AA 1830 N 28AUG8 0 5P

I have not written since June 28, 08. Even though I have ideas scribbled on my note pads, time always is a challenge. I did find myself with some time this past Friday on my way to San Fransisco and had to type my thoughts in my phone to calm down, surprisingly it worked:

Why am I JUST finding out that when I transfer my iTunes downloads bought from my iPod touch to my library they no longer appear on my touch?!

After reading more than 70 pages of "Love is a Mixed Tape" on my first 2 hours of the 5 hour flight to SFO, I turned to my iPod. As I went to search for Blind Pilot, White Lies, Explosions in the Sky and Elsaine, to mention a few. I started to turn as red as the blanket provided by AA (no thanks). And when I finally realized what happened I stomped, pushed my self back and put on a face, coming to terms that I was traveling without my SFO soundtrack, which I've been working on for weeks!

See to me, music, as to Rob Sheffield, is not a way of life, it is life! As I travel, whether in my car, plane or with my Asics music moves me. Music reminds me of all places that I've explored, grown or just passed by. A couple of examples are: Luna's "Pup Tent" reminds me of Winter Park in FL. circa 1998, Belle & Sebastian draws me back to Las Vegas back in 2001 (don't ask). All of Enya's albums reminds when Valentina was born, as well as Air's "Talkie Walkie". Radiohead's "In Rainbows" reminds me of New York in December '07.

Apart from my five traveling companions making this a great trip and without doubt making it memorable, music was gonna play a big part in San Francisco. I even took my portable speakers for my room and iPod cable to hook up the tunes on the ride to Napa. I'm so indescribably upset, that I don't know if it's due to the fact I can't be still for a certain amount of time (10 minutes tops, I guess that's why I'm writing this on my BB notes), or AA is showing "Young at Heart" with static lines running through our screen ONLY. But NO, it's really because I have no clue to what happened to my songs in my iPod. I do not know what to listen to, I did not want to press shuffle, I'm tempted to play Death Cab for Cutie but not really. I just want to shout and explode, ironically, Explosions in the Sky would shed their imminent light on my dark world and Blind Pilot would guide my thoughts with their sweet lyrics and White Lies would sooth my bruises, that which have been soothed, but remind me they were not as bad as they were when I got them.

I would play Jose Gonzalez, but he reminds me of [something] I rather not think about. I'm given punk a rest, no room for my typical rock tunes at this hour. I'm more in a folksy, new post-punk, down-tempo kinda mood. Hence for mentioned bands. I guess me writing about the bands are still part of my long awaited trip, and therefore will be the first thing I listen to when I get back to Miami.

In the meantime this came on while writing: Bon Iver, Fleet Foxes, Band of Horses, Stars, Ladyhawk, Port O' Brien, The Stills, Diefenback, Jens Lekman, Mates of State, Pavement, The National, The Walkmen, Burial...

Battery went dead... (it could only get better). As oppose to not ever knowong the image of Burial, I WILL find out what happened to the SFO Soundtrack.

The title to the above playlist: AA 1830 N 28AUG8 0 5P

Here's to commuting with the music YOU love!

Pop Levi - Semi Babe 1 & 2

I've been on a video kick lately, no time to get creative on my "writing skills". Speaking of creative, check out Mozambique Courier's (aka Pop Levi) video for "Semi Babe". They're meant to be played simultaneously… side by side; this is my version + everyone else’s.

1st: Have both of them on pause at the same time.
2nd: Press play on the top one & wait ‘til the countdown hits 1, then...
3rd: Press play on the lower video.

Enjoy!



Now something more upbeat… I give you the first song to download on MΞ.
Pop Levi - "Never Never Love" - zSHARE
Dance to it while getting ready for your fav fiesta!

MySpace/Pop Levi

Temptation - New Order

Vinyl + flowers + dancing in your own space...
Notice how SHE steals music...

Temptation (the song) came on while driving late lastnight on my ipod...

AND for those who say Berney just stands there... here they are live on Radio 1... ELEC TRI FYING! Gillian on the keyboards (love her), someone has to sample or mix this + How low can Hooky go with his bass?! And you really cannot see much of Stephen, but you can feel his beat!

The New Order I LOVE!

Lyrics & Running for the Soul

I was due for a great run. I’ve been tempted to write about my love with the pavement and off-road journey for some time now. For those of you, who know and don’t know about running, let me start with some info:

It was an 84 minute run (and walking), my max heartbeat was 196, and my average heartbeat was 169. Distance was 5.2 miles. Speed max 7.5, speed avg. 4.4, and 1,120 calories burned. I got to my mile target in 11 minutes (not too happy about that).

