Currently Listening

Paris, Je T'aime Soundtrack
life's a dance we all have to do... what does the music require? people all moving together, close as the flames in a fire... we all go round and round, partners of lost and found...looking for one more chance. all I know is, we're all in the dance (feist)

Hem: Home Again, Home Again
As your hands breaking free i am holding on, i am holding on as you held on to me. and i don't know... is this the part where you find out i'm there for you?

Keren Ann: Not Going Anywhere

this is why i always wonder... i'm a pond full of regrets. i always try to not remember, rather than forget. the tide will rise and fall along the bay... and i'm not going anywhere. people come and go and walk away, but i'm not going anywhere...i'm not going anywhere

three bits of you

Ok... I've been tagged in a silly meme, which I actually think is quite fun. The deal is you're supposed to post 3 songs which are... you.

You know what I mean? How some songs can just feel like a bit of you?

Pretty simple, I guess.

Except that my list got pretty long.

Here's my woefully pared down one.

1: Moon River

2: I Feel It All

3: Frank Churchill Arrives


And I tag tag tag...

Elliebird
Johnnie
Monolog

i <3 you online

this is quite possibly the cutest song ever.

and yes, i'm pretty sure everyone has felt this way at some point.

(at least everyone in this generation)

you know, the person who you write a message to in chat that says exactly how you feel, just so you can know how it would feel to actually say that. and then speedily delete it for fear of pressing enter.

Every morning I wake up, with lingering dreams of you
And my heart is beguiled
I struggle to think just what else I can do
Than log into my favourite online social networking website!

I want to be in your profile picture
I want to be a permanent fixture
On your wall
You're so beautiful

I want to be in your profile status
Feature in the place where you update us
Maybe then I'll have you in mine
I heart you online

I can see from your information
You like japanese animation
And stir-fry
Well so do I

I've read the books that you love reading
I must say you're quite appealing
Maybe you could poke me some time!
I heart you online

ba ba da....
Click on my face and tell me that you love me!

You sent a message with three kisses
Could be wrong, but I think this is
Your way
To convey
That my love's not unrequited
But I won't get too excited
Since you're only virtually mine
I heart you online
I heart you online
I heart you online

"my christmas"

weird = andrea bocelli singing "have yourself a merry little christmas" in italian

awesome = andrea bocelli singing with the muppets

currently listening

A lesson from your friends, No. III

Cecil and Percy recieved another letter from our dear friend Emily, requesting Gnomely aid and council.

My Dearest Cecil and Percy (Cecil, though you may protest and snarl and snap, I do find you to be quite dear indeed),
As of late I have been particularly singular in my musical philanthropies (most of my contributions have gone toward, well, alternative pop -- horrors). I feel that this behavior must change immediately, oh I may be in grave danger of adapting to the mainstream culture.
Any recommendation of anything even vaguely counter-culture would be most gratefully received and appreciated.
Kindest regards,
Me

and their response:

Greetings, dear child,

You are come to the right place. Human opinion of Gnomes has been made rather... askew... and you silly people have somehow got the notion that Gnomes are rather sedentary and unartistic. This rather awfully ignores a huge part of our culture! I (Cecil) amn't a singer or dancer myself (though I am rather gifted with the lute), it's too horridly silly for my taste, but Percival tells such goosey stories about Gnome dances and musical evenings!

Gnomes believe that there is a soul to music... that in the air there float many thousands of musical ideas, and that those ideas fly through seas and forests and far off lands, and each place they go shapes them. These musical ideas are like people, in this way. When finally they light on someone to give them form, the artist must show his talent in expressing the character and experience of that idea. It may sound like just the sort of silliness I would customarily scorn, but there you are wrong. There are subtleties in the field of spunk that I fear others often miss.

Percival and I have created a list of musicians we find evocative of the Gnomeish music spirit.

1 - Lisa Hannigan's album, "Sea Sew"
2 - H.E.M. - really any of theirs... start with "Rabbit Songs"
3 - Emiliana Torrini - start with "Fisherman's Woman"
4 - Landon Pigg's album, "The Boy Who Never"
5 - Feist's albums, "Let It Die" and "The Reminder"

We hope this helps you to break away from mainstream culture and explore new realms of art and beauty!

