earworms: summer anticipation

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A rare fact to be highlighted, this playlist mainly comprises of new(ish) music save for two oldie bonuses. 

I am really excited for the new album of Daft Punk, the single Get Lucky sounds like the summer of my 18th. And while on the funk subject, why not pop a bit of Sister Sledge on the spinning table?

I think the debut album of Haim has the potential to be the perfect companion for sunny weather, judging by the few songs I chanced upon listening.

Jagwar Ma's Save Me (which I used as a soundtrack in my last video) sounds incredibly fresh and like a total summer hymn.

The Allah-Las have been around for a little while but as soon as I play their songs and close my eyes, I feel like I'm standing in Joshua Tree.

As for Cool Cats by Squeeze, I recently discovered it and what's there not to like?! Choon!

a can of earworms

Francoise Sagan by Thomas D. McAvoy for Life Magazine (1955)

earworm #50: astrud gilberto - manha de carnaval

Every year when come the colder months, I feel the need to watch Vénus Beauté. It is one of my favourite films, hands down. It wasn't love at first sight though. I watched it a couple of times with friends when I was a teenager, oddly unimpressed, but then one night, it was broadcast on real late TV, and I felt like it was speaking to me. I identified with Angèle (played by the beautiful Nathalie Baye) and her disillusion towards love. I am not as bitter today, but I still like happy endings, especially around Christmas time... And the photography is pure magic, I rarely even notice those things while watching films, but the use of light here has stuck to my retinas ever since, as if I had looked straight at the sun. Oddly enough, the beautiful bossa nova soundtrack works perfectly with the stark Paris winter light.

a handful of earworms

Jeanne Goupil in Marie-Poupée (1976)

happy autumn!

Here are the little somethings that I will love this autumn:

Something pretty 

L-R: Leighton Denny in Supermodel, Dior in 257 Incognito, Chanel in 559 Frenzy, Topshop in Rainy Day, Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear in 330 Grey Area, Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear in 48 Mocha Mix and Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure in 660 Pat on the Black

At the start of a season, I love picking the nail polishes from my collection that I'm going to wear (not that I always stick to it) and I'm especially excited by all these amazing neutral colours.

Something to watch

I've been infatuated with Diana Vreeland la magnifique for quite a while now.  It all started when I read Edie Sedgwick's biography. The ex-Vogue editor was the one who saw her potential and organised a feature about her in the magazine. I remember my curiousity being piqued by this seemingly visionnary woman. But I really became obsessed while reading Cecil Beaton's diary. Cecil and her had a profound friendship and I was always happy to see her name popping up on the pages because she had the most flamboyant behaviour and that made for an exciting read. Claire (from the blog Lola is Beauty)'s rubric Ask D.V. definitely sealed my love for this woman. I got my hand on her biography, D.V., and delighted in her witticisms and style. You can imagine how happy I was when I discovered that this month, a biopic on Mrs. Vreeland got released. I realised while watching the trailer that I had never heard her voice but it sounds precisely how I imagined it in my head. In Dublin, The Eye Has To Travel is being shown at the Lighthouse Cinema until the 4th of October 2012.

(image source)

Something to drink 

Autumn is especially exciting when it comes to tea because it means my local shop is now going to stock Christmas tea again.

I'll have it with loads of milk and 3 spoonful of sugar please!

Something to listen to

This month, Patrick wolf is releasing a compilation for his tenth anniversary in music years. He chose 16 songs from all his creations that he re-recorded and re-arranged for this special double album. He wanted to get to the core of the songs and took the parti-pris to use 3 instruments maximum. The first extract is Overture (from the album The Magic Position) which is one of my favourite songs of his. Favourite song period. It's painfully beautiful, listen.

Something to remember

The new season of Downton Abbey is on ITV at 9pm every Sunday!

Best...scene...ever

Something creative

Nothing screams autumn more than stitching. At least to me. I am sure I could stitch faster and better if I had a fireplace, a rocking chair and a cat.

