Wednesday, December 10, 2008

Really?!?

Ok so this is gonna be short.....

If you go check out the issue of Rolling Stone that came out a little while ago they have a list of the top 100 singers of all time.

3 Problems: 1.) Ella Fitzgerald 2.) Billie Holiday 3.) Louis Armstrong

I mean really, these are iconic, influential, not to mention amazing singers. They aren't even on the list? I mean really!?!

Artist- Bon Iver
Film- Breathless (the original version)

Saturday, December 6, 2008

The B Sides

I sometimes find that when I'm checking out new artists, whether its on iTunes or MySpace, I tend to listen only to the top downloaded or streamed song; however, for most of my favorite artists I tend to like the songs that aren't necessarily the well known ones. So I decided to put together a list of some of my favorite "other" songs from albums. So here are the best of my favorite "other" songs:

Eskimo- This is off Damien Rice's O album, one of my favorites and solid from top to bottom. Cannonball and Blower's Daughter are probably the most popular and great songs in their own right, but Eskimo is my personal favorite. If you listen to it just wait for the opera singer to come in.....amazing!!!

Say it to me now- This one comes from Glen Hansard's soundtrack for the movie Once. Sorry to start the list with two similar artists, but this is the kind of music I listen to during winter finals. Falling Slowly won the Oscar for best song last year and is also a great song, but I would pick Say it to me now as well as Lies over the award winner.

Bryn- Off of my favorite album from last year, the self titled Vampire Weekend, this is just one of the amazing songs that has made Vampire Weekend one of the best indie bands around. Oxford Comma and A Punk are probably the most popular off of the album, but for some inexplicable reason I prefer Bryn....so check it out.

Lucky- This may be a really bold statement. Karma Police and Paranoid Android are the two tracks that made OK Computer such a huge success for Radiohead. This is one of the best albums of all time and every track is great, but my personal favorite has to be Lucky. I also really like Subterranean Homesick Alien, but you really can't go wrong with this album. Everyone should own it.

Kids- Hands down my favorite "other" song. I think most people heard MGMT first either on a commercial or in a movie. Time to Pretend is their biggest hit, and Electric Feel is also fairly well known, but Kids is easily the best track on their album Oracular Spectacular. I don't know if this track really counts because it's one of their best known tracks, but because I like it so much I'm gonna throw it on the list. If you haven't heard them, stop what you're doin, go listen...and make sure you have some space around you to dance. You'll need it.

I could go on for a while, but I don't want to ramble on anymore than I have. Hope everyone likes these songs as much as me.

Band to check out- Ra Ra Riot
Movie to see- Synedoche New York

Tuesday, December 2, 2008

For Your Information

Alright, so I'm gonna kick this off with just a little info about me.  Sorry if this seems a little self involved, but I figure this is the easiest way to start things.

My full name is Aviar Schmitz Couillard, and you probably just pronounced it wrong in your head. Don't worry you are not the only one.  In fact, growing up I began to recognize my name on lists as the long pause somewhere between the Bs and Ds.  At the beginning of every semester, teachers would read off the names with a lot of confidence and poise, just rolling through the names, get to mine and...... long pause........ya thats me.

I am obsessed with most things british, to the point that if London were a person I would be its stalker.

I may sometimes come across as an elitist, but that's just because I have better taste in music and movies than you.  Sorry, thats not true but I like to argue for and against movies I apoligize if I come off sounding like an elitist.

Woody Allen is my hero, minus the marrying his daughter thing.  No matter how much I love what he does, it's still kinda creepy.

Anyway I'm gonna try to keep these posts short.  If anyone does read this you'll probably figure out more about me, but other than this post I probably won't be so direct about myself.

Hope you enjoy.

Oh and I'm gonna try to recommend movies and bands on each post so:
Movie to see- Annie Hall (probably my all time favorite and the only good romantic comedy EVER)
Band to check out- Birdmonster