H & M Fashion Flash Mob

Savage Sam Jackson here, I saw this on another blog just had to re-post it, so there! 

VJ Samsonite's "Hot New Music" song of the day is....

... a song called Fader by Aussie rock band The Temper Trap. The Temper Trap hails at us out of Melbourne, Victoria (heaps of great new artists coming out of Melbs and Sydney lately), and delivers to us its own brand of "atmospheric sound" (as wikipedia suggests). This song comes off of their Conditions album, which was released in June of 2009. Lots of good new music came out in 2009 aye? Hope you didn't miss out on it! Not much else to say about them, so look them up if you want more info, woot!

An Epic Telephone Tribute! (by GraceNMichelle)

ARRHGGHG! Scag Baron here! Seeing that we posted the "Over 1 Billion Views" Telephone music video by Lady Gaga here yesterday, we figured that we should post this sick-as tribute to it by a vlogging duo named GraceNMichelle. In fact you should check out all their thrilla vids at their vlog ala GraceNMichelle.

VJ Samsonite's "Hot New Music" song of the day is....

...Jona Vark, by Aussie duo Gypsy and the Cat. Xavier Bacash and Lionel Towers make up the duo and hail at us out of Melbourne Australia. I have been looking forward to posting this song for some time now as it has such a unique sound and I believe (after hearing it a few times) that it has some higher consciousness stuff going on with it (and thus I look forward to hearing their other new works). I would describe their sound as etheric and nostalgic. I couldn't find much other info about the duo on the web anywhere and so I will leave that to you. I reckon that Gypsy and the Cat have "got it," whatever "it" is. Check em out!

#100: of VJ Samsonite's Top 100 80's Dance Hits Countdown!

Welcome to VJ Samsonite's top 100 80's Dance Hits Countdown! Today is the first post, and so naturally I am starting the countdown at number 100. You may have noticed that I have reverted from doing the top 50 as I found that there were just too many 80's Dance Hits that I couldn't possibly ignore, so I expanded it to the full-on top 100. So, the first song you very well may have never heard of before, and for those of you who are familiar with it, you have already proven yourself to be well versed in true 80's mythology. At number 100 is...Burning in the Third Degree, by electro-rock 80's group Tahnee Cain and the Tryanglz. This song comes off of the original Terminator Soundtrack and is featured in the Tech-Noir nightclub scene. There isn't much info about the other band members but Tane McClure is the lead singer, an actress, as well as a film producer from Los Angeles, California. She has been compared to Pat Benatar in the past, and was part of a Latin-Jazz band in the 1970's before she joined up with the Tryanglz. According to wikipedia, there album reached #121 on the charts, and the band performed gigs up til the 1990's when it officially disbanded. This song is a true sci-fi-80's-synth classic, which has its own dark post-apocalyptic undertones, which truly makes a gripping authentic 80's tune that is more than dance-able. I would recommend that if you dig this tune you check out the Terminator soundtrack as there are at least two other singles by this band on it. I am proud to make Burning in the Third Degree my number "100"80's Dance Hit. Enjoy!

Telephone by Lady Gaga surpasses 1 billion Views!

Well, I figured that if a music video can catch the attention of 1/6th of the world's total population or round-abouts that number, then I should probably post it here. Check it!

Lady Gaga - New Music - More Music Videos

Telephone

Another VJ Brewski Masterpiece...

Umbrella, by Rihanna certainly isn't a new song, but this version may be new to you. Check it!

VJ Samsonite's "Hot New Music" song of the day is....

...Saturday Night, by Aussie artist Matt Van Schie (pronounced Matt Van Ski). Matt Van Schie is also the vocals/bass in Sydney electro-pop band Van She who were formed in 2005 (and whom I would also highly recommend everyone give a listen to). This song reminds me of many old 80's synth-pop songs but holds its own elements in this new wave of electro-pop which is upon now upon us. Perhaps I will have to post some Van She in the future, although much of their music is about 4-5 yrs old already, my how the time flies!

