Splendor in the Grass never looked so splendid...

Looks like this will be the second day of musical posts, but I feel it's my job to alert you to new music, to broaden your horizons and expose you to music you might otherwise pass up. Oh yes, I take this job very seriously, folks. I am an iTunes junkie, a library floozie, and a mix-CD mistress. I live, eat, and breathe music. In my little world, there is a perfect song for every situation, a soundtrack to every day. Just call me your own personal musical therapist. And I'm free! Who doesn't love that?!

Last week one of my most favoritest bands, Pink Martini released their fourth album, "Splendor in the Grass". (Yes, I know that "most favoritest" isn't speaking properly, thankyouverymuch, but I don't care.)





Just like their other three albums, this one does not look to disappoint. Every single one of their albums is so refreshing in the sense that there is a wide variety of songs on each one, making it more satisfying like an uber-cool mix CD that your most suave and sophisticated friend made just for you (if you have friends like that). Again, this is also one of those albums that would be a perfect backdrop for the ultimate in swanky dinner parties.

Honestly I'm not even sure how to describe Pink Martini -- I guess, to me, they are like a mini-orchestra of the world. Their music spans all sorts of genres, and the talent and education oozes out of this bunch. To put it lightly, although I am a big Pink Martini wannabe and would love nothing more than to go on tour with them, I'm not educated enough to even be their shaker girl, and I've got a bachelor's degree in music. My sister-in-law and I went to see them early last year perform with a local symphony, and the even the guys just playing the shakers had degrees from Harvard or Yale or whatever.




They just ooze cool. If you ever have the chance to hear them live, don't think twice! I love this quote I found on their band's bio page:

"Americans don’t really sing together anymore … except for church … or maybe the shower. At the turn of the 20th century, every middle-class American household had a piano. And it was the focal point of the house … people would gather around it and sing together. Music was something everyone participated in. Everyone played an instrument or sang … whether it was an American folk song like “Oh My Darling Clementine”or “Home On The Range”or an Irving Berlin song like “What’ll I Do”or Gershwin’s “Someone To Watch Over Me”, everybody knew the songs, knew the words, and could participate. But then the radio came, and then the television … and soon it was all over. For me, Pink Martini is partially an attempt to rebuild a culture which sings and dances."

Here's a YouTube video I found with one of the quirky songs from their new album, called Bitty Boppy Betty:



This album is also on my ever-expanding iTunes wishlist. I need to start a separate piggybank just for music purchases...