My Sounds of Music

I joined a swap-bot swap where you hit shuffle on your player and write down the first 100 songs that show up. Here's what came up with mine:

1. Hammer to Fall by Queen (Greatest Hits) - One of my favorite Queen songs! I love when songs tell stories or depict times in history. I especially love the lines, “For we who grew up tall and proud/In the shadow of the mushroom cloud/Convinced our voices can’t be heard/We just wanna scream it louder and louder and louder/What the hell we fighting for?/Just surrender and it won’t hurt at all/Just got time to say your prayers/While you’re waiting for the hammer to fall”
2. Auld Lang Syne by Steve McDonald and Hollie Smith (Winter in Scotland: a Highland Christmas) - It’s not the right time of year for it, but this is a beautiful version of the classic song from my favorite Scottish singer and his daughter.
3. Song of the Unicorn by artist unknown (unknown album) - I downloaded this song somewhere long long ago and have never been able to figure out where it came from or who sings it. The chorus: “The song of the unicorn/white as can be/He’s wild and beautiful/headstrong and free.”
4. Used to by Daughtry (Daughtry) - I really enjoyed Daughtry back on American Idol, so I bought his album
5. Inside the Tam House by Greg Edmonson (Firefly Soundtrack) - I have a LOT of music related to books, television shows, and movies I love. This is from the official soundtrack
6. Last Christmas by Mon)tag (Last Christmas Mixtape) - At http://last-christmas.com you can get tons of versions of this song. This is from a mixtape of various versions that Harry & the Potters selected.
7. Whiskey in the Jar by artist unknown (The Best Irish Drinking Songs) - The classic Irish drinking song. I have a bazillion different versions of this song, but I don’t know who sings this one, because it’s from a cassette tape I converted into MP3 and I didn’t do a good job of writing all the artists down for compilation albums
8. Cooking with the Giant Squidstravaganza, part 4 by The Giant Squidstravaganza (Death to Humans) - I adore Wizard Rock, but this is one “group” I dislike.
9. Anatomy of Lover Pt 2 by Mary And The GrandPres (Hymns of Truth and Light) - And here’s a wizard rock group I do like!
10. National Emblem by The Inverness Highlanders (Scotland-Scottish Pipes & Drums) - I am such a sucker for traditional Scottish music, filled with lots of bagpipes
11. Mamma Mia by the Mamma Mia Movie Soundtrack Cast (Mamma Mia Soundtrack) - That's a lot of Mamma Mias on one line. I love ABBA and thought the movie was good. My coworker gave this soundtrack to me.
12. How Far We’ve Come by Matchbox Twenty (Exile on Mainstream) - There are very few Matchbox Twenty songs I don’t instantly fall in love with.
13. Great Provider by the Barenaked Ladies (Maybe You Should Drive) - I’ve got HUNDREDS of Barenaked Ladies songs on my computer from albums and concerts both.
14. Everything You Want by Vertical Horizon (Everything You Want) - I really liked this song when it came out and when it comes up on shuffle now, I have to admit I still like it and its introspectiveness.
15. Theme From Harry’s Game by Clannad (Celtic Moods) - Beautiful Celtic song. I actually have 2 copies of it on my computer from different albums.
16. The Sweater Song by The Hermione and Crookshanks Experience (Jingle Spells 1) - A Christmas Wizard Rock song from the first Leaky Cauldron Christmas charity album.
17. Severus Snape by The Wizarding World (Demos, B-Sides and Rarities) - From a free demo of this Wizard Rock album, downloaded a few years ago
18. Don’t Let Me Get me by P!nk (M!ssundaztood) - I don’t have many P!nk songs, but the ones I did buy are ones I absolutely ADORE. This is one I can relate to.
19. Walking in Memphis by Marc Cohn (Walking in Memphis single) - I have such a weakness for this song. My favorite line is the "Ma'am, I am tonight" line, because I love the emotion behind the way it’s sung
20. Survivor (Adolescent Mix) by Danny Dementor (I Wanna Be a Wizard EP) - I enjoy that there are different genres of Wizard Rock out there, and this is a decent song.
21. Christmas Mirror by The Butterbeer Experience (Jingle Spells 2) - One of my favorite Christmas songs ever, The Butterbeer Experience has a beautiful sound here.
22. One Of Us by ABBA (Gold) - More ABBA! I actually got this album from my mother.
23. Warm Me Up by Elliott Yamin (My Kind of Holiday) - I got this during Amazon.com’s free Christmas music giveaway some year. I’ve probably listened to it once, twice at the most
24. We Are the Champions by Queen & various artists (Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert) - Beautiful version of this well-known song, in honor of Freddie
25. If You’re Irish by Irish Ceili Band (Celtic Memories) - Well look at that… I AM Irish!
26. Good Morning Charlie by The Oceanic Six (Greatest Hits Vol. 1) - The only LOST-related music I own, because I watched every episode of the show and thought the writing was horrendously bad/obvious. But these boys are Wizard Rockers from various groups brought together, so I had to buy this album. Their songs are much better than the show was.
27. Wayfarer by Jeff Johnson & Brian Dunning (Celtic Twilight, Vol 2) - Beautiful, inspiring Celtic melodies
28. A Foot of Silver by The Buttermellows (The Butter Demo II) - A fantastic, emotionally powerful song about Harry Potter characters and death. “I’ll hit the floor until my fists are sore/But in the end you’re not coming back to me.”
29. The Weird Al Show Theme by Weird Al Yankovic (Running with Scissors) - Until this moment, I forgot I had several of his albums. It’s been a while since I listened to them
30. Famous Last Words by Billy Joel (River of Dreams) - I have loved Billy Joel since I was in elementary school. This is a great one from my favorite album.
31. Bonus Track: Pigfarts, Pigfarts Here I Come by Voldemort & Malfoy (A Very Potter Musical) - Very funny bonus track from the Starkid A Very Potter Musical soundtrack
32. Terirem by Choir of Monks of the Simonos Petra Monastery (99 Essential Chants) - I bought this album of 99 chants during a $5 album deal of Amazon.com’s. There are some amazing chants on there, but it’s hard to listen to them all at once, in a row. I certainly can’t recognize one from the other just by title.
33. Destiny’s Edge by Lori Yates (Forever Knight Soundtrack) - Another television show I loved.
34. Gryffindor Rocks by Harry & The Potters (Harry and The Potters and the Power of Love) - Harry & the Potters were the first Wizard Rock band, though their early music isn’t exactly polished.
35. In Paradisum by Schola Gregoriana Pragensis (99 Essential Chants) - Another beautiful chant from the album discussed in #32
36. Obama Llama Song by Hank Green (So Jokes) - Hank Green combines comedy and music to great effect
37. J.O.M.B.2.0. (feat. Tilly Key)[RevoLucian’s Redux] by RuPaul (Drag Race) - Don’t be jealous of my boogie! I love this album of remixes of Ru’s fun to sing/dance to song
38. Torn by Natalie Imbruglia (Left of the Middle) - An emotional song that’s also very lovely
39. Noel, Christmas Eve, 1913 by Bob Denver & the Muppets (A Christmas Together) - Possibly my favorite Christmas album ever, there’s something so magical about Bob Denver singing with my beloved muppets!
40. On the Other Side by Ministry of Magic (Magic is Might) - A not-so-great song from my favorite Wizard Rock band
41. Wizard Rockstar by Lauren Fairweather (Is It Plugged In? EP) - A great look at the life & desires of a Wizard Rocker :-)
42. Christmas at the Burrow by Ginny and the Heartbreakers (An Enchanted Christmas) - Very beautiful Harry Potter themed holiday song
43. A Pub with No Beer by Women of Whimsey (Caprissio) - These women can really sing and their songs are both beautiful and bawdy
44. Save Tonight by Eagle Eye Cherry (Save Tonight single) - This takes me back a little. It was one of those often-played songs I had to have. I like to imagine it’s about Sirius & Remus.
45. Help Me Hagrid by Justin Finch-Fletchley and the Sugar Quills (Jingle Spells 4) - Full wrock version of JFF’s JS4 Christmas song (I bought the acoustic version as well)
46. They Took My Son by The Oceanic Six (Greatest Hits Vol. 1) - Another LOST song, but this one is even better than the one that came up earlier. It’s fast and catchy and emotionally charged.
47. The River of Dreams by Billy Joel (River of Dreams) - Instant hit, this song always moves me. I adore it and it’s one of my all-time favorites.
48. Far Away by Steve McDonald (Legend) - Another great song by Steve McDonald, it packs an emotional punch as well
49. Virginia Woolf by the Indigo Girls (1200 Curfews) - I forgot I own this album now! (Bought the CD at a library used book sale). I should listen to it more often.
50. Ghosts by Romilda Vane and the Chocolate Cauldrons (Hogwarts, A Mystery) - A good wrock song.
51. Star of the Country Down by Tears for Beers (Cracky Bones) – Another fun traditional Irish drinking song
