I know I haven't been keeping up with my recommends lately, but I've been saving these up for a while.  This edition is going to be all about music since there have been severable memorable CDs that for the past year have been playing on constant repeat on my CD player.  I hope everyone enjoys these tunes as much as I have.

*listen to this album now on amazon.com

Actually, most of the CDs on this list I consider must-haves for all  lesbians, but Tegan and Sara get an honorable mention for being the best we-don't-care-they're-gay-because-their-music-is-so-good group.  While straight teens are attracted to Tegan and Sara because they're young, funky, and write good music, gay teens are attracted to all of the above and are inspired by the fact that both girls in this twin rock duo also happen to be gay.

When I first put this CD into the player and started listening to the first track of the album ("You Wouldn't Like Me") I actually had to stop my car and I sat there in the middle of the street listening to the entire song and smiling with joy because I thought I may have finally found a CD to break the rut of bad music I had been in for months.  I was eager to listen to the rest of the CD and pleasantly satisfied to find that none of the tracks on this album disappoint.

It's nearly impossible to describe T&S music with any clarity - it's just something that you have to listen to.  Both girls write their own music, the lyrics are primarily the love-hell mix of 20-something relationships, and the music is 80s punk inspired tuned down to lo-fi/acoustic rock with enough changeups of tempo and style in each song to shake the college town audience out of their radio music induced daze.  While some of their songs (like "Speak Slow" and "Walking With a Ghost") can be heard on radio stations around the country, the best place to catch these girls is at a live gig.  They are currently touring in Australia with their three male band mates.  If you hurry down under you can still catch all their sisterly bickering and humorous touring anecdotes in person. 

T&S have been playing together since the age of 15 (well, really since birth obviously...) and their progress in both song-writing and playing music shows strongly on their 4th album So Jealous.  I love singing along to all the songs on this album - even songs about break-ups and lost love come across as rock you wanna dance to.  I think younger listeners will see something of themselves reflected in the lyrics (no, the girls haven't been reading your diary) while everyone can enjoy the musical genius of this group. 

Each song has a hook - it's impossible to pick out the best lyrics.  Here are a couple from 2 different songs that I like:

look me in the eye and tell me you don't find me attractive
look me in the heart and tell me you won't go
look me in the eye and promise no love's like our love
look me in the heart and un break broken, it won't happen

stick your heart inside of my chest
keep it warm here while we rest
tell them this love hasn't changed me, hasn't changed me at all
the same as I love you, you'll always love me too
this love isn't good unless it's me and you

*Noteworthy: It's nice to hear love songs (and not-so-love songs) without gender pronouns getting in the way of the sentiment.

*If you live in Australia check out the tour dates at www.teganandsara.com
*listen to this album now on amazon.com

*if you like Norah Jones, you'll enjoy Feist
*listen to the album now on amazon.com

Singer-songwriter Leslie Feist has collaborated on recordings by Broken Social Scene and Kings of Convenience, but it's obvious from this album that her inspiration comes from all over the world.  Each track will take you to a different place, from a 1970's nightclub, to a 1920's Parisian lounge, to a tribal dance in Africa.  Each track is different and memorable.

The best description of the latest CD from this diverse songstress comes from the Feist website.

"This is an album that will follow you easily from the bath to the bar and soundtrack your mood for both. This is an album that seems to reach nostalgically to a time when singers crossed all styles whether they were old fashioned or in fashion. This is shared privacy and it’s your own life you’re looking at."

You already know track #6 "Lonely, Lonely" from season 1 of The L Word.  I can say with all confidence that at least half of the songs on this album surpass that track in style and substance.  A few of the songs are slow like "Lonely, Lonely" but several are upbeat, toe-tapping, sing-alongs.  My personal favorites include the single "Mushaboom" which is so catchy you just might embarrass yourself by snapping or clapping along with the beat as if you were listening to it at a campfire jamboree.  The track "When I Was a Young Girl" reminds me of Johnny Cash meets The Waifs.  Its tribal beat is set with drums and it tells the trials of a girl's life in a ritualistic story-telling fashion.  When I first heard the song "Inside and Out" it reminded me of "Yes" by Merry Clayton on the Dirty Dancing soundtrack.  It's actually a cover of a Bee Gees song, but I doubt you'll be picturing Barry or Robin when you hear it.

*Noteworthy:  2 different covers and different songs were released for the Let It Die album.

*Feist is currently on tour - catch her if you're lucky.

*listen to the album now on amazon.com
*band photo

Vocals ~ Katie Sketch
Organ ~ Jenny Smyth
Guitar ~ Deborah Cohen
Bass ~ Ashley Webber
Drums ~ Shelby Stocks

The first track "Brother" is an impressive single and also, sadly, one of the longest songs on the album.  The one drawback (that shouldn't discourage you from buying this album) is that all the songs, and thus the album, are short.  A mere 30 minutes and you're done listening.  The Organ are also notorious for being very slow in releasing new material.  Some of the best songs on this album were recycled from their previous CD.  But all that practising of the same songs over and over (and altering lyrics as they go) has made them solid.  One new song the band has been working on for months (years?) is "Let the Bells Ring."  I think it's one of their catchiest songs and can't wait to buy it on the newly released 7".

My favorites on Grab That Gun include the lyrically near-perfect "Steven Smith" (hello fans of Morrissey)
one look at you
and they're suddenly covered in
shrapnel too
it's true, most die in your bedroom

 "Sinking Hearts"
remember when i left you
i couldn't say your name
or other crucial things like i love you
oh that's a shame

 "Basement Band Song"
if i pay you five dollars will you try to make my bed?
if i pay you ten will you make me well instead?

 and "Memorize the City."
sometimes i close my eyes and you're not very pretty
sometimes i can't believe i've had those thoughts before

The songs will have you singing along in no time, but if you want to keep up a happy exterior don't read (or listen too hard to) the lyrics.  I actually love every song on this album; I never have to skip a track when I'm listening to it.  If you're lucky enough to see these girls live, don't miss it.  Unlike Tegan & Sara, there's virtually no talking happening on stage (you'll be lucky if Katie introduces the band) they're all about the music.  They're fascinating and addictive to watch - you'll end up wanting to take them home with you.

*Noteworthy:  Lead singer Katie Sketch resembles TLW hottie Kate Moennig. 

*The Organ have recently played with The Cure and the Ravonettes and have an upcoming show with Sleater-Kinney.  Don't miss these girls if they're touring near you.

LOOKING FORWARD TO