Blog — "albums"

I've got the rainy day blues. And by day, I actually mean days. Spring is usually beautiful in Baltimore. It's the time of year when we can look forward to weather in the low 70s, cherry blossom lined streets, tennis in the park, outdoor meals along the water, pints and music on the rooftop deck with friends. But March never warmed up (except for one beautiful Friday afternoon) and we're now a week into April still with no beautiful weather in sight. Instead, all we've seen are cold days with rain-- lots of rain.

Last night turned into a lazy night with homemade vegetable soup and bread. While cooking, music is a must so I turned to perhaps the most perfectly named album of all time-- The Jayhawks' Rainy Day Music. Rainy Day Music does in fact embody exactly how I feel on a rainy day. Slightly lazy with just enough energy to mimic the endless drumming of the rain on the sidewalks and streets. Minor keys made for melancholy days like these. Acoustic and electric tones mixed with a little organ weaved into melodies here and there. Vocals that are soothing yet leave you with that same slightly gritty feeling you have after being caught in a downpour. And melody lines that tease you with a pop of sun, only to see it disappear again behind the clouds once more. This album, no doubt, is most definitely rainy day music.

This morning I woke up with that lazy feeling again. Maybe it was the long school week, but more than likely it was the rain. So onto the stereo goes Rainy Day Music while I sit and enjoy my cup of coffee. And so far it is riding out the rain-- we have clouds now and maybe we'll be teased with that sun later.

Just for the record, in case you didn't know, I love music.  Oh, and I also make cards. Today I was doing both and came up with these fun ones that'd be perfect for any serious music lover! I was listening to Baltimore based band The Bridge this morning while sipping away at my coffee, of course! And as I begin designing, I came up with this sort of High Fidelity-like design. Why High Fidelity, you might ask? Well simply because Rob, the main character, is obsessed with vinyl and music-- a music snob at the least. Plus, High Fidelity is only my favorite book and only written by my favorite author, Nick Hornby. And so it is, my favorite design of the moment was created.

Now to go back to another important item on the list. I mentioned listening to The Bridge. I had not listened to them a whole lot-- only here and there. However, they are expecting a new album out on February 1st and they have been getting all sorts of airplay on my favorite radio station WTMD. So naturally I wanted to check out the album. The new album is called National Bohemian, no doubt after Natty Boh, our beloved Baltimore beer. It is produced by Steve Berlin of Los Lobos, another fabulous band that is an absolute must to include in your music repertoire. Currently, The Bridge are streaming the full album on their website. Enjoy!