it ain’t that serious//mayer hawthorne//a strange arrangement

Somekinda Spanish — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 18:06:07 +0000

Buy ‘A Strange Arrangement on iTunes

art seen//we are contributors//cool canadiens donate skateboards to underprivileged youth

RC Peters — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 17:56:20 +0000

We Are Contributors is an awesome company based in Canada which is currently using very unique art to help raise money so they can donate skateboards to youth. The company is doing a couple of cool things. 1st they hooked up with a bunch of artists and had them decorate several skate decks with unique designs, which are currently being auctioned off. I currently have a bid in as I think the artwork alone is amazing, not to mention all the proceeds are going to their cause. The second thing they are doing, is throwing hip little art shows, showing off the decks. I have embedded a video, and also recommend visiting their site. Unfortunately all of the art shows are in Canada, but I am going to email them, suggesting they come on down to L.A., as I think it would be a big hit. Check it out, and feel free to make a donation! Here are some images of a few of my favorites. The full list is on the website:

Contributors from Anne-Marie Bergeron on Vimeo.

swell video//where the wild things are//making the soundtrack

RC Peters — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 17:25:40 +0000

This is a great featurette showing behind the scenes footage of how the score was created for the mucho anticipated ‘Where The WIld Things Are.’ If you did not already know, Karen O, lead singer of the ‘Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ wrote and sings the films music. It’s a really cool video, and has some footage from the film that has not been shown yet. I am so beyond excited for this. The movie opens this Friday the 16th. Enjoy!

album review//air//love 2//subtle sonics used to shape a solid cinematic sound

RC Peters — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 18:21:15 +0000

When Nicolas Godin and Jean-Benoît Dunckel sat down in the studio to begin recording their 6 studio album, I am not sure if they had any real direction. Love 2 plays like a sonic time machine traveling backwards. The album starts off with very current harmonics and then subsequently begins to shape into musical soundscapes reminiscent of music heard from past decades. It is right in the core of the album that the music begins to sound very similar to Pink Floyd. The entire album plays out like an audible orgy where psychedelic rock shows up to bang 1970’s Blacksploitation funk, and they are both banging Electronica…..hard.

But don’t get me wrong, this is a good thing. I very much enjoy this album. It is not necessarily an album chock full of tunes that would be blasted at a party, instead, this is music lovers music, created by musical snobs, to be heard by elitist know it all musical snobs like my self. The reason I state this, is because in order to appreciate the ode to decades past, you would’ve have to at one point listened to music of the same vein, and any music lover knows the classics.

This is a solid album, sure to grow on me. I think it will take several dozen listens to fully pull the complexities of the harmonies out of each heavily layered song. It is an easy listen, great for road trips, back ground music, or when you are in the mood to space out in headphones.

Earlier this year I featured the single: Do The Joy as a featured download of the week, and I assumed this was setting the mood for what was to be released. I was very surprised when that was the only song which catered to the trendy, distorted synth, electro-pop music being recorded, and made famous most by MGMT. Yet, I was more appreciative when I delved into the album, and found that it is nothing like this. Props to AIR for recording something unexpected, vintage sounding, yet equally fresh.
Love 2 is a solid edition to any music collection, and a must have for fans of Pink Floyd, Ween, and Phoenix.

CREATIVITY: 4/5
PRODUCTION: 3/5
COMPOSITION: 5/5
ALBUM LONGEVITY: 3.5/5
TOTAL: 15.5/20

download of the week//vampire weekend//horchata

RC Peters — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 17:11:36 +0000

Everyone’s favorite Ivy League rock band since Deathcab are returning to release their sophomore LP which will be entitled: Contra, and will be released January 12th 2010 on XL recordings. It looks like they are starting the promotions early, as I bring you their first single entitled: Horchata.
It’s funny how bands collectively follow the same trends. This song follows the formula that so many artists are doing these days. It’s full of minimal sounds, with the vocals sitting high in the mix. Like most of their music, it’s a fun tune which inspires me to throw on an Oxford sweater, grab a bottle of white wine, sit crossed legged, and intellectually debate about current events. As always, enjoi!

download Horchata
not computer savvy? Simply click on link, go to file in browser, click save as

social awareness//chinese fur farms

RC Peters — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 16:39:06 +0000

Okay, I’m pissed. Super pissed. Like dropping bombs and shooting things pissed. I like animals. In many circumstances, I love animals more than humans. I’m not a hippy though. I would hunt to eat, and shoot an animal so I could eat it. But this video that I found from PETA (People for Ethical Treatment of Animals) showing what happens to Raccoons, Foxes, and Minxes at a Chinese Fur farm is beyond horrifying. Please, please, please, I beg you DO not buy fur products, especially ones that say: Made In China. In fact, unless you hunt the animal that you wear, I would not wear ANY fur whatsoever. I have included the video, but I must make this disclaimer: IT CONTAINS VERY, VERY GRAPHIC MATERIAL. IF YOU DO NOT WISH TO WITNESS ANIMALS BEING SKINNED ALIVE, OR HAVING THEIR SKULLS CRUSHED, DO NOT WATCH. Fuck these fucks….

