animate this!

these are some of the best animated videos ever and i have this big soft spot for music videos (and artists) that appreciate the fact that you can have a music video that’s about more than just the band doing a “performance” to the camera (although, if you’re dancing in your video…all is forgiven…see Justin Timberlake, Britney Spears, or PCD for examples).

Incubus-Drive.

A-Ha- Take On Me.

and recently ive been noticing that videos have been more graphic-y…and i love it!  here are some of my recent favorites.

Single Ladies.

i haven’t posted in awhile and i will soon…but for now….

please keep in mind….i hate this song.  i dont think the video is particularly good, but i thought this was ridiculously funny.

remember this is the original.

this is jt’s parody of it for snl:

and this is beyonce’s inspiration video:

as i recall i know you love to show-off.

Kanye West and VH1′s Storytellers.

There’s been a lot of commentary regarding his use of the word “amazing” to describe Chris Brown, OJ Simpson, Michael Jackson, and Michael Phelps, but after watching the show (and listening to the recordings from the show) I can kind of understand where he was coming from; in no way was he condoning their actions, but he was simply stating that they have amazing talent and that, while we as fans are so blown away by their talent, we sometimes forget that they too are human.

Kanye West- Amazing

That being said, I think that the recordings from the night are fantastic, particuarly the stuff from 808′s and Heartbreaks (and to be completely honest, all of that album I wasn’t exactly feeling until I saw Storytellers).  However great the songs were, I still wish that Kanye had divulged just a little more about himself; there were small moments of personal anecdote and self-mockery, which I thought made him the slightest bit more personable but in comparison to other Storyteller episodes there was nothing truly heartfelt.

Kanye West- Goodlife

But seriously Kanye…fix that hair. this is not the time to be having “professional in front and party in the back” hair.  AND…what do you have your backup singers wearing?? those shoulder pads are SUCH a hot mess.  you can’t sing about Gucci and Prada and have such horrible fashion on stage.  but the stage was awesome and reminded me about of the slanted stage from the Glow in the Dark Tour.

Kanye West- Touch the Sky

ps. check kanye’s blog and VH1 Storytellers for more vids (because kanye’s “greatest pain in life is never being able to see [himself] perform”)

Clarity x 10 because here you can be anything…

i’m going to see Jimmy Eat World in LA tomorrow night on their Clarity x 10 tour a (the picture above was taken when i saw them on 10-15-07 with Maritime at the Fillmore) and i’m amazingly stoked…i might even be on the verge of squealing like a school girl.  i’ve seen j.e.w. 4 times prior to this show (although the time Paramore was the headliner, I was a little less than enthused that my favorite band was their opener, but MEH) and each time i’ve been blown away. i love love love love love jim adkins, tom linton, rick burch, and zach lind and j.e.w. is definitely one of my favorite bands of all time…i could see them a million times and not get tired of it.  in honor of their ten year anniversary of Clarity (THE best album of j.e.w. by far. and definitely in my top 5 albums of all time) and because i’m just that excited for the show…

btw if you don’t already, you should be following Jimmy Eat World’s twitter; they take a lot of pictures have been getting fans to post vids and pics from the tour and seem to actually respond when followers tweet them. (please note a recent tweet: @THE_REAL_SHAQ hey shaq. We’d love for you to come to our gig in Tempe on 3.7.09. Thanks for making phx legit.)

here are a couple videos to put you in the mood (or maybe just make you pull out those classics again for a good listen).

bell x1- blue lights on the runway

like many other popular indie artists of today, the OC helped put Bell X1 on the US map with their incorporation of Eve, The Apple of My Eye on their Music From the OC: Mix 4 compilation as well as in Season 2 Ep 12.  however, Bell x1 has been around since 1999 and the songs chosen for The OC and Grey’s Anatomy were actually off of their third album Flock (which is simply incredible).  now back with their fourth studio album Blue Lights on the Runway, Bell X1 steps outside their box of heartfelt piano ballads and experiments with increasingly more commercial instruments such as the synthesizer and that jazzy-pop electric undertone that seems to be dominating the airwaves.

as a whole, the album is better than expected (definitely not comparable to Flock but good); with their clever quips and infectious beats, there is no denying that Bell X1 has created both a marketable and personable album that is sure to please even the harshest of critics.  in fact, so many of the tracks are so enjoyable that it has been hard for me to pin down my favorite; although the band has chosen to step into a more infectious electro-pop-ish genre, there are still those classically haunting piano ballads, such as Blow Ins and Light Catches Your Face, that reaffirm the band’s sentimental origins.

