xandersnaz

The Shins - Simple Song

2012-01-10T23:27:00.001-08:00

Favorite Albums of 2011: 1 - 10

2011-12-18T14:33:00.000-08:00

1. JAMES BLAKE - JAMES BLAKE

2. FLEET FOXES - HELPLESSNESS BLUES

3. BON IVER - BON IVER

4. M83 - HURRY UP, WE'RE DREAMING

5. JAY Z / KANYE WEST - WATCH THE THRONE

6. THE DRUMS - PORTAMENTO

7. THE KILLS - BLOOD PRESSURES

8. GIRLS - FATHER, SON, HOLY GHOST

9. FRANK OCEAN - NOSTALGIA, ULTRA.

10. MY MORNING JACKET - CIRCUITAL

Favorite Albums of 2011: 11 - 20

2011-12-18T14:04:00.000-08:00

11. BEYONCE - 4

12. TV ON THE RADIO - NINE TYPES OF LIGHT

13. LYKKE LI - WOUNDED RHYMES

14. DRIVE - SOUNDTRACK

15. KURT VILE - SMOKE RING FOR MY HALO

16. JOSH T. PEARSON - LAST OF THE COUNTRY GENTLEMEN

17. ALEXANDER - ALEXANDER

18. THE WEEKND - HOUSE OF BALLOONS

19. COMMON - THE DREAMER / THE BELIEVER

20. THE CIVIL WARS - BARTON HOLLOW

Allen Stone

2011-12-06T21:22:00.001-08:00

T O N I G H T

2011-11-26T11:20:00.001-08:00

Segerstrom Center for the Arts - Off Center Festival

2011-11-18T20:17:00.001-08:00

4 Reasons to check out the Off Center Festival at Segerstrom Center for the Arts
More information here from the LA Times.

Lord Huron

Reggie Watts

Ten Tiny Dances

The Car Plays

Tickets are available here. Most are only $20 and if you get tix for 4 or more they are only $10!

Pop Up Video

2011-11-16T16:21:00.001-08:00

Holiday (Pop Up Video) - Free Music Videos

Lana Del Rey - Video Games

2011-11-05T17:50:00.000-07:00

George Harrison - Run of the Mill

2011-10-23T11:22:00.001-07:00

M83 - Midnight City

2011-10-18T22:10:00.001-07:00

Education First - Live The Language campaign

2011-09-12T19:37:00.000-07:00

EF - Live The Language - LA from Gustav Johansson on Vimeo.

EF - Live The Language - Vancouver from Gustav Johansson on Vimeo.

EF - Live The Language - Sydney from Gustav Johansson on Vimeo.

Bon Iver X James Blake

2011-08-25T18:37:00.000-07:00

This sounds pretty much exactly how I imagined a Bon Iver James Blake collaboration would sound......... and it's awesome.

St. Vincent - "Cruel" Video

2011-08-25T18:24:00.000-07:00

St. Vincent - "Cruel"

The Kills X Fallon

2011-08-10T19:04:00.000-07:00

What I've Been Listening To - July

2011-08-01T21:02:00.000-07:00

The Drums - Money

2011-07-28T20:55:00.001-07:00

Colbert X Jack White

2011-06-24T18:04:00.001-07:00

New Radiohead: Staircase

2011-06-21T19:07:00.000-07:00

Band of Outsiders x West Side Story = Yes

2011-06-20T19:25:00.000-07:00

What I've Been Listening To - May

2011-05-31T18:04:00.000-07:00

James Blake = Yes

2011-05-09T19:21:00.000-07:00

Best of Coachella

2011-04-18T19:39:00.001-07:00

No I was not there... but I did spend an absurd amount of my weekend watching the live stream. Here is what I liked:

Billy Reid = Yes

2011-04-13T22:06:00.000-07:00

SoLost: Billy Reid at Home in Alabama from Dave Anderson on Vimeo.

