1.31.2011

Free Röyksopp downloads

http://royksopp.com/track-of-the-month

Royksopp is a pretty decent electronica duo and if you know me well, that's saying a lot because I'm usually very picky when it comes to electronic music (house is my favorite).
The main distinctions I make between good and bad electronic music is based on the development of a melodic line, repetition, and the vulnerability and emotions that the music conveys. Royksopp does a fair job of developing various themes so that the music isn't overly repetitive, and in accompanying my happy/sad moods.
Oh, and they're from Norway.



There are only two other electronic groups that I respect- Daft Punk and Ratatat. A lot of people say that DP is overrated, but I think they're fabulous because their music can be indescribably euphoric (see "Aerodynamics", and their live album Alive 2007) or indescribably nostalgic ("Something About Us" has this incredible bass line that makes me cry and want to play the electric bass). They- they're just awesome.
Ratatat on the other hand, is extremely underrated. They exhibit a very distinct sound that sets them far apart from other groups, and have this happy-but-sad vibe to their music that I'm really attracted to. However, Ratatat has a lot to learn from big electronic hits like DP, because they need to expand their musical horizons and not just be limited to one kind of sound.

1.28.2011

Is it just me or do British rock stars last longer

than American musicians?

I mean there's the Rolling Stones, Jimmy Page, Pink Floyd (Roger Waters is just SWIMMING in money right now), Queen, Sting, Beatles (Lennon! McCartney!), Led Zepp, Eric Clapton, Bono (fine, he's Irish, whatever), and many more...
I'm not saying the U.S. doesn't produce their fair share of musical talent (We've got Hendrix and Aerosmith and Guns and Roses!) but for some reason many modern bands, especially from the U.S., seem to fade away very easily. Where AFI go? Taking Back Sunday? Red Jumpsuit Apparatus? Foo Fighters? I know I'm listing a lot of bands with one time hits, but it just seems to me that musicians here have a harder time leaving a legacy than our European counterparts.
Also, I think if any modern band out there is definitely going to remain somewhat of a legend, it's Coldplay. (Yes, they're English too.) You can also kind of make a case for other bands like Green Day or even Muse, but Coldplay's music has that rare vulnerability in their music that is more obvious in great classical musicians, like Yo Yo Ma. They'll last.



1.23.2011

ramblings

the following is the first time i have ever taken a post seriously

when i was just a widdle babbyspaz, i was very, very absentminded due to my ability to completely lose myself in my imagination. i'd be playing out something in my head and my eyes would almost just shut off while i was picturing something else.

i tried it again recently, and it was much harder. is there something different about the mind that as you grow older, you lose the ability to, say, pretend you're a scone-eating ninjasamurai from the magical land of Melkor? or is it that as we get older, we become too jaded to believe what was once maybe a reality?

there's a reason not to grow up.

on a totally unrelated note, this perfectly applies to peter pan and neverland.

1.14.2011

Free Protomen Download

The Protomen is an extremely underrated band that makes great rock operas/concept albums. They remind me of PF, MCR, and Queen, and even ska.









There is no suitable genre for their music.

1.09.2011

1.07.2011

(Winter Break '10/'11)


New year's is about celebrating a new beginning, my dad's birthday, and most importantly, chocolate cake.

My winter break was divided up into two parts: away from home, and at home. My family and I drove to San Jose the night of the Charity Dance Show (which was thoroughly awesome, by the way). My sister had to take her finals there, and I practiced the entire duration of the trip in the hotel, so there isn’t much to say about that. Then, I took the Annual Chinese Family Trip to Las Vegas which was actually immensely fun because my superawesomejoyhappywin cousin, ERIOT RU, was there as well. We searched all over Vegas (well, not really) for the best arcade and Gameworks got the prize. Of course a visit to Vegas wouldn’t be complete without a movie hop and thus I present to you…

Last Movie Hop of 2010

Tangled

In a nutshell, another princess movie but this was actually pretty decent. The clichés will be omnipresent in Disney movies, and so Tangled tried to make fun of. It was still kind of lame though, but at least somewhat entertaining. That’s what (Disney) movies are for, right?

