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Burning question: Who do you want to be when you grow up? Fever Ray, Shirley Manson and the Pussy Cat Dolls all have uh, different dreams. I think when I grow up I totally want to writhe on some scaffolding, wearing combat boots. Possibly looking like Fever Ray.
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Dinner with Murakami is a 2007 documentary directed by Yan Ting Yuen about the life and work of legendary Japanese author Haruki Murakami.
“Largely structured round Murakami’s enigmatic absence, the film dramatizes Murakami’s impact on his readers and takes the camera into the hinterland to determine what is “Murakamian” in the Japanese landscape. The resulting film has a beautiful sense of form and poetic structure.” [Indie Flick Pick]
In the film everybody from groupies who hang outside Murakami’s old jazz club to schoolchildren, share their piece on the publicity shy writer. Norwegian Wood has been likened to the Nippon equivalent of J.D. Salinger’s Catcher in the Rye; so it is unsurprising most Japanese people have a story to tell about their relationship with Murakami’s work.
See also: Imagine, a BBC documentary series. Alan Yentob goes on A Wild Sheep Chase: In Search Of Haruki Murakami.
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On Monday the inaugural Auckland Laneways festival is taking place in the city! Exciting! It might not be a sassy wee alley like St Jerome’s but Britomart will be rocking I’m sure. Here are a few videos I’ve pulled up in the last couple of days – bands I am gagging to hear live.
Black Lips – Bad Kids
The Black Lips live show is meant to be pretty badass – I’ve heard reports of band members pashing, vomiting and getting raucous on stage. Will they show Auckland a naughty time?
The xx – Crystalised
SEXY VOICES. Can they pull it off live? And will they duet with Florence?
Echo doesn’t want me to embed his 80’s gold, but here’s a link to the video anyway. The next video is very reminiscent of The Killing Moon aesthetic:
Florence and the Machine – You’ve Got The Love
Nearly a year ago I blogged about F&TM and now she’s playing here! Felicity commented on that post, and yay, you get to see her on Monday.
The Naked And Famous – All Of This
LOVE. All of this.
I’m working on the day as a writerly type person so say come say HI! - I’ll be lurking around a giant blackboard for Red Bull. (I would love to interview some people and get their thoughts on how the day is going!)
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I saw The Books play in Wellington on Tuesday night, as part of a double billing with Glaswegian heart breakers Camera Obscura. The Books are Nick Zammuto and Paul de Jong; and they make what they describe as “collage music” – a pastiche of found sounds and original folk melodies.
Samples are sourced from thrift store cassettes, home videos, and things like “the voice recorder from Home Alone 2″. They don’t use a drum kit for their percussion, preferring children’s toys and filing cabinets, which are sampled and looped.
“And the library keeps swelling, especially when Zammuto and de Jong are on the road. Trolling Salvation Army and Goodwill stores in the towns they encounter on tour, they’re particular about what they’ll buy; they’re partial to old instructional videos for products that don’t exist anymore.” [The Boston Globe]
I really enjoyed the gig, and while some may see the mash-up and looping approach as juvenile and too accessible, I found it quite fresh; especially when accompanied by the most glorious instrument of them all – the cello. Here are a few of The Book’s entwined songs and videos:
Be Good To Them Always:
An Owl With Knees:
Take Time:
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Animal Collective played at Auckland’s Powerstation on Tuesday night. It was a great gig; here was no dithering around and chatting – just a constant wave of sound and light.
They layered songs from the albums and the new EP up over and around each other – stretching the new single, What Would I Want? Sky out for 25 minutes. In celebration of a lovely evening with friends, here’s a few AC videos.
They didn’t play Peacebone, so I have placated myself by watching the video ten times or so – it’s very romantic.
My Girls was the encore song! It was very blissful.
And to finish, Summertime Clothes - featuring the Brooklyn based FLEX dance crew.
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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:
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Lisa Mitchell is an Australian singer-songwriter. I interviewed her in September and found her to be a super-charming girl – very down to earth. We had a nice chat over coffee about her new album, Wonder, playing festivals, and what she’d do if she wasn’t a singer-songwriter (something in design or maybe aid work). At the end of it all she yanked off her grape Melissa/Vivienne Westwood shoes at the café table and flourished them for my inspection. A real cutie.
Here’s three of her videos for your perusal. All were directed by Vanessa Casswill and have a sort of twee teacups and polaroids feel to them.
Coin Laundry:
Funnily enough when she performed at an industry showcase in Auckland, the venue was right next to a Laundromat. Coincidence?
Neopolitan Dreams:
Click here to watch the video (unfortunately the video autoplays, so not embedded) – it’s my favourite song on the album!
Those of you in the UK may recognise the song from a Surf laundry ad on television.
Clean White Love:
The latest music video, which completely indulges me in all my English countryside fantasies – wellingtons, umbrellas and ponies.
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When Harry Met Sally is a 1989 film directed by Rob Reiner. And this is the infamous faked orgasm scene. This important piece of cinema history (a total precursor to Sex and The City, I say) took place in the real life Katz’s Delicatessen. The staff there are surly – “Naw you can’t keep your ticket”, the coffee will decompose your spoon faster than you can stir it and the sandwiches are the size of your forearm. It’s a bit of a classic… “Senda salami to your boy in the army!”
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“We believe that the easiest way to change people’s behaviour for the better is by making it fun to do.”
A cool little experiment in making taking the stairs fun by Volkswagen.
It’s part of a drive to show that their environmentally responsible cars can be fun too. Read a little bit of background here, and check out the video for ‘The World’s Deepest Bin’, which is another entertaining good idea!
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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.
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Passion Pit makes me so HAPPY! All their songs have a charming low-fi quality – and themes of love, wonder and excitement. Here’s the video for their single Sleepyhead. Hand clapping indeed!
Here’s what I wrote about their music earlier: Electronic Love Songs.
Swoony!
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The finalists in the New Zealand Vodafone Music Awards have just been announced and I am well pleased that my favourite songbird, Ladyhawke, is leading the pack in the nominations. So many in fact, she’s confidently coming back from London to attend the ceremony and play a gig ! I’m delirious with joy at the news… so I figured why not give her fab single – ‘My Delirium’ – an airing?
Featuring illustration from Sarah Larnach; this video is the entire package – both a visual and aural treasure. Watch Ladyhawke whizz straight past the ever amusing Mt Moggmore and fly through vibrant galaxies! Pip Brown can drive anywhere she damn well wants to!
Ladyhawke NZ tour dates:
Sat 31st Oct, AUCKLAND – Powerstation
Sun 1st Nov, WELLINGTON – Sanfrancisco Bath House
Tues 3rd Nov, CHRISTCHURCH – The Bedford
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“Make the logo bigger.”
The most common request in advertising and design… so prevalent in fact, that one art director I know recorded a song about it. Anyway, I’m excited to see this film – despite the fact I only counted 2 women in the line up of talking heads. Let’s just hope it’s a unbalanced trailer – because there’s a lot of girl geniuses in advertising.
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The Longest Way 1.0 – one year walk/beard grow time lapse from Christoph Rehage on Vimeo.
The longest way, the longest walk. What a way to settle your thoughts…
[via taf]
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Code For Something by Amber Parkin is a stylish & witty commentary on fashion, design, food, travel and culture. Make yourself at home.
“Style is the dress of thoughts”
– Lord Chesterfield
CFS wants to know what you love/hate/think - email amber@codeforsomething.com