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My 2011 (and a bit of 2010) in a Flash…

John Vasko — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 03:30:35 +0000

Pummelvision is a cool program that creates a video based on photos you’ve got online. You can choose photos from Facebook, Flickr, Instagram, Tumblr, and others. It automatically creates a video and uploads it to either your Youtube or Vimeo account for private or public viewing.

You can choose the most recent 2,000 photos or specific sets on Flickr but unfortunately not multiple sets. With Facebook you can select your uploads, photos you’re tagged in, or specific albums but not multiple albums.

The result is wild journey through your online photo life. You can set them to appear in chronological order to really put your year in perspective. There is a choice between 2 songs, one by http://friendlyghostmusic.com/ and the other, Mos Def.

First, I chose the most recent 2,000 photo option for Flickr, which did show a bit of 2010 at the beginning of the video. Then I choose my uploads on Facebook, which will definitely show previous years. If you do one of these videos, you can no longer give your friends a hard time for not looking at all of your photos because it will take them less than 5 minutes to look at 2,000! Below you can check out my Pummelvision for 2011 or check out last year’s.

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My Top 20 Songs of 2011

John Vasko — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 21:23:48 +0000

2011 was another great year for music and my favorite singles are all over the map, as usual.

There are 20 tracks on this list, listed in alphabetical order by song title, not order of preference.

“Calgary” – Bon Iver

The first single from Bon Iver’s self-titled second album was flawless. Every time I hear it, my spirit is lifted and I’m put in a good mood.

“Caught a Long Wind” – Fiest

What a strong album Metals is. And “Caught a Long Wind” caught my ear immediately, especially this particular lyric, which almost reminds me of Kate Bush.

I caught a long wind
A long life wind
Like a swallow
A night owl
A little chickadee
Sad sparrow
Good morning bird
Good nightingale
I took a deep breath
And caught a long wind

“Eyes be Closed” – Washed Out

Long Live Chill Wave, especially when it’s as good as Washed Out. See my previous post on this artist.

“East Harlem” – Beirut

Recorded at Music Hall of Williamsburg in New York by New Mexico indie band Beirut was one of my most listened to tracks of the year.

“Hawaiian Air” – Friendly Fires

Friendly Fires Pala is a great ride of an album from start to finish but my favorite song is “Hawaiian Air”, probably because of our trip to Hawaii. Here are our photos from that trip.

“Hearts” – I Break Horses

Swedish newcomers I Break Horses cut their shoegazing chops with “Hearts”.

“Helplessness Blues” – Fleet Foxes

The first single from the band’s elegant sophomore album. Not an official video by the band but a great one that captures the spirit of the song.

“Judas” – Lady Gaga

Upon first hearing “Judas”, I didn’t care for it that much but after a few times listening to it, that caterwaul became too infectious to resist. This and “The Edge of Glory” are my favorites from Born this Way.

“Lotus Flower” – Radiohead

Radiohead continued their amazingly strong output this year and the first single from King of Limbs was classic. Also love the video and seeing Thom Yorke move.

“Ritual Union” – Little Dragon

Swedish group Little Dragon have been around since 1996 but have recently become better known largely because of their lead singer Yukimi Nagano’s collaboration with Gorillaz and other bands. The title track from their last album is performed live on KCRW.

“Rolling in the Deep” – Adele

When I asked my friend Chris why he didn’t like Adele, he said (pun intended) “She’s too big”. It does seem that Adele has indeed become the Alison Moyet of Adult Contemporary British Soul. She is a bit overexposed but I would not say overrated at all. “Rolling in the Deep” is a classic that will sound just as good ten years from now as it would have sounded ten or twenty years ago.

“Snowed in at Wheeler Street” – Kate Bush

Kate Bush is back, a full 7 years after her last proper album with Ariel. The album is magnificent but one of the most arresting tracks is this duet with Elton John. Note that this is not the official video:

“Still Life” – The Horrors

Anything that sounds like most any new wave band from the 80′s is almost guaranteed work it’s way into my head and heart AND top songs. See previous blog post on their album Skying.

