Not counting this post, July is second only to February—the exciting first month of the blog—for sheer post volume. But don’t take my word for it, look at the chart!
Thanks for your continued support.
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Another quick note
I’m happy to announce that following months of steadily declining posts (I’m talking quantity here, not quality—quality is job 1), we’ve seen an exciting rebound this month.
Not counting this post, July is second only to February—the exciting first month of the blog—for sheer post volume. But don’t take my word for it, look at the chart!
Thanks for your continued support.
Not counting this post, July is second only to February—the exciting first month of the blog—for sheer post volume. But don’t take my word for it, look at the chart!
Thanks for your continued support.
Li Wei’s dangerous realities
Things at work are a bit crazy today so I’ll be brief. I stumbled upon the photography of Chinese artist Li Wei a few days ago and wanted to share. According to Wei, these arresting images are not computer montages. Instead, Wei “works with the help of props such as mirror, metal wires, scaffolding and acrobatics.”
See more here.
Via hemmy.net.
See more here.
Via hemmy.net.
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Deerhoof share the (sheet) music
I’ve written about Radiohead and Nine Inch Nails turning their music over to their fans for remixing, reinterpreting and sharing. As you know, I think this is really cool and shows an amazing level of trust and connectedness.Avant indie rockers Deerhoof have taken this practice to a new and very interesting level, with a twist. About a week ago they “leaked” the song “Fresh Born” from their upcoming album, Offend Maggie (scheduled for release in October).
The twist is they leaked it in sheet music form only.
They’re asking fans to produce cover versions of the song (that’s right, covers of a song they’ve never heard), post them on fan sites and blogs and share them with the band.
Pretty cool, huh? I love that it’s simultaneously retro and cutting edge.
Here’s a video of the band talking about their idea, plus on-the-fly interpretations of the sheet music by New Yorkers who apparently can’t sight read.
More info, sheet music and links to completed fan covers here.
Thanks to Carr for alerting me to this. Sorry it took a while to get it up.*
* Yep.
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Another rhetorical question
Also about a poster, this one for Touchstone Pictures’ upcoming Kevin Costner vehicle Swing Vote.
Does anyone else think this poster looks like an old cigarette ad? Is it the combination of red, scruff and that damn font?
Better image here (though less cigarette ad-ish due to the familiar movie poster details like credits and images of supporting cast).
Does anyone else think this poster looks like an old cigarette ad? Is it the combination of red, scruff and that damn font?
Better image here (though less cigarette ad-ish due to the familiar movie poster details like credits and images of supporting cast).
Rhetorical question
Doesn’t the very act of making a poster alerting us to Jurassic Fight Club break the first rule of Jurassic Fight Club?
Monday, July 28, 2008
Getting wet at the pool party; MGMT et al. live in Brooklyn (yesterday)
As I climb the stairs up from the L train subway stop in Brooklyn my error is instantly clear. The sunglasses on my head are extraneous, as ill-prescribed as a boxing glove at third base. The sun is hidden by layers of gray clouds that rolled in during my commute. Thunderstorms and rain are on the agenda, let there be no doubt, and my umbrella is in Manhattan.
Figuring I’ve been wet before—and at least it’s warm—I walk north toward McCarren Park and the McCarren Park Pool, where MGMT, Black Moth Super Rainbow and the Ting Tings are playing a free afternoon show.
It’s my first visit to the McCarren Park Pool, a giant, old, outdoor swimming pool, empty of water, where during the summer bands play and outdoor movies are shown. As I approach I see a large crowd gathered at the street corner. The listing said the show started at 2pm; it’s now 2:45. I expect to hear the Ting Tings wrapping up their opening set, but it’s not the case.
What I thought was a crowd is actually a thick line of people leading somewhere off to my right. Looking to get in line, I continue straight, walking down the block alongside the queue. I can’t see the end. I walk to Manhattan Avenue where the line wraps and I turn right to follow. Still no end in sight. Is the venue big enough for all these people? Did the promoter underestimate the popularity of MGMT? At Leonard Street I veer right again along with the snaking line, which finally ends at Bayard Street.
The line does not move.
Across the grass there’s a much shorter line to an alternate entrance. I move to this shorter line only to learn it’s the line for people on the guest list.
It’s beginning to rain now and I can’t see myself signing up for all this. I decide to leave, going the short way around, passing by the front entrance. There’s just one entry point and it’s essentially single-file—with security—a sign of some very poor planning. I’ll spare you the nefarious play-by-play, but suffice to say within ten minutes I’ve made it inside.
The scene is a sea of umbrellas and wet heads. The pool is massive. Off to the right a lively game of dodgeball is taking place within a cordoned-off area. After a few minutes the rain lightens a bit and the Ting Tings take the stage.
What I know about the Ting Tings is that they’re a male/female duo from the U.K. who make poppy, dancy tunes and their song “Shut Up And Let Me Go” was used in an iPod commercial.
What I learn over the next 45 minutes is that the Ting Tings are a very good time. Every song is a mini dance party and everyone’s forgotten about their wet shirts and shoes. “That’s Not My Name” is a highlight of the day.
The rain returns. I grab a beer and lean against the wall near the back in hopes of cutting my rain exposure by 50 percent. Violent thunder and lightning keep us entertained.
Fellow former Seattleite John Richards (seeing him here is just plain bizarre) introduces second act Black Moth Super Rainbow. Despite John’s endorsement I’m not impressed. Their songs are meant to be groovy funky numbers but in comparison to the Ting Tings, these guys sound mired in the… mire? The “singer” runs his voice through a keyboard vocoder or something. The first three songs all seem to have the word “summertime” in the chorus. Another song seems to consist of no lyrics other than “one, two, three, four, five.”
Yawn. I decide the promoter put the Ting Tings on first so the crowd would arrive early.
As the stagehands prepare for MGMT the rain stops and the sky clears. Maybe Mother Nature wasn’t a fan of Black Moth’s set either.
I’m still trying to figure MGMT out. They strike me as a blend of “Moonage Daydream” Bowie, “She Don’t Use Jelly”-era Flaming Lips, Marc Bolan (T. Rex), and a touch of Big Star with some hippie space-out jam-rock thrown in for good measure.
The band’s fashion sense has been lovingly adopted by the fans. I haven’t seen this much hot pink, light blue, purple and red since the 1985 VW Beetle Auto Paint and Detail Show in Honolulu. Or Andre Agassi in ’87. Some fans have brought Crayola markers and are drawing on each other’s arms, chests and faces. Headbands are back, apparently
Shirt of the day has to be the handmade number worn by the very large guy near the front. The back reads “Six foot Eight… Not my fucking problem.” You tell ‘em, tall guy.
MGMT (I’ve heard it’s pronounced “management,” but front man Andrew VanWyngarden says “M-G-M-T”) put on a solid show. Solid, that is, until they get around to playing “Electric Feel” 30 minutes into their set. Their performance is killer and the crowd—especially the ladies—goes justifiably crazy.
(I love that the bass line and layered vocals remind me of the old Brothers Johnson R&B tune “Stomp”)
Taking the stage for their encore, VanWyngarden says that in honor of this being the last year for concerts at McCarren Park Pool they’re going to play a 14-minute song. I hope that he’s joking, but he’s not.
I wander toward the exit at the rear, hoping they’ll close with “Kids,” the song that turned me onto MGMT. They do, but the music is prerecorded and the band members leave the stage save for VanWyngarden and Ben Goldwasser who grab mics and dance and sing what feels to this reporter like a bad cross between lip-synching and a performance on Ed McMahon’s Star Search.
The giddy crowd eats it up; for me it’s an unsatisfactory ending. But the show, as a whole, was certainly worth the price of admission.
Figuring I’ve been wet before—and at least it’s warm—I walk north toward McCarren Park and the McCarren Park Pool, where MGMT, Black Moth Super Rainbow and the Ting Tings are playing a free afternoon show.
It’s my first visit to the McCarren Park Pool, a giant, old, outdoor swimming pool, empty of water, where during the summer bands play and outdoor movies are shown. As I approach I see a large crowd gathered at the street corner. The listing said the show started at 2pm; it’s now 2:45. I expect to hear the Ting Tings wrapping up their opening set, but it’s not the case.
What I thought was a crowd is actually a thick line of people leading somewhere off to my right. Looking to get in line, I continue straight, walking down the block alongside the queue. I can’t see the end. I walk to Manhattan Avenue where the line wraps and I turn right to follow. Still no end in sight. Is the venue big enough for all these people? Did the promoter underestimate the popularity of MGMT? At Leonard Street I veer right again along with the snaking line, which finally ends at Bayard Street.
The line does not move.
Across the grass there’s a much shorter line to an alternate entrance. I move to this shorter line only to learn it’s the line for people on the guest list.
It’s beginning to rain now and I can’t see myself signing up for all this. I decide to leave, going the short way around, passing by the front entrance. There’s just one entry point and it’s essentially single-file—with security—a sign of some very poor planning. I’ll spare you the nefarious play-by-play, but suffice to say within ten minutes I’ve made it inside.
