IM // UR | Suddenly Delicious

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.

Suddenly Delicious

Tuesday // March 24, 2009 at 15:46 // filed under Music // Art

The most exciting thing to happen in the Brazilian scene last week was the launch of the Copacana Club's single "Just Do It". Not only because the band was virtually unknown in Brazil and have somehow managed to produce the best video clip (thanks to Banzai Studio) and remix (thanks to Boss in Drama) of the local scene, but also because they are actually going to release it. I can't even remember the last time the indie scene here had a proper single out - and nope, Bonde do Role and CSS aren't part of it.

I was supposed to meet some members of Copas at Ju's place - singer Caca V and drummer Claudinha's best friend - to have a vegetarian dinner ("there will be fish", they said). But the girls preferred to have a drunken night in São Paulo (they're all from Curitiba), so we all met at a bar just next to my place. Péricles Martins (aka Boss In Drama) and Thales Banzai (one of the directors of the video for "Just Do It") also came along for the ride.

So after lots and lots of rounds of Caipirinha and Chopp (a lighter version of beer), I decide to record Copacabana Club talking to Boss in Drama about his remix of their song, and Thales talking about the video. So let's see what Kanye West's new darlings had to say, but first, check the video:

Copacabana Club - Just Do It

Caca V about the remix:

"We wanted a remix of "Just Do It", so we thought of doing it with some people, but when Péricles name came out, all of our eyes started to shine. First because he is from Curitiba, our hometown, and second because he does an amazing job. It was the only name that we all agreed upon. No dramas about that.

We first thought it would be banging, and then we got that slow song. It was very sensual. It's music to make love. No no, it's music to have sex to! Sometimes I think Boss in Drama's version of "Just Do It" is better than ours..."

Boss about the remix:

"When I received the track, I thought I had two options: one, to do something fast and banging, around 128bpm, or to go all romantic on them. Like to touch your heart with a beautiful song. So I decided to slow down the song, make it sound prettier by adding sax."

Thales about the video:

"We shot this around 30 times. The idea, we got from (the website) fffound. I went there and copied the first image I saw."

This was a joke that Fernando Nogari, the other director of the video, explained to me today. "It's just because people keep trying to link the video with other similar stuff, but actually we have no idea where some ideas came from. Do you also wanna know about the girl that fainted in the making of the video?" No, sir.

So we went home all drunky, with lots of new inside jokes and agreed to do it again another day. It's so good to have talented new bands, producers and video makers who make such good drunk company.

Flash Content

Copacabana Club - Just Do It (Boss in drama remix) [mp3]

Check the making of "Just Do It" in the gallery below:

GALLERY