My Sounds of Music

When I heard Lauren & Matt were teaming up to write songs about many different fandoms, I knew without a moment's hesitation that I would be buying the album. Their Lee Scoresby song released last year was amazing and I am a multi-fandom fangirl.

I ended up buying this album digitally on Amazon.com, something I rarely do. I had $5 in credits in my account there from a promotion and the album wasn't available on iTunes yet. Plus, I already had Nargles in the Mistletoe from Jingle Spells 2, so I only needed to buy the other 7 songs.

The name- The White Album. I love it. You've got a great Beetles reference (and what says fangirl better than the Beetles?) and a reference to the color of the polar bear on the cover.

The cover- That bearcub is SO of the cute! I can't get over the cute. But the pawprint logo is a little dark and hard to see. I would have liked it just slightly lighter.

The track listings- it's not a very long album; it's more of a long EP in length. It feels very light to me; possibly because I bought the songs individually, or possibly because it's just not that substantial as far as songs go for what I think of as an album.


1. In Which Buffy Slays Edward- Awesome. This song pretty much sums up my feelings about the current state of vampire obsession in the world right now (although my arguments would of course contain mentions of some of the other vampire shows of late). It's almost ridiculous to compare a strong character like Buffy to helpless Bella. And it is certainly insane to compare the amazing writing in the show from Joss with Stephenie Meyer's books. The song makes many excellent points and, indeed, I would be happy if Buffy would just go ahead and slay Edward and save Bella (and the rest of us) from seriously unhealthy relationships. This song is upbeat, catchy, fun, and definitely makes me smile.

2. Peeing In a Bottle- Ha-HA! It's a filk/parody but a really well done one. The lyrics are perfect, and the presentation is great. Speaking of presentation, John Green's reaction to the song is priceless! Paper Towns wasn't my favorite of his books, but I did love it muchly and I especially love songs that cover little events specifically. This is so of the silly, and I love it for that.

3. We're On Fire- On a whole, I really love this song. It's my favorite song on the album right now (I've only listened all the way through on repeat 15 times over the past few workdays). The Hunger Games is such a powerful series, though, so a song about it had to at least live up to half of what the story and characters are. Lauren & Matt do a great job in the song of covering emotions and touching on events from Katniss' and Peeta's points of view. The duet format works beautifully for this and the tone is soft and pretty but a little chilling at the same time, which fits the books perfectly. This song makes my heart ache at times, but it's that "We're on fire" line that really made me fall in love with the song. Every time that line comes up I can't help but smile and feel joy rising up inside me. Which is actually where my only criticism of the song comes in. The song is very wordy; and usually I LOVE words. And in order to cover the subject matter the way the song wants to do, you have to say a lot. However, what I REALLY instinctively wanted in this song was a good, strong chorus of just a few lines to break up the long verses... and I wanted that chorus to repeat almost identically to show that bond they have and the fact that, even though they're approaching the games from different angles and with different emotions, they're there together. They are on fire both literally and figuratively. And when I hear that "We're on fire" line (gorgeous choice of music for it, BTW) I get hopeful about that familiar chorus I want need, even if there is a slight variation at the end or something. But I don't get one. I do get that single line repeated, but the rest is different words each time. They're awesome words, don't get me wrong. The "Eleven years working up the courage/But no such courage came/Until Effie Trinket called my name" lines are wonderful. And at the end, when they go back and forth with the escalating arguement starting with "It was all for the games, wasn't it" "Peeta, I just saved our lives" I get chills. SO good. It's just that I love the "We're on fire" line lyrically and musically and felt like it should have been expanded. I don't know. I'm not a musician or a songwriter. It's just something I feel when I hear the song. It's still my favorite on the album, though :-)

