Movies & Mixes Monday: The Strokes

Happy Cyber Monday everyone! Does anyone want to recommend a store for me to check out and save on? I'll be perusing the stores a bit today but I'm mainly looking for dresses so I'm not sure if I'll be able to find anything for very cheap.

On a different note, I've been recently obsessed with The Strokes again... which happens to me every couple of years. I remember being in love with them in 6th grade, and again in 8th grade, and of course now, in college. I think they're one of those bands that I will never not like. I hope I get to see them live someday, I'm pretty sure I'd be able to sing along to most of their songs!



Julian's lyrics are actually pretty deep even though they're so simply worded; I was surprised by that. And it doesn't hurt that he's quite the looker too... I don't know what it is, actually. There's something in those sleepy eyes and messy don't-care-hair that draws me to him. The video above links to my playlist of The Strokes (about 17 videos), so let it play in the background as you go through your other online activities and you won't regret it! My current favorites out of the ones above: "Taken for a Fool" and "Someday". Good stuff. So good that it's worth listening to on repeat, despite the fact that I normally hate listening to the same songs over and over.

Posting has been pretty sporadic these past few weeks thanks to school-- as it is, I stay up till 3 AM trying to finish other things! After this week it should die down a bit, and so hopefully I can finish off craft projects and have something to do other than mind-numbing work. Apologies!
<3 Linda

Movies & Mixes Monday: Nostalgia in a Song

Also known as "Postcards from Italy" by Beirut.

Movies & Mixes Monday: Soundtracks, Part 2

And now for round two on my favorite soundtracks! I need to get around to actually downloading these things-- right now I'm living off Youtube, which (I know, I know) is terrible.

• Kirsten, thanks so much for the recommendation to listen to "The Hours" soundtrack! I started listening to it while studying but eventually ended up putting everything down and just closing my eyes to take a listen. It's so ridiculously intense that it fills up your soul and all of your senses too. Just trust me! You can listen to it here.

Some more goodies:

• "This is Neverland": Finding Neverland. This song makes me think about that specific scene... which I will not talk about since I don't know if you've seen the movie or not. Just know it's so strong and great because of this song's magical feeling!
• Anyone who's a fan of Amelie will love this one: "La Valse D'Amelie". This song just goes so well with the whole feel of the movie!
• Donnie Darko's songs were really good for the entire theme of the movie. I for one am a fan of Tears for Fears because of this movie. Some other great songs that are featured: "Did You Know Him?", "The Artifact and Living".
• Simpon and Garfunkel's entire soundtrack in The Graduate reminds me of my dad, since he listens to that kind of music all the time! My favorites are "Mrs. Robinson" and "The Sound of Silence".
• One that I can't get out of my head: "You and Me" from Blue Valentine. I have yet to see the movie! My roommates are obsessed with Ryan Gosling, so I'm guessing I'm going to see it by the end of the year. This song sounds like something that should be playing out of a gramophone... Can you imagine how good it would sound on vinyl?

You can also find part one of my soundtrack recommendations here. Hope you all have a great week!

<3 Linda

Movies & Mixes Monday: Soundtracks, Part 1

I have no idea if this is going to work, but here's something good to listen to, especially at night. Jon Brion (a la Eternal Sunshine and so many more soundtracks) is seriously a genius, and Pandora is doing an amazingly good job with selecting appropriate tracks! I approve. If it doesn't work, I was trying to link you up to Jon Brion radio on Pandora. You should take a listen!

Some of my favorite songs from soundtracks are, as well as the movies they're in...

Ice Dance: Edward Scissorhands
Phone Call: Eternal Sunshine
Can You Feel the Love Tonight?: Lion King
All the Trees of the Field Will Clap Their Hands: Driving Lessons
Caring is Creepy: Garden State
Hedwig's Theme: Harry Potter
La Vie en Rose: La Vie en Rose

I have so many more, but that's for another post, as this one is running a bit long. Hope this starts out your day well! I feel like soundtracks are so important that they can make or break a movie. Do you have any favorites?
<3 Linda

Movies & Mixes Monday: Gang Gang Dance

I'm a person with an open mind when it comes to music, even though I normally find myself listening to a lot of indie, alternative, and funk-rock. However, when I listened to these guys, I became instantly enthralled. They have a tiny hint of experimental and electronic mixed with a lot of their own style that I've never even heard of before. I love it and find myself listening to them a lot when I'm needing to study, it really improves my focus somehow. They have an upbeat but comforting vibe that I can't quite describe, but they're definitely on my "music of the moment" list.

