Album of the Week: Aha Shake Heartbreak

Greetings friends. School is back in session, meaning my amount of sleep, diet, and health in general are all slowly declining. However, this is no reason to despair, because Labor Day Weekend is almost upon us. Normally this weekend serves as a chance to do nothing except labor over a grill and some cold ones and celebrate the dying embers of summer one last time.

When I noticed that Kings of Leon (and The Black Keys!) were descending on Cincinnati on a Saturday night of Labor Day weekend, I immediately began to hunt for tickets. The Kings delivered one of the defining performances of Bonnaroo 2010, and frankly, their career, this past June, so I reveled in the opportunity to relive that night and see them once again.

Kings of Leon @ Bonnaroo 2010

Vito and I saw Kings of Leon on the initial leg of the Only By the Night tour, (for their most recent studio effort), and we witnessed a band that was truly on the cusp of becoming massive. Everyone is familiar with their Top 40 hits "Sex on Fire" and "Use Somebody", two songs that were overplayed to the point of disgust much like any songs that reach a top spot on the chart. The fact that Kings of Leon were capable of reaching such a wide audience is the truly amazing part about their most recent album. They had little to no buzz in the United States except for a hardcore following before Only By The Night released, and as a new twist to their body of work it became one of their greatest critical successes as well as the obvious financial and popular victory.

With the major label marketing that came along with this newfound fame and success, the band was thrust into arenas instead of small clubs and theaters, and became one of the new generation of headlining festival bands. This also brought negativity in droves by those who simply became annoyed by their music and also from elitist fans who claimed they "sold out." I must take this opportunity to put the focus back on what got this band to where they are: their music. In particular, HNW will begin to focus on albums that need to make their way back into your iPod rotation, and with the concert on Saturday, Kings of Leon's sophomore effort Aha Shake Heartbreak represents a perfect starting point.

This album captures a band at the peak of their creative vein, where they managed to build off of their exciting debut and yet still tighten and advance their sound to create one of the tightest  Southern Rock albums this side of My Morning Jacket. The beauty of Aha Shake Heartbreak is that it showcases their catchiest songwriting coupled with stories and themes of a band who was truly engulfed in their music. The Followills, including brothers Caleb (lead vocals/guitar), Nathan (drums), and Jared (bass) along with cousin Matthew (guitar), represent a unique story of a family who ventured through European success after American rejection and lived a rock lifestyle that goes unseen in this modern era.

from left: Matthew, Nathan, Jared, and Caleb Followill

Next time you see or hear Kings of Leon, take a moment to appreciate them for how far they have come, for both the mature direction they inevitably must head as well as the reckless, youthful music they never would have survived. To begin the Album of the Week series, the Album of the Week player is now filled with music from Aha Shake Heartbreak.

Heffalumps n Phriends

So here we are. Finally my first post (FTH aka F the Haters). I'll start off by introducing my role in this new found blog. Like so many good things that happen when you're left home alone for an extended period of time, a group of friends got together and had a good time. Ideas were flowing throughout the night, but none was better than the collective notion of starting a blog for our friends, where we could represent our group of friends musical taste, by contributing our unique and individual tastes. This musical blog is not about music superiority, but rather an opposite approach. HNW strives to be a barrier breaker. Distance between friends who are at different areas, not only physically, but in life as well, now have a common ground where they can get together and discuss one of the most fundamental and pure forms of life. Music. This blog was made on the foundation that as friends, we can discuss our love of music, without having to be worried about what others are thinking, because we are all accepted here. The perfect combination of friendship and music, necessities for life.

As we continue on this new found journey, many of us have experienced things in the music world worth sharing. A couple of weeks ago, Randall and I took a trip across the American Midwest. Traveling from Cincinnati, to Indianapolis, to Chicago, up to some random town in Wisconsin (East Troy), and back again to Cincinnati. You could say it was the last hoorah for the wonderful Summer 10 (see Randall's Back To School/RIP Summer 10 post).