Adidas X Justice

2011-03-28T19:27:00.001-07:00

What I've Been Listening To - March

2011-03-25T19:44:00.001-07:00

TV on the Radio - Will Do Video

2011-03-22T19:45:00.001-07:00

Conan Typography

2011-03-10T18:26:00.000-08:00

Conan O'Brien Kinetic Typography from Jacob Gilbreath on Vimeo.

Band of Outsiders Fall/Winter 11

2011-03-04T20:12:00.000-08:00

THIS IS BAND OF OUTSIDERS FW2011 SHOW from Band of Outsiders on Vimeo.

T H E S T R O K E S A R E B A C K

2011-03-02T16:28:00.000-08:00

I could cry I'm so pumped.

The Civil Wars "Barton Hollow"

2011-02-27T14:14:00.000-08:00

What I've Been Listening To: February

2011-02-24T22:06:00.000-08:00

Delta Spirit - Bushwick Blues

2011-02-21T20:19:00.000-08:00

Man About Town is amazing.

2011-01-06T20:30:00.001-08:00

Brandon Flowers: Crossfire Video

2010-07-08T23:25:00.001-07:00

Come on... you can't beat this!

What I've Been Listening To, June

2010-07-01T23:57:00.000-07:00

What I've Been Listening To, May

2010-05-22T10:55:00.000-07:00

This has been an EXCELLENT month of new music. These albums are all super good.

Oh Wowzie Wowzers!

2010-04-18T22:34:00.001-07:00

New Dead Weather song. Man, maybe I should have gone to Coachella.

What I've Been Listening To, April

2010-04-07T22:59:00.001-07:00

Local Natives
Jonsi
Jakob Dylan
The Morning Benders
Bonnie 'Prince' Billy

New Videos Galore!

2010-03-31T14:25:00.000-07:00

Starting with... Monsters of Folk

Next up is MGMT's new one for Flash Delirium. But you have to go HERE to watch it.

I love this Jonelle Monae track and the video is sure to start a new dance craze.

Last up is the slightly horrifying new Dead Weather video for "Die by the Drop." Sadly, it's just a teaser for the video that will apparently come out next week... but it's Jack White news so I have to post it no matter how small it is... watch it here.

Record Store Finds!

2010-03-06T21:38:00.000-08:00

I found some great vinyl at fingerprints in Long Beach today. In addition to these three for myself, I also picked up Purple Rain, Talking Book by Stevie Wonder, and a Simon & Garfunkel album for Mr. Eames as a part of a thank you for doing such an amazing job on our wedding invites and programs.

What I've Been Listening To, February

2010-02-23T00:21:00.000-08:00

Miike Snow
Vampire Weekend
The Soft Pack
Cash
Daniel Merriweather

Broken Bells, The High Road

2010-02-13T15:38:00.000-08:00

I am so pumped for this album. James Mercer of The Shins and Danger Mouse team up to make what will no doubt be awesome. There are 2 tracks out already, this is one of them:

Vampire Weekend on La Blogotheque

2010-02-05T13:45:00.001-08:00

Native Son

2010-02-05T13:40:00.000-08:00

If I had a boatload of bread, my wardrobe would be full of pieces from Native Son. AMAZING!

Beck's Record Club

2010-02-01T14:55:00.000-08:00

Is awesome. This is one of the latest entries.

Record Club: Skip Spence "Books Of Moses" from Beck Hansen on Vimeo.

The Soft Pack

2010-01-27T13:43:00.001-08:00

Look out for these guys in 2010. They have one fantastic album out already called "The Muslims" (which was their former name) and a new full-length comes out in February. Here is a track from the new one.

RIP Jay Reatard

2010-01-13T18:20:00.000-08:00

Team Conan

2010-01-13T14:16:00.001-08:00

Julian Casablancas

2010-01-07T12:41:00.000-08:00

I am beyond ready for the Strokes to put out a new record. I have enjoyed the solo and side projects but nothing can compare to the combination of Casablancas, Hammond Jr., Valensi, Fraiture, and Moretti (great names p.s.). That being said, I LOVE this song by Julian Casablancas and you can see some sweet microphone twirling skills in the video, and there is also a keytar sighting... well done.

