In Music: Amos Lee - Mission Bell

Amos Lee is back with what may be his absolute best album yet!  The past two albums, Amos has veered from the soulful-country style of his debut self-titled release.  His newest, "Mission Bell", returns to that feel.  With cameos from Willie Nelson and Lucinda Williams, it's now about the music more than politics.  Enjoy my favorite, "Violin" below.

★★★★★

In Music: Adele - 21

Where do I begin?  The past few months, the world has been taken over by Adele.  Video after video, performance after performance, she's been relentless, and I couldn't be happier!  The new album dropped January in the UK and February in the US.  Topping the charts, Adele is back, and this time, she means business!  There's gospel, there's country, there's soul!  She's quickly proving to be the best artist of our generation.  Click through to see more amazing videos!

★★★★★

In Music: Robyn - Indestructible

Robyn is back with another phenomenal song! If you've been following her Body Talk trilogy, you may have noticed that on the first two parts there is a bonus acoustic track which becomes the first single of the next album.  Indestructible was the acoustic track from part two and is the first single of part three.  The video is a sexy, almost racy, fast-paced throw-down!  Robyn sports a tube outfit with different colored liquids going through it.  A bit strange, but what do you expect from Robyn? Enjoy, and stay tuned for the full album review later this month!

 ★★★★★

In Film: Easy A

This is the first movie I've seen in the theater in a really long time, and I was NOT dissapointed!  The movie is hillariously fun and Emma Stone is absolute perfection.  The premise of the story is about girl named Olive who is actually a virgin gets labeled a slut after a bible-thumping classmate, played by Amanda Bynes, overhears a little white lie in the girls bathroom.  Olive then gets put on the map and starts getting attention until it escalates and gets to be too much.  The movie is chock full of amazing actors, and they all are absolutely amazing in their roles.  I think the absolute best part of this movie is the dialogue.  It's witty and biting and the actors spew it back and forth so naturally that it takes a minute to catch up and realize how smart and funny it really was.  The director is Will Gluck, who also directed the short-lived, but hillarious, tv-show, "The Loop."

The Good:  The dialogue, especially between Olive's family, is definitely the best part of the movie.

The Bad:  Cam Gigandet kept his shirt on the entire time!

The Ugly:  My only criticism of this movie is that they did show a lot of the jokes during the trailer, but there are still plenty more.

Synopsis:  It's refreshing to see a movie that's not an epic drama that you can walk away from and say, "Wow, that was really good!"  I highly recommend this to anyone!  Rent it, buy it, steal it, whatever, just watch it!

★★★★★

In Gadgets: Netflix for the iPhone

Finally! It's been released!  The much anticipated (by me at least) app from Netflix, has arrived!  I've had the chance to play around with it and I have to tell you, it's ALMOST perfect!  The streaming is extremely fast, even on 3G.  The quality is phenomenal and you can choose to zoom and crop the edges so there is no letterbox.  The thing that impressed me the most, is the fact that once you load a movie, which takes no time at all, you can maneuver the time slider to anywhere in the movie and it will start there immediately! No lag! You can also resume from where you left off on any other Netflix device. You can manage your instant queue and the interface is extremely well done and user friendly.  The absolute only downfall I have found with this app is the fact that you can't manage your disc queue and still need a third party app like Flixter to do so.  It seems like a small piece of the puzzle that would have completed the app and made it absolutely perfect.  Oh, and did I mention the app is free?

★★★★★

In Music: Swell Season - All The Way Down

The reason I'm doing this post is because one of my all time favorite bands, is breaking up.  The Swell Season is composed of Glen Hansard, Marketa Irglova and some band members from Glen's previous band The Frames.  They gained international success with their movie "Once" which mirrors their real life tumultuous relationship.  If you haven't heard of them, I absolutely INSIST that you find more of their music right now!  Glen is going back to his old band and Marketa is working on a solo album.  I just hope and pray that someday the two will reunite.  For now, take a listen to one of my favorites, "All The Way Down."

Song: All The Way Down

Artist: Swell Season

Album: Once Official Movie Soundtrack

Writer: Glen Hansard

Label: Canvasback, Columbia, Sony Music Soundtrax

★★★★★

In Film: Zombieland

I LOVE this movie!  I happened to see it on Netflix instant view last night and decided to rewatch it.  It's a zombie action-comedy with Woody Harrelson.  It's hillarious and kick-ass at the same time!  I would highly recommend getting this in HD.

