WE'RE SUPPORTING

I’d been trying to figure out who the illustrator was who had done a few of the beautiful pieces for this year’s Kiehl’s holiday display for a while until I was serrendipitously pointed toward a certain rep’s website to check out some of their illustrators and I discovered it was Justin Gabbard. Score! Since finally coming upon Gabbard’s site, I’ve been back more than a few times to ogle his colorful, chiseled paintings, as well as his fantastic assortment of drawings and experiments. What I find most wonderful is the way in which Gabbard appears to continually tweak his techniques, painting one time, trying it digitally the next, throwing in a little of this and a little of that from one project to the next. Next time I’m out and about in the city and manage to happily stumble across Gabbard’s work, I won’t have the least bit of trouble placing it. Read more

WE'RE THINKING

Many of Michael Lierly’s canvases seem to communicate, through a brash oil technique and vibrant colors and figures, a kind of primal confusion of mood. I’ve been wanting one of his gigantic, enfuriated babies on my wall for over a year now.

Sparks’ album Kimono My House is a demented mix of hard rock, pop, glam, new wave, and baroque pop. Why this record never caught on in the States I’ll never know. The songs will get stuck in your head and prevent you from sleeping. Oh yeah, and the keyboard player has a nice mustache too, as evidenced by this track above — This Town Ain’t Big Enough.

WE'RE TRAVELLING TO

Summertime at McCarren Park in Williamsburg is picturesque. It’s often filled with a mix of people, old and young, picnicking or sitting in the shade, running along the track or playing soccer (or football, depending on where you’re from). It’s also connected to a now defunct McCarren (swimming) pool which transforms into an outdoor concert space on Sundays during the summer. In the past, performers such as Leslie Feist, M.I.A., The Yeah Yeah Yeahs, and Broken Social Scene have performed. Read more

WE'RE READING

A while back, McSweeney’s posted Prescription Drug or Metal Band?, a list of words that were either the name of a metal band or a pharmaceutical, on their website. Read more

WE'RE LISTENING TO

Where would we be without synths and drum machines? Probably still listening to Grateful Dead jams in the alleyways of Height-Asbury. Done well, the remix is a wonderful thing. Case in point is Royksopp’s rendering of the Kings of Convenience track I Don’t Know What I Can Save You From. And then there’s Riton’s version of the Mystery Jets song, The Boy Who Ran Away. A White Lines for the 21st Century? I think so.

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WE'RE WEARING

Made from 100 percent organic cotton and eco-friendly, this super soft tee celebrates a sinister world of kaleidoscopic colours and ripples of psychedelia, of serenading Queens, of dancing flamingos, of unimaginable euphoria. It’s all the work of Sydney label, Das Monk and it’s available through the Lost At E Minor online store for just US$40. Now, there’s one hell of a Christmas present, even if we do say so ourselves!