Something to eat

Let's put it plainly, I can't cook but when the colder months come, one of my great passions is to make and eat soup. My favourite ones are either pumpkin or courgette+broccoli. But a tomato soup is quite lovely too. 

Something to read

Well I enjoy reading all year round really but doing so buried under duvets in bed and with the electric blanket on when it's chilly outside is otherwordly. I set myself the goal to read 5 more books by the end of 2012, here are the ones I picked: Breakfast at Tiffany's (Truman Capote), Gribiche (Colette), Life of Pi (Yann Martel), The Heart is a Lonely Hunter (Carson McCullers) and Wise Children (Angela Carter).

Something to visit

Tim Walker for Vogue Italia January 2012

An exhibition about the whimsical (fashion) photographer Tim Walker opens its doors in London from the 18th of October to the 27th of January. A collection of Walker's photographs will be shown as well as giant props he used for fashion shoots (among them, the one in the above picture, if I'm not mistaken). It will also be occasion for Tim Walker to share with visitors, films that inspired his famous vision (The Red Shoes, La Belle et La Bête or A Matter of Life and Death) and his own short movie, The Lost Explorer.

More information here, free admission.

Something to keep me entertained

still from The Red Shoes (1948)

I love making lists of old films to watch when the nights get longer and colder (so I'm not sheepishly tempted to watch some crap on TV). I recently watched The Red Shoes and A Matter of Life And Death (inspired by Tim Walker's upcoming exhibition) and realised that on Youtube, you can watch films that have fallen into public domain. Pretty awesome I think.

Next on my list are Badlands, Metropolis and Paris, Texas.

Something to wear

Crew-neck jumpers are one of my favourite things to wear. Unfortunately, good ones are hard to come by, may it be because of their knit (they might loosen quickly), their shape or their colour.

Benetton, Topshop and Cos

Something cheeky

I always forget my gloves so I can dig my hands in his coat pocket.

earworm #40 - concorde

The earworm this month is not a single song but rather the discovery of a band. They're called Concorde, they're French and they sound a bit like The Strokes or Phoenix jamming on happy new wave bass lines that fit right into the 2000s electro-pop movement.

I came across them on Garance Doré's blog and more specifically the Hello World web series she did in collaboration with J. Crew. Their upbeat compositions make for a perfect soundtrack and I've been hooked ever since.

You can listen to their songs on their youtube page.

earworm #39: patrick wolf - jerusalem

Wasn't the opening ceremony for the London Olympics magical beyond belief? I turned on the TV by mere curiosity, and fast forward four hours later, I was still sitting 2 inches from the screen, gaping mouth and goggling eyes.

Here's one of the songs used for the United Kingdom hymns but performed by my dear Patrick Wolf.

 

earworm #36, #37 and #38: elliott, G.O.B. and fun

Elliott Smith - Everything means nothing to me

This song clawed its way into my braincells at the first viewing of this video. Rachel from makeupneversleeps brings makeup to a whole new level. I love the aesthetic behind her tutorial videos and her acerbic tone makes me roar. As strange as it sounds, she is, for me, the Enid Coleslaw of the beauty world.

Europe - The final countdown

Who has not been assaulted by this earworm once in their life? I have, many times, and tend to clear away from it in fear of suffering a brain-hammering for months and months.

But this could not be helped as I recently watched Arrested Development, pushed by my boyfriend who ranks this show as his favourite of all time. I resisted for a while as the reality tv filming style was not to my liking (being a major escapist) but I warmed up to it as more and more shows use this style nowadays (Modern Family being an example). Well, I'm glad to say that I am hooked, I just can't get enough of G.O.B. stage choreography routines and Tobias' innuendos.

Fun - Tonight we are young

This one has been bugging me for a while and it has reached its peak of annoyance. Let's hope it finds its way to the downhill path.

earworms #34 and #35: new order + gorillaz

Next week I'm going to a festival where New Order is playing. I've been listening a lot to their album Power, Corruption & Lies so far and particularly their song Age of Consent.

