Jul 31 - Reptar

I didn't think I'd end up writing a blog today. I got home from work and my internet was barely working. That's kind of a thing here in China, internet that barely works. It happens from time to time. It's very annoying, especially when it decides to keep on not working, like it did for about 3 weeks back in June. That was probably the one time since I've been in Shanghai that I wanted to leave. And luckily I did, to the US, for a short vacation. Well anyway, internet is working now, luckily.

And not having the internet as a distraction was good, because I got a lot of packing done. A few friends came over tonight and helped me, and we probably got about 75% of everything packed up. Which is perfect, because now I've got the entire morning tomorrow to finish up (basically just the kitchen, my bedroom, and some random, small things). The biggest problem I'm facing is that the boxes I ordered are much bigger than expected. I ordered 4 small and 2 big. I got 4 big and 2 enormous. The enormous were good for like blankets and pillows and stuff, but the big are too big for some smaller things, which makes it a bit tough. Luckily I've got plenty of time to move also. I do want to finish up this weekend, and I'm hoping to get my suitcases across tomorrow with my friend Leping so that I can unpack them and bring them back to repack them. And then I can finish everything Sunday and get unpacked and moved in, and be resident in my new home. Wish me luck!

Other than that, today was mostly uneventful. I did next to nothing at work. And I listened to Reptar's new album, Lurid Glow, like 4 times. And the old one once. I wrote about them yesterday, and then I just kept listening. Over and over. So I'm sharing them again today, something I don't do often. I did it with Bomba Estereo and Anna B Savage. Now Reptar. I do have a lot of songs I love, and oddly the best ones are the ones that have the strongest 80s vibe to them. But it's great. I can't help it. One great example is No One Will Ever Love You, the opening track. I think it might be my favorite. But then, Every Chance I Get (yesterday's song) is also great. And Amanda is the one I first fell in love with, but it's probably the last "Reptar-y". But a great song, nonetheless. And Breezy. Go listen to them all. But start here with No One Will Ever Love You.




 I think my favorite part of it is the kind of echoey, windswept way he sings those last few lines. So wonderful. And for such a sadly titled song, it's so upbeat and fun. I should listen to the lyrics. Maybe I will now, cause you know I'm about to play it again.

Jul 30 - Reptar

Finally back in Shanghai! I've only been gone a week, but it seems like so much longer for some reason. But anyway I'm back and the weather is lovely, and I'm going out to see friends in a bit for falafel. I hope falafel, or kebab, because for some reason I really want that.

But before that, music. Today is Reptar. They showed up on a playlist, and while I know I've heard them before, they actually caught my attention this time for some reason. They put out their sophomore album, Lurid Glow, back in March, and they were on my radar before it came out, and I recognize the cover so I definitely listened to it, but it must not have stuck. This time it was different. They remind me of lots of other bands. A little Passion Pit, a little Vampire Weekend (but better than Vampire Weekend, cause I'm not a huge fan of them), a little bit of someone that is very specific that I can't put my finger on right now. A little of a lot of things, really. And it all comes together in a wonderful little package. For example, the wonderful Every Chance I Get.

Jul 29 - The Jezabels

I just had a fairly painless work dinner. Only a couple beers, and with just a couple of the guys from the company I'm here to visit. Not bad at all. I was dreading this dinner, because it's probably the first customer dinner I've been to by myself, not accompanied by anyone. But it was alright. I'll remember this in the future.

Anyway, internet at my hotel is shit, so I'll be quick. I wanted to listen to something upbeat yesterday on my way into Tianjin for dinner with the colleagues, and so I shuffled through artists on my iPod and ended up with The Jezabels. This is an Australian band I found out about when they played Laneway Festival in Singapore. I like their music, I didn't think they were so great live. But this song, Disco Biscuit Love (the name of which I do not understand at all) is very fun and very good.

Jul 28 - Disclosure feat. Sam Smith

I just got back from I guess my first real night out in Tianjin. I've had sort of nights out here before, during work events, but this time my colleagues invited me out to dinner and we went and ate German food and drank beer downtown. It was quite nice. They're all pretty young, all but 1 of them are interns, but it was a nice time nonetheless. The only problem was the pollution. I've found where all of Beijing's missing pollution from last weekend went, and the answer is Tianjin. It was gross from the minute I got here yesterday, but it really got bad tonight. We could barely see the train station across the river, and it was probably 200-300 meters away. And the air felt so oppressive. I think it's the first time in my life where I could feel the heaviness in the air and it just felt like it was weighing me down. I never felt that way in Beijing. Maybe it's because I was living there and was more used to it or something, I'm not sure, but it is terrible. I'm glad to be leaving tomorrow.

