I'm Good, I'm Gone :: Lykke Li

happy tuesday everyone! we're 7 days away from making history, so get your vote on then, or if you can do it now, DO IT!

today's song of the day is by an artist many of us have come to love since we were first introduced to this Swedish indie artist, Lykke Li, this past spring by Kim. well, ever since then, i've been slightly obsessed.

just this morning, as i was searching around for an artist to blog about, i came across this live session of Lykke Li's single "i'm good, i'm gone". i'm a huge fan of live, acoustic performances (duh), and this is what you get from this particular track - a live, acoustic performance. there's something that gives me tingles when you get to hear all the intricate details of an artist's voice and instrumentaling.


when i listened to this song, i thought about all the work that has been done to get out the vote and to help distribute the information about these upcoming elections. politics has been on my brain constantly for the last 6 months...and, in case you didn't know, we are all apart of this election. we all have a vital role - whether it is making sure we get ourselves out to the voting booths, helping to address ingorant, hateful rhetoric, volutneering our time to a local, state, or national campaign, encouraging a first time voter to do their homework, or hosting debate parties - we are all in this game and it's up to us to make sure this election is not a repeat of the last 8 years and 2 elections.

so, hopefully you'll enjoy this wonderful live rendition of another jammin Lykke Li song while you're working on getting out the vote!






GO OBAMA.







The end.
Love,
Meggo.







I'm Good, I'm Gone :: Lykke Li

Steppin', stormin'
I'm all gone
Give me a tone and I'm all gone
Yeah, I'm walkin' by the line
I hear that in my mind

I'm workin' a sweat
But it's all good
I'm breakin' my back
But it's all good
'cause I know I'll get it back
Yeah, I know your hands will clap

Yeah, I'm workin'
Yeah, I'm workin'
To make butter for my piece of bun

And if you say I'm not OK
Then that's the goal
If you say there ain't no way that I could know
If you say I aim too high from down below
Well, say it know 'cause when I'm gone...
You'll be callin' but I won't be at the phone

And you're hanging around 'til it's all done
You can't keep me back once I've had some
Wasting time to get it right
And you will see what I'm about

Yeah, I'm workin' a sweat
But it's all good
I'm breakin' my back
But it's all good
'cause I know I'll get it back
Yeah, I know your hands will clap

And if you say I'm not OK
Then that's the goal
If you say there ain't no way that I could know
If you say I aim too high from down below
Well, say it know 'cause when I'm gone...
You'll be callin' but I won't be at the phone

Bonus Song!
Hanging High

From a Distance :: Bette Midler

i totally forgot to post yesterday. crap! but hopefully this post will do one of two things (hopefully simultaneously): make you laugh; creep you out.

so i started a new job at a private, catholic 4 year university. and on many an occasion, this song has popped up in my head, or has been brought to my attention via kelsey - specifically the following lyrics:

god is watching us god is watching us god is watching us...from a distance

i really do love my job, and working at this institution has proved to be fulfilling and challenging...but this song totally creeps me out.

so, to celebrate the season of being creeped out, i thought i'd celebrate october 1st by creeping the rest of you out.



From a Distance :: Bette Midler

From a distance the world looks blue and green,
And the snow-capped mountains white.
From a distance the ocean meets the stream,
And the eagle takes to flight.

From a distance, there is harmony,
And it echoes through the land.
Its the voice of hope, its the voice of peace,
Its the voice of every man.

From a distance we all have enough,
And no one is in need.
And there are no guns, no bombs, and no disease,
No hungry mouths to feed.

From a distance we are instruments
Marching in a common band.
Playing songs of hope, playing songs of peace.
Theyre the songs of every man.
God is watching us. God is watching us.
God is watching us from a distance.

From a distance you look like my friend,
Even though we are at war.
From a distance I just cannot comprehend
What all this fighting is for.

From a distance there is harmony,
And it echoes through the land.
And its the hope of hopes, its the love of loves,
Its the heart of every man.

Its the hope of hopes, its the love of loves.
This is the song of every man.
And God is watching us, God is watching us,
God is watching us from a distance.
Oh, God is watching us, God is watching.
God is watching us from a distance.

Fire on The Mountain :: Hanson

Again, I probably reveal my nerdiness by posting this song. However, I hope, like with "Great Divide," the Hanson song I posted now nearly a year ago, you will all give this one a shot. Recently I heard another musician call Hanson "the most unerrated band on the planet" and though that statement is a bit exaggerated, I can't help but agree to some extent. The band is currently on tour in the U.S. Their tickets seem to be fairly reasonable - I would highly recommend seeing a show. Check hanson.net for details. "Fire on the Mountain" is probably the shortest song on their new album The Walk (2007), but I think it's one of the best. It features Zac (the youngest one - the drummer) on lead vocals and guitar, who in my opinion, is the best lyricist of the group.

The song speaks to some of my feelings as we approach election day 2008. The refrain "There's fire on the mountain, fire and it's coming our way," I think has particular resonance at this moment in history. Whatever Zac means by that phrase, to me it speaks of the challenges facing our world at the present - war, poverty, global warming... and that here in the United States, many of us, particularly those who are white, middle or upper class, educated, what-have-you, are quite sheltered from the realities of the world we've created. But we won't be "safe" forever and the choices we make will reflect our ability to pull our heads out of our asses long enough to see the bigger picture. I think we have a lot to answer for as a country on November 4 and if we make the wrong choice this fire might consume us all.




"Fire on the Mountain"
We sit secure in time-honored traditions made
Never wondering where or when the sickle may come
If we don't seek our knowledge to be greater men
When the rain starts falling gonna drown before we get our feet wet

We build our ivory towers to protect us from the flood
A fleet of vessels made of wood so they won't rust
But can we see the bottom of the bottle when we start to drink?
There's fire on the mountain, fire and it's coming our way

Can we pick the pieces up
We're mending Babylon, tryin' to right the wrong
Can we pick the pieces up
Live, learn, life, love, die, dust, gone

There's fire on the mountain

Can we pick the pieces up
We're mending Babylon, tryin' to right the wrong
Can we pick the pieces up
Live, learn, life, love, die, dust, gone


With peace and hope,
sumner

Fine :: James

happy july 1 everyone! man, i don't know about you, but this summer is going by sorta fast...the first of the month totally creeped up on me! anyway, back to the music...

i came across James when i was at work a couple of weeks ago and listening to pandora.com. this group is from england and has been around for quite some time (since 1981), but they are new to me. this particular song is off their 2001 album, pleased to meet you.

again...following the trend of the season, i feel like this particular song is fitting for summer. when i listened to it the first time, i immediately wished i was just chillin outside in a hammock, with a rum & coke in hand...just laying in the sun. that's what i wish i were doing right now actually...that would be nice...i also felt a similarity between James and Lykke Li, who we have blogged about a while back...these two musical acts fit well together...


anyway, this band has been together a long time, however, after this album was released, the lead singer, Tim Booth, quit the band....but then he got back together with them and is currently working on a new album w/the group!

hope y'all enjoy the song.
the end.
love,
meggo

(cool thing about this picture: it is a composite of all the band members faces! neat, huh?)

Fine :: James

I’m a boomerang
In the outback
Keep your throwing arm steady
So I get home
I’m a vampire bat
Out in shanghai
Haven’t eaten in four days
I’ve ordered in a chinese takeaway

I show more than I hide
I care more than I cry
I’m a phonograph baby
My wires are live
And I’m in crisscross

Fine. I feel fine.

I’m a fortune cookie
Full of cheap advice
I’m a suicide rookie
Blowing last call

Show more than I hide
Care more than I can cry
I’m a phonograph baby
My wires are live
And I’m in crisscross

Fine. I feel fine.

BONUS:





Dance, Dance, Dance :: Lykke Li

Having troubles telling how I feel
But I can dance, dance and dance
Couldn't possibly tell you how I mean
But I can dance, dance, dance
So when I trip on my feet
Look at the beat
The words are, written in the sand
When I'm shaking my hips
Look for the swing
The words are, written in the air
Dance
I was a dancer all along
Dance, dance, dance
Words can never make up for what you do
Easy conversations, there's no such thing
No I'm shy, shy, shy
My hips they lie 'cause in reality I'm shy, shy, shy
But when I trip on my feet
Look at the ground
The words are, written in the dust
When I'm shaking my hips
Look for the swing
The words are written in the air
Dance
I was a dancer all along
Dance, dance, dance
Words can never make up for what you do
Dance, dance, dance

Chicago :: Sufjan Stevens

I've been on a bit of a Sufjan Stevens kick. I really admire how he arranges his music, I love his voice, and one day I would love to be badass enough that I can wear cardboard wings on stage and have no one be surprised or confused.
This particular song, Chicago, has a really beautiful arrangement, and I really enjoy the lyrics. One interesting aspect of some of Sufjan's music is a spiritual/theological underpinning to some of his songs. Another example would be "all the trees of the field will clap their hands." In "Chicago," the lyrics "you came to take us, to recreate us" kind of have a theological slant to them, even so I still really love the song.
My favorite verse of the song is
"if I was crying
in the van, with my friend
it was for freedom
from myself and from the land
I made a lot of mistakes
I made a lot of mistakes
I made a lot of mistakes
I made a lot of mistakes"
I feel like as humans we all make mistakes, and admitting them is key to learning from your mistakes, and becoming better. In addition, I like the idea of if I was crying, it was for freedom from myself and from the land. I don't think it's ever possible to be free from yourself or from where you come from, but I can understand that desire.
Anyways. Disjointed post, but it's the last week of classes of my senior year of college so I think it's understandable. Happy trails!



