If you need a dance for the parties tonight...

this one would work pretty well.  Learn this and you will amaze your friends!

Super Slow Motion BMX

I think these are both pretty cool videos...


7D 1000 fps from Oton Bačar on Vimeo.



7D 2000 fps from Oton Bačar on Vimeo.

Macklemore Cover

Mackelmore did a video contest where the winners got to go to a pizza party hosted by him.  He selected 10 videos as the winners.  You can see the videos over here.

I think this is by far the best of all of them.  Some of the winner videos actually were pretty lame to me.

I will request this song at your wedding, Danny...

if you do not make it your first dance song...I might also wear the same suit as R Kelly...

Music That's Good

To all the loyal readers who have been waiting with bated breath for my top ten music list, your wait is over. I give you the top ten albums, mixtapes, or bootlegged mp3s that I've heard (or at least heard of) in 2010. Because I'm lazy, you only get a blurb for each pick. But you also get a video for each pick. So that's kind of cool.

First, also-rans who deserve mention:
Cee Lo Green - The Lady Killer
Beach House - Teen Dream
The Black Keys - Brothers
MGMT - Congratulations
Vampire Weekend - Contra
RJD2 - The Colossus


And now the list:

10. Dark Time Sunshine - Vessel
A collabo between Seattle MC Cape Cowen (formerly Onry Ozzborne) and Chicago producer Zavala, this album mixes heavier production with powerful and clever lyrics. Several nice guest appearances too.



9. Flying Lotus - Cosmosgramm

The LA beatmeister's newest venture into soundscapes is more balanced than his previous offerings. Great music to do work to.



8. State of the Artist - Supercalifragilisticextrahelladope

These local boys can rock it. Having P Smoov produce and guest on the album doesn't hurt either. Plus my sister has been friends with Thad since grade school.



7. White Hinderland - Kairos

My future wife introduced me to this kick-ass duo from NY. They sound like they are from Scandinavia, but they're good ol' Americans. Guess something good does come from watching Project Runway.



6. Avi Buffalo - Avi Buffalo

These Long Beach kids (seriously, they're like 19) made a catchy, quirky album that I can listen to the whole way through. Not necessarily the deepest lyrics ("you are tiny and your lips are like little pieces of bacon"), but the songs stick in your head.



5. Sage Francis - Li(f)e

"Life is just a lie with an f in it." Sage has always been one of my favorite lyricists and he really pushed some genre boundaries with this album. Everyone is up in arms that Kanye put Bon Iver on his album; Sage put out an album with both Yann Tiersen and Chris Walla producing songs.



4. Aloe Blacc - Good Things

This dude is dope. Jumping from rapper to neo-soul singer, Aloe Blacc created an album sounds like it should have come out 40 years ago. Also, apparently dude is super smart, like dean's list, top two-percent of the class at USC.



3. Das Racist - Sit Down, Man

This isn't a real album, just a free mixtape, but I still had to include it. In fact, I would have put their other mixtape ("Shut Up, Dude") in my list, but I didn't two mixtapes from the same group in the list. I know Stefan isn't a big fan, but I think both the beats and the lyrics on this album are terrific. Seriously, I love this tough-in-cheek "weed rap" that's really all about race politics and consumerism.



2. Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros - Up From Below

These California hippies sure can jam. This album sounds like Nashville-era Johnny Cash, Jefferson Airplane (no Starship) and a marching band got it on in a recording studio. It just makes you feel good.



1. Shad - TSOL

Man I love this album. Smart lyrics, catchy hooks, fresh beats, it's got it all. Plus Shad is aware of the history of hip hop and his position in that history, giving him more than a touch of self-deprecation. Canada is making moves.

Merry Christmas from the SShH!

Christmas Carols with Gwar

Don't know who Gwar is? This is Gwar.

Band of Horses Inspires Ginger Triplets

the beauty of dancing... (thanks to danny's lil brother for correcting me, it is not band of horses but local natives.  also, look for his guest blog post of top movies and albums of 2010...coming soon.)



why not add a documentary to this post? here you go

Speed Fly

Superior, Speed Fly from Marshall Miller on Vimeo.

