I Recover. Day 1

These months-long hiatuses have to stop! I keep putting off writing new blog posts for more than a year now and that's some bad blogger habit I need to quit. Every few months or so I keep coming back with a post similar to this and I promise (I hope) that this is the last one. 

I used to only write new entries when inspiration struck me but I've recently learned that that approach is NOT AT ALL EFFECTIVE! Waiting for inspiration to strike is work of the lazy and I'm trying to change that. A huge part of the reason why I'm making this change is because of Casey Neistat. Lately, he's been my biggest inspiration on being super productive, like have three jobs kind of crazy productive. I mean, how else would I ever get to afford to live in New York? I somewhat already have two and so, I'm making this my third. Nothing too radical though, I just want to have some time to write. And so, I'm doing this self-imposed writing challenge. 7 days, 7 blog posts. (fingers crossed)

I'm actually excited about this 7 day stint and have been thinking about it for the past month. (Yeah, this post has been in my drafts for a month now. ugh) So typical me wanted to put it off until I had a bank of things to write about (again with the security blanket. ugh, right?). I have to stop this habit of procrastinating and waiting. So, here I am just doing it. I worry so much about what to put in here when in reality, nobody probably even reads this. (Ha!)

Now jokes aside, what is this going to be anyway?
I want to try to make content daily (with subpar visuals), but only for a week. At first, I wanted to do it for 15 days straight, but let's be realistic here. I've only made 6 entries last year so pushing to 15 is a bit much. Now, 7 is a bit ideal.

In the coming week, you'll be reading about what I've been up to, new music I've been listening to, share some stories (pre-blogging era), and basically, anything that I could write about. I've recently watched Alt-J live in concert, so you have that to look forward to.

But for today, I'd like to keep it simple and offer some daily inspiration.

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Bastille: Live in Manila

Happy new year! And what a way to start the year with Bastille. Yes, Bastille! Those four English lads that sing about the ruins of Pompeii and a (fictitious) dead girl called Laura Palmer. It is one of the best concerts I have attended, definitely Top 5 material (knocking FTP down to number 6, soz). It is one of those nights that I wish would go on longer, no matter how tired my legs would be afterwards. It's the best feeling in the world to see one of your favorite bands, to be amidst their music, the energy, the people. And that's why I always choose to watch my favorite acts even though it leaves me being broke in the end.

Oh, and I met (and hugged!!!!!) all of Bastille.

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Too Bright

Music makes me poetic.

I love it when an album catches you by surprise and sort of demands you to stop whatever you're doing and just listen. And then have all these different emotions rush through you like it's no big deal.  But really, it is(!) because now you're three songs deep and somehow you've got a napkin on your hand ready to catch the first tear to fall. But then it doesn't because you don't let it fall. You don't want it to fall...

...because now, you're not really listening to the music anymore. You're listening to the voice in your head that you've silenced for so long, like an "old friend" with a silly grin on its face. You try not to listen and it usually works. But this time it doesn't and it really hurts. 

{break}

You've reached the last song and somehow, you know all the words too well. You sing, "deep down I never did feel right..."And now you wonder, when will I get it right.

~

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"Summer" of Dreams

Where do I even begin?

How about we set the vibe first. It starts out with a some Chet Faker, FKA Twigs, SOHN, and then a little bit of James Bay and George Ezra. Oh, and throw in some Hozier in the mix too. Mmm, yeah. That feels just about right.

Now, where were we? Oh, yeah. Apparently I'm bad at blogging. But that's about to change now. And I am serious this time like, I-want-to plan-an-elaborate-wedding-proposal-to-you-that-would-soon-go-viral-once-I-upload-a-video-of-it-on-YouTube-because-it-was-ridiculously-grandiose kind of serious. But, enough with the promises and on with the agendas.

