Yeasayer

Who: Experimental rock band from Brooklyn, NY.

Why: To me, they sound like Depeche Mode. Not sure if that is good or bad, but just putting it out there. And to my surprise, as I was researching this band, others have compared them to Depeche Mode as well. So, there ya go. Guess I'm not all that original, eh? Oh well. At first they also reminded me of a non-cheesy Duran Duran but I didn't come across any of those comparisons. But anyway, I like this band. This is a surprise since I am not a huge Depeche Mode fan (however my guilty pleasure is Duran Duran but I'm not too sure what that says ...). I like Yeasayer much more than either of these guys. It all began with a song called "Ambling Alp" and they made me stick around with songs like "Madder Red" and "O.N.E." off their current album Odd Blood. Also, another song to note is "Final Path" off from Daytrotter Sessions recorded in 2007. I haven't heard the entire Odd Blood album but I like what I hear so far. I must admit I am a little late in truly discovering this album since it came out in February of this year. Since leaving NYC I have sadly fallen behind in the music scene. But, better late than never and I would love to introduce the rural Midwest to this band. There you go Midwest.

Photo from: http://www.myspace.com/yeasayer Take a listen.

Madewell is now online!

Who: A woman's retail store

Why: Rejoice! Madewell clothing is now available to buy online. Now that I no longer live in NYC it was nearly impossible to shop at Madewell since that was the closest store location for me. Oh sure I could call an order in, but who does that anymore. Its so weird to do that. Finally they got in the 21st century and they got a Web site you can order from. Yay!

Why I like them: They are a combo of Urban Outfitters and J. Crew, my two favorite stores, with somewhat reasonable prices. At least reasonable for the quality.

http://www.madewell.com/

Volume Two

Who: Indie Folk duo She & Him
What: Their new sophomore album, Volume Two

My Rating: Loooove it!

Why: Matt Ward and Zooey Deschanel have once again proved that they are modern day Carpenter's. Only, of course, they are not siblings but musical twins rather. Zooey's and M's hypnotic harmonies and Zooey's lovable lyrics create for an enjoyable, fun music experience. As on their debut album, Volume One, For the most part Deschanel writes about, well, love. Ah love. What a spender thing it is, at least in She & Him's world. The songs are sweet and innocent yet with a vintage feel, much like Deschanel's personal appearance and style. This album brings a smile to my face as I listen. It is light, poppy, yet with a twang of folk and country blended. Ward is at his usual folk singer/guitarist best. His voice works well with Deschanel as well as his folk brothers in Monsters of Folk. And with his solo career in full bloom, it is apparent he can also hold his own. Volume Two is a great throwback to 1970's singer-songwriters. It's music for springtime. It's music to listen to if you want to be in a good mood. As of today, I don't have a stand out song. I enjoy them all equally. I like it and hopefully you will too. Try it out for free at Spin.com: http://www.spin.com/articles/listen-new-she-him-album?utm_source=newsletter031510&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=newsletter031510. Then go over to Amazon or iTunes or wherever you buy your tunes and buy it. I'm sure you'll want to. :)

Photo from http://www.sheandhim.com/#

"A Life Unexpected"

What: New drama on the CW network airing Mondays at 9/8c

My Rating: Eh, it's OK. Very mixed feelings about this TV show. Very. If I was giving star ratings it would be a 3 1/2 out of 5. A nice middle ground.

Why: This drama on the horrible nighttime soap, teeny-bopper channel CW has potential. It does. It has received pretty good reviews, so I was hopeful. There are good and bad aspects to this new show. The show is basically about a 15-year-old girl, Lux, who was bounced around in the foster care system all her life. One day she decides enough is enough and wants to be emancipated. To do so she needs the consent of her natural birth parents. So she finds them in Portland, Oregon. Her parents are 30-somethings who had a one night stand in high school. The girl gave the baby up at birth with the promise that she would be placed in a good adoptive home. The kid, didn't obviously. The court denies Lux's request for emancipation and puts her in temporary custody of her parents. So basically the show is about a couple who is not a couple and who never was a couple, and who have to raise their teenage daughter. The premise of the show is a traditional, good, heart-wrentching drama. I liked the pilot very much so I continued watching. But, there are problem areas of the show.