Night 1 of the trip consisted of a night out with some good phriends and 1 of 2 Phish concerts seen on the trip. Noblesville (once again FTH aka Undercover Cops, shout out to Saul), just outside of Indianapolis, was home to the first concert. This was my second Phish concert seen, but was really the first, as I wasn't familiar with their songs the first time around. After listening to the first set (as we arrived a little late to the concert, shout out to Raul for getting us there) on recording, its obvious that Phish is one of the best bands right now, and one of the great jam bands of all time. With fluidity and dare I say, perfection, they go throughout a whole concert connecting songs to one another as if the concert is one single song and jam. With an amazing light show, it's obvious why people follow Phish from concert to concert, as it is a fun and memorable night each and every time. Highlights of the first set were Punch You In the Eye, Roggae, Sample In a Jar, and NICU. The second set highlights were Gotta Jibboo into Bathtub Gin, Split Open and Melt, and Harry Hood. And as a perfect way to finish off the night, they expertly covered Hendrix's "Fire." Here's the full Setlist

Night 2 was spent in Chicago (see Randall's HARD Summer Tour @ The Congress, Chicago for more on that). After a great day and night in Chicago, Randall, his old man, and I spent the next afternoon driving to Alpine Valley in East Troy, Wisconsin. With an awe-inspiring surrounding area, and one of the biggest venues in the United States, it is easy to say that Alpine Valley is a place every music fan should enjoy a concert at. With upwards of 50,000 people in attendance, this night will be one I, and Randall will surely agree, will remember for the rest of my life. As if it is possible, it seemed as if Phish was playing even better during our 2nd show than they were when we first saw them in Noblesville. Once again, the sets and jams flowed together as if they were all one, and dancing was quickly pursued. First set highlights were Tube, Suzy Greenberg, Sparkle, Gumbo, and Run Like an Antelope. Second set highlights were Down With Disease (!), Sneakin' Sally Through the Back Alley, Mike's Song, and Weekapaug Groove. Encore was the Bob Dylan cover, "Quinn the Eskimo." Alpine Setlist
As the trip is now over, so is my first blog post. I leave you with images of Phish '10.










-Don Vito

Super Mash, Hoes

Couldn't ask for a better way to start the school year. Hopefully, all of you are have had better luck than me so far this year, in terms of encounters with authority. On a more upbeat note, myself and a few Heffalumps were lucky enough to snag some free tickets to a University sponsored free concert tonight: Super Mash Bros. I don't have much to say about mash-up music in general because for the most part I feel like my head is going to explode if I listen to it for too long, but tonight has definitely renewed my appreciation for this genre. Although the event was held in a ballroom that had been turned into a makeshift-small venue, SMB rocked the house to a plethora of drunken frat bros and sundress-clad girls.

A few mash-ups that set the roof aflame:

Ghosts'n'Stuff v. Space Jam Theme

Woo Boost v. A Hip-Hop Song I Can't Remember (via Having too great of a time)

They also seamlessly blended Daft Punk with numerous tracks, and dropped a few Justice samples occasionally (We Are Your Friends) . It was great. Just a great time. I also got a sweet piece of memorabilia (Super Mash Bros beach ball). Pulled it down from the crowd, deflated it, pocketed it, and replaced it with another mysterious object (via Fuckin' Magnets). They never knew the difference.

Back to School/R.I.P. Summer 2010

It's finally time to head back to civilization. After finishing my move in, tonight seems appropriate to look back at some of the songs that defined another unforgettable summer and to look ahead to music that will be released in the coming school year. 
However, before we look ahead, Summer 2010 must be commemorated. The following tracks were the ones that constantly bellowed out my windows and sunroof, always providing a perfect soundtrack. Some of these are parts of albums that I personally recommend in their entirety to enjoy the entire experience, but for sake of brevity these will serve as a great starting point.

HNW SUMMER '10 SOUNDTRACK

(Track - Artist)

Deadbeat Summer - Neon Indian 

(You had to see this one coming ^^ this appears on the album Psychic Chasms, released in 2009. It will remain a great symbol of the chillwave movement and of summer sounds)

Let's Go Surfing - The Drums

(^This is self-explanatory. Be sure to check out their EP entitled Summertime! and their recent full-length debut The Drums)

Ragged Wood - Fleet Foxes

(^ This entire album, self-titled, is magical. It is good for any season/weather conditions. Discover them whilst their catalogue is still perfect.)

