I miss Skins. :(

With all my television shows on the air now – trust me, there are a lot – there is still one show that I wished lasted longer than 10 episodes.

Remember this bunch?

Then last year’s all-new cast?

Well, Skins is coming back for a 4th series in January. Thank god. But E4 would be dense if they didn’t bring back the ultimate guilty pleasure. I mean, come on. I’d so much prefer the promiscuous bunch from Bristol than the NY socialite bitches on Gossip Girl. Today, I had such a hankerin’ for some Skins, I searched the Wiki to see if there was any new info on series 4. Not much since the photo surfaced from a few weeks ago, but I did find this lil’ tidbit:

In May 2009, E4 confirmed that Film4 and Company Pictures are in “preliminary talks” about a movie spin-off.[7] It is unknown which of the cast members would be featured, or where the film will fit in the show’s continuity, leading to a possibility that both generations of characters will meet. A novel is also being produced and set to be released January 7, 2010. The novel will take place in between Series 3 and Series 4.[8][9] MTV announced they will adapt Skins to American television. The U.S. version will be filmed in Baltimore with an unknown cast, despite the already-negative attitude towards a remake.[4]

Okay, it’s not a “lil'” tidbit, but it’s a big fucking pile of NO. Well, the movie spin-off wouldn’t be a bad idea, because I miss Maxxie and Anwar and Tony and Sid, but MTV, why must you destroy everything? And plus, the FCC would never let MTV get away with anything remotely close to Skins. And with how goddamn PC this country is and how sheltered people like their children nowadays, it just wouldn’t be good. No, Skins. Don’t give up the format. DON’T DO IT. If American television had the balls, they’d just import the show. Not try to take everything cool away from it and Americanize it.

But I’m upset that series 4 will only have 8 episodes. Really? 8 episodes? Balls.

Hoping the Inbetweeners come back too. That show was funny. A nice comic relief after the heavy drama of Skins. Oh well, I’m just SUPER EXCITED that WAS is having their own television show in the UK. How sick is that? TWO OF MY FAVORITE THINGS IN ONE – I THINK I’M GONNA E’SPLODE!

❤ Abby

Totally just realized something.

Not only will January 1st be the start of a new year this year, but the start of the new DECADE!

Holy crap. I’ve lived through two DECADES. That’s weird. Because I watch all those “I Love the (INSERT DECADE HERE)” on VH1, and it’s weird to think that I lived through two of those. Well, not the 70s or 80s, but after that.

That got me thinking. I need to make a list of the top albums of the decade along with the top albums of the year. Holy crap that will be hard. I’ll have to start planning for that. I was listening to Funeral by Arcade Fire earlier, and I wanted to hit myself because I just got it yesterday for some god-awful reason. Five years after it was first released. I mean, it’s Arcade Fire. How did I not own this album before now? So confused with myself right now. But if you have any major suggestions of what albums I absolutely can’t leave out, let me know. I wouldn’t want to upset anyone. And these will be strictly on a critical basis, and I’ll keep my bias out.

Well, I’ll try.

Right now so far I’m thinking:

Fuck Pitchfork, I’m gonna make my own list.

❤ Abby

Grizzly Bear w/ the Morning Benders @ the Moore Theatre

[This was just posted on Popwreckoning, so feel free to go there too. ]

I arrived at the Moore Theatre last night just in time to get my Will Call tickets right when the doors opened. Thankfully – since it was one of the rainiest days of the year in Seattle, which is saying a lot. I stood out in the lobby for a bit before they opened the doors for us to find our seats.

I – along with a few other people – trickled into the old theater through the corridors myself in the box seats, the others spread around within the theater. A few guys came and sat in the box a few rows behind me, discussing whether or not to get drunk.

“We can’t drink beer down here? Let’s go mingle. Let’s go drink beer,” the first guy proposed.
“Okay, dude. Let’s go drink beer,” the second guy responded.

By that point, the historic Moore Theatre was pretty empty. Actually, most of the people didn’t arrive until halfway through the openers, the Morning Benders from San Francisco.

Personally, they were a big part of the reason why I went to the gig. I saw them in July of 2008 as openers for my favorite band We Are Scientists, and from then on I wished to see them again.

Unfortunately, when they came back to Seattle this October, someone decided to break into their van some time before the show and steal some of their equipment, among other random things. But had I not known that, I wouldn’t have thought otherwise, because they were totally at ease on stage. Kicking it off with a low-key version of “Damnit Anna,” one of the peppier songs from their debut Talking Through Tin Cans, they were just the right compliment for Grizzly Bear – the headliners. But the rest of the songs were new ones from their upcoming release, Big Echo, which doesn’t yet have an official release date. I caught a few of the titles of the new songs, and my favorites were “Hand Me Downs,” an upbeat song more reminiscent of Talking Through Tin Cans, and “Stitches,” a slow, heavy ballad. “Stitches” actually kind of mesmerized me. And sitting by myself in the box at that point, I could just bask in the sound and listen. It was nice.

The Morning Benders’ sound was more mature than the last record, which makes me excited to hear all of Big Echo. But even though their new stuff sounded more mature, the Morning Benders still had the same charm they had last time I saw them. All of their guitars may not have been labeled “Britney Spears,” but drummer Julian Harmon had the familiar sticker on his snare. Not sure what it means. I’ll have to figure that out one day, but it’s interesting nonetheless.

The Morning Benders were very gracious openers, as front man Chris Chu repeatedly thanked Grizzly Bear for bringing them on this leg of the tour, which gave everyone a nice impression of the band. But I don’t think they got the love they deserved because like I said earlier, most of the people got to the venue late, just in time to see Grizzly Bear. At the end, Chu thanked the crowd “for coming early to see us.” That’s not early, that’s on time. Everyone else got there late.

But they did come to see an amazing show. Grizzly Bear was amazing.

Normally I don’t like sitting in the theater at gigs, but in this case, the Moore was the perfect venue for it – large, but not too large so it’s still intimate. And the haunting vocals from Daniel Rossen, Ed Droste, Chris Taylor and Chris Bear worked perfectly with everyone seated. It’s not the kind of music you dance to, more like the kind you just listen to.

And that’s all I had to do – listen.

And Grizzly Bear surely brought in the crowd. The guy sitting next to me had heard of them just that day, and lived in Pullman. He drove 4 hours to see them. Wow.

I’ve never seen a more dynamic group of musicians. First hearing them on Veckatimest a couple months ago, I would have never guessed they could pull off all the layers of sound they achieved on the record the same way live. But they did. Droste would switch from keyboard to guitar to mandolin, and Rossen switched from keyboards to guitar. But Taylor was the one that stood out to me in his multiple instrumentalist skills. From bass to flute to clarinet and bass clarinet, and another odd instrument that I couldn’t name if I ever tried. It just added an eerie ringing sound to several of the songs.

Speaking of the songs, Grizzly Bear played a nice mixture of songs from Veckatimest and 2006’s Yellow House, which lent itself to the range of sounds they created on stage. Starting off the show with “Southern Point,” it was just the right amount of energy to get people excited. Not only did they sound great, but also there were Mason jar lights set up all along the stage hung from stands, creating a wave of lights to go along with the psychedelic indie rock.

Some of my favorite tunes of the night were “Fine for Now,” “Little Brother,” and “Lullabye.” But what got the crowd going most was “Two Weeks,” Grizzly Bear’s biggest hit yet. Besides, it’s the easiest to sing along to. But the biggest song of the night, and the one that really gave me goosebumps with all the slow buildup, Taylor’s constant switching of instruments, and soaring harmonies from Droste and Rossen was “I Live With You.” I could see people all around the theater bobbing their heads to the music that filled the extremely tall Moore.

Droste actually said towards the end of the night, “Are you guys getting vertigo up there? I was up there earlier, and it’s weird.” The second balcony is quite tall, and most of the time requires binoculars, but it sounds just as good because of the acoustics of the theater. From where I was sitting in the box on the main floor, the heaviness of the bass actually made my glasses shudder and eyes blur for a second.

After the “last song,” everyone got on their feet to applaud for the encore, except a select few that actually thought it was the end of the show. But a couple minutes of applause later, the foursome walked back out on stage for one last song, “He Hit Me,” from the Friend EP. It was a perfect way to end the show, finishing at a little before 11 p.m.

Now all I had to do was wait for my ride to get there. But while I waited, I stood outside the venue for an hour and mingled with the other fans waiting to meet the band. I still have yet to do that, as I have an odd fear of meeting bands. Not sure why, but I really need to get over that.

Maybe next time.

