April Playlist.

Okay, so I know April is almost over, but I felt compelled to get some music out into the open that I have been listening to this month. Normally, I go into a one way road of music inspiration during any given time period, but I have recently been listening to a dichotomous blast of two completely different areas of music. Both are equally amusing in their own context and I am going to share them with you. Enjoy my darlings! xoxo

Loretta

-Townes Van Zandt cover by Molly Parden

St. James Hospital

-Doc Watson

Morning Glory Cloud

-DM Stith

Spirited

-Laura Gibson

White Light White Heat

-Velvet Underground

Faults

-Seefeel

Julie-O

-Kevin Olusola

Mug Yourself

-The Streets

Japanese Sandman

-Paul Whiteman

I Went to a Marvelous Party

-Noël Coward

Mrs. Worthington et al

-Noël Coward

Frank Sinatra/Dean Martin Medley

Tune Tuesday.

Hello there! Do you remember me? It's been a while since I have blogged and boy oh boy do I have things to show and tell you!! I need to fully collect my thoughts to properly step back into the blogosphere, but rest assued in the next few days I will start filling in the missing gaps to this documented life I lead.

Before all else, I'm going to give you a music fix that is well overdue. Meet Mitch Davis, a New York singer/songwriter whose song Perfect Timing was used as the main iPhone commercial theme. His stagename is Orba Squara and his new album is called The Trouble With Flying, which he paired with a cross country expedition through 15 states. He took lots of creative pictures and his über creative website proves it! These are some of them:

Isn't Mitch cool? On his new album he does a Poker Face cover as well as an upbeat song called All Around the World which is currently on my top five favorites. I actually just went on my own cross-country excursion this weekend (by country I mean the southeast) and once I fold the exorbitant amount of laundry from the trip I will tell all. Love you all! I'm happy to be home and I'm happy to be back on silhouette.

xoxo Jo

(belated) Tune Tuesday.

Cornelius. Although I am a little behind on Tune Tuesday, I feel compelled to post something about this artist anyway. His name is Keigo Oyamada, he is from Japan, and he makes some very interesting music videos. Watch Clap & Whistle & Walking, Drop, Wateradori, and Like A Rolling Stone. He is a visionary and is definitely good at building concepts, give him a listen.

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Tune Tuesday.

First Aid Kit. I'm obsessed with these girls! They are a singing duo with mad harmony and killer pipes. I first heard about them with their cover of this Fleet Foxes song and have since gone on to appreciate their own music like You're Not Coming Home Tonight, Jadagamba You Might, I Met Up With the King, and Cross Oceans. They are brilliant. Give them a second look.

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Tune Tuesday.

Lykke Li. She is Swedish and Indie and before you roll your eyes at the fact that all I ever post is this kind of music, do listen to her. She mixes in a lot of classical elements with violin and cello with some more basic instruments like the kazoo, a child's toy accordion, and a stick hitting a fence. She also incorporates some pop and electronic elements which is apparent in her collaboration with Kanye West called Gifted. You might have also heard her song Possibility on the New Moon soundtrack. My favorite song of hers she sang in a take away show on LaBlogotheque called Dance Dance. So unique she is. So by all means, check her out.

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Tune Tuesday.

seabear. A 10-year-old Icelandic band that sing English songs with a very lighthearted experimental feel. They are quickly becoming an indie favorite across Europe and on this continent with songs like cat piano, i sing i swim, and lionface boy. The lead singer Sindri Sigfusson has been called "the Icelandic Beck" if that gives you an idea of what they are like. So, I entreat you, lend them your ears.

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Tune Tuesday.

Grant Lee Phillips. You may or may not recognize the name, but you more than likely will know him as the no-name troubadour of Stars Hollow in Gilmore Girls. He was only in 19 episodes believe it or not, but boy did he make an impact. He started his first band in 1993 called Grant Lee Buffalo which was a little more rocky than his more recent solo labels. His newest EP is called Little Moon, which he recorded in just 4 days, reflects his quintessential soulfulness. His other most recognized hits are Mona Lisa, Lilly-a-Passion, and Honey Don't Think. Give him a listen.

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Weekend Woahs.

Happy summer weekend, everyone! I have some great treasures of things for you to look at and I hope it thoroughly inspires you.

A funny award-winning music video

An old-fashioned, but still helpful exercise routine

An absolutely enjoyable DVD

A Great Gatsby event happening today on Governors Island

A similar event for all those lucky chaps and chappettes that live in England

Clever Chocolatiers

These guys can walk on water!

Witty card to a fringed friend

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Tune Tuesday.

Weepaw. The band consists of brother and sister Liam and Chase Cohl and their friend Duncan Davies who form this hushed voice of an indie band. I first discovered them through Chase who was featured on the Selby and who had a very distinctive aesthetic in home decor and personal style. The music itself captures the laid back California Dreamin' of the 70s with its members looking towards Joni Mitchell and Neil Young as inspirations. The best representations of the band in my humble opinion are Coconut Massacre and Shanti because they exude that Haight Ashbury kind of vibe. The band has since dissolved with the two boys joining the Canadian country band the Treasures while Chase has taken on other creative endeavors with her headpiece/jewelry company called Littledoe. Although they no longer perform together, the music the group formed still gives off that pure soft-spoken magic. Lend them your ears.

Tune Tuesday.

DeVotchKa. Interestingly enough, my friend just put this on a list for me to listen to out of 11 other artists. Then today, I was listening to the wonders of the Little Miss Sunshine soundtrack, which somehow I haven't gotten around to do since I watched the film years ago, and lo and behold, DeVotchKa did basically the whole thing! So without further ado, I shall introduce you to this magnificent ensemble. The name "devotchka" comes from the book A Clockwork Orange whose characters infused the Russian language with English, which they called Nadsat. DeVotchKa in this language simply means "girl". The group sites Greek, Romani, and Slavic music as their influences, which is very apparent in tunes like Head Honcho and Stizzalo. They also dabble in more folksy sounding pieces like You Love Me and some beautifully arranged piano music with Dearly Departed. So дать им послушать. (that means "give them a listen" in Russian).

