wolf vs. caribou.

Question: do you ever have a song stuck in your head and then, somewhere around the bridge, it turns into another song? Well, if you’re nodding your head “yes,” then I don’t have to tell you how exciting of a thing it truly is. Anyhow, you know I’m real-into that XMU station. I mean, really. I am in complete and total love with those jams, and the other day, I heard a song called “Odessa” by a groovy little group called Caribou.

And I was feeling it, and then I thought WHOA! This is totally “Shewolf!” You know that funky little beat that Shakira did? Well, these two songs are like musical twins. [also, know that I just confidently added Shakira to my little dictionary of words, here on this laptop. Not as exciting as when I confidently added both Barack and Obama, but still pretty exciting nonetheless.]

Okay, I can understand how this post may not interest all, but if you’re looking for something to do, look those songs up and notice the nuances to one another. Which, naturally, now the question arises: which came first? The wolf or the caribou?

Well, some questions are just too cool to be answered, but it was the wolf. So, who really knows if Caribou is giving a musical-nod to the likes of Shakira, but I like to think that’s exactly what’s going on here. Funky little guitar riffs like that don’t go unnoticed, Shakira. I think that if Caribou were here on this blog, they would thank you for bringing it to them.

Alright, let’s go ahead and say it: this post is turning out to be borderline pointless. Really. This is not very important, but I have one more thing to tell you:

You know that song “Solider of Love,” by that great one they call Sade? Well, go give “The Stroke” another listen, the one by Billy S. I am telling you Sade ripped that beat off.

That may be a bit of a stretch, but they’re both great songs. Especially that “Soldier of Love.” That is some of the best shit I’ve heard in years. And I don’t feel guilty about saying shit in this post. I am pretty confident that no one reads these things anyway.

Whoa, now that we’ve talked Billy Squier, [I just added that to the dictionary, too. Gees, I hope I spelled it right] I feel the need to bump “Lonely is the Night.” That’s got to be the best song to play on that gee-tar hero. Wait, I lied. It’s got to be Asia’s classic of “Heat of the Moment.” Speaking of which, that XM Coffee House plays the most boss acoustic version of that song all the time. It is nothing short of magical, people. So much so, it’s now a featured video to the right. Hell yes.

Okay, now I’ve lied twice because the best song to play on Guitar Hero is “Sunshine of Your Love.” Why? Cause it’s just so darn creamy.

Alright, I have to give three speeches tomorrow, so let’s wind this on down. Now go listen-in to Asia and, sweet Lord, turn-it-up-real-loud. Also, rock steady.

Yours and mine,
katie beth

xmu > coffee house.

How is it honestly going, good reader of the blog? I sure do hope that things in your life are going well. And I really mean it. Your happiness means the world to me. And, speaking of happiness, the camper is back-in-action.

That’s right. Last night, I once again reconnected with my sleeping bag and let me tell you something: we have really missed each other. It was high time that we got back together.

Anyhow, what I’ve really come here to tell you is that I am listening-in to a new radio station, by way of those satellites. Though I am still in complete love with the Coffee House, it was time for a change. It started to feel like they were playing the same stuff, and it wasn’t the stuff that I really liked. There was this one song called “Magic Marker” by Monsters of Folk that they kept-on playing for what seemed like every single damn second. Don’t waste any minute of your life looking that song up. So not even worth it.

But, anyway, it was time for a change. So, I bumped a few stations down and got real-into a station that they call Sirius XMU. The U may or may not stand for University, and I think that’s what it really does stand for, but it should really stand for Ungodly amounts of greatness. This station is receiving the official stamp of totally and completely boss.

So, I can’t just sit around and enjoy all of these songs that I am currently feelin. I had to share some of them with you. And it’s really exciting to know that I can actually listen to these people outside of the internet and i-tunes. Whoever said that radio is dead needs to turn their ears on over to XMU, because it’s there that they will find a righteous revival.

Alright, I have listed below eleven songs so that you can get a vibe of what I am currently enjoying on this station, on the radio. That’s right, people. ON THE RADIO. It’s incredible that actual good music is getting a little well-deserved air-time. Suck on that, FM.

Okay, here they are:

11. "Cold War (Nice Clean Fight)" The Morning Benders

10. “Quiet Little Voices” We Were Promised Jetpacks

9. “Shadow People” Dr. Dog

8. “81” Joanna Newsom

7. “World Sick” Broken Social Scene

6. “A Little Lost" Arthur Russell

5. “Diplomat’s Son” Vampire Weekend

4. “The High Road” Broken Bells

3. “What a Drag” Bear Hands

2. “Go Do” Jónsi

1. “Bloodbuzz Ohio” The National

Okay, I hope you liked my list, cause I worked real-hard to bring it to you. Actually, not hardly, but I do keep a stack of orange post-its with me, so I can write down the names of songs that I really like. So far, listening to this station for the past three days has successfully filled-up four of those post-its. And that’s pretty impressive.

Now go forth and listen to some of the ones that I posted for you over on that video list to your immediate right. I would have put all of them on here, but that list is starting to get obnoxiously long. I’m gonna have to take some of those off of here. It’s getting to be ridiculous. But you can feel free to go look up the others on your own. They would totally deserve your attention.

Alright, now go get into them. Also, Jónsi is from Iceland. I know, it’s completely awesome.

