STOP. LISTEN. GET CRAZY.

Notorious B.I.G.

2009-02-03T23:14:00.001-08:00

They're making a movie about him already. I got curious 'cause, you know, rapper's dramatic and chaotic life. Kinda like Tupac's. Well, apparently, they were linked. Their fights and issues were in the same time in the 90's. Very interesting story and somewhat disappointing. What I have here is just the summary. You can check the whole story here.

I didn't know him at first, but when I got to listening to his music, I realized I know him after all. I know his music, not his name.

Christopher George Latore Wallace (May 21, 1972 – March 9, 1997), popularly known as Biggie Smalls (after a gangster in the 1975 film Let's Do It Again), and his primary stage name, The Notorious B.I.G., was an American rapper.

Raised in Brooklyn, New York, Wallace grew up during the peak years of the 1980s' crack epidemic and started dealing drugs at an early age. When Wallace released his debut album with the 1994 record Ready to Die, he was a central figure in the East Coast hip-hop scene and increased New York's visibility at a time when hip hop was mostly dominated by West Coast artists. The following year, Wallace led his childhood friends to chart success through his protégé group, Junior M.A.F.I.A. ("Junior Masters At Finding Intelligent Attitudes"). While recording his second album, Wallace was heavily involved in the East Coast-West Coast hip hop feud, dominating the scene at the time.

On March 9, 1997, Wallace was killed by an unknown assailant in a drive-by shooting in Los Angeles. His double-disc set Life After Death, released fifteen days later, hit #1 on the U.S. album charts and was certified Diamond in 2000. Wallace was noted for his "loose, easy flow", dark semi-autobiographical lyrics and storytelling abilities. Since his death, a further three albums have been released. MTV ranked him at #3 on their list of The Greatest MCs of All Time. Because of his success and influence on music, he has become a cultural icon.

Juicy - THE NOTORIOUS B.I.G.

Filthy Youth

2009-02-01T10:16:00.000-08:00

If you know who Chuck Bass is, you gotta hear The Filthy Youth!

This English band consists of Ed Westwick, Benjamin Lewis Allingham, Jimmy Wright, John Vooght and Mitch Cox. Before Ed Westwick became Chuck Bass in Gossip Girl, he first had this band. Their music is Indie, Punk, Rock, Trip Hop. This band is really getting there. No record label signed yet, but they are active on making their band work and be known by the people.

You can visit their Myspace account and facebook account.

City Stop - The Filthy Youth

Superbus

2009-02-01T09:58:00.000-08:00

Superbus is a five-piece French power pop band formed in 1999.

After a trip to the United States to perfect her English in 1999, Jennifer Ayache went looking for musicians to make a group. She met Michel Giovannetti, a guitarist, and François Even, a bassist, who already knew each other from another group, and formed a new band. They started out as a three-piece before 2 other members joined.

Those two were later replaced by Guillaume Roussé (on drums), and Patrice Focone (on guitar). Roussé quit the band in 2005 and was replaced by Greg Jacks.

The band got their name from the Latin word superbus, meaning proud, which Ayache stumbled upon while browsing a Latin dictionary.

Superbus' style is reminiscent of a vast array of bands, from No Doubt to Sum 41, via Weezer, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Blink-182 and Sublime (and may I add, Save Ferris).

In 2002, Superbus released their debut album, Aéromusical. The band's second album, Pop'n'Gum, released in 2004, was produced by David Salsedo from Silmarils. In 2005 they won the Best French Act award at the MTV Europe Music Awards

Superbus also made a debut in Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock with their song Radio Song, featured as an unlockable bonus song.

According to the Sikoras, Superbus are the founders of 'girl noise garage rock', a genre involving garage rock mixed with girl noise.

They kinda remind me of Cibo Matto, too. Not in terms of music. Well, sort of. Haha! :) Anyway, Superbus makes French sound cooler than it already is!

