like old libraries and snow

lastest for the Free People blog where I come up with more nonsense metaphors

*thao with the get down stay down - know better learn faster
make no mistake: this is an album about heartbreak. thao nguyen‘s own heartbreak. even though you’re set up for this material to come off as whiney, she somehow manages to avoid this by sending it out with punchy and dancey tunes. a great album to put on as soon as you’re ready to stop crying about your own broken heart.

neal morgan - to the breathing world
after years of playing drums and singing background vocals for joanna newsom, it was time for neal morgan to bust out on his own. and on his own is exactly it - just him and his drums layering over themselves to create something entertaining and totally dynamic.

xx - xx
this is the one record this year that i am a bit worried i may literally wear out. it’s fun and romantic and creates a cool, sexy, almost dark atmosphere. it’s a perfect example of the excitement of anticipation – every time you think a song’s going to break out into something huge and deserving of a fist pump, they sit you back down and tell you to hold your horses, they have more ways to whisper something salacious in your ear.

*girls - album
the life story of christopher owen, one half of girls, is so insane that the first time i heard it i thought it was a farce (it involves cults, prostitution and a stint as a gutter punk). you can feel this in the rawness of his voice, but these aren’t songs about his tumultuous childhood, these are just songs about girls. fun, surf rocky, songs about girls. what better subject to fill an album with?!? after ponies.

* these records were purchased at an awesome shop in madison wi, b-sides. they have a great selection and are really nice about making recommendations.

royksopp - melody am
royksopp currently have a new album on the way but their first is a great one for a re-listen, or even a first go. and with the unavoidable buzz and bustle heading into a new year this makes a great soundtrack to just take. a. break.

the strokes - is this it
when this album came out it made new york city a rock star again and amazingly it still sounds fresh. this cover was actually never printed in the us because the band didn’t want buyers to be put off by the bum. luckily, their songs are way more rock ‘n’ roll than that move.

portishead - portishead
they only have three studio albums to their name and yet they’ve left an indelible mark on music and even defined and created their own genre of trip hop. seriously – there’s one other band that you’d put in the trip hop bucket and i can’t be bothered to name them. every member is now working with and influencing artists that are creating a lot of the best music around. anyway, so what i was saying is this album is perfection and i want to hug it.

beth gibbons and the rustin’ man - out of season
guess what. i love portishead. their singer beth gibbons doesn’t escape the love fest with this solo album, though it has a completely different tone; dark and a little brooding, if it was a scent it would be like old libraries and snow.

almost forgot this one

cold cave - death comes close

listening to this with my roommate, she asked me “is this electro?” and i said, “no, this is new wave” and then next song corrected myself – “well this is kind of electro”. truth is, i was wrong both times. cold cave sways between heady, bleached out melody and something more aggressive – it can’t easily be categorized. whatever bucket you put them in, they’re creating songs that deserve to challenge you.

julian casablancas - phrazes for the young
with such a distinctive voice it’s hard to listen to casablancas without making straight up comparisons to the good times that were the strokes albums, but phrazes for the young is a different beast. reviews for this album have been pretty acerbic, but when he’s good he’s very very good; “out of the blue” and “river of brakelights” are both beauties and once you let “glass” warm up you’re going to be happy you gave this the chance to grow on you.

bricolage – bricolage
there’s seems to be a pattern in scottish music which has veins part bitter and part raucous. this glaswegian band has created an album of poppy goodness that every once and a while bites back. i’m trying to avoid using sour patch kids as a reference...

the big pink – a history of love
with vocals that swoon and swell with shards of guitar and drums, this album is a sonic gem. by far one of my favorites of the year, a history of love lives up to its bravado.

patti smith - horses
horses doesn’t prove that smith has an exceptional voice or that she needs to work only with her own material. but it is her real, pure music at its core, and that is rock and roll.

perez prado - havana, 3a.m.
better known as the “mambo king”, prado leads his band in the perfect cuban mix of spanish and african rhythms. he finds himself with a better flow on this record than some of his others . the band is so tight, and yet when sections break way into solos they feel like an entirely different entity.
bonus: following the break up of the clash, paul simonon named his (short-lived) new band after this album!!

various artists - 41 original hits from the soundtrack of american graffiti
this is mostly a mix of rock and doo-wop hits from the late '50s and early '60s. george lucas and francis ford coppola spent almost all of the money allotted to music in the film on obtaining the rights to these songs. because of that the film doesn’t have a score - think of what that could have meant for some of their other, less known, films…

the national - alligator
very understated, yet feels a bit rambling. it is amazingly gloomy and catchy all at once. how can you not love a man with that deep baritone?

Ghouls on Film on Music

Hallowe'en edition, innit. On the Free People blog

the rolling stones - some girls
easy dress up option for men – be a girl. problem being that even men as pretty as mick make seriously unattractive women…

bananarama - the greatest hits collection
blonde, brunette and redhead - a pick n’ mix for three ladies in need of a group costume pronto. and then you get to walk around and tell everyone you’re being “banaaaah-nah-raaaah-mah”.

kate bush - never forever
this album is kate at her best, both in terms of her songs ("babooshka", "army dreamer") and cover art…one musician on this album is credited with playing the harmonica, mandolin, balalaika, sitar, koto, banshee, saw, mando and delius. i have the feeling the “banshee” is the official instrument of hallowe’en…

steve martin - a wild and crazy guy
A SUIT AND BUNNY EARS. a man on the same page as me when it comes to his sartorial approach. and i do mean just every day.

bobby "boris" pickett - monster mash
thriller may be the current “grave yard smash” but i’ve always has a certain affinity for this one. and don’t be surprised if at the holidays i’m suggesting you pick up "monsters' holiday”...

misfits - walk amoung us*
anything by the misfits on halloween is prime, but i think danzig really knocked it out of the park on this one, zombies, martians, checking with your mom if it's ok to kill tonight, perfect!

various artists - luxury condos coming to your neighborhood soon
though it never received the attention of athens or seattle, hoboken was one of major players in the '80s indie scene, and the evanescent coyote records helped document this scene with this 1986 compilation. how is this halloween you ask? “elvis, what happened? what happened was you died” lyrics from the mr. bonus song “elvis, what happened?” proving that if you look, anything can me spooky.

the rocky horror picture show soundtrack
i’ll be magenta, and you can be columbia (in the confetti sequin tunic, perhaps?)

*i would have picked “halloween” but for all intensive purposes, it’s only a single

this is how we do

latest on the Free People blog

rhythm to the madness - weltschmerz
got this at an amazing record store down the street from our free people chicago store, reckless records (www.reckless.com). if you're in the mood to start your record collection, they give the best recommendations right on the record, so you don’t have to worry about looking like a dork when you just like the album cover. anyway, this album is rad and features members from rise & fall and justice. rttm's appearance at the justice release party got kids wanting more than just a cameo, so they put out this album (as if it were that easy...), which has some of the most kickin’ guitar solos around.

bibio - hand cranked
first, forget that you’ve heard stephen wilkinson’s, aka bibio's, music in commercials for l.l.bean and toyota. now get ready to dance because this album is KILLER.

lily allen - it’s not me, it’s you
brit pop brat maybe, but that doesn't stop this record from being really good. like, REALLY good.

owen/ the rutabaga - split ep
so this isn’t really new (was re-released 2004), but it’s new to me. owen is the solo project of mike kinsella who also led the band american football, and played in the bands cap'n jazz, joan of arc and owls. the rutabaga is the one man show of joshua wayne hensley. normally a split has a good side and a bad side, but not this one – the sum is definitely greater than the parts.

loudon wainwright III - attempted moustache
loudon knows how to mix the bitter and the sweet. it includes a favorite: swimming song – “salt my wounds, chlorine my eyes, i’m a self destructive fool”. swoon.

madness - one step beyond
one step beyond is all good times. we highly recommend putting this on at a party just as people have lost the momentum – you’re going to have a throng of dancing in your living room before you know it.

leadbelly - huddie ledbetter’s best…
as much as I hate to recommend a compilation, leadbelly is a true legend and there’s no better way to cover the breadth of his work. known for his 12-string guitar, these classic songs are different when touched by his wicked trifecta of talent, heart and soul.

yves montand – aimez-vous yves?
side one is for putting on a frock and pouring yourself a café latte, side two is to talk in your most outrageous french accent and go off to live la rive gauche

girls on film... on music #2

our latest on the Free People blog:

kurt vile – god is saying this to you
this comes under the intimidating genre “psych folk” but really it’s just dreamy guitar loops with dylan-esque charm. and here’s a fact for you – that’s kurt vile’s dad on the cover of this album.

brendan benson – my old familiar friend
have a listen to “tiny spark” and tell me you didn’t do a little jig in your chair.

crystal stilts – crystal stilts
the lo-fi sound and super 8 videos have this brooklyn-based group posed as kings of hipster cool, but in a good way.

tune yards – bird brains
ok, there had to be some serious restraint not to totally gush about this band, this album, and in particular this vinyl. it’s not for everyone, but it will definitely make you sit up and listen.

blondie - parallel lines
though this is the band’s third album, it is their most popular by far. it’s the perfect getting-ready, singing-in-the-hairbrush record.

the blasters - the blasters
once a fixture on the LA punk scene, they can now be heard playing in the background of episodes of true blood. they are a complete dichotomy: LA punks with a heart in the bayou. and come on, they toured with queen!

clash - combat rock
last clash album with its’ original line up, combat rock has the band flirting with rap, funk, and reggae, and it even has a cameo by poet allen ginsberg. plus, MIA’s “paper planes” main riff is sampled from the song "straight to hell".

ella fitzgerald - sings the cole porter song book
this is the first album in ella's song book series, and the best rainy sunday music that ever existed. *fun fact – it’s one of only 50 recordings chosen by the Library of Congress to be in the National Recording Registry*.

girls on film... on music

ok. so here it is.

1. discovery, LP – it’s a shame you can’t see how colorful this album
cover is here, but good news is the songs are in no way dull. this is rich,
synthy pop that merits an aHa-style video.

2. dum dum girls, self-titled – california lo-fi is becoming way more
prominent and the dum dum girls make this is a seriously good thing. tell
me you don’t shimmy a little during "ship of love."

3. dead weather, horehound – this year has seen the emergence of many a
super-group, but dead weather may be the leader…with jack white
compositions and alison mosshart attitude, horehound is like a soundtrack for
a movie that hasn’t been written yet.

4. cotton jones, paranoid cocoon –– the cover for this album is a COLLAGE
I TELL YOU! someone out there has amazing elmer’s glue fingers, which is
ok, because cotton jones is very very good inspiration for being laid back
and still for a little while. RELAX ALREADY.

5. hawaii calls – the summer is almost over but these songs always make the
sun come out.

6. george michael, faith – the supermodels of the ‘90s are making a major
comeback right now and this is the soundtrack to celebrate. FASHION WEEK
HERE WE COME!

7. george harrison, all things must pass – george looks like King of the
Countryside on this album cover, sat on his tree stump throne, and this
four-album set is equally regal.

8. sam cooke, the best of sam cooke – there’s something about these songs
that are both completely of their day but fresh-sounding anyway. the right
kind of stuff for the start of fall when you’re just waiting for someone to
light the first bonfire.

YEAH THAT'S IT! We have a feature over on the Free People blog. I like it. What do you think?