ooh la la
Topic: Pink Martini
You know every time that Tresemme commercial comes on, and the French woman tosses her hair lustily, while ooh la la music is playing in the background? That's kind of like Pink Martini. Part cocktail lounge, part love affair, part sexy language and demeanor. That's why the ensemble can appeal to such a wide variety of people.

Their debut album, Sympathique, came out in 1997. It has sold more than 650,000 copies worldwide, and has been used in various soundtracks such as The Sopranos and Josie & The Pussycats.

Speaking of international, Sympathique is a blend of Spanish, French, English, and Italian. Think of buying the album as a lesson in languages.

Sympathique is easily the standout track, and the one which makes me recall that Tresemme commecial so strongly.

Sympathique // Pink Martini

They've also released a sophomore album, Hang On Little Tomato. You can read more about Pink Martini on the official site, and buy the records on Amazon.

Fame! I'm gonna live forever!
Mood:  on fire
Now Playing: Stormy Weather - Echo and the Bunnymen
Topic: Veronica Mars
So, I'm a huge fan of Veronica Mars. I mean, how often do you run into a show that is on UPN and good?

In celebration of the fact that tomorrow brings a brand new episode, I thought it would be a good idea to post two of my current musical obsessions, ripped right from Rob Thomas's (No relation to that guy from that band) lovingly complied Veronica Mars Soundtrack.

Most recently, Veronica Mars fans heard Long Time Coming by the Delays, which played in the background of Duncan/Donut's stalking/"winning-back-Veronica-by-pretending-not-to-be-hanging-out-at-her-workplace-like-a-stalker-while-sitting-around-at-her-place-of-work-for-hours" sequence.

According to the Delays, it's a song "...about watching people you love losing their innocence and the naivety that you shared when you were younger, falling into the kind of adulthood you swore you never would, and wishing you could've done something about it. It's a loss of innocence and also of spontaneity and people becoming really guarded and jaded. Friends stuck in jobs you know they don't wanna do, living in houses they don't wanna live in."
It's worth mentioning that this song reached #16 on the UK charts last January, making us all wonder, yet again, if perhaps US Top Forty music is actually just a strange sociological experiment.


Next, let's dig into a song from last season, Momentary Thing by Something Happens, which played at that oh-so-dramatic moment in history when Veronica and Logan engaged in their first steamy liplock/cutesy chickenpeck.

Rob Thomas: "My band opened for the Irish band Something Happens when they played Austin many, many years ago. Great band. Great guys. When I lived in Ireland while writing Satellite Down, the guys in Something Happens showed me a very good time in Dublin. I LOVE the song Momentary Thing."


And finally, for those of you who just can't get enough Veronica Mars, an mp3 of Veronica Mars (aka, Kristen Bell) performing her solo from Fame! at the Emmy's.
Come on, people. If you weren't convinced to watch the show after hearing this music, you have to be convinced after seeing a picture of Kristen Bell in ugly 80's sweats. Resistance is unconstitutional!

UPN, Wednesdays, 9/8c.

can't sleep, can't eat, can't think straight
Mood:  amorous
Now Playing: Sister - She Wants Revenge
Topic: She Wants Revenge

You will probably like She Wants Revenge if you:
1) Like Interpol
2) Like Joy Division
3) Like The O.C. Last week, when Seth called Ryan from the dance and assures him he doesn’t need to worry about Marissa, “I Don’t Want To Fall In Love” (the song I’m posting, duh) was playing in the background. Now, this is unrealistic, because your school dances probably don’t play music half this good, but it is still cool, right? I know you wanted to know.
4) Are a creature who is alive and breathing and susceptible to electronic percussion and dark, tuneful vocals.

Keep in mind, these guys just wanted to make a record that would make girls dance, or cry. But in a good way.

This track is number three on their self-titled album, which you can buy here, or on iTunes.

I Don't Want To Fall In Love // She Wants Revenge

_{*on yousendit.com, since Tripod has their 'file size limit'}

My Sedimental Valentine
Mood:  suave
Now Playing: Soft Revolution - Stars
Topic: One Ring Zero
Hi, I'm Kate, the other person from whom you'll be downloading. I can feel your excitement!


For my inaugural post, I'd like first to explain the name we chose: Bebop Golems.

It's pretty simple; Trish likes the word "Bebop" (as do I), and I'm obsessed with golems.
[For those of you who are too lazy to read about them from the website: A golem is a creature from Jewish mythology. It's made out of clay or river mud by a rabbi, usually to protect or serve the maker. They cannot speak, they cannot think, and they occasionally go crazy and kill everybody. If it helps, think of them as soft robots. The bottom line is, they're really interesting.]

The sad thing about golems is that very few people write songs about them. Everyone writes about robots, but where are the songs about golems?
This is where One Ring Zero steps in. One Ring Zero is a band composed of Micheal Hearst (see photo) and Joshua Camp of New York, who play nearly every instrument under the sun, and many more that haven't seen anything more than the fluorescent light of wherever they record their music. Their sound can best be described by The Forward, which calls it, "gypsy-klezmer circus-flea-cartoon-music that you only hear in dreams." Most of their releases have been instrumental, but in 2004, they released "As Smart As We Are," an 18 track music project that combines One Ring Zero's music with the lyrics of their favorite authors.

One of the first songs I listened to when I got it was Golem by Myla Goldberg (author of Bee Season) and sung by Syd Straw because, well, it was called "Golem." I wasn't disappointed.
Because really, who hasn't wanted a "sedimental valentine," a boyfriend who is "ageless as ontology, honest as geology?"

The song for which I bought it, Radio, is also worth mentioning, as it's fun, and has a link (however tenuous) to the subject of golems, that being: It's by Daniel Handler, who once wrote a book involving a golem called Watch Your Mouth.

If I had a leisure suit
One-tenth of one percent as cute
As certain parts of aspects of your face
Every single summer day, I'd look so fucking good
You'd say, "The way I treated you was a disgrace."
Fucking good, fucking good, fucking good, fucking good
I wish I had a radio with songs about you.

don't shush me, just listen
Mood:  caffeinated
Now Playing: Soul Sloshing // Venus Hum
Topic: Venus Hum
Hey everyone. Welcome to my mp3 blog. Actually, our. Kate will be posting eventually. I really got the urge to start one of these things after I saw how cool Music For Robots was. That is the best indie mp3 blog ever, check it out if by some chance you haven't yet.

This blog is probably going to feature what I'm into at the moment. Usually indie-ish pop, rock, synthpop, or something else I deem noteworthy that doesn't get near as much recognition as it should.

First thing I'm going to do is enlighten you to the good that is Venus Hum.

Sounds like: A happy girly electronica band, though in reality the only female in the band is Annette Strean (vocals), along with two men, Tony Miracle and Kip Kubin. The vocals are really amazing, and the funky electro backing never attempts to overwhelm. The name Venus Hum, however pretty it may sound, comes from a grossish condition one of the guys in the band has that enables him to hear his own heartbeat at all times.

They were once on tour with the Blue Man Group.

Soul Sloshing is definitely my favorite song on the album (Big Beautiful Sky). Montana is gorgeous as well, and a close second. But anyway, here is Soul Sloshing:

Soul Sloshing // Venus Hum