But another nice thing today is I heard the new Disclosure single, Omen, which once again features Sam Smith. This is now the second single off of their upcoming sophomore album, Caracal. It was released yesterday, and it's already got over 1.2 million views in a day! That's impressive. It's not as good as Latch (the first Disclosure feat. Sam Smith song off of their first album, which I also shared on this blog earlier this year), but it is a good one worth listening to. And better than the first single off the upcoming album.

Jul 27 - Iron & Wine

I just wasted the entire night doing nothing. And now I'm going to sleep. And what's a good song for going to sleep/ Anything by Iron & Wine. So here's Boy With A Coin.

Jul 26 - Jai Paul

Another nice day today. Much more relaxed, but also very nice. I actually did manage to Skype my family, then had a nice bagel at the best named restaurant in China. It's called Traitor Zhou's (pronounced like Trader Joe's) Nonkosher Delicatessen. It makes me really happy. It's a fantastic name. Then it was nap time and massage time and dinner time and now I'm sitting at Santana's listening to the Linkin Park concert going on at the stadium down the road. I thought I should maybe put a Linkin Park song on my blog, but then I decided not to defile my blog in that way. I will admit, I did like Linkin Park in high school. But that was many years ago. And I just learned they have 6 albums. That's impressive, actually. Though I do assume they're all just the same thing with minimal changes to lyrics and song titles. Until now, I've recognized one song.

So my conundrum is trying to figure out something good to play you while I have this bad music flooding my ears. But I decided to use the old trick where I just pick a favorite artist and see if I've shared a song by them or not this year. And I have not shared a Jai Paul song this year. He only has 2, both of which are incredible. Maybe I'll share the other tomorrow. Today we'll start with Jasmine. There was supposedly an album that was leaked, but he said it wasn't his, and it did sound like him when I listened but it sounded like an album of demos or something. Which sucks because his two songs are both incredible and he really, really, really needs to make more music.

Jul 25 - Wolf Alice

I just had a mostly lovely Saturday. It started out really shitty, but turned around, luckily. I was supposed to Skype my family this morning, which didn't work out. I won't get into all the reasons why it pissed me off so much, but suffice it to say I was more than a little bit unhappy about it. I was actually super angry. And just spent my entire morning sitting around doing nothing. But I had plans to go meet my friend Sean for tacos, which was great, because they're good tacos. There's a really good taco shop here in Beijing. One of the better ones in China, actually. Not the most authentic, but really good traditional Mexican base with a few bits of flair and fusion added. So tacos made me happier. And it just got better from there.

After lunch, we went to this place called Yangmeizhu Hutong. It's down by the Forbidden City, in a part of town that foreigners don't usually spend much time. Other than the big tourist spots, it's really old, really run down Beijing. It can be fun to wander around and see parts of Beijing that probably haven't changed much in the last few decades, but there are other, more tourist-friendly places where people go. But the government is apparently trying to turn this part of town into more of a touristy area and raise property values since they own a bunch of the land there. So they've started bringing in small galleries and boutiques and cafes and stuff, and all of it is incredibly well done. It's probably the best example I've seen anywhere in China of traditional Chinese lifestyle, fit right next to some very interesting, very international and very upscale shops. I also had a fantastic coffee. Actually 3, because I did a coffee tasting in an awesome little cafe full of globes and maps and fun stuff, with Chinese hipsters teaching me all about coffee. It was fantastic.

And it got even better! Our next stop was Madame Tussauds, which I've never been to actually. Not anywhere. But Sean had free tickets, so we went. We got there and saw the lines and considered leaving, but then we did stay and it was great. They actually have props out so you can touch the statues and play with them and take pictures and stuff. It was actually really fun. Much better than expected. There were a lot of Chinese celebrities that we didn't recognize, and we were disappointed Justin Beiber wasn't there, but otherwise, it was really fun. Then I napped through maybe the worst Samuel L Jackson movie ever. And for tonight, I get to watch one of my best friends stop being a vegetarian and eat sushi, then go to a Jew party. What more could a boy ask for?

