What I'm Listening To; Week of May 22nd

For this week's music post, I thought I'd share a couple of the songs that I've listened to heavily the past week or so. This will probably be the normal format for the weekly music post because I don't have an entire new album to write about that often. Normally, there are 2 to 3 songs that are getting heavy play on the old mp3 player. Below are the stand outs from this past week.

"Wake and Be Fine" by Okkervil River: This band is new to me. They released an album recently and I've given it a listen. To be honest, I am not completely sold on rest of the album. I don't hate it at all but am not head over heels. I will give it more listens because I love this one song so much. Maybe the rest will grow on me. Also, the singer has a good beard going on, which is something I appreciate. I prefer my musicians bearded.


"Calgary" by Bon Iver: Seriously, Bon Iver is so, so good. He's releasing a new album next month and "Calgary" is the first song I've heard from it. I can't wait to hear the rest. And, unless he's shaved, he also has a great beard. No video has been made for this one yet.

A Perfectly Small Kitchen

I have seen this photo several times across the internet and I think it's incredible. It's proof that a kitchen doesn't have to be huge to be amazing. The colors are serene, the light fixtures are modern, and the floors are dreamy. All that being said, when I see a kitchen with beautiful white cabinets and counters, I always picture them covered with spaghetti splotches.

(via thesweetestoccasion)

I saw this photo today on Design Sponge and had to share it. There is so much I love about this room, the windows, the paint job, the quilt, the light, and that perfect gray sofa. When I decorate my dream living room, it will have the perfect, gray, modern sofa just like the one in this photo. I'm not crazy about the rug in this room but everything else is great. This is the perfect mix of old (the windows and quilt) and new (that wonderfully modern sofa)

(via DesignSponge)

What I'm Listening To: The Antlers- Burst Apart

One thing I've learned since starting this blog is that, although I may not be all that good at it, I really love writing about music. Since I've completed the 30 Day Song Challenge, I want to continue writing about music, so I am going to do a, hopefully weekly, post about the music that is currently getting the most play on my mp3 player.

This week it's The Antlers new album, Burst Apart. I mentioned their last album, Hospice, during the song challenge. Hospice is an album that affected me in a way no other has. The story told on that album is so painful and the lyrics are so sorrowful that I cried the first time I heard it from start to finish. It was gut-wrenching. I thought it was incredible but I wouldn't describe it as an enjoyable experience. The songs from that album are often skipped when I'm listening to my mp3 player on shuffle. This is not because I don't love them. It's just that I am not usually in the mood for such dark music and a lot of the songs leave me feeling emotionally drained. 

The Antlers new album, Burst Apart, while still deeply emotional at times, feels much lighter and is easier to listen to than Hospice.  I agree with people that have said it is clearly influenced by Radiohead but I don't think that's a bad thing. The music is at times atmospheric and Peter Silberman sings in falsetto frequently which are both characteristics that remind me of Radiohead. While the album does have an upbeat feel, it can't be described as happy. There is still that gloom and heartbreak that the band does so well.  It still has it's rip your heart out moments, especially the song "Putting the Dog to Sleep." The album has been out for a little over a week and I've listened to it several times already and the more I listen, the more I like it. My current favorites are "Every Night My Teeth Are Falling Out," "No Widows," and the before mentioned "Putting the Dog to Sleep."

Keith Morrison, I Love You

If you have spent any time on YouTube, you may have come across a video like this. Some teenage girl creates a photo montage of their favorite male celebrity while a cute love song plays. Often, they've included little sayings or quotes in between the photos to express their undying devotion to that celebrity. These types of videos typically feature some dreamy heart throb actor, like Robert Pattinson or the one that plays the werewolf.

My normal reaction when I come across one of these videos is to quickly stop playback, click away from the page, and consider what incorrect choice I might have made to bring me to that particular web page. Today, however, I came across such a video that caused a very different reaction.

I was watching the news with Jason's sister, Juli, and we got into a conversation about news correspondents. I brought up Keith Morrison and tried to describe the apparent glee he has while interviewing people, regardless of how horrific their story is. She was not familiar so I pulled out my laptop and searched his name in YouTube. That is how I came across the video below.

I realize that this video was probably made to make fun of all the other videos of this type but, deep down, I hope that it is actually sincere. I hope there is some girl with a crush on Keith Morrison that is so intense, she just had to create this video and share her love with the world. Whatever the case may be, I am glad that this video was created. The choice of music is brilliant.

Day 30 - Looking Over the Past 30 Days, a Song I Would Replace

"We Will Become Silhouettes" by The Shins (The Postal Service cover)-I've looked over the past 30 days of the challenge and if I would change one of my selections, it would Day 07- Favorite Cover Song. Somehow, I managed to go the whole challenge without using more than one song by The Shins which is notable considering that I could have done nothing but Shins songs.

When I was writing about my favorite cover song, I forgot about The Shins cover of "We Will Become Silhouettes" by The Postal Service. This is my favorite cover song by far. This is an upbeat, happy song about the end of the world. I love both versions of the song but I prefer The Shins version because they put their "shinny" take on it. Below are both versions.

Yesterday, I had a little bit of free time, which is something that has been scarce lately. I also had a few ideas for blog posts. I planned to sit at my computer and write a few posts, including the probably not at all thrilling thrilling conclusion to my 30 Day Song Challenge. As you can see, this did not happen. The reason? Blogger was down ALL STINKING DAY. So instead, I surfed the web and logged some  Pinterest, Google Reader, Youtube, and StumbleUpon time. It was enjoyable but completely unproductive. Sure, I could have written the posts offline and posted them Blogger was back up and running, but that's not my style. Unfortunately, I won't have time to post anything in the next couple of days. I hope to finish the challenge and write a few post in a couple of days. Your patience is appreciated (I like to pretend I have thousands of readers when I actually have about 3.7.)

Until I can catch up, here is something I saw yesterday while surfing around. That lamp is calling my name.

 (via amerrymishapblog.com)