4. Lee Scoresby's Last Stand- I loved this when I first heard the demo. Then, oddly, I fell out of love with it because it felt like it was lacking something, I think. Maybe it felt too long? I don't remember. When I heard it again on this album, I was right back in love. Lee Scoresby is one of my favorite characters in His Dark Materials and this is a powerful song about his courage and sacrifice. I love the bit about him thinking of Lyra as his daughter. I love the line to Hester about being happy to die here with her. *tears up* The upbeat tune is amazing. And, once again, the composition of this group works SO well here when you get to the chorus and you have Lee & Hester singing together; it blows me away every time. THAT'S the kind of chorus I wanted and it works so well in this bouncy song. It's amazing that a part of the book that had me in tears can be shown in SUCH an uplifting song. OMG He's freakin' dying and it's horrible and sad and, yet, all I can see is his strength and loyalty and what his death made possible (even when the song gets quieter and slower). It's really amazing. THIS is what fandom songs are all about. They let you explore different sides of characters and scenes and themes. This is perfection. Also, the bridge, with "We held them off/We held out/We're helping Lyra" is fantastic. The harmonies, the emotion, the everything. Yeah. I'm seriously in love with it again.

5. The Ballad of Seth and Summer- The OC is one of my guiltiest of guilty pleasures (I really only have a couple, but it's definitely one of them). It's about time for some OC music *EG* The song really captures Seth here; the lyrics are so fitting. Every time I listen to this song and get to the coffee cart bit I grin like an idiot. "I'm not asking you to change the girl you are/I only ask that you be true" *happy sigh* I wish I had a guy in my life right now to say that to me :-) But that's SO something Seth would say/feel, and something it took Summer a damn long time to realize. The emotion in the chorus is epic. But the real brilliance in this song comes from the music itself. It immediately shouts "California!" It's a PERFECT example of what I like most from fandom music-when an artist's style is there, consistent, but the sound of the song is different and fits the subject matter perfectly. Brilliant.

6. Nargles in the Mistletoe- I didn't buy this song again, because I already owned it and the samples online didn't make it sound like it was a different version. I really love the song. It is fun and clever and a hoot to sing along to. The arrangement is great, the lyrics are great, but I already owned it. On an already short album, it was kind of sad to see one fewer song to get to know. I mean, it's fine. And for a band that came together because of Wizard Rock, it makes sense to have at least one Harry Potter song on there to represent the fandom. I guess I would have preferred it to be a new version of an existing song or even "A Heart Can Change." Of course, the last song on this album would have been a little redundant after "A Heart Can Change" so maybe it's just as well. Oh, you know what would have kicked serious arse here? A mash-up of "Nargles in the Mistletoe" and "I Believe in Nargles." Yes. That's my final answer.

7. A Born Again Christian Upon Reading the Da Vinci Code- Hmm. I kind of wish I hadn't bought this one. I was on the fence about it for a while, but in the end I went ahead and bought it because it felt stupid to have EVERY other song on the album and not have this one. I bought it for completion's sake. First off, I'm not a born again Christian. I'm not a Christian of ANY kind. And I didn't particularly like the Da Vinci Code--not because of the "changes" it made to Christian mythology, but because I didn't think it was very good/well-written/mysterious/clever/shocking. And I liked reading Angels & Demons even less, but at least that movie had Ewan. As a song, it's fine. It captures just what the title proposes-someone coming to terms with a fandom's choices, making sense of it--things I can definitely relate to as a fangirl. And I can totally respect the reaffirmation of faith by the end of the song. In fact, that "We are worthy of his love" coupled by the "Hare Krishna" montra bits at the end is my favorite part of the song because it sounds so beautiful. It's a good song, it just doesn't MEAN anything to me in my heart the way the other songs on the album do, because the Bible and the Da Vinci Code are not, well, fandoms of mine. I could have lived without it, personally, but I fully respect the song and its inclusion on the album.

