Rhianna's Only Girl (In the World) Music Video!

Fashion | 18 October 2010

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To beat the Monday blues I am throwing a little Rhianna your way.

With this super-saturated colorific video how can you not smile?

Have fun when you watch the Only Girl (In the World) music video! And remember sometimes we just have to let loose! LOL

Playlister: Keeping It Fresh!

Music | 13 October 2010

by LuLu*s !

Let’s keep it fresh this week by, ironically, going classic.

Each of these songs was released sometime this week—just a few years back, that’s all.

Sam Cooke – “You Send Me” (Released October 16, 1957)

Cooke’s first and biggest hit is a classic love song that everyone with a heartbeat oughta appreciate. This song may incite slow dancing with strangers or mere acquaintances. Consider this a fair warning and check out this old school recording of Mr. Cooke performing this beautiful tune:

Big Brother & The Holding Company – Cheap Thrills (Released October 12, 1968)

I know, I know—this ain’t just one song, it’s a whole record! But hey, this one’s worth it. With Janis Joplin as their lead singer, San Francisco’s Big Brother & the Holding Company was a tour de force in the rock and roll scene whose album Cheap Thrills remains a tent pole to any great music collection. This record is also where you’ll find their quintessential hit, “Summertime.” (fun fact: Sam Cooke’s recording of “Summertime” deserves just as much play as Janis’s!)

Marvin Gaye – Sexual Healing (Released October 15, 1982)

If you haven’t begun your Marvin Gaye education yet, this song is a good place to start. Not only do you need to give it a few listens to erase every grade school joke about this amazing track from your brain, but afterwards you’ve got to start collecting every song Marvin Gaye ever created. Let his smooth R&B cleanse and revitalize you.

-Carmen B.

Monday Music Must: Lil Wayne & Antony & the Johnsons!

Music | 11 October 2010

by LuLu*s !

This Monday, I couldn’t pick just one new release to brag on.

Lil Wayne’s I Am Not A Human Being (which was released digitally on September 27) and Antony & the Johnsons’ Swanlights may be on opposite sides of the musical spectrum, but who said your iPod couldn’t be diverse?

Though Weezy is in lockup until November, his label is pushing his album to generate press for Lil’s upcoming winter tour and The Carter IV, the much-anticipated record whose predecessors put the Martian on the map. Think of I Am Not A Human Being as a ten-song peacemaker until you can get your hands and eardrums all over The Carter IV.

Bonus: The video for the title track is a trip!

Antony & the Johnsons Swanlights promises to be just as deliciously soulful and introspective as their previous efforts.

If you’ve never heard them before, imagine a beautifully androgynous and vibrato heavy voice presenting an array of emotions against sweeping piano melodies in the middle of a field of wildflowers on a rainy day. Yeah, I went there. This band is so darn evocative (vocab star!) that once you’ve had one listen, you’ll hit replay and have yourself another. This I promise you, girls.

XOXO

Carmen B.

Playlister: A Playlist for Your Day from Carmen B.!

Music | 06 October 2010

by LuLu*s !

It’s almost time for that excellent jacket-wearing weather we all adore. This week’s Playlister embraces the cold with some chilly themed tracks to drink a cup of cocoa with.

<a target="_blank" href="http://”>Janelle Monae – “Cold War”

The video for this addictive dance track rocks the perfect simplicity for such an energetic song. This jam is about being bad all by yourself: “So you think I’m alone?/But being alone’s the only way to be/When you step outside/You spend life fighting for your sanity,” she belts in a beautiful vibrato. I hear ya, sister!

The White Stripes – “In The Cold Cold Night”

Meg White’s vocals are unadorned and just so darn pretty on this track that the absence of The White Stripes’ generally heavier sound is perfectly alright with me. This song has the added benefit of sounding just creepy enough in places for the upcoming Halloween season. Mmmm, candy.

Fleet Foxes – “White Winter Hymnal”

Oh, how I love Fleet Foxes. This song’s dreamlike harmonies and intense images makes for quite the car trip or walk to class, though the video is nearly the best part of an already amazing song—stop motion animation shows a lovely time lapse video complete with a bunch of dudes that look like garden gnomes. You’ve gotta see it to believe it, ladies.

Enjoy!

-Carmen B.

Playlister: A Relaxing Playlist for Your Busy Week from Guest Blogger Carmen B.!

Music | 30 September 2010

by LuLu*s !

Is anyone else exhausted? Let’s relax and listen to some tracks that are the equivalent of a back rub and a cozy blanket. Sounds heavenly.

Dr. Dog – “Where’d All the Time Go?”

Mmm, bring on the bluesy goodness! This song is woozy and droopy eyed, with reedy vocals and instrumentation that rejects frills for a straightforward if somewhat depressing tune.

Deerhunter – “Earthquake”

Carried by a slow drum machine’s snaps and swirls, this mellow track may cause involuntary swaying and spontaneous naps. Listen while standing in line at the grocery store, studying, or getting ready for a totally sweet mid afternoon snooze.

Caribou – “Odessa”

Okay, so maybe this song is a little more upbeat than your average lullaby. Hey, who’s blog is this, anyway??? Electronic echoes and quiet, clear, repetitive lyrics make me feel like I’m falling down the rabbit hole (in a good way). What better way to enter dreamland?

- Carmen B.