Sunday, September 30, 2012

before you go away, can't you stay?


50 percent of all days have the ability to be affected by something emotionally terrible. sometimes it's self-inflicted punishment or haunting regret. other days, it has everything to do with someone else and their influence and meaning in your life, even if by recent definitions (or goodbyes) means that they're no longer supposed to hold such distinctions.

the two singles below by mysterious LA outfit, rhye, encapsulate the 50 percent of days ruined by an ex lover.




-t

here comes the rush before we touch.


what is most impressive about filipino beatsmith, blackbird blackbird, is that each release is so eclectic that it's often difficult to realize that you're listening to the same artist. i've covered him quite a bit (exhibit A, B, C, D) and every time i press play it's like stumbling upon a golden needle in a haystack.

his latest single, "all" continues the trend all the while providing a dark and hazy visual.


-t

reach out, i'm right here.




-t

slow days, fast company.


do not try this at home.


-t

spent the morning as a pretender, will this be the age of surrender?

if you've ever been to an outdoor music festival, you're bound to run into some gnarly characters making their festival debut. for the most part you steer clear of their odd behavior or get a few laughs in at their expense. the latest miike snow video explores that exact experience - because nothing beats the first time you're up all night with sand and dirt in every unwelcomed place. 


-t

Saturday, September 29, 2012

i've been treading water for your love.


there's always that scary moment of emotional purgatory when you can tell that your relationship is on the brink of demise. as you're desperately trying to figure out the next step, you do whatever it takes to make time stand still so you can silently and sadly go through a pro and con list in your heart. in order to stay together you're going to have to get over impossible hurdles, but to break up means letting go despite a deep and indescribable pull of love and familiarity.

sink, swim or float on together -  a decision has to be made for better or worse.


-t

good luck, bad luck. survival.


i've been super excited for looper to come out since sony started heavily promoting it a few months ago. as a huge fan of joseph gordon-levitt and writer/director rian johnson since their first collaboration in 2005 with the stylishly noir high-schooled offering brick, i knew looper would delivery on my heavy expectations. i am happy to confirm that it not only shattered my mind but boasted performances that continuously knocked it out of the park. 

after screening it on monday, i attended the press junket the next day at the four seasons in beverly hills. i got to ask JGL a question about the fantastic emily blunt and once we made eye contact i couldn't be broken of his charming spell. the photo above was taken by actor noah segan (he plays kid blue) and answers friend's questions of what a junket roundtable looks like. 

click here to read the spoiler-free article i wrote about the movie and yes, i used the answer JGL gave me. GO SEE IT. NOW.


your face looks backwards,

-t

we are amateurs living in the past or dreaming of the future, while failing utterly to do the work necessary to progress in the present.


always for the cool in you.


-t

at 5 in the morning, every breath is a story.



this week me and my favorite giraffe (aka lina fucking chang_) went to see kisses. the duo are my favorite local band and per usual, they put on a hell of a show. against a waving backdrop of palm trees, jesse and zinzi also announced their impending marriage! YAY for wedding bells and good tunes. can't wait to hear the new record.

also present that night was a man named jack daniels and a slew of photobooth pictures. to celebrate the show, the band offered this funky poindexter remix of their latest single. download it below.


photos ripped from LFC's pimpstagram.

-t

Friday, September 28, 2012

how did you choose? was it me or your mood?


my favorite mayer hawthorne jam about non committal sexual fluidity gets the RAC remix treatment. still a banger (no pun intended). grab it for free99.


-t

in matters of style, swim with the current; in matters of principle, stand like a rock.

anna kendrick is pretty much one of my favorite young actresses for a variety of reasons. she's got this winning combination of wit, brains, sweetness and geekiness that comes off very genuine and grounded. at this point i'll pretty much check out any of her movies blindly and trust that her performance alone will be worth any price of admission. on wednesday i took the bester to see pitch perfect at the grove courtesy of ben lyons and hellogiggles. while it was kind of hard for me to believe kendrick as a budding dj (no offense to her, i'm just sick of everyone and their mother's eyebrows claiming such a title), i absolutely fell for the spirit of the film and it's unapologetic sense of fun.

kendrick can really sing and rebel wilson nearly steals the picture as fat amy.


pitch perfect is out now. 

-t

Thursday, September 27, 2012

try so hard to disregard.


the latest video for cutesy-underscored track, "true romance" by london five-piece citizens! is sure to satisfy your peeping tom tendencies and tounge quota for the quickly evaporating month.


-t

Friday, September 21, 2012

quit your job. buy a ticket. get a tan. fall in love. never return.

to know me is to understand that i am not a birthday person. i go through great lengths to not have that centralized attention for 24 hours. this year i ran away to palm springs with 2 cousins in tow and created a new cousins themed holiday instead of telling everyone the real occasion. our 24 hour palm springs adventure was exactly the mini escape i needed from the increasingly stressful world i've created in my head. we spent the day eating and drinking lavishly with 4 hours dedicated at a day spa. because of its success, we've decided to celebrate women's cousins day every year, alternating between our days of birth.

when i returned, i continued the tradition of having a few drinks with my former bosser and full time friend. 28 feels good so far. thank you if you greeted me or remembered and if you didn't know, then trust me when i say it's all good. 