swell art//Ibraim Roberson

RC Peters — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 19:23:26 +0000

Ibraim Roberson is a Brazilian based comic artist, who has drawn for major comic book companies. Today also marks the day a new illustrated book is released by revered zombie genre author, Max Brooks entitled: The Zombie Survival Guide: Recorded Attacks. The book is illustrated by Ibraim Roberson. I love his attention to detail, and I am excited to get this book ASAP! Check out Ibraims site for a full gallery:Ibraim Roberson

It ain’t all that serious//brother ali//raekwon

Somekinda Spanish — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 02:05:26 +0000

I guess I was late on the Brother Ali bandwagon because I didn’t really check for him until his last album “The Undisputed Truth” but this guy really brings some fire. Even when he’s kickin an unconventional style he’s still better than most. The production is heavily influenced by DJ Quik. It’s that West Coast playful funk and yet Ali sounds right at home. This track really caught me off guard. Ali’s previous records have always had positive spins on terrible situations but here you can tell he’s definitely seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. Check out his story on Wikipedia. Brother Ali is not your average emcee.Brother Ali:fresh air

I’m a fan of good ol’ fashioned ass kickin East Coast rap. Hardcore shit.. I grew up on that. Wu-Tang has long held a special place in my playlists. Every time they come out with something I’m guaranteed to listen to a least one track. After a long, long, long wait, Raekwon has finally realeased “Only Built 4 Cuban Linx II” What I’ve always found funny about Raekwon releases is that his guest spots are always more of a treat than his verses. I’m not saying I don’t appreciate Rae on his own but when you have Ghostface and Method Man coming off each other like this track here… Forget it. Meth really shines on this track. If I was still reading the Source I would hope this verse got Hip Hop Quotable of the month. The patterns are just perfect and the voice…well Meth is a beast.Raekwon:house of flying daggers

Remember it’s all in the name of music and really.. It ain’t all that serious!

movie review//zombieland//the most violent ‘roadtrip’ movie ever??

RC Peters — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 06:15:45 +0000

Zombieland kicks major ass. In my not so humble opinion this film is the epitome of how true ‘popcorn’ flicks should be. It’s highly entertaining, stylish, unexpected, and is a lot of fun to witness. Unfortunately the masses assume that a popcorn flick by today’s standards require 100 million dollar budgets, or CG orgy computer fuck fests filled with apocoporn or childhood cartoons, terribly green screened to life.
Zombieland is a new take on the undead genre. It’s as fresh as the wonderful Shawn Of The Dead, yet different. I will say it’s a perfect blend of the aforementioned filmed, mixed with Little Miss Sunshine, and not simply because one of the co-stars is Abigail Breslin. It is penned in a very indy, Diablo Codyesque manner, filled with off time, yet relevant humor, like references to ‘World Of Warcraft’ and Facebook’, which add to the immersion value of the film. The action is also top notch horror gore, and is inserted into the film at precisely the right moments.
On the surface we have a beautifully shot, and well executed Zombie flick, however, I truly feel that it was simply the backdrop to tell a good story about separate troubled lives coming together with one common bond, survival, and the film displays this very well. I am assuming by now that the word has spread and people are out seeing it, because the tweets currently are all about Zombieland, however I saw this at 3:30PM today, and the theater was dead. I hope it does well, and whether you are a horror lover, or not, the main story driving the film is enough to pay the ticket price.

tv buzz//star wars//the clone wars season 2

RC Peters — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 04:38:24 +0000

I must admit, when Cartoon Network launched an animated Star Wars season last year, set in the time of the Clone Wars and in between episodes 2 and 3 of the prequels, I was HIGHLY skeptical. Anyone who knows me, knows that I am beyond a Star Wars fanatical geek. When the prequels came out I barfed. They suck, plain and simple, and I that’s all I will say on the topic. With that being said, I gave season 1 of the TV series a shot, and I must say that overall I was really impressed, and highly entertained…..plus I’m 30 years old.
Now, the 1/2 hour episodes, do follow a storyline which span 2-3 episodes at a time. Some of these scenarios are light and ‘kiddy’, but others are very dark, and very adult. Not to mention out of 24 episodes, 20 are devoid entirely of Jar Jar Binks.
The first season ended on a very awesome note, and introduced us to a very sinister bounty hunter named: Cad Bane. If you are a Star Wars fan, you must rent, borrow, or buy this series tomorrow. Yes, there will be episodes within the season that will seem kind of lame, but the majority are very, very well done. The animation is SUPERB on the series, and the trailer for season two which is below, looks even more incredible.
This series is no half assed after school cartoon. The action is top notch, the show sounds amazing when heard blasting through a theater quality surround sound system, and the voice acting is solid. Here is the newest trailer for season 2, which premiers Friday Oct. 2, 8pm on Cartoon Network.