Ironically enough, right after coming from the bank to deposit some cha-chings, I ended up spending a lot of hard-earned cha-chings at a record store in SM Southmall (I forgot what it's called but it wasn't Odyssey). It's been years since I've properly browsed through the music store because a lot of the music store chains don't bother updating their collections, unless it's something popular like something by Adele or Bruno Mars (for the record, I like their music as well--for the most part). And the main reason why I dropped by this store was that I was in here a couple of weeks ago, and I noticed that they had Tegan & Sara's Heartthrob in stock. I wanted to buy it, but had no cash then so I decided to put it off until I did have some money on me.
I was very, very pleasantly surprised when I saw that they had so many awesome records in stock and (get this) on sale! I ended up getting T&S's Heartthrob (this wasn't on sale, but I know it's a good record so I didn't mind paying full price, really) and Alicia Keys's As I Am but there were so many great albums on sale like Come Around Sundown (Kings of Leon) and Save Me, San Francisco (Train) that I found myself standing there like an idiot for a good forty minutes, just trying to decide what to get.
This has got to be my favorite Bruce Springsteen song, ever. I haven't done a music post in a while and since I've been listening to this song all day, I thought I'd talk about it a little. This song is often credited for being the rocket that launched Courtney Cox into (I don't want to use the word stardom but I can't think of another word so) stardom--she was the foxy music video girl (click here for that).
The thing about Bruce Springsteen (aside from, in his youth, being absolutely gorgeous) is that he always manages to break my heart with his lyrics and his melodies. Today was a rainy, gloomy day that made for lots of (unwelcome) contemplation on the bus home. I've been thinking about things like belonging and what it means to grow up and about the nuances of family--whether or not the repercussions of the imprints of grief we leave on each other are worth it; does anguish equal entitlement to love? Whenever I attempt at putting together a cohesive thought about it I feel like all I'm doing is throwing stones into a dark well and listening to the clanging at the bottom, trying to guess what it is I'm hitting. Math teachers might be right about guessing being impractical, but sometimes that is the only strategy you have.
And I don't mean the cheap, live-and-acoustic performances usually put on by people who can't a) sing/play properly and b) write their own songs. I mean performances where the stripped-down nature of the set allows you to better hear the song and appreciate the skills of the artist(s). I think it takes a rare type of artist to pull off this type thing--I also think this is why MTV Unplugged was such a hit in the 90s. There's something extremely alluring about seeing flawless talent laid bare. It's beautiful.
I've been listening to these things all afternoon; they go great with the weather and the lethargy that just seems to go with Sundays (and afternoons, come to think of it). Anyway, here are a couple of my favorite acoustic performances by some distinctly not-acoustic performers.
Jason Mraz is known for full-blown sets with piano, trumpets, electric guitar, percussion and backing vocals (whether done by his wingman Toca Rivera or an orchestra) but when the man decides to strip down, well wow: it makes it difficult for me to decide which I like better. Mraz has the voice of an angel--he's able to write songs that are simple and catchy but he can also go all-out melancholic and go crazy with the range when he wants to. I think this is my favorite Mraz song--also one of the saddest, if you ask me. I'm a sucker for things that explore morbid possibility.
Brian Fallon has been called the "Bruce Springsteen of our time" and The Gaslight Anthem is known for their sparkly guitar and blues-y bass riffs but man, that guy can sing. In many ways his voice is quite the opposite of Mraz--raspy and barritone where Mraz's is seamless and smooth--but they're both amazing live. Brian's voice always seems to be dripping with grief and whenever he performs live, he just brings a whole new attitude to the song that the (already spectacular) recorded version seemed to be hiding up its sleeve. Le sighhh.
This was one of the best online DVD purchases of my life--and I have downloaded/purchased a lot of DVDs. Tegan and Sara are amazing--they have the hookiest guitars, keyboards, melodies and the most amazing drumbeats but they alsopack a mean intimate performance. This performance of their song Nightwatch is my favorite, definitely. :)
I was looking for a song to start the morning off with and poof this came out on Tegan and Sara's YouTube channel. Wow. I am so excited for their new album, I cannot even.
