I don't know a heck of a lot about Caotico. I believe they are band from Sweden, but that's as far as my knowledge goes. I'm not even sure if this album "Sunrise Confessions" is their first or not. What I DO know is, I quite like it. Its not an amazing album in my opinion, but its an original pop album. Its got a fresh, yet gritty sound that I can only really compare to Friendly Fires. Its got a rock feel to it, but with a light pop sound. Some stand-outs are the reflective "Gold", "The Night I Died By The Storm" (which has some awesome percussion) and the additively slinky title track "Sunrise Confessions".
I admit that I like about every second tracks, and the others just don't do it for me. Either, the sounds are too harsh or just unappealing lyrics. But the ones that do work, really stick with me. I've included one of those, the warm, nostalgic "Gold".
I thought I'd share one of my favourite old cartoons. This is a short from 1941, I believe its the first Woody Woodpecker, but don't quote me on that. There is a lot of focus on sanity in this short, or rather INsanity. It doesn't make a whole lot of sense, but its funny, so who cares? I've always liked the song he sings at the beginning.
I know I just posted a BBC Horizons video yesterday, but I just watched this little episode about dogs last night and it is REALLY good. All dog lovers (and just people who claim to be human beings) should watch this. :)
I've recently discovered the great series BBC Horizons. Its a science show featuring a variety of different subjects. Being interested in health and nutrition I found this episode quite interesting. If you like this check out other episodes of BBC Horizons.
Jason Mraz's fourth studio album Love Is A Four Letter Word was released in April. I have been waiting for this release with a bit of restrained anticipation. Though I loved his first two albums, his previous work (We Sing, We Dance, We Steal Things) was underwhelming and spotty (which is odd because it was his most successful). For this album Mraz promised a more simplistic style of songs more reminiscent of his earlier work, and he did deliver on that....
This album has a lot more consistency, with a stronger collection of songs and a better overall listening experience. I really like the "world music" sound on this album, and overall the music production on this album is great. All based around the acoustic guitar with beautiful subtle layers of strings, percussion and a dash of synths. This is very much a Jason Mraz album, yet he's achieved this laid back, busking at the beach kind of vibe that feels the most "reggae" of any of his previous. I've included my favourite track "Living in the Moment" which is (to me) the best representation of what this album is.
FLASH REVIEW: I can feel the love here from beginning to end. This is a great sunny, breezy experience, and though it does suffer from the first half being stronger than the second its definitely better than his last effort.
I just saw The Avenger's last night (something I wasn't planning on doing) and maybe it was due to my lack of expectations, but it was quite good. It was a movie movie. One of those popcorn and drink, great effects, big spectacles, big sound....just.....FUN movies. I didnt see it in 3-D, but I would recommend it. I wanted to include a clip or a trailer, but after watching them I feel like they would spoil some of the experience, so I just included this track from the score by Alan Silvestri. This is an awesome way to start the summer movie season!
Disney XD just released a trailer for the upcoming Tron: Uprising. Taking place inbetween Tron and Tron Legacy. This version stars the voice of Elijah Wood (and Im sure a few other semi-celebs), and expands on the existing story. Judging by the trailer this looks to be a dark, anime-style, cel shaded, sci-fi adventure. Though Im sure there are many differences, I'm reminded of The Clone Wars series watching this. Some moments look better than others, but overall its a nice looking show, and something different for Disney that's for sure.
Studio Killers are an animated band from Denmark specializing in electro dance pop. They released a track called "Ode to the Bouncer" last summer which was bizarrely addictive, both visually and musically. They've been tracking the progress of their upcoming album semi-consistently on their Facebook page for the past few months, and I anticipate it being released later this year. This video was released just today to tease us about the upcoming album. Though my first impression of this track is that its not as infectious as their previous, its certainly still full of those original elements that made the first single memorable. Hopefully this is a small taste of what's to come....