Jump In The Pool - Friendly Fires

(One of my truly favorite bands and live acts. They have catchy basslines/riffs, fun beats,  and a great frontman/dancer/David Byrne fan in Ed MacFarlane. Check out this video for their most recent single, Kiss of Life.)

Free Energy - Free Energy

Us V Them - LCD Soundsystem

(if your summer did not include any dancing to LCD Soundsystem, it's time for a change)

40 Day Dream - Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros

Holiday - Vampire Weekend

Brian Eno - MGMT

Summertime Clothes - Animal Collective

Post Acid - Wavves

(EDIT: NEW VIDEO! ^^)
We Are The People - Empire of the Sun
Party and Bullshit (Ratatat Remix) - Notorious B.I.G.
Down With Disease - Phish
Riot Rhythm - Sleigh Bells
The Suburbs - Arcade Fire

Summer 2010, y'all were great on Fallon!

Extreme Makeover HNW Edition

YO! HNW just went under the knife. Hope you like it as much as I do right now. In honor of this, here are some tunes you should listen to when you want to celebrate things. Hit up the comments section for all the songs actually appropriate for this situation that I missed.

HARD Summer Tour @ The Congress, Chicago

Wow. What a weekend. I am finally home from the Phishing trip, which Vito will hopefully describe at some point. This post, however, is concerning one event on that trip, namely the concert I witnessed last Friday night, August 13th. (Sorry for the delay. DJ Hero/school planning HARD is a series of parties and concerts promoting electronic music and was created in LA by one of the featured DJ's at the event. He played under the name Destructo and along with the HARD Summer Tour organizes some of the biggest electronic music events of the year in New York, LA, and other major cities. You can view the full list of events and the lineup for the upcoming HARD shows here. Over the years events like HARD Haunted Mansion have housed the hottest and most talented electronic acts for some truly amazing performances, like this video of deadmau5 that represented one of his finest moments. 

(IMO the crowd did not react the way they would if that show happened only yesterday, but just for the setting it was a special event for sure.)

When I realized I had the chance to sneak in a stop in Chicago and see some great dance music, I jumped at the opportunity. Only later did I realize that this was one of the handful of appearances in the United States for the Brazilian disco-house geniuses known as The Twelves. To see their influence on the current indie dance scene, look no further than their abundance on the hype machine. While popularity on the hype machine search engine does not always equate to quality, in this case it definitely does. The Twelves are one of the most talked about groups to emerge on the scene due to their unrivaled skill in turning many already-good songs into truly euphoric funky disco jams. For instance, check out this remix of the song "Seven" by Fever Ray >> 

For a song that was originally dark and haunting, The Twelves somehow managed to make the vocals seem more like they were created solely for a house clubbing experience, along with bouncing snares and cymbals and a bass/synth/strings combination straight out of Saturday Night Fever. (At least, I think it would be. Never seen it.)

The full line-up at the Congress for the evening, as well as the set times, was tweeted by Rusko before the show:
 

Seeing that The Twelves grabbed a 9 PM slot and that Rusko was closing the night was one of the most beautiful sights that day, (aside from the people I went to the show with.)
By the time I arrived, Midnight Conspiracy was already halfway through their set of mostly average-sounding electro, with the high points being some Proxy tracks that always get the crowd going (Raven, his Home Zone remix) For a small Chicago act they did a serviceable job of warming up the crowd for Destructo, which is not an enviable job when most of the audience is truly the most excited to see Crystal Castles over all of the other acts. More on that later.


Destructo proceeded to play a mostly fun and forgettable set but clearly had the stage presence and respect of the audience to get the crowd moving and the energy level up for The Twelves.