I guess music. That's all. Today's music is Wolf Alice. They've been gaining attention the last couple of years with EPs, and they put out their debut album, My Love Is Cool, last month. The album is pretty good, I've given it a few listens but have not purchased it. I guess I should check the price though, cause if it's like $7.99 or something then I probably will. Anyway, it's a good sound, and there's a couple of great tracks. Particularly this one, Your Loves Whore, which is also one of the only songs on the album with an expletive warning. And just in case you were worried, it is not skipping. I thought my shitty Chinese internet was screwing up the song the first time I heard it by pausing in the middle, but then I realized it was on purpose. And I dig it.

Jul 24 - Empress Of

I thought I had managed to finish work early for the day, but I was wrong. I had a meeting out of the office after lunch and got dropped off at my friend Santana's place instead of going back to the office, which means I was home by 3. But then I had some emails and got caught up doing some work for the last 2 hours, and am actually finishing late. But at least I'm home (or at the place I'm staying) and listening to music.

I had a couple Spotify playlists I follow that came up with some updates, and hidden in one were a couple songs by this new artist from New York called Empress Of. It seems she put out a single and an EP a few years ago, and now this year she's got a couple new singles, Kitty Kat and Water Water, both of which are great. And she's got her first album, ME, coming out in September. So now I'll be waiting for that. It kind of reminds me of a much more upbeat, dancy version of Banks. And vocally maybe also a bit like Glasser or Tei Shi. These are very good comparisons if you ask me. So enjoy Kitty Kat.

Jul 23 - My Brightest Diamond

I'm up in Beijing now, after quite the night last night. Honestly I'm kind of amazed I made my train. And that Jay made his plane. my friend Graeme had a house party. He always tends to do these on random nights, like Sunday or Wednesday. And they always have themes, although I generally don't dress to theme. Last night's theme was washed up, like on a desert island. But that's actually irrelevant. So we went to dinner then the party, and somehow managed to stay there until 3am. Then we ate terrible food and passed out for 3 hours. If not for the fact that I had a 5 hour train that I could nap on this morning, I would not have done that. But it all worked out well for Jay's visit, which was great.

For music today, it's My Brightest Diamond, one of my favorites. She just put out a new video for her single This Is My Hand, the title track off of her album last year. She redid the video with Instagram photos from fans, and I managed to get like 5 photos in. And my sister got a couple in as well (although she mistakenly doesn't like My Brightest Diamond. Crazy girl.), one of which happens to just be my face. Here are the ones that I noticed she took from me, in order of appearance. See if you can spot them in the video:

 

 

So that's fun. Honestly it's not a great video, but it is a great song and it's super exciting that one of my favorite artists used some of my pictures. She also like a few of them on Instagram, which was exciting at the time. I also need to apologize for not having shared a song from My Brightest Diamond until today. Not this year, anyway. What is wrong with me? But at least I have now, so that's gotta count for something.

Jul 22 - The Oh Hellos

Jay's here! Picked him up last night from the subway and pretty much immediately took him for xiaolongbao. The best xiaolongbao. You too can get this treatment if you come and visit me. Just saying. And then it was drinks all night, finishing up with street food and convenience store beers. It was a great night. I definitely got too little sleep, but I drank a lot of coffee and had a meeting in the city this afternoon, so left the office maybe a bit earlier than was necessary (definitely a lot earlier than was necessary) to come back and have lunch with Jay. We went for chicken rice, at what is now like my new favorite restaurant. I tried it for the first time on Monday night, and now went back for lunch on Wednesday. And if I wasn't leaving for Beijing tomorrow for the next week, and only coming back in time to have like 2 days here before moving, I'd totally go so many more times before moving. It's so good. And tonight, one last meal with Jay, at a Hunnan restaurant that I've been told is good, before going to my friend's house party. This visit actually worked out quite well, because I pretty much only had to be at the office for half a day and was able to get some good time with Jay. And because of that was also able to stay out later than I probably would have otherwise on a school night. Same applies to tonight since I'm taking a train tomorrow so also don't have to be at the office. Good times.

