You know what they say about banging your head against a brick wall...

it feels so good when you stop.

Steampunkt

I shouldn't have looked...but I did...at Amazon.com, the beckoning header that reads "If you like Abney Park, we recommend these..."

And there they were:  a lovely selection of more steampunk bands that I, indeed, did sample and enjoy immensely.

So far, I've been a good and frugal girl and haven't actually bought any of them.  I placed them on my wish list instead of in my shopping cart and felt very proud for having resisted kneejerk temptation.   However, it's been only a couple days...and they are still there...whispering...singing...and flying their airships in the back of my mind.

In any case, here's what I found:

The Cog Is Dead

The Clockwork Dolls

Deadly Nightshade Botanical Society

Unextraordinary Gentlemen

Sunday Driver

Clockwork Quartet

Ghostfire

On Being Fat...by Natalie Green

Still enjoying retro TV comedies on youtube....nearly forgot one of my (and most girls' my age) favorites:  The Facts of Life.  Yeah it overstayed its welcome by a few seasons, but, wow! when it was in its prime, it was funny x a billion!  All the actresses were awesome and hilarious in their own ways...Blair, Jo, Natalie & Tootie!  I ran across an awesome Natalie quote that still makes me laugh!

Now Natalie, you may remember, was the chubby girl, but for the most part, she had a good self image and a great sense of humor:

"Who wants to be a skinny pencil?  I'd rather be a happy magic marker!"

For the win! \o/

Retro TV Comedies

Been in the mood for lotsa lotsa retro TV lately.  Not sure why, as it makes me feel old, but, my goodness, they sure made some funny shit back then!  *Character oriented too, not just pretty people looking perfect and cloned with canned lauff tracks.   I'm not saying there ain't nothing good on nowadays, but if the young peeps think old TV was all shiney happy people...they might be surprised. 

I've been watching All in the Family, The Jeffersons, Alice, M*A*S*H, etc.  Damn. Good. Stuff.  Lauff Out Loud Funny, with great actors, theatrically trained actors (not airbrushed *stars*), and boundry pushing issues.

Awesome.   I've been loving the comments some young peeps have left for these shows on youtube too...I mean the ones who've never seen these shows until now and can see, even today, the brillance of many of them.   Makes me a proud old lady...  LOL

Must. Stop. The. Music.

Okay.  I've always been one to prioritize the purchasing of cds and books before luxury items like food and clothing...but lately, I've been really out of control with the buying of the tunes.  I don't know what has caused this need to hoard songs like a squirrel with nuts, but it's doing my finances severe damage.  I used to be more a hoarder of books, but it's been music music music nonstop for a while now.  Whyfor this desperate thirst, I do not know.  I guess it's so easy to just clicky away on iTunes, but I'm still a big fan of CD presentation and packaging, so if I can get my mitts on it in the store, I will.   Unfortunately, they are usually way more pricey in stores than off iTunes or amazon.com, and the stores don't carry my more obscure wants.

*sigh....

I must completely resist the "recommends" links on amazon too.  I love treasure hunting for new singers and bands; I just need to put the blinders on for a while and keep my clicky fingers to themselves. 

Sticker Shock

So, my gal peeps and I are all turning 40 this year, so we figured we'd celebrate by taking a vacation.  They voted for Las Vegas, which isn't *my* first choice, but okay.  Booked the flight last night for the October trip.  Round trip, direct flight...cost wayyyyyyy more than I expected, but I've flown only once before, and I was just wee little, so I didn't want to deal with any transfer hassles this time out.   Still... I was surprised I couldn't find any discount offers I could use, etc.   Very disgruntled about this.  And after spending so much $$ on just the freaking plane ride, I'd better not have just a "good" time in Vegas, I'd better have a frikkin' ORGASMIC time.

Kitteh Rights in Ancient Celtic Times

From The Senchus Mor:

"The cat is exempt from liability for injuring an idler in catching mice when mousing; and half fine is due from for the profitable worker whom he may injure, and the excitement of his mousing takes the other half off him."

~Ireland, c A.D. 438  >^.^<

Please No Demondogs...

...in my rock/metal/symphonic metal music.

I spent quite a bit of time on Saturday at Amazon.com sampling music recommended for an Evanescence & Within Temptation lover such as myself.

Lots of stuff out there that I *would* like if not for the overdose of what they call "death growls" or the "Beauty and the Beast" element of many of these bands.   I get it, I do, what they are going for...the dynamic of the beautiful operatic female voice against the representation of the darkside with the evil growlies, but...

enuff is enuff is enuff, IMHO. 

I think the music can play the darkside role very well without the need for jarring growls, which can ruin (for me) otherwise powerful songs.   Besides, the use of the deathgrowl is getting old.  I'd rather hear a lower male voice actually singing to offset the female soprano, rather then the default to growliness.

Tons of awesome bands out there that I just had to pass on for growl overuse violations.  Which is good for my wallet, I guess, but... I may need to cherrypick songs that I know are growl-less to add to my collection.

But for now, I have only a short list of growl-less or nearly growless bands that I've snatched up in their entirety.

Evanescence is awesome, of course, but too long a wait between albums. :(

Within Temptation...my FAV...powerful and haunting.  They have growlies on some of the songs on their very first album, but luckily abandoned using that gimmick altogether since.

Delain - a force to watch...slight use of growlies on a couple songs, but great singing "overpowers" them instead of the other way 'round.  \o/

We Are The Fallen - new band, their first CD recently released.  Will be keeping my eye on them, definitely!  First CD was great, I imagine followups to just grow in awesomeness.  GROWL-FREE.

Elysion - new band, first CD...growl-free, impressive vocals and heart pumping music.  I'm glad I found this hidden gem.