The Best Songs of 2011, Part III of III (#10-1)

The finale is here, it is underneath these typed words. These are my Top 10 songs of the year. I've listened to these songs the most out of any other that I've found throughout the year and these songs have been the ones that I'll listen to over and over again. I have gotten sick of some of them, because I have listened to them so much, but, that's not a bad thing, and that's the reason they are at the apex for the year. Enjoy.

10. Run Overdrive - CIVIL CIVIC
     - Month Found: November

9. Bloom - Radiohead
     - Month Found: February

8. Desert Raven - Jonathan Wilson
     - Month Found: November

7. Wait For Me - Motopony
     - Month Found: August

6. Now That I'm Real - Chad Valley
     - Month Found: July

5. Pumped Up Kicks - Foster The People
     - Month Found: March

4. Civilian - Wye Oak
     - Month Found: March

3. It's Real - Real Estate
     - Month Found: November

2. Amor Fati - Washed Out
     - Month Found: July

1. Cassette 2012 - Delay Trees
     - Month Found: May

The Best Songs of 2011, Part II of III (#30-11)

Part II is ready, I think, therefore, I am ready to release Part II? Did you catch the reference to Descartes? Also I've been reading this book and there were these strange self-referential sentences that I thought I'd share. I'm not going to elaborate on them, just list them underneath to stir your mind.

Numero Uno: The following sentence is totally identical with this one, except that the words "following" and "preceding" have been exchanged, as have the words "except" and "in", and the phrases "identical with" and "different from".

Numero Due: The preceding sentence is totally different from this one, in that the words "preceding" and "following" have been exchanged, as have the words "in" and "except", and the phrases "different from" and "identical with".

Most people find these sentences silly and actually rather annoying. I like them and think they are rather fascinating. Both are from page 62 of I Am A Stange Loop by Doug Hofstadter. Anyways, on to the music, that's why you're here, right? Enjoy Part II.

30. The Morning - The Weeknd
29. The Letting Go - Moutn Moriah
28. Holocene - Bon Iver
27. Tokyo - California Wives
26. Strawberry Swing - Frank Ocean
25. Midnight City - M83
24. Street Trap - CIVIL CIVIC
23. Green Aisles - Real Estate
22. We Went Wild - Lord Huron
21. When My Time Comes - Dawes

20. Less Unless - CIVIL CIVIC
      - An instrumental that'll pump up your empty air chamber.

19. Hearts Trompet - Brasstronaut
      - A smooth bass - oops, I mean "brass'" tune..

18. Anna Sun - Walk The Moon
      - Someone is talking about sex.. and partying.. and.. Anna Sun.

17. Can We Really Party Today? - Jonathan Wilson
      - Wait, waiiiiiiit...

16. Nineequalsnine - Vanaprasta
      - You either love it or you hate it.. i love it.

15. Equestrian - U.S. Royalty
      - I think they're going up to the mountain, not down.

14. Seperator - Radiohead
      - Brilliantly simple yet utterly complex.

13. 1957 - Milo Greene
      - How is this band still vastly unknown?

12. Spanish Burn - Early Winters
      - One of the best vocals and easy listening songs of the year.

11. Eyes Be Closed - Washed Out
      - Watch out.

Part III coming soon...

The Best Songs of 2011, Part I of III (50-31)

2012 is upon us, the year that will live in infamy, or so fanatics think. Whatever may happen one thing is for sure, music will still be around and produced. I am somewhat obsessed with new music and the constant search for that elusive song that I'll subsequently play for weeks or months on end. Most of those songs that I've found throughout the year will be the focus of Part III of this 3-part series (10-1). However, all of the songs on this list were standouts in my opinion and most assuredly most will not be found playing on the radio. If you consider yourself  to be someone who enjoys music and new music in particular, I hope this list doesn't disappoint but only finds you more joy this holiday season. Enjoy the first of the three installments.

50. The Cult Song - Shannon and the Clams
49. Pure Affection - Eternal Summers
48. The Stranger - Lord Huron
47. The City - Patrick Wolf
46. Bloom - Dutchess Leo
45. Love is not Enough - The Wealthy West
44. Gutter Truth - Ryan Traster
43. Set Fire to the Rain (A Stupid Hole Bootleg) - CAZZETTE vs. Adele
42. Grand Theft Ecstasy - Feed Me
41. Calgary - Bon Iver
40. Babe - Evenings
39. Lofticries - Purity Ring
38. Late Nights - Brown Shoe
37. Circuital - My Morning Jacket
36. Songs for Women - Frank Ocean
35. Stellar Cartographer I - Radioseven
34. Stellar Cartographer II - Radioseven
33. Always On My Mind - The Rest
32. The Fear - Ben Howard
31. Junkie Bones - Ryan Traster

Part II Under Production...

