she & him

The Dunce Cap: Week of May 26, 2014

in: heavy rotation

The Dunce Cap, Vol. 52: But it’s as warm as saxophones and honey in the sun for you. (click on link to listen to mix via 8tracks or play above)

1. “Honk + Wave” – Limbeck
2. “Hey Julie” – Fountains of Wayne
3. “Let’s Get Drunk and Get It On” – Old 97’s
4. “Honey In The Sun” – Camera Obscura
5. “If She Wants Me” – Belle & Sebastian
6. “Far Away From Close” – Butch Walker
7. “In Ohio On Some Steps” – Limbeck
8. “Holiday” – The Get Up Kids
9. “Blue Moon” – Beck
10. “I Thought I Saw Your Face Today” – She & Him

The Rob Scrawl: The 10 Best Tracks of 2010

in: heavy rotation, in: tens

Hoorah! What a marvelous day – a dual (a double, not a challenge) post. It’s a Dunce Cap top ten, the best tracks of the year (in my personal opinion). It’s a Rob Scrawl with a twist: An in tens (too cheesy?) playlist capturing the best songs of the year (as determined July 19, 2010). And, of course, WordPress still isn’t permitting users to embed 8tracks into a new post, so hosting on the other site’ll have to suffice.

Click the photo or link below to listen.

The best font ever!, courtesy of Core77

The Dunce Cap Special Edition: 10 Best of ’10: It’s a Hollywood summer. You never believe the shitty thoughts I think. We belong in a movie. (listen to mix via 8tracks)

My 10 favorite tracks of the year:

1. “O.N.E.” – Yeasayer
2. “Factory” – Band of Horses
3. “Good to Be” – Magic Kids
4. “Conversation 16” – The National
5. “Someday Soon” – Harlem
6. “Don’t Look Back” – She & Him
7. “Excuses” – The Morning Benders
8. “Crazy for You” – Best Coast
9. “Gold Skull” – Miniature Tigers
10. “Pretty Melody” – Butch Walker

This isn’t a playlist in need of too much explanation, so give the pretty list a whirl. 2010’s been a fair year for music, and a lot of my favorite artists were back in full force. The rest of the year is sure to be kind to my ears, with upcoming releases from Arcade Fire, Wavves, Klaxons, Of Montreal, Belle & Sebastian and many, many more (Pitbull!). And that Miniature Tigers album is going to be bomb. I fell in love with Tell it to the Volcano after seeing the band open for Bishop Allen, and the early sounds of Fortress, which hits stores Tuesday, seem even more mature and catchier than their first full-length.

And speaking of albums, I do, as a matter of fact, have a list of my favorite albums of the year thus far!

Critical darlings The Hold Steady, whose sonorous Heaven is Whenever made my Top 10 list.

My 10 favorite albums of the year:

LCD Soundsystem – This is Happening
The National – High Violet
The Hold Steady – Heaven is Whenever
Beach House – Teen Dream
Titus Andronicus – The Monitor
The Morning Benders – Big Echo
Jonsi – Go
Marina & the Diamonds – The Family Jewels
Phantogram – Eyelid Movies
Big Boi – Sir Lucious Left Foot: The Son of Chico Dusty

And a hilarious piece from Saturday’s Wait, Wait…Don’t Tell Me! featuring The Hold Steady’s Craig Finn: Craig Finn of The Hold Steady Plays Not My Job

What do you think?
What are your favorite tracks/albums of the year thus far?

The Dunce Cap: July 5, 2010

in: heavy rotation

As a reminder – all of these mixes are hosted at 8tracks.com. You can click on the photo or link below to visit 8tracks and listen to the full mix.

