Don't mind me, I'm just guerrilla hyping on the low

Last week, I got an email from Shia LaBeouf. (Now there’s a sentence I never thought I’d write). The message said that he had directed a music video and needed my help promoting it. Naturally, I assumed it was spam at first. But then I realized that the Twitter account he mentioned was actually verified, and yes, he did actually direct a brand new music video.

Now, the song (“Haunted Love” by Future Unlimited) is not really my style, and the video features a burning baby and a bathtub full of bloody water. So normally, I would have passed over the email and moved onto something else. But Shia desperately needed me: “im trying to guerrilla hype it on the low by pre showing it to a select group of tasty people i think can help,” he pleaded with me. Shia LaBeouf thinks I’m tasty, you guys. All right, fine. How can I say no to such a compliment?

So here you go:


Any other celebrities need some help with their guerrilla hyping? I’m totally your girl.

Falling in love (slowly) with the new Airborne Toxic Event album

A couple weeks ago, I saw pop culture writer Rob Sheffield speak at NYU. One of the topics he discussed was the absurd pace of music criticism these days. We’re all in such a rush to post our opinion that we don’t get a chance to truly soak in the record first.  I’m guilty of this too. While I may not be writing for Rolling Stone, I often judge an album after one or two listens, and if I’m disappointed, I’ll dismiss it and move on to something else. Rob decided to shake this trend by writing his review of the new My Bloody Valentine after listening to it 100 times. And I decided to give his method a try.

As anyone who reads this blog already knows, I absolutely adore The Airborne Toxic Event. But for some reason, their albums always take a while to click with me. Eventually I come to love the songs so much that I can’t understand what took me so long to appreciate them. But there’s always that initial listen where I feel mildly disappointed.

So when their new album, Such Hot Blood, came out two weeks ago, I expected to be a little wary at first. And that’s exactly what happened. I liked it—but I wasn’t wild about it. Not yet. But I was inspired by Rob’s talk, and I was determined to love this album, damn it. So all week, I’ve had it on repeat, waiting for the magical instant when everything becomes clear. And it’s finally starting to pay off. Yesterday at work, I found myself pausing to enjoy “This Is London.” On the train, I started craving yet another listen to “Bride & Groom.” And today I’m listening to the whole album on repeat because I actually want to. This album and I are still getting acquainted, but I think things just got a whole lot friendlier.

Here’s to slowing down and enjoying the music.

Boston

Yesterday was a rough day.

Boston has always been my city. I grew up just a short drive away in New Hampshire, so I constantly traveled to Massachusetts for concerts, field trips and special events. Eventually, I moved there for college and continued working there for a couple years after graduation. Even though I moved to New York just over a year ago, I’ve always considered Boston my home (second only to my beloved NH, of course).

On top of that, my family has quite a history with the Boston Marathon. My sister ran last year, and almost ran again this year. And for as long as I can remember, my parents have volunteered at one of the first aid stations by Heartbreak Hill. Thankfully, all three of them were far away from the blasts at the finish line yesterday. The majority of my friends also live in the city, and many of them were at the race yesterday. I am so, so grateful that all of my loved ones are safe. I can’t begin to express the concern and panic I felt yesterday, refreshing Facebook constantly to see who else had checked in. I am blessed—my love goes out to those who were not so lucky.

I’m always horrified by these violent events, but this one makes my heart ache. Looking at all the photographs, I see the streets I used to walk multiple times a day, now covered in blood. Seven journalism students covering the finish line for my alma mater were hospitalized with minor injuries. I’m not sure how to process yesterday, especially from here in New York.

But as President Obama said yesterday: “Boston is a tough and resilient town; so are its people.” We will pull together and move forward. I hope when the Boston Marathon returns, there are more runners than ever before. We get knocked down, but we get up again.

The finish line has always been a symbol of accomplishment and inspiration. While I certainly won’t forget what happened yesterday, I choose to focus on my sister’s triumphant finish last year instead. She looked so happy and proud. I look forward to seeing her finish again next time. Maybe I'll even join her.

