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Mateo has been long on the grind to becoming a mainstream artist. Originally writing for the rapper Eve until 2006, Mateo thought he caught his break getting signed to Myspace Records. Unfortunately the relationship with Myspace was short lived but Mateo keeps pumping out inventive remixes of todays hits. He transforms “Bad Romance” into an 80’s themed R&B ballad that is sure to catch your ear.
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Late to the game I know, but last year I was introduced to The Shins. A group of guys who treat their music like works of art. Their albums tell stories, their lyrics are thoughtful and their sound is all their own. Their songs were the type that you can get lost in; perfect for a long drive in autumn. Led by musical genius James Mercer.
In a contrasting musical universe (yes, there are musical universes) a producer named Brian Burton or better known as DangerMouse broke into my musical conscience with the highly acclaimed Grey Album and of course through Gnarls Barkley fame. The Grey Album was a mashup album of Jay-Z’s Black Album and the Beatles White Album. The album took the timeless lyrics of Jay-Z’s greatest album (yes, it’s better than Reasonable Doubt) and infused it with the beats from an even more timeless masterpiece in the Beatles White Album. The result was foreign, creative and inspiring. It just worked… the end result sounded so natural, like the lyrics and the beats were made for each other all along.
When I heard that Mercer and DangerMouse were collaborating on an album I was instantly a fan. The result is their group entitled debut album under the name Broken Bells. I only get to say this 3-4 times a year, but this is an album that I can put in my changer and listen to all the way through on repeat. It’s phenomenal. Get it.
(Side Note: Isn’t it interesting how Cee-Lo (from Gnarls Barkley) and James Mercer have somewhat similar voices? High and kinda whiny? Makes me think that Prince and DangerMouse NEED to get together and make some music!)
Thanks to Katherine B for introducing me to The Shins, Tyler B and Jesse B for heads up on the recent collabo.
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Fresh to hit the UK music scene is Ellie Goulding. Recently nominated as BBC’s “Sound of 2010″ (previous winners include, Adele, Little Boots and Corinne Bailey Rae), Ellie’s single “Under The Sheets” receives a hip hop treatment by Philly based Chiddy Bang.
One of the classiest yet most complex watches we’ve seen in some time. Definitely a timeless piece that we wish we could get our hands on!
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Had to showcase something that really caught my ear. First came across Ebrahim on his YouTube videos and his style is quite distinct. Making all the music by looping and layering vocals, he also mashes up songs to make a quite harmonious arrangement. In this particular song, he borrows from Lupe Fiasco’s “Paris, Tokyo” and D’Angelo’s “Lady” to create hotness.
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I always knew Monica had a set of pipes but not like this. She goes off in this song. The Missy Elliott produced “Everything To Me” is the lead single off her upcoming album, “Still Standing”, due out March 23, 2010. You can also catch the video here, which features the acting debut of none other than OchoCinco.
If an indoor pool is on a your wish-list as a homeowner but square footage is an issue, Look no further. Like something out of “O” from Cirque Du Soleil, Hydro Floors has whimsically brought convertible pools home. The “movable floors enable the client to exploit the surface area of a swimming pool by converting the associated terrace or indoor pool room for other uses e.g. recreation, social events, for dining and dancing.” Can someone say dance party/pool party?!
Now this is futuristic. Trending from the head up display’s available on planes and in some cars now, Zeal Optics has created ski goggles that allow consumers to view information directly inside their goggles. These bad boys will display GPS info, speed, altitude and even temperature. My only worry is if I run into a tree because I get too distracted by all the cool visuals Zeal has to offer.
Touted as the “Entourage of the East Coast”, the Mark Wahlberg produced “How To Make It In America” is set to debut on HBO at 10 p.m. Valentine’s day, 2010. Filled with a familiar cast that includes Finch from “American Pie” fame, Kid Cudi and Bryan Greenberg from “One Tree Hill” (For clarification: I got that from IMDB, I do not watch “One Tree Hill”), the story is based on two twenty-somethings trying to make it big in the New York fashion scene. After watching the first episode (HBO is previewing it on YouTube), the show has a lot of promise and left me wanting more at the end, a la “Entourage”. The music was awesome (DJ Green Lantern and Cudi put out a mixtape for the show that you can download here) and this will be something that gets DVR’d.
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“Yes my penmanship is influential, spit that’s sick that’s influenza, so hip-hop I can influence ya, and I’m already great muthaf&*# potential.”
One of America’s favorite games goes through a long overdue facelift. Monopoly Revolution, due out Fall of 2010, features the same gameplay as the original but now has a circular board, updated prices (sorry guys, Park Place will cost you more than $350) and banking done using “credit” cards. The one disadvantage : You won’t be able to cheat anymore and hide a couple hundred underneath the game board.
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I first came across Sia on Kanye’s blog over a year ago and even though I thought she was a little weird, I couldn’t stop watching/listening. Her quirky performances were intriguing and now I am a fan. “You’ve Changed” is a new single off her upcoming 2010 album and if you are lucky enough to be in Seattle on April 12th or at Coachella, you will be able to get a live glimpse of what I am talking about.
Not enough to just own a Bentley Continental? Well, if you have $1.7 Million dollars, you can get a bespoke Bentley courtesy of Italian design firm Zagato. Keep your eye out for more collaborations from Bentley, including one with a different Italian designer.
Some of the best new music and innovative design is coming right out of Denmark. The design firm DesignSpray has decided that chairs deserve to wear fashionable socks as well. Not only will this keep your chairs from scuffing the floor, but it will also make them look like a dork when wearing them naked.
It’s finally here the Apple Tablet dubbed “iPad” was introduced by none other than Steve Jobs himself today at the Apple Keynote event.
Addressing the landscape of mobile devices and specifically netbooks Jobs says “The problem is netbooks aren’t better at ANYTHING.They’re just cheap laptops. We think we got something better. AND WE’D LIKE TO SHOW IT TO YOU TODAY.”
This looks like it’s going to be a game-changer. It truly is the ultimate device to have around the house or on the go. Reading the newspaper, watching movies, playing games, checking email or listening to music (on ComingFresh.com) are all great uses for this device. I’ve personally had a 15″ lightweight laptop for sometime now and it rarely leaves my side unless I’m at work. I can easily see this tablet replacing it and becoming my new sidekick.
To compliment the iPad, Apple has announced a fully integrated IBook store. This is similar to Amazon’s Kindle in that you can download books directly to the device to read on the go.
My recommendation is that this is the ideal second computer. I still need a machine that I can be productive on and potentially get some work done. But anything else will be well accomplished on the Apple iPad.
Available at the end of March.
Wi-Fi Version:
16GB - $499
32GB - $599
64GB - $699
3G Version:
16GB - $629
32GB - $729
64GB - $829
Specifications:
-9.7″ IPS screen
-1/2″ thick (or thin)
-10 hours of battery life
-”Shut the iPad down, come back in a month and it still has a charge”
-16-64 Gigabytes of flash storage
-Accelerometer and compass
-Speaker, mic
-Dock connector
-It can run all iPhone apps, unmodified, out of the box
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You get two bonafide stars in a group and that sounds like a recipe for some hits. Lil Wayne and Drake make up part of the Young Money team and Bedrock has been hittin’ the radio non-stop. Pass The Dutch is also a song you can’t pass up on.
“Yeah I’m quite fine, but shorty much finer.
And I just get behind her, and smack her like E-Honda”
If you are in search for an awesome rain jacket, (I know fellow Seattleites always are and our friends in LA might need them more then we do now) look no further. The Patagonia M10 jacket boasts a waterproof, water-resistant and windproof shell all weighing in under 11 oz. Try that on for size.
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During one of my recent endeavors into the depths of the interweb, I came across Jonathan Carr. From Glasgow, Scotland, Jonathan received a scholarship to Berklee College of Music at the ripe age of 17. While there, Jonathan won a competition to have John Mayer produce and perform on his track. The outcome: pretty awesome. Here is a link to a clip of the making of the song.
My brother and I got one of these as a christmas present back in elementary school. I remember wanting it so bad, I was nice to my brother for a WHOLE month in order to show my parents my dedication. I would have done anything for one of those… Some things never change. The white one is available at the link below.
