"you'll get it right sometime, you will."
I tell myself that everyday
"you don't need to latch on to anything
you'll just end up back here
in your little limbo scene."
it's repetitious and exhausting.
I might need some therapy;
anything to keep me in check through the day.
David Hause & Chuck Ragan // Trusty Chords (acoustic)
I love all versions of this song, but this version has been my go-to lately as acoustic music has always been my comfort music. The original version hasn't been off my mp3 player in three years, and I watch the Gaslight Anthem cover when I'm feeling a bit meh as it has two of my favourite things: that look of absolute glee on performers faces and good crowd singalongs.

(I really wish they'd played this when I saw them in October. How cool must it be to be touring and singing a song that changed your life with one of the guys that is responsible for that song?!)

songs of 2011 (runners up)



» zip file «
» single tracks «
22 tracks | mp3 | 01:19:00 | 108.9mb

( single uploads & lyrics. )

My actual songs of 2011 can be found here.

hey, you fill up the spaces
those empty places
the corners and cracks
you kill my sickness
my only witness
you're all that i have

[...]

we love the sound
the sound is what found us
the sound is the blood between me and you.
Wild Flag // Romance
I can't stop listening to this song. I'm also quite enjoying this Katy Perry/My Chemical Romance mashup (Planetary Firework (Go!)). promiseoftin mentioned it in a recent entry and of course I had to seek it out. :)

I've been sorting through my untagged delicious bookmarks, thought I'd share a few. :)

» Social Change, Gender Roles, and Richard Scarry’s Best Word Book Ever. I loved Richard Scarry books (and the cartoon) when I was a kid. A brief look about how they've "updated" them, like changing the "pretty stewardess" to "flight attendant" and uh, signifying with a hairbow that girls can now operate heavy machinery.

» The Velvet Goldmine Random Quote Generator. Because Velvet Goldmine!

» Rufus & Martha Wainwright covering Elton John & Kiki Dee's "Don't Go Breaking My Heart". So ridiculous, I love them ♥♥♥

» A short documentary and introduction to shadeism. Through the eyes and words of 5 young womyn and 1 little girl - all females of colour - the film takes us into the thoughts and experiences of each. Overall, 'Shadeism' explores where shadeism comes from, how it directly affects us as womyn of colour, and ultimately, begins to explore how we can move forward through dialogue and discussion.

» Pitchfork's 60 Favourite Music Books.

» "Four Chord Songs", a medley by Axis Of Awesome. (SO GOOD.)

I hadn't intended to post a part two but here are more ace Brian Fallon acoustic covers that I forgot about. This is basically so I don't have to keep trawling Youtube for them. (I realise I could set up a Youtube playlist or something but, eh.)


Brian Fallon covering "9 Crimes" (Damien Rice) ♥

( & jack johnson 'sitting, waiting, wishing' )

( & billy bragg 'a new england' )

( & leonard cohen 'hallelujah' )

Ben Gibbard acoustic covers (zip file): Complicated (♥), Free Fallin', I Want It That Way, Thriller, Saddest Story Ever Told, Joga, Girls Just Wanna Have Fun (♥), They Don't Know, Your Remind Me Of Home.
Brian Fallon acoustic covers (zip file): Antonia Jane (♥), Atlantic City, Backstreets, Don't Think Twice It's Alright (♥), I Do Not Hook Up (♥), Lost In The Supermarket (♥), Sitting Waiting Wishing (♥), Have You Ever Seen The Rain?, Left Of The Dial, A New England (♥), Come Together, Teenage Dream.

When I was seventeen I was all about Ben Gibbard (Death Cab For Cutie) and his acoustic cover versions ("Girls Just Wanna Have Fun", "They Don't Know", "Joga", "Complicated"). But the time has come for him to step aside for:


Brian Fallon (The Gaslight Anthem) covering "Antonia Jane" (Lightning Dust)
I LOVE THIS. I. LOVE. THIS.

( & the beatles 'come together' )

( & kelly clarkson 'i do not hook up' )

( & bruce springsteen  )

( & the clash 'lost in the supermarket' )

( & katy perry 'teenage dream' )

Some people find the the whole indie/rock artist covering pop artist thing a bit old but I will never ever pass up a cover song, particularly an acoustic one and especially a "sexswap" one.

& I can offer mp3s of any of the tracks here and the Ben G ones if anyone wants.

songs of freedom | songs of 2011



» zip file «
» single tracks «
22 tracks | mp3 | 01:18:00 | 112.8mb
( single uploads et lyrics. )

A bunch of indie-folk, a bunch of ska-punk... and Adam Lambert.

Inspired by idle chatter with sullen_hearts who wanted a mix about dudes in bands touring and for it to begin with Frank Turner's "The Road" where they’re all amped up to go and be free and end with "Red Travellin’ Socks" by Malcolm Middleton when they’re tired and ready to come home to settle and be with the one they love. (For a while, at least.)


on the road again | a touring mix



» zip file «
» single tracks «
22 tracks | mp3 | 01:18:00 | 92.08mb
( single uploads et lyrics. )

Probably one of my favourite mixes so far.

There are so many more details that I need to write here because it just adds to the awesomeness (name-dropping Huddersfield! Marching bands! Watch out for Heathcliff!) but I haven't had home internet for nearly two weeks and I'm typing this before everyone at work gets in so:

sullen_hearts and I went to see Lucy Wainwright Roche at the Ruby Lounge in Manchester (little venue, basically a weirdly-decored bar with a stage). She was fantastic and utterly adorable and very engaging, just like I thought she would be. And it was just her and her acoustic and her (frigging ridiculously) pitch-perfect voice. AND OH MY GOD LAST NIGHT BEARDED!RUFUS WAINWRIGHT whose opera, Prima Donna is opening tomorrow and weekend and I are going to see next Tuesday WAS STOOD RIGHT BEHIND REBS AND I (WITH HIS AWESOMELY TALL, MUSTACHIOED BOYFRIEND) WATCHING LUCY PERFORM.

