Koop.
i've been listening to them a lot. their sound is so interesting, because the only thing they record is vocals. everything else - sax, drums, flutes, beats and chorus - is taken from old stock recordings, so each song you hear is an antique assemblage.
they sing about love and loss, about old friends and their sound is so infused with island and relaxation that it'll turn anywhere into a tropical vacation. I highly recommend you buy or torrent some of their stuff. absolutely gold. Look for Koop Islands and Waltz For Koop.
i first heard of them a year ago, when i was living with the Hodsons and working at Genie. it was probably one of the most stressful, dismal times of my life. I was, admittedly, an emotional basket case. I was all alone in redmond, my entire family had just moved away and it was so hard to face that constructively. On top of that, i was working a job that was stressful and hugely physically demanding. it wasn't a good situation at all.
I remember when things got too stressful or i started getting depressed on the factory floor i'd go to the bathroom, put my headphones on and listen to "Beyond the Son" (track one on their album Koop Island). I would sit in one of the stalls for the four minutes and forty-three second duration and i'd just relax. I'd just sit there and calm down and just let the music's mood wash into me. Even now when things get a little bleak i turn on some Koop and just go on vacation : )
it's nice. and i seriously recommend that you all give them a listen.
on another note, i recently put a Pulp Fiction voice clip as my ringtone for when i get a text. i text a lot. so all day i've been walking around town with a completely obscene ringtone. "ENGLISH, mothafucka, DO YOU SPEAK IT!?"
i've gotten weird looks from people, and i've gotten pleased looks. i think it's fun :D
it actually scared the shit out of me earlier today. i was cleaning the bathroom and i had my phone on the counter and it was set on full volume, so all of a sudden Jules was cussing me out and i jumped, haha.
on another completely random note, i just got back from hanging out with Kaya and Emily - two friends that i met through work. we went to the cobra lounge, a hookah bar in the heart of downtown, then we grabbed all the blankets in my room and walked the boardwalk on boulevard.
it was a clear, cold night and we sat on a bench with all the blankets and exchanged secrets, haha. there were actually some really heavy things exchanged between us.
i realized then how much i've changed and become my own person. i realized how much more in touch i am with who i am and what i am than i ever have been. Mom used to always tell me in junior high and high school that i'm depriving the world of an amazing person when i'm so antisocial and i realized there at the park that i've learned just how amazing i am, and that i've really been shining and giving the world myself in the past few months. i have a lot of friends, and i try making new ones all the time while enriching the relationships i have going already. it's a great feeling to be unafraid of myself and other people.
i am truly happy.
