St. Vincent

Source: www.vogue.com

I found St. Vincent (Annie Clark) by browsing through my Tumblr dashboard a few years back. By the time I played the song, I loved her right away. Some more internet rummaging for her other tracks followed. Hearing the rest of her music is like visiting a contemporary art show.

Her mystifying lyrics, elaborate arrangements and use of multiple instruments are perfectly blended in to produce beautiful and extraordinary tunes. St. Vincent is a gem in the world of music. Her sound, in two words, is auditory frenzy.

2014 is a good year for St. Vincent; her fourth album released on February 24 received universal critical acclaim. Annie declared that this record is "more confident" and "is very extroverted" and described it as "a party record you could play at a funeral".

I first listened to the whole album earlier today and... yes, I love it! Prince Johnny, Digital Witness, I Prefer Your Love, and Regret charmed me right away. It's still the St. Vincent that I'm used to take pleasure in feasting my ears on. She remains to deliver exceptional art rock music.

Check out her new album and enjoy the party:

St. Vincent - Digital Witness

St. Vincent (Full Album Stream)

http://ilovestvincent.com/

https://twitter.com/st_vincent

https://www.facebook.com/St.Vincent

http://instagram.com/st_vincent#

Roadtrip Playlist #3

Source: http://www.pinterest.com

Oh those long drives are really tiring but worth it when spent with friends. My best friend and I went on a trip to the other side of the island to attend the Christening of our buddy's little boy. The travel time took a lot of the day but it was good since we got reunited with our two friends who we haven't seen in a while. We get to catch up and talk about a lot of different things. On our way home after dozing off a bit, I woke up to a beautiful scenery of the ocean. The trip took the coastal route so our eyes were feasting on the beautiful view of the horizon. Aside from the vista and good company, music makes the long drive even more tolerable.

Let me share yesterday's road trip playlist (live versions):

1. The Dead Weather - Treat Me Like Your Mother

2. Our Lady Peace - Innocent

3. Phantogram - Mouthful of Diamonds

4. Circa Survive - Sharp Practice

5. Kimbra - Cameo Lover

6. Regina Spektor - That Time

7. Foo Fighters - Everlong

8. Cults - Oh My God

9. The Strokes - Barely Legal

10. Metric - Empty

Making Music

Music plays a big role in this world-- it unites human beings. We may be listening to the same songs as those in the other corners of the earth. There are different religions, races, nationalities but there will always be a similar song or two that we appreciate together and know by heart. At least there's this point that we have in common. It's a wondrous thing to ponder on really.

Making music is a way of channeling your thoughts and letting others hear and feel what you wish to convey. As the first note is hit and people stop to listen, you know you've made a connection. 

Music is very spiritual, it has the power to bring people together. ~Edgar Winter


Film shots of music-making:

Women in Music 1

Source: http://www.pinterest.com

I haven't made a music post since December last year, so here goes my first music entry for 2014.

I am very fond of female musicians especially if they are genuinely talented with refreshing atypical sound. These women listed below are worthy of a huge amount of recognition but they're not given as much attention than what they really deserve. Not just yet. They don't get much playtime on the radio or music channels as their female counterparts who bare a lot of skin in music videos. Most of them are underrated and overlooked in the industry despite their exquisite skills maybe because their music is not for everybody. They remain true to the sound they intend to play, which makes me love them even more. Absolutely true musicians at heart-- I hope they remain that way. Kudos to these women in music.

Get a listen to some of the solo female musicians in my playlist. Enjoy...

1. Fiona Apple

Hot Knife

Paper Bag

O' Sailor

2. Kimbra

Two-way Street

Wandering Limbs

Settle Down

3. Zee Avi

Concrete Wall

31 Days

Ghostbird (Live performances)

4. St. Vincent

Surgeon

Cruel

Digital Witness

5. Selah Sue

Crazy Vibes

This World

Break

Roadtrip Playlist #2

Source: http://weheartit.com

I took a road trip to the town of one of our bosses at work. He passed away earlier this week. My co-workers and I visited his home, where his wake was, to pay our last respect and offer sympathy to the family he left behind. The town is approximately 2 hours away. What else could be a good company on the road other than a trusty ol' playlist? Besides, I find it more interesting to listen to music than hearing the same conversations over and over again (Haha!). Thought I'd share a few songs of what went through my "auditories" during that long drive. Here goes...