Eve, The Apple of My Eye (Live)

The Great Defector (Live)

Tracklisting (plus some samples):
1. The Ribs of a Broken Umbrella
2. How Your Heart is Wired
3. The Great Defector
4. Blow Ins
5. Amelia
6. A Better Band
7. Breastfed
8. Light Catches Your Face
9. One Stringed Harp
10. The Curtains are Twitchin

…welcome to the good videos.

here are some of the more promising “new” songs/music videos (unlike these)

coeur de pirate- ensemble.
yes she’s candian from quebec and her name is really beatrice martin and she’s only 18!  and no i don’t understand a single thing she’s singing…but i know i like it and i love her voice.  this was the video that started getting attention for her (somebody made a timelapse of their baby playing).  and this is the first song i heard from her Comme des Enfants. so talented.

death cab for cutie- grapevine fires.
in my opinion one of the best songs off of their latest album Narrow Stairs and written about the Southern California fires in the summer and fall of 2007.  i love that death cab is getting more acclaim and is finally separating themselves from being Seth Cohen’s favorite band in the OC.  and i think this acoustic performance of Cath… is also particularly amazing (even if they’re not particularly good in large arenas).

james morrison ft nelly furtado- broken strings.
off of his latest album Songs For You, Truth For Me, james morrison collaborated with nelly furtado (of promiscuous and i’m like a bird fame)  on the track Broken Strings; a fabulous job in my opinion.  while some might think james morrison is a little over the top in his vocal approach to songs, i beg to differ and love just about everything he sings, starting with You Give Me Something and followed by Wonderful World.  and if you like this stuff, make sure you check out his collaboration with jason mraz on details in the fabric.

andrew bird ft mucca pazza- fitz and the dizzy spells.
I LOVE andrew bird…he’s unique and quirky and SOOO SOO SOOOOOOO talented (plus he’s the best whistler i’ve ever heard. i mean really who can vibrato a whistle?)…and he makes orchestra cool.

improving with yo-yo ma

enrique iglesias ft ciara- takin back my love.
don’t judge me.  we all know that hero was fantastic and escape was a hot video.  i love enrique and i loved his cameo on HIMYM.  and yes, the beginning of this song does sound like Lady Gaga Just Dance.

carolina liar- show me what i’m looking for.
i don’t actually know when this video came out, but i’ve been looking for it for awhile and finally found it (everywhere but youtube).  they were featured on 90210 on February 3rd and were/are one of VH1′s artists on the rise (but we all know what happens to half of those artists).  but here’s the song that was actually played on 90210 I’m Not Over.

good artists gone bad.

for part 1 of my “new” music video post this week we’ll start with the bad; when i say bad, i mean disappointingly horrible.

Utada Hikaru.
apparently utada is putting out another american record (making this her third) and has been working with people like Ne-Yo and The-Dream…but what i liked about her was that she was a j-pop artist.  i think this new song Come Back To Me is…pretty horrible, but to each their own.

utada hikaru- come back to me

and what she should stick to doing: first love

Jamie Foxx.
oh jamie jamie jamie random cameos do NOT make a good video.  good songs can make decent videos better and good videos make decent songs better (see britney spears)…but somewhere in there you have to have something that is good.  good not found.  for example the song Just Like Me is not fantastic, but the video is funny…thus you have pretty high odds of people enjoying what you’ve done (plus you have TI in the video).  another example, She Got Her Own…not the greatest video…but the song is good and you’ve got Ne-Yo and Fabolous…therefore the result is overwhelmingly positive.

jamie foxx- blame it (on the alcohol)

a better display of jamie foxx’s talent (because he really can sing)- Unpredictable ft Ludacris

Baby Bash.
excellent video/song?? i think not.  baby bash has put out some classic hits prior to this (but for the most part i always thought that he was the featured artist…but apparently they’re his songs) think What Is It ft Sean Kingston and Cyclone ft T-Pain. unfortunately for him, his latest song is not good and neither is the acting by that white man at the beginning of the video.

baby bash ft lil jon and mario- that’s how i go

and whether or not this is one of those guilty pleasure songs…i really liked it: Suga Suga ft Frankie J

Insanity ensues- Joe Budden style.

