Lost AT E Minor

Illustration / Ryo Mizuno

April 30, 2007 | Illustration | by Casper Johansson |

Says Japanese artist Ryo Mizuno of his work: ‘I draw invisible things; I don’t know what they are; I don’t know where they come from; Possibly they might be in another world; Possibly they might be alive somewhere in the universe; Possibly they might be around me; Possibly they might be in me; Possibly they might be me’. [see also Toru-Nishimaki]

Photography / According To No Plan

April 30, 2007 | Photography | by Zolton |

There’s a real sense of world-weariness in this photo from Corey Arnold, like he was privy to something that he perhaps shouldn’t have seen. Only whatever it was disappeared in a flash, and all that’s left is this photo and a very sketchy memory.

Fashion / NaCo

April 30, 2007 | Fashion | by Andres Colmenares |

‘NaCo was created in 1999 by Tijuana’s Edoardo Chavarín and Mazatlan’s Robby Vient, schoolmates at the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California. What started as a hobby has turned into an internationally known brand of t-shirts, hats, backpacks, wallets and other apparel and accessories’. What makes NaCo so special? Well, Naco is originally a derogative term used by upper and middle-class Mexicans to describe things and people they felt were way beneath them in terms of hipness, taste and economic status. NaCo’s ‘Ser Naco Es Chido’ tagline means ‘to be naco is cool’. Phrases like ‘NA/CO’ instead of AC/DC, ‘Los Bitles’ for The Beatles, or ‘Estar Guars’ for Star Wars have been used in more than 300 designs using ’spanglish’ and iconic imagery, playing with double or triple sense words turning these ‘tacky’, uncool tees into a million dollar business.

Art / New light of tomorrow

April 30, 2007 | Art | by Casper Johansson |

Winnipeg artist Neil Farber’s bright collages are like a panacea to the dust and grit of urban living. They radiate more winks and smiles than a bowlful of Cheetos, and with only half the calories. [see also Joe Sorren]

Music / Vampire Weekend

April 30, 2007 | Music | by Kate Barnett |

When I was a kid we used to go on a lot of road trips with my dad and his new car gadget, the CD player. He liked Peter Gabriel and he liked him on repeat. Read more

Illustration / Gloomy Bear

April 29, 2007 | Illustration | by Kate Barnett |

He may be getting on in age but Gloomy Bear is still my favourite Japanese character. I recently discovered that self-taught illustrator Mori Chack, the brainchild behind the evil bear, was found selling postcards on the side of the street by Pony Canyon, a major Japanese audio/visual Company. Unlike Hello Kitty and the rest of the cutesy kids, Gloomy Bear is based on reality — bears attack, and when they do it’s vicious and bloody. Gloomy is particularly creative, and so darn cute. Just right for the school lunchbox and backpack combo.

Music / Pink Nasty covers Usher

April 29, 2007 | Music | by Kate Barnett |

I love a cover song. Even more than a cover of a classic, I love a version of a cheesy r’n'b hit, like Alanis Morrisette covering Fergie’s My Humps (who knew she had a sense of humour?!) and controversial Peaches taking it up a notch with a tribute called My Dumps. Austin-based folk-rocker Pink Nasty’s cover of r’n'b ladies man Usher has to be the best of all. Actually her second album Mold The Gold is all pretty good. She’s lent a hand in production from her brother, provocative rapper Black Nasty, and the famous Bonnie Prince Billy on guitars and vocals. Think lo-fi indie pop rock — Fiona Apple, Cat Power and even Neko Case.

Art / Bastardilla

April 29, 2007 | Art | by Andres Colmenares |

Bastardilla is a mysterious street artist who traces snakes, humming birds, lonely long-haired ladies and cactuses onto walls and windows in Bogota, Colombia. She is one of the most interesting characters within this city’s strong and vibrant street art culture. The vivid, curvy lines sometimes mixed with colour glitter express in such a powerful way how this city can both embrace and harm. Her drawings can also be found in dark, small corners of cities like Barranquilla and Cali, where she has silently and gracefully left her mark. [see also No Para Innita]

Photography / Close To Home

April 29, 2007 | Photography | by Zolton |

Presenting a series of photo essays based around the theme ‘Close To Home’, the latest installment of online photo gallery, The Bruise, is teeming with interesting documentary style and portrait shots. Says exhibition curator Carey MacArthur from Bluebird Photography: ‘As photographers we inherently explore the world around us yielding a small glass lens like a weapon. We look. We see. And we try to make some sense and order of our own small worlds. Sometimes we only succeed by compelling the fragile relics of our families, all of our hidden secrets, into a composition and onto an equally fragile sheet of plastic. Those photographs in turn become new relics carrying with them their own quiet meanings and secrets that haunt and confound us. Our families are our past, present, and future, so are our photographs, the two, our closest relations’. [see also Revol Magazine]

