Diablo Swing Orchestra

Lifelover

Anyone who thinks black metal is too rigid and narrow a genre to have room for innovation would do well to check out Lifelover, a Swedish band that defies every convention of black metal while still remaining miraculously kvlt. The sextet wafts between languid, hallucinatory grooves that channel Iggy Pop and latter-day Cure to unhinged freak-outs that sound as if they’re emanating from the deepest, coldest forests of Norway.

Luke Jackson’s debut album, And Then Some

In the Spring of 2006, a seven-year email correspondence culminated in the meeting of Luke Jackson and Magnus Börjeson. Jackson had long been a devoted fan of two of the Swedish musician’s former bands: Beagle and Favorita, and the two songwriters finally met in Paris where Börjeson was mid-tour playing in The Cardigans. By the end of the weekend, Jackson had accepted an invitation to record in Sweden, which he took up in January 2008. He set to work in the studio with Magnus on bass and Christoffer’s Brainpool bandmate Jens Jansson on drums. Upon his return to London, he sent the rough mixes of the songs to renowned London-based string arranger Robert Kirby (who has orchestrated works by Nick Drake, Elvis Costello, and Elton John). Kirby loved the songs and offered to write orchestrations for the album and accompany Jackson to Sweden to conduct the necessary recording sessions with nine players from Malmö’s Opera Orchestra. It is the collision of these two worlds which makes his album, And Then Some, so compelling. Densely layered guitars and vocal harmonies fuse with sweeping string lines, none of which ever draw the ear too far from what lies at the heart of Jackson’s music.

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Pain

Metal icon Peter Tägtgren has produced the harshest and most underground music of the European metal scene — Immortal, Dimmu Borgir, Celtic Frost, among many others. His own band, Hypocrisy, is one of the most revered melodic death metal bands in the world. Read more

Anatomical cross-sections made from Japanese tissue paper

Lisa Nilsson’s Tissue Series consists of anatomical cross-sections made from Japanese mulberry paper and the gilded edges of old books. Read more

Overade foldable bike helmet

Designed by Patrick Jouffret of French design studion agency 360, this unisex bicycle helmet folds up into a compact shape small enough to fit in your purse or backpack, so you’re not left wondering what to do with it after you’ve locked up your bike.

Millennium Falcon fort built for young leukemia patient

Christian, a nine-year-old leukemia patient, wished for a backyard fort shaped like the Millennium Falcon. The Make-A-Wish Foundation granted his wish. Read more