The Strokes - You Only Live Once

The Distillers - Beat Your Heart Out

Muse - Time is Running Out

Jack Johnson - Imagine (John Lennon Cover)

Static-X - The Enemy

Alanis Morissette - So Pure

The Beatles - Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds

The Kills - Black Balloon

Arctic Monkeys - Fluorescent Adolescent

Lacuna Coil - Swamped

†††

Source: http://filtermagazine.com

Calm, soothing and putting me in the zone-- †††(Crosses). I could listen to their EPs all day and feel like I came from Utopia. I love listening to music that has easing and palliative elements since everything around is all but muddled there should be room for some standstill. I'm glad L introduced me to this band. 

Once you hear the vocals you'll know who's the one singing-- Chino Moreno of Deftones. His voice is perfect for the electronic rock sound. He claims "it's sort of like the stuff I like listening to when I'm not screaming my head off." With him in this side project are Far's Shaun Lopez and Chuck Doom.

The band released their first EP on 2011 and the second on 2012. A full-length album that includes tracks from the two EPs and a few new songs is set for release this year but pushed back to 11th of February next year. I can hardly wait to hear everything else in their coming self-titled album.

Meanwhile, here's a sneak peek of the upcoming record:

††† (Crosses) - †he epilogue

††† (Crosses) - bi†ches brew

Trying My Luck with the Ukulele

We named this ukulele Cece

Way back in high school, I tried to learn the guitar but I had no luck. I didn't have the perseverance to memorize all those chords and tabs. Also my fingers were too stiff to shift from one chord to another, taking me about 3 seconds to transfer. I got discouraged right away. 

With the ukulele, it's a different story. I started strumming the four-string wonder last year after I got a hold of my friend's ukulele (Thanks, Zapie!). One thing that attracted me to this little instrument, other than its cutesy size, is its sound. There's a cheerful vibe to it-- often reminding me of a fun laid-back island life. 

I have convinced L to buy one just for practice and I've been having so much fun playing it. Trying my best to strum a song or two everyday; however, I still have a lot of chords to master. Forgive my slothfulness but I always choose to play the easy songs. Haha. Anyway, here are a few cover attempts (I hope I'm not making a fool of myself). ;]

Pumped Up Kicks - Foster the People (Ukulele Cover)

Tennis Court - Lorde (Ukulele Cover)

Hopefully I didn't make you squirm while watching these videos. Haha. I'm off to practice other covers and maybe post some more.

Pentatonix

Source: http://www.ryanseacrest.com

I've seen Pitch Perfect and the movie made me appreciate a cappella even more. The creativity injected into the covered songs made them sound way better than the originals. One day while scanning the news feeds of a social media account, one of the blogs I'm subscribed to posted an entry claiming that a cover by Pentatonix surpassed the original-- the song was Royals by Lorde. I'm currently hooked on the latter so I was really curious. As soon as the video played, I had goosebumps all over.

Pentatonix - Royals (Lorde Cover)

Pentatonix hails from Arlington, Texas naming their group after the musical mode with five notes in an octave-- the pentatonic scale. They are the winners of NBC's a cappella singing competition The Sing-Off during the third season. Their first two EPs PTX Vol. 1 and PTXmas were released in 2012 and the third is to be released this 2013 with covers and original songs. 

The group posted several renditions in their YouTube channel; some, if not most, are viral. I must say they recreate the songs impressively. I'm not surprised how they became the champions of The Sing-Off Season 3, they absolutely deserve it. Pentatonix gives each one of their covered songs a certain flair that wasn't there in the original. These guys know what they're doing and they're doing it real good. They are catching a lot of attention in the biz with their remarkable blending techniques and phenomenal bass and percussion. Kudos to this exceptional ensemble. 