Today's song is something I wanted to post last week, and then just kept getting sidetracked. The Oh Hellos are this brother/sister duo from Texas that make wonderful folk music, even if they have a terrible terrible band name. Think Mumford and Sons style, I guess. They have 1 EP (self-titled) and 1 album (Through The Deep, Dark Valley) that came out in 2012, and I love pretty much every song they've ever made. Actually, I think they also have a little Christmas album. But I'm not so into the Christmas stuff. Makes sense, though, cause I also think they're super Christian. I'm picking Like The Dawn for today's song, off of the album, cause it's a gorgeous one. But really all of their songs are fantastic. You can't go wrong. And it all seems to be on Soundcloud, which is always a bonus. So listen to this, and then go listen to everything else too. Good plan, Michael.

Jul 21 - Hippo Campus

I've had trouble writing my blogs the last few days. In fact some days I've barely made it. Normally I try to write my blog when I get home from work, or on the weekend at some point in the afternoon before heading out for the evening. But this weekend I had long days outside without coming home, and then so far this week (which is really just one day...) I haven't had time at home to write quickly before going out. Then I end up leaving and doing fun things and coming home very tired and fighting to write. But today I have more time than recently at home after work, so I can write. Although I do have fun things planned for today still. My friend Jay, who I used to live with up in Beijing, is coming for a visit. He's been in Korea doing his military service for the last three years but is getting ready to head back to the US. If you remember, I just went to Seoul (oy, I say just but it's already been two months. Crazy.) to visit him before he leaves. And now he's making the rounds of friends in the region before heading back. So now it's Shanghai. He was supposed to be here yesterday, but he booked his train ticket from Beijing for the wrong day. Whoops. I'm excited to have him though.

Other fun fact of the day: our office has a mouse and today there were little mouse poops on my desk. Gross.

Last fun fact: music. Today is not a new single by an artist I love like I've been doing for the last few days. It's a new band I found last week, Hippo Campus. They've put out their first EP, Bashful Creatures, and it's ok, but nothing amazing. They've got a good sound, but most of their songs sound the same, so I'm not so interested in buying the EP. But I do want to not forget them, so today's song is Little Grace, my favorite song off of their EP. It really is a fantastic song and a great sound. Only problem is all the songs sound almost identical. Which I guess isn't always a bad thing, but in this case it doesn't work for me.

Jul 20 - Chet Faker

I'm exhausted again. I just watched the second Captain America movie. It was ok. Definitely better than the first. Also I finally tried this chicken rice place that's around the corner from my apartment that I heard was great and which I now know is great. Like, really freaking great. I want to eat it every day until I move. I wish I'd tried it sooner. Damn it Michael.

Anyway, to keep in the ongoing theme of the last few days, new single from Chet Faker. This one is called Bend, and it was apparently intended for his last album, Built On Glass (a great album, fyi), but for whatever reason was released a year later as a single instead. Anyway, glad to have it. Wouldn't have been an album favorite (although there are plenty of those. Try Gold, 1998, Blush, or my favorite Cigarettes & Loneliness), but still a great song.

Jul 19 - M.I.A.

Once again, a very good weekend. Pretty chill, lots of rest, lots of good chats. I went to brunch today at Mr. And Mrs. Bund, which is apparently one of the best restaurants in Asia. I've been before, it's good, but definitely not up that high on the list. There is better in Shanghai. But it was good. And they do have this one truffle toast that is ridiculously delicious. And it was a beautiful day to be at the Bund. So really a great experience. Which was followed by a visit to the chocolate factory. My friend Julia's family business is chocolate, and they make some of the best chocolate ever. And they have a factory here that you can do a tour of. So I finally went. And I ate so much chocolate. It was kind of gross. I mean, it was amazing and delicious, but it was gross how much chocolate I ate. I have never eaten that much in one go. I'm surprised I didn't get sick. It was wonderful though. And now I'm home to watch this documentary The Wolfpack, which I'm super excited about. The story is pretty nuts. So it'll be a chill movie night.

And for music, we'll stick with the new song theme I started yesterday. There's a few things I could go with. Youth Lagoon has a new single. Goat has a new single. Chet Faker has a new single (some of these are newer than others. Also, that might be foreshadowing for some upcoming blog posts.). But we're going with M.I.A.'s new single, Swords, cause it's really great. I love her, and I was pretty disappointed with her last album. But this new single is great, so I'm excited for more music from her, hopefully this year.

Jul 18 - CHVRCHES

I just spent the last 11 hours out biking and eating/drinking. It was very enjoyable, but now I'm exhausted. And I have brunch plans tomorrow. So I'll make this quick and easy. CHVRCHES just announced their new album for September. That is exciting. They also released their first single off the new album. That is also exciting. It is called Leave A Trace.

