Immi Love

Behold Imogen Heap. I'm such a fangirl that I've seen her in concert twice. Twice! And for the second one, I brought my special edition autographed cd for her to sign AGAIN. And Mporch and I got her to take this photo with us. The funny thing is that she stooped down to our height for this photo, lol.

I've been eagerly awaiting her new album that's set to release next Tuesday. I've already preordered it on Amazon, but then...Then! Then Immi posted a link on Twitter for the streaming version of the entire album! Ohmygosh, I was nearly gasping with excitement as my browser took an inconsiderately long 2 seconds to load.

Scoff as you might that I follow Imogen Heap on Twitter, but she's been posting the entire process of writing, recording, and releasing an album, and it's fascinating. I've been allowed a glimpse into the world of someone gifted musically and creatively, and it allows me to see that even she can struggle with inspiration and perfectionism. This article gives a fantastic look at how Imogen Heap is changing the shape of music production and marketing.

So, enjoy her album preview. And then go buy it! :)

For those who can't see the embedded player above, here's the direct link: http://www.imogenheap.com/ellipse/

Girl Power

Or, You Power, rather. I've been hearing empowering, you-rock-you-amazing-person-you songs lately, and I can't get enough of 'em. It's always nice to walk around feeling confident and able to conquer the world, and any little messages - be they from loving friends or from the music in your car - just make your chin raise up all the higher.

So I thought I'd share a wee little I'm-a-rockstar playlist with you. And for those of you who've been cheering for me lately, it's my thank you. You've helped me summon up that confidence I've had buried down too deep. A big, heart-felt hug is coming your way over the 1s and 0s.

If the embedded player isn't actually, er, embedded:
http://www.playlist.com/playlist/17069149707

Always With the Gushing, That Girl

Yes. You know who that is there, sitting at the piano*. Crooning for our listening pleasure. I saw him for the second time, and he was just as chock full of goodness. When I saw him a couple years ago, his concert was a little more accoustic, a little more lowkey. The show we saw on Saturday was louder, more upbeat, and had a lot more electric guitar. Either way, he was fantastic live. How could I not have loads of fun listening to a musician who radiates joy and happiness?


* And if you don't know, you obviously have some catching up to do. Go read my archives. Chop chop!

Singin In The Kitchen

We grew up listening to a Bobby Bare record (a 45, to be precise) because my dad loves old-timey country music. One of the two songs on the little orange record was "The Jogger."* To this day, I still know all the words and still think the song is pretty darn funny. And it's even more amusing now that I'm a "maniac jogger," tee hee.

Well, not long ago, a greatest hits album came out for Bobby Bare, and my mom put it in my Christmas stocking. I thought it was little strange, because I only knew that one song, and I'm not the hugest fan of old storytelling country music. But the spectacularly awesome part is that in the cd insert, it had a Bobby Bare's bio. Did you know that he and Shel Silverstein cowrote a whole slew of songs together? Yes, Shel Silverstein of "Sidewalk Ends" fame. The fact that Shel was a songwriter only adds to his awesomeness. A quick wiki of him and I learn that he wrote Johnny Cash's "A Boy Named Sue." Wow!

But back to the matter at hand - After listening to the 2 cd set from Mom, I immediately fell in love with the song posted below. And, yes, I definitely sing it while I'm in the kitchen. Bo even chimes in from time to time; he really is the funnest boy ever. But, my most favorite part of the song - hands down - is the whisper section. Every single time I hear it, I want to scamper up to random strangers and whisper in their ears, "singing in the kitchen!" I honestly have to pull back so that I won't. But just thinking about it makes me giggle like a 4 year old :)




* You can find "The Jogger" on youtube. Go find it. That way I'm not singing alone :)

Jennings

http://www.jennings-music.com

I've found a new artist to love! I adore, adore new music, so I was really excited to get this recommendation via Twitter this morning. It's true - she does sound a bit like Imogen Heap and Sarah McLachlan. Her voice is so pretty, and the melodies are different enough to hold my attention. I bought her albums from '09 and '07 from iTunes. Hurrah for new music in my ears all day!!!

p.s. I want her dress, so cute!

Closer to Love

Oh yeahhhhhhhh. It's Mat Kearney day. And you can bet your bottom dollar that I'm listening to his latest as I type. I'm only midway through the first song, and I'm already in love with the album. I cannot wait to see him in concert again*!!



* I haven't forgotten about you and your state and its perfect-for-me summer concerts, Sidenote. And I'll be honest - I'm bitterly envious. I'll do my best to not hold it against charming lil' you.


Note: Yes, this is probably my shortest entry to date. Oh well, I say. I'm too music-happy to care! :P

Silence to Static

I'm completely blown away.

I met my friend, Jimmy, in college, when I went back for another degree. So, yes, that makes him a nerd too. But I remember having several laugh-until-I-cry sessions in the computer lab with him. Maybe it was the exhaust from all those computers making me delirious. Maybe it's because it's because it was 2am, and I was horribly sleep deprived. Regardless, Jimmy was there making me laugh. Toward the end of that college stint, Jimmy started talking about the music classes he was taking (He made a guitar. Shut up!). And then, he started writing his own music. (Again. Shut up!)

Fast forward nearly a decade, and I haven't heard much from Jimmy over the years, but I've always wondered if he kept up the music thing. Turns out he has. I got an email from him this week saying that his album is available on iTunes. Album. Shut UP! So, of course, I immediately purchased it. I'm just now listening to it for the first time* while I post this. And I love it! And now I have a zillion questions for him...

"Jimmy - are you reading this? I'm giving you my strictest, squinty-eyed face, hoping you'll fill me in. Are you singing on this album?? Tell me, tell me, tell me. Don't make me whip out a fist in the air. Pair that with my squinty eyes, and you're doomed. Doomed, I tell you. Doomed."

The album has kind of a "world" beat thing going on, but I hate that genre name, so you should just go listen for yourself. Lots of guitar, drum beat, and electronic stuff going on. So far, my favorite track is #7 - Subaquatic. Probably because of the piano on it.

Me loves.

http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewIMix?id=316039128

* Listening to music while I write is so, so inspiring and makes my brain feel alive and vibrant. Funny words, I know, but that's what comes to mind when I think about how my mind feels right now.