Hot Patoote

After a very extended hiatus from blogging I think I'm ready to put my thoughts out there again.
I'd lost interest in "new" music and was listening to less music from my own iTunes even.
Fortunately, it was more a dry spell than a rut, and I have plenty opinions on pop again.

Toodles,

J x

Wardrobe Crisis

Ladies and Gentlefriends,

I'm having cupboard problems of a first world kind. Too many clothes, not enough space.

"When a woman says, 'I have nothing to wear!', what she really means is, 'There's nothing here for who I'm supposed to be today." - Caitlin Moran. 

I've been doing a wardrobe challenge of a different kind this week. I got the idea from Leandra Medine's Man Repeller blog, can't find the link to the original article unfortunately, I don't remember the actual title, but basically her idea was if you select 4-6 items and make them and only them into outfits for a week, it will help you to appreciate the rest of your closet. At the end of the week, I then intend to use a suggestion from Stylecaster to clear out my wardrobe of things that I really can live without. Stylecaster's tip is that you look at clothes and determine "if I was shopping right now, would I buy this?" I am going to try my best to be brutally honest and pass the rest on. I'm gonna try to sell some of my Mum's vintage pieces on ASOS Marketplace, so I'll link that when I do.

However, my 8-piece capsule wardrobe has suffered from my messy eating habits already. Two of my three shirts are drying after some chocolate mishaps.

Assignments are making me grumpy so we shall not discuss those, yet.

With love,

J x

And three makes a trend

Yeeees, I remembered possibly my faaaav song of my made up category of Sad Song/Happy Sound.
It is Eric Hutchinson's All Over Now. Below is my favourite version, it's a little more uptempo than some, which brings it home for the happy/sad.

With love,

J x

That's not a thing!

Struggling to come up with another song for my Sad Song/Happy Sound series. I could've sworn these were my fav tunes to spin... turns out it's not so effortless.

But this weekend, is Eurovision. Australia's "entry" is Jess Mauboy, it will be intriguing to watch her performance tonight, I really hope she goes all out with a massive show.

The gif could be applied to either of the above paragraphs, who knows.

With love,

J x

Hair down to your legs and your legs down to the floor

Feeling a particular affection for New Zealand lately. I've never been, but the recent Royal Tour was pretty spectacular.
Here's a fav clip from an oldie but a goodie: Flight of the Conchords, a show about a NZ band and their manager trying to make it in America.

Other recent NZ highlights include Lorde, who I've come around to, her performance style is glorious, and hopefully she continues on the path she's on and becomes a fully-fledged feminist icon, and an inspiration for young women. Would love to get my hands on the lipstick from her MAC collaboration, due out in early June.
The next one is tinged with a little sadness, on TV late at night over summer a series called Nothing Trivial was airing, or the third season was. An entertaining show about a group of friends with a regular pub trivia meeting place, due to budget cuts in NZ (and falling ratings I think, but if it's airing at 11pm in Australia, and presumably NZ, that is never going to help anyone) there won't be any more series made. I will have to hunt down the first two seasons somehow.

With love,

J x

Do you dance Mr Darcy?

Currently reading Vanity Fair by William Makepeace Thackeray. Trying to keep books as part of my pre-bed wind down routine, which is kind of working. Screen time right before bed definitely does nothing to assist me with getting regular shut eye.
I've also recently read The Great Gatsby and Love in A Cold Climate. If you've noted that these are all being put out by Penguin in their classics range, you would be right. At around $10 a book in Australia, they feel like a great bargain and a solid long-term purchase all in one. Adored Love in A Cold Climate, very funny.
The other thing I'm into the idea, or at least the cost-per-use of are cookbooks. However, as I currently only have a stove and a convection microwave (that I have no idea how to use the convection aspect of) I want to find something with dishes I can currently make.

With love,

J x

We Sink

Hey studmuffins,

I realised I didn't really explain much about the sad song/happy sound thang last time. This is one of my fav genres/styles/frameworks for a song because I will generally be pretty thrilled to listen to it in any mood that I'm in. They suit when you're tired, esctatic, cranky, up, down, and just going crazy.

