Lykke Li
again, i went looking through my albums and i still can’t believe i haven’t written about lykke li. she’s originally from sweden, she’s really young, and she released an album at the beginning of the summer entitled youth novels. it was produced by björn yttling of peter bjorn and john, so it’s got a really chill sound.
i’ve been digging this album all summer, especially this song:
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little bit – lykke li
it’s so catchy and has such a great vibe. so understated and chill. if you don’t already have the album, check it out on iTunes. it’s a good set of jams.
Posted by: Josh Abe on August 31, 2008
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Banksy in New Orleans
a bunch of new banksy stuff just popped up in new orleans. looks like banksy’s been traveling a bit lately, and it’s some good stuff. my family went down there recently and said it’s basically a third world country. people barely have enough food to live on, and it’s unsafe to walk the streets at night because the crime is so high.
i’m glad to see banksy came out and said something about what’s going on over here. bono talks so much about darfur, but everybody forgets that part of our own country is living in poverty.
thanks to wooster collective for the gallery. you can view the bulk of the stuff here, and a couple extra pieces here.
Posted by: Josh Abe on August 29, 2008
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33rpm
jean from notcot just featured a series of posters by Andrio Abero of 33rpm Design that seriously rock my socks off. Andrio has got such good style, and if you’ve seen anything like it… they copied it from him.
the guy is a genius, all his stuff is flawless, and his concepts are ridiculously clever. he’s huge in the pacific northwest right now, and i only see him getting bigger.
check out jean’s feature and his website, and don’t forget to take a peek at his interactive work. it’s great to see an illustrator show us how web is done.
Posted by: Josh Abe on August 28, 2008
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Nixon Rotolog
brand new watch from nixon with reclaimed skateboard deck inlays. also check out the dark wood, bamboo, and teak inlays on their website. nixon always has style and i’m digging this watch.
Posted by: Josh Abe on August 28, 2008
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Dance Party Massacre
so this guy emails me and says “we’re dance party massacre and you’ve never heard of us.”
so…naturally i look ‘em up, and they’ve got stuff i’ve never seen before. just some really fresh design and a fun concept to back it up.
i had a little interview with man behind dance party massacre, Alex Dakoulas, and here’s what we got.
HC: so what’s the deal with the name? what does it mean, and what’s the
story behind it?
AD: Dance Party Massacre floated around in my head for so long that I
needed for it to come out or else it would have wracked my brain
forever! It’s derived from cheesy slasher films like Slumber Party
Massacre and Sorority House Massacre. The name and the brand are both
meant to represent a fun, almost ironic, take on horror imagery and
themes. The real heart of DPM is about killing those demons we all
have and just having some fun with your life.
your company? you know… american dream stuff?
AD: I’ve always felt the need to create things and eventually went to art
school where I continued to grow my skills and sell my stuff. T-shirts
always interested me because they are a blank canvas and whatever you
put on it changes who it’s for. When my shirt designs started getting
more attention than my schoolwork, I felt the next step was just to
ride that wave and open up a line with a strong idea and cohesive
designs.
AD: I’ve been a huge fan of horror films since I was young and there came
a point where fighting for your life and just trying to live really
connected with me in my own life. I would be hanging out with friends,
having fun, being stupid, making them watch horror movies, running
around the city, staying up into the night, and it all just became
this thing to me. It came after a long while of what felt like
constantly being dissatisfied with how my life was going, and
constantly struggling with trying to live how I wanted, that it felt
like such a release.
AD: You can’t go wrong with slim jeans falling into some good high-top sneakers.
AD: I sometimes have nightmares of killers coming after me (probably from
watching horror movies before going to bed) and just the other night I
imagined Freddy, Jason, and Michael standing in my doorway before my
eyes shut. If I had to fight someone it would surely be one of them,
but probably Michael because he’s my main man.
AD: I’m really bad with keeping up with music. Film, I’m pretty
in-the-know. With music, I hear random songs and musicians from all
eras and styles from all different places and some things stick with
me, some don’t. I love Weezer’s “Pork and Beans” because the chorus is
so driving and I would sing that out loud any day. I really like The
Flobots “Handlebars”, but if you search for their old video on Youtube
it’s better than their new cartoon one.
AD: Season 2 will come out in October and we’ll be having an awesome
Halloween party (of course, our favorite holiday) as well as selling
and promoting at a few events around Boston. I’d also really like to
start throwing our own parties and events and seeing Dance Party
Massacre in more outlets. I really want this to be more than clothing.
It’s a brand, a design project, a party, a state of mind. Right now I
just need to find people who connect with it.
so here’s a huge thanks to alex, for a little peek into the mind behind dance party massacre, and also for all the swag. now i can represent DPM in style with jeans and some hi-tops.
i strongly recommend you check out the online store, and order a shirt or two. they’re super affordable, and super fresh. i can dig it.
Posted by: Josh Abe on August 27, 2008
Broken String
i realized that i haven’t done any album recommendations recently, so went looking through my library for something you might like, and found this. bishop allen is one of those essential indie bands, originally from brooklyn NY, and they released their second album in July of 2007. it’s called the broken string, and i know it’s not new, but i think i need to write about this album the way you might write a letter about an old friend.
bishop allen has such a kitschy and friendly sound, something that i rarely hear. if you listen to the album, you’ll know exactly what i mean by friendly. there are the tracks that are so soft you can feel them, and then there are the tracks that are so summer warm, they bounce right into your ears and around in your head all day. for instance:
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click click click click – bishop allen
every time i listen to this track, it makes me want to go out for hours with my old film. i also like the songs rain and chinatown bus, because rain is so unexpectedly upbeat, but chinatown bus brings you right back under the covers on a sunday afternoon. it’s such a great album, i hope you’ll check it out. you won’t be disappointed.
Posted by: Josh Abe on August 24, 2008
Filed under: Music | No Comments
New Kidrobot Gear
there’s a brand new fall line on the kidrobot website, not to mention there’s a whole bunch of new vinyls that will be popping off a little later.
they’ve also got a few toys and a bunch of old summer product on sale. it’s going quick, so if you’re adding to your vinyl collection, or have been watching the summer line, now’s your chance because there’s free shipping on orders over $25.
Posted by: Josh Abe on August 24, 2008
Filed under: Couture, Vinyl | No Comments