Tron (AKA DAFT PUNK MOVIE)


After a schedule screwup by yours truly, I ended up watching only half of Tron, and not in IMAX or 3D either. Still, I got what I wanted, which was DAFT PUNK OH YEAH DAFT PUNK THEY WERE SO AWESOME AND I WAS LIKE HEECCKKKK YEAAAA WHEN I SAW THEM AND WAS LIKE DANCING AND JUMPING IN MY SEAT IT WAS SO FREAKINNGGG AWESOME LONG LIVE DAFT PUNK and that- that was it, basically.

But there must have been other things in the movie, you say. Well, as Eric would aptly put it, Tron was just “lasers and lights.”

The Other Guys


I watched this online instead, but I’ll review it anyway. The epitome of the Other Guys was Will Ferrell, and he supplied about 80% of the laughs in this comedy. (“We’re so fresh; we should be called the ‘Febreeze Brothers.’”) Without him, the movie would have been a heap of goo. The plot wasn’t cohesive and the script was mediocre at times. It dragged on a bit and didn’t have as much of a logical take… as the Hangover. Yes, I’ve been comparing every comedy I’ve watched to the Hangover. It should be like the Jesus Christ (not in a literal sense) and golden standard for future comedies- ridiculously side-splitting, but with a well-grounded plot that doesn’t spew all over the place.


Anyways, I had a sleepover with ERIOT RU at the Polo Towers on the last night of our stay at Vegas (apparently my uncle/aunt booked an extra vacant room), and I have to admit, that was truly the silly-est time I had with my cuz, ever. After touring the suite, we noticed a balcony. We were 23 floors up. And we had hotel notepad paper. So my cousin and I had this brilliant notion of chucking paper balls/airplanes/helicopters over the railing into a playground below. I know, it sounds immature, but we improvised and dramatized the entire launching of our paper to the Brahms Violin Concerto (there was an iHome in the bedroom!). It was hirarious because it was 2am and it was freezing and we were tossing paper crap around and choreographed a very dramatic piece of classical music. A few minutes later we got bored and started writing love letters onto paper airplanes from “Uosef Uosef” (inside joke, my cousin and I had a contest in which one tried to find the funniest name in a Clark County phonebook under 15 seconds), and a few landed into the balcony below us. Good times.


The rest of break was kind of blah after Vegas; I had to start practicing again and whatnot. I did spend a lot of time shopping, though there weren’t a lot of major discounts (yay for retailers, nay for us). I also ate a lot of chocolate, especially Godiva. From my experience, Godiva is the best brand of chocolate out there that’s relatively affordable. I mean, I like Lindt and KC Chocolates and Ghirardelli and even Hershey’s, but Godiva tops the charts for its high quality and versatility. Some of you may recoil at unappealing chocolate combinations like dark chocolate and raspberry or lime truffles or mint chocolate ice cream truffles (seasonal!) or gingerbread chocolate, but Godiva excels at EVERYTHING. Maybe I’m exaggerating; their French vanilla truffle is just okay, but I bet they could make poop flavored chocolates and it would still be delish. Also, Godiva is a money-making machine, according to my sister (who is a business major). Their profit is like 43543x the real value of the glorious stuff they sell. You can also easily tell by the number of unnecessary employees they always have at the stores, which is like 5 people in a tiny shop about the size of my bedroom.

Now some of you may not be willing to spend $2.50 for a truffle and like $50 for a substantial box of chocolates but Godiva has this wunderbar rewards program where you get a free truffle every month! If it wasn’t for my Godiva membership, I would not have stuck my cheap arse into that shop but now I have about 3 memberships and visit whenever I can. The best part is, when you sign up, they only take your email so you can totally offer a bs email and you will be one piece of chocolate richer. It’s as easy as that.


Domo vs. Kellytoy