fun. with Sid Vicious

One of the bands that my girlfriend and I enjoyed listening to last year was the indie pop act, fun. (yes, that's how it's normally spell it out). The band is comprised of members from The Format (Nate Ruess), Anathallo (Andrew Dost) and Steel Train (Jack Antonoff). What makes fun. different from any other band is that they utilize elements of broadway, big band and power pop and incorporate them into their brand of indie rock. What resulted is a sound that is bold, energetic and full of spirit. Their debut album, Aim & Ignite is one of the most unique and enjoyable listening experiences of 2010. Every song that record is nothing short of sensational. One of the songs on the record, "Light A Roman Candle With Me" is a favorite of ours. It's a sweet romantic song that is playful as it is sweet and it's a song that my girlfriend and I would love to do a music video for. Speaking of music video, there is no official music video for "Roman Candle", but I did find this awesome live session of fun. playing the same song. As an added bonus, the video also includes the song "Take Your Time (Coming Home)" which is also featured on their debut album and Sid Vicious from the legendary Sex Pistols makes an appearance.

Love Foolsophy

Remember the last entry that I wrote about for Jamiroquai (hopefully by now, you would know how to pronounce that)? Well, around that time I was on this Jamiroquai craze where I have been listening to their music nonstop. Everything from his debut record Emergency On Planet Earth to his breakthrough record Travelling Without Moving to his last record before going on a hiatus, Dynamite. Out of all the albums that I listened to, the album that I was very fond of was their 2006 release A Funk Odyssey. Unlike their previous works, Jamiroquai combined elements of pop, jazz and funk with their traditional acid jazz/acid funk sound. What resulted is an album that is funky but at the same time bold and daring. After listening to the record, I started looking up some of his videos and live performances on Youtube. One of the videos I saw caught my attention and made me think about my girlfriend.



The video was a live performance of “Love Foolsophy” from the album A Funk Odyssey, which was shot and recorded at Abbey Road Studios in London. The thing I liked about the performance is how it captured the same funky and happy feeling that the song exemplifies on the record. That same spirited feeling reminds me of my girlfriend all the fun and blissful moments we share together. Maybe that is why I love the song so much. It is because it is true representation of the fun and jovial side of our relationship. Not many know this, but we are a very goofy couple. We love the crack silly jokes to each other and talk about the most outrageous and random things that we think of. In general, we love to laugh and be playful. Whenever I think about all the fun times we have together, it makes me realize how wonderful it is to be with someone where you can act like a complete fool to one another, but still love each other unconditionally. On that note, check out this stellar performance of the song “Love Foolsophy” by Jamiroquai and share it with someone you love.

From Sherwood to The Morning of

The other day, my friend told me that he had been listening to Sherwood the past few days and he asked if I ever listened to them. I acknowledge that I, too have listened to Sherwood and noted that A Different Light was one of my favorite albums. Then as we continued our conversation, he asked me if I had any recommendations that sound similar to Sherwood. I paused during our conversation to think of some bands and the first one I thought of was The Morning of.

I'm not saying that both acts are exactly the same. However, I do admit they do play the same type of music which is pop induced alternative music. However, there are other qualities that make The Morning of stand out, not just to Sherwood, but all other pop rock bands. For one, I love the sincerity and honesty of their lyrics. Their debut album, The World As We Know It, has this amazing positive energy that you can feel it radiating through your ears when you listen to it. Their current release of this year, The Way I Fell In, still carries that energy, but at the same time showcases the depth of their maturity and growth as a band. It is as almost as though they are only going to get better and better. Another great quality about the band are the vocals of Justin Wiley and Jessica Leplon. I read in an article in one publication before and the vocals between the two were described as "dueling". I don't believe that. As a matter of fact, I prefer the word "complimenting". The reason for this is because their voices blend beautifully to create extraordinary harmonies. It's a very loving feeling and quite nice to the ears. Lastly, their pop rock melodies are arranged perfectly and highly infectious without sacrificing depth and artistry. If only you hear more these types of songs on the radio. Nevertheless, they are a very extraordinary band. If you have not listen to either The World as We Know it or their newest release The Way I Fell In, I suggest you do so right now. By the way, check out this amazing live session for their single, "Tell Me I'm Wrong" from The Way I Fell In.

To my friend, if you are reading this, I hope this is what you are looking for. Enjoy.

Playing With Her Vowels

One of my favorite artist that I hold dear to my heart is a singer-songwriter and pianist by the name of Regina Spektor. She was born in Moscow, Russia and moved to New York at the tender age of 9. Her sound is a very tricky one. It is very distinct and influences range from classical music, jazz, pop and folk. One thing I admire about her is her vocals. She has a very strong vocal range and she uses many different vocal techniques to complement her already unique sound. My girlfriend even noticed that she loves to play with her vowels when she sings. Listen to her song Eet and you will know what I mean. Her latest album, Far is one of my favorites of this year. Spinner.com has her featured on their webpage and it includes live performances as well as an interview. For some of you who are unfamilar with who she is, go check out her interview below to learn more about her and click on the link below to go to Spinner.com to watch her live performance.

Spinner.com presents The Interface featuring Regina Spektor

Regina Spektor Interview