Bragging Rights

By Amy Albertson

Blogging has been slow, and this is why. For the last few months I've been hard at work on my Sophomore Design Portfolio. I can't help but show off the hard work I've been doing!










More photos here.

A Night They'll Never Forget

By Amy Albertson

Finally, the moment we've all been waiting for: the premier of The Hangover Part II. The highly anticipated comedy comes out today, and lucky for all of you I saw it at midnight, so I've got the scoop.

First of all, if you haven't seen The Hangover I you really are missing out. It is the hilarious, ridiculous tale of a group of friends (and one awkward future-brother-in-law) piecing together a crazy bachelor party in Vegas, featuring Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, Zach Galifianakis, and Justin Bartha. Shenanigans include an impromptu wedding to a stripper, stealing Myke Tyson's pet tiger, and stealing a cop car. In The Hangover Part II this crazy team is at it again, but this time in Thailand.

Now, I don't want to give away too many of the details, so you'll just have to trust me when I say this movie is hilarious. As with any sequel, the original is obviously better, but you'll still get plenty of laughs this time around from Phil, Stu, Alan, and Doug (and a few new characters and familiar old faces thrown into the mix). It is worth your $9 if you're a fan of the first one and are looking for a flick to start off the summer movie season.

How To Buy Books

By Blair Stenvick


Bookstores can scare away a lot of people, because buying a book is kind of a big commitment. Most paperbacks cost around $15.00, which can easily mean a week’s worth of lunch for a lot of young adults. And don’t even mention hard covers — you may as well start negotiating a loan.

And books aren’t like albums or movies or really any other purchase you can make, because there’s always a chance you won’t even experience the book. Even with the worst of albums or movies, you can usually get through them at least once. But due to time and frustration and boredom, books can go permanently unfinished, which meant you will have devoted some money and time on a journey you never got to finish.

On top of that, the thought of someday having people over, them seeing a book on your shelf and exclaiming “I love this!” and having to sheepishly admit that you haven’t really read it is cringe-worthy enough to drive some people permanently away from the purchase counter.

But this really shouldn’t be the case, because owning books is awesome. They’re like a map of yourself; your different interests and sensibilities, the phases you went through, the people you tried to impress. Even the half-read books are great to have, because sitting right next to the books you’ve reread a few times, they serve as a contrast between how you see yourself and who you really are. Studying a bookshelf is a great way to address and come to terms with your true self, whatever that means.

Also, owning books means you get to lend them. If you’re lucky, you’ll someday have the experience of trading books with an acquaintance, and by the time you’re both finished and have traded back, you’ll have become friends. It’s almost impossible to read someone else’s dog-eared paperback copy of their favorite book and not fall a little bit in love with them, at least in a platonic way.

But even if you know all this, it can still be difficult to whip out a wallet to buy a book that you’re not getting paid or graded for reading. That’s totally understandable, so here’s a mental checklist to go through to ensure you won’t regret the purchase:

1. Even if it has a beautiful cover or an intelligent-sounding title, it should be something you’re more excited to read than to casually leave on your coffee table for people to see.

2. If it’s by an author you’ve never read before, make it on the short side. So yeah, the 1000+ page Infinite Jest looks cool, but maybe try reading something else by David Foster Wallace first so you can be sure you like his writing style.

3. Recommendations from friends are great, but your own intuition is better. Some books just feel better than others, and that’s not an instinct to be scoffed at or ignored.

4. Is it a recent bestseller or well-known classic? If so, put it down, text your friends, and ask if you can borrow it. I promise, someone has it.

Now you’ve bought a book, and hopefully one that you can be excited about. Go to the café next store, sip on some tea, start reading, and revel in your own quaintness.

The Night In Photos

WALTER TV
RICO ALL THE TIME
RAISED BY TELEVISION

The Rapture

Spacement Thee Basement was super rad last night. Raised by Television, Walter TV, and Rico All The Time were really great. Check back in the next few days for photos.

If you happened to pick up an exclusive mix CD from the Spacement Thee Basement show last night then here is the track-list. If you weren't able to attend and want me to mail you a mix, don't fret! If you like 4monthsatsea on Facebook and leave me a comment with your email, then I'll email you to get a mailing address and send you one too!

1) Four Years - Black Elephant
2) Sharp Trash - Psychic Feline
3) Cult LIfe - The Lovely Bad Things
4) Send Me Down - TRMRS
5) Flowrebomb - Cosmonauts
6) DAHGA BLOOM - Dahga Bloom
7) Mountain Jam - Jeffertitti & the Nile
8) Hannah - Dash Jacket
9) Do I look hi? - SHAPES
10) The Good Things - Summer Twins
11) Spit Nails - Canyons
12) Rest - Ages
(CLICK THE LINKS TO GET TO CHECKOUT THESE BANDS'!)