The past few months have been so different compared to what I was doing a year ago... and I kind of love it. Aside from the uncertainty of where I'd be a year from now and the worries and anxieties that come along with it, it's that same uncertainty that brings excitement to my life. If you told a year ago that I'd be brushing shoulders with Matty (of The 1975) and Thomas Mars (of Phoenix), I would've told you you're crazy because those sorts of things do not happen to me. I'm the type of person who'd buy a Killers concert ticket only to find out they'd soon be disbanding/taking a break and cancel the whole tour (circa 2011). But I guess things finally took a turn for the best because not only have I watched a few of my favorite bands live but I've also found myself to be a certified yoga teacher now. A year ago, I wrote this letter and briefly mentioned how I wanted to pursue my certification and now I actually am. I can't believe that was just a year ago.

For someone who doesn't do much, a lot has happened.

Now, what exactly have I been up to in the months that I've missed blogging?

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Digital Witness

On The Radar Vol. 6

We're back! The two-month hiatus is over and we can finally enjoy some new music. On this issue of the Radar, we are surrounded by the number two. We talk about sophomore albums, alt pop duos, and two-weekend festivals.

~~~

Foster The People is done with their second album and gives us a taste of it with their newest single, Coming Of Age. The album, entitled Supermodel, will be out on March 18. In the meantime, you can watch the music video they did with BRTHR for Coming Of Age (Watch). You can always expect a great music video from Foster The People and this new one doesn't disappoint. In an interview, Mark Foster said, "aesthetically, we had talked about on this record working with film more, and working with kind of more classic photography." (Watch) 

BRTHR is composed of the newcomer directors, Alex Lee and Kyle Wightman. They are the minds behind MS MR's Think Of You video and the most recent one as Miley Cyrus' cat visual from her performance at the AMA 2013 (Watch).

Here, Mark Foster talks more about the song:

“Coming of Age was the last song we wrote for the record, we wrote it in the studio while we were recording. It kind of came out of nowhere, which songs do sometimes. It’s kind of funny, it’s the last song we wrote and recorded and it is the first song everybody is going to hear. 

Lyrically, it is almost a confession. It is about a moment of clarity, having a moment of clarity and I think for me this year, being home, was that quiet after the storm of touring for two years and my life drastically changing. 

It was kind of the first breath I had to really look around and see that there were some things that happened during that period with my friends and with my loved ones, with the people that are close to me and with myself as well. It is the first time that I got a clear look on those things and that’s kind of what the song is about. It’s about growing up.”

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I Met Youth Lagoon

Seventeen by Youth Lagoon

I remember everything, from the moment I first spotted the curly-haired man in orange hippie garb to the moment I tried speaking to him. My memory of that short time is so vivid in my brain, I hope it stays that way even as years go by. 

I first came across Youth Lagoon's music last year when I was discovering artists from the 2013 Coachella line-up. I really enjoyed his music and I instantly felt a connection. It makes me feel all sorts of things. Sometimes music does that to me and listening to it makes it an even better experience. Of course, like the geek that I am, I wanted to learn more about Youth Lagoon and started reading about the brilliance that is Trevor Powers. I even wrote about him back in March. He's one of the artists that I feel a strong affinity to because I can somewhat relate to his music. His words are beautiful and speak so much. I read somewhere that his music is to some extent an extension of himself and feels like pages off his journal. Flash forward to 25 January, I was in the crowd and he was on stage. I kept remembering that little piece of information when I was watching him perform. I was in awe of him and his art and I couldn't believe I was there to witness it.

I should probably first mention that I was at Singapore last January 23-27 for St. Jerome's Laneway Festival to see him and many more great artists.

Now, here's how I remember meeting Trevor.

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50 Best Songs of 2013

It's that time of the year again to look back and reminisce on the year that has passed. Oh, what a year it has been and boy, did time fly by real fast. Now that Pitchfork, Rolling Stone, and Stereogum have all released their Best-Of lists, I decided to join in on the fun.

