This is an incredible music video. It's second to none after this one, of course. Watch the video until the very end for the M. Night Shyamalan twist! [youtube=http://youtube.com/watch?v=oMLCrzy9TEs]
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Music
My friend Nicole sent me this and said "It should be on your blog." After viewing it, I'm not sure what she's trying to say. I think I've been insulted. But then here I am posting it on my blog. Thanks Nicole. Thanks A LOT. Slut. [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bIePiYEFxPY]
Update: That girl disabled embedding. What a bitch. Just click here to view it.
Watch this video of a jazzy Korean band where the singer croons some love song. What makes this blog worthy is the chubby drummer in the background who is playing and acting as if this is a Def Leppard concert. It starts off a little slow but you'll be amply rewarded. [youtube=http://youtube.com/watch?v=dw3z9s99r64]
Who doesn't have at least one cover of the seemingly ubiquitous song "Hallelujah" in their iTunes collection, if not the Jeff Buckley version. Along with pulling the first all nighter to finish that term paper and taking PS 22: City Politics, possessing this song seems to be a near requirement of all college freshmen.
Twenty-five years ago, a character on the TV show The Young Ones named Neal--the hippie--said, "I'm beginning to feel like a Leonard Cohen record, cause nobody ever listens to me." Today, in contrast, one particular Leonard Cohen song is featured prominently in no less than three separate episodes of teen uberdrama The OC, and can be heard in at least twenty-four separate movies and TV episodes, almost always as the soundtrack to a montage of people being sad.What I hope to show today is how, exactly, that happened to a song called "Hallelujah."
After reading this I simultaneously both wanted to delete my copy of this song AND listen to it as well.
I don't think this was produced by Timbaland, but this video makes a good argument for MTV showing more music videos again instead of the umpteenth showing of True Life: Pimp My 16th Sweet Crib Special: [youtube=http://youtube.com/watch?v=fPDl2g8Upvk]
Pandora.com is fantastic, especially when the iPod battery dies.
I went through a period in my life where I used to watch BET 106 and Park regularly and... I don't care who you are, but you HAD to give it up to my man Jin when on BET freestyle fridays he destroyed all those phony challengers. Seriously, watch these clips to see what's called "running the table" as he straight slays all these cats one after the other. Also, note how he wins the initially skeptical crowd over week after week--who were all too stupid to keep coming at him with the Chinaman jokes (What's wrong with ya'll? It's the 21st mofo century). Unfortunately the above videos don't capture the last few battles where he gets better and better, and by the last battle the crowd is outright mocking the pathetic roadkill challenger. Anyway, back to the point of this entry. Watch this clip of my friend's friend freestyle for like 9 minutes non-stop. It takes me 9 minutes to just write a haiku so...
Cy sent me this music video and it's simply joyous. [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VpFRbFLoaO4]
This is a nicely executed music video of a remix of that classic olde tyme song "Singing in the Rain." [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LDnXjx6Ht70]
Remember that movie with Marky Mark and Jennifer Aniston where Marky Mark plays the lead singer of a cover band who by twist of luck and talent becomes the actual lead singer of the very band he covers and idolizes before eventually becoming subsumed by the sex, drugs, and rock 'n roll lifestyle? Yea, me neither. Anyway, Journey found their new lead singer on YouTube. SO meta. His name is Arnel Pineda and is the lead singer of a Filipino band called "The Zoo" and in addition to original stuff, they also cover Journey and the Arnel absolutely kills it.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=laMXGoCgp1c]
L: Yo, Nael Yaim's CD is so HOT. I swear! It's really unique. L: Download it so we can discuss!
L: i'm SERIOUS
L: you will like it.
L: at least listen to some samples
L: on iTunes
Me: Ok
[10 minutes later]
Me: ok
Me: most amazing album ever
Me: holy moly
Me: i'm like....orgasming at it
L: wait
Me: literally.
L: you like it?
L: are u being sarcastic?
Me: ORGASMING
Me: NO
Me: so good
L: yay!
Me: I esp. like track 14
L: lemme listen
L: w. the bells at the beginning?
Me: So good
Me: And then 18 is great too
L: do you like the new soul one too
Me: YEAS
[I didn't listen to it. I didn't think the album would get as high as 14 tracks, let alone 18.]
Lauryn Hill talks way too much. Sometimes when I'm listening to this album I think for a moment that I bought a book on tape. More sing, less talk!
In the red corner we have "Hipster Girl" that mocks all things Hipster from Bedford to Grand, although I secretly suspect everyone in the music video lives somewhere either in Bedford or on Grand. That said, the "hipster girl" in the vid does give me that funny feeling. [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PTbwCsjN4Ek]
In the blue corner we have "Dim Sum Girl" by Asian hip hop trio Notorious MSG. Unfortunately the only video of this song I could find was that of these three AZN brothers out in Texas putting their own spin on this song. But you get the general idea. [youtube=http://youtube.com/watch?v=FaNRg3nn23U]
So you've seen both videos. Which do you prefer?
Lately I've noticed a catchy song playing during a Sprite commercial: the one with the basketball players jumping into the court which turns into a pool.[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G1latJ7K8zc]
Anyway, I decided to look into the song and apparently it was a song specifically created for the Sprite commercial by a music company Human Worldwide.
You can download the song at this myspace profile. And you can find out a lot more information on this commercial at this advertising blog.
[Wordpress complaint: I wish Wordpress would permit mp3 embedding like Tumblr or Pownce. It's such a great additional functionality that makes a blog more dynamic.]
I've always been fascinated by the notion of the virulent quality of the summer 'jam.' By summer jam, I'm of course referring to that one song that somehow dominates the airwaves and clubs during the hot months of June, July and August. One particular common trait among summer jams is the inanity of the lyrics, although the Thong Song--that paean to the thong--is rather brilliant. Relatedly, check out this essay where the author explicates Rihanna's summer jam "Umbrella" and explains why it was this summer's jam:
Rihanna’s song reminds us that umbrella is a cool word. It’s fun to say “umbrella,” which comes from the Latin meaning “little shadow,” by the way. Also, it is double fun to say cool words in different and surprising ways. We normally think of umbrella as a three syllable word. Rihanna has made it four. Um-bur-el-la. It is also fun to say parts of words and sometimes just to make sounds. And that is what Rihanna does. It makes up the entirety of the “hook” of the song. She sings, “under my um-bur-el-la, el-la, el-la, eh, eh, eh.”
Those last three sounds are important. I don’t think “Umbrella” could have been a summer jam without the “eh, eh, eh.” She makes it a guttural sound that comes from the back of the throat, or maybe from down in the esophagus somewhere. As a friend pointed out, it is the same sound that comes out of the throat of the Cranberries’ lead singer in the song “Zombie”. Now “Zombie” wasn’t a summer jam but it was a huge hit and I think that had a lot to do with the noises. If anything, the Cranberries woman went a little overboard with the “eh”ing. Rihanna reigns it in and gives us an “eh” trinity, which is appropriate. The summer jam has to be tight.
When I first heard this song, I would have never predicted that it would be the monster that it became simply because the Jay-Z intro is terrible, te-ra, te-ra, te-ra, eh, eh, eh. I would presume that a summer jam would need a heavy pop beat that instantly surrounds and infects the listener with its mind numbing pop injection. "Umbrella" doesn't quite fit this model. However, I think I agree with this author's point about the guttural quality of the "eh-eh-eh," but in addition, I contend that the final missing link in understanding how such an asinine song became a contagious hit is that the "el-la, el-la, el-la, eh, eh, eh" repetition made it a sing along that even Helen Keller could mimic.
[Thanks Kzar!]
And if you're reading this--you know who you are--for the last time: NO, I don't think you resemble Rihanna at all.
I once got a ticket from the police. That sucked. What wouldn't suck however is getting tickets for The Police, especially if the tickets are free, which is exactly what happened to two girls sitting in front of me in Union Square yesterday. After work yesterday I met up with Munibhen for some post-work people watching on the steps of Union Square. It was uneventful except for the two, yes two, soft ice cream cones I had (oink oink) and unrelatedly, getting kicked in the side by a precocious child. Literally. I was talking to Munira and suddenly I felt this incredibly sharp jab in my side. I yelled "ouch" and looked over. This kid was hanging on swinging on the railing and decided to fucking kick me. He then said, "What's your name?" Cute kid, but I was pissed. I responded "I'm not telling you! You just fucking kicked me!" I scared him away.
In case you're wondering: I'm actually amazing with kids.
Some point later, this nondescript guy walks over to the two girls sitting in front of us. He hands them a pair of tickets and says these are for the Police reunion concert that night at Madison Square Garden. "My girlfriend and I can't go" he said. The girls looked stunned as were we. I think I kept mumbling, "Hey! I like the Police too!" As he walked away, he said "Those are in Row B."
Wondering why that Fugees reunion ain't happening? Blame Lauryn.
When you go back to work or class on Monday coworkers and classmates inevitably ask "How was your weekend?" You smile. "It was nice, relaxing, and I went to a couple parties" you say. They nod familiarly and respond with the stock reply about how the weekends are always too short. Meanwhile behind your friendly visage, melancholy brews: You find yourself going out, and enjoying the laughter and company of old familiar friends and new ones, nonetheless a lacuna grows as none of them compares to...you, or rather nothing compares 2 u. [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9p2mpr1hAFo]