They proceeded to play the best set of the night overall by having superior track selection, mixing ability, and overall energy and smoothness. The crowd may not have been jumping the entire time but that is not the purpose of house music. The purpose is to shake your ass, and I did that like my life depended on it to a set that included their versions of songs by Ratatat ("Wildcat"), Phoenix ("Lizstomania", "Fences"), The Virgins ("Rich Girls"), Empire of the Sun ("We are the People", "Walking on a Dream"), Two Door Cinema Club ("Something Good Can Work"), a Justice and Michael Jackson mash-up of "Stress" and "Thriller" (AMAZING), "Funky Town", and their classic remixes of Fever Ray ("Seven"), Black Kids ("Not Gonna Teach"), and a truly magical rendition of "Reckoner" off of Radiohead's In Rainbows. Go find all of those remixes and their BBC Radio 1 Essential mix to get a better grip on why these guys are the most exciting thing in indie house music in a while.


After The Twelves blew my mind, Sinden hopped on the decks for at the time was my most unanticipated set simply because I was not familiar with him before this event. Destructo repeatedly called him "London's Best" and while he was not even the best DJ from London on the bill that night (Rusko), he still managed to put down a set of mostly electro-house with a dark and heavy sound that bled with the London imprint. It was refreshing and had the crowd hyped for nearly the entire set, with countless big drops and beats with more of a hip-hop influence than any of the previous DJs. A high point of the set was the inclusion of the sure-fire banger from Swedish House Mafia called "One." This track has been making the round in clubs around the world and will continue to be stuck in my head just the way "Satisfaction" is permanently embedded. 

Alas, the night was still raging after I had danced my way through about 3 1/2 hours of material. Next up was Crystal Castles. I enjoy their albums and think they are one of the unique acts in electro these days, bringing in a punk/thrash element. However, they have taken that aspect way too far for me to enjoy their live shows anymore. As soon as Alice Glass came on stage to "sing" the first song, I knew I was not truly a Crystal Castles fan. The strobe lights, screaming, moshing and thrash metal riffs were things I never want to see involved with house music again. I can imagine this is also what the new Bloody Beetroots live tour is like. Most of the crowd, and I mean literally about 80 to 90 percent, loved all of these things I just described, and put up with Alice's exorcism screaming to hear the entire show, which still boasted many of the catchy beats Crystal Castles possess on their albums. And they didn't even play "Vanished", their most mellow/uncharacteristic/catchy song from their first album. Probably because it is only a remix of another band's song. Those youtube comments can be really educational!


Finally, after an hour of having to sit in the hallway to avoid bleeding ears, Crystal Castles finished their set and it was Rusko time. Most of the crowd exited the theater, apparently being there purely for Crystal Castles and having no interest in one of the hottest dubstep acts in the world. More room for me! I nabbed a spot 5 feet from the railing and proceeded to have my nerve endings wobbled into submission for an hour. Rusko's set was heavy on material from his new album O.M.G.! which is a good thing considering he played bangers like "Woo Boost" and the Subskrpt remix of that track. He also played some of his previous popular singles like "Mr. Chips" and the more recent "Da Cali Anthem", which samples Tupac's "California Love."
The thing that made Rusko's set so amazing was his incomparable energy while spinning. He jumped nearly the entire set, got the crowd to do so at will, and dropped huge beats continuously. One of the other fun parts was that he mixed in his favorite remixes of his tracks after playing the drops of the original versions. Even when told he had three minutes left before the 1:30 AM curfew, he managed to sneak in the drops from about four more tracks.



Overall, the highlights of the night were Rusko's unparalleled energy in DJing dubstep and The Twelves' incomparable skill in producing their sound. Honorable mention goes to Sinden. Here are some of the songs worth checking out.

