monday music: a mix for spring 2010

Happy March! It may not officially be spring yet, but today did feel different. The air was mild for the first time in ages, and it's starting to smell like spring. I celebrated by buying a bouquet of freesia to put on my bedside table. What a glorious sight to wake up to! And they make the whole room smell amazing.

Since thoughts of warmer weather are stuck in my mind today, I thought I'd use this week's Monday music post to share some of my favorite songs of spring with you. These aren't necessarily songs that have this theme in their lyrics, rather they are songs that remind me of this time of year for one reason or another. For instance, when I hear "New English" I think of riding in the car with the windows down listening to my favorite radio show. That song came on just as the sun was setting and everything was so colorful. When I listen to "Dice" I think back to watching the video for that song one day in early April. The windows were open for the first time that year and the house smelled fresh and was filled with little breezes.

I don't know if I really have all that many readers out there, so normally I shy away from asking for any sort of response or participation. But if you do drop by this little blog of mine, I'd love to know what songs remind you of this time of year.

be still my heart...

Over the weekend I spotted these lovely shoes and now I can't stop thinking about them.

And because I'm sick and bored I've been indulging in my boot obsession and found these.

I'm on a quest for the perfect lace up boot and these rank pretty high. It's surprisingly hard to find boots without a side zipper, so these get bonus points for that.

And there you have it. Shoe searches and hot tea have been about the most exciting things in my life over the past few days. Here's hoping both my cold and the rainy weather clear up soon.

*Shoes from here. Boots from here.

monday music: owen pallett

I can't say I'm all that familiar with the subject of this week's music post, but I think that's about to change. I've listened to Owen Pallett's (formally known as Final Fantasy) music before, but only here and there. However, today as I was doing my radio show I happened to read through the lyrics booklet for his new album Heartland, and found myself absolutely captivated. His lyrics have a poetic quality that I'd never quite noticed before and it's given me a whole new appreciation for his music.

Here is the passage from his song, The Great Elsewhere, that caught my attention today:

Thought I saw you in my tea leaves
Thought I saw you in a forest flame
I'll fill up the silence with the sound of your holy name

Knowledge of the sea-ways, knowledge of how the water flows
Whoever coined the phrase has never had to brave the snow
I climbed the shroud to the top-sail and I peeked through the glass
The curvature bisected by the wintry mizzen mast

The scar upon my stomach, I call it my Flying V
And every time I show it I can feel your eyes on me
How many islands will surrender to the blunderbuss?
And how long must we sail before you show your face to us?

Isn't that beautiful? It calls to mind so many images for me.

His new album, Heartland, is out now and I can't wait to listen to the whole thing. You can also check out the Take Away Show that he did.

the smallest signs

It is still very cold out. Today was sunny but the wind was icy and it felt very much like winter still. But there are small signs of hope cropping up here and there.

In the morning when I first wake up I can hear birds singing. Today I saw the first buds on the tiny snowdrops that are popping up in the garden at work.

They are small things, but they make me happy as we head into the weekend.

Mariclare's new tattoo.

snow and cookies

Last week's blizzard ended up being a total flop around these parts, leaving barely any snow behind. But, with very little fuss or excitement, snow came upon us quietly last night and today everything is fresh and white. And I am prepared to sit inside this afternoon with a new book and a plate of these.

I was inspired to try out this recipe by the half full bags of chocolate chips floating around our pantry. It's a rare thing in our house not to have a bag of them lying around somewhere, and we have a habit of opening them whenever chocolate cravings take hold... which happens quite often in a house full of girls.

These cookies are a perfect blend of chocolatey goodness. That's not a very eloquent description, I know, but just trust me when I say that they're good. Really good. And you should probably go make some now.

monday music: dark dark dark

I'm especially excited to bring you this week's music post because it's about one of my very favorite bands. I first saw Dark Dark Dark perform years ago in a tiny artists collaborative downtown. There were only a few people there and it's still one of my favorite shows I've ever been to. Their lyrical, haunting music captured my attention immediately, while at the same time lulling everyone who was listening into dreamlike state. That's the kind of magic they create with their music.

I was so impressed that I ended up buying an accordion off of ebay about a week later. I still don't know how to play it, but I remain fascinated.

Now the band has a new EP available, with plans to release their second LP this fall! Bright Bright Bright is available to listen to and download here. I also highly recommend you check out their first full length album from 2008, The Snow Magic.

*note: these last two images are stills from the film "Flood Tide", which you can learn more about here.

all around, day seven: the day itself

Today looked something like this.

It was a very good day.