spanish pop

i've been obsessed with spanish indie pop recently, in case you couldn't tell by the foreshadowing in the jovenes y sexys post. so here's a little latin flare (minus the flare? or at least minus the reggaeton...) to add to your playlist:

depredadores-domingo en llamas

hoy me has dicho hola por la primera vez-la casa azul

hoy no quiero verte nunca mas-franny glass

un rayo de sol-le mans

amor platonico-jovenes y sexys

burbuja-cyan

diamante-nuuro

la chica vampira-papa topo

anju kitahara-emilio jos

anti-facebook anniversary

happy one week without facebook day! it's been a fantastic seven days, i must say. very liberating. have i forgotten people's birthdays? probably. have i ruined so many lives by depriving the world of my 'people revisited in neon and lasers' photo album? definitely. but i wouldn't trade it for the world. get back to me in another week and we'll see how i feel.

laura veirs

i've been meaning to post about laura veirs for a while but haven't gotten around to it. she's another indie-folk-rock artist that my ears (and maybe your ears, too) can appreciate. she kind of sounds like aimee mann. check out some of her trax here for a break from robotronic noise explosionz:

cast a hook in me

magnetized

galaxies

pink light

where gravity is dead

ocean night song

dionne warwick

why not?

do you know the way to san jose

walk on by

i say a little prayer

some amazing songz

i've been on an indie music downloading rampage this weekend, and here are a few gems i have stumbled upon:

billie holiday-warpaint

el cucu de l'avi-queta & teo

new slang-little my (cover)

summerland-the woodlands

diamante-nuuro

shugo tokumaru

shugo's a new favorite of mine. definitely check him out here for an amazing japantastic indie folktronica experience. his musical habilidades have reinforced my love for all things japanese. i'm pretty depressed i missed his 2008 north american tour, but even if i'd known about him then, i'd have been in south america. so i guess it was a lost cause from the start. shugo, should i just come to you? okay cool. see you in tokyo. here are some trax:

alaska

parachute

green rain

rum hee

clocca

future umbrella

jovenes y sexys

this is literally the best band i've heard in a while. jovenes y sexys (ignore the name) are like...the combination of spanish and folk that i've been waiting for. here's their myspace. check out some of their songz here, and download their EP here:

el reloj

amor platonico

divine hammer

beatz and bleepz

so this week's edition of beatz and bleepz is entirely inspired mostly by drum & bass/dubstep, because that's just what i've been feeling recently. so, here goes:

smile (d&b rmx)-lily allen

paciific steppaz (ethix takes you back to '95 rmx)-paciific steppaz

raindrops (doorly's dubstep rmx)-basement jaxx

acoustic jam-utah jazz

tear you down-brookes brothers

bonkers (doorly rmx)-dizzee rascal & armand van helden

paris is burning (alex metric rmx)-ladyhawke

pjanoo (high contrast rmx)-eric prydz

hold your colour-pendulum

propane nightmares-pendulum

semi-serious stoned part of the night song?

choices-nero

*ps, if you're looking for serious d&b hit up itunes radio 'bass drive'

movie reviews in 5 words or less

i've spent the last two days watching unhealthy amounts of movies online. here is what i have concluded about each one:

500 days of summer: really unsatisfying, good at times.
away we go: funny, cute, really liked it.
the watchmen: amazing effects, plot was bizarre.
sunshine cleaning: loved it. little miss sunshine-esque.
the september issue: AMAZING. obsessed. so good.

just a little preview...

...of my next amazingly ridiculous interview with electric tickle machine. emailed questions slash dialogue are/is as followz:

So this first one isn't really a question, but just like, tell me
everything. I guess that's a little broad. If you're not comfortable
with telling me everything, tell me how the year 1988 went for you?
That's when I was born. And if you're not comfortable indulging me
with information regarding my birth year, why don't you just tell me
about the tour? Are you so excited? I am.

So like, are you wearing right now?

Have you ever had to sneeze while you've been performing? What about
hiccups? What do you do in that situation? If you said no, have you
prepared at all for this scenario? If not, I think you probably
should. Anything is possible.

Are you guys still reading slash answering these questions? Okay good.
So this next one is a really tricky one, because I am going to ask you
to make up your own question and then answer it. It's an opportunity
for you to say what you've always wanted to but haven't been able to
since no one has asked you before.

If you were to take me on a date (don't worry, I'm attractive in a
non-threatening way) where would we go? And in the reverse, what would
your dream date scenario be? Like, who would you want to take you on a
date (besides me, obviously) and what would you guys do? Build
sandcastles in the sky? *Hint: that is what I would want to do on our
date...

On that note, which of you guys is the best in the sack? Who is the
worst? Are you lying? I hope not, this is serious.

What's your band mascot? Do you have one? Are you thinking about
getting one? What would it be? So many questions, I know.