Maroon 5 has just released their new single from their forthcoming album Overexposed. This is apparently supposed to be a more "poppy" album than any of their previous. I can't tell a lot from the single, but I'm hoping they have tried something a little different on this album. The last album was good but suffered from unoriginality. I know not all bands can reinvent themselves each album (*cough* Pet Shop Boys), but I feel they are verging on becoming stale. Moves Like Jaggar was a step in the right direction I think, and this song is not bad. I'll have a more definite opinion after a few more listens.
I hadn't started this blog at the time this album dropped (Dec 2011). But I just had to post something from it, cause I'm still listening to it! This album was enjoyable on first listen, but that enjoyment only grew. I don't like to oversell things...this is a PHENOMINAL album. Its modern, upbeat, melancholy, introspective, fun, sexy, and I could go on. I'd be hard pressed to choose ONE track to highlight, so I'll just choose the one I was most recently listening to. If you havent yet purchased this album I urge you to do so. In the meantime enjoy....
Was reminiscing about classic cartoons with colleagues and this little short popped into my brain. Im not sure if it appeared in the final cut of the film Alice in Wonderland, or if it was cut out and appeared later....either way its a rarely seen gem. Enjoy!
80's pop band A-Ha frontman Morten Harket has recently released his solo album Out of My Hands. I'm not a huge A-Ha fan (aside from Take on Me, of course) but I was looking forward to this for the little nugget of musical gold in the form of Listening. Pet Shop Boys gave Harket this track, its a slow moving "ballad" of sorts. It wont blow your socks off, but the lyrics are great and its definitely worth a listen if nothing else! Enjoy!
I found this little track called I Took A Little Something courtesy of the Soundhound app on my iPhone. Thanks to this genius app I find some cool music sometimes in the most unlikely places. This track comes from UK singer-songwriter Florrie. And upon wikipediaing (is that a word?) her I found that she used to be a part of UK music producing power team Xenomania (Xenomania of course took part in my all time favourite Pet Shop Boys album Yes, among other things). This track was taken from her 6 track EP. What I love about this song is the backing instrumental. Its totally got a driving with the top down kind of feel. Enjoy!
I've always had a great love and appreciation for the work of Dr. Seuss. I've had a general knowledge of his story (from an elementary school project years back), but not to the extent the A&E Biography people know. To hear the amount of varied art he brought to the world...quite an inspiring iconic legacy he left behind. Enjoy!
P. S. Prepare for some intense personal life tragedies in the later half. You'll know what I mean when you see it.
This year is good for music in general. TONS of new albums coming out. In particular two of my favs, both Jason Mraz and John Mayer have new albums hitting on April 17 and May 22 respectively. Their singles have been out for a while, and they both promise a more mellow sound, with Jason Mraz going for a simpler sound more like his earlier work, and John Mayer is apparently sounding more like "organic cowboy music". Looking forward to both, as both previous albums from each artist was good, but still subpar compared to their earlier work.
Preorder Jason Mraz here: http://jasonmraz.com/four-letter-word/
Though I've never been a huge Scissor Sisters fan, but since their 2010 release Night Work (which was quite good) I've been more interested. They announced their new album Magic Hour which will be out May 28. A few days ago they released the first single Only The Horses with an official lyric video. Jason Mraz did the same thing with his new single I Won't Give Up (from the forthcoming album Love Is A Four Letter Word) and I like that the lyric video is catching on. Aaaanyways, I am not overwhelmed by this track on first listen, though it does sound promising. Bodes well for the album, watch for this one.....
Learn more and to preorder the album at: http://www.scissorsisters.com/home
I've always wanted a pair of leather/and or wood headphones. I do enjoy my Matix Bulkheads (http://www.matixclothing.com/blasts/bulkhead/index.html), but the awesome-ness of these cannot be denied. And the fact that they also sport a iPod device makes these a must have. I just discovered these beauties from The House of Marley. These are nicely titled Exodus, and the website has even more headphones and products. Some cool stuff, but nothing as cool as these.
Go to the Marley official site to see more info: http://www.thehouseofmarley.ca/on-ear-headphones/exodus-on-ear-headphones.html
This trailer just landed from the Family Guy creator, and basically features Peter Griffin in a teddy bear's body. I think this looks like it could be funny. But I am always weary of comedy trailers, as they often feature the best jokes leaving the movie less than funny in the first viewing. Remains to be seen....
