Day 263: Open Your Arms by Editors

Hey everyone!

You know when you have one of those days where you wake up and everything goes wrong? Yeah, that’s today for me.

But instead of dwelling on it too much, I’ve decided to take extra precautions today to make sure I try not to slip into some sort of sad mindset. Sure, I am a wee bit upset that today has gone by in a not-so-great manner, but I can think of at least one thing that makes my day a little easier.

“Open Your Arms” by Editors is kind of an old-school song (it came out on their debut album The Back Room in 2005), but it’s so beautiful and mind-boggling that I can’ ever turn my attention away from it.

I first discovered my love for this song back when I was in 9th grade… it set the perfect scene for me. I was on a field trip with the band (yeah, I’m that much of a nerd), and we were headed to Wenatchee, WA for some sort of festival… but in order to get there from where I live, we had to go through the Snoqualmie Pass. Thankfully it was spring, so the lack of snow was a sight for sore eyes, but it was still a gorgeous view. Then “Open Your Arms” came on, and I couldn’t help but cry.

Something about this song just makes the scenery so much more special. It’s as if the song was written by the mountains, forests, lakes, snow piles… the road, the signs, the clouds. Call me cheesy if you like, but it’s a beautiful feeling.

So I hope you enjoy “Open Your Arms” by Editors. If I may make a suggestion: just close your eyes, and listen.

Day 211: Killin’ The Vibe by Ducktails (feat. Panda Bear)

Hey guys!

Unfortunately, today’s post is to a link because I cannot actually put the song on the blog… but I urge everyone to click the picture below and go listen to the song!

It’s called “Killin’ The Vibe” by indie band Ducktails. It features the backup of other indie band Panda Bear, Dent May (who I absolutely love), and Jarvis Taveniere (of the band Woods). It’s really chill and really great!

Enjoy “Killin’ The Vibe”!

Click here to listen to "Killin' The Vibe" by Ducktails, Feat. Panda Bear

Day 209: Mykonos by Fleet Foxes +Your Protector

So a while back (specifically this summer), I posted a video by Fleet Foxes.

Well, I wanted to feature my favorite song by them and I couldn’t find the video (unfortunately).

That is… until now.

“Mykonos” is a gorgeous song that has a very singable melody, and honestly it is my favorite Fleet Foxes song.

I don’t have more to say, so enjoy “Mykonos” by Fleet Foxes!!

As an added bonus, I want to throw in “Your Protector”, a song off of their first CD and another one of my favorites!

Enjoy!

Day 156: [THEME WEEK] Casmir Pulaski Day by Sufjan Stevens

Hello today!

Once again, I present SUFJAN STEVENS THEME WEEEEEEK!

Sufjan under the stars

Today has been an odd one… It’s been full of good and bad, smiles and tears. So I’ve been honestly confused about my feelings all day long.

So when I tried to decide what song to pick for today’s post, I didn’t have any trouble picking “Casmir Pulaski Day”.

This song sort of reflects good and bad all in one. The music is simple: for the first part, a guitar lightly accompanies Sufjan’s voice. It’s beautiful and whimsical, but there is a little strange twist.

While it’s music is mesmerizing, the subject is quite sad: from what I can tell, the song is about one of Sufjan’s old loves, who dies of bone cancer.

So why do I pick this song for the blog? Because it is incredible. Even though it’s soft and sad, it is one of the strongest songs on the album. It’s gorgeous and it’s just…. like I can’t describe how wonderful it is.

The other night I had a perfect moment… I was walking through campus in the dark, with this song on, and it was like time stood still. The smell of the pine trees, the taste of my eggnog latte still lingering, the clouds overlapping in the navy light, the moon shining as bright as it could. It was incredible. I couldn’t even believe it.

When I hear this song, just the most wonderful thoughts come into my head. It’s like being in love.

So enjoy “Casmir Pulaski Day” by Sufjan Stevens, and hopefully you’ll feel the same way as me. (leave me a comment and let me know what you think)

*EDIT: better link for the song!

Day 151: Omnom Forest

Hello there! If this is your first time on the site, be sure to check out the about page at the top for more info on my project! Also, sign the guestbook (also located in the top)!

I’ve got some good stuff planned for this coming week! First, I have an interview with a band (who is awesome by the way), and next week is going to be another themed week (that has to do with adorable guys with banjos and clouds).

But for today, I have a simple game called “Omnom Forest”.

Loosely based on the movie My Neighbor Totoro, the point of the game is to have the little totoro-like things eat fruit and avoid acorns. Sound simple enough? Just wait… it gets surprisingly difficult!

I love this game. It’s so sweet and the noise they make is so adorkable. Plus, wait until you see what you have to do to calm them down if you make them mad!!

So enjoy “Omnom Forest”!

(click the image to play the game!)

Click Here To Play Omnom Forest

Day 130: The Limit To Your Love by Feist

Hey guys, if this is your first time on the site, be sure to check out the about page at the top for more info on my project! Also, sign the guestbook (also located in the top)!

The fall is here (even though the weather outside is deceptively hot). I will update the blog with more pictures once the leaves turn, but for right now, fall is creeping into my thoughts.

What does it mean? It means that my fall music playlist is taken down from the closet, brushed off a bit, and put onto my iPod. And what’s the best music for fall? Folk.

Well, for me folk is good for all times of the year, but it has a strange effect on me in the autumn. I start to feel the cold breeze (hypothetically, of course, since it was like 80 degrees here today), I see the leaves change color and fall to the ground, I smell the pumpkin spice, and I watch the campus come to life. It’s really beautiful.

So when I’m feeling in the fall-mood, I like to start off with some Feist. Her voice is soothing, and, while it’s not exactly folk music, it reminds me of the season.