52. What Up, Hogwarts? by Big Whompy (Treestylin’) – I’m not a huge rap fan, but Big Whompy (of Whomping Willow Fame) is pretty hilarious
53. Plug Collector by Fred and George the Band (Carpe Geekdom: The Soundtrack) – This is a fantastic song about Arthur Weasley, as sung by his twins
54. Claris Coniubila by Monks of Notre-Dame de Ganagobie (99 Essential Chants) – Another beautiful chant
55. The Wedding by The Remus Lupins (The Rest is Silence) – A great song about a scene from the seventh Harry Potter book, from my favorite Remus Lupins album
56. Stay With You by The Goo Goo Dolls (Let Love In) – One of those “I must have this song!” songs. This sometimes still makes me tear up
57. My White Knight by Robert Preston (The Music Man Soundtrack) – I love this musical, so I bought the soundtrack during one of Amazon.com’s $5 album deals
58. Old Apartment by the Barenaked Ladies (live from a concert) – One of the best Barenaked Ladies songs. And nothing beats the BNL live!
59. Trolls in New York by Anne Dudley (10th Kingdom Soundtrack) – I love the 10th Kingdom (NBC miniseries), so I had to have the soundtrack
60. Some Fantastic by the Barenaked Ladies (Stunt) – A fun, catchy BNL song
61. Jump (For My Love) by the Pointer Sisters (Love Actually Soundtrack) – The sort of song that gets stuck in your head… but you don’t really mind. It always makes me smile
62. River and Simon in Locker by David Newman (Serenity Soundtrack) – A song from a great movie’s soundtrack
63. Pain by Steve McDonald (Highland Farewell) – An amazing, powerful song with beautiful Scottish sound
64. The Kings and Queens of Narnia by Harry Gregson-Williams (The Chronicles of Narnia Prince Caspian Soundtrack) – My favorite of all the Narnia movie soundtracks, this song really brings its scene to mind when listening
65. The Rattlin’ Bog by the Irish Rovers (The First of The Irish Rovers) – Oh SO much fun. I have to sing along out loud every time every time a version comes up
66. The Emigration Tunes by Loreena McKennitt (The Wind that Shakes the Barley) – A beautiful Celtic song sung beautifully!
67. DND by Semisonic (Feeling Strangely Fine) – This song held a significant meaning to me once upon a time. Now that I’m not with that guy any more, I don’t really like listening to it.
68. Hindi Sad Diamons by Nicole Kidman, John Leguizamo & Alka Yagnik (Moulin Rouge Soundtrack) – Not my favorite song from the soundtrack, but a good one with a unique sound
69. Strange Fire by the Indigo Girls (1200 Curfews) – Once again, I forgot I even owned this song! Sorry, Indigo Girls, I need to listen to you more, apparently.
70. All I Ask of You by Andrew Lloyd Webber (The Phantom of the Opera Soundtrack, disc 1) – Phantom of the Opera songs always give me the shivers. They’re so good!
71. Stutter by Joe Walker (A Very StarKid Album) – I first heard this song at a StarKid concert. I bought the album a few days later. This one is a fun song.
72. Luna by Catchlove (It’s Still Snowing) – If there’s one rule in Wizard Rock, it’s that you can never have too many songs about Luna Lovegood.
73. Walk Like an Egyptian by Acapella (album unknown) – I’ve loved this song since elementary school. I’m such a child of the 80s. LOL
74. Hokey Pokey by the Barenaked Ladies (live from a concert) – A classic. The Ladies are hilarious in concert.
75. Forever Young by Joan Baez (Greatest Hits) – Beautiful, inspiring song sung so well.
76. All In Good Time by The Whomping Willows (Songs For Professors) – I am a sucker for albums (and EPs) with themes. This one is a series of songs about Hogwarts school professors
77. River’s Perception/Saffron by Greg Edmonson (Firefly Soundtrack) – Another song from the television show, Firefly
78. Sniper’s Promise by unknown artist (Ireland’s Best Irish Rebel Songs) – I have a great collection of Irish Rebel songs from various places. This is from another collection where I didn’t write down the specific artist when I converted from a cassette tape to mp3
79. A Penseive Full of Unrequited Love by the Mudbloods (Live at the Leaky Cauldron) – One of my all-time favorite Wizard Rock songs. It makes me tear up (if not cry) every time with lyrics like “I wish you peace and love and happiness in everything you do/I pray that everywhere you go someone will be in love with you./And I know that if you’d stayed within these loving arms of mine/That every single one of these dreams would come true.”
