad to see them hit the US now.

Sleepyhead by Passion Pit - This is one song that straddles the line between annoying and fantastic. Listen and decide for yourself.

Solitude is Bliss by Tame Impala - They are from Australia and one of the guys is named Gumby. Plus the song is a trippy delight.

Ivy & Gold by Bombay Bicycle Club- In 2010 I learned that I like folk music. This is one of a set of songs that fit into that Folk classification.

Rollerblades by Eliza Doolittle - I know nothing about this woman, but her songs (this and another called Skinny Genes) makes me happy.

Rolling in the Deep by Adele - I fell in love with Adele's voice after I heard her cover "Make You Feel My Love". I had heard and liked her other big hit "Chasing Pavements" but I really like "Rolling in the Deep" best for it's overall sound. She is coming out with a new album in March. I am looking forward to it!

Hannah by Freelance Whales - Technically this song was released in 2009, but it was December 28 of 2009 and it was a self release. It was then released by a label two days before my birthday and since I love everything about this song, I included it. I heard somewhere that a lot of the lyrics come from dream journaling and that makes so much sense when you hear Hannah. It sounds like a dream feels. By far, my favorite song of 2010.

Pink Elephant Party Part Two

Last year Shelia hosted the first Pink Elephant Party. Everyone brought a bottle of wine and a 10 song playlist. Incredibly simple and yet amazingly fun. I found a new wine I liked and a host of new songs.

Shelia's friend Krissie hosted the second PEP on Saturday. I have met Krissie a couple of times and really like her. She is down to earth, funny, loves music and runs. She is one of those easy people to get along with so it was easy to go to her house after only meeting her a handful of times. We also invited Charlie since he is one of the most musically inclined people I know. I brought the only wine I have ever bought for taste, Evolution (usually I'm a cool label kinda gal).

I had another great night and I can't really explain why this is turning into my perfect way to spend a night. We just sat around and ate (Krissie made far too much, but completely delicious food) and talked about the songs we brought, our opinions on others' songs and just life in general. I learned about some great bands, listened to some fantastically talented people and thoroughly enjoyed myself. Joe and and I are hosting the next one. I hope that Charlie comes again and I hope everyone feels as comfortable in our home as I did in Krissie's.

In case you were wondering, here are the songs I brought with some brief notes as to why:

1. Kingdom of Rust - The Doves- One of the prettiest songs ever. They add notes as the songs moves along and it is just a gorgeous compilation.
2. Soul Meets Body - Death Cab for Cutie - I am a late adopter, but huge fan of Death Cab. This is one of many of my favorites by them, and really, they have little I do not love.
3. She's Got You High - Mumm-Ra - This was featured on the 500 Days of Summer soundtrack (see the movie if you haven't) and while Tender Trap's Sweet Disposition is getting A LOT of play, I think Mumm-Ra's song is by far the best song on the album. It is poppy, happy and a GREAT song for driving with the windows down and the volume up.
4. Razor-Foo Fighters - This is the only Foo Fighters song I like and I heard it first in the movie Catch and Release starring Timothy Olyphant. As Charlie pointed out, yes, I love soundtracks. I am very aware of the music in a movie and it can make or break a film for me. I will also go see a movie that merely looks OK if the song in the preview is great.
5. 5 Years Time - Noah and the Whale - I am going through a pretty heavy British Pop phase right now and this headbopper is a perfect example of that. It makes me smile and think of being on a beach.
6. F**k You - Lilly Allen - I love Lilly Allen. This song's juxtaposition of cruel lyrics and cheery melody make me smile and generally want to hug her.
7. I am Not a Robot - Marina and the Diamonds - She has a catchy song about how horrible America and Hollywood is, and despite the message, the tune stuck around in my head. This is a better message, just as infectious sound.
8. What's It In For - AVI Buffalo - These kids were apparently the stars of SXSW this year. This song somehow manages to take a slightly irritating lead singer's voice and a slightly annoying music bed and combine them into a song that is quite perfect and makes me want to listen over and over again. Hopefully they won't break up and we'll get more from them.
9. The High Road - Broken Bells - This is the lead singer from The Shins so it's not a surprise that I like them. I bought the entire CD, instead of just one song, and I have been listening to it nonstop. It's great.
10. The Seed - The Roots and Cody Chestnutt - I followed Edward Norton when he ran the NY Marathon to raise awareness for the Maasai people. He published his running playlist and this song grabbed me and I bought it immediately.

I am mostly a pretty song person and rarely do the lyrics matter or jump out, or do I even hear them correctly. Shelia is completely a lyrics person; Joe is stuck in the 90s, Krissie is the new band showcaser and Charlie is an eclectic melomane. Together, we were a pretty successful night.

March Music Favorites

Here are the songs that caught my ear in March.

Title - Artist
Go Do - Jonsi
Emily's Heart - Jamie T.
Down by the Water - The Drums
Upside Down - Paloma Faith
Flux - Bloc Party
The High Road - Broken Bells
Giving Up The Gun - Vampire Weekend
I Can Talk - Two Door Cinema Club
Be Your Only Man - Audio Bullies
O.N.E. - Yeasayer
What's It In For - AVI Buffalo
Kill Me Caroline - Whigs
Audience - Cold War Kids
This Too Shall Pass - OK Go
Beggin- Madcon
17- Audio Bullies

Not current, but songs I have heard that I remembered I loved long time:
I Believe in Love - Darkness
Worried About Ray - Hoosiers