Saturday Music Haul

This Saturday was my school's art festival at a local art center. This meant I had to wake up at the ungodly hour of 7 A.M. on a Saturday morning after an exhausting week of school to get to the place by 9:30, and then wait to play until 11:15. I went on with both the jazz band and jazz combo, and I actually had a pretty great time. In jazz band we played "Pescados Frescos" by Armando Rivera and "Easin Along" by someone who's name I forget, and in jazz combo we played "Blues A La Mode", "Corcovado", and "Scrapple from the Apple". 

Sadly I had to cut out before the theatre performances to make it to my other jazz ensemble practice, but the result of a day of all-around jazziness was that I was left in a particularly jazzy mood. I made my way to the record shop and spent awhile browsing around before purchasing five albums:

 "April In Paris" by Count Basie and His Orchestra

 "The Complete Glenn Miller"

 "The Duke Ellington Carnegie Hall Concerts"

 "Sergio Mendes"

I got a little shock with this one; I expected it to be quiet latin piano music, and then the cheesy love songs from every eighties movie in existence started playing. I'm so incredibly okay with this.

"Toscanini; Debussy and Franck"

SPARKLES AND BELLBOTTOMS

DON'T ASK QUESTIONS JUST LISTEN

March Playlist

'Round Midnight- Thelonius Monk

Merry-Go-Round of Life (Cover)- by Sung Ha Jung

But can we just talk about the level of perfection this cover has reached. Like, I loved this song too much to begin with and now I love it so much more that I want to cry. This guy is some kind of guitar god.

All of Me (Cover) - Damjan Pejcinoski 

I had a thing for Youtube guitar covers of songs this month. I found All of Me in my Real book and was quickly smitten, and this cover is the best version of the song I've found yet.

Never Let Me Go - Lana Del Rey

I discovered all of Lana's leaked songs (40+!) and there were some I really loved. This is my favorite right now.

Crooked- G Dragon

I don't know, is it bad that I'm a girl and yet I would steal all of G Dragon's outfits right off him given the chance? Also this is such a great happy/bad-ass anthem. For those days.

Me Digom Les Glei- Zigeli Winter Quartet

Some more gypsy jazz for y'all. Because you can never have enough.

She's Not There- The Zombies

Nantes- Beirut

Ahhh the vocals aren't great but there's something about this song that gets me.

Son of Sam- Elliot Smith

10 Bookish (And Not So Bookish) Thoughts

Ten Bookish(And Not so Bookish) Thoughts is a weekly blogging event hosted by Bookishly Boisterous.

Ever since I started sophomore year I've had less and less time for reading/watching tv, etc. so there hasn't been much to review. I thought it would be a good time to do a couple memes and such just to keep myself actively blogging-- so here goes!

1.) Yes, I am STILL reading We The Drowned by Carsten Jensen. It's an amazing book, but also like five or six hundred pages, so it's a bit of a project. So far I'm really enjoying it! I feel like it's going to be one heck of a book review when I finally finish it.

2.) The new show on Fox, Sleepy Hollow, is actually pretty good?? I wasn't really expecting much from a drama about a colonial time-traveler and a sassy black cop and the apocalypse, but I've been enjoying it a lot. The characters are relatable and the story moves along well, although it has a bit of a villain-of-the-week feel right now. Sometimes the cinematography is a little reminiscent of someone who's just found new software that they're playing around with, but I can see it going places. Tom Mison and his mussy ponytail doesn't hurt either.

I sort of feel the need to watch the movie now?

3.) I've rediscovered my love for Mushi-shi. I watched it a year or two ago, and never even got through the full season, but I'm so glad I found it again because hands down it is the best anime I have ever watched. Every single frame is just pure art, and the story is poetic and contemplative. The show is sort of like a book of short stories-- each episode the characters, setting, and conflict are all different, but after you always come away with something to think about.... that sort of sad and yet content feeling you get from really great stories. It's so artful and creative and just plain out of the box, I need everyone to go watch it right now. 

