Some days you have to choose--work out or blog? Today I went with the exercise. Sorry!

Aimee Mann--"Choice in the Matter" mp3 off I'm With Stupid (buy)

Nakia & His Southern Cousins--"Choose Your Poison" mp3 off Water to Wine (buy)

Slothbear--"You Make Me Choose You" mp3 off Slothbear EP (buy)

     Some people are just so generous, you know? For instance, where I work, our patients are always bringing us goodies. They've all picked up on how much we love to eat, so they mostly bring food, like chocolate, all manner of homemade baked goods, fruit baskets, salt-water taffy, tomato pie, and yesterday someone even brought some left-over subs. It was lucky for me, actually, as I'd forgotten to bring something to eat, so I had one for dinner! Very kind of them.

     Sometimes they bring in other gifts, too, like candles or hand lotion or other little items. We had a woman bring us in bags of clothing that she couldn't wear anymore. One man's nearly blind mother makes little pants-sets out of dish towels, and he brought in an entire bag of them for us!

     Anyway, it makes us feel very appreciated, which is a good feeling. Come to think of it, I ought to follow their example and be a little more generous myself. I don't think it's ever a bad thing.

The New Pornographers--"The Spirit of Giving" mp3 off Challengers (buy)

Mark Hollis--"The Gift" mp3 off Mark Hollis (buy)

Mirah--"Generosity" mp3 off (A)Spera (buy) 

     Last week saw part one of the third annual contrast podcast CD swap and therefore this week is part two. I'm looking forward to listening to it very much. We covered letters A though M in part one and will complete the alphabet this week. So far it's been very entertaining to see where people have taken the letter theme. If you'd like to listen to it, you can do so right here.

     I must admit I'm kind of glad I got the letter C instead of the letter Q or X. although X probably would have been the easier of the two. I don't have too many Q songs or artists in my music library.

     I've also got to admit that I've not got much up my sleeve for today. This song has nothing to do with anything, other than I like it and it kind of reflects how I'm feeling right now.

Liam Hayes and Plush--"I Sing Silence" mp3 off Bright Penny (buy--I don't think this is out yet. Check his website for more info)

     I think I've mentioned this before, but when I'm writing, I like to do things in threes: three songs, three examples, three whatevers (see?). I feel incomplete and vaguely dissatisfied if I don't.

     Hence I give you three new songs today. I wouldn't have it any other way!

Rachele Eve--"Harold Moon" mp3 off Mouth of Feathers (buy) This song starts off mellow but builds in intensity, especially the guitars, until it's really rocking. She's from Chicago and recently released her debut album.

Tracing Happiness--"Inside the Glass Menagerie" mp3 off anm.ly (buy) They're from Virginia and their myspace label says "electronica/indie/minimalist" but there's nothing minimalist about the beauty of this song.

AdamandEvil--"Weeds" mp3 off AdamandEvil EP (buy--as yet unreleased but check out their myspace) These two guys are from L.A. and I see big things in their future even though they are unsigned at the moment. This is a very catchy track.

    The original inspiration for this post comes from Matthew's old post in which he discussed the possibility of guiding or grooming your children's musical tastes. He seemed to think it can be accomplished. Of course, he doesn't have children yet.

     Oh, I kid, I kid the Toad. Except that I'm serious. Honest to god, as my kids get older, it seems more and more that what they're listening to is the luck of the draw. Well, not exactly luck, but I think other factors have a lot of influence on them, much more than I do. By other factors, I mean friends, TV, marketing, the need to distance oneself from one's parents at all costs, those sorts of things. I should probably add that my children just might be the three most strong-willed people on the planet, a trait which will serve them well as adults but which causes much consternation to me in the present. Needless to say they aren't the most malleable of subjects.

    If I were to break it down, I'd say the eldest has the best taste (which is to say, that which aligns most closely with mine), although she has an unusual affinity for 80s music, which might make sense if it were indeed the kind of music I listened to in the 80s, only it's not. Nonetheless, she and I can go on long car trips and enjoy each others' playlists for the most part. In fact, she's introduced me to some bands that I might not have picked up on otherwise, so we seem to be influencing each other. If I had to pick one band that defined her, though, I'd go with Modest Mouse.

Modest Mouse--"Dark Center of the Universe" mp3 off The Moon and Antarctica (buy) 

    The middle one, my son, is into a much harder rock sound such as Muse, loves classical music (Tchiakovsky at the moment) and also seems to enjoy old-style techno, a la Daft Punk. He also has a thing for anime theme music, which is most definitely not his mommy's music. Sometimes I refer to it as "J-Pop" and in a deadly serious voice he says to me, Don't call it that.