It's Official

Exciting news!!! 4monthsatsea is now officially 4monthsatsea.com. No more pesky blogspot affiliation. This is a big step! Look out for big things this summer. We're working on some great posts, covering some music festivals, putting out some art/tshirts, stickers, and more ;D
So keep checking back!

Spacement Basement

If you're in the Portland, OR area you should definitely come to this basement show in North East this Friday! Good people, good music, good vibes!

Spacement Thee Basement Facebook Page

If you're a band interested in playing some rad basement shows then get in contact with Jon and Megan. They're always looking for great bands to book.
spacementbooking@gmail.com

Glam Jam

Its Thursday night and I find myself in quite an interesting place. There are sweaty people (many covered in glitter) dancing around me, men in metallic wrestling suits and a myriad of women's clothing preforming in front of me as psychedelic, kaleidoscope patterns play on a screen behind them. Where the hell am I? Well, I'm at the Roseland (Portland, OR) for the of Montreal show!

of Montreal, fronted by Kevin Barnes, is officially from Athens, Georgia and known for their experimental indie-pop. Let's say the Beatles meets David Bowie meets the new millenium. Their most recent album, False Preist (released on Polyvinyl Records in September 2010) features dynamic funky, poppy sounds and several tracks with female artists Janelle Monae and Solange Knowles.

Their shows are as dynamic as their music. A number of band members switch from playing instruments to dressing in costumes and acting out ridiculous scenes. I'm not 100% sure what I saw but I know it included luchador-masked wrestlers, Kevin Barnes in women's clothing, men with giant pig heads, some serenading at a dinner table, girls in crop tops and booty shorts, and much more. Of course it is the music that matters, and they've got that down-pat. Kevin Barnes and company can manage to dance around like maniacs and still sing and play their instruments.

All in all, it is one of the most interesting shows I've been to yet. Catch them if you can. The tour is headed to LA, Phoenix, AZ, and Texas next. Here is a link to their website.

Note: Unfortunately the only photos I have were taken with my iPhone, and therefore shitty. This is just another reason to support 4monthsatsea!!! Tell your friends. We need to up the readership so that we, as a blog, can cover these things for you properly! We love you and do it for you!

Summer Songs (Iowa Style) Vol. 1

By Sam Hackerson
For those of you who are unaware, sometimes in Iowa, weather (temporarily) skips seasons entirely. And by this, I mean that it is barely May and it is a forecasted 90 DEGREES TODAY. In preparation for this early, early summer I have revamped my iPod playlist. Here is a nice and mix-sized taste of what I consider summer listening (AKA loud anthems for blasting out car windows and dancing all night and sultry somethin’ somethins for the sweaty, humid inbetweens):

1- Bummer Time- Be Your Own Pet
2- Sunshine - Rye Rye ft. MIA
3- Toro Y Moi- Still Sound
4- TV Girl- If You Want It
5- Tony Castles- No Service
6- Cloud nothings- Heartbeat
7- Maps & Atlases- Israeli Caves
8- FRIENDS- Friend Crush
9- Robyn- Time Machine
10- Muscles- Chocolate Raspberry Lemon and Lime
11- Oh Fortuna- Faces I Can See
12- Local Natives- Who Knows Who Cares
13- Teen Daze- Four More Years
14- Cut Copy- Where I’m Going
15- The Notorious B.I.G.- Juicy
16- Sun Airway- Shared Piano

Lucky for you, we've taken it upon ourselves to find links to most of the songs. A lot of them are links to free downloads so get clicking! Summer is here!!!!! (at least in Iowa)

Unfortunately I had to take down the free download links, but just know that the songs are out there!

Mash-Ups Somebody (But Definitely Not Me) Should Make

By Blair Stenvick

I have a former career as a mash-up DJ.

This career lasted about a week last summer, when I converted from PC to Mac and was thrilled to start exploring Garage Band. I took some tracks from my iTunes and did my best to mix them together, like Girl Talk would. The results weren’t at all refined or clean, but I still thought they were pretty sick.

The phase officially ended when I came back to school and started nonchalantly playing one of my creations when a friend was in my room. Without asking who it was, she said it was “pretty distorted.” I was so embarrassed that I muttered something about it being a friend of a friend’s work, and then swiftly deleted all the songs I’d been working on.

Moral of the story: I’m no good at execution, but I do still think I have good ideas for what songs could make good mash-ups. And so I present this list of a few ideas, with the hopes that someone more skilled than myself will get to work.

