Events / Radiohead play Belgium
Waking up at 4am, I took a plane, two trains and a bus to a rainy field in Belgium. I passed the day drinking beer and staring at the numerous stalls selling only spring rolls- for some reason either a giant one or eight mini ones qualify as a meal. The day wore on and the rain came-quickly followed by some misgivings. Was it worth coming all this distance to see Radiohead in a bleak grey field? I tried to push these thoughts aside with a giant spring roll, but it didn’t work. I was tired, my feet were aching and I was up to my knees in mud. Then the carbon powered light-tubes converged and finally Radiohead began. The grey dissipated as the lights glowed red, blue, green, purple, red. The sounds of — the now Mercury nominated — In Rainbows beckoned the crowd away from the freezing darkness, filling the night with colour. I would eat one hundred giant spring rolls to experience it again.
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Paul Steel makes our top twenty musicians of 2008
Paul Steel has slipped into my top twenty artists for 2008, right at the bottom of the final innings. I heard one of his songs, In a Coma, via BBC radio, and I am still in paralytic shock. With all the absolute sludge being released over the last twelve months, it’s so refreshing to hear music that is colourful, melodic and challenging to listen to. Forget Vampire Weekend and Fleet Foxes, this album has come from a 20 year-old Brighton native, who has taken the best elements of Brian Wilson, Elvis Costello and XTC, and transformed his album into a world of delightful tunes and animated wonders. This is what one of Brian Wilson’s band members said when he heard In a coma: ‘It just @$%^&* freaked me out! Holy @$%^&* bananas!’ What’s so upsetting is that Steel was subsequently dropped from his major label after releasing this album, but that’s ok. He’s now a truly independent genius in music.
In 1974, journalist and film-maker Tony Palmer set out to make the definitive documentary of pop music. Seventeen episodes later, All You Need Is Love (broadcast between 1976-80) endows any music devotee with more then they could ask for: fifteen hours of historical music anthems, interviews and cultural gospel. From the first glance of Glitter Rock icon David Bowie, to the experience of being ‘altered’ by Pink Floyd, this box set is beyond worthy. For those of us who were mere zygotes when Angus first graced the stage with his backwards jig, this gives Generation X’ers a first glance at all that we missed out on. Spending a rainy Sunday afternoon watching Keith Emerson destroy a Hammond Organ on stage could be considered one of life’s little delights.
I’ve been going through a Paul McCartney phase of late, trawling deep within his catalogue to unearth hidden gems amongst the played out classics. His recent collaborations with ex-Killing Joke member, now uber-producer, Youth, aside {the aptly titled Fireman projects), McCartney has always maintained an elegant polish about his recorded music, the melodic perfection of his poppier numbers brushing ever so gently against the soulful songs he wrote to his late wife, Linda. This is one of them, Maybe, I’m Amazed, as heartfelt and emotive as one man and a minor key progression can get. The rawness of his delivery, on this song in particular, is so intense and beautiful.
Also by HUNA AMWEERO
Alicia Keys and Jack White Bond theme
See, a video like this would confuse the Pussycat Dolls. It is a super hot-sexy video. But alas, no one is wearing skin-tight black latex pants, or skin-tight pink latex tops. I imagine them screaming at the television ‘where is all the skin! Skin!’ All five (or is it six?) Pussycat Dolls aside, this pairing is super cool. I love that Jack White finally got to do a Bond theme, and I think he’s done a great job on Another Way To Die. I also hear that he is going to work with Miss Keys on her next album. But for now we must be satisfied with watching this video over, and over, and over again.
A few months ago, Dan Davey tapped me on the shoulder and politely asked me for a moment of my time. We had a brief — and, of course, polite — conversation about Sydney’s psychedelic ’scene’. Not wanting to take up more of my time, he politely said, ‘nice to meet you’, and went on his very polite way. Now, either all the people I hang around with are really rude, or Dan Davey is the most well-mannered man I have ever met. This seemingly irrelevant tale becomes totally relevant when you hear his band Sister Jane. You see, when Dan sings, it sounds like he smokes fifty cigarettes a day, is made up of 87% liquor and never asks for a moment of your time, because he’s just too damn cool. So take a moment of your time and give their song, Shacked Up Blues, a listen.
