I just heard "Personal" by Eleni Mandell on a KEXP podcast and fell in love by the second verse. Her smooth, sultry voice singing "I love to be warm, I love to feel… hopeful," in a light, wistful melody over a somewhat folksy/pop/jazzy beat grabbed my attention, and now I'm hooked.

The Party's Crashing Us

This song came up on shuffle today, and I noticed the title for the first time, really. It seemed to speak to the current events, with the economy collapsing, bad news all around, and a general feeling of uncertainty/impending doom.

Looking at the lyrics, though, I was met with words of love, passion, rebellion, transcending the chaos.

Certain lines hit especially close to home, again probably meaning something completely different to me than to the writer:

I know you damage me
You leave me tangled in a knot
But when you reappear
I see Neptunian blues…

Oh Janis Joplin, preaching the free love idealism of the late '60s. I just wanted to quote this brilliant little piece of commentary she spills out in the middle of her live recording of Cry Baby:

I had a man, he said, "Honey, honey, you know that I love you. See, but I gotta go find myself, you know. I gotta go find my life. I gotta go find myself over in Africa. Or over in New York City. Or over in Olema…" Some place those cats are always wandering off to, I never figured out exactly where it…

I really really really love this song, so much. Even though I've never even been to New York. Love love love. It just gets me, (hand to chest) *right here*

New York, I Love You But You're Bringing Me Down

I agree wholeheartedly with the review of this song at threeimaginarygirls.com — especially enjoying the "cheeky reference to the video game cheat code that grants the player 30 lives" when the vocalists chant "Up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, B, A, select, start!" Oh man, it is all-caps FANTASTIC!

There are a lot of things I like about Shake Some Action, beyond my friend Gary who plays bass in the band (when he moves back to the East coast in a few months I will cry.) I like that their songs are catchy and melodic, full of jangly guitars, hand-clappin' and lots of "ooh la la"s.

I think the song that most captures all these elements in one peppy little package is Without You, which does all that on top of some pretty snarky lyrics. I just love how upbeat and happy they sound while they sing…

Bob Dylan: One of Us Must Know (Sooner or Later) - Blonde on Blonde

I didn't mean to treat you so bad
You shouldn't take it so personal
I didn't mean to make you so sad
You just happened to be there, that's all

When I saw you say "goodbye" to your friends and smile
I thought that it was well understood
That you'd be comin' back in a little while
I didn't know that you were sayin' "goodbye" for good

But, sooner or later, one of us must know
You just did what you're supposed to do
Sooner…

(feel free to correct me, this is my best guess)

The sirens wail
Outside my thin wall
It's most likely youth
Taking falls

They get scooped up
By the wagon full
Get dumped in (grays?)
They're buried low
So their heads don't show
All their ugly faces

The pillow waits
And I shut my eyes
But cotton makes
Such a weak disguise

I get back up
Static pulls my feet
Up two flights of stairs
Where we both might meet

And if things go right
I can spend the night

And if things go right
I can spend the night

There's one line I can't quite hear what he says. Can't find these anywhere online, so here's my best guess. This song is gorgeous.

Every night has a beginning
You try and foresee the end
Sometimes I wish I could predict the final chapter

Dropped off two friends
Then we began this mindless reverie
It was quite obvious
That you started long before us

I'm not bothered by this attraction but
I must tell you this
I'm quite flattered but
Sometimes you must settle
For something less, yeah

Everyone sleeps alone sometimes
Everyone sleeps alone tonight
Everyone sleeps alone

Everyone…

Another free mp3 download from the KEXP blog, where it is written, "Instead of forever being mired in their ‘96 hit Popular and caving to artistic demands from then-label Elektra, this trio has thrived at home and abroad…" Nada Surf's See These Bones surprised the heck out of me. I live in a bubble, so I didn't know Nada Surf were still together, let alone on their fifth album. So I downloaded the song, loved it, and will now have to buy that album, dang it.

"…Those of you who haven’t paid attention since ‘96, seek forgiveness and start…