Just Another Musical Monday

I'm kinda surprised that folk pop artist King Charles hasn't really made it big yet (read: sold out to Gossip Girl or Grey's Anatomy). I mean, I'm not exactly a scenester*, but it seems like he's still takin' his dear sweet time on this side of the pond. I'm thinking it's because he kind of falls in his own nondescript category - and he can be a lil' obnoxious from time to time. Regardless, he finally has two songs on iTunes, so I reckon he's well on his way to making it on a Twilight soundtrack.

*Disclaimer: "I'm not exactly a scenester" is a hefty understatement. I mostly live under a rock. So it's quite possible that King Charles already has a love child with Miley Cyrus and hosts TRL every week (Is TRL still a thing?).

He first won me over with this little beat...

And his EP on iTunes has some lovely little running diddies to spice up your stride. I'm diggin' on Ivory Road...

Ivory Road

Fare thee well,

Just Another Musical Monday

I promise I didn't only select this song because the video has a lot of running. In fact, I first heard it on the radio, and I can prove it... whenever I'm driving around and I hear a song I like, I snap a pic so I'll remember the song/band (hopefully no DC cops are reading this right now. I promise, err, I usually, um, I sometimes wait until a traffic light)...

Anyway, it's funny how certain songs strike you at different times. Not really sure why this one jumped out at me when it did, but for whatever reason, I decided then that I wanted needed it on my iPod (for all of that running I'm not doing). That's enough blabbering. I'll let you decide for yourself...


WU LYF - WE BROS from LUCIFER YOUTH FILM on Vimeo.
Happy Monday,

Just Another Musical Monday

I've received a few recent requests for a long overdue Musical Monday, but sadly, my playlist has lately been limited to the soothing sounds of fusion. I've been kinda addicted to yoga for the past few weeks, so I'm a lot more likely to get meditative chants stuck in my head rather than Indie beats.

Thankfully, the folks at New Normal Music are always around to keep me young and hip. I was a little startled when I flipped over to this site and heard one of my favorite Birmingham groups belting out some familiar tunes. I've been kind of mesmerized by Great Book of John since the first time I saw them play several years ago at Bottletree Cafe in the 'Ham. Front man Taylor Shaw has a certain jen ne sais quoi that kinda leaves you with your jaw on the floor and a lovestruck twinkle in your eye (this applies for dudes too btw). They put out a self-titled album this summer that is rather delightful, though I'm still a little partial to their 2009 album Yves' Blues. Honestly, it's a win-win situation. Just make sure you check 'em out.

The Great Book of John by Communicating Vessels

Also, I highly recommend the soundtrack from Crazy. Stupid. Love. It's a sweet little collection of reminiscent songs, including what is probably one of my all time favorite tunes (that I'm pretty sure has already been featured on this here blog so just deal):

Peace.

Just Another Musical Monday

My music library has been looking a little sad lately. And I just started a new job last week, so frankly, my days of searching for new tunes are a thing of the past. Thankfully, Megs and the fine gals of Urban Chic came to my rescue with a mix of older tunes and some lovely new additions to my playlist. Enjoy!

my first earthquake - pick up stick up - nikon d5100 - 1080p 24fps from El Zumpango on Vimeo.

1. Yours to Keep: Teddybears
2. Cobrastyle: Teddybears
3. I Can Talk: Two Door Cinema Club
4. Save the World (radio mix) by Swedish House Mafia
5. Knife- CSS
6. Why I Love You- Jay-Z, Kanye West
7. Bounce- Etienne
8. History (feat. Linda Sundblad) – Kleerup
9. Bullets (Nause & Adrian Lux remix) Rebecca & Fiona
10. This Little Girl – Cady Groves
11. Hearts- Blair
12. Abducted- Cults
13. Go Outside- Cults
14. Janglin’- Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros
15. My Mistakes- Eleanor Friedberger
16. Houdini- Foster The People (really anything by Foster the People)
17. Ceiling of Plankton- Givers (and anything by the Givers, too)
18. Pick Up Stick Up- My First Earthquake 
19. Don’t Cry Out (Teenagers Remix)- Shiny Toy Guns
20. We Speak No Americana (remix) –Warren Zevon

Just Another Musical Mon-... er..., Tuesday

Let's get real. During this little lull in our training while Liv and I both are mentally and physically preparing ourselves for real marathon training to begin, our blogging has been a wee lot bit lackluster (when it's not absent altogether... whoops).

