LxListening: One Helluva Week

A week ago yeserday, I went into work thinking it was going to be a normal day. It was for a company that I have done a lot of freelance work for, and it seemed like the run-of-the-mill, somewhat-routine pre-production day that they had called me in for. They were doing a shoot for Motorola, and they needed some hands preparing for it. Well sometime shortly after lunch that day, I was informed that I had just been hired on to travel with them to finish out the shoot and that I’d be leaving the next day. So I hurried home, packed a bag, and was off the next day. First stop was San Francisco, then to (Hot)lanta, then to Phoenix, then back to LA. Due to the short notice of the scheduling, we had to produce each shoot the day before it took place. This led to extremely long work days, very little sleep, lots of moving around, heavy stress, and tons of music. Overall, it was one of the better weeks of my life, especially in terms of work and/or my “professional” career. In some ways however, it was all I could do to just maintain my sanity. This is how it went down from my playlists perspective:

Frankie Rose Review: Interstellar

Frankie Rose
Interstellar

^^(awesome cover art, by the way)

Looking for a slower-paced, angelically beautiful, minimalistic-ly brilliant, guitar trembling, synth slamming album that is soaking wet with reverb and will even get you to bob that head occasionally? No, I’m not talking about M83‘s Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming, but if you’re looking for the female version of it with half the tracks and teensy bit less complexity, yet no less sincere, than look no further than former Dum Dum Girl, Frankie Rose’s second solo album, Interstellar.

Top Ten Thursday: The Sounds of Winter

Wes as a wee cub

We at LxL are men for all seasons, and winter is no exception.  Oh, wait, Todd lives in the concrete jungles of Cali where the weather rarely dips below 60.  That’s alright, he is still an Indianaananaan (not really sure how to write that, or say it for that matter) at heart.  Here are our top ten albums of winter. Enjoy.

LxListening: Listening Back, For the Future

"Your kids are gonna love it!"

Now that 2012 is in full force, it’s time to put a rest to all our 2011 themes and focus on the future. A lot of bands are lining up for their sophomore efforts this year, some new acts are already getting high praises before their debut has even launched, and some old favorites will hopefully be reappearing for the first time in years to show us what they still got. In any case, and in lieu of being sick and tired of 2011 music for the moment, I revisited the last efforts of some bands recently, that I am looking forward to hearing more of in the upcoming new year. So here is my what I’ve been listening to as of late, in an attempt to arouse my appetite for these music acts once again. Hopefully it does the same for you.

Top Ten Thursday: LxL Comes Alive

We at LxL believe that a live performance is by far the best way to experience music, but if you can’t make it out to a show, why not try to experience it through a live album? In honor of the release of the Sigur Rós’s live double album, Inni, here are our top ten favorite live albums that best capture the non-stop energy, raw emotion, and incredible skill utilized in the most unforgettable shows.

Nice Ups!