Black Maxi Dress; Topshop, Cardigan; Mango, Tan Belt; New Look
Sandals; Aspiga, Shell Necklace; Etsy, Western Bag; Primark
Cuffs; Vintage

Aloha! Today I have been shopping with my Mum. I wore a long black maxi dress & my most favourite necklace at the moment, it makes me feel like a mermaid!

It is so pretty!

I teamed my outfit with these beautiful Tribal Sandals I received last year for my Birthday.

I managed to pick up a stunning Midi Dress in the New Look sale today for only £5.00.

It has such a lovely floral print & it is my first Midi Dress!

I also bought a beautiful coral Maxi Skirt which was a total steal for only £5.00!

I have some really exciting & beautiful additions to my Etsy Store coming very soon – more on that later!

I hope you have all had a beautiful day!
☯ ☮ ♥
x

As I mentioned in my last post my maxi skirt has arrived! I am going to call it my Sunset Maxi Skirt because the colours remind of the sunset.

I am going to team it with a black bandeau & my Tribal Aspiga flip flops! I will also wearing my vintage cuffs & a boho style bag to complete my look!

Hurry up Summer!

Okay, move along…nothing to see here! I am ashamed to admit it but I have cheated on my resolution guys. I spotted this Dip Dye Maxi Skirt on Very.com & I jsut couldn’t resist. It was half price in the sale for only £19.50 & was designed my Fearne Cotton. I adore the colours & the way they fuse together & for that price there was no way I could say no. It is only a little cheat & it will be my only one for a while…promise!

I hope it fits because this is such a wonderful piece! I am going to team it with a black bandeau my Aspiga flip flops & my vintage cuffs. Perfect for creating a boho look, don’t you think?

Courtesy: Paper + Plastick Records/Exit 384 Media

Indie rock act Aspiga recently released its new EP, Every Last Piece.  This New Jersey based pop punk/emo act’s new release is the type of opus that fans of The Weakerthans, The Gaslight Anthem, Jawbreaker, and other acts along that line.  The EP’s seven total tracks clock in at roughly twenty-five minutes.  In that time, the band tackles rather intimate subjects.  From the angst-filled ‘Welcome to the Sympathy Party’ to the EP’s penultimate track, ‘On The Defensive’ to the album’s other songs, this collection of songs won’t exactly leave audiences feeling happy.  But they do collectively give insight into what front man Kevin Day was feeling in writing the songs for this new release.

 Listeners are given a pretty good idea of what exactly to expect from the album from the first full length song, ‘Welcome to the Sympathy Party.’  When Day launches into his screaming self-loathing of “I discovered that I hate myself”, there is even less doubt about the song’s topic.  The chaotic sound crafted for this song adds to the inner turmoil being felt here.  It does a relatively good job of illustrating those emotions.  The same can be said of ‘On The Defensive.’  This equally angst filled pop punk track takes listeners into the aftermath of a fight between a couple.  The fight in question is linked in to a relationship issue.  So needless to say that isn’t he happiest of songs, either.  It goes without saying that the EP’s other songs delve into some emotionally difficult topics, too.  That being the case, anyone who is looking to cure their own blues might find some enjoyment from the songs on this new release.

Aspiga doesn’t have any tour dates currently lined up.  But fans can find out when and where they can hear the band’s music live when they “Like” the band on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/aspiganj.  Fans can also hear the band’s music online at http://aspiga.bandcamp.com/album/every-last-piece. 

To keep up with the latest entertainment reviews and news, go online to http://www.facebook.com/philspicks and “Like” it or its companion page, http://www.facebook.com/pages/Reel-Reviews/381028148587141.  Fans can always keep up with the latest entertainment reviews and news in the Phil’s Picks blog at http://philspicks.wordpress.com.

Anywho, here are my sixteen favorite albums of 2012. I was originally going to just do ten albums, but I had so many runner ups and honorable mentions that I extended it to twenty. Then I realized that the final four were albums that I liked, but not albums that I loved, so I cut it down to sixteen.

It’s also important to note that I’m a writer for DyingScene.com, and as such my list contains several entries that I wrote about for that website. So if you come across my top 10 list over on that there website, and you notice that I re-use some of the album descriptions, you can rest assured it’s simply because I was too lazy to do a completely new write up and I just copied it.

