SOUNDTRACK: 
GUARDS-Tiny Desk Concert #290 (July 29, 2013).
Guards play a simple, almost naïve, kind of pop music. I’d almost call it bubblegum. Particularly in the lyrics: “I wanna build a happy home a home for you and me…I wanna live for ever I don’t care.”
The blurb explains:
Guards’ music captures the pop sound of the late ’50s and early ’60s, but with more power and polish. It’s hard not to hear a bit of Buddy Holly’s melody and spirit — think 1958’s “Rave On” — when you hear Guards play “Silver Lining,” the first song in this Tiny Desk Concert.
I also found this factoid interesting:
I also hear a contemporary band like Cults, a band inspired by ’60s dreaminess and power pop, when I hear Guards. When I first saw this group in concert, I was struck by its physical similarity to Cults: a whole lot of long black hair, for starters, with a man and woman at the front of each band. It all made sense when I learned that Richie Follin of Guards and Madeline Follin of Cults are brother and sister, and that Richie played guitar in Cults for a bit. In fact, the first set of songs he wrote and demoed were meant for Cults.
I found all three songs to be fairly similar. I really like the guitar line of the first song, “Silver Lining” which yes, is quite Buddy Holly-esque. I also like that the woman (no names given, sadly) is playing some kind of electronic contraption that’s generating twinkles and other effects [I see that it’s called a Qchord].
“Not Supposed To” has a similarly simple poppy melody, although it’s a little slower (switching the lead instrument from guitar to keyboards also softens the sound). I really like the backing vocals on this song–it really flashes it out.
Richie Follin also seems really nice and cheerful and his voice is quite clean. Before the final song he says that John needs his coffee first, and then John starts playing the opening keyboard notes of “Coming True.” It’s a straightforward love song, simple and pretty.
Guards are pretty much a poppier, sweeter version of Cults. It would be a fun double bill.
[READ: June 16, 2016] Lucky Penny
Sarah brought this book home and I was instantly drawn to the art style on the cover (and the fact that it was by Oni Press).
This is the funny story of a young adult named Penny who has the worst luck imaginable.
As the book opens she gets fired. This means that she has to move out of her apartment. Even the soda machine won’t give her a soda.
She decides to move into her roommate’s storage unit (her roommate is moving and was going to sell the unit, but it’s much cheaper too live there than to pay rent). Even if it is against the rules. The only things she still has to her name are a grandfather clock (what a pain to move) and her grandmother’s steamy romance novel collection (I love that she arranged it according to hotness).
Her roommate’s parents own a laundromat and Penny asks if she can get a job there. She shows up but the only person there is her roommate’s younger brother David. And he is a cold unwelcoming figure (and he’s only 11 1/2). He says she can’t have a job because he doesn’t like her. With some cajoling, he changes his mind and gives her the job. (more…)
I Just Read About That... 