JEW

Yesterday while I was cooking, I listened to all of the Jimmy Eat World songs that I have. And then I ended up with that feeling... a combination of happy-nostalgic and sad-nostalgic, and excited about and dreading something big that I felt like was about to happen. Why are all Jimmy Eat World songs like this? Anyway, I loved it.

I also ended up with a crazy delicious coq au vin, so that was a nice way to end the Jimmy Eat World jam session.

far east movement on conan - coolest asians

I'd heard about Far East Movement from one of my favorite blogs, but I never really looked into them much or even saw a video.

They performed "Rocketeer" on Conan a couple nights ago, and I must've replayed it about six times! I love the song, but more than that, it's so awesome to see Asian Americans that are so completely and untouchably cool on stage in front of a national audience.



How cool are they??

music monday: windows open

With summer in full force, I thought I'd share some of my favorite songs for driving with the windows open.

1. "Everything's Right" by Matt Wertz. This song gets extra points because it starts with the words "windows down." :) It's about driving with the windows open! That's why it's #1. This song has such a great feel and it makes the world seem like it's going your way. How can you not love a song like this?



2. "My Time With You" by David Choi featuring Kina Grannis. This is definitely more of a cutesy song, but it's fun and they're talking about going to the beach and singing all their cares away. How is that not a great windows-open song? They also get extra points for the ukulele.



3. "Any Other Day" by Wyclef Jean featuring Norah Jones. There is no other song that has the same groove or chill-factor as this song. I centered the entire playlist for our wedding reception around this song because this is the atmosphere I wanted to create. Really, really great song! Thanks to my brother who showed it to me.



4. "I Was Made For You" by She & Him. I must have mentioned Zooey Deschanel and M. Ward's She & Him at least three times by now, but I just love them! I especially love the retro feel of this song. Can you just see the girls in their poodle skirts and bright lipstick?



Do you have any songs that you love listening to with the windows open?

music monday: "freedom park" by marah

If you accumulate mp3s on your iTunes without knowing it like I do, your shuffle function is probably one of your closer friends. I came across this song that I already have the other day, and I was just blown away. Really blown away.

First it was the childhood chant "shimmy shimmy coco pop, shimmy shimmy rock!" that served as a refrain that caught my attention. Then it was the Bruce Springsteen-like vocals and a melody and instrumentation that screamed "Americana." I liked the carefree, summertime feel...

Then I read the lyrics.

Without listening too carefully, you'd think he's reminiscing about the greatest memories from his hometown, kinda like Bryan Adams' "Summer of '69" (but cooler). But if you read the lyrics, you'll see that the happy, breezy tone of the song is total irony. It's about going back to where you grew up (Philly, for these guys), and seeing "broken bottles, broken glass / $5 baggies on the ground" and revisiting "a swing set / where a little girl got shot."



(And yes, that's me - I was the one who uploaded the song onto YouTube! I couldn't find a full-length song to link to, so I made one myself! That's how much I love this song!)

I think I've stumbled into...greatness.

So whoever gave me this mp3, thank you!

music monday: lullabies

After a hectic Friday, a tiring Saturday and a wonderful but busy Sunday, I'm in the mood for a calming lullaby. Here are some of my favorites!

1. "Lullabye (Goodnight, My Angel)," by Billy Joel. This is the song I want to sing to our future child. Beautiful piano, beautiful lyrics, timeless! It's such a gorgeous and meaningful song. "Someday your child may cry and if you sing this lullaby / Then in your heart there will always be a part of me." Tear! :*)



2. "If You Can't Sleep," by She & Him. Zooey Deschanel was taking a risk with this one, and I'm glad she did. Really good vocal arrangement and simple lyrics. It makes you feel like you're sleeping on clouds!



3. "Lullaby," Jack Johnson and Matt Costa. From the very cool Curious George soundtrack. Kinda weird that he's encouraging the child to sing the lullaby to himself. But I love Jack Johnson's harmonies and echoes here.