80. Barbossa is Hungry by Klaus Badelt (Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl Soundtrack) – The first Pirate of the Caibbean movie soundtrack was excellent. This one isn’t too bad, though.
81. Just Around the Riverbend by Alan Menken & Stephen Schwartz (Pocahontas Soundtrack) – I’m also a huge fan of Disney movies and their songs.
82. Luna by Peeved (Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak!) – See what I mean about songs written about Luna Lovegood? There are so many, but I’m not complaining!
83. Greensleeves by Rosalind McAllister (Celtic Memories) – A gorgeous song with a fascinating origin story, I love listening to this near Christmastime.
84. Cold Sweat by Jim Byrnes (Burning/I Turned My Days Into Nights) – I got into Jim Byrnes because he was an actor on my favorite television show, Highlander. But his Blues music is amazing (I am not even a huge fan of Blues music!). He’s got a great sound and great emotion behind his words.
85. Meet Me On Diagon Alley by the Ministry of Magic (The Triwizard LP) – A pretty good song from the best Wizard Rock band out there.
86. A Gift for Lucius by Draco & the Malfoys (Jingle Spells 4) – He’s buying his dad a peacock for Christmas. It’s the same thing he bought him last year. Jingle Spells 4 is the worst of all the Christmas WRock charity albums over the years, but at least it’s for charity (I bought two copies)
87. Old Apartment by the Barenaked Ladies (Sound Source appearance) – Hey, here’s another version of Old Apartment! This time, it’s from a radio appearance. It’s still a fantastic song.
88. Caravanserai by Loreena McKennitt (An Ancient Muse) – Beautiful, beautiful. I look forward to buying Loreena McKennitt’s newest album, out on February 28.
89. Streets of Hogsmeade by Tonks & the Aurors (We Are Magic) – Another of my favorite Wizard Rock songs. This one has clever lyrics sung so perfectly. It’s from an album that is the 7th Harry Potter book told through Tonks’ point of view. This one is about the resistance movement during the war. “The graffiti on the streets of Hogsmeade reads ‘Dumbledore’s Army.’/And their cries echo through the night, that they will fight/They will fight.”
90. Snow Fall by Bella And Le Strangers (The Red and Green EP) – A holiday-themed WRock album with two different WRock bands coming together.
91. Christmas Wish by ALL CAPS (Bmin / E) – WRockers from different groups broke off and made this side group (they were dating, but I think they’ve broken up now). They put out a few albums and this is a song from the second one.
92. Feeling Good by Nina Simon (Six Feet Under: Everything Ends Soundtrack) – From a CD that came with the Six Feet Under DVDs.
93. On the Square by The Inverness Highlanders (Scotland-Scottish Pipes & Drums) – Oh, I DO love those bagpipes!
94. On the Street by the Cast of RENT (RENT Soundtrack) – I like the original Broadway versions of songs the best, but I adore RENT so of course I needed the movie soundtrack as well
95. Where Have All the Flowers Gone by Peter, Paul, and Mary (album unknown) – I loved this group when I was a kid. This song always makes me sad, but I bought it after Mary died because it’s so beautiful and it’s a part of my past I want to remember
96. Another Mystery by Dar Williams (The Green World) – Dar Williams is my FAVORITE female singer EVER! This is one of my favorite songs of hers, too (and a wonderful album I highly recommend). It’s so upbeat and catchy but deep, just like all her songs are. They’re poetry to music.
97. Make Me Smile (Come Up And See Me) by Steve Harley (Velvet Goldmine Soundtrack) – I love this movie (I named my cat after a character from it) and I listen to the soundtrack often (it’s a movie about musical artists, so music is a huge part of the movie, naturally).
98. Casadh Cam Na Feadarnaighe by Riona Ni Dhomhnail with Touchstone (There Was a Lady: The Voice of Celtic Women) – That was fun to type out. I hope I spelled it all right! Another beautiful Celtic song I have. I love listening to women with amazing voices sing in Gaelic, even if I don’t speak the language (I’ve tried to learn, but I’m awful at languages)
99. We Are Warriors by Roger Bellon (The Best of Highlander the Series Soundtrack) – Highlander: the series was, is, and probably always will be my favorite television show ever. So of course I have soundtracks!
100. I’ll Tell Me Ma by the Blarney Lads (Irish beer Drinking Favorites) – This is a fun but fairly repetitive song. And now I’m going to have this song stuck in my head all day!

