Robot With Human Tendencies [RWHT]

2011 in music

2011-12-30T18:23:00.000-08:00

m83 - hurry up, we're dreaming

lykke li - wounded rhymes

starfucker - reptilians

britney spears - femme fatale

diamond rings - special affections (re-release)

tom vek - leisure seizure

chapel club - palace

yelle - safari disco club

the sound of arrows - voyage

cults - cults

ladytron - gravity the seducer

zola jesus - conatus

the rapture - in the grace of your love

wild beasts - smother

css - la liberacion

top songs of 2010.

2010-12-27T20:29:00.000-08:00

let's make a motherfucking list, in no particular order, ladies and gentlemen:

Big Wave - Jenny and Johnny

Crossfire - Brandon Flowers
Acapella - Kelis
The Fear Inside - Frankmusik

XXXO - MIA

Moon Theory - Miami Horror

Silvia - Miike Snow

Somebody To Love Me - Mark Ronson

Wonderful Life - Hurts

Invisible Light - Scissor Sisters

Elastic Love - Christina Aguilera

Dancing On My Own/Time Machine/Call Your Girlfriend - Robyn

Thieves - She & Him

Cannibal - Ke$ha

O - iamamiwhoami

DJ - Alphabeat

You've Changed - Sia

Teenage Crime - Adrian Lux

The Dark - Simon Curtis

Not In Love - Crystal Castles

All The Lovers - Kylie Minogue

Flash Delirium - MGMT

Cry At Films - Bright Light Bright Light

Young Blood - The Naked & Famous

Naturally - Selena Gomez & The Scene

La Musique - Yelle

Paris Blue - Lykke Li

Promise This - Cheryl Cole

It's Not My Party - Diamond Rings

Shampain [Fred Falke Remix] - Marina and the Diamonds

clearly, pop dominated in 2010.

robyn - time machine

2010-11-10T19:09:00.000-08:00

give it up people of earth. there's no turning back, she's a legend now.

del marquis alert #5

2010-11-04T19:12:00.000-07:00

started a new job today. tired as HALE. i can only draw the strength to post this photograph of del marquis.

cut copy - zonoscope album cover

2010-11-03T11:01:00.000-07:00

mind blowing album cover. sold!

release date: february 8, 2011

FLASHBACK!!!

diskovery: i love monsters

2010-11-03T10:52:00.000-07:00

have i taken the chance to blog about i love monsters yet? with so much music out there it's really hard to find something that catches my attention but these boys have done it. add to that, that their music is available for free on their website and i'm sold. side note: i love that these fellas love to smile. i think a lot of bands take their image too seriously so it's awesome to see a band having so much fun together /side note. their sound really takes me back to the 2004 killers/strokes era before i got hooked on the more folky side of independent music. as always, don't take my word for it, check their website out and have a listen for yourself. here are my recommendations ladies and gentlemen:

from the rescue EP: track 3: seen a ghost

from spine/stop pretending/satellites: track 1: spine

arjan speaks with frankmusik!

2010-11-02T21:26:00.000-07:00

one of my favorite music bloggers, arjan, from arjanwrites has posted up an AMAZING interview with one of my favorite musical acts. arjan delves deep within the mind of frankmusik to find out more about what is sure to be an epic sophomore album. frankmusik seems to be cutting the shit and putting a modern twist on the sound that made him, him! check it out and show arjan some love at arjanwrites.com!

Arjan chats with Frankmusik from Arjan Writes on Vimeo.

happy halloween!

2010-10-31T14:42:00.000-07:00

i'd love to see your halloween costume!

robyn - indestructible music video

2010-10-28T11:47:00.000-07:00

are we feeling it? yes!

crystal castles + robert smith

2010-10-27T17:11:00.000-07:00

robert cornelius.

2010-10-27T16:45:00.000-07:00

"the first light picture ever taken."

Robert Cornelius (1809–1893) was an American pioneer of photography.

Cornelius would operate two of the earliest photographic studios in the U.S. between 1841 and 1843, but as the popularity of photography grew and more photographers opened studios, Cornelius either lost interest or realized that he could make more money at the family gas and lighting company.

robert cornelius, what were you like? ...sigh

#malepopappreciationday

2010-10-26T23:14:00.000-07:00

today is was male pop appreciation day! in honor of the lack of attention paid to male pop stars, electroqueer thought it would be nice to give the men some attention. here are the fellas i chose to honor today. i even got a shout out from ~~one~~ a couple of them!

simon curtis

jake shears

HURTS

bright light bright light

frankmusik

dangerous muse

who would you give a shout out to?

scissor sisters halloween update!

2010-10-26T11:34:00.000-07:00

featuring elvira, mistress of the dark!

rip walkman

2010-10-25T11:07:00.000-07:00

sony is stopping production of their walkman line. i remember wanting one so bad back in the day when you could record music off the radio and on to cassettes. the first cassette i ever bought was janet jackson's 'together again' and i wanted so bad to be able to listen to it on a walkman. it also brings back a lot of memories of my cousins walking around listening to music on the street with their walkmans. then came the day when i cheated on my walkman with a discman. man, i am feeling nostalgic like woah.

girls - heartbreaker

2010-10-25T10:36:00.000-07:00

my favorite cult of a band GIRLS have blessed us with free sounds. they are set to release more new music next month and if this track is any indication it's going to be great! btw, christopher owens wrote you a letter. see if you can read this:

lykke li - get some/paris blue

2010-10-25T10:20:00.000-07:00

lykke li has released a new single/b-side, get some/paris blue for free at her website. i'm actually digging the eerie b-side more than the proper single [which sounds like a diluted MIA track - am i the only one that thinks so? yes i am].

WANT: designer 3D glasses.

