Sanders Bohlke

So last week I was watching the Teen Mom finale on DV-R and found myself rewinding the show 5 times to figure out the lyrics to this beautiful song so that I could find the artist. After several failed google attempts, I resorted to MTV.com to find the artist and there he was: Sanders Bohlke.

Hopefully you will love this song as much as I: "Til My Days Are Through"

I'm In Australia!

I forgot to mention- I'm in Australia until June.
Australia kind of lacks much (cheap) access to this thing called internet. So MuseSicklyChallenged will be on hold until I return.

The good news: I've found a lot of good new music.

Corinne Bailey Rae Releases Her Sophomore Album, The Sea

After the tragic death of her husband and a four-year musical hiatus, Corinne Bailey Rae returns with her long-awaited sophomore album, The Sea.

A few songs on The Sea were composed prior to Jason Rae's death, but Corinne Bailey Rae admits that of the songs take on a different meaning after his passing.

To be honest, I was a little disappointed with Bailey Rae's follow-up to her self-titled debut album. After her hiatus, I expected intimate ballads of love and loss but instead her emotional state seemed rather opaque and mysterious. A bit schizophrenic, the album jumps from eerie rock-ballads to heart-wrenching melodies about death. The charming vulnerability that appeared on her debut album is perhaps more haunting on The Sea.

While I would have preferred to hear more personal and intimate artistry on The Sea, I'm not sure that it's fair to judge the album by this short-coming, alone.

The musicality of the The Sea is quite different from Corinne's debut release. More rock-influenced and at times mystical, The Sea presents a new side of Corinne Bailey Rae

Tracks to hear:

• Closer
• I Would Like to Call It Beauty
• The Sea
• Little Wing

Buy this album if you like: Yael Naim

Listen to Corinne talk about her new album

Drew Holcomb and the Neighbors

Sorry for my not-so-eloquent post. But it's 1:00 AM and I've been in "Finals Mode" for the past two weeks. While "writing my Islam paper" yesterday, I found this band and really liked them. I have to admit, at first I thought, "they aren't really my cup of tea" but I soon changed my mind.


So, follow this link and check out Drew Holcomb and the Neighbors.

• Song Suggestions: "Hung The Moon" and "The Wire"

I didn't want to post a video because I thought you might not check out the link- but I'm going to anyway. But please still look at the link and listen to those songs.

Because I'm in the Christmas spirit and it snowed over a foot this weekend, I'll post their cover of "Baby, It's Cold Outside." Of course it's no comparison to the original, but quite cute.

Duffy "I'm Scared"

As if it's not obvious yet, I have an obsession with singer-songwriters. And if you've really been paying attention, you probably know that I have an obsession with European singer-songwriters, specifically. For obvious reasons, I love male songwriters (accents, metrosexual vibe-- what more could I ask for?).

But, generally speaking, I'm not a huge fan of female artists. However I can't help but be in love with some of the female artists coming out of Europe these days. Their sound is so pure and raw that it honestly leaves me speechless(which is quite a feat)

I've had Duffy's "I'm Scared" stuck in my head all day. Love it!

Here are some other European female artists you should check out: Corrine Bailey Rae, Adele, Laura Izibor

Rage Against the Machine- Testify

Rage Against the Machine is one of my favorite bands of all time and I was fortunate enough to see them perform at Rock The Bells in 2007 and it was one of the best live performances I've seen. I really enjoy this music video and I hope you will too.

This Is Music!

This is one of my favorite songs. I need a boy man who will write me a song like this. Any takers, please send me an email.

You Make It Easy- James Taylor

Chariot Stripped- Gavin Degraw

I have this terrible habit of buying a CD when it first comes out and then listening to that CD only for the next 4-5 months. I guess you could call it devotion...but it's borderline obsession and I'm not sure that it's healthy. Back around 2003 or 2004, Gavin Degaw's "I Don't Want To Be," hit the radio and was an instant hit. A few people doubted his success and thought he would be a one-hit wonder, until his second single, "Chariot" debuted. After hearing the first single, I convinced my mom to buy me the "Chariot Deluxe Edition" which included two albums: "Chariot" and "Chariot Stripped"

Now I must say, had I only heard "Chariot," I probably would not have been a Gavin Degraw fan. But after hearing the first song on "Chariot Stripped," I was instantly hooked. Soon, my roommates began to love Gavin as well-- mostly because it was only music I would allow to be played aloud in our room.