Now That's What I Call Babymaking Music

Smoooooooth. The babymaking music is the highlight of this post and is encompassed solely by The Weeknd. Of Course this does not mean the other music posted can't also be babymaking music... I'll leave the ideas out there for arranging, music posted for listening...

The Weeknd - House of Balloons (Released March 2011)

High For This

The Morning

Wicked Games

Loft Music

An Assortment of Newly Found Tracks:
Burial & Four Tet & Thom Yorke - Ego
California Wives - Tokyo
J Mascis - Is It Done
Oh Land - Perfection
Oh Land - Sun Of A Gun
Oh Land - Sun Of A Gun (Yuksek Remix)
Oh Land - White Nights (Max Tundra Remix)
The Arcade Fire - Sprawl II (Tommie Sunshine's Quaalude Edit)

A Barrage of New Music [Star Slinger, Frank Ocean, Yeasayer, Travis Barker feat. Kid Cudi]

This post was very difficult to put together. Should it open with Yeasayer? What about Frank Ocean? Both have just released material worthy of headlining a post, but, they have also been featured on this blog in the past. Therefore, the opening of this post will belong to Star Slinger and will end with a new track by Travis Barker (yes the drummer from Blink-182) featuring Kid Cudi. The other two will be the havarti (Yeasayer) and pastrami (Frank Ocean) of this finely tuned sandwich. Mmmmmm.

Speechless. Fresh. Two words to describe Mornin, the opening track of Star Slinger's new album. The first 10 seconds highlight the underlying distorted vocals of the song, and they work; whereas the melody drop about a minute and a half in completes the intro successfully. This song works on multiple levels and distortions. Second is May I Walk With You. This song contains the same vocal style, that is distorted and repeating (it works as well as those in Mornin). The distortions are less subtle this time around and actually make the song rather unique. It works. Enjoy.
Star Slinger - Mornin
Star Slinger - May I Walk With You

Frank Ocean has just released his first album entitled Nostalgia/Ultra and is free to download (that's right, free). I congratulate Frank for making a very relaxing and nostalgic first album. Songs for Women is a great opener and is reminiscent of an R&B Das Rascist without the obnoxious nonsensical lyrics. Swim Good opens with a great beat, complementing Songs for Women perfectly, and vocals in the chorus that end with a Kanye feel. Novacane is the last of the Ocean experience posted and focuses on the lyrical aspect of the artist. The lyrics are more obscene, so "earmuffs" children.
Frank Ocean - Songs for Women
Frank Ocean - Swim Good
Frank Ocean - Novacane

Whoa. Yeasayer has really made a name for themselves over the past year. The hype from their album Oddblood is still gathering national attention, as it should be, and they have just released a new EP entitled I Remember. The highlight of the new EP is obviously the song I Remember and it's a song that grows on you. I wasn't a fan a month ago when they released a Valentine's Day promo video, but I can't get it out of my head now. I provided a remix down below and it's quality is surely up for debate (the original is better, IMO).
Yeasayer - I Remember
Yeasayer - I Remember (Painted Palms Remix)

I'm glad to see rappers go to drummers for their beats. That's what drummers do and the sound of drums is one of, if not the first, most appreciated musical art forms. This is too fresh, this is too fresh, this is too fresh. Lyrically, this song is typical Cudi and there's no problem with that. The only part of the song I'm unsure of is the chorus (I keep a cool head...)... That's a lot of periods. Period.
Travis Barker - Cool Head Feat. Kid Cudi

Tuesday Tunes... AKA My First Published Playlist

It's March 8th and I'm on Spring Break. I'm not on a beach in Mexico or Florida and I'm not skiing in Wyoming, although all three sound fun and definately worth the time. Instead, I'm relaxing at home with my family and enjoying every minute of it. A lot of my free time has been spent watching the Showtime series Shameless and Californication as well as the new movie release The Adjustment Bureau.

Shameless is a new comedic series about a dysfunctional family in the Bronx, NY. The dysfunctional aspect of the family is the alcoholic father (William H. Macy), who barely accepts responsibility for any of his 6 kin. He doesn't live in his home and after watching a few episodes it seems as if his children provide for themselves, usually by any means necessary. The show is definately worth watching and I can almost guarantee William H. Macy will recieve multiple awards for his acting in the series.

The Adjustment Bureau excelled where the commercials failed. That is, the commercials fail to mention the serious spiritual aspect of the movie and the "ride" your in for if you decide to watch it. The main question of the movie is apparent in the commercials: "Do we have Free Will or are we minions of Fate?". If you like a philosophical/spiritual journey that deals with one of the fundamental questions of our being then this movie is a must see. There are many ties to The LoO (The Law of One), which is a philosophical/spiritual series produced in the early 1980's. If you are unfamilair with The LoO then you will not notice it in the movie; however, from my understanding, the main idea of the movie is one of the central tenets of The LoO philosophy/spirituality. A fringe idea is that this movie was produced to make aware to the collective that not only are the ideas in the movie possible, they are probable. How far are you willing to go down the rabbit hole (A question asked in the movie)?

