happiness

When I was in high school, I once read that everyone should keep on hand an inventory of their personal "happy things" - movies, books, poems, jokes, songs, stories, photographs, images, etc. that make you happy when you look at or hear/read/watch/ them. I have a few things in my own "happiness inventory," and one of them is this little gem (added to my inventory relatively recently, as You Tube was yet to be invented ten years ago). I dare you to watch this and NOT crack a smile. One of my favorite song and dance numbers - aren't the Andrews Sisters great?

can't stop listening to - arcade fire

In honor of the fact that we are nearing the end of another year and that the world is preparing to welcome a bright, shiny new one, I've decided that in the following weeks I'll keep posting some the best songs off of my "most played at the Shevlin household in 2008" list. Here's the latest:

This is "Keep the Car Running" off the album Neon Bible by one of Kevin's and my favorite bands, Arcade Fire. I've heard this song about a million times and I just do not tire of it.

Go ahead, Bob, rock out.

can't stop listening to - fleet foxes

This beautiful song:

My current favorite song - called White Winter Hymnal - off my current favorite album by my current favorite band, Fleet Foxes. The fact that I find the video to be absolutely beautiful, is a bonus. This song has been rendered even lovelier to me through this interpretation of the lyrics that I found on the internet:

"I think of this song as a little frame of a childhood memory - maybe of a five or six year old. He is with a bunch of children, maybe running after the older kids, who just look like a bunch of coats since they are so bundled up. He thinks in his child's mind that the scarves keep their heads from falling off. Then he looks behind him and his friend has fallen and hurt himself and there is bright red blood in the snow. Sometimes a memory like that sticks with you even though you can't remember anything else about it."

Lyrics and other interpretations of the potential meaning of this song, can be found here.

c'mon, live a little!

That was the advice of my younger sister, Gigie, last night when I was whining to her that Kevin and I had tickets to a concert and I didn't want to go because I was too tired, way too busy laying on the couch like a total bum, and totally devoid of any motivation to go through the trouble of finding something to wear. I know, pathetic. I'm officially 25 going on 110.

Well, grandpa Kevin and I finally decided that we are indeed slipping much too easily into the comforts of old age, and so, go to the concert we did. Man, am I glad we listened to the youngster! Not only did we finally get to hang out at First Avenue - Minneapolis' historic music venue made famous by Prince in Purple Rain - but I also got to hear my musical equivalent to the perfect pair of red shoes. Basia Bulat and her band hit the stage and it was absolutely love at first sound. She blew me away with her gorgeous soulful voice, her unusual choice of instruments (the autoharp! a ukelele!), and her sweet onstage personality. I was in musical heaven. She was the opening act for DeVotchka, who were also very good, very interesting (cello, violins, guitar, accordian, bouzouki, drums, a tuba), and fun to watch.

All in all, a great Wednesday night for us, and if you enjoy talented singer-songwriters with beautiful soul-filling voices, then I encourage you to check out Basia Bulat.

Basia Bulat