So to you few folks out there who are still bearing with us during this downtime (Hi mom!) in our blogging/training, well first of all, THANK YOU!!!! We'll be back soon - girl scouts honor! And secondly, I'm hoping/assuming you won't hold it against me that I'm dishing out this little Musical Monday on a Tuesday. I mean, c'mon. It's a holiday week - you know you're all getting your days confused anyway and constantly correcting yourself that today is, in fact, Tuesday and not Monday.

Anyway, here's what's putting some pep in my step today after a long weekend of soaking up entirely too much sun.

Happy running!

Live It Up Like It's (Still) the Weekend

Lace up your kicks and hit the trail - you'll be good to go with Wiz Khalifa's 'No Sleep' [WARNING: those with sensitive ears may need earmuffs for this one]

Wiz Khalifa - No Sleep

Let's party alright.

Just Another Musical Monday

So I ended up getting a lil' April Fools Day surprise after all, but thankfully, it wasn't one of the predictable pranks usually associated with the day. Rather, I got a surprise visit and long-awaited return home from a certain someone in my life (who wasn't due to return to DC for several weeks from now).  He + Liv spent weeks planning the surprise, and somehow they managed to pull it off. Though my reaction was probably not what both of them had anticipated (I just sat there with my mouth open for 20 minutes without saying a word), I am beyond excited to have this kid back Stateside.

The good news is that I've been on cloud nine for the past few days and I had pretty much the best birthday a girl could ever ask for. The bad news is that he is highly detrimental to my training, and my running shoes are experiencing feelings of abandonment right now. That will all change today though - I'm playing hooky from work, and we're running down to check out the cherry blossoms and soak up a little sunshine.

And I also got a replacement ipod from my bad a$$ parents this weekend (not to mention, some itunes gift cards from my brothers and sisters-in-law), so I'm back in action with my running music. I will admit, I kind of enjoyed the solitude of running music-free - it was nice to know I actually am capable of running in silence. But at the same time, I'm ready to put a little pep back in my step.

Megs recently tipped me off about DJ Earworm, and though pop usually isn't my favorite thing, I've been known to get a little Gaga when I'm running. It's amazing how many of the songs sound EXACTLY like the next - and that becomes glaringly obvious in these mashups - but it all comes about in a delightfully entertaining tune that's just right to get your run on (and you can download all of the tunes for free).

Just Another Musical Monday

Love this song, but not a clue what it has to do with its Roman Imperial period-set video. Enjoy it nonetheless. Ponder its possible significance while you get your jog on and report back.

Young Empires - "RAIN of GOLD" from Young Empires on Vimeo.

Fare thee well,

Just a Jonsi Musical Monday

Since funds are running low lately and the first thing to go is my iTunes budget, these days I'm just mixing in a couple of new songs per week to keep me going. Recently I've found that Jonsi (of Icelandic post-rock band Sigur Ros)'s latest beats thrust me into a full sprint. 


Though this particular song is slightly way overplayed on some commercial lately (Maybe Banana Republic? Maybe a car commercial? Can't remember), it still gets me going - and it forces me to breathe in the moment and enjoy the motion of putting one foot in front of the other. 

ánægð gönguleiðir 

(that's "happy trails" in icelandic... duh)

Just Another Musical Monday

I've been really diggin' on these tunes lately, and you should too (Tess)!

1. I Know What I Am - Band of Skulls
2. Rolling in the Deep (Jamie/XX Remix) - Adele (editors note: Eek! I hadn't heard this remix yet...sooo excited - Liv)

3. Need You Now - Cut Copy (probably the most awesomely bad video I've seen in quite some time - it's applicable to you runners, too. Give this song a little time to work - it starts pretty slow)

4. Static on the Wire (RAC Remix) - Holy Ghost!
5. Honest Mistake - The Bravery (not to be confused with the weird YouTube ad that plays first)
6. Back Like 8 Track - The Go! Team
7. Anna Sun - Walk the Moon (one of my top "pump-up" tunes right now)

8. The City - Patrick Wolf
9. Road to Nowhere - Talking Heads (the lyrics make me giggle in reference to running)
10. Pumped Up Kicks - Foster the People

Just Another Musical Monday

I'm in New York this weekend hanging out with some buddies, one of whom has oh so graciously offered to provide some musical tunes to freshen up our playlists. Introducing Nina...

Now, there are a few things you should know about Nina before you decide if these beats are for you: for as long as both Liv + I can remember, Nina has never ceased to amaze us with how truly odd she is - just when we think we've finally grasped her eccentricities, she manages to stump us even further. She is the kind of gal that can pick up and move to Greece and return with a mantra all her own. She's never really cared about doing things the way most others do, and that usually carries over into her musical taste, too. Liv + I have ever so slowly adjusted to Nina's tendency to blare euro-techno-club music the entire time we're at her apartment (she claims that she'll walk down the aisle to this). And though I can't claim to be a techno convert, she's typically pretty darn good at picking tunes that get us pepped up to step out on the town. So, without further ado, here is Neen's extremely random musical tribute to Shoes Full of Feet. 

1. Love You More - Armin Van Buuren
2. With Every Heartbeat - Robyn
3. Amazing Grace (Vocal Trance Mix) - Ramin & Silver
4. Love Today - Mika
5. Empire State of Mind - Jay-Z feat Alicia Keys
6. Extreme Ways - Moby
7. My Life Be Like Ooh Ahh - Grits
8. Separate Ways - Journey
9. Close My Eyes - Astroline
10. Power - Kanye West
11. Bad Romance - Lady Gaga
12. This is My Life - Edward Maya
13. Swimming in Miami - Owl City
14. All The Above - Maino feat T-Pain
15. We No Speak Americano - Yolanda Be Cool
16. Russia Privjet - Basshunter 
17. Cliffs of Dover - Eric Johnson

Happy Love Birds Day

Happy Valentine's Day, folks! Hope you all had a fantastic weekend. Liv + I spent the weekend with our long lost friend Tess (read: we ate and drank A LOT. Sorry liver).

We managed to squeeze in a not-so-hot 6 mile run on Saturday - I tried my darndest but couldn't ever seem to kick my feet into gear. It didn't help that I woke up on the wrong side of the bed on Saturday (for no reason in particular). Thankfully, I have a very forgiving running buddy. 

And though it may not be my proudest moment (and I can't believe I'm openly confessing this), Liv + I caught some Bieber Fever yesterday. I wasn't exactly his biggest fan going into the flick (considering I'm over the age of 13 and all), but I have to say, the kid got skillz. And I'm now just as smitten as can be with that floppy-haired teenage heartthrob (but not in a creepy way... I think). 

So with zero regard for age-appropriate behavior, today's Musical Monday is a shameless plug to buy the Biebernator's new album that came out today, Never Say Never: The Remixes. Check it out on iTunes... and just try to resist his boyish charm:

1. “Never Say Never” featuring Jaden Smith
2. “That Should Be Me” featuring Rascal Flatts
3. “Somebody To Love” featuring Usher
4. “Up” featuring Chris Brown
5. “Overboard” (Live Version) featuring Miley Cyrus
6. “Runaway Love” featuring Kanye West & Raekwon
7. “Born To Be Somebody” 

¡Oh, and montón de gracias to Calle Sin Salida for this little gem of a photo! Missing my love bird today ;) 

Just a Dedicated Musical Monday

This playlist is dedicated to a certain Runaway who recently returned from two of the longest weeks ever in The Caves of Patagonia. While his Girlfriend did not find his absence particularly Easy, she is most certainly relieved that his Escape was short-lived - and that he returned home in one piece.

So as you Wake Up in summery Santiago on the rock-hard Ottoman you call a bed, think of those of us in the Northern Hemisphere shivering in this snowy mess of a town we call home.

And because I can think of no other logical way to incorporate this song into my shameless stretch of a tribute, this one goes out especially to you: Fader

For those that didn't quite follow the above (which would be perfectly understandable), here is the playlist in a slightly more user-friendly format:

1. The Cave - Mumford & Songs
2. Fader - The Temper Trap
3. Escape - Enrique Iglesias
4. Easy - Deer Tick
   
5. Girlfriend - Phoenix
6. Ottoman - Vampire Weekend
7. Runaway - Kanye West
   
8. Wake Up - Arcade Fire (for a cool-down)

besitos,

Just Another Musical Monday

Oh dear! I cannot figure out for the life of me where time keeps going. I mean, it feels like only yesterday that I was bragging about my new and improved iTunes library and promising a host of brand new tunes to make your toes tap their way into training. And yet, here I am on Monday morning digging through my embarrassingly outdated ipod playlist, scrounging to find something peppy enough to inspire me to start this whole 10-miler training. Thankfully, I have a reserve of tunes that I haven't overplayed (yet), so that's what I'll be digging into this week. And though it may require an all-nighter to finally force myself to add all of my new music to my ipod, I 100% guarantee something a bit more fresh next week. 