Now… I don’t run as much as I would like to. It’s been about a month that my Asics haven’t felt the heat of the road. My numbers don’t excite me as much as what my ipod selected. The music and lyrics fuels me. So I take this opportunity to discuss a few songs and lyrics. There something about the rays of sun, the greens, bells and whistles, drums and guitars, synthesizers and bass that enhances all your senses when you run. Everything becomes brighter, your mind and feet are somehow disconnected. While your feet stay grounded, your mind wanders off to where the voices and lyrics take you. Allow me to share; as I press play (shuffle) and stretch:

Heartbeat: Jose Gonzalez. Who would of thought this would be a great song to stretch to
…and you, you knew the hands of the devil
and you, kept us awake with wolf teethe
sharing different heartbeats
in one night…

Province: TV on the Radio. Have you heard this song in its entirety? Here it again, NOW!
Pushed under this expanse of bursting stars
Let this burning brightly illuminate the where we are
In this hollow that lovers' voices occupy
Let it follow that we let it free, let it fly

When They Came For Us: Shiny Toy Guns
I always thought this song was/is about war. But if you want to see other opinions, go here.

Kids: MGMT. (heartbeat 180, reaching my 1 mile target). Here is where my run gets going. It’s my 1st time running with this song. I’m loving my ipod and here is where I start to truly disconnect, Especially after 3:45 point of the song!
No time to think of consequences… ahhh, innocence…

To the Dogs and Whoever: Josh Ritter
I almost pressed forward, but I felt I was in a movie scene where frames just kept flashing before me with different love scenes... funny love scenes.
I love the way she looks in her underwear
I lose my page then the plot then the book then I swear
She makes the most of her time by loving me plenty
She knows they'll come a day when we won't be getting any

The Engine Driver: The Decemberists (heartbeat at 196) had to stop!
And I am a writer, writer of fictions
I am the heart that you call home
And I've written pages upon pages
Trying to rid you from my bones

…and if you don’t love me let go…

Love Will Tear Us Apart: Jose Gonzalez… no comment
Just that… my feet were moving as much as his fingers were on the guitar.

Smile: Onelinedrawing. Smiley feet!!!
…So put it up on your face
hallelujah!
and these days will all go by
anything I can do to help you through it
I just love to see you smile…

Packed Like Sardines in a Crushed Tin Box: Radiohead (slowing down)
Lots of sound effects on this one!

Cowbell: Tapes ‘n Tapes. I’m in the golf greens for this one. Going full speed!
Do you want to live a lie?
A lie to shake
A lie shake
I’ve been so sure.
Do you want to live a lie?
A lie to shake
A lie shake
I’ve been so sure.

Ghost Hardware: Burial
Burial’s music is heightened with nature!

The Warning: Hot Chip… will break your legs…
Excuse me miss I'm a dog on heat.
I'm a complicated being with love songs to beat.
I'm a problem solving baby who could march all night.
I'm a mechanical music man and I'm starting a fire.

There's always some way to make the silence be spoken.

Fake Plastic Trees: Radiohead. I’m worn out…
If I could be who you wanted all the time…

Is There a Ghost: Band of Horses. I will never get tired of this band (this is what I said about Frosted Flakes & Pop Tarts when I was 10, now I can’t see OR smell them)
Lyrics here are not all that… but it did make me go!

Slow Show: The National – At this point I stopped looking at my watch and was grateful that this song came on! My feet and I got lost with the lyrics; the piano & Matt’s voice just made me “wanna hurry home”.
Looking for somewhere to stand and stay
I leaned on the wall and the wall leaned away
Can I get a minute of not being nervous
and not thinking of my dick
My leg is sparkles, my leg is pins
I better get my shit together, better gather my shit in
You could drive a car through my head in five minutes
from one side of it to the other

I wanna hurry home to you put on a slow, dumb show for you
and crack you up
so you can put a blue ribbon on my brain
God I’m very, very frightening
I’ll overdo it

Life 2: Unhappy Ending: Stars – Here I felt I was running inside a play, an Off-Broadway hit and I was in the front row and they chose me to be part of the act.
Life was supposed to be a film, was supposed to be a thriller, was supposed to end in tears
But life, could be nothing but a joke, could be nothing but a con
Where's my unhappy ending gone?


(Antichrist Television Blues): The Arcade Fire – OK, who is choosing the songs in my ipod…
Into the light of a bridge that burns
As I drive through the city with the money that I earn
To the dark of a starless sky
I won't stare into nothing and I'm asking you why
Lord, let me make her a star
So the world can see who you really are

Go Sadness: Shout Out Louds – Once again all stood still, except my feet. I always said this song should have been used for a hybrid car commercial… preferably the Toyota Prius (keyless).
Bye bye car keys
Hello sparkles and flies
I keep them
They're mine
I saw the brightest light
It was the most wonderful sight
And I spotted the right time
The future is mine

Here comes the finish line… I can see it… not really… but I can feel it! Totally ignoring my watch and now running through a rural area, which will soon be a two-way street and a major shopping-condo development.

The Great Salt Lake: Band of Horses – Great American band, song and nice-feel video!
Back of the boat was painted wreckin' ball
There was country music playing, but he don’t like it at all
And red fire poppin' on the rained-down woody
His whiskey bottle spillin' in a lake that's made of salt…

…Now, if you find yourself falling apart then I'm sure... I could stand... On... the Great Salt Lake

Foam Hands: Destroyer – Great song to end my run! Thank you my running Goddess! I figured who's selecting my songs... but I'm not sure if it's Artemis or Hebe... yes I have two Goddess!
True love regrets to inform you
there are certain things
you must do to perceive his face
and the saints on the wall

Might is well make a playlist for the Goddess and we’ll name it… Tracks & Feel. I always wanted to start another blog with that same name, but I don’t even have enough time for this one.

For the time being, I'll try to post and run as much as time will allow me to. To all the pavements, greens and Goddess... see you all next time!

Twistori - LoveHateThinkBelieveFeelWish

From the creators of Twitter comes an intelligent offspring: Twistori, an “online social experiment”. Check out their blog. Plus see the inspiration behind this exploration of feelings: We Feel Fine.

Faç Off Exhibition

Central Station X Factory Records


After the lyrics, music, and even the band members, there is nothing more interesting than the cover of an album... yes album. I’ve always said ripping a song from a CD or just downloading one or two songs it's like... like... like... tearing a chapter off a book, but I digress. Breath the ‘Madchester’ era through the art work of Central Station and Factory Records (highly recommended site).

To celebrate 25 years at the top, record sleeve design trio Central Station are to showcase a retrospective look at a quarter of a century’s impressive creative portfolio.

The exclusive exhibition, to be held throughout May 2008 at Manchester’s Richard Goodall Gallery, will include a selection of limited edition fine art prints of some of their iconic artwork from this period.

Central Station’s legendary career has seen them working alongside bands such as Happy Mondays, Northside and James. The team, brothers Matt and Pat Carroll and Karen Jackson, have been responsible for some of the most memorable record sleeves of modern times.

Curator Richard Goodall notes, “Central Station’s work is widely accepted as amongst the most influential; they inspired a generation of designers and music fans and helped define the infamous ‘Madchester’ era.” Famously their iconic logo design, as featured on the Monday’s 1989 record Madchester Rave on EP, became the focal image of the movement.

Since the 1990’s Central Station have continued to produce artwork for the Happy Monday’s Shaun Ryder (now as part of Black Grape), along with others such as Australian band The Panics. They had also maintained a close working relationship with the late great Tony Wilson, designing the visual campaigns for Manchester’s world-renowned premiere music convention ‘In The City’. The influential trio’s artwork has also been exhibited world wide, from New York to China to Australia.



Their 2002 collaboration with Michael Winterbottom on his film 24 Hour Party People opened the door to a wide range other TV and film design projects, from Channel 4’s Hamburg Cell to ITV’s Prime Suspect. This has led the team to working with such names as Helen Mirren, Robbie Coltrane, Tim Robbins, Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie.

Central Station have, of course, continued to work on record sleeves, recently re-packaging special collectors edition releases of Happy Mondays Bummed and Pills 'N' Thrills and Bellyaches. Stylistically, their designs are bold and strong, often with Technicolor graphics, carefully selected non-band images and very little text. Jackson explains however, “I don’t think we have a formula, we just approach every sleeve totally differently”.

Gallery curator Richard anticipates great success for the show, “We are honoured to be housing this exclusive exhibition. Central Station’s influential designs are part of both music recording and Manchester’s history and this show will present a great viewing opportunity for music and art fans alike.”

Jackson adds, ‘It seems only natural that we have chosen to launch the retrospective exhibition in Manchester; in choosing the new Richard Goodall Gallery in the city’s Northern Quarter we have found a fantastic space, in an ideal location. We are excited to dust of some of the old designs and look back at some of the great memories we have of the last 25 years’.

Via Creative Review

Over Due Accessory Post - DIY

As I’m a big fan of accessories… for men and women! And will tag along with the cliché, “less is more”... allow me... accessories add to the “more” when you apply to the “less”. So, when I saw this type-writer key necklace, I just thought it was refreshingly original…

No, NOT these...

But these...

DIY or find them @ no-one.co.uk