cold war kids

2015 – a new musical adventure

Posted on January 8, 2015January 7, 2015 by bekswhoknits

I know that you’re all eagerly waiting to know what I voted for in triple J’s hottest 100 (baited breath right!)

Well without any further ado – here are my top 10 songs from last year. And it was really REALLY tough to narrow down. I think I had a 30 song shortlist that eventually culled into 10 songs.

Wolf Alice – Moaning Lisa Smile

Thelma Plum – How Much Does Your Love Cost?

Spoon – Do You

Silversun Pickups – Cannibal

The Decemberists – Make You Better

Cold War Kids – Drive Desperate

Cold War Kids – All This Could Be Yours

Clap Your Hands Say Yeah – Coming Down {Ft. Matt Berninger}

Blood Red Shoes – An Animal

Blood Red Shoes – The Perfect Mess

As always I’ve restricted my voting to the options that triple J give me, which explains the lack of Editors in this list.
Even though I loved the latest Editors album, it wasn’t all that well received.

To see all my highlights from last year my 2014 playlist can be found here.

And there is a 2015 one on the way!

Stay tuned.
(ha – I’m so punny)

SOTW – Cold War Kids

Posted on March 5, 2014March 5, 2014 by bekswhoknits

I participated in the rite of passage which is learning piano.
Sometimes I hated practicing. Other times it was the only way I could think.

Lately I’ve been wondering if I could still play.
Of course I would need to find an in tune piano somewhere that no one else could hear me.
And as I can’t think of where that place might be, I have to be content with daydreaming.

This is the song that started my wondering. If I could find my magical piano of solitude this is what I would try to play.

Posted on August 7, 2013 by bekswhoknits

Last time I saw Cold War Kids it was 40 degrees and there was no shade available.

Fortunately Friday night was in winter and inside.

Preshow we watched the football and then the cricket at a nearby pub. We got in, found a good spot, and then they were on!

We perched ourself just behind the VIP area which meant that the sound quality wasn’t the absolute greatest but it meant we could see.
If we wanted to hear it better we had to not see anything.

They played a reasonable length set without too many surprises. Which is annoying when your current favourite song is not a hit, as mine currently is.

Stuck in my head – wolf parade

Posted on July 31, 2013August 2, 2013 by bekswhoknits

I don’t get a lot of phone calls. And the people who do call all have their own special ringtones so I know who’s calling.
HeWhoFishes has Trail of Dead, although for the longest time he had Eartha Kitt – Girl from Ipanema
Midnitemoose has Cold War Kids – We Used To Vacation.
Hedgehog-onalog (my even though im not actually married to her brother i still call her my sis-in-law) has Hot Hot Heat – Bandages
My littlest brother has Mumford & Sons – Roll Away Your Stone
My middle brother has The Temper Trap – Fader
My Dad has Glen Miller – In the Mood
My Mum has Grandmaster Flash – The Message.

Mostly I choose ringtones because I saw that band with that person. That’s the case for the first 4 people on that list.
The last three are a bit more random. Mostly because to choose a song that reminds me of them would require me to put The Beegees (mum) or country music (my middle brother) as ringtones. Fortunately I’m quite partial to Glen Miller.

But my ringtone for everyone else is currently Wolf Parade – Shine A Light.
This week I’ve had more phone calls than all of last month combined. Real estate agents, valuers, and our mortgage broker all want to speak to me.

So every few hours I hear the opening bars of Shine A Light. Even while I was writing this post (because I do the majority of blogging on my iPhone) I heard the opening bars.

And it’s only now on reflection I think I should change it.
I’m not sure “waiting for something that will never arrive” is the vibes I want to be sending into the universe.

Stuck in my head – Local Natives

Posted on January 23, 2013January 30, 2013 by bekswhoknits

I only just discovered Local Natives about a week before they release their new album, but they’re old album is definitely worth a listen.
A bit like a simpler Cold War Kids, but with less piano. I’m not selling them, but they do sell themselves pretty well.

listen to their first album or their second

(For extra credit – here’s Cold War Kids new song)

new cds make me happy

Posted on February 23, 2011February 23, 2011 by bekswhoknits

Ive been a little splurgy over the last few week, and a few new albums from artists that I follow have come out.
So for my new listening please this week I have:

And you will know us by the trail of dead – Tao of the dead
M Ward – Hold Time
The Morning Benders – Big Echo
The Tallest Man on Earth – Sometimes the blues is just a passing bird
The Go! Team – Rolling Blackouts
The Silents – Sun A Buzz
She & Him – Volume One
She & Him – Volume Two
New Rules for Boats – The Skips On My Record
Cold War Kids – Mine Is Yours
Au Revoir Simone – Still Night, Still Light
The Decemberists – The King Is Dead

Excitement plus!!

Cold War Kids – Loyalty to Loyalty

Posted on February 2, 2011February 2, 2011 by bekswhoknits

Cold War Kids have a lot to live up to after their stunning debut ‘Robbers and Cowards’. And although it’s an impressive follow up, it still manages to fall short.
Every song is complete as a song, but I felt it lacked the cohesion that made Robbers and Cowards so good.
‘Something Is Not Right With Me’ is the obvious single, but instead of creating an album around it, it stands on its own.
It’s a great album, but if you’ve never listened to Cold War Kids before, buy Robbers and Cowards first – and then you’ll have to buy Loyalty to Loyalty.

Cold War Kids – Behave Yourself

Posted on January 31, 2011 by bekswhoknits

From the opening chords of ‘Audience’ you know exactly what Cold War Kids are all about. Nathan Willet’s vocal style, at times sounding Jeff Buckley-like, manages to draw you into their stories.
Each song is beautifully written. It’s simplistic in it’s complexity.

These are five songs which need to be heard, not only by Cold War Kids fans, but by any music lover with an appreciation for the blues and wants to hear one of it’s modern translations.

southbound sunday

Posted on January 13, 2011January 31, 2011 by bekswhoknits

After a surprisingly good night of sleep, it was Sunday.
I lied in bed for a while hoping to high heaven that my leg was rested and stretched enough to bear weight. When it got too hot to lay in the tent anymore I had to get up, fortunately it was slightly healed and with the help of some voltaren gel it was right for the rest of the weekend.
The Silents were due on at 11:35 so we had some time to kill.
Which the boys spent sitting around in a circle, taking turns spinning a stick, and who ever the stick pointed at, the person who spun the stick got to throw the stick at that person’s shins.
I thought it was the most ridiculous game i’d ever seen, but other people who heard that anecdote didn’t seem to think so.
Maybe you just had to be there.
Continue reading southbound sunday