Bust by sculptor Daniel Edwards

The Dunce Cap, Vol. 15: Let’s talk, and we’ll fill the air with imagery that lasts forever. (mix via 8tracks)

1. “Why Do You Let Me Stay Here?” – She & Him
2. “Foundations” – Kate Nash
3. “Head Over Feet” – Alanis Morissette
4. “Cannonball” – The Breeders
5. “Move You (SSSPII)” – Anya Marina
6. “The Frug” – Rilo Kiley
7. “Mr. Moon” – Kate Micucci
8. “She Wolf” – Shakira
9. “If” – Janet Jackson
10. “If You Fall” – Azure Ray

*BONUS TRACK: “And Darling” – Tegan and Sara

This week, it seems, is all about girrrrrl power. Now, if I’d been more of a formed person during the Riot grrrl era, I would have undoubtedly been a part of it. I would have started a ‘zine, scoped out the local clubs, sent fervent love notes to grungy rock stars (not unlike my mother’s letters to David Cassidy or my sister’s later supposed letters to Ralph Macchio). I am, in no uncertain terms, a feminist of the third wave (I almost typed reich, yikes), except I’m not averse to capitalist consumer goods, and I’m not entirely self-sufficient. But I do have a definite soft spot for women rockers that found its way into my heart about the time I saw Joan Jett live in concert. From there, it was Debbie Harry and Patti Smith and Siouxsie Sioux, and then I discovered the whispered, flowing lyricism of later feminine musicians, all flow-y skirts, floral patterns and young adolescent heartbreak. Like Evan Dando sans male genitalia.

So, in celebration of women, a mix of female vocalists. There’s more Zooey, Rilo Kiley and Kate Nash, but there are some surprises, I like to think, with Shakira and Janet Jackson, two women who just ooze sex appeal. It’s inspiring, certainly. Hot-ties. Kate Micucci is an adorable actress you’ve seen everywhere but likely never recognized; she was, among other roles, the ukulele played Ted fell for in the eighth season of “Scrubs.” And Tegan and Sara, a killer sister duo I actually overlooked for too long. And, of course, there’s the Breeders.

I have to admit – I have a bit of a Kim Deal complex. She’s possibly the coolest person I’ve never encountered. She was in Pixies, The Breeders and The Amps, and, not only that, she can play her f*!#ing instrument. Give me a teen pop sensation that can do that. She’s a clever and confident lyricist and vocalist – even Kurt Cobain praised her specific work before his death, commenting, “I wish Kim was allowed to write more songs for the Pixies.” Kurt. Cobain. Thinks. You. Are. Underpraised. Welcome to the big time. She’s really one of those women I will always admire, even though she’s not on the top ten list I posted earlier. There are just some women who are unspoken members of the top ten.

Happy listening.

(editor’s note – I know I put “Mr. Moon” on a previous Dunce Cap, and I never repeat a track, but this was a special edition, and it felt wholly appropriate for the mix. My apologies.)

The Rob Scrawl: Top 10 Laaadies

in: tens
wayne

Image courtesy of Paramount

As you may or may not have noticed, The Girl with the Dunce Cap is rather fond of regulars. Y’know, posts you’re expected to expect – Book Club, Dunce Flash, The Dunce Cap (TK tonight). And now, I’m launching just one more. The Rob Scrawl is a series of top ten lists. These lists consist of, like most other things on this blog, things I like. The things I like most or least or that remind me of something peculiar. Don’t pull that face – they’re fun! Wayne & Garth loved ’em too – scha-wing!

The Rob Scrawl is modeled after, even more than Garth & Wayne, one of my favorite fictional characters, Rob Fleming from Nick Hornby‘s High Fidelity. Rob was a list man. He made top five lists to chronicle the things he loved, from films to TV episodes to tracks to memorable moments. He is also a mix tape man, another thing we undoubtedly have in common. Rob is a Music Man, as I am a Music Girl, and he is a Romantic. I can’t deny that I am too. But, most of all, we’re loudmouths about the things we love, and that is, after all, what all of these lists are really about.

So without further ado, the first Rob Scrawl.

