Video Round-Up: Goofiness Edition

Video Round-Up is a weekly post collecting an assortment of videos from around the web. Whether they be music videos, creative viral marketing, just plain cool, or just plain ridiculous, they will all be found on Video Round-Up.
This week's Video Round-Up is kind of goofy, and a little awesome. There is an extremely useful new workout routine that is sure to take the country by storm, an awesome fan-made movie based on a comic from the mind of an eight year old, a little bit of fun with editing, and a great song thrown in for good measure. Watch and enjoy!

January Music Wrap-Up: Bonus Podcast Edition

The Music Wrap-Up is a monthly summary of my favorite and other notable new releases. Having trouble keeping up with all the new music? Need some music suggestions? Then the Music Wrap-Up is for you. And please support these musicians as that's the reason I'm featuring them in the first place.
After a vast and barren December almost entirely void of new music, we've finally emerged on the other side. Great new music is being released again, and the Music Wrap-Up is here to share it with you. But guess what? This time you not only have the option of listening to it in your browser while you work/look at animated gifs on Reddit, but you can download it and take it along with you! That's right, the Music Wrap-Up has been podcastisized and released as a bonus episode on the Shuffled podcast feed. So hit that jump like you've never hit a jump before and listen to new music from Decemberists, Iron and Wine, Cake, and more!

Sophist Radio Episode 39: The Kriss Kross Klan

Harold, James, and Aaron gather again -- much like they have over the past thirty-eight episodes -- to talk about video games and other random things. For this episode the guys cover Bulletstorm and Call of Duty: Black Ops -- which leads into a discussion about the current state of shooters' in the gaming world, and whether or not any of the upcoming titles in the genre are going to try something new. Aaron leads a spoiler-packed chat about Fallout: New Vegas, and the guys manage to fall completely in love with ilomilo. Aaron also takes some time to gush over Skyrim (by himself), and after Harold and James return (mentally) to the show, they give their thoughts on Silent Hill: Downpour, and how to do a horror game well.

Music Review: Glassjaw - Our Color Green EP

A decade ago, as the new millenium just opened its doors, At the Drive-In's Relationship of Command fired the main charge that sent post-hardcore exploding into the alternative mainstream for a while -- or at least into MTV2. Among the bands that crossed the resulting breach was Glassjaw -- who then proceeded to go into a long, semi-active hiatus.

Now, after a solid 5 or 6 years -- Who's keeping count? -- of playing isolated shows and festivals, battling illness, working on side-projects (Head Automatica) and chasing personal endeavors (Merch Direct) Glassjaw is back with an all new EP -- well, sort of.

Catching Up to the Industry, Part 2

I'm still woefully behind. When writing about video games, you should probably keep somewhat up to date on the big games in the video game industry. I only just obtained a PlayStation 3 at the end of the summer last year, so I'm behind almost an entire console generation. This is my feeble attempt at catching up to the constantly moving industry, feel free to follow along.

Insufficient Funds: Hot Sugar - Muscle Milk EP

Insufficient Funds is a weekly post in which we feature a free, or very close to it, piece of media that you can enjoy without overdrafting your bank account. So if you're low on funds, stay tuned to Cerebral Pop every Friday morning.
I don't listen to a lot of electronic music, but I usually enjoy it when I do. I just need a good, solid recommendation, and when the word free is put before that recommendation it is a huge motivating factor to me actually checking it out. That's why I jumped right on Hot Sugar's new EP, Muscle Milk.

The Needle Drop describes it as lo-fi, quirky beatmusic, and it certainly is both of those things. I'm a fan of some pretty weird music, so there was nothing that could turn me off. Personally, I love that it feels like there is absolutely no structure to the songs at all and they could turn on a dime at any second.

Netflix Minute: Exit Through the Gift Shop

Netflix Minute is a weekly feature highlighting a title from Netflix's catalog of instant view films. If you want to spend a night snuggled up with a bag of popcorn and don't want to drive to the video store, this is for you.
Documentaries were big in 2010. Some of them dove into much politicized worlds of thought, like Restrepo exploring the war in Afghanistan and Inside Job shedding light on the recent financial crisis. Exit Through the Gift Shop, on the other hand, provides insight on a decidedly less world affecting but equally dramatic world of street art through one of the art form's paragons, Banksy. In a move as mystifying and enticing as many of his exhibits, the film is as much about him as it is the medium as a whole... and some guy named Thierry Guetta.

