Hall & Oates. Seriously?

March 17th, 2010 § 0

Amongst a few other albums (Broken Bells – Self Tiled, Crazy Heart Soundtrack, Soldier of Love – Sade, Have One on Me – Joanna Newsom, Dark Night of the Soul – Dangermouse and Sparklehorse) that have been on rotation on my iPhone the past couple weeks, “The Essential Collection – Daryl Hall and John Oates” has been keeping me particularly nostalgic. I’m always impressed by how many era defining pop hits they had in the 80s.

The incessant researcher in me likes to read up on artists I’m listening to (especially the older ones), so  I’ll consult Wikipedia, NME, and take a look at YouTube (not exactly reading) every once in a while. Knowing that “She’s Gone” was Hall & Oates’ first recorded hit¹, I figured it would be worth it to see how they were rocking in the ’70s. Below I share with you what I found.

This video is either a testimony to the strangeness of the 70s or an example of how a group survived a close call with infamy. It’s almost as if they blew their entire music video budget on drugs and hair spray and hired the local public access station crew to produce their music video. What ever the cost of the video, the result is priceless.

¹It’s technically their second top ten, but it was covered twice by other artists and originally recorded about 5 years before it was re-released.

Proportion

March 11th, 2010 § 0

Matarsak: Scarecrow. A Music Video.

March 2nd, 2010 § 1

Matarsak from Miguel Alvarez on Vimeo.

The video above was the fourth place winner in the Farhang Foundation’s 2nd Annual Short Film Festival. The main requirement for the festival was as follows: “The video and the music need to compliment each other in telling a visual story about an aspect of Iranian Heritage such as arts, history, culture, crafts, geography, cuisine or lifestyle.”

Of the top 4 videos, the one above was by far my favorite; It also helped me to discover the paradoxical, modern Persian classical music of Fared Shafinury and Tehranosaurus, which I have been enjoying.

Synchronized Classroom Disobedience

February 28th, 2010 § 0


Asian Girls Creepy Synchronized Disobedience

Evidently  juvenile disobedience in the classroom can be hilarious…especially when it’s synchronized. These daring Japanese school girls take this classroom prank to the next level  and what’s almost as funny as their synchronized moves are the punishments the teacher assigns to the students (e.g., standing to the side of the classroom on one leg with hands in the air, doing a weird dance, etc.).

Recycled Gym Hardwood Floors

February 25th, 2010 § 0

Taken at the Hammer Museum

Ramen Porn.

February 21st, 2010 § 0

One Example

There are modern day explorers–culinary Cousteaus–who roam cities, exploring different cuisines one adventure/restaurant at a time. One such culinary explorer who is eating his way through Tokyo’s ramen shops one shop at a time is Nate at Ramenate. His blog offers a great glimpse into one of Japan’s culinary treasures, ramen, and offers plenty of ramen porn for you to salivate over.

Other such explorers exist in CA as well, such as the Great Taco Hunt blog and others.

’80s Funk: Neoton Familia

February 17th, 2010 § 1

Classic.

Another example of ’80s funk care of Hungarian super band Neoton Familia. Listening to this track will cause you to conjure up images of legwarmers, Jazzercise and strangely dressed people in the 80s dancing to disco/funk. In other words, this track is a winner.

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VTine Twenty One Zero

February 14th, 2010 § 1

For all the lovers out there and those wanting to be inspired by some love grooves, I present to you my Valentine’s Day 2010 Mix made especially for my Valentine and shared with you (for a limited time). It’s a few miscellaneous love songs sandwiched between acoustic ballads and 80′s Funk with a touch of  freakyness at the end care of Leon Haywood. Enjoy.

Link to Mix

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Starbucks: A “Jobsian” Renaissance?

February 4th, 2010 § 0

I’ve been saying this for a few months now to anyone who will lend me an ear: I think Starbucks is experiencing a renaissance of sorts. I think it’s a company (and stock) worth watching and it seems the NY Times agrees; they’re calling it a rebound.

My interest in coffee shops and coffee in general began at a young age with my grandfather who is one of my greatest heroes. He used to pick me up from school and take me to Peet’s Coffee next to the Claremont Hotel in Berekeley, CA, nearly 20 years before Peet’s became a national company and coffee shops became a publicly traded phenomenon. I remember the confusion and delight on the barista’s face when I, as a child, would walk up to the counter and order a cup of coffee (half milk, half coffee) with a brownie that I could never finish.

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Espresso by the Masters @ Intelligentsia

January 31st, 2010 § 0

Intelligentsia has in many ways perfected espresso and how coffee is prepared and served. Their attention to detail, design aesthetic, and the quality of their product are setting a new standard in the coffee shop experience. This video gives a glimpse into how they do it and why they’re my favorite coffee shop. Kudos to the Department of the 4th Dimension for a well done video.

Those of you interested in using a Syphon coffee maker should look here.