Glasvegas
It’s rare for a band to have the ability to pen mature, potentially massive, songs yet still retain a sense of locality and modesty in their music. The thick Scottish accent rolling unimpeded out of Glasvegas frontman, James Allan, is proudly grounded in the pubs and bars of his native Glasgow. This quality slices through the reverb-laden, atmospheric background of their songs, lending an irresistible intimacy that tempers the enormity of the sound. Allan’s raw lyrics will likely draw comparisons with the Arctic Monkeys’ scribe, Alex Turner. Although perhaps not mirroring Turner’s genius knack for mass-appeal, there is something about Glasvegas that — like the Arctic Monkeys — makes them sound as though the songs were written just for you. Thankfully, however, they don’t pander to the trendy London-based hipsters they may be categorised alongside. The music is dark, honest and thoroughly developed, fusing styles as diverse as rockabilly and punk. Visually, they stand on the thin line between Jonny Cash and Joe Strummer: decades apart but joined at the hip by dark glasses, leather jackets and slick black hair. This unabashed coolness wouldn’t work if it didn’t have the substance to back it up. Luckily, for us and them, Glasvegas have it.
Listen to the Glasvegas track, It’s my own cheating heart that makes me cry.
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Also by FRANCIS ANDREWS
James Mackay’s Even Though I’m Free I Am Not
Award-winning photojournalist James Mackay’s latest project comes at a time when the world’s eyes are fixed on Burma and the trial of Aung San Suu Kyi. By photographing former political prisoners displaying the names of their colleagues and friends who remain behind bars, Even Though I’m Free I Am Not exposes the enduring pain faced by Burma’s opposition movement. Over 2,100 activists, journalists, lawyers and politicians languish in prisons across the country, and on Friday Aung San Suu Kyi will likely join them. Read more
The blind date of the food world has finally arrived, and it’s proving more palatable than the awkwardness of an evening spent in superficial conversation. Secret Supper clubs are springing up in the backstreets of London: what are attics and living rooms by day get converted into makeshift restaurants catering for an evening of surprise tastes and conversations. Read more
Young British designer Adam Farlie takes a leftfield approach to how people experience interaction with objects, often taking everyday items and toying with their potential to harbour deeper meaning and greater usage than first perceived. He transforms a bed into a ‘vessel that captures and contains the audio-memories of past occupiers through sound’, allowing those who lie on the bed to recall past intimcaties or conversations from years ago, while his take on a chest of drawers’ purpose of holding records of people is similarly intriguing.
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How could you not like Tilly and The Wall? Any band with a tap dancing drummer and a name that refers to the most bland of inanimate objects is alright by us. We spoke with Kianna from the group to get the lowdown. Read more
We came across this building a while ago by French architects EDCM, but as information at the time was only in French, it was all a bit tough – just like this building. Read more
Just when I thought my favourite flip flops couldn’t get any better, Havaiana are still offering their thong straps laced with Swarovski crystals. I reckon the bling bling lover in you won’t mind forking out a little extra moolah if it means adding some sparkle to your Havis. Read more
I’m really liking the style of Natsko Seki. I like the scale she uses, the surrealism, the playfulness and textures. It looks fresh and you can keep looking at her work and finding more in it the longer you look at it. Read more
San Francisco-based illustrator Luke Feldman has just had his first children’s book published, Chaff n’ Skaffs: Mai and the Lost Moskivvy, a collaboration with writer Amanda Chin. The book artfully tells the story of Mai, ‘a young girl who never ventured too far from her home. When a lost mosquito interrupts Mai’s sleep, her friend Chaff suggests they escort Moskivvy back home to a faraway land. So begins a courageous girl’s voyage into a fantastic world’, all communicated beautifully through Feldman’s colorful, dynamic and considered illustrations. Read more
Oh, ok, so now I’ve seen it all. Or perhaps, in this case, I’m not seeing enough. Japanese game shows are so much fun. Seriously.
Grinning Cat is a beautiful electronic album from prodigious Japanese producer, Susumu Yokota. It borrows liberally from the melodic melancholy of classical music and features subtle drum loops throughout. We interviewed him about the artwork that he creates for each release. Read more
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Alex Passapera’s dizzying pen and ink drawings are cascades of images melting into one another, often looking like contorting, mutating creatures spewing blood-like ink splatters. Read more
With the recession still biting, it may be time to whip out the glue and the cardboard and make your next pair of cool kicks. Don’t know how they’d manage in the rain though? Read more
1970s and 80s Soviet Union buildings
Cambodian born photographer Frederic Chaubin is the editor of French magazine Citizen K. His photo series on bizarre buildings built in the former Soviet Union during the 1970s and 80s is absolutely fascinating. Read more
Forget battery powered vehicles. Cars made from ice are the future of transportation: no pollution, no honking horns, no painful rap music blasting out of souped up stereos. And if they melt, they melt. You just swim the rest of the way down the slipstream.
Creative advertising packaging
Despite the intentions of many, it’s not so often that advertising — as an industry — truly thinks outside the box. Yet, when executed well, clever eye-catching advertising actually works. It does. As these examples will attest to. 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
This beautiful archival pigment print by New York-based illustrator, Fernanda Cohen, is called Fashion Ruined My Life. And it speaks for itself. Just look at her face! We have it for sale for just $75 in the Lost At E Minor online store. Read more
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