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Editors' Picks
Fall 2008

Jessica's Picks

The Bees

Just a note before we get going with these--all of my picks are bands this month. OK so The Bees! They are British (big surprise, right?), they are indie rock, but their sound is influenced by 60s rock, reggae, country and jazz. They sound American but they're not; it's pretty awesome. I discovered them through the new iTunes upgrade and the Genius sidebar. I forget what I was listening to that led me to them, but I previewed all the songs and then bought all the albums I could find. Here in the US they're known as A Band of Bees, so I had to do some searching. I took the liberty of reviewing their most recent album Octopus, so go read it, then go listen. You won't be sorry.

White Rabbits

Oh man. I had their album Fort Nightly on repeat at work for about a day and I never got tired of it. I like their beats. On Myspace one of their genres is "tropicalia" and you know what? I have to agree a little; I don't care if it was a joke. I love their first track "Kid on my Shoulders." The beat is almost addictive, with the piano just wobbling between three or four notes and the constant chk-chk of the maracas. Also another great song is "March of the Camels." I am such a sucker for bands that use pianos. But check them out, really.

Os Mutantes

The very best of Brazilian early 70s psychedelia rock. I think even if you don't speak Portuguese you can still appreciate it for what it is. They're so cool The Bees covered the song "Minha Menina," which is probably Os Mutantes most popular song. Think The Beatles circa 1968-69 and their trippiest songs with a female singer and a few more acid trips, plus some samba. My host mother in Brazil was a big fan of them, as was my host sister. By the way, Os Mutantes translates into The Mutants.

I've more than likely talked about this band before, but dude, they deserve to be talked about more. It's really a pity they're not around anymore because they made some great music. Another British band, I first heard of this band when their song "Dry the Rain" was featured in a scene in the movie High Fidelity. They are self-described as folk hop: a blend of folk, trip hop and experimental jamming. Their catchiest album, in my opinion, is Heroes to Zeros, the best song from that album being "Simple." It starts out with a few strings and then just builds as it goes on. Perfection.

Mary's Picks

30 Rock

This comedy show starring Tina Fey and Alec Baldwin is humorous on several levels. It's a mixture of humor types. One of my roommates got me interested in this show, seeing as he took over the living room one day and this was what he was watching. The basis of the show is that Tina Fey and her creative team produce a comedy show that airs on the NBC network. Tina Fey's character, Liz Lemon, is one of the comedy writers and is basically in charge of the show. It is kind of hard to do the show justice by simply explaining the premise, I suggest you just watch it to get the full effect.

Vagabond Jewelry

So I found this website a while a go, Vagabond jewelry and I really love the pieces of jewelry on it. The artist, Kest Schwartzman, creates pieces out of metal, mainly copper sometimes incorporating brass and aluminum. The main idea was creating something you can wear without causing damage to it. Also, it is pretty close fitting so there is not a high chance of it catching or falling off easily. I love it because each piece is uniquely made and one of a kind. I love seeing art in different mediums and this just makes my heart smile.

Peanut Butter M&M's

I have decided that one of the best combinations ever created is peanut butter and chocolate. Which is why I believe that the best M&M's come in the reddish bag, the peanut butter ones. I usually pick up a bag or two whenever I go to the supermarket because I know at one point in the week I am going to be craving them. I'm not sure what it is about this combination that makes it so delicious; all I know is that it is wonderful. Reese's Peanut butter cups are just as wonderful, but for some reason I think it's more fun to eat M&M's.

So I was reminiscing of the days gone by (a.k.a. I was thinking about when I was younger) and I remember when I was in the third grade our class had pen pals. I forgot the point behind it, some sort of class project, but I remember being really excited each time we got new letters. I don't know why, but I've always loved sending and receiving mail. Even now, when most of life is electronic I love getting real mail. Although, I do enjoy emailing, since it's less time in between letters. And there is a copy of the last thing you said, so when your friend or whomever finally replies you can actually remember what you were talking about. Anyway, that was my moment of nostalgia, it happens when my mind wanders for too long. I just love the thought of meeting someone new, or keeping in touch with an old friend. If anyone wants to be pen pals, I'm totally up for it. Email me. It could be fun.

Maegan's Picks

Ace Of Cakes

I've really liked this show for a long time. I never really found time to watch it--or any other TV show, to be honest--until recently. Every night before I go to bed, it's on for about an hour, so I watch as often as possible. The cakes they create are amazing and so intricate it blows my mind. Duff is so fun, I'd love to be friends with him and work ad Charm City Cakes. And besides, Geof is so adorable and cake-dorky, I love it. But you know, that's just how I do.

Yoplait Light Fat Free Yogurt

When I was a freshman in college (oh gosh, that iwas a good two years ago now), I would eat yogurt everyday. It's individual wrapping made it really easy to steal a couple yogurts during every meal in the dining hall. Since then, the dining hall changed the supplier they get their yogurt from, but lucky for me, I live off campus now and therefore buy my own yogurt. Yoplait offers a large selection of flavors, so it makes it so much better because I eat it every morning for breakfast. Although, I'll admit, Harvest Peach will always be my favorite. It's just so delicious!

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I think it's no secret that Fall Out Boy is one of my very favorite bands of all time. So it's no surprise that I was flailtastically [yes, I did just make that word up] excited to hear the first single off their brand new album. The sound is a little more 80's pop-rock, a little less hardcore like their musical roots lie. You can definitely hear their recently expressed obsession with the musicianship of Michael Jackson--but at the same time, it doesn't sound like they completely copied him. I literally cna not sit still while I listen to this song; I just wanna dance around like a fool. If I love this song as much as I do, I absolutely can't wait to hear what the rest of the new album sounds like.

I've always preferred painting over any other form of physical art, ever since I was a little girl. Around the beginning of Speakerphone Magazine, I had also gotten into painting with acrylic paints on canvas. I did a little bit over last semester and what not, but it wasn't until midway through this past summer that I started painting a lot. It's only gotten to be more frequent too. Just this past week alone, I finished three paintings and started a fourth. It's a very therapeutic thing for me, to paint. I put on some music and just go for a couple hours--sometimes thinking intently, other times I zone out and let the music and paint collide in my mind.

Brittany's Picks

Wicked French for the Traveler

I have a weakness for words, so this clever little phrasebook has been a longtime favorite. I keep giving away my copy and buying new ones, I like it so well. A book to be shared.

Google Documents

The past couple months, I've had a few issues with my computer. The ability to use Google Docs (and the superior functionality it has next to Adobe's Buzzword) has been so useful in continuing work on several projects.

Potatoes

I have been a lifelong fan of the spud; I used to have pictures of potatoes, not celebrities, taped to my walls in my teenage years. Is there anything more filling?

I hate the climate of Denver, but the "mile high city" has a really great perk. Going to concerts is often hilarious, because musicians unused to the lower oxygen level say really weird things.

[Photos courtesy of Google Images, Amazon, and MySpace.]