BABFBD

You know how we do:

This is Tracey [right], my resident wife and and official bad ass. Today is her birthday, but don't ask her because she'll say it's the 7th. As you may recall, I moved to New York in March of '09 funky fresh out of college to start a wet dream job at an ad agency. Tracey has been an integral contribution to my sanity and acclamation to this retard psycho circus they like to call Manhattan/corporate America/adulthood. There were a million places I could have gone, jobs I could have taken, people I could have met. However, the universe decided it was time for me to meet a friend that reinstates hope in fate; the kind of gal that restores order to the universe and reminds you 'hey, maybe I made the right decision, after all'. She's taken me so many places, and traveled home with me to Ohio and West Virginia. We've been to foggy London town and the Jersey Shore, and next on our list is, in fact, your song of the day. Thanks to a superb recco, I think I've found the track that captures everything I love about said best friend, and everything she's helped me through in such a short amount of time. Happy birthday Czykk, if you thought this quarter of your life was crazy, imagine how the next one's going to be with me in it.

Cheers,
Merman

Villagers > Cold Sweet Potatoes

That's what's for breakfast:

Word to the wise: Don't do it. Just don't.

Speaking of potatoes, there is only one thing that could console me from this tragedy that is my breakfast. And that's my favorite Irish lova, Coner J. O'Brien, who fronts Villagers during the times we aren't swooning. The track 'Becoming a Jackal' is so good, I personally nominated it for a Mercury Prize in July, but decided not to elect it the winner because then, I might have to share. Upon reflection, I think it's time... now, does anyone want these fucking terrible potatoes?

Cheers,
Merman

Sexual Chocolate!

'Banoffee' Toffee Pie, Vegan Chocolate Ganache, Sweet Parsnip ca-HOLYFUCK-ke.

Sexual. That's the word you were looking to succinctly describe what sits in my face this evening. Reason enough to hang out in a Greenwich village 1 bed/showroom, surrounded by ADDivas at a swanktimate getogether. Really, it's the only way I could describe roommate 1's birthday.

Speaking of white hot, sexy, yummy take off your pants jams, here's one for the cakes. I Can See it in Your Face is a little diddy by Pretty Lights off 'Making Up a Changing Mind' EP. It's bit too cool for me. Kind of like the way that intellectual sexual sitting in the back of the Harlem speakeasy looks with his bow tie and skullcandy headphones, deliberately perched around a flannel neck. It's the perfect mix of sticky salty, with muted trumpets dubbed over Daft Punk's modulators, James Brown's organ, and Moby's famed soul singers. After 7 minutes of the stuff (and by stuff, I mean the aforementioned cakes, intellectual sexual, or this track) you'll need a cigarette.

Cheers,

Merman

The little guys

Found in the H&M Fitting rooms in SoHo:

His name is Dudley, and we have a lot in common, actually. Small, cute if you have good taste, and watching tons of women buy clothes all day that we would NEVER wear (mesh orange riding pants?) And that's okay, because we're both rich in ways those wonkies can't touch. We're, as it turns out, the richest kids in town.

So, in honor of priceless charm that so few people in NYC enjoy, your song today is This Is Ivy League, The Richest Kids in Town. I'm a sucker for sentiment, as are many 20 something ladies besotted with the 1950's; This is Ivy League conjure such a sensibility.

Cheers,

Merman

Jeff Bridges Hearts Deerhunter

Two things everyone like: Jeff Bridges and Black & White. God. Just look at that poetry. Stunning! There's something about black and white, it can make anything look purposefully elegant. Nevermind he's probably kill shotting someone from a mirror over his shoulder, which is already way fucking elegant.

Jeff Bridges gets it, and apparently, so does Deerhunter. Take their new video for example. Slap a few overlapping reels of faces dubbed over LA Sunsets and dark spots and you've got yourself a timeless piece.

That being said, if I had to pick a song I think this B&WJB (see what I did there?) would like, it'd have to be Deerhunter's new one, 'Helicopter'. Classy, accessible, sexy, bubbly, all attributes both Jeff and Deerhunter share.

Off of their new album Halcyon Digest, released in September, it's one song of many 'I know-everyone's-saying-Deerhunter-is-good-but-I-just-haven'- listened-to-them-ye-ohhhh, yeah-they-actually-are...' songs. I'll admit, I have much to learn about them, but in the mean time, let's all share in this classy Black and white video:

And remember, if you just can't figure out a way to make it classy, just put it in black and white.

Cheers,
Merman

Grab 2 Beers and Jump!

Today at the office, a disgruntled employee lost his voice, freaked out on the account team, and quit via resignation letter and 'fuck you' e-mail to the entire company. Classy. Kind of like this! He only left one piece of himself, meticulously placed at the corner of his recklessly abandoned desk. Not unlike a serial killer's calling card, like an Ace playing card, or a severed ear - as if to say 'Your welcome, corporate America':

Just kidding. That's mine. To be fair, he was acting a dash 'swedish candy toy dog' today. But hey, if you - newest member of the Fuck you Jet Blue community - see this post and decide to wear my skin as a dress, I want you to remember one thing. One time I went to the corner store and bought you Swedish Fish. Yeah, I saw that look in your Rage induced twitching glimmering eye. That's right... just put the gun down... Swedish Fish.

Anyway. This song is for you. And by for you, I mean not at you, but what I think you would want to sa-uhhh forget it...

Cheers,
Merman

Daily Drop, Montly Mix.

So you guessed it by now. I forget about this thing sometimes. I also think that when I say 'you', I really me 'me' and 2 other 'you's'. I'm guessing it's Don & Dylan, but I digress. So here's the deal: Daily track. Monthly Mix. And a picture of my life to boot. I think I can handle it.

This is Grace. She's not a business man, she's a business, man. I went home to Ohio for a Keller family reunion this weekend, and I must say, I think I know where I get my swagger. Speaking of which, I can't think of one track more fitting. Stylish, genuine - an instant classic. Pretty much sums up both Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros, and my little cousin Grace.

Home, released in 2009, is a bit of a departure for Alex Ebert, who was also the lead singer for Ima robot. Under this new rootin' tootin' maw & paw moniker, he's crafted some sort of time warp that manages to contrive both nostalgia and freshness. On Sunday my sister and I were listening to NPR's bluegrass hour, and she mentioned that [they] just don't make music like they used to. I beg to differ, and this track is why. 'Home' is like the first leaves of fall. Specifically, it's the smell. All other seasons let you forget how much you love a woodsy smell that sinks into the skin, and every September it still feels new in lungs. That's how I felt about seeing my family. And that's how I think I'll feel about this song in 20 years. So thanks, Mr. Sharp. You've saved me from a lot of song writing classes, guitar lessons and tortured nights of longing and reflection. Shew!

Cheers,

Merman