I wanna explode Watch me, I'm a lucky girl

-- Explode, by Uh Huh Her

I love Uh Huh Her. They make some darn good music, and they’re “underground” enough that tickets aren’t ridiculously priced. So I felt it was justifiable to spend $10 on their (first) full-length album, Common Reaction. I ordered it through their website, as it came with an advance download of the single, Not a Love Song. What I conveniently forgot, however, was that is also came with a signed album insert! Imagine my surprise when I open a letter-sized envelope and this tumbles out along with the CD:


Now, maybe it’s not a really big deal to those of you who don’t know of them (or who are less prone to random bouts of fangirl than myself), but I was inexplicably excited to see those Sharpie marks! So imagine my further surprise when I pulled this out of the envelope next:


I sort of gushed about it for a few minutes, in that oh-so-predictable vein of “OMG, that’s Camila Grey and Leisha Hailey! And they wrote my name!” Embarrassing though that may have been, I blame it mostly on the fact that I completely forgot that the album would be signed, and then the personalized photo came out of left field! No matter, I wear my UHH Fangirl badge with pride, yo.

Come to think of it, so should you. Srsly, go listen to them now. Dreamer, Covered and Common Reaction are good places to start. I would caution against the music video for Common Reaction, however, since the band seems to have been struck simultaneously by an ill-advised bout of 80’s nostalgia and retro-modernism. And unicorns.

But their music more than makes up for the occasional video mishap, and the fact that Leisha is part of the tiny contingent of actors-turned-musicians-that-don’t-suck just adds to the awesome. If you like ethereal-ish, sometimes semi-techno à la dance -- or even just plain ol’ good music -- put Uh Huh Her in your playlist. And then when you realize how great they really are, you can be jealous of my signed memorabilia.
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In other, oddly less exciting Signed Paper news, I got my diploma. It arrived in a nondescript cardboard envelope, and the whole affair lacked a certain ... excitement ... I think I was expecting. Something about waiting so long after the ceremony makes the diploma little more than beige cardstock with screen-printed calligraphy. I got all my official You Graduated paperwork ages ago, so this was a mere formality; I’m more proud of my final transcript than I am of this thing. Is that weird? Regardless, I can’t help the internal, “I graduated, and there’s not a thing you can do to take it back now!” every time I see the darn thing. Now that? I know is not unusual.

I'm from a land called Secret Estonia

Nobody knows where it's at, no
Nobody knows where it's at
-- Creepshow, by Kerli

(It's here, between Russia and Sweden, btw.)

Obviously, I’m not from Estonia. Secret or otherwise. My latest musical obsession, however, is.

Meet Kerli.

Kerli - Walking On Air (Official Video)

Her latest (first?) album is called Love is Dead, and it is pretty much made of solid awesome. Although Kerli has been somewhat accurately compared to Björk, the likeliness exists in vocal styling alone. There’s a gravelly-but-not-too-deep quality about their voices that is unique enough to catch your attention and plant you firmly in “love it” or “hate it.” But unlike Björk, Kerli’s music is a bit less edgy in its composition. It’s definitely got that same air of techno to it, but she fits nicely into the pop/rock genre, with a healthy dose of Goth that bands like Evanescence only wish they could achieve. And I love me some Amy Lee, don’t get me wrong, but this stuff is just so much more ... creepy.

In interviews, Kerli has mentioned growing up in a culture where you showed your love for your children by beating them every night after school, and twice on Sundays. She writes songs about being positive in the face of too-tough-love and Communism, and being who you are no matter what people say. Even if you happen to be a little creepy. Perhaps especially then.

Trust me when I tell you to go forth and has. Srsly.

Artist: Kerli
Album: Love is Dead
Start Here: Walking On Air, Bulletproof, Up Up Up