The scene is a sea of umbrellas and wet heads. The pool is massive. Off to the right a lively game of dodgeball is taking place within a cordoned-off area. After a few minutes the rain lightens a bit and the Ting Tings take the stage.
What I know about the Ting Tings is that they’re a male/female duo from the U.K. who make poppy, dancy tunes and their song “Shut Up And Let Me Go” was used in an iPod commercial.What I learn over the next 45 minutes is that the Ting Tings are a very good time. Every song is a mini dance party and everyone’s forgotten about their wet shirts and shoes. “That’s Not My Name” is a highlight of the day.
The rain returns. I grab a beer and lean against the wall near the back in hopes of cutting my rain exposure by 50 percent. Violent thunder and lightning keep us entertained.
Fellow former Seattleite John Richards (seeing him here is just plain bizarre) introduces second act Black Moth Super Rainbow. Despite John’s endorsement I’m not impressed. Their songs are meant to be groovy funky numbers but in comparison to the Ting Tings, these guys sound mired in the… mire? The “singer” runs his voice through a keyboard vocoder or something. The first three songs all seem to have the word “summertime” in the chorus. Another song seems to consist of no lyrics other than “one, two, three, four, five.”
Yawn. I decide the promoter put the Ting Tings on first so the crowd would arrive early.
As the stagehands prepare for MGMT the rain stops and the sky clears. Maybe Mother Nature wasn’t a fan of Black Moth’s set either.
I’m still trying to figure MGMT out. They strike me as a blend of “Moonage Daydream” Bowie, “She Don’t Use Jelly”-era Flaming Lips, Marc Bolan (T. Rex), and a touch of Big Star with some hippie space-out jam-rock thrown in for good measure.The band’s fashion sense has been lovingly adopted by the fans. I haven’t seen this much hot pink, light blue, purple and red since the 1985 VW Beetle Auto Paint and Detail Show in Honolulu. Or Andre Agassi in ’87. Some fans have brought Crayola markers and are drawing on each other’s arms, chests and faces. Headbands are back, apparently
Shirt of the day has to be the handmade number worn by the very large guy near the front. The back reads “Six foot Eight… Not my fucking problem.” You tell ‘em, tall guy.
MGMT (I’ve heard it’s pronounced “management,” but front man Andrew VanWyngarden says “M-G-M-T”) put on a solid show. Solid, that is, until they get around to playing “Electric Feel” 30 minutes into their set. Their performance is killer and the crowd—especially the ladies—goes justifiably crazy.
(I love that the bass line and layered vocals remind me of the old Brothers Johnson R&B tune “Stomp”)
Taking the stage for their encore, VanWyngarden says that in honor of this being the last year for concerts at McCarren Park Pool they’re going to play a 14-minute song. I hope that he’s joking, but he’s not.
I wander toward the exit at the rear, hoping they’ll close with “Kids,” the song that turned me onto MGMT. They do, but the music is prerecorded and the band members leave the stage save for VanWyngarden and Ben Goldwasser who grab mics and dance and sing what feels to this reporter like a bad cross between lip-synching and a performance on Ed McMahon’s Star Search.The giddy crowd eats it up; for me it’s an unsatisfactory ending. But the show, as a whole, was certainly worth the price of admission.
Friday, July 25, 2008
Show some luv with Insound 20
Jason Munn is an artist who creates a ton of awesome posters for a lot of the bands I like (and you can too). His site, the Small Stakes, has a gallery of his work and doubles as an online store.
Yesterday the awesome blog It’s Hard To Find A Friend alerted readers that Munn has teamed up with online music retailer Insound to bring us Insound 20. It’s a collection of 20 exclusive Munn designs made available as T-shirts, hoodies and posters, and they’re very cool.
Bonus feel-good detail: Insound and Munn added a 21st design with poster proceeds benefiting 826NYC.
The other items just benefit you, I guess.
Oh, and the artist list is great, including Grizzly Bear, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Spoon, The National, The Thermals, Beirut, Built To Spill, The Hold Steady and others.
Ben, there’s even a New Pornographers design.
And if you use the coupon code "insoundtwenty10" you'll receive 10 percent off your order. Shhhh.
Yesterday the awesome blog It’s Hard To Find A Friend alerted readers that Munn has teamed up with online music retailer Insound to bring us Insound 20. It’s a collection of 20 exclusive Munn designs made available as T-shirts, hoodies and posters, and they’re very cool.Bonus feel-good detail: Insound and Munn added a 21st design with poster proceeds benefiting 826NYC.