Superstar - Superbus

Esthero

2009-01-29T21:32:00.000-08:00

My friend gave me a copy of her songs from different albums. Love love :) Galing nya. Not the usual you hear on normal day-to-day case basis. She sings so sweetly but her lyrics are ass-kickers. Kinda like Lily Allen a bit, but not quite. Hehe! Angas kasi Esthero, but you wouldn't notice that in most of her songs. You wouldn't even imagine she looks like this. Haha! :) Very beautiful and talented. Props! :)

Esthero (born Jenny-Bea Englishman, December 23, 1978 in Stratford, Ontario) is a Canadian singer-songwriter who hails originally from Toronto, Ontario, but has recently moved to Los Angeles. The name Esthero, pronounced [ɛsˈtɛroʊ] es-TAIR-oh, refers both to the singer and formerly to the two-person team of herself and producer, Doc. She claims to have gotten the name by combining the name of the heroine (Esther) and last line ("If I am to be the hero, then I cannot fly from darkness.") of the movie from Sylvia Plath's novel, 'The Bell Jar'.

Esthero's sound characteristically features her voice over a mix of mellow bass lines, jazzy trumpets, Spanish guitar and hip-hop. She is sometimes compared to artists Björk, Portishead and Sade . Later artists who count Esthero among their influences include Res, Fergie and fellow Canadian Nelly Furtado.

Esthero's brother, Jason Englishman, is also a musician.

O.G. Bitch - Esthero

Alice in Chains

2009-01-29T21:14:00.000-08:00

Very old, right? Hahaha! One of my favorite grunge bands. Of course, my number one is Nirvana. If you don't know Nirvana, I don't know you. HAHAHAHAHA!

Alice in Chains is an American rock band formed in Seattle, Washington in 1987 by guitarist Jerry Cantrell and vocalist Layne Staley. Although widely associated with grunge music, the band's sound incorporates heavy metal and acoustic elements. Since its formation, Alice in Chains has released three studio albums, three EPs, two live albums, four compilations, and two DVDs. The band is known for its distinct vocal style which often included the harmonized vocals of Staley and Cantrell.

Alice in Chains rose to international fame as part of the grunge movement of the early 1990s, along with bands such as Nirvana, Pearl Jam, and Soundgarden. It was one of the most successful music acts of the 1990s and sold over 14 million albums in the United States alone. The band achieved two number-one Billboard 200 albums (Jar of Flies and Alice in Chains), 11 top ten singles on the Mainstream Rock Tracks charts, and six Grammy Award nominations.

Although never officially disbanding, Alice in Chains was plagued by extended inactivity due to Layne Staley's problems with substance abuse, culminating in his death in 2002. Alice in Chains reunited in 2005 and as of 2009 have been working on their first studio album in 14 years with new lead vocalist William DuVall.

Jayme influenced me, too for listening to them. She still gets chills, listening to Layne's voice. I love their blending 'cause it's very unique and distinct with his husky and rugged voice. Hahaha!

Down in a Hole-Alice in Chains - Alice in Chains

Sorry I have to post two of their songs! Hahaha!

Nutshell - Alice In Chains

Aimee Mann

2009-01-29T21:00:00.000-08:00

Okay so let's take a trip to my playlist, shall we? :) First, the previous one, K's Choice, and then Aimee Mann. Wait for the next one. Hahaha!

Aimee Mann (born September 8, 1960) is an American rock guitarist, bassist, singer, and noted songwriter. She has won one Grammy Award (for the packaging of her album The Forgotten Arm).

Early Solo Career

In 1993, Mann released Whatever, her first solo album. Promotion suffered due to the collapse of her label, Imago. With modest sales, the album was critically praised and paved the way for her next release, 1995's I'm with Stupid, through Geffen Records. Again, reviews were positive, but sales were weak.

Mann recorded Bachelor No. 2, but Geffen saw no hit singles in the material and ordered her back to the studio. The album languished while Mann and the label fought.

Meanwhile, film director Paul Thomas Anderson, for whom Mann's husband Michael Penn and Brion had composed a soundtrack, became a close friend. Mann gained greater public recognition in 1999 — indeed, more than for anything else since "Voices Carry" — when she contributed eight songs to the soundtrack of Anderson's Magnolia, including the Academy Award and Grammy-nominated song, "Save Me". Anderson deliberately worked from Mann's lyrics to create the film's characters and situations. Mann soon became sought after as a soundtrack contributor.