Muse--"City of Delusion" mp3 off Black Holes and Revelations (buy)

   The youngest one is very interesting. Not long ago she insisted on buying Tegan and Sara's This Business of Art and she was totally grooving to her sister's Le Tigre, the La's and Weezer, but she's also heavily into Hannah Montana and all those other pop-culture Disney channel types and she loves anything she can dance to, so it's hard to say for sure into which camp she'll fall. In fact, she may end up having the most varied taste of all. We don't call her the hybrid for nothing.

The La's--"There She Goes" mp3 off The La's (buy) 

   So you see, they've all been exposed to the same basic roster of bands that I've listened to throughout their childhoods--not to mention a large dose of classic rock from their father--yet they're each venturing off into their own domains and my influence doesn't seem to be showing up too strongly in any one kid, save the eldest. I wish when we all climbed in the car together they'd clamber for one of my mix-tapes, or demand some Moonbabies or Broken Social Scene, but let's face it, that ain't never gonna happen.

    Perhaps the best thing I can hope they learn from me is simply to love music, whatever kind of music it may be. And I need to remember that their musical tastes are not necessarily a reflection on me--which, in turn, means I can't take credit for them, either. 

     Dreams are such weird things. You can't take them literally--thank god--nor should you live your life by them, but I do think they can have meaning. You just need to be able to decipher them. Merz over at Mars Needs Guitars did a post about this subject a couple of weeks ago and it got me to thinking about a vivid dream I had recently.

     I dreamed the father of one of my daughter's friends (who in real life I don't know in the least) was holding me hostage for some reason. I tried and tried but I couldn't get away from him. At some point, someone in the dream informed me that he was actually dead and suddenly I realized he had no real power over me anymore. I felt much less afraid because I knew I could get away.

     I told my daughter about this dream, thinking it was weird that I'd have such a disturbing dream about someone I don't even know, and she said it sounded like he was a ghost.

     Aha! That made all the sense in the world to me. See, I have this theory (don't tell anyone, but I think I first heard it on Oprah) that the people and things that appear in your dreams aren't who or what they appear to be but that they represent something about yourself. For instance, the man who turned out to be dead is really the ghost of something that I'd let have power over me for a long time but have finally come to realize no longer does.

     Another example might be that you dreamed you left your baby on the bus and were frantically trying to find her again. The baby is not really a baby but represents a part of yourself that you feel you're abandoning or losing or forgetting about. Make sense? I find that thinking about dreams this way can be very helpful when it comes to trying to glean meaning from them. I think it applies best to dreams that stick with you or disturb you in some way, but I suppose it could work in any circumstance. Try it and see what you come up with.

Reality Serum--"This Is a Dream" mp3 off This Is a Dream Single (buy)

TV on the Radio--"Dreams" mp3 off Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes (buy)

Southerly--"How to Be a Dreamer" mp3 off Storyteller & the Gossip Columnist (buy)

     I tell you, between the bruises I get at work and the multiple scratches Lola's been leaving all over me, I look like I've been put through the wringer!

     I knock into things all the time during the course of a normal work day and I always have a few black-and-blue spots on me, so I'm used to a certain amount of collateral damage. But now that Lola is bigger and stronger, it's a lot more painful when he decides to crawl up my legs or back in his quest to get somewhere. The other day he got his claws into my leg and my literal knee-jerk reaction sent him flying! He was OK, but I still have the puncture mark to show for it.

     To top it off, the other day at the gym I was cleaning off the AMT machine after using it and I walked smack dab into the damn thing. My shin popped a lump almost immediately and it's still tender. I am a mess, people!

Noisettes--"Scratch Your Name" mp3 off What's the Time Mr. Wolf? (buy)

Lisa Germano--"Bruises" mp3 off Excerpts From a Love Circus (buy)

p.s. Yes, folks, that's right. We got the final word on our dear little Lola's gender--turns out she's a he, just like his namesake!

The Kinks--"Lola" mp3 off Lola Versus Towerman and the Moneygoround (buy)

     Tim promised a surprise on the contrast podcast this week and he certainly delivered! It's part one of the third annual CD Swap extravaganza. I'm listening to it as I write this and it's pretty awesome. I love being a part of the contrast nation and the CD Swap makes me feel even closer to everyone who participates. Check it out here.