2010-10-21T19:01:00.000-07:00

there's absolutely no reason as to why i should want to own these 3D glasses as money hungry movie studios have completely fucked up the art of 3D movies. still, i fucking want them with all my robot heart.

dangerous muse interview with electroqueer

2010-10-21T11:42:00.000-07:00

if you're a fan of dangerous muse then you're aware that they have taken their time developing their debut album 'take control'. last year they unleashed 'i want it all', the first single off the new album. now comes word that next month they'll be releasing new information [release date?!]. i. Am. EXCITED. here's an interview with the boys by javy rodriguez via electroqueer.

'People want a show. Hell, I want a show. We need entertainment more than ever and at the same time we are suffering by our ever-shortening attention spans. I used to think that my goal was to make my fantasy become a reality. What I have recently learned is that I just want my fantasy to have sex with yours. Fuck reality.'

#spiritday

2010-10-20T19:36:00.000-07:00

in honor of spirit day i've decided to join my fellow brothers and sisters in paying our respect to victims of hate. every day there are people who choose death over the life they have to experience. i'd like to let everyone on my blog know that i love and support every single creature on earth and i would never want anyone to think that times ever get so bad that there is never any way out. there always is. choose life. so while i don't exactly own any purple clothing i used my expert photo shop skills to take care of that.

the trevor project it gets better spirit day

DISKovery - bright light bright light

2010-10-20T19:12:00.000-07:00

i wanted to make a blog post to say that i am incredibly enchanted with bright light bright light. he's putting out some of the most decent pop out at the moment and i hope you catch on to him as much as i have.

the above remix is genius. let's end this post with some of the best cheesy pop songs in history.

adrian lux - teenage crime music video

2010-10-20T13:34:00.000-07:00

robyn - body talk

2010-10-20T13:00:00.000-07:00

1. Fembot
2. Don´t fucking tell me what to do
3. Dancing on my own
4. Indestructible
5. Time Machine
6. Love kills
7. Hang with me
8. Call your girlfriend
9. None of dem
10. We dance to the beat
11. U should know better
12. Dance hall queen
13. Get myself together
14. In my eyes
15. Stars 4-ever

Body Talk: Released

USA – 22nd Nov

Scandinavia – 22nd Nov

Australia – 26th Nov

UK – 29th Nov

Germany – 3rd Dec

geek evolution

2010-10-20T12:17:00.000-07:00

if you're reading this, there's a good chance you fit into one of these categories.
[via flowtown]

simon pegg, nick frost return with paul

2010-10-19T14:22:00.000-07:00

my cinematic heroes, simon pegg and nick frost, return to the screen with Paul. they make movies that speak to my sense of humor like no other and as a bonus, because they know me, they added sigourney weaver to this. masterpiece move boys. watching this trailer made me cry cum tears :')

DISKovery - the naked and famous

2010-10-19T11:44:00.000-07:00

it's been about a month since i found out about the naked and famous. slowly i've come to the realization that i am obsessed with them. at this time i'd like to announce that i might have a fetish for asian women in bands [exhibit a: lovefoxx of CSS]. in my all knowing holiness i declare that they're the sound mgmt should've been. they're also the next big thing, so in a few months time when everyone is into their sound you'll be able to thank me. ladies and gentlemen, enjoy!

scream 4 teaser trailer

2010-10-19T11:29:00.000-07:00

where can i even begin to explain my love for the scream series? i vividly remember watching the first one at home scared out of my mind nearly pressed up against the screen. i remember being so excited at guessing who one of the killers was in scream 2. i remember being really excited about the possibility of a scream 4 after watching part 3... but it never came. ladies and gentlemen, the wait is over.

in honor of scream 4 i want to take a trip back to my favorite scream chase scenes [spoiler: all of them]. but for the sake of listing things here are my top 3.

#3 - cici [scream 2]

#2 - gale [scream 2]

#1 - casey [scream]

willow smith - whip my hair music video

2010-10-18T14:17:00.000-07:00

well fuck, i have a feeling people will actually break their necks with this music video and for that i am now a member of the church of willow smith.

weekEND #3

2010-10-18T14:04:00.000-07:00

simon pegg has a new book out.

2010-10-16T22:04:00.000-07:00

one of my heroes, simon pegg, is releasing an autobiography called nerd do well.

Zombies in North London, death cults in the West Country, the engineering deck of the Enterprise: Simon Pegg has been ploughing some bizarre furrows in recent times. Having blasted onto the small screens with his now legendary sitcom "Spaced", his rise to nation's favourite son status has been mercurial, meteoric, megatronnic, but mostly just plain great. From his childhood (and subsequently adult) obsession with Star Wars, his often passionate friendship with Nick Frost, and his forays into stand-up which began with his regular Monday morning slot in front of his 12-year-old classmates, this is a joyous tale of a homegrown superstar and a local boy made good.

buy it if you know what's good for you.

the walking dead documentary.

2010-10-14T10:56:00.000-07:00

i might as well make my blog the official website for the walking dead since i seem to be OBSESSED over this upcoming television event. watch this 17 minute mini-documentary with me.

cheyenne jackson. that is all.

2010-10-14T10:35:00.000-07:00

out magazine

robyn - indestructible (radio edit)

2010-10-14T10:20:00.000-07:00

well, it's fucking here! yesterday we got to see robyn's single cover for 'inestructible' and now we get to fucking dance to it. get on this earth!

britney spears making music videos

2010-10-14T09:24:00.000-07:00

a pox on thee blog readers. A POX ON THEE. how dare none of you tell me that for the last 6 years i have missed out on Britneys 'Greatest Hits: My Prerogative' DVD features?! i spent all of last night going through these uncut videos of Britney doing what she does best in front of the camera:

and a fan made video for one of my favorite britney tracks:

joel burns - it gets better

2010-10-14T09:11:00.000-07:00

http://www.thetrevorproject.org/

i don't have words. please watch.

robyn - indestructible single cover

2010-10-13T12:41:00.000-07:00

robin miriam carlsson [robyn to us earthlings] has blessed us with the cover for her new single 'indestructible'. it follows the theme of past single covers for her body talk era. pretty sure the single will be reworked into an electropop jam like 'hang with me' before it. also, rumor has it that the last body talk album will feature 5 tracks from part 1 & 5 tracks from pt 2 to combine with 5 new tracks which will create one final, completely epic body talk album later this year. and for the hell of it, i'm throwing in a behind the scenes look at the making of robyn's 'hang with me'.

i'm feeling generous, here's a day in her life:

mark ronson - blonde hair + somebody to love me.