[Addendum: I really need to get over my fear of meeting bands I like. I was literally waiting in the lobby, Robin Pecknold from Fleet Foxes was there. Like, seriously. And afterwards, I could have easily gone up to Chris or Julian or Tim of the Morning Benders and said hi, but I’m lame. And as I was waiting outside for mom with the rest of the Grizzly Bear fans, I was hoping both bands were coming outside to meet people, but I’m an idiot and didn’t realize that the Morning Benders had probably already packed up all their gear and brought it to their hotel to avoid getting ripped off again from an asshole Seattleite. But when Grizzly Bear did finally come outside like 45 minutes after the show, I froze. Like, my mouth dried up and I couldn’t say anything. Ugh.]

❤ Abby

What should I be for Halloween?

I’ve been stuck inside feeling icky, with equally icky weather outside, and I’m procrastinating reading for class, so I figured I’d blog about that one holiday where every girl finds an excuse to dress like a whore.

Halloween!

Been thinking about it a lot, as last year’s costume was a cop-out last minute put together of random pieces of witch costumes we’ve been accumulating over the last 10 some odd years. But the problem I have with getting a costume together is my glasses. I don’t have contacts, so my glasses are unavoidable. I’ve figured I either have to be a character who already has glasses, be an inanimate object, or a like a librarian or doctor or some shit like that.

The latter two are lame, so I’ve decided on some bespectacled character from movies or television. I have a few options right now, and there are about 2 weeks until Halloween, so I have PLENTY of time to find the necessary pieces to put together any of these costumes.

1. Velma Dinkley from Scooby Doo

I just have to find a orange turtleneck, red skirt, orange knee-highs and some color of Mary Janes. And Millie could be Scooby!

2. Mary Katherine Gallagher (Molly Shannon from SNL and Superstar!)

Again, a skirt and knee-highs with Mary Janes. But I’m not sure if it will be as recognizable if I don’t get a dark wig. Hmmm…

3. Mime

I could have fun with the makeup for this one, and the glasses wouldn’t distract at all from the stark makeup. And the thing with these clothes – they would fit fine into my current wardrobe. And AmApp even has a “costume builder” for a mime. All the chick costumes on their involve leotards, so I passed.

What do y’all think? I thought Maybe Tina fey, but it wouldn’t be as recognizable. I also considered going with someone else as Robots, but not just ANY robots, but Flight of the Conchords Robots. And we go around quoting Bret and Jemaine. Just wear all silver and paint a box for a head.

Or maybe I’ll go with someone, as a Mac and a PC, but be ironic about it, and I’d be the PC because I have the glasses like John Hodgeman, and someone else could be the Mac. Hmmm…

(I WANT THESE!)

In this instance, dudes have so many more options to be hot men with glasses. I mean, if you’re a guy with glasses – you can be Harry Potter,

Stephen Colbert,

Clark Kent a la Superman,

Rivers Cuomo,

or Jemaine Clement!

Seriously, if I saw a guy dressed as Jemaine for Halloween, I’d just DIE. Or if a group of three guys went as the Lonely Island – one as Andy, one as Jorma, and one as Akiva. <3<3<3<3

I’m getting excited.

❤ Abby

Twilight Saga: New Moon soundtrack review

This exact review was just published to Popwreckoning but I figured I’d repost it here just cause I’m proud of it. And the soundtrack is so freaking good.

Reviewing this album is bittersweet for me. For one thing, I hate all the hullabaloo that Twilight has brought along with it. It’s taken over so much of the media lately, and I’ve been sick of it since it started. When I saw the list of artists that were contributing to the Twilight Saga: New Moon soundtrack, my heart sank. Not because they were bad, but because they were oh so good, and the fact that they’d jumped on the Twilight bandwagon irked me so much. Secretly, I was hoping that the soundtrack was really really bad.

But I was proven wrong, because it’s so good.

Like, really good.

As of right now, I’m separating the soundtrack from the film, because the soundtrack will surpass the quality of the film no doubt. And I’ll take you through Alexandra Patsavas’ musical masterpiece piece by piece, as it’s the only way I can do it justice.

1. Death Cab for Cutie – “Meet Me On The Equinox”
As far as a Death Cab song, when I first heard this I was a little underwhelmed. But I think they’ve mixed it differently for the final soundtrack, so it’s grown on me a bit. Sure, the hook is a little generic for a Death Cab for Cutie song, but as far as a catchy single to start off the soundtrack, it works really well.

2. Band of Skulls – “Friends”
Track two had a completely different vibe as the songs surrounding it – as it’s more upbeat, and provides a lightness that the soundtrack otherwise doesn’t have. It’s the first of a few very raw sounding tracks on this album, which is something you didn’t get from the first film’s soundtrack. “Friends” isn’t a huge song, but it’s a nice departure from the other big songs on the record.

3. Thom Yorke – “Hearing Damage”
This was the one track I was dying to hear, as I’ve been a huge Radiohead fan for a long time, and it’s hard to criticize Thom Yorke for anything. And yet again, like the song says, Thom, “You can do no wrong… in my eyes.” A great throwback to Eraser from a few years ago, “Hearing Damage” is a dreamy electro track full of ominous synthesizers and tricky drums.

4. Lykke Li – “Possibility”
When I heard that Lykke Li would be contributing a song, I was expecting something similar to “I’m Good, I’m Gone,” for a less intense part of the movie, maybe when Bella isn’t seeing Edward in her head, but this slow ballad is so beautiful. It almost reminded me of “Lover’s Spit” by Broken Social Scene, with the heavy constant piano chord and lo-fi sound.

5. The Killers – “A White Demon Love Song”
This was the only song that didn’t seem to fit so perfectly with the rest of the soundtrack, but that could be the context The Killers bring with them, but I totally dig it as a Killers song. It goes back to Brandon Flowers’ natural crooning vocals without any of the frantic energy he seems to have adopted with Day and Age.

6. Anya Marina – “Satellite Heart”
To tell you the truth, the opening hook to this song sounds so much like another of Marina’s songs “Move You.” But then again, Alexandra Patsavas is also the music supervisor for “Grey’s Anatomy,” which is where I heard “Move You.” But as “Satellite Heart” moves through its verses and choruses, it gets bigger and draws you in more. The violin additions towards the end gave me goosebumps too.

7. Muse – “I Belong To You”
The original version could have easily gone in this version’s place. The remixing didn’t make it any better, nor did it necessarily make it any worse. This is by far the peppiest song on the record, which may mean something that it’s right in the middle. I don’t know, but this song didn’t wow me so much now, mostly because I’ve listened to it so many times since the AMAZING Resistance came out last month.

8. Bon Iver & St. Vincent – “Rosyln”
Let me tell you, Justin Vernon’s vocals layered with Annie Clark’s and mixed with the understated acoustic guitar and banjo made for the best song on the record. By far. I could listen to it all day. It’s just…wow.

9. Black Rebel Motorcycle Club – “Done All Wrong”
BRMC’s distinctly lo-fi sound here works exquisitely, with the hints of southern rock and blues adds a different kind of sadness to the record, which up until now has lacked the depth that blues can bring. And what’s so ironic is that BRMC was on the season one soundtrack to “True Blood,” another bit of vampire fare.

10. Hurricane Bells – “Monsters”
Similar to “Friends,” “Monsters” is very much an upbeat song, with a hint of hopefulness. As a heavy movie watcher, I think “Monsters” almost sounds like one of those songs that editors layer over a montage, but not a cheesy one. Not quite filler, but not quite a stand-out, “Monsters” is one of the middle-of-the-road songs on the soundtrack.

11. Sea Wolf – “The Violet Hour”
The second happy song in a row, “The Violet Hour” is so dancey you wonder what’s happening in the story where they play this song. It also emphasizes the vocal theme throughout the record – quieter, smaller vocals – which is different from the first soundtrack with Paramore’s Haley Williams’ loud rock-chick vibe and Chester Bennington’s raw shriek.

12. OK Go – “Shooting the Moon”
A typical OK Go song, with Damian Kulash’s soft, dreamy crooning, “Shooting the Moon” is another lighter song on the record. But what makes this song even better is the stark contrast that comes in the last minute of the song with heavy bass and strong distorted guitar riffs.

13. Grizzly Bear – “Slow Life”
Coming off an amazing record, Veckatimest, Grizzly Bear doesn’t lose any of their authentic sound here with the intentionally droning vocals from Beach House’s Victoria Legrand adding to the ominous, woodsy feel of Grizzly Bear’s music. As the song goes on, it builds to the climax which makes it fit perfectly on the soundtrack.

