For the record

To paraphrase Kurt Vonnegut, no matter how bad things get, the music will still be wonderful.

Ok, full disclosure here: I am a HUGE fan of Mariah Carey, even bordering on superfan, in fact. Yes, I love her because she reminds me of my innocent, camp-filled adolescent summers, all Wet 'n Wild lipstick and Dreamsicles and Choose-Your-Own-Adventure novels. But as an adult, I've also grown to respect her as a songwriter, producer, and insanely talented singer. Ignore the train wreck that is her personal life. Focus on what really matters - the woman is gifted and she makes GREAT albums.

The superfan status, (at least as an adult,) began with her 2005 release, The Emancipation of Mimi, which brilliantly blended her melodic R&B with club and hip hop beats with truly inpsired effect. I consider that an essential album, and one you should definitely check out if you haven't already.


The total girl-crush adoration has only increased after hearing her newest release, E=MC2. A little less edgy than Mimi, perhaps, but again, amazingly solid pop/R&B songs fill out this album. You've probably already heard "Touch My Body" (check out the video for a Kenneth-from-30-Rock sighting!) and may also have heard "Bye Bye" on the radio, but inexplicably, the best song on this album isn't getting any airplay yet. There isn't even a video for my favorite song on the album, "I'll Be Lovin' You Long Time," so instead I will post YouTube audio here:



Grab a Dreamsicle and enjoy summer!

LTF Playlist: Summer Punkish

So I think we can all agree that the "Midwinter Melancholy" playlist way overstayed its welcome. Time for something new, something fun, something... summery.

The "Summer Punkish" playlist (in the right sidebar) was created with California sunshine in mind. When the weather's warm, I love a soundtrack where kinetic punk meets shimmering pop. Somewhat reminiscent of the soundtrack of the OC or shows on the WB (may it rest in peace.)

Artists include Finger Eleven, Good Charlotte, Cake, Soul Coughing, Fall Out Boy, Green Day and the All-American Rejects - many bands I wouldn't necessarily choose to listen to on their own. But put them all together, and you've got the perfect soundtrack for soaking up some sun, driving with the top down, and just generally feeling like a teenager enjoying summer break again.

Enjoy!

Summerfest 2008

Why I love the idea of Summerfest: In the span of one hour on a random Thursday night during the biggest music festival in the world, you have to choose between Alejandro Escovedo, Ingrid Michaelson, and Marie Digby. Later that same night, you'll get to choose between Gomez, Gavin DeGraw, Lucinda Williams and the Plain White T's. All for a flat entry fee of $15.

Why I find Summerfest very trying in practice:
1. The crowds -(See pic)


2. The technical difficulties -

Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel: Summerfest, Unplugged - Boom boom go the lights for almost three hours

3. But perhaps most importantly, the escalating beer prices! Grrr... -

WISN 12: Price of beer goes up for Summerfest 2008

Hit the beat and take it to the verse now...

I first encountered Welsh R&B chanteuse Duffy while streaming the BBC online last winter. Already a megastar in the UK, her hit "Mercy" is starting to pick up speed on this side of the pond (on a recent trip to Ohio, I heard it blasting in a Ruehl so loudly that I was genuinely concerned about the welfare of the teenage employees. And wow is Ruehl a strange shopping experience, by the way.)

Duffy's US debut, Rockferry, is a short album, but there isn't a weak track on it - just good solid retro R&B that often sounds like it was unearthed from the Motown vault circa 1967. Comparisons to Amy Winehouse are a little overstated - Duffy has a softer quality to both her voice and her subject matter and she embraces the classic Motown sound more fully than Winehouse (who in my opinion is at her best when she combines classic jazz and modern club sounds into her brand of R&B, but that's a subject for another day.)

Highlights of the album include "Warwick Avenue," "Delayed Devotion" and, of course, "Mercy." Here she is performing "Mercy" live on Later with Jools Holland last November:

Prepare to be surprised

I don't know why it took me so long to see Dan in Real Life, given my celebrity crushes on both Steve Carell and Juliette Binoche, but I finally Netflixed it this weekend was totally stunned by how much I loved it. Those of you who know me know that I'm a sucker for any movie with a good soundtrack (hello Bewitched?) and WOW - does this movie have a great soundtrack.

Almost all of the music was written by Norwegian singer/songwriter Sondre Lerche specifically for the film, a la the Graduate or Harold and Maude (two movies cited by director Peter Hedges as major influences.) In the bonus features, Hedges talks about how important he felt it was to get the music right and how he absolutely fell in love with Lerche's acoustic sound. Both Hedges and Lerche worked hard to keep the sound intimate, raw and sweet (just like the film itself.) The result is one of the best soundtracks I've heard in a long time.

To give you an idea of Lerche's sound in the movie (which reminds me of a much happier version of a former Euro-band crush of mine, the Guillemots,) check out this video of him performing "Prepare to Be Surprised" on Letterman last October, and then check out the whole soundtrack. I promise you won't be disappointed.

Irreplaceable

I haven't been able to get this song out of my head for the past month. It's been playing in heavy rotation on our local Urban AC station, which I have really been digging lately. Pop/R&B is going through a nice melodic thing right now that is way more interesting than anything happening on top 40 right now. Check it out!

Album release countdown: The Weepies, Hideaway

Here at Lost Things Found, we've set the countdown clock for April 22 when the Weepies' new album, Hideaway, will be released. The title track appears on the April Paste Sampler and I love it already. It does not seem to exist on the Internets anywhere, but to tide yourself over until the big release, head over to the Live Music Archive and listen to a couple of full live sets from the Weepies circa 2004. Or check out this NPR studio interview from 2006.

Want more info on the Weepies?
Previously on LTF: All That I Want