Just in case you haven't seen this... it reminds me of just another reason why I love being a fangirl. I'll never wear costumes this freakin awesome, but this video and its message keep making me tear up:


Along those same lines, make sure to check out What Would Buffy Do:


Yeah. I bought the mp3s for both songs (though I bought the WWBD one months ago when it came out). I'm easily influenced.

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!

There are a few things I have to say first, to put my review in proper context. The first is that I love Wizard Rock and the Ministry of Magic and the Remus Lupins are two of my top favorite bands. I am pretty much predisposed to like *anything* that members of these bands put out. This is why I bought the ALL CAPS album on iTunes a year ago. The second thing is that I honestly think that LOST is an awful show. I don't think it's clever; I think the writing is only just above soap opera level. It is crazy or predictable, nothing in-between (which equals bad writing in my book). But I have watched since the very first episode, I like the characters, and I have NEVER missed an episode. When I learned that there were groups out there writing LOST music (like Wizard Rock, only with LOST instead of Harry Potter) I promised myself to never listen to it, let alone buy it.

But then Alex, Luke, and Jason formed a band. And they came out with an AMAZING music video for Mr. Eko. I think I probably watched the video 20 times the first few days it was out, and I sent the link to everyone I knew who watched LOST (including a few people who didn't LOL). And when the Oceanic Six's first album was available for pre-order, I bought it immediately and without hesitation (thank you for the bonus mp3s! The Christmas On the Island song still makes me laugh).

