The Happy Hollows

The Happy Hollows - Tambourine

I think I like the riffs in this song the most, from an LA band called The Happy Hollows[pictured]. They're very Doolittle-esque.

And such awesomeness was inspired by a "Billy Corgan video"...

My gums hurt.

Wisdom

I asked my dentist last week if I could wait until winter break to get my wisdom teeth removed and he practically screamed at me. "These should have been taken out five years ago!" he shouted.

So, tomorrow they're being removed. These little pearls of wisdom have been there all along, and I absolutely had no clue. It's kind of funny when I think about it that way.

India.Arie - Strength, Courage, and Wisdom

Stop by Barack Rock! and download cool free music donated by musicians in support of Barack Obama's presidential campaign. There's a song by The Jealous Girlfriends that I think you'll like.

New Soul

It's not "Neo-Soul," it's "New Soul."

"New Soul" is the subject of the new Fader F2 issue that features the lovely Jazmine Sullivan [pictured], Keziah Jones, Plantlife both in the magazine and on a ridiculously good accompanying podcast.

Download the "New Soul" mixtape
It's so good, it's ridiculous. And it's going to be my studying soundtrack.

Download the new "New Soul" F2 issue

If You Like Kings of Convenience...

I try not to do comparisons much, but singer Anthony Rochester's witty mellow pop rock really reminds me of Kings of Convenience. It really does. Which is good, because that new record the Kings were rumored to be working on, seems to not have been worked on so much. So, Anthony, it's nice to have you around:

See Anthony play various instruments and sing "I Love You, Baby"


Hear Anthony sing about how "Mathematics" is all that we need
Anthony Rochester - Mathematics

You can grab a copy of Rochester's latest, Music for in the Spaceship, from SeriesTwo Records.

And

Yep. This is how we "hunker down" in the H, we eat. Lots. And it's some good food, too. Mmm-hmm.

Catch A Milli

To be quite honest, I am not a big fan of the Weezy F. Baby.

And yet

I've loved "A Milli" since the very first time I heard it. There's something very badass and genius about screaming, "MUTHAFUCKA, I'M ILL."

Try it. It can even be a good self-affirmation.

The fact that Brooklyn songbird Shae Fiol [pictured] has made a mashup to the tune makes me love it even more.

Shae Fiol - Catch a Milli (K. Life Walks Remix)

I just got caught up on Runway. Um, I can't believe Terri's out? And can Kenley please stop laughing at people's sad faces? And Suede is still around? No comprendo.

I Know, Dude. I Know

[picture from the NYSE, NYTimes]

To lighten the air a bit from all the doom and gloom, the White House had a rather entertaining press briefing about Wall Street's hot mess today. Or, painful, depends on how you look at it.
[via Radar]

Youtubing: Golden Age

I could use something fun and weird and light. Because driving through this wrecked city and waiting an hour for gas isn't so fun.

But TV on the Radio's video for the song, "Golden Age" is super fun. The dancing police officers trip me out. And I didn't know that was Kyp singing...:

Also, Michelle Obama just wrote a new BlogHer blog post about her husband's plans for gender wage equity. Check it.

Movies and the Runway

I wasn't really planning on seeing The Family That Preys just yet, even without the impending cataclysmic hurricane coming our way. But I may reconsider, since it does have two of my favorites, Sanaa Lathan and Alfre Woodard. Woodard talked to Premiere Magazine about the film and being a working actress in today's Hollywood, as well as about her support of Obama:

You've been very active in the Democratic Party. How do you feel about this presidential race?
"I have been on the road with Barack Obama for over a year now — I mean, literally, on the road, when I'm not on the set. I'm one of the national surrogates. I took off to do that because I've been involved with elections and politics since I was ten, with my parents. You've got to. You must. If you're a citizen, you're alive and especially if you're a person of color, you can't get anything out. I came from the left to the center to meet Barack. He was talking consensus. Everything he's done, his whole life, has been about consensus. He's going to help us get out of the pit, the fire that the Bush administration has gotten us into. For the first time, I'm working for something rather than against something. We're working to forestall something. McCain really showed his colors, how much he put his country first, how much a maverick he is, when he placed Sarah Palin on that ticket. But that's a different conversation."

[more at Premiere]

Tell it.

and

Jezebel has footage of the Project Runway shows from Fashion Week. Korto's daughter is adorb.

Take a Hike.

The Strokes - Automatic Stop

I kind of re-discovered Room on Fire this week. Wasn't this a great album?

Organizing

I attended this awesome lecture at school today presented by an attorney with the National Day Laborer Organization. This might sound strange, but I think that it was the first time I really got excited about becoming a lawyer. Whoever talks smack about community organizing truly has never had a clue. The revolution will not be televised.

"Never doubt that a small group of individuals can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has."
-Margaret Mead

Lightbulbs

Fujiya & Miyagi's [pictured] new album, Lightbulbs, comes out really soon. Tomorrow soon actually. Here's the second single off of the record, "Sore Thumb." It's no "Collarbone," but I dig.

Fujiya and Miyagi - Sore Thumb (Windows Stream)

or

(Quicktime Stream)

System and Station

I read an article last year about how Portland is an "Indie-Rock Mecca," where folks like Stephen Malkmus and Sleater Kinney members are like, next door neighbors! I remember wondering at the time just what it was about the Oregon trail that lends itself to rocking out. Listening to Portland-based System and Station [pictured] has renewed my interest in this phenomenon. Maybe there's something in the water.

System and Station - On The Way

System and Station are currently touring in support of their recent release, A Nation of Actors.

And

After reading this NYTimes profile, I'm officially beyond excited about the new TV on the Radio record!!! It's funny, I never remember Williamsburg being the way they describe it from back in the day. How the times have changed.

P.A.N.T.H.E.R.

HA!
[from Jezebel via Current]

Be OK

Bespectacled cutey-pie and dazzling singer/songwriter Ingrid Michaelson has a new record in the pipeline. It's called Be OK, and it'll be chock full of unreleased live tracks and rad covers. But more importantly, it'll be for a great cause -- a portion of Be OK sales will go to Stand Up to Cancer.

You won't be able to purchase Be OK until October 14, but you can download the album's same-named lead single on iTunes right now:

Have you checked out Ingrid's recent Daytrotter visit? 'Twas loverly.

Soul Brother No. 1

I almost forgot about my morning commute tomorrow. There's so much traffic. I mean, it's not just traffic, it's like, TRAFFIC. It's madness. Luckily, I've got a secret weapon for those times when I'm stuck between a gas-guzzler and a medium-sized sedan on the freeway. I listen to the Godfather of Soul, and the twenty minutes on average that I spend in grid-lock melt away.

James Brown - Give It Up Or Turn It A Loose

I don't know what it is about these storms. My grandfather made significant improvements today. It's really nothing short of a miracle.