it's the thrill of the fight.

los angeles darlings, local natives, have taken the idea of stalking to a whole new level - by not only giving it a face, but by also making it a particular type of underwater predator.

it's man vs. shark on land, pool and bedside (what a cockblocker!)

local natives - wide eyes

my money's on the animals,

t

the sauce makes the difference.

leave it to two djs named after a tasty chinese condiment to get me to actually enjoy a schnoz-heavy legend.

with a handful of blink-and-you'll-miss 'em cameos, the video for new single

"barbra streisand" by duck sauce (a-trak and arman van helden), makes you want to get sweaty in some vice-induced warehouse party @ 230am or learn how to dj. pick your poison.

-t

you can't carry it with you, if you wanna survive.

when it's ticking 112 degrees outside, all i really want to do is drown in a barrel of sangria or float in a pool of super cold watermelon chunks.

since neither of those are possible (yet!), i'm going to try to ride out the heat wave by cooling out to the sexy sounds of the hundred in the hands' latest takeaway show.

saturday comes, sunday comes, we go.

-t

me and shorty go together like chemicals.

considering the fact that lil wayne (aka weezy f baby) has got a flashmob of kids with different baby mommas, it's kinda a slick move for him to drop yet another love anthem.

is it for baby momma numero uno? for the lovely lauren london? for that one random asian girl? well i'm guessing it's probably for all ya'll!

celebrate the art of spreading the seed with weezy with a little help from wheelchair jimmy (aka drake).

lil wayne featuring drake - "with you"

moonlight, candles and shit.

-t

ps: happy birthday weezy!

let's don't wait till the water runs dry.

anytime after 2am, one of the only languages i speak is that of carbohydrates. whether it's fries, the tortilla that comprises my street taco or a grilled cheese, i can't seem to get enough.

the last time i was in san francisco, we stopped in a little cafe called tartine to pick up a snack on the way to dolores park. i watched them pile huge loafs of bread onto a cooling table and their entire back kitchen/storage area was covered in wall-to-wall carbs. it was a beautiful thing.

today i stumbled upon this video of chad robertson, owner of tartine talking about his craft. interesting and mouth watering, carbo load below.

-t

in the humble words of mister clifford harris (aka t.i.) - "it ain't trickin if you got it".

http://bit.ly/b1ysHH

-t

just say how to make it right, i swear i'll do my best to comply.

the fragile demeanor of both the vocals and instrumentation is what drew me to japanese dream-pop outfit, ice cream shout. but it's not what initially caught my eye. with an insatiable sweet tooth since youth, it was inevitable i'd stumble across their band and ultimately press play.

boasting a laundry list of saccharine characteristics, ice cream shout definitely hits the spot.

ice cream shout - "tattooed tears" MP3

when you shout something louder than bombs - it's just the chance you take,

-t

lately i've been drinking like there's a message in a bottle.

this video's for my friend across the pond. tear yourself away from the books and booze for five minutes and check this out doctor flowerpot. we miss ya!

-t

here, there and everywhere.

today officially marks the first day of fall.

it has been quite the summer. one of the most transitional and important summers ive had to deal with in my 26 years. summer for me officially began on june 18th. but it wasn't because of the change in weather. it all started 2 weeks before that, when i was having lunch in the middle of a forrest, getting bombarded by bad news.

suddenly there were too many emotions, questions and emptiness. as a result, for the first time in a long time i made a decision strictly for myself. i decided to leave my job. i didn't have a plan and i was tired of thinking. i really needed a break and i needed time.

in 3 years of working, i had only taken one real vacation. it was time to explore, heal and move on. this summer ive spent more money than i made, i experienced the unknown - for better or worse, i said goodbye, i drank too much, i lost 3 pounds, i opened my home to guests, i made gifts, ive been sicker than ive ever been, i made lots of ramen, i was an emotional wreck, i popped bottles of champagne, i climbed 2 stories apartment complexes and i began freelancing with one of my favorite people, for a company i believe in and love like it is my own.

and despite the side eye glances, depressing bank statements and the occasional unfriendly encounter along the way - this summer was about me. and i really needed it.

thank you to those who understood and for those that didn't, i forgive you.

fall im ready for you, let's go.

-t

come by and see me, i'm a love letter away.

there are a handful of people in my life that i can talk to for hours upon end and not get sick of. whether we're offering each other advice, shit talking, on our third bottle of wine sharing slooter bag stories or simply delirious with laughter for probably no good reason, there's nothing better (nor cheaper) in life than gut-busting, therapy sessions with someone you appreciate.

i wish i thought of this first. oh well! check out episode one of bestie x bestie, featuring gabe liedman and jenny slate.

-t

everything in between.

my brother is in advertising and would often talk to me about commercials and demographics. i myself think i am quite the easy target - as i laugh at really dumb things all the time, enjoy cute animals and/or babies and am a sucker for something well done, even if it's only a minute long.

with that said, im not in the market for a new ride, but i really enjoyed the hell out of this commerical. bravo nissan, bravo.

-t

put your hands to the constellations.

i know quite a few folks who would bump this track on the title alone, but luckily it's also quite the jam. nothing but good stuff coming from the brainfeeder camp.

pattern + grid world EP drops tomorrow.

flyLo - "kill your co-workers"

-t

put the key under the mat and you know that I'll be over there.

the fine art of the booty call. not everyone has mastered the technique. it takes specific amounts of charm and the perfect amount of push not pull.

stones throw crooner and mazda enthusiast, mayer hawthorne, is showcasing his approach in his latest single produced by local faves, classixx. download it below.

come on over,

-t

i turn to you when i can't face it.

the morning benders' first echomix has definitely been a highlight of this summer's freedom. and just in time for the fall, check out their equally ace second installment. freedom still sounds so (unbelievably) good.

the morning benders' - echomix2

ram on!

