music monday: arcade fire

arcade fire came out with a new album a few months ago and their first single 'ready to start' has really been growing on me. at first i thought "yeah, this is alright" which then progressed into "ok, i can relate to this. i like it a little more now" and then "oooooo yes, i like this song". so when i got an email from amazon.com listing their one day only $3.99 albums and saw the arcade fire album was one of them, i instantly clicked purchase. an impulse purchase, like gum by the register. but seriously, $4...worth it. i added 'ready to start' to my current playlist and every time it comes on i get really excited because a) sometimes i still forget it's on there and it's always fun to get a musical surprise and b) it has joined the rank of songs that give me major goosebumps. not to mention, the band did a digital short with the lonely island that was pretty hilarious. bonus! anyway, 'ready to start' is streaming below. listen to it. love it.

music monday: kings of leon

kings of leon played saturday night live this past weekend and did better than most do with performing on that show. i thought they were very true to their sound and gave me goosebumps. their second performance of their song "pyro" was definitely my favorite of the two and sold me on purchasing their album. plus...they're so sexy!

music monday: the national

this past saturday was a long time coming. i had purchased tickets to see the national probably four months in advance so there was a lot of waiting. i was so excited to see them live. after having their music introduced to me in chile, i've had their albums on repeat ever since. they played at marymoor park in redmond which was a perfect venue for them. it was outdoors and had great lawn seating so the audience could just relax and appreciate the music. it's tough to pick a favorite performance because they killed it on every song they played. but after hours of listening, "slow show" is still my favorite of theirs and the one i was most looking forward to seeing. after a long day of tailgating and football cheering, it was the perfect concert to follow. listen below and tell me it's not one of the most haunting, goosebump-inducing, beautiful songs you've ever heard.

music monday: muse

are you coming back to seattle anytime soon!? 

have a rockin' week everyone! here's another amazing one from these guys.

music monday: workout playlist

i don't understand people who don't listen to music while they work out. me, i need it, otherwise it's agonizing. thanks to my gym, i'm sometimes able to see what others are listening to if they plug their ipod into the machine they're using. (although, let's be honest, why would you do that? why would you plug your ipod into the machine and then your headphones into the machine when you could just place your ipod into the cup holder. sorry, tangent.) i've seen people listening to the shins or broken bells while they work out. those are good bands, but for me, that's walking music. if i'm going to be running or pumping iron like schwarzeneggar, i need music with intensity and power that sounds good turned up real loud. my playlist changes from time to time, but here are a few staples that always make it onto the list.

the lonely island - i'm on a boat
silversun pickups - the royal we
muse - hysteria
k'naan - wavin' flag
gorilla zoe - echo
incubus - under my umbrella
t.i. - what you know?
rise against - the good left undone
silversun pickups - growing old is getting old
chevelle - still running
flo rida - right round
jay-z f/ alicia keys - empire state of mind
the lonely island - space olympics
muse - stockholm syndrome
taking back sunday - makedamnsure
europe - the final countdown

am i missing any epic songs that are good? what do you all listen to when you work out?



on another note: i was hoping to catch up today, but i'm house sitting and i keep forgetting my camera cord! i'll be back on track soon. i'm just being spacey. :)

music monday: bon iver

i'm letting his music speak for itself. it's beautiful.

music monday: silversun pickups @ the paramount

this has been the most anticipated day for me since the day after i saw them open for muse. well, i saw half of their set, so you can imagine my extreme excitement to see their whole set. i could go on and on about how the night went. blah, blah, blah we missed the first band. blah, blah, blah against me was fun. but nothing, nothing compared to the feeling i got when silversun pickups were on stage.

they opened with 'growing old is getting old' which is one of my favorite (if not the favorite) songs of all time. the performance brought me to tears. and i'm not ashamed to admit it. this is how i feel about music.

the lead guitarist and vocalist, brian, was so amazing. he spoke to us for quite some time and was so apologetic for not coming to seattle sooner and thanked us all for being there and supporting them. their whole show just proved how much the fans meant and it was so powerful. they are truly an amazing live band and great performers. i am already anticipating their return.

best. song. ever.

music monday: brandon boyd

since age 14, i've been one of the biggest fans of incubus that you could ever find on this planet. seriously, their music had a huge impact on me and literally changed the way i listen to artists and songs. so you can imagine my surprise and immense delight to find out that brandon boyd (lead singer, for those who don't know) came out with a solo album. on a random day i am browsing the itunes store and this baby comes up. yes. buy. i didn't even have to preview.

one of the things that makes incubus so dynamic is their ability to perform both fast and slow songs. for me, their ballads always got me the most. i was slightly disappointed with their most recent album as it lacked some of the familiar ballad sounds that they usually put forth, but i knew if brandon was by himself, he'd make up for that. and boy did he. his new album is full of the same meaningful lyrics and musicality that an incubus album does, but with a very personal and heartfelt touch.

the song i immediately clung to is titled "courage and control". it brings back the ballad. take a listen and let it sink in.