Joni Mitchell’s “California” and Tupac’s “California Love”
This song would be great to listen to during any road trip involving California, obviously. You know some great Facebook photo albums would come from such a trip.

Lady Gaga’s “The Fame” and Simon and Garfunkel’s “America”
Ok, I’m not really sure how this would work given the vastly different tempos, but if someone figured it out, you know it would make for outstanding social commentary. Gaga singing about “television and hot blondes in odd position” while Paul Simon croons that he’s “empty and aching and I don’t know why” would probably be enough to send your sociology professor into a permanent state of bliss.

The White Stripe’s “Denial Twist” and Kanye West’s “Blame Game”
It’s time these two masterminds crossed paths. I can’t think of a better combination to bridge the gap between love and hate, where betrayal often resides.

Kid Cudi’s “Pursuit of Happiness” and Bob Dylan’s “Knocking On Heaven’s Door”
You could listen to this when you’re being all contemplative with your life. Or when you’re stoned. Or bot.h


Since Mash-ups are the new black, here are a few you can download for free! The first is more danceable and the second is what could be classified as more easy-listening. Mash-ups are great when you have people over and no one wants to take time to be DJ and/or you don't want your iPod to reveal your guiltiest pleasures while on shuffle.
All Day - Girl Talk
Be Honest - Will Bryant

Things I Like (right now)

By Sam Hackerson
1-Robyn’s Body Talk— I know it’s not an ultra-new album, but this sassy pop music has been on repeat in my life lately because it has managed to match every one of my moods and activities. I’m obsessed with the whole thing, but Hang With Me and Call Your Girlfriend are both great, and if you follow the link you’ll find a little extra Robyn attitude on the other side.


2- Algae—If we do it right, we could use it to sustainably replace 17% of our oil imports, AND it cleans out certain water pollutants and feeds on carbon emissions! YOU GUYS, THIS IS SUCH A COOL THING. More here

3-Mesh/Crochet pieces— Absolutely PERFECT for summer and I’m already addicted (it’s just spring and I have one crochet top and two mesh). I like this trend a lot more than the sheer trend—I think the pieces are more thriftable, usually have more character, tend to be more slouchy/hang off the body rather than cling to it, and generally put off a more fun, casual vibe. These are some of my favorites that lookbook helped me find: Here , here , and here.

Things I Like (right now)

Written By Amy Albertson

1) Arrested Development: Streamable on Netflix!!!! Dreams do come true and in the form of a chubby Michael Cera and classic Jason Bateman all wrapped together in a model home with a prison-made-Kippa on top.
2) iPod on Shuffle: Try shuffling ALL the songs on your iPod (or in your Itunes library). Its a fun way to rediscover old musical interests and have a spontaneous, completely unexpected dance party.
3) Sandals: The weather in Portland is finally being nice some of the time and my feet thank me for freeing them from the confines of thick socks and heavy boots.


That's really all for now. What kind of random stuff are you digging right now?

The Cover Letter I Wish I Could Send

By Blair Stenvick


To Whom It May Concern (cause I’m classy like that):

I’m extremely interested in this position. That’s mostly because I need money, but I’ll lie and tell you that I’m extremely passionate about the restaurant business/ filing and paperwork/ customer service/ being your bitch.

Oh, and when I say I need money, what I actually mean is that I want money, so that I can buy concert tickets and more sweaters I don’t need and pay rent to stay in Santa Cruz this summer instead of being bored at home in Sacramento. I’m not some young single mother trying to feed her kids, and if that’s whom I’m competing with, then you really shouldn’t give me this job. But I still hope you do.

If you look at my resume, you’ll see that I’m a privileged white girl who has never had a paying job — only an internship. In that internship, I learned the art of pretending to look like I knew what I was doing at meetings. I also wrote some articles, but nobody wants to hire a nineteen-year-old college student for a part time job based on her writing skills, so I’ll tell you I learned things like “data input” and “professionalism.”

I’m currently a college sophomore, majoring in American Studies. You might have never heard of that major, and if you have you probably don’t know what it means. Here’s a secret: I’m not even sure what it means. We talk a lot about hegemony and culture, which is fascinating stuff for me, but probably not anything that is going to help me secure a minimum-wage job.

Here’s something that’s completely true: I’m very punctual, and I know how to treat people in a polite yet not overly formal manner. But how do you know that I’m telling the truth in a cover letter? Answer: you don’t. And because I’m a woman, I’ve been taught not to toot my own horn too much, so just typing these attributes feels weird to me. Isn’t it funny that the most honest part of this letter is the most suspect, both for you to read and for me to write?

I look forward to hearing back from you, though I don’t really expect it at this point.

Thanks (for nothing, most likely),
Blair Stenvick