Fair

Code VIII - Modcloth

Mr. Brownstone

Sergio Rossi

Frank Ocean - Terminal 5 New York City 7/26/12

I would like to preface this short review by saying I am completely in love with Frank Ocean, his voice and (almost) everything he writes. The man is brilliant. His writing has renewed my faith in the artistry of music. 

It poured. Like torrential downpour. If I had been en route to any other show, I would have made my way home, but for Frank Ocean, I endure.

Terminal 5 is not my favorite venue in NYC. As a matter of fact, it is my least favorite venue. Unless you are at ground level there isn't much you can see. And although the beauty of music is you don't have to see to enjoy, the whole point of the concert/show experience is to be able to see. Otherwise, I could have played the CD while lounging in my living room with just about the same effect. Minus all the people...

Once I positioned myself to at least see a little bit, it was on. He was adorable. His voice is remarkable. True talent doesn't need effects to alter the sound of the voice either on recording or live. Frank Ocean needs neither. His talent is real. His talent is amazing. He seemed almost shy, not interacting with the crowd often, barely at all. Which makes me like him just a little more. The crowd, on the other hand, had no problems interacting with him. SCREAMS. Singing word for word tracks that had only been released two weeks prior! It was an incredible vibe. A feeling of community. Togetherness for the purpose of hearing this poetic man pour out his emotions via song.

I can't tell you any one song was better than the other, because they were all equally great. It would be hard to decide, so I won't...

Hearing quite a few Channel Orange tracks live, made me realize just how much of the album I had neglected. Shame on me. After the show, which lasted exactly 1 hour 15 minutes, I listened to Channel Orange from start to finish on my commute home.

Frank Ocean has renewed my faith in new music.

Sundays with Pinterest: Olympics, London 2012

Good Luck to ALL the athletes competing in the XXX Olympiad!!

GO USA!!

New Music Tuesday!

Every Tuesday is an exciting new day for music! And an exciting day to write about it. Here are a few selections worth checking out (or avoiding), with links to articles, reviews, videos and anything else the Internet could provide...Happy Listening!

I apologize for my tardiness. Here is the week of 7/24 as well as my review of Channel Orange from week of 7/17... ~PL

New Releases... 7/24/2012

Passion Pit - Gossamer

Spotify: Passion Pit – Gossamer

Review: Huffington Post

Gossamer is one of those albums you just have to DANCE to, you have no choice. Equal parts indie darling and synth nostalgia, in this album you have the whole package. A danceable album that hits the sophomore mark.

I have loved Passion Pit for a few years now, anxiously awaiting this release and I can say it was not only worth the wait, but worth the hype that would surround it. Listen to this album with a pair of seriously amazing headphones or on real speakers and you will hear what this band is all about, sound. It's not just music, it's an experience!

Tracks: Take A Walk, Mirrored Sea, Love Is Greed

MoZella - The Brian Holland Sessions

Spotify: MoZella – The Brian Holland Sessions

Review: Vintage Vinyl News

If Duffy had a love child with a combination of every Detroit 'The' group from the 50s, their child would be MoZella.

With a little help from producer/writer Brian Holland, MoZella puts out one hell of a record. The vibe is 50s Motown, with a modern twist, her VOICE! There are times I long for the innocence of the music from the 50s. When it was all about subtle inuendo and necking or going steady. This album brings back that feeling of purity to music! Call me old-fashioned (note: I am SO not old enough to have experienced the music of the 50s, but I have parents who did and passed on their love for the music from this amazing decade to me), but I wish artists would look to the good of our musical past to find inspiration for the music we hear today. A little more Brenda Lee and a little less whore would be a start...

Tracks: Another You, Baby Save Me, I'm In Love Again

New Releases...7/17/2012

Frank Ocean - Channel Orange

Spotify: Frank Ocean – channel ORANGE

Review: AV Club

A little more than a year after the release of his hugely successful Nostalgia, Ultra mixtape (February of 2011), Frank Ocean would release his first full length, Channel Orange, first as an iTunes exclusive July 10th and then again on July 17th in physical form. Shortly before the iTunes release, Ocean made headlines by releasing the liner notes to Channel Orange on his Tumblr page prior to it's release, dedicating the album to the first person he was ever in love with, a man.