Christmas

2009-12-28T21:46:00.000-08:00

Christmas was a little different for us this year... but it was great!

Christmas List

2009-12-16T16:32:00.000-08:00

Seriously, all I want this year is to be able to pay for this wedding that we are having. But if I did have a real list this year, it would include these items :)

The Road

2009-12-05T16:04:00.000-08:00

This is a fantastic interview with Viggo Mortensen about the movie The Road. I HIGHLY recommend this film (and the book). Viggo is so insightful it is ridiculous. The interview gives a great look into what the movie is all about.

What I've Been Listening To, November

2009-11-28T20:20:00.001-08:00

Julian Casablancas
Phil Wickham
Them Crooked Vultures
Sufjan Stevens
Morrissey

My Favorite Music of the 2000's

2009-11-24T20:55:00.000-08:00

Well, it’s that time again when everyone is putting out their “best of” music lists for the year. I love going through all of the mags/blogs to see what music the people have been enjoying throughout the year… and I of course have to make my own list :) This year calls for extra “best of” lists because it is the end of the 2000’s. There are still a couple of albums that I am waiting for this year so I can’t finish my favorites of the year yet, but I can say what my favorites have been over the past 10 years. There are obviously a ton of albums to choose from but I think I narrowed it down to a solid group. I’m not going to say that these are the absolute “best” albums released; I’m just saying that these are my favorites. “Best of” lists are completely subjective but these are the albums that I listened to A LOT, really really enjoyed, and these are the ones that I always come back to. I tried to narrow it down to 10 but I failed and I had to make it 11 (technically 12 because of the two Arcade Fire albums) to feel really good about it. What about you guys? What are your favorite albums of the 00’s?

11. Beck Guero

10. Spoon Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga

9. Sufjan Stevens Illinois

8. The Killers Hot Fuss

7. The Strokes Is This It

6. Bright Eyes I'm Wide Awake It's Morning

5. Kings of Leon Aha Shake Heartbreak

4. Radiohead In Rainbows

3. Rufus Wainwright Poses

2. The White Stripes Elephant

1. Arcade Fire Funeral / Neon Bible

Love This Band!

2009-11-12T23:18:00.000-08:00

Cold War Kids have a new ep coming out in January. I can never have enough of these guys... sneak peek here:

Read this please.

2009-11-07T15:21:00.000-08:00

Being finished with school has been pretty great. Although I still don’t have a ton of free time, the time I do have can be spent addressing the things that I have put on the back burner. One of those things is reading… and by reading I mean reading the things that I actually want to read (this has included a mass consumption of Cormac McCarthy, C.S. Lewis along with a few other favorites). A book that I just finished is Cornflakes with John Lennon. It is written by Robert Hilburn, who was a music critic for the L.A. Times for 35 years and it is a fantastic read for any fan of rock and roll. Hilburn recalls revealing conversations and memories of his time spent with Lennon, Dylan, Elvis, Elton John, Springsteen, U2, Johnny Cash, Stevie Wonder, Kurt Cobain, Janis Joplin, Jack White and others. I really enjoyed this book because it points out why these artists are so great and it shows what separates them from the rest of the music world. At one point in the book, Hilburn explains a revelation he had concerning both the connection and individuality of artists through the ages. He had thought for a long time that every artist in the timeline of rock and roll was just one of thousands of dominos that all inevitably lead back to the same place. What he later realized that if you were to take out certain dominos, it would change everything. He asks, “after all, could you imagine your record collection without Dylan, U2, or the Beatles?” No… no I couldn’t.

What I've Been Listening To: October

2009-10-22T13:28:00.000-07:00

Mayer Hawthorne
AM
Atlas Sound
The Beatles
Edward Sharpe & THe Magnetic Zeros

U2 on Youtube

2009-10-20T17:00:00.000-07:00

I have been wanting to see U2 live for a very long time. They are the biggest band in the world right now and I have never heard anything but amazing things about their live show. This weekend I will get the opportunity to see them at the Rose Bowl and I am so pumped for it. Youtube will also be streaming this show live (first live concert stream ever on Youtube), so if you would like to see what all the hoopla is about you should hit it up around 7:30pm on Sunday.