2013 has been a year of bands coming back from long breaks like Daft Punk, My Bloody Valentine, Mazzy Star, and Black Sabbath. There were also amazing second and third albums from The Dubs (Vampire Weekend), MGMT, Local Natives, Surfer Blood, Grouplove, Best Coast, M.I.A., and many more. There's so many great music produced this year and I'm so glad I was able to absorb at least a percentage of it. I have so many albums that I wish I'd given more time to listen to like Laura Marling's Once I Was An Eagle that barely got playtime on my iTunes, or Noah and the Whale's Heart Of Nowhere that has probably only plays for There Will Come A Time, or Blood Orange(aka Dev Hynes)'s Cupid Deluxe, which I haven't even gotten myself to pressing that play button yet. There's so many things I want to listen to but sometimes my mood just tells me to play that Bastille record one more time. So, I'm saying sorry now for not having any of the aforementioned artists on my list but it's still a pretty good list.

But before that, I have to mention that my babies, Vampire Weekend, were given the number one spot on Rolling Stone's Best Album of 2013. I can't help but be all proud and happy for them because I know it has been a real journey for the completion of this masterpiece called Modern Vampires of the City. These young lions really took their time and it shows because of the deep and mature tone the lyrics have become since talking about oxford commas five years ago. They definitely deserve this spot and I'm hoping they win a Grammy for this because, as biased as this may sound,  I strongly believe this is Vampire Weekend's year.

Now, on to the list.

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A Very Ambitious Wish List Vol. II

Listen to Joy To The World by Citizens

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Tegan and Sara: Live in Manila

November 25, 2013 - 7PM

NBC Tent, Fort Bonifacio, Global City

If there's one thing you should know about me, it's that I love music. 

So obviously, I must love concerts and I do. I always jump on the chance to see an artist perform whenever I can, especially if I really, really like them. The plan was to watch TDCC on the 26th but then sadly they had to cancel a few shows and Manila was one of them. Truthfully, it was a little bit of a sigh of relief because, being the huge fan that I am, I was planning on purchasing tickets for the concert the day before and also, I didn't have the money yet for said tickets so it was somewhat okay for me. I know, it's a self-centered reason but hey, I'm staying positive that they will come back. If I learned anything from previous cancelled shows, I'm guessing they will be back in 3 years, just like The Killers. 

The next best thing to that debacle was to see Tegan and Sara. I knew my friend, Yana, had free tickets from her company and I basically begged her to take me. It wasn't a sure thing until the morning of the concert and that sheer good news was enough to take me to my happy (and weird) place. I was listening to their songs all afternoon and every time their song Closer came on play, I got even more excited. 

Up Dharma Down was their opening act and they were amazing. I had seen them before at Wanderland but only from a distance but then seeing them at this show was so much better. I felt their music and I have grown to appreciate more of their music. 

Then Tegan and Sara came on stage and everything was amazing.

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In The Open

"Statistically speaking, you will die having missed almost everything." This is the sad truth in life. 

I came across this article from NPR from two years ago and it kind of hit a nerve. We all know the days we have in this lifetime are short and precious thus, some of us live it meaningfully while others go batshit crazy and start saying 'YOLO' in attempts to make life more adventurous.

Though the article doesn't actually go that route. It focused more on being well-read and knowledgeable about books, music, and films and how it is physically impossible to know everything especially since new content is being made every second of every minute of every hour. Now that everything is practically handed to us, it is our choice to decide what we'd want to be well-versed in. This is a problem for me because sometimes I feel like I want to watch all episodes of the The Office and Arrested Development or watch all of the classic Doctor Who which is about 695 episodes or know all the words to every Black Keys song and there's at least a hundred of those or watch all of my dad's dvd collection which I can calculate as 200+++. There's so much to be taken in when there's only one of me and 24 hours in a day. That's why sometimes I end up falling asleep at four in the morning while listening to some podcast that I probably wouldn't be conscious by the time it finishes.

Although the reality that I'll die having not known about some film that could've changed my life is a little bit haunting, I guess, the flip slide to all of this is that this just makes life more interesting and giving you something to look forward to. There'll always be something new to discover, new records to excite you, new films that will inspire you, and new books that will bring you to another universe. If I had finished my list of everything I want to see, read, hear, and everything else, then I'll probably end up being bored to death. But then again, I'm pretty sure my list will never stop growing.