Now to the Playlist. I've found these tracks since I've been on break. A few are realtively old (2009/2010), while others are brand new (Feb./Mar. 2011). There are multiple genres within the playlist and each one seems to complement the other (or so I think...). My favorite song of the playlist is probably Civilian by Wye Oak. I hope it's worth your listening time. Enjoy!

Playlist
1. Admiral Fallow - Squealing Pigs
2. Wye Oak - Civilian
3. Foster The People - Pumped Up Kicks
4. Beaten By Them - Damp Sky
5. Geographer - Kites
6. Yuck - Automatic
7. Frank Ocean - Strawberry Swing (FO Remix)

Sacred Sunday Battle Royale

Another Sacred Sunday. Word.

This time the Battle is between modern and retro instrumental prowess. The modern instrumentals were created in the past year (Balmorhea, Threefifty Duo), whereas the retro instrumentals (Harald Grosskopf) were created around 30 years ago. That's right, I created a Sacred Sunday Battle Royale between generations and once you hear the music I think you'll agree it was proper. Have a listen and think of the era in which it was created... IMO, whichever you prefer reveals a plethora about your personality (if you prefer neither then that may reveal more :)). Enjoy!

Balmorhea

Balmorhea - Clamor

Threefifty Duo - Victory Drill

VS.

Harald Grosskopf

Harald Grosskopf - Synthesist

Harald Grosskopf - So Weit So Gut

[EXCLUSIVE] Radiohead: The King Of Limbs

This is what you're getting yourself into if you keep reading...

This may be the most anticipated album release in two years. Period. With Radiohead, quality is certain and experimentation is inevitable. Although experimentation exists before quality and may define its' boundaries, Radiohead has the unique ability to define quality before implementing experimentation. Prediction or just a lucky guess? I'll side with the skill of prediction for numerous reasons.

Ok Computer may be my favorite album, not just my favorite Radiohead album, but my favorite of all time. Now over a decade old (released in '97), this album was heralded as one of the top ten albums of the 1990's. It's influence and experimentation was novel for the period, yet the quality was immediately accepted, and not because of reputation. This was before Radiohead was Radiohead. If you're new to Radiohead, then I highly recommend starting with this album.

Kid A is my second favorite Radiohead album (released in 2000) and was completely detached from any single musical genre that had come before. Yes, the vocals were still that of Thom Yorke, but this was not the same band that produced Ok Computer, or was it? Kid A was experimentation at its' finest. The type of experimentation that I refer to in the opening paragraph. The difference with the opening paragraph, however, is that quality was not recognized until after the experimentation. Kid A went on to win numerous awards, including a Grammy for Best Alternative Album and a nomination for album of the year. Also, numerous media outlets have labeled Kid A one of the top ten albums of the 2000's, often taking the top spot. Newbies, Kid A would be a solid choice to follow the Ok Computer listening advice above.

Now, will The King of Limbs be a novel experimental album that we have come to expect from Radiohead? If it is, I would argue that the quality was inherent before the experimentation. That is, Radiohead knew exactly what type of music to produce next. They knew the genre, boundaries, and expectations. Having listened to the album only once, I will say that it's hard to tell at the moment. It's not completely novel in an experimentation framework, but there are clear moments of pushing the boundaries (Ex. Lotus Flower, Bloom). There are also moments of, "ahh, that's the Radiohead we all know and love" (Morning Mr. Magpie, Little by Little). Without further adieu, here is The King of Limbs by Radiohead (320 kbps). Available for download via MP3 and WAV starting TODAY. The physical album won't be out until March 28th in the UK. Enjoy!

Radiohead - The King of Limbs

1. Feral

2. Lotus Flower

3. Codex

4. Give Up the Ghost

5. Separator

6. Bloom

7. Morning Mr. Magpie

8. Little by Little



Sacred Sunday Battle Royale

A topic for every Sunday, maybe. I'll post music from two, maybe even three, artists and they will be in competition for better favor. The genres may be the same or may differ, but the music will be comparable on the quality level. What is quality? Well, only you can decide because it's rather subjective, but, any song I post and pit against another will be of comparable quality to me.

The first band is Freelance Whales and they released their first album, Weathervanes, in 2010. They formed in 2008 and are a young group but their style is catchy and full of layers. The first song, Generator First Floor, is their most hyped song to date. I think it's good, but not as good as the second song, Hannah. the melodies of both songs are very similair while the lyrics are quite different. Listen and you'll see.

Freelance Whales - Weathervanes

Generator First Floor

Hannah

VS.

The second band is The Airborne Toxic Event. They formed in 2006 and have released two studio albums as well as one live album (performed at Disney Music Hall). The first song, Goodbye Horses, is from the Live Album at Disney Music Hall and is a great cover of the 1988 hit by Q. Lazzarus (Yea I've never heard of him either, only the song). If your mind is foggy, try listening to the melody (are the late 80's/early 90's movie scenes coming full force into your mind now??). The second song, Numb, may be better? It's defnately a close second if it's not and I'm apologize, but, I was unable to embed the song into this blog. Therefore, the only way to lsiten is to go the provided linl @ http://www.hypem.com/.



