big news!! songs evoke emotion! memories are triggered! synapses fire! senses aroused! yes you know the drill....home alone and reflecting on the songs of the past year...and the big news! that came along with them..

song i listened to when i was happy: Spoon: Got Nuffin
song i listened to when i needed to cry: Shearwater: my good deed
song i loved rollerskating to: Seawolf: Violet Hour
song i drove DT for a nite out to: CEO: Come With Me
song that i danced to a fuckton: Miike Snow: Animal
song i felt that i would sing to someone if i loved them: Diamond Rings: All Yr Songs
song i liked to dance to a lot when DJing (amongst many many others): Sebestien Tellier: Divine/Delorean: Deli
song i made an actual dance routine to: Wavves: King of the Beach
song for when i'm nostalgic: Wild Nothing: Chinatown
song i just needed to hear cuz i was feeling all..me:Phantogram: Mouthful of Diamonds
song that made me feel carefree: Best Coast: When I'm With You
song i needed to hear when i was hurting: Beach House: Take Care
song that made me and jen go apeshit: They Might Be Giants: Man its so Loud In Here
song i drove pre 8 AM to: Passion Pit: I've Got Your Number
song i needed to hear when an oomph was necessary: Future Islands: Little Advances
song i was inspired by: wavves: king of the beach
song that was always tragically happy: Woods: Rain on
song i was asked about a lot while DJing: Russian Futurists: Carby
carefree song: The Drums: Let's Go Surfing
could be good times or bad song: Beach Fossils: Golden Age
girly song: Best Coast: When I'm With You
best live song (local): Frank Smith: Put Me In A hole
best live song (touring): Local Natives: Sun Hands/Beach House: Silver Soul
best live song at a festival (local): Black Nasty: Gimme Your Butt
best live song at a festival (touring): Bear In Heaven: Ultimate Satisfaction/Girls:Lust for Life
tour song: Antlers: Kettering
best song danced to at a club: Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeroes: Home (w/kspot)
best song danced to in my car: Detroit Cobras: Bad Girl
best song i never woulda hear if it weren't for K-Spot: Sad Brad Smith
best song studio style: Fanfarlo: Fire Escape
best song title: Harlem: gay human bones
most inspiring song: Neutral Milk Hotel: Holland 1945
just for fun song: reading rainbow: Girls FM (<--another amazing song title!)

okay best best best...bests don't actually exist for us...all that jazz about opinion could change tomorrow/in a funny mood right now/ feeling years end nearing.....and well, i obviously cling to old(er) favorites...but to chronicle the 2010 year with some songs...kinda like a journal. i'm into a little big news now and then..
g'nite loves

i enjoy songs and listen to them

off the tip top of my head, here's some songs played quite frequently this year, not necessarily all FROM 2010, but most definitely listened to and smiled upon throughout this year:

Chinatown- Wild Nothing (i could srsly take this to a desert island)
Moon Chldren -Palmbomen
Basement Scene -Deerhunter (fave from halcyion digest)
Airplanes- Local Natives
Friendly Ghost- Harlem
Catholic Pagan -Surfer Blood
I've got your number -Passion Pit (lasts forever.. lovely)
Golden Age- Beach Fossils
Find What You Get - Bang Gang
Take Care- Beach House (melting....)
zebra - Beach House
Ultimate Satisfaction- Bear In Heaven
When I'm With You- Best Coast (giggles)
Silent Time of Earth- Candy Claws
Come With Me- CEO
No Mercy- CEO
My Body's A Zombie For You- Dead Man's Bones (thank you my Brazilian Angel)
Desire Lines -Deerhunter
Special Affections- Diamond Rings
Something Else- Diamond Rings (much love for the sophomore)
Home-Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeroes (did you think this wouldn't be listed?!?)
Dye- Eternal Summers
Luna- Fanfarlo (ahh what a blessing!)
Put Me In a Hole- Frank Smith (locals with a one-two step punch)
Vireo's Eye - Future Islands (lively live)
I was thinking- Gauntlet Hair
On Melancholy Hill- Gorillaz (intrigued)
Teen Angel - Heavy Hawaii
Too Fake - Hockey (its singalong time! great to DJ w/ Jen)
You Don't Like Rock And Roll- Hunx and His Punx (bless you!)
The Last Drop The Joy Formidable
Power - Kanye West (insane genius)
Violet - Kiss Kiss Fantastic
Help Me - The Laughing (Local experimenters of all things experimental)
Excuses - Morning Benders (excellent videopiece via youtube)
Mouthful of Diamonds- Phantogram (pocketful of secrets)
Tip Of Your Tongue -Porcelain Raft
Facelove- Ps i Love You
The Sun's Out - Reading Rainbow
The Violet Hour -Sea Wolf (another desert island tune)
Gimme Some Time- The Smith Westerns (thanks for the follow up)
Portofino -Teengirl Fantasy
My Time Outside the Womb- Titus Andronicus
Take On The World - Wavves (you are something)
King Of The Beach- Wavves (anthem)
Rain on - Woods
Best Friend The Drums (aaahhh K-Spot and i shoulda fuckin seen this show!)
10 Mile Stereo - Beach House
Golden Haze - Wild Nothing
Hospice Gates - Lower Dens
twelve Roses - Beach Fossils (brooklyn and shoeless)
Calrission - Million Young
Summers With The Ephemeral Wasp - Kiss,Kiss Fantastic
Turning On - Cloud Nothings
Solitude Is Bliss - Tame Impala
My WHole Life Story - Holy Shit (Take me with you, anywhere!)
Let Me Take You Out - Class Actress (always smile)
Myself - Palmbomen (must hear more!!!!!!!!)
Mien - Million Young
Story - Great Northern
Breakfast With My Shadow - Cloud Cult (lyrics)
Golden Age - Beach Fossils
Monster - Kanye West
Learning - Perfume Genius