14. Editors – “No Sound But The Wind”
In tandem with their latest release, this marks the beginning of a new period for Editors, losing the heavy Interpol parallels and moving into a rawer, anthemic sound. “No Sound But The Wind” essentially finishes out the record in terms of rock songs, and it is the perfect ending in terms of emotion.

15. Alexander Desplat – “New Moon (The Meadow)”
It’s hard to talk about a classical song in the context of an otherwise indie rock soundtrack, but by itself, this song makes me actually kind of excited to hear the full score. It’s not too long, yet not too short, to give us just the right amount of classical to actually finish off the album.

This went on very long apparently, but hopefully it enlightened you to how awesome this soundtrack is. It moves fluidly through different emotions and different keys and sounds like one of those great mix CDs that you made for your significant other when you were going through a “rough patch.” Even if you hate everything Twilight, give the soundtrack a chance.

You won’t be disappointed.

A road comedy with some bite

One would expect a film about bloodthirsty undead monsters to be riddled with cheap shots and clichés, as we’ve seen zombie movies for a good thirty years. But the genre is far from dead, as evidenced by one of this year’s best comedies, “Zombieland.”

The movie follows Columbus, a recent college graduate with problems with paranoia, played by Jesse Eisenberg, and Tallahassee, a gun-wielding tough guy with a strange fetish for Twinkies, played marvelously by Woody Harrelson. Along their travels they get duped by sisters Wichita and Little Rock, played by Emma Stone and Abigail Breslin. Eventually they all team up against the zombies, and then laughter ensues.

What made this zom com different from other zom coms was that they all had a plan. In fact, all the characters nicknames came from their goal destination. The film started out presenting Columbus’ rules for surviving zombieland – including “cardio,” “beware of bathrooms,” and “doubletap,” just to name a few, and you get to see how unlikely of a hero Columbus is. Sure, Eisenberg is playing pretty much the same character as he did in “Adventureland,” but here he isn’t as pitiful. I mean, he’s fighting off zombies with a double barrel shotgun. And his love interest Wichita, is pretty badass herself, conspiring with her 12-year-old sister Little Rock to hijack both of the cars Columbus and Tallahassee acquire.

What’s also different from other zombie movies is how wonderful this movie was shot. The opening credits play over a backdrop of artfully crafted slow-motion zombie pursuits, blood spewing from their mouths, and a manic deadness in their eyes. In terms of an extra, being a zombie would be a pretty fun gig if you ask me. Somehow throughout the director found these barren locations to shoot as the empty wasteland that is zombieland. Los Angeles couldn’t have actually been Los Angeles. There would have been no way they could have cleared out that much space to make it look authentic. And if they did, kudos to them. Bravo.

But let’s talk about Woody Harrelson. Being the versatile actor that he is, Harrelson was at the heart of this film’s quirkiness. His treatment of zombie killing as sport, his constant quest for a Twinkie, and his laugh-out-loud dialogue brings this zom com to much more than just that. His motto, “nut up or shut up,” could be perhaps the most true slogan of bravery we’ve heard in a film in a long time. As well as the last line in the film, “not bad for a whiney little spitfuck.” He provided a lot of the cackling within the theater. But my favorite was “I’m not good with goodbyes, so…that’ll do pig.”

The best portion of the film was largely attributed to a certain cameo that the filmmakers tried to keep quiet. In honor of the element of surprise, I won’t spoil who it is here, but when reading about the cameo, director Ruben Fleischer said that he originally wanted to have Patrick Swayze make an appearance and do a “Dirty Dancing” sequence, but that option fell through. Other options were Sylvester Stallone, Kevin Bacon and Matthew McConaughey. Personally, whom they got for the scene-stealing cameo is way funnier than all of the other guys they considered. You won’t be disappointed.

As much as “Zombieland” was a comedy about mutilating zombies, it was also a love story – about Columbus and Wichita, and also about the family unit that the four of them build while they’re running towards the unknown human sanctuary. There is a very tender moment when the four travelers shack up in a Hollywood mansion where Tallahassee breaks down and cries when talking about his family. And as far as other humans go, the audience never gets to see if there are any other people left, but after the epic shootout in the movie’s climax, you can’t help but feel like it’s a victory for the living.

The last time I enjoyed a zombie movie this much was the British comedy “Shaun of the Dead,” but by the end of “Zombieland,” I honestly worried about any of them dying. Fleischer opted not to have unimportant secondary characters that will die anyway, in favor of building the story of the four main characters to where you really cared about Columbus, Tallahassee, Wichita and Little Rock.

And to tell you the truth, by the end of the movie, I was really craving a Twinkie.

❤ Abby
(check this out in this week's Ledger on tuesday.)

It’s a Cornucopia of LOVE!

A cornucopia of love and music.

Basically, those two go hand in hand I say.

For some reason, the Potter Puppet Pals video popped into my head today.

Remember these?

Well, some odd years ago, Andrea and I memorized all of this, and another of the videos.

We were weird.

But what was my original point?

Oh right. Music.

That seems to be all I’m writing about these days. Oh well.

Today I was at school and logged onto Facebook to a nice surprise. One of my new favorite bands, Natalie Portman’s Shaved Head – you know, these peeps?>>>>

– well, they just got signed to Warner Bros. I know, crazy right? I had no idea that this was even in the works, and it’s pretty durn awesome. With that news came some more news of a rerelease of Glistening Pleasure in early 2010. Now I wasn’t so psyched about that idea, seeing that I was hoping for a completely new album of stuff, as I’ve listened to Glistening Pleasure a good…500+ times. But on the blog, they did say that there would be at least a couple new ditties on the rerelease of GP. And another reason why I chose a cornucopia of love as this post’s theme came at the sign-off of NPSH’s latest blog entry. This is what they said: “Thanks for sticking through with us for so long! We couldn’t have done it without you. Cheers to a beautiful future together! Love you. Let’s get married.”

I’d gladly accept that proposal, mind you. Anyway, congrats y’all!

Eeek yay!

Moving on. Yesterday, I was informed via twitter that The Morning Benders are touring with Grizzly Bear at the moment, which is SO RAD, and they’re coming to Seattle soon, which is EVEN MORE RAD. But it’s in 10 days. Really? You give me 10 days notice to find someone who likes these bands within my circle of friends. That isn’t necessarily the problem, I just hope the tickets don’t get sold out by the time I find someone to go with me.

I REALLY REALLY REALLY wanna see them again. It’s been over a year, and the dudes seem pretty damn down to earth to where I might actually be able to talk to them. Maybe a Popwreckoning interview?

<3<3<3
Oh, and I'd like to see them too.

What else?

THIS:

That’s right. My homies Bret and Jemaine are coming out with a new album on 10/20. Sure, it’s mostly songs from the second season of FoTC, but there are a couple new ones, and most likely these will be different versions than the ones from the show. Either way. New album = possible new tour? Maybe? Who knows. But I found a new version of “Sugalumps” (that R is omitted for a reason), and it’s longer (no pun intended) and mentions chicken soup. Take a listen. Slightly different than the show version, but either way, any FoTC news is good news, unless on of them contracted a terminal illness, or they broke up, or Jemaine decided to have a sex change. That would be the ultimate buzzkill (or boner killer as Libby likes to say). Anxiously awaiting I Told You I Was Freaky! I’m almost to 100 tracks of FoTC on my itunes. The only other ones that I’ve reached over 100 is WAS, the Beatles, Elliott Smith, and George Carlin. I think.

Here’s the new version of “Sugalumps.”

I know there’s something else.

Hmm. Oh. OH!

I don’t know if you’ve heard that Phoenix is releasing a remix EP, pairing up with the likes of Devendra Banhart, Friendly Fires, and um – FUCK YEAH ANIMAL COLLECTIVE. If I could speak any more candidly about how amazing this is – I would say “I JUST CAME.” But I won’t.

Seriously. I just got an orgasm in my brain. But honestly, Phoenix could pair up with anyone and it would work, because every song from Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix is KILLER. Phoenix could pair up with Nickelback and it would work. Phoenix could pair up with any of the Cyrus’ and it would still work. We may lose respect for them, but the song would still kick ass. Oh this makes me really excited to do my top 20 albums of 2009. I better start thinking up my list now.

BUT RIGHT NOW. I have found links to THREE of the songs off the new Fences EP, and they all are fantastic, but I didn’t have to tell you that. It’s Phoenix for christ’s sake.