The other items just benefit you, I guess.
Oh, and the artist list is great, including Grizzly Bear, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Spoon, The National, The Thermals, Beirut, Built To Spill, The Hold Steady and others.
Ben, there’s even a New Pornographers design.
And if you use the coupon code "insoundtwenty10" you'll receive 10 percent off your order. Shhhh.
Thank God it’s Friday’s song of the day
I’m pretty sure there have been almost no occasions where I’ve put a song on the blog that wasn’t readily available online on dozens of other blogs many days—if not weeks—prior to my posting it. It sucks feeling like you’re late to the party on this stuff. The feeling is similar to that of beginning to tell a joke only to be told, “yeah, we’ve heard that one.”
And I can only partially blame the fact that I do these on Friday instead of earlier in the week.
Lame.
But I’m betting that’s not the case today.
Although I can't claim to be a rabid fan of Calexico, I do like the In The Reins EP they did with Iron & Wine. It’s got a great feel to it. Front porches. Tumbleweeds. Old cars. Dirt roads. Vinyl. Leather. (What the hell am I talking about?)
Ahem.
Calexico’s new album, Carried To Dust, comes out on September 9th, and the song “Two Silver Trees” was unveiled on Monday.
Check it out. And happy Friday.
Via Pasta Primavera.
And I can only partially blame the fact that I do these on Friday instead of earlier in the week.
Lame.
But I’m betting that’s not the case today.
Although I can't claim to be a rabid fan of Calexico, I do like the In The Reins EP they did with Iron & Wine. It’s got a great feel to it. Front porches. Tumbleweeds. Old cars. Dirt roads. Vinyl. Leather. (What the hell am I talking about?)
Ahem.
Calexico’s new album, Carried To Dust, comes out on September 9th, and the song “Two Silver Trees” was unveiled on Monday.
Check it out. And happy Friday.
Via Pasta Primavera.
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Is Wendy an agent of Satan?
There’s a post over at Make The Logo Bigger today about Wendy’s advertising and the insanity of a specific recent Wendy’s commercial, wherein the VO claims the salad is “good good.” Granted, that’s an annoyingly stupid line.
Their reference clip is, as they say, “unfortunately one of those typical YouTube hold the camera up and record the TV type jobs.”
More interesting though—and the part that MTLB barely mentions—is the clip’s ending, which brings light to the evil that’s apparently been a subtle (or is it subliminal?) part of the Wendy icon for who knows how long.
It’s waaaay more evil than fast food.
Their reference clip is, as they say, “unfortunately one of those typical YouTube hold the camera up and record the TV type jobs.”
More interesting though—and the part that MTLB barely mentions—is the clip’s ending, which brings light to the evil that’s apparently been a subtle (or is it subliminal?) part of the Wendy icon for who knows how long.
It’s waaaay more evil than fast food.
Naming is branding
What’s in a name? Plenty. An old friend of mine was convinced he’d have become a completely different person had his parents gone with their alternate choice and dubbed him Greg instead of David.
Looks like this New Zealand judge agrees.
There are some pretty astounding baby names referenced in this article, including that of the 9-year-old girl at the center of the story. I think my favorite has to be Number 16 Bus Shelter, with Yeah Detroit as my runner-up.
From CNN.com.
Looks like this New Zealand judge agrees.
There are some pretty astounding baby names referenced in this article, including that of the 9-year-old girl at the center of the story. I think my favorite has to be Number 16 Bus Shelter, with Yeah Detroit as my runner-up.
From CNN.com.
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Remembering Sifl and Olly
I rarely saw the Silf & Olly Show when it was on the air, but I did kinda love it. Guiltily.
For some reason I was reminded of it recently. OK, it’s not all great, and it’s definitely stoner TV—though that doesn’t keep me from enjoying it sober (see also Aqua Teen Hunger Force)—but there are some great bits.
Here are a few short ones:
United States of Whatever (I especially love Sifl’s reaction shots in this one.)
Prostitute Laundry
Get The Bubbles, Chester!
Oh that Chester! He kills me.
For some reason I was reminded of it recently. OK, it’s not all great, and it’s definitely stoner TV—though that doesn’t keep me from enjoying it sober (see also Aqua Teen Hunger Force)—but there are some great bits.
Here are a few short ones:
United States of Whatever (I especially love Sifl’s reaction shots in this one.)
Prostitute Laundry
Get The Bubbles, Chester!
Oh that Chester! He kills me.
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