Shoestarr’s Playlist: Top 5 Beastie Boys Music Videos

Last week, I was saddened to learn about the passing of MCA AKA Adam Yauch, like many other grieving Beastie Boys fans. I’ve been listening to The Beastie Boys since I was 12 years old, even though they had been together longer than I have been alive. I had a poster from their “Hello Nasty” album in my bedroom all throughout high school, and I cannot imagine what my favorite music videos would be without them. I was sadden by this loss because MCA was a person to be admired, for his music, his charitable work, and his cinematic contributions. So here’s my MCA tribute, My Top 5 favorite Beastie Boys Music Videos that are all near and dear to my heart. 

5. Beastie Boys - “Sure Shot”

This video, like their most popular music video “Sabotage”, is from The Beastie Boy’s 1994 classic album “Ill Communication” and was directed by Spike Jonze as well. It’s the Beasties doing what they do best - rapping, and goofing off. The goofing off in this video includes swimming in pools, wearing snazzy suits, and displaying an array of wacky glasses.

4. Beastie Boys - “(You Gotta) Fight For Your Right (To Party)”

Kick it! This is the video that put the Beasties on the map, and serves as a general rule of thumb to never invite the Beastie Boys to your party if you want to keep the event low-key. 

3. Beastie Boys - “Intergalactic”

One of my favorite Beastie Boys albums is “Hello Nasty”, and this was my favorite music video from that album, which was directed by MCA himself. The concept was ambitious, creative, and executed to perfection. I love watching the Beastie Boys hold futuristic poses and rap around the city streets as people looked confused, or apathetic. But most of all, I love the old-school Godzilla-esque battle between the robot and the squid-man.

2. Beastie Boys - “Sabotage”

Their most famous and iconic music video, directed by Spike Jonze, is so much fun to watch, and is still as entertaining as it was when I first saw it. It’s a classic, and should be a standard on any Top 10 list for best music videos ever made.

1. Beastie Boys - “So What Cha Want”

My personal favorite Beastie Boys music video is So What Cha Want, which I always assumed was directed by Spike Jonze, but realized today it was directed by MCA himself! What I love about this music video is that the concept is simple and clean. It’s a concept that has been duplicated in endless skate videos and music videos, but never to the same effect. None of those other attempts have the charisma and the performance of this video, and the simple concept only highlights what great performers the Beastie Boys were, and what amazing chemistry they had together. Rest in Peace MCA.

Shoestarr’s Playlist: Top 5 Cinema-Inspired Songs

This is my ultimate Cinema-Inspired playlist, filled with songs that use filmmaking or movie magic-ness as inspiration for the lyrics. I created a cheesy film playlist when I started film school, and now the playlist has evolved and include some newer discoveries.

5. New Pornographers - “Twin Cinema”

This song is a definite filmmaking jam, and even though the New Pornographers have been around for a while, I’ve only recently starting getting into them. This song is the title track from their 2005 “Twin Cinema” album, and I really love the cover art for the album as well. “They’ve shown this on both screens” gets stuck in my head sometimes.

4. Eisley - “Like The Actors”

This song is from Eisley’s 2007 “Like The Actors” EP, and I really enjoy the Dupree sister’s harmonies in this song. If your not familiar with Eisley, you may have heard Sherri and Stacy Dupree singing backing vocals on Head Automatica’s “Dance Party on several Bright Eyes songs from the “Cassadaga” album, most notably on “Make a Plan to Love Me”, which is my personal favorite from the album. All of the Dupree sisters definitely have their share of pipes, but when they all sing together, they don’t even need instruments - their harmonies can create beautiful, lush music on their own, and that’s the main reason why I really enjoy listening to Eisley.

3. Culture Reject - “Inside the Cinema” 

This is another band I’ve recently starting getting into, and this is my favorite song from them so far. I’m also a big fan of songs with hand clapping because I like the option of clapping along, so of course this made the list. I really enjoyed the video as well, which mixes video projections with live action.

2. The Postal Service - “Clark Gable”

“Clark Gable” is the signature cinematic love song from The Postal Service’s now legendary album, “Give Up”. If you have never heard this song, just go ahead, and listen to the entire Postal Service album from beginning to end. Do yourself a favor, thank me later.

1. Minus The Bear - “Get Me Naked 2: Electric Boogaloo

Yes, this song is about the cinema! And not the pornographic kind. Minus the Bear always has super creative, non-related song titles. My favorite Minus the Bear song title? “Monkey!!! Knife!! Fight!!” Point is, this song still makes it to the top of my cinema-inspired playlist regardless of the title.

Shoestarr’s Playlist: Top 10 Coachella 2012 Songs

After sorting through multiple set-lists of all the songs that were played during Coachella 2012, this is my Top 10 playlist of songs I would have loved to have seen live! Luckily, I was able to catch lots of the bands I would’ve wanted to see on the YouTube livesteam including Pulp, The Rapture, The Black Keys, Radiohead, Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds, St. Vincent, The Shins, At The Drive-In, and of course, Dr. Dre & Snoop Dogg complete with Tupac Hologram and all.

Click Here for Coachella Songs 10-6

5. Black Keys - “Tighten Up”

The Black Keys frontman Dan Auerbach displayed some mad whistling skills during their hit song. I was so happy I was able to catch the livestream for this band’s set because they were amazing, I have to see them live! Check out the music video for Tighten Up if you haven’t seen it yet, because it’s fantastic!

4. At The Drive-In - “One-Armed Scissor”

I was super excited to check out the ATDI reunion, their break-up has caused their fans to split to either the Mars Volta side, or the Sparta side (I prefer the Mars Volta), so I was interested to how they would mesh back together after all these years. Their performance was a little rough around the edges, but all in all, it would’ve have been freakin incredible to see this song played live!

3. Radiohead - “Karma Police”

Yes, I have seen Radiohead live, and yes, I have seen them play this very song before, but can you really get enough? This song is a classic, and when I heard this album for the first time, it definitely change my perception of what a great album could be. Also, this music video is just as timeless as the song. Would definitely be in my Top 10 music videos list.

2. Jeff Mangum (Neutral Milk Hotel) - “Two Headed Boy Pt. 2”

I totally missed out on the sold out Jeff Mangum show he’s playing in Los Angeles, so I really hope I get to see him live in the near future. For any of you guys who missed my “Shoestarr’s Top 5 Favorite Albums of All-Time” vlog, “Aeroplane Over the Sea” was one of them, and I cannot even imagine how great this show must’ve been. The set wasn’t included on the YouTube livesteam either, so I can only imagine. 

1. Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds (Oasis) - “Don’t Look Back in Anger”

This song is one of my favorite songs of all-time, and I missed it during Noel Gallagher’s set during the livestream! Since the Oasis break-up, my last hope of hearing this song live is to attend a Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds show. That being said, I wouldn’t mind at all. I heard their self-titled debut album, and thoroughly enjoyed it. The band, just like Oasis, is great for anyone who loves The Beatles, or even Ryan Adams, and just wants some good old-fashioned rock and roll.

Also, if you guys haven’t seen “The Poser’s Guide to Coachella 2012”, you check it out below. Hope you guys enjoyed my Top 10 Coachella playlist as well as the video!

Shoestarr’s Playlist: Top 5 Nirvana Songs

I’ve been rocking out to my grunge playlists lately because I’m getting really excited for the West Coast Best Coast Road Trip I’m going on in May. I’m going to be visiting Portland, Seattle & Vancouver for the first time, with some stops along the way in Aberdeen and Olympia. Seeing as this week also marks the 18th anniversary of Kurt Cobain’s death, it seems a fitting time to present my Top 5 Favorite Nirvana Songs.

5. Nirvana - “Sliver” 

My favorite song from the B-Sides album “Incestcide”, which is my best friend Vivian’s favorite Nirvana album. I strongly disagree with that statement, and this topic of debate has been a running joke through our 10+ years of friendship. I’ve always loved this song “Sliver”, It’s Nirvana staying true to their punk rock roots at their finest.

4. Nirvana - “Drain You” 

Oh, “Nevermind”. The album that started it all. If you ever read another Top 5 Nirvana songs list, and “Smells Like Teen Spirit” is on there, avoid it, because it’s not written by a Nirvana fan. “Nevermind” was the first Nirvana album I heard (such is the case for most), but I’m honestly a little burnt out by their most popular songs from this album because of their heavy radio play. I mostly skip them, and listen to the non-singles. “Drain You” was great enough to be a single, luckily it wasn’t, but even if it was, I never get tired of listening to this song.

