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.
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.
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?
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?
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.
Tuesday // June 09, 2009 at 16:49 // filed under Music
I never thought I would say this, but Superpose just did the
remix of the week. To my eyes (or should I say ears?) this Brazilian project
didn't start out very well; despite having good ideas but producing poor results...but perhaps they've grown past this now. After the great edit for Jonh Denver and the bright remix for
Copacabana Club, the Florianopolis duo did a remix of Boss in Drama's best
track 'Favorite Song'. And it's superb.
It's definitely a poppier version of the song and it radiates
tropical vibes. I don't know if this is because they live on this beautiful
island or I'm pregnant, but this remix makes me want to drink a piñacolada on
the beach. Superpose's Isaac Varzim said that from now on, they will start
playing this remix live using his own vocals - this I can't wait to hear!
Monday // May 25, 2009 at 20:33 // filed under Music
After months and months of emails, Database's Ugly Edits is
finally on their Myspace. The second volume unites almost every single checkworthy
band or producer from the Brazilian scene along with new edits from Database themselves. After
some days of love, we ranked our Top 5 collaborations. There are The Twelves,
Copacabana Club, Daft Punk, Berlinda Carlisle and more.
1.We've seen many live sets that's nothing more than
some dude pressing play on Ableton Live. Fortunately there are producers
like The Twelves who bring synths to the dancefloor in a way that sounds much
better than any home recorded song will ever sound. So when they decided to
cover Daft Punk's 'NightVision' you know it will be a synth homage version.
2. "I wanna be your lover and not just be your friend" begs Caca V, the pretty singer from Copacabana Club in this cover her band did with the help of another Curitiba band, the great Our Gang. Some disco low-fi bass and guitar lines, some colorful and some dry synths makes it an irresistible version.
3. Sometimes all a good song needs to reborn is a good
dancefloor edit. Roots Rock Revolution (RRR) understand that and made Nu Shooz's 'I
Can't Wait' faster, better and stronger. Should be going down nicely in groovy
sets and oldschool playlists.
4. This edit starts
with the worst synth ever. But don't be afraid, it goes away really fast and
then you're left with a very enjoyable track to listen to. Atmospheric country music
for electronic kids. Well done, Superpose.
5. Who doesn't enjoy a cheesy song? I do - and so does
Discobot. 'Heaven is a Place on Earth', yes that song that gets played at every
wedding and graduation by Belinda Carlisle, gets some electro synths and
some chopped vocals. Seriously, it works!
You can listen and download all the songs for free at
Database's Myspace. Word!
Monday // May 18, 2009 at 12:50 // filed under Music
Inside every modern production duo, there's one that's a better
producer and the other who's the better PR. Let's just say that Database is at the moment exploring
both sides to the maximum with the second edition of their Uglyedits
compilation. Almost every single band or producer who is checkworthy on the Brazilian
scene - and also the American duo French
Horn Rebellion - have reinterpreted old songs using elements extracted from
the original MP3s alongside lots of editing to make the track their own; or have simply just covered it
oldschool.
Highlights come from the clash of Copacabana Club versus Our
Gang in the cover of La Bionda's
'I Wanna Be Your Lover', The Twelves covering Daft Punk's 'Nightvision', Roots Rock Revolution accelerating the forgotten anthem
of Nu Shooz, 'I Can't Wait', and many
many many more - as the list of the features continues with Edu k,
Superpose, Dada attack, Killer on the Dancefloor, Allan Falkyn, Nando Feitosa,
Midnight Martyn, Pelussje & Blood Shake, The Random, Terrorduo, Sexistalk,
Dubstrong (2Crazy Deadman), Mono-4, Discobot, Mottorama, Fisk, Digitaria and
Chernobyl. Oh, and let's not forget Database with 13 (!) Uglyedits!
From where the Brazilian scene stands now, this release is
going to be much better than the first volume. If you like to rock the party,
Database is inviting everyone to the release party tomorrow (19th of
May) at São Paulo's D-Edge and, of course, urge you to check their Myspace
on the 25th of May to listen to all the songs and download them for
free.
Meanwhile check the awesome teaser that the boys prepared
below and two exclusivity Uglyedits. Database's edit of Dc Larue's 'Cathedrals'
is like making love to your ears and as everybody knows you can't go wrong with
The Jackson Five, the French Horn Rebellioncontribute their groovy lines to the
compilation. There is nothing ugly about these edits.
Tuesday // April 28, 2009 at 20:39 // filed under Music
We <3 Copas!
Our friends from Copacabana Club just got 100,000 plays on
their Myspace. It might not be much for international bands, but for the
Brazilian indie scene it's a crazy phenomenon. First of all, I think they've played
in São Paulo only twice (they're from Curitiba, as per Bonde do Role and Boss in
Drama) all in shitty places. Then they got some media buzz, but not much as you
would expect from a band as good as they are. And lastly, they haven't even released
anything aside from their online presence.
In order to celebrate such a happy accomplishment, the
Brazilian quintet is giving away a tonne of remixes from their first single - that one
with the amazing video that Kanye Westposted about. There are many different
music styles in there: baile funk, old school hip hop, old school guitar rock and cheap-synth-pop.
The Banzai team (Fernando Nogari & Thales Banzai) not
only directed
Copacabana Club's debut video, but also "remixed" them.
Twice! The ghetto rap titled remix shares
some old school beats and a lazy bass that takes Caca V to the Bronx in the '80s,
whilst their other remix, drunkenly named "Jimmy Hendrix Che Che Change it
remix", sounds just like an old porno soundtrack.
Some fans of the band did a sweet
baile funk remix and the Florianópolis (Brazil) duo Superpose close the pack of
remixes with an italo-inspired version. And I don't want to be rude, but it's surprisingly
good.
Don't forget that the best remix for this song - and one of
the bests of the year - is the Boss in Drama's version. You can download this and
read an interview with Copacabana Club, Boss in Drama and Banzai here.