On with the list!:

16. Masked Intruder – Masked Intruder
What a fine pop punk album this is! Masked Intruder is one of the few bands with a gimmick that translates really well into the studio recordings. My biggest problem with this album (re: my only problem with this album) is that five of the thirteen tracks had already been previously released, four of which were released earlier just this year on the First Offense EP and the band’s split with The Turkletons. Despite that, this is still a fantastic bubblegum pop infused with punk album. Not many pop punk bands can get away with putting this much emphasis on the pop element and still be widely accepted in punk circles, but these boys are on to something.

15. Aspiga – Every Last Piece
From the harsh snarls to the fast musicianship to the heart-on-sleeve self deprecation, these guys remind me a lot of Jawbreaker and early(ish) Saves the Day. As I said in my review: “Think 24 Hour Revenge Therapy meets Through Being Cool.” In other words: really good. Every Last Piece is a little on the short side, to the point that I think this might technically be an EP, but isn’t being straight to the point what punk is all about?

14. Hostage Calm – Please Remain Calm
You know those bands that you always read or hear about but you just never remember to check out? Hostage Calm was one of those bands for me. But from the moment I put on Please Remain Calm I became hooked. Their blending of 60’s orchestral pop, 70’s rock anthem verses, and lyrical themes of modern day despair and uncertainty was so weird and off-putting to me at first that I just had to keep listening. Next thing I knew, I was listening to the album every day for three weeks straight.

13. Cheap Girls – Giant Orange
Apathetic college rock makes its return! Ironically, Giant Orange is probably the band’s most energetic album yet, as well as their best. Ian Graham’s vocals still have that kind of bored tone to them, but he’s never sounded better than he does on this album (I think I once described the band as having an unmatched apathetic energy). Laura Jane Grace’s production on the album helps it to sound slick, but still appropriate for a band of their pedigree.
12. The Sidekicks – Awkward Breeds
The Sidekicks have pretty much dropped all pretenses of being a punk band. But you know what? If that means that we get to have an album like Awkward Breeds because of it, then there’s no reason to be upset. It’s like a mix of Pinkerton, Third Eye Blind, and New Miserable Experience for a new generation.
11. The Evens – The Odds
Arguably more aggressive than the band’s first two albums, The Odds finds The Evens proving that punk rockers can slow down with dignity and grace. Ian MacKaye and Amy Farina play off each other incredibly well, from MacKaye’s Fugazi-esque chops showing off on his baritone guitar and Farina’s oddball drumming style. As vocalists both members also shine, although Farina’s vocal performance in particular stands out. Maybe I just never listened to The Evens or Get Evens as much as I thought I had, but her voice sounds more powerful than ever all throughout The Odds.

10. Various Artists – The Thing That Ate Larry Livermore
Quick, name some bands that immediately come to mind when you think of pop punk in 2012? If you didn’t list any of the bands that appear on this comp, you’re wrong. Handpicked by Lookout Records founder Larry Livermore, the compilation collects 15 of the best modern pop punk bands (and Night Birds) from across North America. To make things even better, each song was written exclusively for this comp, making it the only place you can get these songs (at least until any of the bands put together a rarities collection).

09. Classics of Love – Classics of Love
These days it seems like less and less high school kids talk about Operation Ivy. Do kids still go through their ska-punk phase, or is that not a thing anymore? Either way, it doesn’t matter because Jesse Michaels (and his backing band Hard Girls) just released the best album of his career so far. Classics of Love is a rapid, hard-hitting punk album bordering on the lines of classic hardcore. And there’s kind of some ska on it, but not really.

08. Matt Pryor – May Day
Matt Pryor released his solo debut, Confidence Man, back in 2008. In the four years between then and now, Matt has clearly gone through a lot that has angered him. Musically, May Day is on par with Confidence Man, although in terms of lyrical subject Pryor takes a much darker approach. He’s no longer singing about having his heartbroken emotionally by girls, but Pryor hasn’t been this bitter and angry since the early days of The Get Up Kids. Yeah, that’s how good it is.

07. Brendan Kelly & The Wandering Birds – I’d Rather Die Than Live Forever
I love this whole “frontman going solo” thing that’s been happening in punk, but sometimes it gets a little boring when it’s just a guy and an acoustic guitar. I mean, I love seeing it live, but only so much can be done with that set up in a studio recording. So when a solo project takes on a full band sound, even if the songs will only ever be performed with an acoustic guitar, I think it’s really cool because then it creates something special and new. Just like Dave Hause and Dan Andriano before him, Brendan Kelly has created a collection of songs packed with full band recordings that may never be performed live exactly as they sound on the album. His various singing styles also give I’d Rather Die Than Live Forever even more of a full band feel to it, which is pretty rad to me.

