Some sweet choreography! But like Honestly WTF where I found this, I wish the last outfits in the 2000's were as cool as the retro ones. But perhaps they'll age well? I doubt it.
P.S. I finally caved and got a Pinterest account, and I'm obsessing over it. My username is overandunder, follow me if you like what you see!
I'm settled back in my cozy little nook after an amazing month gallivanting round Europe with my fella. It was an adventure, hi jinks were involved and it was soooo good to feel the sun after a long southern winter. And dare I say it, it finally feels like spring is in the air here in New Zealand. Once I've sorted through the sea of photos I might put some up here in a fit of narcissism, and I'm also hoping to revamp the design a bit - if I don't manage to destroy the place in the process!
I can't just leave you with that, what a terrible blogger that would make me! So I'm sharing the gift of music. I know I've shown a music video by watercolours only recently, but the more of Chelsea Jade's voice I hear, the more I love. Below are glimpses of both of her bands in action, Watercolours and Teacups.
I've seen Buck 65 perform a couple times - once at a small festival gig and another time in a club, and this guy has some gnarly energy and a wicked sense of humour.
Lykke Li is both beautiful and talented. I love her albums, but I must have developed a girl crush after hearing an interview with her on NPR's World Cafe, her acoustic versions of the songs she sings on the show are amazeballs. Listen here.
The music video for her latest single, Sadness Is A Blessing. Directed by Tarik Saleh and featuring Swedish actor Stellan Skarsgard.
Even though I follow singer Chelsea Jade's blog Willow Ships, I actually first saw the video for her band Watercolours single Under on Fieldguided. And I loved it.
Wow. As soon as Pokey LaFarge and his band the South City Three started playing, I knew that they were special. This man has a great respect and passion for music from the 1920s and 30s, and it shows in his performance. Here they're playing a Tiny Desk Concert , which is a fanstasic regular podcast by NPR Music featuring a different musician every time. NPR broadcast Pokey LaFarge's show at the 2010 Newport Folk Festival, and after hearing it Jack White signed them to his label Third Man Records. Yes, now I just have to persuade them to play at my wedding.
California Sunrise by Dirty Gold just drips summery, laidback goodness. Oh dear, this Southern Winter is going to be hard going for me, I think!
In other news, Banksy's nemesis King Robbo and his crew are laying down some fighting talk. Pers'nally I wouldn't be shocked if "Team Robbo" turned out to be Banksy upping his publicity.
I have been astounded by the strength of the people of Japan, and people living here in Christchurch, post earthquakes. Photographer Toyokazu captures his family beautifully. (I know! More adorable Japanese children - they're just about the best wee subjects in the world to photograph, I think, plus the fact that many Japanese photographers seem to have this amazing ability with light.)
Finally, I just watched this video of Fleet Foxes' Grown Ocean, directed by Sean Pecknold.I love their blissed out vocals.
The Stranger, single from the band Lord Huron. Heart Charlie alerted me to them, you can listen to all the singles from their EPs on their website and I'm find them pretty neat and laidback for an early Wednesday morning.
Just found out aboutOh Land, a band with a cute electropop sound, viaBlack Eiffel. Danish singer Nanna Oland Fabriciushas the best name ever, and a pretty voice to match. She's also a trained ballet dancer and wants "to sound like I'm from 2050, but still feel really classic, like the music is an old friend." Sounds like my kind of girl.
Somehow I've never seen Nina Simone perform before, even thought I own two of her albums, and I didn't know she played her own accompaniment (shameful!) Nina makes singing look effortless, she makes piano playing look effortless... the two together are incredible.
Found via the ever-tangental & inspiring even*cleveland, who also posted this Virginia Woolf quote:
What sort of diary should I like mine to be? Something loose-knit and yet not slovenly, so elastic that it will embrace anything, solemn, slight or beautiful, that comes into my mind. I should like it to resemble some deep old desk or capacious hold-all, in which one flings a mass of odds and ends without looking them through. I should like to come back, after a year or two, and find that the collection had sorted itself and refined itself and coalesced, as such deposits so mysteriously do, into a mould, transparent enough to reflect the light of our life, and yet steady, tranquil compounds with the aloofness of a work of art. The main requisite, I think, on reading my old volumes, is not to play the part of a censor, but to write as the mood comes or of anything whatever; since I was curious to find how I went for things put in haphazard, and found the significance to lie where I never saw it at the time.
If you grew up loving the Beastie Boys song as much as I did, then read this post over on Boooooom! NOW. Hint: a new music video extension of the original, featuring a cast that will blow minds. I only hope its good.
Now that I've professed my like (not sure I'd go as far as love, woah steady on guys) for Ratatat, I decided to watch a few of their music vids, as so far I've only listened to it on my ipod in the car or walking to work. They're a couple years old so forgive me if you've seen them all already and are yawning right now. I thought this video above for "Drugs" was interesting - half life insurance advert, half dorky family portrait and half bizarre and sinister world of Jill Greenberg. Unsettling stuff.
"Seventeen Years" is my fave Ratatat song, this is an unofficial video I think:
Okay, so normally I don't post about fashion (um, blatant lie considering the posts lower down on this very page! but that was a one-off type thing, and anyway that was street not fashion shows) BUT I'm happy to see a serious fashion house like Prada mixing it up with a fun video like this. I think it's a great way to show off their (nutty) new collection, but although it's fun watching a model wriggle around in neon furs, the best thing is the rather rad music from Ratatat, a duo I love that I don't think I've mentioned on here before. So now you know. Oh, and they happen to be touring Australia in Jan so if you live in those parts, check them oot!
Aw guys. I missed the chance to promote this event in time, but let's take a moment to stare at the majesty ofWooden Toy Quarterly's promo art, created by several ridiculously talented artists, for the launch party of their latest edition (The Music one) at Concrete Hermitin London on December 2nd. Described by Concrete Hermit gallery as"possibly the most design-heavy lowbrow art and creative culture publication ever printed," the opening, which celebrated the launch of Wooden Toy Quarterly magazine in the UK (it hails from Melbourne & Sydney) also included a pop-up bookstore, customised 12" vinyl and live music. But no fear, the show's up til Jan.
This ad spot for Shiro shochu (if I remember correctly, shochu is plum wine), is directed by Yuichi Kodama and features She & Him's "Why Do You Let Me Stay Here?" It steals a couple of moves from the original music video along the way, but still manages to be super cute and Japanese.
I just found this cute wee band called The Narcoleptic Dancers. Brownie points for the name, guys. They make me feel light and...well, hairy! They're rocking Bieber-tastic hair for sure (minus brownie points, I'm sad to say. I kinda like it, but anything Bieber related gives me the creeps, even if it's unintentional).
Today I'm enjoying The Drums' summery shoegaze Let's Go Surfing. Never heard of this Brooklyn band but if this single is anything to go by then they look promising. They're playing in Newcastle, the place where I grew up, on December 3rd so check it out if you're Geordie or in town.
Sorry for being a bit of a slacker this week, I'm still adjusting to my new 6 work day weeks which will last until the New Year and spending my day off each week soaking up sun, so expect a slower pace for the next month.