You SHOULD listen to these as well; get ready for goosebumps:

Pentatonix - Evolution of Music

Pentatonix - Somebody that I Used to Know (Gotye feat. Kimbra Cover)

Pentatonix - Since U Been Gone/Forget You Medley (The Sing-Off Performance)

Pentatonix - Video Killed the Radio Star (The Sing-Off Performance)

See and hear more:

http://www.youtube.com/user/PTXofficial/videos

P.S. Their Sing-Off performances are golden. If you haven't seen them yet you better watch them now. *Wink*

Yuna

Source: http://blogs.kcrw.com

I came across one of Yuna's music videos about a year ago while watching one by Zee Avi. Youtube has this thing of displaying similar artists which was an advantage to me; if not for that, I wouldn't have known up to now about this exceptional musician. I was curious especially because of the headscarf she wore-- it kind of reminded me of Erykah Baduh but I was actually clueless as to what her music would sound like. I loaded the video and as soon as I heard her voice I knew I was gonna love the rest of her songs.

Yuna is a Malaysian singer and songwriter. At 14, she began writing her own songs. Myspace was a key element in the discovery of her potential as an international musician; she publicized her tracks on the site back in 2006. With three international releases (Decorate EP, Yuna, Sixth Street EP) up her sleeve it won't be long until her next step to success in the music industry. Her next album Nocturnal is on the works and will be ready for our appreciation on the 29th of October this year. I'm excited as to what beautiful melodies and rhythms she cooked up. 

Have a listen to this Malaysian sensation:

Yuna - Decorate

Yuna - Come As You Are (Nirvana Cover)

Yuna - I Wanna Go

More of Yuna's sound:

http://www.yunamusic.com/

https://myspace.com/yuna

Lorde

Source: http://www.billboard.com

I'm glad to have come across another budding musician with exceptional sound. These days it's hard to find genuine musicians with something striking and unique to offer. 

I'm talking about Lorde. This 16 year-old kiwi has been topping the charts with her hit single Royals. I'm amazed that at her young age she had come up with great tracks (yeah, she writes her own songs). The Love Club EP is a collection of equally awesome electro-pop songs I can't seem to choose a favorite. This 30th of September, her debut album Pure Heroine is scheduled for release. I'm looking forward to hearing more from music's next big thing.

Lorde - Royals

Lorde - Tennis Court

Lorde - The Love Club (Live on KCRW)

Listen to the full The Love Club EP
Stream the up coming album Pure Heroine

Wild Belle

Source: http://quitmumbling.com

How about we listen to something new and different. I just learned about this sibling duo, Wild Belle, through my favorite blog Messy Nessy Chic. Their debut album, Isles, was released early this year last March. Members Elliot and Natalie Bergman grew up in a family of musicians-- no wonder where they got their talent. This brother-sister collaboration fused their jazz, reggae and soul influences into a musical style they can call their own. 

Their sound is light and laid-back but in a way edgy which is a breathe of fresh air. Thought I could enjoy their music while chilling and relaxing wherever (but of course I'd choose the beach or somewhere near the ocean sipping a nice cold drink and soaking up sunbeams). You might think the same when you hear them so have a listen.

Wild Belle - Keep You

Wild Belle - Backslider

Wild Belle - It's Too Late (Live - Conan on TBS)

Road Trip Playlist

Source: http://thatssosarah.files.wordpress.com

Visited a friend, who lives a few towns away from my city, last Saturday. While on the trip back, I had my playlist on shuffle to divert myself from the lagging transit. The bus we took was on the slow side and made one too many stops. The ride took twice as long as it should. Music and good conversation saved the day-- at least I was entertained.

Here's a glimpse of my playlist; you might find it helpful when you're on tortoise-like trips too.

The Smashing Pumpkins - Today

Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Gold Lion

Circa Surive - In Fear and Faith

Portishead - Only You

Arctic Monkeys - When the Sun Goes Down

Tonic - You Wanted More

Regina Spektor - Machine

Silversun Pickups - Little Lover's So Polite

Foo Fighters - Best of You

Metric - Help I'm Alive