The Masked Girl

Don’t you hate it when you see the music video and it COMPLETELY changes your opinion of a song?

iTunes has been coming out with good free songs lately! I got this one a few weeks ago:

By Surprise - Gemini Club

New Ceremony - Dry The River

Hello!

Sorry I’ve been off the radar lately. I recall earlier promising a review of Fitz and the Tantrums, so here it is. I listened to their first album, Pickin’ Up The Pieces a little while ago, and I LOVED IT! Fitz and the Tantrums are a soul/indie pop group from LA that formed in 2008. Pickin’ Up The Pieces was released in 2010, after they toured with Maroon 5 in 2009. Their sound is very reminiscent of the ’60s, and I especially appreciate that they don’t use guitars. Saxophone, instead, is their main instrument. Vogue Daily comments on their “tireless work ethic,” and if you check out their blog (http://fitzandthetantrums.com/category/blog/) you can get a sense of it. For this particular album, they couldn’t afford a studio, and recorded in Fitz’s living room without soundproofing. My favorite quote: “We’re not a shoegazer band, we put everything we’ve got into our shows.” Wow!

Songs to check out:

2) Dear Mr. President

4) MoneyGrabber

6) News 4 U

10) Tighter

Hope you enjoy them. Over and out!

—The Masked Girl

Hi!

I stayed home sick today, which gave me the opportunity to listen to some music - Jack’s Mannequin and Fitz and the Tantrums. I’ll have to write about Fitz and the Tantrums later (I loved them!) but for now, I’ll focus on Jack’s Mannequin. I listened to Everything in Transit today - a type of diary documenting Andrew McMahon’s return home after being on tour for months. I know I’m behind the times, seeing as it came out in 2005, so don’t be too hard on me! I’d heard Dark Blue and Bruised before, and those remain my favorites but I also liked MFEO - Part 1: Made For Each Other. In general, I found the songs to be very vacation-heavy, and very focused on California and summertime. Sidenote: who can blame them! I’m so done with school this year. I’m also a little skeptical of how they worked with Stephenie Meyer - I’m not the hugest Twilight fan out there. However, I am appreciative of their philanthropic leukemia awareness efforts - Mr. McMahon is a survivor. Not to mention that he can pull off white sunglasses. He seems (from the blog I read) to be educated and observant, meditating on the essay ‘Self Reliance’ by Emerson, and relating it to Pet Sounds by the Beach Boys - that’s a skillful comparison. Coming to think of it, their album does remind a bit of the early Beach Boys in a wistful, innocent way. And I enjoyed listening to them today.

Any Jack’s Mannequin fans out there? Tell me what I should listen to next!

Ciao

—The Masked Girl

Bonjour! My song of the day is…

Lions - The Features

This song is from their album Some Kind of Salvation that came out in 2008 (good album art!). I admit - I only listened to 45 seconds of it because my computer was going crazy, as usual. You may think that this isn’t enough time to judge a song, but I usually give a new song between 30 seconds and a minute to impress me. Anyway… The Features are an indie band from Tennessee (as far as I can tell from their Wikipedia page). They’re better known in England than they are here, but do have some devoted followers in the Southeastern US. They’ve opened for Kings of Leon and Manchester Orchestra. Check it out! And I’ll listen to the rest of the song later. Haha.

xoxo

—The Masked Girl

My Love - The Bird and the Bee

Note: Previously, I’d only listened to Love Letter to Japan, but I picked up the whole album - Ray Guns Are Not Just The Future - in the library the other day. This is track number two, and I LOVE it! My other favorites are Diamond Dave, You’re A Cad, and Birthday!

Cheerio!

—The Masked Girl 

Hello! Here’s a list of my favorite songs that have a location in the title. If you have any other suggestions, comments, etc. feel free to message me! And yes - they are organized by continent.

• Africa - Toto
• Paris (Ooh La La) - Grace Potter & The Nocturnals
• Paris Is Burning - St. Vincent
• Macchu Picchu - The Strokes
• Arabian Nights - from Aladdin
• Fairy Tale Of New York - The Pogues
• On Broadway - George Benson

Check them out!

—The Masked Girl

flusteredcheese asked: Hi there. I just want you to know that the Irish songs that you suggested for today are awesome. Really, they're amazing. Happy St. Patrick's Day to you! :)

Thank you very much! I hope you have a great St. Patrick’s Day! :D

Happy St. Patrick’s Day, my loyal and devoted followers! Here are some Irish songs to get you through the day:

• Raised On Black And Tans - Gaelic Storm
• Beautiful Day - U2
• Salty Dog - Flogging Molly
• Wicked Game - Gemma Hayes
• Something Good Can Work - Two Door Cinema Club
• When New York Was Irish - Shilelagh Law

Remember to wear green!

—The Masked Girl

Does anyone here have perfect pitch?