A Song of Ice and Fire
A couple of years ago, I decided that I would try and hunt down some current fantasy novels. Little did I know how difficult it would be to find anything interesting, intelligent, or containing any literary merit. I read thousands of wasted pages. Eventually I stumbled upon a few works worth noting. A Song of Ice and Fire by George R. R. Martin is one of them. It’s very gritty and occasionally brutal, with tasteful allusions to the supernatural. [see also Aldous Huxley's The Doors of Perception]
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Also by TOBY NATHANIEL
I’m a video game addict and one of my all time favorite PC games was Diablo 2. So I was pleased to discover Hellgate: London, the latest offering from Flagship Studios, the makers of Diablo 2. To game involves killing lots of demons who’ve invaded London — building stats and upgrading equipment in the process. It seems to be a good formula. I’m hooked. [play also Submarine Zero: Ancient Adventure]
When you’re a musician, people like to ask you who your influences are. If I were asked to choose only one, it would be the Soviet composer Alfred Schnittke. I generally tend to like a few specific pieces from each composer, but not their entire catalogue of work. Schnittke is the only exception. His music is very soulful and listenable on the surface, yet supremely complex upon closer examination. He incorporates ideas from pretty much every genre of music and does it with class and taste. [see also the part-operatic, part vaudeville performances of Coco Rosie]
Coroner was one of the best, and most under-appreciated, thrash metal bands of all time. A three-piece outfit from Switzerland with a relatively short life span (’87-’95), the band were technically proficient and experimental but always operated tastefully, adept at hopping between time signatures whilst keeping the groove throughout. [see also Finntroll]
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Tom Wade said | 13 December, 2007
Susanna Clarke’s ‘Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell’ is one of the best books I’ve read in a very long time, fantasy or otherwise. It comes highly recommended from Neil Gaiman (nb. check out Neverwhere) with one of the most spot on comments on the cover: ‘my only regret is that it’s not twice as long’. At over 800 pages, that’s saying something. It’s about the resurgance of magic in 19th C England; so a bit more modern than most fantasies but worth a peak even for die-hard Tolkien/Brooks/E. Fiest-ians.
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You see a man pondering life, but on closer inspection, realisation sets in, and what you actually notice is a sculpture covered in photography prints, creating a truer than life image of art. Gwon Osang is a Korean contemporary artist who has exhibited at the Manchester Art Gallery, among other places. He creates life-size sculptures of people, spending ample time researching his subjects and creating an inspiration for his works.
It seems only fitting that New York’s first eco dining experience, Habana Outpost, is located in Fort Greene, Brooklyn. Read more
It’s all about juxtaposition for the fashion duo Anzevino & Florence. With William Anzevino hailing from the East Coast and Richard Florence from West, they find inspiration in opposing forces. Who else could find commonality between Warhol and Thoreau? Read more
I have a weak spot for the work of New York illustrator You Byun. Her pastel, Miyazaki-esque landscapes populated with their saucer eyed creatures just make me swoon. It reminds me of several other well-known illustrators working today, but I feel that she is onto something spectacular that will simply continue to evolve until we’re all just utterly blown out of the water.
Yes, we’d like to believe we’re all adults, but sometimes, after a few beers, it’s fun to play a game of Who’d You Rather? Read more
How old must Kermit be now? Not to old to collaborate with skater-friendly retailer Supreme and photographer Terry Richardson. Kermit, who usually wears nothing, has been hooked up with some new threads to advertise the brand. It seems Kermit and Terry are the perfect work partners: they’ve even released a video clip documenting the shoot.
Yellow Fever are a great duo from Austin that harkens back to the girl-fronted indie bands of the 90s. At times Breeders-ish, at others referencing garag-y sounds from other eras, their simple and heartfelt songs remind us of why we all thought mismatched Converse and unkempt androgyny was so cool in the first place.
Listen to the Yellow Fever song, Cats and Rats.
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Amazing cake designs by Charm City Cakes
Baltimore company Charm City Cakes produces the most innovative wedding and party cakes on the market. Inspiration for these creative bakers comes from everywhere: art, fabric, furniture, architecture, landscapes, science, and music, and each cake is individually designed to match your personality, and the theme of the occasion you are celebrating. Don’t miss these cakey engineering masterpieces. Read more
Wheeeeee! This game is so freaking fun! You move your cursor over each dot to make them split into four smaller dots ad infinitum.
Scanners’ new single Salvation
I love this track by London based rock group, Scanners, which is off their latest album, Submarine. Having toured with acts such as The Horrors, The Wedding Present, The Charlatans, Electric Six, and Juliette & The Licks, Scanners could well blow up in 2010. Figuratively speaking, not literally. No, that wouldn’t be fun.
I live the upbeat, feel good tempo of the new single — A Hundred Hearts — from Philly group, The Swimmers. Off their latest album, People Are Soft, this song is a strangely fitting anthem for the blustery day outside.
T-post: the world’s first wearable magazine
So here’s the scoop. Every six weeks, T-post subscribers get a new t shirt issue in the mail, with a news story on the inside and an artist interpretation of that story on the front. Yes, we agree. It’s clever, clever. Read more
Thanks to Sony Australia, four Lost At E Minor readers will win personal audio prizes, including the new 8GB Walkman S series video MP3 player and the MDRXB500 Extra Bass headphones. Read more
Inspired by the unique digital clock apps created by the designer, Sean Zoega, the i-toc watch is a colorful physical manifestation of digital ideas featuring bespoke two-disc Japan quartz movement. The outer gradient displays the minutes while the inner gradient shows the hours. The rings interact, creating an ever-changing pattern of design and colour. We have them for sale in our online store. Read more
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Design Dyke said | 12 December, 2007
Robert Jordan (RIP) is my favourite fantasy author – have you read the Wheel of Time series?