I fell in love again
all things go, all things go
drove to Chicago
all things know, all things know
we sold our clothes to the state
I don't mind, I don't mind
I made a lot of mistakes
in my mind, in my mind

you came to take us
all things go, all things go
to recreate us
all things grow, all things grow
we had our mindset
all things know, all things know
you had to find it
all things go, all things go

I drove to New York
in a van, with my friend
we slept in parking lots
I don't mind, I don't mind
I was in love with the place
in my mind, in my mind
I made a lot of mistakes
in my mind, in my mind

you came to take us
all things go, all things go
to recreate us
all things grow, all things grow
we had our mindset
all things know, all things know
you had to find it
all things go, all things go

if I was crying
in the van, with my friend
it was for freedom
from myself and from the land
I made a lot of mistakes
I made a lot of mistakes
I made a lot of mistakes
I made a lot of mistakes

you came to take us
all things go, all things go
to recreate us
all things grow, all things grow
we had our mindset
all things know, all things know
you had to find it
all things go, all things go

you came to take us
all things go, all things go
to recreate us
all things grow, all things grow
we had our mindset
(I made a lot of mistakes)
all things know, all things know
(I made a lot of mistakes)
you had to find it
(I made a lot of mistakes)
all things go, all things go
(I made a lot of mistakes)

Yael Naim :: New Soul

sorry again for the late posting folks! it was a busy president's day weekend (and also the weekend that i celebrated the day of my birth exactly 25 years ago!!!!), so i hope you all enjoy the song i came across today as i was looking for a happy song to blog about. i found this one to be quite catchy so here goes... Naim is a french-israeli singer and songwriter who is relatively new to the "official" music scene w/her first album (in a man's womb) released in 2001. You can listen to more music of hers HERE. i really enjoy her thus far, and she has this sort of regina spektor appeal about her, but in a less abrasive manner. as far as this particular song is concerned, i really enjoy it's lightness...it's light weight...calorie free if you will. it just makes me feel like i'm riding my bike down a really big hill, feeling the breeze go across my face and just feelin care-free. this is how i feel after another year on this earth. this weekend, i celebrated my 25th birthday with my roommate, my girlfriend, and some other close friends. and as i begin my first week being a quarter of a century old, i enter it feeling refreshed, alive, and feelin rather content....and this song is helping me glide into another year of growth, learning, and love.

so, i hope you enjoy it as much as i do!
the end.
<3, meggo.


Yael Naim::New Soul

I'm a new soul.
I came to this strange world hoping I could learn a bit ‘bout how to give and take.
But since I came here...felt the joy and the fear.....finding myself making every possible mistake.

la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la...

I'm a young soul in this very strange world hoping I could learn a bit ‘bout what is true and fake.
But why all this hate?
Try to communicate.
Finding trust and love is not always easy to make.

la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la...

This is a happy end.
'course you don't understand.
Everything you have done......
why's everything so wrong?

This is a happy end.
Come and give me your hand.
I'll take you far away.

I'm a new soul I came to this strange world hoping I could learn a bit ‘bout how to give and take. But since I came here…..felt the joy and the fear…..finding myself making every possible mistake.

la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la...

la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la....

Shine :: Laura Izibor

Guest Blogger: Drea

This song speaks so much truth to me. The transition from college to “year off” and then back to school has been a difficult one. It also has been a transition from angry college activist, to complacent worker bee, and now someone who is attempting to find balance in life between social justice, joy, and career.

There are lines in this song that fit into different times of my life. My life as worker bee was more than just “living in contradiction” as Char Kunkle (Luther College Sociology professor) would say. There are still so many things that I want to do. I’m in school and sick of it. “There’s got to be something else, something more”. But this is it. This is where I am.

This song just makes me happy. It makes me realize that this moment is one which shines. I can’t wait until tomorrow because tomorrow never comes. If I don’t like what I am doing then I need to do what makes me happy. No, I can’t quit school. It would be lovely. But there is an end to school. I will be finished in a year and a half. This job really is temporary.

I just love this song. It makes me feel positive and optimistic when, at times, all I want to do is wallow in negativity and self doubt. What is the point of that? That will get me no where.

Favorite Lyrics:
Let the sunshine on your face. Don’t let your life go to waste.
Now is the time. Got to make up your mind.
Let it shine on your. Let it shine on you.

Laura Izibor is from Dublin. You can visit her here on her myspace page. This song is no longer available on iTunes in the US. I know, disappointing. However, you can hear it on her Myspace page. She wrote the song for the Nanny Diaries. I didn’t know this when I found the song but it is a fun bit of useless information.

This is a nice live version of the song. A little bit faster than the original. It is really short but it is the only one I could find.



Shine::Laura Izibor

Wake up one morning and realize, Your life is one big compromise.
Stuck in the job you swore was only temporary.
Feels like the water’s passing you by. Never done all the things you meant to try.
Stuck in one place, got a pain in your face from all your stressin.
You ask yourself there’s got to me more than what I am living for.
You ask yourself there’s got to be something more.
Let the sunshine on your face. Don’t let your life go to waste.
Now is the time. Got to make up your mind.

Let it shine on you. Let it shine on you.
Fell like there’s nothing, no where to go.
You try and fight but you can’t let go.
Got to so much to gain. Now is the time.

You ask yourself there’s got to be something else, something more.
Let the sunshine on your face. Don’t let your life go to waste.
Now is the time. Got to make up your mind.

Let it shine on your. Let it shine on you
You ask yourself there’s go to be more than what I am living for
You ask yourself there’s got to be something else, something more
Let the sunshine on your face. Don’t let your life go to waste.
Now is the time. Got to make up your mind.
Let it shine on your. Let it shine on you

lover i don't have to love :: bright eyes

i was first introduced to bright eyes a little over a year ago by my friend ben. but this is really the only song that i've been exposed to, well, the only one that's been sorta stuck in my head by them. anyway, it's a great melancholy song about love and hurt and loving and hurting...you get the point.

anyway, i came across this song again on christmas when i was reading this blog. since then, i have come back to it over and over again.

i like it for a lot of reasons, but especially because it's rather ambiguous as to whether it's a boy/girl the singer is singing about at first, but then goes into being about both...yay! the song starts out by talking about how this person hooks up with someone randomly just to have physical contact with another person...but also maybe to forget someone they love...or other parts of life that might suck at the moment. toward the end, it goes into a discussion about love and how, although we run the risk of being hurt badly, we do it anyway....it's sorta masochistic i guess...

this last part is what i've been thinking about lately...about love and relationships and how we end up inevitably hurting/getting hurt by the people we say we love the most...and how even though we hurt and get hurt, we still love no matter what...but the reasons we are hurt is because of said 'love'...it seems viciously cyclical and pessimistic. whoops! perhaps i shouldn't listen to this song, but i can't help myself. since i'm not really pursuing love or relationships at the moment, i figure it's ok that this song happens to be my drug of choice for the moment, instead of potentially hurting or getting hurt...even though i'd probably jump right back into love if it presented itself....

favorite lyrics:

Love's an excuse to get hurt
And to hurt.
Do you like to hurt?
I do, I do

Then hurt me...



lover i don't have to love::bright eyes

I picked you out of a crowd and talked to you
I said I liked your shoes
You said, "Thanks, can I follow you?"
So it's up the stairs and out of view
No prying eyes
I poured some wine
I asked your name, you asked the time

Now it's two o'clock
The club is closed
We're up the block
Your hands on me; Pressing hard against your jeans
Your tongue in my mouth, trying to keep the words from coming out
You didn't care to know who else may have been you before

I want a lover I don't have to love
I want a girl who's too sad to give a fuck
Where's the kid with the chemicals?
I thought he said to meet him here but I'm not sure
I've got the money if you've got the time
You said it feels good
I said, "I'll give it a try."

Then my mind went dark
We both forgot where your car was parked
Let's just take the train
I'll meet up with the band in the morning

Bad actors with bad habits
Some sad singers they just play tragic
And the phone's ringing and the van's leaving
Let's just keep touching; let's just keep... keep singing...

I want a lover I don't have to love
I want a boy who's so drunk he doesn't talk
Where's the kid with the chemicals?
I've got a hunger and I can't seem to get full
I need some meaning I can memorize
The kind I have always seems to slip my mind

But you, but you...

You write such pretty words
But life's no storybook
Love's an excuse to get hurt
And to hurt.
Do you like to hurt?
I do, I do

Then hurt me...

on a lighter note.... :D (in case this song was too depressing...)

hallelujah :: paramore

first of all, my apologies for the late posting. i was partying the new year up in NYC and haven't been near a computer since 2007 :)

i'd like to take this blog posting and start it off on a really upbeat, positive...optimistic, if you will, note. the past few weeks have been really crazy and a lot of things have happened...actually, that's the way it's been for the entire year of 2007. yet, despite whatever happens, things always seem to work out the way they're supposed to. that's what this song is about....that and hanging onto that feeling of relief, excitement, anticipation...

anyway, paramore is one of those bands that i have really gotten into in the last month for various reasons. they are really rockin! i really want to see them play live because their music is so full of energy, and that's what i feel when i'm just listening to them, so i can only imagine how great a live show would be, right? this song, hallelujah, is off of their sophomore album 'riot!' which is also a recent favorite of mine. there are many reasons for this past year for me to be screaming "hallelujah"...here are the highlights and some future anticipations:

2007
-finishing my first year of my master's degree
-getting to michfest for the 3rd time in a row
-passing my comprehensive exams for my master's degree
-figuring out a sweet research project for my master's degree
-reconnecting with old friends i lost touch with
-connecting with new friends that have proved to be immensely amazing (that's right, immensely amazing!)
-finding a much more different place to live that is much more better :)

2008
-finishing my thesis and hopefully getting a couple of articles to publish out of it
-presenting at a conference or two to get some other experiences in academia
-finishing my last year of my master's degree and getting to put a couple more letters after my name
-taking a break from academia and finding a "real" person job
-kicking some ass in indoor/outdoor kickball and mayhaps softball this summer
-thoroughly enjoying my new home w/my new roommate
-witnessing the most radical presidential election in the U.S...

so, with that, i'll stop here and just give a huge shout out to 2008 with this song! i really think this year is gonna be a really good one :)

for the official video:


for a rockin live video:


hallelujah::paramore

Somehow everything's gonna fall right into place,
If we only had a way to make it all fall faster everyday.
If only time flew like a dove,
We're gonna make it fly faster than I'm falling in love.

This time we're not giving up,
Let's make it last forever,
Screaming "Hallelujah".
We'll make it last forever.

Holding onto patience, wearing thin,
I can't force these eyes to see the end.
If only time flew like a dove,
Well we could watch it fly, and just keep looking up.

This time we're not giving up,
Let's make it last forever,
Screaming "Hallelujah".
We'll make it last forever.

And we've got time on our hands.
[And we've got time]
Got nothing but time on our hands.
Got nothing but, got nothing but.
[And we've got time]
Got nothing but time on our hands.

This time we're not giving up,
Oh, let's make it last forever,
Screaming "Hallelujah".
"Hallelujah".

in the meantime :: adrianne w/nate from girlyman

so, i was originally going to post a different song this morning, but as i was checking my mypace, i noticed a bulletin from an artist named adrianne. i've been a really big fan of hers for the past year or so, and when i saw she had posted a new song, i had to check it out. of course. she's a musician out of LA and her songs are always really heartfelt and sincere, at least that the impression i get from her songs :)
in this video (b/c the song isn't out yet to purchase), she pairs up with nate from girlyman to help her sing and provide some backup instrumentals.

this song is about remembering that whatever your problems may be, someone else has also gone through something similar...it's not meant to diminish your personal pain, but rather, give you comfort in that you're not alone.

anyway, i've always been a fan of live, unplugged music, and i'm really excited that more and more musicians are out there putting their music up for all to hear. adrianne's voice is raw and full of emotion, and nate's back up singing and instrumentals complement her very well. i honestly can't wait for adrianne's new cd to come out so i can listen to it more often!!! i really enjoy this song. hopefully you will too!

enjoy :)



in the meantime::adrianne

the light, rain
your heart
the cold sky
dark
and time stands still
when everything is moving
so fast
you lose your will

well everybody knows the shape you're in
everybody runs away sometimes
we all wanna say that everything's alright
in the meantime

so now you're on your own
another rollin stone
steady hand
you thought no one could see you
you come to understand

that everybody knows the shape you're in
everybody runs away sometimes
we all wanna say that everything's alright
in the meantime

the house where you were born
you've seen the dream
the thorn
a love like mine
my own kind of trouble
my hand, your heart
outside

well everybody knows the shape you're in
everybody runs away sometimes
we all wanna say that everything's alright
in the meantime

oh everybody knows the shape you're in
everybody runs away sometimes
we all wanna say that everything's alright
in the meantime
in the meantime