IM // UR | The xx // These New Puritans

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 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.

The xx // These New Puritans

Thursday // January 28, 2010 at 17:16 // filed under Music // Lifestyle

The xx & These New Puritans on tour

For all those outside - as well as inside - of Europe crying blood tears about not being able to catch this most heartbreakingly amazing double header of both The xx and These New Puritans TOGETHER on their absolutely gruelling tour schedule around Europe, the best consolation we can offer you right now is that Domino are giving away 'Orion' as a tissue to dab your eyes with.

Flash Content

These New Puritans - Orion [mp3]

And from The xx, here's their cover (somewhat ironically) of Womack and Womack's 'Teardrops' that I dug up.

Flash Content

The XX - Teardrops [mp3]

And just in case you wanted to try to chase them around Europe, here's the schedule:

1 FEB 2010: AUDIO, BRIGHTON
2 FEB 2010: HARE AND HOUNDS, BIRMINGHAM
3 FEB 2010: DEAF INSTITUTE, MANCHESTER
4 FEB 2010: CAPTAINS REST, GLASGOW
6 FEB 2010: BRUDENELL SOCIAL CLUB, LEEDS

11 FEB 2010: GRAND MIX, LILLE (XX)
12 FEB 2010: LA NEF, ANGOULÊME (XX)
13 FEB 2010: OLYMPIC, NANTES
14 FEB 2010: MIDI FEST, TOLON
16 FEB 2010: PARADISO, AMSTERDAM
17 FEB 2010: BOTANIQUE, BRUXELLES
18 FEB 2010: LA CIGALLE, PARIS
21 FEB 2010: LAITERIE, STRASBOURG
23 FEB 2010: BRANCALEONE, ROMA
24 FEB 2010: MILAN
25 FEB 2010: BACKSTAGE WERK, MÜNCHEN
26 FEB 2010: ESSIKFABRIK, KÖLN
01 MAR 2010: KOMEDIA, BRIGHTON
02 MAR 2010: SHEPHARD’S BUSH EMPIRE, LONDON
03 MAR 2010: SHEPHARD’S BUSH EMPIRE, LONDON
05 MAR 2010: ACADEMY 2, BIRMINGHAM
06 MAR 2010: ACADEMY 2, MANCHESTER
08 MAR 2010: STYLUS, LEEDS
09 MAR 2010: STUDIO 24, EDINBURGH
10 MAR 2010: KAZIMER, LIVERPOOL