So...

2009-10-19T16:51:00.000-07:00

Glee = Lame

I am obsessed with this song!

2009-10-08T12:30:00.001-07:00

Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, Home

Stuff White People Like, #127

2009-10-08T11:14:00.000-07:00

Stuff White People Like is one of my favorite places to visit online. If you haven't had the pleasure to check it out, go here. This is just a taste of the great stuff you can find there.

#127: Where The Wild Things Are

It is a guarantee that whenever it is announced that a popular book is being turned into a movie, white people will get upset. This is partly due to their fear that something they love will be made accessible to more people and thus enjoyed by more people which immediately decreases the amount of joy a white person can feel towards the original property. Yes, it’s complicated.

The other problem is that these announcements create a ticking time bomb where by a white person must read the book in ADVANCE of the release of the movie. This is done partly so that they can engage in the popular activity of complaining about how the movie failed to capture the essence of the book. But more importantly, once a book has been made into a movie, a white person can no longer read that book. To have read the book after the movie is one of the great crimes in white culture, and under no circumstances should you ever admit to doing this. Literally dozens of white friendships have imploded when it was revealed that someone read Fight Club after 1999.

So when it was announced that Where the Wild Things Are was being turned into a feature film, white people didn’t immediately get excited at the prospect of this film, in fact a great number of white people cringed when they first heard it was being turned into a movie. This was merely instinct. Immediately, those concerns quickly turned into an opiate-like peace when they found out that the film is being directed by white person favorite Spike Jonze and adapted for the screen by legendary white writer Dave Eggers.

Though the talent and the material has white people in a tizzy, the real excitement comes from the fact that this film is based off a book that is 48 pages long and made up mostly of illustrations. This means that white people do not have to re-read the book until the day they head to the movie theater. Thus freeing them up to watch The Director’s Series: The Work of Spike Jonze DVD which they bought years ago but only watched once.

Finally, and perhaps of most value to you is that the film has generously provided you with an excellent way to test out how many white friends you have. When the trailer was released a few months ago, you should have been inundated with emails, instant messages, and Facebook wall posts about how you need to see the trailer immediately. If you received no word that the trailer was available, then you currently are in possession of no white friends. If you received multiple notices, you should take note about who sent it to you first.

Playoffs

2009-10-07T16:52:00.001-07:00

GO ANGELS!

GAGA

2009-10-06T15:12:00.001-07:00

Lady Gaga = Lame

Cut Like A Buffalo Video

2009-10-04T18:03:00.001-07:00

Rad.

Sufjan Stevens is the man!

2009-09-25T14:48:00.000-07:00

Love this new song.

MSTRKRFT Ft. John Legend... Sweet!

2009-09-23T12:17:00.000-07:00

MSTRKRFT – Featuring John Legend from vincent haycock on Vimeo.

Killers at the Bowl

2009-09-23T00:18:00.000-07:00

Seeing these guys at the Hollywood Bowl was amazing. I was thoroughly impressed and we had a blast at the show. If you ever get the chance... take it. Here is a vid from the show.

What I've Been Listening To, September

2009-09-22T16:15:00.000-07:00

Monsters of Folk
Arctic Monkeys
Sea Wolf
Kid Cudi
Fanfarlo

Beatles Stereo Remastered Box Set

2009-09-15T23:36:00.000-07:00

Just got it today... everything I hoped it would be.

New Vampire Weekend

2009-09-15T16:26:00.001-07:00

Can't Wait.

There Are Few Places Better Than This

2009-09-15T16:23:00.001-07:00

I had an absolute blast going to the game this weekend, us Husker fans should get an idea of how good we are after this weekend when we play Virginia Tech. GO BIG RED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Pitchfork's Top 500 Songs of the 00's

2009-08-19T00:55:00.000-07:00

I was thinking about doing this but on a much, much, much smaller scale. Way to go Pitchfork, but so far there are WAY too many mediocre hip-hop songs on this thing. Highlights so far include: Time to Pretend at 99, Wolf Like Me at 57, First of the Gang to Die at 181, and ahem... Cry Me A River at 65! Yeah JT.

