The songs I have posted below provide me with an interesting dilemma. I, like many people, tend to pride myself on my collection of music, and listening to music that I deem “better” than what is normally played on the radio or TV. But if you have taken a sneak peak at the songs below you may be confused.

I can only offer this somewhat convoluted reasoning…I enjoy music in the most general sense; that is, that I enjoy pleasant sounds in my ear. Because of this, I end up not discriminating against any song or genre. Although many would describe my taste in music as “hipster”, I actually end up really liking songs that not even the target audience of 13 year olds like. Now this isn’t to say I inexplicably like this music. Honestly, I could go on forever about why I believe Soulja Boy to be better than Kanye West, however, when it comes down to it I just like the sound of these songs better than the other mass market crap.

So here are 3 songs that many people would consider “guilty pleasures” but I simply consider pleasures.

1. DJ Felli Fel – Feel It (Ft. T-Pain, Sean Paul, Pitbull & Flo-Rida)

This song makes me want to go back to my University days. Set up the beer pong table in the front yard, Put on my sleeveless tuxedo t, get raging drunk on Pabst Blue Ribbon, go to the local bar (Smijies) and tear the d-floor up with my ridiculously good dance moves. Yea this song is that good.

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DJ Felli Fel – Feel It (ft. T-Pain, Sean Paul, Flo-Rida, Pitbull)

2. Iglu & Hartly

This song is a perfect pop gem. The whole song is based on the insanely infectious chorus and filled up with some Crazy Town like rapping in between. People hated on Crazy Town because of “Butterfly” but you’re… err…crazy…if you didn’t like Butterfly. Well, I foresee the same fate for Iglu & Hartly even though they look like genuinely good dudes that you would probably want to hang out with.

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Iglu & Hartly – In This City

3. Soulja Boy – Kiss Me Through The Phone

I can’t find this song anywhere so I’ll just post the video (I highly doubt a lot of our regular readers would care to download this anyways). Anyways, I heard this song like 400 times on the radio on my drive from Cali and I enjoyed it every time. The production is basic but that’s all Soulja Boy needs. He will probably make millions from the ringtone downloads alone. He is the best at creating cultural phenomenons and this is his attempt at creating a new one by getting everyone to make out with their phones. I bet most people only say “kiss me through the phone” as a joke to their friends to end a conversation but either way Soulja Boy got into your head. Soulja Boy Tell ‘Em 4 Lyfe.

A rapper once asked does the fact that you have $300 jeans on mean you dream wrong? I don’t think so. Expensive jeans have become standard these days making men everywhere feel more dressed up in denim. It’s an exceptional piece in terms of pricing that seems disproportionately expensive to other pieces in our casual wardrobe. Sometimes, it can be stressful taking care of them. Personally, I’ve gone with the advice of washing denim close to never to keep them looking as they were on purchase. Airing them out is surprisingly effective as far as my nose can tell, but sometimes there’s a better solution out there if we were just educated on the matter. Oki-ni has come out with their tech-ni-cal guide to denim. It’s totally worth checking out for some education on how to wash your jeans, their construction, different denim finishes and a little history on the material.

This is a beautiful music video directed by Spike Jones for UNKLE’s “Heaven”. It romanticizes skateboarding and makes me miss California already.

A while ago I watched this same video but set to M83′s music. Apparently, it was used as an intro to Lakai’s skate video Fully Flared but they took the HD video down because they wanted to use the footage for the music video I posted above. Either way, it is great footage and it is set to great music.

(if you want to check out the M83 version just click here)

UPDATE: I couldn’t let you go without being able to get the song.

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UNKLE – Heaven

Whenever I’m in California I try to get in a run around my neighborhood to drink in the sweet California air. It’s always nice to have a new mix to listen to while getting the toothpicks that are my excuse for legs moving.

