SQUID-BRAINS!

New Strokes! "Under Cover of Darkness"

2011-02-09T16:54:00.000-06:00

After a lengthy hiatus everyone's favorite former saviors of rock n' roll are back with a new song. Check it:

The Strokes – Under Cover of Darkness by jaaw

Thanks to Mike at The Big Beat for the soundcloud link.

Yup, it definitely is The Strokes. Here we find lead singer Julian Casablancas continuing with this looser, more emotive vocal style that he used on last year's solo record. So far I'm not blown away, but this is certainly a solid effort from The Strokes circa 2011.

Obsessed: Giorgio Moroder

2011-02-08T18:40:00.000-06:00

This mustache, and the man attached to it, are living legends.

Kanye Debuts New Song at VMAs, Lets Everyone Finish

2010-09-13T06:09:00.002-05:00

So the Video Music Awards were last night. I'm sure they were excruciating.

My favorite person, Kanye West did premiere another new song from his upcoming, still unnamed new album along with some ballerinas though, so here's that:

As always, the live performance leaves a bit to be desired, but the beat sounds fresh as always.

I especially like how its just him and the sampler at the beginning. While he doesn't exactly resemble a concert pianist up there, its a (not so) subtle way of showing how he actually makes his beats and isn't just some loudmouth talentless hack.

New Arcade Fire "Video" will Make You Cry and Crash your Computer

2010-08-31T14:00:00.006-05:00

Arcade Fire are no strangers to interactive music video “experiences”, but this new piece for the song "We Used to Wait" entitled “The Wilderness Downtown” made in conjunction with director Chris Milk is pretty breathtaking. I don’t want to spoil it, you should really just try it yourself HERE.

Be warned though, you need a pretty powerful computer to get the full experience. My four-year-old(!) MacBook could just barely handle it.

You'll also need to be running a browser that supports HTML5, which means either Chrome or Safari. Considering the Google branding on the bottom of the page I'd imagine they’d like you to take this opportunity to try out Chrome, but Safari worked for me.

The Suburbs is out now on Merge.

I Wanna Go Back To The Good Quality Weezer Concert Footage From 1996 I Found On YouTube

2010-08-30T01:33:00.000-05:00

I know, I know, another Weezer post, but this is too awesome to not share: A good/great quality full-length Pinkerton-era concert from 1996. I've put it back together in a playlist according to the setlist for the show. Fullscreen that shit, hit play, and enjoy!

Thanks to youtube user pilgrimsprogress for uploading this gem!

Related: Hurley hasn't leaked yet. 'Sup with that?

Here They Go Again On Their Own

2010-08-11T17:31:00.000-05:00

It's no secret that in my formative years, I was a die-hard, super obsessed Weezer megafan. For me, the =w= is rivaled only by that "S" thing and maybe Sonic the Hedgehog for total lifetime notebook margin doodlage.

But in the years since the Green Album, the band and I have gone our separate ways. Having already proved his deft mastery of the ironic yet sincere pop masterpiece, Rivers Cuomo has moved on to... whatever the hell Raditude was.

And yet everytime news of new Weezer release rolls around, I have a tentative interest. I know I shouldn't, damn it, but I just cant help it.

So here we all are again. Weezer have left longtime label Geffen/Interscope for punk label Epitaph, and have a new disc out in september. As you by sure know by know, it's called Hurley, and this is the cover:

Yep, its a giant stinkin' picture of Hurley from Lost. HAH.

Here's the first single, "Memories". This actually isnt so bad, and features one of Rivers' best vocal performances in a quite a while. Scheck it out:

Weezer - Memories by Hypetrak

Hurley is out on Epitaph on 9/14. In case you care.

This Never Happens To Me.

2010-08-11T14:12:00.000-05:00

Seen on Reddit.

FUNF UN FU NEST 2010!!

2010-08-05T14:53:00.001-05:00

Fun Fun Fun Fest 2010 you guys!

We here (me here? Me here.) at Squid-Brains had a killer time at FFF last year, despite the rain. Made some friends, discovered some new bands, drank some (many) cheap beer/shot combos, lost/regained a phone, and overall LIVED LIFE. This year the baby fest that started 5 years ago gets serious. LINEUP, ASSEMBLE!

click it to embiggen

It's a great lineup. And then there's Weird Al! My inner 8 year old is stoookked. Okay, my outer 22 year old is also stoked.

