Take Five Tuesday: EELS

"My Baby Loves Me" is a quirky upbeat song with a Where's Waldo feeling video off the EELS newly released album Tomorrow Morning. Tomorrow Morning is described as "the final installment of a trilogy that began with Hombre Lobo (June 2009) and End Times(Jan 2010)."  The truth of the matter is that the EELS have been in the mainstream music scene since 1996.  Stepping out during the era of grunge, front man, Mark Oliver Everett (aka "E") shared a stage with the likes of Tori Amos, Fiona Apple and others.  You may remember the record "Novocaine For The Soul" which almost sounds new when listening to it again today.  Also, check out the first video released off of Tomorow Morning, "Spectacular Girl".  Overall, new or old, the EELS offer some good listening for a mellow Tuesday.

Take Five Tuesday: Far East Movement [FM]

FM is a group of four, each representing a different background in the Asian-American community (Japanese, Korean, Chinese, and Filipino).  The group first came to the scene in 2006 with their hit "Round, Round" featured in The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift.  With their newest album, Free Wired, they've dropped a single called "Like a G6" which has placed #6 on the Billboard chart and #1 on itunes.  So, with that said, you've probably heard this song...I for one cannot get it out of my head...and because I like to share everything with you, Dear Readers, I hope it becomes stuck in your head too.

Enjoy!

Happy Birthday Woman!

Today is my Gran's 80th birthday!  She lives in Atlanta, which is a far cry away from Baltimore, MD, but I'm sending lots of love her way.  I really do just love that woman!

Gran and I at Tavern on the Green, Christmas 2008.

So, in honor of this special lady, my Take 5 Tuesday song of the day is September by Earth, Wind, and Fire (a special favorite of my best friend Reed, who reminds me every year to listen to this song on the 21st).  If this doesn't make you want to get up and dance, I don't know what will!

Take Five Tuesday: Punch Brothers

Because I'm from Kentucky and Bluegrass is in my Blood...

I'd like to introduce the Punch Brother's and their unique sound from the Tennessee area.  They just released their second album titled "Antifogmatic" from None Such Records.  I'm a fan of many of their songs, especially those with the more typical Bluegrass sound, such as "Rye Whiskey," but I can't help to fall in love with the heart-felt melody of "This is the Song."  See the video below...(I love that they've taken Bluegrass all the way to The Living Room in NYC...that's especially nice to see). 

For a few more incredible performances by the Punch Brothers, check out their version of "Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground" originally by The White Stripes or their take on classical Bach.

Take 5 Tuesday with Exile Featuring J. Mitchell

Exile is an LA producer that has mixed beats for the likes of Mobb Deep, Snoop Dogg and many more.  He released a mostly solo instrumental album recently, titled "Radio", and after much hype on that album is once again preparing to release the follow-up "AM/FM."  His concept is for every record to have unique beats while sampling vocals off different radio frequencies.  AM/FM is a reworked, remixed collection of the original "Radio" tracks that is scheduled to hit stores August 31st.  My personal favorite from the new album, maybe because summer is quickly coming to an end, is "Your Summer Song (Remix)."  It evokes a sense of tranquility and peace that can only come from a perfect summer day.

Enjoy!

Exile - Your Summer Song (Remix Ft. J. Mitchell) from Dirty Science on Vimeo.

Take 5 Tuesday with Tame Impala

Ok, so this band is not really obscure.  They have been making their way up the charts since early 2009.  The Perth, Australia foursome released their second album, Innerspeaker in May 2010 and became even more popular while touring this summer with MGMT.  Anywho, I love this song, so take 5 and enjoy!

Introducing...Take 5 Tuesdays

Because even in a highly-styled world, we all need to take 5 minutes to let loose and dance.  Not just that, but I hardly take the time to research anything outside of design these days and sometimes I just have the urge to find a new band or to just take 5 minutes to dance to an oldie i love.  Enjoy!

The band I'm digging lately... The Black Keys

The Black Keys most famous song is most likely the opening song "I'll Be Your Man" for the HBO hit series HUNG, but my favorite is "Tighten Up" off the 2010 album Brothers.  The tune has a cool vintage quality to it, the lyrics are right on, and the video is cute as can be - who can resist a  playground love affair?