Music Monday

This Monday I am loving me some "Love Letter" by Clairy Browne & The Bangin' Rackettes.

Let me just start by saying I am super excited about this band from the land down under! Definitely a new favorite for me! Ms. Browne's voice fills a void in me previously only reserved for the likes of the late Amy Winehouse. I am sure by now you have grown tired of hearing me go on and on about my love for 60's Soul/R&B and specifically female vocalists of that era or that resemble such, so without further ado I give you the incredibly talented ensemble that is Clairy Browne & The Bangin' Rackettes:

Btw, if the song sounds familiar, it may be due to a Heineken commercial that recently featured the band and the song. This is actually where the hubby first heard/saw them, but didn't even realize they were an actual band.

Oh

, and if you're really digging their sound and are wondering when and where you can catch them live, be prepared to get beyond excited because they are actually on tour right now in the U.S.!  Their official website www.clairybrowne.com has the rest of their tour dates.

Hope everyone has a fabulous week!

-Lesli

My pick for this week is a band I've been digging for some time now.
Unfortunately, there isn't a video for my favorite song, so we'll just make do with audio.
Ladies and gentlemen, I give you Fleet Foxes!

Happy Monday to all!

Artist Spotlight: Lana Del Rey

So, we have decided to do something a little different for this Music Monday. Instead of our usual individual song/artist picks, we decided to collaborate on a single post dedicated to a mutually beloved artist and debut what we hope to be the first of many "Artist Spotlight" posts.

Now, from the beginning of What's Bippin, Michelle and I agreed we would never blog about certain topics, specifically certain artists, artists that we both feel very protective and passionate about. I think this was due in part to us being in denial and believing if we never talked about it publicly than we could somehow keep them all to ourselves (ridiculous, I know) and also due in part to us feeling there are just no words worthy of describing our feelings towards them.

As silly as this may sound to some, the impact these artists have had on us has made it very difficult for us to share with others and even though we still don't feel 100% comfortable writing about all of them (there are still some we will NEVER talk about on here), we decided since this blog is about US, we could not and should not withhold these things that make up a huge part of who and what we are.

With that being said, we have decided to loosen the reigns a little and dedicate an "Artist Spotlight" to one of our biggest music and fashion icons: Lana Del Rey.

Here are the facts: Michelle loved her first, now we fight over who loves her more but agree that no one loves her as much as we do combined. Don't get us wrong, we love our fellow Lanatics, but only those who discovered her on their own and have no relation to us. Otherwise, we feel like a child at the playground whose toy has been stolen: "Give her back, she's mine!". Obsessed much? You could say that.

Even as the hardcore Lana fans that we are, there are still lines we simply will not cross. For instance, we strongly dislike blatant and direct imitation out of the profound respect we have for her. Which means that covers of her songs, recreations of her looks/photos and impersonators better nail it to a T (in other words, you better have us fooled for the real thang, mkay?), otherwise in our opinion it is an insult. One might argue that imitation is the highest form of flattery, to which I would repeat, if you can pull it off then fine, but most cannot and here is where the problem lies. We don't blame people for trying, I mean, naturally we all want to be her.... but unfortunately we cannot and if you are a true fan, out of respect for the artist, you would be able to recognize that.

Now, that is not say we are not cool with anything "inspired" by Ms. Del Rey. That is perfectly okay with us. In fact, it's more than okay, we love it! We are guilty of it ourselves! She is our muse in many different aspects.

What makes her so special you may ask? This is probably the hardest question to answer being that it's of a more personal nature, since we could both answer that completely differently. We both love her for a lot of the same reasons and then also for our own reasons. So, instead of trying to explain it, we thought it best to compile some of our favorite Lana works and let you see for yourselves.

Our picks:

I know, I know, we probably should have cautioned you before viewing this that your may explode by all the amazing-ness that is Lana Del Rey. It is too much even for us to handle at times. Please take as long as you need to compose yourselves.

Music Monday

Today I am incredibly excited to share with you all my pick. 

Mainly because it's from a band that both Lesli and I adore, and have had the privilege of seeing.

 That being said, today's pick is Austra's brand new single Home.

If you've never heard of this band, please do yourself a favor and listen to some of their other songs. They're amazing. Lesli and I discovered this band, each on our own, and were SO excited when we found out we both liked them. We agree that their dark Synth-Pop paired with Katie Stelmanis classically trained voice is the most stunning combination. And not to mention that hearing her sing live is simply breathtaking! That's why we are eagerly awaiting their new album, but until then, we'll make due with the singles! :D

I hope you all have a swell Monday!