Unoriginal Soundtracks Podcast: Space Invaders Edition

Every other Wednesday I share a playlist of songs tangentially related to a single game or series. Songs about alien sex for Mass Effect, songs about world leaders for Civilization, and so on. Searching for random terms on Spotify is a great way to discover new music and rediscover old classics.
Space Invaders is a cave painting next to rich tapestries like Heavy Rain and Mass Effect. But that doesn't mean there aren't themes and allegories to explore. Or invent. Now tremble, puny human, before this superior playlist!

Music Review: Me First and the Gimme Gimmes - Go Down Under EP

Cover bands are a tricky lot. The very definition of them leaves a small window for artistry. When performing songs from other artists you generally get a faithful cover, with music roughly matching the orignal, or a wild reimagining that begs for a new examination of the material. Me First and the Gimme Gimmes are a unique group in that they are quite good at doing both.

Video Round-Up: Super Duper Video Heads Edition

Video Round-Up is a weekly post collecting an assortment of videos from around the web. Whether they be music videos, creative viral marketing, just plain cool, or just plain ridiculous, they will all be found on Video Round-Up.
Quality this week ranges from good to good in a silly way to fun to horrible. The Round-Up will brighten your day with good music and puppies, and will allow me to express my frustration with one of the worst commercials I've ever seen.

Netflix Minute: Space Cowboys

Netflix Minute is a weekly feature highlighting a title from Netflix's catalog of instant view films. If you want to spend a night snuggled up with a bag of popcorn and don't want to drive to the video store, this is for you.
My experience with Clint Eastwood is admittedly quite thin. While I'm sure I've seen at least a few titles in his catalog, the only one that's really stuck in my mind was Gran Torino. In that case, Eastwood directed with a very serious tone and gravity that only found a moment here and there for the reprieve of levity. In the case of Space Cowboys, levity is clearly one of the cornerstones of the movie.

Game Review: Costume Quest: Grubbins on Ice DLC

Costume Quest was a departure for Double Fine. Gone are the days of struggling to compete with the big guys by spending years to craft a full, boxed-game experience that was charming and witty, only to have a gameplay mechanic cause people to give it up a few hours in. They've taken a new direction, concentrating all of their efforts on downloadable games that take a quarter of the time to put out and can still maintain their level of charm; and Grubbins on Ice proves they've quickly adapted to this new model and have a bright future ahead.

Shuffled: Podcast Edition

Every other Wednesday I hit the shuffle button on my 90 gigabytes of music and post the results. I might have to justify some of the stuff in my library, but hopefully it will help inform you of new music -- or at least be entertaining.
Yes, Shuffled is now a podcast for your downloading enjoyment. Sadly, that does mean you'll have to listen to my stupid voice, but I've tried my best to make the vocal parts short to leave more time for music. In the future I'd like to make the name Shuffled refer to more than just shuffled music, and shuffle the format of the show with artist spotlights and guests. Maybe listener-submitted songs? It's all a possibility, but before we get ahead of ourselves why not hit the jump to listen right here on the site, or download/subscribe on Podbean or iTunes.

Video Round-Up: Nostalgic Tech Edition

Video Round-Up is a weekly post collecting an assortment of videos from around the web. Whether they be music videos, creative viral marketing, just plain cool, or just plain ridiculous, they will all be found on Video Round-Up.
We're all fond of our old technology. We dig it up and spend weekends messing around with it. We convince ourselves that it is better than the stuff nowadays. Well, it probably holds up better than the stuff nowadays at least. I don't think anyone will be able to pull out their old 360s or PS3s in 20 years to show to their kids. Those will have broken loooooong ago.

Insufficient Funds: Digital: A Love Story

Insufficient Funds is a weekly post in which we feature a free, or very close to it, piece of media that you can enjoy without overdrafting your bank account. So if you're low on funds, stay tuned to Cerebral Pop every Friday morning.
I don't usually stay up to date on the indie gaming scene, but every once in awhile a game is heralded enough to warrant my immediate attention. This was the case with Digital: A Love Story. Several people whose opinions I greatly respect listed it among their favorite games of the year, so I decided I should probably get around to playing it. After all, it's free to boot.

Digital is a pretty unique experience; it simulates the BBS world of 1988. If you don't know what a BBS (Bulletin Board System) is, don't worry, neither do I, really. I was three years old in 1988, but I've learned since then that they were a precursor to the Internet as we know it. Think of it like a messageboard that is hosted on your own computer and other people access it by actually dialing into your machine. Had I been old enough to understand that in 1988 I would probably rave about Digital's loving recreation of the world of BBSs.

