December, Part One: Chillin'

Well, hello there, gentle readers! I hope you've been enjoying the cessation of finals since we last spoke--I know I am.

...But wait, there's even more to celebrate! That would be the fun that is the scarf, Snuggie, and Christmas season. What could be better? December is a cool month in so many ways. As it gets cold and I have to find all my warm clothes in the back of my closet, I enjoy shifting my music along with the season.

As wonderful as it is, I don't listen to Christmas music exclusively for an entire month (though I often contemplate it). My other music tends to be cool in a less literal, more modern way. I love to enjoy the cold weather (and five minutes of snow in Austin!) while listening to some contemplative, creative, and beautiful music like this. For each song I've given a little intro as to why I find it so captivating. Feel free to comment with your opinions on the songs, and what songs you are inspired by in this weather!



"Unison" - Bjork
It builds from a very calm start to a lovely crescendo of Bjork's signature strange, interweaving voice and loops of beats and sound. It's delicate and interesting, just like its Vespertine album cover you see above.

"The District Sleeps Alone Tonight" - The Postal Service
A classic chill-out tune. To younguns like us, it can almost be considered vintage indie-pop, and that makes it even more thought-provoking!



"All I Need" - Radiohead
This song makes me melt! I nearly did when Thom (blogger Thom) and I were lucky enough to see the real Thom (Thom Yorke) & Co. in Houston and they played it. It's so romantic and sweet, which is almost odd coming from Radiohead.

"The Maker Makes" - Rufus Wainwright
This song has a bit of an unfair advantage compared to the others; it is from the Brokeback Mountain soundtrack. Brokeback Mountain, though extensively made fun of, is one of the best and most heartbreaking movies I've ever seen. This connection, as well as the simplistic beauty of the piano and Rufus's voice make it one of those songs that I have to stop and absorb when it comes on shuffle.

"We Might As Well Be Strangers" - Keane
I could have posted almost every Keane song on this entry and it would fit, but this one is particularly poignant and pretty. The boys of Keane always hit the mark--catchy but with substance and composition. Love 'em!



"Lisztomania" - Phoenix
Phoenix has a really great ability to combine fun, poppy sounds with interesting and charming songwriting. The video for "Lisztomania" showcases their wide-eyed fascination with the centuries-old roots and aging relics of their native Versailles. This is a great studying-art-history song, I've learned from experience...it really makes you think about history.

"Roslyn" - Bon Iver and St. Vincent
"Roslyn" is a beautiful end note to my winter playlist, because its ethereal, haunting, folk-infused harmonies linger well after the song is over. Good luck trying to match it with your own voice, though--I've tried many times unsuccessfully, though had great fun doing it.

Keep listening to whatever you love! It's why we blog and it's why you read our blog, right? Have fun.

Love,
Tilly

December, Part Two: 'Tis the Season

This time of year, I love to listen to warm-and-fuzzy Christmas music, especially the songs that I remember hearing all the time as a kid. Putting up the perty fake tree and baking scrumptious blackberry tarts just aren't the same without Silent Night in the background. Of course, I don't if everyone listens to a Boyz II Men version like me...but now they can! It's a capella and pretty much the best thing that has come out of the silly R&B 90's boy band trend.

"Silent Night" - Boys II Men

And we can't forget some old classics, like Blue Christmas and The Chipmunk Song. Who doesn't love The King and Alvin?!

"Blue Christmas" - Elvis Presley
"The Chipmunk Song" - Alvin and the Chipmunks

As we get further into the Christmas season, I hope all of you lovely readers are enjoying yourselves and spending time doing whatever you love to do. I will be decorating the humble Tilly n' Thom abode, baking, and being an all-around June Cleaver stereotype--minus the husband-obedience.

Merry Christmas!!

Love, Tilly

Space - the musical frontier

These are blog posts of the starship 2G1K. Its five-year mission (or until we get sued by the FCC for copyright infringement): to explore strange new music, to seek out new artists and new hyped bands, to boldly go where no gurl has gone before.

The following songs are some of the best about space, and all those who dwell there.


"Like a Star" - Corinne Bailey Rae


Island's video for Rough Gem is highly regarded as one of the most adorable about space travel.


"Black Hole" - She and Him
It should be noted in the Captain's log that Muse's Supermassive Blackhole gets an honorable mention.


"Subterranean Homesick Alien" - Radiohead


"Moonlight Sonata" - Beethoven


"Satellite of Love" - Lou Reed
Bum bum bum


"Space Oddity" - David Bowie

To my new like-minded space-music friends, live long and prosper.