-t

let's have a toast for the douchebags.

the last two weeks have definitely been a blur. a mixture of the good and the bad, what remains unclear is which one actually trumps the other. but i must admit, ive been a tad out of sorts. an unfortunate amount of ignorance and not enough rest on my part has become the culprit.

today's moody rant brought to you by beach fossil's latest single, "face it".

-t

im sorry, the tiger got out of the cage.

i have particularly low expectations for my birthday. mainly because i tend to go cray cray somewhere around midnight and play sobriety catch up for the rest of the actual day.

this year was no different and as low key as my wishes usually are, there are always a select few who jump over my birthday barrier and offer me moments of pure happiness when i assume there shouldn't be any. so thank you to everyone who remembered or thought of me, but particular thanks and heartfelt love gushes to kab, the other inhabitants of the laFrance house, linafuckingchang_, my best friend, josiebear and to the biggest surprise duo - my summer buddy 2010 and csd.

the only gift i ever want, is to be in the company of those i adore and not just for the day i happen to be born, but on every single day and on any possible adventure.

rawrrr,

t

one day my dreams will match up with my pay.

philly lo-fi punks, reading rainbow, first circled my radar last year with their genius cover art for some random 7" vinyl single. a dream for folks that enjoy collage, the image became a staple in my life, as it lived as my work computers' background for almost 9 months.

their latest aural treat, "wasting time", is the lead single off their debut full length prism eyes. boasting the beauty of unspoken communication, the track is filled to the brim with harmonies that are impossible to escape post-play-press.

so go ahead and waste four of monday's minutes here.

-t

we can make war or make babies.

one of the last proposals i worked on while still working full time, was for tv on the radio's resident producer and guitarist, dave sitek and his new solo project: maximum balloon.

after already streaming a handful of singles (with theophilus london and little dragon), maximum balloon has unveiled their latest single featuring the perennially lovely vocals of miss karen o.

with lyrics that glorify the idea of community, "communion" stands as a nod to music's uncanny ability to unify people through mutual affections, as well as through beats and melodies.

definitely worth the listen, even if it's via the increasingly irrelevant myspace music player.

gimme the beat,

t

pieces of the people we love.

amidst the late nights and daily obligations, there remains the quiet times in between. where relaxation can find accomplishment, pages in books finally turn and when food is actually made, not just bought and transported. enjoyment in simplicity and beauty in the known.

that's the atmosphere chicago lo-fi boyfriend/girlfriend outfit, houses, have created with their new single, "soak it up".

quietly float above and between it all HERE.

like a sponge,

-t

put it in your fucking napkin and watch it dissolve.

whenever someone mentions the band surfer blood, i automatically think of two things.

thing 1) my first encounter with the baby-faced florida band was from a person i am not too fond of, so i easily dismissed the band without even hearing a single song. terrible i know, but if you too knew the person, you probably would've been on my team.

thing 2) when they played at the sxsw party i worked earlier this year, i was so amped to catch their set (by this time, i got wise and had become a fan). but i ended up missing the whole performance cause i was posted up at the bar bonding with coworkers, boss, fellow austinites and owner. an epic night of free drinking was had and remains one of my favorite memories of that weekend.

so the moral of the story, baby-faced kids should stick together and i still need to catch this band live. for now, enjoy their latest public access tv inspired video, for my favorite track, "floating vibes".

-t

i took some sense and made a nickel from it.

a weekend of festivals for labor day weekend. with little sunscreen and too much sauce, FYF fest 2010 was quite the success that included me not eating all day, getting over my fear of porto potties, making security guard friends and a rapture dance party that literally took my breath away - i had to sit down before i passed out. what wasn't much of a success? me acting the fool at the afterparty...(sorry everyone!) it all came to a close with learning how to climb into second story kitchen patios after busting my knee open.

sunday, boss and i partook in the la times food and wine festival starring she & him and a whole lot of drunk folks over the age of 45. watching potential grandmothers run into gates and poles is always interesting.

-t

yeah i know it gets tired, but it's better when we pretend.

not mine,

-t

make do and mend.

afternoon salutations and a happy 90210 folks!

-t

i guess the change in my pocket wasn't enough.

it took all of my might to not post the first video debuting cee-lo's new monster jam, "fuck you". despite being a huge fan of type (and the f-bomb), i figured he'd come out with an equally boss official video, so i figured to sideline cee-lo for the moment.

well step up to the plate mister green, as the highly anticipated second installment has hit the web. check out a young buck version of 'lo (the eyebrows kill me!) go through puberty with the golddiggin' chick of his dreams in a hyper-stylized 60s diner.

im more of an atari myself,
-t

sweet heart can bargain, half price mistakes.

i am a huge fan of the random friendship. someone you meet at a completely odd time that swoops in out of left field and ends up sticking around for a while. some of my best friends are the result of random encounters. making new friends is easy, but keeping them around is where the challenge lies.

check out the start of another unlikely (but adorable) pairing in the video for the raveonette's cover of the stone roses jam, "i wanna be adored".

he's already in me,

-t