High Fidelity - Imagine Dragons

I love this new band, I started listening to their EP on Spotify a few months ago before the song "It's Time" started getting more airplay.  Their full length album called Night Visions was just released September 4th and it is excellent!  Imagine Dragons is a Nevada based alternative rock band that came together in 2008.  They will be touring with Awolnation this fall and are on the line up at many alt rock festivals including SXSW.

It's Time

Radioactive

Imagine Dragons

High Fidelity - Atlas Genius, Walk the Moon & M83

I love new artists, while I am saving one of my very favorite new bands (literally brand new, their first full length album dropped this week!) for tomorrow's High Fidelity, I thought it would be fun to share three new(ish) artists who are playing quite frequently on my headphones at work.  

The first is a new Indie rock group from South Australia called Atlas Genius, this group has only released an EP - they are brand new and I think they have the potential to be really big.  

The second group is another Indie rock band called Walk the Moon, I just love their happy sound.  Walk the Moon's self titled debut album was released in 2012.  

The third selection is playing all over the radio right now, it is French electronic music band M83's song "Midnight City."  While the band has been together, in some form, since 2001, they have just recently really started making a name for themselves on the US charts.  They have toured over the past few years with some amazing bands including the Kings of Leon, The Killers and Depeche Mode.   On a side note, I love how the "Midnight City" video starts a story line... their follow-up single, "Reunion"continues the story.  I'll be curious to see if future singles do the same.  Very cool idea!

High Fidelity - The Civil Wars

My newest musical obsession is a country/folk group called The Civil Wars which is composed of singer-songwriters Joy Williams and John Paul White.  The duo won the 2012 Grammy for Best Folk Album and Best Country Due/Group Performance.  I love their haunting sound and amazing harmonies, I have included a few of my favorites below, including the song that introduced me to them (Taylor Swift ft. The Civil Wars "Safe & Sound") and a fantastic remake of "Billie Jean"... hope you enjoy them!

"Poison & Wine"

"Barton Hollow"

Taylor Swift ft. The Civil Wars "Safe & Sound"

 

 

"Bille Jean"

The Civil Wars

It's all about perspective...

A friend sent this email to me today, while I've seen things like this before, it really struck a chord with me today.  Too many times we think we know what is right for our life and when things don't go our way we question why... sometimes we just need to trust that there is a reason why things happen the way they do. It's all about how you look at things.

Me: Promise you won't get mad.

God: I promise.

Me: Why did you let so much stuff happen to me today?

God: What do you mean?

Me: Well, I woke up late.

God: Yes.

Me: My car took forever to start.

God: Okay.

Me: At lunch they made my sandwich wrong and I had to wait.

God: Hmmm.

Me: On the way home, my phone went dead, just as I picked up a call.

God: All right.

Me: And on top of it all, when I got home I just wanted to soak my feet in my new foot massager and relax, but it wouldn't work!!!   Nothing went right today! Why did you do that?

God: Let me see, the Death Angel was at your bed this morning and I had to send one of the other angels to battle him for your life. I let you sleep through that.

Me: (humbled): OH...

God: I didn't let your car start because there was a drunk driver on your route that would have hit you if you were on the road.

Me: (ashamed)

God: The first person who made your sandwich today was sick and I didn't want you to catch what they have, I knew you couldn't afford to miss work.

Me: (embarrassed): Ok...

God: Your phone went dead because the person that was calling was going to give false witness about what you said on that call, I didn't even let you talk to them so you would be covered.

Me: (softly) I see, God.

God: Oh and that foot massager, it had a shortage that was going to throw out all of the power in your house tonight. I didn't think you wanted to be in the dark.

Me: I'm sorry God.

God: Don't be sorry, just learn to trust me.....in all things, the good and the bad.

Me: I will trust you.

God: And don't doubt that my plan for your day is always better than your plan.

Me: I won't God. And let me just tell you God, thank you for everything today.

God: You're welcome child. It was just another day being your God, and I love looking after my children.

High Fidelity - Ultra Lounge series

I frequently think I was born in the wrong decade... the music, fashion, art, design, etc. from the mid to late 50's thru the 60's majorly appeals to me.  Women were feminine and curvy.  Men were dapper and oh, so smooth.  :D  Yes, I realize this is a romanticized, "Mad Men" era view of the time however I do think it was a prosperous and culturally (by this I mean art & music) rich era in the our history where family was still super important, cars were big and finned, the music was smooth, sexy and super melodic and the Rat Pack ruled Vegas.  

I LOVE the Ultra-Lounge series released from Capitol Records - there are now 20 compilations in the series and they are full of kitschy, bongo and saxophone filled grooves that are perfect to mambo, mix martinis to or enjoy while snuggled up with your sweetheart in front of a cozy fire (hot toddy in hand, of course).  Here are just a few of my favorites...

(Do any fellow Dexter fans recognize this from the show?)

Hope you enjoy these as much as I do!

High Fidelity - Little Big Town & Hunter Hayes

I've been on a country kick lately.  A couple of my current favorites are Little Big Town's "Pontoon" and Hunter Hayes' "Wanted" and "Storm Warning." 

"Pontoon" just makes me think of summer - who would have thought a song about a floating apparatus would be so catchy? ;)

Hunter Hayes is an amazing 20 year old musician/songwriter - he plays the accordion, guitar, mandolin, keyboard, bass guitar, piano and drums on his debut album released in 2011.  I love both songs that have been released so far...

Little Big Town

Home

Happy Birthday America! Whether we're black or white, gay or straight, conservative or liberal we all have something in common today - we're all a part of this awesome place we call home. God Bless America and all her quirks! :)

 "Home"

West, on a plane bound west
I see her stretching out below
Land, blessed mother land
The place where I was born

Scars, yeah she’s got her scars
Sometimes it starts to worry me
Cause lose, I don’t wanna lose
Sight of who we are

From the mountains high
To the wave crashed coast
There’s a way to find
Better days I know

It’s been a long hard ride
Got a ways to go
But this is still the place
That we all call home

Free, nothing feels like free
Though it sometimes means we don’t get along
Cause same, no we're not the same
But that’s what makes us strong

From the mountains high
To the wave crashed coast
There’s a way to find
Better days I know

It’s been a long hard ride
Got a ways to go
But this is still the place
That we all call home

Brave, gotta call it brave
To chase that dream across the sea
Names, and they signed their names
For something they believed

Red, how the blood ran red
And we laid our dead in sacred ground
Just think, wonder what they think
If they could see us now

It’s been a long hard ride
Got a ways to go
But this is still the place
That we all call home

It’s been a long hard ride
And I won’t lose hope
This is still the place
That we all call home

Lyrics to Dierks Bentley's song "Home" are property and copyright of their owners.