I can't wait for grunge to come back

Well, not the music. The fashion.

Flannel shirts, baggy torn jeans, vans shoes.
Maybe not the most attractive clothes, but comfortable? Hell yes.

And not only are these clothes comfortable, but during the grunge era it was acceptable for people to wear these clothes, both men and women.

It was like, fashionable.

Evidence:


I think wikihow's article on how to be grunge describes it best:

The customizing and tailoring that you see in DIY punk culture and the carefully chosen clothes you see in metalhead culture are nonexistent in grunge...Grungers wore it because it was readily available in the Pacific Northwest climate, and comfortable. So wear whatever is comfortable, and requires the least time and money to put on your body.

Sounds good to me. Although, until grunge is officially "back," below are a few songs to remind you of the good ol' days.

There won't be any skinny jeans there, I promise.

"Zero" - Smashing Pumpkins
"Bullet with Butterfly Wings" - Smashing Pumpkins
"Come as You Are" - Nirvana

I miss you too!

Hi everybody!

Tilly here, just trying to keep up the 2g1k vibe. We are quite terrible at posting regularly, but we'd like you to know that we are always thinking about it! And here I go.

Over the last few weeks, I've run across a few musical gems that I've really enjoyed. First is the solo effort by Julian Casablancas, lead singer of The Strokes. His new album, Phrazes for the Young, has a more complex and electronic sound than the Strokes, but thankfully still with Casablancas' characteristic voice.

"11th Dimension" - Julian Casablancas

Also...Cold War Kids are back!! Hooray. Although they did have a sophomore album, it seems many people (unfortunately including myself) sort of let it go by relatively unnoticed and un-praised. The upcoming EP Behave Yourself, to be released in January, sounds like it will be just as great the original Cold War Kids blues-y, soulful, catchy indie goodness. Mmm.

"Audience of One" - Cold War Kids

Goodbye ACL, until next year!

The final day of ACL 2009 is upon us...sigh. What a festival it has been so far! Saturday was amazing. Grizzly Bear performed beautifully, and proved that they can really really sing. The Decemberists basically played the entirety of their new album, The Hazards of Love, and ROCKED OUT doing it (which is quite a thing for The Decemberists!). Lastly, Ghostland Observatory played an epic show, and brought out the UT marching band for "The Band Marches On" once again! We are so proud of our little hometown Ghostland for making it big and kicking ass at this huge show!

Here's what we consider our big picks for Sunday (it's a bit of a short list):

PASSION PIT. NO, SERIOULY: PASSION PIT.
If you are going to Sunday, you have to see them. Unless you choose to see Dirty Projectors, which we would totally understand because again here ACL has totally dropped the ball--why are they at the same time?! Insanity! But our deep, summer-long obsession with P-Pit has decided that terrible dilemma for us. Passion Pit is one of the most creative and fun synth-indie-pop groups we've seen in quite a while, and we are sure they'll put on a great show. Get those grumpy ol' hipsters dancin'!






GIRL TALK/DAN AUERBACH
Another opposition, but this time it makes sense. Girl Talk is really cool, well-established, pop culture-infused mash-up band and Dan Auerbach (of The Black Keys) has a white-guy-with-actual-soul kind of sound. Both great! Take your pick!






And that rounds out ACL for little Tilly and Thom here. We hope you all had as much fun as we did this year (in the rain and not-hot weather!!), and we'll be bloggin' again soon.

LOVVVVVVE,
Tilly + Thom

ACL Day 2: It's on, bitch!

Well, day 1 was excellent. We had eye sex with cute French Phoenix and Mr. Andrew Bird, and then watched Karen O and the other Yeah Yeah Yeahs rock out.

And now, we bring you our picks for Saturday!

GRIZZLY BEAR.
Thom is excited to see them outdoors (unfortunately in the rain), rather than when she saw them at SXSW. Also, they just put out a really good album!




THE DECEMBERISTS/DEVOTCHKA.
So here we have our first example of ACL fucking up artist scheduling. Every single person who likes The Decemberists likes Devotchka and vice versa. This is ridiculous. We have chosen The Decemberists, but we hope you all choose wisely for yourselves!







GHOSTLAND OBSERVATORY.
Do we need to say anything? Seriously. Ghostland. We have seen them twice, and both times they have been awesome. And I (Tilly) have it good authority that a certain group may be making a musical cameo during the show!




Love,
T-T