Music Monday: Issue 1, Volume 1

In an attempt to give myself more writing material, and also to share songs that I like a lot and wonder why I didn’t hear them before, I have yet another new and excited idea to spruce this old thing up. Music Mondays!

Alliteration is cool, and so is good music. I make no promises that the stuff I dig up will qualify as stereotypically “cool,” but maybe someone out there will think it is.

I understand that it isn’t technically Monday, but given that this was the first day back in the real world after a month and a half of holiday festivities, it sure felt like a Monday.

“It’s Such A Happy Day”– Jackie Gleason. You must refer here for access to this song because YouTube had a not terribly awesome version set to a slideshow of cats doing weird things (?). The point is, this is the happiest song ever, in case the title didn’t tip you off. It’s impossible not to imagine lovely things when listening to this jazzy song. The typical daydream conjured up by this song is me on a bike with a basket full of books, cruising somewhere that serves ice cream while I wear a a flowy skirt (a stipulation of this daydream is that the skirt not fly up over my head, which is the realistic version of things.)

Regina Spektor is always a good choice. Always.

Does anyone remember his song “New Shoes”? I do, because I still listen to it all the time. I didn’t recognize his voice in this song at first since he sounds decidedly more Italian in it. On a side note, this video is very strange. The creepy play-doh version of Nutini is weird enough. But then the whole, “Oops, my face is in your lap!” deal followed by them tearing him up and…wearing him? Maybe just download the song instead.

I hold Pandora personally responsible for the amount of money I spend on iTunes. This song is a perfect example of what I end up spending money on. This time last week I was vaguely familiar with Camera Obscura. Now that I’ve heard this song several times, however, it’s escalated to a minor obsession. (I’m losing the battle against hipster, I think…)

~Bee

Current Obsession #849

I’ve always had an affinity for retro accoutrement and the like. Maybe it’s because I spent many of my formative years watching Cary Grant movies with my grandparents, or just because our bodies look so much better in an hourglass shaped dress than squeezed into a pair of skinny jeans. Either way, I’m a sucker for vintage.

This goes for music, but sometimes my Glenn Miller album just doesn’t cut it. So when I find music that satiates my desire for decades old entertainment, but still manages to maintain a modern twist, it’s pretty exciting. Enter this…

Long story short, I’m diggin’ on this album right now. It’s got a pretty eclectic mix of sounds going on, but I think that works to its advantage. The Wikipedia describes them as a “French Electro and Gypsy Jazz band.” I don’t have any real idea what that means, but I like the sound it translates into. Really anything labeled “Gypsy Jazz band” is bound to be some fun.

This is the song that got me hooked.

I am still working my way through the album, but I think it’s going to be really hard to top that song.

Although that one might give it a good run for its money. Robots? Check. Riverwalk Jazz*-esque music? Check. A flapper girl? Check.

Looks like I’ve got the soundtrack to my weekend set to go!

~Bee

*If you like jazz, or you just like happy sounding music in general, listen to this program. I believe the website streams past installments since I couldn’t tell you when your local jazz station airs them (if you have a local jazz station…) but this is hands down my favorite hour of the week to listen to the radio.