Whilst looking for wood headphones I came upon this cool site that sells wood iphone and ipad accessories. Its pretty self explanatory so go peruse at www.miniot.com
I've been eying these Proof wood glasses for a while. They have them in sunglasses, clear or prescription. There are a few other wood frames out there, but these I find are the best for the price. I like what they're doing.
Go purchase them (or other cool frames) at: www.iwantproof.com
Found this great documentary called "Walk on By - The Story of Popular Song". I've linked to part 2 of 23, but if you look on the uploader's channel you should be able to find 1 through 23. Lots of interesting stuff if you like pop music, which I do.
I first saw this short at my first year in animation college. It has always been a favourite of mine, and I consider it one of Disney's best for its humour, animation and charm. And the dragon is just hilarious! Enjoy!
Heard this guy make his North American debut on the CBC Radio Q today. He's from the UK and is getting a lot of acclaim there for his debut album Home Again. The similarly titled single from the album is whats beign promoted, but I prefer this song (the title track). All the write ups about him keeps comparing him Bill Withers and his 60s sound. I will second that! This is really good stuff.
Norwegian pop band Donkeyboy release their new album on Mar 2, 2012. I loved their last album Caught in A Life (which is available on iTunes) and have been looking forward to this. Admittedly, after hearing their first single City Boy I became cautiously optimistic. Now having heard the album, it is good and has a lot of the same elements that made the first album a fun and easy listen. This time they lean more towards the electro side of pop. With a little less than the guitar and "indie" feel of the first album, which disappointed me a bit cause I found that set them apart. But I have to applaud them for trying something new. The album is good, though the title track Silver Moon is the only song I went away with remembering (I've included the video link here). The other songs are good, with the music being the strength on most tracks, catchy beats and unusual but enjoyable hooks, but the lyrics are weak, and often dont even make sense.
FLASH REVIEW: With fun synth filled pop undercurrents and so so lyrics this is worth checking out, but isn't anything to write home about.
For more info on Donkeyboy and places to buy the album go here : http://donkeyboy.no/2012/03/02/silver-moon-released/
Star Wars Fate of the Jedi - Ascension by Christie Golden is the latest in the absolutely excellent series of Star Wars novels. This is the eighth novel (of nine) and is just as good as all the rest in this series or the one before it (Star Wars Legacy of the Force). Kudos of course goes to the writers of this and the previous series, but I cant deny that the narrator of the audio books Marc Thompson really pushes these from great to REALLY great. Highly HIGHLY recommended.
Purchase the novel or audio book at: http://www.amazon.com/Star-Wars-Fate-Jedi-Ascension/dp/0345509161/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1332301790&sr=8-1
This is the trailer for the soon to be released (May 11, 2012). Its based on a 70's soap opera (which was before my time) and looks quite promising. I've not been too into Tim Burton's latest movies (don't even get me started on Alice in Wonderland) and I've been dying for him to do something original like Edward Scissorhands or Beetlejuice, and this could be it. A horror comedy (an 80's movie trend I miss) with a great cast. I reserve my judgement until I see it...Check out the trailer...
I loved Daft Punk's score to TRON Legacy (and liked the movie). This has elements of that
with a goosebump inducing combination of neon, positive and negative visuals and (needless to say) excellent movement. Doesnt get much better than this.
Find the score to Tron Legacy by Daft Punk at :http://www.amazon.com/Tron-Exclusive-Version-Digital-Booklet/dp/B004EI3ON4/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1332302407&sr=8-2
Thanks for visiting my blog of stuff that I like. Whenever I can I will post stuff that I come across that I feel is worth sharing. ANYTHING that I find interesting, aesthetically or artistically beautiful be it either music, fashion, technology or anything that I find adds something to my life in a small or large way. That initial idea may evolve, like life does, but this is only the introduction, so lets go....
I'm going to start with someone who I find artistically inspiring, having started their career in their early 30's, always following THEIR artistic vision and never following trends, creating and maintaining originality, in music, writing, and imagery. True artists, and here is their story....