Giving "Ridiculously Photogenic Guy" a run for his money.

All my love, Boston.

Concert Double Feature: Green Day and Andrew McMahon

Is it 2005 again? I’ve been having so many musical flashbacks to high school this week.

First, I saw Green Day on Sunday night. Like so many kids before me, Green Day was my gateway into rock music. And I know I don’t get any street cred for admitting this, but I absolutely adore American Idiot (and I will fight anyone who disagrees with me). It’s been a few years since they came around, so needless to say, I was psyched to see them again.

Sadly, this was the best picture I could get.

As you can see from the picture, we didn't have the best seats. Green Day shows are just not the same if you're not in the pit, but unfortunately, general admission tickets sold out way too fast. But it was still an incredible show. Billie Joe Armstrong has always been one of my favorite frontmen to watch perform, and his rehab stint certainly didn’t change that. He’s still the crazy ball of energy he always is— although I felt like maybe he didn’t drop quite as many F-bombs as usual. (What is this world coming to?!?)

Side note: after years of talking up Green Day’s live show to my friend Ali, she finally came along with me. And now she just keeps asking what the hell took her so long. So seriously, if you haven’t seen them yet, do it. Just DO IT.

And then on Tuesday, I saw Andrew McMahon (formerly of Something Corporate and Jack’s Mannequin) play at the Highline Ballroom. In 2003, Something Corporate was the opening act to my first concert (Good Charlotte, hell yeah!) and I immediately fell in love. Andrew and I have been through a lot together over the years, but his music has always been there for me. So it was a blast to take a musical tour through the last decade of my life. Obviously the highlight was when Andrew crowdsurfed to the bar, took a shot, crowdsurfed back to the bar and then finished singing “La La Lie.” The best.

Andrew McMahon prowlin' around on his piano.

And because these concerts apparently just weren’t enough to make me feel 16 again, Fall Out Boy, Paramore and Jimmy Eat World have all released new music this week. I wish I could pretend that I'm going to listen to some cool indie band after this but let's be real. I'm too busy learning all the words to this Fall Out Boy song featuring Elton John so I can belt it out next time I'm alone in the car. My inner teen is in heaven and I’m never growing up.

Happy birthday, Sing the Sorrow!

Yesterday marked ten years since the release of one of the most influential albums in my life. I was just a baby freshman in high school when Sing the Sorrow came out, and I was beginning to figure out what kind of music I was really interested in. After finally switching from listening to the local pop station ("New Hampshire's #1 hit music station") in favor of rock radio, I caught the tail end of "Girl's Not Grey"and immediately fell in love. Obviously, I quickly scrounged up some hard-earned babysitting cash and bought the CD. And when I posted about the "experience" on my DeadJournal (seriously, I miss angsty 2003 so much), my AFI-loving friend immediately burnt me a mix CD of a bunch of their older stuff. And just like that, I became a devout member of the "Church of Havok."

So happy birthday, Sing the Sorrow. Thanks for being my gateway drug into the wonderful world of AFI (and rock music in general). Also for making me feel like such a 14-year-old badass. I can't thank you enough.

Class of 2006

A few years ago, my pal Alison co-founded So I Made You a Mixtape, a group for us crazy people who still like to make and exchange mix CDs. Every round, you’re randomly assigned a new partner to make a mix for, based on whatever that round’s theme is. (I highly recommend joining. It’s a blast!)

Anyway, the opportunity to score new music and connect with new people is great on its own, but I also really enjoy combing through my extensive iTunes library to create the perfect playlist.  And this round’s theme was particularly awesome: favorite songs from your senior year of high school. For me, that was late 2005 through 2006, and I have plenty of poignant musical memories: Getting my first iPod (and it was so cool because it actually played videos!). My friend passing me an album by some unknown pop-punk band called Paramore. Singing “SOS” by Rihanna at the top of our lungs on graduation night. Making fun of James Blunt and Daniel Powter for hours on end with my photography class. Blasting The All-American Rejects in my car on a summer day (oh wait, I still do that…).