Well thankfully a Handsome Clothing Co. favorite, Fake Blood, released a new mix that lives up to all his previous efforts. This thing absolutely kills. Full of the best of Fake Bloods remixes, best of the tunes out on the blogs, and even a good selection of ones I had never heard. What really makes this for me is his skill at mixing. It takes a special ear to throw together a song selection like this but it takes real skill to make it all work together seamlessly.

Here is a little list of appropriate times to listen to this mix:

- In the morning while sipping a coffee and planning world domination
- Whilst hacking into a CIA mainframe in a dark room surrounded by 20 LCD screens
- Getting your makeshift mob pumped up to attack AIG executives
- While preparing to attack entire nations armed only with a rusty spoon
- Practicing for the Headbanging Championship 2009
- When your in the mood to do an 80s “Getting back at the bad guy after everyone counts you out except for an old wise asian man who says he will train you in ancient arts that only he now practices because once he was also counted out by everyone just like you are now” montage

YEA!

Fake Blood – BBC Radio 1 Essential Mix 14.03.2009 [Courtesy of Trash Menagerie]

This is for all those people who have been watching the news but sometimes wonder how we got ourselves into this mess. I watched this a couple weeks ago and it has made things a lot clearer and I’ve actually been able to intellegently contribute to conversations about the market since.

If you don’t want to look like an idiot, take ten minutes out of your day and get educated.

One of Reebok’s latest Omni Pump Packs features the classic shoe covered in the American flag. The Stars Pack looks pretty serious so if you’re feeling especially patriotic, you can grab them from Japanese retailer mita on April 1st. These go out to our design team in Tuscon. Believe.

Video: Consequence feat. Kid CuDi – Buggin out ’09 (over A Tribe Called Quest instrumental)

There has been a lot of talk regarding Kid Cudi quitting music lately. It seems like a possibility, but hopefully it’s just an overreaction for the moment. In the end, whether you’re a rapper or an actor, people are gonna hate. Check out what he wrote on his blog:

iam sorry

March 16th, 2009

Levi’s, like many designers, have worked well with others to make some formidable collaborations. Levi’s x Hirst x Warhol did a phenomenal job coming out with detailed, quality pieces in 2008. More recently, Levi’s x Hirst have come out with a line of t-shirts, sweatshirts, scarves, and denim featuring some staple Hirst artwork on Levi’s pieces. Levi’s x Hirst just announced one of their more recent denim pieces, which features Hirst’s splatter pattern over the entire jean. If you’re excited, know that only 8 pieces have been made and they’re going to retail for approximately $27,000 USD. Don’t let it break your heart, you probably wouldn’t be able to wear them much anyways.

Songs from a new group called Japanese Cartoon have surfaced recently, which have been said to feature vocals that sound like Lupe Fiasco with a British accent. After several denials, it seems that Lupe is the front man for this new group. Their Myspace page features four songs which include a cover of Prodigy’s “Invaders Must Die”. The band, signed to Lupe’s 1st & 15th record label, is listed as “post-punk, alternative, and indie” on their site, which also features videos that inspired the conception of the band. The bands influences include Joy Division, The Clash, Bob Marley, Joe Strummer, The Killers, The Prodigy, Hunter S. Thompson, Radiohead.

Lupe has been talking about retiring from rap after three albums. He is said to be currently working on his final album entitled “L.U.P.End”. It seems Wasalu Muhammad Jaco is not so much retiring as reincarnating himself as Japanese Cartoon’s frontman Percival Hindenburg-Fats. Listen to “Crowd Participation” as well as the songs on their Myspace and get an idea of the direction Japanese Cartoon is moving in.

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Japanese Cartoon – Crowd Participation

Here it is. Handsome’s lookbook for the summer 2009 season. A lot of work and time went into making this possible and we here at Handsome are all proud to present you this line of shirts.

Make sure to check it out yourself, after all, we just want to make the world a little more Handsome.

Hit up the contact link at the top if your interested in ordering/stocking Handsome Clothing.