Shaun Johnson

EZPZ Playlist: January 2015

I started off the New Year like I always do with at least a few tracks from Death Cab for Cutie’s Transatlanticism and Photo Album. There is something about these albums that recalibrate me. They adjust my focus so I can set my sights on what I want to accomplish from the year ahead.

With all the rumors and speculation brewing about Kendrick Lamar’s next album, I got back into Good Kid M.A.A.D City. That album stands the test of time with ease. I failed miserably in late-2012 when it was released by putting it off. I ended up hearing his single “Poetic Justice” and was instantly hooked. His third album is said to promise great things since the kid, himself, seems madder than ever.

Title Fight’s third album, Hyperview, is one my most anticipated albums of 2015. I pre-ordered the download on iTunes to get the singles as they released. I also pre-ordered the exclusive vinyl on Kings Road Merch. When Pitchfork streamed the album in it’s entirety, I got up at five in the morning and listened to it three times before I was forced to get ready for class. Needless to say, I was extremely excited when I got word that the album leaked. I downloaded it as soon as possible. Even though the leak was a measly 128-kbps, I loved every second of it.

Every Time I Die announce Spring tour with The Used, Marmozets, The Eeries

Every Time I Die announced they are going to tour in support of The Used. Dates and cities are listed below. Sadly, there are no dates even close to Iowa. The closest being the date in Milwaukee on April 14th, which is a five and a half hour drive from Des Moines. Every Time I Die are known to be extremely hard workers, sometimes playing two shows in one day. They have a day off on April 13th, most likely for travel since Milwaukee is a fifteen hour drive from Denver, but I hope they announce an off-tour show in Des Moines, Omaha or Minneapolis! Marmozets and The Eeries will also be touring in support.

UPDATE: I have reached out to Des Moines promoter @firstfleet to see if we can work something out and get the Boys to stop in Des Moines on 4/13. Stay tuned!

Title Fight’s Hyperview is streaming in full on NPR!

My most anticipated album of the year, Hyperview, by Title Fight is streaming in full on NPR. It gave me chills. This thirty-plus-minute “dream underwater” is perfect from opener “Murder Your Memory” to ending track “Night Vision”. Hyperview is a simply perfect album. I’m super proud of these dudes.

I implore all of you to lay down on your bed, tap the link on your phone, throw a pair of headphones on and slip away into this dreamy record.

http://www.npr.org/2015/01/25/378606787/first-listen-title-fight-hyperview

Title Fight stream third single off of Hyperview, “Your Pain is Mine Now”

The new Title Fight album, Hyperview from Anti- Records is shaping up to be a real monster.

In the new single called “Your Pain is Mine Now”, streaming on Vogue.com.

Title Fight is just getting better and better with each release. As you can hear in these first three tracks off of Hyperview, Title Fight’s two vocalists, Jamie Rhoden and Ned Russin, sound a lot different compared to the days of the Kingston EP from 2008. The band has really flourished, especially after their last album, Floral Green, from 2012. I cannot stop spinning this “Your Pain is Mine Now”. Jamie Rhoden’s voice is majestic, soothing and flat-out beautiful.

Check it out NOW!

http://www.vogue.com/8286273/title-fight-hyperview-song/

Pre-order the album now via iTunes or the band’s Kings Road Merch profile!

http://kingsroadmerch.com/anti-records/?id=1838

December 2014 Playlist

An announcement came at the beginning of December that got led to my most anticipated album of 2015. One of my favorite bands, Title Fight, was releasing cryptic clips on their website for the last couple weeks of November. The clips were weird and had night vision type overlays. I was hooked! Title Fight’s Floral Green was my “album of the year” in 2012 and I’m sure Hyperview will not disappoint. Check out the details of the album here. Their first single, “Chlorine”, was released on December 2nd. I loved the song so much, it cracked my “top ten songs of the year” in just a couple weeks. Everyone should be on the lookout for Hyperview, come February 3rd.

December is hectic when it comes to music. It’s the month I have to cram a bunch of albums in so I can make absolutely sure I did not miss anything for my “end of the year” list. Although, listening to albums this way is not ideal, it has to be done. I listened to Circa Survive’s Descensus, Run the Jewels’ Run the Jewels 2 and FKA Twigs LP1. All three albums are extremely good and made my end of the year list in some sort of way. Although Circa Survive was the only album to crack the top 10, all three could have if I had given them enough time.

