This looks like it's some sort of computer animation, but apparently it is not. This was shot at the Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium in Japan, the second largest aquarium in the world. All shot using a Canon 5D camera. Pretty breathtaking. 

Kuroshio Sea - 2nd largest aquarium tank in the world from Jon Rawlinson on Vimeo.

Sufjan To Release...Something

Still desperately hoping for the next state in his alleged "album for every state" quest, but until then, this will have to do. A bit back, Sufjan Stevens did some sort of multimedia art something or other inspired by the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway. Some form of that project is being released to y'all on October 24. There will be different packages that will include, among other things, a CD of the "soundtrack," DVD film footage, photos, comic books, vinyls, a "stereoscopic 3-D Viewmaster reel"...Yeah, I don't know. It seems like all the effort put into the packaging of this thing alone could have produced handful of state-albums. Anywho, you can watch (what has been described as) the Wes Anderson-esque trailer below. 

THE BQE- A Film By Sufjan Stevens from Asthmatic Kitty on Vimeo.

Shorty Where Yo Head At?

More Toro Y Moi

toro y moi :: timed pleasure

New Pearl Jam: "The Fixer"

Like.

Mystery Team Trailer...Again

Derrick Comedy, inventors of everyone's favorite derogatory term (i.e. "ChadBroChill"), made a super low-budget movie (which received a bit of praise in the festival circuit) that finally got picked up. "Official" trailer started popping up today. Watch the official "green" trailer HERE (or watch the "unofficial" "red" trailer that I posted a few months back HERE). Features the intern from "Parks and Recreation."

Rumor of Kings Of Leon appearing on (Twilight's) "New Moon" soundtrack. READ HERE.

I find this highly unlikely.

Idol. Icon.

Let The Beat Build

Y'all. I think I'm entering back into one of my dance-jam phazes. Its probably because I haven't been outside of my bubble of misery for over a month. I'm itching to get my fun on. I've been revisiting some old favorites (including the ones I posted HERE and HERE earlier [those links should still be good]) as well as rediscovring some that I had forgotten about (including maybe the best Hood Internet jam ever [mashing Broken Social Scene and R. Kelly...genius]), and an old Ratatat remix that makes me "feel gangster"...did I use that phrase correctly?). 

hood internet :: i'm a flirt (shoreline)

jay-z & beanie sigel :: glock nines (ratatat remix)

Baboom!

Spongebob has finally become a trending topic on Twitter! I've been watching the fantastic Spongebob Squarepants for over nine years. And for over nine years, I have been ridiculed mercilessly by friends, family, and acquaintances (including being called "some kinda queer" by a friend's dad for showing up on Halloween in an SBSP costume). Well, who's the laughing non-queer now?

To be honest, you all are probably still laughing, and I'm sure my friend's dad will still find me to be "some kinda queer". I mean, an unemployed 26 year-old man (and I use the word "man" in the loosest sense of the word) getting excited that a cartoon (about an overly-excitable sea sponge that lives in a pineapple under the sea and a day job as a fry cook) has become a trending topic on a social networking site dominated by pre-teens...well, when it's laid out like that, it does sound a little pathetic. But I'll take my wins where I can get them, and I consider today a big 'ol "W" for me.

And to Mr. Squarepants: for the past nine years, no matter how down on my luck I was, or how down on myself I was being, you were always able to brighten my day with your guttural laughs. Your incorrigible optimism, your unbridled passion for life, and your uncanny ability to appreciate everything and everyone, no matter how colossal their flaws may have seemed to others, has truly been an inspiration to me, teaching me how to be a better person and a better friend (I mean that without the slightest bit of sarcasm). And for that, I'd just like to say thanks. I hope you're around for another nine years.


You sure do, big guy. You sure do.