8. Let's Get Our Master's Degrees in Love- Not sure how I feel about this one. It's a totally valid choice to have a song about the Armoured Bearcub members on the first Armoured Bearcub album. But it is a different type of song. I think I would have been completely fine with it being there if the album had more songs on it. But when I get to this part of the album I just want more fandom goodness. Perhaps this is because song number 7 isn't really my kind of thing and song number 6 is old-to-me. I want more fandom awesomeness and what I get is real life. It's good real life, though. Take it from someone who has an "Almost Master's". I finished my coursework, defended my thesis, and then had a mental breakdown and never got my thesis turned in to earn my official degree. I am slowly coming to terms many years later that it just wasn't for me, in the end. Do I regret it? Yeah, a bit. But I'm okay with it. Master's degrees aren't for everyone... and this is a sweet, fun song with great emotion in it. I probably would have preferred an all-fandom album, to be honest, but they chose to put a RL song on there and I can accept that choice. It's a great song, and a great last song on the album. In fact, I hope the NEXT Armoured Bearcub album follows the same pattern of a bunch of fandom songs and ends with one about them; that's a pattern I could definitely get behind.

On a whole, it's a great album and I'm really glad I bought it. I might end up not listening to it as an album in the future, or skipping over the last few songs if I do. But the first 5 songs are more than worth purchasing the album for. Wizard Rock has ruined me--I now EXPECT music now to go with fandoms I love. Lost music? Yep, got that. Feeling in the mood for Doctor Who? There's TRock. Twilight? Well, it exists, but I've never listened to it and don't think I ever want to. But what about other fandoms? That's where Armoured Bearcub comes in. It fills that glaring void and makes me one happy multi-fandom fangirl!

I was in perpetual Squee mode all day today. It was the first ever Northern Virginia Wizard Rock Festival. That's 13 bands all together doing their awesomeness.

Best moment? Well, it was amazing to FINALLY see the Blibbering Humdingers live. I've had their CD for a long time but while listening to one of their songs live, I was in serious tears. SO beautiful and good and spoke right to my heart. I totally didn't expect that (especially since they're a hilarious group and it followed a most awesome song about Snape's underpants LOL). And Snidget reduced me to tears as well for the lullabye for Luna (but that's no surprise; I always tear up at that one as well and Snidget sings it soooo beautifully. I managed to make it through her Colin Creevey song without crying, though). Oh, and seeing R get up and dance to Draco and the Malfoys (okay, so only one of the two Malfoys, but Brian's awesome and played almost all my very favorites) was a highlight. And Swish & Flick playing My Dad is Rich (on a boat) brought down the mother-fucking house!!! Seriously, I would have been SO sad if they hadn't played that. SO awesome. Oh, and the chica from Baltimore and hasn't been able to make it to any of our meetup group meetings came and totally enjoyed her very first taste of Wizard Rock live (though, how could you NOT with the lineup we had?) And one of my friends got Fred and George the Band to draw a sketch of me as a Hufflepuff and she surprised me with it. I'm totally framing it and probably putting it up at work. OMG so squee-worthy. Undesireable #1 sang one of Whompy's new songs before I could even hear Whompy sing it, so that was pretty funny. And I Speak Tree seems like the sort of person I'd want to be if I were a WRocker. I expected a little more from Bella and the le Strangers; they were really great and I'm still glad I bought their CD (I'd have bought it just to own Breakout, honestly), and their costumes were friggin AMAZING, but I wasn't totally blown away by them as I expected to me. After hearing the Dumbledore's Army band I knew immediately I had to have their CD- great songs! And Apparation Nation was fantastic! I wish he'd had a CD; I look forward to seeing much much more out of him in the future. Madame Pince and the Librarians did a parody of Astoria Greengrass that totally rocked my world (and Whoohoo for books!). And Hawthorn and Holly were fantastic- they even gave me a poster when I bought one of their CDs. Yay! I loved when all the WRockers went up on stage to play/dance with them for several songs. I think I have a thing for more than one WRock group at a time. I am a SUCKER for good duets and collabs. Seriously, I expected a few groups (especially the smaller/newer ones) to have lower standards/quality but was pleasantly surprised that every single one of them sounded professional and excellent. Okay, so Undesireable #1's songs were mostly covers, and one was kind of odd, but they were good covers, so I didn't mind. And it was just wonderful to be able to share it with almost all of my Harry Potter-loving friends all day long!