2010-10-13T12:13:00.000-07:00

there are a lot of opinions on mark ronson lately. most of the internet has the impression that he's pretty much a douche bag... and he didn't earn points when he went bleach blonde. here at RWHT we say FUCK IT! the man is handsome in whatever the hell color hair he has and his new album 'record collection' is some of the catchiest music anyone's made all year. music is music here so if i like it, i'm going to blog about it.

case in point:

mark ronson and the business intl [ft. boy george, andrew wyatt] - somebody to love me

i challenge you not to have some kind of emotional breakdown during what i consider to be one of the more beautiful songs/videos of 2010 [a serious contender for my annual top 10 list]. the music, the voices, the look back to boy george at his prime - everything just comes together so magically. in case you want to watch a video with the actual performers [and trust me, you should always want to watch boy george live] here's a performance the men recently had on later... with jools holland.

and for those of us with a hair fetish:

hurts - stay music video

2010-10-13T07:09:00.000-07:00

the boys of HURTS are back with a gorgeous new video for 'stay'. the fellas certainly have their style down to the very last beautiful detail. side note: this marks vocalist Theo Hutchcraft's first venture into music video acting. not complaining. enjoy.

weekEND #2

2010-10-11T20:42:00.000-07:00

bright light bright light - love part II

lykke li - tonight

miike snow - animal [fred falke remix]

depeche mode - a question of lust

small black - search party

i may be crushing...

crystal castles - baptism

2010-10-08T23:02:00.000-07:00

because my friends and i have been blasting crystal castles every time we go to LA.

friday night franco post!

2010-10-08T22:41:00.000-07:00

so recently i've been thinking a lot about what middle name would suit me. yes, i have the kind of life where i have the time to dedicate this kind of thinking to. anyway, when i was a kid i came to realize that some of my classmates had not two but THREE names (first, last and GASP a middle name! ::faint::). yeah i was that kid. i was also that kid that didn't know what color his eyes were until our kindergarten teacher asked us all to draw our eyes and color them in with our eye color [i was told to go up to a mirror in the closet and look at my eyes - brown!]. here's where the franco in the title comes into play. i've decided that if i could choose a middle name for myself i'd go with franco. it's masculine, it's classy and it belongs to this man:

welcome to the world, Ruben Franco Gallardo! but you can call me Ben. here, have some more franco:

lastly, let's perv out:

how many times does James Franco masturbate in a day?

a tribute to sophie muller.

2010-10-05T18:07:00.000-07:00

over the past 6 years i've unintentionally become a huge sophie muller fan. who is sophie? she's only the best music video director of our time. well ok, i'm not exactly a music video expert but i do know what i like and i LOVE sophie's style. she has an eye for the beautiful that she always manages to capture. don't believe me? i have carefully gone over most of her work [blatant lie] and hand picked my favorite videos to present to you today:

annie lennox - why

sade - no ordinary love

no doubt - don't speak

the killers - mr brightside [this is when the love started blossoming]

gwen stefani - cool [one of my favorite videos of all time]

so you see, sophie is best when she gives in to her imagination and creates these gorgeous videos. there are plenty more but i will leave that up to you guys to discover. except that i want to show you two more recent gifts to the world:

cheryl cole - promise this

brandon flowers - only the young

was it good for you too? ::puff::

weekend music #1

2010-10-04T18:17:00.000-07:00

i've decided to write down the music i live by every weekend. basically, whatever i'm listening to on the weekends when i'm out will be posted here on mondays for uh... educational purposes? whatever, let's do this.

the roundup:

death from above 1979 - romantic rights
selena gomez & the scene - naturally
crystal castles - love and caring
alcazar - crying at the discoteque
neon indian - deadbeat summer

smokey eye and bricks kind of weekend.

paranormal activity 2

2010-10-01T13:55:00.000-07:00

well, we knew it was coming. there isn't much to say about paranormal activity 2 except that i hope the producers really wanted to tell a story worth telling [and really, who are we kidding]. i actually did like the original paranormal activity because much like the blair witch project 10 years ago, the actual movie didn't scare me until i got back home and had to sleep in a dark room by myself. i'm hoping that this sequel intends to live up to the first but unfortunately the new family in this trailer is already a little cheese balls. that's never stopped us here at RWHT where we can never pass up a scary movie!

alphabeat - the spell

2010-09-30T16:44:00.000-07:00

ladies and gentlemen, i am obsessed with 'The Spell' by Alphabeat at the moment. first off, this album was released last year [in Denmark]. second, i prefer the title 'The Spell' rather than the horrible choice to rename it "The Beat Is...". i'm just not a fan of bands using their name in any form on their albums [unless you're the spice girls]. third, this is such a fun tribute to the 90s and it doesn't ever go wrong! it's fun, it's modern and the pairing of lead vocalists Stine Bramsen and Anders SG is genius [that's not to say that the rest of the boy's aren't equally effective]. it is my pleasure to say it is one of the few albums i've had on spin all year long.

and i know it's totally only me but i keep associating this album with this movie:

yeah, what's that about?

the greatest tv moment of the year

2010-09-29T13:59:00.000-07:00

i forgive the general lack of plot and complete mindfuck that the Britney Spears episode of Glee was because Heather Morris was perfection during 'I'm A Slave 4 You'. the other numbers didn't really match up to this opening bit and i am at a loss as to why Kurt/Quinn didn't get a Britney solo but whatever. watch!

verizon commercial song

2010-09-28T14:16:00.000-07:00

you know how sometimes you watch a commercial and you're more interested in the song that plays over the featured product? [on that note can we all agree that we hate when commercials fuck up one of your favorite songs by featuring it, anyway that's another post for another time] well i was catching up on RuPauls Drag U last night when this gem came on.