sooo many more, so many forgotten tracks and perked up ears...this is why i use Blip. anyways....2nd list of sorts down for the count...prolly to be amended before years end.
Cheers! --elfgirl

the start of something called a list of lists

i won't even try to narrow down my favorites of the year into one list. WTF?! impossible for an over thinking over reactor. musicians, albums, tracks..they resonate on levels worthier than simply best of...i personally am a fan of sub categorization.. so i will break down this musical year of 2010 into several lists..perhaps a favorite album list, favorite shows list, happiest songs of the year, saddest, best shows....blah blah bling!

so here's to taking it back all the way to january album style...in a not so particular order...

Beach House-Teen Dream: this is probably my favorite release of the year. big surprise. As an entire album, there's nothing i want to skip, and everything I want to feel. definitely an "emotional" album, if that makes sense. textured, full and lush, simple, and artfully weaved. it flowed perfectly. Take Care at the end. brilliance. i should just take all the songs from Teen Dream and i'd have a favorite songs list of the year.

Wavves-King of the Beach: was not let down by the studio recording and this was an album of havin fun, making fun of fun, and wishing things were more fun. favorite tracks: No Hope Kids, King of the Beach...and the line "green eyes, i'd run away with you" always speaks to us green eyed girls ;)

Deerhunter- Halcyon Digest: what can I say, this is another album so close to my heart that I can feel it. The sound of lonliness, confusion, coming into adulthood, nostalgia, dreams and fear. It sounds covered in a damp blanket, in a musty attic…where memories are hidden and dust can be blown off trinkets and keepsakes rendering them alive again. Perhaps it’s the basement references on my favorite track that makes me willing to bet this, but damn this album prolly sounds even better in one.

Wild Nothing-Gemini: home of one of my favorite tracks of the year, “Chinatown” dreamy pop, soft and danceable, layered synths, sullen lyrics, “we’re not happy till we’re running away.“ a one man fucking genius. Thank God you're coming to town

Harlem-Hippies: these fuckies made one hell of a follow up. Surfy, do woppy, garage bliss. I don’t care if I don’t hear South of France at the shows anymore.. Gay Human Bones, Be Your Baby, Friendly Ghost…I could name all the fucking tracks. Self deprecating dudes, singing about girls and drugs. Music doesn’t have to be rocket science. Sometimes it can just be a frenzy of fun. Stage presence is pretty fuckin A too.

