I instantly fell in like with Alex & Sam (Alex Silverman & Samantha Sidley) after I heard their song “Buy Your Side” (at first, I thought it was a spelling error… maybe “by” your side?). If Alex & Sam was a color, they would be shades of “jazzy blues” (ha ha. like my pun?) because of the type of rock music they make & play. Their straight, indie rock has its jazzy blues and real lyrics that are poetic, but not like the ones you take hours to analyze (you know, those kind of lyrics that beat around the bush). Now, my favorite song of theirs is Found Our Way :)
To put into simple words, love the voices, love their style, love the lyrics. They look & sound great, which is how all music should be, no? Plus, I love girl & boy duos/bands. They are awesome. They sound like summer in the winter. Kind of. Makes you want to grab a boy on the street and start singing weird melodic songs with him.
But if I only knew you for / Just one day / I’d say I was lucky / Just to, just to pass your way / Darling, you are making me / Forget the world I know / Everything seems to mean something / Now that we have found our way
Alex & Sam - Found Our Way 
Alex & Sam - Buy Your Side
Alex & Sam - See You Through
Sidenote: Sam was on American Idol! I believe she made it to Hollywood. I am glad she is in the band instead :P
"What makes the desert beautiful,” said the little prince, “is that it hides a well somewhere…"
antoine de saint-exupery (the little prince)
Gary Go :: indie? pop/rock
Yay!!! Gary Go with his striking voice, self-taught guitar and awesome piano skills, and “hook-driven sounds” has officially released a new single “Wonderful.” I first fell in love with Gary when I heard his haunting yet beautiful piano instrumental in a short film I found on Youtube. After that, I started checking out his music, and instantly fell in love with his song “So So.” I also fell in love with his writing! He is such a great writer and quotist.
Gary Go is a humble artist from England who records videos with weird affects of him covering songs on the piano in his own studio. His voice is unique and powerful and is absolutely beautiful in “Heart and Soul.” His lyrics are top-notched and not only sing about love, but LIFE! Artists who sing about life is always good in my book (another good song is “Open Arms”).
“Everything is everywhere / And I don’t know who to be / But I won’t let this world unbalance me / There’s nothing to stop us / From losing it all / So follow your heart and soul”
When his first debuted single “(I Am) Wonderful” first came out a month ago, it was actually a project he created with a couple friends. The song has a simple but strong message about picking yourself when you are feeling low. Here is the video that was shot in the streets of London. This is something that I have always wanted to do, but have not found the courage to do so. Seriously, go to the site & become inspired (& share your “wonderful” words too!). Check out the real music video for the song too! His first album will debut on February 16.
Gary Go - Wonderful
Gary Go - Heart and Soul
Gary Go - So So (live)
Sidenote : Here is the film “Reflections of a Skyline” I first heard Gary Go’s piano instrumental in. It’s quite beautiful.
"There are going to be points of contact. That’s just a fact. That it’s not inherently bad. In reality, the way that the two worlds interact are often very, very subtle, almost inarticulatable."
Miranda July
Andrew Bird :: indie / folk
Handclaps, playful whistles, the sound of a glockenspiel, string plucking & bowing, and a mellow voice are what make up Andrew Bird, a sing-songwriter & multi-instrumentalist from Chicago. Bird is super talented in many ways, who excels not only on the guitar, but the violin, mandolin, glockenspiel, and whistling! Bird takes indie rock to another level, his inspirations from different places. He takes the classic out of the violin, the acoustic out of the guitar, the originality of whistling and makes awesome Gypsy, indie, folk ballads.
After disbanding with his former band (The Bowl of Fire), Bird became a solo artist progressing towards to create the indie/folk sound. He first debuted in 2003 with Weather Systems, in 2005, The Mysterious Production of Eggs, in 2007 Armchair Apocrypha. This year, the indie/folk rock and baroque pop artist is back again with a new album, Noble Beast, which showcases all the things that make Andrew Bird who he is. The album is very “warm & inviting” a mixture of joyous and melancholy songs which compliment each other well.
I honestly like his old stuff better (I really liked the Armchair Apocrypha album), but don’t take my word for it. All his songs should be listened to because they are all different in some way & they all have different sounds & imaginations to offer.
“Wait just a second now / It’s not all that bad / Are we not having fun / You make your mountains of handkerchiefs / Where the mascara always runs / So be careful when you’re done / You’re bound to get post-natal / What did I just hear you say?”
Andrew Bird - Heretics
Andrew Bird - Lull (Daytrotter Edition)
Andrew Bird - Scythian Empire
"I think dogs are the most amazing creatures; they give unconditional love. For me they are the role model for being alive."
Gilda Radner
Tobias Fröberg :: folk / alternative
Swedish singer-songwriter Tobias Fröberg first debuted in 2004 with his album For Elisabeth Wherever You Are. He is known for the sweet folk ballads he sings with his soft, yet emotional voice, his Swedish accent and for touring with Jose Gonzalez (who is also very awesome). He is so simple, a man who only needs his acoustic guitar to make awesome folk melodies.
Although his latest album is Turn Heads, which came out in April 2008, I really like his 2006 album, Somewhere in the City. Some of my favorite songs are “When the Night Turns Cold,” “God’s Highway,” “Grace,” and “Love and Misery.” But he did come back with the more sophisticated, more moody album, with songs like “Take It Easy” and “Turn Heads” (highly recommended).
In “Love and Misery,” Tobias Fröberg teams up with Ane Brun to create a lovely duet together. Their voices just go right together, taking listeners to more soulful heights.
“This is true / I am fragile just like you / You and me / We are love and misery”
Tobias Fröberg & Ane Brun - Love and Misery
Sidenote: He does an awesome, interesting cover of Justin Timberlake’s “What Goes Around Comes Around”
Tobias Froberg - What Goes Around Comes Around (Justin Timberlake cover)
"I read once about a woman whose secret fantasy was to have an affair with an artist. She thought he would really see her. He would see every curve, every line, every indentation and love them because they were part of the beauty that made her unique."
ben willis (cashback)
Robert Francis :: folk
Coming from a pianist father, a Mexican mother who always sang Ranchero songs with her sisters, & growing up with a Hare Krishna brother & sisters who were in various rock bands, Robert Francis is a talented folk singer-songwriter from Los Angeles, California. After debuting with One by One in August 2007, he started to gain a lot of popularity with his soft voice, emotional lyrics, and his ability to “glow with authenticity” even within the shadows of his songs.
His song “Little Girl” was a worldwide smash hit when it first came out in 2008. The song is repetitive, so seriously so addictive. His voice is so peaceful. He is also very poetic within his lyrics. The song is pretty upbeat, but is slightly morbid, but there is also a hidden Romeo and Juliet sonnet within it. How brilliant is that. The second song is “Alice”, a slightly slower song, but also has those heartbreaking lyrics that Robert Francis is best known for. He is best known for singing in the past tense, singing about how things used to be & how they will never be the same.
“You were just too young and just too smart / Probably the best candidate for a broken heart / Rock and roll my little girl / Rock and roll in your big big world”
Robert Francis - Little Girl
Robert Francis - Alice
Sidenote: Robert Francis’ song, “Don’t Forget Love” is used in a Zales commercial (the infamous string proposal one) shown here.
"be daring, be different, be impractical, be anything that will assert integrity of purpose and imaginative vision against the play-it-safers, the creatures of the commonplace, the slaves of the ordinary."
cecil beaton (photographer & fashion designer)
