The Cake Sale is a band featuring an expansive collective of talented musicians and writers who have combined to create a 9-song CD of the same name on Oxfam Records. Artists include Damien Rice, Emm Gryner, and Glen Hansard, among others. All profits will go to support Oxfam’s Make Trade Fair campaign and their overseas programme work. Quite a delicious cause, I would say! So treat your ears to this track from Gary Lightbody of Snow Patrol and Lisa Hannigan, then head over to The Cake Sale website for some yummy fair trade recipes. I want to try that banocha smoothie!

The Cake Sale - Some Surprise

The Strokes - I'll Try Anything Once

I’ll Try Anything Once is an early demo version of the more recognized You Only Live Once by The Strokes. While incredibly tender and acoustic in nature, this version has some serious sentimental value to me. It was perhaps one of the best nights I’ve had in a long time (or possibly ever): the night I went to the Julian Casablancas concert in Toronto this spring with my boyfriend and two best friends. I’ve never been one for double dates before… but I suppose when you find another awesome couple to hang out with, it makes all the difference. I melted over this track that Julian surprised us all with. It’s also featured in the trailer for Sofia Coppola’s new film, Somewhere.

Enjoy.

{photo swiped from my friend Sana’s Facebook page. Sorry girl, your photos aren’t safe from my blogging! …not when they’re this adorable.}

So Mother’s Day is long over… and I know, I know… I didn’t do a special post for it – “I’m sorry Mom! I love you!”

I just hope everyone had a great one and got to spend it with their mom. Let’s face it – moms are awesome and they deserve to be shown love and appreciation every day of the year, not just that one.

Speaking of… has anyone seen that Canon commercial with the new born in it? It’s so tender and brilliantly shot, and I instantly fell for the charming song it featured too. The song is called ‘Surprisingly So’ by Amy Seeley (confirmed here, on Amy’s own Twitter status). I found a live version for your listening, but you can go to her website here and download it for just a $1 USD. And all the money goes straight to the artist, so that’s really great!

Enjoy!

Amy Seeley - Surprisingly So

{photo from the Flickr stream of Shanna Rae {Florabella Collection}}

I love you more than blank is a project run by Laureen Moyal and Yuliya Gorlovetsky in New York. The projects collects thousands of submissions from people everywhere, sharing their measure for love. Their loves are categorized by what it is they love, and is not limited to romantic relationships only. Some of them are really sweet confessions :)

For the past month I have been listening to this song on repeat. It’s a dreamy country duet between Patrick Watson and Katie Moore. The anxious ‘pitter-patter’ piano melody triggers a vision of the sun rising and a warm breeze on a new momentous day. Can you feel it yet?

Patrick Watson - Big Bird in a Small Cage

{image from Erin Purcell on Flickr}

{image from Le Love Image}

For this week’s Happy Listening, I chose to feature one of my favourite bands. Don’t let the name of this song fool you. This American indie rock band has a strong contemporary collection of romantic ballads that you are bound to see more of here in the future. Take a listen!

For news, media, and more info on Band of Horses go visit their official site here.

{image from juliajames_ on Flickr}

Here’s an oldie composed and written by Ralph Rainger and Dorothy Parker, originally for the The Big Broadcast of 1936. This one is sung by the always fabulous Billie Holiday. It makes me want to dance tenderly in the moonlight with someone on the cobblestone of some European cafe. What can I say? I’m a dreamer.

{image from Pablo Palmeiro on Flickr}

This was the best of them all…

I actually cried when I flipped to the word ‘live’. Looking forward to next September. :)

Spring is officially on its way! I can feel it in the air. The sharp chill has finally left and a bit of warmth is making its way in. In honour of this, I have chosen a cheery, modern jazz tune to feature today. Human Hands is a song originally by Elvis Costello, but was covered by Sondre Lerche for the 2007 film Dan in Real Life – a movie about a widower finding out the woman he fell in love with is his brother’s girlfriend. Ugh, frustrating right?

I can’t help but recommend this film as another ‘must see’. It’s wonderfully sweet and charming, but without all the cheese of the usual romantic comedies. And the soundtrack is almost entirely composed by Sondre Lerche, so if you like this track, it may be worth checking out the rest of it. Or just watch the movie first and you’ll see how wonderfully the music tells this story of real-life struggle of love and family.

My favourite quote from the movie focuses on the story’s main theme: “Instead of telling our young people to plan ahead, perhaps we should tell them to plan to be surprised”. Because let’s face it – life is unexpected, and we should embrace that. Enjoy the listening!

Sondre Lerche - Human Hands

{image from Reel Life Wisdom}