April 29, 2007 | Music | by Zolton |

Norwegian bands such as Kings Of Convenience have a certain brashness about them. They value words and they steer a delicious melody from its start to its very natural conclusion, never leaving ends unfinished. They also dance very poorly. But hey, who doesn’t? [see also Erlend Oye]

Art / Megan Whitmarsh

April 29, 2007 | Art | by Kate Barnett |

I’m really not very patient with sewing. I struggle with lost buttons and drooping hemlines, which is why I have so much admiration for Los Angeles-based artist Megan Whitmarsh. She draws from her background as an art school painting major to bring us pop culture modern embroideries featuring ghetto-blaster holding Yetis, space travelers and battling elf maidens. While her works are generally small, some of her panels are huge, forcing the viewer to peer deep into her worlds. [see also Mega]

Products / Milk

April 28, 2007 | Products | by Andy |

Yet another creation by Danish serial entrepreneur Soren Kjaer, Milk is a desk designed with simple form and smart function. ‘It’s like the Lamborghini of desks. Except we’re Danish. It’s like the iPod of desks. Minus the play list. It’s like Chrysler Building of desks. But with no elevator’. Slick, shiny and white - we like.

April 28, 2007 | Music | by Zolton |

I spent the formative first six years of my life in Wellington, New Zealand, a beautiful windswept city framed by a magnificent harbour in one direction and a stunning collection of green, rolling hills in the other. It was here, on a return visit many years later and deep amongst the clipped accents and ruddy faces of the weather-beaten locals, that I stumbled upon the vast catalogue of the then Dunedin based record label Flying Nun. And what a roster of acts they housed — The Chills, The Bats, The Clean, Tall Dwarfs, The Verlaines, and my favourite guitar-pop band, Straitjacket Fits. The music that Flying Nun released during the mid-80s to mid-90s was largely low-fi, unpolished indie genius. It was melodic, simple and unaffected. It had a sense of realness about it, as if it were recorded for the band and a handful of fans only, and if anyone else got it, then that was just a bonus. Yet many did. The Flying Nun roster gained cult status in Europe and amongst those in the know on the US college circuit before, in the finest traditions of great pop bands, they all imploded or just gave up or morphed into something else altogether. So all we have left is a pile of memories and a great heap of poorly mastered CDs. Oh, and this clip from the Straitjacket Fits for their song She Speeds, one of the highlights of this low-fi rebellion.

Illustration / Gotta Make The Nice

April 28, 2007 | Illustration | by Zolton |

I remember that expression coming up in an episode of the Larry David series Curb Your Enthusiasm and thinking what the heck does it have to do with anything? ‘Make the nice’ indeed. That’s right; make the nice all you like. Just don’t go doing it on my time. Until suddenly it dawned on me, one lonely, overcast day, that it’s a good thing to make the nice. Yes, a damn fine thing indeed. And so I made the nice, and I haven’t looked back. Really that’s all we’re trying to do with our weekly email newsletter that goes direct into your inbox every Thursday. It’s a short, concise, sparkling, colourful collection of artwork, photography, music, and fashion that we’ve uploaded to the Lost At E Minor website during the course of the week. It’s a little snapshot of pop culture, easier to digest than a thousand Dunkin’ Doughnuts and more fun than a dinner date with Ricky Gervais. It’ll add some cheer to your week. So please make the nice and sign up to receive it via the subscribe box in the top right hand corner of the website. We think you’ll like it. [illustration by Cecilia Carlstedt]

Products / Icebreaker gets edgy

April 28, 2007 | Products | by Zac |

For those who haven’t come across New Zealand’s Icebreaker range of clothing, I recommend you acquaint yourselves with this wonderful pure merino wool clothing. Icebreaker is not your normal wool product — due to the fineness of the merino thread, it’s got all the properties of cotton (including ‘chuck in the wash and don’t worry’ care instructions), but never smells, and keeps you both warm and cool depending on the time of year. Its edgy design works too. Best of all, Icebreaker is an ecologically friendly clothing range. It uses a ‘narrow and deep’ selection process for its suppliers, which focuses on impeccable business ethics. And wool is fundamentally a renewable source.