"...I don't have any secrets that I need kept anymore...I feel like a free man..." - Frank Ocean Tumblr

Frank Ocean is something special. Channel Orange is something special. The entire listening experience is something special. I hadn't felt this level of anticipation for a new release in I can't even tell you how long. Would it live up to the mixtape I loved so much?

When I heard "Nature Feels," off Nostalgia, Ultra for the first time, I was stunned. It is rare that a song could excite me as much as this song did. I didn't ignore the feeling and immediately downloaded the free mixtape online. It was by no means a disappointment. Brilliant. From start to finish. There isn't a bad song in the lot. Using samples from Coldplay, The Eagles and MGMT (to name a few) seemed so extraordinary. Old, yet refreshed and new. I found myself discovering nuances in each track I hadn't heard the first 100 times I listened. To me, Nostalgia, Ultra solidified Ocean's place in my heart and music, period.

After the first listen of Channel Orange, I was sure I didn't hear anything that would or could surpass Nostalgia, Ultra. And then I stopped comparing. I had to remind myself that this wasn't Nostalgia. It was something different. It was something different from the same artist, that already proved once he had something I thought was worth listening to, so I should just his voice and his vision and just listen. When the comparisons finally stopped, what I found was a completely amazing piece of work that I would come to love just as much as Nostalgia.

This album will stand the test of time, even if people don't realize it now. I look forward to getting to know Frank Ocean over the course of what I can only imagine will be a lengthy career.

Tracks: Thinking About You, Sweet Life, Super Rich Kids, Lost

Cupid's Trick

Qupid at Lulu's

How about a shoe that LOOKS plain, but has an interesting detail...

Let Go

Nine West

It's My Birthday Too, Yeah

Etsy

Today isn't just MY birthday. It's my friend Cindy's birthday TOO! In honor of her special day, she picked this amazing vintage Tiki inspired shoe...

Hau'oli lā hānau

They Say It's Your Birthday

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!

In honor of the day of my birth I am posting my favorite pair of Christian Louboutin shoes...

Pink Moon

Brian Atwood

In addition to my own, July happens to be the birth month for quite a few of my wonderful friends! In honor of all those wonderful friends, today's shoe was picked by my friend, and birthday girl, Aryanna!

Happy Birthday Aryanna!!

Pretty In Pink

ALDO

Sundays with Pinterest: Penny Lane's Birthday Edition!!

And a Happy Birthday to me! On Wednesday, July 18th at 4:10pm I celebrate the anniversary of my birth!

Here is my birthday wish list...

Marc by Marc Jacobs

Christian Louboutin

Mister Softee - yes, I want the entire truck...

Prada Baroque Sunglasses

An amazing record collection!

Refill of my FAVORITE perfume - Angel by Thierry Mugler

My own library and an apartment with loads of windows!

I have a WONDERFUL family, FANTASTIC friends and a GREAT job! I am a LUCKY gal... Looking forward to spending the week celebrating! It's going to be a great year... XXXIV

~ Penny Lane

Come Sail Away

Bamboo - Modcloth

Everybody Have Fun Tonight

Alexander Wang

Physical Connection Series: Part I

June of this year, an intern for NPR's blog All Songs Considered, Emily White, stirred up the music industry with an incredibly controversial post about how she has acquired her 11,000 song music collection over her 20 years on this earth (mostly shared music, purchasing a measly 15 CDs in her life). A flurry of responses to her article from musicians, industry professionals, anyone who had an opinion on the subject surfaced and it got me thinking.

Where do I get my music from?


At-a-glance. I would say 60%* of my collection (digital, CD, vinyl) I bought. via iTunes or record store or at a show or band website, I actually paid for 60% of the music in my collection. Sometimes twice. I paid for Radiohead's, The King Of Limbs once via download when the album came out and once more when the album was released on vinyl. This happens quite often.
*the rest of my collection shakes out to about 25% freebies from work (promotional copies) and 15% burns/sharing files from friends

Of that 60%, I would say 70% was bought off iTunes, leaving a mere 30% of my collection in physical music (mostly vinyl and albums released prior to iTunes or at least prior to me using iTunes).

