IM // UR | Good god, it's GUDI

BEFORE TODAY by Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti

It doesn’t take much to make me feel stupid. Trying to find the words to describe the debut album of Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti at 4AD is just one of many examples I could give you. To me, ‘Before Today’ sounds like an album that Kevin Barnes could be recording if he loved goth bands more than funk ones. Or like the cold wave genre entering a multicoloured psychedelic stage instead of glazing at it's own depression. Don’t mind my threadbare examples; this is the album that will make it onto every interesting top 10 of the year and you don’t wanna miss it.

WE // R \\ WEARING

I can't resist (probably overpriced) basics-with-a-twist. My wardrobe, full of T by Wang, Oak, Bassike and yes, American Apparel is proof of this; and since in Australia, a new favourite has emerged in the form of Nathan Smith. His selection of supersoft tees, tanks and dresses have sucked me into buying multiples of a number of styles in different colourways. You just can't go wrong with these though! Addictively and endlessly wearable - and not in actual fact, overpriced in the slightlest - Nathan Smith is the way forward for your wardrobe.

WE // R \\ WATCHING

I don’t think any series will treat teenagers the same way that Freaks and Geeks did almost 10 years ago. Although relying on every teen American cliché they could, this series was the closest thing to reality you could get whilst still being something fun and interesting to watch – cause, you know, life is boring. With bands like The Who, The Clash and XTC being either part of episodes or the soundtrack, this 80’s based cult show was short-lived (only 18 episodes), but long enough to enrich the careers of some young actors (i.e. James Franco, Seth Rogen, Jason Segel, Busy Philipps and, erm, Linda Cardellini) and is greatly missed. Can we have a movie about them meeting again in the 00’s?

WE // R \\ GOING

Once, a friend of mine wanted to take me to this 'cheap Chinese restaurant', situated in the heart of Liberdade, a Japanese neighborhood in São Paulo. When we got there the place was packed, but because it looked cheesy and kinda poor, I didn't want to wait it out. It took another friend for me to go back there and fall in love with it. Now, every time the mood for some freshly made noodles (you can watch the chief making the noodle dough through a window) framed in some horribly painted pink walls takes me, I go for Rong He. Did I mention the food is also incredibly generous and cheap?

WE // R \\ READING

The ultimate in peeping tom into other, cooler, more fashionable, richer, quirkier and more-hipster-than-thou lives is Todd Selby's The Selby. Having previously been an internet only voyeur's dream, Todd has just last month released The Selby Is In Your Place, a book the coffee table tome full of twee drawings, colourful interiors and people showering. Half of the images in the books are favourites from the website and the other is stuff he hasn't published online yet. So go check it out, maybe buy it if you can to make your crappy coffee table in your crappy apartment that little bit cooler with pictures of someone else's cool stuff.

Good god, it's GUDI

Wednesday // April 29, 2009 at 15:12 // filed under Art // Lifestyle

Art (cover)

Magazines printed on matte paper get us every time. Matte is the new glossy y'all, and has been for some time in the publishing world. For some reason, matte paper murmurs arty, meaningful and couture dahlings, in the same way that glossy often yells pop culture, fast and highstreet.

Enter Gudi in all it's weighty, matte glory. Gudi is devoid of any words in it's pure full bleed content (aside from the credits at the very back end of the magazine) and is possible thanks to Nike Sportswear. Gudi has a sumptuous abundance of otherworldly colour and b+w photography, as well as illustrations and plenty of mixed media. It's a richly textured collation of work from the cream of Brazil's crop in fashion and art.

Although the lush-ness of the magazine's Amelia's-esque approach is gorgeous, the absence of text leaves the publication in danger of lacking coherence, despite each contributors' segment being visually connected. Besides the common moody atmospherics, there seems to be no related theme except art for art's sake. Not that there's a problem with that, perving on lovely images, extracting your own meaning from them, or simply taking pleasure in looking is absolutely fine.

In this case, the works speak for themselves and drawl "ART. Arrrt. Art. "

Check Gudi online here, and some (shitty) scans below, but there's nothing like physically flicking through it, a beautiful publication worthy of taking centre stage on your coffee table.

GALLERY