06. The Dopamines – Vices
The Dopamines have done it again. Clocking in at 21 minutes, Vices tones down from the slick sounds of production of 2010’s Expect the Worst, and it comes off as sounding like a much more proper follow up to the band’s self titled debut. Either way, The Dopamines have still crafted an excellent album for those who miss the pop punk of the early 1990’s.

05. The Gaslight Anthem – Handwritten
The punk influences in The Gaslight Anthem’s music have all but vanished since their inception, but in spite of that the band is (oddly) still widely accepted by the punk community. Handwritten is the band’s heaviest album to date (Sink or Swim is their loudest but it’s not really “heavy”… there’s a difference). The guitars are crunchier, the songs aren’t always fixated around 50’s nostalgia, and Maria is nowhere to be found, but at its core Handwritten is still a Gaslight Anthem album.

04. Green Day – ¡Uno! / ¡Dos! / ¡Tré!
After spending the better part of the last decade trying out rock operas and “mature” sounds, Green Day has finally taken things down a notch. Picking up from where they left off with 2000’s Warning, Green Day’s trilogy takes multiple steps back from the over scale grandness of 21^st Century Breakdown, resulting in a massive collection of old and new sounds. Between the three discs, ¡Uno! and ¡Tré! are the more “typical” Green Day-sounding albums, taking the huge riffs of the bands rock operas and applying them to 3-minute power pop tunes. ¡Dos! experiments with more straight forward garage riffs more commonly associated with Foxboro Hot Tubs. Of course not every track is a winner (“Oh Love” is big and dumb; “Nightlife” tries its hand at combining dirty rock with rapped verses and loses; “The Forgotten” is another boring, string-laden ballad), but when you’ve got thirty-seven tracks to choose from the few duds aren’t really going to distract much.

03. Teenage Bottlerocket – Freak Out!
Sometimes bands never need to change their sound. Teenage Bottlerocket is one of those bands. Freak Out!, the band’s fifth full length album, follows the exact same formula that the band has been using since their inception. Given that it’s been three years since They Came From the Shadows was released, it would’ve been nice to have 14 entirely new songs instead of 12 new songs and two being recycled from last year’s Mutilate Me EP. But beggars can’t be choosers, right? And when the songs are this good, it doesn’t really matter.

02. Mixtapes – Even on the Worst Nights
There’s absolutely no reason for me to actually like Mixtapes. In fact, I think I should hate them. They’re obnoxious, one of the vocalists sounds like a second-rate Fat Mike, and they just generally talk a lot of shit both in their lyrics and on their social media presence. Yet they’ve still put together one of the finest pop punk albums I’ve had the pleasure of listening to. Even on the Worst Nights bridges the gap between the two factions of pop punk by featuring guest spots by both Grath Madden (The Steinways, House Boat) and Dan “Soupy” Campbell (The Wonder Years). Not that I expect to see Dear Landlord and The Story So Far on a bill together anytime soon, but if Mixtapes continues on this path that could very well be a reality one day.

01. The Menzingers – On the Impossible Past
What Handwritten lacks in nostalgic songs about a blue-collar lifestyle, On the Impossible Past makes up for in numbers. Perhaps it’s my secret desire to want to be old enough to feel nostalgic, or perhaps it’s because I recently started living a blue-collar lifestyle, but there’s something about The Menzingers’ third disc that kept me listening all year long.

Being a GenXer, I’m moody but not rebellious. Generally I like my punk live with a Rolling Rock in hand. This addictive new album from New Jersey’s Aspiga [that funky name comes from those old black and white Godzilla movies] opens with the fast and strong “Save Your Spit.” Churning guitar and melancholic lyrics—“I discovered I hate myself” on “Welcome to the Sympathy Party” collide phenomenally. Metal spoons clang the drums. At times, you’re riding a mountain bike with a loose chain over a rocky trail. Singer/guitarist Kevin Day’s voice ranges from tender to raspy. The introspection appeals to me. In “Parade on Me,” Day sings “water is scarce/ I tried to rinse you off . . . my paper skin/ you tried to crease me.” So therapeutic. There’s fresh honesty in “On the Defensive”—“I say what I don’t mean/ It keeps me from getting anything.” Edgy songs about lament, reparation and transformation make Aspiga worth listening to over and over.

Every Last Piece
Paper + Plastick
November 20, 2012

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purchase at Amazon: Every Last Piece

2012 (4 tracks, 12:50)

alternative/indie

2012 (4 tracks, 12:50)

alternative/indie

Bandeau; H&M, Skinny Jeans; Topshop, Cropped Leather Jacket; Miss Selfridge
Tribal Necklace; Forever 21, Tribal Sandals; Aspiga, Cross Bracelet; Claires Accessories

Whilst shopping with my Mum on Wednesday we took a look in H&M. My Mum picked up a bandeau top and said to me ‘Isn’t this nice?’ I explained to her that I had the very same top in beige & black and that I had totally forgotton about it! So today I searched for it and taa daa! Here it is! I can’t even remember the last time I wore it, it was so long ago. I really like this top I love the pattern and it goes so well with simple black jeans.

I also rediscovered this cropped leather jacket that I bought from Miss Selfridge a few years ago now. I have added pops of colour with two of my favourite items - Aspiga flip flops and  a tribal necklace from Forever 21!

The more observant of you will have noticed I added a new page to my blog yesterday. It is called Cherry Blossom Bay, although I don’t want to give too much away just yet, I am VERY excited about it.

I usually wear my hair kinda straight but flicked up at the ends. Today I have tried to create a more wavy and beachy look!

Have a great weekend!
x

These beauties were hand-made in Africa and a percentage of the profit goes to a small orphanage just outside Nairobi. The workforce is properly paid and the money they make goes to feed and cloth their families.

The bead work is so delicate & intricate and they are just so comfy to wear. I love how they had a pop of colour to my outfits and add a touch of tribal to my ensembles!

I would really recommend checking out their site Aspiga.com, they have some amazing products and it is all for a good cause!

Stud Detail Maxi Dress; Mink Pink, Southwest Bandeau; Forever 21
Tribal Necklace; Forever 21, Sandals; Aspiga

Hi guys! I have tried to create a tribal look today. I have had this studded maxi dress from Mink Pink since last year and this is the first chance I have had to wear it. It is such a comfy and casual piece, which I love. I have added pops of colour and tribal influences with my multi coloured bandeau and tribal necklace which are both from Forever 21. The sun shines so brightly into my room during the morning that it makes me look like a ghost! Which is sad beauce I have managed to gain a little light tan lately!

I have also added my Sheild Sandals from Aspiga to complete my tribal look!

I hope you all have a wonderful Sunday. It is back to work for me tomorrow like I am sure it is for most of you (boo!) On the brighter side it is actually sunny here today so that has cheered me up!
x

2012 (4 tracks, 12:50)

Overlap basket in Pink from Aspiga £40

Despite living in the less-than sunny climes of London where it is currently 65F and cloudy, I find myself in a never ending quest for holiday gear. Bikinis, kaftans, sandals and colorful beaded jewelry have accumulated in my closet (don’t tell my husband) with such rapidity that I wouldn’t be surprised if it took many summers to actually wear them all. But I digress! The point of this post is to highlight an amazing website I stumbled upon, Aspiga.com, which sells beautiful swim and beachwear all ethically made in Africa. Aspiga’s founder spent much time in Kenya and decided to give work to local craftspeople rather than large factories to make the label’s products.  In addition, some of their profits are donated to an orphanage outside Kenya that otherwise would struggle financially. I’ve included some photos of my favorites here but please check out their website. In an age where fast fashion has sometimes replaced craftsmanship (and I’m not immune sadly), it’s nice to give back, even a little.

Starfish sandals from Aspiga £66

Masai bracelet from Aspiga £32

Hey folks!

I just confirmed the bill for another DC area show on Monday, August 17. I’ll be playing at Jackie’s Restaurant in Silver Spring with Aspiga and Foozle! who both lost a local gig at the DC Mini Gallery when it had to suspend putting on live music. Come on out and make them feel extra welcome!

MONDAY AUGUST 17
ASPIGA
FOOZLE!
JUSTYN WITH A Y

Jackie’s Restaurant
8081 Georgia Ave.
Silver Spring, MD 20910
Show starts 8PM

http://www.jackiesrestaurant.com
http://www.myspace.com/aspiga
http://www.myspace.com/foozle
http://www.myspace.com/justynwithay