-t

Thursday, September 20, 2012

true blue, silent cries.

there's a melancholic aftertaste to the new nosaj thing and kazu makino (of blonde redhead) collab. it starts off a bit dark and deary until about two minutes in, when there's a temporary but stunning light in the darkness. unveiling a lyrical atmosphere of hurt and an inability to fully recall, it finds a counterpart in haunting synths that seem to cut just a bit deeper than usual.

nosaj thing - "eclipse/blue"


 -t

you go ahead, i’m gonna meet you there.

i personally am not a big fan of cop movies, but after hearing such awesome things about the new jake gyllenhaal, michael pena and anna kendrick flick, end of watch, my curiosity was in overdrive.

after a free ben lyons' screening on wednesday, i am a full believer of the hype. end of watch was heartwarming, honest, hilarious and left me emotionally connected and concerned. despite bawling my eyes out by the closing credits, i walked out satisfied for the intense journey the film provided. it's got some found footage/hand held action, but don't be discourage as it's minimal. gyllenaal turns in a golden performance, while his chemistry with both pena and kendrick really giving the film it's heart and soul. i can't recommend this movie enough.

watch your six.


-t

now that we’re deep inside, there’s no place to hide.

it's too bad jennifer lawrence was on location shooting the hunger games' sequel, as i would have loved to see her in person. anyhow, house at the end of the street wasn't good nor bad. it was adequate and silly at times but max thieriot is ridiculously cute in person so it's a-okay.

here's my piece from the #HATES junket earlier this week.


-t

Friday, September 14, 2012

point your pistols to the sigh.

everybody always tells me that i look familiar or that i look like someone they know. after all these years i've come to the conclusion that my baby face is a big factor. i think it makes people feel at ease or somewhat comfortable because they probably assume i'm harmless underneath these chubby ass cheeks and owl eyes. i also think that such familiarity allows people to share with me a lot of personal anecdotes or things usually reserved for the best of friends or within the confines of a relationship.

at any rate. a friend of a friend introduced himself to me today and immediately disclosed feeling something familiar in our conversation. he then proceeded to tell me one of the craziest stories i have ever heard and admitted that most of what he shared was in confidence. an hour later i'm still obsessing about what he told me and once again, im chalking it all up to the cheeks.

this new poolside track feels like all of the things that come up in conversations with strangers and the limits that seem to disappear once we begin.


-t

Monday, September 3, 2012

just cause you're crazy doesn't mean that you're free.


FYFFEST 2012 was an ode to...

old friends, new friends, celebrations, trying to put out fires, whiskey, the metro, once again avoiding the porto potty situation, 2 bottles of hand sanitizer, too many tissues, not eating, not sleeping, dust/dirt, lots of water, hurt feet, sebastian stan sighting, singing happy birthday on the streets of downtown LA, going hard/ham/buck/insert adjective here, chairlift, nite jewel, chromatics, one future island song, tanlines, james blake's 'a case of you', tycho, simian mobile disco, the field, glass candy, yeasayer, gold panda and two of the world's worse-posed pictures ever (gonna post when i find them online). 

to those along for the ride, it was a pleasure and to FYF i salute you and will see you again next year!

-t

some people care too much. i think it's called love.


my brother pointed out to me a few weeks ago that this jessie ware jam is actually about the tumultuous relationship between her and her long term best friend. that little tidbit made the song resonate even more for me - because who hasn't had someone in their life who means the world to them, but also causes that same world to shift, turn upside down and occasionally stop in it's tracks.



my wrecking ball, 

-t

everything and nothing always haunts me.

recently i ran into an old friend talking to an acquaintance. the friend then proceeding in recalling the last time we all hung out and how i was such a party foul. not only was it pretty embarrassing for me, but it kinda stalled the dynamic of any potential normal conversations and left the three of us awkwardly standing there until i mumbled, "ok cool nice seeing everyone" and headed in the opposing direction.

while this song isn't about a situation even remotely similar, it goes to show that what one person finds horrifying may be another person's go-to conversation starter.


-t

who you are by the day isn't the same in the night.

have you ever met someone whose mere presence instantly changed your life? it's challenging to describe their importance to others because it's often something so deep and sacred that words seem too limiting. canadian duo (& real life couple), electric youth, did their damnedest to encapsulate that relationship (perhaps with each other) and it sounds just as sweet as you'd hope it would be.


-t

never be just what they want you to be.


admittedly their set at FYFFEST over the weekend was a little low energy. but as with most music festivals, i think chairlift were the unfortunate victims to an early time slot that had them battling the relentless sun and crowd restlessness. nevertheless i loved how they closed out their set with the japanese version of my favorite song off their stunning latest release.

kinda digging the bootleg karaoke looking video too.


-t

Sunday, September 2, 2012

rustle up some dysentery, it’s worth it for the fever dreams alone.


i'm a total scaredy cat when it comes to horror movies. i also live alone so that doesn't really make me want to invite something into my subconcious that might make sleeping solo a difficult experience. but i was sent to cover two scary movies this month. one was pretty terrible and deserves its 4% rating on rotten tomatoes. the other earned its entertainment value thanks to solid performances from its leads and placed at the top of this holiday weekend's box office. 



-t