Yours through the frequencies,
katie beth

wait, there's more: did you like the number one song on that list? Well, get excited because that album (High Violet) is gonna drop into your atmosphere on May eleventh. And here's what it's gonna look like:

it’s about to get nostalgic.

whoa! it's the first post of a new month they call March. And, as of the time that this was posted, that blog hit counter has been steadily working hard to reach 279. and my favorite price is $2.79, as a direct result of Flight of the Conchords. I promise that post about Bret and Jemaine will be here soon.

Anyway, you should know that I had full intentions of making this blog about things that are nostalgic and slightly sentimental. So, that was a good choice of title for this post. However, I usually divert the subject and instead choose to reference things like “that’s what she said.”

Unfortunately, or fortunately (depending on how you feel about acoustic interpretations), I am once again listening-in to The Coffee House on XM…or Sirius.

Aren’t they just one-in-the-same? They should just create a hybrid name of the two, like, Siri-X, or something along those lines. Calling it Sirius-XM radio is starting to get a little obnoxious.

Anyhow, that’s what I’m currently listening to and once again they’re bumping tons of that sentimental stuff. And you know what? I really like the stuff. Right now, it’s a song called “Two of the Lucky Ones” by Pete Droge & Elaine Summers. Feel free to look it up. I’m sure they’d appreciate it.

It’s a great song, but these sorts of tunes put me into a sort of mood that is all kinds of nostalgic and slightly sentimental.

*now playing: “Sing for You” by the wonder that is Tracy Chapman*

And it got me thinking, and I hope you’ll choose to read on, but if you’re not into things that are all kinds of nostalgic and slightly sentimental, that’s alright. But if you are, feel free to read on and know that I will forever love you for doing so, cause it’s about to get real up in this piece:

When I wrote that one post, that one called “doors,” I was in a real trick of a mind state. And I started to really get into this incredible band called Over the Rhine.

And if you do nothing else, take the time to look up some of their lyrics. They will change your life, I promise.

Here’s the one that got me: “You’re my water, you’re my wine / You’re my whiskey from time to time”

And I read it, and then I heard it. It was kind of awful. It was the point where you really want something, and I mean really want it.

And I read over those little poems that I wrote the other day. And I started thinking about how I have never-ever-ever written any sort of poetry. And I got a sick feeling because I realized I had never wanted to before.

Do you think it’s because I had to get that awful feeling of want? I think we both know the answer, friend. I had it bad. And it’s kind of silly, but it’s a kind of silly that I don’t mind, but I don’t think it’s one that I can go back to.

I mean, that’s the thing about having something in your mind seem so clear, but it’s really not. You think that you’re well on your way to having it, but you really weren’t ever even close.

It sucks, but it’s life. And life is pretty obnoxious that way.

I feel like I should stop for a quick second and tell you to look up “Honey Don’t Think” by someone named Grant Lee Buffalo. Awesome name and an awesome song.

Anyway, if you’re still reading this, I have total respect and admiration for your ability to keep with it.

I guess I should be winding up this post, but I don’t really know how to end it.

I mean, I think those poems kind of did the trick. They kind of washed it out of my system. I feel like I can focus again. Or maybe that nagging feeling of wanting something, or a certain someone, has just sort of become common-place, and I’m kind of numb to the whole thing.

As awful as that may seem, I kind of hope that’s what it is.

And I kind of hope that’s how it stays. Cause even though having a little crush on someone makes us feel sort of silly and all ridiculous-and-such, it would be pretty boring without them.

I mean, I’d actually have to pay attention to lectures all of the time.

And, really, that’s one of my favorite places to go: somewhere in my head that is completely different then where I am (like sitting in a boring class) without ever having to leave where I am.

It’s kind of like I star in my own secret show. And let me tell you something, it’s great. I wish you could visit my thoughts like you can visit the movie theater. And I wish you could just hang out for a minute and watch my daydreams. They’re really great.

I hope that it’s the same for you and I hope that, even if you do have a crush that seems completely intangible, it’s still a nice place for you to go.

And it makes for some pretty awesome poetry.

Thanks for sticking it out and reading through my nostalgic and slightly sentimental post. It means the world, wherever you may be.

Yours,
katie beth

this is the best one that I heard while writing this post (over on what is now to be known as Siri-X) and I think it suits this post just-fine. especially that part about the cabin door. and there's something pleasantly jack black-ish about that video up there.

“Over My Head” by Martin Sexton.

(scoll on up and find the video back up there, somewhere. no, to the right. yeah, your right. yep. click it.)

brace yourself, for tears are sure to follow.

Readers, a sad thing has certainly occurred. As previously stated in a past post, my ipod shuffle went missing. Whether or not it was the works of a klepto-ghost, well, that I still don’t know. All I know is that I have torn this place apart three times and no such luck. I’ve now come to accept that it’s officially gone.

As I was looking, I made the major mistake of listening in to my otherwise favorite radio station over on XM. It’s called “The Coffee House,” and let me tell you, they were playing some pretty sad little ditties.

By the time I had finished listening to an acoustic interpretation of “Stand by Me,” Tracy Chapman’s wondrous hit “Fast Car” started to play and I gotta tell you, I nearly lost it.

Then, I heard this song called “The Cape” by a man they call Eric Bibb, and I really did lose it. I know it’s just an MP3 player, but I really miss the little thing.

I started to get all sentimental. I started to think about all the incredible music that tiny object of my affection housed. And I can’t get over it.

Tonight, while you’re listening to the sweet auditory bliss that your ipod so unselfishly gives you, remember me and my great loss.

Here’s to hoping it turns up in an unexpected way on an unexpected day.

Yours,
katie beth