4.) Battle of the Year is a strong contender for Worst Movie I've Ever Watched. I went to see it at a party, and literally I just couldn't even. It doesn't merit a proper review. Basically it was 50% cheesy inspirational speeches, 20% badly choreographed dances, and 30% zoom shots of Josh Peck gazing thoughtfully into the distance. The only good thing about it was Mah Boi D-Trix.

....and Chris Brown's intense stares.

5.) Agnes Obel's new album came out eeeep! It's called Aventine  and I have mixed feeling about it. I kind of half dread whenever and artist/filmmaker/author I like comes out with something new, because I feel like it will never be better than the original work... I think partly because I've already devoted myself to the original work, and it's been made better by my good memories of it. (Case in point- Hayao Miyazaki) So right now I don't think Aventine  is as good as Philharmonics, but I may come around. I like Dorian and The Curse, but I find that most of the songs have this sort of muddled sound as opposed to the clear piano riffs of Philharmonics-there's less to grasp onto. 

6.) People really need to start saying Autumn instead of fall- Autumn is far prettier and the word is more reminiscent of the season. To me, fall just sounds tacky. And yet I still find myself saying it. *sighs*

7.) Grades closed for progress reports today. That means I was up all last night making up the work I was too lazy to do when it was actually due : / But I've been getting good grades as I promised myself I would, so I'm not worried. I made a deal with my dad that he would get me a translation of the Tao te Ching if I got straight As, and I'm looking forward to a little more taoism in my life. It's weird that the school year is already and eighth of the way through, though. It feels like it's just begun.

8.) I've reached new levels of obsession with Wellesley College. I visited the campus this summer and it was love at first sight-- the stone architecture, the rolling hills and green every which way you looked. I was literally thinking how I felt like Juliet there when I saw a girl in a white dress sitting on a balcony. Just.. I'm completely and utterly enamored. I love that it's smaller, that it's all-girls, that it has such a supportive community. I need to go there and I need to to go there now. So I've been compulsively researching everything about it, and it's officially on my vision board.

9.) We've been doing a short story unit in English that I'm enjoying like crazy. Actually, I'm enjoying the class in general like crazy. I have a great teacher this year who's very prone to holding Socratic discussions, which is to my benefit since I literally can't keep my mouth shut about anything English related. But we've read Cathedral, The Occurence at Owl Creek Bridge, A and P, The Cask of Amontillado, and most of Jhumpa Lahiri's Interpreter of Maladies. I've been having so much fun interpreting and analyzing the stories-- maybe I'll do some posts about them if I feel like it. 

10.) I've made the resolution to get back into creative writing, which I'm really excited about. Hopefully I can get some work posted online and I think I'll try for a few competitions. 

Until next time!

A Failed Endeavor

Before school this year, I got a notion in my head: I would be a fashion blogger. I'd be one of those cool fashion-y girls that wears dark lipstick and pouts all the time and stomps the halls in Lita boots. Well, the first two things I did anyway...and Lita boots are overrated. But mainly, the reasons were-

1.) It validated my sometimes-self-obsession.

2.) I thought the name I came up with was cool (Style Asylum).

So I tried, and after about .2 posts I'd run out of things to write about. But it seems a waste to not post the pictures anywhere, so let this be a tribute to the deceased Style Asylum. May it rest in peace.

Almost-Fall Playlist

Lorde- Tennis Court

Haley Reinhart- Oh My!

John Legend- Who Did That To You

The Animals- The House of The Rising Sun

The Kinks- Sunny Afternoon

The Dog Days of Summer

It's hard to believe that summer is almost halfway over- I've been so busy that the days have just flown past. For my birthday I went on a weekend trip to Quebec, which was amazing! I got in a little of practice with my French, and got to experience some foreign culture. It was basically my first time being out of the country, and it was such a weird feeling to walk down the street and realize that all of these people just assumed that I was Quebecois- it wasn't as if they all knew I was from America. On another note, the food was delicious, and I probably had way too much of it- basically everything came in maple flavor, every restaurant had poutine, and wild meats were the name of the game. I also developed a fascination with streets and stairways, and after awhile I was prohibited from taking any more pictures of the ground. (Click here to see some of my pictures from the trip) Anyways, I'm basically booked with regattas-- I just came back from one today and I'm diving into another tomorrow-- so I thought I would check in with some of the stuff that's caught my attention this summer.