HNW's Picks: HARD Summer Tour '10

Reckoner (The Twelves Remix) - Radiohead 

Not Gonna Teach (The Twevles Remix) - Black Kids

Rich Girls (The Twelves Remix) - The Virgins

Seven (The Twelves Remix) - Fever Ray

Swagga - Excision & Datsik

Bruk Out (Buraka Som Sistema Remix) - Major Lazer 

Hold On ft. Amber Coffman (12th Planet Remix) - Rusko 

Raven (Live Edit) - Proxy 

Home Zone (Proxy Remix) - Digitalism

Babylon - Congorock

PREVIEW: Vito n Randall Gone Phishin'

Sup bros. This weekend Vito and I are completing a metaphysical journey of music and phriendship through Indiana, Chicago, and some random place in Wisconsin. The setlist reads something like Phish > HARD Summer Tour (Crystal Castles, Rusko, The Twelves, etc.) > Phish
Vito is the in-house jam band expert here at HNW so I will leave that recap up to him, and I will try to describe whatever mayhem takes place Friday night at the Congress Theater.
For now, I leave you all with a couple photos from last year's phishing adventure Vito and I took after Lollapalooza 2009.

and as for a preview of Friday.....

Home Grown.

Its only fitting that as 'Saul', my first post suggests something of an organic nature, but bear with me here. In a world where even the Hype Machine is heavily influenced by big business, and the casual internet skewer is bombarded with advertising schemes that target the subconscious, HnW promises to be veracious and noble with each post, stating only the opinions of a few kids that would rather see our culture flourish as multiple groups with a mutual respect for each other, rather than two extremes that claim legitimacy based on principles of superiority (Who wants another Haight-Ashbury movement? Not this guy). Is it impossible to bring back the modest, but still informed music listener? A God-Complex is not a necessity for 'good' taste. HnW does not represent a group that believes they are superior, just an outlet for us to publish our thoughts and emotions, conveyed through music that represents where we are/what we are enjoying at that moment. It is an open invitation for the reader/our friends to come closer as a group. As cliche as it sounds, we are striving to remain a tightly knit group, no matter the physical distance between us. Our goal is not for the reader to think about where they heard the music (radio, blog post, ect.) and judge it before they hear it, but rather apply personal meaning to the song and allow it to take them on a truly profound journey. We feel that music should not be judged based on its popularity or timely relevance to any large group (or anyone other than the listener) but rather personal relevance. What happened to the modest, but aware music listener?

The Irish electro-pop group, Two Door Cinema Club has been getting their fair share of playtime in my car lately. Their first studio album, "Tourist History", released in March 2010, has been on repeat in my car for weeks now. Just fun tunes in general, make what you will of them. The Twelves made a great remix of their first single from the album, "Something Good Can Work." Needless to say, if they have The Twelves stamp of approval, they're probably pretty awesome, but don't take my word for it, check them out. The Twelves will be in Chicago on friday with Rusko. Randall is seeing them. Fuckin' Randall.

What You Want - Two Door Cinema Club

Something Good Can Work (The Twelves Remix) - Two Door Cinema Club

This week I can't stop listening to The Pass, a band from Louisville, Kentucky. Their first effort, an EP named after a song sure to be a hit with fans of synth-pop everywhere, "Colors," appeals to the ear with a sound one can expect from a band in such a genre, but refreshingly relatable lyrics. School is just around the corner, and I think its important for us to conserve our brainpower to ensure success in the classroom rather than comprehending over-complicated song meanings. These guys have managed to create a great "rock" album, without adhering to any sort of conventional standards. Home grown goodness. Everyone knows Louisville produces great things (baseball bats, me, etc.). They will be appearing at the ninth annual Midpoint Music Festival in Cincinnati September 23-25. HnW will definitely have at least one representative present.


Colors - The Pass

"I'm chill. I'm chill as a cucumber, man."
Just always wanted to put something in epic block quotes on a blog, and now I can. It was as satisfying as I anticipated. Great.

"Peace, One Love"

LOLLA 10

Hello again everyone. Judging by the uproar I received on my phone received this weekend, everyone missed our blog update(s?). The absence was for a worthy cause, as HNW was on a 'professional journalistic assignment' at Lollapalooza. Right.

To put things bluntly, Lolla is the best festival in the midwest. Period. Say what you will about 'mainstream influence' but the fact of the matter is that Perry Farrell has created one of the greatest annual American music experiences. This year's edition represented some of his finest recruiting yet by managing to wrangle in The Strokes, Arcade Fire, and the lovely Lady Gaga.

