Meet Natasha Khan, aka Bat for Lashes. I watched her 48-minute documentary this afternoon, and she is pretty much the bees knees. You can watch a documentary of the making of her 2009 album Two Suns for free on Pitchfork for *one week only*, so click here to watch it before it's gone!
Here's the video for "Pearl's Dream", which will undoubtedly be in my top songs of 2009 list (if the vid below doesn't play click here to go to you tube).
Back to work on the Halloween costumes! I swear, I've had more injuries from making these costumes than 4 years of field hockey (sans broken nose). I have poked myself with many a needle while sewing, gotten numerous papercuts while putting together BK's Eagle Lord headpiece, and burned myself with countless globs of hot glue (hotter than hell's hot tub ya'll). I will need a mini-vacay after these masterpieces are complete - good thing yet another bogus federal holiday is coming up in November!
Hope you enjoyed the Bat for Lashes video. Natasha Khan is my second-favorite saucy indie chick (next to Emily Haines).
Have a spook-tacular Halloween! Sorry, had to say it...
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Monday, October 26, 2009
A weekend in movies...
Rawr!
This weekend I saw two incredible movies. The first: Where the Wild Things Are. The majority of people I've talked to that have seen it did not like it. I became very discouraged last week as more and more people were telling me that it sucked. Then I talked to a friend of mine, and she told me: "The people who hate this movie do not enjoy art and music in the same way that we do." This gave me hope (thanks Lori!), and I can confirm that after seeing it Saturday afternoon, it is most definitely one of my top 5 all-time favorite movies. Indeed, WtWTA is now amongst the ranks of Goonies, The Princess Bride, Wit, and Mary Poppins. For those who say the movie is "dark"... "depressing"... "not for kids"... "scary", I have one question: have you read the book? It was dark, scary, and depressing in 1988... and that was ok back then. Why are (some) parents so quick to sugar-coat everything nowadays? I think if I had a child I'd read the book to them when they were small and let their imagination run "wild" with it, and give the movie to them when they were much older. I found the movie extremely touching and Karen O & the Kids' soundtrack is incredible. Here's a link to the single "All is Love." I've also become very fond of Karen O's rendition of Daniel Johnston's "Worried Shoes," as it is a wonderful fit for the movie/soundtrack. I'm just proud that I only cried (hard) once during the film...
Ég elska þig Sigur Ros
A slightly angry colon kept me in the house Saturday night, so Brad and I watched the Sigur Ros documentary Heima(translation: "Home") I Netflix'd a while back. The band played a series of free, unannounced shows throughout Iceland and filmed segments of beautiful scenery set to their music. Well, I only wish it had made it to the top of my queue sooner, because it was amazing. Here's a clip:
I strongly suggest you watch this. It left me with a desire to surround myself with nature and art and music, and even more, to go to Iceland. Unfortunately tickets to Iceland are $1200, so at this point in my life I may have to settle for a bangin' wool sweater made there...
Well, I hope you all had a great weekend. Being that it's 2:45am and I have to be at work by 8:30, I am going to attempt to sleep again. My body is all out of whack after the weekend (I just couldn't sleep until I wrote this blog), so I predict fatigue throughout the day tomorrow. I will be sleepily listening to Sigur Ros, dreaming of the black sand beaches of Iceland.
Goodnight friends!
This weekend I saw two incredible movies. The first: Where the Wild Things Are. The majority of people I've talked to that have seen it did not like it. I became very discouraged last week as more and more people were telling me that it sucked. Then I talked to a friend of mine, and she told me: "The people who hate this movie do not enjoy art and music in the same way that we do." This gave me hope (thanks Lori!), and I can confirm that after seeing it Saturday afternoon, it is most definitely one of my top 5 all-time favorite movies. Indeed, WtWTA is now amongst the ranks of Goonies, The Princess Bride, Wit, and Mary Poppins. For those who say the movie is "dark"... "depressing"... "not for kids"... "scary", I have one question: have you read the book? It was dark, scary, and depressing in 1988... and that was ok back then. Why are (some) parents so quick to sugar-coat everything nowadays? I think if I had a child I'd read the book to them when they were small and let their imagination run "wild" with it, and give the movie to them when they were much older. I found the movie extremely touching and Karen O & the Kids' soundtrack is incredible. Here's a link to the single "All is Love." I've also become very fond of Karen O's rendition of Daniel Johnston's "Worried Shoes," as it is a wonderful fit for the movie/soundtrack. I'm just proud that I only cried (hard) once during the film...