I like your website. Are you planning to build a pyramid like that on
the moon? Have you considered the gravitational setbacks of
implementing a project like that? Also, side note, the moon is and has
been moving away from Earth for quite some time now. It has moved 60
cm away from Earth since I was born. One day in 4 billion years it's
just going to peace out entirely. And then the average Earth day will
last (are you ready for this?) 45 days! Think about that.

What is a magical and/or mystical creature that you wish was for real?
Slash, what magical and/or mystical creature have you been told is
nonexistent but really you've just never seen yet because it's so
elusive and magical?

If you could have a robot, like any robot at all, what would it do for
you? (This is a trick question. Everyone knows that robots will be the
downfall of society. Robots and Dakota Fanning. <---those are
synonymous, by the way...)

Do you guys have any weird allergies that ruin your life? I don't yet,
but I sometimes feel that one day I'll become allergic to nuts or
something I really love eating. Or maybe be allergic to a person I
really admire. Like I'd finally get to meet Lionel Richie and realize
I'm allergic, and my life would subsequently be ruined.

Thanks for (maybe) answering all/some of these questions. You are all
invited to my birthday party on January 9th. You think I'm joking but
I am so serious.

ghost?

this is going to sound crazy, i already realize that. but i was just sitting here by myself in the apartment on the couch, and i felt something shake/run into the couch like three times in a row. like, hard enough that i noticed it. i guess this could somehow be explained away, but it was really fucking weird.

puppies dressed as cats

conan's best idea yet:

and more puppies dressed as cats...

really like this...

fantastic mashup of sufjan's 'that dress looks nice on you' and blackalicious's 'make you feel that way'. ch-ch-check it out.

happy birthday...

to nicole richie and ricki lake! you guys are old, congratulations.

sunday unfunday

so today was gloomtastic, full of hangovers and grey skies and a general overall feeling of disgust. so naturally my playlist was a little mellower than usual. here we go:

south 2nd-cocorosie
fourth time around-yo la tengo
now that i know-devendra banhart
black tables-other lives
master of none-beach house
tingaling-tangles
please, please, please let me get what i want-she & him
it's a wonderful life-sparklehorse

and a slightly more uplifting track:
get going-headlights

japanese talking watch!!!

did i ever tell you about the best day of my life when i finally received this in the mail??? i don't think that i ever did, so i will proceed to do so now. okay, well. the watch came, i put it on, and i proceeded to push the talking button. it takes about 30-45 seconds for the japanese lady to tell you what time it is, so in that sense it's pretty impractical. but in all other senses, it's fantastic. i've found myself seeking out japanese people in hopes that they need to know what time it is. unfortunately, there are not very japanese people in these parts. mostly just overweight ohioans. i like to wear my watch on a daily basis. it comes especially in handy when the conversation lulls and things are just about to get silent and awkward. but THEN i wow them with "hey, want to know what time it is in japanese? okay cool i thought so." some people, after i proudly relay the time in digital japanese, give me blank stares or raised eyebrows. i know that they are just masking their amazement and jealousy. kind of like you're probably doing right now if you're still reading this. THE END. oh, and i'm still really bitter that it never went on sale for like a year and then all of a sudden it JUST dropped in price. bullshit. and totally the story of my life.

tengo la fucking resaca

uffffff...last night was not good things for my dignity or for my kazoo. both were lost. anyways, i woke up this morning with significantly fewer brain cellz and needed a personal sanity day. so i bought a new pair of motorcycle boots, six books from the twenties about the spanish conquest and one called pedro paramo which is the weirdest story i've ever read. slash i love it already. after that i went to columbus with my friend hajier for this thing called independents day which is like a big festival for independent artists to vend their shit. so i feel significantly better about myself. that's pretty much all i wanted to say. i'll let you know how the books go...something tells me that 'a comprehensive history of poland, russia, and the baltic states' is going to be an interesting read.

kazoo! (god bless you?)

so i've spent the entire afternoon trying to figure out how garage band works. i'm trying to loop different kazoo tracks to create one ultimately fantastic version of 'ce jeu' by yelle. it's coming along very very slowly. but i have two of the loops done, so that's a plus. in other news, kazoo sounds like zoobilee zoo, aka the most terrifying television show ever. they are all a bunch of manimal freakz. here's a clip for your nostalgia:

weird timez in my car

here is a little gem from this summer when i tried to jam 17 musicians and libby into my car:

r u 25 yrz old? - everyone in my car

things that make me want to vom

i thought you might be interested to know some of the things that make me want to vomit. so here is a brief and incomplete list to get you started:

1. mayonnaise. disgusting. don't ever give me anything with mayonnaise on it or i will sue you for attempted murder.

2. the circulatory system. i always failed that unit in school because i'd pretty much be passed out the entire time. if you say 'blood clot' or 'blood thinner', i will faint. this is making me nauseous already.

3. the sound of other people making out. it makes my skin crawl. don't do it around me or i will throw up.

4. this drink i had one time called a fuzzy brain. it was whiskey and baileys and as i suspected, one sip made me blorch. don't buy me that drink. don't get that drink. just don't.

5. that movie house of 1000 corpses. actually, all horror movies. i think there was one called the cave or something...that was pretty bad. just keep them all away from me. ugh.

okay that's the first installment. i can't write any more of these because they make me too nauseous.

dreamz

i've been dreaming about some weird things recently. my most recent weird dream was two nights ago; it's pretty much the main reason i even bothered to write this post because i was so impressed with my subconscious for being able to create such a fantastically bizarre image. the dream basically consisted of me searching for melted champagne bottles in a house with two staircases. those are the main details that i remember. i don't know what the melted champagne bottles actually looked like as i never found any in the dream, but i hope that one day i'll get the opportunity to see one up close for realz. i really feel like i want to incorporate this into something bigger, but i don't know what. like, that's literally the most perfect image i have ever come across. melted champagne bottles in a house with two staircases.

beatz and bleepz

are you ready for the weekend? mine's already begun, hence my early jump on this post. hitting the bowling alley this evening for a weird time. toothless townies, bowling balls, pitchers...sounds like the beginning of a great thursday night trend. want to come? okay cool, see you in ohio in two hours. here are some jamz para vos:

hollywood sound-lexicondon

father-anthony rother

take me to the hospital (rusko rmx)-the prodigy

time warp-the kids are RADIOACTIVE

earthquake (yes giantess rmx)-little boots

still wild-gooseflesh

up all night (john bourke rmx)-french horn rebellion

would've been the one (edwin van cleef rmx)-solange

thriller (louis la roche rmx)-michael jackson

1901 (fredrick carlsson rmx)-phoenix

and a super serious synth song for that inevitably awkward part of the night...

heavy cross (fred falke rmx)-the gossip

AND if you're still mad @ kanye, check out this little jam:

kanye's a jerk-team taylor

gaga for this gaga remix

do you hate love game? i kind of hate it. but now that it has been funktastically remixed/remashed, i think i am reconsidering that stance. whatchu think?

love game x the breaks (dj gizmo)-lady gaga x kurtis blow

yippee, yppah.

yppah is this guy named joe corrales. his music is awesome rocktronica shoegaze that you should definitely give a listen (especially gumball machine weekend...):

gumball machine weekend
shutter speed
son saves the rest

and this little remix of lady sovereign...
love me or hate me

Navajo Bixby

likelikelike. let's listen to navajo bixby and have mad fun times, okay? okay. it's like the soundtrack to my life if i lived on a secret island that no one knew about. here are some trax para vos:

many ways
moonlighting

coco avant chanel

i am beyond excited for this movie to hit the US september 25th. in the first place, audrey tautou can do no wrong as far as i'm concerned. in the second place, chanel's story is absolutely ridiculous...since this is coco before chanel, i am curious to see how far the film goes into her life. i read her biography a couple of years ago and she was absolutely delusional, and as a result, absolutely fantastique. but then again, that seems like a pretty standard trait in the fashion industry. here's the trailer, check it out. and i can actually understand like two words of it now from my french lessons! mad progress, mad progress. like i understood when they said 'what is your name?' and also the word fenetre...that means window. i don't know what context it's in, but who cares?

beatz and bleepz and beatz

they're baaaaaaack...i continue my endless search for beatz and bleepz to bring to your eardrums. plz enjoy. it's been a while...you might want to do some general earobics before you begin. i don't know what that would entail, but you know you better than i do.

bang (stanton warriors rmx)-rye rye feat. m.i.a

fake (a1 bassline rmx)-alex roots
gax-boys noize
phantom part 2 (freemasons rmx)-justice

right here right now (trumpdisco rmx)-fatboy slim

tetris (scott harris' kool kids rmx)-electrixx

seven (css rmx)-fever ray

warm heart of africa (alan wilkis rmx)-the very best

yoa (the twelves rmx)-theatre of disco

i'm not your toy (data rmx)-la roux

she's electric (house of nada mix)-nightwaves

*i have no idea who this freak in the chanel hat is, but i bet he would enjoy all of these songz...

tavi is the coolest

why is this 13 year old so much cooler than i can ever hope to be? actually, why are most people cooler than i can ever hope to be? i blame genetics. anyways, if you don't know who she is, tavi is, like i said, this super cool 13 year old who is mad obsessed with fashion. she knows her shit. she also has an impressively large vocabulary. she also is a fellow believer that sounds can be legitimate forms of adjectives. here is the link to her blog, and check her out on vimeo for some of her vlog entries. she's a real person, i'm not making her up. so cool. she's invited to my birthday party fo' realz.

*ps, i totally bought the space girl t-shirt she has in her sidebar. it hasn't arrived yet...in fact, i'm beginning to doubt it's ever going to get here. but when and/or if it does, i'm going to wear it for like three weeks straight to make up for lost time.