Jul 17 - Coldplay

I think today is not a great roommate day for me. Philana broke some kind of dish last night (late at night, cause that's when she does her cooking, while I'm going to sleep...) and today my alcohol is gone. Again. This is the 2nd time I've noticed it happen with the whiskey, but it also happened with the gin and it seems like the tequila is disappearing too. I don't mind her drinking some. Some. Except that it's mostly top shelf stuff and she tends to finish it. So that's quite annoying.

But anyway, what's not annoying is Coldplay. Although they have gotten more annoying over time, they were wonderful when they started out. And apparently that was exactly 15 years ago, either today or yesterday, when they released Parachutes. I only know this cause I read an article about it. But I do like that album very much. So I'll pick a song from it today. Not Yellow, because that's what everyone would expect. Shiver.

Jul 16 - Portugal. The Man

Made it back to Shanghai after a few hitches this morning. Luckily one of those was not being super hungover, surprisingly. I expected to be in much worse shape today. But my travel agent did accidentally cancel my flight, so that was fun. Then the flight I bought ended up going to Pudong instead of Hongqiao which is a bit of a pain in the ass, and ended up being delayed. But whatever, I'm here now, at home in my underwear, and everything is right with the world. Actually, considering what a shitty travel day it was, I'm in a really good mood.

And for today's music, it's a band I actually don't like very much: Portugal. The Man. I was never a huge fan, but then they employed the help of Danger Mouse to produce their last album, Evil Friends. And one surefire way to get me to like your music is to have Danger Mouse produce it. I love that guy. I actually was going to post Electric Guest the other day, one of his many projects, but then didn't for some reason. But then I stumbled upon Evil Friends on my iPod on the way back from the airport and just heard Modern Jesus for the first time in a while, and it's a fantastic song.

Jul 15 - Brazilian Girls

I would just like to start this post by saying I'm drunk. It is not yet 10pm. But my excuse is work. This is what happens when you do a good job. I do a fucking good job, so actually I should be proud of myself for just being drunk and not fucking drunk. Yay me.

Anyway, as I write this I have no clue what song to share with you today. I'm more focused on avoiding typos. Because they are the worst. Ok, ready? Here we go. Today's song is... Brazilian Girls. What is wrong with me?? How have I not shared this magic yet? I apologize. I'm going to share my lease favorite favorite song (to clear confusion this is one of my favorite songs, but it is the least favorite on that list). It's off their second album, Talk To La Bomb (which totally fulfilled the sophomore slump stereotype). But also who gives a fuck cause they're Brazilian Girls and they are one of the best things ever. Everything they do is worth paying attention. And they're going to put out new music soon after having broken up! Oy. I love these guys. Ok, Never Met A German. Talk To La Bomb.

Jul 14 - Miike Snow

I officially have that apartment! It is gorgeous and I love it. It's a lanehouse (sort of, it's not in a lane and it's not in a house, but it's a lanehouse style apartment and it's only on the 2nd floor of a 4 story building, so it's close enough), which I never wanted. Not because I don't like them. They're wonderful. But they're usually on the ground floor, which means minimal privacy, and which means there's probably tons of rats and roaches and stuff. My place is on the 2nd floor, which is a bit better, but I spoke to friends who live on the 2nd floor and they've never had these problems so it's just me being paranoid.

Anyway, so I met the landlord last night and he showed me the apartment and some of the details, which made me love it even more than I already did. And I found out that it's in the historical register of buildings because it's an art deco building from 1942 designed by some famous architect. It's actually included on historical walks of the city. And it was the first serviced apartment building in Shanghai back in the day, so it used to be full of celebrities. My apartment was originally owned by some famous animator, he said. It's all in this book that's in the apartment and that I can't wait to read. I am so excited for this place. I'll post pics once I've got some of my own, not just ones from the realtor. Oh, and the landlord is an Australian restauranteur, which is great cause he's not local and he's doing something interesting in Shanghai. So many good things about this. I can't wait to be inside that place.

But for now, I'm inside Shenzhen, which is not as exciting. We have a VIP cocktail party and dinner tomorrow that I'm planning, so we get to stay at an extra fancy hotel. The Langham, to be exact. That's enough about work though. Music. Oh, but first, one great thing about fancy hotels in Shenzhen (I think just fancy hotels, not regular hotels and non-hotel places) is that internet isn't blocked! I'm on my blog and Facebook and Gmail and Instagram and Youtube all without a VPN! It's so nice. Ok, now music.