CEO- White Magic: this is by far the best dance release of the year. Argue with me, c’mon. Catchy beats, bleeping syths, experimental samples involving wicked screams, tribal percussion, full on orchestra at some points…and the crown of all, the chilly sound of a knife blade sharpened in “No Mercy.” a little nod to Pet Shop Boys here, but so much more intense. If you don’t like “Come With Me” well, you don’t like me then ;)

Local Natives-Gorilla Manor Okay so technically released at the end of 2009, French Kiss released it in 2010 so fuck it, I’m calling it a fave. Can’t say enough about the harmonies and chants, throbbing beats…one of the best live shows I’ve seen all year…Sun Hands, Airplanes…these songs crescendo at perfect moments, and yes, they will get stuck in your head…

Best Coast-Crazy For You- Again, it doesn’t have to be rocket science, it’s the California sound that got so fucking big this year. Not super groundbreaking, but really does it have to be? I love that a young woman is being just real here…nothing fancy…. confused, lazy, boy focused, cat loving, and high a lot of the time..well doesn’t it sound like ..um life? Maybe not everyone’s, but can’t really think of anyone who doesn’t relate to one of these things. Favorite track, the hit…”When I’m With You.’ Best Coast, when I’m with you I have so much fun. I want to rollerskate and dance like a little girl.

Alberta Cross-Broken Side of Time: Hard to describe this one…essentially soulful folk rock, with emphases on rock I would have to say with a dash of psychadelia…the most distinctive of their sound would be Petter Erickson Stakee’s lead vocals.. To me his voice is that of an angel. How does this man sing that high and hold those notes…fluttering and quivering at just the right moments? Compared to Band Of Horses or My Morning Jacket…Alberta Cross sets the bar higher. Each song a narrative…bluesy lead guitars, plummeting down to just a single ghostly “oooh “ , full piano both driving and accenting the songs moments of psychadelic geekouts a la Yo la Tengo’s Painful. There’s so much here. Just listen to it. Leave Us Or Forgive Us and Taking Control , and a song named for Austin Texas. Alberta Cross has my heart.

Future Islands-In Evening Air: I’m used to hearing electropoppish, heavy on samples and synths tunes, from these dudes… I can’t complain of course, but god bless Thrill Jockey for putting out this release, which displays the maturity of the Future Islands sound. I adored the Little Advances EP with all its upbeat and frenzy (Nu Autobon, Little Advances !!!)but the next release Wave Like Home was lost on me…the fearlessness wasn’t there.. So here we are in 2010 with the fully formed solid member band, and it couldn’t be better. The beats exist but not at the forefront, so I can’t peg them as dancy or electro..maybe nu electro, haha. Much of the sound relies on the post punkish, dark wavish bass lines (its like peter fucking hook up in here!), repetitive and catchy synths, song arrangement, and sequences. There’s a happiness here, but the Factory Records dark appeal, it juxtaposes perfectly.

The Drums-The Drums: home to some of my favorite songs of the year. These dudes are masters at minimalism and simplicity. Let’s Go Surfing was the first track I heard, sorta lumping them into the hazy beach pop genre.. But they exceed and excel on so many more levels. Yes they wear their Smiths/Cure/New Order influences on their sleeves, but hey know when to say when to stay minimal and leave the fluff out. A few sequened drums and hand claps..some jangly guitars. Simple lyrics, entirely relatable, and bittersweet…” I’m sleeping in the kitchen, I’m eating in the bedroom, and everything is backwards, I wish I never met you..“ awww… “I don’t know what to say cuz when I open my mouth I always sound so stupid..” sort of endearing huh? Simplicity is bliss.

Okay so more more more..other favorites include in no particular order:
Beach fossils-Beach Fossils
Spoon-Transference
Lower Dens-Twin Hand Movement
Kanye West-My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
Diamond Rings-Special Affections
Surfer Blood-Astro Coast
MGMT -Congratulations
Palmbomen-Moon Children EP

Couple of regrets:
Sorta disappointed with the arcade fire Suburbs, cuz I fucking love them quite a bit..but shit, I guess I built it up too much.
Shoulda listened more to The National’s High Violet .. I loved what I heard but I never bought it. Sometimes I make dumb decisions.
Have yet to hear the new Starfucker in its entirety. Hey there’s still a couple of weeks left in the year..

