November Playlist: George Ezra Edition

I don’t know how he does it, but his songs are like capsules that hold my powdery memories. Every time I listen, it’s as though I’m swallowing a pill and letting my cells soak in the hazy film.

1. Budapest (“But for you I’d leave it all”)
2. Drawing Board (“Lately I’m a heartache, I’m a desperate plan in hand, I’m a blueprint in the sand”)
3. Blame It On Me (“What you waiting for?”)
4. Don’t Matter Now (“Well it won’t last and it won’t stand, It don’t matter now”)
5. Shotgun (“The sun it changed, in the atmosphere, architecture unfamiliar, I can get used to do this”)
6. All My Love (“All my love is yours, all my time is ours, all my reckless dreams and my restless hours”)

 Listen to these in order. Go on.

Bucket List Update

2. Watch an Up Dharma Down gig live

Plus a picture with the amazing Armi.

I'm planning on pursuing another bucket list item next month. We'll see just which one. :)

December Playlist

1. Screaming Females - Expire
2. Empire of the Sun - Walking on a Dream
3. Cypress Hill - Hits from the Bong
4. Rogue Wave - Publish My Love
5. Regina Spektor - The Party
6. Ann Brun - Do You Remember
7. Screaming Females - It All Means Nothing

April Playlist

It's an Effie Trinket fanmix I picked up somewhere but it's awesome, so here goes:

1. Lana Del Rey - This is What Makes Us Girls
2. Maria Taylor - Smile and Wave
3. Metric - Help I'm Alive
4. Sixpence None the Richer - There She Goes
5. Hole - Petals
6. Hole - Doll Parts
7. The Hush Sound - Magnolia
8. The Wreckers - Stand Still and Look Pretty
9. Adriana Figueroa - The Hanging Tree

Rolling Pixies

I am trying to read Hannibal Rising while listening to The Pixies and The Rolling Stones. They don't mix. The music has the roughness and melodic dissonance of an unpolished rock, while Harris' novel has the sharpness of an axe blade. It's kind of confusing to have the two at the same time. I feel like an incompetent multitasker.

***

My RareJob schedule finally got approved today and I will start teaching on the 22nd. Nobody has signed up on my profile yet. I'd like to think it's because it's seven days til the 22nd, but the underachiever in me whispers, "Nobody wants to learn from you." Well if they don't, I can apply at the Ombudsman. At least I'll have something noteworthy on my resume.

Now off to dinner. Off we go. :)

August Playlist

I've decided that every month, I will post a list of songs that I find on the net. It's more for my benefit that yours because God knows how I should remember the bands that I like. My memory sucks like that, yes.

Here's the one for August:


1. Vetiver - Wonder Why
2. Niki and the Dove - The Fox
3. Papercuts - Do You Really Wanna Know
4. Fruit Bats - You're Too Weird
5. Chad Vangaalen - Sara
6. Low - Especially Me
7. Sebadoh - Skull

I especially like Fruit Bats because they are outrageously funny without being too campy. They're going to release a new album in September, I believe. Go check them out.  They're on YT, under SubPop records. I like this label's artists mhm.

Birdman Has Landed

Because I feel like stalking people and because I believe that he deserves to be stalked, here you go:

And yes, I have liked every video in his channel and have subscribed to to it, too. Just like a good stalker would.

Q York: The Rise of Modern Filipino Music

I'm tired of remakes. I don't think there isn't one popular 70s/80s/90s song that we haven't covered/made into a movie title.  It's an insult to Filipino creativity and talent.  People always say "support your own", but how could I, when the song isn't even "ours" to begin with? And when we're not dealing with remakes, we're bombarded with horrendous copycats. Imitation is the greatest form of flattery, but mainstream artists took that cliche and ran with it all the way to Pluto.  Look at this video, for example:

Whatever they were trying to achieve with this, they failed miserably at it.

So imagine my surprise when I came across this awesomely made video by an artist named Chelo Aestrid.  I was tempted to see her as another Gaga ripoff, but her sound is distinct and her style is funky, electric, and uniquely Filipina. Seriously, her video is probably one of the best I've seen in years.

Image + Great Lyrics + Rocking beat = WIN.

I tried to see what else this great gal has been up to and I've dug up some collaborations with really talented rap artists Knowa Lazarus and Kenjhons, via Q York Edutainment. Here, look what I got:

Now I have a new song to breakdance to in the shower (lolwat). Coupled with the badassery that is Philippine All Stars, I think we've struck gold.

Now I'm not the biggest rap fan in the planet. I have abhorred the rap scene since growing up to the obscene, nonsense lyrics of Andrew E. and 90% of American rappers singing about boobs, booties, and banging, so I know how skeptical you may feel about this. But give these guys a try. More than the wannabe balladeers who offer nothing new to the scene, these guys are out to do the Philippines proud. They're relevant, current, and spiced up with the different flavors of Philippine culture. You can check out more of their videos on YouTube through the Q York channel or catch them on MYX. Please start voting for them and not for Rihanna. I don't think I can last another five minutes of her flashing her sideboob.

Arkkkk!!!!

Just in case you're wondering, yes, I do hate Rebecca Black's Friday (like everybody else within 10 light years of the earth). But I also can't help feeling pity for her. Can you imagine going back to school when everyone and their grandmother has seen your bashed video on YouTube and all the music critics rose up in unison to trample your fragile dreams of becoming the next Britney Bieber? I gotta tell you, the fact that she hasn't committed suicide means that Rebecca Black has one of the strongest wills on the planet. Not too strong to stab the Friday lyricist with a screwdriver but you gotta give the girl some props.

I'm sure she never imagined her song could evoke such extreme negative emotions, but Rebecca, honey, it would've helped if you tried not to look traumatized by your own song (is that even the right term for it? Or autotuned words with a beat fit more?). Ah, what teenage girls do to achieve (in)fame(y).

Case in point: