7.24.2008
"Get It Up" Santogold ft. M.I.A. and Elephant Joe
http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/article/download/142381-new-music-santogold-ft-mia-and-gorilla-zoe-get-it-up-radioclit-mix-stream
"Sleepyhead" Passion Pit
http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/article/download/142111-new-music-passion-pit-sleepyhead-stream
7.05.2008
Released
I am back from my multiple-month long hiatus. It's the summer again, which means I have more time to write. I'm slightly excited to start writing again. I need a refresher, and that's what writing does for me. Besides giving me somthing to do.
I'll warn you, though. Each and every post on here will be randomly themed. I hate restrictions, so I tend to rid myself of them as much as possible. And I might rant a little. Read at your own risk.
I'll warn you, though. Each and every post on here will be randomly themed. I hate restrictions, so I tend to rid myself of them as much as possible. And I might rant a little. Read at your own risk.
12.08.2007
Hiatus
If anybody is still reading this (which I absolutely doubt) I'm just here to remind you that I'm not dead... just on a haitus. I've been ridiculously busy with work and whatnot. Hopefully I'll still have the energy to post every once in a while about topics unexplored. I think I'll expand outside of fashion and just type away about nonsensical wonderings. It'll be lovely.
cheers
cheers
11.16.2007
About two minutes ago I started going through the usual rounds of looking through street style blogs that I attempt to accomplish every so often.There are at least 2 dozen street style blogs on my favorites list, so it's quite a tedious task unless I'm up to it. One of the blogs I visited was the Iconia Fashion Blog based in Bogota.
As I was scrolling down the page, I came across these two girls:
Now, here's my question: which one looks more punk? The first one is definatly trying to look the part, but she pales in comparison to the second girl. The arm warmers, the relaxed jeans, the scarf. It all fits together. Most people think of punk as a strictly red-and-black affair, but she's wearing pink and pulling it off 100 times better than the first girl.
This just goes to show one thing about fashion: You can wear whatever the hell you want, but you have to have the attitude to pull it off. Your face has got to fit the clothing, or else you come off looking foolish. It turns out that fashion is not your clothes after all.
As I was scrolling down the page, I came across these two girls:
Now, here's my question: which one looks more punk? The first one is definatly trying to look the part, but she pales in comparison to the second girl. The arm warmers, the relaxed jeans, the scarf. It all fits together. Most people think of punk as a strictly red-and-black affair, but she's wearing pink and pulling it off 100 times better than the first girl.
This just goes to show one thing about fashion: You can wear whatever the hell you want, but you have to have the attitude to pull it off. Your face has got to fit the clothing, or else you come off looking foolish. It turns out that fashion is not your clothes after all.
11.10.2007
All I Want for Christmas...
It's that time of year again.
Just after Halloween, and the goddamn radio stations are playing goddamn Christmas music.
It's all you can hear in the mall and in the stores and in the restaurants. People are putting up their goddamn wreaths and bright lights and plastic decorations. The leaves are still just starting to turn.
There isn't much I really want for Christmas. All I want, I decided, is 2 CDs and a DVD. No clothes, no electronics, no useless books or appliances. All I want costs about thirty dollars on Amazon. There's not need to sleep at Walmart overnight for Black Friday, no constant lookout for sales, no stress.
Just a little entertainment.
Everybody complains about Christmas. It's so stressful, so expensive, so much work. People are too caught up in it, they think about it too early, it's not enjoyable...
What they don't realize is that they're the problem. If you stopped asking for the latest iPod every year, you wouldn't be in this mess. Just ask for a little, it's no big deal. If you want an iPod, buy it with your own money whenever you want. Don't rely on others for your wants when you can do what you want yourself.
Christmas is a symbol of American culture. It's so obsessed and overwhelming. It forces people to care about it too much. Think of how great Christmas would be if everybody asked for 50 dollars or less in gifts. It'd work. People might actually enjoy it for once.
So, if you're reading this, don't ask for a lot. Just $50 will do.
Just after Halloween, and the goddamn radio stations are playing goddamn Christmas music.
