Christmas stuff & recaps

Ok, guess it's the time of year for my Christmas post!. Only this year I'm not feeling Christmassy at all, don't know, must have been at the supermarket when the spirit came to visit.. or something. So I'm trying to take it in, get ready for next week, and these are some "new" C. songs I've come across:
* Ra ra riot's version of 'Happy Xmas (War Is Over)' (just press play, then click to the right to skip the ad). Song's as brilliant and depressing as always...
* Sara Bareilles & Ingrid Michaelson's Winter song (cute, again... sad)
* The bird and the bee's yearly carol "12 days of Christmas" (incoherent but not sad, good!. Cool cool breezy version. But each time I listen to it I can't help wondering about her true love's gift choices - three French hens?-, guess after all I'm lucky with what I get)
* The eccentric nuts combo of the year is "Joseph, Better You Than Me", by... The killers, Elton John, also Pet Shop Boy Neil Tennant. Hmm, really?. Whoever says life isn't full of surprises... But good charity cause behind it.
* Not peculiar enough?. Try this, Julian Koster and his Singing saw at Christmas time. Well, like it or not but at the moment it's sold out on amazon.
* And the oldie (I just discovered it though), Rachael Yamagata with River, a cover of Joni Mitchell's. Again, sad, pff. But beautiful.

And suggestions in the gift department (again, following last year's tradition)...
1. This is a nice book (and gossippy, which songs are in Gwyneth's ipod?. Well, not hubby! -she says. And more serious stuff too, there's a really good interview to architect Frank Gehry): Spain...A Culinary Road Trip (places recommended are really good, recipes who knows but who's planning on cooking them anyway?)


2. CD's, my pics:
-A little note: keep Rachael's cd1 for post-Christmas, not the best festive mood setter, and don't miss its last track (yep, the very hidden one that those who aren't deserving will or have already miss/ed - clever Rachael ; )
And in the recaps section, good news for those of you who conclude that New Year's resolutions are in order: I just read that it takes a mere 21 days to make or break a habit, you should be in dry land by the end of January. Bad news is it was in the kind of magazine you really can't trust, obviously. But you can always try, trying is good. I'm just going to try to leave my two worst habits buried in 2008 (ok, maybe only 1) - so can't wait for 2009!!! yippeee!!!!
And one more year going down the drain, ain't that nice... Happy Christmas everybody!!!* Now for the punch!!!!!
Tags: new songs christmas 2008, new christmas tunes 2008, best christmas 2008, christmas presents, christmas cd's

Funnn

Cash Cash... There's a party in your bedroom. A dance energy fun song somebody has recommended -give it a minute-. The kind to jump to on top of your bed when you feel you can't take one more Christmas song ...
They're releasing their forthcoming album in a few days. Funnn.

Carrie Rodriguez at the Gild Hall

Some pics (turned out pretty) from her fantastic show last Saturday. One of those cases when the songs are so much richer live. Super. And she's the nicest person ever.

I've uploaded a bunch of vids on youtube (at the bottom, I had the camera on my lap so I could "forget" about it), couldn't pick one or two as I usually do...

And setlist (she did many of her songs from both her records plus a number of covers including two songs by the Beatles she was going to play the day after at a tribute concert in NY, plus "Steal your love" from Lucinda Williams and "La puñalada trapera", a song her South american grandmother -a former NY radio celeb- sang years ago):

* "Never gonna be your bride":

* She ain't me:

*La puñalada trapera (which translates as sort of "the really nasty despicable backstabbing stabwound" - has no translation really, but you'll get the idea-)-. Some things, you just can't match the Spanish language to express them...

* "50's French movie":

Some NY cool music venues - Rockwood Music Hall, The Cake Shop, The Living Room and the Bowery Ballroom

Some pics of these places. If you happen to go/be in NY and want to hear some good music head for Ludlow St and surroundings (Allen St, Delancey ) and just look around, you're bound to find something really worth it... Don't expect grand and top design chic places (except maybe a bit at Rockwood or Bowery, I didn't go inside that last one) but rather small cosy places full of people and worn down furniture...nice (proof of what I mean: the last pic, inside the Living room, which is divided between literally a living room where you can hang out and have a drink and a big room behind curtains -no door!- where the concerts are held).
* The Living room and the Cakeshop:

* Bowery Ballroom and Rockwood Hall:

* The living room: bar and concert venue:

2008's Lastfm top songs - Oops, I'm mainstream!! + 6 songs worth listening to

Ok, so Lastfm has counted down the most listened to during this year, and if there's a source to be trusted, I guess this is it (though only a certain group of people listen to music there, I know).
So I'm going to list the songs that made it, you can check out the results here but as usual with lastfm it can be quite slow and painful!!:
1. Viva la vida (Coldplay), 2. Violet Hill (Coldplay), 3. Time to pretend (MGMT), 4. Electric feel (MGMT), 5. Life in technicolor (Coldplay), 6. Cemeteries of London (Coldplay), 7. Kissed a girl (Kate Perry), 8. 42 (Coldplay), 9. Strawberry swing (Coldplay) and 10.Kids (MGMT).

So a few notes:
1. Coldplay: agreed, Viva la vida is my pic for best album of the year though it's a band I've only recently started to like. Amaazing.
And Time to pretend: saddest roughest song this year. Best lyrics. At one point we all realize we're "fated to pretend"... even if we try our best not to, right?.
2. Shame! Only one girl in the top ten and it has to be Perry. Boring. Saw "Hot'n cold" video the other day, was ok, but the kissed one .... And so many girls out there so much more deserving...
3. Ooops, I'm mainstream!!. (apart from Perry) these are all in my most played list (not in lastfm, although sort of too, don't check my profile, I haven't downloaded the software so it only reflects the conjunction of serendipity and random -except for the main lines-, mostly listen to radios and songs I like and I don't have so... plus serious restrictions. But great tool to discover new music anyway, I recommend it).
4. Radiohead nowhere to be found, weird. Not a band I listen to much but I thought it would definitely make it...you never know.
And since I've gone "philosophical" with the pretending thing, another two real pieces of plain simple philoso-truth that never fails and yet we keep choosing to ignore:
1. I only like you when you give me cookies (self explanatory):

2.I know this little guy bites fingers but there I go and stick one into his mouth. Guess what ...yeah, he bites me!!!and not like he's sorry...big surprise!!!

Sorry, don't usually post these but couldn't help it..lol.
Ok, back to music. Some pretty songs:
*Dido "Burnin' love"(with citizen Cope. "Without you I've been burning love"...that line is something.). Love this song
* Lisa Miskovsky "Still alive"
* Erin McCarley "Love save the empty" (if you like it check out "Pitter pat" )
* Carla Bruni "L'amoureuse"
* Gabriela Cilmi, "Sweet about me"
* Tilly and the Wall "Falling without knowing" - 80's with a twist
And I've just realized that the other day I "met" Susan Tedeschi!. Didn't know she was Derek Trucks's wife. Funny. Well, if I've seen two people in love...