I know I still owe the blog reader(s) my best of lists for 2010. Be patient my friends. In the meantime, enjoy this craziness.

Time Lapse Photography

Iceland, Eyjafjallajökull - May 1st and 2nd, 2010 from Sean Stiegemeier on Vimeo.

Tanner's Top Five Movies of 2010

I didn't see every movie I wanted to this year (I really want to see The Town and Greenberg) and I don't know if "The Two Escobars" counts as a film, but these are the best movies of the year according to me.

5.  Toy Story 3

Pixar writes more character development into its plots than any other movie studio. I like computer animated movies as much as Stefan, but I really think Pixar is head and shoulders above the other animated movie makers. When a film can make a strawberry-scented teddy bear a simultaneously scary villain and tragic figure, I am compelled to say it is one of the best films of the year.

4. The Expendables

I like throwback football jerseys, throwback music, and now throwback action films. This was so fun. When office linebacker busted through a wall and killed 20+ people with a machine gun, I jumped out of my seat and started fist-pumping. Plus, Statham gives hope to all bald men. And Dolph. Lundgren. Rules.

3. The Girl Who Played with Fire

Similar to what I said earlier about the Scandinavian music scene, the Swedish film scene seems to be blossoming as well. The second part of the “Dragon Tattoo” trilogy is a really fun ride with tons of plot twists, gun fights, car chases and lesbian love scenes. It’s so awesome, in fact, that David Fincher is directing the English version of the trilogy starring Daniel Craig, coming up next year. The best part of the sequel, however, is the transformation of Lisbeth (the titular character) from mysterious punker to full on badass. In short, this is the best action thriller since the Bourne movies.

NOTE: *The trailer is kinda cheesy because of the language barrier*

2. Due Date

Galifianakis + Downey Jr = Hilarity. This was the funniest movie I saw all year, and it had everything you could want in a comedy: physical humor, crazy situations, memorable quotes, and great cameos. Two scenes in particular were tear inducing, one where Robert Downey Jr. punches a nine year old and another where Galifianakis masturbates in a car. That’s pretty much all I need to say about it.

1. Winter’s Bone

While a little lacking in the plot department, Winter’s Bone is fantastic because of the way it draws you into the struggle of the American rural poor. Like a reverse Boyz N the Hood, this film is incredible at showing what life is like for the “outer-city” poor, and the story is simple yet captivating. Jennifer Lawrence’s performance is fantastic (you kind of forget how beautiful she is), and one of my favorite character actors, John Hawkes (Sol Starr from Deadwood) is brilliant. I don’t know if it is getting Oscar buzz, but it should be.

HM: Holy Rollers (Jewish Blow), Hot Tub Time Machine (shotgun to the dick)

Top 5 Movies of 2010 by Stefan

I will admit that I have not watched that many movies this year.  I went through the list of American movies to be released in 2010 and realized how many movies there were that I wanted to see but didn't get to.  Well, even with my limited viewing, I shall give you the Top 5 movies of 2010 according to Stefan.

#5. Kick-Ass: I was pretty late to the game on this one and saw it a number of months after it came out.  The plot is great and it is a good dark comedy without being too dark.  One of the things that made this film for me was Nicolas Cage's performance.  He has had very few really good roles (I loved him in Lords of War) but he absolutely nailed it in Kick-Ass.  Great Stuff.

Please ignore the idiot lady who talks at the beginning and end of the trailer.



#4. The Town: I generally do not like Ben Affleck, but I will admit, he has come out with some great films (Gone Baby Gone, Good Will Hunting, Gigli, etc...).  When I first saw the previews for The Town I will admit I was not impressed.  After hearing some good press I decided to check it out and I am very glad that I did.  Great story and some really good acting.  Ben Affleck knows how to write and direct a movie.  I do have one problem with The Town however.  If you have not seen the movie then read no further...If you were just kidnapped in a bank robbery you would most definitely not be willing to have some strange dude pick you up in his car for a date and drive you around a few days later.  You would be so freaked out you would not be willing to go out on a date for at least 3 years.  The movie was so good though I can get past that major flaw and still say that I enjoyed it.