It's all you can hear in the mall and in the stores and in the restaurants. People are putting up their goddamn wreaths and bright lights and plastic decorations. The leaves are still just starting to turn.
There isn't much I really want for Christmas. All I want, I decided, is 2 CDs and a DVD. No clothes, no electronics, no useless books or appliances. All I want costs about thirty dollars on Amazon. There's not need to sleep at Walmart overnight for Black Friday, no constant lookout for sales, no stress.
Just a little entertainment.
Everybody complains about Christmas. It's so stressful, so expensive, so much work. People are too caught up in it, they think about it too early, it's not enjoyable...
What they don't realize is that they're the problem. If you stopped asking for the latest iPod every year, you wouldn't be in this mess. Just ask for a little, it's no big deal. If you want an iPod, buy it with your own money whenever you want. Don't rely on others for your wants when you can do what you want yourself.
Christmas is a symbol of American culture. It's so obsessed and overwhelming. It forces people to care about it too much. Think of how great Christmas would be if everybody asked for 50 dollars or less in gifts. It'd work. People might actually enjoy it for once.
So, if you're reading this, don't ask for a lot. Just $50 will do.
10.29.2007
C'est la Vie: Part 2
"A penny will hide the biggest star in the Universe if you hold it close enough to your eye." -Samuel Grafton
10.21.2007
Last Embrace
northern room - "last embrace"
This song is the definition of pretty: It's quiet, yet it's nowhere near subdued.
10.19.2007
10.09.2007
The Esthetic American
Streetlamps are beautiful.
There is a streetlamp right outside of my window. Every night, once it gets dark, it flickers on for a moment and starts glowing. It emits a glorious orange light all through the streets and the lawns and the trees outside. It's beautiful.
The streetlamp is tall and black. It's base narrows straight up to the top. The lamp rests on the pole, illuminating its light through a circle around it.
Sometimes that light makes shadows with the trees and the passing cars. The trees are dark against the night sky. Their shadows are so full of clarity that they are darker than the trees.
In the deep winter, when there is snow on the ground, this light reflects off of the crystals. Everywhere you look, there is orange snow. It looks warm and inviting, as if the harsh world out there is actually serene and perfect. It looks as if you could swim in the snow without ever growing cold or damp. It's beautiful.
I never see people under that streetlamp. Wouldn't a person make that streetlamp even more beautiful?
For the past couple of days, I have been reminiscing about American style and American culture. This came to me because, well, there is no definite American style. But then I realized this:
American style is a streetlamp.
There is a streetlamp right outside of my window. Every night, once it gets dark, it flickers on for a moment and starts glowing. It emits a glorious orange light all through the streets and the lawns and the trees outside. It's beautiful.
The streetlamp is tall and black. It's base narrows straight up to the top. The lamp rests on the pole, illuminating its light through a circle around it.
Sometimes that light makes shadows with the trees and the passing cars. The trees are dark against the night sky. Their shadows are so full of clarity that they are darker than the trees.
In the deep winter, when there is snow on the ground, this light reflects off of the crystals. Everywhere you look, there is orange snow. It looks warm and inviting, as if the harsh world out there is actually serene and perfect. It looks as if you could swim in the snow without ever growing cold or damp. It's beautiful.
I never see people under that streetlamp. Wouldn't a person make that streetlamp even more beautiful?
For the past couple of days, I have been reminiscing about American style and American culture. This came to me because, well, there is no definite American style. But then I realized this:
American style is a streetlamp.
10.06.2007
Sonia Rykiel
Over the past couple of seasons, a few designers have been trying to get their models to smile. I can tell that it's been a pretty hard fight, but now I think I'm seeing some results. Case in point: Sonia Rykiel's latest collection. The models actually looked like they were having fun. That is quite a feat for a fashion designer to accomplish. I'm still stunned.
Not to mention the fact that she just made the most perfect wedding dresses in the world.
Not to mention the fact that she just made the most perfect wedding dresses in the world.
10.05.2007
The Magnificent Potential
When most people see this dress, I doubt they think it's very beautiful. They are probably reminded of an old, prudish housewife from the 50's. I doubt many people would ever wear this normally.