K's choice

2009-01-29T20:48:00.000-08:00

K's Choice is a Belgian rock band from Antwerp, formed in the mid-1990s and touring as recently as 2006. The band's core members are siblings Sarah Bettens (lead vocals, guitar) and Gert Bettens (guitar, keyboard, vocals). They are joined by Eric Grossman (bass), Jan van Sichem Jr. (guitar) and Koen Liekens (drums). The band has produced gold and platinum albums, and has also appeared on an episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

There's so much to say about this band. Jayme introduced me to this band. Check it here. They're one of my favorites. I even named my phone after one of their songs, Mr. Freeze. I love Sarah's vocals. Very much! :D

I like this song of theirs very much. I love to play it over and over again. :)

Everything for free - K's Choice

Chee-uhs!

2009-01-29T18:44:00.000-08:00

Is it so sad that I just saw this only recently like... 2 days ago??? It's so hilarious, man! My favorite is the 2nd one. WATCH IT!! :)

Amy Winehouse

2009-01-05T08:58:00.000-08:00

Amy Jade Winehouse (born 14 September 1983) is an English singer-songwriter, known for her eclectic mix of various musical genres including soul, jazz, rock & roll and R&B. Winehouse is best known for her soulful, powerful contralto vocals.

Winehouse's 2003 debut album Frank did well, both commercially and critically, in her native Britain. It was nominated for the Mercury Prize. Her 2006 follow-up album Back to Black led to six Grammy Award nominations and five wins, tying the record for the most wins by a female artist in a single night, and made Winehouse the first British singer to win five Grammys, including three of the "Big Four": Best New Artist, Record of the Year and Song of the Year. On 14 February 2007, she won a BRIT Award for Best British Female Artist; she had also been nominated for Best British Album. She has won the Ivor Novello Award three times, one in 2004 for Best Contemporary Song (musically and lyrically) for "Stronger Than Me", one in 2007 for Best Contemporary Song for "Rehab", and one in 2008 for Best Song Musically and Lyrically for "Love Is a Losing Game", among other prestigious distinctions.

Winehouse has received media attention apart from her singing. Her distinctive style has been the muse for fashion designers such as Karl Lagerfeld. The singer's problems with drug and alcohol addiction, as well as self-destructive behaviour, have become regular tabloid news since 2007. She and her husband have been plagued by legal troubles that have led to the cancellation of several tour dates.

In June 2008, Winehouse's publicist reported that she had developed early signs of what could lead to emphysema, while her father relayed reports of an irregular heartbeat, stating these conditions were brought on by smoking cigarettes and crack cocaine.

This is my favorite song in her album "Frank". :)

Cherry - Amy Winehouse

Maybe this Christmas - Ron Sexsmith

2008-12-31T09:58:00.001-08:00

It's the perfect song for the season. And don't you miss the OC as well? Well, I do. So freakin' much!

Anyway, this is Season 1 of the OC. Chrismakkuh episode. I love it! It's not the real episode. Just an MV or something like it.

Happy Chrismakkuh you guys! And the best '09 there is! Have a blast this season. Love love :)

The SohoDolls, Numb, British Sea Power

2008-12-25T03:46:00.000-08:00

Sohodolls are a British electro group from London, England. The group was formed in 2003 and, following various line-up changes, currently (as of March 2008) includes Maya von Doll (vocals), Toni Sailor (guitar) and Weston Doll (keyboards). These members are joined by other musicians on stage.

The band - whose name is sometimes punctuated with a space as Soho Dolls - have described their sound as a cross between "decaying and desperate glamour" and "savagery and sex". Their debut album Ribbed Music for the Numb Generation was released through A&G Records in September 2007.

Very sexy.

The Rest for the Wicked - The Soho Dolls

[Need picture]

Numb is an electro-industrial band that was based in Vancouver, Canada. It was founded by Don Gordon in 1986. Following his Suspended single, Gordon retired the project and moved to Vietnam to live with his wife. The band consists of David Collings, Blair Dobson, David Hall, Conan Hunter and Sean Stubbs.

Bliss (Fundamentalist) - Numb

British Sea Power are a four-man indie rock band based in Brighton, England, although three of the band come originally from Kendal in Cumbria. Their style ranges from the sweeping, often epic, guitar pop sound to the visceral and angular. Critics have likened their sound to a variety of groups, from The Cure to the Pixies. They have most often been compared to Joy Division. The band consists of:

* Yan (Scott Wilkinson) - Vocals, guitar
* Noble (Martin Noble) - Guitar, piano, keyboards
* Hamilton (Neil Wilkinson) - Bass, vocals, guitar
* Wood (Matthew Wood) - Drums

The Lonely - British Sea Power

Datarock

2008-12-20T03:42:00.000-08:00

Waaaaaaa Grabe good to be back! I'm flooding again about new music I've discovered. Sorry for that. :D

Anyway, Datarock is a Norwegian band. The band describes their sound as "a mixture of musical styles [they] like." A trio of friends, Fredrik Saroea, Ketil Mosnes and Kevin O'Brien, conceived the group while at a festival in Bergen, and soon hired Tom Mæland. O'Brien and Mæland later left the band, but the duo of Saroea and Mosnes continued the project. The band members list their major artistic influences as Devo, Talking Heads and the Happy Mondays. The band has released three EPs and their debut album, Datarock Datarock, was released in 2005 in 10 countries on the band's own label, YAP (Young Aspiring Professionals), receiving favourable reviews, especially in the UK. They made an appearance in Australia's Triple J Hottest 100 with the single "Computer Camp Love" in 2005, placing at #12. This song was #88 on Rolling Stone's list of the 100 Best Songs of 2007.

Their song "Fa-Fa-Fa" will be featured in a new Coca Cola advert, and is also featured in NHL 08, FIFA 08 and NBA Live 08 as part of EA Trax. It also appears in The Sims 2: Free Time, and The Sims Video Team was asked to create a custom music video for "Fa-Fa-Fa" that can be viewed on the official The Sims2 site. Another one of their songs, "New Song" is featured in Madden 08. Finally, a remix of "I Used To Dance With My Daddy" is featured in Need For Speed: ProStreet.

Datarock was also featured in an Apple advertisement for the fourth generation iPod Nano. The ad showed the song Fa-Fa-Fa playing on an Orange iPod Nano. The coverart for Datarock Datarock was also shown.

Fredrik Saroea also has solo aspirations and has recorded several individual tracks, including a duet with fellow Norwegian pop-star Annie for the song I Will Always Remember You, which has been included on later presses of the band's debut LP.

I Used To Dance With My Daddy - Datarock

Cassettes Won't Listen

2008-12-20T03:30:00.000-08:00

Cassettes Won't Listen is the Indie rock & Electronic one-man project of multi-instrumentalist and producer Jason Drake (the one on the picture above) based out of Brooklyn, New York. All of Cassettes Won't Listens releases have been digital only thus far. However, despite a lack of physical product, Cassettes Won't Listen has received press from the likes of Spin, Perez Hilton, Urb. Cassettes Won't Listen has also done official remixes for notable artists such as: Aesop Rock, El-P, Midlake, Mr. Lif, Morcheeba and many more.

In 2008, Cassettes Won't Listen covered The Cure's "Let's Go To Bed" for the American Laundromat Records compilation "Just Like Heaven - a tribute to The Cure".

His effects kinda reminds me of Deathcab for Cutie a bit. It's nice. Their songs are nice. I like it a lot. :)

Cutting Balloons - Cassettes Wont Listen

The Virgins and Tokyo Police Club

2008-12-20T03:12:00.000-08:00

The Virgins are an American indie rock band consisting of four members: Erik Ratensperger, Donald Cumming, Wade Oates and Nick Zarin-Ackerman. They were originally from New York City, they formed in 2005 based in New York City, New York. They have toured with Jet and opened for Sonic Youth and Patti Smith and played at the All Points West Festival in 2008. They also performed at the 2008 SXSW festival, and toured in the United Kingdom with The Pigeon Detectives in November and December 2008.

