The Happiest of Happy New Years to All!

Wishing you a happy New Year!

xoxo
Amarina

I Feel Better

Oh how I love Joe Goddard of Hot Chip fame (featured here), especially when he is just beebopping around in a puppy tee and jammy bottoms like it was Christmas morning.  They just never disappoint! 

Enjoy,

xoxo Amarina

Tuesday Tunes - Best Coast (on Thursday, natch)

My ears have been lusting after Best Coast all summer and I finally got to see them when they rolled through Toronto last weekend.  The sold out show at Lee's Palace turned out to be really! fucking! amazing! despite singer Bethany suffering from what appeared to be the flu.

Already a road veteran at the tender age of 23, she powered through almost puking several times on stage stopping only to sip water and smoke a joint that a bold (and clearly awesome) audience member passed to her in between songs.  Bethany even announced that it was the first time she's ever smoked on stage much to our surprise, since 90% of their songs talk about being in love and being high.

This is their new video for "When I'm With You", which I can't watch due to my coulrophobia and added hatred of Ronald McDonald.  But I imagine it's good anyway, plus the song is amazing.

Dance, dance, dance!

xoxo Amarina

Retro Hibou

So here I am:

It's 1997, I was obsessed with Melancholy and the Infinite Sadness and The Cure, wearing electric blue eyeshadow around my entire eyeball, and buying conversational clothing from the now gone strips of vintage stores on Queen St West. I had just talked my brother (pre-his growth spurt to 6'4") into wearing this amazing white men's jacket to his grade 8 graduation instead of the obvious black. It was a good day.

Having eccentric taste in polyester button down shirts and neon makeup, my look at the time was very much "I care so much about my look that it's gone past caring and is now a total shitshow".  And as you can see by the cornucopia of self-made necklaces that look like White Rose threw up all over my chest, I was already paving the road to my future jewellery-infused lifestyle.  I am proud of this.

My brother and I were obsessed with By Divine Right and this video in particular. You know what? It still fucking rocks. Also check out Feist pre-superstardom!

Tuesday Tunes - Chromeo

I have a strong memory of the first time I heard Chromeo. There is a possibility that I had been smoking a bit of grass when I came across their music video for Needy Girl, and I realized what love at first sight could truly be. Now, they are on the verge of having the recognition they deserve with their forthcoming album Business Casual and they release this totally mental and completely terrifying yet somehow sexy but nightmare inducing music video. It makes me feel weird and I love it.

Dance dance dance!

xoxo Amarina

Land of Talk steals my heart one more time.

Here's the goddamn gorgeous new video from one of my favourite bands, Land of Talk. This also happens to be my favourite song from their last full length album Some Are Lakes, I swear it casts sunshine on the cloudiest of days.

xoxo
Amarina

The Mumlers

My musical tastes are always influenced by the changing of the seasons. I'm more drawn to bright, dance-y beats in the Spring/Summer, and tend to go for darker, folksier, more organic tunes in the Fall/Winter. At the first sign of crispness in the October air, I ran straight into the arms of San Jose independent rockers The Mumlers. They are younger than one would think, based on the richness of their music and the talent that seems to run deep among every member. I was so intrigued by these guys that I found a 10 minute documentary that follows the band for a weekend. I have to say that it only made me love them more.

Enjoy!

xoxo
Amarina

New Grizzly Bear Music Video

I guess instead of posting new jewels today, I'll share with you the new video from the ever-amazing Grizzly Bear! So creepy-beautiful, you can't go wrong with flawless harmonies and jakalopes!

Amarina
xoxo

Feel Good Right Now

Dent May and his Magnificent Ukulele has been quite the summer obsession for me. It's one of those albums you can listen to when you're working, drinking, feeling blue or dancing in your living room like a crazywoman. I also listened to it last time I was getting a cavity filled and I have to admit, it made the overall experience much better than it could have been!

Check this out. If you're disappointed, I don't know if I could ever love you.

xoxo Amarina

Florence & The Machine & My Living Room

Alright friends, I've been meaning to put this video up for a couple of weeks now and here it is. Florence Welch is young and hot and awesome and makes me want to put slippy socks on and slide around on my living room floor. Nominated for the Mercury Prize this year and having this song appear on the soundtrack for Diablo Cody's sure-to-be-genius Jennifer's Body, this band is going to be kindof a big deal.

So hit play, turn that shit up, and shake your ass!

xoxo
Amarina

Mix Tape Madness

For the first time in a million years, I am taking some time off work. Three days. THREE WHOLE DAYS! I'll be going on a mini-road trip with my partner and two dear friends, which means that I must spend every waking minute before we leave creating the greatest road trip mix of all time.

Allow me to pursue a new level of honesty here: I have reached a new level of procrastination. I'm now not photoshopping pictures (which I love doing but I have to be in the right mood), or making the ultimate mix tape (original procrastination strategy), I am fantasy shopping on Etsy.
So this is the list I've compiled of darling goods from various Etsy sellers that I probably can't live without.

Able & Game make cards that I want to send to people, including this Hipster mix tape card which has this pretty perfect description:

So I got your mix tape, it kinda rocked my world. The fact that you included The Smiths, The Cure makes me all warm inside, however this may not show on my sullen, depressed face. Oh and I also love Kate Bush by the way, just don't tell any of my friends.

Next we have this ridiculously cute felt pouch from Brave Moonman's shop.

Now I don't need to discuss the dangers of a 90 minute mix tape, I've written of this embarassment before. But when the love song mix tape is actually an adorable zip pouch free of fear-inducing confessions, what can go wrong? That's right, nothing. Embarassment-free satisfaction and there's more where this came from. Check them out for some really awesome pieces.

Finally, we have this wicked converted cassette tape notebook from Bibliopegy. This particular book is made with a map of Istanbul, which I can fantasize about living in while scribbling down master plans and dirty little secrets. You can choose one of several cities in cassette book form or request a custom city; maybe I'll see about a Toronto edition!

I hope you all have a great long weekend!

xoxo
Amarina

Amarina Wolf

Patrick Wolf - Vulture


So check out the brand spankin' new video from Patrick Wolf's forthcoming album The Bachelor. The song is "Vulture" and I feel like it has a little Nine Inch Nails "The Perfect Drug" flavour, which nicely compliments the imagery of Patrick Wolf writhing around in a hot bondage outift that's nothing more than a few leather straps. According to Pitchfork this is inappropriate for work but according to me it's all good...just a bit of bum and some man nipple.

Happy first day of Spring!

xoxo Amarina

Amarinyeah Yeah Yeahs

Dear Karen O,

For some reason you have decided that screaming as often as you can in a song was not a good idea and I don't know how I feel about this. It probably has something to do with the overwhelming success of your single "Maps", a song that had zero screaming on an album full of delicious screamy songs. I certainly have a bond with "Maps", considering the shameful fact that I once included it in a mix tape for a guy that I was not dating. Over time, I have realized that it is 100% the creepiest possible song that you could choose to throw on a mix tape. Maybe ever. It's pure madness that I never realized it at the time.

I'm getting off topic here, the reason for this correspondance is that I'd like your permission to use the new Yeah Yeah Yeahs song "Zero" as my new theme song for everything. Certainly including, but not limited to entering the octagon, opening credits for my upcoming sure-to-be-successful-but-yet-to-have-a-theme reality television show, and running down the street in slow motion chasing after my dream. I can't pay you, but I can promise that I will buy your new album instead of downloading it. What do you think?

xoxo Amarina