But this evening, I had "Follow Through" stuck in my head and I turned to "Chariot Stripped" for the first time in probably 2 years and I don't know why I ever stopped listening.

This album is truly outstanding. The highlight for me is his cover of Sam Cooke's "A Change is Going to Come." He also does a fantastic cover of "A Song for You."




Anyway, the point of this post was to get you all to check out "Chariot Stripped." I promise you won't be disappointed!

As for Gavin's follow-up albums, "Gavin Degraw," and "Free" (a deceiving name for a $9.99 album), I was less than impressed. But "Chariot Stripped" is truly a gem and I highly recommend buying this one.

Free Music Alert!!

A few freebies. Like Matt Wertz? Funny, so do I!! Check out his FREE live album here!


Who else is giving out free music? Menya of course! Check out their mixtape "The Sleepover Series" here!

Call My Name- Bright Like Japan

I was listening to my iPod this morning (instead of writing my sociology paper) and came across Bright Like Japan and realized I never actually wrote about them.

Bright Like Japan is a twosome from Chicago and I loove their sound. They kind of remind me a bit of 90s pop and as you probably know by now, that's my favorite kind of nostalgia. Something like a blend between Maroon 5 and Hanson, these guys are pretty awesome. "Call My Name" was the first song that I heard by them and is by far my favorite! Enjoy!

Ill State Of Mind- Neeko

These days, every aspiring musician posts his or her music on YouTube or Myspace in hopes that the right person might happen to come across their website. Ultimately, this is how many artists get discovered but there are millions of acts that go unknown.

But imagine how amazing it would be to post a song, gather a few thousand hits, have your song played on the radio, and at a stadium during the World Series all within a few days. Well, that's what happened to the YouTube sensation, Neeko.

A fellow Phillies fan sent me a link to this video the day it was posted. When Neeko discovered that the Philadelphia Phillies would be playing the New York Yankees in the 2009 World Series, he wrote "Ill State of Mind," appropriating the beat from New York native, Jay Z's "Empire State of Mind."

Within a few days hours Phillies fans began passing around this viral video and soon a Facebook group formed, demanding that Neeko get the chance to perform at the first home game of the World Series.

How's that for inspiration?

This Is It

I just got back from seeing Michael Jackson's "This Is It" and all I have to say is : "love.love.love"

This movie was a great look at Michael Jackson as a creative genius. Rather than focusing on his tragedy, the film really looked at his mastery as an artist. I don't want to get into the details because I'm sure that not everyone seen it yet and I really think you should get out there and see this film for yourself.

Even if you're not the biggest Michael Jackson fan in the world, this film does a great job of revealing the behind the scenes work. Ever wonder what goes into the pyro, choreography, wardrobe, and set changes of your favorite concerts? Well this truly is it.

After watching the movie, the one thing I wanted more than ever was to see the actual performance. It's a desire-- a void, if you will, that will never be filled. The thought and creativity that went into the production of this tour was truly outstanding.


When I was leaving the theater, I surveyed the demographic of the audience and perhaps that was one of the most touching aspects of the experience. I saw elderly couples, middle aged groups, teenagers, and children who looked to be about four years old. Yet, everyone came out of the theater with their Michael Jackson lanyard around their neck.

More than the King of Pop, Michael Jackson was is the voice of several generations. I think back to "We Are the World" and it becomes clear that he really had a universal message to send. If you go see, "This Is It," I'm sure that message will become clear.

"I'm starting with the man in the mirror/I'm asking him to change his ways/And no message could have been any clearer/If you wanna make the world a better place/Take a look at yourself and then make a change" --MJ

Electric Wire Hustle

Above, you will see my new pictorial masterpiece that I believe perfectly describes
this band I just heard.

Right about now, you're probably wondering, "Ashley, what kind of drugs are you on?" And the answer would be that I just finished reading my Psychology homework and I am high on life. As you may have guessed, Psyc 001 didn't really do the trick for me but Electric Wire Hustle sure did. The reason it took me approximately 10 hours to complete 30 pages of reading, simply comes down to the fact that I was distracted by their myspace.

When I listen to Electric Wire Hustle, I hear an amazing Motown vibe coming from this group of three charming men. People use the term-neo soul quite often but EWH really has something authentically old school about their sound.

So, now you're probably wondering what these pictures have to do with EWH.
Well, I will tell you.

The Roots: EWH has the same hip-hop soul vibe of Philly-favorite, The Roots. Also, an admirable quality that both groups share is that....(drum roll please) they both play their own music- crazy isn't it!