MUSIC

Putamayo Presents French Cafe

Found this little treasure of a CD on a cabinet shelf and it ended up being one of those albums where there isn't one song I dislike.

Fibre de Verre 

Mal o Mains 

Si La Photo Est Bonne

Requiem For Annie by Parov Stelar

Teen Idle by Marina and the Diamonds

Twisted Nerve by Bernard Herman from Kill Bill

--WARNING!-- if you listen to this song you won't be able to get it out of your head for about two weeks.

Every Man Gets His Wish by Lana Del Rey

Space by Magic Wands

The Best We Got by The Rubens

Collectors by Springtime Carnivore

YOUTUBE OBSESSIONS

TakeSomeCrime

I actually found this youtuber awhile ago but I literally cannot stop watching his videos. He's a dancer that does a dance style called "criming". I can't even describe it but it's addictive to watch- I'll admit I've marathonned his videos more than a couple of times. Plus he has amazing music taste- a lot of the songs above I found from watching his videos, and he also dances to a lot of Parov Stelar and Caravan Palace, which are my known favorites.

This video is definitely my new favorite- I think it's an interesting study in genders and the related dance styles/ what they enhance. When he's dancing as a girl he makes it look like he has curves just by the way he moves-- it's really well done. This video is good too but it won't display it so click here!

DanIsNotOnFire

I...totally..didn't..marathon....thiswholechannel....

*What am I doing with my life*

ScottBradleeLovesYa

This is a really interesting musical channel-- it's a group of musicians that take popular songs and re-do them according to an era.

Vlogbrothers

I actually can't even pick a favorite video. It's basically two brothers who talk to eachother over Youtube about whatever is on their minds, but it's all very interesting and they both have great personalities.

Spring Cleaning

Welcome to May! It's crazy to think that I'm almost done with the school year--it's gone way too fast! But I'm glad that summer is coming, bringing with it long days on the water and sun-bleached hair (and I've got my fingers crossed for a tan, too!) I really need to catch up on my blogging, though--there's so much to review, but for some reason I always find myself doing playlists....OK so I might include a few songs in this post, but I mean.... I also want to change up the look of my blog a little; it's far too generic and, well, not ME right now. 

Sooooo to give this post a bit of substance I set my Grooveshark to shuffle and here are the first five songs that came up!

Riverside by Agnes Obel

I first heard this song when I was watching season one of the ABC show Revenge. Season one was really good and I would highly recommend it, but I would say stop after that-- their soundtrack gets pretty bad too.

Kaleidoscope Machine by Katie Costello

For the life of me I cannot remember how I came across this song, but I know that it always makes me happy when i listen to it :)

Hey Little Rich Girl by Amy Winehouse

I know this has already been on my blog, but it's worth another listen. It's one of my favorite Amy songs; it has a lot lighter feel than most of her others.

My Favorite Game by The Cardigans

Classic.

Buy My Love by Wynter Gordon

I found this one through my brother-- it gets me dancing every time.

Spring Playlist

My darling readers, it is my joyous pleasure to inform you that spring has arrived! Ah yes, it may have gotten off to a chilly start with a few scattered snow showers, but all is forgotten now that the plants are budding green and the birds are coming back from their travels to serenade us. And as the cold gray skies of winter recede into the past, I find myself shrugging off the gloominess and depression that I have carried with me and starting to be interested in more creative pursuits and optimistic thinking. And of course, my favorite part of spring is that I'm sailing again! I could care less that my fingers come dangerously close to frostbite on a daily basis and that my shins look like eggplants from being knocked around so much, because I'm on the water and there's salt on my skin and wind in my hair and I couldn't be happier. And the soundtrack to the new season unfolding around me has so far been a fair quantity of, for lack of a better term, hipster music, but hey it makes me happy. 