Today's music is Bavarian #1, off of Happy To You, Miike Snow's second album. I'm sure you know about these guys by now. They're the best. My friend put this song on at a dinner party the other night and I realized I hadn't listened to them in forever. So I started to do that on my flight today. And I'm sharing this song with you now, too, because it's a) one of my favorites and b) the one my friend Bryna played and it's also her favorite. Actually my favorite is Cult Logic off of their first album. Maybe I'll share that one later. But for now, Bavarian #1. Actually, I don't know why I didn't think to share this song back in April. You know, when I was in Bavaria. But anyway here we are now.

Jul 13 - the bird and the bee

It's almost time to go and sign this lease. Let's hope nothing goes wrong and it all works out. I'm still kind of sure it's not going to for some reason, but let's see. Wish me luck!

On a side note, I am incredibly itchy. I counted this morning and I have over 30 mosquito bites on my arms and legs. About 15 of them were received last Wednesday night while apartment hunting, and the other twenty or so were received yesterday while sitting outside drinking beer for hours. Nobody I was with got bit much. Mosquitos just love me. Fuckers.

For music today, it's an old one from the bird and the bee, who just released their third album, Recreational Love, last week. I gave it a listen today, it wasn't very impressive. In fact, I always give them a chance because their first song I ever heard, Again and Again, was so damn good. Still is. That's why it's today's song. Coincidentally, my good friend Carie just saw them last night in LA, while I was listening to them in China and deciding to make this song the song of the day.

Jul 12 - Alina Baraz & Galimatias

Guess who's signing a lease tomorrow! That was quick, luckily. I hate house hunting. I believe I've mentioned that before. But I found a fantastic place in a great location today. It's basically at the top end of my budget, so that isn't ideal, but I think I'm really gonna like it. A lot. And I'll be close to all my friends now. Unfortunately it's just a 1 bedroom, but hey, there's always room on the couch. And the bed is big, so there's that. I don't want to jinx it, nothing is signed yet and I have to talk to my company about the details tomorrow, but it should be fine. We shall see! I'm sad to be leaving this place, cause I do like the space a lot, but I just can't stay here with a landlord that won't do anything. And actually the new space is not just a typical China apartment. It's really got character, which is awesome.

So all in all it's been a fantastic weekend. I spent the day hiding from the rain at my friends's house, playing with their dog and eating the food they cooked me. And then today I saw a few brunches, had some beers, had some more puppy time, and found an apartment! And there was even a bit of blue sky. This typhoon was really a disappointment. It never actually hit Shanghai. We just had non-stop rain and a lot of wind, but definitely not a typhoon.

I also got an excellent new album today. Well, I guess it's technically an EP, but it's 8 tracks so it's a pretty long EP. Or a pretty short album. It's called Urban Flora, and it's a collaboration between American singer Alina Baraz and Danish producer Galimatias, who found each other online and then started making music. Good, good music. Very chill, very cool. Very SZA, which is great because I love her too. Actually a lot of it sounds the same, but I still love it. So here's the opening track from the EP, Show Me.

Jul 11 - James Blake

Dinner last night was, as expected, amazing. Just ridiculously delicious. My friend Julia actually knows Willy, the chef, so she just asked him to serve us whatever we wanted. And that was an excellent decision. We had about 3298472 courses, and about a bottle of wine each, plus some cava and cocktails, and there was nothing there that wasn't absolutely delicious. Favorite dish may have been this explosion thing he makes. I talked about it at omnivore, cause that's what he made there, but a different one. The one last night was honey smoked salmon and truffle oil. And the truffle oil was in the explosive cookie thing, so after biting it you just get this truffle oil oozing out and coating the inside of your mouth and it's one of the most amazing things ever. And we had this ridiculous truffle pumpkin risotto and a lobster rice that was amazing. And what was essentially a fancy fried cheese stick wrapped in bacon. And a steak. And ceviche. I could keep going. It was awesome. And I even met a nice lady who I spent a good amount of time chatting with, so we'll see if anything happens there. Could be good.

So as I said yesterday, it was a great day, and it just got better with dinner. Great meal, great company. Just can't go wrong. I don't even mind the typhoon now. It's a good weekend.