Whenever it's sunny I feel the urge to listen to the album Plastic Beach by Gorillaz. I accidentally listened to the BBC radio 1 live version of On Melancholy Hill and I've been hooked ever since. It's full of end of summer nostalgia.

earworm #33: grimes - oblivion

earworm #32: zou bisou bisou

Bet you didn't see that one coming... Like half the planet, I'm suffering from a severe case of earworm-ism after watching the 1st episode of Mad Men's new season. It doesn't seem to want to fade away. It wouldn't be that bad I suppose if the song wasn't linked to that climax of cringe-worthiness of a scene. I actually wasn't able to click on the play button (so I hope this video doesn't get random...). I'm totally falling for Matt Weiner's trap to make us violently hate Megan Draper. It feels like one of these ploys to prove us that we are at the mercy of his genius writing and it doesn't matter how much we hate a character, he'll be able to switch that by clicking his fingers (or his pen). It actually reminds of Lisa in Six Feet Under, totally hateful character beyond redemption and before you can realise it, you start to actually like her, oblivious to the fact that the writers are playing a pathos ping pong game.

Obviously I could be wrong and Megan is set to become viler and viler (I have to say that I wondered at some stage if the 'adultery is back' slogan wasn't meant for her... shocker, cheating on don draper?! she wouldn't be the first mind you...).

But yeah something's telling me that Mr. Weiner is about to teach us a lesson and I might be able to watch this scene again after all but this time with fondness in my cynical heart.

earworm #31: the kinks - this time tomorrow

Trailer: Les Amants Reguliers (Philippe Garrel, 2005)

earworm #30: florence+the machine - addicted to love

I've been very bad at documenting my earworms here, blame it on grooveshark.
I sure hope this one is going to make up for it, it's pretty spectacular if I may say so.
The beautiful and talented Florence Welch graced us with this amazing cover of Robert Palmer's Addicted to love and although it's been around for a while, I've just stumbled upon it and Lord I'm thankful. It might be one of those rare cases where the cover surpasses the original (erm blasphemy?) even though genre-wise, they can't really be compared.

earworm #28 : Smith Westerns - All Die Young

This one I brought it on myself by watching the Madewell AW11 collection video featuring Alexa Chung about a 1000 times. I never heard of the Smith Westerns before, probably because I generally don't pay attention to american sugary pop but it complements the mood here perfectly.

The video below is not earworm-related but I've watched it as many times as the Madewell one so in my mind, they're connected by a very vibrant synapse. Whistles and Madewell are nearly getting me excited for Autumn.

summer earworms

Here are the earworms that stayed with me this summer :

m83 - midnight city

the cure - the caterpillar

bike for three - lazarus phenomenon

the sharades - dumb head

the bandana splits - sometimes

patrick wolf - together

lady gaga - born this way

amy winehouse - help yourself


Fleetwood Mac - Landslide from Tillmann Obendorf on Vimeo.

earworms at work

It's already been two months since I started my new job and to celebrate it, here's the list of the earworms that have been accompanying me in the office :

earworm #12 : Stevie Nicks - Wild Heart (Backstage version)

I discovered this video thanks to Anabela from fieldguided and fell in love with it straight away, shivers and all. It inspired her the creation of a tote bag, which I can't see right now in her etsy shop but it features other fantastic bags, so do go there you won't regret it.
edit : you can find the wild heart tote here.

earworm #13 : Yumi Matsutoya - Rouge no Dengon

Sixties J-pop. You can't top that! (It was used in the anime Kiki's Delivery service).



earworm #14 : Wham! - I'm Your Man

I got this earworm from watching Comic Relief :)



earworm #15 : Technotronic - Pump Up The Jam

I got this odd one because I was scouring the tube for Spaced's extras (this is one of my absolute favourite TV shows so I often get cravings) and stumbled upon this video of Jessica Hynes covering Technotronic. Did you know that they were Belgian? Ha! More reasons to like them, I'd say.

earworm #16 : Paul Rothman - Scoobidoo Love

This one caught me while watching Breaking Bad. This is the perfect put-a-smile-on-your-face song.

earworm #17 : PJ Harvey - The Last Living Rose



earworm #18 : Best Coast - Crazy for You

I read yesterday in the free newspaper that it's going to be the hottest summer in Ireland ever. Bring it on! Best Coast sounds like a great soundtrack for tropical weather.