Each of these were significant wins for the festival for different reasons. The Strokes made their first appearance in four years at Lolla, and it was their first as a headliner at a major American festival. Lady Gaga is undeniably the hottest pop star in music and continues to produce hit after hit at an astounding pace. Her crossover appeal brought more mainstream attention to the festival than the typical headliner, which in the end is a win for music fans in general. Gaga bringing more fans (and putting on a spectacle of a show) = more money made by Lolla = more money to consistently book great acts in the future.

Also, the mainstream attention draws in fans to see the other smaller yet still vastly talented acts that otherwise would have a hard time getting the exposure they deserve. This type of exposure is what keeps these artists afloat and able to continue touring and producing the passionate music we all love.

That blurb on The Strokes does not even begin to analyze their performance. Do not fret, I will come back to them. But before that, there needs to be something said about Arcade Fire. For those who do not listen to them yet, now is a perfect time to start. If you do, you can witness a band that is truly skyrocketing to musical royalty. They recently released their third studio album The Suburbs, which is undoubtedly one of the finest albums released in 2010, sold out two nights at Madison Square Garden in New York, and streamed a live show from the MSG concerts on Youtube to millions of people around the world. They have carried a lot of hype in the past both for their albums as well as their live performances, and having seen them on Sunday, I can confidently say that it is all more than justified.

Arcade Fire

They took the stage to an ecstatic crowd and managed to enthrall the crowd song after song in a manner not many bands could hope to achieve. Every song became an anthemic singalong, with even the new songs from an album merely a week old sounding as if they were old favorites. One thing about Arcade Fire that makes them unique is their versatility. They make music that is by all accounts beautiful to listen to, with lush string arrangements combining with traditional guitar and piano rock in the vein of Neil Young or Bruce Springsteen for a sound that is truly their own. Part of the beauty of these sounds, especially live, is they way they are played.

Arcade Fire

The band members are constantly switching instruments, with the lead singers switching throughout from guitar to bass to piano to drums and back again. The fact that six of the band members possess this kind of virtuosic talent, and that they all sing gorgeous harmonies, makes for a special live experience that no other band can deliver. Every song is delivered with intensity, whether slow or fast paced, with no regard to where the song is in the set list or whether the song is a single or a new, obscure deep cut from the newest album. That kind of prowess is awe-inspiring live, and separates Arcade Fire as one of the truly great bands of the next generation. All those things aside, they wrote the song "Wake Up", which for most bands would be enough of an accomplishment in a musical lifetime. Check out any of these videos for proof. This moment will live on forever in Lolla history, and in the lives of anyone who was a part of it that night.

The beauty of Lollapalooza, and the 3-day music festival setup, is that this was just one act from the entire weekend. Memorable performances were found throughout Grant Park all weekend. My personal favorites, aside from Arcade Fire and The Strokes, included Rusko (KILLED IT), Grizzly Bear, Wavves, and The Soft Pack. Honorable mentions go to the partial sets I saw from the xx, Nervo, Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, Chiddy Bang, Yeasayer, the boys from MGMT, and Andrew Stockdale and the Wolfmother crew. Future posts will undoubtedly profile these bands, but for now I leave you all to explore their music.

Another aspect of Lolla that was excellent this year was the setup. The stages were moved around this year, and since the festival managed to acquire another street/block of space to use, logistics were drastically improved. Having nearly 90,000 people in Grant Park in previous years was clustered to say the least, especially in 2009. The festival organizers did a great job recognizing changes needed to be made, and moved stages to more strategic locations to give better sight lines for popular smaller acts as well as more space to watch the bands and to walk from act to act. The ease of getting from act to act was something previously enjoyed more at festivals like Coachella, but this year Lolla did the best job of any of the major festivals with crowd flow. The ability to move quickly from act to act truly enabled festival attendees to make the most of their time and see as much great music as they desired.

Lolla organizers also threw a bone to their fans by making concessions very reasonably priced, especially for essentials like water going for only 2 dollars. The waters were even sold in entirely recyclable cartons, and offering free refills to these waters made this Lolla one of the greenest ever.