<3 Linda

Movies & Mixes Monday: NPR

NPR. It's got something for everyone of course, but my favorite part of the site is the music section. Featuring first listens, articles, and mixes in a variety of styles, it's a lot of fun to delve through. The exclusive tiny desktop concerts take the cake! If you haven't seen one of these videos, click here. It's what got me into listening to Phoenix and what keeps me addicted to my favorite bands (Delta Spirit's full concert at Lollapalooza is available for free download!) so go check it out, you won't regret it.
<3 Linda

Movies & Mixes Monday: Daytrotter

Daytrotter drew me in from the start. I found it while looking for Delta Spirit recording sessions (They're one of my favorite bands!). It has a pretty layout with plenty of drawings to give it an authentic feel, and that's what I love the most about it. Apart from that, it also features exclusive interviews and free downloads from their own Daytrotter studio sessions recorded in between a band's tour dates. It's pretty neat to listen to each song... from time to time you can even hear the tinkling of wine glasses, or the mute chatter of people in the background. Just take a listen; there's something about it that you just have to adore. Trust me!

Explore away.
<3 Linda

Movies & Mixes Monday: Downplayer

The Downplayer is great for people who don't want to purchase music illegally (I'm guilty of feeling guilty...hmm!). One of my friends showed me this site this year and I was really drawn into the idea. Each week, 10 different songs in varying genres are put up for download legally. It's a mixed bag, but I almost always find something that suits my taste. To top it off, you can find concert reviews and interviews as you scroll down. Such a great combination, and it's streamlined too! Just click and download, and you don't have to deal with confusing links and long lists. And a definite perk? They often post really awesome mixes, some of which are a little more rare than others! Quick and easy, just the way I like it.

<3 Linda

Movies & Mixes Monday: LA-Underground // Happy Labor Day!

I used to be a music-hunter. Mainly because I like trying to figure out who's the next to make it big, but now I have a reason to take it up again: I'm in LA. A lot of acts, big and small, come here! It's a waste of an opportunity if I don't go see a couple of shows during the year. To help me out with this I'm resorting to one of my favorite music blogs: LA-Underground, which I used to read even before I lived in the big city.

LA Underground is appealing to both people who live in LA and people who don't. On the side, it lists local concerts, but ultimately it's a music blog that has lots of videos, downloadable songs to groove to, and articles to keep you busy. It also has plenty of links to affiliates and bands who are "on the bubble", if you're looking out for some bands that the writers recommend. Thanks to them, I discovered my love for Warpaint, an all-female band that I've gushed about many a time on this blog!

This was supposed to be a much longer post as I have plenty of other sites to share, but I decided to break it up into a series through the upcoming weeks. In completely unrelated news, it's Labor Day over here! I'm going to celebrate by getting some fresh air and sun, and catching up on crochet projects. Hope everyone's having a great three-day!
<3 Linda

Movies & Mixes Monday: Something for Everyone

Hello there! I wanted to post yesterday but my computer died and I couldn't find my battery. :( To make up for it, we're going to change things up today. I put together a mix of some of my favorite tunes to listen to when I feel a certain way. Simply click on your mood and be whisked off to Youtube to enjoy! I'm not labelling the songs, because it's just more fun that way!

If you're feeling...

Sad
Happy
Motivated
Anxious
Calm
Scattered
Like Embracing Summer
Tired of Summer
Adventurous
Foreign
Romantic
Angry
Optimistic
Classy
Disappointed
Spiritual
Like a Kid
Like Dancing (innocently)
Like Dancing (at a club... LOL)
Like Dancing (with a partner)
Like Laughing

Hope you found what you were looking for! I have much to share in the upcoming days: New listings, what I've been up to recently, and future weekly positivity of course!
<3 Linda

Movies & Mixes Monday: Favorite Music

Maybe I should just turn this into "Mixes Monday", since I rarely feel like posting about movies anyway! This week seems to feature big news from some of my favorite bands.

Warpaint is a group of four women (including Jenny Lee Lindberg, Shannyn Sossamon's sister, and Emily Kokal, John Frusciante's ex) who play music with an ethereal vibe. They have come out with a new video of their track, "Warpaint". I would embed the video, but the coding doesn't allow me to. Click through to listen to it on NPR.