wait what? what song is that? WHAT SONG IS IT?!

so after digging around a bit it turns out it's a specifically made remix of The Human League's '(Keep Feeling) Fascination' and it has not been released. FUCK THAT. i want it but the original is equally as awesome and you need to hear it.

sally menke

2010-09-28T12:46:00.000-07:00

sad news guys, legendary film editor sally menke passed away yesterday amid record breaking heat here in LA. for those unfamiliar with Sally, she was a long time collaborator with Quentin Tarantino and was directly responsible for a whole new direction in the editing community. i mean guys, she edited Pulp Fiction, Kill Bill and the severely underrated Death Proof. i wanted a place on my blog for her because she really did mean a lot to cinema. here are some videos in remembrance of sally menke and an interview with editors guild magazine.

the walking dead

2010-09-26T18:34:00.000-07:00

"The Walking Dead tells the story of life following a zombie apocalypse. It follows a group of survivors, led by police officer Rick Grimes, traveling in search of a safe and secure home. Andrew Lincoln (Love Actually, Teachers, Strike Back) will portray the lead role of Rick Grimes while actor Jon Bernthal (The Pacific, The Ghost Writer) will portray the character Shane, who worked with Rick in the police department before the zombie disaster. Other cast includes Laurie Holden (The Shield), who plays Andrea, one of two sisters who join the survivors of the zombie plague, Steven Yeun as Glenn, an expert scavenger and Sarah Wayne Callies (Prison Break), who plays Rick's wife Lori."

at this very moment in time, i am losing my shit.
i mean, it's a tv show about zombies you guys.

this is a fan made opening credits sequence. shitting my pants.

and this wouldn't be a post by yours truly if i didn't point out that the main character is also:

if your mind went there too, you're at the right blog.

WANT: digby & iona

2010-09-26T11:16:00.000-07:00

one of my best friends billi baracuda over at avideomagazine recently introduced the world to the masterpieces of digby & iona. in this video, creator aaron ruff speaks about the inspiration behind his jewelry and his brilliant design process.

as alluded to in the video, these pieces started coming out during the height of the "earth" movement a few years ago. that is exactly what i thought of when i first saw these pieces. specifically it reminded me of when indie music started shifting into a more southern sound. take jenny lewis [seen here in 2006 as part of her Rabbit Fur Coat look] for example, i totally picture her loving some of these pieces:

14 point stag ring. perfect fit?

maybe that's not where it takes you so i encourage you guys to check out the collections and let them speak their own story to you:

oval cut ring from the vestige collection.

fighting bears ring from the fight or flight collection.

stump ring from the wood collection

as you're probably catching on to, i am a ring kind of fella. the stump ring is probably my favorite just because it is so beautiful and makes me feel like i'm in some beautiful forest frolicking with bambi [before the mom gets shot].

here's a video made for the stump by Mac Premo that compliments my fondness for it.

again guys, i encourage you to check out digby & iona and ~~buy everything for me~~ hopefully you'll fall in love with these gorgeous pieces too.

plastic surgery results.

2010-09-25T15:02:00.000-07:00

BEFORE

AFTER

eyebrow lift, nose job, lindsay lohan lips and triple chin reduction. eat me heidi montag! ok hold on, i'm a little attracted to super plastic surgery me right now.

miami horror - illumination

2010-09-25T14:48:00.000-07:00

the first time i heard of Miami Horror their music was limited to very VERY 80's sounds. while i am a fan of the sound, these guys did have a mysterious underlying tone that i was very attracted to. think half Justice/half 100% undiluted 80's. Illumination brings out more of that sound that I was attracted to and is a damn solid album. below i've embedded my favorite of their videos because i don't feel like sitting here pretending to be an album reviewer again.

picture yourself in a factory made out to look like a desert + hundreds of lasers/strobes/lights that make you have a seizure + you're on a horse, in fact, EVERYBODY in that factory with you is on a fucking horse and the horses are all spooked + you're just feeling your buzz. this is how this song makes me feel.

ok get rid of the desert and horses. replace them with hula dancers and lots and lots of drugs [dont do drugs kids] + fuck it, add a fruit (food) fight - we're set.

toss everything but the lights and witness in horror as your best friends are being beamed up by ALIENS! and yet, you keep dancing.

then you enter heaven.

listen to the whole album on youtube!

how i survived scissor sisters week.

2010-09-20T17:00:00.000-07:00

“painted whores, sexual gladiators,
fiercely old party children
all wake from their slumber
to debut the bacchanal.”

well, i'm finally all up on my blog and talking about Scissor Sisters week [you didn't know?]. to be honest, the celebration has been going on since the release of the massive 'Invisible Light' back in april when my feet did something strange: physical activity a.k.a dancing [as of september 20th at 3:28 p.m. they have not stopped.]. let's get to it!

scissor sisters week lasted [in my head] from 9/6 - 9/12 here in my very own home town of Los Angeles! it was a deliciously non-stop affair in which hey had 3 stops: Jimmy Kimmel Live, Amoeba and the Hollywood Palladium [all of which attended by yours truly]. at this point i choose to go straight to the pictures/video because i mean, i really have nothing to say to sufficiently express how much fun i had.

alright, so they didn't exactly allow cameras in to Jimmy Kimmel which was fine. my friend did manage to capture an image of Del though and really, what else could i want? video of the event you ask? sure!

you have to admire that Jimmy referred to the Sisters as "Scissor SisteR" ...singular. i kind of feared for what the week might have in store as the crowd was pretty much tame. i'm often the first WOOOOO! you hear in the audience [you're welcome lame crowd]. the sisters were also a little low energy and i was saddened because the previous times i had seen them i fed off their energy. not to fear though, they had reason to as i would find out during their show at Amoeba.

the ~~small~~ display that Amoeba set up in honor of Scissor Sisters.

the poster given away with the purchase of Night Work [it is now signed and waiting for lamination].

scissor sisters working the crowd ever so nicely.