VJ Samsonite's "Hot New Music" song of the day is....

...Enter Galactic (Love Connection Part I), by U.S. rapper, singer, and actor Kid CuDi (who hails out of Cleveland, Ohio). Enter Galactic comes off of CuDi's 2009 release album titled,  Man on the Moon: The End of the Day. Kid CuDi seems to me to fall into a similar vein as U.K. rapper Dizzee Rascal as he blends his rap with synth-beats and blips that make a wonderful blend of synth-rap or synth-hop??? Is that a genre, why not? We seem to create new music genres and terms every day, that way we can put each artist and song into a neat little box and call it whatever we so desire. But music isn't that simple is it? Anyways, Kid CuDi is not that well known in the U.S. for some reason despite being a clear leader and artist in this genre. In fact I don't understand why this isn't on the radio here in the U.S.A., but again my conclusion is that it falls back onto the fact that most radio stations here are all owned by the same people, and they pick and choose the same repetitive loops to play and if great artists like Kid CuDi (or Dizzee Rascal for that matter) don't make their cut then they just don't get played. This is a shame, because there is so much great new music out there that just isn't getting hardly any airtime, and that is partly what inspired me to do these New Music posts on this blog, in the hopes of giving further exposure to  these new music and artists, and to increase their circulation a bit and get on the airwaves. Whether that happens or not is up to those few in the end. Oh well, I believe I've ranted on just about enough there, asi que, sin más, aqui esta Kid CuDi.....

MARCH 2010 Steve Judd Global Forecast

Greetings Earth Denizens, Beartron here! Here's the go, the Halcyon Days Vlog/Blog will proudly now be adding legendary U.K. Astrologer Steve Judd's Monthly video Horoscopes. These are posted only monthly, and will be the over-all monthly and yearly forecasts for all signs. I have found Steve Judd to be an incredibly gifted and knowledgeable Astrologer/forecaster of global and personal energies/events. I have posted the March 2010 video forecast below, and if you like it I would highly recommend checking out Steve's Sun-Sign forecasts for your particular sign at his website HERE . Until the solar fire accords, Beartron bids you adieu!

VJ Samsonite's "Hot New Music" song of the day is....

..."Fire" by U.K. indie rock band Kasabian. Yes that's right, another award winning rock band from the U.K.! I told you there wouldn't be many from the USA, although I do actually have a few on my list. This band has been around since 1999, and the song "Fire" comes off of their West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum album (released in 2008), and if that isn't a unique album title, then I don't know what is...This song is interesting because it starts out sounding a bit slow and then hits you with a harder more increased energetic chorus, which I notice quite a few bands and songs doing these days; that is the song starts out not so energetic and possibly even shy-sounding, but then a high-energy chorus kicks in out of no-where (this is especially notable in Pendulum's new hit song, will post later on). Anyways, I really dig this song and will post a few other Kasabian songs on future posts, so without further ado, I spit Hot Fiahhhh!

Student Loan Overhaul Approved by Congress

Welcome to my underground lair! I just wanted to mention that the Congress has also passed the reconciliation bill 56-43, which is even more good news for young people and students involved in student loan programs. The following quote comes from the article:

"Democrats celebrated the legislation, a centerpiece of President Obama’s education agenda, as a far-reaching overhaul of federal financial aid, providing a huge infusion of money to the Pell grant program and offering new help to lower-income graduates in getting out from under crushing student debt."

-As someone who is still paying heaps of student loans back, I am pleased to see some actual improvements made. If you are interested in reading further, check out the article at Student Loan Overhaul Approved by Congress Also to see another article discussing the positive aspects of the Health-care and Education Bills for America's young people, check HEALTH BILL A HUGE VICTORY FOR YOUNG PEOPLE

VJ Samsonite's "Hot New Music" song of the day is....

