Baby, it's SO COLD outside.

Are there ever days when all you really need is a nice, musical pick-me-up? Not something thrashy and loud, not something too cutesy, but a band or artist that will give you that nice, glow-y, "I just fell in love today" feeling? Something to chase away those it's-cold-as-ice-and-only-getting-colder blues? Well, today is your lucky day.

The Love Language

These North Carolina natives sure know how to tug on the heartstrings. Their vaguely lo-fi, gritty indie-folk-rock sound is such a pleasure after the truly grungy (and sometimes just downright awful) straight-up 4-track sounds of the past several years. After a good listen, you may be inspired to believe that springtime is right around the corner...even in the dead of winter. Just be sure to spread all that sunshine around; it's Christmastime, after all!

(The author would like to note that if you're REALLY feeling Christmas-cheery, she'd definitely appreciate some nice hot chocolate right about now. It's flippin' cold here.)

In the violet hour.

Occasionally (ok, fine, very very very rarely), I'll stumble across something in the Bright Eyes/Decemberists genre (and yes, they are in the same genre; don't fight me on this) that I can actually recommend without feeling like I've somehow betrayed the aforementioned artists. As everyone knows, folky-indie-rock-y-experimental-y-pop tends to come out pretentious and ridiculously forced...so it is with extreme trepidation that I present for your inspection

Sea Wolf

Now, they've been around since 2003...and are currently signed to Dangerbird Records. But having released the glorious album White Water, White Bloom just a mere 3 months ago entitles them to a mention...as well as the ridiculously catchy "Violet Hour" which I currently can't get out of my head. Beautiful, beautiful stuff. If Conor Oberst lost just a tad of his freaky-genius vibe and mellowed out his tone a bit, you'd end up with these guys. And let's just be honest: everyone's been hoping that C.O. would do both of those things for years, so it's a good thing we've got Sea Wolf.

Gold and Warm, and Happy Thanksgiving.

Occasionally, I get on this dance-rock kick. It's a very difficult kick to get off of, so I try not to get wrapped up in it too terribly often...lately though, Franz Ferdinand and The Killers have been circling through my speakers more than anything else. I'm not ashamed to admit that :) However, I was scoping out Daytrotter (which, if you haven't checked it out yet, you really should. I highly recommend their Death Cab, Blitzen Trapper, and Bon Iver sessions) and stumbled across this duo from Cincinnati, who sound like a much milder, more intellectual version of The Killers on their very best day:

Bad Veins

This duo's music is fantastically honest. It's dance-y, it's precious, it's great pop packaged as cinematic indie dance-rock. They're on a Daytrotter-sponsered tour, co-headlining with The Subjects, and doing quite well. Their single, "Gold and Warm" is so charming that I hesitate to forward a better candidate for the top of my New Year's day playlist (look forward to that in a month or so!).

I Think It's Best If I Leave...

So sometimes, when it rains, you just need to listen to some 4-track goodness. This week has been a nice, misty one, in the best tradition of a Northwest November...hence my pick of the day:

It's True!

Lo-fi mellowness, with catchy lyrics and fantastic layers of sound. It's sweet, it's tongue-in-cheek, and honestly, I probably wouldn't have listened at all but for the wit of the titles on their double EP released this year: "There, there, now...I think it's best if I leave." However, once I heard a minute or two, I was hooked. Check it out, you definitely won't be disappointed.

I Must Have A Thing For England

Seriously, if I believed in reincarnation I would swear I was British in a past life. Every single time I hear something I like, I find out it's from the UK. And with the British (Second) Invasion still in full swing, there's always another great release coming from those crazy Isles. Here's one for the books (hailing from Austin, TX by way of Sheffield, UK):

Stoney

It's like the Shins time-traveled to meet the Beatles and picked up another 16 instruments along the way, except this is all done as a one-man band. Trance-y, catchy, sweet, and cynical by turns, it's no wonder that I put it on repeat. Not only that, but pick up his sophomore release and realize that this isn't a "sophomore slump" kind of album. This is the stuff that U2's or Coldplay's are made of. I heartily recommend "Morning After" and "One of You". Great tunes for a lazy Tuesday.

It's been a long, long time.

And it's been an interesting 7 or 8 months...I don't want to get too exact on you all. Finished school, moved into an amazing house with SIX other girls, started an executive position with a very large national corporation, moved into my very own house by myself, left the executive position and moved back in with my parents. And now, at long long last, I am back in the place that I secretly always wanted to be but always outwardly railed against selling out to move back to: Portland. And it's a wet, wonderful, welcoming fall, filled with good food, early nights, lots of job searching, and once again, blogging. I'm looking forward to the music scene with an intensity rivaled only by my love of all things chocolate (speaking of which, had some amazing Valrhona the other day...). That being said, I was having brunch with my very pregnant sister-in-law yesterday and fell into conversation with our waiter about his band. He gave me a card; I took a listen. I actually liked what I heard (thank you Portland!).

The Woodlands

This husband/wife duo is mellow, melodic, and all things fantastic when you want a band to play a house party but don't want your house trashed by mosh-pit participants at the end of it. Very sparkling-wine-and-designer-cheeses-while-the-rain-falls types. Gotta love it. Oh, and did I mention that they're Filter's unsigned band of the month? I'm glad I'm home.

Neglect.

Sorry for the absence, guys. Getting towards graduation has caused me to neglect this (and everything else!). However, I'm still digging up some great things, don't worry!

I think it's about time I wrote about one of my good friends. I've watched her songwriting develop for 4 years, and she just keeps getting better and better. Her songs are catchy, honest, deep but lighthearted at the same time, and tackle real-life issues with humor, wit, and delicacy.
You simply have to sing along when she covers songs from Sesame Street or Feist (who she sounds remarkably like!), but her original material truly stands out.

Faith Hefty

One of my personal favorites? "Always On My Mind" (but only available as a live video on her YouTube, so far...although apparently a new EP is forthcoming). It's what Patsy Cline would write if she was cool and Bohemian.