Ég elska þig Sigur Ros
A slightly angry colon kept me in the house Saturday night, so Brad and I watched the Sigur Ros documentary Heima(translation: "Home") I Netflix'd a while back. The band played a series of free, unannounced shows throughout Iceland and filmed segments of beautiful scenery set to their music. Well, I only wish it had made it to the top of my queue sooner, because it was amazing. Here's a clip:
I strongly suggest you watch this. It left me with a desire to surround myself with nature and art and music, and even more, to go to Iceland. Unfortunately tickets to Iceland are $1200, so at this point in my life I may have to settle for a bangin' wool sweater made there...
Well, I hope you all had a great weekend. Being that it's 2:45am and I have to be at work by 8:30, I am going to attempt to sleep again. My body is all out of whack after the weekend (I just couldn't sleep until I wrote this blog), so I predict fatigue throughout the day tomorrow. I will be sleepily listening to Sigur Ros, dreaming of the black sand beaches of Iceland.
Goodnight friends!
Monday, October 19, 2009
instead of Hank Williams Jr...
I've never seen anything like this video. The music is beautiful. If only the NFL played neo-classical during MNF games...
Ólafur Arnalds - Ljósið (Official Music Video) from Erased Tapes on Vimeo.
Friday, October 16, 2009
a little something to warm up your weekend...
Hello!
To combat the rainy, barely 50-degree weekend we're looking forward to, I thought I'd post a link to download a free track from The Very Best's Warm Heart of Africa. Listening to this is sure to keep you nice and toasty this weekend. Or you can buy a Snuggie. It's your call. Click here for the free download.
xoxo,
~Amber
To combat the rainy, barely 50-degree weekend we're looking forward to, I thought I'd post a link to download a free track from The Very Best's Warm Heart of Africa. Listening to this is sure to keep you nice and toasty this weekend. Or you can buy a Snuggie. It's your call. Click here for the free download.
xoxo,
~Amber
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Grizzly Bear and Beach House
So I saw Grizzly Bear and Beach House at the Norva last night. Here are some highlights, and a couple of fuzzy photos taken on my Blackberry (crackberry?). I was hoping to have some great video/sound footage to share but BK's camera died 2 pictures into the show...
First, Beach House was amazing. Seriously. Victoria Legrand's voice is just as poweful and pretty live as it is on the albums. The new Beach House record will be out early 2010 on Sub Pop. Want to know how I knows this? I bought their album Devotion on vinyl for Brad last night, and was lucky enough to get Victoria to autograph it later in the evening. She was super cool and "saucy" and informed us of their upcoming album. They played a few songs from it last night and they were really really good. Really. Here's a blurry photo of their set - if you want more click here or check out the video below.
Grizzly Bear started soon after the Beach House set, and I totally called it that they would open with "Southern Point" from their 2009 album Veckatimest. It was a great song to start off with in my opinion - the build up to the chorus got everyone in the audience amped. I have to say that I have somewhat of a crush on Ed Droste. His voice on "Two Weeks" is amazing, live AND on the album. They brought Victoria Legrand (from Beach House, see above) back out to sing background vocals on "Two Weeks" as she does on the album, and they also played the upcoming single "Slow Life" from the Twilight: New Moon soundtrack. Here is a low-quality photo from last night's show!
Need more Grizzly Bear?(as you most certainly should) Click here and check out the video below for "Two Weeks", which could also be a public service announcement warning children about the improper use of sparklers on the 4th of July...
I'm currently torn on which Grizzly Bear track will make my top 100 of 2009 list, as there are three that I love equally but for different reasons. Hope you check out both Beach House and Grizzly Bear, as they are amazingly talented bands.
