Benji Hughes’ A Love Extreme
by It’s pretty bold to release a 25 track double CD as your first album, but singer-songwriter Benji Hughes doesn’t care. Themes of love and heartbreak run though the album and his folk-tinged pop draws comparisons to Beck, The Eels and The Magnetic Fields. [portrait by Vanessa Prager]
Tagged: A Love Extreme, Beck, Benji Hughes, The Eels
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I probably shouldn’t admit this, but I’ve never listened to The Eels before. Yup, blame it on all the other sweet stuff circling the globe right now. So how lucky am I then that The Eels have decided to release the aptly titled Meet The Eels, a compilation of their sweetest music from 1996 -2006. Read more
The E.L.F’s Stevie Nicks Hearts
The E.L.F is the outrageous new side project of the flannel-clad Gerling frontman, Darren Cross. A genre agnostic, Cross throws a tantrum on Stevie Nicks Hearts, the first EP created el solo in the dark underbelly of his Sydney home studio. The indie-infused aesthetic smashes itself against the wall, whilst 80’s synth-beats get thrown across the room like a bad break up. It’s like Beck made babies with Dannii Minogue, and the chubby new born is strange looking yet surprisingly adorable. [also read our interview with singer-songwriter Reed KD]
Also by KATE BARNETT
I’ll admit it, on first listen and in a terrible figity mood, i jumped though the tracks, looking for the instant gratification of a big melody before switching to something else. Despite a few negative reviews from others also too quick to judge, the response to this album has been so astoundingly positive, it’s impossible to dismiss. Written after emerging from a period of social isolation and centered around issues of a man and his dying lover, The Antlers’ album, Hospice, slowly creeps up upon the listener. With delicately constructed chords and small movements, the journey of the album unravels loneliness, isolation and deep catharsis.
It takes guts to be simple. Overcrowding, overworking and over-thinking are far easier. London-based artist and illustrator James Joyce shows how good color choice, clever concepts, and a keen eye for type can get you work with big clients, such as Wallpaper, Nike and Penguin Books, to name a few. Read more
I can tell how much I like a designer by the the speed at which I bookmark their site. With Rob Lowe (aka Supermundane), it was on the home page. That’s a pretty good sign. Supermundane is a multi-disciplined creative who impressively creates all text himself for every project he does. Prepare yourself to be jealous.
YOU'RE SAYING (2)
Heather said | 15 May, 2009
Love it !!!!
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A new website has just sprung up, offering a platform for rising independent filmmakers to network and exhibit their work. Material on Indieroad is reviewed and chosen by a panel of professionals, and visitors can stream and download direct from the site for a small fee – one third of the profits will go straight to the filmmaker. From January 15, they’ll be partnering with the Slamdance Film Festival to provide an online portal to the films showcased there.
Just a few days ago, Benjamin Verdoncke climbed out of the human-sized nest he’d been residing in for the past seven days. The Belgian artist took six weeks to build the nest, which hung fifty metres high against a skyscraper in Rotterdam. Read more
What a wonderfully grown up ethos of punk is to be found in the latest effort by New Zealand’s Stolen Girlfriends Club. I saw sequin, lace, leather, denim, tulle, rhinestone and what appeared to be heshen, breaking all the rules of taste but nevertheless making me very, very happy. Read more
I tossed and turned through three chapters of an epic Russian novel last night. Or so it felt as a constant stream of characters made their way past the stringent casting couch and into the deepest reaches of my dreams. Read more
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Back in the day, when I was a skinny teenager on the great pedestal of life, I had a real obsession for the understated, low-fi, deliciously melodic and somewhat blurry sounds of the New Zealand Flying Nun bands. I would pool my meagre savings and canvas the local record shops, scouring the racks for the latest cassettes from The Bats, The Chills, The Clean, and, later, The Straitjacket Fits. Read more
Three piece, cLOUDDEAD, who formed in Cincinnati at the tail-end of the last millenium, fuse traditional hip hop beats with indie, electronica and psy-rock overtones. Doesone and Why?’s layered, poetic vocals cover the personal, political and social elements of their lives; and, above all, their flatout rejection of traditional musical boundaries makes them a quirky and unique act.
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Good thing Kris Kuksi channelled the trauma of growing up with an alcoholic stepfather, his disdain for ‘the typical American life and pop culture’, and his fascination with the macabre into obsessive, baroque assemblages, paintings, and drawings. 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
Amazing cake designs by Charm City Cakes
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Karen Caldicott’s clay head models
British born, New York-based model maker Karen Caldicott has been making clay heads for all major US publications over the last decade. Read more
T-post: the world’s first wearable magazine
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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
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As a special offer to our readers, the very cool Illiterate tee — designed by WeMe Creative, a group based in Hong Kong and Sydney — is now available just $30 through the Lost At E Minor online store.
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PK said | 31 March, 2009
Love love LOVE that new Benji Hughes album – can’t get enuff of it all – but especially BABY IT’S YOUR LIFE….
what a gem, what a record – tell yer friends… and bring on an Aust tour!