And with that, there are a couple more lists.. Elf girls out for now. <3

sweet redemption

the weekend that looked bleak turned out to be kinda spectacular. for starters, i saw What Made Milwaukee Famous on friday. i've been following them for years, almost wept tears at the beauty of this reunion...knowing a teeny bit of the back story of the dudes, the triumpths and turmoils and tragedies and blessings...some of which hide under thick blankets of drunkeness and self preservation.. well all of it culminated into a WOW of a show that nearly brought me to a weeping finish. thank you for playing curtains. thank you for the right stage monitor position i posted up at..it was nice to see everyone being bros again..

so sweet redemption. decided i would give saturday nite new noise another chance tonite. After viewing past weeks playlists online, and needing some serious dance therapy, i had to venture back..thinking i would get the shit end of the stick, i was pleasantly rewarded with these artists:

Miike Snow
Edward Sharpe (OMG, heart skipped many beats!)
Hot Chip
Daft Punk
yeasayer
Tanlines
apples in stereo
YYYs
sleigh bells
the drums
arcade fire (yep, srsly from Funeral)
active child

sooo glad i gave it a shot. crowd got busy, left at 1:00 am. the dancing beast was unleashed and tamed, if only for a few days ;)

plusses:
*nobody got in my way, and i was able to practice jazzercise in my own lil corner
*gay boy told me i smelled like cotton candy. i thought i smelled like sweat. i know i did
*the three drinks i had were ordered w/o lines or attitude
*high five from a stranger who was enamoured with arcade fire
*galloping/not giving a fuck/not knowing anyone there
*leaving satisfied and not bitching at how shitty dancing in the ATX is

minuses:
*meant to text K-Spot and my sis to say, hey, the dance is back in town! hope they read this
*boys in the ladies room
*shitty songs i didn't know with waaay too much filter sweeping
*missed BCoast, BFossils, CEO, but hey i got what i could for a nite i thought would blow balls
*no K-Spot
*everyone in this town is 20 with fake IDs

can't complain too much...i actually had to force a water break. i haven't AP'd in a loong time, and was craving conversation...met up with work ladies at a party with, guess what?!?! a dance shack. nice!

Went to 2nd AP to Danny's studio and finally saw where the laughing, the lemurs, WMMF, and white denim make magic. It was a brilliant old house converted into a studio. only one bedroom was livable.. every other one was soundproofed, full of mics, keyboards TTM, and lots of amps that i have no idea how wonderful or shitty they sound. whatta place!

so a weekend that looked a bit boring actually turned out to be pretty awesome. beginning to appreciate what it is i'm about to leave. anxiety reared its ugly head today, but i found a remedy all by myself. guess i gotta learn to do that, yeah? eeks, yeah. alright, sore muscles and fading...smiling out now.. ;)

i'm hoping to be asleep before the end of this post

insomnia is a bitch. SRSLY. not like sticky syrup fingers after eating waffles bitch, that's merely annoying. not like mistakenly DLing the clean version of the new Kanye album bitch...that's just a lapse in soulseek judgement. Insomnia is a whole different beast of a bitch.. a cold hearted, throat slitting bitch. I'm sitting here kickin it with her now and i can't get her to leave. she makes me wanna think too much and smoke cigarettes for no reason. Those behaviours i do tend to indulge in but kinda trying to cut back on both.. grr..Speaking of insomnia, there was a 24 hour coffee shop near my college dorm, and what was it named?!?! yup, Insomnia. i thought it was the grandest name in the world for a coffee shop. i wish it was next door now..the dent in the mattress midsection isn't the most comfy..speaking of bitch, i'll quit that shit right now!

so in other news...i'm outta the closet on the whole relocation tip. and i must select a coast.. funny how i've always been obsessed with brooklyn bands and the "how the fuck is anyone even in a band in the city?!?" stuff...This past year some favorites came from the west coast.. the beach is good for us. it keeps us human, and makes people want to smoke a ton of weed and make some great tunes. right? hell karen o seemed to like it. ahh, what a way to pick a place to move, huh?

actually i really am thinking this one through..more than ever y'all. hence the insomnia. i'm assuming. Yet with all this deciding and step taking and quivering nerves, the days of thriving in the possibilities of life are seeping back in..taking care of myself and living faithfully in moments (at least trying to, hehe) welcome back also. wasting time, its fucking rubbish...Absurdities and obscenities cannot be forgotten. they are the slices of life.

New Habit Alert: went jogging on the outskirts of a mall parking lot this past weekend, and fuck jogging, let's dance! made up silly routines and pretended i was a dancer, a real one at least. sometimes a ballerina...sometimes a celtics cheerleader.. whatthefuckever..it was freedom. Freedom like a jog in the country the morning after i decided to decide...when i didn't even mind the sun and had spontaneous dancing in the pasture... So far my favorite songs are "Mien" by Million Young for modern/interpretive dance, "Chinatown" by Wild Nothing for ballet, and of course "Home" by Edward Sharpe for skipping.. <--that one would be funner with a partner. If K-Spot is reading, hey, that was for you!

