we're all right where we're supposed to be

i like to think i stay pretty current with new music releases, but sometimes things slip through the cracks, ya know? so have a tendency to 'discover' bands or songs well after they've made themselves known to the rest of the world. so i'm fashionably late, so what? i guess sometimes it would be better described as a re-discovery. i'll hear a song and not really pay any mind to it, but then i will hear it a few months or even years down the line and it will jump out at me in a way it didn't before. i think it's about the curse of expectations, and the beauty of context. if a million people tell you how AMAZING such-and-such album is, often times you look so hard to find the AMAZINGNESS that you miss it. forest for the trees, yo. amazing things are better when they creep up on you. that way you can just love them for what they are, rather than because your friends or billboard or blender or pitchfork whoever said that you should. (i'm quietly stepping down from my soapbox now...)

such is the case with we are scientists. i first heard their music when i was looking at lonely island videos on youtube. the lonely island channel included a video for the band's song "after hours" because island dude kiv directed the video. true to island form, the video is hilarious. i posted the video on my personal blog and then promptly forgot about it.



fast forward to this january when i saw the movie nick and norah's infinite playlist. it's a cute story that stars the city that never sleeps and features the adorably awkward michael cera. it's a little teen-angsty in parts, but the central characters ARE teenagers, so... there ya go. as you might expect from the title, the plot weaves around nick and norah's mutual love for good and often underappreciated indie music. almost before the end credits were finished rolling, i was downloading the soundtrack. i recognized "after hours" and felt in a new way. it's held it's place as my favorite song for 6 months now, a pretty solid run. lead singer keith has reportedly said the song is about death (although after perusing the scientists' website and getting a sense for their humor, i really doubt that he was serious), but that's not how it reads to me. i hear a sweet upbeat song about getting drunk with your dear friends. so unless you are morally opposed to such things, i recommend you download the album (either WAS's brain thrust mastery or the nick and norah soundtrack will be sufficient), gather your peeps, and proceed to soak up the hours that everyone else throws away. cheers, y'all.

from midtown to downtown, snakes on a blog

so you know that song 'good girls go bad' by cobra starship? of course you do. it's obnoxiously catchy and i'm surprised you don't have it stuck in your head right now. you may not know that you know it, but you do. you've heard it playing over the speakers while you were shopping at forever 21. or you've caught snippets of it while you were channel surfing past MTV. or it has undoubtedly otherwise found a way to work itself into your subconscious. and you'll recognize it when you hear it. here, i'll prove it to you:

Cobra Starship - New Music - More Music Videos

oh! that song! yeah, see, i told you. the song is poppy and fun and infectious. i wasn't totally sold on it my first listen, but it really grew on me. like a rash. that's why these songs are described as infectious. before you ask, yes, that is leighton meester in the video. (she sings the female vocals as well.) and the grocery store** deli guy by day and hipster by night that blair waldorf would be stupid to trust? that's gabe saporta, the band's lead singer. he does have a delicious sort of bad-boy aesthetic that lends itself well to the song. the combination of baby face, sharp features and cocky smile (jess from gilmore girls, anyone?) has always been dangerous to me. maybe it's just the new jersey italian pretty boy thing i like. but i digress. truth be told i've been celeb-crushing (pseudo-celeb) on gabe for many years now. cobra starship's debut single was featured on the 'snakes on a plane' soundtrack in 2006, and when i saw the movie i made my friend stay with me long after everyone else had left the theater because the video was features at the end credits of the movie.




see, he's got that yummy jackass-ish smirk working for him here too. but before gabe saporta was gabe from cobra starship, he was gabe from midtown. i have grown to dig cs, but i don't always adjust well to change, and sometimes i listen to them and want them to be midtown. but you don't always get what you want. midtown disbanded sometime in 2004, so perhaps it's time for me to let go a little.

that being said, the whole point of this post is to share some midtown love for those of you who are late to the gabe saporta party. i think he has a really cool voice (it's probably one that you either love or you hate) and i like that midtown is more guitar-driven musically. 'living well is the best revenge' is probably my favorite album, but in the interest of full disclosure i'll leave you with a song from each one (in reverse chronological order, since that's what i've already been doing) and you can decide for yourself.

give it up, from the album forget what you know:



more like a movie, from the album living well is the best revenge

<<< click to the youtube link, embedding has been disabled >>>

and just like rock and roll, from the album save the world, lose the girl

there is no video for this song, but some of you may remember it as the theme song for MTV's ' real world/road rules challenge: battle of the sexes.' you can listen to the song here, and if you are hard pressed for a visual just picture bunch of idiots simultaneously playing beach volleyball, bungee jumping, and taking themselves too seriously.

enjoy!
love, hampton


**side note: is that the same grocery store from the 'jizz in my pants' video? i'm fairly sure it is. i know my grocery stores, people.

come on in!

welcome, friends! we are two bff's who, despite the 1500+ miles between us, seem to constantly find ourselves in the same places. anam cara is a celtic phrase that means "soul friend," which we think is a pretty good description of our relationship. this blog is meant to be a way for us to connect on a (hopefully) daily basis about the things we see and hear and taste and love... and you're welcome to join us, because we think you might love them too.