..."The King and All Of His Men," by U.K. artist Wolf Gang. Now, due to having such a common name from history it is a bit of a pain to find any info on this specific artist, as you can imagine you have lots of Wolf Gang's, a few different bands named Wolfgang with or without a space, but you can find them on myspace when you search their name and this song. This song came out in October 2009, and it has an interesting sound which makes it unique, you'll just have to listen to it, it is quite catchy. And that's all he said...

VJ Samsonite's "Hot New Music" song of the day is....

..."Flippers," by Aussie electro-pop band Art Vs. Science. Now, this song was on the Triple J Hottest 100 of 2008, so it is not super-new or anything, but it was good enough to mention here, and this is my vlog, so there! Art Vs. Science are from Sydney Australia (lots of cool new bands coming out of Sydney and Melbourne these days) where the Sun always shines and the beer flows like wine. This song has an awesome beat, and the whole flippers theme reminds me of Aussie's diving and the Great Barrier Reef with their flippers masks and air-tanks, whether its meant to or not, that is the theme of the song after all. I was watching a movie at a cinema in Melbourne a few months ago, and I also saw this song featured on an anti-gambling advert, which was actually quite clever "Pokies" TV spot | Problem Gambling. They have been nominated for some awards (can't be bothered to look it all up right now) and their song "Parlez Vous Francais," was ranked number 2 on the Triple J Hottest 100 of 2009. The video posted here is a live versio of "Flippers" as I couldn't locate the actual music video on youtube. Check it:
Art Vs Science

"The Wire" Review (a truly epic TV Series that Raises Human Consciousness (by General Xod!))

Hello, General Xod here, and I am writing today about a true legend among TV-Series. I am speaking about the award winning police-drama "The Wire," which is a gripping HBO series that ran for 5 full seasons from 2002-2008 and held a cast of 327 actors and actresses throughout its filming. As described on the internet movie database (imdb.com) the plot of the series covers the Baltimore metropolitan area drug scene as seen from all angles; that is, through the eyes of the police, through the eyes of the drug dealers, and even through the eyes of third parties and those not always conscience or willing participants in what is continually referred to throughout the series as "the game".
It has been a long time since I have seen any TV shows or series that have moved me and spoken so much truth to me that I felt compelled enough to write about one. In fact, I have only watched the first season thus far, and I am only a couple of episodes into the second at present, but I can tell you that it has already changed how I view human interactions in our society. You see, the writers, directors and screenplay folks that produced this series held a deep understanding of how internal politics in human organizations such as law enforcement agencies, courts, local and regional governments, rich and poor neighborhoods, and even drug-dealer-circles interact, coexist and play out their never ending cycle of drama in the real human world. Now, don't get me wrong and get the idea that I believe "The Wire" to be real life, but I can say with confidence and conviction that at some deeper level "I just know" that this is how our political systems operate, how our legal systems operate, how are cities operate, how our educational systems operate, how our corporations operate, and how the so-called "black market organizations" operate, not just in America mind you, but everywhere in the human world. What exactly is it that "The Wire" does so well that it deserves such mad props from General Xod??? Well, it exposes the madness and folly inherent in humanity's current structures and the systems that operate within them. Our world has undoubtedly been run by power-plays and greed/bottom line profit for most all of humanity's history. These power-plays and this same "bottom line" has often been termed "maximising shareholder profit," in some circles, but it has the same outcomes as we can see at the end of any episode of "The Wire." I will leave it to you to make your own determinations as to whether that is the world you would choose to live in if you believed you had a choice over the matter. Essentially it is the conflict and drama inspired by the collective ego and its constant need to renew itself through more drama and conflict.
What I am attempting to communicate to you all here is that this TV Series is more than just a typical "cops vs drug dealers drama," or a "satirical social commentary"; but that it is indeed an educational series that will teach all of its viewers how our world really works, and it will reveal just how absurd so much of what goes on really is. That is, it will raise awareness! Any show, book, movie, or media piece that can do this effectively is like a light in the dark, and if humanity wishes to evolve ever upwards in its present form than we will need to pay attention to shows, like "The Wire" that give us "all angles" so to speak of reality (this brings immediately to my mind the inglorious truth-revealing movie "There Will Be Blood"). So many TV shows are often just purely "for entertainment" and give only one side of the story, or glorify a particular position; but in real life, as one gets older most come to realize that life and life situations are not always just black and white, right or wrong, but that in fact the world contains so many grey-levels that its often difficult to tell the good, the bad, or the in-between apart, much less to tread lightly and hope that when all is said and done that you lived a life that helped to em-better your community and humanity as a whole in some way.
Now, I could go on and on, in fact one could write a whole book-review on The Wire, but that is not my goal here today. No, my goal here is to inspire you to check this amazing TV Series out for yourself and come to your own conclusions about it. If anything, after watching "The Wire" you will have raised your awareness (and may even become more enlightened) about modern society's absurdity and its cycles of violence/drama fueled by a never-ending need for enemies and conflict. Ta.