The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus Trailer

2009-08-11T16:58:00.000-07:00

This looks incredible! And Tom Waits looks super creepy and cool, i guess he is playing himself in this one.

I want These!!!

2009-08-11T16:43:00.000-07:00

You Can get them here.

Proof that it only takes one....

2009-08-09T21:35:00.000-07:00

Person at a music festival to start a massive dance party!

Wes Anderson is the Man!!!!!

2009-08-02T10:54:00.001-07:00

Season 2

2009-07-16T20:06:00.001-07:00

Just came out on DVD. Get yourself caught up before season 3 starts mid. August.

Treat Me Like Your Mother

2009-07-16T14:58:00.000-07:00

Dead Weather's new video.

Genius Commercial

2009-07-12T23:54:00.000-07:00

Killers, Hollywood Bowl

2009-07-12T14:12:00.000-07:00

Just got a box to see these guys at the bowl and I am so pumped. I wanted to see two bands this year: U2 and the Killers... luckily I get to. Here is their show from a couple weeks ago.

John Varvatos

2009-07-10T14:49:00.000-07:00

I was in vegas earlier this week and I made sure to stop in the John Varvatos shop in the Caesars shopping complex. Every time I go into one of his stores I want to walk out with like 30 things. Sadly a tie costs like 175 dollars, so I don't walk out with much. But if I had loads of money I would think about shopping there exclusively. Anyway, here is a vid of the spring 2010 collection for your viewing pleasure.

Discovery: LP

2009-07-10T14:14:00.000-07:00

What happens when a couple members of Ra Ra Riot and Vampire Weekend get together and make a modern R & B album?..... You get Discovery! The album has a few songs that are passible, but the rest is rad. T-Pain's got nothing on these dudes.

Phoenix on Interface

2009-07-10T14:07:00.000-07:00

Jenny Lewis See Fernando Video

2009-07-10T14:05:00.000-07:00

Jenny Lewis "See Fernando" from Team G on Vimeo.

Dead Weather on Conan

2009-06-20T11:59:00.001-07:00

Ok... I'm hooked.

Shutter Island Trailer

2009-06-16T22:06:00.000-07:00

Scorsese / Dicaprio... Need I say more?

Speaking of Jack White...

2009-06-11T14:23:00.000-07:00

David Marchese of Spin recently wrote a great article titled "Jack White: Not Your Dad's Rock Star" that gives five reasons Mr. White is unique and important as a modern rock and roll presence.

Always unpredictable and never less than interesting, Jack White has cut a unique swath through modern rock. Here’s how:

1. He’s Willing to Take a Back Seat, Literally
In his new band Dead Weather, Jack White is the drummer. He's leaving the spotlight to singer Alison Mosshart (of the Kills). Rock history is full of famous frontmen who temporarily left their regular gigs to do solo work -- e.g., Mick Jagger, Thom Yorke -- but that move is almost always about setting oneself apart from the band, a way of saying this is my thing, here’s what I can do. But by installing himself behind the drums and teaming up with a spitfire lead singer, White is making it clear that his time away from the White Stripes is no ego trip. (White’s other other band, the Raconteurs, is similarly democratic.) I’m sure White has a healthy self-regard, but his willingness to take his name off the marquee and subsume his identity and talent within a group is a refreshing reversal of what we expect from folks of his stature.

MORE FROM DAVID MARCHESE:
>> Green Day -- Live from NYC!
>> The 9 Best Musical 'Star Trek' Moments
>> Grizzly Bear: Soap Opera

2. He Sweats the Small Stuff
When we think of rock star activism, what comes to mind? Sting entreating us to save the rain forest? Bono campaigning against Third World debt? Unlike those lofty thinkers, Jack White opts for the local. He has joined Nashville’s "Music Business Council,"a panel expected to advise the city’s Mayor on music-related projects in White's adopted hometown. This isn’t pie in the sky stuff either. The council will tackle grassroots issues like music education and advise on the construction of an amphitheatre in downtown Music City. Bono talks with Popes and Presidents. White deals with the Mayor.

