urgency to bleed

Yes, I have made a triumphant return if anyone has actually missed me. To make up for my unscheduled absence these past few weeks, I'm working on a Christmas/winter/December themed mix but that'll take another week or so, so here are a few other things to keep you busy.

First of all, I saw Tegan and Sara last night. It's a little bittersweet, seeing as the show was completely kick-ass but it also marked the end of my concertgoing for at least a few months. Despite that, it was awesome. They didn't play any really old songs (pre-If It Was You) but I just realized that really, there are only three or four from those albums that are near the top of my all-time favorites so I'm not that disappointed. They did play most of the songs from their latest album The Con, along with a sprinkling of the best of So Jealous and If It Was You. Highlights included a rocking version of "So Jealous", a mass crowd sing-along to the main set closer "Call It Off", and well, pretty much the whole thing. There was also, of course, a lot of hilarious banter, mainly courtesy of Sara who I have completely fallen in love with after last night. I love Tegan, too, but I'm on a total Sara kick right now. Also, Northern State opened and their music isn't really my thing but they were really fun and energetic and had great stage presence. Here's a song from them and a few Tegan and Sara songs as well:

• Northern State - Better Already
• Tegan and Sara - City Girl
• Tegan and Sara - Floorplan
• Tegan and Sara - So Jealous

Also, I realized that I hardly ever listen to the CD samplers I get with Paste magazine every month so since I had nothing better to do, I listened to the latest one on the way to the concert and found a few songs that I adore. So, naturally, I will share:

• Ingrid Michaelson - Die Alone

Okay, I actually already knew this song, but I didn't realize how awesome it was until now. It's cute and poppy but the loud guitar riffs and layered vocals make it a bit more edgy and memorable. Also, I love Ingrid's voice.

• Jens Lekman - The Opposite of Hallelujah

The instrumentation in this song is pure ear candy and the chorus is absolute pop perfection. I'm not completely sold on his voice yet but it's growing on me. Basically, it reminds me very much of Camera Obscura if they had a male lead singer instead. It's almost too sweet. And handclaps, too! Everyone knows that's one of my weaknesses.

• Me'Shell Ndegéocello - The Sloganeer: Paradise

I'm not sure why I like this so much because it's nothing like what I usually listen to, but I was half-falling asleep in the car and this caused me to wake up and pay attention again. I was even more surprised to find out who the artist was because I've listened to Me'Shell a bit in the past and I don't remember her sounding like this at all. The first thing I thought of was Imogen Heap but the only thing that's really similar to her is the higher airy vocals and that it's very electronic; it's much more experimental and unstructured overall than Imogen, though. And it sounds like about three different people singing but I think it's all her, so kudos for that.

• The Trolleyvox - I Call on You

Straightforward catchy indie pop-rock. There's nothing really unique or spectacular about it but I really like it. I think it's partly due to the singer's voice, which is kind of flat and nasally but not completely overbearing in those aspects. And it's kind of retro '70s sounding but still very modern. But mostly it's just catchy, catchy, catchy.