Public Service Announcement 003: The Billboard Top 40.

I shouldn't have to say this, but every once in a while, turn off your fucking television and listen to something not being pushed into your brain by ClearChannel or Viacom. The situation is ridiculous nowadays. Honestly, it's not that hard to expand your boundaries if you're so inclined, and nowadays new music is literally a mouse-click away. No excuses. I'll be 35 in a few months (yes, this fact saddens me a little), and I'll be damned if I let some countdown run by a faceless corporation continue to dictate what should be vibrating my eardrums.


I know too many people in my age group who only listen to one type of music, claiming that other genres hold no interest for them. Okay. I'm not mad at that reasoning, but in my opinion it's self-limiting. No one genre can capture the entire range of emotion/atmosphere/feeling/ambiance that I need to experience to feel satisfied musically. Which is why my collection looks almost schizophrenic. I'd say that of the music I currently listen to, 90% of it was discovered via some independent discussion board or blog, and almost none of it will ever touch the Billboard 200. And that's okay.

Note: This is not to say that pop music shouldn't be liked or doesn't have a place. It definitely does -- I very well can't dance to Lights Out Asia, for instance. And I'm the first to admit that a sizable chunk of some of the stuff in my playlists has a pop influence to it. but the Top 40 isn't the end-all-be-all. That's the beauty of the music "industry" today -- you don't have to like what's put in front of you. You can make your own decisions.

Or maybe I'm just getting old. Yeah ... it's probably that.

What Day Is It Again?

Having recently gotten back from being out of the country for the past week, I need a day to settle back into my normal routine. I spent the last seven days barely knowing the day/date so I need to recalibrate! In the meanwhile, here's some bokeh for your morning, best enjoyed with a nice coffee.


Updates on my vacation coming soon as well as the past couple of Sunday Seven entries posted retroactively. Happy Monday!

Random Tuesday Morning Video Bonanza.

Because I woke up and went to work an hour early yesterday, destroyed a few plates of half-price sushi at Ra, downed a couple glasses of Kirin, and ended up passing out for two hours after I got home, I kinda just feel like posting some eye candy this morning instead of, you know, actually writing anything. Push play and enjoy.


A catchy and melodic track by The Hundred In The Hands. It doesn't hurt that Eleanore Everdell has such a sweetly resonant voice. Pair the track with some refreshingly high-contrast visuals and you've got a slick, engaging video.


Stop-motion macro photography (think Robot Chicken) set to a jazzy, rolling groove. I especially like how all the little details added realism to the scene, from small pieces of litter blowing around in the street to the parallel-parking cars.


Like the retro-ish atmosphere, simple scenes of nature and poignant piano score in this short film, languages are beautiful.

Hopefully these videos give you a little boost to your day! As for me, I think a Red Bull might do the trick. *burp*

Side note: Damn, August is halfway over already?!

Everyone Has A Price.

Vimeo served up this awesome short film to my inbox today. Take the sixteen minutes out of your day to watch; it's well worth it [NSFW].


Whoa. (c)Keanu

I was really impressed by the sharp editing and stark, fluorescent cinematography. The cast, a nice little Benetton coalition of actors displaying a wide range of emotions, was on point too. Additionally, the atmosphere of the film -- equal parts desperation, hope, and greed -- drew me in almost immediately. I liked the juxtaposition of various visions of pleasure/paradise broadcast by the television screens against the greasy, bloody recordings of the convenience store security camera. The resolution for the two characters bookending the film made me chuckle, too; at least something went right for somebody.

Your Lucky Day [larger version here] asks us what we would do in a similar situation. How would you weigh a share of $156 million against witnessing two murders you had nothing to do with? What would your price be, knowing that your death would likely be the consequence if you didn't agree to the terms?

Are your morals worth your life?

I think that at the moment, my self-preservation instinct would kick in. True, refusing to acquiesce to the robber's demands wouldn't bring the dead back to life. Not really having much of a choice, I would probably have acted in a similar way to the couple. However, I think the guilt would eat me alive. Admittedly, whether or not I'd eventually turn myself in is up in the air.

That I'd even hesitate to do "the right thing" is probably some kind of moral failure. I suspect, however, that I'm not alone.

So, dear reader ... what is your price?

A Proper Metropolis.

Because it's been a while since I've featured a time-lapse video here:


Love these types of clips. I somehow feel comforted and homesick at the same time.

I can't wait to move back to a proper metropolis in a few weeks. Don't get it twisted though -- I really have grown to appreciate Kansas City and all it has to offer. But I've gotten used to a lot more diversity, culture and variety. Plus I'm tired of weather extremes. Currently Seattle is the front-runner, but there's a (very) slim chance I'll end up in San Diego. Either way, I'll be back on the West Coast right after summer ends.

Breathe in, breathe out.

Dark Visuals For A Melancholy Song.

So this video's relatively old in Internet time, but for some reason the song's been in my head the past couple of days.


Say what you want about 'Ye but the dude pushes envelopes when it comes to the visuals that complement his music. This video is pretty damn dope.

