for Christmas, I received a bunch of Starbucks giftcards from co-workers who unwittingly thought "hey, she's young, she must like the place".
little did they know of my hatred towards coffee in general and Starbucks in particular.
I considered using the giftcards to buy containers of tea (Starbucks carries TAZO, one of my faves) and I also recalled that Starbucks usually features cool cds of the indie persuasion, being based in Seattle and all. I actually ended up giving the giftcards to my mum, who is a coffee addict.
Sweetheart '10 is Starbucks' third compilation of its kind: it features covers of love songs by indie rock artists. it's mellow and laid back, not at all a flaring of you-know-which-holiday which is just around the corner (even though the compilation's release probably was timed around February for this particular reason).
if you have some Starbucks giftcards burning a hole in your pocket, I would recommend picking this up and playing it loudly as you cook or lie down on your floor in solitude. because, like a lot of great music, this compilation features songs that are best enjoyed in silence and alone. the songs have a certain distant quality about them, like speaking to someone overseas over the telephone. the album had a similar effect on me as
Dark Night of the Soul, which is a damn high compliment if I do say so myself. I was particularly excited when I saw that Spoon took part of this project, but my favourite thing on here, by far, is Yo La Tengo doing "You Make Me Feel Good" by The Zombies.
Yo La Tengo - You Make Me Feel Good (Zombies cover) [mp3]you can buy the album (and the new Spoon album haha)
HEREand here is the tracklisting:
I posted a cover of "Spanish Harlem Incident" by James & Robert Mercer recently, which was courtesy of a reader of mine named Holly who was in on the compilation. she sent 4 giveaway copies my way, so if you'd like to be in the running for one, leave a comment and tell me what your favourite cover or love song is (or both!)
contest winners will be announced in two weeks, on 9th February. good luck!
aren't they precious?
