i chose the love of strangers, i chose the fickle crowd.

they had me at tender opposites.

stream the magnificent new EP from montreal collective TOPS below.

-t

work like a captain, play like a pirate.

two years ago i received a christmas present that has become a part of my daily routine. having an espresso machine definitely keeps your caffeine game on point. while mine is very basic (see above) and space in my tiny studio is always limited, i know that when my finances skyrocket and i'm living the mini mansion life, the set up in the video below is exactly what you'll see in my kitchen.

hybrid media company presents: brewing espresso

-t

one of the keys to happiness is a bad memory.

the act of reassuring someone is an underrated talent. it takes the right amount of unconditional support and sweet honesty to not only get through to someone, but to hush their insecurities and make their world feel just a little bit safer. it's certainly not as easy as it looks but once perfected, can keep any of your relationships symmetric and reciprocated (when it's your turn to freak the fuck out.)

memoryhouse - "the kids were wrong"

-t

little whispers circle around your head, why don't you worry about yourself instead?

with hints of 60s doo wop and 70s funk, the new estelle and janelle monae jam is a declaration of confidence, steeze, strength and intelligence. haters to the left.

estelle x janelle monae - "do my thing"

-t

today has been cancelled. go back to bed.

great. i just went from hungry to starving!

a taste of vietnam from daniel klein.

-t

the science of imaginary solutions.

oh land's signature whimsey has followed her into the woods and water in her latest clip for "speak out now".

be my sins, i'm your sorrow.

-t

when i say your name, i root for a change.

they say that familiarity can breed contempt. the deeper you delve into another, the less freedom your imagination has to fully absorb their habits or expressions. in love or with friendship, it's easy to use such knowledge as an excuse against someone. whether it's in defense or disappointment, the new single from tennis is the musical explanation of that rationale.

tennis - "it all feels the same"

-t

this house isn't big enough for the both of us.

i caught uk lovers, summer camp, at the echo last week and despite a few sound difficulties and vocal hitches, i enjoyed their energy and obvious chemistry very much. their latest single, "losing my mind" drops next month with this remix attached.

summer camp - "losing my mind (saint etienne remix)"

for something a little more endearing, check out their fleetwood mac cover at the mulberry blog.

-t

if we only walk on sunny days, we’ll never reach our destination.

does you inspire you?

to do list: by yaniv fridman.

-t

when you're lost you have a super power called empathy - that you lose when your life improves.

please watch till the end.

Q: "yeah but can you read it?"

A: "no...but i think you know what time it is."

yes cee-lo, we sure do.

"fuck you/wild flower (take away show)"

cee-lo got some chiclet teeth.

-t

go to sleep, nothing's changing.

there's a certain amount of co-dependency when you're in a loving and functional relationship. whether it's emotional, sexual or the sad alternative - economical, the spaces between can get smaller the longer you give half of yourself to another. but when a concrete connection begins to falter, the dependency can quickly turn into an addiction, an insatiable yearning. 

in the case of london's latest chanteuse jessie ware, it's an enormous struggle to re-define the reciprocity within her seemingly evolving relationship.

jessie ware - "running"

-t

my puzzle pieces fooling heaven bit by bit.

there's no place like heaven, there's no place like home. 

yacht - "shangri la"

-t

it's better to burn out than to fade away.

the new single from chromatics sounds like it was born somewhere after 2am. a delicate balance of dark sensuality and loneliness, it begs and pleads from a gritty vulnerability that can only be fully realized and unleashed long after last call.

chromatics - "lady"

-t

deeper than syllables, it's in the details.

my favorite local coffee roasting operation is thissss close to it's grand opening. trust me when i say, it was worth the wait. i was lucky enough to check out the storefront a few times during it's construction and what i adore about the space is their impeccable attention to all sorts of details. 

handsome coffee x woodsmithe collab.

handsome coffee roasters is located in the arts district of downtown los angeles.

-t

never trust a happy song.

on the eve of valentine's day, it's easy to reminisce about old beaus and forgotten affairs. whether you're missing someone or honestly glad to be relieved of their influence, there was probably a time when you thought that your affections towards (insert name here) would last a lifetime.

the new collaboration between pelifics and electric youth is a throwback to those memories. 

-t

you can make exceptions but i'd still be involved.

some days are ace from the minute you build enough momentum to get out of bed. while nothing's perfect, some days flow with a greater feeling of promise and excitement. full of movement and rays of brightness, the new video from british producer, enjoyed, is the ideal 24 hour experience condensed into less than four minutes of frames.

enjoyed - "paws"

-t

can you feel the truth and is it real?

i've always learned the hard way. mistakes and consequences were all plot lines, but never part of the actual plan. as i've gotten older, i've tried to base my decisions on experience, guts and if necessary, a tender sense of compromise. but it's certainly not foolproof and sometimes i remain stuck trying to dig out of the holes that i've inadvertently surrounded myself with.

it's a similar story in the new b-side from beach fossils, except this anecdote is only two minutes and thirty one seconds.

beach fossils - "lessons"

-t

and you broke my bones and i sold my soul.

clarity isn't always achieved just because your eyes happen to be open. sometimes it takes some trial and error in the darkness to finally see the legibility of your situation.

nite jewel (aka ramona gonzalez) seductively leads you in the right direction but ultimately leaves the decision making to the heart of the listener. 

nite jewel - "in the dark"

-t

everything for the sake of everything.

i wish my dreams were compiled of the same textures.

"YA-NE-SEN a go go" - by shishi yamazaki.

-t

it's never too late for now.

aww. michael scott's all grown up.

seeking a friend for the end of the world crashes into cinemas this summer.

-t

you know it's right when all of your latest nights were your greatest nights.

don't sweat the technique.

faceture vases: by phil cuttance

-t

happiness takes a little magic.

for the past few months i've woken up to the same routine - a hike in griffith park. trek up the side of a stunning mountain, leave your fears and stresses amongst the morning sunlight and return sweaty but inexplicably refreshed. while that feeling of calmness may not last till the end of the day, it's something i've learned to not take for granted in this beautiful city.

the new single from local producer goldroom embodies a certain tranquility that (for me) being atop griffith park seems to accomplish.

goldroom - "angeles"

-t

you're hiding in daydreams, can't find our way to the light.

the act of being a tourist automatically elicits an association with exploration and chance. while away, one's movements become a collection of personal investigations as they answer the call of their foreign surroundings. until it's time to make their way back home, it's a continuous cycle of endless intrigue.

under the moniker tourist, take a trip with will phillips' exciting debut single, "placid acid".

-t

you've hurt my feelings for the last time.

while my procrastination techniques aren't as ace as they once were in my school days, it still manages to seep into my daily life despite my best efforts.

procrastination by ryan perera.

-t

people project what they love.

even without sound, this clip speaks volumes.

how geoff mcfetridge assembles a show!

-t