Maybe one of the most intense trailers ever.


#3. Megamind: This is where I begin to show off that I am still a child and absolutely love computer animated films.  I always think that I am over Will Ferrell and do not find him funny anymore.  Then I see him in a new film and I remember that, damn, he is still one of the funniest people out there.  Looking back at Megamind; I am pretty sure that no kid this film is aimed at understands the plot.  This film must have been made purely with the intention that you would take your kids to see it and have ten times more fun than them.  Many of the subtle jokes in Megamind could just as easily be in an episode of 30 Rock.

I really thought that I had the plot figured out from the trailers but it takes some twists.


#2. Inception: I know I am on the bandwagon with this one but whatever, it is a really good film.  I used to not like Leonardo DiCaprio, but after his last number of works there is no denying that he is an amazing actor.  Watching this in the theater was a workout.  I was so focused and completely sucked in that when it ended it felt like I was exhaling for the first time in a hour.  Just a great piece of work.  I am completely sold on anything Christopher Nolan does.  He could make a claymation 3D prohibition film and I would see it in the theater.  The dude has great amounts of creativity.

Braaaaaaaaaahhhmmm! You musn't be afraid to dream a little bigger darling Braaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhm!


#1. How To Train Your Dragon:  My favorite film of the year is computer animated! I unfortunately did not see this film in the theater, I think it would have been a great one to see in 3-D.  How To Train You Dragon is an absolutely great kids movie that can be enjoyed by adults.  It has a good positive story and is one that can really capture a child's imagination.  What kid wouldn't like to have a pet dragon that they could fly and have as a best friend? The animation is absolutely unreal and again, I wish I saw this in 3-D (I am still not sold on the whole 3-D thing but this is a different story).  The movie follows a plot that kids can follow and the dialogue has plenty of humor for all ages.  Just a great, great all around film.  Definitely my #1 of the year.  Do yourself a favor and see it.

Watching this preview it really looks like they hadn't finished the animation when they came out with this trailer.


While looking at different films that I have seen this year I had to add these as honorable mentions...Shutter Island (great book),  Toy Story 3, Hot Tub Time Machine, and Date Night.

Top 10 Honorable Mentions

Tanner and I have had so much fun making this list that we decided to post some honorable mentions...

Tanner's:

The National - High Violet

Drive-By Truckers - The Big To-Do

Black Country Communion - Black Country

Big Boi - Sir Luscious the Left Foot

Band of Horses - Infinite Arms

Stefan's:

I want to first say that I really like Tanner's list.  Good choices.  Mumford and Son's would have definitely been in my top 3 if I wasn't so technical about my list.

Shad - TSOL: This was probably number 11 on my list.

Big Boi - Sir Luscious the Left Foot:  Some overlap here.

Sage Francis - Li(f)e

Citizen Cope - The Rainwater LP

Atmosphere - To All My Friends, Blood Makes The Blade Holy: The Atmosphere EP's: 

So there it is...the honorable mentions.
Coming up...Top 5 movies!

Tanner's Top Ten Albums of 2010

Sorry for getting this up a day late. I threw out my back playing hoops Sunday night and haven't been able to sit up properly until this afternoon.

10. Spoon – Transference

I have been a Spoon fan for as long as I seriously started listening to music, so I would be remiss if I left them off this year’s list. That being said, their latest album did not live up to the standards of 2007’s GaGaGaGaGa, and only delivered three truly memorable songs [“Who Makes Your Money”, “Goodnight Laura”, and “Got Nuffin”] while the rest were simply good and not great. The best three songs (and past accomplishments), though, were good enough to get them on my top ten of this year, much like how Steve Hutchinson keeps making the Pro Bowl. “Got Nuffin” is a particularly awesome song, and while Spoon may be living off of reputation, they prove they can still legitimately bring it on any given track.



