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"A little bit of this. A little bit of that. A pot, a pan, a broom, a hat. . ."—Anatevka, "Fiddler on the Roof." This is a blog about everything and nothing. A little parenting, a little humor, some poetry, news, essays, a lot of music. I don't want to waste your time, just send positive vibes into the blogosphere. Oh, yeah, my name is Sarah Torribio. Enough about me, how are you?
Monday, November 25, 2019
Sunday, November 24, 2019
Song of the Day: "Romeo and Juliet" by The Killers
I stumbled across a new-to-me Killers song, "Glamorous Indie Rock & Roll" and of course had to keep listening to the Killers because they are bad-ass.
I got a craving for their "Romeo and Juliet," an exquisitely-rendered cover of a Dire Straits song, off their 2007 sophomore release "Sawdust." I found it on YouTube and it's now song of the day on Battlestar Eclectica I'm usually a stoic, but the song making me a little emotional tonight. It must be a combination of the poignant theme (love lost) and image-rich lyrics, which are veritable literature set to music. I mean come one: "All I do is kiss you through the bars of a rhyme. Juliet, I'd do the stars with you any time."
You had me at hello.
Song of the Day: "Glamorous Indie Rock & Roll" by the Killers
Leave it to me, Little Miss Play It On Repeat and Little Miss Comfort Zone, to take well over a decade to even scratch the surface of a good band's catalog. What can I say? I like to savor music.
"Glamorous Indie Rock & Roll," a tune which is just as the name describes, is my song of the day. Despite a low-key start, Brandon Flowers' octave-straddling—and yes, maybe occasionally over-ambitious—voice and tremulous pathos create a rock opera-style torch song. A jaded indie-rock version of "I Did It My Way."
—Sarah Torribio
Saturday, November 23, 2019
Song of the Day: "In My Eyes" by Best Coast
My opus through the catalog of Best Coast continues. I just did some Wikipedia browsing and found out the group is actually a duo, comprised of songwriter, guitarist and vocalist Bethany Cosentino and guitarist and multi-instrumentalist Bobb Brin.
They create such a tapestried sound for two people! As for the tone of the music, it runs from sugar-dusted melancholy to glamorous ennui to tentative hope. Any potential brooding that might ensue, however, is leavened by momentary visitations of punk-y three-chord riffs and surfy soundscapes paying homage to California's coastal culture.
My song of the day is "In My Eyes" by Best Coast, off the duo's 2015 album California Nights.
Friday, November 22, 2019
Song of the Day: "Up All Night" by Best Coast
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I'm slowly working my way through the catalog of the band Best Coast, one of the most enjoyable and solid pop rock outfits I've come across in a few years.
Today's song of the day is the band's "Up All Night," a sweet love song with a touch of '60s girl group vibe. There's that Phil Spector-style wall of sound, complete with castanets and strings. The guy was terrible on a personal level, but his gift for spotting talent and producing resulted in amazing, almost symphonic pop classics like "Be My Baby" by the Ronettes.
Song of the Day: "When the Party's Over" by Billie Eilish
I don't know how this girl makes such glorious music at such a young age. The video is dark, like much of the imagery surrounding Billie Eilish, but we at its root we have a teen who is preternaturally talented at delivering an arresting torch song.
I'm reminded of some other teen songstresses who take it miles deeper than your average pop song, including Fiona Apple, Lorde and—going back a bit—Judy Garland. My song of the day is Billie Eilish' "When the Party's Over."
—Sarah Torribio
Song of the Day: "Never Alone" by White Lies
"Never Alone" by White Lies is some splendid rock music. It's my song of the day on Battlestar Eclectica. According to Professor Wikipedia, White Lies is "an English post-punk band from Ealing, London. They've been around since 2007, so there's likely some treasure hidden in their discography.
—Sarah Torribio
Wednesday, November 20, 2019
Song of the Day: "Drown" by Alex Chilltown
My song of the day, "Drown" by Alex Chilltown, is very good. Surf guitar meets The Cure, gaining some stardust jangles, before picking up the man-as-lonely-artifact-in-a-machine-age momentum of New Order.
—Sarah Torribio
Song of the Day: "Carey" by Joni Mitchell
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Song of the Day: "Veranda" by Cillie Barnes
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I need something light and refreshing and and fun to make this rainy morning more summery. My song of the day is "Veranda" by Cillie Barnes.
—Sarah Torribio
Tuesday, November 19, 2019
Song of the Day: "Misery" by Michigander
"Misery" by Michigander is some delicious indie rock. I came across this jam on my favorite song-sharing site, letsloop, which always serves to remind me what a dizzying amount of good music is out there.
—Sarah Torribio
Song of the Day: "Ocean Eyes" by Billie Eilish
My Billie Eilish phase continues. Her music, phrasing, melodies are gorgeous. Her "Ocean Eyes" is my song of the day on Battlestar Eclectica.
—Sarah Torribio
Monday, November 18, 2019
Song of the Day: "Forest Green" by Wolf Parade
I'm not obsessed with "Forest Green," but I want to be because it contains so many elements I find dear, not least of which is high energy. That makes me want to find out what other music is out there by Wolf Parade, because I sense they've got at least a couple songs I'ma have to run on replay.
—Sarah Torribio
Sunday, November 17, 2019
Song of the Day: "Everything I Wanted" by Billie Eilish
"Everything I Wanted" by Billie Eilish is song of the day on the Battlestar Eclectica blog. Her smoky whisper paired with understated piano chords makes for a gorgeously sad song. I'm finally getting what everyone sees in this girl.
—Sarah Torribio
Song of the Day: "I Feel It All" by Feist
There's something purifying about "I Feel It All" by Feist. Listening to it is the equivalent of saging my entire person as well as my home.
I love the tentative, experimental feel of the piano in this song and the wonderfully original lyrics. They're heavy on imagery and metaphor. "Kick-drum on the basement floor." "Wildcard inside. "
Meantime, Feist's voice goes down real sweet, like rum and Cherry Coke.
—Sarah Torribio
Saturday, November 16, 2019
Song of the Day: "Fox" by Dogleg
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—Sarah Toribio
Wednesday, November 13, 2019
Song of the Day: "Monkey Gone to Heaven" by The Pixies
People used to say, back in my salad days of the 1990s, that Nirvana "saved rock music." I liked Nirvana and was as galvanized by anyone by the explosive guitar riff that scaffolds "Smells Like Teen Spirit" as anyone. (I'll risk widespread ire by saying I prefered Hole at the time. I literally wore out my "Live Through This" CD.)
Still, I didn't think rock music needed saving. My teenage playlist and concert-going excursions were replete with vibrant alt-rock, like Jane's Addiction, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Depeche Mode, The Stone Roses and early solo Morrissey. The Pixies alone were proof positive that alternative music had reached a zenith, and fine up-and-covers like The Smashing Pumpkins made me optimistic that said zenith could be maintained.
If you're ready for a strange, beautiful, screaming and cathartic tapestry, try The Pixies' "Monkey Gone to Heaven" (1989) on for size. It's my song of the day.
Tuesday, November 12, 2019
Song of the Day: "Feeling Okay" by Best Coast
My song of the day is "Feeling Okay" by Best Coast. Vocalist Bethany Cosentino has a honeyed voice, with a delivery that can go from with edgily deadpan to emotive. And the prevailing guitar riff is gorgeous. Jangly, echoey, surfy, pretty and sad.
—Sarah Torribio
Thursday, November 7, 2019
Song of the Day: "Like A Criminal" by The Sheila Divine
Song of the Day: "A Thousand Miles' by Vanessa Carlton
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I sang along to the chorus of that song by Lizzo where she's cheering up a friend who just got dumped—coaxing her to get pretty, go out to party and find someone better than her no-account ex—as well as to Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody." It got a little weird during the whole "Galileo" call and response part of the tune, because I insisted on singing every part.
And yes, I jettisoned my protective suit of irony, embraced sweetness and sang along with great feeling to "A Thousand Miles" by Vanessa Carlton. If you ask me and if you'll pardon my French, I made that song my b*&@!
—Sarah Torribio
—Sarah Torribio
Wednesday, November 6, 2019
Song of the Day: "Harmony Hall" by Vampire Weekend
My song of the day is "Harmony Hall" by Vampire Weekend. I'm just starting to delve into this band and I'm liking it a lot. Goth name. Melancholy subject matter (heartbreak, existential angst, etc.) Super happy-making music. I'm gonna delve into their discography and it's likely they'll end up on my blog again.
—Sarah Torribio
Song of the Day: "For the First Time" by Best Coast
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"For the First Time" by Best Coast is song of the day on Battlestar Eclectica. This duo, which goes down real easy, was formed in LA in 2009. Frontwoman Bethany Cosentino started writing music at age 15, according to esteemed source Wikipedia, inspired by everyone from Joni Mitchell to Weezer.
The group's gets me in the feels. I moved away from California almost two years ago and while Utah has its charms, I'm still wistful for life in the Golden State.
—Sarah Torribio
Tuesday, November 5, 2019
Song of the Day: "One Lost Time" by Little Scream
"One Lost Time" by Little Scream is song of the day on Battlestar Eclectica. According to Professor Wikipedia, Little Scream is the stage name of "American-born, Montreal-based singer, songwriter, multi-instrumental musician and artist Laurel Sprengelmeyer.
—Sarah Torribio
Song of the Day: "Sweet Jane" by The Cowboy Junkies
If you don't like "Sweet Jane" by The Cowboy Junkies before you're 40, you don't have a heart. If you don't like this song after you're 40, you don't have a brain.
Song of the Day: "True Love" by Still Parade
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"True Love" by Still Parade is so romantical—kind of has that Brian Eno-produced sound—that it makes me feel like dancing forever in a snowglobe with Jareth from Labyrinth.
—Sarah Torribio
Monday, November 4, 2019
Song of the Day: "No Hope Generation" by Mura Masa
I am so impressed by "No Hope Generation" by Mura Masa. Wikipedia tells me that Mura Masa, by the bye, is the stage name of Alex Crossan who's a "Guernsey-born electronic music producer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist." Not a bad skillset.
This song pairs a punk guitar riff with eerie autotune—almost a la "Lindisfarne" by James Blake—and it's working for me. As for the ethos, it's a perennial one. It's that moment that strikes, often during your 20s, when you face disillusionment and a creeping fear that your "failure to launch" is not a temporary state. You become sadly nostalgic for the relative optimism of youth. Think "Bastards of Young" by The Replacements.
—Sarah Torribio
Sunday, November 3, 2019
Song of the Day: "Topic" by Saltwater Sun
My song of the day is "Topic" by Saltwater Sun, off the 5-piece London-based band's 2019 EP The Great Deceiver. Lead singer Jennifer Sternes has a really sweet, cotton candy melancholy to her voice. It's like Siouxsie Sioux meets Debbie Harry.
—Sarah Torribio
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