holding steady.™

this week, there’s been some typical throw-backs, and some new obsessions.

i’ve been loving gorilla manor by local natives, and it’s been on repeat for several days. i also got a bit nostalgic for my middle school/high school days when i listened to a ton of moby, all the time.

i had company a few times in the past couple of days, and i find most of the artists in this graphic, especially washed out and kings of convenience, to promote a pretty casual atmosphere.

(inspired pretty directly by kitsune noir’s music monday feature) here’s what i’ve been listening to this week:

i made this killer playlist a while back (i tend to do that when i have periods with a lot of work coming up), and let me tell you how LOUSY it is with songs by radiohead, moby and daft punk. i think i included each artist’s full catalogue, and i have to say, it’s been a productive few days.

i was in a really somber, sing-a-song-of-sixpence-and-heartbreak mood last week…and i suppose, if i’m honest, for like two years. ryan adams is an old stand-by, as far as male vocalists who manage to really convey haunting emotional trauma even while singing about prostitutes go.

listening to the roots actually came about because i was going through my pictures the other day, and saw a bunch of my shots from langerado (2008), where those guys performed one of the best live sets i’ve ever seen. one group that i still haven’t gotten to see live is tegan and sara. they’re coming into my area of the state pretty soon, but school and work are probably going to take precedence.

if you ever lived somewhere with routinely dreary weather, then you can understand why jack johnson consistently has a high play count for me. it’s not actually that depressing here, but we’ve been having a lot of overcast cold snaps in the past couple of months, including a nasty one this week. in fact, listening to local natives is a pretty good work-around for that as well. i had never heard of them before about two weeks ago, and gorilla manor is an out-of-control-good album, with tons of eccentric beats and jam-tastic vocals.

[cautionary tip: careful with listening to the album while parked at the scanner in the library. you may accidentally start singing along, and this will attract stares.]

grizzly bear, “little brother (electric version)“

kings of convenience, “peacetime resistance“

sometimes, there’s a scent or a song that triggers something very sharply in the memory. for me, minus the bear reminds me very strongly of my junior year of college…also known my first year of being fully out. that was an eventful time in my life. i met one of my best friends that year, and created several very long-lasting companionships, all of which continue in some form or another to this very day. listening to minus the bear reminds me of when i had to get through something incredibly difficult, and could only ever depend upon my mood not lasting.

even better dinner tonight. ina garten’s “grown-up mac’n'cheese” and cheddar/dill/scallion scones…all, made of deliciousness.

all done, while listening to the new kid cudi album, specifically the song “simple as.”

great lake swimmers, “moving pictures silent films“

(i’m in fact surprised at myself, since lately i haven’t been able to deal with kanye at all. but then, this “old” gem crept up on the five-star playlist shuffle…and i thought, hey, why not? i do love this track, after all. who doesn’t love a song about working at the gap?)

ryan adams, “two hearts“

neko case, “i’m an animal“

josh ritter, “open doors“

and i’m finally going to sleep, after finally finishing tron, & blogging a bunch of stuff that’s been sitting in the starred folder of google reader/my downloads folder. time to reboot my poor, tired, 12-days running computer. note: i’m still not finished packing.

also, i think my itunes library is in open revolt. it played a song by paramore, which naturally meant i had to listen to the entire riot album. twice. say what you will about pop music, but those kids make catchy tunes.

anyways, before i shut it down for the (morning?), i thought i’d share one last thing. i saw this picture on wejetset a couple of months ago, but i’ve been waiting for a reason to reference it. tonight, i started truly jamming to a remix (by junior boys) of billie holiday singing “yesterday“, and it made me…take it easy. there’s something about these boys waiting on a train platform that really exudes an air of calm. i need this to be more a part of my life. night.