Camera Obscura is coming next month to Norfolk and I won't be missing them, as their 2009 album My Maudlin Career has rarely left my ghetto, 6-disc-in-the-trunk-CD-player.
Hope you all have a wonderful day!
First, Beach House was amazing. Seriously. Victoria Legrand's voice is just as poweful and pretty live as it is on the albums. The new Beach House record will be out early 2010 on Sub Pop. Want to know how I knows this? I bought their album Devotion on vinyl for Brad last night, and was lucky enough to get Victoria to autograph it later in the evening. She was super cool and "saucy" and informed us of their upcoming album. They played a few songs from it last night and they were really really good. Really. Here's a blurry photo of their set - if you want more click here or check out the video below.
Grizzly Bear started soon after the Beach House set, and I totally called it that they would open with "Southern Point" from their 2009 album Veckatimest. It was a great song to start off with in my opinion - the build up to the chorus got everyone in the audience amped. I have to say that I have somewhat of a crush on Ed Droste. His voice on "Two Weeks" is amazing, live AND on the album. They brought Victoria Legrand (from Beach House, see above) back out to sing background vocals on "Two Weeks" as she does on the album, and they also played the upcoming single "Slow Life" from the Twilight: New Moon soundtrack. Here is a low-quality photo from last night's show!
Need more Grizzly Bear?(as you most certainly should) Click here and check out the video below for "Two Weeks", which could also be a public service announcement warning children about the improper use of sparklers on the 4th of July...
I'm currently torn on which Grizzly Bear track will make my top 100 of 2009 list, as there are three that I love equally but for different reasons. Hope you check out both Beach House and Grizzly Bear, as they are amazingly talented bands.
Camera Obscura is coming next month to Norfolk and I won't be missing them, as their 2009 album My Maudlin Career has rarely left my ghetto, 6-disc-in-the-trunk-CD-player.
Hope you all have a wonderful day!
Monday, October 5, 2009
Hello Again!
Sorry for the absent summer- a lot of work and a little traveling have hindered my blogging abilities. I am working on some upcoming blog topics, but wanted to post an amazing video of one of my new favorite bands: Dirty Projectors. The ladies of the group make this special for me, as they harmonize like nothing I've ever heard before (consider them 2009's Fleet Foxes or SVIIB). Thanks to BK for sharing this vid - I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
Don't believe all of those sounds are coming from them and not keyboards? Go to the article and check out the second video of them performing the same song in the dressing room.
I'm working on my top songs of 2009 right now, and thus far I've got 60 songs on the way to 100. I'll be sharing some of the new (and not so new) music I'm discovering along the way. Check out some of the websites I've listed to the left if you want to explore some new music and other neat things.
Looking forward to a mini-camping trip this weekend, and I hope to blog again soon, as long the Wii doesn't take over my life (which is very possible considering Super Mario Galaxy is the coolest game... in the galaxy).
Have a great week blog friends!
Don't believe all of those sounds are coming from them and not keyboards? Go to the article and check out the second video of them performing the same song in the dressing room.
I'm working on my top songs of 2009 right now, and thus far I've got 60 songs on the way to 100. I'll be sharing some of the new (and not so new) music I'm discovering along the way. Check out some of the websites I've listed to the left if you want to explore some new music and other neat things.
Looking forward to a mini-camping trip this weekend, and I hope to blog again soon, as long the Wii doesn't take over my life (which is very possible considering Super Mario Galaxy is the coolest game... in the galaxy).
Have a great week blog friends!
Thursday, July 9, 2009
July Update
Hello! I have finished ALL my work today, so I'm going to spend the last few minutes of my workday writing a short update on all things Amber-related.
First, I PASSED the PHR exam last Monday! I really doubted I'd pass it, especially with a 60% pass rate. All the studying I did in the last couple of months must have helped, although I admit I could've been more prepared. I just have to wait for the official results in the mail. Hopefully a computer hacker didn't play a cruel joke on me by putting up a "PASSED!" screen at Prometric.