“The Edge of Glory” – Lady Gaga

One of Gaga’s more tame videos but especially bittersweet with East Street Band Clarence Clemons coming in ad the end with his amazing sax. The shooting of this music video with Gaga was completed just days before his passing of a stroke.

“The Look”- Metronomy

Metronomy’s The English Riviera was an album that really grew on me. Every song has a different personality but a clear favorite of ours is “The Look”.

“Under the Cover of Darkness” – The Strokes

The Strokes came back full trottle with a signature single that could sound like no other band today.

“Til the World Ends” – Britney Spears

I kept hearing this at the gym and various random places and somehow it seeped into my consciousness. The only way to get it out was to continue listening to it multiple times until I had enough. Isn’t that kind of the way pop songs are supposed to work?

“Video Games” – Lana Del Rey

Perhaps one of the most loved and hated artists (on blogs at least) of 2011 was Lana Del Rey. How genuine is this upstate New Yorker who stage name is a combination of Lana Turner and a Ford car called “Del Rey”, fitting for someone obsessed with retro Hollywood scenes as shown in the video for her hit single “Video Games”? Her first “proper” and much anticipated album Born to Die will be released next month. We’ll soon determine how many other songs live up to the brilliance of “Video Games”.

“Wait and See” – Holy Ghost

New Order influenced DJs had my ear with a very new-order sounding “Wait and See”.

“We Found Love” – Rihanna

My partner got it right when he said that Rihanna has seemed to eek her way to the top. That’s largely due to the help of her mega hit “Umbrella” and putting out a lot of material—one album every year with the exception of 2008. Despite her potty mouth, she does manage to create some catchy singles. “We found Love” is simple and effective. Great old-school dance beats.

Photos from Our Trip to Oahu, Hawaii, and Kauai [Photos]

John Vasko — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 02:22:12 +0000

It’s taken me a bit of time to sort through all of the photos from our amazing trip. Below are some of my favorites with links to the Flickr collection dedicated to our trip to Hawaii. The surf on the North Shore was amazingly big. This doesn’t necessarily show the waves; I just like the photo.

The sunsets and rainbows were among the best I’ve ever seen. In fact, we must have seen about 40 rainbows or so during the trip—even a double rainbow. Below is the sunset on Waikiki beach at the Halekulani hotel, at a bar call House Without a Key where they sing Hawaiian songs from the 40′s and 50′s. It was mentioned in the NY Times 36 Hours in Honolulu.

On The Big Island, Adi did spend quite a bit of time attending a conference but we got to do some sightseeing, especially on the way to Hilo, the city from which we did our helicopter tour of the volcano.

Will you be buying a condo here? Some people are holding on to their property!

Kauai was the greenest of the islands we visited. We also did a helicopter tour there, a large part of it focusing on the Na’Pali coast, which is unreachable other than by helicopter or boat (or hiking through the mountains).

This is us at the St. Regis hotel in Princeville. We had a drink there to watch the sunset.

To see more photos, click here or on the flickr collection mosaic below. You can also see it recapped in this video, if you haven’t already.

Our Hawaiian Adventure [video]

John Vasko — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 18:02:37 +0000

Adi and I are so lucky to have been able to visit Hawaii, largely due to a professional conference he had on The Big Island. It had always been a dream of mine to visit Hawaii but because of the distance and cost I didn’t think it was in my immediate future. But with the help of his conference, lots of Continental miles for the flights, American miles for one hotel, and good planning, we enjoyed a fantastic and long (for us) adventure.

We went to three islands – Oahu for 3 days, the Big Island for 5 days, and Kauai for 4. We enjoyed the fantastic rain-a-bit, shin-a-lot Hawaiian climate, never really having to use the air conditioning much. Driving was a huge component of our trip on all the islands. I’ll recap individual bits of our trip on other posts but first, a quick 4-minute video showing you the highlights of our trip, soundtrack provided by Friendly Fires (one of my favorite bands) doing their fitting single “Hawaiian Air”

Excellent New Video by The XX for Islands [Video]

We Should be So Lucky—With MadPad.

