"I was able to explore and create a fresh, sexy feel using both electronic and organic elements with subject matter ranging from playful to introspective." creating a pseudo-organic sound scape using layering of artificial sound, just like Yeasayer then ; )
Lifted from the new Liars record, Sisterworld, a double-disc affair which brings together a deft mix of "reinterpretations" by friends of the band. Bradford Cox opts for stuck-on-a-merry-go-round style spin on "Here Comes All the People", which marries stretched out vocals and harp-like effects dragging the original miles away from his final destination.
The final collection. A poetic interpretation of the dark ages, regal romance and religious iconography provided a powerful reminder of the unique visionary and unadulterated talent the Fashion World has lost.
In these dark economic times, oh who am i kidding, in your early twenties the allure of the thrift store has never seemed greater. The stench of decrepit size 20 t-shirts, dust and cheap air freshener becomes strangely comforting, the gamble of finding a gem increasingly additive. if you're anything like me the arduous ritual of sifting through the vinyl box often degenerates in to nothing more than a 'flash card' exorcise starring James Last. It's not often i walk away with a plastic carrier bulging with cut-price Vinyl. With such an eclectic mix spanning generations how can you possible sift the grain from the chaff? Should you judge a record by it's sleeve?
This thrift Shop record roulette has spawned one of he most fascinating music documentaries of the last few years. The project executed by Dublab with assistance from Stones Throw sees four L.A.-based beat-makers, each with their own distinctive style, sent into local thrift shops in search of five used records (apiece) that they'd subsequently use to craft four brand new songs. 5 Dollars, No drum machines, instruments or synths; Make Do and Mend.
The process is documented start to finish although it's the journey itself that's most captivating. Each documents the very personal process of sifting through the vast piles of unloved records as we join them through the highs (Useful Lounge covers of rock classics) and the lows (Streisand after Streisand),
Well, that's all well and good but surely anyone can fashion a Glee Friendly mash-up of 'Memories' and 'Smoke On the Water'. Here these beat masters show they're truly at the top of their game, artfully dissecting each drum beat, riff and vocal to produce a track which perfectly captures the essence of their own personal style.
J. Rocc carves himself a laid back, funk-fueled rap beat from the most bizarre of sources. Poo-Bah Records' Ras G turns in a skittering raga jam that plays with loops and clunky keys whilst Ninjatune producer Daedelus creates an archetypal psychedelic electronic sound scape. Finally 'Nobody' offers a chilled out piano and organ heavy offering, each great in its own unique way. The records are then discussed, pressed and released back in to their natural habitat; The Thrift Store complete with specially designed sleeve. A true inspiring Geeky treat for music fans across the board.
Those immortal words uttered by British cycling legend Tom Simpson minutes before he collapsed mid-way up Mount Ventoux's grueling ascent. In a slightly less dramatic scenario set in a small Nottinghamshire suburb as the sun shines it's definitely time for me to dust the cobwebs off of my spokes, oil my breaks and grit my teeth as my bicycle beckons.
As the sun finally blinks a few rays of golden tears and beams a welcoming smile to spring it's finally acceptable to cover the scars of the 'night before' with some stylish eye ware! It's been a long winter and for surviving this far alone we deserve a treat. adopting Ray Mears style survival skills hasn't been easy; hoisting our snoods halfway up our faces to disguise bags, blemishes and more flaky skin than one would see in a whole Head & Shoulders Ad'. But the time is nigh! we can finally put on our over-sized sunnies without fear of looking like a 'Priory Princess' or A-list A-hole. Here's the pick of the pack for SS10.
Keeping it traditional with Ga Ga style Vintage Vercarces.
Above and Below: 'Wanging IT!' Alexander Wang SS10! Peek-a-BOO! Ga Ga Style novelty vintage shades from Wild Clothing. Cool For Cats, Lazy Oaf Shades.
You don't need Squeeze to tell you that Cats are cool. Since the dawn of time they've been swaggering about with a look of smug self-righteousness and calm collection whilst us mere mortals have been flapping and flailing, believing in religion and starting wars. YES, Cats are definitely cool. So it seems only fitting that they've surpassed most human beings on the evolutionary scale and donned some of the best couture on offer. If this were dogs we'd be nauseated, calling for their immediate euthanisation:
Cats + Couture = Cool (Just ask Miuccia Prada)
So to further illustrate the inferior nature of the human race, Why oh why has it taken me a good six months to discover United Bamboos 2010 Cat Couture Calendar! Feline Fashion Fantasy!
Whilst flicking through old, heavily loved copies of Plan B magazine (R.I.P) i was reminded of just how much i like Katey Jean Harvey's whimsical doodles. Girl meets boys V's peacock and push bike, she produces delightfully naive depictions of the innocent side of love and longing. Often with a tongue in cheek edge her playful pictures in pastel shades are twee dream!
Entitled 'Dreaming Of Summer' Very apt indeed.
A doodle inspired by 'Stillness Is The Move'.