during one of their breaks Ana revealed that jake had been a little sick just days ago [which explained why they weren't 100% at Kimmel] and that Ana had been to a show and lost her voice going as apeshit over Willie Nelson [if i remember correctly] as i would be over them that upcoming Saturday.

scissor sisters at the signing after the show [superstar glimmer or crappy camera? you be the judge].

i like how i waited for about an hour after i got my album signed to try and get a picture with the band like the slutty groupie that i am, only to have security cock block me and tell me to get out of their face. what ever happened to the beauty of stalking? and finally ladies and gentlemen, the single greatest live show in the history of the galaxy.

scissor sisters @ the palladium on MY BIRTHDAY.

i chose not to sneak my camera into the venue because i genuinely wanted to experience them. mission accomplished. i have, however, rummaged through youtube to find video of the event and here, live on RWHT, are my picks:

"I WANNA HEAR YOUR BATTLE CRY!" - Ana during 'Night Life'.

Ana talking about the unity after the September 11th tragedy, how the Sisters formed and making a statement with some 'Tits on the Radio'.

hearing 'Invisible Light' live will go down as a major highlight in my life.

and finally, their closer "Filthy/Gorgeous" in which scissor sisters cash rained down on the crowd.

make some cash. fuck the rich.

afterward my friends took me to eat this mammoth sized burger at The Waffle on sunset. when we finished, we decided to walk back down sunset blvd and past the scissor sisters tour bus to see if we could catch any of the sisters around... and that's when it fucking happened...

ladies and gentlemen, i spotted Ms Ana Matronic. best birthday ever. no need to say anything else.

again, i'd like to thank all my friends around the world for the birthday wishes and for truly helping make my 25th one of the single most memorable birthdays ever. oh and if you guys are interested, go check out some more pictures on my FLICKR.

hurts - happiness

2010-09-15T08:08:00.000-07:00

everyone knows i've been breaking a god damned heel over HURTS since May-ish when I discovered them. the boys have brought it ladies and gentlemen and brought it big. these guys are masters at producing big sweeping epic kiss me over a cliff musical events. that's how i'd describe Happiness, it is one giant greyscale saga where you will have to endure moments where you question life, love and end up wrapped up at the end with one giant bow and a tag that reads 'happy'. this album is so theatrical that you might as well close your eyes and pretend you're performing at the theater of dionysus. don't let my words confuse you dear reader, Happiness is the debut of a lifetime and something that happens rarely in the world of pop anymore [where shit is so repetitive]. this is an album where its masters are able to transport you to another world, in fact, to an older more elegant past. however, i do feel that the audience that awaits will have VERY strong reactions in which they will either embrace this as a lifestyle or will want to burn it at a stake to please the gods.

Theo Hutchcraft [the vocalist] is fucking epic. his look, his voice, the whole idea of what Hurts is and don't forget about Adam Anderson [the synth player, also the strong silent type]. he is the one in charge of producing the sound so that i continuously orgasm track after track. you know what, fuck this modern world, i'm going back to Happiness.

Hurts - Silver Lining

brandon flowers - flamingo

2010-09-15T07:24:00.000-07:00

when i think of Brandon Flowers i think of the synths on Hot Fuss [oh, the days]. when i think of Brandon Flowers i also immediately associate him with Las Vegas. Flamingo is without a question Las Vegas in album form. Except that it feels like it's that cliche 'dark Las Vegas where Brandon feels like he's 70, gambling in the corner of any point and choose casino, looking back and reminiscing out loud about his Vegas'. don't get me wrong, I also associate this album with the end of summer! but while an album like Chromeo's Business Casual makes you want to dance on a rooftop with your babe, Flamingo makes you want to take a road trip down the coast while reflecting on that rooftop dance a night ago [the one where you totally scored because you washed down there].

something unique about Brandon is his thin voice which inspires the usage of emotion to get his point across. this is apparent on tracks like 'Hard Enough' [where Jenny Lewis is obviously breezing by while Brandon uses his sharp vocals to emphasize certain melodies]. Speaking of Jenny, Flamingo is obviously Brandons answer to Rabbit Fur Coat, not everyone will get it but you can tell it means the world to him. While it may be a little too normal of an album for someone like Brandon [the guy usually looks like he's aiming for outer space style wise] i find the simplicity appealing enough to get my road trip on.

Brandon Flowers - Only The Young

chromeo - business casual

2010-09-15T06:50:00.000-07:00

um, holy shit guys. can we talk about Chromeo's Business Casual for a quick second? if you're looking to end your summer on a high note then this is the album for you. while i would say that Brandon Flowers' Flamingo is also an end of summer album, i think it gives off more of a road trip vibe [which is perfectly acceptable here at RWHT]. the lyrics to Business Casual aren't necessarily end of summer themed but the music is so funkable and the music is ever so smooth that you wont exactly find yourself asking what Dave 1 is singing in French on 'J'ai Claqué La Porte' or that Dave 1 is having an arguement with his girl on 'Hot Mess'. you know what team? i'm going to make sure you have a damn good end to summer 2010. follow my guide!

how to have the perfect summer ending [ground edition]:

GOOGLE SEARCH YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD AND FIND THE NEAREST ROOFTOP
PROCEED TO CALL UP YOUR [INSERT FRIEND/FRIENDS/SIGNIFICANT OTHER HERE]
BUY LIGHT ALCOHOL/GRAB A BLANKET/GRAB A PORTABLE CD PLAYER
[YOU BETTER HAVE WASHED DOWN THERE JUST IN CASE]
IS IT NIGHT TIME? GO UP TO THE ROOF TOP TOGETHER
LAY THE BLANKET/ALCOHOL OUT
CHAT FOR A LITTLE BIT. DRINK A LITTLE BIT.
IT IS NOW TIME FOR CHROMEO.
DO YOU FEEL THAT? PURE MAGIC.

Chromeo - You Make It Rough

25

2010-09-11T14:31:00.000-07:00

we made it!

