"On My Arm" - V Sparks
Click here to listen, right-click to download.
For the last week the wife and I have been curled up on the couch, under blankets watching marathon episodes of Pushing Daisies, The Wire, and streaming movies on the Netflix. We're not lazy (well not that lazy) but we've been knocked pretty flat on our butts with some nasty sinus thing that wouldn't let go. Not feeling good enough to do much of anything we've left the house a wreck and I've done very little music listening, much less writing.
Today the head still pounds but I am making efforts to get up and get moving. "On My Arm" is the perfect get off your butt and get something done music. With a driving beat, anthematic sounds and chorus full of 'ooh-la-la-las" I can't help but get off the couch and get some work done. And well, when the lyrics go "don't hold me back, a second chance, do a lip-stick gypsy dance" I gotta get up and try.
V Sparks are based in Chicago and sound a little like Roxy Music, the Libertines, and the Go-Gos. Their new ep is entitled Biscuits and Tea and its out now. Be sure to visit their website and Myspace page.
"Living Stone" - Sierra Leone's Refugee All Stars
Click here to listen, right-click to download.
There are times in my life when I have to own up to the fact that I've got it pretty damn good. No, I'm not as rich as Gates, powerful as Obama or as famous as Bono, but when I look around there's only one way to look at my life, and that's gravy. Listening to Sierra Leone's Refugee All Stars is one of those times.
If their name doesn't tell you everything, then take this snippet from their bio: "In 2006, Sierra Leone's Refugee All Stars were introduced to the world by a moving film that documented the band's formation in West African refugee camps and the challenges they faced returning to a homeland racked by years of bloody warfare." If that doesn't give you some perspective you should head to the nearest cardiologist and have them look for your heart.
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