Second, I was finally assigned a little sister through Big Brothers Big Sisters. Amijah and I have had two outings, and have had a great time getting to know each other. She is 6 years old, very smart, and has endless amounts of energy. I love her already, and am excited to spend more time with her.
Third, I went on a small business trip to Beaufort, SC last week. It's about an hour south of Charleston and an hour north of Savannah. My dad went with me to keep me company on the 7+ hour drive down, and we had a great time. It's hard not to with all expenses paid. We went to a decent seafood restaurant with an incredible view:
On our second day there we went to the small downtown waterfront with probably a hundred unique stores with everything from monkey soaps to sweet modern art:
(the photo does not do this piece justice)
On the way back from SC we stopped (I mean, took a 3 hour detour) by my great-aunt Hazel's house in coastal NC. There is no place for me like Aunt Hazel's house. I have great memories of spending time there as a child, so I love to be there. I let my dad read an old favorite book of mine, "The Story of Little Black Mingo", which I look at every time I go there. It's so wrong to cherish this book, but it amazes me to think of a time when these types of books were standards in many homes. In defense of the story, Little Black Mingo, messed up stereotypes aside, kicks some major ass at the end of the book, and I think I mostly enjoyed the blown up crocodile at the end. :)
Kickball: After 3 games, Rainbows and Lollipops is undefeated thus far in the season. We'll see how far we can get!
That's all for now, thought I'd leave you with some of my most recent camera phone pics.
Here's one of my doggie. I try not to gush over her but I think she's pretty much the best dog ever:
Here's Brad sniffing melons at the grocery store:
And the grand finale! I saw this total douchebag riding his motorcycle a while back... His license plate says "GTN LD" Seriously??? I think anyone who needs to put that on his license plate is probably NOT getting laid. That's really all I can say about it. I was pretty grossed out, thus risked a minor traffic accident to get a photo of him.
First, I PASSED the PHR exam last Monday! I really doubted I'd pass it, especially with a 60% pass rate. All the studying I did in the last couple of months must have helped, although I admit I could've been more prepared. I just have to wait for the official results in the mail. Hopefully a computer hacker didn't play a cruel joke on me by putting up a "PASSED!" screen at Prometric.
Second, I was finally assigned a little sister through Big Brothers Big Sisters. Amijah and I have had two outings, and have had a great time getting to know each other. She is 6 years old, very smart, and has endless amounts of energy. I love her already, and am excited to spend more time with her.
Third, I went on a small business trip to Beaufort, SC last week. It's about an hour south of Charleston and an hour north of Savannah. My dad went with me to keep me company on the 7+ hour drive down, and we had a great time. It's hard not to with all expenses paid. We went to a decent seafood restaurant with an incredible view:
On our second day there we went to the small downtown waterfront with probably a hundred unique stores with everything from monkey soaps to sweet modern art:
(the photo does not do this piece justice)
On the way back from SC we stopped (I mean, took a 3 hour detour) by my great-aunt Hazel's house in coastal NC. There is no place for me like Aunt Hazel's house. I have great memories of spending time there as a child, so I love to be there. I let my dad read an old favorite book of mine, "The Story of Little Black Mingo", which I look at every time I go there. It's so wrong to cherish this book, but it amazes me to think of a time when these types of books were standards in many homes. In defense of the story, Little Black Mingo, messed up stereotypes aside, kicks some major ass at the end of the book, and I think I mostly enjoyed the blown up crocodile at the end. :)
Kickball: After 3 games, Rainbows and Lollipops is undefeated thus far in the season. We'll see how far we can get!
That's all for now, thought I'd leave you with some of my most recent camera phone pics.
Here's one of my doggie. I try not to gush over her but I think she's pretty much the best dog ever:
Here's Brad sniffing melons at the grocery store:
And the grand finale! I saw this total douchebag riding his motorcycle a while back... His license plate says "GTN LD" Seriously??? I think anyone who needs to put that on his license plate is probably NOT getting laid. That's really all I can say about it. I was pretty grossed out, thus risked a minor traffic accident to get a photo of him.
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