P.S. For any of the uninitiated, I suggest you to watch THIS 11 MINUTE EPISODE, ENTITLED "SAILOR MOUTH." As far as I'm aware, it's the only episode of a cartoon (which, remember, is primarily aimed at young children) that is entirely based on a sponge, a starfish, and their uncontrollable use of profane language. Classic

Happy Birthday David Hasselhoff

Speaking of Panda Bear...

Y'all that dig dancey, dreamy, trippy, Panda Bear-esque jams and live in the Chicago-land area, I highly recommend checking out Toro Y Moi's (who I bumped earlier on BBWH) set at Ronny's in Chicago on Monday, August 10. It'll be a nice way to come down off of that Lollapalooza high. Word on the street is that this guy's gonna be a name to remember.

Toro Y Moi :: Blessa

I have no idea what a live set by this young, looping multi-instrumentalist will be like. But betwen the above song and the below video (which was all I could find by the way of live Toro Y Moi stuff), I think he's got his bases covered. The guy seems to be pretty deft at sound-manipulated aural-assaults as well as some simple heart-string tugging acoustic strumming. 

Digging Right Now: Atlas Sound "Walkabout (ft. Panda Bear)"

Technically, this is an Atlas Sound song, set to appear on the upcoming album, Logos, although it feels more like a Panda Bear song as interpretted by Atlas Sound. Really good, either way. Recommended for Animal Collective/Panda Bear fans.

Atlas Sound :: Walkabout (ft. Panda Bear)

Florence + the Machine Update

So the other day I was talking about how my revisiting of F+M had gone really well, and then recommended you check out "My Boy Builds Coffins," which was the song that was grabbing me the mostest at that particular moment. I still think that song is great, but I feel like I should have recommended "Cosmic Love" instead...I mean, dayum, girl. That song is POWERFUL. That's the only way to describe the song. The dreamy beauty of the harp contrasting with those enormous and pounding drums, yowzas. Not to mention that Florence sings with such reckless abandon. And in the second half of the song where she layers all of her vocals, it's like a punch to the face. Good times.

LISTEN HERE.

Grizzly Bear Do "Ready, Able" On Letterman (w/ strings!)

This song souded totally boss with all the strings. Ed's voice was way more powerful than usual. Reeeaaaall excited to see them at the Metro this September.

New Passion Pit Video: "Eyes As Candles"

Pashy Pit are two for two on enjoyable videos. (ignore the song title that vimeo has listed)

Passion Pit | To Kingdom Come from EFFIN' MEGA VIDEOS on Vimeo.

Cedar Rapids makes it to the big screen, courtesy of the Nard-Dog.

Happy Birthday Will Ferrell

New Lykke Li...Sort Of

Andreas Kleerup is responsible for the music and arrangement, and I believe Li is just contributing the vox. It's a pretty song, albeit quite the melancholy affair. As Matthew Perpetua from Fluxblog says, "it has the sort of intense gravity that can pull on you're mood, even if you're feeling just fine..."

Kleerup ft. Lykke Li :: Until We Bleed

Happy Birthday Ian Curtis (one day late)

One of my favorite songs of all time.

p.s. If y'all haven't seen the Ian Curtis biopic Control, get on that. So sad. So good.

Flight Of The Conchords Nominated For A Couple Emmy's, Including One For This Song

New Kurt Vile MP3 and Album Details

Get all the good news (and grab the great MP3) over at MATADOR'S SITE. Really digging the album title and cover.

Florence & the Machine

This UK lady has been making waves since at least 2008, if not earlier. It mostly started with her single "Kiss With A Fist," which put her in the  over-hyped-UK-female-piano-pop-artists-with-songwriting-abilities-and-attitude category. Sort of billed as "the new Kate Nash" when the original Kate Nash had just barely got there. I sort of brushed her off. But some of the songs I'm hearing on this new album, Lungs, have been making me think I might have judged a little bit prematurely. One helluva voice on that gal. And it's so hard to peg down, too. Sometimes sounding emotional and affected, like La Roux. Sometimes filled with the spunk of Kate Nash. Sometimes dripping with a Fiona Apple-esque melancholy (see "Hurricane Drunk"). Sometimes coming from the gut, reminding me a bit of Bell (see the epic "Cosmic Love"). Just love it. Check out the excellent song below, which instrumentally reminds me a bit of the National, believe it or not (and that's about as big a compliment as I can give).

