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Calvin Harris - I'm Not Alone

I know people have been talking about Calvin Harris' new album "Ready For the Weekend" for a while now, but I only just recently started to listen my copy, partially because I took a long break from anything electro after HARD Summer.  But let me just say, "Ho. ly. cow. 'I'm Not Alone' is exactly where it's at".  Legitimately, it's one of my favorite tracks of the entire year. 

For a little bit, I couldn't pin point exactly why I fell so hard for this song or why I kept it on repeat, but I was walking home and listening to it tonight when it suddenly hit me.  This track is the best of all worlds dance! 

It's got that discotheque electro sound, the new wave vibe and vocals, that friendly synthpop feel, and those somewhat cryptic lyrics, but it also has that heavy house beat and use of the synth (that kicks in at around 44 seconds) that makes you want to throw your hands in the air and let it all out.  It's a song that caters to guys and gals in their skinny jeans and plaids, just as much as it is a song for ravers with their UFO pants and beads, and certainly everyone else in between.  And the Deadmau5 remix? Listen for yourself, but don't say I didn't warn you about having your mind blown.

I'm Not Alone (Radio Edit)

I'm Not Alone (Deadmau5 Remix)

Cheers, Oasis.

So, multiple sources have written that Liam Gallagher has "officially" declared the end of Oasis.  Even though I was disappointed over their last few albums and their '05 show at the Hollywood Bowl, and as much as I chuckled over the issue of the Gallagher boys and their tussle backstage in August, or at the thought of Snoop Dogg collaborating with Noel, and Jay-Z with Liam, this news is seriously upsetting. 

Oasis was never the band of my generation, but it was of my sister's.  Thanks to her, I grew up listening to Oasis.  When she was gone for the day at school, I would sneak into her CD collection and pop (What's the Story) Morning Glory? into my mom's Sony CD/Radio/Cassette Sound System, lay on my stomach and read liner notes and lyrics.  Wonderwall was the first full song, to my recollection, I had ever memorized...in the THIRD grade.  It became a huge sing-a-long song for people during high school, but I don't think I know anyone else my age that this song means more to.  Wonderwall and What's the Story opened up mind at the very influential age of 10, and showed me a world of music outside of mainstream and Top 40 radio.  To this day, What's the Story is still one of my favorite albums.  That guitar solo in Don't Look Back in Anger was one of the reasons I wanted to even play guitar (Unfortunately, I never learned how to shred like Noel). 

And don't even get me started on the first time I saw them live -- 2000 at the Universal (Gibson) Ampitheatre with Travis as the opener.  My first "real" concert.  You know when you go to a show and you see a 10 year old with his/her parents and think, "Damn, that kid is so cute.  He/she's so lucky to have such awesome parents"?  I was that kid.  Except those awesome parents were my sister and her friends.  I was that short 5th grader shyly rocking out and singing Oasis songs amongst a crowd of raucous high school and college students, and 30+ year old drunken Brits waving and holding up the Union Jack.  Suffice to say, that night was one of the most memorable of my life.  It was the night I realized I would some day end up in the music industry, where I would always be surrounded by people who shared the same passion and love for music as I do. 

Oasis...Liam, Noel, you guys changed my life in ways that you'll never know.

Cheers.

Pass the MASH(ed)-UP (potatoes and gravy)

The theme of today's post is mash-ups. 

If I were to ask you about the most talked about and referenced event in pop culture to happen in the last two weeks, you'd be a fool if you couldn't list the Kanye West/Taylor Swift VMAs incident as one of your answers (okay, maybe not a fool, but certainly someone who's been living under a heavy, heavy rock).  Well, some dude named Matt Kammerer (or DJ Makaio) found inspiration in that debacle and turned it into an opportunity to produce an amazing track.  Here's his mash-up of Kanye's Stronger and Taylor Swift's You Belong With Me, otherwise known as You Belong With Me (DJ Makaio's Kanye Club Mix).