I'm still not a huge fan of 808s & Heartbreak but I do have to admit, the album grew on me over time. I'll actually throw it on the iPod for some road trip music for this weekend as I make my way to Wichita for the annual KSRT convention.

How Do You See Music?

Having gotten only four hours of sleep last night due to studying for a test this morning, constructing a proper post for today has gone by the wayside. So instead of trying to come up with something that probably wouldn't make sense anyway, here's some eye candy.

"Sonar" is a short video clip featuring some simple melodies visualized in an interesting way:


I got to thinking about how I "see" music in my head when I hear it. I tend to visualize a song as made up of layers, kind of like the atmosphere (percussion, vocals, the various instruments). I can pick out a particular layer, say the harmony in a song's hook, and solely listen to that instead of everything else. Then I'll go back to the beginning of the song, pick another layer and listen to that. It allows me to appreciate all the different parts of the music as they stand independently, and how they finally fit together into a cohesive whole. Personally, it's a very satisfying way to deconstruct a song.

Try it sometime.

Jazz As Philosophy.

Today's official blog posting will be delayed a few hours due to a time crunch, but here's a great video to tide you over and dip your brain into until then. It's only about two minutes long and well worth the watch.


Deep. Using jazz as a philosophical lens to view life? I can dig that.

Check back this afternoon for today's update.

Heavy Rotation 008: Cassette Kids | "Spin".

This is my song of the week. The video is three kinds of weird, but it's weird in a simple offbeat way.


It's so loud, we're so close
We are all about to lose control
And I, well I can feel it rushing up inside my mind
Everybody on your feet now

Heat rocks!!

Cassette Kids are a relatively new band from Australia, having formed in 2007. Their EP, We Are, made some noise down under and they've been making moves and touring ever since (they recently performed at SXSW in Austin). "Spin" just has a great energy to it that makes me think of a perfect boisterous night out with friends, culminating in a bangin' after-hours house party in an apartment overlooking a neon-tinged city skyline. This was just begging for someone to flip it -- so Russ Chimes' ridiculously dope house remix was extremely welcome blasting through my speakers. I've seriously had this joint on repeat for days. It's damn near therapeutic. You need to do the same.

Cassette Kids' debut album Nothing On TV will be released on 16 April 2010. And just 'cause I think it fits the feel of this entry for some reason, a photo.

[via]

Have a great weekend everyone. Let's spin some records.

Going Global.

I love worldwide webcam collaborations like this, especially when they involve music. This is the kind of stuff that moves me. I'm glad I live in a world where people are inspired to use technology to create beautiful music and art with like-minded souls on other continents.




Rather heavy school workload today, so I'll keep it short. Weekend's almost here!

Takin' It Back To The Essence.

Time for a little break from my usual introspective/depressing posts. Last week in Seattle, I put in work with Reggie, Rey, Joel and some friends to film a couple of videos for J-Pros' upcoming second album, Pacific Central. Reggie is doing the bulk of the video editing and he recently sent me the nearly-finished clip for one of the songs ... and I love how it's looking so far. Here are some teaser stills from one of the shoots:

Basically I stood around for a while trying to look hard. jokes

We had a ton of fun filming the videos, and I'll post embeds/links when they've been finalized. We're planning on releasing the first video/single later this spring, so stay tuned!

Keep updated with J-Pros on Bandcamp, MySpace and Facebook.

What Is Your Secret?

In the excellent tradition of 50 People, 1 Question*, the people from PostSecret went out into NYC to ask random passers-by something simple: "What is your secret?" Here are the results.


Side note: I love the diversity of people in this video. Style + accents + ethnicity = awesome. It's one of the things I miss most about living in a huge city. Plus when there's a diverse population, great restaurants aren't far behind KNOWHATIMSAYIN?

It's amazing what thoughts, actions or beliefs people will confess to -- especially when asked in a pseudo-anonymous setting like this. The responses range from philosophical to quirky (eating cereal in the bedroom in one's underwear is definitely a movement I can get behind) ... and I'm attracted to the element of honesty in the answers. It's kinda refreshing after being immersed in a society that's constantly being bombarded by marketing, advertising and "spin."

After browsing the PostSecret blog for a little while (and being at turns amused, horrified, relieved and concerned), I was inspired to make my own personal confession. The following is rather heavy, but it's reflective of my current mindstate:

[source image via]

Come to think of it, this was actually calming and therapeutic in its own way. I'll do more in the future.

What is your secret?

*Seriously, if you have a few more minutes to spare, watch these videos. They're fascinating.

A Damn Good Night Out.

So push play right now and watch the following clip, "Rad Anthem" by Rad Omen (NSFW), the brainchild of DJ Troublemaker.


