Sweet Annabelle, as seen reclining on an ocean swell.

Next week, I will be escaping the District of Columbia to go down south. The family and I will be vacationing in St. Lucia (note the beautiful picture above) and I plan to spend the week enjoying the ocean, temperatures in the mid 80s, and my new American Apparel bikini.

I'm excited. It's been way too cold these last few days and I'm in dire need of a tan. Oh yeah, I also have about three million pages of International Relations reading to catch up on... so at least I'll get to lay on the beach while I read my Francis Fukuyama and Thomas Friedman articles.

Anyway, I thought I'd spend the next couple of days making you jealous.

That's right, I'm going to rub in the fact that you'll be stuck in the Arctic North angrily listening to the Arctic Monkeys, while I'm lounging on the beach enjoying the Beach Boys. Well, I'd actually rather listen to the Arctic Monkeys while laying on the beach... but that's neither here nor there.


Word of the day? Ocean.



Sun Kil Moon -- Ocean Breathes Salty



David Garza -- She's My Ocean



Nine Black Alps -- Over the Ocean



Badly Drawn Boy -- River, Sea, Ocean



The Cloud Room -- We Sleep in the Ocean

Hello, Brit Pop

I love Brit Pop. It's upbeat and dancey, yet arrogant and brash in a manner that girls like me find incredibly attractive. Sure, I can't always understand what the singer is saying... but who cares! They're British!

I also love the word Hello. It usually portends good things. For example:

"Hello Beautiful!"

"Hello, I can save you a lot of money on car insurance."

Or even... "Hello, is it me you're looking for? I can see it in your eyes, I can see it in your smile. You're all I've ever wanted and my arms are open wide. Cuz you know just what to say and you know just what to do. And I want to tell you so much, I love you." (Lionel Richie).

True story. I was blind for like a whole year and one of my professors was stalking me, following me from class to class and even after school when I'd go to dance rehersal... he'd sometimes even call me! Needless to say, it was really creepy. Not that you wouldn't understand, I'm sure that you've had exactly the same experience too.

Anyway... I thought I'd merge my two loves of Brit Pop and the word Hello into one glorious post. Yeah, I can't contain my own excitement either. Jerks.


The Cribs -- Hello? Oh...



The Zutons -- Hello Conscience



Oasis -- Hello


And well... this one isn't quite Brit Pop as the members are boringly from the United States of America. But hey, it sounds like Brit Pop and features the word "Hello," so I figued I'd throw it in as well.


Elefant -- Uh Oh Hello

A Veritable Apology

So... I haven't posted in over a week. I spent the greater portion of last week out traveling to the darkest, coldest regions of the Arctic doing job interviews, shopping, and all that good stuff. I know, I know that's no excuse for neglecting this blog. I am a lazy bum and I apologize for it.

To make it up to you, here are five tracks from five jalapeno bands (read: hot).




Rainer Maria -- Life of Leisure




The Rinse -- Out of Her Mind




Ambulance LTD -- New English




The M's -- Plan of the Man




The Golden Dogs -- Yeah!

Solar Powered IPod?

If you ever find yourself stranded on a desert island, you may want to take one of these with you:

Solar Powered IPOD Battery

Yes, that's right. Harness the power of the sun to charge your IPod and your cell phone.

How freaking cool is that? Even the anti-establishment, anti-globalization, environmentalist hippies will have to love this!

Hard-Fi

Tomorrow is Valentine's Day and I am in a downright crummy mood, so check out Hard-Fi's wonderful break-up anthem Better Do Better. If the chorus doesn't make you want to jump on your bed yelling obscenities at that ex-boyfriend or ex-girlfriend who ruined your life, then... well... good for you for being so emotionally stable.

Click here to download Hard-Fi -- "Better Do Better"

Rhett Miller

Alt-country crooner, Rhett Miller, has taken time off from the Old 97s to write and record his second solo album entitled The Believer. Dropping on February 28th, the thick and syrupy record will no doubt be a favorite of sappy teenage girls the world over.
Like me.

Contrasting exuberant love songs ("Singular Girl," "My Valentine") with quieter ones of personal confusion and reluctant heartbreak ("Meteor Shower," "Fireflies"), it would be easy to pass over Miller as just another girl crazy singer/songwriter. But one listen to the title track, an ode to the late Elliott Smith and the story of Miller's own suicide attempt at age 14, and you'll know there is much more at work underneath the surface than simple teenage hormones.

If that's not reason enough, the harmonies are also killer and I totally want to make out with him.

Click here to download the infectious love song, "I'm With Her."

Rebirth / Reincarnation

In business, the best products are often those that take a tired old concept and improve upon it slightly--thus making an indispensible product even better. Take the electronic screwdriver, it's not really necessary but it makes life that much easier.

I didn't major in business, I actually majored in history so I barely understand what I'm talking about... But here is my attempt to take the concept of the tired old stuffy music blog to the next level. What you're about to experience is a blog rebirth, reincarnation, or renaissance if you will. Prepare yourselves, because from now on, welcome to the site of the Guilty Pleasure blog. Only fun in the sun awfulness. Enjoy.

For the grand kick off, let's start with the guiltiest of pleasures...






Click here to download Rufus Wainwright -- "Instant Pleasure"