Linda Holmes concluded the article well saying,

It's sad, but it's also ... great, really. Imagine if you'd seen everything good, or if you knew about everything good. Imagine if you really got to all the recordings and books and movies you're "supposed to see." Imagine you got through everybody's list, until everything you hadn't read didn't really need reading. That would imply that all the cultural value the world has managed to produce since a glob of primordial ooze first picked up a violin is so tiny and insignificant that a single human being can gobble all of it in one lifetime. That would make us failures, I think.  

If "well-read" means "not missing anything," then nobody has a chance. If "well-read" means "making a genuine effort to explore thoughtfully," then yes, we can all be well-read. But what we've seen is always going to be a very small cup dipped out of a very big ocean, and turning your back on the ocean to stare into the cup can't change that.

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Darkness of the Dawn

 First, let's talk about James Blake.

Recently, I've been listening to some podcasts and in this one station that I tune in called All Songs Considered, they briefly talked about James Blake and from then on I became interested in his artistry and virtuosity. I've listened to his song Retrograde multiple times before but I've never really gotten to know him as an artist. And going back to that podcast, the hosts, Bob Boilen and Robin Hilton, caught up with him after a show and spoke about possibly having a song that has changed his life. He was quick to say that it was Trouble Blues by Sam Cooke, which came out back in 1963. He said, "It's the hum. In some subconscious way, I filtered that into Retrograde." When you listen to Cooke's track, you'll definitely understand what he was talking about. What actually drew me to Retrograde was the humming. I remember first hearing it and couldn't get it out of my head, which is not at all a bad thing.

Trouble Blues by Sam Cooke

There's a touch of a soulful vibrato when he sings showcased especially in his cover of Feist's Limit To Your Love. But don't call him a soul singer because he doesn't see himself falling into that category. In an interview with Pitchfork, Blake said, "I've never felt like I was a soul singer. It's not really who I am." He goes on about how he feels when people call him "soulful" in the interview, which you can read here. Whatever genre he may lie, it doesn't hide the fact that he's got an amazing voice. 

His take on songwriting has always been about being true to himself, as cliche as that may sound. He says, "When I'm writing a track, I feel like I have to produce something that totally represents me and, if it doesn't, then it's stopped immediately. There's not even a second thought -- I'll close it and do something else. Being honest is an individual thing. It's not something that other people judge you on, although they can smell it. "  

I've fallen in love with his song, The Wilhem Scream. The lyrics go, " I don't know about my dreams. I don't know about my dreaming anymore. All that I know is I'm falling. Might as well fall in. I don't know about my love. I don't know about my loving anymore. All that I know is I'm falling. Might as well fall in." and that's it all through out the 4:36 duration of the song. It's so simple yet when he sings it, it feels like it has so much weight to it and meaning to every word he says. With every verse he sings, it feels like he's asking me a question about life and where it is headed to or rather, succumbed to.  Although, I might just be thinking way too deep into this and it's probably because I'm writing this into the wee hours of the night. And so, I am really excited to see him perform live next year at Laneway Singapore because all I've heard are amazing things about his live performances. They're making live electronic music and he and his band do not have pre-taped samples or sequences with them. The looping is all done live. I can't wait to see it for myself. 

Watch him perform The Wilhem Scream live on Later With Jools Holland. (Watch)

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Harvest of Gold

This week it's all about the indie music, Baby. (Yes, I did just call you baby.) There's some rock and dance vibes plus a little bit of folk to keep it interesting. We talk about the 3 As: Avocados, Afterlife, and Alt-J.

October has been treating us well, wouldn't you agree? Although, it isn't over yet. This week, Jagwar Ma's Let Her Go gets a remix by Jagwar Yew. This Australian trio out of Sydney is already stirring up some waves from down under. Their new remix EP is out now. Check it out. (Here)

Kurt Vile also released a new song, Feel My Pain and it's available for free download. Download by clicking the link.

The new Los Campesinos! video for Avocado, Baby is here. The line: "I feel like I'm the host of a terrible game show" inspired the whole video, which is directed by Craig Roberts. (Watch)