4. "Farewell and Goodnight," by Smashing Pumpkins. This one might only appeal to Pumpkins fans and is found on their masterpiece Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness. It's the only song I know of that features vocals of most of the former Pumpkins bandmembers. I don't know how soothing Billy Corgan's voice might be to a child... :)



Here's to a sleepy Monday.

music monday: awesome cover songs

I didn't know what a cover song was until college because I was too young to know whether a song was an original or a remake!

I wonder how artists feel when the cover is actually better than the original. Jeffrey Gaines said in an interview that he spoke to Peter Gabriel after he heard the cover of "In Your Eyes." Peter Gabriel loved it so much that he said something like "This is how I intended the song to be. You captured it." How gracious is that??

Anyway, here are some cover songs that I think the original artists should approve of.

"Free Fallin'" originally by Tom Petty, covered by John Mayer

I love how the chorus just soars, even with his falsetto and the changed melody. The breakdown section is also awesome.



"Under Pressure" originally by David Bowie and Queen, covered by The Used/My Chemical Romance

The original version of this song totally rocks, but I like how The Used and My Chemical Romance sped it up a little and made it a little more relevant to the 00s. I also love the "ba-da-dee-da-deh!"s



"In Your Eyes" originally by Peter Gabriel, covered by Jeffrey Gaines

I mentioned this song in a previous post, but I just can't get enough of it. I love what he did with the build-up into the chorus, love his thick voice and the sound of that guitar. Mmmm.



Can you suggest any others?

music monday: "kill" by jimmy eat world

This is one of my favorite songs. The lyrics completely wreck me. Even if I'm in the best mood before I listen to this song, afterward, I might be angry and sad and want to break something and then put it back together again. That might not make you want to listen to the song, but somehow I'm drawn to sad, complex songs like this.

With two verses, three different choruses and a killer bridge, Jimmy had a lot to say here! I love hearing about songs that the artist felt was inside him just dying to get out, and this song seems like one of them.



The entire album (Futures, 2004) is absolutely amazing and I can listen to it from beginning to end without wanting to skip a single track, but this song is definitely my favorite

music monday: top 10

What are your top 10 most played songs on your music player?

I was surprised to see only three artists in my top 10:

1. "The Way I Am," Ingrid Michaelson
2. "'Til I See You," Hillsong United
3. "With Everything," Hillsong United
4. "That's What You Get," Paramore
5. "Hallelujah," Paramore
6. "Tear Down the Walls," Hillsong United
7. "When It Rains," Paramore
8. "Salvation Is Here," Hillsong United
9. "Hosanna," Hillsong United
10. "Saviour King," Hillsong United

Wow. Do I really listen to Paramore and Hillsong that much?

What are your top 10?

music monday: my top 8 first dance wedding songs

With wedding season upon us, I thought it'd be appropriate for me to share some of my favorite contemporary first dance songs:

1. "The Book of Love" by Peter Gabriel. This was our first dance song that we actually heard for the first time on the series finale of Scrubs (also from the movie Shall We Dance). Cyrus really liked the classic feel to this song, especially with all the strings. I loved how it's a super romantic song while still being relatively unknown.



2. "In Your Eyes" by Jeffrey Gaines. I prefer this version over Peter Gabriel's original (what's with me and Peter Gabriel?) because it wasn't until I heard this version that I realized how romantic this song could be. I love the acoustic guitar, the thick, passionate vocals and the way he changes up the melody to sound more contemporary. This was me and Cyrus's last dance. :) Ignore the crowd in this video. The mp3 version isn't live like this.



3. "The Way I Am" by Ingrid Michaelson. I'd never considered this a great first dance song until I saw JY and her husband dance to this at their wedding. C-U-T-E. This is a much more playful song than the others, but it's still romantic and appropriate for the occasion. (Sorry for the hokey video. The official music video doesn't allow embedding.)



4. "On a Night Like This" by Dave Barnes. This is one of my most favorite love songs. It's so simple, and the vocals are awesome. There are tons of versions of this song, and the video below is the original with piano. My favorite version, though, is from the album Serve3: Artists Against Hunger & Poverty because it has a guitar and an extra verse! Check it out if you're interested.



