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Ah, the joys of spending a seven-hour flight three rows up from a chronic snorer with a bad case of indigestion. It was like an episode of Grange Hill was unfolding before my very ears as the upper tier of a shiny new Qantas 747 was subjected to a series of unfavourably boisterous noises emanating from his general direction. Thank goodness for the headphone sanctuary of some Norwegian thrash metal and a few glasses of New Zealand's finest. They both helped dull the effect of a sleepless night. I was over in Singapore late last week for the launch of a new MTV/Motorola collaboration called Mobbed and it was fascinating to see first hand the social dynamics of a city which is smaller than New York in size yet, metaphorically at least, seems to stretch on forever. It's a bustling, modern cityscape with virtually no unemployment and a population dedicated to propagating the high standard of living that their benevolent dictatorship allows. The results are intriguing. As a long time German resident of the city explained, this form of government has created a class of people unable or unwilling to think laterally but rather content to follow expected paths to get direct from point A to point B. There are rules for everything. And everything has a purpose. And every purpose has a flow that is both incorruptible and invigorating. And the architecture is stunning. And the weather is sublime, if not a little temperamental. And if only I could find my earplugs. I think I need some rest. Btw, the feature artist is Sam Weber, a Canadian illustrator with a fascination for silk screening and Italian comics. |
| Heartland Truckstop | |
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We were bombarded with entries for the first Joachim Baan giveaway which we ran a few weeks back so we're pleased to have another copy of For As Long As I Can't Remember - a limited edition (1000 copies), perfect bound, full colour collection of Baan's elegant photography - to offer to a random emailer with a short two line poem on why they should get it in the body copy of the message. We also have another five copies of the Richard Ashcroft album - Keys To The World – to give away. This is an exceptional record, full of those introspective, heart-wrenching lyrical twists that the former Verve frontman is synonymous with. To be in with a chance of winning, just email us with a four line poem on why you should be chosen. Ok, onto arty things and there's some great work up on Matthew Chapman's website. He's an Australian illustrator with a good eye for capturing those surreal moments that nearly slip between the cracks. There's also some hot photographic work at the New York-based Peter Sutherland's site and some cool tees amongst other assorted fashion paraphernalia at Wowch. Meanwhile, aspiring social butterflies and fashionistas should check out the Australian-based weekly email newsletter, 2 Threads, which features the cream of the emerging design community amongst a series of red hot event pics. Always a fun read. As is the Semi-Permanent book. Details were released this week about this year's speakers for the annual DIK run event and it looks like it'll be a belter with Paul Pope, Anyhow, and Joshua Davis all confirmed. |
| Alternate Cuts (White Horses) | |
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The Telephone Jim Jesus album, A Point Too Far To Astronaut, is a wonderful release reminiscent in parts of the creative, cinematic electronica that was coming out of Europe and Asia just a few years back before the emphasis shifted rather noticeably towards more accessible production techniques (blah house and all it's subtle offshoots). A Point Too Far To Astronaut is as left of centre as the senseless album title would suggest, a heavily sound effect based collection of electronica which crawls along at a gentle pace, the delicate lull of the synth pads washing under a jarring assortment of bizarre instrumentation. Main man George Chadwick is clearly not afraid of challenging either himself or the listener. The unstructured feel of the compositions gives this a unique longevity. It's certainly not an easy album to get a sense of flow with. But the superb production and unscripted nature of the arrangements carry it all to unexpected heights.
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Pavement have had an enormous impact on reshaping the parameters of alt-pop by writing songs that contain enough hooks to make them radio friendly whilst never sacrificing that hard fought ounce of credibility that their sound has always possessed. Stephen Malkmus and his partners in musical grime are unabashedly low-fi and low-maintenance, yet they run circles around most of their contemporaries by consistently being inventive - both lyrically and melodically - and taking massive leaps in stylistic direction. Gold Sounds is an album of jazzy covers of Pavement tracks arranged and performed (as part of a tight four-piece) by saxophonist James Carter, who has previously recorded tributes to Billie Holiday and Django Reinhardt. It's a wonderful album, its lush mix perfect for headphone revolutionaries. Thanks to Inertia we have five copies to give away to random emailers. And, yes, we like bribes. Things that wink and nudge are good. |
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A couple of vibrant works from Japanese artist TiFdyL who spends much of his time between BC Canada and Tokyo. His work is steeped in colourful allegory, subtle yet dynamic, and adorns the Lade Clothing range. Nice work if you can get it! Till next time, Zolton
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