3. He’s a Mythmaker
Jack White’s real name is John Gillis. For years, he pretended that his ex-wife was his sister. He claims he was married by a shaman on a canoe in the Amazon River. His bands are as much conceptual art projects as they are musical entities. The dude has no shortage of imagination. Compared to his thirtysomething contemporaries like Chris Martin or Billie Joe Armstrong -- all of whom cultivate the notion that they either speak for, or to, us, mere mortal fans -- White appears otherworldly and mysterious. He doesn’t care about coming across as “regular.”

4. He’s Become a Modern Rock Star While Pretending the Modern World Doesn’t Exist
White’s music is rooted in styles -- rockabilly, blues, garage rock -- that were already looking dusty when he was born in 1975. Of course, there are precedents for young musicians reworking older styles. Beck, for one, relied heavily on folk and blues before stepping into the future with Odelay. By contrast, the closest White has come to 'updating' his sound was with the hard rock riffola of the Raconteurs -- which basically sounds like Nazareth. Early Nazareth. What's more, he's fond of old equipment. He uses analog recording; the White Stripes' breakthrough album, Elephant, was laid down at London's Toe Rag studio, which is outfitted with pre-1960s gear. White's not exactly an Auto-Tune kinda guy.

5. He married a model
Actually, that's pretty much rock star status quo, isn’t it? Ah, well. Give him a break. He’s earned it.

It Might Get Loud Trailer

2009-06-11T13:40:00.000-07:00

Oh heck yes! Page / Edge / White... the best.

3 fantastic new albums

2009-05-27T19:22:00.000-07:00

Grizzly Bear: Two Weeks (Live)

2009-05-25T01:26:00.000-07:00

Great song, the rest of the new album sounds just as good.

Ed Harcourt

2009-05-15T16:48:00.000-07:00

I seem to remember a time not so long ago when I used to enjoy many of the singer-songwriter types. Somewhere along the way I stopped paying attention to most of these folks because of how similar they sounded to each other. One gentleman that always rises above the rest of these dudes is Ed Harcourt. He is a pop-genius and his songs are always amazing. I loved his latest album "The Beautiful Lie" and he recently put out an EP called "Russian Roulette." It is incredible and I can not wait for the full version.

Elbow, they rule!

2009-05-15T16:34:00.001-07:00

Just got tix to see these dudes in July at the Wiltern. Can not wait... however, i don't think the orchestra will fit on stage.

Killers, A Dustland Fairytale

2009-05-12T14:18:00.000-07:00

Anyone who still doubts the staying power of the Killers is seriously misguided. This performance is amazing.

M83: We Own the Sky

2009-04-11T09:59:00.000-07:00

Went and watched M83 @ Disney Concert Hall a few weeks ago and it was a really cool show. This video complements the song extremely well.

M83 - We Own the Sky from David Altobelli on Vimeo.

Doves

2009-04-07T14:00:00.000-07:00

Doves put out a new album today: Kingdom of Rust. It is fantastic! My favorite so far for 09.

Phoenix / SNL

2009-04-06T15:39:00.000-07:00

Phoenix is an excellent band that has put out a few great pop albums. Recently the got the chance to play SNL. Way to go!

Both Terrifying and Awesome

2009-03-25T14:36:00.001-07:00

Where The Wild Things Are.... Yes!

So Jack White has another band

2009-03-12T15:43:00.001-07:00

This makes 3... I wouldn't mind if he had 10.

Sebastien Tellier: Roche

2009-03-04T17:14:00.000-08:00

ABSOLUTELY AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sebastien Tellier - Roche
by RECORDMAKERS

Spring 09 Supra

2009-02-23T16:20:00.000-08:00

... Sick