Pitchfork did an interview with frontman, Gareth Campesinos!, and talked about the kind of music they'd turn to when faced with different circumstances for their feature called Situation Critical. Here's an excerpt: (Read)

Pitchfork: You're picking out songs for your own funeral...

Gareth: One song I definitely want played is “Three Lions”, which was England's official European Championship song in 1996 and the World Cup song in 1998. It’s properly euphoric and arguably my favorite ever song. I'd also want “Here” by Pavement, because it’s a really beautiful song and obviously very appropriate with its “everything’s ending here” coda. 

And I can’t do this interview and not talk about the Beautiful South, because they are like my Beatles. If it wasn’t for Morrissey, I think Beautiful South frontman Paul Heaton would have been Morrissey. I love the Smiths, don’t get me wrong, but I think he’s 10 times the lyricist that Morrissey is. But he’s never been attractive or played the game or been cool or dressed well or anything like that. The Beautiful South are what I’d bring my kids up on.  

There’s a track off their first album called “Love Is”, and toward the end it deals with how, when you’re in a band, people think they care about you but in reality you’re just somebody who writes songs and they don’t really care about you as a person. So it goes, “Here’s the invitation to this caring nation/ Twenty-five years from now, will you come to my cremation?” It’s an appropriate sentiment. It’d be a nice send off if I was lowered into the grave or thrown into the sea.

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Better In The Dark

On The Radar: Issue #2 is all about the synths, funk, and a little bit of pop. This week we talk about sexy socialites, explorers, and being afraid. 

Charli XCX is tired of getting requests to write another 'I Love It' because it's not going to happen. She said: "We’ll never write a song like that ever again. I just kind of want to get out of that for a bit and do my thing." But she doesn't regret giving away the song to Icona Pop in the first place because they are "totally owning it". 

Now, she's focused on her second album and already released its lead single, SuperLove, to which Yeasayer just did a remix of.

Stereogum recently did a Q&A with her and I'd like to share this bit about their shared feelings towards pop music.

STEREOGUM: I think sometimes people want to imprint too much meaning on pop music when a lot of it is about that kind of simple, release. 

CHARLI XCX: Exactly. And I think it can still be meaningful, but I don’t think it has to be overly clever and ridiculously meaningful. I think stuff can be dumb and easy and be really important.

They also talk about the ultimate karaoke songs and the biker gang that tried to run off with her while shooting her music video for SuperLove in Japan. (Read the full article here)

Tha Funk Lordz are back with Sexy Socialite. Chromeo are at it again and bringing the funk back for their third studio album, White Women, which has yet to be given a release date. This 6-minute single has Pat Mahoney (LCD Soundsystem, Museum of Love) playing drums for Dave 1 and P-Thugg. It's been said that the new album also includes appearances from Ezra Koenig of Vampire Weekend, Solange Knowles, and Toro Y Moi. But for now, you can look back and reminisce on the Reddit AMA they did a month ago. (Listen)

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Beautiful Rewind

Welcome to the first issue of On The Radar, a weekly round-up of pretty much all things music related. Plus, a playlist to boot. 

This week, we talk about the mother*ckers who never loved us, taking chances with James Blake, what Chvrches is doing right and everything in between.

~

Drake's album, Nothing Was The Same, has been getting high praises and even gets a "10 outta 10" from Vampire Weekend's frontman, Ezra Koenig. He's written a review for The Talkhouse and somewhere along the way it took an odd turn. At one point, he reveals he's colorblind. (But not really.)

Here's an excerpt:

"I have heard SOME of it. I heard that one called “Worst Behaviour,” the “motherfuckers never loved us” one – it really struck a chord. There are SO many motherfuckers out there. I’ve been making music since I was seven years old (started with piano) so I’ve been betrayed more times than I can count. You know how many people talk shit behind your back and then try to be your best friend over the course of 22 years in the industry?? Drake only got into music like five years ago, so if you see how angry he is — IMAGINE HOW I FEEL. 

Now, usually I can forgive but I won’t forget. However, there are some cases where I can forgive but I won’t forget OR forgive." 
Read the whole article here. 

While we're still on the subject of Drake, check out this hilarious list of his worst behavior by the Pitchfork staff. 
     "Made fun of friend for crying at the end of The Butler before silently crying to himself in the bathroom afterwards. - Larry Fitzmaurice" Surely, this happened, right?

