Breaking Down Bergman // Introduction

It's rare that I'll post something non-music related on here, but today I'm going to make an exception.

Last November I launched a YouTube series with my friend Sonia Strimban where we pledged to watch all of Swedish director Ingmar Bergman's films from first to last, and analyze each. We've been doing that ever since, quite consistently, for our series called Breaking Down Bergman.

This week our first video crossed the 1,000-view mark, which for most things might not be so impressive, but for a director who has gone relatively unknown by the masses, it's not a bad feat. I'm pretty proud of it, and despite all of the difficulties I'm proud with what we've come out with so far.

If you want to join us in our journey of watching all of Bergman's films -- including the most famous, the Seventh Seal, Wild Strawberries and Persona -- here's the first video. We'd love to have you along for the ride...

Song of the Day // Graffiti6 - Free

Graffiti6's track Free has been floating around the Internet for months, once being a free song of the week on iTunes, but it was more of a grower for me than an instant hit.

So, I present it to you today in case you haven't heard it before. The duo is comprised of British producer TommyD, who is best known for the guy who made Right Said Fred's I'm Too Sexy (I'm not kidding!) and singer Jamie Scott. Free is a soulful throwback track that'll reel you in over time.

Song of the Day // Ladyhawk - Sunday Drive

OK, I'm back. Sorry, I've been incredibly busy, but I'll make it up over the next few days. Here's a good one for you to start...

One of the best feelings I get from music has to be when a relatively new artist puts out new music that's actually an improvement over their previous work.

Ladyhawk has done that with Sunday Drive, a stomping pop track that has a slight '60s R&B flavour. It doesn't sound like a hit, but it sounds like the kind of song you'd add to your playlist and listen to for years to come.

Tupac raps with Snoop Dogg at Coachella 2012

Surely to go down at the biggest "WTF?!?!?" moment in music this year, Tupac took the stage at Coachella more than 15 years after his death. How, you ask? A hologram, duh! While hardly perfect, the image of Tupac was certainly stunning, especially when Snoop Dogg took the stage to rap alongside him.

I can only describe it as surreal. You have to watch to understand the rest...

Song of the Day // Katy Perry - Wide Awake

I assume many of you are pretty much done with Katy Perry for the forseeable future, but give pause to this song from the re-release of her album Teenage Dream, which comes with several new tracks. Wide Awake takes the trademark sound of Katy Perry that we all know (and some have been forcefed) and makes what ranks amongst her best. It's a mid-tempo song with soothing repetition ...and a soaring chorus that makes it an exceptional effort from an artist who is often less than exceptional. I think you'll be pleased with just how good this is -- and perhaps the record company will decide to make it a single sooner than later.

Follow the link here: http://hypem.com/#!/search/katy%20perry%20wide%20awake/1/

Song of the Day // Agesandages - No Nostalgia

For those who embraced Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros, and in particular their song Home this equally rootsy track tends to evoke very similar emotions while sounding entirely different. The AgesandAges album Alright You Restless of came and went about a year ago, and this track fell by the wayside. It's a shame because it's a little gem.