weekly roundup: 04.23.10 edition

the funny thing about these blog titles is that i'll do it once and then never do it again. i just searched to see if i had ever done a "weekly roundup" entry and apparently there are none. i mean, there may be some posts with the words "weekly roundup," but apparently i didn't have the foresight to title them in an organized fashion. oh, well. you guys can deal. and i'll probably forget that i wrote this entire paragraph of nonsense.

where was i? oh... there will be a lot of free downloads, so you should keep reading along.

awesome music awaits:
- gayngs - you can find "faded high" and "the gaudy side of town" available for download on tripwire here.
- freelance whales - daytrotter sessions available for download here.
- hot chip - "i feel better" toko remix available for download exclusively on the music slut (a kickin' site that was rec'd to me by ampersandblues) here.
- the temper trap - "sweet disposition" (RAC remix) available for download on treeswingers here (via andrew/heavy accents).
- elogy - "london" and "beautiful" from their debut album one (out this summer on july 6, 2010). you can d/l or stream those tracks.

no download, but preview the national's upcoming album high violet here on the NYT site. it's making my friday.

finally, the scenestar posted a BUNCH of presale passwords for amazing shows that are coming this summer/fall. i just got mine for vampire weekend @ the hollywood bowl yesterday; there are so many great things coming up (phoenix, she & him) that i can hardly stand it! take a look to the left <--- (sidebar) where i keep the running list of shows that are on my radar. see you there!

i am yours now, so now i don't ever have to leave

[the xx - islands music vid]


tix for both of their LA dates-- at the henry fonda music box (6/5) and wiltern (6/6)-- are on sale TODAY (april 21, 2010) at 10AM. ticket links here: henry fonda music box, wiltern. i'll be a sad panda if i miss this band, so ::crosses fingers::

AND! more exciting news from ampersandblues via tweet: Mumford & Sons add a second show to their Los Angeles appearance: June 3 at @FondaMusicBox. Tix go on sale 4/24 @ 10am via @goldenvoice. this band is brian ireland (of something corporate) approved (via their recent interview with soco-online.org). their june 4th date at the henry fonda music box is sold out... tix will go quickly for this second date, i'm sure.

[mumford & sons - little lion man music vid]
Mumford & Sons / Little Lion Man video

Mumford and Sons | MySpace Music Videos

LIGHTS, LIGHTS, baby

photo of LIGHTS @ Club Nokia April 9, 2010 by mad cao. 

yikes, so it's been nearly 2 weeks since i went to go see LIGHTS open for owl city. been meaning to write up a recap for awhile... here goes nothing:

- i missed much of paper route due to my failure to plan for circling around for an extra 10 mins while i look for a parking spot and/or lot that won't cost me $20+. apparently michael buble was on @ the staples center that night as well. caught the last song though-- a bit too instrumental and woozy for my liking, but i wouldn't mind seeing them again.

- the crowd was an interesting mix of ages. club nokia tix are generally so prohibitively expensive that i feel like most ppl who go there for shows tend to be older. saw a lot of chaperoned kids. there were other people at the bar, though, so i didn't feel too old. yes, i have age issues. and going along with the kind of music we were all there to hear, the crowd was pretty friendly. nary a drunken psycho in sight.

- LIGHTS was pretty flawless. her voice sounded a little faint and/or weird for the first song (not sure if that was just me), but after that, she sounded excellent & was extremely at ease with the crowd and being on stage at a relatively bigger venue.  she has a v. devoted following of vocal superfans... adorable.  i tweeted the set list that night: @xmaox: @LIGHTS set: listening, lions! (fave 4ever), feb air, saviour, second go, ice, pretend, drive my soul, river & last thing on yr mind.