Because I really, really don't want to end today on such a somber note, I'm going to say goodnight to everyone with this really nice performance of Tegan & Sara's latest single, Closer. It's off their upcoming album Heartthrob which is going to be released soon. :D I think this is their catchiest song yet. Also, I am in love with Tegan's sweater.
This song has been playing in my head all night. Yes, I say all night because I slept pretty late last night--I've come across some extremely exciting news that hopefully I can put on here soon. :D Anyway, enjoy this song!
Favorite lines: Dressing bad's like loving you there is nothing
So I realize that I've gone on a bit of a binge with my music posts lately, but it's a big part of my life and I really would like this to be more than a fashion blog because to be honest, I'm a huge nerd and while I'm very into fashion, it isn't just who I am. So. Anyway. :) I hope you guys enjoy today's music post. I know I've been posting about Tegan & Sara a lot and that probably owes to the fact that I only recently got my hands on their Get Along DVD so I've really been rediscovering their (haha) discography and sort of reconciling old ideas with the new. But, yeah.
As you might be able to tell from the title of this post, I decided to post up two songs--one from Tegan and one from Sara. For those of my dear readers who aren't quite huge fans yet or who are just starting to get into this band, the thing about Tegan and Sara Quin is that (at least for most of their career--I hear they did a lot of collab-ing on their last album) they write their songs separately and while they sing together live, on the records, they do their own backing vocals and their own playing. :) I found this very interesting because while it's definitely not something that a lot of bands do, I think that it makes sense. It's the reason I think why their mix of songs is so perfect all the time. Both of them have their own distinct styles and while you can go to them for about anything, you always get two distinct flavors from each of them. I definitely wouldn't want anyone to take my word for it, so here are two songs of theirs that I really, really like and the amazing way that they just play off of each other.
On Directing was written by Sara and I love how this song is incredibly self-aware. The line goes Go steady with me--I know it turns you off when I get talking like a teen and I find so much vulnerability in that statement but also a kind of strength in the knowing of how your actions impact someone. It's equal parts vulnerable and vicious, which I think makes for the perfect combination.
Northshore was written by Tegan and what I love about Tegan's songs is that they're so damn hooky. This song was stuck in my head for about a week and a half after I heard it. Also, the thing I love about this song is again, that sort of self-conscious/self-reflexive quality to it. In the chorus, she sings something's so sick about this, my misery is so addictive and it's just so beautiful (and so true) that misery is a kind of drug. It's addictive. Yeah. This song is just incredibly spot-on.
I think it's this kind of dynamic--the mix between melancholia and resilience, between delicate guitar/keyboard parts and strong, catchy hooks that really make Tegan & Sara such a strong band and that make their records the kind of things that you can listen to track by track.
Aaaand, that's it for today's Music in the Morning bit. :) I hope everyone enjoyed this!
So I woke up early anyway. My brother wasn't feeling well so he woke me up so that I could call my ENT (Ear-Nose-Throat doctor) for him and then accompany him to Asian Hospital later. So, yeah. Hello, world! :D Good morning anyway. Hahaha Anywho, I listen to music a lot in the morning (especially while getting ready for school, although I'm not doing that today) so I thought I'd share a couple of songs that I've been listening to. Anyone who follows me on Twitter or who is my friend on Facebook will know that I am a huge Tegan & Sara fan. :D But if you're new to this blog, then well--now you know. :)) Recently, I've been rediscovering some of their older songs. Yesterday, on the way to school I was listening to their If It Was You album and even if their sound has changed a lot since then, I think they've evolved in a way that is equally great. Anyway, yeah. This is my favorite song from there. This is the epitome of irony created saying something sad but using a happy melody to do it.