One of my biggest mishaps for music last year was not listening to Childish Gambino in any sort of way. He is one of my favorite rappers now after I gave his first album, Camp, a listen way back in January. Although, better known for his comedy and acting, Donald Glover has a lot going for him as rapper. Break the Internet is a little different than Camp. Glover has developed into a more mature person after his Instagram-therapy incident and Break the Internet seems to display that side of him just fine.

After my friend Brandon’s Ugly Sweater party, we had a dance party and listened to an assortment of wonderful music. The dance “party” consisted of myself, my girlfriend, Lydia and friends: Alex and Brandon. The main songs that I remember dancing to were from Glitch Mob. So, I added some Glitch Mob to my list.

As far as working out, I usually jam out to The Chariot and Every Time I Die to shed as much weight as possible before the end of the year. Instead, this month I jumped back and bumped to Code Orange’s Love is Love/Return to Dust.

I find myself diving into Circa Survive’s Juturna at least a few times a year. December is a perfect time to do this because of the long nights and cold days.

Easy weekly diet to shed pounds this new year!

This is just a little write-up about an easy diet to abide by to shed a small amount of weight quickly. I follow this weekly diet at least a couple weeks a month. It takes little preparation, which is important for someone that is always on the go!
Level of commitment and difficulty to adhere to the diet: low to moderate

5 diet days, 1 complete cheat day, 1 half cheat day.
3 days of working out for 30 mins. This means anything from walking to yoga to biking. Increase heart rate for 30 mins. Make sure to stretch before and after (stretching not included in 30 min time)

Breakfast- between 5am-8am

These are your choices of foods to eat in the morning:

Yogurt (you may add small amounts of granola and fruit on days when you aren’t working out)
V8 Low Sodium fruit or veggie smoothie (can be homemade)
Piece of fruit or veggie (if not working out)
One cup of cottage cheese

Lunch (biggest meal of the day)- between 10am-Noon

2 cups of frozen veggies with no sauce. Only salt and pepper can be applied.
1 large serving of chicken breast or tuna. You may mix a small amount of mayonnaise or salad dressing with tuna.
Your choice of a piece of fruit or another helping of veggies or a baked potato. With the baked potato, you cannot add any sauces. I add cottage cheese, salt and pepper lightly. Sour cream is also a no-no.

Dinner (smaller than lunch portion wise, but still hefty)- between 5pm-7pm

Salad- plain spinach leaves or a head of lettuce. No sauce, just sunflower seeds, soy seeds and raisins. Any amount of any other veggie can be added. I use green olives, sliced tomatos and sliced cucumber. Baby or shredded carrots are wonderful too. (Salt and pepper can be applied LIGHTLY)
Piece of fruit or celery sticks and one serving on peanut butter
Yogurt or a cup of Kefir Fruit Smoothie

*Dinner and lunch can be interchanged but your portions must be reduced for dinner and can be increased for lunch.

Snacks- can be eaten an hour before or after lunch and dinner. Limit to eating snacks twice a day (before or after lunch and dinner). You can have up to three total snacks through out the day.

Choices:

Oatmeal with no sugar added. You may add fruit or salt.
Yogurt (preferably Greek yogurt) or Kefir Fruit Smoothie
Up to two pieces of fruit or veggies
V8 Low Sodium fruit or veggie smoothie (Comes in a can. Can be bought at Walmart, Target, etc)
Celery sticks with 2 tablespoons of peanut butter. You have to limit the peanut butter but you may eat as many celery sticks as you want.
Frozen Veggies with salt and or pepper only. Since this is a snack, it must be in small portions.
Dried fruit. This is one of the least healthy options you are given. You must limit it to a cup.
Cottage cheese and yogurt are your best friend. You may add fresh fruit to them. They will cure your appetite for sugar.
Granola Bars these are the least healthy option on the list of snacks, so they must be limited to one and only one a day. Preferably the KIND brand because of their all natural ingredients.

Vitamins (vitamins are optional; they will have a huge impact on suppressing your appetite for bad foods)

Water is the only drink you can have during non-cheat days. You need to do your best to consume 8 glasses of water a day on non-cheat days and especially on days when you workout.

Decadence 2014 in Denver, Colorado

A bunch of my Electric Forest family and I are going to the New Year’s Eve night of Decadence in Denver, Colorado. I cannot wait! This is truly going to be a New Year’s Eve to remember. Lydia and I are taking the Amtrak from Osceola, Iowa on Monday night at 7pm and we will arrive in Denver, Colorado just as the sun is rising over the mountains on Tuesday morning.

Trailer for Decadence 2014! We are in for a treat on New Year’s Eve!