Polaroid Land Camera 1000

2010-08-30T21:29:00.000-07:00

i mean, right?

huge dump 2010 part 1.

2010-08-24T18:22:00.000-07:00

after sorting out the crap from the slightly interesting [from links i've saved within the last year], i hereby dump every story/photograph/news/music/whatever i've kept deep in the depths of my sick bookmarks, on you!

shaun welcomes you.

SHAUN OF THE DEAD reunion photographs!
Quentin Tarantino wants to make a western! FUKK YUSS!

check out the trailer for PUMZI

creepy alien shrimp is creepy.

YOU CAN BUY ME ANYTHING THAT EVER APPEARS AT UNCRATE !!!
Scott Evans here and here.
The OCEANIC 815 CRASH in real time.

Emile Hirsch's Zimbabwe Journal & climb up Mt Kilimanjaro
Man in a presumed vegetative state responds to questions. i freak out.
reality check! what a dinosaur really looked like.
picture from the time GAGA was 10 minutes away from my home. this will probably only interest me.

the Spice Girls win the best performance of the last 30 years at the Brit Awards!
an interesting interview with Rostam Batmanglij of Vampire Weekend
Sigh, Tim Burton really did go downhill.

interesting article about how this Grace Jones cover was made.

Has the internet killed the myth of the rock star???
Guillermo Diaz interview & Guillermo Diaz NAKED [come please your sick curiosity]
Jay Baruchel writing a slasher?!

Rilo Kiley is working on a compilation album. !!!shaking and crying!!!

LMFAO

why colin firth went naked in A Single Man .

i dare you to say something.

fuck you and your bodies joel mchale & dave salmoni.

12 ways to make a ke$ha [as if we needed just one]

introducing Matt Morris

why did i just discover Montgomery Clift?!

LMFAO: the sequel

Interactive horror movie. Interesting or Dud?

STOP!!! NATHAN FILLION TALKS ABOUT MY HERO JOSS WHEDON!

oh.

LIZZY CAPLAN TIME!!! LIZZY CAPLAN TIME!!!

SIMON CURTIS STYLE

have you visited the Zombie Research Society?

talking mickey like omg!

how to have sex with a homosexual [women, read up!]

interview with scissor sisters about why they almost broke up.
Ana Matronic writing comic books? like woah.

if you made it here, then you are not aware that i'm standing right behind you.

and now a word from your friendly neighborhood host!

2010-08-11T22:14:00.000-07:00

woah, taking a small break does not bode well at all when a break for me equals sitting around having a SPACED marathon while consuming massive amounts of strawberry/banana yogurt. i've been rethinking what i want to do with my near future seeing as how employment opportunities have been slim to none. never fear my gorgeous readers, i am not discouraged. in fact, i feel really good about the future! i am a starving artist in my own right [or so i'd like to think].

ladies and gentlemen, my birthday is in exactly 1 month. let's give ourselves a round of applause for making it to the halfway point. on to the music! but first, a picture of my current state:

liquor before beer you're in the clear.
douche factor in this picture = 89%

Florence + The Machine - Hurricane Drunk

brandon flowers - on the floor

2010-08-03T19:51:00.000-07:00

Edit: original video removed so here is the acoustic version of 'On The Floor' [i LOVE it even more!]

if you are a fan of The Killers then you know that the group has been moving away from the dance roots of Hot Fuss and slowly morphing into an alt rock country-ish type sound. Brandon Flowers is pretty much taking that slow morph and running with it all the way with 'On The Floor'. the all or nothing theme is actually a little surprising but i am totally digging it.

interpol - barricade

2010-08-02T19:05:00.000-07:00

i didn't get into Interpol until Antics was gifted to me during christmas 2004 [i hadn't even heard of them when i was taken to one of their shows where I FELL ASLEEP during a song [[i had worked a really long shift and was DEAD and it was so last minute that i went to the show right after my shift ended]]]. now i couldn't imagine living in a world where this band doesn't exist. too bad about Carlos leaving, i feel the pain [reminds me of Paddy Boom leaving the Sisters a couple years ago]. anyway, they performed on letterman sometime last month and i missed it. i had bookmarked their performance of 'Barricade' and it had gone completely unnoticed until now! enjoy pals.

discovery: marc seeley

2010-08-02T18:19:00.001-07:00

found this fella on youtube while looking up rilo kiley covers of 'silver lining'. i'm really digging the energy/soul he puts through in his videos. do me a favor and check out marc seeley.

hurts - happiness

2010-08-02T18:19:00.000-07:00

a new song by HURTS just landed on earth. turn up your speakers and let them explode!

scissor sisters news video update #2

2010-08-02T15:58:00.000-07:00

juliette lewis, jane fonda, kylie minogue, amanda lepore - if that isn't reason enough to watch this update then i guess i should mention that there is gore in this video [and a hella fun preview of the new video for 'Any Which Way'].

in other exciting Scissor Sisters news:

check out the mothereffin date ladies and gentlemen! ON. MY. BIRTHDAY!

chromeo - don’t turn the lights on - video

2010-08-02T15:19:00.000-07:00

with a third album on the way, i think it's safe for me to say that i'm actually a pretty huge Chromeo fan. 'Dont Turn The Lights On' pretty much does it for me and will probably be my farewell to summer jam [even if the video is pretty creepy]. check the fellas out and try not to blink!

bonus interview with Dave 1!

britney spears - am i a sinner? - unreleased track

2010-07-28T18:48:00.000-07:00

ladies and gentlemen, i am a Britney Spears stan. COME AT ME! anyway, let's flashback to 2001 when Britney released her self titled 3rd album (this is when i gave in to her pop goodness) - i'm a slave 4 u was EVERYWHERE and she apparently recorded this surprisingly good demo!

Edit: more demos! britmas in july!

