"No one's ever gonna love you more than I do..."

Hello all! Happy almost Friday!

Today, we will be discussing the best song to fall asleep to.

I don’t know about you, but going to bed is one of the high-lights of my day. Unfortunately, I know many people who suffer from insomnia and find it difficult to fall asleep. Let me tell you, being relaxed is the key to falling asleep. It’s been recently studied that people who think about the future while they fall asleep will have a tougher time, and it is recommended to think about past events. Interesting, huh? Well, I know a great song to help aid your restlessness. “No One’s Gonna Love You” by Band of Horses is perfect for this pick. Do not let the title fool you, it’s a very, very romantic song and the melody is extremely comforting.



Band of Horses is a great band and they are relatively unknown. I find a lot of their songs to be relaxing. They are also great to put on while you do work that needs concentration or that needs a creative spark.

Not only is this a great song, but it’s one of those few songs that you can put on repeat and not get sick of. It almost becomes white noise, but the most soothing kind of white noise. This song has a repetitive melody and is has entrancing lyrics which are really helpful when you're trying to focus on a specific task; in this case it would be falling asleep.

The key to picking a song that will help you fall asleep is to make sure that it does not have a harsh melody that would jar you from relaxing, and also, do not pick a song where the lyrics will cause a severe emotional reaction.

I think this song fits the bill really well. Just listen to it. I have literally stared at my ceiling listening to this song. What do you guys think? 

Take it easy, relax, have a margarita, and, most importantly, have an A1 day!

-Rachel

WARNING: Silversun May Cause Sleepiness In The Sunshine

Good Tuesday to you, readers! It’s nearly 11 pm, and I should really be getting ready for bed! Alas, a working college student’s day never truly “ends”. Rather, it is bombarded with random naps at awkward intervals, an over consumption of caffeine products, and the trademark bleary -eyed stare.

It is for this reason that I have an infatuation with summer. Stress-free, sunny, beach-going summer! I spend most of my summer vacation gallivanting in the sunlight. Ironically, for years I’ve been known as “the Italian girl that doesn’t know how to tan.” Ever since I entered high school my skin became virtually resistant to sunshine! I could sit in the sun for hours on end and be lucky to have acquired barely a twinge of pink on my cheeks. Initially, the genetic talent meant less worrying on my part when romping outdoors. As I got older, it became tiresome being the whitest girl on the beach.

It is because of this disobedience of my skin tone that I began to make tanning a competitive sport. I’ll show those tawny-skinned beach bunnies! I told myself, lying outside day after day in search of the perfect tan. There was a day in particular, when the peak temperature for the day was somewhere close to 100 degrees Fahrenheit, that I spread out on my deck and soaked in the sunshine.

Perhaps not surprisingly, my tanning sessions are always accompanied by music. I find it difficult sitting still for long periods of time doing virtually nothing, so music was able to distract me from paying attention  to the seconds that ticked on by. My favorite band that summer – no, of all time! – was Silversun Pickups, a quirky band hailing from Los Angeles, California. I put on their entire discography and hummed gently to the tune.

In retrospect, perhaps I should have gone for a song by F.U.N., or the Ramones, or any upbeat band that wouldn't put me to sleep! There was one song in particular that knocked me clear out on that sunshiny day – “Three Seed.” This song makes your eyelids heavy from the first bass line. True to many of the songs on their album Carnavas, Three Seed maintains a steady beat throughout the entirety of the song. Unlike the rest of the album, though, Three Seed remains relatively stable in volume, only allowing for a short, yet intricate, guitar solo towards the end. Even the light use of synthesizers doesn't make the song any less relaxing. Personally, I find the combination of the heavy bass lines, synthesizer effects, and airy guitar riffs a perfect lullaby.  

Perhaps the only thing more alluring than the instrumental portion of the song is Brian Aubert’s soft, raspy voice. Compared often to Billy Corgan of Smashing Pumpkins and Bert McCracken of The Used (and we all know how Corgan would feel about that comparison, or any comparison for that matter…) Aubert has an uncanny ability to make his voice impossibly soft at the drop of a hat. His voice has always been particularly soothing to me.

 I’ve found that the lyrics suggest a lament concerning regret; however, no one ever really knows what Silversun Pickups is thinking when they write these transient tunes. Evidently, the singer is removing a bullet from his head as he contemplates pictures of the past, alcoholism, and the fact that “the sums don’t add up at all.” As is tradition with all Silversun Pickups songs, the imagery never quite creates a fully comprehensive picture, but you can damn well feel everything Aubert wants you to feel as a listener. The lyrics in this song flow effortlessly, filled with alliteration such as this line:

There’s the line that is leading clearly feeding all the things I don’t believe in but I’ll step in once again
Cut the line to get closer to the source of all the things I’ll never belong to; step it up and sign right in again.