Check out FFF's site for all the info you need about tickets and stuff.

Kanye West is on twitter, you guys!

2010-07-28T23:11:00.001-05:00

You know how after you’ve had something for a while you can't really imagine how you ever lived life without it? It's been less than 24 hours, but Kanye West’s twitter account is exactly like that.

PROOF: Here is Mr. West illustrating just how meager his private jet for the day is, after a series of tweets describing it "small ass" and "baby mama jet" proved insufficient.

Welcome to the future, everyone!

Bonus: Here’s Kanye standing on a table at Facebook HQ in Palo Alto performing some new songs without any beats. He don’t need ‘em!

Kanye’s new album ( not called “Good Ass Job” anymore) is out (drops?) 9/14. Can’t wait.

well this is awesome.

2010-07-28T01:18:00.000-05:00

I'll just leave this here.

squeeE3!

2010-06-24T21:11:00.001-05:00

***Hey Squids! It has been much too long between posts. Between the drone of vuvuzelas and the near-constant icings, my productivity has taken a big hit. I'll try to be better! -Bobby***

Last week was the E3 expo, where video game makers trot out their wares, showing me where much of my income will be going. So it has been, and will forever be.

Kirby's Epic Yarn.

Nintendo's sickeningly cute mascot gets somehow sickeningly cuter, thanks to an all thread and cloth design aesthetic reminiscent of Yoshi's Story. Check out the trailer:

Metroid: Other M

Apparently the controls for this game are all on one wiimote. I have no idea how that is supposed to work, but I have to hand it to Team Ninja for perfectly nailing the 80's gritty sci-fi movie vibe in this trailer.

Child of Eden
The spiritual successor to one one of my favorite games of all time, Rez. Just like Rez, this looks to be a rail shooter with killer music and brain melting visuals. Sign. Me. Up. Hopefully, this will be able to be played with a standard controller and not just Xbox Kinect or PlayStation Move.

Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: The Game
Ohhohoh okay this is just too awesome. I'm already stoked for the movie, but I'm probably more excited for this. Art by Paul Robertson inspired by Bryan Lee O'Malley's comic designs, music by 8-bit rockers Anamanaguchi, all in a "River City Ransom"-style beat 'em up.

R.I.P. DIO

2010-05-17T01:06:00.001-05:00

Ronald James Dio died yesterday of cancer. This is the man who popularized the "metal horns" hand gesture. He is also responsible for one my favorite 80's music videos, seen above.

Luckily, the ceremonial torch passing had already taken place. So the rock may live on. Whew.

stream the KILLER new Sleigh Bells album

2010-05-11T00:45:00.000-05:00

Killer! NPR Music's got a stream of the New Sleigh Bells album, TREATS.

I was concerned that re-recording some of these songs that I've known so well in demo form for the better part of a year now would lose some of the gritty-as-fuck "these go to eleven" production that made them so rad. These concerns were unfounded.

"Kids" is the only casualty. They must not have been able to clear the sample used in the demo, and the song suffers for it.

Every other old song is either unchanged from the version you've heard (Crown on the Ground), greatly improved (A/B Machines, Rill Rill), or an unholy mixture of those two (Infinity Guitars, which, no spoilers, quite literally dropped my jaw).

This thing is a BANGER and will likely soundtrack many questionable decisions for the next few months.

Give it a listen over at NPR, and be sure to CRANK DAT SHIT.

A Time for Tools.

2010-04-25T02:19:00.003-05:00

Ninian Doff via Videogum

Well this is awesome. I love how it's only clips from season 3, probably for no other reason than that's the only DVD set dude had. Bring on the Sleigh Bells / Wild n' Crazy Kids video. ACTUALLY...

super cool bike racks, bro.

2010-04-20T16:40:00.000-05:00

Back in March, Austin City Council approved $30,000 to install these artist-designed bike racks on Congress Ave. as part of the Art in Public Places campaign. Pretty cool. Pics via Impact News.

Tom and Kezia Simister

Ben Harman

Ann Armstrong

for ya HEALTH.

2010-04-13T15:15:00.003-05:00

Gnarly video for "We Are Water" off of last year's killer GET COLOR. Directed by Tim & Eric's Eric Wareheim. NSFEyes.