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Beachy Keen.

Nothing quite beats a good day at the beach. I have gotten to spend this week with my family in Seaside and Destin, Florida and boy is it lovely! There are so many brightly clad children and everything seems to be cast in hues of blue and tan. One place that is especially fun to visit is Modica's Market, which has to-die-for red velvet cake and was frequently featured in the movie the Truman Show. Next door to the market is the quaint Sundog Books which is one of my favorite parts of Seaside, and upstairs is the extensive record library of Central Square Records. There were hundreds of gems like the latest from Coconut Records, good stuff. Overall, you simply must visit this part of Florida, just prepare your eyes for the perfection of what will be your new favorite sea haven.

Tune Tuesday.

Kitty Daisy and Lewis. A family of musicians that is inspired by the likes of Louis Jordan, Louis Prima, and Louis Armstrong (that's a lot of Louis). They prefer to make all of their music on recording equipment from the 40s and 50s so the tracks retain that raw natural talent of theirs. These three Brits have covered every song from Canned Heat's Going Up the Country (which was the unofficial anthem of the Woodstock Festival) to Johnny Horton's 1958 hit Son of a Gun, from I Got My Mojo Working by Muddy Waters to Honolulu Rock-A Roll-A by Moon Mullican. They are quite the well-listened bunch and you should check them out.

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Old, New, Borrowed, Pink.

The summer is here and that means one thing, time to redecorate. I've been hanging pictures, draping my dress form, and viewing various sites to determine what direction to go in for my room. One in particular is a shoe company called Keller whose spring/summer shoot drove me to minimize and streamline to a color palette that is understated and cohesive. The mood of Django Reinhardt's music contributed to the overall look as well as the items I salvaged from my sister's room like the bibb necklace and her barnacle inspired lamp which she made (bravo, sis). All of these things come together to form a space that finally has a homey, eclectic feel. Welcome home, Jo, welcome home.

Keller shoes

Tune Tuesday.

Little Joy. This trio combines great harmony, beautiful vocals, and sweet sounding acoustic guitar that makes the perfect setting for a refreshing chill session. Fabrizio Moretti, center, the lead singer of the Strokes, got together with Rodrigo Amarante, lead singer of Los Hermanos and Orquestra Imperial, and Binki Shapiro to create this sensational side project of a band. The chillest of their chill songs is Unattainable and their most peppy tunes are How to Hang a Warhol (the beginning of the music video references this strange promo done by Andy in the 70s) and No One's Better Sake. It all sounds like a better version of something that would come from Brushfire Records. Give them a listen.

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Tune Tuesday.

Up. This movie was the greatest. I especially loved the musical score by Michael Giacchino, which is what this Tune Tuesday will be about. The Up soundtrack harkens back to the 30s with its beautiful sounding horns and violins in the song Married Life (and you can’t help but smile with crackly sounding tunes like The Spirit of Adventure). Giacchino is known for a couple of theme songs and television scores, like Lost and Alias, but also did other Pixar tunes like Ratatouille. I hope you enjoy his work as much as I do!

I also couldn’t resist with these pictures. They are from Wildflower Photography and oh boy do they make me happy.

Happy June everybody!

Tune Tuesday.

Huddie Ledbetter. Also known as Lead Belly, Huddie was a folk singer of the 30s and 40s who paved the way for the genre of folk as well as rock and many others. Lead Belly wrote the song House of the Rising Sun, which was later recorded by the Animals in the 60s. Interestingly enough, his hit Goodnight Irene was believed to have contributed to his early release from prison at one point. He played the 12 string guitar as well as 6 other instruments and has inspired many other artists, like Van Morrison who referenced Huddie in the song Astral Weeks. Lend him your ears.

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Tune Tuesday.

Hello darlings, I think I’m going to mix it up and post a nice mini playlist. Here are some tunes that will keep you excited for the summertime. Enjoy!

Golden Age- Jay Jay Pistolet

Jogging Gorgeous Summer- Islands

A Summer Chill- This Is Ivy League

A Sweet Summer’s Night On Hammer Hill- Jens Lekman

Bikes and Books.

Recently I have been thoroughly inspired by books, bikes, and the fantastic combination of the two. Here are some images, places, and reading materials that you might enjoy if you like these as well.

This book store is named after the blue bike that always sits outside of the front door.

A book that explores the technicalities and history of this beloved mode of transportation.

A band called The Books that would probably be fun to listen to while riding a bike.

two dream bikes, so great!

Also, two books that are just interesting looking.

Silhouette: The Art of the Shadow

Men of Letters and People of Substance

Tune Tuesday.

Mumford and Sons. It’s a harmonious blend of folk and alternative which makes for a perfect summer soundtrack. The group started in London believe it or not and are now on their second world tour. Among their most catchy songs are Caves, Little Lion Man, and Winter Winds. Check them out.

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Tune Tuesday.

Komakozie and Mr. O'Hara

The Big Bounce. I first discovered them on the Ella Lounge website where I heard a more upbeat version of their hit Ms. Suzie in a video. The music is a perfect blend of the two band members’ styles: Brendan O’Hara, a soulful gent that draws inspiration from his grandfather who was a “boogie-woogie pianist”, and his friend, Komakozie, a Floridian that prefers beat-boxing and R&B. Together, they form a modern, jazzy band fit for a speakeasy or a dock in Miami. Check them out.