I got a man to stick it out

And make a home from a rented house.

This oh-so-lovely tune currently defines my life so specifically that I could cry.
"How many years until the day, my dreams will match up with my pay?"

oui oui!

so, I'm a teensy bit obsessed with Francoise Hardy.

But, like seriously, look at her! and that voice!

We thought our very hearts would up and melt away

My gentleman friend and I were recently discussing albums that changed our lives. On the top of my list was Joanna Newsom's Ys. The 5-song cd was released when I was in highschool and I remember checking the clock constantly (which I did anyway) because I was so anxious to go home and listen to it. She had an entire orchestra accompanying her and the language was so rich and the vocals so desperate, I had never experienced anything like it. For a few days I would just sit and listen through with the lyric sheet in front of me until I had memorized every word. The best part is, years later I still melt when I play those songs.
Here, a little taste of Newsom's brilliance:

Say, say, say in the lee of the bay; don't be bothered
Leave your troubles here where the tugboats shear the water from the water
(Flanked by furrows, curling back, like a match held up to a newspaper)
Emily, they'll follow your lead by the letter
And I make this claim, and I'm not ashamed to say I knew you better
What they've seen is just a beam of your sun that banishes winter

Let us go! Though we know it's a hopeless endeavor
The ties that bind, they are barbed and spined and hold us close forever
Though there is nothing would help me come to grips with a sky that is gaping and yawning
There is a song I woke with on my lips as you sailed your great ship towards the morning...

Pure poetry! From the song Emily.

Plus, Joanna is so so pretty and and she rocks the harp.

the perfect marriage

When I was 14 I fell madly in love with author Patricia Mckillip. Her fantasy prose touched me in a way that Tolkien or Rowling never could. I have since read everything she's written and my already colorful imagination will never be the same.

While reading my first Mckillip book (Alphabet of Thorne) I was lucky enough to stumble upon the band Eisley whose fanciful melodies were the perfect marriage to the rich worlds introduced to me by Mckillip. With my overly sentimental heart I always look back on that time as something really extraordinary and harmonious to which I like to return now and then for peace of mind.

Eisley - Marvelous Things

Oh what marvelous things but they are giving me the creeps.

Shh.

Just listen.

I'll gamble away my fright

Wow. Can you believe Zach Condon (singer/songwriter/mastermind) of Beirut is barely 23? Just...wow.

Oh How We Danced

so good. so so good.

Anti-love songs

Music Playlist at MixPod.com

Les chansons d'amour

Playlist for lovers.

Create a playlist at MixPod.com

and a clip from Christophe Honore's Love Songs

How Do You Show Her You Love Her?

So, we know I love musicals, but I love this way too much.

Amy Adams was brilliant in this part. Romance and fairytales, what could be better?

Old Timer

I'm such an old timer.

I believe I was born in the wrong era.

Let's stay in, Let the TV be our stars

It began last month with everyone cracking jokes, "I though the rhyme went: April showers bring May flowers...not more showers!" which ceased to be a joke after May passed and it continued raining all through June. That's right, it has been raining for 2 whole months, seemingly nonstop. And though I'd love nothing more than to be outside right now, riding my bike or picnicking on the beach, sometimes staying in is just as fun.

Last night a very special boy and I made homemade pizza which, aside from the crust, contained no traditional toppings, and watched a funny movie. I also made this chocolate torte which was so good I plan on abandoning everything in my life to elope with it...or at least to eat it on my birthday/wedding and also breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

What do you do to beat the rainy day blues?
kiss? bake? take a bubble bath? watch funny videos?

Sweet Potato Rounds

How Sweet is Chan Marshall (Cat Power) in this cooking video for the site Oh Audrey. I love how the two are a little silly with eachother, like old friends.


Oh and if you don't know who Cat Power is, your life is incomplete. Go buy her album The Greatest or just listen for her awesome cover of David Bowie's Space Oddity on the Lincoln car commercials.

One Day Late

I will sing a song to you

and you will shake the ground for me

and the birds and bees and old fruit trees

will spit out songs like gushing streams

then Jesus will come through the ground so dirty

with worms in his hair and a hand so sturdy

to call us his magic we call him worthy

Jesus came up through the ground so dirty.

"Jesus" by Page France.

Easter is one of those holidays that gets better as you get older. It seems to me there are so few obligations and expectations attached to Easter and so there is something wonderfully quiet about it. Whether you're religious or not, it signifies the real start of spring, marked by symbols of rebirth and new beginnings, longer days and pastel dresses, resolutions and sunny dispositions. Also, the story of Easter is so loaded with hope and belief how could you help but feel smitten. Oh, and did I mention there's candy? Lots and lots of candy...

Le Quattro Stagioni

Thunderstorms, those heralds of Spring, roar, casting their dark mantle over heaven,
Then they die away to silence, and the birds take up their charming songs once more.- unknown

I have been celebrating Spring by listening to one of my favorite concertos by Vivaldi, La Primavera, over and over again. Makes me long for the leaves to come back.

Give My Gun Away When It's Loaded

I wrote a few days ago about seeing Lisa Hannigan live and while her performance was pure genius and I'm so proud that her solo career is taking off, I can't help but feel sad that she and Damien are no longer a duo. It's so rare that two people can create the same musical chemistry that they did.
How lovely is this video?

My Heart Swoons

Last night I saw the lovely Lisa Hannigan, after whose lyrics this blog is named and for whom I lost many hours of sleep, listening to her CD on repeat. She charmed the crowd and sang beautifully. She was divine and I can say very little else. I feel lucky to have seen her.

Check out this video of Lisa at an older live performance.
She makes the cutest faces when she sings.