HEALTH "We are Water" from Eric Wareheim on Vimeo.

Awesome. yikes. Awesome.

If you prefer your Eric-directed video with less blood and similar amounts of man-boobage, Here's all the Old Spice commercials starring the always awesome Terry Crews.

I guess these arent much different from Tom Green reppin' Right Guard back in the day.

I'm with TBS (through the transitive property)

2010-04-12T19:02:00.001-05:00

Coco will be getting his Helvetica Rounded on this November on TBS. This is clearly huge for TBS, and they will no doubt treat Cone Bone and his show like royalty. I can already see the screen-filling ads during other shows now.

At first I thought this was a major downgrade for Conan... and it is. BUT it makes sense.

This move frees Conan from the pressures of network-level ad revenues, his downfall at "The Tonight Show" (besides "Jay Leno's Prime Time Comedy Vortex" as a lead-in). It also frees his younger audience, who clearly know how to use computers, to stream and DVR away without hurting his ratings too much.

With the loss of some gravitas comes the ability for Conan to really go nuts, comedy wise, and enter the fray with Adult Swim and Stewart and Colbert, his real competitors all along.

It seems that Conan recognized that his audience doesn't share his allegiance to the "institution" and tradition of late-night network television. Yes, it would have been amazing for Conan to host "The Tonight Show" for the next 20 years, a flame-topped spirit eagle for our generation. If "The Tonight Show" still was one of only three things on in the time slot, that might have really meant something. Times have changed.

From the Vault...

2010-04-08T13:30:00.004-05:00

Going through emails looking for something completely different, I came across this gem: A college admissions essay I wrote for TCU back in 2006. The prompt was to write about somebody who inspired us...

TCU Admissions Essay- Prompt C
Robert Ryan Strobeck

Throughout my childhood years, I never had an idol, or a role model. While my friends idolized the likes of Michael Jordan or the green Power Ranger, I could never make up my mind on one person worthy of my undying adoration. Those days are over, as I now know exactly who I want to be like when I grow up: Samuel L. Jackson. He, quite simply, is the pinnacle of the 21^st century man. He excels at his trade, in this case, acting. Mr. Jackson has starred in many films considered to be modern-day classics, such as Quentin Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction. While his resume is certainly impressive, what makes Mr. Jackson so admirable to me is not his work in quality films. Rather, it is his unparalleled dedication and tenacity. How so? Samuel L. Jackson has never turned down a role.

Few professionals today exhibit such undying passion for their craft as Samuel L. Jackson. For every movie a normal actor has made, Mr. Jackson has made at least three. I look to him as a model of determination. Even when his films are less than critically acclaimed, he keeps on going, never letting a misstep slow him down. So maybe XXX wasn’t the best movie ever made. Who’s to say that XXX 2: State of the Union couldn’t be awesome? Not Samuel L. Jackson! He returned for the sequel, even when the other original actors did not. Did he have to? No, he could have easily abandoned ship along with everyone else. His presence in the film was assuring and lent gravitas to the proceedings.

When I am faced with a new challenge or opportunity in my life, I often ask myself: “What would Samuel L. Jackson do?”. His sense of adventure and willingness to try new things are a big inspiration to me. Mr. Jackson has taken a wide variety of roles such as a streetwise gangster, streetwise cop, streetwise S.W.A.T. team member, streetwise CIA agent, streetwise FBI agent, streetwise basketball coach, streetwise scientist, streetwise cab driver, and Jedi Knight. He is not afraid to try new and unfamiliar things; he has been devoured by both a Tyrannosaurus Rex and a Great White shark. I admire Samuel L. Jackson for his unyielding quest to broaden his horizons, and I intend to do that throughout my life as well.
While it may be too early to tell, Samuel L. Jackson may come to be remembered as the greatest man of our time. Or, at the very least, he will be remembered for making some good movies. But to me, he has inspired me to never give up, and to grab all from life that I can.

...I GOT ACCEPTED.

As if a million LOLCATS cried out and were suddenly silenced

2010-04-07T08:00:00.025-05:00

Sad news yesterday about Net Neutrality: The DC district court ruled that the FCC can't regulate the web, pretty much killing the current plan to formalize net neutrality and keep it the norm.