Do I know what he’s trying to tell me? Not really. But can I feel the somber emotions of regret and confusion that emanate from the guitarist’s voice? You bet I can!

Silversun Pickups has a way of making you fall into your own mind, getting wrapped up in the music, in the lyrics, creating images of oceans and summer homes and addition signs and… zzz…

            You guessed it, readers! That fateful day, this little turnip fell asleep while tanning in the sunshine… and became a fried vegetable. I’ve made a point to set an alarm when tanning outside and listening to Silversun Pickups simultaneously after learning that extremely painful lesson. I’ve considered writing to Silversun’s record company so they may put a WARNING: MAY CAUSE NARCOLEPSY sign on each album. For some funny reason, I feel like I may not be the first one to suggest it.

             Wow, all this writing about Three Seed is making me sleepy! I think I’m going to head to… head to… zzz….

(For the record, Turnip was not left in direct sunlight at the conclusion of this post.)

            

...zZzz.... Shhh, you'll wake the Applesauce!

Hey readers! 

How ya doing today?

Did you drink your coffee yet?

Are you hungover? 

Can't wait to take a nap?

I've got just the song for you!

For the next week we're going to be sharing what songs we all think are great for sleeping. So maybe you've come home from work at 11:30 PM, like myself, and all you can think about is crawling into bed. Then never getting up. Ever. I kid I kid, but wouldn't that be nice?

It's weird, but I've developed a certain habit before going to sleep. Ew gross, you're disgusting. I was going to say I always listen to my iPod and fall asleep to music. One might say I have a dependency on music to help me get to sleep, but honestly it's just a perfect time to listen to the music you didn't have time to hear throughout the day. I mean, you get into bed, you play that song by the Gorillaz, and you let the album play out because it was stuck in your head all day. 

Don't lie to me, I know you all listen to Slow Country by this fabulous digital band. You probably listen to it because you're all dedicated fans, you never listen to anything else, and you know how amazing the Gorillaz are. No? You- you DON'T know who the Gorillaz are? We can continue to be friends, but no more benefits. 

Anywho, if you haven't gotten the name of the song yet, I'll repeat it: Slow Country by the Gorillaz. They're best described as an English musical project, because live performances are not really "live." Instead, they put on extensive visual performances (check out this link) with fictional cartoon band characters; 2D, Murdoc Niccals, Noodle, and Russel Hobbs. The band usually features real artists singing in front of the holograms you just saw.

So why Slow Country? For starters, it's a slow song. No, it's not a slow dance song that you heard at your eighth grade dance. It starts off with sounds similar to gusts of wind, and they continue throughout the entire song. A soft bass guitar plays simple notes, rustling within the gusts of wind and into your eardrums. 2D's voice repeats a mellow, smooth chorus that'll have your heart rate down and your eyelids shut within a minute's time. Although there isn't a music video for it, here's a video of the song for you to enjoy, nonetheless:

Nine times out of ten, this song calms me down and puts me to sleep quicker than if I hadn't played it. Try it out, I think you'll appreciate the calm, relaxing vibe that'll envelope you until you're either asleep or ready to take a quick midday nap. 

--__--__--__--__--__--__--__--__--__--__--__--__--__--__--__--__--__--__--

But wait, what about the title of this post? "Applesauce?" Fine, I'll explain. At the dinner table, my mother put two cups of applesauce on the side for pork she had made. I dislike the combination, and my stepdad only wanted one. "Put it away," he said, "I don't want two."

My mother proceeded to make the cup of Applesauce waddle across the table, giving it a cute little voice. The cup expressed its feelings of being unwanted. So, my mother tucked it into an oven mitt sitting on the table. Yep, the Applesauce was sleeping inside the oven mitt on the table, and my stepdad and I saw the whole thing play out. He was about to make a comment until my mother cut him short saying, "Shhh, you'll wake the applesauce."

As if that weren't weird enough, I'll end today with sounds that people should make more often - just to liven up their day!

Rickity tappity bligadee,

Shmiggle diggle flip flop, 

Frapple dapple, 

Wiggle tiggle, 

Pip-pop!

Have a nice day everyone!

[-Gaetano-]