Needless to say, I had a tough time narrowing down the choices. So for my blog, I made a special extended version. In the end, I tried to come up with a combination of my favorite songs that came out that year and the pop music I remember hearing on the radio.

(Side note: I still shudder slightly when I hear the intro to “Chasing Cars” because one of my best friends made me listen to it EVERY SINGLE TIME it was on the radio. In late 2006, it was basically guaranteed that at least one station would be playing it at any given moment. I am only very recently able to stomach Snow Patrol again).

I’m sure I missed tons of fantastic material, but here it is. Enjoy!

Class of 2006 from xanne on 8tracks Radio.

Track list:

1. "Prelude 12/21" - AFI

2. "The Fallen" - Franz Ferdinand

3. "Dani California" - Red Hot Chili Pppers

4. "Unwritten" - Natasha Bedingfield

5. "Graduation Day" - Head Automatica

6. "Leave Like A Ghost (Drive Away)" - The Juliana Theory

7. "For You I Will (Confidence)" - Teddy Geiger

8. "We Intertwined" - The Hush Sound

9. "Move Along" - The All-American Rejects

10. "Casey's Song" - City and Colour

11. "Dog Problems" - The Format

12. "Chasing Cars" - Snow Patrol

13. "Soul Meets Body" - Death Cab For Cutie

14. "Crazy" - Gnarls Barkley

15. "Snakes On A Plane (Bring It)" - Cobra Starship

16. "Living For The Weekend" - Hard-Fi

17. "Walk Away" - Kelly Clarkson

18. "You Owe Me An IOU" - Hot Hot Heat

19. "Sugar, We're Going Down" - Fall Out Boy

20. "Taxi Driver" - Gym Class Heroes

21. "Get Him Back" - Fiona Apple

22. "The Gift" - Angels and Airwaves

23. "A Certain Romance" - Arctic Monkeys

First Favorite Songs of 2013

Well, here it is: my first post of 2013. To be honest, I can’t really think of many albums coming out this year that I’m excited about—at least not yet. That said, this week alone I have fallen in love with two new songs off of albums coming out within the next few months. So I guess I can’t complain too much.

This first is from one of my all-time favorites, The Airborne Toxic Event. I saw them yet again at Webster Hall this past Tuesday (with opener The Chevin, another favorite!) I’ve blogged about both bands a bunch, so I will save the rambling praise for another day. Let’s just say that the show was incredible as always, and I am so excited for TATE’s new album, Such Hot Blood, dropping this spring. They released an epically anthemic new single, “Timeless,” and while it’s a different sound for them, I am a big fan.



And the second song comes from Ivan & Alyosha, who I’d never heard before. They’re labelmates to The Lumineers though, and I am really diggin the folksy vibe. The new album comes out on February 26, so it looks like I may have new music to look forward to sooner than I thought.

What new music are you looking forward to this year?

An interview with Alison Sudol of A Fine Frenzy

Alison Sudol, the singer-songwriter and pianist better known as A Fine Frenzy, is so genuinely friendly and sweet in person that it’s hard to believe she writes so many sad, vulnerable songs.  But as it turns out, the 27-year-old songstress started writing her third and latest album, Pines, during a dark emotional period of her life—and in the end, those unhappy songs helped save her.

And that’s only the beginning; Pines dropped this fall, along with an accompanying book and short film. In addition, Sudol and her band mates recently wrapped up a tour across the country with Joshua Radin, and they just released a music video for “Now Is The Start,” which also happens to be Sudol’s directorial debut. Looks like there’s no time for sadness now.

Sudol taught herself piano and began writing music when she was just a teenager. The self-proclaimed “nerdy and shy” singer also has a passion for literature, taking her band name from Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. She released her first album, One Cell in the Sea in 2007 at 22-years-old, and followed it up in 2009 with Bomb in a Birdcage. Her heartfelt music earned her plenty of positive reviews and a loyal fanbase. But despite her success, Sudol still found herself in an emotional funk.