I received the CD in the mail yesterday, and official release day is today. So I thought I'd post my review. But, first, here's a list of their videos. Because the music is fantastic, but I like the videos even more:

• Mr. Eko- October 19, 2009


• Dude- November 25, 2009


• Henry Gale (acoustic)- December 16, 2009


• Christmas On the Island- December 25, 2009


• They Took My Son (acoustic)- January 15, 2010


• Invisible Others- January 15, 2010


• Good Morning Charlie- January 15, 2010

First off, the CD is great: the numbers (as entered on the computer) fill the CD itself over and over again. The quality is incredibly good, as I would have expected from these guys. But, more importantly, there are so many great details in these songs that not only make the songs sound professional and polished but make them sound like they could be right there in the world of LOST.

1. Mr. Eko- my first exposure to the Oceanic Six is still my favorite. I love every aspect of the video, especially, because I love the details and the guys dressed as the various characters. I enjoy the range in this song. It is slow and thoughtful, it is respectful and solemn, it is fast and fun. Mr. Eko is a great (albeit mysterious and troubling) character and it's a perfect song for him!

2. Monster Eats The Pilot- This is the quintessential LOST song, kind of summing up the entire show. It is very well written, catchy, and beautifully performed. "We're lost/All of us, a thousand miles off course/We're lost/Second chance to try for some remorse/We're lost/In a sea of synchronicity/We're lost/The island calls us to our destiny." Even if that, grammatical, should be the plural 'destinies' I don't even mind because the song is SO good :-)

3. Good Morning Charlie- Awww, this is so sweet. I love the journey Charlie goes through throughout the series and his relationship with Claire is wonderful, especially as described here by Kristina & Luke. It's got a fun, reassuring, safe sound to it. It's also got a really nice, bouncy feel. Their voices work so well together (or maybe I only say that because I'm so used to ALL CAPS? No... I do think they're great together in a duet)

4. Henry Gale- I absolutely love this song. It is beautifully written from verses to chorus. I honestly can't get enough of it. It's possibly my second favorite song on the album (even if I hate Ben, LOL).

5. Will You Be My Constant- I don't quite know how to describe this song; the word that comes to mind is that it "swings". The tune is so good, especially the key change, and the fast, constant beat/beep is the perfect touch. I loved hearing the preview of this at the end of their Project for Awesome video! Okay, okay, it's tied for second place on my list of favorites on the album.

6. Dude- Aw, Hugo! Hurley is easily my favorite character on the show and it's fantastic to have a song about him on the album. I sort of feel like it could have used more Hurley-esque humor. But I do like the focus on the curse/luck part of his character. And the chorus is great. I am sort of... less fond of the video, I've got to say. It's good but... I'm honestly not feeling the random dancers. I'm just not sure I buy Sammy G as a Smoke Monster ;-)

7. Orientation- I wasn't sure if I liked this one the first time I heard it, but the chorus with the "Nameste" sold me on it (especially when rhymed with "I will stay"). The song has a softer, slower feel to it than some of the others, which is understandable given the subject matter. The ending effect is utter perfection. This song is a great example of what I mean by details that make the songs fit the island.

8. The Crash- This is a good one, but it's sort of the one song that doesn't stand out for me amongst the rest. I certainly really like it, but I don't find myself walking around singing it :-)

9. They Took My Son- I fell in love with this song when I heard it months back on their iTunes. I didn't like it as much as Mr. Eko but it confirmed my need to buy the whole album. I love the powerful emotions in this one. The refrain of WALT! makes me want to yell along with the song each time I hear it.

10. Invisible Others- This one also has some great emotion behind it as well. It's kind of a spooky one to end on, actually. I totally think the song should be called Invisible Udders.

BONUS. Christmas on the Island- This song amuses me to no end. Fun, clever lyrics. And the bridge cracks me up (and makes me go "Awwww!" :-( along with them). This is definitely a new holiday classic.