My first big problem is the mother. Cate Cassidy is a local radio personality played by Shiri Appleby from Roswell fame. This character is just as annoying as her character on Roswell. Coincidence? I think not. One would only have to assume it's the actress's fault for two of her characters to be so irritating. She drives me crazy on this show. She whines, tears up all the fricken time and is always presented as the bad guy on the show. Just as she was perceived on Roswell. She bugs me so much on this show that it's actually very painful for me to watch her on screen. I mean, I really can't stand this character. Maybe Appleby is just really that good of an actress? Or maybe this actress is just irritating in all the rolls she plays and she can't play a roll any other way? Or maybe it is really just how the characters are to be played? Only really the creators and writers of the show know for certain. Only they can tells us if this is just how the character is suppose to be. And if it is how the character of Cate is, well, then maybe that is why Appleby got this role. She is just too damn good at being annoying. I really hope for her sake she is just a really good actor. I wanna like her. I do.

The second problem with the show for me is the background music. What's the problem you may ask? Well, there IS background music. I mean, hipster, Indie bands and musicians are being played throughout EVERY SINGLE SCENE. Or so it seems anyway. And it's not just as the background music. Oh no. It's as a loud and obnoxious extra character on screen. However, I do enjoy the artists they play. Matt Hires, Brett Dennen, Joshua Radin, Eric Hutchinson, Pete Yorn & Scarlett Johansson, all very nice. Love the music being played. I do. But seriously, do they really need to play the music so loud that it almost overshadows the actors saying their lines? Very annoying. It completely takes away from the scene. They need to only play it a at specific moments in the show. And they need to keep it soft and low. Otherwise it is just insulting to the cast. It makes it seem as though the cast isn't good at being dramatic so they need to put in some dramatic music to make the scene. Enough already.

Don't get me wrong, I do enjoy the show in its entirety so far. So far being the opperative phrase. The show is getting old very fast. And it's getting very predictive. The other characters are great. The actress Britt Robertson is amazing as the teen, angst-ridden Lux. Kuddos on that casting. Kristoffer Polaha as Lux's father Baze is pretty decent too. Dawson's Creek alum Kerr Smith plays Cate's fiancee and radio show co-host, Ryan. His character is obviously used as an obstacle for Cate and Baze's upcoming all-dramatic, romantic relationship. Sooo obvious. Writers get a clue. Be a little more creative, please.

So those are my feelings on "A Life Unexpected." I will continue to watch until it gets too boring, but I do hope the writers tone down the irritability factor of Cate's personality. And I hope they come up with new story lines other than the obvious. Last night's show was just way to predictable. Predictability gets boring real fast.

http://www.cwtv.com/shows/life-unexpected (Photo from)

"War Dances"

Who: Sherman Alexie

What: Collection of short stories and prose.

Why: Alexie's new collection again has made me stop and think. How can one person come up with such honest, blunt fictional characters and stories when they seem so real? He once again tells stories of real, everyday people. People who struggle to live and survive in this world or even in their culture and community. People who have families and jobs. He has a way of making ordinary people be extraordinary in his stories. These stories seem so real, that I find it crazy to think they could be fiction. He is the most vivid present-day storyteller imaginable. Once again, he has me in awe after finishing his book. His stories, for me, are mini films in my mind. I envision his characters like I'm watching a movie. I even cast some famous and not-so-famous actors in my film of his stories. I can do this only because of his writing. He is so descriptive in his characters and story lines that it amazes me every time. They are so soulful and so full of metaphors it is scary. But, at the same time, you get surprised by how shockingly blunt he can be. I suggest everyone read something from him to completely understand what I mean. This, as well as all his other collections of stories and poems, is humorous, insightful and just plain ridiculous at times. I can't wait to see what he comes sup with next.

Highlight Story: Tie--The Ballad of Paul Nonetheless and The Senator's Son. Both stories give an insight into the minds of ordinary men with differing problems.

Favorite Poem/Prose: Ode to Mixed Tapes. Anyone who remembers making mixed tapes really doesn't need an explanation of why I would like this. Why shouldn't we give an ode to mix tapes! It's a lost art form.

Cover photo from: http://www.fallsapart.com/index.html