IM // UR

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.

Posts tagged with zombie_disco_squad

Zombie Crystal Disco Fighters love London

Sunday // November 15, 2009 at 23:48 // filed under Music

Crystal Fighters live/love London

photograph by yours truly

Crystal Fighters have been one of my faves lately with both their own tracks and remix capacity. Their latest single 'I Love London' has been minimally and rather classily remixed by Zombie Disco Squad.

This re-touch immediately gave me Fruit Salad feelings in the intro, then gets down to cutting the vocals up and throwing in a steady finger snap sample. I do enjoy that almost organic sound that Zombie Disco Squad have; that comes alongside their Afro and baile funk influenced beats.

Zombie Disco Squad

Lucas Hunter and Nat Self of ZDS are a great compliment to Crystal Fighters' sound. Y'all know I can be a total cheese whore, but Zombie Disco Squad are renowned for being of the hold-the-cheese variety. In fact, if Zombie Disco Squad were some kind of edible item, I'd say they'd be a subtle marinade, particularly in the case of Crystal Fighters; still able to taste the meat of the track whilst pickling 'I Love London' with their own distinctive flava flayyyyve.

Flash Content

Crystal Fighters - I Love London (Zombie Disco Squad Remix) [mp3]

Oh and P.S. Crystal Fighters are one of Levi's Ones to Watch, and they're hitting Hoxton this week on the 17th of Novs to play it out before heading to NYC for a few dates; and the single drops on the 30th of this month. So go check 'em.

AND P.P.S. I was just informed that it was the super mad skillz JAYNE HELLIWELL the very first artist to design a background and flier for IM//UR who did the cover art for 'I Love London'. And here it is: