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MY XEX LoginI’m incapable of completing work without music accompanying me. I can’t even read a new book without a record spinning in the background. That being said, I’m always on the look-out for a new record to pick up from Reckless.
During the last few weeks, I’ve spent a lot of time with Glasser, Twin Shadow, and Girls. Glasser’s debut full-length, Ring, was released in September, and it’s a lovely record to listen to while writing. Glasser, created by Cameron Mesirow, is a musical project that showcases Mesirow’s vocal talent as well as her ability to arrange interesting and unexpected melodies. Ring sounds like it was created in a dream. Thus, it’s unpredictability and ethereal quality makes it an essential album for a select few. This album isn’t for everyone in the same way that Bjork’s albums aren’t for everyone. It’s beautiful nonetheless. Give it a listen if you’re feeling adventurous.
(photo of Twin Shadow via Stereogum)
Twin Shadow and I have been spending a lot of time getting ready in the morning. Their single Slow is part of a playlist I put on while I’m picking out the perfect outfit. Their album Forget sounds like a collection of Depeche Mode b-sides. This album reminds me of summers in my Volvo wagon blaring Joy Division’s Substance on cassette tape. Their songs are catchy enough to make you want to dance but they also have that serious quality about them that make you feel like you’re listening to real music. This band is going to be around for awhile.
(photo of Girls via Live Music Guide)
Girls just released a new EP titled Broken Dreams Club. The EP shows a more sophisticated version of the band I fell for last year when they released Album which featured the ever-catchy single Lust For Life. The song Heartbreaker from the new EP is reminiscent of an early Belle and Sebastian song (think Mary Jo) with all of the fancy production of a recent Belle and Sebastian song (think Dear Catastrophe Waitress). Although it isn’t titled Heartbreaker, the real heartbreaker song of the EP is Broken Dreams Club which features a solo that sounds like a mixture of a horn and a kazoo. I’m no stranger to the kazoo solo, so this song resonates well with me.
What have you been listening to? Let a girl know!
(photo of Sam the cat of Love Garden Sounds, Lawrence, KS)
There’s nothing better than having the day off and the time to check up on the latest in record releases. So, here’s what I’ve been reading up on.
Light in the Attic, one of my favorite record labels, has reissued Jane Birkin’s Di Doo Dah on LP and CD.
(via Light in the Attic)
The CD version comes with two bonus tracks and the LP version is pressed on 180 gram vinyl and comes with unseen photographs and extensive liner notes. With a paycheck on its way, I know exactly where I’m making my first stop: Reckless Records in Wicker Park. I’m always in the market to buy a new French record for my listening pleasure. Also, I need to pick up the new Twin Shadow and the latest release from Mississippi Records.
(via JPG Mag)
If you haven’t had the chance to visit Portland, Oregon’s Mississippi Records, then I would suggest you plan a little trip. Easily my favorite record store in the United States, Mississippi Records has an incredible selection. They also operate as a record label and have released some of my favorite albums and cassette tapes (yes, mix tapes) of the last few years.
(via Aquarium Drunkard)
All of the cassettes are mixes made by the record store’s owners and employees. Unfortunately, now that I no longer work at a record store, I’ve fallen behind on the cassette releases. I’ll have to call up my old record store and order some for the Christmas season.
Hope you all have a wonderful day. Go outside and enjoy the weather or stay inside and jam some of your favorite records. I plan on doing both.
(via Design Sponge)
Jobs that pay the bills are usually awful. Nearly every job I’ve worked only for the money and not the actual experience has ended in tears. There has to be a way to make your passion your full time job. What am I good at? Singing and writing. So why am I assistant managing a shoe store? Beats me! However, it does pay well, and for the time being I can handle getting yelled at about not selling enough boot spray or taking a couple of days off to visit my family in Kansas.
Last night, my boyfriend and I visited Green Mill Cocktail Lounge for the first time since we’ve been in Chicago. We were both blown away by the atmosphere and the old time radio broadcast performed by The Alan Gresik Swing Shift Orchestra.
(via Chicago Reader)
The orchestra was fronted by a radio host and two jazz singers (one female and one male). If anything confirmed for me that it’s possible to do what you love and get monetarily compensated, it was watching an adorable female jazz singer dressed in 1930s attire belting out hits from the Golden Age.
Many artsy people have had the luxury of making their passion their full time job. For instance, Portland-based illustrator Carson Ellis started out making fliers for indie rock sweethearts The Decemberists.
(via Design Sponge)
She participated in as many illustration shows as she could and jumped at the opportunity to illustrate the pages of local zines. In her late twenties, she was working as a bartender and was approached by art directors who had seen her work on Decemberists fliers, album covers, etc. They wanted to give her paying illustration jobs. Now she illustrates children’s books in addition to her work on the music scene. In her own words, she “quit [her] job the moment [she] could swing it and [has] been working full time as an artist since.” Inspiring! This bit of news came from Design Sponge’s new guest writer Rachael Maddux. Maddux is going to continue to explore the relationship between musicians and artists in her section Sights and Sounds. I can’t wait to read more. Just another reason to adore Design Sponge.
So I suppose I won’t abandon the dream of making money doing something I actually care about. I’m going to give it my all while working my other job in the meantime.
(via Refinery29)
It is a dreary day in Chicagoland. It’s cold inside my little house and rainy outside. To deal with the cold weather and my attitude toward it, I typically like to excessively dress up and do something different with my hair. Today I chose to braid my hair into two little pigtails like Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz. I also put on bright red lipstick and a little too much blush on my cheeks. By adding color to my face, putting my hair in playful braids, and taking time to pick out the perfect out-fit (a black and white striped dress from summer, a scarf adorned with red accents, and my black Anne Taylor coat with a furry hood), I already felt better about the weather report.
Another thing that cheers me up is new music to accompany me while I tidy up the house and drink my daily latte. Refinery29 just posted their fall playlist for 2010. It’s worth a look and a listen. Tracks include Twin Shadow’s “Slow”(my favorite from the mix) and Caribou’s “Swim.”
I listened to the whole playlist while putting in my storm windows. Playlists are wonderful because it makes me feel like I’m receiving a mix tape from a friend.
Australian based fashion designer Tina Kalivas brightened grey landscapes for me this afternoon by designing colorful and geometric dresses for her 2010 collection called Have Mind. How gorgeous are the colors in these dresses? Kalivas puts a modern twist on nineties color choices (bright pinks, yellows, and blues) by pairing them with browns, blacks, and whites.