1. Angela Surf City - The Walkmen (for a warm-up)
2. Something Good Can Work - Two Door Cinema Club
3. After Hours - The 88
4. The Show Goes On - Lupe Fiasco
5. Sun Demon - Stereolab
6. It's A Beautiful Life - Jukebox the Ghost
7. Alligator (Passion Pit Remix) - Tegan and Sara
8. Ambling Alp - Yeasayer
9. Drinking Song - Loveseat
10. Ghosts - Fanfarlo (for a cool down)

Okay DC. Time to pull it together. Enough with the snow because we've got some runnin' to do.

Just an Overdue Musical Monday

Mucho apologies for the lull in musical marvelousness last week. I was entirely too busy doing absolutely nothing to pull something together in time. But never fear. We're back with a vengeance with a host of new tunes to kick us into gear. My itunes is about 4x its normal size today thanks to a recent download frenzy - and though the list below doesn't yet reflect the awesomeness of my new musical library (primarily because I'm still making my way through all of the tunes), it's a little taste of what's yet to come.

1. Cool Yourself - Thao With The Get Down Stay Down
2. Dream City - Free Energy
3. The Fury - Middle Distance Runner
4. The Way We Get By - Spoon
5. Myriad Harbour - The New Pornographers
6. Swim - Surfer Blood
7. Vapours - Islands
8. Luna - Fanfarlo
9. Sun Demon - Stereolab
10. Surprise Hotel - Fools Gold

lylas,

Just A Jiggy Jock Jams Monday

Happy Game Day! In honor of tonight's showdown between the Tigers and the Ducks, we're amping up our running tunes and kickin' it old school with some Jock Jams. Don't hate. I mean, when's the last time you heard "Whoomp! There It Is"? Pretty sure I was wearing a lot of spandex and sequins with a mouth full of metal (sigh). We're hoping the road trip down nostalgia lane will get us so sidetracked that we won't even notice the miles passing us by.

Yes, we recognize that this Musical Monday pretty much demolishes any remaining trace of validity we may, if ever, have in the world of music playlists, but we simply can't help ourselves. These tunes dominated every pep rally EVER in the mid-late 90s for a good reason: they make ya' wanna "Push It." And that's exactly what we need right now.

And we tried to at least maintain some shred of dignity on here - I mean, we didn't include the "Chicken Dance" or the "Macarena". Plus, we included some extra tunes this time since, if you're anything like us, you'll get really excited about the song at first, but then be ready for the next tune after a minute (or quite possibly less). But warning: the more you flip through them, the more they all sound EXACTLY alike.

Oh, and a muy importante sidenote...
Please accept our most sincere apology for the recent radio silence from SFOF. We know we've been very, very naughty. But don't mistake our lack of posting for loss of determination, because we still have our eye on the prize. And we're hoping tomorrow night's flick will be just what the doctor ordered to get us back on the treadmill. 

1. Blitzkreig Bop - the Ramones
2. Strike It Up - Black Box
3. Come Baby Come - K7
4. Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now) - C&C Music Factory
5. Unbelievable - EMF
6. Pump Up the Jam - Technotronic
7. Mo Money Mo Problems - Biggie
8. Space Jam - Quad City DJs
9. Gettin' Jiggy Wit It - Will Smith
10. Jump Around - House of Pain
11. Da' Dip - Freak Nasty
12. Let Me Clear My Throat - DJ Kool
13. 1, 2, 3, 4 - Coolio
14. This Is Your Night - Amber
15. We're Not Gonna Take It - Twisted Sister
16. I See You Baby - Groove Armada

Quack! Quack!