“It was intense,” she says. “It just wasn’t working anymore. I was tired of being unhappy.” She began working on Pines, and found the relief she was looking for. “It was a huge life transition, learned and figured out through music,” she says. “It was cathartic.” Writing those songs also made her change her perspective: “It was humbling in a way because there are things that I just can’t get away with in songs. I’ll write a lyric and realize, ‘Wow that sounds terrible. You need to reevaluate how you’re thinking,’” she says with a laugh. “So it’s really forcing me to get objective about what I was going through, and that was a real gift.“

But despite the emotional drama that went into making the album, Sudol swears she had fun making it. “When I say it was difficult, it was also completely and totally magical writing this record,” she explains. “I wanted to be brave to do the things that I was too afraid to try or didn’t know how to do.” In particular, she tried a different songwriting technique: “One thing I tried was allowing the songs to breathe. I don’t think that I felt confident enough as a songwriter before to just let a song rest and flow without having a rigid structure,” she says. She also wanted the album to feel more textural and intimate that her previous efforts.  “No matter how big a song got, I always wanted the listener to feel like they were right there with me, going through it,” she says. “I just don’t even think I knew enough about music or making records to even think about that before.”

As for performing live, Sudol feels better about that now too, although she still can’t help connecting with the sad emotions while she sings. “I think it is definitely a challenge to perform because music for me is so vulnerable,” she says. “It’s almost harder to remember to smile and have fun during the performance. The way that I do it is to choose to really enjoy it.” Still, sometimes, she has to remind herself to smile—otherwise, she’ll occasionally get too involved with the songs. “I’ve had people come ask me, ‘Are you okay?’ afterward,” she says with a laugh.

One of the best parts of the job, she says, is when a fan tells her about their emotional connection with the music. And social media has allowed her to connect with those fans on a whole new level. “Tumblr has been really amazing because people have been sending in their stories to my ask page, and wow—It’s intense!” she explains. When one fan recently sent in a message about using A Fine Frenzy songs for music therapy while recovering from an eating disorder, Sudol posted a lengthy 800-plus word response of encouragement. “When someone says I’ve gotten into their head, that’s one of the best compliments,” she says.

Now, she hopes fans will find something special to connect with on Pines. “It’s the kind of record that’s written as a journey, and it takes you through highs and lows,” she says. “I hope that people go through whatever they need to go through with this record. There are things in life that we need to face and we don’t know how to face them. Sometimes it takes getting shaken up a little bit to think about them differently. My main hope with this record is that it emotionally means something to people.”

Watch Sudol's directorial debut video:

My Favorite Albums of 2012

Well, it's already time once again to reflect on all the great music that has come out over the past year. Here are my favorites, in no particular order.

Of Monsters and Men - My Head Is An Animal: Last January, I dubbed these guys my new favorite band of the year. (This was before their album even came out in the US, because I am suuuuch a hipster). This band is totally deserving of all the attention they received, and I'm so happy that they found success here as well as Iceland.

Fiona Apple - The Idler Wheel: Fiona is my queen. This album is genius. Etc etc. 

The Gaslight Anthem - Handwritten: I'm basically obsessed with this band and lead singer Brian Fallon these days. Every time I listen to this album, I fall a little bit more in love with it.

The Chevin - Borderland: David Letterman said it best when these British lads played on his show: "Holy crap! That's good."

Green Day - ¡Dos!: I thought American Idiot was fantastic and I will fight anyone who says otherwise. That said, Green Day's take on retro-y garage rock on this album is just so damn fun. I love ¡Uno! and ¡Tre! too, but this is my favorite of the three. 

A Fine Frenzy - Pines: I have such a girl crush on singer Alison Sudol. She could put out a dubstep record and I would still buy it. Thankfully, she channeled her energies into this vibrant, nature-inspired album instead.

