Sometimes I Wish We Were An Eagle. Sometimes I think Bill Callahan’s Eid Ma Clack Shaw is the perfect song. The dry delivery, of the lyrics, the marching bass (reminiscent of Psycho Killer by the Talking Heads) – ”this song is a spell.”
For those of you not familiar with Mr. Callahan, he is an American singer-songwriter based in Austin, Texas. Sometimes I Wish We Were An Eagle is his second release under his own name, having performed as Smog for the first seventeen of his years. If you enjoy the track featured above, I highly recommend you explore his back catalogue. Learn more about the man and his motives by reading this Tiny Mix Tapes interview.
Sampled Room is a slick little composition by Mateusz Zdziebko. I’ve seen a couple of similar experiments that use household objects to create digestible sounds, but none as clean as this.
You guys have probably all heard about The Dead Weather already, but in case you haven’t – they’re the hottest alternative music amalgamation of late. The Dead Weather is comprised of Alison Mosshart (of The Kills and Discount), Jack White (of The White Stripes and The Raconteurs), Dean Fertita (of Queens of the Stone Age) and Jack Lawrence (of The Raconteurs and The Greenhornes).
I Cut Like A Buffalo is one of the singles from their debut EP – Horehound. It’s not the world’s best song – but it’s a real ear-worm (picture me in the supermarket, dancing and humming I fall just like a domino).
The video is strangely compelling and highly stylised (hula hoops, knives, creepy old men, belly dancers). Interestingly it was directed by Jack White himself. It’s a long way from the good clean fun of Michel Gondry’s White Stripe videos. Enjoy:
At first I wanted these two Japanese jazzalbums based on the track listings, but after seeing the cover artwork, I’m coveting the entire package.
Simple use of block colour, bold lines and a cute play on the theme all adds up to some pretty striking illustrations. Definitely worthy of framing. Have you seen any great record covers lately?
CFS Loves Number 40. That’s 40 weeks of linktacular goodness. Because I am a nerdy cave dweller and y’all say you love what CFS loves, today’s one is extra beefy. Om nom nom.
A great TVC for The Economist magazine and a brief introduction to their excellent ads. If you want to be a copywriter, the Economist billboards are compulsory reading/studying!
What is Slow Sync Flash and how do you use it? An introduction to a cool low light photography solution.
China celebrates 60 years – and puts on a show like no other. Having recently spent several hours waiting in line at Tiananmen Square (to visit Mao in his mausoleum, reccomended) – the scale of pictures is phenomenal. In fact, I do believe my guide told me the square can hold a crowd of one million!
Hailing from Iceland, Sin Fang Bous is the one-man project of Sindri Már Sigfússon. Sigfússon is best known for his work under the name Seabear. ‘Clangour and Flutes’ is possibly one of the most beautiful songs I have ever heard. Enchanting and whimsical, it lulls me into thinking everything is okay and time is still. Just lovely.
As for the video, I like the rough organic edges and the feeling the director’s taken acid next to a box of coloured pencils. Obviously a lot of work has gone into it, so please sit back and appreciate it (the axes are particularly delightful).
It looks like Sin Fang Bous is playing in NYC while I am there – hearing this live might be one of the finest cacophonies my ears ever hear.
Last weekend I saw Kiwi electronic act Sola Rosa play. It was a great show; bouncing floorboards, meaty bass-lines, and they had the gorgeous Iva Lamkum in tow. She performed Turn Around live and it was excellent.
The video was directed by boy wonder Tim Van Dammen: “In November last year, Mr van Dammen got noticed for the video ‘Turn Around’ for Sola Rosa. Since then, he has been so booked up he has produced one music video a week, creating videos for bands such as Luger Boa, Smashproof and the Checks.”
I went to see MGMT play last night, the last of three Auckland shows. Finally, live in front of my very own eyes (gratuitous picsof meat the concert). The concert itself was so-so… there was some interesting Tropicana infused instrumentals. But when the boys from New York played their single Kids, they killed it. Amazing. Yeah, I was that giddy girl squirming behind you and singing along.
The video is brilliant too – it moves from a ‘real’ exploration of a child’s imaginary monsters to an acid inspired animation. I really like it. Especially the TV shows… Scary stuff.
Hello! My name is Amber Parkin. I'm a New Zealander living in London. I'm a writer obsessed with fondue, chesterfield sofas, vintage dresses, foxes, and 35mm.