The Virgins were formed after a Ryan McGinley photo shoot brought together Donald Cumming and Wade Oates to work on tracks Cumming had begun. The two other members joined shortly after; Erik Ratensperger, and Nick Ackerman. The Virgins have recently had international success with their song "Rich Girls", which was played during an episode of "Gossip Girl".

I just saw their music video "Rich Girls" a while ago on MTV and was curious about them. :)

Here's another song of theirs that I really liked.

One Week of Danger - The Virgins

Tokyo Police Club is a Canadian indie rock band from Newmarket, Ontario, consisting of singer and bassist Dave Monks, guitarist Josh Hook, keyboardist Graham Wright, and drummer Greg Alsop.

Tokyo Police Club formed in 2005 while playing for fun in a basement after the four had disbanded from a previous group called Suburbia. The band started to gain attention and played some small shows throughout the Toronto area. With a buzz forming in Montreal, Tokyo Police Club was asked to play in the city's Pop Montreal festival, and soon after they signed with Toronto label Paper Bag Records.

Since their formation the band has appeared in numerous festivals. Notably, in 2006 they appeared at Edgefest and the inaugural Osheaga Festival. In 2007, they performed at the Coachella music festival in Indio, California, at Lollapalooza in Chicago, at Bumbershoot in Seattle, at Glastonbury Festival and Reading Festival in England, in 2008 at Roskilde Festival in Denmark and at Rock am Ring-Festival in Germany, and Street Scene in San Diego.

In the fall of 2008, the band played on the last 6 weeks of Weezer's Troublemaker Tour along with Angels and Airwaves.

Nature Of The Experiment - Tokyo Police Club

Cibo Matto

2008-12-11T01:28:00.001-08:00

Ok, this one I've been listening to for a long time now but I just thought I'd share this one out. They're sooo good, I like them a lot but it seems like only a few has heard of them or maybe they have, they just didn't know it was them.

Cibo Matto (meaning crazy food in Italian, and pronounced [tʃiːbo matːo]) was a New York City-based band formed by Yuka Honda and Miho Hatori in 1994. The lyrics in their songs are primarily concerned with food, possibly used as a metaphor. Their sound has been described as a combination of "Jazz, Hip-Hop, Brazilian music, African Drumming, and Disco samples".

Grand Royal involvement

Although Cibo Matto was represented by Warner Bros. Records, they were also considered to be a major part of the Grand Royal Records family.

* Under Grand Royal, Honda and Hatori formed side-project band Butter 08 (1996) with Russell Simins, Rick Lee and Mike Mills.
* Hatori collaborated with the Beastie Boys (who founded Grand Royal) on their 1997 album, Hello Nasty.
* Lennon released his debut album, Into the Sun (1998) on Grand Royal (which featured Honda, Hatori and Ellis).
* Yumiko Ohno of Buffalo Daughter (a former Grand Royal band) contributed moog synthesizer and backing vocals to Stereo Type A (1999).
* In 2000, Grand Royal released a compilation album entitled At Home with the Groove Box in which Lennon contributed the song "Winged Elephants" while Honda and Hatori contributed the song "We Love Our Lawyers". The compilation also featured artists such as Beck and Sonic Youth.

Disbanded

The group continued to play live and tour until disbanding in 2001. In an interview Honda stated,
“ Cibo Matto broke up, because it was time. We felt the need to move to the next step. It was a healthy decision, though it was sad at the same time. Things just need to grow out of things sometimes. ”

All of the members of Cibo Matto have gone onto release solo material and have on occasion collaborated with each other.