But I still haven't reached the best moment. The bestest best best best favorite bestest moment was during Nagini's set when she freakin PLAYED A SONG FOR ME!!!!!!!!!!! She said, "This song is for my new friend, Kate, and it's the title song to my latest album..." That's right. Nagini played the 'Captain Jack Harkness misses his Ianto' song because I requested it and she remembered!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Live and in person! And I got to introduce myself to her properly (she signed a CD for me at the first Wizard Rock Festival in New York but that was years ago) that morning. Anyway, she sang the Captain Jack Harkness song for me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Seriously, I think that made my entire month right there. *loves* I totally teared up, as well. Well, yeah, it's a song about Capitan Jack at the end of COE, so, yeah, obviously I teared up. But the moment was SO great. And she played the Remus & Snape song, which I've actually had in my head a couple of times while writing this month's epic LMOM fic, since it's Snupin-y for the second half of the month.

Did I mention I helped run a charity raffle? It was a joint effort of the DADA and Carpe Futurum. We're giving proceeds to the Harry Potter Alliance and to the National Wildlife Fund to help with the oil spill cleanup. So I got to go on stage and help announce the winners and give out the prizes. That was cool. Yay for great music AND helping animals at the same time!!! We were pretty successfull and maybe we'll even get some new members to join our adventures in the future because of it.

Sonorus was fantastic. Here was the lineup (sorry if this isn't the right order, I didn't write down the changes and I'm too lazy to get my camera out):
The Dumbledore's Army Band* $
Fred and George the Band*
Apparation Nation*
Nagini
Snidget
Undesireable #1*
I Speak Tree*
Madame Pince and the Librarians* $
Bella and the le Strangers* $
The Blibbering Humdingers*
Brian Malfoy
Hawthorn and Holly* $
Swish and Flick
*= first time I've ever seen them live
$=I bought a CD from them today (I bought two from Bella & Trix because, well, it was only an extra $3 for the holiday CD and I had a $10 bill out anyway LOL)
And I got some new pins for my steadily growing WRock pin collection. Please note that the ones who I did not buy CDs from either were not selling CDs today *sad* or I already owned their CDs so I felt no need to buy them a second time. I did try to press upon my friends the importance of buying them though, since they're some of my favorite albums. Sometimes even a Hufflepuff has the urge/craving to listen to Slytherin music, it's true.

Did I mention that Nagini SANG A SONG I REQUESTED?! SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE! Such a great day. A big thank you to Matt & Grace for organizing it. And thank you to everyone who purchased a raffle ticket. You're helping out lots of people and animals!

I took advantage of Catchlove's holiday sale and bought 3 of his CDs I didn't have: It's Still Snowing, <3, and Where Do We Go From Here? I love the themes of love that pop up throughout all three (quite fitting, actually) even though many of the songs don't avoid the tough themes of battles and the war. Jace's music has a great sound and the songs are well done and polished.

It's Still Snowing
I really love Catchlove's two 'Still Snowing' songs on Jingle Spells 1 & 2 and I was in the mood for more Wrock-themed winter holiday music. So I took a chance on this album. I certainly enjoyed it!
1. One Christmas... (Carol of the Bells)- It's a great collection of songs, starting with 'One Christmas' which is fine, introductory variation on 'Christmas Eve in Sarajevo', one of my favorite Christmas songs.
2. Christmas Wishes- You have to love Christmas at the Burrow, so even though it is simple I really love 'Christmas Wishes'.
3. It's Snowing & 8. It's Still Snowing featuring Danny Dementor- 'It's Snowing' and 'It's Still Snowing' have got to be my favorites. They're just as good here as in Jingle Spells.
4. Tis The Season- wonderfully catchy
5. A Proposition (It's Quite Alright)- good, but doesn't stand out for me amongst the rest for some reason.
6. The Letter (Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairies)- makes me laugh because the melding between WRock, the Nutcracker, and Tetris is irresistible
7. The Yule Ball (She Said Yes)- I'm not sure why I like 'The Yule Ball' so much, but it's definitely one of my favorites on the album; I like its fast tempo especially.
9. Luna (A Christmas Song)- of course, no collection of songs is complete without some more Luna-love. 'Luna' is catchy, beautiful, and sweet. I love the instruments and the whole arrangement used in that song.
10. We Wish You a Merry Christmas featuring the Cornish Pixy Choral Delight- I'm not so much a fan of 'We Wish You a Merry Christmas' because it stands out from the rest of the songs. But it's silly and that certainly gets marks in my book.

Where Do We Go From Here?
First off, this might be one of my favorite WRock album covers EVER!
1. The Second War Begins- fantastic opening song that really sets the mood and draws me in.
2. The Lonley Life of Sir Nick- after hearing this, I am of the opinion that Nearly Headless Nick deserves more songs! I had heard this song before, thanks to a friend, and it is definitely one of my favorite on the album because it's a great, sensitive, fun look at Nick.
3. I Told You So- I like the multiple tracks/layers of voices and instruments in this one. It really pains a great picture of where Harry was in Order
4. Krum and the Mighty Ocean- I found this one to be a bit strange (kind of came out of nowhere) but I like Krum and this song grew on me.
5. I Found Love in Wizard Rock- Certainly my favorite on the CD. Beautiful song and very sweet on its own.
6. In Which Our Claps Defeat Lord Voldemort- this one is crazy-weird just to listen to (I'm sure it lends itself to a concert/live atmosphere better) but I wish it were so easy to defeat him *claps along*
7. Headed to the Ministry- I just got to re-readingthis part in the 5th book about 10 minutes ago so perhaps I'm a bit swayed, but I really loved this one! I like the feeling of the DA conveyed here, yet it's still a bit soft and a nice combination of unsure & brave
8. Where Do We Go From Here- another great song which paints a nice picture of a specific moment in the series. I love the melody and the repetition of the question
9. Mothers Day (Your Love)- this one was a little too soft for me to really latch onto the lyrics the first few times I listened to the CD.
10. This Will Never Work- heehee I like this one as well, though the lyrics are also a bit soft.
11. Remember the Good Times?- what a great sound this one has. And the beat is fantastic, as if working us up to revolt against Umbridge. Quite catchy and fun to sing along to.
12. Dumbledore (Show Us What You're Made Of)- wow, talk about songs with different sounds! This one is quite unique and powerful. It actually made chills race up & down my spine the first time I heard it
13. Ron, I'm Telling You...- this one reminds me of a combination of a few other songs, which is kind of interesting. But there are also some great variations and the sax is a fantastic addition.
14. It'll Be Ok & bonuses- I like 'It'll Be Ok' and it was nice to see sort of a reprise of the song (in title at least) on <3. It's a great song to end with, full of determination. The bonus songs are great! I like the live version of 'Remember the Good Times?' and the Beatles filk to 'All the Lonely People' is cleverly written & well performed! And then... a House of Awesome cover (aka the House of Awkward) is hilarious and classic. FTW!

<3
Definitely my favorite of the 3 albums. I drove around with this one exclusively on my car stereo for a week. It's not as WRock-centered as Where Do We Go From Here? in that many of the songs aren't specifically Harry Potter-ish and could fit right in on a muggle radio station. But I still like them a lot.
1. Untitled- An interesting, instrumental beginning
2. Students @ Hogwarts- I'd heard Students at Hogwarts before, but this is still a fantastic version. It's unifying and fun and catchy (possibly because it's so familiar).
3. I Found Love- Pulling from 'I Found Love in Wizard Rock' this song is so well done and certainly stands on its own. I had heard the remix on From Beneath These Ashes. But of the three songs, the one here on this album is my favorite.
4. Post-Its (it'll be ok ii)- Definitely my favorite on the album. The melody and lyrics are both wonderful. And it just *sounds* good! The chorus, especially, is fantastic.
5. Every Time...- Another favorite on the album. It's a great look at the relationship and the song is just SO well done.
6. Don't Panic- I love this song! It's upbeat and reassuring :-)
7. So Damn Cute- Awww, there's just something about this song. It's the perfect song to follow 'Don't Panic' because it slows down the pace again. I really like the chorus.
8. It's Really All About Me- this one is fun
9. Dontcha Know- Yep, I ADORE this song. Harry/Ginny might not be convincing to me in the book, but Jace definitely gets me on board with it in this album. Ok... it might be tied for first place with Post-Its
10. Headed Down to Hogwarts- A bit of a change in sound & subject matter but I LOVE this. It's SO much fun to sing along with and the the "Dumbledore was victorious..." parts were great to hear in this song. In fact, there are so many little parts in this song, building up momentum throughout, from "Not my daughter you bitch" to "We've got to fight/We've got to win". It is not possible to hear this song and not sing along to it/get into it! :-)
11. Back Home Where I Belong- Aww, this one is just so sweet and... tender. Can I call a song tender? You know what, I'm going to.
12. Sing to Me- I expect the album to end with track #11 each time I listen, but it's a nice book end of sorts, framing the album along with track 1.

As previously mentioned, I first heard about Kwikspell when I was having breakfast in my room at FaerieCon and watching the PotterTeeVee feed of WrockStock. I really enjoyed the songs I was hearing and got Voldemort Killed the Hufflepuff Star stuck in my head for a good long part of the morning-- so clever and catchy :-)

As soon as I got home, I got her album and immediately entered what melydia calls the incubation phase of my relationship with it. I listened to it at work, in the car, at home, in the car, at work again, and again and again and again.

To be honest, the first few listens through didn't really count because at work I can't turn the volume up very high. This is usually fine for 98% of what I listen to. But the vocals on Magic 101 are about the same volume as the instrument tracks, so they were very difficult to hear. In fact, I had a hard time understanding every word without turning the volume up REALLY LOUD in the car. I think I still might be missing a word or two here or there but I think I generally have it down now.



Sunshine Daisies Butter Mellow- It's kind of amazing that there are a handful of absolutely excellent Peter Pettigrew songs out there. This is definitely one of my favorites. It's a very clever look at him as both a rat and a man/traitor/bastard. It's a great song to start an album with. It's catchy and upbeat and layered. It's well written and well put together. I ain't giving him sympathy, though I will clap along with the song at the last chorus.

Ode to Umbridge- I don't think I quite understand this song. The tone is unique and specific and it makes me think that it's supposed to be from Umbridge's POV. And it's true, she does go in and mess things up at Hogwarts. But I think likes like "I'm going to be the wrench in your clockwork" works just as well for the way Harry (& fellows) tried to take her down. Maybe the point is that the lines could indeed work for both of them, as they destroy each other's plans/lives. I just don't know and I feel stupid for not knowing. Meep! Help? Either way, I really like the song. It makes me think of proper little nursery rhymes and the emotion behind a lot of the lines, the way they're all delivered, are utterly fantastic. Great style and delivery.

May June July August- Who can resist a love song that includes nargles? Not me! I find myself literally walking around singing the chorus of this song. Seriously. It's beautiful and sweet (even if it's a little sad in a few places). I really like this song.

Buzz Worthy (The Quibbler Song)- The sound effects with the Quibbler pages being turned is a great touch. This song is so hilariously random. Draco with red hair? Secret meetings under the Quidditch pitch? It's so bizarre that it's perfect for a song about the Quibbler! It's kooky but well written- I love when there are slight changes to repeated lines (read it every day vs. three times a day, etc.). Little things like that really impress me in songs.

