Browsing Tag

music

A summer playlist

A guest post by ten thousand things, the New York-based blog full of gorgeous imagery, stylish things and playlists that I absolutely love.

sq380

This summer playlist is for the bike ride to the beach, evening cocktails on the dock, the early morning walk to the beach with your surfboard, a barbecue in the backyard, and everything in between.

Dog Days Are Over – Florence + the Machine
Song for No One – Miike Snow
Made of Stone – The Stone Roses
Zumbi – Jorge Ben
Honky Tonk Women – The Rolling Stones
Kiss With a Fist – Florence + the Machine
Plastic Jungle – Miike Snow
Diamond – Conversion Party
Easy Love – MSTRKRFT
Little Secrets – Passion Pit
If I Ever Feel Better – Phoenix
Two Weeks – Grizzly Bear
Tonight I Have to Leave It (the Russian Futurists remix) – The Shout Out Louds

Thank you ten thousand things! As soon as I get back from Turkey (which will be all too soon), I will download the songs I don´t already have.

Image from SquareAmerica.com.

We could all learn something from Monotonix

This guest post is from my brother Bryce, the student, drummer and sometimes model.

It was about two months ago that I first encountered a three-piece rock group from Israel called Monotonix. I went to go see them at the Biltmore in Vancouver, but to our dismay the concert was already sold out when we arrived. After a few sneaky moves we found our way inside the show (I regret nothing). As we entered the venue, the front of the stage was packed so we decided to hang back; we figured that we could at least see a bit of them.

Shortly thereafter, our world was turned upside down.

sasquatch-festival-monotonix

Three incredibly hairy men entered the stage, the lead singer wearing a leopard one-sie, and the drummer and guitarist wearing short shorts.

The importance of this will be discussed later.

monotonix

As soon as they started to play, the drummer moved his drum set off of the stage and into the crowd. The guitarist moved to the other side of the venue, and the lead singer crowd surfed while singing their first song.

From that point on their show was never on the stage, I have never seen a band so active and spontaneous that their whole set never stayed in one place, let alone in one part of the venue.

monotonix-sasquatch

At one point the drummer got the crowd to hold up his drum set as he played the drums while being crowd surfed. At the same time the singer was crowd surfing and the guitarist was being held up. They were literally playing on an ocean of people. They moved with such energy and passion, they hypnotized the crowd. Everyone in the audience was involved in the show whether they liked it or not.

monotonix-sasquatch-fest

I later realized why the three of them didn’t wear much clothing, not only were they hairy, they were also incredibly sweaty. Which I unfortunately had the opportunity to taste when the lead singer’s arm went into my mouth.

sasquatch-monotonix

If you ever want to see rock and roll in its purist form, I suggest seeing the Monotonix. They use no fancy lighting, no expensive instruments, no ego, nothing but their raw energy and love for music.

sasquatch-09-monotonix

Following this up, we also saw the Monotonix at Sasquatch Festival which happens every year at the Gorge, in George, Washington, one of the best venues in North America. Not only is Sasquatch affordable, it is three days of more than 30 bands in the most serene setting ever. At the show my friend Tori Ball was able to capture these wonderful shots.

Thanks Brycie, I was wondering what you’d come back from Sasquatch with. Take a look at the brilliance I discovered at one of his own shows here.

Want to write a guest post? (Hooray!) Send me a note at theanthology@live.com.

Who knew I had such a thing for Swedish pop

The bet-they’d-be-amazing-in-concert Miike Snow will be playing tonight at the Biltmore in Vancouver (next time they come they’ll be playing a much bigger venue. I’d bet my entire broach collection on it).

They’re Swedish. And I love them. And it made me realize how many other Swedish artists I love.

lykkeli

Like the beautiful, stylish, and so-much-fun-to-see-live Lykke Li. And the Shout Out Louds, whose song Tonight I Have to Leave It remixed by the Russian Futurists is one of the most played songs on my iTunes.

Then there’s the wacky and wonderful Tough Alliance whose song Someone Special makes me want to dance dance daaaaance, the Swedish Paul Simon-esque sound of Suburban Kids with Biblical Names and the bright, pretty Marching Band which sounds like spring breezes and colourful sunsets.

Found the image of Lykke Li here.

Finalement!

Aujourd’hui is the day Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix is released in North America, something I have been waiting for for a long, long, long, long, long time.

wolfgang-amadeus-phoenix

In celebration, I am going to eat a brie and grape sandwich on a baguette (c’est delicious) and wear the beret my friend Maxine brought back from Paris (c’est chic). For good measure I will also spend some quality time on the most magnifique Paris-based blogs: Garance Dore, PandoraNastHaute World and Carla Loves Photography.

And then do a pirouette. What a belle jour!

Celebrate!

It’s a weekend full of best friends’ birthdays, brunch with old friends and a get together for my little mama. 

Paris

I’ve been charged with making the playlist for Saturday night. Will feature my top ten favourite dance party songs and what else? Ice Ice Baby by Vanilla Ice? Jesse’s Girl by Rick Springfield? Whoomp! (There it is) by Tag Team? What am I missing?

Photo from .v

This is why you guys are the best

I love reading your comments (and so does my mother) — they make my day (and my mom’s). And sometimes your comments open me up to a whole new world of wonder. Like this one from Franvis who commented on this post about Erlend Oye.

“Stumbled on your website ’cause of Phoenix, and now I find your an Erlend fan… I rest my case, you’re good.

When he was in Brussels, I met him in the park. We had a chat, he even drove my bike in the sun. Do you like his new project, the Whitest Boy Alive?”

I do now. I had no idea the Whitest Boy Alive was Erlend’s project (neither did my husband who saw them live at Summercase in Barcelona in 2007). I hadn’t paid any attention to the band until now. Thank you Franvis for changing that.

Vancouver-cherry-blossoms

You can find the video for my favourite song Burning here. And while you’re at it, take a look at the video for Misread by the Kings of Convenience, one of Erlend’s other projects.

cherry-blossomEvery spring I think of that video and how lovely it would be to spend the day under a tree playing the guitar and soccer.

If only I played the guitar or soccer.