The Airborne Toxic Event

Goodbye Horses

Numb

I'm back... Finally!

As the title implies, I was once gone. Actually, the loss of my laptop due to hard drive failure was the reason for my absence. No worries though, obtained a brand new HP dv6t directly from their website and couldn't be happier (even managed to get a free upgrade to 6GB of RAM). I am now ready, more than ever, to continue with new media exploration and this post marks the beginning of a journey with HP.

I've lost valuable time in the area of new music. Although a loss, I have gained much in other areas I concede to be much more important than 'What new music is there today?'. For example, just had a graduate school interview at a prestigious University. If you are unfamiliar with the process, an I'm assuming you are, then just know that the process started in November and culminated yesterday with a 7 hour interview with faculty and students. Nervousness wasn't the correct word to describe my state of mind, rather, I was relaxed and actually myself for the majority (if not all) of the interview. I won't receive a notification of my "acceptance" or "rejection" for a few weeks, but I have a hunch (and a STRONG one at that) that I am the top candidate for the position. It may sound conceited, but if you knew the details you would see it wasn't me who made that conclusion. Suspense is...

NOW, it's time for new music!!!!! The following tracks are a few I've found since I've had my new HP. I enjoy each one, even though they represent different genres. I hope you enjoy the tracks!


Fleet Foxes - Helplessness Blues
Helplessness Blues

Panda Bear - Last Night at the Jetty
Last Night at the Jetty

Theophilus London - Why Even Try (Feat. Sara Q.)
Why Even Try (Feat. Sara Q.)

Toro Y Moi - New Beat
New Beat

Lyyke Li - I Follow Rivers
I Follow Rivers

James Vincent McMorrow - If I Had a Boat
If I Had a Boat

Light Asylum - Dark Allies
Dark Allies

Warning:: These Goodies Have Been A Loooong Time Coming

I haven't posted for a while and I apologize. School does not wait and it seems to be making me... Anyway, I decided to post a few new tracks I've found from various sources. All the music is from 2011, which means it is less than a month old and easily up for debate as to its' quality.

The first band is young (18-20 yrs) but mature. Their sound is reminiscent of classic Beatles melodies while maintaining a unique vocal aspect. These songs do not sound overly complicated, instrumentally, but they contain just enough layers to make the song successful. I doubt either of these songs will garner national music attention on the radio, but that is expected and surely respected.

Dye It Blonde - Smith Westerns

Weekend - Smith Westerns

Imagine Part #3 - Smith Westerns

"Holy Shit," and utter amazement on my face after seeing the first 30 seconds of Kaputt by Destroyer. Is the 80's really back? I don't think so and it's mainly because this song actually rocks, even though the video and sound are reminiscent of the 80's. I find it gets more soothing and relaxing to listen to as the song progresses. Thank you very much Pitchfork! Enjoy!




This video is very calming. The music is also very calming. I enjoy how every single member of Sun Airway is shown, albeit at different intervals, highlighting their respective sound in the song. I hope you enjoy the video, I did.

Yourstruly Presents: Sun Airway "Oh, Naoko"



The last video is one from a deeply offensive comedian, Jim Norton. It's an old video from 2007, but probably older than that.

I may have gone to far with the Norton video...

Art thou those hip new cover art technologies?

Yes, they sure are. Really fine examples of cover art from Hypem Top 50 blogged artists from 2010. I'm not sure when most were created or if they were released, but I think a few are from the new year. A few I feel are iconic while others come from a revelric (word?) notion of reality. Suppositions made and aside, I thought I'd go through and pick out my favorites, there are more provided in the link above if it somehow peaks your interest. The names are sometimes what I see.

Yeasayer

I'd Like to be stranded on that island...

The National

That's where the bees have gone!...

You're telling my dog's dead?!

Crystal Castles

By The Hand of Thor!

The Local Natives

Modern Primeval

Kanye West

Nice Rug 

If you click this you won't be disappointed

The Radio Dept.

Those countries look angry...

Tame Impala

Psychedelic Duuuude!

Deerhunter

Casual Zombie

Wild Nothing

Hmm, A lot of Black Birds

Wolf Parade

 Subhuman Revelry

Neon Indian

Dollar Dollar Bill Y'all

The Bosnian Pyramids: An Objective View

As you read the title, a question such as "What Bosnian Pyramids?" may have popped up in your mind. You may have had other questions or initial skepticism and that is definitely warranted. I have an extreme level of skepticism when it comes to this type of material because it has the potential to be "revolutionary" or "insane". Most of it goes against the present view of scientific understanding, while trying to extend the present view of this limited scientific understanding. 

