Music Video of the Day: “Life In Letters”

Alas, Anniversary Week hasn’t gone quite as planned (what else is new? ), as it’s Saturday night and there’s only 2 contest entries, and I’m just getting to my third commemorative post. I’m responding to both of these things by: a) Extending the deadline of the giveaway until next Wednesday night at 11:59 MST. I will also be making my final Anniversary Week post next week. (Which kind of makes it an Anniversary Two Weeks, but that’s neither here nor there…ahem.) Now, before the day is over, a quick look at the newest music video from an artist I’ve shared a few times here at Harmony Avenue (the first of which was back in November for one of my first Artist Spotlights), it’s…

“Life In Letters” by Lucy Schwartz!

Lucy filmed this video underwater (it takes place both in that setting and in a desert…you’ll see what I mean once you watch the video), and it’s a gorgeous, unique, even kind of fanciful experience that’s very exciting to watch. The story of the music video is sweet, and the imagery is breathtaking. What better to go with a beautiful song like “Life In Letters” (which, by the way, is the title track to her most recent album)? Also, as a plus, this video was created to promote charity: water, a great nonprofit organization dedicated to providing safe drinking water to those in developing nations who need it. (You can find a link to donate to Lucy’s campaign for charity: water here.) It’s a great video and a great cause, and one of the many reasons why I love Lucy and her music.

Thanks for reading, make sure to comment (your chances of winning are still terrific if you enter soon!), and once again, happy Anniversary Week here on Harmony Avenue.

Music Video of the Day: “Gonna Get Over You”

Just so I’m not making two “Sing-Off” posts in a row (the recap for tonight’s episode is to come once, y’know, it airs here and all that), here’s a great new Music Video of the Day, for your personal viewing pleasure…

“Gonna Get Over You” by Sara Bareilles!

I’m kind of noticing now that this music video is eerily similar to the last one I posted (for those of you with short memories/the inability to scroll down/change the page, it was for Cee-Lo Green’s “Cry Baby”), in that it features insanely fun-to-watch dancing, breakup undertones, and just all-around coolness. (In this instance, Sara plays herself, rather than enlisting a charming former 80s child star. ) Sara bounces around a Latin supermarket, cheerfully enlisting unsuspecting folks into her biker-chick dance routine army, and the result is an absolute delight to see. (Plus there’s a twist at the end that I didn’t see coming. Trust me, you’ll enjoy it.) It even beats out another fun music video set in a supermarket (“Haven’t Met You Yet”), at least in my eyes. Sara wrote an endlessly addicting song here, and she’s created a video that’s just as addicting to go with it.

See you in a bit with the new recap for “The Sing-Off”!

Music Video of the Day: “Cry Baby”

I haven’t done a Music Video of the Day in a while, so here’s a quick post on the incredibly fun video for…

“Cry Baby” by Cee Lo Green!

I actually hadn’t heard the song before I saw the video, and I think it just may be my favorite Cee Lo song. (Yes, even better than the goodness that was “Forget You.”) The video stars not Cee Lo, but TV and film actor Jaleel White, who those of you from the 80s may rec0gnize as the former Urkel from “Family Matters,” but who I recognize from the hilarious 2001 film “Big Fat Liar,” where he played himself. Jaleel (as “Cee Lo”) starts off by telling his girlfriend that he’s about to leave, and that it’s time for them to fly…then he starts off into the song, breaks into some awesome dancing, attracts a crowd of people, and the result is joyful music-video magic. It’s a blast to watch.

Music Video of the Day: When We Were Young

It’s been a while since I’ve posted a Music Video of the Day, and what better to post than one (very briefly) involving yours truly? Well, I suppose there could be a lot of things better to post. But this one is by the amazing Lucy Schwartz (previously spotlighted here on Harmony Avenue, of course), for her song “When We Were Young,” which is the theme song for international broadcasts of NBC’s “Parenthood,” so it kind of automatically rocks. Lucy asked her fans to send in photos of when they were young, and I (along with many, many others) obliged. The video features absolutely adorable home videos of Lucy and her older brother Ian when they were little, along with a slideshow of those childhood fan photos. Plus the song is quite terrific. Look for me right after the girls from “The Shining”! (I’m not quite sure why they’re in the video, but Lucy explains it a bit in the video comments.) I’m in a Halloween costume. Enjoy all the cute kids! And the great music. See you in the next few days with some more new posts.

