Heavy Metal Music...

Literally!

As promised the musical stylings of Doc Cudd, the blacksmith at the Biltmore House and one of only five known anvil players in the states. Loved him!

I ♥ This.

I finally ordered Ian Axel's cd. It wasn't the best CD I've ever heard, but it certainly had it's moments and I didn't feel like I'd wasted $7.99 by a long shot.

While This Is The New Year will forever and always be my favorite Ian Axel song, The Music That Haunts This Town, is going directly into my nap mix, my chill out mix, and next year (if I need it) it's totally going into my study mix.

Ian Axel is an amazing piano player.

(please ignore the awkward video)

Don't You Want Me?

I honestly don't know how they do it, but the music guys on Glee are genius. Seriously. They have the ability to take a song I don't like and make me love it.

A prime example would be Katy Perry's Teenage Dream. Hated it. Loved the Glee version.

Tuesday night they did it again. Don't You Want Me by The Human League is a song that I'm not a huge fan of, due mostly to the fact that it plays constantly on the family friendly "maximum variety" radio station we listen to at Grandma's. But that's a whole other bag of beans.

When Blaine and Rachel sang it however, it was pretty much amazing.

Check it out.



Rachel's dress is also pretty spectacular. The other highlight of the episode would definitely have to be when the principal called Ke$ha "Key Dollar Sign Ha." Those three things made my life (or at least evening).

I So Hope This Album Rocks

I can't believe that it was only a little over a year ago that I got This is the New Year by Ian Axel as a free Discovery Download on iTunes. It is still quite possibly my favorite song ever.

I've posted it before, but seriously, who couldn't love this song, this video, this guy. So worth a second posting.

As you can probs imagine, after hearing this song, I immediately started searching for more. Alas, until a little (a very little) while ago, this song was the only one I could find.

Now, finally after so many months waiting, Ian Axel is releasing an album on Monday. I may die of excitement. I hope it doesn't suck.

Check out previews of This is the New Year (the album) here, curtsy of iTunes.

Happy B-day Ludwig!

If he was still alive Beethoven would have turned 240-years-old today. Geez.

The Moonlight Sonata is one of my favorites of his.

Apparently he dedicated this sonata to a girl he loved and who loved him too, but when he proposed, her dad said refused to let her accept. Bummer. It's still pretty though.

Snow, Snow, Snow, Snow, Snow!

♥ White Christmas

Exactly one year ago today, we experienced the first of many, many monumental snowfalls here in the valley. Well it's happening again... while the inch we have so far pales in comparison to the 7 inches we got a year ago, I still think it's pretty cool that for the second year in a row the first Saturday of December brought the first real snow of the season!

As much as I love snow however, I hope this early snow doesn't bode for a repeat of last year... if we get 97 inches of snow again, I'm not quite sure what I'll do!

The Warblers

Leave it to Glee to take one song I'm ok with and another I barely tolerate (thank you David) and make them both awesome.

I hope the Warblers are here to stay!


Covering Train's "Hey Soul Sister"


Covering Katy Perry's "Teenage Dream"

Mumford and Sons

As soon as I got my new car (with a CD player!!!) I decided that I needed some sweet CDs.

I'd heard Mumford and Sons' song "Little Lion Man" on the radio before and I really loved it, but when I heard their second single, "The Cave," I was absolutely and completely sold. So, their CD 'Sigh No More,' became my first physical CD purchase in about seven years. It's awesome!

Listen to these songs and see if you don't fall in love with them too!

Sesame Street

A lot of people have been talking smack over the past few days about Katy Perry essentially being booted off Sesame Street, thanks to the little greenish number she wore while singing an adaption of her song "Hot N Cold" with Elmo.

I mean really, why in the world did the producers let her film the spot wearing that? I know it's supposed to be "dress-up" but they should have been thinking about what all the moms out there would say about it. Don't you think they should have been like, "Hey, Katy, we're pretty sure that the higher powers will find that outfit you're wearing inapprops for little 3 year-olds, would you mind changing?" Silly people.

I'm not a huge fan of hers anyway, so it's whatever to me, but I think the whole situation is very silly and could have been resolved so easily with just one little wardrobe change. It's too bad because the song was very cute.

Well That Was Depressing.

I apologize for the mini-freak out I had this morning! Hopefully it's just a phase driven by a little bad luck and some more (thankfully minor) car trouble...