P.S. Check out IMDB's Wire page at IMDB THE WIRE

VJ Samsonite's "Hot New Music" song of the day is....

Ahoy viewers/readers, or whatever it is you consider yourself to be. Today's song is "Broken Leg," by an epic Aussie rock-band who call themselves Bluejuice. Bluejuice hollas at us from the Sunny Metropolis of Sydney! Broken Leg comes off of Bluejuice's latest album (released in 2009) "Head of the Hawk. Bluejuice were nominated for 2 ARIA Awards in 2009 for best video and for best break-through artists. "Head of the Hawk" contains quite a unique sound which has been described in many ways such as "funky indie rock." Bluejuice is currently on tour throughout Australia, and hopefully will be heading to North America at some point in the near future. Check it:

VJ Brewski's Video Mashup Site!

Oi! I just stumbled across this video mashup site, which is actually quite professional. Seeing that I dabble in movie mashes I found it appropriate to post here. I saw this one with Fergie and Salt N' Pepa, and it is well done, check it out:


**Also, the site this video was found at can be found at VJ Brewski's site at the following link: VJ Brewski's SiteSearch Amazon.com for fergie

Health care reform, Just the Facts: Immediate changes, others that will happen over time « SpeakEasy

It has been a historic and might I say "an epic few days" as President Obama's Health Care Reform bill that has just been passed by the US Congress and will be officially signed into law on Tuesday morning. A truly climactic conclusion to nearly a year-long too-and-fro for the Congress and the American People. For a brief and concise summary of changes that will be occurring immediately and progressively over the course of the next decade click the link posted just below, print it out, and share it with as many others as you can so that people can have an idea of the facts of these highly anticipated changes, what will actually be changing and when. Cheers to all and what a year it has been, after all of that I think each one of us deserves a beer or slice of cake or something to celebrate! Healthcare Legislation Changes Immediate and Progressive

VJ Samsonite's New Music Song of the Day is.....

Today, I bring you a newcomer to electro-pop/synth-pop, who is really making an smashing impression and adding her own unique touch to it all. Today's Song is "Bulletproof," by U.K. artist La Roux, which comes off of her debut self-titled album (released in June of 2009). La Roux, means "the read-head" in french for all of those who don't already know. I love La Roux's sound because it harkens right back to one of my favourite musical era's, the 1980's, and no doubt she has been compared to many of the new-wave artists already. I was delighted and surprised to actually hear a mainstream radio station here in the USA playing this song the other day, which means that she really has made it big (as the radio-stations here, generally all owned by the same company) tend to play the same loops over and over again, and if your stuff isn't on the loop then it generally doesn't hit the airwaves here. Bulletproof is the song of many ex-girlfriends no doubt, but there is one in particular that comes to my mind when I hear this song, and thus it has that personal appeal to me I suppose. Excuse the advert at the beginning, so typical of youtube to disable the embedding abilities, and thus for some ludicrous reason, and thus I had to use this one as last resort). The video is great stuff, and reminds me so much of the old Eurythmics 80's music videos, in fact that is where I reckon the idea came from but I could be wrong. So without further ado here is Bulletproof:

VJ Samsonite's New Music Song of the Day is.....

