Listen Up! Your April Music Musts

Ladies, it's time to stop hibernating and start dancing: April is here. The air smells fresh, flowers are starting to bloom, and it's finally OK for you to bust out those open-toed pumps that have been languishing in the back of your closet. The month signals new beginnings, and with it comes a wave of awesome new albums.

The country rocker siblings will fire you up to wage war on dust bunnies and sort through your over-stuffed dresser. Frontwoman Kimberly Perry is sassy and fierce as she belts out a damning goodbye to a no-good lover. Channel her energy to get rid of your own junk, then play the album again as you dance around your squeaky-clean digs.

When you're taking a bike ride around the park: Andrew Wyatt's "And Septimus..." from Descender, out April 16

The debut solo album from the Miike Snow vocalist might just inspire you to stop and smell the tulips as you cruise through the park. This dreamy, cheerful song is guaranteed to make you smile even if your ride is cut short by those inevitable April showers--hey, at least it isn't snowing anymore!

When you're plotting your April Fools prank: Yeah Yeah Yeahs' "Sacrilege" from Mosquito, out April 16

We're faced with a bit of a moral quandary this year: The wholesome, marshmallow-filled Easter holiday and the most mischievous day of the year are back-to-back. Let the catchy guitar riff and Karen O's frenetic vocals inspire you to do dastardly deeds, but remember: You can have a fun prank without risking time in a jail or hospital.

When you're scrambling to finish your taxes: Phoenix's "Entertainment" from Bankrupt! out April 23

You need something peppy enough to help you power through the labyrinth of tax documents, and the French group's upbeat vibe is the perfect accompaniment to stave off your money woes. Just cross your fingersthat the band's album title won't describe your financial situation when you realize how much you owe the federal government.

When you're lounging at the bar's al fresco patio: Kid Cudi's "King Wizard" from Indicud, out April 23

After months of hiding your cute going-out minis underparkas and scarves on blustery Saturday nights, you can finally flaunt yourfashion and show some skin. Fortunately, Kid Cudi, aka the king of cool, party-worthy hip-hop, is back with a solid third album just in time for thewarm weather bar-hopping. He's simultaneously laid-back and intense, chill and badass. It's the perfect soundtrack as you raise a glass to springtime.

RELATED LINKS:

Image Credit: Getty Images Entertainment

View the original article here

The Morning Scoop: Listen to Beyonce's Latest Song, Print This March Madness Bracket and More!

Beyonce released her newest track, "Bow Down," via Instagram and SoundCloud last night. It's pretty badass. Listen now. [HuffPost]

Are you ready for March Madness? Print out this bracket and get everything finished before the basketball games begin. [Bleacher Report]

Obsessed with #NailArt like we are? Check out these 10 easy trends to try. [YouBeauty]

We've already sung the praises of Downward Dog, but this latest study says it can also reportedly help treat depression. [CNN]

Don't have a Dream Dry or a Blow bar in your town? Get blow out-bar-like results with the help of this quick video. [Refinery29]

Image Credit: via Instagram

View the original article here

Babies Listen and Learn While in the Womb

Jan. 3, 2013 -- Sometimes she just tells him about her day. Other times, Ruthie W. rubs her pregnant belly and tells her future son that she can’t wait to meet him (which should be any day now).

And a new study shows that he not only hears his mom, but may understand her and is already learning language from her. 

“I talk to him all the time, even when I am in stores shopping for a layette and other things we will need once he is born,” says the New York City-based cosmetic executive. “People probably think I am crazy if they overhear me!”

Far from it.

In fact, she is giving her son a foundation for language development.

The new research suggests that babies began to absorb language when they are inside the womb during the last 10 weeks of pregnancy -- which is earlier than previously held. Newborns can actually tell the difference between their mother’s native tongue and foreign languages just hours after they are born.

“The main message for new moms is that their babies are listening and learning and remembering during the last stages of pregnancy. Their brains do not wait for birth to start absorbing information,” says study author Patricia K. Kuhl, PhD. She is the Bezos Family Foundation endowed chair in early childhood learning and a professor of speech and hearing sciences at the University of Washington in Seattle.

How can researchers tell?

Kuhl and colleagues used a high-tech pacifier that was connected to a computer that measured infants' reactions to sounds. The study included 80 infants who were, on average, about 30 hours old and from Tacoma, Wash., and Stockholm, Sweden. They listened to vowel sounds in their native language and a foreign tongue while sucking on the pacifier. 

Vowels are the loudest units in speech. The number of times they suck on the pacifier indicates which vowel sounds attracted their attention. Babies sucked longer for foreign languages than their native tongue in both countries, the study showed.

“The mother's voice can be heard because it is amplified by her body," Kuhl says.  

Sorry, Dad. The father's voice cannot be heard in the womb, she says.  

“Mothers shouldn't try putting earphones on their bellies and playing music because it's already noisy in there,” she says. “Learning the mother's voice and her vowels happens naturally as the mothers speak,” she says.  

“Expectant moms should have confidence that their developing baby is making sense out of the sounds that she is providing for the baby,” says another study author, Christine Moon, PhD. She is a psychologist at Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma. “This is how we launch off into language.”

The sound of their mom’s voice is also associated with movement. “The mom moves when she talks, and her diaphragm is moving when she talks, and we think that this pairing may be useful and may help make the sound more salient."

View the original article here