Watch this video. I've been a fan of the song for months, and now it's the free music video of the week on iTunes. Mellow vibe + interesting visuals = I'm there.

current obsessions:

the lack of postings here is evidence enough of my hiatus from music EN GENERAL (sad, i know, good thing you can't be hired from an unpaid gig...oh WAIT)...but here is a selection from my updated "current obsessions" playlist.

-the whitest boy alive. first clued into them by the kate spade muzak soundtrack. new single 'island' is a perfectly engineered blend of mellow vocals and spacy synth melody.
-the weepies. part of my summer fix, revisited because the folksy, contemplative lyrics are too good to pass up. specifically "all that i want."
-kate nash. that damn "mouthwash" song is always stuck in my head.

moonlight and brandy, sweet talk and candy

In August 1981, network known as MTV aired its very first broadcast.  That December, MTV hosted it's first Christmas special.  Enter Billy Squier, who had recorded a new Christmas tune in the studio and was ready to perform it live with the "MTV Chorus."  In a truly great television moment, Billy and the MTV-ers performed Christmas Is The Time To Say I Love You for viewers all across the country.  As everyone knows, this is one of my most favorite Christmas songs of EVER.  And this live performance is without a doubt the most stellar version of the song that exists.  

And now, I give you a historic moment in music television:

great late-night performances

Last night's late-night lineup on NBC featured two really great musical performances.  First, Relient K did a really fun version of Sleigh Ride on Jay Leno:

Then, my boyfriend Robin and the rest of the Fleet Foxes graced the Conan O'Brien audience with their presence, performing a lovely rendition of English House:

Hooray for the television!

anal bum cover.

So I've been thinking a lot about album covers lately. Perhaps it was a delightful mention by mitochandrea of some lego parodies. Or all of the chatter about Britney's Rodarte dress (swoon) in the art for Circus. Or maybe it's the upcoming Nasher exhibit The Record (curated by the one, the only, the adorable, Trevor Schoonmaker; on display in fall of 2009) which encompasses album art as well as literal album art-- sculpture created from LPs.

These things all made me wonder (cue introspective Carrie- Bradshaw-is-typing-on-her-Macbook-music), in this day and age of digital music, how relevant is album cover art anymore? Unless I happen to glance down at my iPod or read a review of a new release, I am ashamedly unfamiliar with the graphics chosen to represent the band's work. So readers, is this true for you too?

photo credit: 1

andrea's top five

TOP FIVE HOLIDAY SONGS FOR ALL YOU ALT-BROS WHO CLAIM TO HATE HOLIDAY SONGS:

5. The Weepies, All That I Want

Holiday cheer +  The Weepies + Enough said.

4. The Hives and Cyndi Lauper, A Christmas Duel

There has been a lot of buzz surrounding this recent collaboration, and it's obvious why.  Sounding as much like a great rock song as a Christmas song (disregarding the percussive jingle bells), this definitely deserves a listen.

3. Weezer, We Wish You A Merry Christmas

Rivers Cuomo rocking out Blue-Album-style to a song that even your grandma likes.  The best part is the guitar solo reminiscent of Say It Ain't So around 0:54.  (Side note: The Christmas with Weezer EP was just released TODAY, and it's already on heavy rotation here in my apt.  It's killer.  Get a copy post-haste).

2. Beck, Little Drum Machine Boy

I'll admit that I'm not a huge fan of the Little Drummer Boy, but leave it to Beck to take this humdrum tune and kick it up about 62 notches.

1. Fountains of Wayne, Valley Winter Song

This song describes my dream life.  Hearing Chris Collingwood sing "The snow is coming down/on our New England town/and it's been falling all day long" is a really, really fantastic thing.  The lyrics and melody perfectly match the overall feeling of the song.  Also, I want to be this lady when i grow up.

photo credit: 1

a present from sufjan!

my sufjan elf that i dressed up here.

Asthmatic Kitty, the record label home of several indie darlings such as Sufjan Stevens, has put up an adorable Christmas-themed website.  Activities include playing dress-up with Sufjan, printing Christmas ornaments and listening (free) to select tunes from Songs for Christmas.  Oh, and the best part - an amazing 8-bit Christmas video game, which makes Sufjan look like he's trapped inside a floppy disk on your Commodore 64.  Brillz!

kanye's way or the runway

Frock and Roll is back from the dead again, bringing you some breaking news. Kanye West, fresh off the release of his Auto-Tune-heavy sad song album 808s and Heartbreak, has announced that he not only wants to volunteer his services as a fashion intern, but might take some time off from music to do so. I applaud him taking this dream seriously (he's already designed men's shoes for Louis Vuitton) and joining the ranks of unpaid interns everywhere, but this just screams Sean Avery, Part Deux. Can you see Kanye schlepping Starbucks and spending hours organizing the showroom, like a real intern? That will teach you how the fashion industry really works. All bitterness aside, let's face it -- Kanye's clothes would be the shit.

[Showbiz Spy via The Cut, photo credit: 1]

andrea's top five

TOP FIVE INDIE LOVE SONGS:

(to put a smile on the face of every debbie downer!)

5. Belle & Sebastian, If You Find Yourself Caught in Love

A happy-go-lucky tune from the darlings of British twee.  Give the whole thing a listen, because the B&S-ness doesn't start til about a minute in.  Yeah, yeah, the intro is pretty, but the last three minutes of the song are far superior.

4. Ingrid Michaelson, The Way I Am

Sure, it was overplayed last year.  Yes, it was on a commercial.  For Old Navy.  But goddamnit, this song is the musical equivalent of a cup of hot chocolate (with 5-6 marshmallows) and you can't deny it.  

3. Nick Drake, Northern Sky

Ah, Mr. Drake.  The king of folk ballads, the sultan of serenades.  At least 10 of his songs could have potentially made this list, but Northern Sky tugs at your heart strings in a way that the others don't.

2. The Maccabees, Toothpaste Kisses

What The Maccabees accomplish with this song is rare: it's cute and kitschy, but also genuine.  If you don't enjoy the lyrics/melody/vibe, you may or may not lack a soul. 

1. Alexi Murdoch, Song For You

Maybe it's my hopeless romanticism, but this song always sets my heart aflutter.  Alexi is poetic, lyrical and very sexy.  He's even been compared to the late, great Nick Drake, which is hard to question.  Oh, and did I mention he went to DUKE for a brief spell? (bonus points).

photo credit: 1, 2

foxes. a whole fleet of them.

This needs no introduction.  Take it away, Robin.

Fleet Foxes - A Take Away Show from La Blogotheque.