IM // UR | Lady Alpha Passion Bits

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.

Lady Alpha Passion Bits

Thursday // March 18, 2010 at 14:56 // filed under Music

Lady Alpha Passion Bits refers not only to a mash up of Alphabeat and Passion Pit who did the 'Telephone' remixes in this post, but also I suppose, a little bit of what Lady Gags kinda presents: an Alpha[beat] bitch, [Passion]ate about her work who's Bits are under speculation.

The very first time I encountered 'Telephone' was sometime late last year. It wasn't actually the single - it was this version below (I couldn't find the original poster/video, but here it is anyway).

Even in this form, it's sticky as shit to your shoe.

I don't look out for Gaga or go out of my way to check her, because stuff from and about her tends to smack you in the face anyway - GIRL IS EVERYWHERE (and suffering from exhaustion as you undoubtedly would be). When 'Telephone' assaulted my senses, I was floored by it's ambition and ridiculousness.

'Telephone' has been analysed, blogged and screen capped to mega-deth; and begrudgingly, understandably so, just like 'Bad Romance' was. And yet I also find these two remixes of the track fun and hair flicky enough to post. I sort of don't feel like I have that much perspective on Lady Gags; I'm a bit confused myself as to how I actually consume her/music/product/persona/poo cakes.

Either way.

Alphabeat's remix goes between a typical dance club track to a Pussycat Doll-ish segment during Beyoncé's breakdown (which I really enjoy) to taking on a touch of Robert Miles. Really not bad at all Alphabeat.

Flash Content

Lady GaGa - Telephone (Alphabeat Remix) [mp3]

Passion Pit's retouch immediately made me question whether I'd misunderstood who had actually remixed it. Passion Pit, dat really chu? It was more interesting to me that this was a Passion Pit product rather than anything else, in this super dancey late 90s feeling remix, though it's still pretty bangin' as well.

Flash Content

Lady GaGa feat. Beyoncé, Lady GaGa - Telephone (Passion Pit Remix) [mp3]

I get the Madonna comparisons and all, but I really think that Gags is going to end up much more like a Cher figure/character rather than Madge-y one, y'know? What do you think?

POSTED BY CHRISTEL ESCOSA

TAGS: Passion Pit, Lady Gaga, Alphabeat // LINKS: Alphabeat, Passion Pit