EDIT: The official note from the Oceanic Six regarding the chorus of Monster Eats The Pilot is that the chorus is talking as a whole there, so it refers to their common destiny and, therefore, would make sense in the singular. And I would like to thank them for reading this... and kindly not pointing out that I made an obvious spelling mistake (now corrected) while point out a possible grammatical error. Oh, the irony!

I cannot even begin to guess how much time and effort went into this. it's a mashup of the Top 25 Billboard Hits of 2009 and it is BEAUTIFUL! I only know about two-thirds of the songs but even so, it's amazing. I kinda can't stop watching it:


Link (in case the above doesn't work): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iNzrwh2Z2hQ

Buying Hank Green's new album was an impulse buy of sorts for me. I wasn't sure I'd like the choice once I made it, because many of the songs were ones I already owned from his Live album. I'm very glad I did buy it, though. The quality of these studio songs is fantastic; it gives all the songs new life. Not to mention the freaking cool poster and signed (black!) guitar pick I got with it!

The photo below on the right is the album cover, but I couldn't resist pairing it with the inspiration for the cover, Woody Guthrie and his guitar.



DFTBA- As any Nerdfighter will tell you, DFTBA is a key part of life. This is a great take on the abbreviation. It's great hearing all of the versions Nerdfighters have come up with. And how does Hank sing so fast? It's incredible!

This isn't Hogwarts- it might not be Hogwarts, but it IS the song that was the main reason I bought this album. I turned it up LOUD in the car on my way to work and shouted along with the song this morning :-) So great. Even if there is mild Hufflepuff bashing. heehee

Anglerfish- This is such a great, peppy song. I've loved it since the first time I heard it, and I can't wait to try jumping jack-push up-dance moves to it this weekend

I Know- Simple and clever. Classic Hank.

Mules are So Half Ass- Talk about clever! So many great puns, so little time. I've listned to it 5 times now and I think I've finally heard all the jokes now.

Scuzzy Kizoozle Curl- one of the songs I didn't like so much on the live album, it totally stole my heart this time around! Possibly it was the Irish influence in this version that did it. But I totally have fun singing along with this one now! I'm impressed

Protons and Neutrons- It's deep and slow. Makes you think. Nice change of pace from the others, but I think I like the faster songs the best so...

Dead Boy's Girlfriend- Two, count them: TWO Wizard Rock songs on the album! I can't get enough of either of them, but I do really love this one. The line about finding three girls at the bottom of the lake and it being "freaking Ron Weasley who was waiting for me" cracks me up every time. I actually shrieked and laughed out loud when I heard it this morning on the drive to work. I'd heard the song before but I'd forgotten how much I liked that bit. LOL

Demolition Derby- I've never seen a Demolition Derby and I don't really think it's my thing, so while I can appreciate the subject matter, I can't really relate to it enough to love the song. It's a good song though *shrug*

Fathers of the Founding Fathers- this was one of the few I'd never heard before! It's also pretty classic Hank Green- super clever writing and fast singing and peppy and sticks in your head. Love it

Ulcertive Colitis- my mother has Ulcerative Colitis as well so I totally feel for Hank here on this one. Kind of amazing that after all the crap (pun intended) I've seen my mom go through over the illness, this song still made me smile :-)

I'm not Edward Cullen- epic, this. So hilarious and scary at the same time! A great pseudo parody just in time for New Moon's release. And it's certainly a lot better, this version where his wife sings with him, compared to the version on the live album where he tries to sing the woman's part at the same time. LOL Humorous, that, but the song is fantastic in and of itself.

Crime Dramas Suck- so true. Except for NCIS; I love that one. LOL But, seriously, this is a great song. Great tune, great writing.

Jesus Gets Nothing for Christmas- I hadn't heard this one before either, and I laughed out loud the first time I heard it, so much so that I had to stop the song and explain it to my coworker. LOL

The Vegetables- Eh. I think this one works a heck of a lot better as a video with the photos of vegetables. It's a fine song but I missed the iPod-color scheme visuals. The repetition is... I dunno. I don't like the song on its own so much. It's well done on the album, but I prefer the video.