5. "Angel" by Jack Johnson. Here's a pretty sweet song, definitely bride-centric. As is Jack's style, it's very acoustic guitar-y and light on its feet. At two minutes, it's also shorter than most songs.



6. "You Are the Best Thing" by Ray LaMontagne. If you're looking for something with a retro feel and a great, groovy beat, this is the song for you! This is such a fun and romantic song, and I kind of wish that I'd known about this song before our wedding. :)



7. "Let It Be Me" by Ray LaMontagne. This guy is so amazing. This song is a lot more intimate than "You Are the Best Thing." The verses talk about the difficult things in life - rejections, loneliness, hurt - and "that's when you need someone / someone that you can call" and the chorus just repeats sweetly, "Let it be me / Let it be me." Tear! :*)



8. "Sea Breeze" by Tyrone Wells. Another bride-centric song. This would've been our first dance song if we'd missed the Scrubs series finale. We saw Tyrone Wells live at Hotel Cafe, and I fell in love with this song. It's not too slow or fast, and it's easy to sway to. Sweet lyrics, good vocals.



So there it is! My top 8. Do you have any you'd like to add?

** EDIT **

I must add a ninth song: "Thin Air" by Aqualung. This is a gorgeous song about believing in love and stepping out into the unknown. Beautiful, subtle instrumentation and ethereal vocals. It's an absolutely breath-taking song!

music monday: tinted windows

Vocabulary lesson of the day. According to the Miriam-Webster dictionary, a supergroup is "a rock group made up of prominent former members of other rock groups;" also "an extremely successful rock group."

Tinted Windows doesn't qualify for the second definition of a supergroup (...yet?), but definitely the first. Put James Iha from Smashing Pumpkins, Taylor Hanson from Hanson, bassist Adam Schlesinger from Fountains of Wayne (dunno this guy) and Bun E. Carlos from Cheap Trick together, and you get the supergroup that is Tinted Windows.

I first heard about them on NPR with this review and I was intrigued by the reviewer's description of their self-titled album as "a collection of songs that would sound great blasting out of a tinny car radio any time in the past 40 years." And it's true - the songs have a certain Beatles-esque, messy hi-hat retro-ness to them, and a pop-rocky feel that's easy to listen to. I can almost imagine the songs in this album as a soundtrack to a coming-of-age movie that took place in the 70s.

I'm a little ashamed to admit that I really like Taylor Hanson, and that I still listen to "Mmmbop" every so often (is there any other song that's more fun??). His vocals in the album match the simple and playful lyrics and instrumentation perfectly, and it makes you stick out your lower lip a little, raise your eyebrows, nod and say, "Hmm!" (Do it and you'll know exactly what I mean.)



Some notable tracks: "Kind of a Girl" is an upbeat, "I love this girl but she's driving me crazy" kind of song.  "Back With You" has a sweeter, slower, more longing tone to it - one of my favorites. The chorus of "Nothing To Me" is exactly the song that you'd want to scream in the car with your single girlfriends. Great road trip song. I also love the last song, "Take Me Back." It's fun, it's got a slam-dunk chorus, great background vocals and guitar riffs.

So much fun!

Check them out on Amazon and iTunes.

music monday: "magnetic north" by aqualung

This album, released April 20, takes me to another world. The simple instrumentation, the thoughtful lyrics, and the easy, soothing vocals make for the perfect storm. Apparently singer-songwriter Matt Hales (who is Aqualung) moved from Britain to LA, and Fresh Scouts says that "it is clear that the sunny weather has helped him put together a warm and relaxed record that highlights his signature style."

One interesting tidbit about this album is how close it was to not being written He was ready to quit the music business and become a teacher. Rocknrollghost.com says:

But the songs that begat Magnetic North wouldn’t let him do it.  “The songs were like ‘Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, C’mon dad, let’s go, let’s go, let’s go,’ Hales laughs. “I’m still ever so slightly reluctant, but I don’t have any choice. I’m like the guy in the park with 12 giant puppies being pulled along; I didn’t want to come out. Well, I made these puppies so I guess I must have secretly wanted to get out there.”