So, to continue, this one is from CHVRCHES.
I also love their Triple J live version of their own song "Recover."
So here it is, CHVRCHES performing "We Sink" live in Seattle.
They are just SO CUTE and great.

With love,

J x

Blood

Hey dudes,

I've decided to start a new semi-series of blog posts about my fav sad song/happy sound tracks. Semi-series in that I have to work out which songs tick the boxes.
Devasted to find out the band The Middle East who wrote the first song broke up in 2011 (yepp, I have not been paying attention).
Anyhow, their song "Blood" has a gorgeous assortment of instruments and a fairly upbeat tune. However, it has super sad lyrics.
I think the dichotomy of this song is best shown in its use in the "Crazy, Stupid Love" soundtrack. I knew about these guys before that happened (#hipster) as they are/were from where I'm from, yaaay.
The movie uses this song riiight at the end for the joyous reunions and suchlike. It edits out the sad lyrics such as the hauntingly beautiful stuff about skin cancer, a major fact of life in North Queensland.
So here it is, from The Middle East, "Blood." And some really nice artwork too.

With love,

J x

Wet Weather

Back in Melbourne after a luxurious break in Queensland, today's rain is breaking my heart, the weather up north was beautiful and is only going to get better, winter is the most pleasant season where I'm from.

Reading this article about Grace Coddington, who is beyond words. Her creativity and honesty are so inspiring.

With love,

J x

Lanterns

So sleepy tonight!
In the mood for relaxing tunes.
With music in a vague pop sphere, it is important lyrically and emotionally for the song not to be too down. Calm not sad is what you want.
Acoustic versions of op songs can be a great way to achieve this. A softer version of an upbeat pop song can really work well.

With love,

J x

Fear, Doubt and Distrust

It was mentioned in my Music Psychology lecture recently that the two things people, particularly males are often most afraid to be asked to do are public speaking and solo singing. I have definitely gone from being an extremely confident singer, from starting lessons at around three or four years old to being choir captain in my final year of schooling. Since school I have had very little singing practice, except for a turn onstage as a chorus member in Footloose (such a fun show!) The other situation that I get asked to sing with others is with a whole bunch of musos, a situation where no one wants to get a note wrong, and the trained singers all really, really want to show off.
At least the joys of public speaking (from being debating captain) haven't worn off yet.
This was all leading into the should-I-or-shouldn't-I decision of posting a video (or two) from a Gotye concert that I lurved in 2011. Wally had been critised for performing 'Somebody That I Used to Know' with recorder vocals from Kimbra (who was currently in Australia.) Instead, at the concert I was at, he got the crowd to sing her verses which was the best fun.

However he's got videos made for all of his songs off Making Mirrors so here's one o them to enjoy.

I'm going to THE THEATRE tonight with a dear friend. I 'won' some free tickets to a show at La Mama as part of the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, so hopefully I laugh til I hurt.

Wednesday white-out,

J x

Everybody cut Footloose

Recently Kevin Bacon appeared on the Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, where dancing was outlawed...

Never, never, never,

J xx

Back to it.

Hola amigos,

I've been away from the blog in a somewhat unplanned but enjoyable break.
I spent the summer back home, and after finishing my Bachelor of Music, I was once again thrust into a fog of what on earth to do with my life.
After much deliberation, I'm now studying Honours in Musicology, still at the Melbourne Con.
I've also made the decision to move out of my college and have moved into a studio apartment. I am LOVING cooking for myself and I'm definitely eating better than at college, mostly due to making better choices that I'm entirely responsible for.
So of course, we're getting to the stage of semester where I'm getting a couple of assignments ready to hand in and all of that.
I hope to get back to posting more regularly, blogging is a nice creative outlet with all the photos and things I like to put on here.
So, a photo. Taken of my gorgeous view a couple of twilights ago.

 

 With love,

J xxx