As for music, I wanted something good here too. So we're going all the way back into the archives of 2013, and pulling out what was one of the best songs of the year: Retrograde, by James Blake. First single off of his second album, Overgrown, and now I'm impatiently waiting for Radio Silence, his third one that should have been out in the first half of this year.

Jul 10 - Shana Falana

I am so glad I took that mental/physical health day yesterday. It was definitely more of a mental health day. And it totally worked. I feel like a new person today. I'm in a great mood. And I'm off to have a fancy dinner with friends at a wonderful restaurant on the Bund. Actually we're going to a place called El Willy, by a local celebrity chef. I've been to his other two, one was ok (the budget one) and one was amazing (the mid-range one). So now its' the fancy one. And it should be great, because at that Omnivore event I went to a few weeks ago, his item was one of the best things there. I'm excited. I just have to beware typhoons on my way. Although that's not supposed to arrive until tomorrow.

And now, today's song is Heavenstay, by Shana Falana. I just heard it (and about her) today, and then put it on repeat. Actually, it reminds me of Briana Marela from yesterday in a way. I think it's the kind of layered, dreamy vocals that are going on. But this is definitely much more rocking than Briana Marela. I think this is the first single off of her album Set Your Lightning Fire Free, which I also listened to a couple times today and came to the conclusion that Heavestay is by far the best song on it. The album overall is decent, but not even close to this good. Although I do think it's gonna grow on me. And it helps that I love this song.

Jul 9 - Briana Marela

Today was a pretty decent day. I took my mental health day and mostly stayed home. Went out to see a couple apartments. Nothing great, but some good. I'm not in a rush, though, so I'm gonna wait until something speaks to me. But also I just want it to be over, cause I hate house hunting. But mostly I just watched The Mindy Project, which was exactly what I needed today.

And for music, we've got a new artist, Briana Marela. I found her debut single, Surrender, somewhere recently and really liked it. Reminds me very much of Jonsi or Sigur Ros. Or also kind of like some of the Japanese music I used to listen to. Then I found out she's actually from Washington, so I thought I was wrong. But then I found out she actually recorded her new album in Iceland and it was produced by Alex from Sigur Ros. So I got it right. She even looks kind of Scandinavian to me, actually. And she's on Jagjaguwar, which is always a good sign. Her "debut" album, All Around Us, will be out next month, so I'm now looking forward to that. Although on Spotify it would seem she's already made an album. And the sound on that album is actually pretty close to what's happening here with Surrender. So anyway, whether this is her debut or now, who knows, but I like it.

Jul 8 - Meshell Ndegeocello

I am not doing so well at the moment. I just had to cut dinner short and run home cause my stomach is not very happy with me. Not sure from what, though I guess it's the dumplings I had for lunch.

I'm also not in the best head space for some reason. I'm sure a lot of it has to do with the post-vacation blues, but I feel like it's gotta be something more than that. I've been in a bad mood all week, and today I feel really angry. Which is weird, because I'm rarely angry. I think that in addition to the post-vacation blues, there's a part of me that's ready to not be in China anymore, and there's also a part of me that is pretty fed up with dating (something I've been trying for the last 8 months or so, unsuccessfully). Who knows what's really going on, but I think that my physical malady means that I can call in sick tomorrow, which will also count as a mental health day. For real mental health I should probably be spending time with some of my favorite ladies, one of whom I just had to cut dinner short on to run home and be near a bathroom. But I'll be getting more time with these ladies in the coming days.

Anyway, on to music. I also had a hard time finding music that put me in a good mood today, too. But I think the song that ended up soothing me the most was Bitter, by Meshell Ndegeocello. This is an old one, off of 1999's Bitter. It was the first album I heard by her, and I've been hooked since then. This woman is a genius. She can do (and has done) anything and everything musically. She is one of my all time favorites, and if you don't know her, you need to. As soon as possible. Just go buy her entire discography. She also just performed 3 shows like 2 weeks ago in Canada with My Brightest Diamond. I would have killed to be there. Two of my favorite artists together. It's not fair. Anyway, this is a sad song, but a very, very beautiful song. I guess it's fitting for my mood, which is why it soothed my mind.

