i’m not as strong as i want / people to think i am

This song is a complete change-up from all the summery fantasticness we’ve been rolling in lately around these parts, but since we last spoke, Colorado Springs (and the whole state) has been wrestling with a major asshole of a wildfire, so when I listen to music lately it’s been a bit melancholy.

I’ve been putting the new song from Seattle’s Ivan & Alyosha on repeat lately to sedate my whirring brain-gears. It is rich with classic, gorgeously bittersweet harmonies and a pensive feel like a slowly-seeping warmth behind your sternum. And man, with Aimee Mann sharing the vocals? Gahh.

All The Times We Had (with Aimee Mann) – Ivan & Alyosha


After being wooed by the literary nods of their moniker, I’ve been a fan of these guys’ music since I saw them at a day party at SXSW 2011, leading me to include them on my Spring ’11 Used Hearts/Fresh Starts mix. All the music I keep seeking out from them is rich and wonderful: I am trying to recruit them to a Fuel/Friends house concert this fall. Their new record is out August 7, and while you wait you can download some good free stuff on Noisetrade or Bandcamp. So redolent and good.

If you want to help support the fire relief efforts and evacuee support in Colorado (the whole state is fighting nine different fires), consider buying one of the beautifully-designed tshirts put together by a group of local graphic-arts friends at Wild Fire Tees: $20 per shirt, with 100% of the proceeds going to the Colorado Red Cross and our Care & Share Food Banks. In the last 24 hours, they’ve sold over $100,000 worth of shirts, and after they heard that firefighters liked their design, they added an option where you can buy a shirt for one of those guys & gals fighting the good fight. DO IT.