Song for November 29th, 2010: "Take Me Over" by Cut Copy

Today's song is...Take Me Over, by Australian indie-synth-pop group Cut Copy. Cut Copy originate in Melbourne, Victoria (Australia) and consists of Dan Whitford (vocals, keyboards, and guitar), Tim Hoey (bass guitar and sampler), and Mitchell Scott (drums). Cut Copy started out in 2001 with Dan Whitford who is both a DJ and a graphic designer, and in fact Whitford released the first single and EP on his own before he recruited the other band members that comprise the band today. I have had the privilege of seen Cut Copy live on two occasions, and I highly recommend checking them out live if you ever get this chance, a very good show. Take Me Over is the the second single release from their upcoming third studio album Zonoscope, which is set to be released in full on February 8th, 2011. Both of these singles are quite good in my opinion which bodes well for the album (although it should also be noted that the band has stated there may be different final versions of these singles appearing on the actual album upon its release), although I would be pleasantly surprised if they could out do their 2008 In Ghost Colours album, which I also highly recommend checking out if you like this one. Paste!

Song of the Day for November 28th, 2010: "Coming Around" by Hungry Kids of Hungary

The song of the day is....Coming Around, by Australian four-piece indie-pop band Hungry Kids of Hungary. Hungry Kids of Hungary formed back in 2007, comes out of Brisbane, Australia, and consists of Dean McGrath (lead vocals, guitar), Kane Mazlin (vocals and keyboards), Ben Dalton (bass guitar and vocals) and Ryan Strathie (drums and vocals). Coming Around is the latest single released in August of 2010, which will appear on their upcoming debut full-length studio album titled Escapades. If you like what you hear be sure to check out their myspace page HERE, and their Unearthed page HERE.

Song for November 27th, 2010: "Finally See Our Way" by Art vs Science

The song for today is....Finally See Our Way, by Australian dance-punk-band Art vs. Science. Art vs Science formed back in 2008, out of Sydney, Australia and consists of members Jim Finn (vocals and keyboards), Dan McNamee (aka Dan Mac) (vocals, guitars and keyboards), and Dan Williams (aka Dan W) (drums and vocals). Finally See Our Way is the lead single coming off of Art vs Science's upcoming debut LP, and it is currently available for purchase on itunes US and Australia, and probably UK. Art vs Science toured the UK as a supporting band for La Roux and then Groove Armada this past May of 2010, and they received 3 nominations at the ARIA Awards 2010. Check this band out if you haven't already, I also would highly recommend their previous 2008 single release track Flippers, innit!Art Vs Science

Brief Movie Review for "Gentleman Broncos" (2009)

Brief Movie Review for Gentleman Broncos (2009)

3/5 Stars ***

Similar to Napolean Dynamite, same director anyways, however not quite the same. Jemaine Clement (of Flight of the Conchords) plays a role of a Sci-fi author who has run out of ideas, and a teenager who is aspiring to be a sci-fi author who's work is copied and used by Clement's character as well as some local film-makers. This movie left me wondering what the point is, but then what is the point of any film, it occupied me for an hour and a half and was moderately amusing and worth watching once.

Brat Mashup: "Easy Heaven" (The Cure vs. The Commodores)

Song of the Day for November 25th, 2010: "I" by Bleeding Knees Club

And the song for today is....I by Australian indie-punk duo Bleeding Knees Club. Bleeding Knees Club originate out of the Gold Coast, in Queensland, Australia, and consists of members Alex Wall (Drums/vocals) and Jordan Malane (Guitar). I is a demo-song, although it didn't seem to make it onto their just recently released Virginity album, which is was just released earlier this month on November 2nd, 2010. So, you can check out their myspace page here or check out their unearthed page and download the free demo-mp3 of this song here. Booyakasha!

#40 of VJ Samsonite's Top 100 80's Dance Hits Countdown: "Rock This Town" by Stray Cats (1981)

Its time for #40 of the countdown! And the song is...Rock This Town, by 80's American rockabilly band the Stray Cats. Stray Cats originated out of the Long Island town of Massapequa, New York and were active on the rock-music scene by 1980. They consisted of members Brian Setzer (vocalist and guitarist), Lee Rocker (bass guitar), Slim Jim Phantom (on drums), and Gary Barnacle (on saxophone). They are one of those 80's bands that has had active and inactive periods, with members (such as Brian Setzer) doing work with other bands as well as solo-projects, but Stray Cats have been active as a group as recently as 2009. Stray Cats were a unique band for the time, as there weren't a whole lot of other rockabilly bands that I am aware of from the 80's era that were at all successful or in the mainstream much like the Stray Cats were. Rock this Town would be a major hit coming off of their 1981 release album, self-titled Stray Cats, it was their first studio album. The Stray Cats album was never actually released in the United States however, and hit singles Rock This Town, Stray Cat Strut, and Runaway Boys would later be released onto their Build for Speed album in the USA. The Stray Cats album was released in the UK in 1981 where it was very successful, and Rock This Town peaked at #9 on the UK Singles chart. Once released on their second US album, Rock This Town would also reach #9 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart and it was their first of three eventual top 10 US singles. Rock This Town was listed by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as one of the 500 most important songs in the history of rock and roll and it appeared in the video game Guitar Hero II. I really like this song, and the Stray Cats as they were one of those 80's bands that really added some variety to the over-all 80's music scene making it one of those great musical decades. And now, on to the 30's portion of the countdown!