I'm currently writing a gnarly paper on this very topic (St. Ed's people: you know). This is a blow for the future of the internet as you and I know and love it. I do love it.

The court ruled that the FCC does not have the jurisdiction over the internet needed to regulate neutrality. This could ultimately be for the best: It was only a few years ago that an overzealous Bush-appointed FCC fined CBS $550,000 over Janet Jackson's boobage. The FCC should never be be in a position to regulate the content of the internet: It won't always be run by Obama bros who "get it".

But something needs to be done to preserve the open nature of the net.

What ISPs would really like to do, in the near future at least, is offer "tiered" access to content providers. For instance: Time Warner cuts a deal with Microsoft where Bing searches go much faster than Google searches.

Without Net Neutrality, service providers could get even more... "creative" with their pricing models. Consider this nightmare scenario:

click image to enlarge

Internet service like Cable TV: you and I pay for access to certain websites. Bleungh.

Net neutrality is important. While it may not seem like a very pressing issue now, it is important that it is preserved before it's too late, and we all have to pay more for less internet. With this ruling, the cracks are stating to show.

Edited 4/8/10 at 3:50 PM to improve grammar and general shittyness.

woof.

2010-04-03T01:49:00.000-05:00

(via Winnie Cooper)

Okay, okay. It's no "Shine", but what is?

I will probably like "Scott Pilgrim vs. The World".

2010-03-29T04:39:00.005-05:00

Just like "Watchmen" did last year, this trailer inspired me to finally check out a comic after hearing about it forever. It looks awesome.

On to the movie: Some may say that Michael Cera's roles are all the same (they are), but happen to like his brand of awkward.The comic "THWOKS" and the like look cheesy, but Director Edgar Wright (Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz ) is more than capable of using and subverting genre tropes to hilarious ends. His movies manage to be both ridiculous and grounded at the same time. I'm stoked for this one.

RIP(?) WOXY

2010-03-28T17:29:00.013-05:00

Much digital ink has already been spilled about the sudden demise of Woxy.com. Mark Wilson wrote this great post about it over at HuffPo.

If you know me, you know I've been interning at Woxy since October, their first intern since moving to Austin. It was great working with the staff: Mike, Shiv, Paige, Joe, and Brian are all great people who truly love music, and love what they do. I'm sure they can all land on their feet.

It was a great place for someone like me to be, however briefly. The experience working in a digital media music operation was great for me.I also got some righteous hook-ups out of the deal, like free records, tons of free shows, a media pass to Fun Fun Fun Fest, countless open bars during SXSW, etc. etc.

The shutdown came out of nowhere. After such a successful SXSW, it really came out of nowhere to me. My first layoff and I haven't even graduated yet. Sigh.
If Woxy somehow does come back (again!) I think the site should focus on more rich content like video, interview features, DJ blogs, that sort of thing, along with the Radio streams. That would attract more users to the actual website, and have them stay longer, making the site more attractive to add buyers.
A few other thoughts I had while working there:

Require registration/login to listen. Pandora, Last.fm, Lala, Spotify, etc. all do this. Besides the rich features that could build from this, at the very least it would provide some more reliable usage numbers to provide to potential investors.
Song tagging! This is a no brainer. More than once while listening to Woxy on my iPhone, I would have to find a scrap paper, or exit in the notes app so i could write down a song and band that I liked. Why couldn't users do this in the Woxy app, or on Woxy.com? Tied with the user logins, it would allow users to keep track and share their favorite new songs, and to buy them instantly from iTunes or LaLa. Woxy could get a cut of those sales too.

From being around the station, I could tell that there were larger plans for the future. Most of this stuff may have already been in the pipe, and the money just dried up too soon. Damn shame.

Here's hoping WOXY can rise again. Again.

Oh, hi Internet!

2010-03-27T15:31:00.001-05:00

Here it is, the inaugural post on my new website, Squid-Brains!

After weeks of tinkering I think I am close to getting the layout where I want it to be. I haven't done any web-related work since back in high school, so it has been fun trying to remember my html, and learn some new CSS tricks.

Hit the links up top for more info about the blog, and about me. Some sections up top aren't done yet, so uh, pardon my dust!

It is my goal to keep this badboy updated fairly frequently, but if you see me around and it's been awhile, see if you cant shame me into posting.

Anyway, thanks for reading!

-Bobby