-Michelle

So, I know the Black Keys are currently all the rave and not that it matters and I know this is going to be such a hipster thing to say, but I really did like them before they were trendy. Ever since the release of Brothers I've been obsessing over their cover of Jerry Butler's "Never Give You Up". Covers are really one of those hit or miss kind of things for me, and I know not everyone feels the same, but I happen to think they nailed it. So my pick for this Monday is "Never Give You Up" as performed by the Black Keys. Enjoy!

Happy Monday!

-Lesli

Outfit of the Day

Fresh Spring Rolls

We realize we have been seriously slacking on our baking and dinner posts. We are terribly sorry, however recently we've been trying to really clean up our eating habits, so there have been no delicious desserts and dinners are usually quite boring. Well, I'm over it now. There's no reason healthy shouldn't be fun and exciting, right? It does take a bit more work and creativeness than just dumping a bunch of lettuce in a bowl and drowning it in dressing, but it's totally worth it.

Here is one of our fave dishes: Fresh Spring Rolls!

You would be surprised at how easy it is to make these. Best of all they allow for total customization. You can add or take out pretty much anything inside of them to make them just how you like. Honestly, the most difficult thing about these is the prep time. You need some patience to cut up all the veggies (if they're not already pre-cut), if you are using uncooked meat and/or seafood to cook that also and time cooking the noodles.

So here is what we use to make ours:

Rice Paper

Fried Tofu

Shredded Carrots

Cucumbers (peeled and thinly sliced)

Bean Sprouts

Mint

Green Onions (thinly sliced)

Vermicelli Noodles

Once your Fresh Spring Roll assembly line is formed, you basically have the hardest part out of the way. Now for the fun part, putting them together!

I normally fill a pretty large bowl with warm water, where I will be submerging the rice paper in to make them soft. This happens pretty quickly, takes about 20-30 seconds.

Once they're soft act quick, they're easier to work with while still wet. Note: be gentle as they can tear easily. Lay them out on a flat surface and smooth out. Now, assemble! I usually start out by laying down my mint leaves in the middle, they tend to stick better to the rice paper, then my tofu, then the cucumber, green onions, carrots, bean sprouts and noodles. Keep your portions small, especially if you are using more ingredients than me to help keep the roll from unraveling or tearing through the rice paper. Now you're ready to roll!

I roll mine burrito style, must be the Mexican in me. I fold one half of the rice paper over the middle, then tuck the ends in and roll to the end, all while gently tightening and shaping the roll. This is important. Trust me, a loose roll is very hard to eat, gets all over the place. 

When you've made your desired amount, eat and enjoy! Buy or whip up your favorite Thai peanut sauce or sweet and sour sauce and you're set! Yummy, fresh and healthy treat!

Music Monday

Fitz & The Tantrums: saw this band live before ever even hearing a single song of theirs. 

We all know how fond I am of 60's soul and R&B singers, especially female singers. Although the lead singer of Fitz & the Tantrums is Michael Fitzpatrick, for me the back up singer, Noelle Scaggs, steals the show. She is a insanely talented vocalist! She rocked it live! Again, I'm super into their sound sorta being a throwback to the 60's and excited that they're doing their own thing and don't really sound like anything out there right now. So, now I give you "Breaking The Chains Of Love"...

-Lesli

Ever since the day I came across Sky Ferreira's video for 'One' about two years ago, I knew she was special. Even though I didn't particularly like that song, I liker her. I really even know why, but I think she's really pretty(in that hot mess kind of way). Recently I've decided to give her music a second try, and luckily I liked a couple songs. 'Everything is Embarrassing' is probably my favorite song of hers, although when I first found it the name weirded me out. I'm glad, however, that I didn't let that stop me!
Without further ado:

-Michelle

 Enjoy your Monday!

Music Monday

This Monday I decided to take a more psychedelic route with my pick. I re-discovered my love for The Velvet Underground and specifically The Velvet Underground with Nico. Really, what is there not to love about this Warhol Superstar? In my opinion she was a 60's icon.

So, the song I chose is "Femme Fatale". I feel it displays Nico's unique deep, husky voice perfectly!

Hope you enjoyed and wish one and all a fabulous Monday!

-Lesli

My pick for today is The Flaming Lips' Vein of Stars.

There are so many great songs of theirs but this is my favorite.

Have a listen and enjoy your Monday!

-Michelle