Easy – Joanna Newsom

And now for something completely different. You might find it hard to believe I even have music like this in my collection! The Weakerthans are pretty cool really, I need to listen to more of their stuff. This song actually makes me think it might sound like Greenday or something? But I avoid listening to that kind of thing as much as possible, and to avoid another Coldplay/Nickelback type moment when I am comparing music to something I don’t actually know. You might ask why I listen to this when I think it sounds kind of like Greenday? Well it actually has good lyrics, and I like his voice, and their stuff is actually reasonably varied.

Aside – The Weakerthans

My obsession of the past month or so: Gigi. Canadian collective that makes very sort of sixties twee pop. Lots of trumpets and female vocals, with some jazzy elements. How cool is the name Gigi?

The Hundredth Time – Gigi (w Duffy Driediger & Ryan Peters)

The Town Geologist

For some reason I can’t embed it on my blog, but it’s funny, and short.

This was a slide from one of my geophysics lectures this week. Well done Mark, did you really think “Wow, this explains finite velocity motions. These uni students are so mature they won’t want to giggle their faces off at SEX; and they certainly won’t proceed to have sex themed day dreams”.

I know I definitely didn’t do either of those things…

It’s just not fair! Sometimes I feel like ‘arts’ doesn’t even have the right to be called a degree… (no disrespect, but seriously, the discrepancy is insane).

Heron Island was awesome, obviously. Now I actually feel like I have a “right” to call myself a palaeontologist. I’ve felt it a long time with geologist, but now my palaeo knowledge is actually at a level where I don’t feel like I am lying.

On my fieldtrip we had a ‘guest’ lecturer (he goes with them every year) – he’s a palaeontologist from Canada. During the boozy, hazy last night of fieldwork I was talking to him about my palaeoanthropology intentions (he teaches some palaeoanth.) and he told me something I have never heard before (and actually, why would I have, I have never met anyone who actually knows anything about palaeoanth. from a science background). Apparently it’s extremely hard to get into, in his words “it’s cutthroat, and it’s nasty and you have to be the best of the best”.

I guess that’s pretty discouraging, but I sort of don’t care. It would be dumb to not even try. In some ways it’s made me more motivated to do better overall, just for the chance.

Atatürkiye (2007 English Nutuk Trance Mix) – The Vatan Music Project

On our tour of Turkey there was an awful lot of driving around the countryside. The driving was actually one of the most amazing parts of it. It involved huge amounts of beautiful countryside (both natural and built), bus napping, many many ruins and listening to our tour guide. At some point he played us this mixed cd of Turkish pop music – a lot of it was terrible, I slept through a fair bit of it… but woke up during this song and just… loved it (I have this thing for Turkish nationalism).

He was shocked when I asked for this song (he said he thought we were all asleep), but got very excited and burnt EVERYONE in the group a 17 track mixed cd. So here is a pop song, about Ataturk’s life.

http://www.mediafire.com/?nteodztmijk

Dog Days Are Over – Florence + The Machine

This song was the bane of my existence all through Turkey and Egypt. I could only shift it to sing other Florence songs. I fucking love it though.

http://www.mediafire.com/?mj4mmwkyydd

Loop Duplicate My Heart  & A Couple Of Instruments – Suburban Kids With Biblical Names

“I’ve found a reason for going out tonight/ I’m making out tonight…. with my computer!”

Enough said.

http://www.mediafire.com/?gtjwdjmij5h

http://www.mediafire.com/?yzkjdtgdz1d

Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up) – Florence + The Machine

At any second where Dog Days lulled, this came along. It was only about half way through our time in Egypt – at a rare moment where I had the computer – that I realized the song was referencing King Midas. I bounced out of the bathroom to tell Ingrid – she wasn’t as excited as I was. But we saw the presumed tomb and it’s contents of King Midas. (Reading since I’ve come home suggests that this is not entirely a sound hypothesis, but at the time I couldn’t get over how cool it was that I’d been singing that song for a few weeks, and a) not realized what it was about b) been in his homeland and c) been to see the supposed contents of his tomb.)