The official Global Dance After Movie (production company that puts the festival on)

Netflix and Amazon Prime additions for January 2015

Netflix Additions

Mean Girls, available on Netflix on January 1st, 2015

Cast Away, available on Netflix on January 1st, 2015

January 1, 2015

101 Dalmatians (1996)

Bad Boys II (2003)

Bruce Almighty (2003)

Cast Away (2000)

Dallas season 3 (2012 series)

Election (1999)

Fear & Loathing in Las Vegas (1998)

French Connection (1971)

Friends, the complete series (1994-2004)

Fort Bliss (2014)

Mean Girls (2004)

Shall We Dance? (2004)

To be Takei (2014)

Wayne’s World 2 (1993)

January 3, 2015

Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit (2014)

White Collar season 5 (2009 series)

January 8, 2015

Psych season 8 (2006 series)

January 9, 2015

Z Nation season 1 (2014 series)

January 16, 2015

The Adventures of Puss in Boots Season 1 (2015, Netflix original)

The Fall season 2 (2013 series, Netflix original)

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011)

January 23, 2015

Ilizia Shlesinger: Freezing Hot (2014, Netflix original)

January 28, 2015

Chef (2014)

Leaving Netflix by January 1, 2015

Backdraft (1991)

Bad Boys (1995)

The Breakfast Club (1985)

Happy Gilmore (1996)

Hitch (2005)

Love Actually (2003)

Mighty Ducks (1992, quack quack, Mr. Ducksworth)

My Girl (1991)

The Parent Trap (1998)

Rocky (1976)

Saved! (2004)

Spaceballs (1987)

Amazon Prime additions

Big Fish, available on Amazon Prime this January 3rd, 2015

January 1, 2015

The Amityville Horror (1979)

Amityville II: The Possession (1982)

Barbershop 2: Back in Business (2004)

Beverly Hills Cop II (1987) & III (1994)

Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1961)

Footloose (1984)

Hoosiers (1986)

It Happened One Night (1934)

Moonstruck (1987)

Mr. Mom (1983)

On the Waterfront (1954)

Shall We Dance? (2004)

Snatch (2000)

Swingers (1996)

January 3, 2015

Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit (2014)

January 4, 2015

Starred Up (2015, Amazon exclusive)

January 5, 2015

The Congress (Amazon exclusive)

January 8, 2015

Big Fish (2003)

Bottle Rocket (1996)

January 9, 2015

The Winning Season (2009)

January 13, 2015

Justified season 5 (2010 series)

January 15, 2015

Hit By Lightning (2014)

January 18, 2015

Patton Oswalt: Comedy Plus Tragedy Equals Time (2014)

January 21, 2015

Barefoot (2014)

January 25, 2015

Repentance (2014)

January 27, 2015

Gloria (1980)

January 30, 2015

Frida (2002)

End of the Year 2014 List!

Top Albums of the Year

1. Every Time I Die – From Parts Unknown

Every single year I put Every Time I Die on a list, they’re near the top or they flat out top it. 2014 is no different. Looking healthier than ever, the boys from Buffalo, New York released a real ripper and my favorite album of the year, From Parts Unknown. Kurt Ballou, a true metal God, from the band Converge produced the album. It starts with an explosion from “The Great Secret” and ends with arguably the band’s greatest ending to a record, “Idiot”. Songs like their second single “Decayin’ with the Boys” keeps my blood boiling while the piano-led, eerie pseudo-ballad, “Moor” and banger “Exometrium” stitch the album together perfectly. The boys toured the United Kingdom with A Day to Remember, multiple United States tours and Canada with Expire. One of the United States tours was the entire span of the Vans Warped Tour. I made a trip out to Vans Warped Tour just to see them. I probably would have skipped the 8-hour-combined trip and a hotel stay in Minneapolis, MN if it was not for their presence on the tour. So, I’m glad Kevin Lyman got them on the tour. Funny tidbit: the band has it in their contract that Keith and Jordan Buckley’s father barbecue for the entire Warped Tour staff at the Buffalo, New York stop! The barbecue along with their insane live show must be why they have been on the Vans Warped Tour six times already!