RDR,

Just a NEW Normal Music(al) Monday

Happy New Year, folks! We hope everyone had a lovely time welcoming 2011 into your lives. We're still nursing our holiday withdrawal so pardon any debbie downer 'tude we may be spitting out in the next day or so. It's quite possible that we're in denial about the next 3 months... aka the red-headed stepchild of the year. I've yet to meet anyone in the Northern Hemisphere that actually likes this time of year. It's cold. It's rainy. All of our favorite holidays are done and done. And, at least in past years, we are in full-force hibernation mode. But (as you may have anticipated), NOT in 2011! We plan to suck it up and enjoy the great outdoors as much as possible this season - no matter how weary the weather - and put our running shoes (and our cute new Lululemon Alpine Tights) to the test on DC's icy roads.


In honor of the NEW year and our NEW outlook, we have a NEW playlist inspired by a NEWish online radio station called NEW Normal Music. The station was started by some friends of some friends of a friend "in protest of radio stations who claim to play 'new music' but only offer safe, market tested tunes- often 10+ years old." We highly recommend you give the station a lil' listen - it's sure to give you an extra push to start the new year off right. And here are some of our favorite New Normal Music tunes that actually make us WANT to run...

1. Two - the Antlers (for a much needed warm-up)
2. Dream City - Free Energy
3. Get Better - Mates of State
4. Let's Call It Love - the Parties
5. Freak Out - Tapes 'n Tapes
6. Dog Eared Summer - Brite Futures
7. I Want the World to Stop - Belle & Sebastian
8. Not in Love - Crystal Castles

lylas,

Just Another Musical Monday

Christmas is officially over. It's always sad to watch the holiday cheer slowly seep out of folks as we dismantle the Christmas tree and woefully regret our overindulgence (okay, maybe we don't really regret it. I mean, those brownies were totally worth it. And that's what the holidays are for, right??).   Anyway, life goes on, we reckon. The new year is just around the corner - and though we won't be making any resolutions this year (since we've clearly already made ours) - we're reaffirming our vows... to running. As our feet meet the street this week (in the 'ham still because our flights home were inexplicably canceled),  we're kicking it up a notch by getting pop-tastical, so brace yourselves...

1. Dirty Diana - Michael Jackson (a bit slower for a warm-up)
2. Beautiful Day - U2 (c'mon - we just ate our weight in pecan pie so cut us some slack... we're still warming up to this one)
3. Indestructible - Robyn (okay enough of that. Time to kick it into turbo mode)
4. One Life Stand - Hot Chip
5. I Like It - Enrique Iglesias
6. Moth's Wings - Passion Pit
7. DJ Got Us Falling in Love Again - Usher
8. Dynamite - Taio Cruz
9. Raise Your Glass - Pink
10. Tik Tok - Kesha

lylas,

Just Another Musical Monday

Let's be honest. Right now, we're far more focused on a certain holiday that is only 5 DAYS away. We're extremely tempted to just take a little break from all forms of exercise until after Christmas, but fear not... our accountability to each other and to this blog (not to mention that dadgum countdown clock to the 2011 MCM on our homepage that, we swear, is speeding up time) will help us power through. Here is our absurdly random playlist for the week... 

1. Rococo - Arcade Fire
2. Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up) - Florence & the Machine 
3. Bruises - Chairlift
4. Run This Town - Jay-Z, et al.
5. No Rain - Blind Melon
6. Perfect Day - The Constellations
7. Zeus - British Sea Power
8. Little Lion Man - Mumford & Sons
9. Ready for the Floor - Hot Chip
10. Living in the USA - Steve Miller Band

Merry Merry!

Just Another Musical Monday

While the Christmas music was lovely and all, we're just about over it. Call us Scrooge if you must, but it seems you can't go anywhere this time of year without getting bombarded with holiday tunes. So in an effort to hold on to our last dangling bits of holiday cheer, we're turning OFF the merry melodies - at least while running - and getting back to reality...

1. Dog Days Are Over - Florence & the Machine
2. Feel the Love - Cut Copy
3. The Rabbit, the Bat & the Reindeer - Dr. Dog
4. Shut Up and Let Me Go - the Ting Tings
5. Run - Vampire Weekend
6. Quiet Little Voices - We Were Promised Jet Packs
7. Something Else - Diamond Rings
8. And in honor of the Ghostland concert @ 9:30 this week... Sad Sad City - Ghostland Observatory
9. Give Me the Beat - Ghostland Observatory
10. Stranger Lover - Ghostland Observatory