2011 Archive
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Title: Creative Review - UK Music Video Awards 2011 Winners
Published: 2011-11-10 12:45:00
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Creative Review - UK Music Video Awards 2011 WinnersnThe UK Music Video Awards are voted for by people working in and around the promos industry, so are viewed as an insider’s take on the best music video work of the year. This year saw a widening of the awards to include international winners in every category, alongside a favourite UK winner. Canada, who were profiled in the October issue of CR (read the article here), also picked up the Best Pop Video - International award for Oh Land by White Nights and the Best Art Direction and Design gong for Invisible Light by Scissor Sisters (both shown below).nnnnnnnGreat to see Invisible Light getting some love :DnRead the rest here »
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Title: The Skin I Live In By Pedro Almodovar
Published: 2011-10-18 14:27:00
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nnEver since his wife was burned in a car crash, Dr. Robert Ledgard, an eminent plastic surgeon, has been interested in creating a new skin with which he could have saved her. After twelve years, he manages to cultivate a skin that is a real shield against every assault.nIn addition to years of study and experimentation, Robert needed a further three things: no scruples, an accomplice and a human guinea pig. Scruples were never a problem. Marilia, the woman who looked after him from the day he was born, is his most faithful accomplice. And as for the human guinea pig…nnnnnnnnnnnCannot wait to see this film!
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Title: Black Rainbows: Review
Published: 2011-09-27 21:58:00
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Black Rainbows by Brett AndersonnBrett’s solo career has been interesting and at times surprising - whilst his first album felt like a fairly natural step I’m not sure anyone could have predicted that the man responsible for that arse spanking Brits performance would ever release something like Wheatfields.. and yet somehow it has all made sense as a journey too. While I enjoyed Slow attack and Wilderness for what they were I can’t pretend I’m not glad to have him return to a more ‘rock’ sound. nOne clear benefit of the route he has taken is that experimenting with different, more low key, sounds gave his lyric writing a welcome shot in the arm. nWhilst Black Rainbows is definitely on the rock side of pop it’s not an adolescent record - though using words like ‘mature’ are the death kiss in any review - it is mature, but I mean that in the best possible way. It is introspective and slightly bitter in the way that only someone who has lived can be. Musically too it most calls to mind the crossover point between 80s MOR and alt rock / New Wave like Echo and the Bunnymen, The Cure and Simple Minds.nFor some suede fans this will be on the surface not what they want to hear from Brett but personally I think it’s a surprisingly (and enjoyably) dark turn that suits him down to the ground.n8/10nTrack by TracknUnsungnI LOVE this song! Easily as good as a many classic suede ballads. It gets seriously big and swoopy.n9/10nBrittle HeartnThe poppiest song on the album, it’s very catchy and pleasant to listen to but at times sails close to not having enough bite. It’s rescued for me by the verse melodies which are lovely and swooning. n8/10nCrash About To HappennI like the jangly 80’s Indie sound and there are some great lyrics in the one but I feel the chorus could be stronger.n7/10nI Count The TimesnMy favourite song on the album. Love the lyrics, love the way his voice sounds, love the instrumentation. Just love it.n9/10nThe ExilesnI really like this track. It has a nice driving rhythm, lots of staccato drum stuff and angry lyrics. Pleasantly dark and brooding. n8/10nThis Must Be Where It EndsnA gorgeous swooning and melancholic track. Not quite a ballad in the conventional sense but it has the heart of one.n8/10nActorsnThe opening riff reminds me of Blondie but the song itself is the kind of snappy, grumpy, guitar-pop that The Tears should have been. Vicious but fun at the same time.n9/10nIn The House Of NumbersnThis has a very 80s Bunnymen / Cure feel about it. A solid song with a pleasantly dark underbelly and some almost obsfucated swearing ;)n8/10nThin Men DancingnSwagger, swagger, swagger. I think it will be a beast live.n9/10nPossessionnPleasant but not the strongest of Brett’s ballads and I would have preferred to see this dropped in place of one of the bonus tracks if I’m honest.n6/10n———————-nBonus Itunes Track: UnstoppablenIn true Christina Aguilera fashion I think I am going to end up liking this track more than anything that’s actually on the album proper! The chorus is an absolutely cracking hook and I love the pulsing, relentlessness.. well unstoppableness of it.n9/10n———————–nOverall:nIf you want balls-out rock then this won’t be the album for you however I would stop short of calling it a ballad or down-tempo album. It’s certainly not Slow Attack. I can’t help thinking that 'Brittle Heart’ is actually quite a good description of the album itself. Brett is a chronic (dare I say it Byronic?) romantic at heart, but it’s a romanticism that is tempered by a snappy cynicism and world-weary anger. These kind of rockish torch songs suit him and his voice very well I think.nAnyone going into this expecting the epicness or bravery of Dog Man Star will be sorely disappointed and yet there is something about the swooping, bitter mood of this album that has a more direct lineage from that record than maybe anything else he has done since..n9/10n n