A lot of emphasis is put on the concept of frequency and waves and objectively this makes sense. Fundamentally, frequency and waves exist at a quantum level and are interpreted by our senses on a larger level; the elements of vision and sound as two examples. Our brains have "brain waves" that occur all the time; in fact, if these brain waves stopped, you would be pronounced clinically dead. The four principal brain wave distinctions are alpha, theta, delta, and gamma. Each vibrate at their own frequency and are believed to be related to a certain experience of consciousness. There has been experimentation in controlled laboratory settings in which they observe a subject's consciousness while their brain waves are oscillating at alpha, theta, delta, and gamma frequencies. It has been observed that one frequency may exhibit an effect of 'heightened concentration' as compared to the other three. One may exhibit 'heightened relaxation' as compared to the other three. One may exhibit 'heightened awareness' as compared to the other three, etc, etc... Each brain is continuously moving through these four different brain wave frequencies. You may stay at alpha for a few seconds, minutes, or even hours. The same holds true for the others and actually it is supposed that gamma waves are associated as the frequency of a sleeping brain. Anyway, less talk about brain waves and more about Bosnian Pyramids, right?

Without further adieu, here are some interesting excerpts from a www.coasttocoast.com interview with Semir Osmanagich, Ph.D, the discoverer of the ancient pyramid complex in Bosnia. I hope you enjoy the following, and remember, be a skeptic and research further if you're interested. Don't just take my word for it.

"What we have in Bosnia are the 6 elements that will forever change of the history" (Not sure why he subsequently names 7)

1. "These are the FIRST pyramids in Europe."

2. "They are the BIGGEST, the LARGEST, on the planet" (you should be skeptic, saying "Bigger than Giza in Egypt?)

   - The Bosnian Pyramid of the Sun is almost 700 feet tall, while the Great Pyramid of Giza is about 450 feet tall.

3. "What we are uncovering, below the layer of soil, is the most quality ancient concrete. Much, much older than the ancient Roman concrete."

4. "The orientation of the sides of the Bosnian Pyramid of the Sun is even better than the Hufus Pyramid in Egypt."

5. "The Pyramids in Bosnia have been covered by soil for over 12,000 years."

6. "Under the Pyramids in Bosnia is the most extensive, underground labyrinth consisting of tunnels, chambers, and underground lakes."

7. "In those tunnels, we've been discovering the biggest ceramic rocks, the biggest ceramic sculptures." 

**"What we are discovering in Bosnia is history changing**

After these initial claims, the radio host starts to ask the questions.

Question #1: How are you able, first of all, to date this structure? Is there anything there that can be carbon dated?

Semir: "We have analyzed the soil that covers the pyramids. It was analyzed by the State Institute for Pedology. Their conclusion is, that on this clay surface, the soil has been there for 12,000 years. As far as the underground tunnels go, we are finding organic material and the age goes from 3,091 years to 32,000 years."

Question #2: Is it possible that these tunnels could have been used by early man, before the pyramids were constructed?

Semir: "Well, there is a direct connection between the tunnels and the Pyramids; namely, the tunnels have been dug in material called Conglomerate. Conglomerate consists of stones, pebbles, rock, sand. And the Bosnian Pyramid of the Sun is covered by the concrete blocks. And the construction material for the concrete is exactly the same (sand, rocks, pebbles) as the tunnels... The second connection, all the Pyramids have been connected by those tunnels."

This is the only transcribing I'll do for this 12 part interview on Youtube. Yes, I said 12 parts! I haven't listened to them all and I'm not sure if all twelve are solely about the Bosnian Pyramids. After listening to coasttocoast before, I can assure you that it's not just about the the Bosnian Pyramids. If you're interested you can go here: Bosnian Pyramid & Ancient Monuments and watch the remainder of the #2/12 video from Youtube. Remember, remain skeptic but also challenge what you've learned. How many times has purported history, as you've been taught, been wrong? How many times have what people believed in so vehemently (God as an example) been changed over the course of centuries and millennia?

Flashback Friday: The Return

"I know you don't smoke weed, i know this; but I'm gonna get you high today, 'cause it's Friday; you ain't got no job... and you ain't got shit to do", said Smokey. I love the line and the acting even more by Chris Tucker. This post isn't about any of that, but I thought I would remind you of the iconic scene from the first of the Friday installments. Like the previous flashback, I plan on revealing a little something I wrote from years past. I've had trouble sorting through all the mess that litters my computer and I've finally created a folder specifically for my writings. Wow, this is much easier now. Should I continue with installments of the partial novel I'll probably never finish? Or, what about the beginning of the screenplay? I choose...

The portion of the screenplay I have finished had taken me months to write my freshman and sophomore year of college. Writings usually occurred after hours in the basement of the dorm, not on the weekends because that time was for something unrelated (well kinda). I spent the longest time on the opening credits, trying to perfect everything down to the music selection. Looking back now, after years of psychology courses and research, I am baffled trying to remember what exactly I was thinking when I wrote the credits. Was it an outline for the whole movie, hidden in the supposed first three minutes of the movie? I think so, but then again, I never finished the movie.