http://www.mediafire.com/?dnqvhdmxvyx

Movement IV: Traffic Shock – Sufjan Stevens

The existence of this album (The BQE) made me more excited than I’ve ever been before about traveling on a bridge. To be honest, I’m not quite sure what Sufjan sees in that bridge. But the whole album provides a good soundtrack and creates a lovely atmosphere for generally driving (or being a passenger while) around Manhattan, as in – not in Manhattan but the view from the nearby shores at dusk, with all the traffic around and lights and skyline of Manhattan twinkling.

http://www.mediafire.com/?omjljn0wcly

Noodles – Suburban Kids With Biblical Names

I love the way he says “karaoke”. This doesn’t have much to do with traveling really, just that I started listening to them over there… and I love how quirky they are.

http://www.mediafire.com/?n2mu1hmmme2

Snowy Atlas Mountains – Fionn Regan

I was very bummed with myself that I couldn’t listen to this song while in the very VERY snowy Atlas Mountains (some roads were closed). Such a beautiful place.

http://www.mediafire.com/?vzttyndnc5e

Oh! Paris – Dent May

It’s so lame, but this song was in my head when we were in Paris. It’s untrue, because Paris is far from my favourite city in the world. But it’s definitely a place everyone has to see for themselves. New York town still has my heart, though.

http://www.mediafire.com/?t2aoliwrjno

Kelly Watch The Stars – Air

Guys, I’m really not rubbing in the fact we saw Air. But they were utterly incredible. I always thought there were female vocals on Moon Safari – but it’s all effects. I was really oddly amazed by seeing the stars from another hemisphere. I mean, I’ve been three times now and never paid that any attention – probably partly because it’s always winter and we mostly travel in big cities. But the stars in the Moroccan desert were completely stunning…

http://www.mediafire.com/?mnzkzembg00

And all of them in one file! http://www.mediafire.com/?nk1kmqk0noj

Reasons for culling in order of best to… maybe a little bit extreme:

1. Your profile picture is you kissing your significant other.
2. You’re a racist douche.
3. You are engaged to someone you haven’t had sex with.
4. There is no indication of higher mental activity going on.
5. You aren’t going to contribute anything of use to the world (ouch, but really…)
6. You’re a hardcore Christian.
7. I saw you recently somewhere and you a) avoided me (why are we facebook friends?); or b) didn’t recognize me (why are we facebook friends?)
8. I sat next to you in year three and you were mean then, and I have no reason to actually think you are any different.
9. You’re a porn star (really not kidding…)
10. We’re only friends because we worked together, at some point in the past five years.
11. You’re dating someone who is below you.
12. Apparently you don’t like me because I have tattoos.
13. Your statuses are boring/lame.

Yeah, maybe I’m a bitch. Deal with it, or delete me from facebook.

1. Lungs – Florence + The Machine

I only got this last week, so that could bias my opinion at the moment. But I’m absolutely blown away by her voice and the depth of her lyrics.

Best song: My Boy Builds Coffins

2. Hometowns – Rural Alberta Advantage (re-release)

So I probably love this album the most, but I’m probably cheating by having this on here in the first place. If I haven’t made you listen to this yet I’m surprised. It’s hard to describe.. it falls into this genre of music I can taste and I like to think of as crunchy. If Neutral Milk Hotel, Bright Eyes, Canada, The Shins (at times) and elements of Sufjan Stevens (lyrically) had a baby, this is what it would sound like.

Best song: Quite honestly there isn’t a weak track on this album, it flows perfectly. If I *had* to choose….Frank AB

3. Far – Regina Spektor

Sadly Regina gets more commercial with every record, she’s not as quirky as she used to be, but her songs are still pretty and her voice is still stunning.

Best song: The Calculation

4. The BQE – Sufjan Stevens

This album has filled a huge hole in my music collection; that of instrumental contemporary stuff that I actually really really like and can listen to while doing uni work (the only thing that came close before was Majesty Snowbird, also by Sufjan). It’s awesome for driving, it’s awesome while under the influence, I think sometimes it feels too short.

Best song: Movement IV: Traffic Shock

5. My Maudlin Career – Camera Obscura

This CO record is my favourite, I have to criticize and say it starts off really strong and tapers, but the first few songs hold it up.