Today I have the pleasure to introduce you to a Canadian Indie Rock band called "Tegan & Sara." The song is called "Alligator," and comes off of their "Sainthood," album which was released in 2009. Tegan and Sara are the leads (playing both guitar and keyboards), they are identical twins, they both write and sing the songs they write individually. They have a little bit of a punky/sassy sound, but it remains fresh and inspiring. The group hails to out of Calgary, Alberta Canada, which can be quite a cold place, but then I suppose that is what you get when you go anyplace above about the 47th parallel or so. Thus, I have now posted new music artists from the USA, Canada, New Zealand, Australia, and the UK. There will be much more to come so stay tuned...
Tegan and Sara - Alligator [Official Music Video] from NicoleIsMyName on Vimeo.

VJ Samsonite's New Music Song of the Day is...

..."I Don't Want to Party (Party)," by Aussie indie rock duo Philadelphia Grand Jury. Yes, I know the name makes them sound American, but they ain't, this duo hails at us from their sunny + beachy hometown of Sydney, Australia. In fact I realized that these first 3 new music posts I have done are quite diverse, in terms of the band's countries of origin, and thus I will make sure that tomorrow's new song comes from a band from yet another country. Getting back to the "Philly Jays," they are quite a talented duo with a fresh new rock sound and clearly have talent. This song is my favorite by them yet, and they keep on impressing me all of the time. The album, called "Hope is for Hopers," came out last year and hit number 34 on the ARIA albums chart. This Aussie duo deserves some coverage and some airtime for sure, check out the song below (sorry no video to this one yet):

The 2nd Financial Quarter of 2010 and a Looming U.S. Commercial Real Estate Crisis!

Back in November 2009 I was reading an article from online magazine site "EFAM," (Escape from America Magazine) concerning a looming crisis in the US commercial real estate market due to lots of "bad paper coming to maturity" at that time. What made me think of this article so many (but not so many) months ago was that I stumbled across another article from 2006 which was discussing how a looming housing market bubble was about to burst, and it did indeed in 2009. I found these articles to be significant in nature, and certainly to hold significant implications for any sort of economic recovery in the US in the forseeable future. What might this entail? I find it interesting that all of these rotten loans are no doubt coming to fruition in this year's (2010) second financial quarter and yet no one in the news media is even looking at it? Is it all just a big hoax to scare people, or will it be as bad as they say? If so, will the US Govt. just hand heaps of "no strings attached" cash to the big bank executives (and our pals at AIG) when they come running and screaming just like we did during last years housing crash??
I would like to note that that whole thing didn't work out to well, and that a different strategy might be considered this time, but I am no economist or even self-proclaimed expert. Time will surely tell and its only about a month away now! In the well-to-do meantime check out the article and come to your own conclusions. Find the article at:EFAM Commercial Real Estate

VJ Samsonite's New Music Song of the Day is...

Today's song is "Dance Wiv Me," by UK rapper Dizzee Rascal. This song really isn't all that new as it has been out since 2008, but it is catchy and I really dig the way that the Dizzee Rascal is able to meld his Brit-hip-hop style with electronic beats and blips, it makes for a great combo that a few hip-hop and rap artists are starting to break into more. Calvin Harris accompanies Dizzee Rascal on this track, and I believe he even does the synth side of it. The Rascal doesn't get too much play here in the States though, in fact I would be pleasantly surprised if any Yanks were actually familiar with his work, and so I am pleased to be able to introduce this sick-as artist to all ya'll. No doubt there are already a few other Rascal songs that will be appearing on this vlog later on, but that is for another day, enjoy....

VJ Samsonite's New Music Song of the Day is...