“Love Like A Sunset” – Deakin jam (Animal Collective remix, with Panda Bear vocals and everything. O.O)

“Fences” – Friendly Fires Remix (didn’t think “Fences” could get any more jam-worthy and danceable did you? Well you’ve been proven WRONG my friend!)

“Rome” – Neighbours with Devendra Banhart remix. (Weird combination huh? Well it WORKS BITCHES.)

I didn’t feel like embedding these actual songs into my blog, just linking you to the original MP3s because it’s easier. And I’m lazy.

❤ Abby

Testing…testing…

Don’t Stop Believin’ (Glee Cast Version) by abbigshmail

I wanted to test out this Soundcloud thing with a song that Libby hasn’t stopped playing on the piano lately, and I love it. Seriously, Lea Michele (Rachel) is like a young Idina Menzel, and for some reason Cory Monteith (Finn) reminds of a guy I went to high school with. Only the guy I went to high school with wasn’t in Glee, he was in other nerdy clubs.

Anyway. This post wasn’t merely for testing Soundcloud. School just started. Well, school started on thursday for me at least. So far, I’m okay with my classes. One of my professors from last quarter walked into my first class to borrow chairs at the beginning of class on thursday, and it made me sad, because his class was the one class I REALLY wanted to get into. But that’s okay. That’s not the class that I’m weary about.

That’s my literature class. Yes, I’m in another literature class, but hopefully it won’t be as intense as Sharkey’s last quarter. It’s women’s lit, and there are 2 guys in the class. Ha. Ha. Actually, it’s not that funny. I walked into class 2 minutes late the first day, and I had quite a surprise awaiting me once I arrived.

Open door.

Surprise!

Oh shit.

Yeah, I was hoping I’d avoid the situation all throughout these last two years of UWT, but alas, there it is – staring me right in the face the first day of classes junior year. Ugh.

I still need to get my books for that class too. That’s reminds me.

I’m keeping my fingers crossed for a good quarter. And even more publicity for Popwreckoning.

Oh! I must mention what miraculous things happened this week after the Natalie Portman’s Shaved Head show on monday. And these were quite miraculous, I’ll tell you. So I posted the review on tuesday, right? I tweeted a couple times reminding people to read it, including @NPSH and @ladyhawkeforyou in the tweets to get more people to read it. Well lo and behold, late that night Natalie Portman’s Shaved Head themselves, or whomever updates the Twitter page regularly – I think it’s Luke – read my review.

Yep.

And they tweeted me back. In these exact words. – “@abbigshmail You ruuule! That was a great review of the show. See you again sometime!”

I really do hope I see them again sometime soon. Maybe I can overcome my jitters and interview a band. HOLY SHIT THAT WOULD BE AMAZING. Whoa, I’m getting ahead of myself.

Needless to say, when I saw this I got off my couch, jumped up and down, spun around and squealed frantically. This caused the dog to stare at me like, “what the dickens is wrong with you?” I didn’t care how much of a fool I looked like. It was A-MAZING. I hadn’t imagined THAT to happen, but it did. Yeah, it was pretty sweet.

What else came from my last blog was also quite incredible. On our dashboard on WordPress, it shows where people clicked on links to your blog from. Now, there were two facebook profiles that I didn’t know on my list of “referrers.” I clicked on them, wondering how they might have come upon my blog.

And guess what?

You know Plaid Guy? Well, his name’s David. And it was HIS facebook profile that my blog got pinged from, and the other guy Will who was standing behind us – his facebook was the other one. Weird, innit? I messaged both these guys wondering how to crap they found my blog. David wrote me back, saying he searched for pictures from the show, and my blog was the only thing that came up. I tried it out, Googled “npsh showbox” and narrowed it down to blogs. And “This Is A Tangent” was the first result. Huh.

Not only did someone from the show ping my post, but the TWO DUDES STANDING BEHIND ME – WHOM I REFERRED TO IN THAT EXACT POST. That has got to be the most eerie coincidence I’ve come upon in a long time. And you thought the internet was this vast land of billions of pages. Just goes to show you how music can bring people together. And how the internet can be the vessel.

Well, I think I better get back to my reading for class on tuesday, and listening to more Glee. I swear to god even though Kristin Chenoweth’s character is kind of toxic, she should NEVER leave television. She belongs on my TV at all times. Without Pushing Daisies, Glee fulfills the brightness factor that my TV was lacking for these last 10 months.

❤ Abby