Thursday, July 29, 2010

you'll never tell me, cause that's not our deal.

the new video from the hundred in the hands, reminds me of a handful of nights i equally love to remember and some i wish i could forget. showcasing red cups, people pushing, dance floor mayhem, staggered steps and a heightened sense of adventure, the clip remains a blend of everything essential after midnight- except of course for the firework upchuck.


waiting for the room to fall in,
-t

Wednesday, July 28, 2010

90% of my mind is with you.

it goes without saying that a well done falsetto is a panty dropper. ladies, watch your wears and fellas, take notes.

via stones throw.

-t

the right night, for the wrong company.

in the latest video from the chemical brothers, movement is personified by green waves floating above a black canvas. interjecting faces, circles and images of spilt liquid, the only move left, is to the dance floor.




there's nothing else,
-t

Tuesday, July 27, 2010

logic will break your heart.


when you name your outfit teen daze, it's hard not to harbor a few assumptions about what you're offering.

it's easy to align themes of adolescence or waves of uncertainty. filter in clouds of jumbled sounds with delicate vocals, it very much plays out like forgotten memories or faded polaroids.

check out the spirituals remix of the perfectly timed single, "gone for the summer pt. two".

forget me not
-t

Sunday, July 25, 2010

i'll take second place, just to end the race.

long story short, i was lured to oregon under false pretenses. what was supposed to be a trip based around the city of portland, crashing in free hotels (or friend's houses) and an altogether exploration of downtowns, bars, boutiques and ace coffee shops...in reality, ended up to be a lesson of survival in a forest on the outskirts of salem.

while i was completely ill prepared for camping and the 40 degree nights, i did learn that when push comes to fucking shove, my ability to not complain under a variety of headscratching circumstances, will one day make me valuable.

so i was trapped in the woods with nothing but hippies, ravers and vegans. but it was home for a few, hazy and interesting days. thanks for the memories oregon!

"it all catches up with you"
-t

Friday, July 23, 2010

fitter, happier, more productive.

if this bibio track doesn't kill you (especially around the 1:38 mark), then i owe you a dollar. or a slap upside the head.


ambivalence avenue,
-t

Wednesday, July 21, 2010

been there, done that, messed around.

there's a heatwave going through los angeles and there's nothing more refreshing than sitting face-first into an air conditioning vent. but if you're like most folks and your only access to that centralized freeze is via the front seat of your car, then i highly suggest throwing this on repeat to accompany the circular trips around the block.


ac slater,
-t

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

if im in your starting five, you will never need a sub.

my favorite track off stones throw soul revivalist, mayer hawthorne's 2009 debut, a strange arrangement, finally has a video. the one-shot clip for apostrophe heavy "your easy lovin' ain't pleasin' nothin'" is simple in theory and absolutely cute in execution.

check out my future husband and his harem of california girls do the poolside jig below.

come on darlin' don't be scurred,
t

Thursday, July 15, 2010

i've always felt so scared of all this needing.

the beauty about funemployment/freelancing, is free time. when you're relegated to a desk for 8+ hours, it doesn't leave much for yourself. and it's virtually impossible to see anyone during the daylight hours on a weekday.

luckily, i've been able to catch up with a variety of folks in both the daytime and late night hours and it feels good to reconnect and make human contact. an @reply via twitter or a wall comment just aren't the same as breaking bread together or actually watching someone laugh at the exact same time you are.

with that said, rent has been paid for july and after a much needed bay area adventure 2 weeks ago, it's time to explore some unknown territory with some familiar faces. so im off to trailblaze in portland, OR for a few days with a select few from my hollow drum. my beat-minded friends, TEEBS, YUK and free the robots are all performing at the emrg + n + see festival this weekend.

so dear blog, i hope that you miss me a little when im gone.
-t

Tuesday, July 13, 2010

we can share it like the last slice.

utilizing multi-faced layers of gruff, grime, precision, love and indescribable forces, flying lotus is a journey that musically and emotionally encompasses all of your senses. the new video from his latest masterpiece, cosmogramma, moves between corners of the familiar, the unknown and the downright kaleidoscopic.

peep flyLo's mindfuck for "mmmHmm" below.



mmmmm indeed,
t

everyone who pretended to like me is gone.

filipinos have very particular traditions about death. after someone passes, you pray the rosary everyday for 10 days. family members gather upon tables of food and pray. even those (like my brother and myself) who no longer believe in organized religion, we still gather and in reverence, put our heads down and honor the departed. filipinos also recognize the 40th day. the 40th day since they left us. today marks that day for my tita babes. she was honestly one of the sweetest people i have ever come across and the third family member we've said goodbye to in three years. it never gets easier and the void never really finds time to heal. but i wanted to tell my uncle ray, my poppa kelly and my tita babes that none of you have been forgotten. we miss you like it was yesterday and we live knowing that you've all enriched us in your own ways.


-t

Monday, July 12, 2010

rather be a bandit than a lover.

when the walkman's 2008 gem, You & Me came out, i was inundated with so much good music at the time, it unfortunately went widely unnoticed. it didn't reappear onto my radar again until a year later, when i met this guy totally obsessed with the record.


fast forward another year and while that particular guy isn't around anymore, his affection for the new york based five piece has left an imprint on me. with their sixth studio album, Lisbon due this September, personal anticipation is even higher thanks to the release of the record's first single, "stranded".


brass heavy and heartbreakingly romantic, it's once again a tale of love lost, but this time set against the infamous and lonely bourbon-soaked streets of new orleans.


give it a listen over at NPR.


if you don't want me, you can tell me,

-t

Sunday, July 11, 2010

sways between suitors with a broken heel.

the architecture of Wild Nothing's music begins at opposing ends. on the left lies misery. melancholic and obvious, it pulls from decades of heart-on-your-sleeve shoegaze. move a little to the right and under the initial layer of reverb and haze, Wild Nothing remains upbeat and insanely beautiful.

check out frontman jack tatum's clip for the ridiculously captivating, "chinatown".


pageboy caps and puppies,
t

Saturday, July 10, 2010

love, hate and then there's you.

the definition of and the difference between love and lust adjust as easily as the hands on an analog clock. taking into consideration the variables of mood, past experiences and naivety, what ultimately aligns both words depends on (varying amounts of) pleasure.

enter UK unsigned duo D/R/U/G/S. appropriately named across the board - the band's moniker, the song's title and the track itself all offer a sliding scale of satisfaction and immediate sound intoxication.