- owl city can be summed up by this tweet: @xmaox: Owl city/Adam dances like how i would imagine a person on drugs would dance. Lots o' flail. Strings are a nice touch though. i'll admit that his songs are ridiculously catchy, but imo the live performance wasn't very exciting. people around me on the uppermost level of the floor didn't seem to be moving around (i did see one couple dancing around intermittently) and the crowd seemed a bit too sedate for my taste, even with the giant lightshow going on... though i liked the addition of strings.

woo! tuesday. normally i'd be stoked about a little rain/shower, but i really wanted to go see the poppies in lancaster & it looks like it's going to rain the day i want to go. wah wah.

adventures in text messages

wherein i am reminded that most people are, in fact, idiots. humanity is doomed.

case in point:
i get some weird, out of context text about something "Derek" says. so i politely respond, asking who this is and what the context is. the response? "Brian ****ing lee. the brian from 30 mins ago."

and i'm all "I think you have the wrong number. Pls stop sending me texts and excuse your language. Thanks!" look, i'm a lady, ok?. i do not take kindly to being randomly cursed at by some IMBECILE who thinks they are talking to someone else. also, (as a woman) i'm a little creeped out and about to see if i can get my service provider to block this weirdo from sending me texts. you are wasting my money!

he responds, "Paige [who he thinks he is talking to], I was just at the track with you." wonder what track this is. racetrack? track and field? why do i care? i don't. i simply thank the higher powers that i had finally decided to get a text messaging plan instead of being charged $0.15 for every text sent and received.

then 10 minutes later "OMG I'M SO SORRY MY FRIEND HAD HER NUMBER SWITCHED."

fin.

and now, for things i DO like: the true blood men. on DETAILS. ALEX SKARSGARD, HELLOOO.

shake off the dust that turned me to rust

going to see LIGHTS tonight @ club nokia; wish me luck and hope i can pass for a hovering-around-21 emo kid... if i don't, clearly my asian genes have failed me. also realized "hovering" is kind of a creepy word. excuse that. FOREVER YOUNG.

i've always wanted to see paper route as well (heard about them when they were on the paramore/jack's tour). the first time i saw LIGHTS @ the troubadour (aka the first time i almost threw-down with a drunken PSYCHO), i wasn't sure what her live show would be like (as with all "electro"-ish acts, you don't know if they're just going to sound like robots on-stage or what). but i was pleasantly surprised-- she has much charisma and stage presence. being a video-game-referencing adorable person with a keytar helps too ;)

[LIGHTS - saviour (adam young remix)]


adam young (p/k/a owl city) has also remixed the something corporate song, "i woke up in a car," for their forthcoming "best of..." album played in space.  you can stream it here on their website.

i'm definitely feeling the LIGHTS remix but the soco one is.... interesting. jury's still out on this one. it's probably because of my irrational/emotional attachment to every soco song, like, ever. i have been hearing a lot of "OMG how could adam young actually make something i like, the world is ending," but hey, miracles happen, and now the song does sound like they're in outer space.

the temper trap

a few short weeks ago in march, i was lucky enough to catch the temper trap (darker my love as their opener) at a sold-out show at the henry fonda/music box. i'm still trying to figure out how to explain their sound (mostly because i am limited to references to music of the late 90's and early 2000's), but their live show was really chill and superb.

after a little internet sleuthing, i think i've got it figured out.  i can't help but compare the temper trap's sound to possibly a better version of switchfoot (the epic, sweeping-ness of it all) and new radicals (specifically "you get what you give"). thanks, a walk to remember soundtrack.  please note that any and all comparisons are not based on scientific observation or experimentation. sometimes these things are inexplicable.



you can see a few photos from the show here (credit: jaime's flickr).  jaime has started a new blog: http://ampersandblues.blogspot.com/ so i'd like to formally welcome her to the blogosphere and urge you to follow her posts!

watch two of their songs "sweet disposition" and "fader" performed stripped down @ this year's SXSW (via tripwire).

[the temper trap - sweet disposition]


[the temper trap - fader]


andddd... a few remaining tour dates for april:
April
8 Carrboro, NC @ Cat’s Cradle Club
9 Atlanta, GA @ The Loft
10 Asheville, NC @ The Orange Peel
12 Dallas, TX @ Pontiac Garage at HOB
13 Austin, TX @ Emo’s
15 Tempe, AZ @ Clubhouse
17 Indio, CA @ Coachella
19 Solana Beach, CA @ The Belly Up

i only want one night

both videos severely confuse me. only one makes me laugh, though. in the battle of WTFery, which would you choose?