Patrick Wolf - House (the video)

Oh my. I mentioned this song before (as my earworm #9 to be precise) but I have to post the music video now as it leaves me utterly speechless, it's a pure beauty : a pair of fruit-printed pyjamas, a tropical fish, an oak table, a lemon tree, birds, mint blue walls and loads of plants give this video an air of a Rousseau's painting with a bit of Jumanji magic. I sure wish I could throw some dice right now and enjoy the roof terrace of this incredible house (oh and the toucan does seem to turn the ironing into an enjoyable experience).

Screen-capping fit coming your way...

And last but not least, this jewel of a video directed by Andy Bruntel

earworms #10 and #11 : bruce and birdie

Two earworms for me this week. Bruce Springteen's Dancing in the Dark started creeping up in my brain after hearing Amy Macdonald's version in some TV show. And thanks to those coincidence things, I've heard it about 10 times in shops and pubs since. Now it's properly anchored in my head.

Second one is due to my recent Mad Men marathon (mandatory preparation for the boxset release). Ann-Margret's Bye Bye Birdie is used for inspiration for a diet cola commercial by our favourite ad men. She might have an annoying high-pitched voice and a thing for overacting, she still manages to look fresh and endearing.

Concert Review #2 : Patrick Wolf, Dublin, 21-03-2011

I can't believe it's only my second gig review since I started this blog (this is just showing how lazy I am about writing anything). Anyways.
Monday night I went to see Patrick Wolf in The Sugar Club in Dublin. It was short but good. I'm kind of amazed that I haven't got bored of seeing him live yet. Every time, it feels special. It was the first time I saw him in Dublin and it was nothing like nose-in-the-air-Paris or raise-an-eyebrow-Belgium or footloose-London. It was warm and friendly and relaxed. No wild dancing (well maybe a tiny bit on The Magic Position) or stiff-legs viewers. It might be down to Irishness or the configuration of the venue (like a jazz club with tables) or maybe because Patrick Wolf's family was among the spectators. Or because all that together. It was sweet (and a bit sour but that's another story). Patrick looked and sounded magnificent (especially at arm-length distance *pervy grin*).
He wore a red costume that made him look like the happy child of Prince and a toy fireman. He had a change of clothes before the encore, revealing a patched green suit with golden buttons (very wartime-chic-scarecrow).
The new songs (not as many as I expected for a warm-up show) sounded quite cool live and he delivered a fantastic upbeat version of Who Will?.

Setlist :

Armistice
Time Of My Life
Bluebells
Wind In The Wires
The Libertine
The Bachelor
Tristan
Vulture
The Days
Who Will?
Together
Damaris

The City
The Magic Position

earworm #9 : Patrick Wolf - House

It looks like from this blog that all I listen to is Patrick Wolf (although I am actively trying to get into the new Radiohead). It's not far from the truth, I'm sadly out of the loop, I don't recognize most bands on charts. One year with no internet did that to me and I never got the courage to get back into 'music' shape. Laziness is probably one reason, the other is I'm not touched by music as intensely as I used to. It really breaks my heart to have lost it. When I realised it I thought maybe I definitely lost touch with my teenager self. Music does not transport me anywhere anymore, does not inject me with thick emotions or waltzing images. Maybe it's due to the fact that I have been living for the present, not looking to the past nor the future. I think music is the best companion when you're in the contemplative state. Not so much for the action. I wonder if it will ever come back. The only artist who has been able recently to give my heart a twinge is dear Patrick. I read somewhere that his next single will be House (date of release : 23 may) so I had to track down some live performance of it. I never expect anything from live youtube recording but good God, the voice harmonies, the violins and the ducks' quacks swelled my cold adult heart.