Empire of the Sun (Band)

I am all over these space cadets from Australia. One of my favorite movies as well (unrelated).

MGMT – Kids Video

Good times in Dallas over the last few days. Busy as hell with meetings with old coworkers and potential partners (imc2), one amazing client (Doritos) – no, seriously amazing, not just kissin’ ass – and old friends and family. Unfortunately there were a few missed, and I apologize. Philip (Centre) – I will be back in about 10 days. Dennis (Aztec) – See you next visit.

See ya!

K’Naan – Dreamer

I have been getting hit with Facebook ads for this guy for at least the last month or so, and ignored them because they were Facebook ads. It’s funny… If I saw the same ads on a music site, I may have actually paid attention, but for some reason I did not take it seriously because I saw it on Facebook. Anways… decided to give it a chance and kinda dig it. I mean… John Lennon lyrics in the hook. Gotta love it. Somalian-born artist K’NAAN.

I have this theory about most MCs (especially young ones)… There are a lot of reasons why so much lyrical content sounds the same. People will blame the labels, marketing, radio, etc… and all of that is true. But on another level, you cannot deny that most hip-hop is from a relatively concentrated perspective. Shit… I fell on the floor when I first heard ‘Vans’ mentioned in a rap song. How groundbreaking! But one huge missing component for so many young artists is the fact that they have almost no international perspective, except for what they see on CNN (if they are watching). That is how a young dude like K’Naan sounds fresh from the start. His commentary on what the US does while others are immersed in violence is definitely articulated from a vantage point that is very different than the easy ‘blame bush for everything’ perspective that most rappers are comfortable with. K’Naan is  calling out the citizens, not just president – which is very unique and appreciated.

Anyways… I hope you like the music.

Mickey Rourke in The Wrestler

Back in the day, my dad once told me that Mickey Rourke was his idol. He loved his movies, and even looked like him a little bit. The good Mickey Rourke, not the later version. But I really, really think my dad would have loved this new movie. He liked stories of redemption, and it seems that Mickey’s performance in this movie may call for a bit of redemption. He has already been nominated for Best Actor at the Golden Globes. I am so happy for him. I would love to see him at the podium. How cool would that be?

The Clash – Straight to Hell

It is always fun to learn where a song originated from. The first 15 seconds of this song are instantly recognizable.

Soundtrack of the Runways SS09

A while back – many, many months ago – I posted about a company that I dig called Agenda, Inc. I first stumbled upon them a few years back after reading their annual report on brand mentions in songs played on the radio.  They also gather all of the songs played at the big runway shows, and recently published the list for the Spring/Summer 09 Fashion Shows.   Here is the rundown of the most played:
London, Milan, Paris, New York

10 tracks most frequently played at SS09 runway shows:

Great DJ – The Ting Tings
(5 plays)

Viva La Vida – Coldplay
(4 plays)

Jungle Drum – Emiliana Torrini
(4 plays)

Electric Feel – MGMT
(3 plays)

Jager Yoga – CSS
(3 plays)

L.E.S Artistes – Santogold
(3 plays)

La Vie En Rose – Grace Jones
(3 plays)

O Superman – Booka Shade ft. Laurie Anderson
(3 plays)

You’ll Find a Way – Santogold
(3 plays)

Light Years – Beyond The Wizard’s Sleeve
(3 plays)

10 artists most frequently played at SS09 runway shows:

Santogold
(12 plays)

The Ting Tings
(10 plays)

Edith Piaf
(9 plays)

MGMT
(8 plays)

Prince
(7 plays)

Ladyhawke
(7 plays)

N.E.R.D
(6 plays)

The Kills
(6 plays)

Lykke Li
(6 plays)

Beyond The Wizard’s Sleeve aka Erol Alkan
(5 plays)

CSS
(5 plays)

View the rundown by designer after the jump.

Hey Lucian – Look us up sometime:  ACME CONTENT CO.

Silverman Supports…

TheGreatSchlep.com

Pacific Division – NYC Debut

I have had the west coast on the mind lately, and it has to do with a couple of recent experiences. First… I continue to be impressed by the grind of some youngstas from LA called The Love Hates, whose hard work, determination, creativity, talent, and overall hustle continues to impress. I definitely have a more extensive post coming on them, but this one is about Pacific Division aka PAC DIV.

I have to acknowledge that I am now weeks late with this post. But the fact that I am still thinking about it should say a lot.

I was very fortunate to be able to meet the guys and their mgmt at their hotel, then head over to sound check at the venue with them. Despite the fact that these dudes are catching MAJOR buzz, they made the most of an unorganized sound check, freestyling quite effectively over a danced up version of ‘Letting the Days Go By’ from The Talking Heads. Not one complaint, no attitude or even negative comment – they just made the most of a small setback and made it look fun as hell. I want a copy of that shit too!

I am not a journalist, nor qualified to write a review of a live performance. No dissecting set lists or any of that shit here. Bottomline… these dudes killed it and could not be more deserving of the mic that Q-Tip personally passed them on this night. Not to downplay the significance of their NY debut, but there were only about 30 people in the place – the most discerning, inpenetrable, New York hip-hop snobs, and by the end of the night, they were all bouncing for PAC DIV. Q-Tip, Sylvia Rhone, Asher Roth, Mickey Factz, Amanda Diva, and F.A.M.E. were all there to show support and usher in some of the coolest young cats in the game. Who knows what the major label system will do with them, but for these dudes, I don’t think it matters.

Side note: It was very refreshing to see someone pegged at the top of the most important major hip-hop label right now and Q-Tip shaking their heads in disbelief and amazement at Asher Roth doing his thing. Sickness.

On This Day…

August 4th, 1983 twenty-five long years ago, my favorite song was:

David Bowie – Let’s Dance

• My dad bought the tape. I listened.
• MTV played a huge role. Not that the video is all that exciting, but the visuals were key.

August 4th, 1988:

George Michael – Monkey

• My whole family loved WHAM – yeah, so – So it was totally natural that we’d love George Michael solo.
• This was my first concert. I just turned 13. I was blown away by the number of George Michael wannabees at the show. It was a new phenomenon for me. Dudes with bleach blond hair on top with the sides dyed black, leather jackets and boots with the silver metal toe and heel. I am sure it was commonplace in high schools and at bars, but nobody was trying to do that shit in 7th grade. Now that I am older, I have total visibility into the fact that 90% of all styles are spread by musicians.
• I still attribute my perpetual 5 o’clock shadow to George Michael 1987-88.

August 4th, 1993 (Just graduated):

Smashing Pumpkins – SOMA

• This album was is serious rotation for many months on the way to Brookhaven Community College – the most important school I ever attended.
• I know there were hits on this album, but this is the song that I always think of when I think back to driving to school as a nervous freshman.

August 4th, 1998

Massive Attack ft. Tracey Thorn – Protection

• This song had to make the list because it is still one of my faves to this day.
• It marks a time when I started getting influences from a broader group of friends- in particular, friends that I was meeting at college, like gay asian neighbors of mine with THOUSANDS of cds strewn around their apartment. Some things never change for these people.
• This song also had a brief cameo in the movie Hackers, which is where I first heard it. I watched the credits over and over and over again to try to figure it out.