Jerk it Out by The Caesars

Mansard Roof by Vampire Weekend

The amount of preppy is almost too much to handle...

Chelsea Dagger by The Fratellis

Sitting, Waiting, Wishing by Jack Johnson

He melts me inside.

Ain't No Rest For The Wicked by Cage The Elephant

Listen to the lyrics.

Daylight by Matt and Kim

Walcott by Vampire Weekend

What You Know by Two Door Cinema Club

Campus by Vampire Weekend

Sleepyhead by Passion Pit

The names to many more of my favorite songs are eluding me so when I remember them there will probably be a second installment of my spring playlist. 

xx, Skye

Amy Winehouse Playlist

Amy Winehouse was my childhood. Her jazzy vocals could always be heard echoing through our house growing up, and without even trying I memorized all the lyrics to every single song on Back To Black. I can even remember jumping on the indoor trampoline while watching one of her live performances.

But somewhere along the road I stopped listening to her, and I recently re-discovered her songs, along with my love for them. She had one of the most amazing and unique voices I have ever heard in a singer, and I love the bluesy vibes in her music. It speaks to me, and my memories, and I hope that people will continue to enjoy Amy's music long after she passed away.

Stronger Than Me

This is my favorite at the moment. It has a really cool vibe with the guitar chords in the background, and I love the scat part at the beginning.

You Know I'm No Good

My all time favorite.

The Girl From Ipanema

I love her take on this classic tune; her voice fits it surprisingly well.

Fuck Me Pumps

One of her simpler songs, but I think it's really honest and I love the lyrics.

Hey Little Rich Girl

*Happy Vibes* Also who wouldn't want to be those two guys off to the side just havin' a ball? I'm thinking future career...

Rehab

I mean, I pretty much had to include this one. It's CLASSIC. 

Tears Dry On Their Own

Rest in Peace, Amy.

Electro Swing: A Love Story

A little tidbit about myself; I play the alto saxophone religiously. Therefore I listen quite a bit to jazz, bebop, blues, bossanova, and my favorite: swing. That's why I shed a few joyous tears when I discovered Electro Swing. It's a legitimately perfect genre of music concocted from swing tunes and styles, played with big band instruments, and club beats as well as synthesized sounds. I seriously haven't been able to pry the headphones off my ears ever since I found this music.

Bambous by Caravan Palace

I picked this song first because it was the first electro swing song I fell in love with. In case you don't like nonsensical rabies-infused vocals I'm pretty sure this is the only song I've found that features them, so don't be quick to write off this genre. In any case, Caravan Palace has officially been crowned my favorite band. They're from Paris, and have a few albums out, and the more I listen to their music the more I like it.

Je M'Amuse by Caravan Palace

This song is my current favorite. The melody is very Parisian sounding, which I like, and the way they mix it up with the heavy synthetic bass sounds provides an interesting contrast that still works perfectly.

Brotherswing by Caravan Palace

The Dirty Side of The Street by Caravan Palace

Okay I'm dancing.

Jimmy's Gang by Parov Stelar

I'm pretty sure Parov Stelar is the most famous electro swing composer. Something he does more than Caravan Palace is focus on club beats, and I'm pretty sure he has more instrumental riffs. IN CASE ANYONE HAS SPENT THEIR ENTIRE EXISTENCE LOOKING FOR THAT SONG FROM THE BING RESTAURANT COMMERCIAL THIS IS IT I FOUND IT. Am I the only one that does that? I hear a song in the background of something and then I dedicate my life to finding it. In any case I spent a whole morning looking for this one. It was infuriating.

Catgroove by Parov Stelar

I picked this one up from my brother, and although I strongly disagree with most of his music choices I very much approve of this one.