Rufus isn't my favourite Wainwright (he was second to Martha before last night, and now he's third to Lucy) but when Rebs informed me it was him (via writing on her phone for subtlety lol) my stomach just flipped and my heart pounded and my knees didn't stop shaking for two songs. Oh. My. God. Most bizarre and awesome thing ever, plus we got to meet him for all of five seconds before he was rushed off and then we bought CDs from Lucy and talked a little longer. :D

I adore this entire family. (Except Loudon.)

I've been a shitty friend and pretty much abandoned Livejournal but right now I really don't care* that because LAST NIGHT WE SAT IN A BAR AND HAD AWESOME CONVERSATION WITH A CERTAIN MICHEAL CARDEN OF THE ACADEMY IS...

I don't know if my stomach feels liquidy because of the drinks I had last night or that fact that I am so so gleeful right now. It's nine am, I'm suntanned and ridiculously giggly and my cheeks hurts from smiling and everyone at work looks worried because I'm so cheerful.

I admit that I rarely listen to TAI's music because I find the recorded sound very flat but they rock. out. and are so, so, bloody good onstage and really fucking nice guys. I welcome the chance to talk about music with Chiz and Carden and have William Beckett reccommend alcoholic beverages to me again. And uh, enjoy Butcher’s funky dance moves and gorgeous tattoos.

*totally a lie. :/

edit: And fucking and we met Johnny fucking adorable I want to be his girlfriend and hold his hand and drink cider in the park and have him push me on the swings Fox from The King Blues who were fucking AMAZING. The crowd were well into their set which made me so happy for them. ♥

edit: I swear too much. :/

Blah blah blah I haven't been around much.

sullen_hearts, lyriquediscorde and myself have started a Ryan Adams/Cardinals tumblr! It's called Let It Ride and we hope it's going to be fucking amazing and full of gleefulness.

The blog will be a mixture of things: pictures, songs, lyrics, essays, basically just a lot of fangirling for Ryan and the Cardinals and anybody tangentially related. It won't be news, because we figure you can get that anywhere else. We're not going to be post-crazy, I don't think. Probably a few well spaced-out posts a day.

&LETITRIDE;

Ryan fans, plz to be checking it out?


(I've kinda forsaken LJ for tumblr for the time being tbh. My personal tumblr is here. Add me or drop a link to yours if you like. :] )

a) This photograph makes me want an AU where MSI are a feminist hippy-dippy acoustic folk-punk band. Mainly 'cos Kitty reminds me of one of the Indigo Girls, for some reason.


b) I just bought this because it is amazing (and because I missed out on buying this). I need to decrease my overdraft AS SOON AS POSSIBLE, ugh.



I actually do predict an actual riot

[...]

there's trouble in America, trouble you can touch
you can't go to rehab 'cause it costs too much!
no career, no hope, no fun no fashion
thank fuck for the fucking recession!
The Indelicates // No Career! No Hope! No Fun! No Fashion! (The Recession Song)
(It's up for free download on last.fm and their website, haha.)

click to embiggen images.

THE TITLE OF THIS POST IS: INTER-REFERENTIAL (INDIE-FOLK) MUSIC, I EFFING LOVE IT. (Am I using that prefix correctly? I don't care.)

you want a lover who takes time over her looks
not some stupid kid who's always wrapped up in her books
but can I help it if a sentence makes me cry?
Atoms (Demo) | Atoms (New Demo)

we hung about the tenderloin and tenderly you tell
about the saddest book you ever read
it always makes you cry.
Piazza, New York Catcher

I first heard Emmy The Great's demos about three years ago (courtesy of calculette, I believe) and they’ve been hanging around on my computer, but I haven't listened to her since then. (Until a couple of hours ago. And I'm seeing her on Friday, ha.)

"Atoms" is one of my re-favourites so far, but that might be because it really REALLY sounds like Belle & Sebastian's "Piazza, New York Catcher". (And I don't care if it makes me sound like one of those crazy snobbish fans - I really hate that it was used in bloody Juno.) Emmy's a fantastic singer-songwriter so I assumed the similarities were on purpose, and now I think the lyrics point towards DEFINITELY on purpose y/y?

pee ess: B&S plz to be touring soon? it's been THREE YEARS AND A MONTH ffs.

pee pee ess: "Wrapped Up In Books" = also a great B&S song. asdfghjkl; I haven't listened to them in far too long. Need to make that recpost!

01. Reply to this post and I'll assign you a letter (if you want).
02. List (and upload, if you feel like it) 5 songs that start with that letter.
03. Post them to your journal with these instructions.

( C from ayrdaomei )

( W from ayrdaomei )

( M from karmicunderpath )

I can only put so much music on my computer before it starts working at 5mph, so these recs are comprised of what I've been listening to for the past couple of months. If you like The Indelicates then you'll probably like Frank Turner as they both share that political/wry/jaded/witty/social/self-conscious punk-folkiness. If you like Frank Turner then you'll probably like The King Blues as they're both all punky and political and shit. If you like Counting Crows, you'll probably like The Gaslight Anthem. Um, if you like Julia Indelicate's voice then you'll probably like Lucy Wainwright Roche. edit: and if you like political/wry/etc then you'll probably like The Dresden Dolls. All these recs must be related somehow, that's why I've been listening to them. I just haven't been bothered to think about it.

Right, I'm going to have a shower now and then spend a couple of hours panicking and tearing through all my clothes trying to find something decent/smart enough to wear FOR MY JOB. TOMORROW. (Rebs, that pair of black flats you gave me are going to save my life, I swear.)