It’s week 6 for those of us on the funky quarter/trimester university schedule. Midterms have been and still are in full swing. Here’s a list of 5 songs and artists that have been keeping me sane(ish).
1. “Warpath” by Ingrid Michaelson
I could create a whole list composed of just Ingrid Michaelson. (Got to see her live for the first time last week. I’m in love.) She has the three essential moods of music (for me): pensive, chipper, and opening can of whoopass. “Warpath” falls under the whoop-ass category. ["You and I" makes me so happy and her "Can't Help Falling in Love" is my favorite cover of that song].
2. “En T’attendant” by Melanie Laurent
Shosanna Dreyfus/Emmanuelle Mimieux/that beautiful, maniacal, laughing face of the Jew from Inglourious Basterds (still my favorite movie) – Melanie Laurent doesn’t have much of a voice, but she’s very nice to listen to and this song is so soothing, yet motivating at the same time with that driving beat in the background. And she’s nice to look at, as well. She’s got a natural beauty that’s refreshing in the midst of our airbrush madness.
3. “The Big Bang” by Katy Tiz
I’m a sucker for modern songs integrating older styles of music or throwing in a sweet classical instrument or two, like “Ottoman” by Vampire Weekend and Parov Stelar’s “Chambermaid Swing”. This Katy Tiz song isn’t quite Stelar [see what I did there] but it’s new and I’ve found myself listening to it a lot recently.
4. “Follow Me” by Uncle Kracker
Throwback! My sister and I learned every word to this song when it came out many moons ago. Almost needless to say, it was before we knew what the song was about… No matter, still catchy and we still know all the words. (Although I do find myself constantly misremembering whether the line is “swim through your bangs like a fish in the sea” or “swim through your veins”…)
5. “You Can’t Always Get What You Want (Cover)” by Band from TV
Band from TV is, well, a band composed of TV actors and actresses. Band members from TV include Hugh Laurie (“House,” duh), Teri Hatcher (“Desperate Housewives”), Greg Grunberg (“Heroes,” the actual founder of the band), and Jesse Spencer (“House”), among several others. The proceeds of their performances go to charity and they all look like they’re having an awesome time showcasing talents most of us didn’t know they had. (And bonus: the song is set to clips of “House” – god, I miss that show).
Stay [mostly] sane, folks. And if you have any good song recommendations, leave them in the comments. Make ‘em good!