I recently added DJ to my repertoire of skills, after I ‘dropped’ tunes till the early hours of the morning in my friend’s lounge room. The dance floor was positively heaving as the punters (or punter, my friend Macarena) lapped up some LCD Soundsystem, N*E*R*D and, of course, Spank Rock. As the sun started to rise, I decided to tone down the mood, working the blissful Park Benches by Belles Will Ring into my set. I’d forgotten how beautiful the song is, and have been listening to it ever since. Check out the lovely video they did for the Shoot The Player team in the backstreets of Sydney.
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Nagi Noda is one busy lady. Although a native of Tokyo, she spent five years in America and has worked up an impressive body of work. In addition to the rad hair hats an MFA would drool over, she’s directed videos for the Scissor Sisters and done work for both Laforet and Nike, amongst others. Read more
With its long history in poster design and with a younger generation of artists who grew up with both Eastern and Western European influences, the ‘new Poland’ is booming. I had a blast when I visited Warsaw about a year ago and met all the movers and shakers in design. My friend just sent me a link to Tymek Jezierski’s amazing comic works. They’re so fresh! The only problem I have with them is that I don’t read Polish.
The latest addition to the Zune Arts podcast is Behind the Scenes: Piece of Me, Piece of You, which features the production madness and creative legwork that goes into the making of a Zune Arts film. Read more
Ninety percent of the time, you can pick a Scandinavian brand from a metric mile away, which is not necessarily a bad thing considering that the Scands have such a refined, clean approach to thinking about clothes. Read more
It’s only fitting a band of Canadian rootsters like this would tap a mythical figure of folklore for their namesake. Indeed, Ottawa’s The John Henrys understand the power of the familiar. Read more
In 2004, a local government in Paris revealed plans to redevelop an area of the city. However, in response to time lag and a lack of consultation, a residents group launched a virtual design competition for the area in Second Life. Read more
DJ Spooky — That Subliminal Kid — is just about the deepest crate digger around, trawling the barrels of long-lost record stores for choice vinyl to spin in his wickedly dubby sets. He gave us the inside word last week on his eight favourite songs right now via our sister website, My Secret Playlist. This is what he had to say about Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry’s Panic in Babylon: ‘If there’s anything that the twenty-first century has told us, it’s that dub is the real original hip-hop. Lee Scratch even had to make it clear in 1965 by adding “Scratch” to his middle name. Take that, Grandmaster Flash!’ Read the rest of DJ Spooky’s Secret Playlist.
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Kristin Baker’s paintings strike the eye like massive Hollywood blockbusters, but have the elegance of delicate watercolors. Read more
Sam Weber on his favourite emerging artists
We asked illustrator Sam Weber to give us the inside word on some of the young artists who have caught his eye recently: ‘Francis Vallejo, Yoko Furusho [above], and David Jien [below]. For up-and-comers, they are a few with some really amazing work’. Read more
Barack sweats it out on Election Night
While the rest of the world spent election night biting fingernails whilst glued to the TV set, it’s kinda nice to know that President Elect, Barack Obama, was doing exactly the same thing, as these wonderfully low-key insider snaps from David Katz reveals. Read more
Download the new Michna album, Magic Monday
The media world is firmly embedded in the twenty-first century digital revolution, so we thought we better keep up with the times. Read more
There are two Americas: one which strives to create its own culture, music, and art with a strong sense of ethics in mind, and another that drinks 32-ounce energy drinks before waiting on line to get into a club packed with women trying to get back at their overbearing fathers, and homophobic men with a fondness for Axe body spray. How do we bridge the divide?
From afar, Jesus stares serenely at those surrounding you. But up close, Islamic crescents cluster together in abstract patterns. Created by fashion label, the-affair, this tee is printed on beautifully soft American Apparel in a limited edition of 200. Purchase now. Read more
Woohoo! We have five copies of the new Faint album, Fascination [Inertia], to give away to randomly selected Australian-based Lost At E Minor subscribers who leave a message under this post telling us about the last time they, ummm, Fainted.
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paul merrill said | 2 August, 2008
I saw them twice at Red Rocks in Colorado, USA - a great venue. Both were great concerts.
But I wish I could have seen them about 12 years ago when I lived in the UK.
Sigh.