Maybe it’s because I've lived here my whole life, but I've always felt partial to New York City: Madison Avenue, the Empire State Building, Alphabet City, yellow taxis and the Brooklyn Bridge. So many places and things that make New York City what it is. George Carlin said it best: “L.A. is a little woman saying ‘fuck me.’ New York is a big man saying ‘fuck you.’” Don’t get me wrong, I like a good fuck, but to get through life, you have to give people the finger once in a while. So, I feel that New York City is the place for me.
Oddly enough, my favorite author is Francesca Lia Block. She writes such beautiful fairy tales that take place in L.A., and I enjoy reading them. But honestly, I don’t feel that if I were to land in L.A. somehow that I would have such a beautiful experience like the characters in her books.
I can see it now.
My plane landing in LAX.
I’d step off the plane and all types of alarms would go off in the minds of the rich bitch socialites. I mean, come on, let’s be real here, I’m 5’4″,curvy 286 lbs. That is NOT how a girl from L.A. is supposed to look (if you believe billboards and such)! They would rush to the Gate and give me SlimQuick, Dexatrim and other countless diet drugs; blonde hair dye, red lipstick, and anything else to make me look just like them. It would be something out of The Stepford Wives; manipulation at it’s finest.
This is why I wouldn't think of living there. I’m not interested in being stripped of my individuality. I like who I am. It took years to accept it, but I honestly feel like I mean it this time. Give me the bright lights of the Big Apple any day. New York City helps me express myself, not hide behind anything.
The writings of an opinionated New Yorker in her mid-20's. Music, makeup, life in general.
Tuesday, February 25, 2014
Monday, February 17, 2014
S@#*& My Mom Says!
There are times when my mom and I could be talking or watching TV and she'll say something extremely funny. And most of those times I do have access to Twitter to post them to my friends because it's just hysterical. Well after getting my Twitter archive the other day I couldn't believe how many things that fell out of my mother's mouth that I recorded onto social media. So I decided to put some of her best gems into a tidy little post. Enjoy!
Thursday, February 13, 2014
Mail Call!: Boxycharm & Birchbox Subscription Boxes - February 2014
Another month of Boxycharm and a newly renewed Birchbox subscription jump start! I love when I get mail! Also, take note of how clear my pictures are now, thanks to my new Olympus digital camera. No more iPod Touch photos! Well, except for the monthly faves because it's easier to make collages with PicFrame, but I digress. Let's see what I got: up close and personal. Pictures after the break!
Friday, February 7, 2014
January Favorites!
It's favorites time once again! Whoooooooot! So sorry that this wasn't up earlier in the week, but I got busy and my router broke (booooooo!) So let's see what's on the docket for this edition:
- NFL Playoffs Holy LORD! What a month of football it was! For those of you that don't know, I am a HUGE sports fan, with baseball and football being my top faves, so when it comes to playoff time, I'm all for it. Even if my team - the New York Football Giants - aren't in! I just love the game. And this year's playoffs did NOT disappoint! Unexpected blowouts and players at the top of their game and the Patriots getting eliminated. Couldn't ask for anything more! :P (And any Pats fans, don't hate me, please!)
- Juice Cubes Definitely my new favorite game to play on my NOOK! For me, the game isn't as addicting as, oh, Candy Crush (which makes me crazy!!), but it is a great time killer and the actual juice cubes are just so dang cute.
- Ulta I can't help but buy myself makeup, yo. It's a borderline unhealthy obsession, if you will. And Ulta just fed into it this past month because they kept giving me coupons! Like 20% off my whole order and $5 off of $10 or more...not to mention that their sales are pretty damn good as well. And they're online as well as having stores, since the only Ulta is NYC is impossible to get to. Enablers, I tell you!
- "Honey & I" by HAIM This was a little gem that I had found in my iTunes library after a free playlist download. I had heard of the band before but had never heard their work, and this track is just so smooth. It's something that you would play in your car on a sunny day while Sunday driving. Can't wait to give their entire album a listen.
Monday, January 27, 2014
From The Archives: "Bat For Lashes - Worth A Listen"
This was written for the arts section of the April 20, 2009 edition of the Brooklyn College Kingsman newspaper.
The highly-anticipated sophomore record from Bat For Lashes, Two Suns, is an acquired taste. At first listen, it may seem a bit quirky - not exactly what you would hear on today’s Top 40 radio, but after a few listens, it definitely grows on you. Natasha Khan’s gorgeous vocals and lyrical imagery keep you hooked on every track and wanting more. This album could be the soundtrack to a Francesca Lia Block novel. It sounds kind of like a passage from Weeztie Bat while listening, and it just fits, words and music; the same imagery is conjured up. Two Suns is a beautiful record from start to finish if you give it a chance.
The album’s opener, “Glass,” builds up from a cappella vocals and ambient sounds to a pulsating, tribal drumbeat; sings of “a thousand crystal towers,” “a hundred emerald cities,” and her “knight in crystal armor.” The drums will stick in your head for days. Khan’s falsetto throughout the chorus adds to the dreaminess of the track, definitely one of the highlights of this record.