John Vasko — Fri, 16 Sep 2011 01:56:19 +0000

Having a lot of fun with the MadPad app. Have you ever heard the Kylie Minogue song “I Should be so Lucky”? Not her best moment, in my opinion. But the comedy team French and Saunders did a great parody version of it several years ago where they play opera stars brought in to do a special song. You have no idea what it is until you get about a third of the way into the video. Then you realize, it’s Kylie! Much funnier to watch than to read about… Below is the French and Saunders version of “I Should Be So Lucky”. Below that is OUR MadPad Version. And below that is the Original.

We Should be So Lucky (MadPad Version):

I Should be so Lucky (Original):

Lovin’ You is Easy Cuz You’re Beautiful [2011]

Working at the Car Wash…. Woah Woah Oha

John Vasko — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 00:58:00 +0000

Every since I listened to Minnie Riperton the other day I’ve been thinking about 70′s music. The song ‘Car Wash’ and the movie has been stuck in my head so I got on Youtube and found a video for it. Just as good as it was in 1977. Rose Royce—’Car Wash’. Work and Work!

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Lovin’ You is Easy Cuz You’re Beautiful [2011]

John Vasko — Sun, 11 Sep 2011 20:59:37 +0000

Yesterday we were reading an article in the New York Times about Maya Rudolph and her new show, Up all Night. It mentioned that her mother was the late (and missed) Minnie Riperton, who sang on of the most memorable and odd songs ever recorded, ‘Lovin’ You.’ As a kid I was always so impressed as to how someone could sing notes so high.

Later that evening I discovered this amazing new app for the iPhone and iPad that is loads of fun. It’s called MadPad. With it, we created our version of ‘Lovin’ You’ sitting on our sofa with Romeo. Here is the result:

The app is $.99 for the iPhone and $2.99 for the iPad and I highly encourage you to just get it. If you’re down, it will certainly lift your mood. Watch these fantastic MadPad creations—House Blend, Twist & Shout, and Beat It—all of which are great demonstrations of the app.

Just got sent this amazing version of Lovin’ You by The Orb:

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Washed Out’s ‘Eyes Be Closed’ vs. Moby’s Porcelain

John Vasko — Sat, 10 Sep 2011 23:16:43 +0000

From the moment I heard ‘Eyes Be Closed’, the first track on the debut album by Georgia chillwave artist Washed Out, I knew it sounded familiar. After listening a few times, it hit me. Moby‘s Porcelain. The songs are similar in feel. See what you think:

Washed Out – “Eyes Be Closed”

Eyes Be Closed

washed out | Myspace Video

Moby’s Porcelain:

Washed out is Earnest Greene and he’s created a great return to chill music without sounding dated. The album, titled ‘Within and Without’ is a grower and great to listen to while driving one the open road—with the volume high—or at night, relaxing at home.

And Earnest is easy on the eyes as well. This video done by Adult Swim give you a peak into his personality, which seems to be as easy going as his music.

Washed out in Georgia with Adult Swim:

Your Life Flashing Before Your Eyes

Cool Photos from Wedding at the Metropolitan Building in LIC, NY

John Vasko — Sun, 21 Aug 2011 03:15:01 +0000

I had never been to the Metropolitan Building in Long Island City until today’s wedding of Hillary Vidair and John Giuffo friends I had met through Adi.

I wish I had brought my DSLR to shoot the wedding as well as some of the floors in this really interesting building. But I did manage to take some interesting shots with my iphone and its hipstamatic app.

Hillary and Adi

Cupcake Cake

Room within a Room Metropolitan Building Long Island City

Books, Drapes, Sofa at Metropolitan Building LIC

Flower Petals in Tub

Staircase Art at Metropolitan Building LIC

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How Come You Never Go There?

John Vasko — Fri, 19 Aug 2011 01:04:11 +0000

It seems like forever since Fiest’s breakthrough album ‘The Reminder.’ Well she’s finally getting around to releasing a new album ‘Metals’ on which she’s collaborated with many of the same people as on previous efforts. The first single she’s put out from this album is How Come You Never Go There? and you can listen below.

How Come You Never Go There by Feist

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