Posts tagged with Joel Thibodeau
June 8, 2009 | New Music | 
by Gerry Mak |
The chapel at Philadelphia’s First Unitarian Church — a functioning place of worship that is also one of the city’s best music venues — was the perfect place to see Brooklyn’s Death Vessel. The first time I saw frontman Joel Thibodeau play, he was alone on stage at the Mercury Lounge in New York doing an moody, introspective, all-acoustic set. This time, he was backed by a full band that threatened to outnumber the tiny audience — an upright bassist, a lead guitarist that sometimes switched to a banjo and a ukulele, a violinist, and a drummer. The tunes they played, mainly from the new album, Nothing is Precious Enough for Us, were markedly more uplifting and dramatic than I had remembered, country rock shot through with expansive balladry and a gentleness that exploded into twangy, desert-evoking electric guitar rock-outs. A lot of people make a big fuss about how Thibodeau sounds like a girl, but to me, his soprano is beautifully genderless. At one point, one of the amps on stage buzzed with an AM radio frequency, which though unintentional, fit the performance perfectly, further driving home the sense that we were riding with the band in an old pickup somewhere on a dusty highway.
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BigNickelgraphic take ordinary subway maps and routes and make them extraordinary. Take this design (above) of the London Tube map, which they’ve turned into a beautiful ‘art symbol’ of the city. The posters are printed on metallic paper and feature a ‘unique pearlescent surface that offers sharp details and saturated colors’. Read more
The problem with firing up the grill is that it’s not worth it unless you’re cooking for a large group. But if you have an Altoids box-sized grill, you can grill yourself a solitary burger or just enough veggies for you and maybe a companion.
Heavy metal and hip-hop are perhaps the most popular forms of rebellion for kids the world over. In Malaysia, metal — particularly black metal — has taken such a strong hold that the Fatwa Council there banned it, fearing that the music would compel listeners to rebel against religion. Contrary to the council’s intentions, black metal is as popular as ever in Malaysia, and is a recognizable cultural touchstone there, as indicated by the above clip from the 2005 film Filem Rock.
Schmidt, Hammer and Lassen’s design for the Copenhagen national library is a celebrated structure in the already glittering design portfolio of northern Europe. The marble and glass façade of The Black Diamond (yes, that is what their national library is called) is an example of architectural brilliance, with even the angled walls designed to best mirror the city’s beautiful canals.
Print Liberation is an exceptional Philadelphia-based creative visual agency whose website showcases a variety of deisgn styles, each immaculately executed. Read more
So much of the Baltimore scene seems geared towards day-glo-clad party people, so it’s nice that introspective, country-tinged folk is also well represented here in the form of Noble Lake, a Wye Oak-related project fronted by James Sarsgaard, who I hope won’t mind me calling the second coming of Townes Van Zandt.
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I am one of those typical New Yorkers who only wears black in winter. But this winter is different. With the economic crisis, and all the rest of the bad news, I have to fight the darkness in the world by wearing colors, and lots of them. Spanish designer Sybilla is known for her original designs and unique color schemes, but she is virtually unknown outside of her mother country and Japan, where she is super popular. Her younger brand Jocomomola is perfect for this gloomy winter. Read more
WE'RE POSTING / SOME OF THE BEST
Here are a couple awesome pieces by Matt Leines that were recently on display in the Doubting Thomases exhibit at Nudashank gallery in Baltimore. Gives me ideas for Halloween. Read more
Never ever, ever, ever, ever park here
Some friendly advice for the neighbours, who simply don’t get it, or street art? You decide which one it is.
Michelle Blade’s psychedelic artwork
Michelle Blade’s washed out paintings are deceptively simple, her washy acrylics creating psychedelic textures and conjuring ghostly figures from the past. Read more
Benjamin Edminston’s psychedelic heads seem to have some fearful wisdom behind their blissed-out eyes. Read more
Francoise Nielly’s Yellow series
Parisian visual artist Francoise Nielly brings technicolour to the forefront in her latest series, Yellow. Featuring thick impasto palette knife strokes and trippy neon hues, Nielly captures the vulnerable expressions of her muses to a tee. Read more
The Illuminated Sea Cookie Pin by Stephanie Simek mixes underwater wonders and light to add a little sparkle to your wardrobe. The sea cookie, a member of the sand dollar family, is back lit by a white LED. When turned on, the light illuminates all of the creature’s natural patterns and intricacies. Read more
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