
The Tinklers
The Tinklers suck, but that’s what makes them so great. Their atonal, monotonous singing, and nearly non-existent musicianship have certainly won them some virulent detractors, but their unabashed niceness has attracted just as many loyal fans. Much in the vein of Half Japanese and Daniel Johnston, the Baltimore duo has plunked out silly, out-of-tune folk and pop numbers for 30 years, becoming indie icons in the process. Charles Brohawn and Chris Mason are classic underdogs, plugging on against all odds, and their harshest critics miss the point of what they do. A recent documentary about them, Everybody Loves the Tinklers, explores the impact the band has made, and addresses the controversial space they occupy in pop culture.
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Tagged: Charles Brohawn, Chris Mason, Daniel Johnston, Half Japanese, The Tinklers
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Lady Lazarus covers Daniel Johnston’s Story of an Artist
Minimalist dream-pop and experimental folk artist, Lady Lazarus, has had a great year with the release of her debut album, Mantic, receiving kudos from Pitchfork, Stereogum, One Thirty BPM, and the like. Now check out her latest song, Story of an Artist, an intimate, beautiful cover of a Daniel Johnston favorite.
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I had somewhat forgotten about Jad Fair over the years. After watching Half Japanese: The Band That Would Be King years ago, and being rather touched by the story behind Jad and his bandmates, not to mention their music, I’ve been unable to find much by way of recent activity. Then I heard he was playing in my hometown, Austin. Jad Fair live: this should get interesting, and interesting turned out to be an understatement. Read more

The Travis Louie cover on Les Claypool’s latest offering Fungi and Foe serves as the perfect lure into a backwoods intellectual playground of the man who graced us with the iconic group Primus. A grovin’ bass player with Captain Beefheart cool and Daniel Johnston soul, Les paints lovingly jagged portraits of something slightly akin to real life in the shadow of an abundant imagination.
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Also by GERRY MAK

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

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
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I love the illustrations in these 1970s children’s books by Gojin Ishihara (aka ‘Japan’s Norman Rockwell’). These surreal images are synonymous to a B-movie in their campiness yet antonymous in their attention to detail. Read more
The name pretty much says it all. Frédéric Chaubin’s recently published collection of photographs from the late Soviet-era is truly cosmic. The photographs pop with a surreal grandeur, made more fascinating by the stark contrast of these extraordinary buildings and their very ordinary purposes. Read more
Oh man! If I was twenty again, a jumble of nerves and a well of electric energy, I’d be in the front row for every damn MGMT gig. Read more
There’s something compelling about the energy, the charisma, and the incessant pmmft, pmmft, pmmft of the slippery ghetto tunes blasting (and I mean blasting) out of every hotel, café and bar in South Beach, Miami. Read more
Our friends over at Sex In Art recently posted the work of Japanese artist Aya Kato. Says Justin, the founder of the site: ‘I have this folder on my desktop titled Cool Shiat. It’s where I save all the inspirational images I find on the net. I’ve just finished filling it up with Aya Kato’s amazing images. Argh wow. Wow, wow, wow. I won’t say anymore. Just check her work out for yourself’. Read more
I’ve been waiting for a group like this. These New Puritans are balls in your face, 100 miles an hour, pure attack! A young British group that has most of the UK press in the palm of their skinny pale hands, they hint at a sonic mash of Bloc Party mixed with what White Rose Movement were supposed to be. What more could you want?
Listen to the These New Puritans track, Elvis.
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From this artist selection of t-shirts comes this Mydeadpony illustrated t-shirt, silkscreened on a limited edition tee, and distributed in a vinyl sleeve, with a biography of the artist on the back of the sleeve. Every t-shirt is numbered and signed by the artist, and comes in organic cotton.
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Communication prosthesis by Sascha Nordmeyer
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It’s refreshing to see artists like Joe Kievitt who are contented to explore the beauty in simple forms and asymmetrical patterns. Read more

Pitched as ‘Ulterior Motives in Contemporary Art’, Disorder Disorder is running until November 14 at Penrith Regional Gallery. It’ll be well worth the trip out west of Sydney: the Australian, Japanese, American and European cast reads like a warriors of street art roundup and includes Mike Giant, Ed Templeton, Anthony Lister [artwork above], Ozzie Wright, and Jonathan Zawada. Read more
Inside this sea urchin shell is an organic perfume made from grapefruit and basil essential oils. This bottle, designed by Stephanie Simek, is refillable and is packaged in a wooden box decorated with a satin photograph and padded with slices of exfoliating loofah sea sponges. The Honeymoon-themed fragrance is all natural: made from plant-based oils and contains no alcohol or chemicals. We like. Read more
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