★★★★★

In Music: Janelle Monae - Cold War

All I can say about Janelle Monae is this chick is FABULOUS! I know that sounds super gay, but I don't know how else to describe her.  Her first album rocked my world, the second one is rocking my universe!  This song is my song for the summer! Enjoy it!

Song: Cold War

Artist: Janelle Monae

Album: The ArchAndroid

Writer: Nathaniel Irvin III, Charles Joseph II, Janelle Monáe Robinson

Label: Wondaland Arts Society, Bad Boy

 

★★★★★

In Music: Robyn - Hang With Me

Let me just start off by saying that Robyn can do no wrong.  There, I've said it.  The thing I love most is the fact that most artists will work for years on a new album, hire cowriters, producers and all kinds of music manipulators.  They come out with a few good songs, then disappear and you're left waiting a few more years for something else to come out.  Not Robyn.  This chick is pumping out songs and albums left and right, all while touring.  Not only is she pumping them out like nobody's business, but they're all absolutely amazing!  There isn't one song I don't absolutely love!  This song is no exception.  The video is simple, but I'll tell you what...I would definitely hang with Robyn, that bitch is fabulous!

★★★★★

In Games: Assassin's Creed Brotherhood for PS3

Multiplayer Assassin's Creed...OMG!

★★★★★

In Life: Inspiration

So I was having a rough day with work yesterday, and was in a foul mood to say the least, when a friend of mine posted this video on Facebook.  This man is utterly amazing!  It makes me want to strive to find joy in life no matter what comes my way.

★★★★★

In Gadgets: iPhone 4

At WWDC 2010 today, Steve Jobs announced the iPhone 4 to be released June 24th, available for Preorder June 15th.  One of the best features is the two cameras, one on the front for video calling, and a 5 mega pixel with LED flash on the back that records HD video in 720.  Another great addition is multi-tasking, now you can browse the web, play a game, and listen to music all at the same time.  Sound like a battery drainer? Well they've included a much larger battery, an insane amount of additional pixels in the screen, a gyro meter and an additional microphone for noise cancelling, all in a thinner frame than the current iPhone 3GS.  Will you be getting one?

★★★★★

In Film: El Orfanato or The Orphanage

If you've seen Pan's Labyrinth, then you know the genius that is Guillermo Del Toro.  My friend Dean finally made me watch this movie after I had brushed it off for months.  Thank you Dean! The movie is scary, well-acted and extremely well thought out.  A definite must see, then own!  Watch it now, before the english version gets made and ruins it for you.

The Good: The acting is absolutely incredible.  The actors make the emotions and suspense tangible.  If you watch movies for the story, then this plot will leave you wanting for nothing more.  The ending, which in most horror movies is absolute crap, is perfect and you won't be pissed off when the movie is over.

The Bad: The only negative thing I could say is that some people may not enjoy reading subtitles.

The Ugly: Watch it with a friend near!

Synopsis: Overall, I would probably put this in my top 10 movies of all time.  It's just one of those movies that was put together with all the right ingredients; actors, story and of course Guillermo Del Toro.

★★★★★

In Music: Lissie - Everywhere I Go

Lissie is a 28 year old country singer from Rock Island, IL.  She has opened for Lenny Kravitz and more recently Ray Lamontagne.  Her EP "Why You Runnin'" was produced by Bill Reynolds from Band of Horses.  She's also been featured on my favorite radio show, KCRW's "Morning Becomes Eclectic."  This song is utterly amazing and gives me chills ever single time I hear it.  The rest of her EP, which is only five songs, is a mix of country and contemporary folk.  She releases a new full length album later this month.

 

Artist: Lissie

Song: Everywhere I Go

Album: Why You Runnin'

Writer: Lissie

Label: Fat Possum

★★★★★

In Music: Robyn - Dancing on my Own

So everyone remembers bubblegum pop princess Robyn from the '90s, but this is her second album from her own record label and the princess has fled the castle!  Robyn is releasing three albums this year titled Body Talk part one, two and three.  Stay tuned for a full album review on release date June 15th.

Artist: Robyn

Song: Dancing on my Own

Album: Body Talk Part 1

Writer: Robyn, Patrik Berger

Label: Konichiwa Records

★★★★★