Manic Pop

It's been a while since I've done a music post - mostly because I rarely find things I absolutely love anymore. Recently I came across a band called The Resonars - though it seems I'm a little late in finding them (how about 7 years too late?) Either way, their music is fantastic. I'm a huge fan of finding music that sounds like it's from another era, and the Resonars sound like they could fit right amongst classics like The Byrds or The Kinks. This song is absolutely killer: That Resonars song actually sort of reminds me of this older song.... which is written by a former member of The Cowsills. More Resonars: This one actually reminds me of the bittersweet end of a relationship, something I wasn't prepared for. Another retro/psych-ish song I've been obsessed with - this band is really blowing up: And an older find, but still a great representation of newer psych stuff: I'll be back with a new dress soon from a Burda pattern, but ...

It's been a long time since I've done a music post. I'm sure I mentioned that I'm not typically into lots of stuff around now, though I did get pretty into chillwave a couple years back and there are some really great 60s-reminiscent psychedelic bands out there now ( Tame Impala , Temples ). But what I really want to talk about is my current favorite genre (and has been on and off for quite some time) -- Power Pop. From many, I get the eyeroll about mentioning I like power pop as people conjure up sounds in their head that can only be compared to "soft rock" and/or "dad rock". That's too bad though because there's a lot of good stuff their missing out on. Others incorrectly think that "power pop" means large pop acts like Britney Spears or Lady Gaga, but they are sorely mistaken with that notion. So what's considered "power pop"? Power pop is a musical genre that largely draws its inspiration from 60s (surprise!)...

I don't think I ever formally explained Manic Pop's namesake here on the blog.  I suppose it's not absolutely necessary but it's also interesting background/lore. Way back when Pandora was relatively new back in 2005/06 I plugged in my favorite band, Sloan and got a whole slew of bands with great music that I had never heard before and I was someone who was quite used to digging for the "gems". I fell in love with a song called "It's a Good Thing" by That Petrol Emotion, on an album titled Manic Pop Thrill. That album became so elusive to me. I had been wanting it, wanting it, but any time I came across it on Amazon it was $30. Granted, it was an import and yes, imports can be expensive but I just didn't have the money. I'd discuss the name with my boyfriend at the time about exactly what a "manic pop thrill" meant. We arrived at the interpretation that when you hear an awesome new song that you completely an...

I don't do many music posts anymore, but when I do you'd better listen up! Slight background: My more or less apathy toward music these days can be attributed to me being a music consumer since I was... ok, born but I seriously got into contemporary music ("modern rock") when I was 8 years old and begged my dad to buy Weezer's blue album because I was obsessed with Buddy Holly . I also liked Alanis Morrisette, Smashing Pumpkins, Soundgarden, and Stone Temple Pilots but that's beside the point. My dad was a huge influence seeing as how he was (and sometimes is) in bands, mostly progressive rock/metal in nature but my favorite album as a kid was the Beatles Past Masters album, volume 2 with "The Ballad of John and Yoko"on it, not the one with "She Loves You" on it. Help! was one of my first favorite movies because it was so colorful and odd. Over the years I have progressed away from "modern rock" and more so back to the ...

Been a long time since I did a music post.... These days so many oldies radio stations are going under (who listens to anything from the 50s and 60s anymore? Besides me, anyway.) There was an awesome one on the internet I frequently tuned into called Technicolor Web of Sound - retro commercials and everything! - but unfortunately they went under too January 2012. These days, I find it hard to find a TON of good 60s music picks - and not just the stuff everyone knows. So here are a few of my favorites recently -one of them was discovered at Chipotle! And if you're into The Zombies, check out contemporary Australian band, Crayon Fields.