Today, I picked “The Limit To Your Love” by Feist, not because of the topic, but because it reminds me of the autumn feeling. It’s dark and light, sweet and smooth, and it always makes me want to walk slower and take it all in.

There is no limit to my love for this song (I know, I had to). So hopefully you’ll enjoy “The Limit To Your Love” by Feist as much as I do.

P.S. if you’ve never heard her CD The Reminder, check it out. It’s very very good!

Day 118: Snoqualmie Falls

Hello there! If this is your first time on the site, be sure to check out the about page at the top for more info on my project! Also, sign the guestbook (also located in the top)!

I’m leaving to go back to Eugene on Friday, so I spent the day with two of my best friends…

The first half of the day was devoted to my friend Kaitlin, who is leaving for college tomorrow. We had lunch, chilled for a while, and decided to take a sporadic trip to Snoqualmie Falls.

Now, Snoqualmie Falls is located in the hills of Snoqualmie (duh!). It’s about 3 or 4 minutes outside of one of my favorite cities ever: Fall City. Unfortunately, I couldn’t get any pictures of the sweet little city, but it is one of those small towns where everyone knows each other. And it is my dream city!!

Anyway, Snoqualmie Falls is gorgeous. The little park is teeny weeny but it’s got a gorgeous view of this natural oddity. There is a bit of construction going on that makes it sad and uncomfortable, but it isn’t enough to ruin the gorgeous view.

What made it even more beautiful was the rain. There’s something gorgeous about seeing the falls in the rain surrounded by the green trees.

Check out the photos here:

The Rain

The Trees above the River

The Falls

A Lodge On A Hill

Kaitlin in A Wheel

The River

The Falls Again

The River Again

The River From Afar

The Gorgeous falls

The River

My Favorite Picture: The Falls in The Rain

Needless to say it was wonderful. While our time there was short, it was still a great day.

I will miss Kaitlin, but I’m glad we’re returning to school!

The second half of my day was dedicated to spending time with Tyler. I will miss him too, but we will chill sooner or later!

But anyway, if you’re in Washington and want to see wonderful scenery, come check out Snoqualmie Falls!!

Day 112: Flock Together

Hello there! If this is your first time on the site, be sure to check out the about page at the top for more info on my project! Also, sign the guestbook (also located in the top)!

Normally, I try to avoid putting two types of posts together (unless it’s a theme week), but I found this game tonight that I want to share desperately!

The game is called “Flock Together,” and it is simple and sweet. A little girl has lost her best friend, a sheep, in the clouds (it was tied to a balloon). So, using your mouse and arrow keys, you have to gather a flock of birds to reach your best friend in the sky.

It’s adorable and easy to do (I suggest aiming for the albatross and the hawk.)

So enjoy “Flock Together”!

Click Here to play Flock Together at armorgames.com

Day 104: The Wilderness Downtown

Hello there! If this is your first time on the site, be sure to check out the about page at the top for more info on my project! Also, sign the guestbook (also located in the top)!

I know I said I was going to post some pictures of California for tonight’s blogpost, but I discovered something today that can’t go unnoticed.

Being a journalism student, we are encouraged to look into new technologies that could potentially change my career in the future. And being an arts journalist, I am in love with music and musicians who use new technologies for awesomeness (see my article on the band Gorillaz at the Oregon Voice… click to ch-ch-check it out).

So when I heard that Arcade Fire (one of my favorite bands) teamed up with Chris Milk for a Google Chrome sponsored project featuring HTML5 called “The Wilderness Downtown”, I jumped on that website faster than you could yell “FIRE!!”

The concept is simple enough: Chris Milk created an interactive music video for the Arcade Fire’s new song “We Used To Wait”, involving google maps and your own keyboard. I don’t want to spoil the experience for you, but it is more than just a personalized music video: it is an inside look into a system that is overlooked.

All you have to do is type in the address of the house you grew up in (or, if you can’t remember that, type your own address in there) and begin. It will pop up a few new windows here and there, but here’s the important thing: DON’T CLOSE THEM DOWN!!! That’s all part of the video. So let them pop up and enjoy!

WORD OF WARNING:

If you have a very weak browser (as in you have frequent problems with your internet, or your connection is very slow) don’t try to watch this video. I know, it sucks to miss out but even my computer had issues with it at first (and my compy is pretty new). If your internet is pretty decent, then close down all other windows and applications open (save that word document and close that powerpoint) before watching. It’ll make it run smoother.

If you’re ready, click this picture to experience the Wilderness Downtown:

Click Here for The Wilderness Downtown

If you have clicked the link DO NOT SCROLL DOWN!

I’m serious.

If you haven’t clicked the link (or your internet is not too strong), I’ve provided a video of an example of the whole video right below. This is something I hope that you can see, even if you can’t experience it.

Don’t watch this video before clicking the link!

Anyway, here you go!

Day 81: Young Bride by Midlake

Hello there! If this is your first time on the site, be sure to check out the about page at the top for more info on my project! Also, sign the guestbook (also located in the top)!

To continue Paste Mag Video Week, I bring you another great band from the DVD sampler!

Hailing from Denton, Texas, Midlake is an indie-rock/folk band just waiting to be listened to. The band initially started out playing jazz music (inspired by the likes of Herbie Hancock), but soon transitioned into their current genre over a few years. While they may not be extremely famous here in the US, they make quite an impact in Europe (especially with their label “Bella Union Records” in London, England).

The year the sampler came out, they had a very sweet song called “Young Bride”, accompanied with a video, which made it onto the DVD. While the vid is a bit sad, it is sweet and gentle and something easy to listen to. On a side note, I particularly love the violin part. So gorgeous!!

If you’re a fan of the likes of Fleet Foxes and Blind Pilot, be sure to check out Midlake!

So here you go! Enjoy “Young Bride” by Midlake!