"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?
Thursday, January 23, 2020
Wednesday, January 22, 2020
Song of the Day: "Nobody Move Nobody Get Hurt" by We Are Scientists
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Am I silly for, upon coming across this song by We Are Scientists, first thinking "Nobody Move Nobody Get Hurt" is a cover of the reggae song of the same name by Yellowman—or perhaps of the Eazy-E song that employs samples from Yellowman's chorus?
Instead, it's an energetic original offering by an always-effervescent indie pop rock band. I've lately determined I'd go back through my Song of the Day selections from the past 4 years on the Battlestar Eclectica blog, delving deeper into the various artists' respective catalogs.
Ever the late adopter, I have learned from Wikipedia (always use, sadly have never donated) that the We Are Scientists version hails from way yonder back in 2005.
Sunday, January 19, 2020
Song of the Day: "Yellow is the Color of Her Eyes" by Soccer Mommy
Song of the Day: "My Deal" by Best Coast
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I'm waiting with bated breath to hear a song by Best Coast that I don't like, that doesn't give me a fuzzy, hazy, sun-drenched, nostalgic and wistful feeling (so many feels at the same time!). I'm currently rocking "My Deal," which has a vid reminiscent of an updated "Grease"/"Outsiders" drama and which was directed—way back in 2012—by none other than Drew Barrymore.
The song is in two parts, and is actually kind of four songs in one, with the guitar growing more transcendent by the moment.
Song of the Day: "Don't Go" by Moaning
My song of the day is "Don't Go" by Moaning. I've decided rather than just finding a song here or there that I like by a band, something I often do while perusing the music recommending site letsloop, I'm going to go a bit deeper. No low-attention span hummingbird, I.
I'm beginning with Moaning, an indie rock/post punk outfit that has a forthcoming album called Uneasy Laughter. They sound English, but are Los Angeles-based, I hear from the inter webs. They're signed to Sub Pop Records.
They have a layered orchestral sound that will appeal to those with a penchant for dark wave, a la Joy Division/early New Order and The Cure. The guitars, though, occasionally rise above and beyond the quagmire of sadness to become a fuzzy rocket ship of energy. Smashing Pumpkins? Sonic Youth? I tend to get myself in trouble when I try to triangulate music. All I can say is Moaning has mood for days.
—Sarah Torribio
Saturday, January 18, 2020
Song of the Day: "Part One: The End" by Dylan LeBlanc
The somber and wistful atmosphere in this song i so thick, you can cut it with a knife. Plus, as a train hobbyist (in my heart. I don't have any model trains yet. . .) I approve of the tiny western town in this video. My song of the day is "Part One: The End" by Dylan LeBlanc.
Song of the Day: "Ego" by Moaning
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Super-satisfying indie-rock/post punk, what have you. The keyboards are a nod to early darkwave, a la Joy Division/New Order, the angst is Interpol ennui but the beats are pogo-pop. I'll take it.
My song of the day is brand-spanking new music, "Ego" by Moaning, a single from their upcoming album Uneasy Laughter, set to drop in March 2020.
Song of the Day: "Lamplighter" by The Saxophones
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I'm ready to sway to my song of the day, "Lamplighter" by indie pop/dream pop outfit The Saxophones, at the "Enchantment Under the Sea Dance"—provided the punch is heavily spiked. The tune is a single off their forthcoming sophomore album "Eternity Bay," which is a rather splendid name for a record.
—Sarah Torribio
Friday, January 17, 2020
Song of the Day: "Wherever You Are" by Kodaline
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—Sarah Torribio
Song of the Day: "Everything Has Changed" by Best Coast
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I am absolutely in love with this song by Best Coast. "Everything Has Changed" is a single off a forthcoming album that is expected out this February. I'm not friends with singer/songwriter Bethany Cosentino (yet) , but I want to suggest that this bright and often upbeat album be released as a bright yellow slice of colored vinyl.
It's about evolution I think: settling down, partnering up, grounding yourself, getting a pet while still retaining a touch of crazy. I'm told by Let'sLoop that this duo could be called noise pop. If that's the case, it's a joyful noise.
Tuesday, January 14, 2020
Song of the Day: "Coming of Age" by Foster the People
My song of the day is "Coming of Age" by indie-pop outfit Foster the People. It's off the 2014 album of the same name. This tune creates—in the words of talented by sociopathic producer Phil Spector of Motown fame a "wall of sound" that gets more reich and complex each time I listen to it. Dig those sweet Beach Boys harmonies.
—Sarah Torribio
Song of the Day: "Crazy for You" by Best Coast
I've learned a number of things today, chief among them that indie-rock duo Best Coast doesn't have a bad song. Every tune by them is touched by sunshine, sea salt, a spray of Coppertone and a touch of deadpan cynical whimsy.
I have a record player that's become my favorite possession because CDs break and I'm old enough to be nostalgic about a good-old slice of licorice pizza. So now I'm finding for a Best Coast album. Todays song of the day, "Crazy for You"—not to be confused with the lovely Madonna song—hails from way yonder back in 2010. Still cool.
Song of the Day: "The Only Place for Me" by Best Coast
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"The Only Place for Me" is a delightful offering by Los Angeles rock duo Best Coast, who I saw live many years ago when they opened for the Pixies. Being a California ex-pat living in St. George, Utah, this particular ode to the Golden State—"We were born with sun in our teeth and in our hair/When we get bored we like sit to sit around, sit around and stare/At the mountains, at the trees, at the ocean. . ."— is a little bittersweet for me.
When Bethany Cosentino asks, "Why would you live anywhere else?" I can only say, "It's a long story. . ."
