It’s not every day that you get to see Incubus up close and personal, let alone on a rooftop with complimentary spicy whiskey, a taco bar, and a patio size Twister board game; we were fortunate enough to be invited to such a soiree. The event was part of 98.7 KYSR-FM’s Penthouse Concerts at the historic Hollywood Tower series.
“Oh no, not another Avett Brothers wannabe, Mumford look alike,” you might say on first listen to Seattle based The Head and the Heart. They share a lot of similarities with the aforementioned bands i.e. “rootsy” Americana drenched, harmony infused songs, acoustic instrumentation, hand percussion, etc… (not always a bad think, by the way i happen to love those to bands and the simplicity, authenticity and emotion conveyed in the songs simple treatment). And like it or not, The Head and the Heart is one of this generation’s emerging Alt-Americana mainstays.
In the continuing spirit of our big 2010 send-off, we’d like to present you with another Top 10 list that celebrates the best of what music had to offer this past year, this time in the form of music videos. Some of these are beautifully stunning creations, many of them will cause you to LOL, but whatever their intent, chances are you’ve wasted a substantial portion of your work day checking them out at some point over the last 365 days. We just thought we’d pick the best and put ‘em in one place.
Flight attendants going postal, black holes in space, dogs with a penchant for rioting?! Yeah, 2010 was definitely the “Year in Weird,” which is why ChinaShop photographer Dustin Downing had such a blast these last 357 days. Take a lil’ nibble out of his eclectic year in review after the jump!
Whoever does the videos for OK Go is a viral video genius. Less than a week old and “White Knuckles” has over 3 million hits on YouTube. If you haven’t seen it yet, check it out. It features awesome doggies doing awesome doggie tricks (there’s also a random goat which obviously adds to the overall awesomeness). How does Mandy feel about this video? AWESOME.
Thursday night, Manchester’s own Delphic took the outdoor stage at Dangerbird Records to bestow the crowd below with the urge to dance. After a set perfectly infused with a wreath of synth, guitar, vocals, and drums, the boys headed backstage to relax, while coyly avoiding the crowd gathered around the television that was showing the last quarter of the Lakers game. It’s OK guys, we all know that “football” is the thing in the UK and doing an interview for China Shop over watching Kobe Bryant was a good enough excuse for me.
Today’s bloggin best…
- Hey Wings fans. Sir Mac bails on EMI, goes the indie route with his catalog. Hypebot
- Rihanna receives socialized medicine in Switzerland. NME
- Coachella packs ‘em in. Grosses over $20 million. Billboard
- Unreleased Mr. Hudson (produced by Kanye West). Hypetrak
- “Wasted Guy” is this years “Naked Wizard.” URB
- Vampire Weekend have more new music on the way. TwentyFourBit
- “Cursed” David Lynch/Danger Mouse/Sparklehorse album gets release date. LA Weekly
- MGMT at number two, can’t beat the Bieber. Spin
- Don’t fear the leaker: Crystal Castles rush second album release. Village Voice
- Vote now for Beatport 2010 Music Awards. Beatportal
- The xx “Islands” video is stunning. BPM
- DJ Premier’s statement on Guru’s passing. Nah Right
- Obey readies May Day pop-up store in NYC. Format Mag
Today’s Bloggin Best…
- Stream the new Autechre album, Oversteps. Clash
- Dilla x Serato x “Safety Dance” = Want. Stones Throw
- M.I.A. too-release Sleigh Bells debut album. Stereogum
- Stream Gonjasufi + Gaslamp Killer show live tonight. LA Weekly
- Detroit techno is old enough to rent a car. Rhythmism
- Buy Daft Punk, Cat Power, Vampire Weekend and Strokes custom crafts to benefit Haiti. Bidding For Good