Yuko Shimizu on the French Riveria

WE'RE SUPPORTING

Artist Liz Hickok has created stunning representations of San Francisco entirely out of Jello-O. ‘I make the landscapes by constructing scale models of the architectural elements which I use to make molds’, she says. ‘I then cast the buildings in Jell-O. Similar to making a movie set, I add backdrops, which I often paint, and elements such as mountains or trees, and then I dramatically light the scenes from the back or underneath. The Jell-O sculptures quickly decay, leaving the photographs and video as the remains’. Read more

WE'RE LISTENING TO

Beijing-based band Hanggai write original songs in the traditional folk styles of their Mongolian ancestors — throat-singing, horsehair fiddles, lutes — spearheading an Asian version of the old-time revival. Though it’s only through the digital age that the rest of the world can access this beautiful music, it makes you want to slow down and reflect on what we’ve lost as a species. This stuff makes every flavor of the month indie band seem vapid and meaningless.

WE'RE THINKING

Firekites, from small town Australia (Newcastle to be exact), are my new musical obsession, and have been since early yesterday when their song Autumn Story randomly burst into my headphones and latched itself deep into my inner ear iPod. I wish they’d been around when I last lived in Sydney; it would have been well worth the two hour drive north to see them play. The whole album (The Bowery) is beautiful, but this song especially rings out with poignancy. I love the subtle sound of the fingers sliding across the guitar frets, the gently whispered vocals, which hint at secrets and cheeky serenades, and the sense of soulful introspection that tangles itself elegantly amongst its minor chord tapestry.

WE'RE TRAVELLING TO

Located just off of the J train on the Marcy stop is Marlowe & Sons at 81 Broadway. Whatever the night of the week, this place seems to always be packed. Dimly lit, and intimately laid out, Marlowe & Sons offers a low-key vibe, with a great selections of cheeses and meats, as well as a limited dinner selection. It’s a great place to head to when all you want is to unwind from the frenzy of Manhattan. Consider this your first tasty rest stop in Brooklyn.

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. Read more

WE'RE WEARING

Once upon a time there was a real connoisseur of jeans, Hidehiko Yamane, as expert and demanding as only certain Japanese ‘otaku’ can be. Read more

WE'RE READING

Philly indie rock group Dr Dog recently compiled a crackling Secret Playlist for us which included props for songs by Cass McCombs, Thunderclap Newman, and the new time rag star, A.A Bundy, about whose track, Vice Rag, keyboardist Zach Miller wrote: ‘Good enough to be a classic old timey melody, except with more contemporary lyrical vices added. Great guitar playing’. And so it is [yup, the proof's in the audio below]. You can read more about Dr Dog’s favourite songs via the My Secret Playlist website.