3. Nirvana - “The Man Who Sold the World” 

Although this song wasn’t written by Nirvana, I’m sure even David Bowie can appreciate this version as it’s whole separate entity. Much like Johnny Cash’s version of “Hurt”, the makings of a great cover is when the artist takes a song, and make it’s entirely their own. Classic example: Whitney Houston’s “I Will Always Love You”.

2. Nirvana - “Verse Chorus Verse” (Also known as “Sappy”) 

Once a difficult song to track down, it’s now available on the Nirvana Box Set. In middle school, I bought a bootleg “In Utero” album that had four unreleased tracks for the sole purpose of getting this song onto my mixed tapes. Things were more complicated in the pre-Napster days. 

1. Nirvana - “Milk It” 

One of Nirvana’s most heavier sounding songs, “Milk It” has always been my favorite. I’ve gotten people into Nirvana with this song. Mixing raw emotion with a heavy dynamic punch is the main reason Nirvana is my favorite band.

Bonne Année! Happy New Years 2012 from Paris!

I was fortunate enough this year to cross the Number One place off of my ever-growing travel wish list: Paris, France. My great-great grandmother was Parisian, and I’ve always been a bit of a Francophile; I’ve long dreamt of visiting Paris and its first-class museums, a city filled with so much history and a nostalgia for the past, best depicted in Woody Allen’s “Midnight in Paris”. I always have had a soft-spot in my heart for French cinema, from “Amelie” to “The Umbrellas of Cherbourg”, and new wave classics like “Breathless” and “Jules and Jim”, some of my favorite movies of all-time have been from French directors; even this year’s “The Artist” was one of my favorites of 2011.

French cuisine was everything I hoped it would be and then some. Amazing chocolates, the flakiest croissants I’ve ever had, even the marmalade was to die for. I made an effort to eat a little bit of everything and each meal was an exploration, and an event. I had everything, from classics like escargot and french onion soup, crepes, fondue, macarons, creme bruele, filet of beef with peppercorn sauce, to gyros, falafels, veal, even a sausage made from tripe! After spending a week there, I really got a sense of the unique way of life that is Paris in 2012 - modern, but much like it’s architecture, the Parisian heart is still in the past, and I would have it no other way.

Coachella without the Sunburn: Bright Eyes + Jenny & Johnny + Broken Social Scene: Part 2

After catching the sold-out Bright Eyes show with Jenny and Johnny at the Fox Theatre in Pomona on their route to Coachella, I attended a fan-club only Broken Social Scene Show on their return from Coachella at the Masonic Lodge in the Hollywood Forever Cemetery. That’s right, the concert was at a cemetery and it was one of the most unique shows I’ve ever been to. Kevin Drew himself kept saying repeatedly that this was a special evening for him and the band, and the audience definitely felt it was experiencing something truly special as well. I was able to sit in the front row of chairs that lined the Masonic Temple and there was a long narrow stage taking up the entire width of the room that was adored with antique chairs, fit for a cemetery, perhaps. I personally just wondered how all of the 10+ revolving tribe of musicians was even going to fit up there.

Soon enough, 9 band members took the stage, including permanent members Kevin Drew and Brendan Canning, Apostle of Hustle’s Andrew Whiteman, Lisa Lobsinger and Charles Spearin. The set-list was very eclectic and included a Modest Mouse cover, a Apostle of Hustle song, and Charles Spearin presenting a song from his concept album “The Happiness Project” which translates people’s distinctive speech patterns and cadence into music. Spearin played an audio tape of an older Creole woman from New Orleans giving a touching interview and then the band played along with the speech, translating language into music. Amazingly, the music had the same effect, if not more, than the original speech did.