Sincere affection,

Cecil Alexander Beatley and Percival Eugene "Percy" Worthington

(Post Script: Emily, you are indeed a silly thing. I think perhaps your definition of dear is... askew. Humans. That being said, you seem to be rather an endearing one and so I shall let this lapse in propriety slip. Respectfully, C.A.B.)

siento que vuelvo a empezar

In Spanish class today Mrs. Neve played Julieta Venegas's (my favorite Spanish indie singer!) amazing music video for Limon Y Sol... and I was reminded how much I love it.

So here is the link, please go watch it. You are about to fall in love with a song.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uF-U8V894RA

I've translated the lyrics... they lose a little bit of their meaning in English, but I've tried to keep as close to the heart of the words as possible. Disfrutar!

---

I must confess, sometimes I do not like the way you are

when you disappear and I do not quite understand why

you say nothing romantic when evening comes

when you have a strange mood with each full moon.

But everything else I win

I feel you near

...I feel reborn

I love you with lemon and salt

I love you as you are

You do not need to change anything

I love you if you come or go

up or down, unsure what you feel.

I must confess, I never believed in happiness

Sometimes things resembling it,

but those were pure coincidence.

Then you find me with your eyes

and give me something more.

I only feel you near.

I am reborn.

---

stop this train

No, I'm not colorblind

I know the world is black and white

Try to keep an open mind

But I just can't sleep on this tonight

Stop this train

I wanna get off

And go home again

I can't take the speed it's moving in

I know I can't

But honestly, won't someone stop this train?

Don't know how else to say it

Don't want to see my parents go

One generation's length away

From fighting life out on my own

Stop this train

I wanna get off

And go home again

I can't take the speed it's moving in

I know I can't

But honestly, won't someone stop this train?

So scared of getting older

I'm only good at being young

So I play the numbers game

To find a way to say that life has just begun

Had a talk with my old man

Said "help me understand"

He said "turn sixty-eight

You renegotiate"

"Don't stop this train

Don't for a minute change the place you're in

And don't think I couldn't ever understand

I tried my hand

John, honestly we'll never stop this train"

Once in awhile, when it's good

It'll feel like it should

And they're all still around

And you're still safe and sound

And you don't miss a thing

Till you cry when you're driving away in the dark

Singing

Stop this train

I wanna get off

And go home again

I can't take the speed it's moving in

I know I can

Cause now I see I'll never stop this train

- John Mayer

quothe he, "h'aatchoo!"

poor old cecil has a Great Cold. percy has tried to cheer him by bringing marigolds, violets, and a large turnip from his garden, but these only ease the spirits. so, we have got him tucked away with a hot water bottle (gnomes have special ones of these, shaped to fit their hats, of course), a large cup of honey'd lemony tea, and dickens. nay, not the works of dickens, dickens himself. robert dickens, penguin, scholar, devoted husband, and expert on german philosophical theory. his dear wife lucy, to whom he is devoted with such sincerity of feeling as can only come from a penguine heart, is administering crumpets and hearth-fires, as is her way. i find the only way i have of helping is to keep the hot water bottle hot, listen to his grumblings, and keep our favorite compositions playing. the three of us have decided on our favorite to listen to together. we do so love the unaccompanied cello suites by bach, especially no. 1 in G major. cecil loves the quiet beginning, percy the brilliant ending, and i the whole.

playing for change

check out this video - it's pretty amazing.

http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=2539741

currently listening

Aconteceu,

Ana Moura

Ana Moura is a Portuguese Fado singer. Fado is a centuries old Portuguese music tradition that is apparently really hard to explain, I guess cause I don't know that much about it. The lyrics are usually melancholy and sentimental, and the music is usually voice and spanish guitar and no other accompaniment. Anyway, this album is really good, and her voice is gorgeous. Its funny, her accent in portuguese sounds almost eastern european sometimes.

be my escape

a very beautiful song by relient k.



I’ve given up on giving up slowly,
I’m blending in so you won’t even know me
apart from this whole world that shares my fate

This one last bullet you mention
is my one last shot at redemption
because I know to live you must give your life away

And I’ve been housing all this doubt and insecurity
and I’ve been locked inside that house
all the while You hold the key
And I’ve been dying to get out
and that might be the death of me
And even though there’s no way of knowing where to go,
promise I’m going because

I gotta get outta here
I’m stuck inside this rut that I fell into by mistake
I gotta get outta here
And I’m begging You, I’m begging You, I’m begging You to be my escape.

I’m giving up on doing this alone now
Cause I’ve failed and I’m ready to be shown how
He’s told me the way and I’m trying to get there

And this life sentence that I’m serving
I admit that I’m every bit deserving
But the beauty of grace is that it makes life not fair

Cause I’ve been housing all this doubt and insecurity
and I’ve been locked inside that house
all the while You hold the key
And I’ve been dying to get out
and that might be the death of me
And even though there’s no way of knowing where to go,
promise I’m going because

I gotta get outta here
Cause I’m afraid that this complacency is something I can’t shake
I gotta get outta here
And I’m begging You, I’m begging You, I’m begging You to be my escape.

I am a hostage to my own humanity
Self detained and forced to live in this mess I’ve made
And all I’m asking is for You to do what You can with me
But I can’t ask You to give what You already gave

Cause I’ve been housing all this doubt and insecurity
and I’ve been locked inside that house
all the while you hold the key
And I’ve been dying to get out
and that might be the death of me
And even though there’s no way of knowing where to go,
promise I’m going because

I’ve gotta get outta here
I’m stuck inside this rut that I fell into by mistake
I’ve gotta get outta here
And I’m begging You, I’m begging You, I’m begging
You to be my escape.


I fought You for so long
I should have let You in
Oh how we regret those things we do
And all I was trying to do was save my own skin

But so were You


So were You

it just passed me by

from bad luck i'm walkin away
i'm not gettin stuck
i'm not gonna stay
to good things i'm moving ahead
i'm tired of dyin
i'm livin instead

and once in a while
i'll wake up
wondering why we gave up
but once in a while
comes and it fades away

the sun's up
and lighting the sky
i never could see it
it just passed me by

good things keep movin along
i'm not lookin backward
for something thats gone

once in a while
i'll wake up
wonderin why we gave up
and once in a while
comes and fades away

i dont know what love is
i'm selfish and lazy
and when i get scared
i can act like i'm crazy

when i think of your kisses
i'm still gonna smile
i'm still gonna miss you
once in a while

once in a while i'll wake up
wonderin why we gave up
but once in a while comes
and fades away

good things keep moving ahead
i'm tired of dyin
i'm living instead

-once in a while
madeline peyroux

happy girl

i used to live in a darkened room
had a face of stone
and a heart of gloom

lost my hope
i was so far gone
cryin' all my tears
with the curtains drawn

i didn't know until my soul broke free
i've got these angels watching over me

oh watch me go
i'm a happy girl
everybody knows
that the sweetest thing
that you'll ever see
in the whole wide world
is a happy girl

i used to hide in a party crowd
bottled up inside
feeling so left out
standing in a corner
wearing concrete shoes
with my frozen smile
and my lighted fuse

now every time i start to feel like that
i roll my heart out like a welcome mat

oh watch me go
i'm a happy girl
everybody knows
that the sweetest thing you'll ever see
in the whole wide world
is a happy girl

laugh when i feel like it
cry when i feel like it
that's just how my life is
that's how it goes

oh watch me go
i'm a happy girl
and i've come to know
that the world won't change
just 'cause i complain

let the axis twirl
i'm a happy girl

oh watch me go, i'm a happy girl
everybody knows
that the sweetest thing that you'll ever see
in the whole wide world
is a happy girl
oh, yeah, oh, yeah... i'm a happy girl

-martina mcbride



(thanks mary-john...here's some happy juice ;)

found

i took a walk down to the river
a broken heart in my hands
before the Taker and the Giver
to make my final stand

i waded out into the water
and i sank just like a stone
but i was lifted by the Angel
to never be alone


and i never knew
i could lay my burdens down
and i never knew
redemption could be found
but i know now

i saw Your mercy in the morning
in the color of the sky
i let the Spirit wash me over
and the sun began to rise

i took a walk down to the river
and i laid my burdens down
before the Taker and the Giver

and i am finally found

-bebo norman