I also come bearing a McNasty mash-up that includes one of my favorite bands at the moment, The xx.  The song sampled in this track is the opener for The xx's debut drop, which also happens to be one of my favorite album openers of 2009.  The original ("Intro") is pure instrumental, with a simple and clean electric guitar riff over some seriously infectious and pounding percussion.  I never really even considered the idea of someone remixing this track, so when I stumbled upon this mash-up with the Notorious B.I.G. and Tupac, I basically peed in my pants.  This is that gangster isht your momma warned you about.  On that note, enjoy Biggie vs Tupac vs The xx - Runnin With The xx (Quix vs Elliot Blend).

Guess who's back?

Yes, as my buddy JYoh kindly pointed out in my previous post, I have been seriously MIA.  I've even missed not one, not two, but THREE editions of WTF, it's Wednesday?  Well, I'm back.  And I come bearing NYU AKPsi's Fall 2009 Rush Video.  It's one of the first videos I've seriously and actively been a part of scripting, directing, and music supervising since my high school days on ASB, and it's one of the reasons a large chunk of my time since I've been back in the city seemed to have vanished into thin air.  If you're an Entourage fan, I encourage you to check it out.  If you're a fan of good music, I also encourage you to check it out.  If you're bored, well, hey -- here's 8 minutes of video to kill some time.  Co-Directed, Co-Scripted, and Edited by production mastermind Mike Rosich, this video will (hopefully) rock your socks.

 

My thoughts on HARD Summer 2009

I woke up this morning and had to ask myself if last night really happened.  Had I really spent over three months eagerly awaiting the arrival of HARD Summer only to have it get shut down by the LAFD and the Inglewood Police before the night had even really begun?

We got there before doors even opened at around 7:15 because we really wanted to see Busy P open the night at 8 PM.  Why they chose to open doors the same time they slotted Busy P to open the show, I still cannot even understand.  On top of that, the crowd control and line system to get in was SO unorganized that we didn't even reach ticket scanners until close to 9:00 PM.  It was the first time I had seen a two-phased entry system, where they would only let about 15-20 people go to the ticket scanners/security at one time, and would leave the rest of the line standing behind a barricade.  It was also the first time I had been to a show where kids were so angry and so eager to get past this barricade, and inside, that a giant pit of pushing and shoving occurred.  Pushing, and shoving, just to get IN to a venue? 

By the time every single person in our group was in the Forum and settled, Crystal Castles was ending their set and I only got to see them perform one song.  As disappointed as I was, though, I wasn't going to let it ruin my night.  There was nothing but good vibes in the venue and I was optimistic about everything to come.  But stuff just kept going downhill.

We tried to make our way down to the actual ground floor after CC and before Chromeo, but security wasn't letting anyone down.  Long backups were forming at each staircase, and I could tell things were getting hostile as kids shouted at unresponsive Event Staff to let them down.  I was pissed, too.  Did I really pay $75 dollars to have some rent-a-staff tell me, without reason, that I couldn't go down to the stage and dance?  Only half of the capacity of the floor was even full -- it was an even BIGGER hazard to keep everyone waiting at the stairwells, fidgeting to get downstairs.  We got over trying to get down there and decided to just stand in the loge section and enjoy the show from above.

The next two hours went by so painfully slow, but I remember each moment vividly.  I think it started when a few kids began to hoist themselves down to the first floor from the second floor railings.  Instead of addressing this TOTAL safety hazard, Event Staff just stood with their arms crossed at the staircases like bouncers, assuring no one could walk down.  Soon enough the music was killed, and we were all told to be quiet and sit down.  Stairwells had to be cleared and everyone sitting in the first 2 - 5 rows of the loge section had to move.  The first half hour or so, people were remaining fairly positive.  At one point, the crowd did a wave along the entire arena.  But, soon enough, chants of "We Want Music" turned into "Fucking Bullshit" and "Refund".  From across the arena the crowd had become so hostile that guys were pushing through Event Staff and JUMPING down to the second floor -- throwing their bodies over the railings.

The entire time, I wanted so badly for the event to just start again, and for everyone to be happy.  But I knew it was over around midnight, when I saw FOH starting to pull out wires from the soundboard, and ultimately pack up.  More lights came on, people began leaving the stands, and the Riot Squad had come in to the ground floor with their helmets on, and batons and mace in tow to get people out.