Reminiscent of the cute naive love of Stephane and Stephanie in the Science of Sleep. OH! and a tree in a boat, so in keeping.
By now you are sure to have read many rants, laments and course words blogged about the imminent closure of the BBC's leading alternative music station 6Music. This is a decision which will have far wider implications than merely causing a quiver of indignation to flicker across the 'indie-loving taste makers' temples. In an outlandish attempt to claw back an excess of 6 Million pounds the BBC have grossly let down a wider tax-paying demographic than perhaps, even they could imagine. Andy Parfitt (Big BBC Cheese and Radio 1 Controller) has stated that Radio one is to partially adopt 6 music's former remit whilst filling the void vacated by the closure of teen-orientated program BBC Switch. Leaving Radio One as the BBC's only outlet for Popular music will surely only create a compromise of diluted values, allowing the imminent return of 'Landfill Indie' back to the charts. The glory days of switching on your DAB to be greeted by a Tallulah Gosh b-side, the new single from Speech Debelle or an archive session from Bonnie Prince Billie will be nothing more than a fond memory of a time when music mattered. It's not just my White Middle-Class alternative music loving side that's got her knickers in a twist, my POP pulse is also heightened. The closure of Switch and the new-found need to peddle “Guitar Pop” on Radio One will leave little time for Pop music of the original sense of the word. They'll be no air-time for first plays of Mini-Viva singles, Calvin Harris or anything well produced and less than credible that's not dominating the A-list. So in short we are resigned to live in a world where Fearne Cotton insincerely champions Mumford & Sons, Temper Trap and Razorlight on the hour, every hour for the rest of eternity.
On a final note to add insult to injury the BBC have upped the budget for BBC 2's music coverage (so Glastonbury, Glastonbury, Glastonbury) by a further £25m, in the cold light of print this seems little more than a gross act of misspending. I for one could survive without seeing Fearne, Jo and Zane cohort about a specially fashion backstage bachelor pad in Swarovski crystal covered wellies whilst muttering about how “profoundly” beautiful The Dove's set was.
NO! it is NOT OK for 13 year old girls to make their lips look like a VAGINA! call me a traditionalist but there's something greatly unnerving about Tavi's ample helping of MAC's 'Lady Danger'. Too perfectly applied to be deemed endearing or 'kooky' it merely strips her of her naive, uncontaminated by the evils of the fashion world, cute-as-pie charm. i hear Wilkos are doing a 2 for one on Make-up removal wipes. Perhaps with a swish of her Rodarte and a click of her Miu Miu platforms it's time to head down there STAT!
The Wild Things Were certainly out in force as Top Shop Unique waved off one of the best AW11 collections to leave the nest thus far. it's safe to say the High Street brand has produced one of the most articulate and inventive translations of fashion outer-ware yet to glide down the Runway before the scrutinising eyes of London Fashion week. The claws were definitely out as the cast of Farthing Wood marched before us. adopting the form of faux-fur headdresses which embraced and echoed the fantasy trend depicted in many of the seasons blockbusters whilst banishing the obvious clubs and spades cliche. The colour pallet remained neutral complementing a complex concoction of textures and fabrics. I'm certainly no Layer Hater and the thick knit cable stockings, sheep skin accessories (take special note of the bespoke bum-bags) juxtaposed against a backdrop of tailored shorts and shirts give it an added Girl Guide Twist. Both Conceptually and Visually this has been one of the strongest collections yet to show at both New York and London. as the bugles call, Let the Style hunting begin!
“If angels and astronauts share the same sky”, she asks, “Isn’t it time they were introduced?” In a last-ditch attempt to banish my winter woe and soak up some much needed Vitamin B along the way I decided to take a foray in to the Art World. Two highly caffeinated, overpriced cups of capitalism later and the prospect of wandering around an exhibition depicting the past’s perceptions of a Communist Future seemed a perfect antidote to the cultural anti-climax that was New York Fashion Week. The modestly subtle shapes hanging from vacuous cadavers had tormented my retinas for the last seven days. Greys, A-line shapes, more grey, the odd well constructed sweater dress all alluding to a recession friendly future filled with dull safe-bet tailoring. Hoping to be struck down by a wave of inspiration, like the hand of God in the Sistine chapel, in my mind Sputniks’ prongs hovered ominously above my head emanating pulses of creativity and direction. Suffice to say expectations were high.
Now I’m no art critic, my usual repertoire consists of something like ‘I like the colours and the depth’ or occasionally, if I’m trying to impress a particularly pretty boy ‘gosh, how subversive and postmodern’ but like everybody I have a clear idea of what I like and I what I deem to be a load of bollocks. The exhibition on the whole was an eclectic mix of installations, sculptures, found objects all united in their fascination with the cosmos and communist routes. I found my eyes darting from story book to odd contraptions, video art and propaganda posters all within the same room. With almost too much to take in it’s defiantly worth skipping your morning Ritalin for this one. Finally my eyes fixed on a series of collages and unlike U2 I had defiantly found what I was looking for. Aleksandra Mir’s ‘The Dream and The Promise’ consists of a number of religious pictures sourced from Italy combined with Russian style space Iconography. The result is a brilliantly witty collection of images juxtaposing two old enemies Religion and science. Religion was science and now science is religion. In addition to being clever in design the collection is also visually stimulating and satisfying to behold. I may even have emanated an audible ‘LOL’. I left feeling a little peachier and with a new artist to ‘Wiki’ scrawled in my tatty notebook. Thanks to the past or moreover their future mine seemed a little more rosy.