Jul 7 - Destroyer

I'm getting back into the swing of things and feel like a human today. Maybe it's the Chinese food I finally started eating. Pizza was probably not the best thing to have for my first meal. I felt a bit guilty about that, but it was sitting there waiting for me. So what could I do? And it's good I've got my wits about me, cause the apartment hunt is starting. Which I hate. With my entire body and soul. This is gonna suck. But I've gotta move. And hopefully it's the last time in a while. Who knows, though. This has been a yearly thing for me, so I'm not getting my hopes up.

But luckily there's good music to get me through. I talked about Destroyer a while ago. I had him confused with Geographer, and this was when Geographer's first single off the new album, I'm Ready, came out. Great song, and had me thinking Destoyer/Geographer was a great artist. And there was a song from long ago that I remembered liking that I thought was by Geographer when I thought he was Destroyer, but then I found the song and found out that Destroyer is not Geographer. I also found out that the Destroyer song I remembered loving was not actually that good (that song, by the way, was Painter In My Pocket). But now Destroyer has a new single called Dream Lover, and this song is really great. And apparently he has a new EP, Prepare For The Return, that just came out today. I have yet to listen to it, but I will and we'll see if the other new songs live up to this single.

Jul 6 - Purity Ring

First day back at work was stressful and tiring, partially because I'm jetlagged. But at least I got a good night's sleep. I passed out before 10 last night, and managed to sleep until my normal 6:20 wake up time. I did wake up a couple times in the middle of the night, but it wasn't the usual jetlag-makes-me-wake-up-and-not-fall-back-asleep style waking up that I normally have. But now I'm exhausted again and tempted to flake on dinner plans. It's a big group, so I wouldn't have to feel bad about it. But I'm probably better off going because otherwise I'll fall asleep at like 7pm and not beat this jetlag at all.

Anyway, here's a song for today. It's bodyache by Purity Ring, off of this year's release another eternity. I wasn't overly impressed with this album, but this song was on a list of the 25 best songs of the year so far, and it's quite good. So you get to listen to it today.

Jul 5 - Counting Crows

I made it home safe and sound after a somewhat shitty flight, and was greeted by pizza that my roommate Philana had ordered. So that was amazing. Then I unpacked and now I'm just laying in bed trying to stay awake for another hour and a half or so. But I am exhausted. So yet again, I'll make this quick.

On the plane I watched like 4 movies, 2 of which included Counting Crows songs. One of them was a Canadian film called Mommy that was pretty good, and it had Colorblind on it, which is really a beautiful song and was pretty well placed in the film. Well, the song was very fitting for the film, but I think they could have probably chosen a better scene in which to use it. But that's what we listen to today. The other musical highlight from the films I watched was when Howling was on the end credits of Taken 3. Terrible movie, like the first 2, but great band.

Jul 4 - Werkha

I just woke up early to get packed and whatnot (because I haven't done that yet and I leave in a few hours) so unfortunately no time to sit around and talk about the trip or the 4th of July. But your song for today is Dusk, by a producer called Werkha out of Manchester. It took me like 20 minutes to figure out the name of this song and who made it, even though I thought I knew. But the info I had was wrong (but still enough to find the song), and then I was very confused by who made it, who sings it, and what it's called. In the end, I have come to the decision that the song is called Dusk, it is produced by Werkha, it is off his debut album Colours of a Red Brick Raft, and the vocals are by Bryony Jarman-Pinto. But that could all be incorrect, and none of it actually matters. All that matters is the song is ridiculously good. I need to go listen to this album. And pack. First pack. Albums later.

Jul 3 - Maps & Atlases

I'm gonna make this quick cause I've gotta get to bed to wake up early and pack. So today your song is Fever by Maps & Atlases, selected randomly from Spotify playlists.

Jul 2 - Lo-Fang

I was to have dinner with my friend Carie. Now I'm also going to drink with her. So let's make this quick. Today's song is Permutations by Lo-Fang, off his debut album Blue Film from last year. Great album. Best song on it.

Jul 1 - Joy Williams

Oh boy was I tired yesterday. I was out pretty much all day, with a quick stop at home from about 10:00 - 11:00 am, and then finally home again around 10:30 pm. So I just passed out without bother to share a song. So today, before I go to LA, I'll share a song so as not to miss two days in a row, and the first day of the month.

So today, we are listening to Woman (Oh Mama), one of the early singles off of Joy Williams's new album that came out this week. She's half of the probably- maybe-broken-up-but-who-really-knows-cause-they've-done-this-to-us-before band The Civil Wars. I haven't listened to the album yet, but I will. And for now, this song is great.