Small dance parties were starting outside in the parking lot, but those got broken up soon as Inglewood PD stormed around on their motorcycles shouting at people to go home.  Helicopters had arrived to wave their spotlights at any groups not getting into their cars.  It was a devastating night, and I ended up back home with nothing but disappointment to remember what was supposed to be an amazing event for electronic music.

So, who's to blame?  I think people want to first say, the riot squad, Inglewood PD, and the Fire Department.  You always want to point the finger at the higher authority that comes in with their badges and guns and breaks everything up.  Unfortunately, if they hadn't stepped in last night, things would have been way worse.  Next, up event staff.  Why did they just stand back and do nothing while people threw themselves over the second floor railings?  Well, you can't really blame them.  There wasn't enough of them, and I doubt they were ever prepared to handle such a volatile crowd.  That leaves the promoters.  Screw the promoters for only thinking about reaching capacity and wanting their cut of pie, right?  Wrong.  I don't think the guys at HARD saw for the night to turn into this.  But I do think that they should have been prepared with MORE event staff and MORE security -- how else do you think 15,000 people are going to react when they've all purchased $75 GA tickets, and you're not going to let them down to the dance floor? 

There's still one group left to consider, though, and it's some of the people in the LA rave scene.  Don't get me wrong, some of my best friends are a part of that scene.  It's not the culture I hate.  I don't mind the beads/the candy and the outfits.  In fact, I love the entire concept of PLUR, and of strangers joining together as friends for the love of music and good times.  What kills me though, and what I think is what killed the show last night, is when a bunch of heavyweight ravers show up at Electronic events like HARD not truly giving a shit about any of the bands or DJs billed for the night.  They show up just to do their thing -- to drop some e, and enjoy some tunes.

I know it sounds selfish of me.  All music should be shared and so should good vibes.  But when you're going to come with all of your gear, your fancy gloves and your glow sticks, and back up the security line for the rest of us that just have our car keys and maybe some gum in our pocket, that's a problem.  It's a bigger problem when I see you walking around with all of this stuff and I hear you shout over Crystal Castles and complain "What is this noise?! This is terrible."  Maybe you shouldn't have showed up in the first place, because you're ruining the night for the rest of us that actually care. 

What I especially don't respect about the rave culture is how its recently turned into a scene where the drugs come before the music.  So many times I've come across a conversation where someone has asked, "Why would you want to go to [insert rave here], if you're not going to drop?"  It's a simple answer really, for the music.  Because you ravers would have nowhere to go right now, if it wasn't for cats like Tiesto or Benny Benassi, who at one point, started their careers playing small smoky clubs to kids who danced around simply because they loved the music these guys were spinning.  I guess it's fine if your mind-altering drugs will allow you to enjoy and elevate music you already love to another level, but it's a completely different thing if you can ONLY enjoy that music, if you can only go to a rave, with drugs in your body.  For people in that latter group, I'd ask you to seriously consider what music means to you, and politely ask for you to stop showing up at events like HARD, because you're killing it for the rest of us.

With that said, I'm so sorry for everything that happened last night, Destructo.  HARD Summer was supposed to be epic, and it turned into nothing but an epic fail.

Excerpt from Shockhound's interview w/ Hayley Williams

I don't normally re-post interviews, articles, or blog posts, but occasionally if something hits me hard enough, I will.  This recent Shockhound interview with Hayley touches a lot upon Paramore's former issues and how they dealt with them before/while writing "Brand New Eyes".  I've taken out an excerpt that I re-read a few times to share with you all, because it 1) sheds some serious light on the story behind/significance of their new single, "Ignorance", and 2) is one of the first interviews I've read that actually put some knots in chest.

SHOCKHOUND: Was there a single breakthrough moment, where you learned to see each other with “brand new eyes”?