2. La Dispute – Rooms of the House

One of my biggest fails of the year was that I did not get to see La Dispute live. I even bought two tickets for their tour in Minneapolis but when the friend I was going with made a last minute cancellation and I couldn’t find anyone to go with me, I just sucked it up and stayed home. I will not miss the band in 2015! Especially since they recently announced a tour with one of my other favorite bands, Title Fight. I wish the tour wasn’t in Chicago on a Sunday in April, but nonetheless, I will try and make it out to see some of the songs on Rooms of the House. The album is wonderful from start to finish. My only complaint with their previous album, Wildlife, was that at times it seemed like it was droning on just a little bit. This is not the case with Rooms of the House. The album feels complete like Wildlife and never felt like it slumped like Somewhere At The Bottom Of The River Between Vega And Altair. Although, La Dispute had a wonderful year, I cannot help but worry for their future works since their guitarist, Kevin Whittemore, left the band after their tour supporting Rooms of the House.

3. Code Orange – I Am King

Also produced by Kurt Ballou, I Am King by Code Orange was easily my biggest surprise of 2014. A year ago, my friend Kyle Ewing recommended then named Code Orange Kids to me. I shamefully shrugged off the recommendation and proceeded to move on with my life. The band’s unique name stuck in my head and after I stumbled on their first release from 2012, Love is Love/Return to Dust, in July of this year, I was hooked. College is a real bitch sometimes. I know I am supposed to be happy and grateful that I even get the chance to attend college but it does cuts into my concert fund and time. Code Orange barreled through the midwest in late September on a co-headlining tour with Twitching Tongues just after I started classes and couldn’t make the 7 hour round trip to Kansas City and back. Code Orange had a truly insane year! They released one of the best albums and even cut the word “Kids” from their name. I will definitely make it a high priority to see them in 2015. Who knows, I may even come out of mosh-tirement for songs like “My World” and “Unclean Spirit”.

4. Phantogram – Voices

5. Tigers Jaw – Charmer

6. Pianos Become the Teeth – Keep You

7. ’68 – In Humor and Sadness

8. Circa Survive – Descensus

9. RL Grime – VOID

10. Flying Lotus – You’re Dead!

11-20 Top Albums of 2014

11 Run The Jewels – Run the Jewels 2

12 Manchester Orchestra – HOPE

13 The Hotelier – Home, Like No Place Is There

14 FKA Twigs – LP1

15 Brian Altano – Misanthrope

16 Foster the People – Supermodel

17 Tycho – Awake

18 ScHoolboy Q – Oxymoron

19 Thom Yorke – Tomorrow’s Modern Boxes

20 The Fighting Yawns – Montauk

Top Songs of 2014 (released in 2014)

1. “Fall in Love” by Phantogram

2. “Woman (In Mirror)” by La Dispute

3. “The Great Secret” by Every Time I Die

4. “Woman (Reading)” by La Dispute

5. “Idiot” by Every Time I Die

6. “My World” by Code Orange

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lAsJ6VudnJU

7. “Howling at the Moon” by Phantogram

8. “Chlorine” by Title Fight

9. “Best Friend” by Foster the People

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ndzln1UEyf0%20

10. “Tell Me” by RL Grime

Band of the Year: Every Time I Die

*Editor’s Note – Josh Newton is no longer in the band. Stephen Micciche replaced him in 2011.

Tour of the Year: Every Time I Die, The Ghost Inside, Architects, Hundredth and Back Track in Minneapolis, MN at Mills City Nights on December 6th, 2014.

This is a live performance from the best tour of the year.

Honorable Mentions (in no particular order):

Various Artists – Guardians of the Galaxy O/S – This soundtrack tied into an amazing storyline and crafted one of 2014’s best movie releases.

Childish Gambino – Kauai EP – Artsy EP that has me excited for Childish Gambino’s next album.

Aphex Twin – Syro – I didn’t get to spend near enough time with this album but from the couple spins I have given it, I think it’s a good album.

Submerged – Don’t Be A Gurn (In Huss We Trust) – Des Moines’ own, Submerged, released a really solid album that I will drunkenly mosh to for years to come.

Chon – Woohoo! EP – Chon opened for Animals as Leaders in Des Moines and I was blown away. These dudes have huge potential to become something extraordinary.

Foxing – The Albatross – Even though his album was originally released in 2013, it was re-issued in 2014. It would have made my list in 2013 if I had a chance to listen to it then. I don’t include re-issues in my list or I would have put it somewhere in the top 20.

Listen to the most popular podcast in the world: Serial

As most of you know, I’m a podcast fanatic. I’ve been listening to them for over 8 years. The Serial Podcast is one of the most gripping podcasts I’ve ever heard. I’m truly inspired by the amount of hard work Sarah Koenig and her team have put into this show. Go download it now! If you’re interested but unsure if you’ll give it a listen, Google the real life story she is trying to uncover. I promise you will be engulfed in the story within one episode.