Mad Love:

When I Say So:

grum - can't shake this feeling

2010-07-28T16:03:00.000-07:00

i haven't paid much attention to GRUM since i discovered him last year but this new shit is so 80's/campy it deserves a spot on my blog. i'll have to check out his album Heartbeats [visit the link to listen to more grum] in the near future. i approve so hard!

interview with christopher owens from GIRLS

2010-07-27T18:56:00.000-07:00

GIRLS 'GHOST MOUTH':

christopher owens is FASCINATING. here's an interview he did for travis mathews who is making "an independent short film with hardcore gay sexual content" called I Want Your Love [to which a song by GIRLS was contributed]. below you'll find the full interview + an unreleased song.

WANT: yeah yeah yeahs live in london dvd

2010-07-27T17:12:00.000-07:00

the YEAH YEAH YEAH's are releasing Yeah Yeah Yeahs: Live from O2 Brixton Academy! i can pretty much sum up 2009 with 'It's Blitz!'. Zero was me getting ready to go out. Heads Will Roll was my dance anthem. Soft Shock was the night winding down. with that said i pretty much need to own this dvd. it would be a kick in the face of life if i didn't.

css working on new album

2010-07-26T22:54:00.000-07:00

well it's official, CSS' third album is well underway. excuse me but HOLY SHITBALLS!!! i just took a look at their blog and lovefoxxx has confirmed that they are indeed working on new material. i have not gotten a chance to see them live so this new album offers me new hope ~~that one day i'll be able to kidnap Adriano~~! hey remember when they met paris hilton?!

and finally, here's a video of the worst audience in the history of music and my worst case scenario at a CSS show.

Edit: here's a cool interview i found with Lovefoxxx speaking on her favorite things with AnotherMag.com

robyn - hang with me official video

2010-07-26T15:54:00.000-07:00

people of planet earth, you've just been sucker punched.

there are no words left in me to describe the sheer brilliance that is the video for 'Hang With Me'. i very clearly stated that 'Dancing On My Own' was my favorite Robyn video but I think HWM is on another level. it is certainly more personal than DOMO and the imagery is just as stunning. instant classic. again.

Edit: Arjan just tweeted that 'Hang With Me' is actually a cover! wow!

discovery: tesla boy

2010-07-22T15:46:00.000-07:00

doing my rounds last night around the musicsphere i came across russian band Tesla Boy. if you're a fan of 80s/electronic beats then this is the band for you. do yourself a favor and hypem, lastfm, youtube them. track choice: neon love.

and just listen to the vocals/mad piano skills of lead singer Anton Sevidov

and finally, i'd like to introduce some color into this post

robyn - body talk pt 2 album cover + track listing

2010-07-22T15:01:00.000-07:00

1. IN MY EYES
2. INCLUDE ME OUT
3. HANG WITH ME
4. LOVE KILLS
5. WE DANCE TO THE BEAT
6. CRIMINAL INTENT
7. U SHOULD KNOW BETTER feat. SNOOP DOGG
8. INDESTRUCTIBLE (acoustic version)

EDIT: RELEASE DATE SEPT 24

hurts - wonderful life

2010-07-21T16:31:00.000-07:00

i discovered HURTS earlier this year after roaming the internet for some music. apparently they've been around for over a year now and i am kicking myself for not finding them sooner. i am in LOVE with their whole clean cut look and with the sounds they produce. EQ just compared them to Depeche Mode and while i haven't heard HURTS come out with as upbeat productions like some of DM ['better than love' comes close], i do agree that the atmosphere is very comparable. my track pick is 'wonderful life':

abba - the winner takes it all

2010-07-21T16:13:00.000-07:00

according to ontd ABBA released 'the winner takes it all' 30 years ago. this can only mean one thing: ABBA PARTY!!!

arcade fire - month of may + 8 album covers

2010-07-20T16:32:00.000-07:00

arcade fire has released all 8 of their album covers for their new album 'the suburbs'. above is my personal favorite, which one is yours? check it out over at paste magazine. you can head over to hypem to preview some of the songs but if you ask me 'month of may' is the track that caught my ear:

jenny and johnny - big wave

2010-07-20T15:59:00.000-07:00

jenny lewis + johnathan rice have teamed up and made a new band called 'jenny and johnny' = at first i wasn't exactly thrilled because i will forever miss rilo kiley, who i have no expections of getting back together any time soon for a new album. new track 'big wave' has given me hope though because it is actually pretty good. i got it for free over at stereogum. definitely recommend. if you're curious as to what their chemistry/sound is like here's an interview with spin + their track 'scissor runner' [which is also a free track on their website]:

chromeo - don't turn the lights on

2010-07-19T23:52:00.000-07:00

i think i may have forgotten to post chromeo's newest single 'dont turn the lights on' here on RWHT. good news, i am here to share it + a recent interview at glastonbury AND an interview i saved a while back that has Dave 1 talking about the new album [back when it was still entitled 'DJ Kicks'], with you! remember to turn the lights off and enjoy.

robyn - hang with me

2010-07-19T15:22:00.000-07:00

ladies and gents, here's the first listen to robyn's new single 'hang with me' from body talk pt 2. sounds like an upbeat follow up to 'dancing on my own'. i approve so hard.

short: forever's not so long

2010-07-19T15:05:00.000-07:00

a little something for us 'end of the world' geeks :)

free track download 'made of' by the teenagers.

2010-07-19T04:34:00.000-07:00

the teenagers are offering new track 'made of' for free.

all you have to do is PayWithATweet!

klaxons - echoes

2010-07-19T04:16:00.000-07:00

woah, klaxons take me back. golden skans reminds me of beautiful cloudy nights in 2007. as above, so below brings back the 2008 summer olympic games. finally, lets not forget that guitarist simon married lovefoxxx of css - they are a huge plus in my circuits with that alone. here they are with 'echoes' from their upcoming album surfing the void.

mark ronson & the business intl album cover

2010-07-18T13:45:00.000-07:00

the album cover is inspired by Duran Duran, which of course gets me thinking of this:

bang bang bang!

shout out louds - 1999

2010-07-18T03:33:00.000-07:00

i was a freshman in '99.

del marquis alert #4

2010-07-16T14:50:00.000-07:00

and because this era in scissor sisters music history deserves to be celebrated, here they are performing the already legendary track entitled 'invisible light'

adrian lux - teenage crime

2010-07-15T22:49:00.000-07:00

we don't sleep when the sun goes down

we don't waste no precious time

she & him - thieves

2010-07-14T13:55:00.000-07:00

i'm sitting here on this ~~HOT AS HALE~~ lovely summer day when all of a sudden the video for 'Thieves' from She & Him crosses my path.

viva españa

2010-07-11T15:02:00.000-07:00

felicidades chicos!

