Elliott Smith - Waltz #2 (XO)

I'm so glad that my memory's remote

Cause I'm doing doing just fine hour to hour, note to note

Steven Paul Elliott Smith was found dead at the age of 34 in Los Angeles on October 21, 2003 from two stab wounds to the chest. The coroner was never able to determine whether the wounds were self-inflicted or not. It's been theorized that they were due to Smith's alcoholism, drug addiction, depression and that time he literally ran off a cliff. But that's besides the point. Elliott Smith left behind a legacy that includes a plethora of great songs that not many can accomplish in their entire lifetime.

"Waltz #2 (XO)" is off his 4th LP, XO, and was the first to be released by a major label. As the song title suggests, the music does in fact have a waltz-like feel to it, but with his personal folk/acoustic touch. According to Wikipedia, the song was inspired by a memory of Smith watching his mother and stepfather at a karaoke bar in Texas as a child. The original draft for the lyrics contained "I love you, mom." I have no clue if this information is true, but it's interesting nonetheless!

Favourite Part: When Smith sings, "I'm never gonna know you now//But I'm gonna love you anyhow."

Waltz #2 (XO) - Elliott Smith

Pretty Girls Make Graves - All Medicated Geniuses

And you seem to sleep so much more soundly

To the song of other people's failures

Today's band is also from Washington (see: Death Cab). Named after either a Smith's song or a line from Jack Kerouac's The Dharma Bums, Pretty Girls Make Graves formed in Seattle in 2002. I've only actually heard their 2nd LP--New Romance. Even though I loved it I never had the opportunity, or really bothered, to hear the rest of their stuff. It's one of my biggest struggles in life really: finding time to hear every artist I'm interested in and then every album by every artist I like. I have a tough life.

I picked "All Medicated Geniuses" for its raw energy, which is pretty characteristic of PGMG. It's easy to compare them to Yeah Yeah Yeahs for the simple fact that both have a female lead singer. Honestly, I sometimes mix the two up. But anyway, they've got the whole new wave/post-punk thing going and they're good. 'Nuff said.

Well, I would like to add that the band ended their career after drummer Nick DeWitt decided to leave. They just couldn't go on without him. [tear]

Death Cab for Cutie - What Sarah Said

Love is watching someone die

So who's gonna watch you die?

Wow. That's definitely the most emo sounding lyrics I've posted thus far. I always loved "What Sarah Said" and it still gives me goosebumps when I hear Ben Gibbard ask that question. I've always pondered the meaning of those two lines, but only recently understood them. Because even though it sounds like something from those corny but cute comics on "Love is ...," it's meaning is as simple as those comics make love out to be. Watching a loved one die is one of the toughest things one can experience in life, but we wouldn't do it if we didn't love them, right? Ok ... I'll stop being morbid and depressing. [:

I'm sure by now you've heard of and most likely even heard some songs by Death Cab for Cutie. But for those who don't know much about them, here are the facts:

• The band was formed in Bellingham, Washington as a side project for frontman Ben Gibbard who was studying engineering at the time (1997).
• After releasing eight songs on cassette (no joke), the band decided to become legit and gave themselves the title Death Cab for Cutie (named after a song by the Bonzo Dog Band (wtf?)).
• They signed with Seattle-based Barsuk Records and released their debut LP, Something About Airplanes, in 1998.
• Ben Gibbard continued to work on his side project: the Postal Service.
• Fast forward: they released Plans, their 4th album and first under a major label in 2005. They remained on the Billboard charts for nearly a year, achieved platinum status, practically became the freakin soundtrack for the television series The O.C., and were nominated for a Grammy.
• Blah blah blah ....

One of my favourite things about Death Cab are their lyrics. I love that they're simple yet descriptive and filled with meaning. I think this song is a perfect example.

Tegan & Sara - Are You Ten Years Ago

The pressure of this life is so

You can't be held accountable

If you go, you go

Tegan & Sara are one of those artists I quickly got into. I received The Con (produced by Christopher Walla of Death Cab for Cutie) while interning at Warner Bros. Records during the summer of 2007. At the time I had no clue who they were other than the twins whose faces I kept seeing all around the building. Along with the LP I received a copy of a compilation of their older material--"A Brief History." It was this that I liked more than the album at first. The Con eventually grew on me thanks to listening to "Are You Ten Years Ago" constantly, followed by other random tracks from the album.

What I like about the twins is that they mix pop with elements of punk and folk. As weird as that may sound--it works! For those who have no clue who they are, the girls were born and raised in Canada where they started playing guitar at the age of 15, entered some "garage band competition" and won. Fast forward some 5+ years and they're touring with Neil Young after signing to his label--Vapor Records. They love Bruce Springsteen.

Spinner recently asked them to blog on their site. They took turns writing about one of three themes: laugh, rage or cry. You can read their entries here. You should also check out their sweet live cover of Rihanna's "Umbrella," which seems to be a popular choice for a cover song.