Hot Chip - I Feel Better (click-through for the actual vid which is un-embeddable)

an short interview w/ the director of the "i feel better" video, peter serafinowicz, can be found here @ pitchfork.

MGMT - Flash Delirium

MGMT | MySpace Music Videos

idolator, you, me, and everyone else agree: this vid is bananas.

via @angusjuliastone - album preview & us tour dates

you can still stream angus and julia stone's album down the way on their KCRW's album preview page here.  they're a brother-sister duo from sydney, australia. the preview will be up until april 20th (a few more weeks), so listen up while you can.

and from their blog:

TICKET LINKS WILL GO UP ON MONDAY..!

Wed, May 26 Hollywood, CA @ Masonic Lodge at Hollywood Forever Cemetery

Sun, May 30 Montreal, QC @ L’Astral

Wed, June 2 Toronto, ON @ Revival

Tues, June 8 Brooklyn, NY @ Union Hall

(so far, i haven't seen anything about ticket links. give me a holler/comment if you know something i don't!)
eta 4/6/10: found the link for the hollywood show!

[angus and julia stone - big jet plane]

we're half awake in a fake empire

good morning, y'all! even though i'm not stoked about the fact that i JUST washed my car on saturday after months of build-up and grime (because i'm lazy and keeping my car clean is not really a pastime of mine), i've been waiting for it to rain for about a week. pretty refreshing... except i think it is officially storming now. yikes. stay safe on the roads, angelinos.

so, a long time ago, my bff marg told me i would love the national and obviously, she was right. so MY BAD for not listening earlier.  i've heard a few songs, but this is my favorite.  appreciate!

[the national - fake empire on letterman july 24, 2007]


as you can see... i am attempting to update more often.

RCRD LBL track - help i'm alive (the twelves remix)

ok, so i don't love EVERYTHING that's ever posted on rcrdlbl.com, but i do love being able to sample and d/l a lot of their stuff, whether it be remixes or original songs. woo!

freelance whales @ the echo tonight

very very excited to check out freelance whales tonight. my friend jaime posted a video of them playing in the NY subway stations awhile back, and i was smitten. they remind me of a dreamy postal service + owl city/hellogoodbye (done proper) + folk (arcade fire-esque). and i kid you not, sometimes they remind me of the sounds that whales make. in a good way. not killer whales though (too soon?). try not to visualize dory from finding nemo doing her impression of a whale, b/c that's NOT what i meant.

eta: after hearing their live show, i think the whale sounds were purposeful. so all is good and/or i just stated a lot of obvious things.

i've been a better tumblr-er than a blogger lately. you can follow me here for daily absurdities, inanities, and amusements... courtesy of moi.

i have a few updates from a couple of shows i attended in march (the early strike showcase @ swinghouse studios & darker my love/the temper trap @ the fonda), but that'll have to wait. i also took some photos @ the jack's mannequin show @ the viper room in feb, but am not sure how i feel about them (the photos, not the band). that's neither here nor there.. this weekend, i've got something corporate @ bamboozle left (squee) with angie comin' in to visit! my first scheduled show for april is LIGHTS who is opening for owl city at a SOLD OUT club nokia show on april 9th. major thanks to mad cao for getting me a ticket!

and with that, i need to outro b/c my hair needs to be flat-ironed. xo

RCRD LBL Track - Dog Days Are Over (Breakage Remix)

dining room domination

[vampire weekend "en el comedor de mi casa!!!"]


barcelona, spain. source

we are the pretty, petty thieves

i'm not too knowledgeable about the moz, but i adore "first of the gang." i heard a cover of the song on the radio and HAD to know who sang it: ZEE AVI.

how lovely is this:
[Zee Avi performs "First Of The Gang To Die" @ Fingerprints Music]

Morrissey's original is a catchy tune propelled along with the traditional mix of electric guitars, drums, and that unmistakable croon. Avi took the song and stripped it down with just her voice and a lone acoustic guitar in a rendition that--dare I say--is even more sweet and tender (no hooligan here) than the original. (source)

you can check out her morning becomes eclectic session from last may here, see footage of her performing the song in singapore here, and listen to the album version of her cover (along with a few other covers by noah & the whale, nouvelle vague, etc.) here. the MBE session is definitely worth checking out-- the cover of morrissey (or interpol for that matter) isn't the only amazing thing she does; she has plenty of original material where she draws from a medley of different influences. def worth your time.

when i walk, i touch the sky

[lucy schwartz - gravity music vid]

ABOUT THE VIDEO:
Gravity, is a colorful fantasy told through interpretive dance and filmed under the light of an old carousel slide projector. Directed by Cooper Roberts.

rpattz is bothered

Video Recaps | Full Episodes | Webisodes

weekend edition

thursday: invited to an event @ the w called the modern mai tai experience. a genuine hawaii/o'ahu mixologist was flown out to the event where he (joey) served some very fancy schmancy drinks, including "the world's first smoked mai tai/drink." yes... literally, smoke comes out of this tube into the martini shaker, and the whole drink is shaken (not stirred, ucwidt).

yes, that is caramelized/brulee'd pineapple you see on the drink. it was incredible, as were a few of the other drinks i tasted - a chi (similar to a pina colada with basil leaves) and a drink which shall remain nameless, because i don't remember it (a sake martini, which was fondly referred to as "like fruity gatorade, but better."). snacked on some appetizers, ran into some work ppl & sneakily (or not so sneakily) tweeted about seeing DJ Skeet Skeet there (who, incidentally, is a prolific tweeter, non-drinker, and nice dude, at least from what i gather).

friday: the last day of my internship. in-n-out lunches. coincidentally, the hawaiian girls DJing last night's event, hot muffins, made an office visit, so i got to meet them-- super sweet. total dawson's creek-esque soundtrack moment with this as my goodbye song:

[james blunt - goodbye my lover music vid]

i know, ~dramatic. i loled too.

saturday - sunday: i avoid weekends like the plague. 'nuff said.

all in all, this whole chillaxed hawaii thing makes me wonder how lawyers even function over there. like... the atty culture so COUNTER to the hawaiian culture. thoughts for another day.

HELLO, MARCH.

the runaways

so, don't kill me, but i find kstew & dakota more convincing as joan jett & cherie currie of the runaways than rpattz playing a new yorker in remember me. though it may just be the case that i'm easily influenced by the epic wardrobe in the runaways... does that make me a bad rpattz fan?? I HOPE NOT.

[the runaways movie - tv spot]

unhappy hipsters

Alligator

Tegan and Sara | MySpace Music Videos

[vampire weekend - giving up the gun music vid]

oic what VW did thar, with the japanese in the beginning. i watched it again, and i still don't get it. great song, though.

and last but not least: unhappy hipsters.

scavenger hunt for sxsw badges!

the band midlake is treating their Austin (TX) fans to a unique scavenger hunt opportunity to win SXSW badges to catch the band at their showcase at the 2010 SXSW Music, Interactive, and Film Conference. for more info, check back with FILTER's original post.

The details are simple, Austinites. Follow FILTER on Twitter. Throughout the next few days, promotion details will come rolling through. Each day, a new landmark will be revealed. Get yourself to it, @reply to FILTER with a photo of you at the locale with #midlakesxsw, and that's it! The first person or team with all 10 landmarks correctly identified will win an awesome local prize pack containing a year's worth of free haircuts from Bird's Barbershop, $25 in gift certificates from P. Terrys Burger Stand, free movies from Alamo Drafthouse, a prize pack from Sweet Leaf Tea, a Midlake prize pack, AND two ever-so-coveted SXSW music badges.

three clues have already been released since last tuesday, the 16th, so get on it. may the best fan win.