From now until August, I will be making stops in Chicago, Toronto, Montreal, New York, Boston, Washington D.C., Seoul, Beijing, Ho Chi Minh City, Phnom Penh, Siam Reap, and Shanghai.
It’s bound to be interesting so I will try to update my blog with the cultural goodies I encounter, but I can’t guarantee regular posts.
Meanwhile here is my Wanderlust Mix, which I will be listening to throughout my travels. Enjoy!
P.S.
One of the tracks is by another talented friend of mine, Alex Hwang. You can download “Goodnight Moon” for $1 here or listen to more of his songs here.
This popstar is so unabashedly mindless that I can’t help but like her then be embarrassed about it. Still, she makes me laugh, and I know everyone wants to dance when they hear ‘Tik Tok’ on the radio. The funniest track off her debut album has to be ‘Dinosaur’. Is this only amusing to me because I’ve actually met people like this?
Vampire Weekend – Contra
You should buy this album. I’m sharing the two bonus megamix-type “melts” for your listening pleasure. These are good enough as standalone songs, but they’re even better when you’ve listened to the whole album. It’s like sharing an inside joke with the band. I also appreciate how they decided not to include my least favorite track, ‘California English’. ‘Horchata’ is the best and impossible to get out of your head. Maybe the title switches my brain to Spanish mode, but I keep hearing the lyric: “Pinche crabs that pinch at your sandals.” No, that’s not what they’re singing.
Julian Casablancas – Phrazes for the Young
The sleepy nonchalance and undeniable talent (as songwriter, musician, and singer) of this former leader of The Strokes still make for a knockout combination. As much as I miss that band, it’s good to have Julian back again. His 8-track album is short and sweet with a New York vibe. ‘Ludlow St.’ and ’11th Dimension’ are my favorites.
Esteman
I dare you not to like ‘No te metas a mi Facebook’. Even if you don’t speak Spanish, you’re bound to enjoy the music video:
And as a Facebook user, you know what Esteman’s talking about. The best line is “Aplica la regla, ponle a todos MAYBE” or “Apply the rule, put on all of them MAYBE”. He is, of course, talking about the 200 Facebook event invitations you’ve received that you don’t really want to attend. Ha! Ah, the diplomacy required in social networking…
Mika – The Boy Who Knew Too Much
I must like skinny male popstars because Mika wears pants just as tight as Esteman’s and also makes feel-good music. On his second album, as on his first, he tells stories about things that aren’t necessarily light in a bubbly, cartoonish way. ‘Good Gone Girl’ and ‘We are Golden’ are prime examples. Mika is such a lovable sprite, and he puts on a tremendously entertaining live show. Ooh, looks like I’ve got to get over to Europe for the next leg of his tour!
All Polaroids courtesy of the cutest program at Poladroid.net!
Fluffy Culture Junkie 