Be Mine, Tatty Devine. After an excess of ten years ahead of the game the Perspex pirates return with a clever ironic depiction of Victorian Doilies, traditional lace hems and delicate fabrics resurrected for a new decade and immortalized in plastic.
However my favorite cheeky wink from the accessories entrepreneurs is this giant Bobby-pin Beauty. If you’re anything like me the Wicked Witch in Hansel and Gretel would have skipped a meal as you malt a trail of hair-pins everywhere you turn. And for those not wanting to live like common people they’ve launched a collection of spectacle inspired necklaces paying homage to iconic eyewear from Art world A-holes Gilbert and George to my personal hero Jarvis Cocker. I’d LOVE to see a pair of Ga Ga’s Versace’s in necklace form!
The track playing during this valiant act of inebriation is the extremely apt 'The Body Of An American' By The Pogues. Little idiosyncratic details like this are just one of the many reasons why The Wire is amazing.
From Editorial styling staple to Hipster hosiery of choice in just two seasons’s the appeal of the ‘sheer dotted tights’ has risen like Alex Reids salary. The Geeks and traditionalists amongst us will exhale a resounding sigh of relief as spots are the new getting ‘ripped’. An update on shredded tights and the somewhat tiresome ‘lace trend’ that proved harder to shake than a bad case of genital warts, the dotted 40 deniers bring some welcomed class to the proceedings. Team them with heels for a subtle nod towards 50’s chic or layer with chunky socks, Dr. Martins or ankle boots for a 90’s grunge look. H&M do a pretty, durable version for a purse-pleasing £3!
I’ve never been much of a Weezer fan myself, that phase passed me by. Whilst the majority of my peers were searching for themselves amongst the pre-pubescent philosophy of pop-punk and early 90s power-pop I was busying myself with Tupac conspiracy theories and a desperate desire to learn every verse of ’21 Seconds’. Sure, half of me wishes I could wrestle the hands of time and adopt the persona of a riff-hungry fifteen year old. Perhaps identifying with a band famous for their sheer enthusiasm, a self-deprecating sense of humour would have left me a little more well-rounded than the little blonde girl bitter that she wasn’t born black. Childhood alienation aside I’ve finally found a rendition of a ‘Blue Album’ classic I feel I can legitimately appreciate. Jona Bechtolts androgynous electro-pop outfit YACHT have produced a cover, although the term ‘interpretation’ seems more apt, of 1994’s ‘Holiday’. Instigated by YACHT's Claire Evans who used to run geekrocklove, "the #2 most-popular Weezer fan site”, it pays homage to the fanatical reception of their early works. The pop duo have completely re-worked the track stripping the riffs from its bones and replacing them with some classic ‘Blow’ style beats paired nicely with Clares Debbie Harry style intonation. This is no cheap deal.
In their newest attempt at vigilante social reform 'The Sun' have waged a new war to bring back Capital punishment for that most heinous of crimes. Piping paedophilia to the post and topping the charts for a second season in a row is the newly adopted Hipster Trend and social menace...THE VINTAGE PATTERNED HAREM PANTS!
Taking dressing downs to a whole new level, the most fashionably forward have held their annual conference and decided looking like MC Hammer shitting in to a colostomy bag fashioned from Boy Georgie's futon throw is where it's at. So in a valiant attempt to pursue a path of justice i bring to you our gallery of shame:
And if you REALLY MUST embrace this trend one may only do so if you style it this cute:
As Britannia lays her weary head and any remnants of National Pride dissolve somewhere between Gordon Brown's latest manifesto and Christopher Kane's Top Shop collection there seems no better time to disembark the 'Good Ship Albion'. Looking ahead in to the horizon, something strange glistens before us, Out of this world, almost alien, we feel like a couture Columbus conquering the seemingly unknown. As we acclimatise we're greeted by an imaginative collection of extra-planetary pieces crafted by Danish Designer Julie Eilenberger (a mere 24 years of age) debuted at Berlin Fashion week. An oestrogen enhanced take on classic Gareth Pugh - dramatic shoulders are given a round feminine form, enhanced by elegantly padded chiffon whilst traditional floor-length drapery is dragged in to the 21st century with galactic prints. With quiet echos of a hipper Nicolas Ghesquière for Balenciaga she fuses classic Hollywood glamour with science fiction fantasies. So as we sail on searching for a new sort of dream this Danish designer is well worth keeping within our radar.
Sophie
(Spangly Banner)