Florence And The Machine :: My Boy Builds Coffins

"The Body's Craving..."

Y'all...Shakira's new jam is HOOOOOTTTTTT!!!! If they ever play this joint at da klub, look the fudge out. Listen to it OVER HERE.

Although, I still think my favorite werewolf themed song would have to be THIS.

Des Moines Iowa Is The Little Town From Footloose

From the AP:

Dancing the night away in Des Moines doesn't seem to be at the top of many must-do lists. Maybe because it's illegal.

An obscure city ordinance outlaws publicly shaking your groove thing in Iowa's biggest city after 2 a.m.

Few even were aware of the ban until members of the nonprofit Des Moines Social Club sought to hold an after-hours dance at their downtown building. They were told no-go on the tango.

Officials and boosters in the city of 200,000 who have fought for years to liven up Des Moines' sleepy image agree the ordinance should be repealed. A proposal to do just that was tentatively approved by the City Council on Monday, though a final decision won't come until mid-August.

The ordinance, which dates to at least 1942, bans public dancing between 2 a.m. and 6 a.m. Monday through Saturday. Residents must suppress the urge to Macarena in public until 8 a.m. on Sunday.

I'm not going to wear a ladies wetsuit, I'm a man. Get me a small man's wetsuit, please.

My favorite FOTC song from season 2.

Flight Of The Conchords :: Hurt Feelings

Like That Scene From American Beauty, Only More Interesting

(more enjoyable w/ the sound off)

This Machine Kills Fascists

Happy birthday, Woody, and thanks for everything.

Happy Bastille Day

Camera Obsura : "French Navy"

Y'all Are My Number One Bugz

Kewt lil' vid shot using only an iPhone. And why not? MTV/VH1 won't even play the videos by established artists that cost hundreds of thousands of dollars to make (except may betwen 3 and 5 a.m.), and meanwhile you've got Kings Of Leon (one of my favorite bands ever) spitting out the worst music videos of this decade time and again. And then, over here, you got this lil' fella who made a pleasant video for a mediocre song for literally no money at all. The music world is changing so fast it's scary...but I'm sort of excited.

Amazon Daily Deal: Best of Duke Ellington

Great grab today over at Amazon. Pick up The Best of Duke Ellington, 26 classic tunes from one of the most influential musicians in the history of American music, for just $1.99. Perfect musical accompaniment for sipping on a Mint Julep or a Dark and Stormy on a warm July night. 

GRAB IT HERE.

Catching Up On La Blogotheque

Realized there have been a bunch of good Takeaway shows that I've missed.

Ra Ra Riot - Oh la - A Take Away Show from La Blogotheque on Vimeo.

Tallest man on earth - These Days (Nico Cover) - A Take Away Show from La Blogotheque on Vimeo.

The Walkmen - On the Water from La Blogotheque on Vimeo.

Grizzly Bear @ the Metro

Grizzly Bear will be playing two nights (Sunday, Sept. 27 and Monday, Sept. 28) at the Metro in Chicago (w/ Beach House opening!). I'm there for at least one (maybe both). Any takers?

New Calvin Harris Song/Video: "Ready For The Weekend"

"Ready For The Weekend" is the second single/video (the first being "I'm Not Alone") from Calvin Harris' sophomore effort of the same name, which is out on August 17 (I'm guessing 18 in the US). Less of a rave-up than the excellent "I'm Not Alone," and more in the vein of his I Created Disco stuff.

