//MY TOP ALBUMS OF 2010
I love this time of year.I usually dedicate quite a bit of time to writing my "top albums" list.This also involves a lot of editing which is often subject to my mood-therefore the list gets written and re-written more than just twice. My top album of the year was an easy enough choice-The National-High Violet. I know a lot of people agree with me on this one (for once).I'm glad to see a band finally receiving long overdue recognition since they've got quite an extensive discography.The rest of the releases aren't posted in any order of preference...

The National-High Violet
favourite track:Runaway (but up to date I've labeled each track as my favourite about twice,so..)

Eluvium-Similes
Eluvium's previous release "Copia" is also a solid album, but I find that the vocals add a complete new dimension to the music,making it more sincere and also more memorable.
favourite track: The motion makes me last



Swans-My Father Will Guide Me Up A Rope To The Sky
Swans used to be one of those legendary bands that you either "got" or simply detested.
This album changes that and can be seen as a sort of mediator.If you don't like Jarboe then you'll love this album as she is not featured here.My Father Will Guide Me Up A Rope To The Sky definitely admits to quite a bit of the Angels of Light sound(MIchael Gyra's other Swans hiatus band),especially tracks like Jim and Reeling the Liars in.

favourite track:No Words/No Thoughts



Unwinding Hours-Self-Titled
I am quite an avid Aerogramme fan.Unwinding hours is half of Aerogramme revived,doing a pretty solid job at keeping the Aerogramme vibes alive,yet also giving it an edge of its own.Just like all of Aerogramme's albums this one is heartfelt and is an album one will revisit in years to come and still enjoy it just the same.

favourite track:(this one is tough-the "single"-Peaceful Liquid shell has gotten the best of me,but "Child" is one of the tracks that ......


The Knife (in colaboration with Mt.Sims and Planningtorock)-Tomorrow in a year
This album just explains why I love Scandinavia.This album was commissioned by the Danish performance group "Hotel Pro Forms".The Knife was instructed to write music based on Darwin's "Origin of Species" for an opera.Olof (the one half of the Knife) even attended field recording workshops in the Amazon to record sounds and gather inspiration.

favourite track:Variations of Birds



Sufjan Stevens-Age of Adz
This album got me pretty confused at first.Sufjan is a strange guy to say the least.I think the essence of Sufjan is to embrace the absurd and to not take himself too seriously but to at the same time give his music the attention and listening time it deserves.Age of Adz is one of his most experimental efforts.The album embraces Pop in a non-conventional non sell out way,yet still features the Sufjan sensibility that can be detected in his earlier albums.

favourite track:I want to be well/ Vesuius



Ascent of Everest-From this Vantage
This is an album I never expected to come across.It was recommended to me by friends and even though I often promise to check out a band and never follow up,this was one instance where I made the minor effort and was glad I bothered.I suppose it's fair enough to give it the ambient post rock tag (as much as we try avoid that these days).Nonetheless this album does not restrict itself to the conventional formula of these genre based bands but features an unfamiliar take on the expected sound.

favourite track:dark,dark my light



Wildbirds and Peacedrums-Rivers
This was another friend recommendation.Haasbees kept telling me about this band and I kept failing to remember their name.Eventually I came across them somewhere else online and realized that this was the band I should've checked out months ago.The band consists of a Swedish married couple "the Wallentin's" and consists of mainly drums and electronic samples supported by Mariam's (the wife's) vocals.The album consists of two combined ep's-Retina & Iris.

favourite track:Retina: Fight For Me



Beach House-Teen Dream
Teen Dream is one of the albums that clearly did very well this year,but just as The National,it's another one that deserves the exposure.I love the dream pop sensibility featured in Beach House's music.Victoria Legrand's vocals seem distant and far off yet they somehow nonetheless hit hard and seem deeply intimate.The dream pop label seems like such a cliche,but it is quite spot on.Teen dream is definitely what can be considered a consistent follow up to Devotion.

favourite track:Walk in the Park


Extra Life-Made Flesh
Extra Life is like an off beat cult film.It's insanely catchy yet it gives you the creeps at the same time-I think the sensation of someone pretending to break a head on your head is probably the closest I'll get explaining what Made Flesh sounds like.The twisted or let's say Avant Garde lyrics are also extremely cleverly crafted and correspond well with the music.This is something a deranged ADD kid would love (oh I'm dooming myself here)....