Je T'aime- This is just gorgeous. And when you get to this point, in the album, you not only get a sense of Kwikspell's sound but also the way she's able to change her sound to fit the subject matter so brilliantly! The Quibbler song SOUNDS like the Quibbler. The Umbridge song sounds like Umbridge! And this song absolutely sounds like Fleur. Makes me think of Veela or French girls dancing (or, you know, a French half-Veela girl dancing)

Ravenclaw Crush- OMG Another Luna song? Seriously, how many Luna songs can the Wizard Rock community produce? Clearly not enough for my taste. I LOVE Luna songs! I've never heard one I didn't love. Seriously. I even have a Luna-only playlist. But this one is especially special. I think it's so beautifully written, playing with both parts of her name like that. Totally makes me fall in love with Luna, as if I weren't already

Green Eyed Monster- So, yes, I love the last song on the album very much. But this one might just be my second favorite. The Sev/Lily relationship is explored in some of my absolute favorite Wizard Rock songs, all of which make me tear up every time without fail (Pensive Full of Unrequited Love and Eyes to name two). I think this is a fantastic take on their relationship and, also, makes me tear up a little bit. The title of the song is what really gets me. I think it's possibly the most clever title of a Wizard Rock song EVER!!! The double-meaning totally blows me away. So I love everything about this song. The chords remind me of the nargles song. But the song is so beautiful and tragically sad at the same time.

It's a Ginger!- Ha HA! I'd never heard of Statutory Snape before, but I definitely checked them out as soon as I listened to this song a few times. They're marvelous. But, more importantly, this song is fantastically funny! It's crazy. And kind of mean (what does a certain WRocker named Jarrod think of it? Maybe he doesn't mind since his name's not Jared?). But it's the kind of silly I like (who doesn't hate awkward male nurses?). Seriously a FUN collaboration. I like when artists don't take things so seriously. Good humor always gets top marks from me.

Voldemort Killed the Hufflepuff Star- One of the best WRock covers out there. Very clever lyrics and a great job done with the song as well. Page 638 broke my heart too, Kwikspell *sniffle* The only bad thing about the song is that it really does stick in your head, especially as it's the last one in the album. This can be rather dangerous when you park your car and run into the grocery for food; fellow customers look at you weird when you're singing it out loud to yourself (or maybe that only happens to me).

You'd better believe I'll be keeping my eye on Kwikspell from now on. Great set of songs. Happy WRocking!

Last night I stayed up until 2am to watch the Mudbloods' last performance at Wrockstock, streamed thanks to PotterTeeVee. It was worth it to be able to share that moment with others online as I wasn't lucky enough to make the trip to see it in person. There were some down sides to watching the feed- a third of the way through 'A Pensive Full of Unrequited Love' the feed caught up with its lag and we missed out on most of the song, for example (just as I started crying, no less). So we missed out on some of our favorite songs and it was strange to suddenly find yourself tearing up and listening to the new firebolt song. LOL But on a whole, it was great to see something along with others, crying with them and sharing our memories of the Mudbloods together. And their last performance was indeed epic. Though I have to admit it was ironic to play a song with lyrics like "We're Wizard Rocking and we just can't stop" as their second to last song ever.

It's sort of hard to believe that I hadn't even heard of The Mudbloods at this time last year. I was still rather new to the WRock scene (July 2008 was the first concert I went to). But thanks to the Bryn Mawr Yule Ball, I got to see Adam play live. What a treat!



There are songs like 'A Pensive Full of Unrequited Love' and 'Freedom is Only a Hippogryff Away' that I bet I'll still tear up at for a long while to come (I cried at Pensive at the Yule Ball when I first heard it and that line about the eyes always does me in if nothing else does-- what AMAZING lyrics). And there are songs like 'Cho Chang' and 'I Wish You'd be My Witch' that I cannot help but sing along to, even when I should be quiet at work. The lyrics are clever, the songs are well-crafted, and the sound is unique and appealing. It's true that the Mudbloods really haven't put out all that much Wizard Rock music in their years since forming in 1997. But the music they have put out has made a significant and, I hope, lasting impact on the WRock genre.

Whenever I think about the Mudbloods, I think of this:


I feel so lucky to have been able to see them live. I'll treasure all their songs and I wish them well with their futures. From what I've heard of Adam's muggle music, I'm not worried about him :-)

There are really two reasons I finally ended up purchasing the Wizard Rock EP of the Month Club subscriptions/CDs. The first is my love for Peeved (great sound, great lyrics-- want!) and the other is The Mudbloods.

