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.rapt is reawakening....

Have a freshly released Empire of the Sun music video set to Ice on the Dune's second single DNA......

 
 DNA is quite literally my favorite track out of both EOTS records. Seeing it come alive in a production is amazingly thrilling for me, to say the least. I wasn't sure what to expect. Although unmindful of other Empire music videos (i.e. not set in different cultures or strange lands, teaming with outer-worldly creatures), it didn't fail in sending the viewer on a unique part of Emperor Steele and Lord Littlemore's journey. It was almost refreshing to see the duo paired with modern-day party kids in the heart of San Fernando Valley, Los Angeles. When I first saw the promo for the video, I was worried that the band might be trying to appeal to a more narrow-minded crowd, as it has a feel to it reminiscent of the every day poppy-trash music videos we see on the regular. A small part of me still feels that that's what DNA's film is doing; appealing to more mainstream culture. But there are also elements that any Empyrean can pick out to denote any negatives the production might have. For example, seeing Steele behave as he would in an unfamiliar land, innocently fascinated with common things did it for me. I found myself desperately loving the story the film told and the majesty it brought, highlighting the trials Steele and Littlemore face as they enter a world more familiar to us than to them.

All in all, the production won me over. I wouldn't be a very devoted member of the empire if it hadn't, right?

I'm thrilled to announce that I'll be meeting EOTS for the second time this year on October 31st at the Shrine Auditorium in LA. I'll be dressed to impress (I've yet to figure out as what) for possibly the greatest Halloween I'll have to date. I'll keep .rapt updated as the day draws near!

It's gotten hellishly late. I need to sleep.

It's good to be back, everyone!

x 

Who's this chick? Where'd she come from?

Whoa, hello!

I realized the other day how much I miss blogging about my musical muses and that I should probably devote some time to my beloved .rapt instead of venturing off into boredom land like I normally do in my down time lately.

How has everyone been? Is there anyone even still out there? I've been preoccupying myself with tumblr (aka my secondary real life) and fandoms here and there. Music, as always, remains a major part of my everyday somber, and although I always intend to write down and remember everything I want to say about certain songs and bands, I never seem to bring myself to do it. No more of that! I'm putting a stop to it now. I have way too many feels and there's only so much room inside my little head to keep them all.

But where do I even begin?

Empire of the Sun has become one of my most favorite bands as of late. I find myself wondering how glorious it would be to meet Emperor Steele and Lord Littlemore in person. Of course, this is purely the fan-girl in me. To give you a dose of how bad my love for them is, I've often been dreaming of what my face would look like smothered in Native American war paint, dancing under the sun alongside EOTS's leading imagineers. It would be great, right? I'm smitten, needless to say. Which is why I took a leap of faith and (with the little money I have) purchased a GA pass for myself to the Hard Summer Music Festival held in Los Angeles this August to see Empire of the Sun preform live. The festival as a whole is going to be worth while, I'm sure. But I've wanted to see EOTS for a couple of years now and L.A. was the closest venue near me that they'll be visiting. I'm more than enthralled. I can't wait to witness them in powerful, translucent, and true force. Oh yes ~

On September 25th, I plan to pay a visit to The House of Blues here in San Diego to finally see The Naked and Famous live. The boy and I have been quite fond of them for a couple of years now (they were featured as one of my Band's of the Week in 2012), and we missed their tour date in Seattle by an inch back in April of 2012 due to flying home from Coachella on the same day (insert sad face). So when I received word that they would be playing downtown, I jumped on tickets faster than a cat on a dot of light....(Ouch, bad metaphor.) The band hasn't released anything new since Passive Me, Aggessive You Remix and B-sides record, which dropped this past May. Somewhat of a refresher to their debut album of the same title, which was released back in 2010. There are however some newer songs showcased on the B-sides, which include Sow, Wild, Bright Lights, and Crazy? Yes! Dumb? No! Let's not forget about their two EP's which came out in 2011, This Machine and No Light, both of which are wonderful in their own right. I'm looking forward to hearing all of these at The House of Blues, but nothing beats their hit single Punching in a Dream from their debut, which I'm pining to dance to as they serenade SD this September. Any of you lot from the So-Cal region should really join me. Tickets are still available on TicketMaster.

I suppose the only other music-related news I have to offer you, loyal .rapt readers, is my biting the bullet and jumping on the payment plan wagon that is Coachella-bound in April 2014. After not attending this year's festival, I really felt like I had betrayed myself. I feel that it's crucial that I attend at least one more year of messy Coach madness before hunkering down into hardcore student life in the Fall of 2014. SO.....I'm slowly but surely paying my debt for two Weekend 2 passes for next year's Coachella Music and Arts Festival. Joy is felt within my broke and happy heart.

As far as my personal life goes, I can't complain. Working hard and planning out an extraordinary summer. I've got a pool down the road, the ocean 5 miles west, tequila in the freezer, the desert sun directly above, and a flower crown tangled in my hair. What more could a girl want?

x

Hello Hello

I truly don't enjoy neglecting my blog for too long....

At the moment I don't have internet at my new place, so it's been difficult to keep .rapt current. Life has been rather repetitive for me... I work more often than anything, but it's been paying off well. I'm in love with my new apartment. Just the fact that it's mine and I make the money to pay for it. It's different... I've never done anything like this before. It's an exciting new chapter in my life.

I rung 2013 in with high spirits... I think that this will be a good year for us all. It's about time for good to come our way. 2012 had this feeling of untimeliness.... Everyone seemed to question whether or not the apocalypse was near. Now that we have that concern out of our systems and we know that the world won't be ending anytime soon, I think we can let ourselves breathe a bit easier and allow better thoughts to fill our minds. I would hope, anyway.

Coachella 2013, anyone? Although I can't state my claim on a pass just yet, I do plan on attempting to go. The lineup, although quite nice, was slightly disappointing for me this year. It seemed that many of the bands were repeats from previous years....and it was surprising that there weren't bigger headliners. I wasn't jumping up and down right away, but after taking a closer look, there are several sets that I am eager to witness. One primarily being Red Hot Chili Peppers...They've always been on my 'Must See List' and I'm ecstatic to potentially check them off. I'm also keen on seeing Blur...as any Gorillaz fan should.... There are a few others whom I've always wanted to see....such as Yeah, Yeah, Yeahs, Tegan and Sara, Band of Horses, Grizzly Bear, and La Roux. Bands that I've already seen, but would like to pay homage to include Modest Mouse, Bassnector, Passion Pit, Metric, Yeasayer, Franz Ferdinand, and Vampire Weekend. I'll certainly give some of the other sets a go, but it was a shock to me that other bands and artists that I had been anticipating aren't going to be in attendance. I had hoped very highly that The Naked and Famous would be there, as well as a certain Deadmau5. But you can't always get what you want, yeah?

While I may still be without a Coachella pass, I do possess tickets to dearest Ellie Goulding's Hollywood Palladium show on February 12th. It was a gift from the boy. It's our 3 year anniversary (dating) this month, and he was kind enough to buy tickets for us both.

 I last saw Elena Jane live in early April 2011 at Seattle's Neumos venue (highlight above). Her set was spectacular and did far more justice to her music than her recordings. I except nothing less this time around. I may be seeing her in a much larger room with a thousand more people than in the previous small venue of collective fans back in Seattle nearly 2 years ago, but I'm certain that she will still deliver a show well worth seeing. I'm proud to say that I've been a fan of hers from early-on in her work. I can hardly wait to see her again.

While I'm sure I can sit here and ramble on about other going-ons in my life, I'll end my post here. Happy 2013, lot! Let's make this year an amazing one ~

xx