     The way it works is that each person is assigned someone to make a mixtape for and also to receive one from. No one knows who they're getting theirs from until it arrives. Then we all pick our favorite song and submit it to the podcast just like we would normally. This time around the theme was "The Alphabet," so the CD I received was based on the letter B and the one I made worked around the letter C.

     I got mine from Greer over at A Sweet Unrest and it was, in a word, beautiful. (Well, the first song doesn't actually qualify as "beautiful," but the rest were!) I had a hard time choosing, as you might imagine. I finally went with a Roddy Frame song for two reasons. First, his voice is like butter and you know what a sucker I am for gorgeous voices. Second were the lyrics, which stuck with me from the moment I heard them. Thanks, Greer, for this lovely, heart-rending CD.

Roddy Frame--"Big Ben" mp3 off Surf (buy)

     I got to make one for my friend Fil, over at pogo a go-go. It was a challenge in a way, because I wanted to find some really rammy songs to put on it. I think I succeeded. As an added bonus, in the process I found some great music I hadn't listened to in a long time. I was especially delighted to rediscover these tracks:

The Joy Formidable--"Cradle" mp3 off Cradle double 7" (buy) I had virtual money down that this would be Fil's pick, but alas I was wrong!

Cuckoo Canoe--"Chairman of the Bored" mp3 off Baseball Freedom Overdrive I included two of their songs off this clever album, the only problem is I don't think it's available anymore.

Pleasureboaters--"Cigarette Song" mp3 off Gross! (buy) This was by far the rammiest, I think. Raw and Rammy! Sadly, this band is no longer together. A definite loss for the thrash-music community.

     Lastly, everyone who played along also submitted a photo of themselves and the CD they received, so if you want to take a peek at what everyone (well, almost everyone--or part of everyone!) looks like, you can see them here.

     You'd think with all the rain we've been having that I'd be able to spend more time writing, but for some reason it's not working out that way. I am as behind as ever. Today I sat down and imported more than 100 songs that had piled up in my download folder. Now if I could just find time to listen to them all!

     Anyhoo, a couple of things intrigue me and I figured I'd share them today since there's not much else to do to distract me (aside from the usual cleaning, laundry, shopping--you know, the stuff that can wait).

     Actually, I've been enjoying We Are America by Canada's Caledonia for a while now but have been sitting on it. I think it's because the official promo song "We Are America" isn't what I'd consider the most representative of their sound. I'd rather put something else up, but since I'm trying to play by the rules (for the most part) and not do that, I've ended up not talking about it. Regardless, it's a very listenable rock album with more or less equal elements of Americana and psychedelia that has wormed its way into my ears.

     It also happens to be one of those records that when I listen to I think, Hey, my husband would like this. He's generally a classic rock guy, so when I find a band that rocks, I like to share it with him in hopes he'll enjoy it too. He's not much into my indie-pop, mellow or quirky music.

Caledonia--"We Are America" mp3 off We Are America (buy)

     The next two songs don't have anything in common except for their wonderfully distorted vocals and heavy synthesizers. I love them and it's exactly the kind of music my husband would hate! The superbly trippy Black Moth Super Rainbow is an old favorite and one-man-band Blank Dogs is new to me but I find there's a kinship in the weirdness of both of them. And check it out, they're actually playing together at the South Street Seaport in NYC on July 22. I swear to god I did not know that when I decided to put these two songs together!

Black Moth Super Rainbow--"Born on a Day the Sun Didn't Rise" mp3 off Eatng Us (buy)

Blank Dogs--"Passing the Light" mp3 off The Fields EP (buy)

     I don't have too awful much on which to base my positive opinion of Doctor Rosen Rosen, but I really like what he's done with what he's gotten his hands on so far.

     He's remixed some other more commercial artists along the lines of Kanye and Britney, but of course those tracks don't interest me as much as these do. I must say I enjoy these three quite a bit!

Lily Allen--"Never Gonna Happen (Doctor Rosen Rosen Remix)" mp3 (buy)

Phoenix--"Lisztomania (Doctor Rosen Rosen Remix)" mp3 (buy)

Alaska in Winter--"Berlin (Doctor Rosen Rosen Remix)" mp3 off Berlin Remix (buy)

     I gotta tell you, and trust me, the irony of this is not lost on me, but I hate it when people complain about how awful they have it when they don't have any idea how good they DO have it. I mean, until the day comes that you utter the words "I'm sorry, I have to cancel my appointment tomorrow because I'm having a brain scan done," then you don't get to complain.

     I work at a cancer rehab clinic and lately we've been treating some really sick people. People who are so ill and going through so much that I don't know how they manage to make it through each day, let alone gather enough strength to keep working full-time, undergo chemotherapy and go so far as to match the hat that covers their bald head to the outfit they're wearing. I can't tell you how much I admire them and how very little they complain about what they're going through. Of all the people who have a right to claim they're going through what you might call a "personal crisis," most of them have really positive attitudes and are living their lives as fully as they can, cancer be damned.

     Which is why I get so ticked off at people who are such drama queens and who bitch and moan about how hard they have it when frankly, they don't know what hard is. Most people lead charmed lives and don't even know it, so I'd like to say to them: Suck it up and deal with it! Get a little perspective on life and shut the fuck up about your petty little problems.

Mobius Band--"You Don't Know How it Feels (Tom Petty Cover)" mp3 off Empire of Love (buy)

The Alarm Clocks--"No Reason to Complain" mp3 off Yeah! (buy)

Moi Caprice--"Drama Queen" mp3 off The Art of Kissing Properly (buy)

     There's an awful lot of cheese over at the contrast podcast this week, as "cheese" was the theme for this episode. The cheese theme was cooked up by Fil, the purveyor of pogo a go-go, and if nothing else I think you should listen to the initial intro, because anything Fil concocts is bound to be delicious.

     Turns out I had a dearth of cheese-related tunes in my music library but that doesn't seem to be the case for most everyone else, as there are a lot of interesting (weird-looking?) songs about it in this podcast. You can taste it for yourself right here. Next week the theme is a surprise, which already has me wondering what it could be. Knowing Tim, it will be anyone's guess.

     So what should I play for today, seeing as I wasn't in the podcast? How about a couple of tracks to mark the month of June? I suppose that's as relevant as anything else I could think of, such as the fact that the band Fanfarlo is selling their most excellent record Reservoir for $1.00--that's right, one dollar, and you not only get the album but you get four bonus tracks as well. I may actually buy it again just to get them. You can go to their website and take advantage of this most generous offer, but you have to do it before July 4th, which is when the price goes back up. If you go here, you can watch them play an acoustic version of "Luna," which they recorded in June in a lovely English garden.

     Here are two June tunes to keep you company until next we meet.

Ulrich Schnauss--"Nothing Happens in June" mp3 off Faraway Trains Passing By (buy )

Zack Nichols--"Dust in June" mp3 off Bright Eyes EP (buy)

important cheese alert issued by the cheese enforcement agency

     My stomach is upset this morning. It feels like nervous stomach but I don't really know why I'd be nervous. End of school anticipation? Perhaps I've forgotten something important? Too many cherries yesterday?? Could be just about anything!

Tim Gilbertson--"Sick to the Stomach" mp3 off Tim Gilbertson (buy)

Kristin Hersh--"Nerve Endings" mp3 off Learn to Sing Like a Star (buy)

     I tend to do this weird thing when it comes to listening to new albums by bands I love. I get really excited about the prospect of hearing it but then when it actually comes out, I hesitate and don't always buy them right away. Or if I do pick them up, I hold off on listening to them for a while. It's very strange.

     I giuess it's an approach-avoidance defense mechanism, a way to delay either pleasure or pain. Pain is kind of a harsh word for it, but I mean the pain of being disappointed, not the actual hearing of the music. In general, I'm afraid that I won't love the new album as much as I loved the last one, so I avoid it for a while.

     So far this year I've done it with Loney, Dear's Dear John (I don't think I've actually listened to it the whole way through, which is why I never reviewed it), Jenny Owen Youngs' latest, Transmitter Failure, and I haven't even bought John Vanderslice's Romanian Names yet and it came out last month. I really don't know what's wrong with me.

Loney, Dear--"Airport Surroundings" mp3 off Dear John (buy)

Jenny Owen Youngs--"Led to the Sea" mp3 off Transmitter Failure (buy)

John Vanderslice--"Fetal Horses" mp3 off Romanian Names (buy)

     I am running out of steam, people. I am pooped. I don't even have the energy to write a coherent post let alone keep up with all the crap I'm supposed to be doing.

     I feel like I haven't found a rhythm to my days since I've been working so much and it's throwing me off. I'm still adjusting to the extra hours and I'm really feeling it. Maybe once school is out I'll be able to fit in a little more rest/blog/housework time. Until then, I'm afraid I'm just going to have to let some things go, for instance all those unopened emails in my inbox (435 at last count).