People just don't buy physical anymore. Obviously, myself included.

So that got me thinking about something else. When did I stop buying CDs? I still regularly buy vinyl, for collection purposes, but when did I stop buying CDs? I had no answer.

And then I decided. Right then and there. No more iTunes. No more digital downloads. No more. Buy physical or don't buy it at all.

The Challenge: For the next year, starting July 1, I am abandoning my iTunes account for purchasing physical albums. No exceptions. I can still listen to music via my iTunes/Spotify accounts, I just can't buy anything from iTunes (or any other digital distributor).

This decision of mine was particularly upsetting yesterday. When I woke from an unbelievable sleep to find out Frank Ocean had decided to release his new album, Channel Orange, via iTunes one week before its physical release date of July 17. I openly wept...

The Gods are cruel. But it's fine. I will wait. I have no choice...

New Music Tuesday!

Every Tuesday is an exciting new day for music! And an exciting day to write about it. Here are a few selections worth checking out (or avoiding), with links to articles, reviews, videos and anything else the Internet could provide...Happy Listening!

New Releases...

After last week's lackluster release schedule, I am thrilled (and relieved) with this week's review choices. I picked the following albums to review, for one very simple reason. I had never heard anything by either of them. Ever. Not even the band names sounded familiar to me. Not to toot my own horn, but that doesn't happen so often. I am constantly browsing music blogs, magazines, websites, doing my best to keep myself as informed as humanly possible. Which can be a little daunting, there is A LOT of information out there. But. Such is the life of the music obsessed...

Saint Motel - Voyeur

Spotify: Saint Motel – Voyeur

Review link: Zap Town Mag

Seriously. The find of the year. I love when I click willie-nillie on albums with no knowledge of what I am about to hear and am INCREDIBLY surprised at the amazingness I hear. As stated previously, I had never heard of Saint Motel prior to first click. My first instinct is to Google. Where are they from? How many albums have I not heard in addition to this one? What do they look like? Something we never used to be able to do, but now have the power of information at our fingertips, literally. Your first glance of the band used to come in the form of a music video or prior to my generation, Ed Sullivan and the like. Google managed to unearth a fairly sparse Wiki page which I suppose contained enough info to feed my curiosity. Another band that hails from the City of Angels. Quartet that met in college, film school to be more specific. This is in fact their debut full-length.

I'm sure there are a handful of bands you could say Saint Motel sounds like, but I have never "heard" this album before. Each song is a different dimension. The album sounds like it all fits together, but yet each song brings something completely different.

Tracks: Feed Me Now, Honest Feedback

Husky - Forever So

Spotify: Husky – Forever So

Review link: Music OMH

Technically this is not a new release. Well, not for anyone but the US... Originally from Australia, Husky signed with grunge superpower Sub Pop Records earlier this year (March-ish) making them Sub Pop's first Aussie act, EVER. Released in the US 7/10, Forever So, is the debut album from the quartet. At a glance the four guys that make up Husky, could be my neighbors in Greenpoint or even hipster-heaven Williamsburg. They could already be your favorite band even though you've never heard them before. They have a familiar sound, but are just different enough to remind you, you have never heard them before. 

Haunting. Full, lush. Heartfelt. The sound is incredible. Forever So is the type of album you play when you are in love or falling out love or even on a rainy day while reading a book. It is just the sound you want when you want life to slow down for a little while. When you need a moment to reflect. 

Tracks: Tidal Wave, Animals & Freaks, How Do You Feel

Other releases worth mentioning...

Zac Brown Band - Uncaged
Spotify: Zac Brown Band – Uncaged


Marina & The Diamonds - Electra Hearts
Spotify: Marina and The Diamonds – Electra Heart


Family of the Year - Loma Vista
Spotify: Family of the Year – Loma Vista

For a complete list of new releases, please visit AllMusic.com

NEWS!!

1. Janis Joplin biopic is next for Nina Arianda after 'Venus in Fur': LA Times

~ I don't know enough about her to hate this idea, so the jury is still out on this one...