They're also playing at the Hollywood Bowl on September 25th, along with TV on the Radio and The Arctic Monkeys, just to name a few. Tickets start from $27 and are on sale now! I'm definitely considering it; I'm sure these girls are amazing live.

Speaking of John Frusciante, I really miss his musical contributions to The Red Hot Chili Peppers. Today, they released a single from their new album, "I'm With You", and while it's not terrible, it was hard not to note the missing falsetto tones of Frusciante's backing vocals. I still have hope for the new album, though, since I've seen what Josh Klinghoffer has done while working with John himself! It comes out on 8/30. Here's a link to listen to the released song, "The Adventures of Rain Dance Maggie".

Delta Spirit is one of my favorite bands because of their comforting Americana vibe. They're supposedly going for a different sound on their new album, which they're currently working on in a cabin right now! To keep people's interests peaked, they have made "Devil Knows You're Dead", a song featured on the finale of Friday Night Lights, available for free download on their website. If you want to listen to more, their music can also be downloaded for free at Daytrotter.

My ultimate favorite is a classic. The Beatles song, "I'm Looking Through You" is finally available for download as a single on iTunes. In addition, Martin Scorsese is making a documentary on George Harrison called "Living in the Material World", which is being released at the same time as a book of the same title. And, of course, the Cirque/ Beatles collaboration, LOVE, is on sale right now. I've been itching to see it ever since I saw the documentary on it called "All Together Now". They're having all kinds of promotional deals, like 2 for $100, 20% off select performances, and a 35% discount for college students (which I will definitely be using!).

I'm so glad that this summer seems to be a big one, musically! What are some of your favorite bands and musicians?
<3 Linda

Movies & Mixes Monday: Moe Meguro

Hello hello! I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend. I can't believe it's already been a week since I created this blog!

Today I wanted to focus on the music side of things. Throughout the course of my life, I've met a fair amount of musicians, some of whom got together and played as bands. In my first year of college, I met a guy named Jojo Brandel. Throughout the year, he and his friends in Berkeley were in the process of coming up with songs for an album. I loved sitting and listening to him work out little melodies late at night, and it sometimes inspired me to get creative with my own work, too.

If there's anyone who's dedicated to rock and roll, it's Jojo. Talking to him, you can really tell how passionate he is. He wants to take any extra money and send it to help some local bands from Japan out, since he's going there next year. Jojo's band has created a Kickstarter, and though they met their goal, they're still about $500 short of the money they need to put the album (San Mai Niku) out there. They still have five days left, and I hope you, the readers, take a listen and donate. If you're into Japanese culture, or feel like listening to something different than the normal rock you hear on the radio, this album is for you.

Here's a little snippet to give you an idea of what I'm talking about:

More info can be found at their Kickstarter. Another friend, Cindy Lin, lent her lovely vocals to the album as well, and so I'm writing this for the both of them, even though neither asked me to. I just really want to see this album come to fruition! 
<3 Linda

Movies & Mixes Monday: Patriotic Edition

This is my first "Movies & Mixes Monday" post! Basically I will post any movies or songs that I currently fancy in a convenient list with links, so that you can check it out for yourselves.

Happy Fourth of July!
I love the idea of fireworks each year, but the noise is quite insane! In my city, we're not supposed to light fireworks, but people do it anyway. The Fourth of July reminds me that we're in the middle of summer, and so we should relax and enjoy the bright sunshine.

Credit: FilmSchoolRejects

There's a new movie called "Captain America" coming out July 22nd. I'm not very interested in superhero films, and I never followed the whole Marvel comic phenomenon, but it could turn out to be quite good!

Here's the male version of the song "Firework" by Katy Perry... har har. It's actually not that bad. I attempted to tie it in to the theme for today, but I couldn't find any good patriotic songs other than the ones that are often used during parades and such. It reminds me of a video that a couple of friends and I put together for the graduating seniors, and brings back great memories! I'd love to upload it, but I'm pretty sure they'd come hunt me down if I did!

Here's some ideas of what you can do today, if you're out of ideas:

• Braid your hair with bright red, white, and blue yarn.
• Go classic and have a barbeque! Invite all the neighbors.
• Light sparklers!
• Have a picnic at the local park.
• Make cupcakes with the kids! Or you can make sugar cookies and have them decorate it however they want to.
• Sing songs around a bonfire.
• Have some funnel cakes... yum.
• Dress up and cause a stir.
• Run through sprinklers and be a kid again!
• Go watch some fireworks, possibly even set off your own!

Are there any traditions that you like to do for the Fourth of July?