Cibo Matto - About A Girl (Nirvana cover) - Cibo Matto
This one's cool but I'll share three of their songs, if you don't mind, since this is just a really great cover and the next one is a collaboration. Haha

Talking to the Universe - Cibo Matto & Yoko Ono
Yes, it is with Yoko! Although I'm sorry for the copy I got from imeem 'cause it's not that good. I'll find a better one ASAP. :)

I posted a video 'cause imeem's Cibo Matto sources are lame. HAHAHA This is the first song I heard of Cibo Matto. My friend, Jayme told me about it and we listened to it. She ended up accompanying me, listening to Cibo Matto the whole night while we were doing our plates. HAHA Anyway, this one's called Sci-fi Wasabi.

Enjoy! :)

Kings of Leon

2008-12-10T21:29:00.000-08:00

My friend was babbling about this band the whole time we were talking music a few nights ago. So, I searched them. Turns out, this band really is worth babbling about.

Kings of Leon are a Grammy-nominated rock band from Columbia, Tennessee. The band is made up of three brothers – Caleb Followill (lead singer/rhythm guitar), Nathan Followill (drums/backup vocals), Jared Followill (bass guitar/backup vocals/synthesizer) – and their first cousin Matthew Followill (lead guitar/backup vocals). The band's sound derives from southern rock, garage rock, hard rock and blues. They have released four full-length albums. The group's name is derived from Nathan, Caleb and Jared's father and grandfather, both named Leon. In terms of chart positions the band have been far more popular in Europe (notably the UK) than their homeland.

King Of The Rodeo - Kings of Leon, from the album, Aha Shake Heartbreak
I found this song soooo cute!

Me and your cold, Driving in the snow,
let the good times roll, let the good times roll
Cowgirl king of the rodeo, let the good times roll,
let the good times roll

Grunge

2008-12-10T00:15:00.000-08:00

Is it back? Celebrities (not just the ones above) have been seen wearing grungy outfits, aside from Kate Moss, of course.

Grunge fashion is no fashion at all. Which makes it sooooo fun! So rebellious and yet so fashionably edgy.

Oh and by the way, I'm digging Rachel Bilson's jeans there. Hihi ;)

Anyway, I guess it is back, since boots are slowly on its way now to casual wear. Haha While waiting for that, fret not. Chucks are still here to save normal grungy days. :)

Look at this polo I bought in Greenhills. Super comfy. As you may not know, my normal day outfits are usually laid back, I-just-woke-up, after-sex look. Hahaha! When you see me in a more presentable outfit, it means I wasn't that lazy that day or I had/will have an important meeting. HAHA

The Paddingtons, The Strokes, The Hives

2008-12-09T23:27:00.000-08:00

I'm sorry if I'm flooding about music. Ang dami kasing magaganda eh! Haha!

To start with, The Paddingtons are an English indie rock band from Hull, known for their energetic concerts and loyal fanbase. The band is Tom Atkin, Martin Hines, Josh Hubbard, Lloyd Dobbs and Grant Dobbs.
In various interviews, bassist Dobbs has said it is due to their willingness to play almost any venue. Between April 2005 and 9 November 2006, they played over 150 live shows, including venues such as The Square, Harlow; Jersey Live; Summercase; The Underground, Stoke-on-Trent; T in the Park and at the Reading and Leeds Festivals.
Mollys Lips - The Paddingtons
This is how they sound like. Isn't it cool?? It's really screaming INDIE ROCK!

The Strokes are an American rock band formed in 1998 in New York City who rose to fame in the early 2000's as a leading group in the garage rock revival. The band consists of Julian Casablancas (lead vocals, songwriting), Nick Valensi (lead guitar), Albert Hammond Jr. (rhythm guitar), Nikolai Fraiture (bass guitar) and Fabrizio Moretti (drums and percussion).

Upon the release of their debut album Is This It in 2001, the group was met with much critical acclaim, being hailed by some as the "saviors of rock and roll." NME made Is This It their Album of the Year. Since then, the band has maintained a large fan base, notably in the UK, US and Australia. Exhausted from almost nonstop recording, they have been on an unofficial hiatus since 2006's First Impressions of Earth, during which several of its members, most notably Albert Hammond Jr., have embarked on a variety of side projects, from music to film.
Barely Legal - The Strokes
This is from the album, Is This It. Enjoy!