Back to The Strokes. The FUCKING STROKES CAME BACK THIS WEEKEND! This is truly important for music, because they are one of the finest bands of the digital music age and opened the door for so many of the genres and bands that are popular now. How many garage rock/lo-fi/indie bands in general would be able to command the attention they do today without Is This It ever being released? Even the beloved/maligned chillwave movement surely would not be feasible if The Strokes did not change the game with their music. I could go on about this for days on end, and will at some point, but for now let's focus on Lolla. 

The Strokes

The Strokes

To cut to the chase, The Strokes played a set that all bands aspire to deliver. They came out, after a hiatus, with no frills, no gimmicks, no new music, and kicked the ass of everyone at the Budweiser Stage. They opened with "New York City Cops" and the crowd basically went apeshit for the subsequent hour and fifteen minutes. Every song had the crowd jumping and dancing and singing their lungs out (this guy). They reminded everyone what real rock n' roll is all about, and it was so damn beautiful. To produce those levels of pure euphoria for the entire set, without even playing "12:51", was astounding to watch. They sounded as musically tight and efficient as they do on their records, and their gift of catchy songwriting shone through all night as it was difficult to tell what songs were singles and what songs were B-sides, much in the same way Arcade Fire performed. The music world can rejoice to see a powerhouse live band like The Strokes back in action, as the digital generation gains another headliner that deserves their place in music history.

This Lolla recap may have heavily focused on The Strokes and Arcade Fire, but the quality performances put in by these two bands distanced them from everyone else that weekend by a large margin (unless you are a Gaga fan). Check out the playlist below for my picks for the best tracks of the weekend. Another Lollapalooza is sadly in the bag, but because of the great bands once again, and the continued push in making the fan experience easy and comfortable, I am already counting down the days to Lolla 11. Shout out to Giordano's Pizza, the guys I ate it with, and my dancing friends for making this weekend unforgettable.

HNW's Favorite Songs of Lolla 10

Wake Up - Arcade Fire

Neighborhood 3 (Power Out) / Rebellion (Lies) - Arcade Fire

Heart In A Cage - The Strokes

New York City Cops - The Strokes

Da Cali Anthem - Rusko

Woo Boost (Subskrpt Remix) - Rusko

While You Wait For The Others - Grizzly Bear

King of the Beach - Wavves

Answer to Yourself - The Soft Pack

Ambling Alp - Yeasayer

Lolla Freestyle / All Things Go - Chiddy Bang

Congratulations - MGMT

One Life Stand - Hot Chip

Pilgrim - Wolfmother

HNW? WTF?

A trippy children's video seems a strange template for a blog theme, yet in actuality it contains the perfect representation of what this blog embodies. But before I explain that, I must explain the two events that inspired this writing.
A group of friends were bouncing ideas off one another about the future, a summer fantasy aimed at how they could preserve the greatest lifestyle possible. That fantasy included a move to Hawaii, a hole-in-the-wall chili restaurant, and everything that goes along with it. As each of the four pitched their version of their ideal Hawaiian setup, one thing remained constant: they all included music. Upon the realization that music did not require a Hawaiian address, a new plan formed. 


This generation of music fans face the most difficult task of any before them; despite the immense technological gifts that connect the world, there is no clear cut way to simply use that technology to have the musical experiences of the vinyl days with the ease of the internet. 


Too often, music on the internet is divided into two worlds:
1. The first situation is the world of generic, impersonal, and dispassionate Top 40 music, where radio stations and record label executives flood every avenue of the media, advertising, and entertainment with music that will make them the most money. Often these choices have no ties to the actual quality of musicians, and thus talentless pop stars and rappers continue to harvest number one singles weekly. 


These fans claim to love music but really never bother to expand their horizons or, heaven forbid, think about what they are hearing. They simply go on being force fed and filling the pockets of advertising agencies and record executives. Music in this form is reduced to a disposable pleasure as enjoyable as trying to eat chewed gum weeks after the first taste. On the same coin, artists who make truly accessible, genuinely popular music get overplayed to the point of nausea for even the earliest of fans, and sadly become guilty by association to the dross surrounding them on the radio.