Although My Bloody Valentine my be considered the ultimate shoegaze band (who are technically a pre-cursor to the actual label), there are a few other droning guitar-laden bands that can fit into the genre that is mostly a mix of 60s psych and garage rock. For those of you unfamiliar with shoegaze, Wikipedia defines it exactly as this:  "Common musical elements of shoegaze consist of distortion, droning riffs and a "wall of sound" from noisy guitars. Typically, two distorted rhythm guitars are played together to give an amorphous quality to the sound. Although lead guitar riffs were often present, they were not the central focus of most shoegaze songs." Enough of the history lesson - here are some all-time favorites of mine. The first two are essentially classic shoegaze and the second two are shoegaze-y enough to be considered as such due to influences and usage of distorted guitar effects. While Junior Panthers isn't technically considered ...

A friend recently got me in to listening to Flying Lotus radio on Pandora and Flying Lotus was his top pick as music he loves to work to. The beats are steady, usually electronic/synthesizer based, and dreamy. Many people cite his biggest influence as J. Dilla as does one of my current favorite artists, Toro Y Moi. Fans of his album Causers of This released in 2009 will likely dig Flying Lotus's 2010 release, Cosmogramma which is a mix of synthy-beats and jazzy electronic instrumentals with blips of video game sounds. This is quite conducive to a productive creative work flow. It's been making me want to stay up in the sewing room! These following photos are paintings (which I love!) done by said friend - Chicago artist, Ennis Martin... likely listening to Flying Lotus?  Painting copyright of Ennis Martin. Painting copyright of Ennis Martin. I generally work to lots of things; Pandora stations, my own last.fm mix, but one I always seem to come back to is ...

I usually make a mix CD every year just for the hell of it - sometimes it will be smack-dab in the middle of the year, sometimes it will be appropriately at the end, but most of the time it serves as a time capsule for the frame of mind I'm in and a means to "visit" that year again, should I so choose. (Cornball, I know but hey!) I started them in 2003 (my junior year of high school going into my senior year) and continued up to 2006 but somehow forgot about '07, '08, and '09. I always feel like 2005 and 2006 were awesome years for music and I suppose after that, there wasn't anything exciting enough going on that was noteworthy enough for a mix CD.(There probably actually was, but I was unenthusiastic at the time.) My mix CDs are all about telling a story, in a way, of the year. Some songs are attached with specific events, some are a new artist I was excited about, some are songs that came out that calendar year... a true mix CD. This past year was...

Ok, I think I'm re-obsessed with Junior Senior. Perfect time to get super-into them again as the Winter Blues start kicking in. They're the perfect blend of rainbows, retro-sounding pop, quirkiness, psychedelia, and overall they're just tons of fun. If you're not a fan of them by now, these next videos surely will convert you. Musical caffeine of sorts. Basically, if I had to be personified into a band, this is it! I'm still not over their breakup in 2008, clearly.

Rhode Island is one of my favorite bands that no one has ever heard of (especially in the United States), but I think they definitely deserve some more recognition. I've written about two EPs of theirs (that roughly go together in my mind) in the past because I was so moved by it. View that post here: Rhode Island - The Third Person/Internecine I first heard this band in the early months of 2006 when they were featured on a BBC Radio 1 podcast featuring best new unknown artists. It was one of those instantaneous loves for me, listening to their song called "Big Two-Hearted River" on the train to work one morning. Rhode Island takes their name from the early incarnation of Belle & Sebastian, who are rumored to have called the band as an early project "Rhode Island". Unfortunately, this is a nearly un-Google-able band name which maybe be why this particular Rhode Island has been obscured from more recognition. Perhaps they'd like to keep it that way....

From time to time, I like to think about eras of music in my own life. This is one of the primary reasons I make mix CDs - a time capsule of that period of my life to save for the future to later revisit. Music instantly sends me back to a time period which is probably why I have been music obsessed all of my life. It has a way of transporting you, which I'm drawn to. Recently, I was thinking about the music I was listening to/getting into when I was in college, at an art school in Chicago. Much of the music and the imagery in the music videos fueled my artistic aesthetic and are largely responsible for my creation process at the time. It's nice to go back to these after about 6 years now because it helps be remember what I was like, what inspired me, and how it now re-inspires me. I first saw this video on local Chicago's JBTV and was hooked instantly. I loved the video, the retro-sound, the slight Motown feel yet so of-the-moment. I went straight onto Amazon and bought th...