Twice

We saw Little Dragon at the Avalon last month and while I was mostly excited shake my booty to Ritual Union live,  I was surprised to walk away with a new favorite song, Twice. Although it's an older song, it was the first time I had heard it. Talk about an absolutely beautiful and totally haunting way to close out a sold-out show. While each band member can definitely hold their own, the lead singer Yukimi Nagano has such stage presence. She can dance around in sparkly spandex and then silence the room with her arresting voice. I love that "Little Dragon" was her parents' nickname for her as a child!

Their latest album, Ritual Union, is one of my tops of the year and it's the perfect soundtrack for a Friday.

Cozy Time



So sunny, yet so chilly! My little fingers are about to fall off. Oh what I would give for a heavy scarf and warm cup of tea.

Spent yesterday afternoon casually dropping in and out of the darling boutiques on Abbott Kinney. The shops were brimming with warm, soft knits. Perfect for a quiet Autumn morning...in Seattle. Since seasons in Los Angeles don't exist, the warm cashmere sweaters and silk-blended neck scarves were mixed in with crop tops and pinstripe shorts -- it was hard to make up my mind! Am I hot or cold right now?

I'm in "Fall" for the moment and since I seem to always DJ my afternoons with songs that match the weather, here are a few songs that seem to embody the word "cozy" quite well. 

Will check in with you later when the sun decides to peek out and I'm peeling off the layers and moving on to Katy Perry (just kidding!).

. . . . . . . . . . .

photo: wit + delight

Musical Keepsakes are the Best Kind

I used to be diligent about taking pictures, printing them, and then slapping them together in an elaborate scrapbook. Sure, old yearbooks and photo albums with ticket stubs and prom photos is a guaranteed good laugh, but honestly, who has the time and money anymore? I suppose this blog is my easy way of still keeping track of memories, just with digital bells and whistles instead of boxes and boxes of stickers and decorative scissors.

Pictures are great, but for me, music can be just as powerful a time machine. I still love making mix-cd's. Am I a pack rat if I archive all my old playlists? Apparently Summer of 2007 was all about Andrew Bird, The Weepies, Regina Spektor and Greg Laswell.  Summer 2006? The Format, Jason Mraz, KT Tunstall, Josh Rouse & Guster. Going further back, I'll have to admit it would be mostly Michelle Branch and Avril Lavigne...even further? Definitely Backstreet Boys, No Doubt and the Spice Girls of course! It probably doesn't mean much to you, but each era brings a smile to my face just thinking about them.

And now, for your listening pleasure, an end of September 2010 playlist if you will...

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

1. Too Afraid to Love You - Black Keys (Pretty much the entire Brothers album)
2. Heavy in Your Arms - Florence and the Machine
3. Helicopter - Deerhunter
4. Little Lovin' - Lissy
5. Graceland (Paul Simon Cover) - Tallest Man Alive
6. But My Heart Told My Head - Mumford & Sons
7. Age of Adz (entire album is streaming on NPR right now -- friggen amazing) - Sufjan Stevens
8. Berkeley Girl - Harper Simon
9. Like Rock & Roll and the Radio - Ray LaMontagne
10. Hurry Hurry - new summery single from Jessie Baylin *gotta click the link, it's only streaming from Spinner right now
11. Crash Years - New Pornographers
12. Excuses - Morning Benders 
13. Down River - Temper Trap
14. Cold Spring - Cymbals Eat Guitars

God Bless Grooveshark.