Joe Budden won me over with Fire ft Busta Rhymes and Pump It Up and now he’s back with his new album Padded Room with cover art that shows him in a straight-suit; intriguing if I must say so myself.  For awhile I had forgotten what Joe Budden sounded like (after all…he did fall off the face of the earth for awhile) and I thought he was Lloyd for a bit, but after listening to his latest album, I completely remember.  Joe Budden is a true street rapper and an amazing lyricist that has flow and that rough sort of rap that is missing these days…he takes it back to what rap was when 2-Pac (NOT A COMPARISON IN QUALITY TO 2PAC AT ALL) and LL Cool J were rapping.  This album is a breath of fresh air that contains an actual storyline and isn’t driven by the collaborations, as most albums these days are ie. T.I., Lil Wayne, and T-Pain.  But where the collabs do come in, specifically The Game and Fabolous (thank you for trying to bring back fabulous), they don’t overshadow Joe Budden and are legit performers who up his credibility.  Job well done.  So Joe, welcome back, your reemergence has been a long time coming; in terms of record labels bailing on you, you are the male rap equivalent to Christina Milian (who myspace music has decided to pick up and give another shot to).

In case anybody doesn’t know what happened to Joe Budden here’s a quick summary: He was intially signed to Def Jam and had couple big hits on his first album Joe Budden, then as he was working on his second album The Growth, apparently a deteriorating relationship with Jay-Z delayed the albums release and it was eventually canceled.  In the meantime he signed to Amalgam Digital and has been doing a series of mixtapes (that are actually pretty great).  These mixtapes are, I feel, a big part of why Joe Budden isn’t as concerned with making a commercial rap song, but instead focuses on lyrical content than catchy hooks (but somehow still manages to make his work catchy!).

here’s a little old school Joe Budden to remind you:

and a non-video youtube sample of his latest single The Future ft the Game:

and some new stuff:
Joe Budden- Now I Lay
Joe Budden- In My Sleep
Joe Budden- Adrenaline ….feels a lot like something N.E.R.D. would do with that rock hip hop mashup

week 3! american idol please don’t let me down again this week

PHEW week 3 of semifinals…that means after this all that’s left is the wildcard round and then the top 12 begins!!!

my picks for this week (the show is on tuesday again):
Male: Scott MacIntyre
Female: Taylor Vaifanua
Runner-up: Felicia Barton, Arianna Afsar, Lil Rounds, or Kendall Beard

this week will be a tough week and I have high expectations for all the performers (they’re by far better than week 2′s talent). AND surprisingly, there’s a huge amount of female talent in this group as opposed to the previous 2 groups where you knew the runner-up spot would go to a male performer.  so we’ll see how it all plays out.

and here’s everybody else:

the man in my mirror must be kris allen.

american idol this week…was full of fail. when i did my intial post for this week’s 12 competitors i thought “HRM i dont know who to make out as the best because they’re all pretty decent, but better than mediocre at least.”  BUT I WAS SO WRONG!  there were two categories of people tonight (of course some outliers): 1. the decent singers who were insanely forgettable and boring or 2. the incredibly horrible in both vocals and dance (if you call grooving to your own tunes dancing)….

for me these were the outliers (meaning these people were good…or good relative to the hot mess that everybody else was)

kris allen. i really liked kris allen’s rendition of Michael Jackson’s Man in the Mirror. i thought it was lively sounding, sung well, and a really good take on a popular song….he didn’t do it because it was his favorite song (maybe it was) or because it was insanely popular…but probably because he could do it well.

allison iraheta. better than i expected. some of it i thought was a bit oversung and i wasn’t particularly digging the throwback outfit with hot reddish purple hair…but at least she can sing.

adam lambert. as much as i don’t like adam…he was pretty good. he put on a good show, showed range, the song wasn’t terribly contrived.  based on this performance (and all the jocking he’s gotten in the previous weeks) of course he’s in the top 3.

while these three were my favorite and would’ve gotten my votes, i hope jasmine murray gets a shot.  PLEASE GOD. no more norman gentle (nick mitchell) or mishavonna henson. thank you.

and for a full recap: