Songs of Summer

Memorial Day is the unofficial start to Summer, so we're celebrating it with Summer songs!

Indie Selection: The Decemberists - "Summersong"
This song is a great example of how well the Decemberists can combine an uplifting melody and bittersweet lyrics. The melody has a subtle sway and an almost lazy, lackadaisical feel. Enjoy it and think about long, relaxing summer weekends.

Pop Selection: Gwen Stefani featuring Akon - "The Sweet Escape"
Although Akon's "Woo Hoo"s becomes a little overbearing after the first minute or so, the overall effect of this song is pop perfection.

Stay tuned, more tunes to come!

Tempus fugit

...My students were 4 in 1999. One of my students was singing Sisko's "Thong Song," and I asked her how old she was in 99 when that video came out. It is bizarre how quickly time has passed, and that age and musical references are how it really hits home for me. Pretty soon I'll teach students who have no recollection of the 90s or of 9/11. *Weird*!

In music news...

Trav and I went to see Spoon on Saturday, March 20. It was great! They never fail to put on a good show.

I wasn't too keen on Transference when I first heard it. It's more like "Girls Can Tell" and "Kill the Moonlight" than "Gimme Fiction". However, it's starting to grow on me. The way they sonically unwrap melodies is pretty powerful.

Some of my favs:
"The Mystery Zone" from Transference
"Nobody Gets Me But You" from Transference
"Take a Walk" from Girls Can Tell
"Chicago at Night" from Girls Can Tell