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 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.
Wednesday // August 04, 2010 at 14:53 // filed under Music
These New Puritans have been accused of being pretentious, and of course it's easy to see why. But I can indulge this band most anything. Their latest single, 'Hologram' is in my opinion, their most beautiful track. I can play it on repeat for hours. The video is in crisp black and white, and features two orgasmic and crying pianists. I don't have much more to say except that I love it. Look:
Friday // July 16, 2010 at 16:50 // filed under Music
If it was anyone else, I'd probably call this mixtape 'pretentiously ponderous' or some such bollocks. But coming from my beloved These New Puritans, it makes utter sense. It's eerily like looking into a photo album of their genius' musical childhood as it were. I say eerily, due to the extreme precocious-ness of their influences. The mix is ridonkulous. It's impeccably chosen tracklist that is beautiful, moving, broody, seriously well-informed, brings the bang and moves gracefully on just the right side of (dare I say it) arty. Just like These New Puritans themselves. Can I rave any more? Only if I now put the Hidden album on (it's on).
Here's the tracklist:
Tracklist: Benjamin Britten – Fiorir rose in mezo al giasso
(fragment) from Death In Venice Capleton – Heavens William Byrd –
Blame I Confess Mothlite – River Karlheinz Stockhausen – Joy
(fragment) Benjamin Britten – I Know A Bank (fragment) from A
Midsummer Night’s Dream Dimitri Shostakovich – I. De Profundis,
Adagio: 1. Prelude: Presentation of Main Theme from Symphony No.14 Julee
Cruise – Mysteries of Love Salem – Water Deerhoof – South Rakkas
Remix DMX Krew – The Glass Room Peter Hammill – Don’t Tell Me These
New Puritans – 5 Piano and other recordings
For a deeper understanding of TNP, go grab their Fact Mixtape HERE, QUICK, because it's only up for three weeks!
Thursday // April 01, 2010 at 13:38 // filed under Music
These New Puritans
With all the usual elements of visionaire and art shaman Matthew Stone's touch, who was in the Director's chair, and styled by the achingly, infuriatingly stylish Matthew Josephs is These New Puritans new vid for 'Attack Music'. Check it:
Attack Music by THESE NEW PURITANS
BONUS! Here's Hervé's garage attack dub of the track, extracting the airy woodwind section and kicking it instead with some rubbery beats; turning the vocal into a buzzy hum as well as squeezing the riff that the track is founded on into a bit of a hyperactive spook theme song. Not bad at all; though in my opinion it's not as good as the original - WITH THAT STEEL SAMURAI SWORD UNSHEATHING NOISE - but here it is for y'all who dig that kinda ground.
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.
Thursday // January 07, 2010 at 15:01 // filed under Music
Woozy and underwatery, a little groggy and rather whimsical as it goes is the latest remix of These New Puritan's lead single 'We Want War' from their hotly anticipated second album, Hidden. IT'S COMING OUT ON THE 18th PEOPLE!
And so, to the remix. A late night chiller, Ghost Hunter totally removes the drive that originally came with this brilliant TNP track. Instead of being a call to arms, 'We Want War' has turned into something more of a pacifier; softly swerving and padding about and even putting a buoyant little skip in it's step in the closing minute. Check it:
Tuesday // December 15, 2009 at 13:39 // filed under Music
They Want War
photograph by Harley Weir
These New Puritan's lead single 'We Want War', from forthcoming album Hidden has got it's first remix in; with the vehemently whispered declaration of "We want war" pushed to the forefront - the remixed track being just as full of tension and suspense as the original. But unlike the original - which I feel is like a soldier marching towards the battle field with guns and bombs blazing nearby - the remix as interpreted by SBTRKT seems to find the track in the midst of crawling through the underbrush, guerilla styles, with the war blazing on overhead. It's a little more intense, being propelled forward by beeping synths, but keeping the super dark and ominous undertones of the original. Brilliant.
Friday // December 04, 2009 at 13:05 // filed under Music
We Want War
I LOVE THESE NEW PURITANS. I cannot say this enough. I am still addicted to Beat Pyramid; I think it was wayyy ahead of it's time, so the anticipation that I'd harboured for their forthcoming album Hidden was absolutely immense. I'd been sending weekly emails for about a month checking for it, and when I finally had a listen, I felt supremely elated/smug/vindicated that the wait was justified: These New Puritans surpassed my hopes and expectations.
The lead single from the album is 'We Want War' and it is POWERFUL and EPIC - and so is the beautiful video, directed in all it's surreal and cinematic drama by Daniel Askill.
Honestly, the dynamic journey that a TNP track will take you on, starting with 'We Want War', is as close to a religious experience as I get.
WE WANT WAR - These New Puritans
Turn it the fuck UP and IMMERSE yourself. If anyone could stir up some kind of feeling in this our (generally) apathetic generation, it's These New Puritans...and I'm also giving more than a nod - more like a body slam salute - to HEALTH in that statement (and yes I'm thinking of you superfan James Penycakes as I type this).
TNP have cobbled together snippets from Hidden to give you a preview in the mp3 below, but I'm warning you, download that shit at your peril because it's a total tease, and will leave you with the musical equivalent of blue balls.
