Friday, November 11, 2011

Video: Florence + The Machine's Ceremonious Séances

The Creators Project shared a short documentary of sorts of Florence + The Machine recording her recently released sophomore LP Ceremonials at Abbey Road .
For Ceremonials she turned down offers to work with well-known American pop producers, choosing instead to collaborate with long-time friend, producer Paul Epworth. The two set out to create a better version of Lungs—laden with a darker, heavier and more dynamic sound and feel that was inspired by the dueling power and vulnerability of tortured heroines like Virginia Woolf and Joan of Arc.

As the clip begins we see that Welch and Epworth are already deep in the recording process. They tend to record everything organically so as to not interfere with Welch’s artistic process, then use synths and other effects to “turn everything on its head.” They’ve used everything from recordings of crows, ‘80s 8-bit synths, delay pedals, and even a “seance style” recording session where Welch laid on the floor muttering and speaking in tongues.

Welch also takes us to the place where Florence + The Machine was first born: the small, bright, crowded South London studio where she and childhood friend, co-writer and keyboardist Isabella Summers used to record their music.

Happy Friday!: MC Miker G & DJ Sven - "Holiday Rap"

All you sucka MC's better recognize!

Video: Skateboarding VS Architecture: A Study of Public Space and Materiality in Auckland City

In this video the relationship between skateboarders and architecture in the city is explored. Through a series of interviews with city council members, architects and skaters, opposing views and opinions are shared on what defines a public space, what it should be used for, the measures being implemented to restrict areas from being ridden, the monetary value involved in both preventing skateboarding and encouraging it via the introduction of artificial environments as a substitute to the streets.

Skateboarding VS Architecture: A Study of Public Space and Materiality in Auckland City from SwineTrotters on Vimeo.

For further exploration into the subject matter I recommend a book called “Skateboarding, Space and the City: Architecture and the Body a book I read while attending university in the U.K. by Ian Bordensc.  The book was the first detailed study of the urban phenomenon of skateboarding and looks at skateboarding history from the surf-beaches of California in the 1950s, through the purpose-built skateparks of the 1970s, to the street-skating of the present day and shows how skateboarders experience and understand the city through their sport. Dismissive of authority and convention, skateboarders suggest that the city is not just a place for working and shopping but a true pleasure-ground, a place where the human body, emotions and energy can be expressed to the full.

The huge skateboarding subculture that revolves around graphically-designed clothes and boards, music, slang and moves provides a rich resource for exploring issues of gender, race, class, sexuality and the family. As the author demonstrates, street-style skateboarding, especially characteristic of recent decades, conducts a performative critique of architecture, the city and capitalism. Anyone interested in the history and sociology of sport, urban geography or architecture will find this book riveting.

Video: Teenage Riot: Athens Part 3 of 3

On the final part of Vice’s look into Greece’s political turmoil we see the Greek parliament meets to vote on proposed austerity measures while outside their society polarizes itself. All pretences of togetherness vanish as the lines between authority figures and protesters are blurred, leading to street battles and, ultimately, one man's death.  
View Part 1
View Part 2

Thursday, November 10, 2011

Video: Tim & Eric ad for Saints Row: The Third

















Video-game series "Saint's Row" has long been seen as a "Grand Theft Auto" clone but is desperate to step out of its older brothers shadow and to show the world it has some kind of personality of its own. "Saints Row: The Third" seems to have dropped the ghetto-gangsta theme and gone overboard on personality. So much so that the game is filled with flashy nonsensical characters and elements and seems to be all over the place including random Adult-Swim characters, octopus guns, etc. It kind of has gone weird for the sake of being weird. Like the guy at a party w/ a snake ("Oh, this old thing?"). In an attempt to grab attention they have created a number of "viral" commercials but went to the best of the best to make this one, Tim & Eric.

Tim & Eric Show: Great Job has been on a long hiatus but it is good to see they are starting to pump some new stuff out. A 12-minute commercial/film/skit? Whatever it is... its good stuff.

Video: Teenage Riot: Athens Part 2 of 3

A couple days ago we shared with you the first part in three of the excellent video documentary presented by Vice on the current financial crisis happening in Athens Greece at the moment. Today we bring you part two which focuses on the first day of the 48-hour hunger strike. A crowd of hundreds of thousands makes its way to parliament to protest the proposed austerity measures. We hear about the tactics used by the anarchists and police before seeing it for ourselves. Tear gas, flash grenades, and rocks fly as the city unites in angry disenchantment and attempts to storm parliament. 

Video: Summer Camp - “You Might Get Stuck On Me”

On the same week as the release of their debut LP Welcome to Condale, Summer Camp have dropped a brand new track with an accompanying music video. The song, titled "You Might Get Stuck On Me," is part of 17 Cosmetics' promotion in which they bring in 17 artists to write songs for their new makeup line, weird marketing concept but we the listener benefit in spades.

You Might Get Stuck on Me - Summer Camp from Mico on Vimeo.

Wednesday, November 9, 2011

Video: Is This A New Faith No More Song?

Faith No More have been touring the world for the last year and a half or so playing to eager fans that never caught them the first time around as well as those seasoned show going veterans from the 90’s when the band was releasing albums. The boys performed in Buenos Aires, Argentina last night, and during the set dropped the below unrecognizable song. Could this be a new Faith No More song? Could all this touring have sparked the creative juices and set stage for a new album? Time will tell for sure but in the mean time we will have to speculate, enjoy the mystery track as well as an entire set from Download Fest 2009.




David Choe Giving Away Print - "Yellow Armour"

David Choe is doing something fun for the holiday season in the form of a give-away, of course since we are speaking about  David Choe here you know it’s not gonna  be your standard type of freebee, there are gonna be some questionable things involved….
“This print is for all my fans, who have supported me and shown me love all of these years; this is an early Chanukah present from me to you. So this Friday at 11:11 pm west coast time on 11/11/11 the first 111 people to send everything on this checklist (email responses only) to bnamba@live.com

1) Proof of donating blood, sperm, organs, marrow, food, or money to any good cause or charity or also proof of consensual incestuous relationship is acceptable

2) Apology or confessional letter

3) Photograph of you crying (or laughing so hard it looks like your crying) next to a deformed fruit, or any ape, or a really old or really young Oriental person, or someone shitting or video of you dancing really hard in a crowded public area for at least 5 minutes is acceptable

4) Proof of something that shows you ever loved someone

Will be rewarded with a print of YELLOW ARMOUR that will cost them 0 dollars and 0 cents, and 0 dollars for shipping, this is a free print, it is 18 by 24 inches printed on the best paper, all signed and numbered, there will also be a very limited edition of 11 oversize prints that will actually be for sale for non-charitable types who don’t know love or forgiveness, these are 33 by 44 inches and cost 555$ each (I actually only have 6 of these left, you need to email info@trapezeeditions.com for these big ones) the original YELLOW ARMOUR was painted with a bucket of yellow and black house paint, yellow, black, and fluorescent orange spraypaint, and oil paint .”

Video: Robert Crumb - "The Complete Record Cover Collection"

This is a pretty great video focusing on Robert Crumb’s record cover art. Robert Crumb first began drawing record covers in 1968 when Janis Joplin, a fellow Haight Ashbury denizen, asked him to provide a cover for her album Cheap Thrills. It was the only “in” the artist  needed, especially since he had been fascinated with record covers-particularly for the legendary jazz, country, and old-time blues music of the 1920s and 1930s-since he was a teen. This early collaboration proved very successful and Crumb went on to draw hundreds of record covers for both new artists and largely forgotten masters. So remarkable were Crumb's artistic interpretations of these old 78 rpm singles that the art itself proved influential in their rediscovery in the 1960s and 1970s.  Check out the video below and make sure to pick up “R. Crumb: The Complete Record Cover Collection”, a must-have for any lover of graphics, music or Crumb's unique and perverted sense of humor.

MORE INFO:
http://books.wwnorton.com/books/detail.aspx?ID=22322

Published by W. W. Norton & Company
Independent Publishers Since 1923

Directed by John Heneghan
Featuring Eden Brower

The Songs:
1. Sing Song Girl - Leroy Sheild (1930)
2. Some Of These Days - Cab Calloway (1930)
3. Lindberg Hop - Memphis Jug Band (1928)
4. Down On Me - Eddie Head And His Family (1930)
5. Chasin' Rainbows - R. Crumb and his Cheap Suit Serenaders (1976)
6. Singing In The Bathtub - R. Crumb and his Cheap Suit Serenaders (1978)
7. So Sorry Dear - Eden & John's East River String Band Featuring R. Crumb (2010)

The East River String Band on YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/user/suprovalco

Video: Skating NYC’s Subway System

In our ongoing quest to cover a little bit of everything we love, here is our latest Skate oriented story… Slap Magazine shot a sweet short of some skating in NYC’s subway system, pretty great that they got away with this.
NYC Transit Rules of Conduct: It is a violation to:

Stand on a skateboard.
Jump the turnstile or enter the system improperly.
Move between end doors of a subway car whether or not train is in motion.
Damage subway or bus property - that includes graffiti or scratches.

Check, Check, Check aaannnnd Check!

Filmed and edited by Colin Read

Listen: Washed Out – “Amor Fati (Clams Casino Remix)”

Several weeks ago we shared Washed Out’s “Call It Off” one of the unreleased B-sides from the release of single “Amor Fati” now we are happy to share a remix from the release this time in the form of a Clams Casino remix of the title track. I wouldn’t say this is the already classic Clams sound but you can definitely here him in there.