The rise of awesome Iranian metal bands
The upside of the recent unrest in Iran is that it has shown a more dynamic and complex image of Iran than the West is used to. Unbeknownst to many Americans, the Iranian population is one of the most educated and progressive in the Middle East, and though they endure countless strictures from their theocratic government, daily life for Iranians is much more nuanced than many outsiders understand. People in the Islamic republic actually enjoy more freedom than people in neighboring countries, and though the government may attempt to control information, Iranians are exceedingly informed and technologically savvy. Indeed, Iran even has access to pop culture — much to the mullahs’ chagrin — and though Iranian death metal bands such as Arthimoth face challenges unknown to their counterparts in other countries, they exist and have at least enough freedom to record and distribute their music.
Tagged: Iran
Also by GERRY MAK

Luke Butler’s Enterprise series
My roommate is on a big Star Trek kick, re-watching the entire original series. I forgot how amazing and progressive and ahead-of-its-time it was. Actually, Star Trek: the Next Generation is also just as good. Hopefully Luke Butler will paint images from that series next or superimpose Captain Picard’s head on a nude body of Adonis. Read more
Tom Fun Orchestra’s Bottom of the River
This video for Nova Scotian gypsy folk-punk ensemble Tom Fun Orchestra is so effectively simple, matching the imagery to the song perfectly.

Cheeming Boey’s coffee cup art
California-based artist Cheeming Boey makes super-wowza drawings on styrofoam coffee cups. He also keeps a web comic documenting his daily life that is at times hilarious at others rather touching. He reminds me of my friend Jon from high school. Read more
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Matt Stuart’s photography makes big city life look so much more ironic and interesting than it is. It would take the average Joe a lifetime to capture the moments that reel off his website. He’d be the ideal wedding photographer for a marriage to oneself.
French design dynamo Jean-Marie Massaud has created a Manned Cloud. A cruise airship with a hotel for 40 passengers and 15 staff, Massaud worked with the Office National d’Etudes et de Recherche Aérospatiale in this proposal. Read more
Just when I thought my favourite flip flops couldn’t get any better, Havaiana are still offering their thong straps laced with Swarovski crystals. I reckon the bling bling lover in you won’t mind forking out a little extra moolah if it means adding some sparkle to your Havis. Read more
Personally, I think it’s difficult for family photos to not be a bit stilted and weird, but Awkward Family Photos manages to post truly baffling images of badly dressed, strangely posed, and generally weird-looking clans as they wish to be remembered. Read more
Our favourite fiction quarterly — the Australian produced Torpedo — is soon to release its second issue, which is jam packed with well-written, independent fiction. Read more
Says Van She bassist and vocalist Matt Van Schie about the Bush Tetras track — Too Many Creeps — from 1982: ‘I LOOOVE this tune. It opens with a perfect snare roll, and then the counter bass and guitar rhythms make it so cool. The lyrics are even more valid today. They’re one of my favourite bands of all time, and so many people try to do what they did for real. What a time! I wish I was born back then in New York, hanging out with these kids. Ahhhh!!’
Dating or married musician duos are always interesting beasts. Their intertwining affections and chemical reactions make for a potent alchemy of musical magic. Along the same vein of O-era Damien Rice and Lisa Hennigan, Glen Hansard (frontman of The Frames) and Marketa Irglova are the latest lovey-dovey couple with longings expressed in fingerpicked guitars and mourning cellos. Read more
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Scanners’ new single Salvation
I love this track by London based rock group, Scanners, which is off their latest album, Submarine. Having toured with acts such as The Horrors, The Wedding Present, The Charlatans, Electric Six, and Juliette & The Licks, Scanners could well blow up in 2010. Figuratively speaking, not literally. No, that wouldn’t be fun.

Creative advertising packaging
Despite the intentions of many, it’s not so often that advertising — as an industry — truly thinks outside the box. Yet, when executed well, clever eye-catching advertising actually works. It does. As these examples will attest to. Read more

Hong Kong-based illustrator Man-Tsun draws dark and beautiful painterly images that look like they are straight off a high-end Japanese animated film. Read more

1970s and 80s Soviet Union buildings
Cambodian born photographer Frederic Chaubin is the editor of French magazine Citizen K. His photo series on bizarre buildings built in the former Soviet Union during the 1970s and 80s is absolutely fascinating. 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
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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