Jon's Top 10 Movies of 2010

2010 was certainly a big year for movies. While I didn't come close to seeing everything that hit the big screens, there was more than enough at my fingertips to compose a very strong list of films. All of these might not appeal to you, but many of these capture a very significant slice of our culture in a way that seems unique to this year.

Unoriginal Soundtracks Podcast: Deadly Premonition Edition

Every other Wednesday I share a playlist of songs tangentially related to a single game or series. Songs about alien sex for Mass Effect, songs about world leaders for Civilization, and so on. Searching for random terms on Spotify is a great way to discover new music and rediscover old classics.

SWERY's bizarre, flawed, but loveable horror game inspires as mixed a playlist as ever: punk, soul, prog... Even a diss rap directed at a supporting character.

Cerebral Pop's 2010 Indie Game Round-Up

It's official: indie games are now an important part of today's pop culture. It cannot be denied.

Every day -- whether it's on their smartphones or on their favorite websites -- people who have no idea that an independent video game movement even exists play indie games. This has made the games industry reconsider the "wild" notion that a video game developed by one or two guys in their spare time -- and offered freely through the web -- can be played by thousands upon thousands of people.

Much like it was for both music and cinema, the evolution of the medium's tools of creation (they've become cheap and accessible) and a prevailing feeling of stagnation in its mainstream have set the stage for indie game designers to rise up and remind us, in the true spirit of punk rock, that, even though millions of dollars are being spent on developing derivative "triple-A" games, it only takes the will of a few, and a rudimentary knowledge of the medium's craft to create something passionate and engaging.

Sophist Radio Episode 38: Fucking Lasagna

The Sophist crew is back from a much deserved winter break of video game playing and daytime television viewing, and manage to kick off the new year in style. Discussions include Lost in Shadows, Castlevania: Lords of Shadows, darkness in general, Def Jam Rapstar, and Super Crate Box. The guys follow up that game talk, with more game talk. Mainly the idea of sequels -- Are they good? Do we really need them? And when does a game series wear out its welcome? All that, plus a story so embarrassing one of the co-hosts may never return to the show after telling it.

Video Round-Up: Handle With Care Edition

Video Round-Up is a weekly post collecting an assortment of videos from around the web. Whether they be music videos, creative viral marketing, just plain cool, or just plain ridiculous, they will all be found on Video Round-Up.

It isn't that I like bands who are more underground than others. It isn't that I want limited financial success for artists I enjoy. It's about jocking, a term I learned recently that describes the overwhelming hype that, if put in the hands of certain people--and the higher that number of certain people, the higher the chance of jocking--can be shoved in my face. Or yours. I want to enjoy my music in peace. If I hear a Katy Perry song on the radio and like it, I have to accept that she is hyper famous and that I must enjoy that song with everyone who has cable and listens to Top 40 even a little bit. She is the New York City to Buke and Gass' Athens, Georgia: one huge, one small. So, with my admonition that you enjoy this music at your own pace, or hate it completely (either option is fine by me), here are some songs from last year that I like very much.

Cerebral Pop's Favorite Things of 2010

Oprah isn't the only one who has favorite things. We here at Cerebral Pop have amassed our own list of things that make us scream in glee like a rabid audience member whose head is about to burst over the last year. In a lot of ways, we're just like Oprah, just not in the way you really hope. Which is to say we aren't giving these things away like she does. Still, you can certainly read and enjoy our list, and maybe buy the things for yourself instead of just expecting us to give it to you in return for an ounce of attention. I mean, we like to think we're interesting enough to pay attention to without having to give away a bunch of meaningless possessions. Right? Oh, just read about our things. I'll be over there, crying. Stupid Oprah.

Shuffled: Assorted Mix Edition

Every other Wednesday I hit the shuffle button on my 90 gigabytes of music and post the results. I might have to justify some of the stuff in my library, but hopefully it will help inform you of new music -- Or at least be entertaining.

I came up with some great tracks in this edition. One of them I couldn't even find a place to buy it online. Now that's obscure! Be sure to read my passion about Big D and the Kids as well as The Vines and take that as a hint to check them out. Seriously, both are great bands that might have flown under your radar or dropped off your radar far too soon.

Video Round-Up: Lost on YouTube Edition

Video Round-Up is a weekly post collecting an assortment of videos from around the web. Whether they be music videos, creative viral marketing, just plain cool, or just plain ridiculous, they will all be found on Video Round-Up.

YouTube is a black hole of stupidity and wonderment. You click on one video out of curiosity and before you know it you've fallen down a rabbit hole of insanity. I quite often fall into the suggested videos trap when looking for content for Video Round-Ups, so I thought I'd share one of my journeys.