favourite track:Made Flesh


Efterklang-Magic Chairs
Efterklang is one of my favourite bands.Their music has so many layers and intricacies that are sometimes disguised by Casper's melodic and soothing voice.Magic Chairs was an album that left me a little disappointed at the first listen,yet managed to convince me of its genius after a few more.The album is definitely Efterklang's most listener friendly album, yet without the "let's make a terrible album so that more people will like us" approach.The band manages to remain solid in terms of their previous efforts and also manages to incorporate a more accessible element into their music without ruining it which these days is to be considered a rare skill .I think this album is sort of contemporary Märchen Musik.

favourite track:Full Moon/ I was playing drums



Have a Nice LIfe-Time of Land

I'm such a sucker for this band.It's reached the stage where they can release a 4 track ep with only two proper tracks on it and still make it onto my "best of 2010" list.This ep is available for free download from the enemies list site here:time of land

favourite track:Woe unto us


The Body-All The Waters Of The Earth Turn To Blood
I haven't really been listening to lots of heavy stuff this year,with this being one of the exceptions as I've fully devoured this album.Another unexpected gem that I had never stumbled across until it was recommended to me. The Body manages to take so many elements of various sounds and mashes them together successfully.IN this case it's best just to give it a listen...

favourite track:Empty Hearth/ Even The Saints Knew Their Hour Of Failure And Loss


Peter Broderick-How they are
Peter Broderick is a genius-mildly put that is.The 23 year old is not only prolific but also releases solid albums when he does release something.This album is apparently only a "stop-gap" record.Peter obtained a knee injury and had to return home for a couple of months while recording what was intended to be a major follow up to 2008's Home.This is the result.Peter started writing poems,messing around on the computer,piano and with his guitar and came up with this.According to Peter this is only a "filler" album but in truth its so much more.It's one of those records that requires or rather deserves your full attention to be appreciated and experienced to the extent that it should be.

favourite track:Guilt's Tune



Fulka-Mystery of the seven stars

This album is special to me.I think it is mostly because it seems so familiar to me.The folky edge makes it an honest effort that makes it possible to relate to and does not leave half the songs obscured by cool.Most of these tracks convey a lightness that absorbs you and makes it sincere and makes you put it on repeat over and over again.Mystery of the seven stars (the track)is one of the more serious songs that feels like an epic narrative that captures the essence of the album in a more contemplative manner .The electronic bits also help tie everything together and add the "tronic" to the :"folk".

favourite track:Mystery of the seven stars



A skyline on fire-Slow
This album is something I've seen unfold.I still have most demo recordings they did before hitting Studio Benjamin and crafting this masterpiece.I've listened to the album more than anything else this year (hands down-I unscrobbled my last.fm to avoid looking like a groupie,but it might be too late for that now).When making the artworks I listened to the demos repeatedly,and then when the recording was done I listened to the album some more to make sure I didn't misunderstand this very heartfelt record because the last thing one would want when making the album art for an album such as this is to interpret the music and make the art about your own feelings about the essence of the music.Instead I wanted the art to be a solid and sincere statement of the music without being subject to my own take on the music...I know-that's pretty much impossible but that's how optimistic i was.By going through these steps the songs that I already liked to begin with started to feel like home to me.A record that could be revisited and convey the same honesty every time.

favourite track:Expert Heart/Christmas card/Kids in bad Water



Vampire 9000- (yet to be released).
I've had the privilege to have access to these 3 recorded sample vampire tracks before everyone else gets to hear them in January.I can tell you all to be very excited.Vampire is definitely going to be a project worth looking out for next year!

favourite track:colours

A full length is coming up!

//BEEN THERE,SEEN THAT.

Music videos are a strange thing.They are a platform for a band to say as much as possible in the littlest of time.They either make an impact and infiltrate our memory our way of looking or they just become another one of a gazillion videos that get sent to the deep downstairs of your brain and eventually just get tossed in the recycle bin because they simply were not remarkable enough to remember.The latter case is what happens to me most of the time...I watch a music video and either lose interest after a few seconds or just close the youtube window because the visuals aren't enticing enough to deserve my patience when loading the video or even the attention span when watching(i know-this sounds arrogant but it's just honest).

Apart from that, music videos seem to make the music industry (concerning established and non-established bands alike) even more of a battle field than it already is.If you have an uninteresting music video than you might as well start posting an add for your instruments in the Junkmail, as that means you will probably end up as one of the million bands to be overlooked.

Hence it is clear that the music video is quite a daunting thing for a band to put out there.
Thus,most bands try to sell themselves by using the latest flashy effects in their videos.Everything from rocking space to mysterious disappearing acts.Seriously though...haven't we become accustomed to these effects?We are no longer fooled into thinking that just maybe this band is really nifty enough to have put foot on space or to randomly disappear into thin air as an 80's audience might have been.We now know that in a music video everything and anything is possible.Therefore one could say we might have just arrived at the posit in time where flashy effects have been exhausted,leaving us disinterested and apathetic.It is nearly more noble for a band to just depict themselves as they are than to try impress by applying a million effects.Isn't it fair to say that the real as become the "abnormal" and the flashy the mundane?

When looking at film,many directors are returning to something that is meant to feel "more real" to us.Something that makes it easier for us to focus on the story and the raw emotion of the tale told rather than becoming distracted by the air of flashiness about it.Perhaps it is the same with music videos?Maybe it is time for the music to become the main focus again and not the "glamour" involved.

Two recent local (South African) video releases have done just that for me.One of them being for the Folktronic group "Fulka" directed by the one and only Louis MInnaar,and the other for the mantra pop ensemble (i think they made up that genre) "A skyline on fire", done by the UK based wunderkids Shotopop.
They are both honest and focus on the music and the feeling induced by the songs rather than trying to make the band suit a certain tag.The talk about more than selling but rather embrace a realism and sense of joy that celebrates the music rather than the image that so often gets involved in music.

here are these two videos for you to enjoy:

FULKA:
go visit band site here: Fulka



a skyline on fire
go visit band site here: a skyline on fire

//EXTREMELY ORIGINAL AND INCREDIBLY AWESOME.

I think Jonathan Safran Foer is definitely one of my favourite authors.I'm nearly shy to admit this because as you are reading this you are probably thinking "Ugh,another die hard Foer fanatic!"

Well-I say this enthusiasm definitely has a valid foundation .I've just come across one of his latest works which definitely got me extremely excited as I'm planning on making book art next year.I suppose one could refer to his latest effort as an interactive paper-sculpture rather than just plainly calling it a book.It can be regarded as the result of the convergence of literature and fine art sprinkled with Foer.

The story goes as follows....
I am imagining that he was sitting at his desk on a Thursday afternoon with his dog at his feet (I can't remember his dog's name-refer to Eating Animals if you find it to be essential info :P).I would imagine that he was looking out of the window,observing a mundane NY day passing by...He would be observing people sitting on benches or somewhere in a large green park or open plane across the road.He would see all the cutting edge New Yorkers reading from their reflecting I Pads or Kindles and would think to himself "How sad that all these people are making bookstores obsolete..."


What would follow is this (of course-this end product is what I'm basing my ridiculous "I would think" story on)....A book that would not be the same if your read it electronically!A physical book that could not just plainly be transformed into a pdf and substituted by a 45mb file.



This book would be his new title "Tree of Codes".It consists of another pre-existing book that Jonathan Safran Foer has so to speak appropriated to arrive at his new novel.The appropriated book is "The Street of Crocodiles",by Bruno Schulz.Foer simply edited out words or phrases to arrive at his own new story.This was done by printing various manuscripts of "The Street of Crocodiles" and figuring out how to create a new unique tale that exists in its own right.To make the book more than just an appropriated literary piece, he created it as a paper sculpture version,where he took Schulz' book with the original layout and created die cuts to eliminate the words that he was not using in his new found story.


Apparently many book printers said this book is impossible to print and compile,but the Belgian publishers "Die Keure" took on the challenge.Here's a video featuring the author/inventor himself explaining the idea:



here's some responses from other people :

Tree of Codes by Jonathan Safran Foer - Public Reactions from Visual Editions on Vimeo.

go here to buy!

