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My Musical Journey: What I’m Streaming From Around the World

24 Feb

In January the library added streaming to our offerings from Freegal for our Hoboken resident card holders.  Now not only can you download five songs per week from Freegal, you can also stream 3 hours of music per day.  This includes lots of popular music like Adele’s latest album 25.  Recently I’ve been enjoying the retro charms of Elle King’s “Ex’s and Oh’s” and remembering David Bowie with songs like “The Man Who Sold the World” and songs from his last album Blackstar. Below is a short world tour of a few additional bands/singers I’ve added to my streaming playlist that you may not have encountered before.

BabyMetal

babymetal

Image credit: Freegal

BabyMetal is a quirky Japanese group which falls under the kawaii metal category.  They fuse jpop (Japanese pop music) with death metal.  Three teenage girls provide fun pop tunes merged with growling backing vocals and heavy metal guitar riffs.  It might seem like it shouldn’t work, but it does and their catchy tunes will get stuck in your head.  Stream “HeadBangeeeeerrrrr!!!!!”, “Gimme Chocolate!!”, and “Doki Doki Morning”.  They will be touring the US in May including a date across the river in NYC.

Tarja

tarja

I’ve been a fan of Finland’s Tarja Turunen since she was the lead singer in Nightwish.  Her recent solo work allows her powerful voice to soar. Sample “Feel Immortal” and “Falling Awake”.  Plus you can checkout Nightwish’s symphonic metal “Wishmaster” and “Nemo”.

Ayria

aryia

Ayria‘s from our Northern neighbor, Canada.  Their industrial dance music will have you wanting to get up and move.  I’m streaming “Post Apocalyptic Girl”, “It’s Been Fun”, and my favorite “Horrible Dream”.

Ataraxia

ataraxia

The Italian band Ataraxia has been one of my favorites for a while with their merging of modern tech with early acoustic instruments.  Wailing vocals sung in multiple languages add to their distinctive sound.  Sample “Scarlet Leaves”, “Li Frere Li Mestre Du Temple”, and “Quintaluna”.

Emilie Autumn

emilie-autumn

America’s own Emilie Autumn has a huge cult fan base.  Her persona merges Lady Gaga with Courtney Love.  I find myself listening to “Swallow”, “Marry Me”, “Misery Loves Company”, and other tracks from her album Opheliac again and again.

Die Laughing

die-laughing

Die Laughing is a melodic Goth band from the UK.  Their songs “Safe Little World” and “Firedance” make me nostalgic for the goth club nights of my early twenties.

-Written by Aimee Harris, Head of Reference

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A Galaxy Far, Far Away at the Hoboken Public Library: Star Wars Books, Movies, and More!

3 Feb

My husband, father, and I are huge Star Wars fans so we were very excited to get to see The Force Awakens on New Year’s Day.  It recaptured for me the excitement of the first three films I loved as a child.  If the new film has awakened a desire for more Star Wars, like me, check out the many Star Wars related items available from the Hoboken Public Library.
starwars100

Star Wars in 100 Scenes, by Jason Fry

This thorough guide covers the first six Star Wars movies with 100 scenes that capture favorite characters and pivotal moments from the films.  It even includes behind the scene trivia.

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Star Wars Omnibus: The Complete Saga, Episodes I-VI

This omnibus edition collects in one volume the comic book adaptations of all of the Star Wars films from Dark Horse.

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Star Wars. What is a Wookiee?, by Linda Gambrell

Narrated by C3P0 this book allows young readers to learn about the other droids and aliens of the Star Wars Universe.  A fun way to encourage your next generation of jedi to read.

starwarsabsolutely
Star Wars: Absolutely Everything You Need to Know, by Adam Bray, Kerrie Dougherty, Cole Horton, and Michael Kogge

This book goes beyond the six movies and also includes trivia and information from Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Star Wars Rebels.

starwars_ivvvi

Star Wars IV, V, VI [DVD, BluRay]

See the original films again or for the first time.  I recently showed my son A New Hope for the first time though The Empire Strikes Back, the first film I ever saw in the theaters will always be my favorite.

starwars_iiiiii

Star Wars I, II, II  [DVD, BluRay]

Though the prequels are often criticized by fans of the originals, especially with the unpopular Jar Jar Binks in The Phantom Menace, these films are still worth checking out at least once to see the complicated back story of Darth Vader.

legostarwars

Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga

For those looking to experience Star Wars, rather than just watch it, check out this video game for the Wii, which will have you playing through all six of the first movies in fun Lego style. Star Wars The Clone Wars: Lightsaber Duels is also available for the Wii.  For those preferring other gaming systems Angry Birds Star Wars is available for Xbox 360 and Star Wars The Force Unleashed II is available for the Xbox 360 and PS3.

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Star Wars Character Encyclopedia, by Simon Beecroft

Kids (and likely also their parents) will enjoy this illustrated look at over 200 profiles from the Star Wars Universe.

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William Shakespeare’s Star Wars: Verily, A New Hope, by Ian Doescher

If you are fan of the mashup genre, which takes things like zombies or vampires and mixes them with classic works of literature, then check out this retelling of Star Wars in iambic pentameter.  William Shakespeare’s The Empire Striketh Back: Star Wars Part the Fifth and William Shakespeare’s the Jedi Doth Return are also available.

completestarwarsenc

The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia, by Stephen J. Sansweet & Pablo Hidalgo and Bob Vitas & Daniel Wallace ; with Chris Cassidy, Mary Franklin & Josh Kushins

Stop by the reference department to browse this definitive three volume set that looks at the movies, games, comics, novels, and more. It even includes a timeline of major events in the Star Wars universe.

howstarwarsconquered

How Star Wars Conquered the Universe: The Past, Present, and Future of a Multibillion Dollar Franchise, by Chris Taylor

If your curious how one movie spawned not only sequels and prequels, but an empire of merchandising, then you should enjoy reading Chris Taylor’s account of Star Wars and how it became a global phenomenon.

wishfuldrinking

Wishful Drinking, by Carrie Fisher

I still remember being so excited to dress like Princess Leia for Halloween back when I was kid.  I wanted to be Carrie Fisher when I grew up.  Wishful Drinking though also captures the less glamorous side of her life and the struggles she faced with drinking and drug use.  Fisher manages though to keep her humor and spunk even through the rough parts.  It was great seeing her again in the new film; her daughter even has a cameo wearing her hair in the now classic side bun hair style.

Of course there is plenty more especially if you are looking for fiction that expands on the Star Wars Universe.  Kids can enjoy The Princess, the Scoundrel, and the Farm Boy: An Original Retelling of Star Wars: A New Hope by Alexandra Bracken or The Phantom Bully by Jeffrey Brown.  For adults there are books like Star Wars. Survivor’s Quest by Timothy Zahn.  Plus check out the animated continuation of the stories such as Star Wars, The Clone Wars (set during the time between Episodes II and III) and Star Wars Rebels (set between Episodes III and IV) on DVD.  If you have a favorite let us know in our comment section!

For those that prefer digital media, Hoboken Library Card and other BCCLS library card holders have access to Hoopla which has a variety of eBooks, digital audiobooks, and soundtracks available.

-Written by Aimee Harris, Head of Reference

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