WILLIAMS: Yes. That’s what the whole album is, really. This album is us coming to that conclusion, and I can’t put into words what that feeling was, or what it meant at the exact moment. But I guess it was when I was writing “Ignorance,” our new single. When we went into the studio, after being on tour for a year after the cancellation of the European tour, we were still not on the same page. There was still tension, and I just felt like “Really? When is it going to be over?” And it just kinda came to us at practice one day when we were trying to write for the new record. It was one of the first days, and Josh was frustrated because he didn’t feel like he would ever write anything like “Misery Business” again. And I was frustrated because I didn’t like that attitude. And we just weren’t feeling it this particular day.
     And I swear, it was the weirdest thing — it was like the clouds just parted. Josh was like, “I’ll never write a riff like ‘Misery Business’ again, guys  — I’m sorry, I just can’t do it.” There was a lot of pressure on him. But then he starts playing this riff, and it’s “Ignorance.” And we were like “Well, what is that? Because that’s good enough!” And we recorded it immediately, and everyone just came up with their parts on the spot. And I took it home in my car and was listening to it, and I just started singing along to it in my car. In fact, that’s how a lot of these songs came together. And when all these words were sorta pouring out and it was almost effortless, I was like,“Wow! I feel these things, still. This is a real situation that we have to deal with.”
     And I brought [the lyrics for “Ignorance”] back to the band when I finished it, and everyone was like “Ouch! This sucks! Will we have to play this every night?” And I was like “Look — I know this sucks. But this is how I feel, though, and that can’t be discounted.” And it forced us to lay everything out on the table, and that’s when the idea of “brand new eyes” started. We were like “Okay, if I can’t see you how I want to see you, how would you have me see you? How would you have me look at you and understand you?” And it was just really good for us. It sounds like group therapy, although it didn’t feel like that at the time. But looking back, writing this record was a better counselor than we ever could’ve had.

Full interview can be found [here].

WTF, it's only Wednesday? Edition 4. Datarock and the Rifles.

I'd like to preface this week's edition of WTF, it's only Wednesday by saying that this post (or any post I've made or will make) is in no way biased by the fact that I intern at Nettwerk.  I really can't help it if the artists and bands we represent are the bomb (like tick tick).

Anyway, if you're familiar with Datarock's music videos, you know that they are always super fun to watch and make you want to get up and do a little jig (maybe even two).  Well, their new video for "True Stories" is no exception.  Actually, I think it might be my favorite video of theirs so far because it's a total freaking feast for the eyes -- an eyegasm, if you will.  I'll let you make the call for yourself. 

As for this week's mp3, I come bearing the Rifles track for "the Great Escape".  These dudes hail from the UK and represent everything that is so right about that "Britpop / Britrock " sound that's so popular nowadays -- think : Maximo Park, Arctic Monkeys, the Cribs, the [insert Noun]s, etc.  Clean electric guitars, feel-good beats that induce the happy headnod (yeah, you know what headnod I'm talking about), lyrics that, if you're not from the UK, you can reiterate (maybe with a little help from the internets) but not fully understand the meaning of (Hi, I'm talking about you, Parklife [Blur]), sealed with a super catchy chorus perfect for a sing-a-long (Again, I'm talking about you, Parklife).  Anyway, The Great Escape embodies all of those characteristics in some way, so I thought I would share it with you.  Definitely pick yourself up a copy of their latest EP July 28th if you like what you hear.

Huzzah! Happy Wednesday.

Miike Snow - Burial: the music video & a remix

I have so many good things to say about Miike Snow's self-titled debut, but this post is just about one of my favorite tracks off of the album, Burial.  I can't really articulate why I love this song so much, because quite frankly it makes me a little sad when I hear it.  But sad in a good way, if that makes any sense; the entire song just feels so damn bittersweet, and that's what I love about it. 

I've listened to it over and over again, and still don't really understand what it's about.  Maybe it has something to do with confronting both regret and resilience in the face of death.  Or maybe it's not really supposed to mean anything at all.  Regardless, this one's a keeper.

Anyway, Downtown just posted the music video for Burial two days ago and I am super pleased with how it turned out, so here it is:

As an added bonus, here's my favorite Burial remix (thus far) by DJ Mehdi:

WTF, it's only Wednesday? Edition 3. Jailbait Pu$$ylicker.

