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)
~~
Well it’s that time of the year again.
Time to decide what what my top 10 songs of the year were (that were played by Aus radio station Triple J, and were popular enough to be included on their shortlist of songs to vote for.)
Some songs which I loved last year didn’t make the triple j list, (Trail of Dead) but I’ve learnt that if its not on the list, then it’s not going to be in the top 100, and my vote isn’t worth much.
It’s for this reason that I don’t believe the hottest 100 is anything more than the top songs which have been recommended for us by Richard Kingsmill.
Still triple j’s hottest 100, is better than any of the commercial radio stations and an Australia Day tradition.
So within those constraints here is my top 10 and close contenders.
I’ll be hoping to hear these songs whilst enjoying a couple of cold beverages with my nearest and dearest (and a paddling pool for good measure) this Australia Day.
It’s live streamed if anyone cares to listen (jan 26), or you can check out my top 51 shortlist to fill your ears with rad tunes.
~~~
lets talk!
tweet me ~ ravelry me ~ email me
What were your top songs of 2012??
I rocked in the new year with my bloke, my best friend, and Sugar Army at the Rosemount.
We managed to get a taxi without incident, so it went down as one of the better New Years. I think the trick is to go in with low expectations and let it confirm or exceed them.
The cold I caught over Christmas was starting to go away which was promising.
It was then a day of watching Series 3 of Downton Abbey, including the Christmas episode! I desperately want somewhere to talk about this without fear of being all spoilery. I then rewatched all of series 1 and 2. I had forgotten just how soap opera-y series 2 got. I’ve become hooked on Billy Doux episode recaps. They come with a historical context and fun facts around each episode.
Then 2 days in Margaret River touring wineries, playing scruples, and enjoying a mini-break.
Isn’t that cat adorable? I wanted to take him home, but ended up coming home with this guy, who is totally adorable. (It’s a cow from the Cowaramup brewery)
Then Southbound!
Two days of camping, music, friends, and frivolity. And dust, and dirt, queues, greasy food, low phone batteries, and accidentally stepping on beer cans. Ouch.
But I couldn’t start the year any other way. Django Django, Two Door Cinema Club, Bombay Bicycle Club, and Maximo Park were my highlights.
That and bringing our own shade was the best decision ever.
I can’t wait to see who’s on next year’s lineup – although my ticket folder is looking rather full with a Laneway and Perth Festival having awesome lineups.
It wasn’t all fun and lollipops though.
Max, our pet pinchie, fell to a broken filter. Our 4 fishies (Richie, Tony, Bill, and Ken) managed to survive.
Tony Greig (the namesake of one of our fishies) passed away over the time as well. There were some very tearful tributes during the Sydney test match.
My little brother, fell off his motorbike on the way back from Southbound and luckily had only minor scratches.
I never expected to start the year off with my first ride in an ambulance.
It certainly could have been a different first blog post for 2013, so I’m incredibly grateful that it’s not.
On the knitting front I’ve already notched a few finished objects, which I shall share on Friday.
I think I’m having enough trouble choosing photos for this post already.
It’s good to be back!
~~~
lets talk!
tweet me ~ ravelry me ~ email me
Southbound, the camping festival in January, is now 5 weeks away! That is awesomesauce.
So for the next 5 weeks as I’ll be listening to a lot of southbound bands I’ll be sharing them too.
I have a habit of going to a festival and then 2 weeks later really digging a band which I could have seen live. So I now research. Which is fun anyway.
So this week I’ve been listening to Django Django.
This is an awesome album. I’m always impressed when an artist puts in the effort with their album art. It makes old folks like me, who buys CDs very happy. Django Django have provided a list of every band that have influenced them. And it’s quite a list.
Look at all that tiny writing.
Listen to loves dart
There aren’t enough coconut halves in modern music (hint – the percussion in this video is awesome)
For bonus points check out another Southbound band who’s video is going viral at the moment.
Hot Chip – Don’t Deny Your Heart
~~~
lets talk!
tweet me ~ ravelry me ~ email me
I’ve been embroidering. I asked a question on A Sheepish Girl‘s (oh so lovely) blog about what stitch she uses for her text, I’ve been itching to try back stitch ever since.
It’s just like knitting but in lines. (In a kind of not really sort of way.) but a lot easier then stem stitch.
So I opened up phonto on my iPad and typed in a couple of quotes. (If you then set that image as the home screen it makes it easier to trace.)
So once it’s traced onto the fabric, I used back stitch to make the letters.
And things just clicked. More so than they did with stem stitch.
It is really relaxing. Not as much as knitting. It doesn’t have the same TV watching options (I don’t think you could ever embroider with your eyes closed, or during a really important scene), but it’s great for listening to music.
But quotes!!! And music lyrics! I have so many things to embroider on cushions and to put on walls and I can see a lot of decorating until my Bloke gets fed up with embroidery and I have to start decorating my BFF’s house (who reads this and can now request embroidered items. I promise I want embroider a doily for you!).
I digress! Here’s my embroidery attempts.
The quotes are from Silversun Pickups, Wolf Parades, and Parks And Recreation.
~~~
lets talk!
tweet me ~ ravelry me ~ email me
These guys are my favourite Perth band.
I’ve been listening to their new album and it’s pretty good. Their first album is really quite awesome too.
They always put on a cracking live show, and I’ve had many a Sugar Army induced neck injury or lost voice.
This is one band who should be bigger than they currently are.
~~~
lets talk!
tweet me ~ ravelry me ~ email me
I always feel lazy choosing the first song from an album as my song of the week, or for my favourite song.
I feel like I haven’t done my due diligence, like people will judge me because I haven’t really listened to the whole album.
Of course this is absolutely silly.
Sometimes the albums first song is actually the strongest, the best, the one that I like the most, the one that sticks out, whatever subjective measurement I feel like using.
I have, of course, listened to the whole of this album. I think it’s a cracker.
And this is the first track.
Do other people’s music tastes change seasonally?
Every year I make a summer playlist. Somehow I have a special significance placed on finding a song that defines summer.
Quite often it also ties into trying to pick who’s going to take out triple j’s Hottest 100.
So I’ve started making my 2013 summer playlist and its really dancey.
(Or dancey by my definition).
I’m sure that as we get closer to summer and it becomes more than 10 songs, the genre will become less pronounced but this is the leading contender for my summer song.
(And not just because of the name)
~~~
lets talk!
tweet tweet ~ ravelry ~ email me
You know when the fates align, when even though it feels like all you’ve done for the last 2 weeks is, go to work, come home, look at the mess that surrounds you, decide that knitting is a better way to spend your time rather than cleaning or cooking or being an adult about things, get hungry, cook something uninspiring, knit some more, sleep, wake up tired, go to work, repeat, and somehow a song manages to find its way into your head and you wonder where it’s been all this time?
Well between this post by and the laneway lineup, the universe has told me to listen to this band.
[Sidenote – i’m so bummed that Of Monsters And Men are only playing the east coast. I blame living in the most isolated capital city in the world.]
Suddenly after not having heard this song before, I can sing almost every word and it is stuck in my head constantly.
~~~
lets talk!
tweet tweet ~ ravelry ~ email me
I can’t get enough of this song.
This is just magic. They’re album is magic too. Triangles are my favourite shape.
~~~
lets talk!
tweet tweet ~ ravelry ~ email me
polka-dots & sparkles 