The album is simple, stripped down, and vulnerable. It's the lyrical prowess of Keane + the beautiful melodies of Snow Patrol + the slightly restrained vocals of Landon Pigg.

The first track that really caught my attention was "Fingertip," a charming and playful song which begins with the most perfect "doot-doots" you ever heard.

Fingertip - Aqualung

"Reel Me In" is the other of two more upbeat, playful songs on the album that has a great, pulsing feel that makes you feel like you're caught in the waves that he's talking about.

Lost - Aqualung

"Lost" and "Thin Air" are my favorite two love songs on the album, one that talks about love lost, and the other love found. I love the hymn-like chord progression in "Lost" that kind of makes his plea like a prayer. "Thin Air" is breathtakingly hopeful and sweet, and the refrain "I believe again" repeating over and over again breaks my heart. You could get completely lost in this song.

Lastly, "California" is a minute and twenty seconds of perfection. The faraway piano and the simple guitar kind of remind me of the soundtrack of one of my favorite movies, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.

California - Aqualung

I'll forgive him for his overuse of the phrase "come undone," and for his poor enunciation that makes it hard to figure out what he's saying. (That's what the iTunes digital booklet is for!)

But overall, this is a fantastic album. My favorite new album in months!

Check out Aqualung on iTunes and Amazon!

music monday: sleeping at last

Happy Music Monday! Cyrus and I are back from New York, and it's time to talk about another great band.

I realize that I've been featuring a lot of female artists, so this week I thought I'd change it up and talk about an all-male band that not a whole lot of people know about: Sleeping At Last. Particularly their 2003 album "Ghosts."

It's hard not to love their indie/alternative sound. Lots of rich electric guitar, good, solid melodies and a lead vocal that really...emotes. Think a Switchfoot's Jon Foreman without the screaming. He's got a lazy way of pronouncing his consonants (...and vowels...) but it only adds to this other-worldliness thing they've got going on.

Listen to this track. I love how the guitars play that simple four-note motif with the lead singer at the beginning of each chorus.

Say - Sleeping At Last

"Currents" is another amazing song with unbelievable lyrics. "In this sea of change / understanding is our shore / I disappear....with no control." Then the chorus just explodes with this desperate cry, "Pull me back to shore." (I couldn't help but think of my a cappella days when I heard this song with its "swimming against a strong current" theme. Our group, Against the Current, were always looking for a "theme" song, and I didn't get to hear this song until I left the group. It would've fit perfectly!)

Other must-listen-to songs on this album: "Night Must End" (oh the drama!) and "Hurry."

Anyway, check out Sleeping At Last! They have several albums out, and they're actually touring right now with their newest album "Storyboards."

Check them out on iTunes and Amazon!

music monday: "fix you" by straight no chaser

Uh-oh, here comes the a cappella! For the first time on Music Monday, I'm showcasing something actually recent! If you know anything about a cappella, you know that Straight No Chaser is probably one of the best a cappella groups ever. They're responsible for the incredibly creative and hilarious 12 Days of Christmas medley.

I was browsing iTunes' new music, and saw that they have a new album out and gave it a listen. I was curious about "Fix You," which I thought would be a really hard song to sing a cappella, especially since not a lot goes on in the first part of the song, and the second part of the song relies so heavily on electric guitars.

But I listened to it, and it is beautiful.

Fix You - Straight No Chaser

What blew my mind was the part when they go into the ending at about 2:25. They totally capture that desperate, aching feeling that the original Coldplay song invokes, and when you listen to the a cappella version on full volume, it will totally wreck you! Everything about this last chorus is genius: the backup vocals sing "I will try" (which is not in the original), and that one Boyz II Men Wanya-like vocal singing way up top. Ohh, it's magical.