On this week's edition of WTF, it's only Wednesday?, I bring you...jailbait. Wait, I mean. Erm. Here's Justin Bieber's music video for his R&B/Pop single One Time.  "WhoTF is Justin Bieber", you ask?  Well, he's Usher's fifteen year old protege who's now signed to Island Def Jam and whose major label debut album, "My World", drops later this year. 

It's funny how in elementary/middle school we all swooned over Justin Timberlake and his, in retrospect, terrifying bleach blonde curly tips, and still swooned over him even when his choice in fashion became quite questionable (how could you forget this denim ensemble?).  And now, the new generation of pop star heartthrob is presumably Bieber, who looks like a cross between a watered down hype beast and Ryan Sheckler -- he has long hair and side swept bangs (covered oh-so-perfectly by his hooded zip-up or his fitted new era), rocks the raw denim, and sports a watch bigger than his face.  Aside from his fresh-to-death appearance, though, this kid's really got a voice (we'll see what happens after he hits puberty) and some impressive talent (apparently he plays a couple of intsruments, guitar included).  Now, I want you to think back to what you were doing when you were fifteen and then watch this video.  I don't know about you, but I sure as hell wasn't throwing fictional house parties at Ursher's house.

As for the mp3, this one's pretty old (really old -- hit its height in blogosphere buzz in 2007).  But I, behind on the times, didn't hear about it until recently, and am hoping there are a few of you out there who haven't heard it either.  It's Dopplebanger's "Pussylicker", which is a mix of M83 vs Aphex Twin vs Khia -- and yes, of course the Khia track is My Neck, My Back.  Sometimes I feel awkward when I'm stopped at a red light and the end of this song is blasting out of my car.  I even feel kind of awkward having to say "pussylicker" to myself in my head as I type this.   In fact, I hope I don't get thrown in jail for putting a 15 year old and the word "pussylicker" on the same page.  Even after all of this, though, I really have to share this track with you all.  So, at the expense of my feeling slightly awkward and feeling the need to take a shower, here it is.

Happy Wednesday, amigos!

Quick! Do yourself a favor and pick up Discovery's LP

After stumbling upon a couple of positive posts in the blogosphere about Discovery's debut drop (one from fellow music aficionado Beckie), I finally got my hands on the album to hear it for myself.  And honestly, guys, LP is made of total Win.

Add it to your ever-growing Top Albums list of 2009, right next to Bitte Orca, Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix, Manners, Miike Snow, It's Blitz!, Transmitter Failure, and whatever else you have on there.  Or whoops, maybe I was just listing albums off of my list.  It doesn't matter; what matters is that you buy yourself a copy of this CD if you like 1) dance parties 2) synth 3) Vampire Weekend or Ra Ra Riot (Discovery = side project from Rostam of Vampire Weekend + Wes of Ra Ra Riot) 4) indie electro pop and/or 5) the word "discotheque". 

With just 10 tracks (11 on the the iTunes Bonus Track version) replete with electronics mastery, feel-good lyrics, and HUGE promise for rhythmic hand clapping, it's hard to not fall in love with LP.  The entire album is golden, but my favorites are So Insane (a song about finding love on the dance floor), I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend (which features the lovely vocals of Angel Deradoorian of the Dirty Projectors), Carby (which sounds like indie pop getting hit with the hip hop truck -- think heavy beats, phat ass bass, and T-Pain [erm, I mean Ezra's Koenig's voice on auto-tune -- in a good way, though]), I Want You Back (an infectious and synth-heavy cover of the J5 hit), and Osaka Loop Line (which, I think, is the first track you should listen to if you're going to listen to any, because it just about sums up the awesomeness of the album -- I also think it would be perfect for a mashup with Miike Snow's Animal, but that's slightly off topic).  With that said, go pick yourself up a copy of Discovery's LP and get to shakin' what your mama gave ya'.

Osaka Loop Line

So Insane

Carby (feat. Ezra Koenig)