Lost AT E Minor

WE'RE SUPPORTING

I nearly interviewed Antony for an Australian magazine. That’s right, nearly. But not quite. His publicist gave me his number and a time to call him at. So I did. Only, every time I tried it, over a period of several days, I kept getting his answering machine. Quite a robust voice he had on there too. Suprisingly gruff given the … ummm … rather demure nature of his vocals.

WE'RE LISTENING TO

Describing their sound as ‘nihilist suicide pop’, Rome-based quartet Spiritual Front draws immediate comparisons to Nick Cave, but their approach to dark themes have a hint of irreverence — they inject unexpected doo-wop flares and new wave bombast to their atmospheric neofolk. Their latest album, Armageddon Gigalo, is a beautiful and catchy masterpiece for fans of Death In June, Sol Invictus, and even latter-day Duran Duran.

WE'RE THINKING

I started reading a very funny book over the weekend by the English writer Toby Young called The Sound Of No Hands Clapping. Brilliant. Never has a title been so apt as Young bumbles his way through the fickle Hollywood movie industry. It’s an excellent study in human nature. And a mighty big whack to to the shallowness of the celluloid world along the way. [illustration by Cecilia Carlstedt]

WE'RE WEARING

Now I know what you’re thinking. This Australian summer you’re going to see the wayfarer style ripped-off and ruined by flouro festival wearers all over the country. But these babies aren’t just for show. Handmade by one of Italy’s most prestigious factories, using Zeiss lenses, they’re a far cry from the flimsy market numbers you’ll catch the masses wearing. Read more

WE'RE TRAVELLING TO

Canadian designer Michael Surtees takes pictures of the same patch of sky every day as seen from his Manhattan apartment. Read more

Damn, ten years of playing guitar in loud rock bands, and not once did we have a slamming moshpit like this. Banging heads is so, so fun.

WE'RE READING

DJ Spooky — That Subliminal Kid — is just about the deepest crate digger around, trawling the barrels of long-lost record stores for choice vinyl to spin in his wickedly dubby sets. He gave us the inside word last week on his eight favourite songs right now via our sister website, My Secret Playlist. This is what he had to say about Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry’s Panic in Babylon: ‘If there’s anything that the twenty-first century has told us, it’s that dub is the real original hip-hop. Lee Scratch even had to make it clear in 1965 by adding “Scratch” to his middle name. Take that, Grandmaster Flash!’ Read the rest of DJ Spooky’s Secret Playlist.