Check them out on iTunes, Amazon, and YouTube.

music monday: your first concert

What was the first concert you went to?

When I was in first grade, I had a friend Melissa who had tickets to see Bon Jovi. I had absolutely no idea who he was, but Melissa was cool and I wanted to do something that she thought was cool. So I begged my mom to let me go with Melissa and her mom, but she decided that one inch of snow on the ground was enough of a reason to keep me at home. (One inch of snow on the ground was also the reason why I wasn't able to be in the audience of a TRL taping!) So unfortunately, Bon Jovi was not my first concert.

Fast forward about eight years, and I still didn't really know who Bon Jovi was. :) But my brother was a total 90s rocker and was in love with the Smashing Pumpkins. So he bought four tickets, and let me tag along with him and his friends, even though I only knew a couple of their songs. It was the first time I had ever heard anything so loud.

I never knew what it was like to feel the bass drum in your chest, or to experience the music that I heard on the radio being produced right in front of my eyes by these famous people!

After that, we went to a couple more concerts together, and I began to see just how easy it was to buy tickets to these concerts and see all of these artists perform live! Thus began my very expensive habit of concert-going. More about that later.

What was the first concert you went to?

my idea for a tv show

Please welcome special guest blogger... Cyrus!

Here’s my idea for a TV show. Don’t tell me you could resist the appeal.

Everyone knows about American Idol. There’s the singing, there’s the judging. There’s the crushing of a would-be starlet’s hopes, and the vindication of a diamond in the rough. By most people’s standards, people with singing talent generally win the show.

This, of course, is not true in real life. People become famous singers for all sorts of reasons, many of which have more to do with their marketable images than their ability to stay on-key, while true talents are sidelined by the most random of circumstances.

In music, the great equalizer is that masker of incompetence: Auto-Tune.

It’s the omnipresent safety net for singers today. T-Pain, of course, is the most prominent user. But others have joined in: from the Dixie Chicks, to Maroon 5, to Avril Lavigne. Glee is obviously, obviously full of Auto-Tune.

How do you know if they really have talent? When Auto-Tune the News can be just as in tune as the greatest perfect-pitch singer ever, thanks to the advent of the pitch-correcting software, computer software can stand in the place of real, human talent.

The object of the TV show? To find out whether the accolades and the Grammys bestowed upon some of today’s “talent” are actually deserved.

Multi-platinum artists of the day would compete in a sing-off elimination tournament Idol-style. The prize would be $20 million dollars. Or a giant donation to their favorite charity. Or pick a number high enough to entice them — and post the names of the people who chickened out. The pilot episode of Lost cost $10 million. I think a season of this show would be worth enough to offer a significant prize, plus a significant bonus to the artists just for having the testicular fortitude to show up.

The twists?

No Auto-Tune. None. No production, no backup dancers, no fireworks. Just a voice on a stage. Let the Grammy winners be judged on the grounds they should be: their voices.

Judges. I could envision three possibilities: 1. You could keep the Idol judges. 2. Bring in ordinary people, with TV-size personalities, to critique these singers’ abilities. 3. Bring in real classically trained voice instructors who, by virtue of their occupation in the classical music world, are unfamiliar with the famous singers.

Songs. If you can really sing, you should be able to sing anything. Rihanna, for example, would have to sing something that has more than a 6-note range. Chad Kroeger must sing anything other than a rock ballad.

Trust me. It’d be awesome. Some would go home in shame. But who knows – maybe T-Pain is a fantastic singer underneath all of that Auto-Tune! You would want to know, though, and that’s why America would tune in every week.

Isn’t there someone you’d want to put on the show?

music monday: a fine frenzy, "one cell in the sea"

Alison Sudol is one of the few poet songwriters left in the pop genre. When the Rihannas and Ke$has (don't get me started) fade away, there will be Alison Sudol. And check out her cool red hair!

Actually, I don't know how much life she has left with her band, A Fine Frenzy. She doesn't necessarily have a timeless sound, but her two albums have gotten great reviews. I love how not all of her songs are about ex-boyfriends and going out to party tonight.

Take "The Minnow and the Trout" for example. This song is about a young, naive minnow offering to help a trout feel young again, and an eagle asking a dove for help. Not what you'd expect but "Please, I know that we're different / We were one cell in the sea in the beginning / And what we're made of was all the same once / We're not that different after all." Good stuff, huh? Other songs I love are "Come On, Come Out," "You Picked Me," "Rangers," "Lifesize" and "Almost Lover" (okay, this one is about an ex-boyfriend~).

And let's talk about the sound. It's kind of like a girl-version of Keane (whose debut album is one of my favorites!). Heavy on the keyboards with very melodic themes and and easy-to-swallow melodies. She doesn't show a lot of vocal range, which only means that it's really easy to sing along to. :)

She has a newer album out, "Bomb in a Birdcage," but I haven't listened to it yet. But check out "One Cell in the Sea" and let me know what you think!

Official website
Listen to samples and buy the MP3 album on Amazon for $4.99!

music monday: she & him, "volume two"

I want to be Zooey Deschanel! She's strangely beautiful, she can act, she can write songs, she can sing, and she's just...interesting! She completely breaks the mold for what one reviewer called the "actor-turned-singer-turned-punchline" phenomenon.

Zooey Deschanel (she) and M. Ward (him) released their second album last week, and it's a step above their first album. Whatever the first album gave us, the second album gives us more. Imagine the kind of music you might hear playing in the background in a movie where Zooey is wearing a frilly dress on a sunny day, sitting in the passenger seat of a car with her feet out the window on a long road trip. That's the kind of music this is!

I especially like "Don't Look Back," "Thieves" and the ethereal lullabye "If You Can't Sleep."

I think these guys describe the album much better:

"The duo's impeccably assembled retro pop is unmistakably regional, with puckish hooks and reverb-heavy production that recall California dreamers like the Mamas and the Papas...It's the sunniest sad record you'll hear all year."
- Rolling Stone 

"[Ward] dresses her songs in deceptively simple SoCal folk rock, dusty cowboy-trail country music, and crisp Brill Building pop."
- Pitchfork

Check them out!

MySpace
Buy the MP3 album for $7.99 on Amazon

american idol judges

The top five most annoying criticisms of American Idol judges this season:

1. It was kinda pitchy.
2. It was really pitchy.
3. That song didn't have a "wow" moment.
4. I didn't feel like you "owned" the song.
5. It wasn't believable.

I wonder how much they get paid to say the same vague things over and over again...

By the way, I voted for Crystal Bowersox and Siobhan Magnus on Tuesday. Who do you love?

music monday: melody gardot

I can't remember how I discovered Melody Gardot (acoustic/indie/blues), but I think I was drawn to her album cover when she was featured in the iTunes store. You see her wearing a black trench coat looking very smart but kinda sad, with huge, blonde Tami Taylor curls going all the way down to her belt and, of course, those black-rimmed glasses. I knew she'd have something interesting to say. So I sampled some of the tracks, read through some lyrics and glanced quickly at a Wikipedia bio, and saw that this girl is interesting!

She was born in 1985 and became the artist she is because of music therapy. She was hit by a car in 2003 and had to relearn how to walk and brush her teeth, and even communication became difficult. But through music therapy, not only did she get better, but in the midst of her rehabilitation, recorded some songs that eventually ended up on some of her albums!

Pretty amazing story. Pretty amazing album!