New Habit Alert #2: Jazzercise. $20 for 12 classes. Let's make a Deal yo

New Habit Alert #3: board games. must play them more. i think my dream job would be the person who though up all the stupid questions and topics, and such..not too savvy on an exact example right now.. but working on a game seems just as much fun as playing it, especially if it involves word games. Oh and PS-have you ever fucking tried to MAKE a crossword puzzle of your own. that shit is an insomniatic bitch too! AKA difficult.

ok...so year end lists arriving in a while probably in top 10 form..we'll see...just read K-Spot's worst itunes puchases of 2010, and i was in stitches. tomorrow will dive into the pitchfork list of best and worst album covers of the year...one of my favorite articles this year was about modern bands using old photos or digitally dehancing them to look completely antique, i suppose its called hipstamaticulating? ha. czech it here if you like: This is Not a Photograph http://pitchfork.com/features/articles/7833-this-is-not-a-photograph/1/

especially if you are someone who has "a specific lifestyle that merges real-life obligations with the desire to stay deliriously young." <---damn i love that line.

and with that, i think the bitch went to bed. Tomorrow is today,g'nite <3

Million Young or bust!

Oh my Million Young !! it was an anticipated show for K-Spot and myself , finally ending in a saturdaynite supersatisfaction! i admit the whole one man with beats/ chillwave tip is pretty trendy. i will also admit that usually i love it. Washed Out, Memory Tapes, Ducktails, Toro Y Moi...you're all pretty tasty. With the exception of ducktails i've seen each of these bands live.. and well, Million Young takes the ice cream cake. Teen Daze was a solid opener. One lil guy, some nice ambience, sweeping synths, a few hits on the sampler for beats and gunshot effects. kidding, hee hee. Excellent match for Million Young.. when its just one person up there, hopefully they have charisma. And Teen Daze did. Thankfully dancing to his own tunes in a way that seemed very authentic raising his hands in the air.. this type of behaviour can really annoy the shit out of me. but like washed out, teen daze was charming and inviting, both personally and musically. nice jokes and an "I LOve Lone Star!" thrown into the mix.

The finale of course was Million Young, who i thought was going to set up with just a laptop. Curiosity had already risen when a drum kit was backlined so hrmmm..... could this be an actual live band performance?!? Did Mike Diaz bring his homies from Florida along for tour?!? OMG yes indeed! (apparently 5 ppl in a sedan we were told) A four piece Million Young played a full set from Sunndreamm EP and Be So True EP. I can say much about shows not having dull moments, hell, most of them do.. but this entire set filled the room with blissful noise and dancey beats way hotter than most chillwavers.. god that was terrible, ha. i must say no offense to any one man showmen, but the sound was 100 times more tremendous when it wasn't just a computer making it. The kick drum was throbbing, loud and unsampled guitars, and the same filtered and ethereal vocals from the recordings..it came together so miraculously. Perfectly placed samples when used, perfectly proportioned free space, intricate 80's synth blips, bells, and tons of energy. Even the slower songs like "Mien" and "Day We Met" were not lets-get-drilled-and- sway..even these songs had requisite beat acknowledgment. heads bobbed, feet tapped, hips shook. and geez when "CYnthia" and "Weak Ends" came on, it was like watching Delorean at FFF fest. One couldn't help but dance, smile, laugh, and lose their wits for a moment..hell maybe even better due to sheer proximity to the band and the crowd. apples and oranges. both delicious.

I can never say enough about bands putting the fun into performing. as much as i already liked Million Young recorded, my fandom has increased from seeing them play live, with such a grand stage presence, vivacity, and humility. AKA no pretense or ego to get in the way. real instruments can always enhance virtual ones.

coupla highlights:
*When the first few notes of "Calrission" came on KSpot and I turned to each other and said "this is my favorite!" last nite really couldn't have been sweeter
*Million Young outro of Gorillaz wha? neato!
*realizing that i don't always know where the bands i like are from but pretty sure that Yo Majesty was the only one from Florida i marginally liked until now. Thanks Million Young, maybe i shoulda looked into that garage punk booze cruise docking outta Fla ;)
*million young is an oxymoron in the context of age. wow, i love that shit!

stay young lovelies. here's "Mien"