Yet I adore this dress. Not as it is, but as it may be. Roll up the sleeves. Unbutton the top buttons. Un-pop the collar so it looks like an oxford. Maybe even switch the belt. Now is it beautiful?
Put on a pair of sky-high, wooden platform heels. Wear a trench coat over the dress. Put on a pair of gold and diamond drop-earrings. Now is it beautiful?
With a little DIY, this dress can be stunning. That skirt is gorgeous. The ribboned-fabric is very unusual and unique. Yet on it's own, it's nothing special. It's just another dress from another vintage site on the web.
What people never realize is how beautiful something can be. They look at the present state instead of imagining how it can be improved. People have overlooked so many things in the past. The people who saw how beautiful their ideas could be were the ones who made it.
Isn't it ironic that an observation on life can all be the result of a $30 dress?
10.02.2007
Anecdote of the Jar
I placed a jar in Tennessee,
And round it was, upon a hill.
It made the slovenly wilderness
Surround that hill.
The wilderness rose up to it,
And sprawled around, no longer wild.
The jar was round upon the ground
And tall and of a port in air.
It took dominion every where.
The jar was gray and bare.
It did not give of bird or bush,
Like nothing else in Tennessee.
-Wallace Stevens
There is no need to understand what is beautiful as long as you recognize its beauty.
And round it was, upon a hill.
It made the slovenly wilderness
Surround that hill.
The wilderness rose up to it,
And sprawled around, no longer wild.
The jar was round upon the ground
And tall and of a port in air.
It took dominion every where.
The jar was gray and bare.
It did not give of bird or bush,
Like nothing else in Tennessee.
-Wallace Stevens
There is no need to understand what is beautiful as long as you recognize its beauty.
9.24.2007
It's Called a Gui-tar. Now Play.
I love music to the dearest extent of my heart. It is the one thing that gets me out of a bad mood. Whenever I'm down, a nice little dose of "Riders on the Storm" or "Me & Mia" will pick me right up again. I love music so much that I want my life to center around the music industry instead of fashion. It's that big.
Which is why I've been getting a little angry lately. The music I've been hearing isn't all that good. In fact, it's utter shit.
I listen to indie. I discovered that majestic genre in 7th grade and have been rejecting anything mainstream ever since. Indie is the reason I love music so much.
Yet I've been a little angry lately. I find most of my music on the Internet. For the past couple of months, all of the Internet music sites have been showcasing shit. I don't understand it. How hard is it to find a good, solid rock song or an intimate folk ballad?
Basically, here is my plight: Every other song I hear is some stupid electro-synth song drums that could easily be from the 80s. (Seriously, all of these songs have the same post-punk snare drum/cymbal beats) If it's not pseudo-disco, then it's bubble-gum pop. Yes, bubble gum pop has infiltrated the underground scene. These songs are usually very happy-go-lucky. The music videos all contain dance numbers. It usually had a girl singer who likes to sing adorable little high-pitched ditties. These kind of songs hurt my ears. Music is not a la-te-da affair.
My biggest problem with these bands is that they are usually filled with wannabe hipsters who can't play their instruments. I find this pretty hypocritical. Indie kids hate musicians who can't sing or play their instruments correctly. That's one of the reasons they tell people indie is better. Yet now there are very few credible instrumentalists in indie. I would excuse this if the bands were making unique, innovative music. But they're not. They're making sequels of the old classics, with a little Auto-Tune added when they can afford it. The sequel is never better.
Case in point: Holy Hail. I've heard they're somewhat popular in Great Britain. I hope to dear god this isn't true. I don't think I could have come up with a better example to state my point: Here's a couple of girls and a couple of boys who decided to put on their hipster-best and make a band. The bassist doesn't know how to play her instrument. A 3 year old could have invented that keyboard melody. The white-girl rapper is proof that, yeah, white girls can't rap for their lives. She sounds more like she's reciting spoken word at an emo poetry club. If there is such a thing. (I've also hear they used to be the rap-trio Fannypack. They should have stuck with one-hit wonders about camel toes...)
See how horrible this song is? It's atrocious. This should be banned. Their clothes should be burned. Their instruments should be given to little inner-city kids who can't afford to buy their own keyboards. I'm sure it would be better for society.