And check out this glowing review from Billboard:

The distinctive talent that Melody Gardot displays on her remarkable sophomore jazz/pop outing, "My One and Only Thrill," is a rarity. Her hushed, velvet-smooth vocals evoke a noir yearning and forlornness, her slow-burn delivery enraptures with a torch sentimentality, and her support team shines: her simpatico touring band, arranger Vince Mendoza's organic orchestration on some of the tunes and producer Larry Klein's knack for enticing heartfelt soul from a singer. But foremost is Gardot's songsmithery that ranges from bossa-tinged to low-lights balladry. Highlights include the lushly skipping opener "Baby I'm a Fool," the finger-snapping jazzy blues "Who Will Comfort Me," the gently swinging chanson "Les Etoiles" and the softly stormy "The Rain." Her only cover is a dangerous choice: "Over the Rainbow." But Gardot completely re-envisions it with a Latin tinge. —Dan Ouellette

So check her out already! :)

Amazon
iTunes
MySpace

music monday: favorite albums

New idea! I really want to write about some of the music I've been listening to, and artists that I think more people should know about, but unless I limit these kinds of posts to, say, once a week, it might get a little monotonous.

And what better day for these music posts than New Music Monday, when new music comes out!

I couldn't decide on just one artist to uncover this week, so I thought it might be fun to list some of my favorite albums. I had to narrow down my criteria for "favorite" because there are just so many! So these albums are albums that I think can be listened to from start to finish without wanting to skip a single track. I also decided not to include holiday albums just because...it's nowhere near Christmas. Unfortunately. Lastly, I decided not to include albums that seem kinda dated, which took Boyz II Men's "II" off the list. Yes, they're great and wonderful, but some of those songs ("Thank You") sound very early 90's.

So I was left with a very even 11 albums, in alphabetical order.

Dashboard Confessional, "A Mark, a Mission, a Brand, a Scar"
I know some people hate this guy's voice, but I fell in love with this album in college and screamed them on long trips in Hsiehdy's car! "As Lovers Go" and "Hands Down" are some of my favorites.

Death Cab for Cutie, "Plans"
About 15 seconds after Jenny played the first track of this album, "Marching Bands of Manhattan" to me in the car one day, I knew I was going to be a fan of DCFC. You don't see a lot of lyrics that are poetic and subtle as Ben Gibbard's anymore these days. I also love the tracks "What Sarah Said," "Summer Skin." Did I mention that these guys are crazy awesome live??

Jack Johnson, "Sing-a-Longs and Lullabies for the Film Curious George"
I was a little surprised at this, too, but this album is so much fun! "Upside Down," and "Broken" are some of my favorite tracks.


Jimmy Eat World, "Futures"
I'm sure you guys probably like other albums better, but this one is my favorite! "Kill" is my absolute favorite track from this album. So complex! Such yearning! "Polaris," "23" and "Futures" are also fantastic. These guys are also phenomenal live.

John Mayer, "Room for Squares"
I hate myself for liking John Mayer. A lot of names come to mind when I think of all the stupid things he's done and said, but I have to admit, his music, especially his debut album is awesome. My favorite tracks: "Back to You," "St. Patrick's Day" and "Why Georgia."

Keane, "Hopes and Fears"
This album is a little more obscure than the others, but I love it! Every track! I can't believe they can make such different-sounding songs with a keyboard, bass and vocal. Pretty amazing. I love "Somewhere Only We Know," "Everybody's Changing" and "Bedshaped."

Lauryn Hill, "The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill"
Do I even need to describe this album? ... ""Ex-Factor," "To Zion," and "Sweetest Thing" wreck me.

Rachael Yamagata, "Happenstance"
What an artist! Rachael has such a unique style. I love her smoky voice and how she paints such vivid emotional pictures with her lyrics! Also fantastic live. "Letter Read," "1963," "Meet Me By the Water," "I Want You," and "Reason Why" are my favorites.


Sarah McLachlan, "Mirrorball"
You might see Sarah as the queen of soft rock, but this live album is absolute perfection. Even weirder songs like "Fear" sound amazing. I love "Vox" and "I Love You."

Switchfoot, "The Beautiful Letdown"
Maybe it's the fact that I saw these guys live so many times... but this album's anthems and songs of longing and yearning reach something deep inside, you know?? "Dare You to Move," "On Fire" and "More Than Fine" are my faves.


U2, "The Joshua Tree"
No description needed. Best album ever. "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" is my favorite song ever. Other greats on this album are, "With or Without You," "Where the Streets Have No Name."