*QUICK TRIVIA: Do you know that Agyness Deyn (syempre sya na naman! HAHA) used to date The Paddington's Josh Hubbard? And now she's dating The Strokes' Albert Hammond Jr. Hmmmmm....

Haha Now you're getting how I come up with these bands. HAHAHA

And thirdly, The Hives are a Swedish rock band that first garnered attention in the early 2000s as a prominent group of the garage rock revival, playing garage punk. Their mainstream success came with the release of the "greatest hits" album Your New Favourite Band, featuring their most well-known song "Hate to Say I Told You So". The Hives are known for their "hilarious self-glorification," and performing in ever-changing black and white suits.
Outsmarted - The Hives
Hahaha REALLY sounds like garage rock. :)

Cool. I'm learning. HAHA!

Interpol

2008-12-09T22:08:00.001-08:00

I've heard about this band ages ago but it's just a while ago when I listened to them. I've been searching for new music the past couple of days because I haven't been going out much for band watching. That's why I take advantage of what the Internet is providing. Haha

Anyway, Interpol is an American alternative rock band, formed in 1997 in New York City.

The band's line-up is Paul Banks (vocals, guitar), Daniel Kessler (guitar, vocals), Carlos Dengler (bass guitar, keyboards - commonly referred to as Carlos D) and Sam Fogarino (drums, percussion).

Interpol's debut album Turn on the Bright Lights (2002) was critically acclaimed, making it to tenth position on the NME's list of top albums in 2002. Subsequent records Antics (2004) and Our Love to Admire (2007) have confirmed the band's initial success and turned them into a commercial and critical success.

Interpol is one of the bands associated with the New York indie music scene, being one of several groups that emerged out of the post-punk revival of the 2000s. The band's sound is generally a mix of bass throb and choppy, sparse guitar, with a snare heavy mix, drawing comparisons to post-punk bands such as Joy Division and The Chameleons.

Aside from the lyrics, their songwriting method includes all of the band members, rather than relying on any given chief songwriter.

Cmere - Interpol
Here's the first song I listened to. I like it, but hmmm.. Is it just me or they kinda sound like The Killers? Haha I dunno. Listen to their other songs, it's great. :)

HDR (High Dynamic Range)

2008-12-09T12:03:00.000-08:00

This one's cool, I got this from my boyfriend.

Applied carefully, High Dynamic Range-technique (HDR) can create incredibly beautiful pictures which blur our sense of the difference between reality and illusion. In graphics HDR imaging is a set of techniques that allow a far greater dynamic range of exposures than normal digital imaging techniques. The intention is to accurately represent the wide range of intensity levels found in real scenes, ranging from direct sunlight to the deepest shadows. This is usually achieved by modifying photos with image processing software for tone-mapping. And the results can be really incredible; in fact, many artists and designers come up with some pretty fancy results.

Here are some cool pictures:

For more pictures, click here. And for tutorials, click here and/or here. :)

Animal Collective

2008-12-09T10:45:00.000-08:00

My very first post in my new blog is about this band I just learned about. I read about them from my favorite model, Agyness Deyn. I got curious and searched them.

Animal Collective is a New York City/Washington, D.C/Lisbon based music collective of avant-garde musicians from Baltimore, Maryland. Animal Collective consists of Avey Tare (David Portner), Panda Bear (Noah Lennox), Deakin (Josh Dibb), and Geologist (Brian Weitz). Records released under the name Animal Collective may include contributions from any or all of these members; the lineup is not uniform. The band members met in school and started recording together in various forms of collaboration from a young age. Although the band is often classified as psych folk or noise rock, it is hard to define the Animal Collective sound as they often experiment with diverse styles and ideas from album to album. The group also runs the record label Paw Tracks on which they have released their own material as well as material by artists such as Ariel Pink, Terrestrial Tones, and The Peppermints. Paw Tracks' latest signee is Tickley Feather, with whom the band recently toured.

I got that from Wiki.

Fireworks - Animal Collective
Here's one song of theirs I REALLY enjoyed.