      But that's OK, right? It's all about learning how to prioritize. At the moment it's sleep, work, family, and cyber life, in that order. Notice I didn't even mention housework or weeding, both of which are out of control. And exercise--I think that missing working out a couple of days a week is playing a part in my generalized fatigue, but some days there simply is no time or energy to do it. Sigh. Maybe I should go to the gym when I'm done writing this. But I need to make dinner. And spend a little time with my kids (and don't forget Lola). What to do, what to do?

     I suppose a few energetic songs might help the situation in the meantime!

The Little Ones--"Cha Cha Cha" mp3 off Sing Song (buy)

Passion Pit--"Sleepyhead (Jazz Step Remix)" mp3 off Manners (buy)

The Faraway Places--"The Sun Goes West" mp3 off Out of the Rain, the Thunder and the Lightning (buy)

p.s. Whatever you do, don't search "pooped" in google images. Why in god's name do people take those kinds of pictures? Wtf??

     "Home" is the theme this week on the contrast podcast and I spent a while thinking about what feeling at home means to me. If you'd like to hear what other people had to say about the subject, check out the podcast right here.

     There are a lot of sayings about the concept of home: "home sweet home," "home is where the heart is," "there's no place like home." These days, the one that makes the most sense to me is "home is a soft place to fall."

     Funnily enough, I never really understood what that meant when I was younger. I didn't necessarily like being at home and, in fact, sometimes I downright hated it. Of course, everyone goes through moments like that, but there were long stretches when I didn't want to be there at all. I spent as much time away from home as I possibly could for most of my teenage years.

     The place I spent the most time when I wasn't home was my best friend Bette's house. Her family was like a warm cocoon, a place where they accepted me just like I was and always--and I mean always--welcomed me, made no difference what was going on. Didn't matter if Bette and I were in a fight, whether I'd just torn up their grass with my car, or if I'd run away from my house in the middle of a snowstorm and walked more than two miles to get there. They always took me in. They really were my home away from home.

     So "Borrowed Your Gun" may seem like a strange pick at first, but it's all about coming home. Coming home and feeling safe no matter what you've done or how long you've been away, truly having a soft place to fall, and to me, that's what home is all about.

Spiritualized--"Borrowed Your Gun" mp3 off Songs in A&E (buy) The astute among you may recall that I posted this song about a year ago in a post about forgiveness. I must really like this song, as I'm finding it very versatile.

     Next week's theme will be "cheese." Cheese, now this ought to be interesting--and tasty!

Unfinished crosstitch from here. I love that it's got some missing letters. Means you still have some life to live.

     I cannot get this song out of my head! The pretty harmonies and the lovely words have wound their way into my brain and it's as though it's set on constant repeat. I think I may have posted it before but I'm hoping that by putting it up again it will neutralize it somehow and then I'll be able to make room for my next obsession, coz you know it's coming.

Headlights--"Signs Point to Yes (But Outlook Not So Good)" mp3 off Kill Them With Kindness (buy)

     I have quite the thing for Swedish music. I'll pretty much listen to anything at least once if the band is from Sweden.

     It's more than that, though. Swedish music makes me feel good. A number of my favorite bands are from there: Moonbabies, Loney Dear, Shout Out Louds, Bjorn Kleinhenz, Pelle Carlberg, The Radio Dept., Teddybears . . . the list is long, as you can see.

     Lately I've come across several new bands that I really like and the one basic thing they have in common (besides great music) is that they're all from Sweden. 

The Sweet Serenades--"Mona Lee" mp3 off Balcony Cigarettes (buy) I think this is my favorite of the bunch. I love the oohs and ahhs, the catch in his voice, and the image of a hurricane coming down. All he wants to do is to make her smile but she's not making it easy for him.

Modern Caveman--"Johnnywise" mp3 off Johnnywise (buy) I love the way this one starts. It's very rock 'n roll with power guitar chords. I like their name, too, although there are four of them, so I'm not sure why they don't call themselves the Modern Cavemen.

Adam Heldring--"OK, Goodbye" mp3 off Metro EP (buy) This is the kind of Swedish pop music that you don't have to feel guilty about loving at first listen. It's catchy and hook-filled yet it's got just enough edge to keep you wondering exactly where it's going next, and I really like that.

Liechtenstein--"Roses in the Park" mp3 off Survival Strategies in a Modern World (buy) I know, it's a little weird that a Swedish band is called Liechtenstein, but I love the album title, plus it's an all-woman band, so I'm cool with whatever they want to call themselves.