And make. me. sigh.

Dear friends,

Work continues to slay me so go here instead:

1. Idolator (whose Jackin' Pop poll includes our very own Contributor Mike. Yay!) posted about one of my very favorite b-sides, What Institution Are You From? by Helium. Go download it!

Flashback! A long time ago, at one of their shows, Ash Bowie started up that bass line, really disco-in' that shit up by sliding up and down the bass neck, and I let out a giant fist pumping hollering "YEAH!" I was THE. ONLY. ONE. Cue crickets AND tumbleweeds. Clearly, no one had purchased the Superball single. Anywho, I was so blissed out that I decided to ignore the amused looks of the Boston hipsterati and simply boogie.

2. The Crackers United crew are at it again with Friction on Saturday 1/13 at Sin-e. I've seen and loved (loved and seen?) most of the bands on the bill and the one I haven't seen before, Relay, I'm WAY curious about. Check it out!

3. Ella Fitzgerald has a stamp now. I grew up worshipping her songbooks. And really, if you were the singalong type, wouldn't you?

Summertime (Live)/Ella Fitzgerald



This is a wonderfully controlled version of the song. Much slower and less smooth than the version on the Porgy and Bess album she did with Louis Armstrong*. She makes it look and sound SO EASY but if you try to sing along, watch how your voice can't possibly sustain and wilts away while she keeps going strong.

Love, D

* Which of course, makes PERFECT sense. Fitzgerald, ever the stylist, would complement Armstrong's signature croak by crooning in the most velvety manner possible. The texture contrast worked for them, rather than against. For proof, try and find their version of Stars Fell on Alabama. Lovely.