O well. Before I confuse myself further, I'll publish those opening credits below. The style of writing is different from what you've seen previously; formatted for screenplay writing. It may be hard to read and follow, and the best advice I can give you is to imagine the scene as best you can as you progress (more like a movie than a novel). I hope you enjoy what I have to offer.

(1)INT. 1950’S AVERAGE LIVING ROOM - DARK

(Possible entry song - Kings of Leon-Seventeen)Scene opens showing black and white video of baby fetus developing in womb. The whole scene is shot in black and white. As camera fades out toward the couch, two figures become visible. The room is decorated with grey flower wallpaper (barely visible). A young girl, age 14, is showing only her shoulders and back of her head to the camera as she sits on the left side of the couch. She is munching on popcorn and fully immersed into the television. A young boy, age 14, is also showing only his shoulders and back of his head to the camera as he sits on the right side of the couch. The boy rocks as if dizzy (on and off) for several seconds. He pulls out his white handkerchief and clogs his nostril. He tilts his head back and at the same time the television fades ever so slightly and becomes blurry. The girl is unaffected and zombie-like. The boy removes the handkerchief and prepares to look at the blood (the blood is vibrant but unfocused). Their faces are never remotely seen. 

(2)INT. ONE PIECE OF PAPER - LIGHT (CONTINUOUS) 

As he brings the handkerchief to his eyes, it transforms ever so meticulously into a piece of loose leaf paper with scratching in red ink. The scratching is blurry at first but slowly becomes focused and reveals the [opening credits #1 idea (Looking through eyes of an unknown character the entire scene): the blood is revealed as black writing in pen. The paper is being held by two hands (shaky and young) and the right carries a Black pen. The piece of paper hides the background environment completely. He crumples it up revealing a white page with three …’s on the top line. (the white page takes up the bottom half of the screen. The top half has a Ohio State University banner vibrant in red (half focused) dull in grey. The right corner in the scene has a shadow of a illuminated desk lamp head (bright with white light onto the paper only.)Typing from a typewriter is heard as the next names are typed in black ink. As the typing stops we hear the faint sounds of a printer come into focus. The names change and the next names are written in red Simplified Arabic Font (this font). The left half of the scene reveals a cluttered, dusty, relatively old dark cherry desktop. The computer is on and filled with black typing that is unreadable (distance). The printer sits to the right filled with blank paper. We hear a relieving exhale. We see a plume of smoke rise. Fills the scene.

(3)INT. OHIO STATE DORM ROOM (1981) - DAY (CONTINUOUS)

The smoke fades revealing a vague man in his early 20’s. Camera is focused behind revealing shoulders and head with vague features. He is facing the typewriter on his neat brightly lit desk. (He has his feet crossed resting on the desk. His hands are resting on the top of his head. The desk has multiple closed notebooks that pile up to the ceiling and actually seem pile up to the sky. They are all vibrant and in different colors. His right hand is grasping an open pen.)He picks up a piece of paper filled in red ink, crumples it and throws the piece across the room without looking. (Flight of paper: The camera follows the path of the paper from behind. As it moves the scene passes by into empty black space. There is no more room. The paper begins to take up more and more space on the screen as camera fades in toward it. 

(We see the next credit written in red on the crumbled paper.)

 The paper rotates fast as time speeds up. The crumbled paper is now central of focus and taking up the middle of the screen (50% total). A blinking object appears in lower right corner as time speeds up. It starts small and becomes bigger as time passes fast factored in with the traveling path of the camera. The object becomes and is extremely blurred. (Speed up only lasts 3 seconds?) Speed slows to minimal abruptly. Rotation of paper is hardly evident now. 

(We see the next credit written in same red font and crumpled in the same way as before. It is in all caps and a more vivid red.) 

The paper begins to rotate fast as time speeds up again. The object steadily becomes bigger and more in focus. We can now make it out as a cream colored wastebasket. The picture on the basket is foggy. On the left of the piece of paper, immeasurable amounts of blank dull yellow post-it notes appear. Time speed slows drastically in split second and we enter perspective of soaring paper. The yellow sticky notes occupy everywhere that is not occupied by the wastebasket. The majority are blank and glowing yellow. The others have red scribbling that is unreadable. 

(We see the next credit written in vibrant red font on a dull yellow sticky note. The same font from the last credit. It is the only one readable. The other red scribbled notes are unreadable and also dull yellow.) 

At the same time:

The wastebasket is now in focus because of slowed motion. Lies in bottom right, (25%) portion of scene. It is Empty, dull cream, and a dull grey bust of The Beatles is screenprinted on the outside surface. The image is all shades of grey. The faces are blurred.