“Daniel,” the album’s first single, and “Pearl’s Dream” use synthesizers and drum machines to create a 1980’s New Wave throwback. This is the closest thing to mainstream pop as it gets on this record. “Peace Of Mind” has a group of gospel singers assisting Khan in the lyrical mantra. “Two Planets” also has catchy percussion and handclaps that will get you moving. “Moon and Moon” is a minimalistic track, unlike the rest of the album, with just piano and vocals and the occasional snapping, but doesn’t stick out like a sore thumb.
Another highlight on this record is “Siren Song.” This piano-driven ballad showcases Khan’s beautiful voice singing about being in love and happy with someone until they take her away (“Promise I’ll never get sad/’Till the siren comes calling, calling”). This song also introduces Khan’s album alter ego, Pearl, which is present throughout the whole album (“My name is Pearl and I’ll love you/The best way I know how/My blonde curls slice through your heart”). From this track on forward, you can start to see these songs weaving together to create this concept. “Pearl’s Dream” mentions “a sign that says ‘Good Love Town’” and the subsequent track is named “Good Love” (“Passed it last night in a dream/Good Love/And my heart caught fire”).
“The Big Sleep,” the final track, has vocal arrangements that could make this get away with closing an opera. This is a very poignant ending to the record. The first line in “Glass” is “I will rise now” and the final line of “The Big Sleep” is “Goodbye my dears and into the big sleep I go.” The journey has ended, the album is done and you feel as if you just woke up from a dream that you didn’t want to get up from. One can’t help but think that this was Khan’s intention while writing and recording the album: to take us on a journey with her words and the music. Mission accomplished.
© Allyson Yates, 2009
The highly-anticipated sophomore record from Bat For Lashes, Two Suns, is an acquired taste. At first listen, it may seem a bit quirky - not exactly what you would hear on today’s Top 40 radio, but after a few listens, it definitely grows on you. Natasha Khan’s gorgeous vocals and lyrical imagery keep you hooked on every track and wanting more. This album could be the soundtrack to a Francesca Lia Block novel. It sounds kind of like a passage from Weeztie Bat while listening, and it just fits, words and music; the same imagery is conjured up. Two Suns is a beautiful record from start to finish if you give it a chance.
The album’s opener, “Glass,” builds up from a cappella vocals and ambient sounds to a pulsating, tribal drumbeat; sings of “a thousand crystal towers,” “a hundred emerald cities,” and her “knight in crystal armor.” The drums will stick in your head for days. Khan’s falsetto throughout the chorus adds to the dreaminess of the track, definitely one of the highlights of this record.
“Daniel,” the album’s first single, and “Pearl’s Dream” use synthesizers and drum machines to create a 1980’s New Wave throwback. This is the closest thing to mainstream pop as it gets on this record. “Peace Of Mind” has a group of gospel singers assisting Khan in the lyrical mantra. “Two Planets” also has catchy percussion and handclaps that will get you moving. “Moon and Moon” is a minimalistic track, unlike the rest of the album, with just piano and vocals and the occasional snapping, but doesn’t stick out like a sore thumb.
Another highlight on this record is “Siren Song.” This piano-driven ballad showcases Khan’s beautiful voice singing about being in love and happy with someone until they take her away (“Promise I’ll never get sad/’Till the siren comes calling, calling”). This song also introduces Khan’s album alter ego, Pearl, which is present throughout the whole album (“My name is Pearl and I’ll love you/The best way I know how/My blonde curls slice through your heart”). From this track on forward, you can start to see these songs weaving together to create this concept. “Pearl’s Dream” mentions “a sign that says ‘Good Love Town’” and the subsequent track is named “Good Love” (“Passed it last night in a dream/Good Love/And my heart caught fire”).
“The Big Sleep,” the final track, has vocal arrangements that could make this get away with closing an opera. This is a very poignant ending to the record. The first line in “Glass” is “I will rise now” and the final line of “The Big Sleep” is “Goodbye my dears and into the big sleep I go.” The journey has ended, the album is done and you feel as if you just woke up from a dream that you didn’t want to get up from. One can’t help but think that this was Khan’s intention while writing and recording the album: to take us on a journey with her words and the music. Mission accomplished.
© Allyson Yates, 2009
Wednesday, January 22, 2014
My Top 5 Albums of 2013
Is it too late to make a list of my top albums of 2013? Well I don't care because I'm gonna do it anyway! I listened to a LOT of music last year. Usually I go for just singles, but I listened to a lot of albums. A lot of good albums. Most of which were 2013 albums, not older albums that I hadn't had the chance to listen to. So that's why this list will consist of albums that were released in 2013; that I first listened to in 2013. So even though Arcade Fire's Reflektor was released last year, it won't be on this list because I just listened to it a couple of weeks ago (Oops!). Alright, here we go:
Monday, January 20, 2014
The TMI Tag!
I got inspired by a video from two of my favorite YouTubers, Esteé (Essiebutton) and Sammi (Beautycrush), to do this TMI tag; the YouTube questions will be altered accordingly...aaaand here we go!
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