Best song: The Sweetest Thing

6. Tonight – Franz Ferdinand

Franz was pretty disappointing when I saw them live this year, they just didn’t have their old energy, they seemed to want to get the show over as quick as possible. So I think that had a lot to do with the extent of my liking of this album. It’s actually a great album, they’ve done a great job of re-inventing their sound again and again, but still keeping the same elements.

Best song: Bite Hard

7. Wolfgang Armadeus Phoenix – Phoenix

Best song: Liztomania

8. Get Guilty – A.C. Newman

Best song: All of my days and all of my days off

9. The Bachelor – Patrick Wolf

Best song: Damaris

10. Hazards Of Love – The Decemberists

Best song:

Honourable mentions: God Help The Girl, Coconut Records, Andrew Bird

Top Five EP’s

1. The Man Is Dead – The Jezabels

1. She’s So Hard – The Jezabels

2. Salt Sugar Fat – Wifey

3. Different In The Distance – Little Scout

4. Blood Bank – Bon Iver

Yeah OK, so I’m in love with The Jezabels.

Regina Spektor – Samson

Jens Lekman – You Are The Light (By Which I Travel Through This & That)

Dent May – Love Song 2009

Badly Drawn Boy – You Were Right

Jens Lekman – Cold Swedish Winter

Patrick Wolf – The Magic Position

Bright Eyes – The First Day Of My Life (remember the time you drove all night, just to meet me in the morning?)

Jens Lekman – A Higher Power (let’s put a plastic bag over our heads, and then kiss and stuff ’til we get dizzy and fall on the bed)

Chris Isaak – Wicked Game

http://www.mediafire.com/?jxx3x0e3zaq

Naw, they think that dinosaurs communicated with their babies before they hatched. Doesn’t that just warm your heart? I just wrote lameosaurs in my study notes. Freudian slip, maybe.

I wan’ see meteors! Last night was too cloudy.

Fuck stress, fuck 8+ hours of studying a day (and making me mull over other peoples shortcomings). Stupid stuff get out of my brain!

Also: if you didn’t know already check out Ingrid and I’s travel blog… which is probably all I’ll be blogging on for the next few months.

I’m getting a tad stressed for the first time this semester, I guess it’s about time too… last week of classes. So, that means it’s a good time to blog. Instead of a full essay on any one topic, I’m going to give you summarized thoughts.

• I think it’s time to get rid of my shitty break-up hair. Not that it’s the slightest bit purple anymore.
• I’ve never felt a need to “come out” as liking girls. In fact I think it’s a really primitive idea (why don’t straight people come out, too?). But it recently occurred to me that if I got a girlfriend, I wouldn’t want my aunts and uncles to know that I like girls for the first time, by being introduced to my her.
• Facebook puts me in contact with so many people I shouldn’t be in any form of contact with. I just don’t quite have the balls (and lack of curiosity) to remove all the people I don’t need to know anymore.
• I read something last week that said not having facebook was like a social faux pas nowadays, and that to rebel against it was rude. Interesting thought. Not rude, you just have to expect to not get invited to things, I think.
• I feel embarrassed for people that are unnecessary snobs. It doesn’t make you seem cooler, or elitist, it makes you seem bitter and insecure. There is a lot more behind that sentence that can be explained here.
• It really shits me that most people do not understand what “feminism” is, what the word means, what the movement stands for (no, that is not aimed at you, Mr Fisher, you just got me thinking).
• I cannot bear to even consider that men and women will never be equally treated.
• I have no intention of denying that men and women are different physically, or have different mental tendencies. But there is no valid reason why they require any different treatment, or one requires being treated superiorly, ever.
• It’s a really really lame cop out to say that “society’s attitudes won’t change”. They have and they will. It’s people that say that, that slow the social change down.
• The key thing that I don’t like about Cosmo is that it perpetuates sex myths. It gives women unrealistic expectations about sex. Not all women have a g-spot, and not all women climax from intercourse (~10% do). It’s socially fucking irresponsible.
• Then again, how can we expect modern day women to really fight for their equal rights when leading women’s magazine are full of articles on how to please men, with no regard for female pleasure (How to achieve deeper penetration, anyone? It won’t hurt, promise!).