9. The Tallest Man on Earth – Wild Hunt

The Scandinavian rock scene has been getting more and more awesome (or perhaps just more exposed) as the century gets older, and it is remarkable to me how artists from the great white north can create complex and memorable tunes with only one or two artists (see Kings of Convenience). Sweden’s Kristian Matsson created one such album in 2010; one that is somehow simultaneously edgy and folksy. His voice sounds like a cross between Bob Dylan and Ryan Adams, and the tunes alternate between ferocious strummers and graceful ballads. Artists like Matsson are the reason Sirius FM has a “Nordic Rox” show on Sunday nights that freaking rules. I highly recommend it.



8. Far East Movement – Free Wired

Like all the best reality shows (see Jersey Shore) the Far East Movement succeeds because it embraces consumer society while secretly being too smart for itself. While the album promotes everything toxic about the newest club generation, the tracks are so tightly produced and so fun to dance to that listeners intrinsically remember the temptations of consumerism. Therefore, the catch-22 idea of “I should hate this, but I really, really like it” is a perfect mirror of how consumerism functions as a whole. Also, the convoluted metaphors, such as “so fly like a G-6” (is that because a G-6 is fly or can fly?) make the album more clever than one would initially think, and reiterate the idea that this album is conscientiously crass. Feel free to embrace this album if you want to go out and rip up a club; it’s not even a guilty pleasure.



7. The Black Keys – Brothers

I caught on to the Black Keys slower than I should have. They embrace exactly what I look for in music: blues riffs, syncopated beats, and gravelly instruments and vocals that add just enough edge to the music. However, some of the tracks of theirs seem to be missing just a touch of catchiness that would make them transcendent. Their latest album, though, was their best and got better each listen, and their videos are phenomenal. I feel like this band is perfect in every way, but I can’t explain why they aren’t one of my all time favorites. Yet.



6. Cee Lo Green – The Lady Killer

Cee Lo is one of the few male artists whose voice can give me chills (along with Thom Yorke and Marvin Gaye) so I was excited when I heard this album was coming out. It was a pleasant surprise to hear the great variety of tracks on “The Lady Killer” with its homage to 80’s pop and 70’s Motown, and in fact the whole album sounds like it was produced by Quincy Jones. It’s a throwback of sorts, so some of the songs come off as a little campy, but the overall effort is fantastic, with tracks that range from the Billie Jean bass riff of “Bright Lights Bigger City” to the Seal-esque love anthem “Wildflower” to the goose-bump inspiring Band of Horses cover “No One’s Gonna Love You”. The entire album brings an element of class back to modern R&B.



5. Vampire Weekend – Contra

This is how I defend Vampire Weekend to skeptics: It seems to me like they are group of classically trained musicians who (after graduating from Julliard) figured out that they could pick up hot hipster chicks more easily if they formed an alternative/sub-pop band and hired some immigrants from Harlem to be their drum section. Somehow this formula works brilliantly to me, and the way they use a million musical instruments per song proves that they are fantastically talented musicians. Plus they get bonus points for putting the RZA in their music video.

NOTE: *Stefan says getting the RZA isn't as impressive as getting Nick Jonas*



4. Kid Cudi – Man on the Moon II: The Legend of Mr. Rager

I haven’t even listened to this album enough for a thorough analysis, but I can tell you it is freaking awesome. Kid Cudi has the talent and neurotic nature of Eminem, but he is more self-deprecating than aggressive, kind of like hip-hop’s version of Blink-182. The tracks on this album are angsty without being whiny, and are still catchy enough to be played at parties.



3. Broken Bells – Broken Bells

Is it a coincidence that Gnarls Barkley takes a break to do side projects and I end up with both of those side projects in my top 6 albums of the year? Maybe, but likely it’s because they are just crazy-good (pun-intended) musicians. The Broken Bells album may sound a little too Gorillaz-ish for some people, but I think Danger Mouse is the shit so I am putting this album in my top three. I like every single track on it.



2. Shad – TSOL

My favorite rapper of 2010 comes courtesy of London, Ontario via Kenya. With tight, poignant rhymes and simple but catchy beats that accentuate rather than overshadow his rapping, Shad is a bright spot in an otherwise oversaturated rap scene. Instead of having a couple strong songs interwoven with filler tracks like most of the good indie rap albums I have heard lately, Shad brings it on every track.