2. The second common scenario is that of the modern 'hipster', a term that has itself become the worst form of flattery for modern musical tastemakers. Many fans who are not satisfied with the top 40 scene head to the internet and to respected blogs and formulaic search engines to find good new music. While this is not a bad idea in principle, it reduces the musical process to a simple series of equations and algorithms, and again falls victim to turning music into another case of selfish instant gratification. 


A small group of blogs and websites dominate the musical tastes of the internet, and in the fast food music mentality fans choose to read the opinions of others and simply take their word for it, not questioning the high scores and praise or bothering to think for themselves. Also, this results in any band that breaks out of the blogosphere and reaching other fans as being 'mainstream' and thus 'uncool' (if uncool is even an accepted term anymore...) 


We are now faced with equally as many music snobs as musical sheep (think about it). This is a travesty. Music is not an exclusive experience, especially for fans who DID NOT EVEN CREATE THE MUSIC THEY TRY TO HOARD. Sorry for shouting, but it is truly an outrage. Music is not a race. A song is still good whether I heard it for the first time yesterday, or whether I will hear it in a year. Quality should be the only measure for deciding what to play. Instead these 'hipsters' continue their race to the bottom, and take pride in liking music before it even exists (impossible) and hating it once the casual fan gets exposed (unnecessary).




So here we lie, in the middle of that bridge. The other story that heavily influenced the message of this blog was a four hour drive through pouring rain. Where many would opt for silence and small talk and music, this drive saw the two friends really talk and really listen to each other. It is only in this depth, this vulnerability, that the true self can be shared. The discussion touched all aspects from religion to fate to finding the nearest gas station/McDonalds, but it was unique in that the greatest ideas drawn from it preached two essentials: Balance and Simplicity.


This blog was conceived as a way for a group of friends to come together, away from the societal influences of social networks and media to get back to what really matters: the music.
The reason the music matters is what it represents. Music has survived since the dawn of culture because it was and always will be a way for people to reach out and connect with others beyond what can simply be done with words. It is true divine communication at its core, and when good music is enjoyed by more than one person, a connection is made. That connection, at its core, is an acceptance and a celebration of companionship and love.


Essentially, that is what this blog stands for. By being genuinely expressive and presenting friends with music, it is a way for others to see life through another lens. The time spent listening and reflecting the choices of others is so truly profound because at its core, what that act says to one another is, "I accept you. I appreciate you. I love you for who you are." That is incredible.
So in an attempt to recreate the days of old where albums would be played in their entirety and the music was a tangible group experience, spanning multiple senses, this blog exists.


Not all music needs to be analyzed and meditated on for hours. That is unrealistic and unnecessary. However, the idea must be presented again. For each song in these playlists, a memory, a feeling, and an experience exists. This is simply a way to try and really share these things, to share each other and to celebrate that type of commitment to one another. These themes will resurface throughout each post, and this blog will be a haven to celebrate what we deem as good music, picked and run on good faith (eco-friendly).


To kick things off, the original playlist:
Four Friends,  Five songs each, making for a beautiful collage of sounds:

(Track - Artist)
1. Hang You From The Heavens - The Dead Weather
2. Time to Pretend - MGMT
3. Moth's Wings - Passion Pit
4. Michael - Franz Ferdinand
5. Grow - Delorean
6. Where Is My Mind? - The Pixies
7. By The Way - Red Hot Chili Peppers
8. Laughing In The Streets - Rose Hill Drive
9. It Is Not Meant To Be - Tame Impala
10. Photobooth - Friendly Fires
11. If I Ever Feel Better - Phoenix
12. Camera Talk - Local Natives
13. There Are Listed Buildings - Los Campesinos!
14. Ain't No Rest for the Wicked - Cage the Elephant
15. Hey Hey Girl - The Virgins
16. Slow Down (ft. Black Thought and elDee The Don) - Chiddy Bang
17. Somebody Told Me - The Killers
18. So Much to Say - Dave Matthews Band
19. My Girls - Animal Collective
20. Burning Down the House - Talking Heads