Drew and Canning might just have some of the best band banter ever. Canning took the reins while Drew was off-stage for a number and when Drew returned, everyone was standing up from their chairs and dancing. Canning joked that it must have been the correct BPMs to get the crowd pumping and Drew reacted by spontaneously adding more songs, danceable ones of course, to the set list. Then both of them began arguing about whether the crowd should be standing up or sitting down up during particular numbers and the crowd listened, sitting down for a Kevin Drew number only to stand back up again for a Canning song. Canning defended his case using a comical reference from the movie “The Fighter”, but honestly, it was all about the BPMs, man.

Coachella without the Sunburn: Bright Eyes + Jenny & Johnny + Broken Social Scene: Part 1

I am no longer the rambunctious punk rocker of my youth because when I think about an outdoor weekend concert/festival, only two things come to mind: sunburns and how much a bottle of water is going to cost me. That being said, I did not attend Coachella this year, but luckily, living in LA I didn’t really have to. I opted instead to mooch off of Coachella, attending a sold out Bright Eyes concert with Jenny and Johnny at The Fox Theater in Pomona on their route to Coachella and seeing an intimate fan-club only Broken Social Scene show inside of the Masonic Lodge at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery on their triumphant return from the Cochella festivities.

Jenny and Johnny were a blast as always, starting off their set with “Committed” as they did the last time I saw them at their first ever show at The Three Clubs in Los Angeles. This time around they played a beautiful deconstructed version of “The End of the Affair” off of Jonathan Rice’s solo album “Further North” that was exponentially more amazing than the album version. They also played a lot of fun songs off of their album “I’m Having Fun Now”, including “Scissor Runner”, “Just Like Zeus” and “Big Wave”, proving that only Jenny Lewis can write a pop song about the waning economy. They closed the night with ”The Next Messiah” off of Jenny Lewis’s second solo album “Acid Tongue” which includes three different songs stringed into one melody which Jenny Lewis describes as “an ode to Barbara Streisand and the devil”. I concur.

Bright Eyes put on an amazing show as well. The last time I saw Conor Oberst was with The Mystic Valley Band at the Echoplex and it was refreshing this time to see him not always strapped down into a guitar with a performance that seemed more of an multi-instrumental rapper than of a tortured singer-songwriter prodigy. It was really the emergence of Conor Oberst the performer. And for that evolution, I applaud. Mike Moggis and Nate Walcott were equally as impressive to watch, as was the new addition of Laura Burhenn from the band Georgie James (which featured the ex-dummer of Q and Not U, an amazing D.C. band I was fortunate enough to see live in Miami before their break-up in 2005).

The first time I heard Bright Eyes, I was sixteen years old, and as I’ve grown up, the band has grown up and their music has continued evolving over the years. That being said, I was extremely satisfied with their set-list. There were old songs played that filled my sixteen year old sad sappy emo heart with joy such as “Something Vague”, “Going for the Gold”, “Falling Out Of Love At This Volume” and “The Calendar Hung Itself” (The titles of these songs alone are a dead give-away to the sad sappy emo heart I’m referring to). However, the new Bright Eyes album “The People’s Key” is really spectacular and I was really excited to hear some of my favorite songs from the new album as well like the hard drum-roll trashing intro of “Jejune Stars”, the catchy danceable pop emo single “Shell Games” and the eerie piano haunt of the “Ladder Song”. If there was ever a Bright Eyes album to hear live, this may be the one.

The Getty

The last time I went to The Getty Center, I was seven years old. I remember coy fish ponds surrounding Roman architecture and French furniture from the era of Louis XIV. I didn’t recall a tram though, or it being plopped on a rather large mountain overlooking the highway, and people always looked confused when I talked about the coy fish ponds. It took me an embarrassingly long amount of time to realize that the Getty Center of my youth is now called the Getty Villa and that I had in fact never been to “new” Getty Center I frequently drove past on the 405. I knew I had to go.

Outside there were no coy fish ponds, but a beautiful asian-inspired garden designed by Robert Irwin and spectacular views of Los Angeles. And yes, 17th and 18th century French furniture located in the South Pavillion including an extravagant clock that had only four copies made, two of which belonged to Marie Antoinette, and lavish beds that were cut short in length so that Parisian women could sleep sitting up as to not ruin their hairstyles. Love it! I also learned that from April 26 to August 7th, they’ll have a special exhibit called “Paris: Life & Luxury” showcasing the 18th century Parisian living. Count me in.