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Title: Brett Anderson - 'Brittle Heart' Exclusive video
Published: 2011-08-15 14:27:58
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Brett Anderson - 'Brittle Heart' Exclusive video brettanderson:nn“I kind of hate most narrative videos to be honest, including my own, I just wanted to capture the energy of the band.”n
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Title: Alisha rules the world.
Published: 2011-08-13 11:20:39
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tumblr_lpv66fbNgx1qauzhko1nnStill Life by Suede covered by Alisha’s Attic
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Title: Don't ask me, I just share here..
Published: 2011-08-11 12:50:00
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nI love social media, this is true. I could bore you to tears for paragraphs on the good it performs in modern society, but I am increasingly becoming frustrated and concerned by one particular aspect of it that the last few week’s of news has intensified.nLet’s call it the ‘instant opinion’ problem.nMuch has been said about the 'quick fix’ aspect of the web but it cuts increasingly both ways. Speed is of the essence and when something significant happens we all feel we must Have Something To Say about it and preferably before anyone else.nThis leads to several issues:nThe constant pressure to form an opinion on something within minutes of it happening (no matter how politically complex, personally distressing or just plain baffling) and project that opinion boldly to the world.nThe pressure, having done that, to stick to this opinion (even in light of new discoveries or change of heart) in case you seem a hypocrite.nThe fear that if you don’t offer an Instant Opinion you will appear shallow or foolish as you merrily tweet about your lunch or the new Ke$ha single instead.nWhat this leads to is everyone making a whole lot of noise about things they often don’t really understand. People have always had similar interactions - over dinner, across the water cooler - but in the past we had at least a little breathing space to gather ourselves. It concerns me that we are not only losing the desire (and ability) to consider, analize and chew over subjects but that doing so is in fact becoming almost stigmatised as a sign of a poor mind rather than an educated one.nI don’t have the answers to everything, so I plan not to pretend I do anymore!
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Title: Alex Steinweiss, Originator of Artistic Album Covers, Dies at 94
Published: 2011-08-07 13:13:00
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nnThe record cover was a blank slate in 1939, when Mr. Steinweiss was hired to design advertisements for Columbia Records. Most albums were unadorned, and on those occasions when art was used, it was not original. (Albums then were booklike packages containing multiple 78 r.p.m. discs.)n“The way records were sold was ridiculous,” Mr. Steinweiss said in a 1990 interview. “The covers were brown, tan or green paper. They were not attractive, and lacked sales appeal.” Despite concern about the added costs, he was given the approval to come up with original cover designs.nHis first cover, for a collection of Rodgers and Hart songs performed by an orchestra, showed a high-contrast photo of a theater marquee with the title in lights. The new packaging concept was a success: Newsweek reported that sales of Bruno Walter’s recording of Beethoven’s “Eroica” symphony increased ninefold when the album cover was illustrated.n“It was such a simple idea, really, that an image would become attached to a piece of music,” said Paula Scher, who designed record covers for Columbia in the 1970s and is now a partner in the design company Pentagram. “When you look at your music collection today on your iPod, you are looking at Alex Steinweiss’s big idea.”nMr. Steinweiss preferred metaphor to literalism, and his covers often used collages of musical and cultural symbols. For a Bartok piano concerto, he rejected a portrait of Bartok, using instead the hammers, keys and strings of a piano placed against a stylized backdrop. For a recording of Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue,” he used an illustration of a piano on a dark blue field illuminated only by an abstract street lamp, with a stylized silhouetted skyline in the background.nnn nnMr. Steinweiss left the music business at 55, when he realized his design ideas were out of step with the rock era. He turned to his own art, making ceramic bowls and pots and later paintings, often with a musical theme. In 1974 he and his wife moved to Sarasota.nMr. Steinweiss said he was destined to be a commercial artist. In high school he marveled at his classmates who “could take a brush, dip it in some paint and make letters,” he recalled. “So I said to myself, if some day I could become a good sign painter, that would be terrific!”nnVia: NY Times
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Title: Love, Madonna.