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Music On My Mind

This week's music highlights:

The 1975 performs a Tiny Desk Concert and it is beautiful, sweet, and endearing. Matthew Healy's on his own in the NPR office with only his guitars to accompany him but this just makes it a little more heartfelt and personal. Check out the video. 

Kings of Leon does Robyn's Dancing On My Own. There's something about Caleb's voice that makes everything he sings so sensual. Check out the video. 

Bastille does Miley's We Can't Stop. It's quite genius of them to sneak in Achy Breaky Heart in their cover. You're missing out if you haven't heard it yet.  Check out the video.

London Grammar is most likely going to win this year's Mercury Prize award, says almost everybody. With the success Alt-j has received upon winning last year's award, it's safe to say London Grammar is going places too. Listen to this amazing song, Hey Now, off their debut album, If You Wait. Listen to the song. 

The Take Away show we've all been waiting for, Take Away Phoenix. The first time they were on, it was 2009 and a random couple on their wedding day just happily stumbled upon Phoenix playing 1901 at the Trocadero in Paris, France. It was pretty epic. Now, we get a 21-minute movie from La Blogotheque. There's Thomas singing on a PA system to a plane full of sleeping passengers, the band performing by the Museum and National Estate of Versailles, then doing so on a rowboat, and an acoustic of Countdown while on a stroll at a park. It's everything you wished to see for yourself. Check out the video.

So french fries, anyway... I mean, this performance of The Neighbourhood's Afraid is pretty funny, right? [You'll get the fries reference after watching.] Check out the video.


Check out these legs... or are they hotdogs? It's quite hard to tell sometimes but it sure is a laugh. Hot-dog-legs

Plastic Rain

Recommended music while reading: Smother by Daughter

    I look out my window and it's raining once more. I like this cool breeze the weather brings me. I'm more of a sweater weather, bury myself under the sheets, and stay in my pajamas all day kind of person. Today is one of those lucky days I get to do all these things. It's been awhile since I've been with myself lately. Most people are afraid to be alone and I don't get why. I like me. And I don't mean that in any vain way as possible. 

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Wanderland Festival 2013

I love music festivals. 

Coachella, Roo, Lolla, Glasto, SXSW, etc. I love it all. More like, I'd love to attend it all. I die a little every time a festival passes by and I'm miles away, probably watching the livestream if it's available. I've had a taste of it earlier this year but that just made me want it more. The day I finally get to be at either one of these festivals will be the pinnacle of my existence. 

So, generally, when I found out about Wanderland Festival, I got really excited. Nada Surf, Neon Trees, and The Temper Trap. These are bands that I listened to... about 3 years ago. That meant I was bound to be a bit rusty with the singing along. Being the cheapskates that we are, we opted on buying Gold tickets from groupon. Maybe next year if the line-up is better, then we might upgrade to the VIP section.

This festival wouldn't have been that much fun if it weren't for the great friends I was with. Well, that goes for everything else in life, I guess. But, I loved the vibes all through out the day. Chill with an inkling of a thrill. Also scorching hot and very clammy. Nonetheless, it was a great music-filled day. I really enjoyed Avalanche City's folk sound. Definitely going to be listening to more of their music, that's for sure. As for the "headliners", Neon Trees was absolutely amazing. The band was able to get the audience dancing to their tunes and @tylerinacoma is oozing with energy! But The Temper Trap's Sweet Disposition was a great way to end the night. [I couldn't help but find their music similar to Local Natives. Please tell me I'm not the only one. Speaking of Local Natives... That's a band I'm dying to watch live.]

Some thoughts on the festival:

• VIP and GA sections should've been separated at the middle or not at all, especially since it's a relatively small festival
• Start on time next time, not 2 hours later
• And more food choices/stalls please
• And if better bands will be in attendance next year, do not increase ticket prices (it already is a wee bit expensive)

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Let's Talk

So, I guess it's been awhile.

And it's quite obvious what we have to talk about first... Modern Vampires of the City! After 3 long years of waiting for the next Vampire Weekend album, it's finally here and it's their best yet. If you were like me and couldn't resist the temptation of the leak, then you've heard a masterpiece in itself. This lp shows how much they've matured as a band and as people. They're no longer kids who just graduated from Columbia; they're almost 30s who are pros at what they do. Plus, this band is so smart and a total smart-ass at the same time. I mean, they're clearly playing with us when they sing about Diane Young when they really mean Dying Young. And what about with their song, Ya Hey? Don't be disappointed when you realize it's not a response to OutKast's Hey Ya because they're actually calling out, Yahweh. Clever, right? And that's why I love them so much. It's still very much a Vampire Weekend tune and one that's worth "annoying" your neighbors with by blasting it through your speakers all day. I highly doubt anyone will be annoyed with the Dubs' music. But hey, look out your window sometime if you hear their music. You can never be too sure. They might just be there playing 'round your backyard.

I'm not here to bore you with the details of how MVOTC became a guessing game of what it meant and was dubbed as lp3 for the longest time and then called Lemon Sounds but was actually fake. And how they revealed what it meant thru a New York Times classified ad. Or details about how Unbelievers was New Song #2 at first upon playing Pitchfork last year. But I guess I already did. I mean, I could still bore you with some more but only if you want me to.

The truth is I just really want you to listen to their new album and vibe with me. Is that too much to ask?

*Totally avoiding writing about how I'm working now...*

Coachella: Step Up For The Cool Cats

April has crept upon us which means Coachella is right around the corner. Coachella has become one of the biggest festivals that draws in a huge crowd of people from all over the world. Tickets for the first weekend actually sold out in merely 15 minutes. That's crazy! But if you're one of the 80-85,000 (approx.) who will be attending, make sure you've got everything you're going to need prepared by now... if you're one of the overtly excited ones or maybe you just want to get things prepared early and be hassle-free the day itself. Hey, whatever floats your boat. It's important to have some essential things when you're going to music festivals. It's 3 days of live music under the sun, you're going to need a few things. Here are just a few that I feel the need for: comfortable shoes/booties, a hat, sunglasses, camera/s, and sunscreen. Last year, it actually rained on the first weekend and was extremely hot on the second weekend, so I guess it could go either way with the weather. But it looks like it's going to be a good one this summer. 

With over 170 performers in this year's line-up, it's hard to choose which bands you'll want to see. Here's the short list of who I'm excited to watch (via live stream). But be sure to check out up and coming bands as well like The Neighbourhood, Palma Violets, Divine Fits, Little Green Cars, Guards, DIIV, and many more. And check out the playlist I've made to get you pumped up for Coachella.

Coachella 2013 from leicamont on 8tracks Radio.

Thoughts on Coachella in a different post.

What's your vibe?

Lately, I've been all around the interwebs and reading a lot too, surprisingly. There's been reading of books, magazines, articles, and blogs - mainly some internet vibes. But I've been listening to a lot of new music too. I'm really liking Youth Lagoon's vibe. His music sounds dreamy, like an MGMT feel, but it also sounds quite vulnerable and sweet at the same time. Trevor Powers who goes by Youth Lagoon has described his musical venture as merely a part of himself and his music as somewhat like letting people read his journal. I love these kinds of musicians who are filled with passion and emotion. Check out this music video, Montana by Youth Lagoon, which is very emotional and powerful that people in this video's comments section are all crying, or almost. 

I've got a few more things to share too, like this short film entitled, The Queen, by Christina Choe. The video is described as such: Bobby works at his parents dry cleaners on prom weekend. When the prom queen and her boyfriend stop by with their dress and tuxedo, Bobby has his own prom to remember. 

This next one, The Scared is scared, ensued when Bianca Giaever asked a six year old on what her movie should be about. Don't let the title scare you away, it's not a horror flick. 

Flickering Lights is a project done by hitRECord, a collaborative production company headed by the great, Joseph Gordon-Levitt. It's a beautiful video and you should definitely check out more works on hitrecord.org. 

These next three music videos are my recent favorites. Cry Like A Ghost by Passion Pit is actually my favorite song off their album and then to have this masterpiece of a video to boot is nothing short of amazing. The directing duo Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert have produced great music videos much like this. They were the brains behind Foster the People's Houdini and The Shins' Simple Song. 

Jim Canty gives us four reasons why we should watch Whispers in the Dark by Mumford & Sons four times as much as we should. At one point, it features a cameo by Haim.

Matt & Kim's It's Alright video will leave you dancing along to their tune. I mean, they already are... dancing on their bed and more. Check out Kim twerking at around 2:39.