Happy Valentine's Day Everyone!
Personally I love V-day, but I know I'm the only one... So I figured I'd do something out of the ordinary and rather than one song/one subject like I always do, today one subject: Love. That's right, Love... Makes the world go round... Speaking of which, did you see Cristina Aguilera sing "It's a Man's World" on the Grammys? Which was an astounding snoozerific mid-life wallow, but this was ASTOUNDING!



It's a Man's World (Live)

Anyway, back to love...

Let's start out with "Love Detective" by Arab Strap. A massively brooding and mumbling duo out of Scotland named after a strange device prized by the Scots (cf. Belle and Sebastian,) they have recently announced their breakup.

Love Detective

Next up is the incomparable Leslie Feist with "Let It Die." I have refrained from writing about her, just out of fear that I can't do justice to her talent. Part of Canadian Supergroup Broken Social Scene, Feist has an astoundingly expressive voice as well as a remarkably equivocal way with words that is always electric. This is a fantastic live track, worth hearing just for the intro, and then lovely and un/romantic, but ultimately captivating.

Let it Die

Bjork, what can I say... Not much actually--honestly I don't know much about her other than she's from Iceland and was in one of those Sugababies or Moonbabies groups way back when. Though anyway, the pertinent point here is that she has a voice of such purity and rapturous astonishment to evoke swooning awe.

All is Full of Love

Finally, something gentle and yearning, Roddy Frame's "Mixed Up Love." The singer of the legendary happy band Aztec Camera, Frame is still kicking around turning out little pop gems like this.

Mixed Up Love

Buy Arab Strap, Feist, Bjork, Roddy Frame at Amazon