D/R/U/G/S - love (love/lust remix)

i got 5 on it,
t

Friday, July 9, 2010

bonita applebaum, ya gotta put me on.

over 10 years ago, the iconic line "pitbull in a skirt" was uttered by then platinum bowl-cut rapper, Eve, to solidify her stance in the male-dominated world of hiphop. since then, i immediately deemed every lone chick who rolled with a collective of guys as such. although not quite as grimy or rugged as Eve's 1998 incarnation, TOKiMONSTA, is definitely low end theory's modern day pitbull.

running around the world with fellow beat contemporaries such as nosaj thing, the gaslamp killer, teebs and daedelus; she's also the only female signed to flying lotus' brainfeeder imprint. equal parts steezy and talented, her debut full length, midnight menu, drops later this month.




check out "alpenglow", her collaboration with fellow Red Bull Music Academy alumni lunice and swede:art HERE.

it gives you wings,
t

'cause sometimes lonely isn't sad.


you've got to give it to she & him - they manage to consistently tell some truly adorable boy plus girl narratives. what the first single off volume two offered in classroom dance routines, "thieves" depicts via kid versions of zooey and matt and some choice arts and craft. above grainy black and white tones, it's a vintage love affair to perfectly compliment the duo's classic sound.


volume two-ed,
t

Wednesday, July 7, 2010

im neither sorry, nor cross nor unfit.

im not even gonna lie or attempt to down play my affections. but i loveeeee nicki minaj. the pink barbie-dolled out/harajuku hybrid emcee is ill. but what's even more impressive than her flirtations with drake, is her stoner guest spot on M.I.A's "teqkilla" remix.


ya tell 'em nicki,
t

if it isn't me, then pack your bags and leave.

paralleling the feeling of adolescence by showcasing images from a childhood staple, the latest clip from the qualities of light, featuring music by my friend TEEBS, successfully maneuvers between reflections of the distant past and uncertainty of tomorrow's sound.

check out "bern rhythm"




TEEBS' debut is slated to be released via brainfeeder this fall, while his split 7" with daedelus should drop sooooon.

-t

Tuesday, July 6, 2010

we're not happy till we're running away.

as a self-proclaimed sucker for subtle, lo-fi storyteller tunes created by real life lovers, my love for CULTS, should come as no surprise. the fact that their songs are crafted around a consistent layer of bells and boy/girl harmonies, makes their latest contribution a summer jam times a milli.

in their latest video for new single, "Oh My God", the duo's delicate sound textures are personified by a barrage of feathers and balloons. talk about hanging tough.
peep the video over at pitchfork cause this sucker doesn't seem to want to embed for me

i can run away and leave you anytime,
-t

Monday, July 5, 2010

i live for the nights that i can’t remember, with the people that i won’t forget.

ever since i was 18 years old, ive harbored an intense love affair with san francisco. the more i come and go, the city always feels like home.

day four consisted of good food, strong drinks, even better conversations and temporary goodbyes. the bus back to LA left at 11pm and i watched fireworks from the bay bridge. one stop in coalinga led to a hilarious invite to a motel 6 from an older, drunk gentleman. watched the sunrise over los angeles and was glad i survived the weekend's antics.

super beat,
t

im the hero of this story i don't need to be saved.

day 3:
woke up a resident of hangovertown,usa.
vietnamese sammy.
a shot of espresso (a crappy one at that).
a can of v8.
finally met up with the elusive yet eloquent joraynee!
2 rounds at lefty's in union square.
the best futon conversation of all time between me and the little one_.
a voyage to get even more cheap vodka and four loko.
a trip to the mission got hi-jacked to a closer voyage to polk street with sergio and ron.
frreeeee drinks at vertigo for days.
a surprising trek home to an awaiting bowl of spaghetti-os.

-t

Saturday, July 3, 2010

the architecture of happiness.

day 2:
financial district.
chipotle.
70 to golden gate bridge.
fort point.
such a beautiful day to be outside.
wind for days.
fillmore street.
thai food.
marc jacobs store.
shotwell.
my phone had a heartattack and i lost all of my emails.
medium latte.
another shower.
8 blocks down bush street to see my beloved jeff legend.
his friend luis is my kindred spirit.
uffie dance party.
headdresses, grey goose, abracadabra and excused beauty.
walking home at 4am talking to dr. clairflower on the phone.
not being able to figure out which apt these keys can open.
success and finally sleep.

day three lets go!
t

Friday, July 2, 2010

just make it right, make it perfect and real.


greetings from san francisco!

day 1:
after surviving the world's longest bus ride, all i wanted was a latte and a shower.
carne asade quesadilla.
bum raps in my face while spilling gin and juice on my shoe.
sf courthouse.
castro.
2 beers and dolores park for days.
dinner in chinatown.
cheap ass russian vodka.
a round at tunnel top.
a few more at new delhi.
drunk dials.
jack.
sleep aid.

on to the next day.
-t