Digging Right Now: The Drums' "Let's Go Surfing"

The Drums is a NY-based quartet that are spitting out delightful little ditties that fall somewhere between (a happier) Joy Division and the Beach Boys in the sound spectrum. Check out the tune below, grab your longboard, and head out to Lake Michigan.

The Drums : "Let's Go Surfing"

Me Likey Bikey

I've been riding my bike to and from the train station every day this summer, which has caused me to become quite enamored of the two-wheeled eco-friendly machines, whether it be a fixed gear, a single gear, a beach cruiser, a mountain bike, or a regular old ten-speed. I've been riding the latter. Actually, it's my dad's (my mountain bike was stolen while in Iowa City). The very same one that he was riding when he was a young lad in Iowa City. A classic yellow Schwinn Continental, and it is a beast. Nearly three decades old, and its still plugging along, and I love it. Although I would be disingenuous if I said I wasn't thinking about an upgrade. 

Just spotted these beauties, which I would recommend to anyone looking for a seriously simple and seriously tough bike with serious cargo capacity and stability. I'm talking if you're looking to basically get a bike that, to as much a degree as possible, will replace your car. Whether you're running errands, picking up dry-cleaning, doing laundry, getting groceries, or transporting moderate sized furniture, these bikes will get you there (I'm partial to the Aty). The price is pretty steep, though. So if you are looking to replace your car with one of these bikes, you just might need to sell your car to pay for it.

"He Reminds Me Of Me"

James Franco's Rejected UCLA Commencement Speech from James Franco

Digging right now: Toro Y Moi

Really feeling this artist Toro Y Moi, a 23-year old multi-instrumentalist. He's already getting props from S'gum and Chris and Ed of Grizzly Bear. Allegedly, no releases planned until 2010, which is a bit longer than I'd like to wait, as these are perfect summer jams, but you can get your preview on over at HIS MYSPACE. First few songs sound like Panda Bear + Passion Pit + Lotus Plaza.

New Arctic Monkeys: "Crying Lightning"

Holy heck, y'all. New Arctic Monkeys single "Crying Lightning" came out on Tuesday the 7th, and it is a doozy. If this isn't the strongest single off of the upcoming album, I don't know what I'll do. Poop, probably. This jam is so the jam. I'm at a loss for words. You can grab it off of iTunes or stream it HERE.

The bass-line is one of my favorite by the Monkeys, and definitely my favorite bass-line of 2009 thus far. So cheers to bassist Nick O'Malley for that. The drumming, as should be expected, is propulsive and punctilious, thanks to the always reliable Matt Helders. I'd like to say the song shows vocalist/songwriter Alex Turner finally coming into his own as a songwriter, but, truth be told, the kid was pretty much cream the crop to begin with. But the emotions he conjures on this song show him at the top of his game, not only lyrically, but vocally as well. The first verse and bridge find Turner trading in his trademark rapid-fire turns of phrases for a smoke-and-shadows whisper, which suits him so so well (the way the word "gobstopper" just nonchalantly rolls out of his mouth). But by the second verse, we're back to the snark and bite that we all know and love. The real highlight, however, comes during the song's final chorus. After the final bridge. Just after Turner sings "crying lightning" for the fourth time. Right at the 3.21 mark. It's only a one-syllable word: "your." Yep. That's it. But the way he sings it, at the end of his last breath, where he should have taken a big gulp of air before delivering the next line, but instead he just pushes it out, as if waiting another second would be beyond bearable. He impels that "your" out of his body, and as a result that word carries the emotional weight of the entire song. All the frustration, all the indignity, all the contempt, all the vitriol, packed into a four letter possessive adjective.

Free Atmosphere EP: "Leak At Will"

Hip hop fans can head HERE to grab midwest mc Atmosphere's 7-song EP for free. Pretty good if you're an Atmosphere fan.