Of course, I also saw a Van Gogh, a Rembrandt, Renoir, Monte. I believe this was the first time I’ve seen a Van Gogh without a rather large crowd of people surrounding the painting and either commenting on it or trying to sneak a picture. Yeah, there was still people gathered around, but it was more than a semi-circle than a crowd, which was nice. I guess I always go to museums when they’re busy.

Aside from the wonderful collection of permanent art and displays, I really enjoyed the “Gods of Angkor” exhibit which included breathtaking Buddhist and Hindu statues from present-day Cambodia. The Vishnu statue was zen to say the least and all of the statues were moving and beautifully crafted. It was my favorite non-permanent exhibition along with “The Photography of New China” exhibit, if only for the works of Zhang Huan, whose work gathered a little bit of a crowd as well. Personally, I think he was just competing with Van Gogh. Seeing as his work is being exhibited while he’s still alive, he might actually have the one up.

I highly recommend checking out these exhibits. “The Photography of New China” will be on display until April 24th and “The Gods of Angkor” closes August 14th. 

Top 3 Albums of 2010

Since the 2011 Grammy’s are tonight, it’s the perfect time to reflect on the surprisingly awesome amount of great music released this year. I suffer from a High Fidelity, list-making complex when it comes to music and every year I make a playlist on my iTunes of my Top 3 Albums. Two of my favorite albums this year have Grammy nominations tonight, one is performing and has an album of the year nod while the other is making Grammy nominations cool again by being nominated for Best Album in the Alternative Music Category. Point is, you know who I’ll be rooting for tonight. Here’s my list:

1. Arcade Fire - The Suburbs

Sometimes when you are getting into a new band, you really love that first album that got you into them and nothing will ever match that experience for you. It holds the nostalgia of discovering them. You have this sad realization that no matter what other amazing music that band makes, nothing will ever match that first album you fell in love with. That’s how I feel about MGMT’s Oracular Spectacular. This is NOT how I feel about the Arcade Fire. 

I’ve always liked the Arcade Fire, but I was stubborn and holding out for something better before declaring one of their albums my favorite. Sometimes this never happens at all - you’re waiting for this amazing band to put out something even better than what you expected, and it never comes. There’s this band with enormous potential that never lives up to some ridiculous musical expectation that only you seem to know about. And then, other times, as if by magic, a band produces the album you’ve finally been waiting for, and you know it once you hear it. That’s what “The Suburbs” feels like to me. 

I love this album. I’m a sucker for concept albums and this album flows continuously from one song to the next better than any previous Arcade Fire albums. Instead of each song being a separate story, “The Suburbs” feels like one big story and each song is building towards something great. If people haven’t figured it out by now, Arcade Fire has proven themselves as a major force to be listened to, consistently turning out amazing album after next.

2. The Black Keys - Brothers

How two white dudes from freaking Ohio make such soulful music is beyond me. I LOVE this band! They are bluesy and have so much passion and sexiness in their music, all while still being fun. This is just a fun jammy album with more depth than you’d expect from something that meets that description. If you don’t have this album, download it from iTunes immediately. And if you’re skeptical, download “Everlasting Light”, the first track off the album, and if that doesn’t make you want to listen to the whole thing, you have no soul. Or at the very least, you have no rhythm.

3. Deerhunter - Halcyon Digest

I am a big fan of shoegaze, but I wouldn’t dare call Deerhunter a shoegaze band because they are much more dynamic and powerful than that. This album is best heard horizontally, but it’s beauty will sweep you off your feet even if you’re standing on them. And that’s just the thing, simply put, this is one beautiful album. The album cover is just as striking as the music.

I must’ve gotten into Deerhunter a bit late because I never heard of this band until I was in Miami for Christmas and my best friend played them for me. When I got back home to Los Angeles, I bought this album and really loved it. Then I saw a billboard with the album cover near Sunset Junction in Silverlake and I realized there must’ve been a Deerhunter bandwagon for me to get on. And here I thought I discovered something more obscure. Proof that no matter how nonconformist you may feel, you’re only one hipster away from feeling like everybody else. If these are the tirades of the modern world, life is good. And so is Deerhunter. Get into them before everybody else does.