Anyway, to get every one's spirits back up, I'm sharing one of my all time favorite songs with you. Ian Axel's song "This is the New Year" never ever fails to make me crack the the smallest of smiles, and then a slightly less small grin, and then soon I'll be positively beaming, even on the worst of worst days. The music video seals the deal and just plain makes me laugh out loud. I also (I'm a little ashamed to say) may or may not look exactly like the people in the video when I'm listening (and singing along) to this song in my car...

Love it. Ian Axel, you are my gloomy day hero.

Even better, his new album is supposed to be coming out soon! So excited.

Jar of Hearts

I recently rediscovered this song that I first heard at the beginning of the summer on So You Think You Can Dance. It has quickly become one of my favorites. The video is a little creepy/silly/reminds me a lot of Harry Potter's dementor attacks, so just ignore that part and listen to the music. Ok? Great.

Like an Appendectomy, sans Anesthesia

That would have to be my favorite line from this amazing song by The Magnetic Fields, rivaled only by "You can't go round just sayin stuff, because it's pretty. And I no longer drink enough, to think your witty."

"We're the Class of '80 Proof!"

I was reading through the class notes for the Alumni magazine at the college I work for when I discovered this little gem...

“We’re the Class of 1980,

no one dares to call us ladies.

Wahoos say we trash their frats.

Weekend rolls we’ve got down pat.

Rebel Yell, and beer, and grain;

we drink so much we go insane!

We’re the Class of ’80 proof.

1 – 9 – 8 – 0. Hey!”

Don't you wish you were a member of the class of 1980... proof?

The Piano Tribute Conservatory

Yesterday in ballet our teacher played this version of Fireflies in class and I loved it. I actually liked it more than the original. It's definitely making its way into my nap mix. Enjoy!

Fireflies. Piano Tribute to Owl Eyes by the Piano Tribute Conservatory

Vanilla Twilight. Piano Tribute to Owl Eyes by the Piano Tribute Conservatory

I'm Yours

Thanks for sharing this with me Roni! Probably my favorite version of I'm yours ever.

Sing a Happy Song!

Everyone should have a playlist called "Seriously, Laughter is the Best Medicine" or "For When You Just Have to Scream... Sing These Instead" or something to that effect.

These playlists should be filled with music that not only makes you happy, but makes you so happy that you just can't help but laugh out loud. Failing that, it should at least make you smile. Your playlist should be filled with songs that you know all the lyrics to, and preferably sound even better when turned up really loud.

These songs don't have to be "typical" songs like those you regularly hear on the radio. My ultimate "happy" song is I Swear by All-4-One. Random? Yes. I don't know why, but something about that song just makes me smile and want to start belting it out... even when I'm so angry I can't even think straight (yes, that does happen to me occasionally... hard to believe I know). There were several occasions last year when this song came up on my iPod while I was walking across campus and I literally had to restrain myself from doing a full on, eyes closed, crouching down, belting out rendition of "I Swear" in the middle of Brinser field... with people around. Crazy, I know. To illustrate how impressive that is, for those of you that don't know me, I never sing in public. Ever. Unless I am in a crowd large enough to drown out my voice... or under the influence of "liquid courage"... Also, I generally don't dance in public either, unless I'm on a stage and the dance is choreographed by someone other than me and I have been practicing for at least a couple days first... or I'm wearing my party pants :)

Fireflies by Owl City is another great addition to either of the aforementioned song lists. There is just something about this song that's captivating. I don't know what it is about this song but I listen to it and it just makes me happy. Yesterday it came on right as I was about to turn onto my road and I drove around the block twice just so that I could hear the entire song. I mean seriously, who couldn't love a playfully electronic song about fireflies?

Of course, to anyone who's never heard Chinese Children by Devendra Banhart, well you should. The sooner the better. This is a song that not only will make you smile after about the first 5 seconds, but it will make you start to giggle after about 20 seconds, laugh after about a minute, and then keep laughing for the duration of the 5 minute song. It is unquestionably one of the single weirdest songs I have ever heard in my entire life and it will forever be a solid member of my "Seriously, Laughter is the Best Medicine" playlist.

So the next time that you are just piping mad and hate the world and everyone in it, don't reach for your Remington 22-shot gun, don't reach for your car keys, don't reach out to the nearest window or mirror with a clenched fist, instead reach for your iPod (or equivalent) and save yourself from jail, a potential wreck or speeding ticket, or a lot of pain and either bad luck or a costly home improvement project, with your perfect laugh/smile inducing playlist.