Some Bands Cover Frank Sinatra On "His Way, Our Way" Comp

If you head over to iTunes, you can hear the Kooks cover Sinatra's "Stormy Weather" and the Morning Benders cover his classic "Strangers In The Night." The rest of the bands covering Franky Blue-Eyes' hits run the gamut, including the Kills, Joshua Radin, Seether, and Maroon 5. 

Earlier this week I was trying to remember the last time I saw a music video that I thought was really worth the effort. A piece of art that stands on its own as well as compliments its counterpart, the song. And the only one I could think of was THIS ONE. But then today I stumbled upon this beauty below. The song itself is a dusty and charming piece of folk-pop in the vein of Tom Petty and Bob Dylan, taking cues from the latter's storytelling style. The video, in both style and substance, really does justice to the medium. Enjoy Blitzen Trapper's video for "Black River Killer."

On Michael Jackson's "Memorial Service"

Dang, y'all. What a circus that was. And at the Staples Center of all places? Every major media outlet was televising/live-blogging/tweeting it. Just ridiculous. And it was a good way to spark the inevitable backlash and shit-talking. Every major news station spent the whole morning having some shmo of a celebrity/news anchor praising the man, and every major news station spent the whole evening waxing philosophical about the appropriateness of the media coverage of the "event." The whole thing was out of hand. Can we just settle on a "miss u, <3 u, don't h8 u" and let the man rest in piece already?

Fender Reissue. So Pretty.

Fender is reissuing its 1957 Champ amp. And I don't mean that some Fender factory is making a plastic case that looks like the Champ amp and putting it on top of current/recent amp models. These suckers are legit. Hand-wired and replicated to the T (five-watts, one-speaker, vacuum tubes, etc.). Johnny Cash, Keith Richards, and Eric Clapton have all channeled their musical greatness through one of these at some point (Clapton having recorded "Layla" on one). It'll set you back about a grand. Won't necessarily make you a better axe-wielder, but whatever noise your making will sound about as good as any noise can.

New Chris Garneau Album This Tuesday

I'm a big fan of Chris Garneau's lil' bedroom piano-pop masterpieces. His first album, Tourist, was just drenched in melancholy and achingly beautiful lyrics. I would absolutely recommend it to anyone who wants to hear some good tunes or to feel really sad. There's also a great cover of Elliott Smith's "Between The Bars" on that album. He'll be releasing a new album this Tuesday called El Radio, and you can give a listen to a couple tracks off that album over at his myspace. The songs sound great, showing a bit of a progression from the spare piano and cello of his debut by adding some new instruments to the mix (some light percussion, occasional horns, even some organ) and some bouncier melodies. All in all, things are looking good for the kid.

Happy Independence Day

Neon Indian: "Terminally Chill"

I just really liked the name of this song.

neon indian :: terminally chill

More Of Ra Ra Riot's Cemetery Gates Performance

"Dying Is Fine" and a Rhumb Line standout/personal fave "Oh, La."

La Roux: "Armour Love"

This English synth pop duo is new to me. I've been reading the "La Roux" name all over the place and finally decided to check out a tune or two, and they're not too shabby. Not sure if I'd write home about them just yet, though. Start with the track below, which sounds a little bit like Jenny Lewis (of Rilo Kiley) fronting a heavily sedated Passion Pit.

La Roux - "Armour Love"

New Bloc Party Video: "One More Chance"

CHECK IT.

Looks Like The Sears Tower Glass Balcony Is Done

Unknown Life Form Found in North Carolina Sewer

Hey y'all. This thing is gross and scary. Hope lil' alien monster babies aren't in there waiting to hatch and kill us all.

Ra Ra Riot @ P4k's Cemetery Gates

Cemetery Gates is a new pitchfork.tv gimmick which basically puts sweet acts in a cemetery church to give live (crowd-less) performances. Visually and aurally pleasing. I know that Grizzly Bear just finished recording their Cemetery Gates session, so keep checking back for that. But until then, check out one of my new favorite bands doing "St. Peter's Day Festival" and "Can You Tell."