2. Seth Meyers responds to 'Live' hosting rumors: NY Daily News

~ I just can't see Meyers giving up SNL for 'Live.' Meyers is funny, not boring...sorry Kelly.

3. Frank Ocean's album is bigger than 'he': LA Times
~ I won't be picking up this amazing piece of musical awesomeness until the physical release next Tuesday, so I haven't been reading too much (I copy/pasted the link without reading!) about the album, though I know it's going to be amazing. You'll hear more from me on this and why I'm waiting til next week to buy it, SOON!

4. Slash Speaks After Hollywood Walk of Fame Dedication: Rolling Stone
~ CONGRATULATIONS SLASH!!! We love you!!!

Releases to get excited about...

Passion Pit - 7/24
MNDR - 8/14
Band of Horses - 9/18

Bitch

Via Spiga

Bitch - Meredith Brooks

Forever In Blue Jeans

Fendi

For You Blue

Jessica Simpson - Modcloth

Crack all the jokes you want about Jessica Simpson, but she has amassed quite a fortune for herself. Perfume. Hair extensions. SHOES. As much as I do not care for Jessica Simpson, the musician (and I use that term loosely) I think her line of shoes is delightful. These caught my eye because they are SO unusual. Classics are an investment. But trendy, statement pieces are FUN!

For You Blue - The Beatles

*I just couldn't bring myself to post a song/video from Jessica Simpson...Sorry Jess. 

Unofficial Guide to 'Everybody Loves Our Town'

I am currently reading the unbelievably well put together, grunge biopic Everybody Loves Our Town: An Oral History of Grunge by Mark Yarm (that's Yarm, not Arm).

For the last few years, I have been so nostalgic for the sounds of the 90s, I can't even explain why. It may have all started Fall of 2010 when one of my favorite rock writers, Steven Hyden (The AV Club), posted a series of articles about the music of his youth called Whatever Happened to Alternative Nation. Focusing entirely on rock in the 90s, the 10 part series had me hooked. Because of that series, I started seeking out anything and everything I could find about the era, reading Courtney Love's 1998 biography for example, but only because I found it on a book table on the Upper West Side for $5.

The end of 2011 saw the relase of Pearl Jam 20 and finding Yarm's Everybody Loves Our Town as the result of obsessively Googling "grunge" and any band associated with the tag. It all could not have been more perfect. Being too impatient to wait for the paperback, I bought the hardcover. Which is great for a physical book nerd like myself (I don't own a Kindle/iPad or the like, I still prefer the feel, smell and read of an actual book), but horrible for a subway commuting New Yorker. It feels like it weighs 20 pounds, which is not so convenient on sometimes overcrowded trains. For that reason, I had reserved my reading to before bed and over the weekends. Which is fine for any normal length book, but not so fine for a book consisting of roughly 540 pages. This past weekend, I holed myself up in my apartment to get rid of an annoying ear infection (and avoid the heat) so I had some time on my hands and was FINALLY able to put a (slight) dent in this book.

Though I don't want to get too far into a review type post until I have actually finished the book, I will say this...there is SO much more to grunge, than Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden and Alice in Chains. These four bands, though amazing, really only scratch the surface of what grunge actually was...and Yarm spells it out perfectly.

In an effort to completely immerse myself in this book, I decided to make an unofficial playlist of music mentioned thus far in my reading... Some artists were not available on Spotify, but I did my best to dig up something, on the few I couldn't find...

Unofficial Guide to 'Everybody Loves Our Town'

U-Men - Dig it a Hole

Cat Butt - Maximo

The explanation of how the band got their name, almost made me throw up...

Mr. Epp - Mohawk Man

Book cover photo care of Amazon

Sundays with Pinterest: 4th of July Edition

It's time to celebrate our nation's birthday!!! A great chance to catch up with family and friends with BBQ's and picnics. FIREWORKS. And loads of yummy holiday treats!

Happy Birthday America!!

"We hold these truths to be self evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that are among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness..." 

                       - The Declaration of Independence July 4, 1776

Momtastic 

Glorious Treats 

Somewhat Simple
Check out this entire post as there are loads of other 4th treats and ideas!!

Nordstrom

Social Culture
This post also has some other great party ideas!!

 All photos care of Pinterest...