Holy Hail isn't the only band I have a grudge against. I'm sick of seeing Lavender Diamond roller blade in pink dresses while back-up dancers (wearing dresses from Zara...) jump around behind her. I'm sick of the lame vocals in Art Brut's songs. I don't care if Conor Oberst turned all country on us; it still sucks. I don't want to hear Franz-Ferdinand/Arctic Monkeys with a twist, Klaxons. Could you please enunciate a little, Animal Collective? Stop the emo-ness, Voxtrot. Get a voice lesson, Charlotte Gainsbourg. Why don't you start smiling a bit, The Horrors? Stop trying to be so artsy, Grizzly Bear. Music might be art, but that clay monster who picks remedial spa stones out of his pubic area isn't.
Which is why I've been getting a little angry lately. The music I've been hearing isn't all that good. In fact, it's utter shit.
I listen to indie. I discovered that majestic genre in 7th grade and have been rejecting anything mainstream ever since. Indie is the reason I love music so much.
Yet I've been a little angry lately. I find most of my music on the Internet. For the past couple of months, all of the Internet music sites have been showcasing shit. I don't understand it. How hard is it to find a good, solid rock song or an intimate folk ballad?
Basically, here is my plight: Every other song I hear is some stupid electro-synth song drums that could easily be from the 80s. (Seriously, all of these songs have the same post-punk snare drum/cymbal beats) If it's not pseudo-disco, then it's bubble-gum pop. Yes, bubble gum pop has infiltrated the underground scene. These songs are usually very happy-go-lucky. The music videos all contain dance numbers. It usually had a girl singer who likes to sing adorable little high-pitched ditties. These kind of songs hurt my ears. Music is not a la-te-da affair.
My biggest problem with these bands is that they are usually filled with wannabe hipsters who can't play their instruments. I find this pretty hypocritical. Indie kids hate musicians who can't sing or play their instruments correctly. That's one of the reasons they tell people indie is better. Yet now there are very few credible instrumentalists in indie. I would excuse this if the bands were making unique, innovative music. But they're not. They're making sequels of the old classics, with a little Auto-Tune added when they can afford it. The sequel is never better.
Case in point: Holy Hail. I've heard they're somewhat popular in Great Britain. I hope to dear god this isn't true. I don't think I could have come up with a better example to state my point: Here's a couple of girls and a couple of boys who decided to put on their hipster-best and make a band. The bassist doesn't know how to play her instrument. A 3 year old could have invented that keyboard melody. The white-girl rapper is proof that, yeah, white girls can't rap for their lives. She sounds more like she's reciting spoken word at an emo poetry club. If there is such a thing. (I've also hear they used to be the rap-trio Fannypack. They should have stuck with one-hit wonders about camel toes...)
See how horrible this song is? It's atrocious. This should be banned. Their clothes should be burned. Their instruments should be given to little inner-city kids who can't afford to buy their own keyboards. I'm sure it would be better for society.
Holy Hail isn't the only band I have a grudge against. I'm sick of seeing Lavender Diamond roller blade in pink dresses while back-up dancers (wearing dresses from Zara...) jump around behind her. I'm sick of the lame vocals in Art Brut's songs. I don't care if Conor Oberst turned all country on us; it still sucks. I don't want to hear Franz-Ferdinand/Arctic Monkeys with a twist, Klaxons. Could you please enunciate a little, Animal Collective? Stop the emo-ness, Voxtrot. Get a voice lesson, Charlotte Gainsbourg. Why don't you start smiling a bit, The Horrors? Stop trying to be so artsy, Grizzly Bear. Music might be art, but that clay monster who picks remedial spa stones out of his pubic area isn't.
The music industry keeps complaining about losses and declines in sales. A lot of people have been pointing to Internet piracy, but a lot of others have been pointing to a lack of quality music. The music I'm hearing is all disposable. There is no quality in disposable music. I need to hear songs that I will love for my entire life. Right now, I'm not hearing that. So, if you're out there and wondering if you should form a band, please, get a music lesson. Before you do anything, learn to play your instrument. And don't copy other people. It'll help you in the long run.
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