Music Video of the Day: “For The First Time” (With A Twist)

It’s been a bit since I’ve posted a Music Video of the Day, so I thought I’d share one with y’all. In case you’re worried I’m just going to do Songs and Music Videos of the Day for all of 2011…your worries will come true! Moo hu ha ha ha! Just kidding. I’ll be changing things up with some different Harmony Avenue features very soon. In fact, you can even find a teaser list of them below this post. For now, let’s view a video of The Script’s recent single “For The First Time”…or are we? Actually, this is (unnecessary drum roll please!)…

A cover of “For The First Time” by Amy Kuney!

Amy is a terrific singer/pianist…and a very interesting one at that. (She and her friends were kidnapped and released by a group of Guatemalan rebels when she was 17, and she acted and sang on two episodes of “Gilmore Girls,” for example.) She’s done the traditional recording-albums-and-EPs-and-whatnot thing, and her songs have been heard in various shows and movies (most intriguingly in the recent film “Catfish”), but she’s also become very well-known for her covers on YouTube as well. She’s taken on tunes by everyone from Coldplay to Lady Gaga, Damien Rice to Taylor Swift. This is the latest of her YouTube covers, and one of the few she’s done with her own voice multitracked. It’s an absolutely gorgeous version of “For The First Time,” a song from Irish band The Script’s newest album (it’s been out in Europe since September, but drops in the states this Tuesday). Her voice is distinctive and assured, and this acoustically driven version of the song, with her own voice(s) acting like a choir to her lead vocals, really adds to the originality and beauty of the cover…and makes it one that’s better than the original. If you want to hear more of Amy, visit her YouTube channel (the video above should lead you to it alright) or her website. I highly recommend all of her music.

And now, a tiny sneak peek of what I’m planning for upcoming Harmony Avenue posts:

• An Artist Spotlight or two (what I always say, I know, but there’s lots of great artists I want to let you know about!)
• Album reviews of both “Knock On The Sky” (by SHeDAISY) and “Hu Hu Hu” (by Natalia LaFourcade)
• My Picks for the Grammys (I’ll be covering the big categories, naturally, but also some of the obscure ones, like Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocals and Best Vocal Jazz Album)
• A Sketches post about men’s choirs (ish)
• A performance or two by yours truly?? (This idea has been in the works since I started this blog, but in 2011 I’d like to actually get it off the ground)
• Some other cool stuff, yo.

And that’s just a teaser…I’m bound to think of other interesting things to share. Keep up with my new posts by subscribing, either with the handy dandy little button at the top, if you’re a WordPress member, or the handy dandy little button on the right side of this blog, which sends you an email every time I post (I don’t post incessantly, so your inbox won’t be terribly bothered). See you later with a new post! Thanks for reading.

Music Video of the Day: “Christmas Lights”

Howdy once again, Harmony Avenue readers. Rather than a Song of the Day today, I’m going to step it up a bit and do a Music Video of the Day. This is also a little preview of the holiday-tastic goodness I’ll hopefully be diving into later this month. Today, take a gander at the lovely video for…

“Christmas Lights,” by Coldplay!

I’m a huge Coldplay fan, and I’ve stayed that way for years. I love X&Y AND Viva la Vida (a rarity, yes?), and all their other albums to boot. They just keep putting out such beautiful, engaging, well-crafted songs. They definitely don’t deserve all the hate piled upon them for supposedly being a subpar/mediocre/middling band. Anyways, I was excited to hear their new single for the Christmas season, “Christmas Lights.” It certainly didn’t disappoint…it’s a subtly, simply gorgeous song, and the lyrics are a lovely balance between the sadness and hope found in the winter months. But if it was only just a terrific song, I wouldn’t be showing you the music video, would I? The video clip that goes with this song is quirky (Coldplay has become a little delightfully random lately, probably because they’re British and have been together for so long), beautifully shot, and with a really cool progression. The shining lights on the trees…the moving cardboard cutouts in the back (look for what happens to the fish midway through)…the somewhat inexplicable but totally fun string players/Elvis impersonators in the background (the words on top of wooden stage Coldplay performs on also have a connection to this)…a stunning view of the Thames at night (I really want to visit London)…and the soaring touch of a group of fans on the boat chiming along in the video (my favorite part). It’s just a wonderful, soaring, optimstic video, paired with a great song to match. Whether you celebrate Christmas or not, it’s a great way to ring in the holiday season. Enjoy!