But I have discovered several times now that it is dangerous to listen to The Mudbloods at work. I still do, don't get me wrong. But I have had a number of embarrassing moments because of it. Apparently, it is physically impossible for me to listen to "I Wish You'd Be My Witch" without singing along and dancing in my chair. I can sing quietly/silently. But the dancing is manditory. I don't know if this is because the first time I ever heard the song was at the Yule Ball last year and the Pottercast people were in the background dancing and the image just stuck, or what (I'll try to upload a clip later on tonight). But I was dancing along to it the other day and a coworker walked in on me. So TOTALLY embarrassing. The same thing can be said for "Cho Chang". What a catchy song! I find myself just walking around singing it, actually. And I've been told I can't sing so I get strange looks from friends/family/coworkers/total strangers in the store/parking lot. LOL! I guess I do the same for "Happiness is a Hippogriff Away" actually. And I've never made it through "A Pensieve Full of Unrequited Love" without tearing up. This morning I was sitting here at work sniffling and crying and that's not good for work! *facepalm* Seriously, though, I find it impossible not to be moved by these songs and it shows. So totally wonderful, but embarrasing as well!

A list of my purchases within the past week or so:

Acoustiatus by Ministry of Magic- love it! Definitely worth it. Why didn't I buy it earlier?

This Machine Pwns N00bs by Hank Green- pre-ordered. I wasn't sure about this as a lot of these songs are also on I'm So Bad At this: Live! But now that I'm a Nerdfighter, I feel like I have to buy it. And I'm sure I'll love it once I get it (especially the Hogwarts song...... and the Twilight songs- LMAO). Also, it comes with a made-of-awesome poster I plan to hang on my door at work. And it comes with an autographed guitar pick.

Hoggin' All the Covers by Band From TV- I had been eying this for a while, as I love Grunny, but it was on sale at Amazon.com for download for only $1.99 last week, so I snarfed it up then. I honestly haven't listened to it yet because I downloaded it at home and I listen to most of my music at work. I look forward to some of the songs; others aren't really my style. But for less then $2, I'll totally fangirl them. Plus, the band is an awesome idea.

We Are Magic by Tonks and the Aurors- pre-ordered. I don't have much Tonks music... so I really don't know why I pre-ordered this. But what I've heard of hers, I've really liked, and the pre-order price was great. Something magical just make me do it, I suppose. I hope I like it when I get it!

Bare Bones EP by Oliver Boyd and the Remembralls- I only wish it were longer than 7 songs! I love it! I'm still in the mad "honeymoon stage" with it, listening to it on repeat several times a day in the car and at work. I can't get enough of it. The Hufflepuff song makes me smile. And I've nearly got all the words to Flash, Bang Done! down. *shakes fist at Dung!* There are only a few WRockers who I will order everything and anything from. The Ministry of Magic is one. Oliver Boyd is another.

Made in Texas by The Rogues- I bought this at the MD Ren Festival... only to find it's half as expensive on iTunes. But I only slightly regret it, because sometimes it's nice to have that physical CD to look at and enjoy. And it'll be a memory of the festival for me. I first saw The Rogues play at a Highlander Convention, long ago. I have my well-autographed "Live in Canada, Eh?" album to prove it! So it was great to see them again at the Ren Festival this year... where they played my very favorite celtic song ever: Bonny Portmore. I was crying while they played it. And afterwards, I went down and asked the lovely merch lady (married to one of the members of the band) if they had any albums with Bonny Portmore. Apparently, they have 2. So I picked Made in Texas because that version was with a French Horn. And then, a few days later, I discovered they're on iTunes and I purchased the other version (with flute) anyway. It's gorgeous Scottish music done right! Even though it's a recording of a live show, the quality is still great and it's hard to listen to the album quietly! :-)

There are a few other WRock compilation albums I pre-ordered and am waiting on. And I cannot wait for Jingle Spells 3!