Today was, for the most part a terrible day. The weather was terrible (you can read all about it in the post below) and I have this huge zit on my face and yeah--the works. Also, I have a terrible case of PMS and so I feel like a gargoyle: ugly, rough and just generally unpleasant.
My energy level was at an ultimate low this morning because I spent yesternight baby-sitting my brothers (who are 7 & 9 years older than me respectively, thank you very much) while they drank the night away on a Sunday--an event which I'd been terribly misinformed about; I was under the impression that we were going to a Sunday night dinner.
Plus, in chemistry lab there was this guy who was talking to me about Psych ward patients and asking me whether or not we were to treat them like people or like specimen. Hrrrm. Look, guy--you seem nice enough and all that but jeezus; the fact that people are still asking that is evidence of how little society has actually progressed (or perhaps it is one of the causes of the said phenomena or lack thereof). It also reminded me more than ever of why I feel so disheartened when it comes to my course and why I feel anti-desire toward the thought of being a doctor (or once wanting to be a doctor). So much pain toward the department and the "psychologists" who I 've met in my short life. All the do is condescend, it would seem--"Youth allows you to make mistakes" and "When I was your age" from men who are in their mid-twenties are favorites of mine. Hay.
But yes, this entry does get happier. :) A day is still more than the sum of its hours, yes? So yeah. I guess today is about saving tidbits of sunshine for rainy days; I found that it was about appreciating the little pockets of happiness as opposed to basking in the flood of negativity. :)
Reader Mail.I don't like the term "fan" mail because really--we're all just people, it's just that I'm fortunate enough to have time to do this: I know a lot of people with way more interesting lives who I would love to read about. But yeah, I've been getting a lot of e-mail and private messages from readers about how inspired they've gotten from this little bit of cyberspace and that gives me hope. :) If someone finds my life interesting or reading this causes them to love their own lives a little more, then I must be doing something right. Thank you, thank you, thank you to everyone who sent things in. :D I hope you got my replies!
Skin Care. I bought this clay-based Tea Tree Oil face mask from PCX this afternoon because I have this ugly zit on my right cheek and I think it's really helping it out. :) Hopefully, this'll be gone within the week. Also, I got Dove beauty soap for sensitive skin and Myra moisturizer--which smells heavenly. I like skin care much more than make-up, I realize (although it wasn't always that way, which is why I have a ton of make-up things). Everything smells so pretty. :))
Funny Groupmates. I'm fortunate enough to have really nice groupmates for my chem lab class. :) Our one groupmate was absent but I actually had fun working on the experiment today with JK, who I know from the Student Publications Office (now the Student Media Office). We got to talking about how being Senior Editor for a publication really just means that you're retired and there's nowhere to put you. :)) He's also taking his student internship at PGH (Philippine General Hospital) so it was fun talking about that for a bit (until the guy mentioned above chimed in and started talking about the patients like they were characters from Sweeney Todd). But yeah, good time for the most part.
Bus Sunsets. After a long, tiring day I find it's extremely relaxing to be on a bus at the coastal area around sun down time (4:30 - 5:30). So pretty. There are these blue tenement houses by the side of the coastal highway that I think are beautiful--I don't understand why more people don't live there. Free housing and a view of the ocean; I would live there if given the chance. Home. I like the idea of home.
A Song That Hits The Spot. I have this habit of listening to an album straight through then playing and replaying my favorite tracks, skipping other tracks that don't quite get me so that when I tire of my favorite tracks, I go back to those and see how (or if) they grow on me. I did this today with Tegan & Sara's Sainthood album. And as I was listening to The Cure I realized that this is exactly how I feel now about an ex-friend of mine (yes, friend) who doesn't talk to me anymore; I realized while listening to this song that I've made peace with the idea of him being alone forever and that's refreshing. :) To some extent, I think we do choose our endings. Or rather, our choices manifest what we feel--whether they are things we're aware of or not. :)
I'll end with that and the live acoustic performance of the song:
