Glenn Richards, songwriter and vocalist with Australian band Augie March, writes exclusively about an album that changed his life: ‘Blur’s album 13 [1999] was made after the mayhem and celebrity of Britpop had subsided, but I think it’s a better album than mega-hits like Park Life and The Great Escape. The record opens with Tender pairing a majestic gospel choir alongside Damon Albarn’s languid vocal (for much of the record he ditches his familiar nasal whine in favor of a brave and affecting monotone); the song has an optimistic tone but this doesn’t last long and overall it is a moody and reflective work. There is so much colour in this album. At first a lot of it sounds garish and the mix unbalanced, but after several listens (and preferably with headphones) the method in the madness emerges and this band’s gift for complex musical textures is revealed. Graham Coxon’s guitar work is particularly inventive. 1992 is one of the best tracks: a repetitive and unorthodox chord progression spins around and around like a sad carousel before being consumed in a rising inferno of white noise. Trailer Park has great guitar and electric piano riffs that circle each other and occasionally collide in cacophony. Battle has a sci-fi feel, Mellow Song verges on country and western. The variety and experimentation on 13 reawakens you to the infinite possibilities of pop music. It’s a pity they only managed one more record after this one. [see also Little Barrie on The Stone Roses; Broken Social Scene on Slayer; and Dappled Cities Fly on the Bee Gees]
Also by ZOLTON
Maths explains the origin of superhero characters
I love the colours and simple reasoning in this clever series by Scottish illustrator Matt Cowen, which uses basic maths equations to explain how certain pop culture icons came to be. Read more
Star Wars Uncut: a fully crowdsourced version of Episode IV
The project of creative technologist, Casey Pugh, this full length version of the George Lucas masterpiece was created from multiple 15 second segments recreated from the original movie and submitted by thousands of Star Wars fans, which were then spliced together by editor Aaron Valdez to form the final product. Genius, as both a commentary on contemporary pop culture trends (there are references to LEGO, stop motion, memes and the like) and on the power of tapping your audience for quality material.
Filmmaker creates LEGO stop motion to propose to girlfriend
Now, this is one for the ages: back in 2010, Atlanta film-maker Walter Thompson created a jaw-dropping LEGO stop motion to propose to Nealey Dozier, his girlfriend of four years. The video took 22 hours of shooting and some 2,600 pictures to splice together, a small sacrifice to pay for years of happiness together. Right? Right! Oh, and she said yes. Bonus.
YOU'RE SAYING (2)
Slater said | 27 July, 2007
I don’t see the Blue at all. I see Travis; the Posies, maybe Wilco. Either way, I like it. Nice that it’s coming to the States.
HAVE YOUR SAY
Russian illustrator Vania Zouravliov’s drawings has a turn of the nineteenth to twentieth century dark gothic feel to them, mixed with the colors and styles of communist Eastern Europe and pop Asia. The result is extremely cool without being too hip. Read more
We are more than willing to overlook that unfortunate stint he had with the Mickey Mouse Club because The Gos-meister reigns supreme. He loves his ma, he breaks up street fights, and the boy can actually act. Read more
History is the story of the winners, and western dominated culture recounts few triumphs from the east. Mongol is an effort to correct this balance, and the eastern influence is evident in much more than just the storyline. It is more like a fairy tale or legend handed down through generations, than based on fact, with mythical elements playing a major part, and the character’s motivations remaining simple. Read more
The urban planning for Dubai increasingly has the city looking more and more like a still out of a Jetsens episode. The futuristic architecture that charcterises its evolution is pushing the boundaries of design, the buildings climbing ever upwards with their blindingly original facades. Apparently Dubai is home to between 15 and 25 percent of the world’s 125,000 construction cranes, which is hardly surprising. This image above is a sneak preview of how the famed Dubai waterfront will look in a few years time.
Whenever I begin to take life too seriously, I head over to Indexed for a little humor treat. Never have math, formulas and graphs been so clever and witty. The creator of the site started it as a way to make fun of some things, sense of others. Somehow her little formula worked. She is now listed in TIME Magazine’s Top Blogs of 2008. And now Jessica Hagy is a published author. Enjoy exploring the inner-workings of her mind. It is simply delightful.
A little infectious lollipop rock anyone? Feel free to embarrass yourself singing along at the stoplight. If the other drivers give you that look, roll down the windows and spread the love.
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Keep it simple stupid. That’s the idea behind this design. Fashion label Eleventh Commandment wanted to created something that was as far away from the Ed Hardy ‘cram as much shit onto one shirt’ approach as possible. Voila. This singlet is 100 percent premium 150gsm combed cotton and is made in Australia.
WE'RE POSTING / SOME OF THE BEST
Christoph Niemann illustrates a nightmare flight
New York Times illustrator Christoph Niemann has created a brilliant visual diary outlining the peril and pitfalls that beset the everyday passenger based on his recent experience flying from New York to his home town of Berlin. Read more
Cookie Boy’s creative cookie designs
I don’t eat cookies, so good thing Cookie Boy’s cookies are little pieces of art too pretty and cute to eat. Read more
The return of the Brionvega rr226
Italian brand Brionvega has resurrected the classy Radiofonografio piece first created in 1965. The updated version is just like the original turntable/radio unit, but also has a CD/DVD player.
Pencils made from recycled newspaper
The problem with awesome things like these pencils made out of recycled newspaper is that you almost don’t want to use them.
Mathematics? Leave me out. Fashematics? Now you’re talking! This gem of a site is a runway equation that adds up to a whole lot of wonderful.
Sovereign Beck create modern silk ties for the classic man — both understated and provocative, classic and cutting edge. We have them for sale in the Lost At E Minor store. Read more
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Michael H said | 16 November, 2006
Interesting selection from Glenn. You wouldn’t really spot the Blur influence in Augie March’s music. But then, they seem to be a band that stand apart from others anyway. Nice to read his take on an album which has been on constant rotation on my stereo since I bought it all those years ago.