The Lumineers - The Lumineers: I don't mean to toot my own horn, but The Lumineers are another band that I totally discovered before they were famous. (#trendsetter) But thanks to Mumford & Sons and that Bing commercial, the rest of the world is discovering how fabulous this three-piece folk band is. I also interviewed lead singer Wesley Schultz back in April, right as the band really started to take off.

Blaqk Audio - Bright Black Heaven: I'm not usually an electronic music fan, but I'll buy anything singer Davey Havok wants to sell me.

The All-American Rejects - Kids in the Street: This band has yet to disappoint me. Right when I moved away from home to NYC, they released a mature album about growing up and figuring out who you are. Thanks for reading my mind, guys.

The Horrible Crowes - Elsie: Okay, this album actually came out last year, but I just discovered it and have listened to basically nothing else since. 

Thanks 2012, it's been real.

On the Greatness of Brian Fallon

Damn it, Brian Fallon. Quit playing with my emotions. I know I'm late to the Horrible Crowes party, but now that I've found this album, all I want to do is lie on the floor, absorbing every perfect second deep into my soul. I tried to fall asleep listening to this last night, but in the end I was up past 3 a.m. just reflecting on how beautiful these songs are.


In other Brian Fallon news, I saw his other (and better known) band, The Gaslight Anthem, at Terminal 5 last week. I feel like I've been talking about nothing besides TGA lately, but let me just say that the show was absolutely fantastic. They opened with "Mae," one of my all-time favorites, and I almost started weeping right then and there. Also, that was possibly the nicest crowd I've ever been in. It was a big community of crazed fans, all singing along together. Incredible.

Thanks for trying so hard to make me cry, buddy.

The Horrible Crowes /  The Gaslight Anthem

Autumn Adventures

This Thanksgiving, I'm grateful for all the fun and adventure that has been thrown my way since I moved to New York. Life has been exceptionally eventful lately, so here are some of my favorite reasons why I've been way too busy to update this blog.

1. Earlier this month, I traveled to Greece with a few family members. While there, we ate obscene amounts of food, explored ancient temples and monasteries, and even stumbled upon long lost distant relatives we never knew existed. The above picture is of a monastery in Meteora, near the village where my mom’s family came from. I’ve never had any interest in being a nun before, but the scenery almost made me consider it.

2. Before my travels, I met JK Rowling, my writing idol and the queen of my childhood. Somehow, I managed to score a ticket to her only promotional event in North America for her new book, The Casual Vacancy. I really only had about ten seconds with her during the signing, but I blurted out something about how much she has inspired my writing, and she thanked me graciously. The picture is blurry, because I was too busy focusing on not peeing my pants in excitement to worry about a good photo. (But hey, I did better than the girl sobbing with joy in the lobby afterward).

3. Apparently the Gods of Fangirl-dom were smiling down upon me this month, because just days after the Rowling event, I also met Jake Gyllenhaal after a performance of his off-Broadway play, "If There Is I Haven’t Found It Yet." For those of you who don’t know, I once wrote an embarrassing (but totally accurate) post about my love for Mr. Gyllenhaal. I’d had the honor of being in his presence once before, but this time we actually spoke. While he may have looked like a hairy hobo with that ridiculous beard, he was quite the gentleman, and even took a picture for me since I was juggling too many items. Sigh. Oh, and the play was good too.

4. And can we talk about all the great albums that have come out lately? I’m especially loving Green Day’s latest, Dos. Other notable albums include The Chevin’s Borderland and Pines by A Fine Frenzy. 

Happy Thanksgiving!

The Gaslight Anthem - "Here Comes My Man" video

Behold, my music video debut! My arm and the back of my head are in this, so I'm pretty sure that makes me a star now.

Also, this band and this album are just really fantastic.

Run Like Hell

After I was laid off from my job back in May, I gave myself just one day to panic about my future. The next morning, I laced up my running shoes and took my emotions out on the asphalt.  I knew I had to stay upbeat and optimistic, and giving myself an endorphin boost through exercise seemed like a good plan of attack. Besides, one of the worst things about my old job was how I had so little time to exercise, and now I had endless amounts of free time.  I started thinking about how to get myself into better shape, and suddenly, I was contemplating running a half marathon.

