Peeking through the undergrowth

WE'RE SUPPORTING

I was feeling kind of picky this morning, searching for just the right thing to itch that Monday morning scratch. The beautiful origami like collages of London illustrator Kate Slater really did it. The fact that they’re 3D makes you convinced that you might actually be able to crawl inside one of them and reclaim a small bit of your childhood dangling delicately from marionette-like strings and casting shadows like a still from a puppet show.

WE'RE WEARING

While I feel I am not alone in breathing a sigh of relief over this season’s purging of fluoro, in retrospect there was a lot to be learned from the experience: don’t wear all fluoro, or don’t wear fluoro at all. And we slowly trudged back to black, which, despite what other colors may think, will always be the new black. Read more

WE'RE READING

Fans of Australian buzzsaw rock trio, The Vines, might like to check out our sister site, My Secret Playlist, where drummer Hamish Rosser has written about eight songs he’s digging right now. There’s some interesting choices in there including The Strokes, James Brown, and, gulp, Joan Jett.

WE'RE THINKING

Brian Bress is my art obsession at the moment. I recently saw his show at the LFL gallery in New York, and his collages and photographs were so striking, modern and funny that I couldn’t stop staring at them.

Back in the day, New Zealand pop absurdists, Split Enz were the finest damn Australasian band around. This track, I Walk Away, off their final album — Spellbound — is their ultimate moment: a hefty dose of pure melodic majestry, wrapped around the aching lyrics and quirky arrangements of genius frontman, Neil Finn.

WE'RE TRAVELLING TO

Along with San Francisco and Barcelona, New York is arguably the modern street skating city, both in reality and image. Because of the unique background, experience and perspective of the film’s creators and the decision to “cast” the city of New York as one of the main characters, Deathbowl to Downtown promises to be an unprecedented, seminal film. Read more

WE'RE LISTENING TO

A culmination of nearly four years of writing and recording, Omaha quintet, The Faint are preparing to release their fifth album, Fasciinatiion, on August 5 on the band’s own newly-formed label, blank.wav. Working without any time constraints, the songs went through many recorded incarnations before finding their final forms. The result is the best album in the band’s career, a record that is the purest culmination of The Faint’s brilliant musical instincts, ideas and aesthetic, with each member contributing equally to its creation.