Henri Cartier-Bresson’s The Aperture History of Photography is an excellent collection of photos taken between 1934 and 1968 with an emotional range that few will ever attain. They are portraits of humanity that should be witnessed. As Cartier-Bresson says: ‘As far as I’m concerned, taking photographs is a means of understanding which cannot be separated from other means of visual expression. It is a way of shouting, of freeing oneself, not of proving or asserting one’s own originality. It is a way of life’.

The post Henri Cartier-Bresson appeared first on Lost At E Minor: For creative people.

The Kevin Ayers record Joy of a Toy from 1969 was released by Harvest Records and sits somewhere between Nick Drake and The Byrds. A record slightly ahead of its time, it was filled with enough interesting and clever arrangements and instrumentation to never bore. Girl on a Swing is my favorite tune for the tremolo guitar.

The post Kevin Ayers — Joy of a Toy appeared first on Lost At E Minor: For creative people.

The German electro outfit Burger/Ink released the extremely chilled out album of late-night, early morning dancefloor or sofa-ready beats called Las Vegas on Matador. This is a great companion piece to your Boards of Canada, Aphex Twin, and Kandis. [read also an interview with Japanese electro-whiz, Susumu Yokota]

The post Burger/Ink appeared first on Lost At E Minor: For creative people.

I have known Hayden for almost twenty years. He has always released quality music and that is why he can wait four years between releases and his fans are still there. His latest album — In Field & Town — went straight into heavy rotation in our home and I think will extend his fan base further than even he might like.

The post Hayden appeared first on Lost At E Minor: For creative people.

These very sweet folks from Seattle supported Broken Social Scene on our last American dates of the Spirit IF tour. Although they haven’t quite hit their stride as a live outfit, the tunes from songwriter Grant Olsen have some very lovely moments that fall somewhere between Velvet Underground and The Everly Brothers. I think Arthur and Yu could take over from where Grandaddy left off, though with better songs. No offense to Grandaddy.

The post Arthur and Yu appeared first on Lost At E Minor: For creative people.

My favourite cartoon is Home Movies by Brendon Small. Why? We have the same first name, and both of us have reddish hair (well, in the cartoon at least). After you’re finished digesting Home Movies, you can move on to Metalocalypse, Brendon Small’s latest cartoon about a fictitious metal band.

The post Home Movies appeared first on Lost At E Minor: For creative people.

I went to Dan Ryan’s show a month or so back — conveniently held a block from our home — and really loved some of his paintings. His use of blacks and other darker colors was what really drew me in. The way he depicted nature was something I haven’t really seen from other artists in Toronto . The two of us had a funny conversation about someone asking him if his paintings would appreciate in value. I told him he should have responded with, ‘Yes, they will you fucking idiot. Now hand over your money’. I hope to own one of his paintings in the next week or so.

The post Dan Ryan appeared first on Lost At E Minor: For creative people.

The self-titled Syreeta album came out in 1971 on the Motown label and was a Stevie Wonder production. The two were married. Syreeta has a wonderfully sweet and angelic voice and looks the part as she is adorned on the album cover in a long flowing white dress in various poses on the beach. I Love Every Little Thing About You is the standout track with a very hip drum intro. I’m sure it’s been sampled. Also, there’s a groovy little version of the Beatles She’s Leaving Home, which I’m sure is one of the first, if not the first, use of the vocoder. [watch a clip to the Syreeta song, If The Shoe Fits]

The post Syreeta appeared first on Lost At E Minor: For creative people.