[now back to my regularly scheduled not giving a fuck about soccer]

HAVE A SONG ON ME!

brandon flowers - crossfire

2010-07-08T11:39:00.001-07:00

lindsay lohan: jail edition!

2010-07-06T16:59:00.000-07:00

lindsay was sentenced to 90 days in jail today. she'll probably only serve 25% of the time due to overcrowding.

with that out of the way, i present, the return of natasha lyonne!

let us conclude this blog post with the last picture i took with my now dead camera.

of course it's of me...

scissor sisters + kylie minogue = i die.

2010-06-26T16:40:00.000-07:00

shaking and crying and throwing up

brought to you by my hair identity crisis.

jersey shore does village voice

2010-06-23T12:56:00.000-07:00

suddenly i'm completely back on board with this show.

and let's not forget the highlight of last season [note: the audio is not correct and the quality is subpar, it's like you're getting the real experience!]

del marquis alert #3.

2010-06-20T15:06:00.000-07:00

this post is mostly for me.

a little for you, but mostly for me.

brandon + robyn.

2010-06-15T20:44:00.000-07:00

it's a pretty well known fact that one of my favorite musicians ever is Killers front man Brandon Flowers. while i don't think they've topped their debut album i do think these guys have a clear vision of who they want to be as a group. enter mr. brightside's debut single as a solo artist 'Crossfire'. let's get this clear, this isn't exactly a whole new direction for brandon as it ultimately sounds like a Killers track. however, it is an improved Killers track and one that builds up to an incredible, fiery explosion.

now ladies and gentlemen, following up on one of the best pop albums i've heard in my 24 years of existence, today Robyn releases 'Body Talk Pt 1'. basically, she's got some news for you, fembots have feelings too and she's going to show you by way of dance... literally, she's also got a tour in the works with Kelis! peace out.

uh... i'm bringing 2005 back?

mass suicide anyone?

2010-06-14T23:04:00.000-07:00

where's your god now?

robyn - dancing on my own.

2010-05-22T20:48:00.000-07:00

i adore robyn with all my heart. i remember her from way back in the 90's and i think her evolution as a music artist has been brilliant. this video for 'dancing on my own' is officially my favorite robyn video to date. it is so beautiful. enjoy it pals.

hitchcock posters.

2010-05-12T16:13:00.000-07:00

i've been having a Hitchcock marathon the past week. i've caught up on a lot of the classics 'North By Northwest' as well as the less known like 'Rebecca' (come on... no one ever mentions Rebecca, i would mention 'The 39 Steps' but you'd wiki it and pretend to know which one that is). i recently stumbled upon these amazing movie posters for some of the classics. i came. you can find an infinite amount of really hip posters at the Laz Marquez website.

songs i'm feeling.

2010-05-10T12:03:00.000-07:00

Kele - Tenderoni

Christina Aguilera - Woohoo Ft Nicki Minaj

Katy Perry - California Gurls Ft Snoop Dog

Alphabeat - DJ

Robyn - Dancing On My Own

simon curtis @ the roxy.

2010-05-07T20:05:00.000-07:00

last night i had the chance to watch simon curtis perform live for the first time at the roxy all thanks to imusicdaily. shit was mind blowing. at least to me... the crowd was a little too modern for me. i was having a chat with a friend of mine and i came to the conclusion that the success of a show depends, now, on how many cameras/cell phones stay up during your performance. BACK TO SIMON!

sometimes i don't believe how realistic my photo shop skills are. this is truly the avatar of photography.

man, the night was such a blur. i can't remember what simon started off with or what he closed with but i found myself bopping along to every song. there was a point where a couple of jerks behind me were touching my ear and i was about to go all New York on them but i kept it classy.

favorite song he did was 'Diablo', then again it was the song that made me fall in love with him. he wore a kind of Devil/C-3PO mask (i think?) and the choreography was inspired (he did this walk/beat his dancers out of the way thing).

during 'Beat Drop' he had a sort of masquerade mask made out of legos. fucking cool.

another memorable song was his solo (no dancers/dancing) during '8Bit Heart'. i hope he felt it, it truly was HIS moment.

the whole time simon was performing there was this intensity shooting from him. he was hungry for this. he was giving it his all. however, i'm not sure if he was lip syncing through out the show but it definitely looked like he was during some songs. i don't care, i'm from the Britney generation... the hell with singing, he's a pop star! he looked good, his hair was fucking amazing (no seriously, that shit stood in place for the most part) and he was as into it as i had hoped he would be. there was no half-assing it and that's all i ever wanted. can't wait to see him again.

oh and also, I MET FRANKMUSIK!!!

i made love to this picture last night ladies and gentlemen. disgusting, human centipede love. i'd like to announce that when asked for my name, i said "ben robot". that's right. i introduced myself as ben robot. fuck the lines between reality/internet (but yes, i embarrassed myself). also, during that picture i kept shaking and i'm sure he noticed. aside from that, the man is really cool. we had a good little chat about his upcoming 2nd album (he's 2 tracks away from finishing it), his collaboration with simon curtis and his very cool shoes (which were the same ones worn in the confusion girl video). it's weird that we're the same age and i'm like in complete awe of him. truly memorable night. many thanks to (the incredibly nice) Tom and the fellas from imusicdaily for making this happen!

coming soon: dick slang!

2010-05-07T14:58:00.000-07:00

having a blog is not so much about posting things you find amusing but about being responsible for raising the bar on the human experience via stories of love, overcoming hardships and dick slang.