Bad Boy Good Man by Tape Five

Tango For a Spy by Tape Five

Cool Cat In Town by Tape Five

Rum'n'Cocacola by Tim Tim

This is one of those songs that makes life seem happy and perfect and relaxed while you're listening to it. It describes itself as electro swing, but it comes across as a little bit reggae to me, which creates a very unique sound.

That Swing by Soul Square

These are only some of my favorites, but I'm still discovering the genre. If you like the above, I recommend making a Pandora station for either Caravan Palace or Parov Stelar(That's how I found most of these.) 

OST Obsession: Samurai Champloo

Let me paint you a little vignette of my night:

Gilly Hicks sweatpants, sailing team sweater, no socks as usual. My pompom dog lies under my desk, my saxophone abandoned on the floor. I hold a Ticonderoga in my hand, printer paper in my lap, and my eyes filled with the hope of drawing a self-portrait that didn't make me want to cry. The Samurai Champloo Soundtrack fills the room with it's mixture of piano, beats, hip hop, and soulful melodies. So basically, I'm grooving out. 

BUT I DIGRESS.

I watched this show a while back---like, a year maybe? And although I fell in love with the show I didn't really appreciate the soundtrack as much as I should have. For you people out there who aren't otakus and actually have lives instead of sitting at home and watching anime, let me enlighten you as to what exactly Samurai Champloo is.

Awesome.

Would perhaps describe it.

But the plot is:

A teenage girl named Fuu is a waitress at a restaurant in like, Edo? era Japan. (Not so great with the Japanese history, don't take my word.) You presume she has no family. And she kind of has an attitude. 

Some sword-wielding hooligan named Mugen with puffy hair and super-skinny legs is in the same town. He wanders into Fuu's restaurant and says he'll take care of some thugs that are causing trouble for 50 dumplings. He ends up getting 100 dumplings and slicing up a ton of baddies in some cool samurai/break dance fusion style of fighting. It involves a lot of spinning on his head, in any case. 

An elegant wandering samurai named Jin is in another part of town. He wears glasses, in case you wanted to know that. He confronts some guys that are being big ol' bullies and basically the point of the scene is so you know he's super awesome too, except in a very refined way.

Jin ends up in the restaurant. Events occur. Some pyromaniac sets the place on fire. Jin and Mugen are caught and to be executed at sunset, and Fuu saves them. Thus begins the plot, where they have to accompany her to find the "Samurai that smells of sunflowers". Whatever that means.

IN ANY CASE.

The whole aesthetic of the show is this very cool, funky, hip-hop vibe going on while the story takes place in basically the olden days. It works, believe it or not. And this theme translates over to the music. Actually, I almost feel like the whole point of the show is to set the stage for the music. There is almost never a scene where there isn't music playing. So the music is this very cool hip-hop style, and it lends a very interesting feel to the show. So I searched Grooveshark for the music and picked some of my favorites from the dozens of songs in the show's OST.

1.) Shiki No Uta

I would just like to say that this was the only song of the OST that I added to my Grooveshark when i first watched the show. It's the end theme, and the rising and falling, plaintive vocals pair really well with the beat. I just can never get enough of this song.

2.)Deeper Than Words

3.)Kujaku

(While the drum is nice if you want to get to the actual riff skip to 38 seconds.)

4.)Sanctuary Ship

5.)Aruarain Dance

So I forgot about this one, I found it a few weeks ago on the Champloo tumblr tag. Someone extended it to be like an hour long and changed the tone, they call it the homework edit, so if you're doing your homework it is actually really nice to listen to in the background.)

So there are so many more great songs on the Samurai Champloo soundtrack, these are just a sampling. The show is so great as well, it's very stylistic. It's directed by the same guy that did Cowboy Bebop, which is one of my favorite shows, and it has the same kind of focus around music to set the mood. Sorry for my complete lack of eloquence in this post, I'm hungry. 

....Because that makes sense.