team9 vs Stereogum mashup: "Good After Time" (Cyndi Lauper vs Lykke Li)

Song for November 23rd, 2010: "Post Acid" by The Wavves

Today's song is...Post Acid, by American surf-rock band The Wavves. The Wavves consist of members Nathan Williams, Billy Hayes, and Stephen Pope and are based out of sunny San Diego, California. The band formed back in 2008, and have released 3 full studio albums. Post Acid appears as the track 5 on their latest album of the same name, which was just released on August 3rd, 2010. Makes me want to go surfing, although at the moment it is snowing here, so maybe I should settle for the mountain??

Song for November 22nd, 2010: "Palaces of Montezuma" by Grinderman

And today's song is...Palaces of Montezuma by English rock-band Grinderman. Grinderman was formed back in 2006 in London, UK and it consists of members Nick Cave ( on vocals, guitar, organ, and piano), Warren Ellis (bouzouki, Mandocastor, violin, viola, acoustic guitar, and backing vocals), Martyn P. Casey (bass guitar, guitar, and backing vocals) and Jim Sclavunos (drums, percussion, and backing vocals). All members in Grinderman were also members in the former group called Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, basically it was a name change. Palaces of Montezuma comes off of their latest album release (September 2010) titled Grinderman 2. Nick Cave has those very unique sounding vocals, and the band is obviously multi-talented, so check them out!

Song of the Day for November 21st, 2010: "Cabin Fever" by Howl

Today's song is...Cabin Fever by Australian alternative-punk-band Howl. Howl formed at Ballarat High School and apparently are named after the Allen Ginsberg poem of the same title. The band consists of members Daniel Marie (Drums), Tim Street (Guitar), Michael Belsar (Vocals and Guitar), Lachlan Morrish (Vocals), Galen Strachan (Keyboards and Vocals),  and Johnathon Crawford (Bass Guitar). For more info and songs by the band check out their Myspace page HERE, or there Unearthed page HERE. Cabin Fever comes off of their Brothers in Violence EP (released September 2010), which is available in US Itunes store now, woot woot!

Party Ben Mashup - Tegan & Sara vs Mylo - "Walking With a Ghost in Paris"

Brief Book Review for "A New Earth" by Eckhart Tolle

I have deemed it now time to start adding a few book reviews onto this blog to enrich the content a bit more, which has been mostly music and a few movie reviews. So, here it is folks, my very first book review, and the book is....A New Earth, by author Eckhart Tolle: If you were to read one book of all the books out there I would recommend this one. Eckhart Tolle has written a few other books as well, including the well known Power of Now. I read the Power of Now about 13 years ago when I was in highschool still. Now I remember thinking that the stuff he was discussing and talking about made sense, but of course that was my first time being exposed to the material and it didn't really stick that well. A few years ago Tolle rolled out A New Earth, which I found to be much more palatable material, and well, it just clicked with me the first time I read it, and I think it would be the same for most people. Now, do not get me wrong and think that I am putting down the Power of Now in any way, now, when I re-read the Power of Now I find it much more digestible (is that a word?). Once you have been exposed to multiple sources/authors and spiritual teachers, and as you progress (if it can be called progress) down a Spiritual path that is right for you, you will naturally become familiar and multifaceted when it comes to this material. Thus, you will have been exposed to many different perspectives on the same topics, as well as have expanded range.

Now if I had to give an explanation for how I view the Power of Now vs A New Earth (and I would like to hear the views of others who are familiar with these books) I would describe the Power of Now as being more masculine or slightly more intense and in your face (I see the color green when I think of it, whatever that could mean), and I feel that the A New Earth is a step back, more gentle, and sort of leads you by the hand, so to speak through material that has become a bit clearer (color of lavender comes to mind when I think of it). Now Tolle is one particular filter through which the information comes into this world, as is anyone that the material comes through, and like all things, with time, these filters change, and so perhaps the teachings became clearer and that is why it was clearer, or perhaps it was me, or a combo of all the above. In the end I say read both of them, but for the purpose of this article A New Earth (and the audio-book version for all of you long-distance-commuters) is my first recommendation to those of you starting out on a spiritual path, or any path for that matter. I have included the intro excerpt to the audio-book as read by Eckhart Tolle, which was found on youtube.com, just to get you interested, enjoy...