Song of the Day: "Perfectly Aligned" by Milo Greene
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My song of the day is "Perfectly Aligned" by Milo Greene, a band I got to see open for Foster the People a number of years ago. This indie-pop quartet, which formed in Los Angeles in 2010, three singers. This particular tune is mellow, sweeping and meditative.
Monday, January 13, 2020
Song of the Day: "Are You There Margaret? It's Me God." by The Lawrence Arms
Well, happy day coming across a good punk song. My Song of the Day is "Are You There Margaret? It's Me, God." by The Lawrence Arms. This punk rock band was formed in 1999 in Chicago, according to my sleuthing.
—Sarah Torribio
Sunday, January 12, 2020
Song of the Day: "Bastards of Young" by The Replacements
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I'd love to say I'm naturally perceptive when it comes to music and that when "Bastards of Young" by the Replacements came out in 1985, when I was a wee lass of 11, I was an instant fan.
I was an early adopter of alternative rock, thanks to living in LA and in airwave earshot of KROQ and to having an older sister. Still, I never heard this tune until I came across it on the soundtrack of the fantastic coming of age movie "Adventureland" (2009) which, with its standout performances by Kristin Stewart and Jessie Eisenberg, I highly recommend. The song is marked by the wistfulness we all sometimes experience, when we feel life has passed us by without us managing to properly live.
Song of the Day: "Bubblegum" by Mystery Jets
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My song of the day is "Bubblegum" by Mystery Jets. The synth riff is A-Ha's "Take On Me" for a more somber era. According to Wikipedia, this English indie pop rock outfit hails from a geographic location with the most charmingly British name ever: "Eel Pie Island" in (wait for it) Twickenham, London. And now I'm craving eel pie again. So it goes.
Saturday, January 11, 2020
Song of the Day: "Stray Fantasies" by Mint Julep
According to a band bio I grazed through, Mint Julep is a husband-and-wife duo that formed in 2007. They're still making great music, which shows they have staying power.
—Sarah Torribio
Song of the Day: "Half Your Age" by Joywave
My song of the day is "Half Your Age," new music by a band called Joywave. I came across it on my favorite music sharing haunt, letsloop. The song won me over on the basis of the guitar, which is very early New Order. I also get the sentiment "all your heroes are half your age," given my own relentlessly advancing age.
As far as the deets, I'm told by Wikipedia that Joywave is an indie rock band from Rochester, New York that formed in 2010. Some day when time hangs heavy I'll give more of their stuff a listen.
Song of the Day: "All the Way (Stay)" by Jimmy Eat World
"All the Way (Stay)" by Jimmy Eat World is a pretty and polished pop-punk song. It's wistful, romantic and slightly hopeful, a mood the band has mastered over the years. It's hard to resist the catchy chorus and the vulnerable vocals of frontman Jim Adkins layered over the dulcet tones of a female backup vocalist.
—Sarah Torribio
Song of the Day: "Surviving" by Jimmy Eat World
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My song of the day is "Surviving," which came out this past October. It's some epic punk-pop that's warmed by uplifting fuzzy guitar that's reminiscent of the axe in "Radiation Vibe" by Fountains of Wayne.
—Sarah Torribio
Wednesday, January 8, 2020
Song of the Day: "Wild Nothing" by Foyer
My Song of the Day was found on LetsLoop, my favorite music sharing site. Today I've come across a pretty fabulous song. "Foyer" by Wild Nothing offers the elegant alt-disco of indie pop standouts like Foster the People. All this however, is darkly bedazzled by the space-ocean ambiance of good shoe gaze. It makes me want to scatter charcoal-colored glitter across the empty dance floor of my mind.
I'm told by Professor Wikipedia that the band Wild Nothing was formed in 2009 in Blacksburg,Virginia and that they're an American "indie rock/dream pop band." I'm not sure I even know what dream pop is. Am I the only one who's shit at classifying music given the virtual multiverse of genres that have splintered off and been named in recent years?
—Sarah Torribio
Monday, January 6, 2020
Uplifting News Story: A boost for butterflies
<<last news storyThis Man Repopulated a Rare Butterfly Species In His Own Backyard
The so-called pipevine swallowtail of California has iridescent blue-colored wings, and collectors consider them among the most important and magnificent ones found in the area of North America. This beautiful butterfly thrives in San Francisco for centuries, and also around the so-called Bay Area.
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Uplifting News Story: A tiny forest
>>last news storyBonsai Master Masahiko Kimura Creates Gravity-Defying Mini Forests
Bonsai is a Japanese art form that dates back centuries. Along with and Zen gardens, it's one of the most recognizable expressions of Japanese culture around the world. Currently, there is no bonsai master as well respected as Masahiko Kimura.
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Uplifting News Story: A cow's journey
>>next news storyBaby Cow Escapes Slaughterhouse and Is Raised by Deer Family in Snowy Forest
Are we out of the woods yet? If you're Bonnie the cow, then yes! This adorable brown and white cow now lives at Farm Sanctuary in Watkins Glen, New York, but it was a long, scary and sometimes magical road to get there.
Song of the Day: "Someone Else's Train" by The Cure
Doesn't "Jumping Someone Else's Train" by The Cure kind of have the best guitar riff of all time? Amazingly, this song, which is fresh and relevant today, was produced all the way back in 1980.
It's off the band's sophomore album Boys Don't Cry, which contains several songs off The Cure's 1979 debut album Three Imaginary Boys. To put how radical this music was, it's completely concurrent with disco hits like Diana Ross' "I'm Coming Out."
—Sarah Torribio
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