I’ve never particularly enjoyed running, but I find it more effective than other workouts. So over the years, I’ve pushed myself into being a runner. And now, I decided it was time for me to try a long distance race. If nothing else, I figured I could at least cross it off my bucket list.

The training was tough, but I found my body adapted quicker than I expected. Even better, I felt productive. No responses to those job applications I sent out? Oh well, time for my next run.

This past weekend, I completed the half marathon. It feels weird to be done, actually. But the race went better than I expected. I didn’t stop to walk once—not even at 11.5 miles when my legs felt like they were about to fall off. When I crossed the finish line, I felt a sense of accomplishment that I hadn’t felt in a long time.

Why am I writing about this on my music blog? Well first, because I need a place to brag, but mostly because I couldn’t have done this without my iPod. During the race, I had some pop-punk to pump me up, but I found the most effective music was epic movie scores, particularly the Inception soundtrack. Nothing like a Hans Zimmer score to keep me moving—I felt like someone would shoot me if I dared to stop running.  I highly recommend it for runners (or anyone who wants to make everyday activities seem like matters of life and death).

I won’t post the pictures of me running the race, as I look hilariously miserable. Also, I have to pay $15 for each non-watermarked version. (Why they think I would shell out money for photos of myself looking like I want to collapse is beyond me). But the picture above is me with my race buddy, aka my wonderful mom.

And one more accomplishment to brag about: I recently got a paid internship at Parents magazine and I am loving every moment of it. Things are looking up.

Recommendations for fall

Fall is finally here, and I could not be happier about it. In the past, I've created special autumn playlists to pump me up for apple-picking and pumpkin eating, but this year I'm pretty much listening to the same few albums over and over. So instead, here are a handful of things that have been entertaining me lately.

The Gaslight Anthem - Handwritten

Every time I listen to this album, I fall a little bit more in love with it. Before Handwritten, I was a casual Gaslight listener—I liked a bunch of songs but could not have told you anything about the band. Well, this was the album that transformed me into a fan. Every song has its own personality, yet together they make up such a complete, cohesive collection. Beautiful.

Songbook by Nick Hornby

I bought this book on a whim when I found it used for $2, and I am so glad I did. If you don't know who Nick Hornby is, you should stop reading my blog immediately and run to your nearest bookstore, because he is a far better writer than I am. Songbook is essentially a collection of short essays about his favorite songs. While I am not familiar with most of them, I found myself struck by his musical musings. He took all my passions and emotions towards music and turned them into beautiful prose.

On the concert experience: "...You could feel the whole audience fall in love with her, and the song, and the evening. It was one of those rare moments—miraculous, in the context of a rock show—which make you grateful for the music you know, the music you have yet to hear, the books you have read and are going to read, maybe even the life you live." Amen.

Lost

Years ago, I watched bits and pieces with my college roommate, but I have finally decided to watch this show from the beginning. I am so with the times. Do you think George W. Bush will get reelected, you guys?

Blaqk Audio - Bright Black Heaven

Electronic music isn't usually my thing, but I'll buy pretty much anything Davey Havok wants to sell me. This album was actually finished years ago but did not make it to shelves until a couple weeks ago, so I'm just grateful to finally have it in my possession. I haven't decided yet if it's as good as their previous release, CexCells, but I do know that "Let's Be Honest" makes me dance like a fool and "Ill-Lit Ships" is one of my all-time favorite BA songs. Not too shabby.

Tell The Wolves I'm Home by Carol Rifka Brunt

A short blurb won't do this book justice. Usually after finishing a book, I close it and move on with my life, but after this one, I sat speechless for a while. It's a coming of age tale about 14-year-old June and how the death of her uncle turns her world upside down. The story was moving and the writing is just poetic.  

There you have it. And this upcoming Tuesday, three different bands I love are putting out new albums, so I will soon be flooded with even more recommendations. Until then, enjoy.