1. Mumford and Sons – Sigh no More

My favorite album of the year (by a wide margin) was the Mumfords’. Each song is powerful in its own way, with lyrics dripping with symbolism and music saturated with twang and harmony. Whether you want to call them an English Fleet Foxes or UK’s version of the Eagles, Mumford and Sons’ is folksy, poignant, touching, haunting, and musically gifted. And a million bonus points for recording an acoustic session in a book store.

NOTE: *Stefan DQ'd this album from his list because it came out in 2009 in the UK. I don't care and am leaving it on mine*

Yogi Bear Alternate Ending

This really is genius.  The story behind the video.

Top 10 Albums of 2010...According to Stefan

Every website does some kind of best of the year countdown and TheSSHH is no exception.  We (Tanner and I and maybe Danny) will be posting our top 10 albums and top 5 movies of the year this week.  If you think that is lame then go somewhere else.

Looking back on the year of 2010 there were 27 albums that made it in my top of the year list.  To narrow the 27 down to 10 has been pretty difficult and a number of these spots could easily be shifted around.  There are also a couple of albums that are still to come out this year that could make it in my top 10 (Ryan Adams and the Cardinals and Ghostface).  This has been a challenge but I have thrown caution to the wind and here is my list...

#10. Jakob Dylan - Women + Country: I have never been a fan of Jakob Dylan but this album has made me one.  I didn't even know he had come out with anything until I saw the album at the counter of a Starbucks.  For some reason I decided to check it out and I am very glad that I did.  This is a pretty short and very mellow album but I listened to it continuously for a number of days.  Some albums take a while to get into but I fell right in with this one.



#9. Mad Rad - The Youth Die Young: This album has been growing on me for a while.  After the first listen I didn't think much of it and actually didn't like most of it.  After giving it a bit more of a chance I have really come around to it.  Like their first album these guys still generally just rap about sex and drugs but you can tell that they are starting to take their music pretty seriously.  While they are becoming more serious this album is still about turning it up and partying.  PSmoov is a great producer with a love for synthesizers and string plucks.  I couldn't find a good video of any of their new music so no vid for this one.

#8. John Butler Trio - April Uprising: This album came with a little bit of drama.  John Butler has gone through a number of different lineups but for his last couple of albums it seemed like he had a permanent band in order.  The fans loved them and JBT had become more successful than ever.  Apparently John Butler decided he needed a change to instill more creativity so he fired the band and cut off his dreadlocks.  This was not very well received by fans and many were pretty upset with it (I'm talking about the change of band not the haircut).  What do I think of this new lineup? (I know you want my opinion) I liked the old band he had before better but April Uprising is a good album so I'm not complaining too much.  This time around John Butler ventured much more into using an electric guitar instead of his standard 12 string acoustic.  In general though it is still his usual semi-hippie music, it rocks and has the whole socially conscious lyrics thing going.



#7. State of the Artist - Seattlecalifragilisticextrahelladopeness: Another Seattle hip-hop group on my list.   SOTA came out with their first album this year and in general have not gotten the amount of attention they deserve.  Seattlecalifrag...is some good music from beginning to end.  Lots of good guest appearances and guest production (PSmoov specifically). 




#6. The Roots - How I Got Over & The Roots and John Legend - Wake Up!: I am cheating with this one.  These are two separate albums but I am not willing to split them and take up an extra spot.  When listening to hip-hop I tend to kind of zone out the lyrics and just listen to the beats.  The Roots are the best band to do that with.  Their lyrics are really good, don't misunderstand me, but the music is what really makes it.  Their effort with John Legend is a great collection of reworking some classics.  Both albums are top to bottom fun to listen to.





#5. Black Keys - Brothers: I'll be honest, the Black Keys can really make anything and I will love it.  These dudes just make kickass rock and roll.  Again, I am completely biased and have drank their Kool Aid.  This album could just as easily be my number 1.  I have to say this is a really great video as well.



#4. Josh Rouse - El Turista: Josh Rouse is kind of alt rock country singer who started out in Nashville in the last 90s and has since moved to Spain.  This album is a perfect combination of country and Spanish music.  Part of the album is in Spanish and all of it has this super cool lounge feel to it.  Every time I listen to this album I wish I was wearing linen pants.  You know what I'm saying.



#3. Kings of Leon - Come Around Sundown: This band has slowly kind of become like The Black Keys to me.  They just always make good music.  With this album they seemed to go a little away from making the arena rock sound on their previous lp and went back a bit more to their roots, a little lower budget sound.  Good rock and roll music.



#2. Kanye West - My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy: Kanye can be a bit of a dick, but he is so musically talented.  Even if what he is often working with are samples, he can put them together in a way that nobody else would think of.  In this album he seems to have realized he is a dick and he often raps about it.  The amount of talent he surrounded himself with for this album is also amazing.  Kanye went all out making this album.  I really think this will become an album that other artists strive to make.

This is not an official video for the song "Power" but I really like it...



This is a neat video showing some of the different samples he used in making this album.



#1.  Cee Lo Green - The Lady Killer: Cee Lo is an amazingly talented singer who has a very distinct voice.  The little dude can absolutely belt out some great songs.  The Lady Killer is top to bottom full with great great songs.  This album has songs that make you want to dance, sing along, and just feel good.  Anyone who listens to this and doesn't like it is stupid, and thats a fact.  Cee Lo is one of the most original musicians out there.  He is extremely versatile, one example of this is his cover of Band of Horses "No One's Gonna Love You More."  Also, who else could make a song call "Fuck You" a top 20 hit?  Seriously, have you ever heard a more happy song about breaking up?



Another song of his that I like.  I really like the Michael Jackson esque bass line and the James Bond feel with the strings.





Just for fun here is Cee Lo doing a cover of Kings of Leon.



Well there you go...my Top 10 albums of 2010.

As a little side bonus here is my favorite song of 2010.



Blue Scholars actually got a cease and desist letter for their sample in this song.  You might recognize the music from the Amazon commercial.



Looking back over my list I realize that I really could put any of these albums at almost any number.  Lots of good music.

This is pretty cool

really a brilliant idea...

A video that Danny the Ginger loves...

That was weird

I was screaming like this on Sunday. Hopefully Ryan Mathews comes to visit me.

Hope your day is just like...

kitten number 1 or 2, but not number 3

Hope your day is just like this...

I hope you have a great day where you are lip singing your favorite song when 50 cent comes up behind you and starts rapping.



Tanner told me about his video but I just now finally watched it.  So kudos to you Tanner.

This is the popular stuff in Germany

my cousin told me yesterday that this is his favorite song...



I don't have time to go through and translate so I just ran the lyrics in a translating website.  It should make sense enough to understand.  I did the translator and the literal translation from Alta Vista is way funnier than if I went through and did it.



Ey, come already It is hardly more which the matter I have headache and the DJ plays the whole time only in such a way electrical things Nichtmal which from David Guetta makes it Come, let us home go 


No one, I does not want to go yet I want to dance still a little Come already, older Is not so late nevertheless yet Let us still a little dance


EHey, well more sweetly? Probably alone here? Exactly like I Directly were noticeable to me Fully laser as you goes off Today is here equal to end of workday Thus I am not tired yet But perhaps if you have support I have equal dwelling here in the proximity if you want, we could dance there further if you know which I mean Or do you want to go alone home?


No one, I does not want to go yet I wants still a little dances comes already, older Is not so late nevertheless yet Let us still a little dance


Passport times up, boy Here end of workday is slow Thus go down of the dance I want home The Barkeeper wants home And the DJ is tired, hears you nevertheless Mach a little halflong now Get you your jacket, snatch you your girls and go to outside Thus we see ourselves next week again


No one, I does not want to go yet I wants still a little dances comes already, older Is not so late nevertheless yet Let us still a little dance


Hey, young me bursts to takeoff equal the shirt we now closes, Ey DJ, DJ, constitutes the music


No one, I does not want to go yet I wants still a little dances comes already, older Is not so late nevertheless yet Let us still a little dance 


No one, I does not want to go yet I wants still a little dances comes already, older Is not so late nevertheless yet Leave us still a little

Bacon

I smell Oscar

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