The song for today is called "Home," by Folk-Rock band, Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros. This band comes at us from Los Angeles, in the good ole USofA. Don't be surprised now if you don't see many US bands on here, but then again I might be wrong, who knows what could be posted next... Now this band is a delightful "ensemble," (I mean that literally) who tells a good story with their music (as most do), but this band does an exceptional job at it and I reckon they deserve some credit for it. This very same song was ranked number 15 on Triple J's Hottest 100 of 2009 (the largest music poll in the world from a brilliant Australian Radio Station), and it comes off of their first full-length record "Up from Below." Asi que, without further ado, I give you Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeroes:

VJ Samsonite's "New Music Song of the Day and Debut" is...

So, this is my blog, and I have essentially made a Vlog (that is video web-log) already, so I figured that I am so into music and have a strong to desire to share music I like (who doesn't), along with the fact that radio stations in the USA just don't play any real diversity of artists or new music (plus or minus 5 years) that Americans have really been missing out on. So Doctor Evil has prescribed us Yanks a daily injection of high quality new music, and thats just a start! I am going to start doing some posts as my alter ego "DJ Samsonite" (daily if possible) of new artists and songs that I think deserve some extra coverage. Also note that I will still be posting multiple topics on my vlog, not just exclusively music or anything else. Seeing that youtube has the music videos, this is the format I will be using on my posts. So here goes...
*****This first post is a song called "Magic," by New Zealand artist Ladyhawke. For those of you who haven't heard of her, yes there was an 80's movie with Matthew Broderick called Ladyhawke, and no I don't know if that is where she got her name. This chick rocks! She won an ARIA music award in 2009 for best breakthrough single and self-titled album, but I really don't have lots of facts for you. In fact for all these artists I post, and for all those obsessive critics out there, if you really want to know "stats and facts" about about them just check them out on wikipedia. Now there is one remix of this song that I like called the "Swiss Remix," but I like the original better, and yes, I have created a wonderful movie-mash with this song as well, but keep that on the DL... Check it out*****




**check in here daily for all your new music needs!"

Rolph Potts - Travel Do-Lecture

Seeing that I spoke so much about the Rolph Potts Travel Do-Lecture in the last post, and seeing that I find it to be inspiring as well as containing a bit of wisdom I have thusly chosen to post it aqui en esta pagina de web. It speaks for itself, so watch it immediatly...

The Do-Lectures and "Bio-mimicry"

I recently was reading the blog of Tim Ferris, author of "The Four Hour Work Week," and watched a video he posted by another author named Rolph Potts. Rolph Potts wrote the book called "Vagabonding," which is all about his extensive worldly travels, experiences, and advice on how others can do it too (though I haven't got around to reading it yet myself). In this process of clicking and watching these embedded video blog posts, I discovered a wonderful website with heaps of free video-blog lectures (and the same site with the Rolph Potts video) called "The Do-Lectures." This site is a great resource for great free lectures on heaps of topics and it is bold in its approach to progressive change in a world that is currently going through the birth-pangs of a new global economic structure as the old capitalist ones collapse before our very eyes. Thus, this post is my plug for the Do-Lectures site, among others.
I would most recommend watching the video I have posted just below by Michael Pawlyn, on Bio-mimicry. Bio-mimicry is an amazing and not-so-new idea (excellently framed and summarised in his lecture) that nature already has all the answers to almost anything one could possibly want to do or develop in terms of products or industry. What the hell am I talking about?? Well, let me give an example; biologists found that oysters have evolved in such a way that they have developed a natural (and organic) adhesive that allows them to stick to rocks and other surfaces efficiently and effectively even when immersed in sea-water. A biologist studying the oysters discovered this adhesive and mentioned it to an industrial engineer and a few other professionals, who then researched and copied the adhesive used by the oysters to develop industrial adhesives that not only are proven by nature to work extremely well, but also are organic in nature, sustainable, and are not made of dangerous unnatural chemicals that are hazardous to life-forms and the environment. What a novel idea that all of the research and development for everything from aerospace engineering to natural sweetners has already been performed by mother nature. Biologists feel that these ideas are out there for us to utilize and produce not only sustainable and balanced products, but even restorative ones that would actually leave the environment in better condition than before humans. I still feel I have not explained it very well here so please do yourself a favor and check out the video below. Cheers to all.