influx of things.

today has been a mash-up of thoughts, images, opinions and feelings that provoke a random stream of consciousness. a constant flow just filtering right into my mind.

now these are for your ears, listen...

beck, devendra, and MGMT covering Leonard Cohen's Sister's of Mercy

devendra banhart's autumn child

regina spektor's laughing with

nick drake's time of no reply

arcade fire blues

arcade fire is playing at the greek and i need two tickets for this sunday, part of a birthday gift. i'm kicking myself for not committing and buying them right away, now i'm on craigslist searching aimlessly for a pair. SOLD OUT. hopefully, the cosmos will align and help me out of this one. if i end up finding tickets, this will be my 4th time seeing these kids perform, and i must say every time has been special. come on craigslisters, email or phone me back! argh. anyhow, this band brings back a ton of memories and emotions. many nights involving their music...a bittersweet new year's eve, a raucous fun night, a serene night after stormy months. this would/will be a birthday memory. i hope it happens.

watch and listen...

she's so lovely: Florence + the machine

It's been a couple of weeks of having a song so resonant and alive in my head, that I find myself singing it when I find the need to bust out some energy. The name of such a song is "Dog days are over" by Florence + the machine. The song is a power house of instruments from viola, violin, drums, piano, hand-clapping, back-up vocals and of course singing from Florence herself. Her voice reminds me of Kate Bush, gospel-like and big with heavy rock and soul undertones. Simply lovely and climactic it makes you wanna get up and shake your world upside down. Go ahead, take a peek. Play it loud.

all the many bus rides...

Public transportation has become a big part of my weekly routine these days as I commute from one side of the bay to another. Transportation in the form of Bart(bay area rapid transit/train) and Muni(buses, trolleys, cable cars/streetcars) have become an everyday experience and "oh!" what an experience it is. Sometimes painful, hysterical, annoying, disturbing, scary, yet always keeping me on my toes and helping me move around without a car or my bike. The use of headphones really help to add a certain sparkle and diffuse some of the otherwise uncomfortable stares, situations, and such. It's almost as if the help of music makes everyone seem interesting who without the soundtrack would not be so inviting to your eyes. I refrain from reading as it causes me to become nauseated beyond belief, but a good tune aids in making the ride a far more exciting one or simply sedates that part of you that wants to...get the heck out! The train offers an array of characters and the stations always seem like you're in purgatory neither here nor there and the station agent's voice often sounds futuristic, cold, mechanical. Bus rides come in all different flavors, the 45 offers an interesting asian flair, with it's elderly pushing, shoving, and sometimes picking fights with another of their(elderly) kind. But in all fairness the torture only lasts a short time, it ends in chinatown. Besides the children on this line are very sweet and curious as I am. The 41 towards downtown is more on the touristy side with very little eye contact, people spread about with no one sitting next to each other unless they have to. The 22 is a moving asylum from hell, or it can be and makes for very good stories over dinner. I can go on but I won't as I have not seen it all in the public transportation area. I'll discover some new soundtracks and images to compliment each other, that I am sure of.

she's so lovely: nicki bluhm

her album cover is gorgeous!

hot momma! love the jeans, body suit, bracelet, and bangs.

she's a california lover, it's true!

dynamic duo and a lovely pair N & T Bluhm

this dress is amazing!

I wanna go wherever she's going!

A very talented and lovely singer/songwriter has been constantly on my mind for some time now. Her name is Nicki Bluhm and even though I first knew of her as Tim Bluhm's girl (now wife), she really holds her own these days, because this girl is on fire with her ever so-lovely presence. Her melodies, and style grab a hold of you in a very charming way. The kind of gal you want to hang out with, raid her closet, go for a hike, have a girls night out, and then watch her play a guitar riff under a california sunset. Her sound is a beautiful mix of americana/folk/blues and some classic pop/rock that you'd hear back in the vinyl era, I hear some Bonnie Raitt and Joni Mitchell in there but with a totally fresh feel to it. I think of Linda Ronstadt and even Cher when I see Nicki, perhaps it's her style and hair but it's definitely her talent.