Aaaaahhhhh, memories. *ahem* Would you say that this is:

1. a metaphor for corporate capitalism in America
2. a statement about the perils of overindulgence
3. a hilariously awesome music video

I'm gonna go with ... 3, but you could probably make a case for 1 and 2 too.  ANYWAY this hits my senses exactly right, because listen: It's a rare and beautiful event when the video and song complement each other so well. In this case they go together like three lines of uncut pure and a mirrored hotel coffee table. The track is heavy on the buttery electro and light on its feet, bouncy and super-danceable even without the aid of any illicit substances -- although I'm pretty sure they'd do a fine job enhancing how nicely this song hits. And the video ... well, let's just say I know the feeling. It perfectly encapsulates a Damn Good Night Out, punctuated by the inevitable cryptic Facebook status updates, improbably funny situations, misspelled text messages and phone calls you probably shouldn't have made.

In this city, we know how to get down
In this city, we know how to do it right

Go ahead, watch it again. You know you want to see Jack get his dome licked by a stripper one more time.

We Are Our Own Devil.

Only a few days ago, I'd been blessed by the dark notes of Mezzanine by Massive Attack flowing out of my iPod. It's an album I tend to listen to three or four times a year when that particular mood strikes -- the need to immerse oneself into music that's simultaneously cool, calculating, almost-sinister and absolutely seductive -- you know the feeling. Trip-hop exploded onto the scene at around the same time that I was searching for something new and awesome to fill my brain. Mezzanine poured like a slow, silvery liquid into my ears, and I was immediately taken by how dark and ... sexy it was. This was something I'd never heard before.

And I liked it. I've been a fan ever since.

So it really was a fortuitous coincidence that I received an email from Tristen Gacoscos of Filter asking me to check out Massive Attack's new single "Paradise Circus (feat. Hope Sandoval)" and hooked me up with a link to the video. To be honest, it was ... difficult to pay close attention to the actual music while watching the video for the first time. Hmmm yeah yeah yeah for obvious reasons (as you'll see below), but the spliced-in candid interview with Georgina Spelvin about her experiences in The Devil In Miss Jones made for good listening as well.

But yo. This joint just slithers and slides in a strangely retro kind of way, topped off lovely by Hope Sandoval's breathy vocals. I love the chimes and hand-claps, and the way the strings float in like ghosts near the end. This is something I can throw on at the end of a house party as I navigate chinky-eyed around empty bottles of Sapphire, semi-conscious Asian chicks and low-hanging kush clouds. In other words, hot shit.

I'm not going to embed the video here on PM 'cause it's basically porn (let me spell it out for you: EXTREMELY NSFW), but hey, look and listen for yourself.

"We are our own devil." Indeed, Miss Jones, indeed.

Massive Attack's new album, Heligoland, drops 09 February.

Parkour Motion Reel.

According to the artist, Serene Teh, this piece was "illustrated with technical pen, frame by frame. I admit it might not be the best, or the quality isn't perfect, just a shot at animating the old flip book whatever-you-call-it way." At any rate, it's a refreshingly gritty change-up from the too-smooth, over-CGI'd animation we're bombarded with daily.


Too. Sick. [via Metafilter]

Done With Exams.

Took my second and last final today, so I'M DONE for the semester!! The following video represents how I feel -- the player in blue = me, player in red = test:


I have one more week of clinicals left, but for now my brain can relax!

Ahhhhhhh.

Metropolitain.

Something beautiful and chill to start your week off the right way. I miss Paris; wish we'd been able to spend a couple more days there when we visited a few years back.



Happy Monday all.

Insane Crazy.

Okay so I'm thinkin' this was the agenda that day:

1. Wake up
2. Have a good breakfast
3. Put on your best powder blue suit
4. Hitch a ride up Claremont Canyon Hill with a buddy and an HD camera
5. Scream down the entire hill going 40+ mph on your longboard, passing the camera back and forth
6. PASS A FREAKIN' CAR
7. Ride the resulting endorphin rush for a week

So put on some damn clothes and go do something fun -- it's the weekend. Scram.

Downshift.

Owing to a busy academic week, I'll be concentrating on the essays and books for a couple of days, so I'm taking a short hiatus.

In the meantime, relax and listen to the type of music that fills many an evening in my apartment. Yeah it runs 47 minutes long, but trust: it's superior background ambience for all your nocturnal needs.


"I shall return" © General Douglas MacArthur. Don't miss me too much :)

Does Anyone Else Get That Feeling?

It's Saturday, so it's time for a light Australian pop music video featuring a couple of rabbits who, contrary to their stereotypical nature, don't get laid very much. (NSFW due to the theme of the song and one naughty word.)

Edit: The video's been removed from Vimeo, so here's a link that's more likely to stay up.

LOL. I could go in depth about the social commentary conveyed by the video, but I'll let the words speak for themselves.

I've known about this video and song, performed by TISM, for a few years now, and recently rediscovered it while looking through my image folders (yo get your mind out of the gutter) for a fresh new avatar. Apparently I'd taken some choice screenshots of the Lead Singer Bunny:

 

At any rate, I dig the simplicity of the animation. Although the number of lines and curves in the images are kept to a minimum, the expressions and movements of the characters are believable and funny.

Corporate chambers and office amore.
Shenanigans outdoor and in.

Enjoy your Saturday -- I'm actually going out for once! Amazing.