It’s pretty humorous that M.I.A. is getting so much attention for “the bird” during the Superbowl… I really don’t care. This video though, wow, this is what she should be getting attention for. M.I.A rocks.

We saw M.I.A. a few years back at Coachella, I thought it was a great show, other friends walked away mixed about the performance. A few years have past with little activity, but, this video, with over 4 million views in a few days, has changed all of that.

This is NOT the best of list for 2011. Neither is it the hottest new artists list of this year. This is our best of 2011 at the Poketo studio. From looking at the images below, you’ll think we are stuck in the past. I guess we are nostalgic for the good stuff, dare I say, music that is timeless. This is not to say we don’t love new bands or don’t collect current releases… we do, trust me! This records below have been on heavy rotation everyday when we come into work. Who’s putting the records on? Well, we have an in-house dj that sits in a dj booth and plays whatever we desire. Just kidding. Well, it could be me, could be Angie, mostly it’s Charlie, Joe, or Dikka. Either way, it’s been good year of music… old and new.

This Portugal album is a new release for 2011… and one of my favorites.

I had been wanting to see Cass McCombs play live for some time now. For one reason or another, things never lined up for me. I thought it was going to be yet another failed attempt as it was a sold out show at The Echo in Los Angeles. I stopped into my favortie record store, Origami Vinyl, to see if Neil there had any tickets left. No tickets, sold out. But, as I asked the question, a gentleman overheard and had an extra ticket to spare. I guess it was meant to be… the show was rad… Cass McCombs and band played in complete darkness except for the light display providing a back light and silhouette of the band. Live, it sounded just like his albums… perfect.

Here are two of my favorite songs…

Not only did she put on a killer show this past weekend, but, got the crowd singing, invited people up on stage, and made the cavernous Wiltern Theater feel like a tiny, intimate venue. Feist is currently on tour for her latest release, Metals. If you haven’t heard it yet, get on it, it’s really, really great. What is personally significant for me is that she and her bandmates made the album in Big Sur, California. Big Sur is magic, we want to live there when we get old. This album feel like magic. Bring it on.

Our friend, artist Miki Amano shared this video with us… Feist singing with the Sesame Street crew. So much love for Sesame Street here… who wouldn’t love to live in a world of monsters. As you can see in this video, Feist’s vibe is infectious… so fun and down to earth… Feist is just plain rad.

And, here is our friend, Miki… one of the cutest monsters out there.:)

Listening to the radio the other day, KCRW’s The Business interviewed Kevin Clash, the voice and puppeteer of Elmo. It was a really interesting interview about the behind the scenes of Sesame Street, the creator of Sesame Street, Jim Henson, and the strong community of puppeteers behind this important television show, still running, over forty years strong.

The documentary, Being Elmo is playing in select theaters now. Having received numerous awards already, including the Sundance Special Jury Prize, this documentary looks great and gives us a glimpse of what happens below the screen of one of the most ubiquitous puppets and puppeteers of our time… Elmo, or shall I say Kevin Clash.