apple juice

Sounds like a great book: The Wes Anderson Collection by Matt Zoller Seitz

There is a video collection to go with the book. If you love Wes Anderson movies, you’ll love these video essays. Here is the first, on Bottle Rocket:

THE WES ANDERSON COLLECTION CHAPTER 1: BOTTLE ROCKET from RogerEbert.com on Vimeo.

the new daft punk is my official summer record. there is a wonderful groove permeating this record. I’ve only streamed via iTunes. Contemplating a vinyl purchase. But it’s $33.49 on Amazon. That is a serious premium over the digital version.

This blows my mind…

3D PRINTED RECORD

“I’ve created a technique for converting digital audio files into 3D-printable, 33rpm records and printed a few prototypes that play on ordinary turntables. Though the audio quality is low -the records have a sampling rate of 11kHz (a quarter of typical mp3 audio) and 5-6 bit resolution (less than one thousandth of typical 16 bit resolution)- the audio output is still easily recognizable. These records were printed on an Objet Connex500 resin printer to a precision of 600dpi with 16 micron z axis resolution.”

(Via The Loop.)

I’m cautiously optimistic that the new Star Wars will be awesome.

I could watch this dude all day….

Crazy dancing

Excuse the dubstep if you must, but Marquese Scott is amazing. Previously.

(via the high definite)

(Via kottke.org.)

The Beastie Boys are one of the bands that I grew up with, and learning that Adam Yauch had passed away was more surreal than I expected. They bring back otherwise meaningless memories from my past that otherwise would have faded away. I haven’t listened to them regularly for a long time, but like a smell that transports you back in time, just hearing a few songs takes me back…

I remember having a long talk with my Dad about the lyrics to songs after a few of my latest CD purchases were discovered. The new Beastie Boys album Paul’s Boutique being one of them. We sat on my bed and read the lyrics out loud for about 30 minutes. I purchased Paul’s Boutique because it lacked the Parental Advisory Explicit Lyrics sticker that I was banned from bringing into the house. There was no sticker for metaphor and simile. Ultimately I lost about five CDs that evening, and in frustration I threw my brother under the bus for having purchased Nivrana’s Nevermind.

I remember shopping at Best Buy with Doug and purchasing Ill Communication. We saw two girls from our school, they were purchasing some other album. Doug and I put the CD on in my parent’s Ford Explorer, which had a subwoofer. We thought this to be pretty cool, Sure Shot bumping out of the windows as we rolled through the suburbs.

After some of the jazzy interludes from Check Your Head were featured in a Greg Stump’s movie P-Tex, Lies, and Duct Tape, I brought the Beastie Boys back into the public in our household, playing The In Sound From Way Out for the family one evening. I remember the reaction being tepid even though I loved it.

The Beastie Boys were on my list of concerts to see in my lifetime, and feeling like rappers couldn’t keep on rapping for ever, we started looking for them on tour. Ultimately, in an amusement park in Stockholm, Sweden, Sonja and I saw the Beastie Boys live. There were about 2500 people there. Most seemed interested in the punk beginnings rather than their latest hits, but we jammed away the afternoon.

my annual best of post!

Due to a lack of time in general for contemplating and reflecting on artistically relevant music, I’m blowing the doors off my annual best of post and including a whole slate of new categories. I hope you don’t mind.

8 great albums (in alphabetical order):

Bj̦rk РBiophilia

Bon Iver – Bon Iver

Mason Jennings – Minnesota

M83 – Hurry Up We’re Dreaming

Radiohead – King of Limbs

Ryan Adams – Ashes & Fire

Washed Out – Within and Without

Wilco – The Whole Love

Zola Jesus – Conatus

The best hamburger I’ve ever eaten:

Village Whiskey – Philadelphia

Favorite New Restaurant:

Bachelor Farmer – Minneapolis

Favorite Pet Grooming Shop:

Royal Pet Beauty Shop – Minneapolis

Best Train Ride of the Year:

Shanghai Maglev

2nd Best Train Ride of the Year:

Acela Express from NYC to Philadelphia

The Only Movie I Saw In The Theater All Year (And it was good – though I realize it was released in December 2010)

True Grit

Favorite Travel (Wasn’t exactly a vacation)

China – big thanks to Breck for having me as a chaperone for the school trip. Amazing time.