The Rob Scrawl: Ms. C & The Women

My internship today brought some pretty laughter-ridden culture conversation, which led to the usual rant about Kristen Stewart, Megan Fox and my obvious distaste for both. In response, my coworker accused me of being a bit anti-woman. So, to prove that I am not, in fact, anti double-X chromosome, I constructed my top 10 women list. These are women with charm and class, without the vacant eyes of Stewart or the half-assed performances of Fox. These are women I do have nice things to say about after all.

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This Rob Scrawl is in alphabetical order. In the future, there may be some preferential order.

Anna Quindlen: My favorite teacher once insisted to me that I had to be the next Anna Quindlen. I guess I took it to heart. I just finished her most recent novel, “Every Last One,” a heartbreaking work of stagging genius (ch’yeah).

Betsey Johnson: Don’t call her Cyndi Lauper. Betsey has an incredible style with a flair for color, and her clothes are gorgeous pieces for tea parties, proms or house romping.

Daria Morgendorffer: The classic high school misanthrope, Daria made braininess (and glasses! and sarcasm!) cool for girls, too.

Ellie Kemper: Sure, Ellie plays a sweet if hapless secretary on NBC’s “The Office,” but she’s a real comedy hotshot. Her video launched on Funny or Die (link NSFW), blowing (punny) into the common comedic consciousness. Now she writes for McSweeney’s and The Onion.

Judy Blume: Judy Blume defined girldom for most preteens, tackling the tough issues most fiction writers wouldn’t even begin to address.

Kate Nash: Kate Nash is darling with a kick. She’s a British songstress with a really hilarious personality and a pretty voice to match. That girl is sass.


Kate Nash, “We Get On”

Katey Sagal: Katey is the voice. So, okay, a lot of people know who she is, she of bouffant hair and leopard spandex, Ms. Peggy Bundy. But there’s more to Katey than just that. She’s a comedy legend. Leela? Spinelli’s mom? SMART HOUSE? It’s that voice. It’s the most soothing sound in the world.

Maura Johnston: Maura is an incredible woman. She’s tough, really, a girl in a boy’s town, finding music in the deepest recesses of the grimy big city. God, she’s cool. And incredibly talented. She isn’t editing for Idolator anymore, but she’s still writing. Something tells me she’ll never stop. Thank god for that.

Natalie Portman: This one is a total no-brainer. Natalie is gorgeous, brilliant, talented – and vulgarly hilarious? Who knew. The Israeli-American princess is one bad ass bitch.


The Lonely Island, “Natalie’s Rap”

Zooey Deschanel: The queen of gorge, Zooey is a star. Her beauty continues to stun me, and she is such an utter delight. Yo, she went to NU (for two quarters!), and that only makes me love her more. She’s an accomplished singer (with M. Ward in She & Him), actress and smile-r. Yeah, it’s almost an obsession.

honorable mentions: lisa simpson, jenny lewis, crystal renn, liv tyler, mindy kaling, christiane amanpour

Who would be on your top ten women list?
No Mileys here, please.

The Dunce Cap: March 29, 2010

in: heavy rotation

Jesse Freidin Photography

Here are ten tracks I’m listening to in heavy rotation for the week of March 29, 2010:

The Dunce Cap, Vol. 1: Dig your heels in, little girl.
(mix via 8tracks)

  1. “Daylight” – Matt & Kim
  2. “This Tornado Loves You” – Neko Case
  3. “Ignition (Remix)” – R. Kelly
  4. “Sequestered in Memphis” – The Hold Steady
  5. “Going to Georgia” – The Mountain Goats
  6. “Trash Day” – Butch Walker & the Black Widows
  7. “Hellhole Ratrace” – Girls
  8. “re: Stacks” – Bon Iver
  9. “Float On” – Goldspot
  10. “Me and You” – She & Him

Give this mix many, many spins. Really catchy and sunny – mostly – and full of artists I adore.

This will be a new series I’ll try and update once a week (Thursdays seem like a solid day, so expect that for now). I’d definitely appreciate any and all comments on the tracks, etc.

Leave ’em.