We are still in the paper’s perspective of flying during the whole last scene. We speed up. The yellow sticky notes become blurred and diminish as we get closer to the wastebasket. They are vibrant yellow. The wastebasket now enlarges as we fly closer and becomes central focus (although now out of focus due to speed up of time). Time slows abruptly. 

We are somewhat looking down at the wastebasket as if to go in. We first see that it is overflowing with crumpled white papers, all of which have random areas of crumpled red scribbling. There are many crumpled papers on the floor. The wastebasket comes firmly into focus. It is vivid white in color. The picture of album ‘Rubber Soul‘ comes into focus. We can assign The Beatles their names with clarity. They are all looking at us flying towards them. John begins exhaling smoke out of his mouth, while the others casually look away. He keeps his attention focused straight the entire time. (next credit is revealed under album in black font.

(At the same time) 

        The yellow post-it notes are now vibrant yellow. They are covering everything except for the wastebasket and crumpled trash, which both are resting on top of the notes. Vibrant red scribbling is on every note. They are out of focus since the focus is on the wastebasket scene. We can barely see what appears to be the bleeding of vibrant fuzzy red from the crumpled notes on the floor. The bleeding starts as John begins to exhale smoke and finishes when he is done. It bleeds throughout this entire scene to fully cover every yellow post-it note. The red blood is vibrant and fuzzy in the background due to the distinctly grey plume of smoke. The wastebasket remains completely clean and the whiteness left on the crumpled papers is unaffected as the bleeding occurs.

Time speeds up. We hit the blurry face of a Beatle on the wastebasket. And fall into the pile of crumpled papers on the floor. We are buried by white papers everywhere. They have no trace of red on them. We can see through many holes created by the randomness of the clutter we are apart of. All we see is a blank piece of uncrumpled paper float towards us. The piece of paper creates darkness as it covers the holes. We hear a door slam.

 (5)INT. OHIO STATE DORM ROOM (1981) - DAY (CONTINUOUS)

A rewind of what just occurred starts. The paper rises and the holes are revealed. We rise and rehit the Beatle. We float back fast, while the previous flight scenes repeat backwards without a stoppage of time. They are all blurry and back flight of paper takes only 10 seconds to complete (less time?). We are uncrumpled, with the one hand, and keep perspective at the same height/place of the uncrumbling. We see the top of his shoulders as we look at a slightly side (more behind) angle. A blurry orange object lies on the desk while the focus is centered on him reading the neat and red filled paper (We can read no words). He puts his feet to the ground and puts the paper on the desk. Before the paper hit’s the desk, we see the orange object become the focus. It’s a thin plain guidebook that only reads, “Free Tutor for Psychology. Best of Luck.” The paper then covers the guidebook. Time is still rewinding as we see a lighter come into his left hand (he threw it across the room). We also see a blunt return to his right hand from across the room as well. He seems pissed cause the lighter is not working. He tries to light it 5 times (progresses backwards in emotion from mad to excited). He then takes the blunt away from his lips, opens the right desk drawer, enters his hand. 

(6)INT. DESK DRAWER (1981) - DAY (CONTINUOUS)

 As he approaches the desk drawer, the view is changed to completely first person (looking through his eyes only). The scene only shows the drawer and objects inside. The drawer contains a slightly crumpled pack of cigarettes, complete deck of cards, an ounce of marijuana divided into 1/8’s, and around eight journals with folded edges signifying wear. He sifts through the objects looking for something.

(7)INT. DESK DRAWER (1998) - DAY (CONTINUOUS)

As he sifts, the objects in the drawer change. Some journals become empty computer paper while the remaining develop into busting portfolios. Cigarettes become 10 shot sample bottles of liquor from across the world. The marijuana changes into a small orange case for carrying prescription pills. These change and he searches while [opening credits #4] are shown as engravings in the bottom of the antique wooden drawer. He grabs the pill case and looks up.

(8)INT. PSYCHIATRIC OFFICE - DAY (CONTINUOUS)

We are sitting facing a computer, printer and fax machine. We are looking out through his eyes. The focus is on the computer which reads “Enjoy the Ride… ®“. A mirror is hanging in the upper right corner in the scene. It is blurry because the main focus is on the computer. The man’s bust is unrecognizable. He may be in his 40’s, he probably does not have a beard, and does not wear glasses. His psychedelic shirt is barely readable and states, “Research to prove the safety of the drug …“. The office also boasts several dust covered frames of his psychological Diploma’s. The gold border around each frame is vibrant in color, while the dust filled glass reeks of hidden credentials. He takes pill out of case and holds it inches away from his eye. Central focus begins to shift to the pill as it gets larger. The typewriter, mirror, and frames blur to be unrecognizable.   

The clear pill becomes readable and states “TITLE OF MOVIE”.

The man swallows the pill and the camera follows through the throat as it turns into a bright light. The light intensifies for a few seconds. The light bulb burns out and darkness ensues. A faint light is visible at the focal point in the distance. Footsteps are evident in backround. It becomes pitch black with the sound of the door shutting in the distance.

