Big Bear

a hulking, abandoned former grocery warehouse
Columbus, Ohio

Lily Allen - Not Big

Outlet Center

Clintonville, Ohio

Lily Allen - Nan You're A Window Shopper

Shopping

Mannequin
Spring Hill, Florida

Lily Allen - Nan You're a Window Shopper

Best of 2006, Pt. 1

It's been a memorable year for me, and many of the memories I'll keep with me have to do with music and/or photography.

As the year winds down, I'll post songs that helped make this year stand out for me, whether they were new or simply new to me.

To start with, I mentioned in my very first post back in June that Hot Chip, The Pipettes, and Lily Allen would be featured here. The latter two are artists who had great debut cds out in 2006, and the first, Hot Chip, only debuted a couple of years ago. I listened to a ridiculous amount of their music while out and about shooting pictures throughout Ohio.

I especially, vividly, recall playing Lily's Not Big over and over while driving through the Hocking Hills area for the first time; the hilariously filthy sing-along and terrifyingly steep hills testing my brakes and nerves are forever tied together for me.

Hot Chip's Colours and Over and Over are mellow and rhythmic; relaxing but never sleep-inducing. I find them pretty decent to listen to at work.

Finally, The Pipettes' Pull Shapes, which I just posted yesterday, and Your Kisses Are Wasted On Me are such sunny, upbeat retro girl group music that they make everything a little brighter.

Music - Lily Allen, Not Big

Lily Allen - Not Big

"Not Big," by cute little English girl Lily Allen, is a poppy, boppy little ball of fluff that will take you forever to get out of your head, and the lyrics will be stuck in there, resulting in your wandering around singing this absently everywhere you go for days.

Which is really unfortunate, because the song is cruel. And hilariously filthy. You see, the poor narrator of the song got broken up with, and rather coolly begins listing all the ways in which the guy was a big sexual zero, and the hurtful ways in which she intends to get back at him. Publicly.

Sample lyrics:

I can see it in your face as you break it to me gently that you really must think you're great
Let's see how you feel in a couple of weeks when I work my way through your mates

And the chorus:

I never wanted it to end up this way
You've only got yourself to blame
I'm gonna tell the world you're rubbish in bed now
And that you're small in the game

If you do nothing else this week to put a smile on your face, download this and have a good laugh. If you like it, you could go to her MySpace page and download four more songs ("Smile" is also quite good) or you could go here and watch some video or check out tour dates. You can also go here to buy the CD, "Alright Still" -- it'll be released July 20.