Her voice is amazing, she's got me singing along every time I hear or see her play, a really wonderful performer. Oh, and she's one tough cookie as her band mates, "The Gramblers" are all boys, some of them members of the band The Mother Hips (including her husband Tim Bluhm), and some contributions from Jackie Greene are in her album. You can download her music on itunes or purchase her album online on her site. Right about now, I'm singing "Toby's song" and then I'll have "I'm your woman" stuck in my head, I cannot wait for her to release a new album and fall in love all over again. Love to love Nicki Bluhm!

it's a wonderful life...

I am

the only one

can ride that horse

th'yonder

I'm full of bees

who died at sea

it's a wonderful life

it's a wonderful life

I wore

a rooster's blood

when it flew

like doves

I'm a bog

of poisoned frogs

it's a wonderful life

it's a wonderful life

I'm the dog that ate

your birthday cake

it's a wonderful life

it's a wonderful life

it's a wonderful life.

-Sparklehorse

Forever more you are...and you continue to comfort me. Thank you for the gift of your sound and the image you've embedded in our hearts. This exit was not your last, as you will continue on.

she's so lovely: zooey deschanel

with M.Ward in She & Him

with Joseph Gordon-Levitt

sultry and vamped up

bangs and dresses and heels...oh my!

Inspired by miss Emily Roers' recent post on her scrumptious blog the daily loves and having just watched (500)Days of Summer. Wait, it doesn't stop there, and listening to She & Him for the past year I decided to share my lady love for the multi talented and ever lovely... Zooey Deschanel!

Not sure where I should begin with this as it breaks down into a.) her fashion style, b.) her acting and movies(most specifically (500) days of summer) and by golly c.) her musical talent.

So I will begin at the bottom with c.) her musical talent. Zooey is part of a dynamic musical duo alongside the amazing M.Ward, they go by the name of She & Him. I was first introduced to their music a bit more than a year ago by a wonderful friend named Anne Magill who has the utmost appreciation for the coolest, most heartfelt, and talented musicians both old and new. She often left music for me to listen to or burned me some CD's of her favorites. In one of these such instances I threw in a CD of hers labeled She & Him not having the slightest idea of what I would be listening to, all I knew was the look on Anne's face as she pointed to the one CD I should listen to first!

An absolutely splendid sound, oozing with a powerhouse of talent is what She & Him's Volume 1. is all about. Instantly I was charmed by "Sentimental Heart" where she's wrecked laying on the floor lonely without him and then she's playfully sitting on the shelf on "why do you let me stay here?" but there's more much more, on "take it back" she doesn't want to be loved or fooled by him. In a nutshell their sound specifically Zooey's, offers a true retro exuberance that is fresh and modern but utterly charming and timeless and M. Ward's instrumental sound seals the deal.

I can go on and on with c.) but i won't because I'll have everyone spewing zzzz's for days. I continue with b.) miss Zooey's acting and most specifically her performance in (500) Days of Summer. This doll-faced darlin' is the type of actress that makes you really believe that she actually is the character she's portraying. This sense of realism is what makes her really stand out above the masses of actresses today. In (500)Days of Summer she is charming as is the movie itself, a classic boy-meets-girl yet complicated love story, with fun and sweet moments. I'm happy to say it even passed the "dude" test, perhaps because of the drunken karaoke pixie's song and the soundtrack or because guys can also relate to such a tale.

Alas, we have arrived at a.) miss Z's fashion style. Complete with charmingly girlish and retro flair she falls somewhere between a modern day Lolita, Gidget, Audrey Hepburn, and a fresh faced Julie Christie complete with the same retro hairdo. Yet at times you see all the folky girls of the music scence from the past. Expect to find ruffles, bows, mary jane heels, flats, tights, high waisted skirts, and the kind of candy colored dresses that utter femininity of the most delicious kind. I for one would love to raid her closet and perhaps her music collection as well. As for her favorite movies of all time perhaps we share the same ones for mine is extensive and all over the place!