The Top 10 Albums of 2010: According to SirChuckD

These albums are better than any other I've listened to from the year of 2010. The National takes top spot with their, dare I say "perfect", album High Violet. This album will be remembered for years to come and probably as the masterpiece of this band. They have released four other albums since 1999 and this album is as polished as any "mainstream" album that may take the top spot on Yahoo Music, Myspace, or any other reputable music site (and I sigh at "reputable"). Broken Bells, Sufjan Stevens, Kanye West, & Yeasayer are also regarded highly, not only on this blog but on a few other blogs I've been following over the past few months. There should be a little bit of everything down below, as 2010 did not disappoint. There is no country because that deserves its own Top 10 list and because I am less than an amateur in listening to country music. I may delve into that this year if I start drinking enough Jack or Jim while in the company of like folk. I've embedded enough tracks below for you to listen to and decide if you want to purchase the entire album. Enjoy and let me know what you think! Is there an album I missed that you thought should definitely be on this list? Which was your favorite?

1. High Violet - The National

Bloodbuzz Ohio   Conversation 16   Lemonworld

    Sorrow  Terrible Love   Vanderlyle Crybaby Geeks

2. Gorilla Manor - Local Natives

Wide Eyes  Who Knows Who Cares

Sun Hands  Airplanes

3. Odd Blood - Yeasayer

O.N.E.  Ambling Alp  Madder Red

4. The Age of Adz - Sufjan Stevens

I Walked   Too Much   Vesuvius

5. Broken Bells - Broken Bells

Vaporize   The High Road   The Mall and Misery

The Ghost Inside   October

6. My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy - 

Kanye West

Runaway   Monster   Power

7. The Suburbs - Arcade Fire

Ready to Start   We Used To Wait   Sprawl II

8. Nocturne of Exploded Crystal Chandelier - 

Sun Airway

Oh Naoko   Put The Days Away   Waiting On You

9. This is Happening - LCD Soundsystem

I Can Change   Dance Yourself Clean   Drunk Girls

10. Gemini - Wild Nothing

Golden Haze   Chinatown   Summer Holiday

Assorted Tracks from Artists You've Never Heard Of.

Upon perusing the world wide web for several millennia, I came across a few tracks that I liked. Here they are with a brief excerpt from my mind.

This isn't the first time I've posted Yeasayer into this blog, *hint hint*. Needless to say, they are pretty good. This song opens with a melody that won't disappoint and with lyrics that make you appreciate its timely synchronization with the instrumentation. The song is sure to please from start to finish. I posted a LIVE version down below, that was just released last week.

Madder Red - Yeasayer

Madder Red
Madder Red LIVE

I'm still not sure how this instrumental did not make it further into the public eye this previous year. This may be one of my new favorite songs to relax to from 2010. This would be a great theme song for T.V. series such as Weeds, Californiacation, or any other Showtime series for that matter.

Gallinas Y Lagartos - El Santo Nada

Gallinas Y Lagartos

I had never heard of Pepper Rabbit before I had a chance to listen to this song. The guitar starting out the melody of this song is definitely the most recognizable part of the entire song, reminding me of an early Jack Johnson riff personalized for a carefree car commercial in the sun. The vocals get better as the song progresses, with an emotional chorus having an air of optimistic melancholy.

Older Brother - Pepper Rabbit

Older Brother

This is relaxing song with good vibes. Yes, the lyrics start somewhat depressing but they do pick up with the chorus. "All this time you've been drifting out with the tide my friend"...

Safe and Sound - Electric President

Safe and Sound

It may take a few listens to appreciate completely, but, Bear In Heaven creates a masterpiece instrumental that slowly progresses into musical sublimity. This is a remix of the original, but definitely mind-entrenching.

Ultimate Satisfaction - Bear In Heaven

Ultimate Satisfaction

Hey Big Bang - Superhumanoids
Hey Big Bang
Girls FM - Happy Birthday
Girls FM
In The Water - Beat Connection
In The Water
Windstorm - School of Seven Bells
Windstorm

From Strange to Weird to Normal: The Art of Music Videos

I've posted these songs in previous lists, but I did not provide the music to accompany them until recently. Here are the music videos. There is one new selection that is just now seeing this blog (Heart to Tell - The Love Language) and I can't stop listening to this track. As you go down the list, the videos progress from Strange (Yeasayer) to Weird (Local Natives) to Normal (Last Three). This is just my categorization but I think it helps if you're not looking to be freaked out by the lead singer of Yeasayer (I gave you warning). Enjoy!



Yeasayer - O.N.E.


"Ambling Alp" by Yeasayer


Local Natives: Wide Eyes


Who Knows Who Cares by Local Natives


DELTA SPIRIT "BUSHWICK BLUES"


Shout Out Louds - Fall Hard


Love Language music video - Heart to Tell from 521studies on Vimeo.