DEAD DROPS/

Aram Bartholl had this strange idea...He planted USB sticks into buildings at random spots all over NY.‘Dead Drops’ as these USB stations are referred to are an anonymous, offline, peer to peer file-sharing network in public space.These flashdrives are located outside of buildings,installed into walls,buildings and curbs where they are publicly accessible.The idea is also to randomly drop files and download files (sort of like a data lucky packet i suppose) and to thereby participate in the project.You never know what you will find might you discover one of these stations.Each USB station features a text filke informing the participant of the project and features a basic outline of why and how.The great thing is that "Dead Drops" is open to participation.Therefore if you would like to install a dead drop in your city/neighborhood follow the ‘how to’ instructions and submit the location and pictures.Thee first lot were installed by the artist himslef in NY only about a month ago,so this thing can definitely grow.

read / see more Dead Drops
via laughingsquid.com

//IT'S TOO LATE FOR A CLEVER TITLE.

I haven't blogged in about 2months.It sometimes feels like it's really tough to blog about something that will keep someone on your blog for longer than 20 seconds.It's like there's just tooo much out there to write about or even share,so sometimes it's easier to just leave it at that and accept that the average visitor time will probably mostly remain limited to a mere 20seconds if at all...which is what lead me to slowly but surely abandon my blog over the last two months..

Now I'm lying in bed with my laptop and my battery has 50min of battery life left...my eyes about 20min (it's about 1h30am) and my brain possibly only 12min of efficient brain activity left to get this blog afloat again...
I figure it's a good way to spend these last minutes of the day...


Okay...if you're still here than we've passed the 20sec timespan meaning I've achieved what I set out to do :) (smirk)...

So here is what kept me awake as I figured the content was worth sharing and interesting enough to try revive this 2month slumber...


"Fulka-The mystery of the seven stars"

This album by the Pretoria based band Fulka is really quite a gem...
Not only are the songs solid and the album something that you will after one play through the album hold dear,but the album art is also something that would make suckers that have never heard the band (pfft-where have you been?) purchase the album.The band refers to itself as a "folktronica" outfit.I suppose its best to head over to their bandcamp and listen to it online

go to http://fulka.bandcamp.com/ to purchase/ listen to the digital album, or contact the band to acquire a physical copy.

Here is an image preview of the album:

//BETWEEN YOU AND ME / OBJECTS OF CO-DEPENDENCY

Found on From Keetra.Go visit the website to view some more of their mind bending & interesting projects! SITE : From Keetra

//WISH TICKET

//1 BIT SYMPHONY

I figured it'd be best if I just quote the text about this project directly from the project's site as it might get tricky to explain since i'm the most non technical person out there:P

here goes: (quoted from http://www.1bitsymphony.com/ )

Tristan Perich's 1-Bit Symphony is an electronic composition in five movements on a single microchip. Though housed in a CD jewel case like his first circuit album (1-Bit Music 2004-05), 1-Bit Symphony is not a recording in the traditional sense; it literally "performs" its music live when turned on. A complete electronic circuit—programmed by the artist and assembled by hand—plays the music through a headphone jack mounted into the case itself. The project is set to be released on Cantaloupe Music on August 24, 2010.

While 1-Bit Symphony is purely electronic in its execution, its contents reflect Perich's long-standing interest in orchestral composition. Since the release of 1-Bit Music in 2006, Perich's compositional work has combined 1-bit audio with acoustic classical instruments, providing insight into the conceptual and aesthetic relationships between physical and electronic sound. With 1-Bit Symphony, Perich brings this insight back into the digital realm, juxtaposing the grand form of a classical symphony with the minimal nature of 1-bit circuitry.

Tristan Perich: 1-Bit Symphony (Part 1: Overview) from Tristan Perich on Vimeo.

//L'HOMME A LA GRANDE BARBE

C.S Neal's work blows me away.I love how he plays with 2dimensionality.Apart from that his illustrations also mainly rely on silhouettes and form and feature minimal detail.Despite not elaborating detail the works nonetheless capture the essence of what is to be communicated...I think the cliche of "less is more" would be appropriate here!

check out his portfolio here: C.S.Neal

//FASHION TIPS BABY # (I lost track...)

Wow-it's just too easy to find blog posts for this specific category.
I don't think I've posted any accessories before,so here we go...

Women and metro sexual men love their accessories!It's about time someone invented something new right?Despite being extremely off beat this face jewelery" also helps reconstructing the face a little.If you've taken too many punches or were born with a somewhat "abstract" face, then this is definitely the bling for you!The safe alternative to surgical reconstruction...Alternatively if you are bored with the normality of your face this face bling can also achieve the opposite effect and turn you into something more avant garde looking!

designed by Burcu Büyükünal.
photos by arthur hash
found at todayandtomorrow

//SUNSHINE THE WEREWOLF / WEREWOLF HEART

I'm not big on hairiness,but what an awesome image-This is what I imagine a contemporary werewolf to look like,these Twilight people got it all wrong...


artwork by Austrian artist Markus Leitsch

Suit 2 & 3 2009
cowhide, resin. 60×30×180cm

//PENCIL MELODIES

I've been looking for a new record player since my old one has retired into a senile state!
I've visited various second hand stores as well as a few lame chain stores that eagerly tried to sell me players that would ruin my attempt of decor in my room...

I came across this lo-fi player on fubiz and think it's THE BUSINESS!

Too bad it only plays 7"inch vinyl! This genius cardboard record player was conceived by a Canadian agency (Grey Vancouver) who dreamed this up for GGRP sound.The only thing is that it might be tricky to keep the record speed constant,as the record player is automated by the users hand-the record has a small insert for a pencil point,which the user then activates through movement...All I'm saying is your arms might get lazy,and the music might end up sounding like a soundtrack to a horror film.

found at fubiz

//....BLOG HIBERNATION IS OVER!

So-it seems my blog has been in hibernation.It's been cozily snuggled up amongst billion gazillion websites keeping it warm and unvisited,but now it has finally awoken from its month long slumber...

//I HAVE THE MOON,YOU HAVE THE INTERNET.

Yep,I stole the post title from a the Field song...I found this on some blog and it made me laugh out loud even though I was sitting in my room alone...It's soooo lame but it's also so relevant!The work is called "Proclaiming my love" by Justin Kemp.The tree is not next to some crowded highway but is situated at the top of some mountain with a breathtaking view...
What more do you want?

via todayandtomorrow

//ART IS HARD

I've come to realize that the older you get (I'm pretty ancient), the more difficult it is to focus on being creative.Nothing ever seems new (duh) and not all ideas seem worth pursuing anymore as they did when you were 5.Nonetheless the lyrics "You mistake talking for breathing" applied to art are sort of what keeps it all going right?I like Dean Sameshima's "Cop Head 69" as it on a vague level embodies the creative failing and frustration and at the end the product despite it all...not always so inspired,often calculated but nonetheless it exists which is sometimes good enough.

http://www.deansameshima.com/

DEAN SAMESHIMA-COP HEAD 69

found via vvork

//SINNERS

Check out the music video by this epic (South African) Mantra Pop (as they call it) band "A skyline on fire".
Their album is due in the next month or so...depending when I finish their album art :).
Will keep you all posted.

Music video and promo image by the mad talented Mr.Louis Minnaar.
please check out a skyline on fire and Louis Minnaar and spread the gospel!

//FASHION TIPS BABY #7
I haven't posted any fashion tips in ages.I figured these outfits are perfect for the current climate that even causes your teeth to freeze off!No more face freeze!Yesss.

//YAY FOR MAC!
I finally bought a macbook this week end.Now I feel like the guy in the pic below in a not so offbeat way.Can't get enough.

//PLASTICHANDSHAKES/MISTAKEN FOR STRANGERS/STRANGER DANGER.

This artwork-“Pre-Handshake Handshake Device” by Dominic Wilcox,is so true to real life.It's all about plastic handshakes....It seems the artwork is imed at comunicating the opposite of that...it aims to slowly initiate the first step of reconciliation but it can also be read as questioning what it is/isn''t to know someone..I would love to see this installed in a busy public space.Perhaps I should rip off Wilcox and place these all over town.I think we might just be in need of something along these lines.

//SLOW BICYCLE.

Apologies for being such a lazy blogger.I have no valid excuses,as I can't really say that I've been terribly busy...let's rather be honest here and say I've been terribly comfortable.Other than that it's been quiet here on my planet,but there are/have been some exciting journeys.I've started drawing more regularly again,so once I get my scanner to function again I'll make sure to post some....For now I thought I'd post some nice bicycle pics as despite my unfit state I decided to after all spit 'n polish my purple glitter bike (it's ot as cool as these pics,but it's got wheels),and give it a og again.I've been carless and stuck a bit,but I think I will start working out a daily bicycle route and win back that feeling of mobility....

Here are pics of bicycles I wish were mine....