Nerdfighteria Island- I also think I like the video version better, because of all the awesome drawings of the island. But it's really a fantastic song on its own as well. I would move there in a second!

It All makes Sense at the End- aww. This one actually makes me rather sad. So many hours and days and years of life going into certain things compared to other things. And the end... so sweet.


On a whole, I really love the album and am soooooooooooooo happy to own it! How could I have ever doubted that? Crazy Kate :-)

I caught Kwikspell (more on that in next post) performing at Wrockstock and consequently had "Voldemort Killed the Hufflepuff Star" stuck in my head for a good portion of the morning (until I got to a FaerieCon panel about Robin Hood during which the panelist sang, but that was just a lucky break). And last week Diagon Alley was a featured WRock band. So this post is going to be about a few of the lesser-known WRockers I've been listening to for the past week.

I also quickly wanted to say YAY! because I thought I'd lost my Danny Dementor EP but I found it Friday night when I was frantically searching for an audio book that should have been somewhere on my desk and wasn't. I didn't find that in time but I did find the Danny Dementor EP tucked inside one of my GPS instruction manuals. I'm relieved now!

Anyway, I listened to all of Diagon Alley's songs on MySpace and really like their sound. It's unique and I really, really like that when it comes to WRock. It reminds me of some muggle (Celtic-y/folk-y) bands I like, which is good. I'm not so in love that I rushed right out and bought their CD. But I'm thinking about it.

Then I went over to Kwikspell's MySpace and discovered her album, Magic 101, was free for download. So I downloaded it. I entered the incubation period with it pretty quickly and that hasn't ended yet. The vocals are a little soft compared with the rest of the instrumentals so I found it difficult to hear the songs when I played them in my normal manner. But once I had a change to really listen to them, I loved them muchly (I'll do an album post later).

One of the songs on Kwikspell's album features Statutory Snape, which is perhaps the best band name on the face of the Earth. They describe themselves as the Bag Fries of the WRock World. Awwww. So I listened to their songs on MySpace and really liked them as well. Not all are from Snape's POV but I especially liked one that was. And, in general, the quality is fantastic and the songs are well-written. I'll definitely keep my eyes on them. I've always loved bag fries-- they're like little bonuses. You think you've had it all and you're done and then, suddenly, some surprising tasty goodness is left for you to enjoy. It's awesome :-)

OMG I wish I were going to Wrockstock this weekend!

They manage Pirates of the Caribbean, Star Wars, Looking for Alaska, and Harry Potter all in one video. East India Trading Ministry? AWESOME! I mean... awful!

Free Toby!


But the good news is, I'll be able to watch a little of the concerts on LiveStream. I should be home from FaerieCon in enough time to catch the Mudbloods' last performance. *crosses fingers*

Using only song names from ONE ARTIST, cleverly answer these questions. Pass it on to 15 people you like and include me. Try not to repeat a song title. It's harder than you think.

Pick Your Artist: Dar Williams

Are you male or female: Flirty Kind of Woman

Describe yourself: I Love, I Love

How do you feel about yourself: I Have Lost My Dreams

Describe where you currently live: Mortal City

If you could go anywhere you wanted to go: The Ocean

Your favorite form of transportation: Road Buddy

Your best friend is: My Friends

Your favorite color is: Blue Light of the Flame

What's the weather like: It Happens Every Day

Favorite time of day: Calling the Moon

If your life were a TV show, what would it be called: As Cool As I Am

What is life to you: The Great Unknown

What is the best advice you have to give: Teenagers, Kick Our Butts

If you could change your name, what would it be: I Won't Be Your Yoko Ono

Your favorite food is: Bought and Sold

Thought for the Day: What Do You Love More Than Love

How I would like to die: You're Aging Well

My soul's present condition: Another Mystery

The faults I can bear: Troubled Times

My motto: It's Alright