Music Monday: Actually, her Name's Marina

It's a little sad to say, but I've loved Marina & the Diamonds ever since first hearing the song Hollywood (Fenec Soler Remix) on the Gap soundtrack at work. Soon after I got a hold of the album two other tracks made it onto the store soundtrack, causing a slight overdose on Marina that summer.

A year later I'm still just as fond of the group, particularly the titular singer's voice, and delighted that Last.fm recommended this track to me as a free download. I had never heard it before a few days ago, but I fell into that same immediate adoration as with Hollywood.

Y'see, I really like some of 3OH!3's work as well, particularly this song. The way that Marina & the Diamonds covers it though is so incredibly different, taking the tempo down and stripping the electronic sounds away for an acoustic jam session instead.

So take a listen, and if you like it hop over to Last.fm for the download link while they're still offering it.

on Repeat

This weekend I discovered a musician by the name of Jamie Cullum, and I've had his most recent album, The Pursuit, on repeat since, oh, Friday. It's that good.

But I need a little variety in my life. Not too much at this time, but a little, just to keep me interested. Jamie has one song called Mixtape, in which he sings, "I'll make you a mixtape that's a blueprint of my soul... It details everything that's running 'round my head."

So here's my "mixtape," courtesy of Grooveshark, and the playlist I've had on repeat the last two days. Note that it ends with Jamie, though.