Marvin Gaye: As I said before, there is something authentically old school about this group that I can't really put a finger on. Once you have a listen, though, I'm sure you'll feel it- very reminiscent of Marvin Gaye. Listen to "They Don't Want"- featuring a little Mayfield influence as well (on myspace)!

Kiwi: And finally the big mystery of my pictorial tapestry-- the Kiwi. Despite their soulful, Motown-esque sound, EWH is from none other than New Zealand! Crazy, right?! I mean, I can't name any musicians from New Zealand (although I admit that this is because of my ignorance of New Zealand's culture and not because of the quality of their music). But when you listen to these guys, I'm sure that you, like I, would never guess that they were Kiwi's (and rather ripe looking if I may say so myself).

So here's an actual picture of Electric Wire Hustle

And here's their video for, "Perception." Check out their myspace for more!

"3"- Britney Spears

Only a matter of seconds before this video is removed (copyright) haha but I wanted to at least try to share it. I love Britney Spears and I am 100% not ashamed to admit it. Because I have been spending the last hour listening to her newest single, "3" (while I should have been reading Psychology), I wanted to post it on here. This is for all of your hermits who haven't heard this infectious song yet.

Now let's be clear: the lyrics are rather....lackluster. But Britney always had ridiculous production and the writing is so catchy. Even the boys in middle school who claimed to hate "Baby One More Time" were rocking out to it at every school dance. So let's at least give her credit where it's due.

This is not the official video- rather, it is a mash up of her previous videos (tears of nostalgia) .



Okay so even if you hate Britney Spears, you can't tell me this isn't catchy. I mean, you could tell me that but by the end of the day you'll be hating me because you can't get it out of your head.

Jay Z Rhapsody Commercial

How hot is this? I love it!! You have to know a little about his Discography to get it...

Kanye West Strikes Again

In Case You Missed It.

Jay Z takes on Madison Square Garden on 9/11

So, allegedly, there was controversy about whether or not it is okay to perform on 9/11. I don't really understand why. Sure, I think that we should take time to remember the heros and victims of 9/11 but I don't think the earth should stand still. Anywho, I found this clip on TMZ and enjoyed it so I wanted to share.

Also, I loves me some John Mayer. Watch the whole thing- it gets better toward the middle.

Scarlett Johansson

Have you ever stayed up so late watching VH1 that music videos actually come on? Crazy phenomenon isn't it? Who would think that VH1 ("Video Hits One") would actually play music videos? Well it turns out that between approximately 3am and 6am that's exactly what they do and I saw a whole bunch of nifty videos.

Now the Pete Yorn and Scarlett Johansson video wasn't my favorite music video but I was pleasantly surprised by Scarlett Johansson's voice.
Check out "Relator."

So here's the deal: Pete Yorn and Scarlett Johansson are set to release a series of duets, titled "Break Up." (ZOMG! it's like Sunny and Cher!) Judging from "Realtor" I think this might be a worthwhile investment. "Break Up" Comes out September 15th but you can
pre-order it and get the details here.

Jeremy Messersmith

I found Jeremy Messersmith this Summer while looking for music during my internship at Atlantic. When I selected, "Franklin Avenue," on his Myspace, I heard the voice of
a Demi-God
...no, more like a Semi-God
...I don't know but it was definitely something divine!

I love Elliott Smith's music, and if you know me, you know that I frequently complain that I will never get to see him live. But, when I heard "Franklin Avenue" I was instantly reminded of Elliott Smith and instantly fell in love with Jeremy Messersmith.

I knew immediately that he must be the son of Elliott Smith
...but I've found no supporting evidence for this hypothesis.
Upon listening to the rest of his work, it's clear that Messersmith is not a replica of Elliott Smith but the influence is undeniable.

I saw this link to Jeremy's new song on his Twitter and I love it.
Check out, " A Girl, a Boy, and a Graveyard"

City Line

Yay- a Philly band! So, I heard about City Line by following World Cafe Live's "Philly Rising" open mic. For some reason, this band brings me back to my childhood. Reminds me a little of Howie Day or Gavin Degraw (okay so maybe not really my childhood) but there are four of them! City Line is a quartet of young men from Philadelphia and the surrounding area. Their harmonies are so beautiful and heartfelt. I'm not sure if I've fallen in love, simply because I'm a girl, but I think they're worth a listen.

No videos. not even any pictures. Sorry for the lack of digital media in this post, but if you go to this link, you can hear their music!