Published: 2011-08-07 09:48:42
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Nh2hqnsAJYnI could watch this over every day for the rest of my life and never get bored of it.(Source: http://www.youtube.com/)
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Title: Cindy Sherman for MAC
Published: 2011-08-03 12:12:00
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nCindy Sherman for M·A·C Via Baroque BoudournnM·A·C is forever asking “Why not?” when it comes to the miracles of makeup – our medium for transformation – always exploring new ideas about the many ways we long to look and feel different for a day, a night, a lifetime. With the help of props, makeup, prosthetics, wigs and sets, artist Cindy Sherman embodies this Power of Transformation – from off-kilter Hitchcock heroine to fresh corpse, Caravaggio Portrait to Park Avenue Plastic Surgery Maven – all elaborate exercises in trying on different personas. In the campaign we’ve longed forever to conceive, Cindy Sherman for M·A·C created three characters using three different colour stories. We’re living in a time when people of all persuasions have become bolder than ever about the ways they choose to express themselves: with a colourful palette of possibilities, You are the Artist, You are your own Subject, and no matter how fearfully you begin, you become fearless in the process. We can’t wait to see what you (and the genius that is Cindy Sherman) do next!n- M·A·Cn
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Title: Marilyn on ‘Four Rooms’
Published: 2011-07-29 21:07:29
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nnMM collector Gene London (also a former children’s TV host and fashion designer) brought one of his most prized possessions – a sketch by Marilyn, Myself Exercising – to the UK recently for an appearance on Channel 4′s antiques show, Four Rooms.nLondon was offered £150,000 by dealer Jeff Salmon but, incredibly, turned it down. I can understand why – not from a financial point of view – but to me, that sketch is one of the loveliest things Marilyn left behind. It should either go to someone who truly adores it, or preferably, be donated to a museum.nUK readers can watch the show here (the sketch is the final item, saving the best for last.)nn(via Marilyn on ‘Four Rooms’ | ES Updates)nI just watched this tonight - it’s only the second episode I’ve seen of the program and I quite like it - but I agree, I wouldn’t have sold it to them either. The poor man clearly loved it the way it should be loved and I’m not convinced he really wanted to sell it at all.nHe said he wanted to sell it to buy costumes at a forthcoming auction, but personally I would far rather own this than a dress - even ‘the’ dress.
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Title: Designing the books of the future
Published: 2011-07-13 16:34:00
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nThe simple pagenDesigning a book is largely an exercise in balance: Balance of letterforms and surrounding space in relation to the physicality of a book. In Hochui and Kinross’ Designing Books, they discuss the uniqueness of book symmetry:nThe axis of symmetry of the spine is always there; one can certainly work over it, but not deny it. In this respect book typography is essentially different from the typography of single sheets, as in business printing, posters, and so on.nThe spine gives book reading a kinetic motion not found in unbound sheets of paper. Forward and backward movement within a book happens because of the spine. And so designers erect scaffolding—text blocks and running heads and other literary accoutrements—around this keystone axis. It is the natural balance point of a spread. The implicitness of this means publishers have largely achieved functional book design right from the beginning: the forty-two line columns of thick type in the Gutenberg bible, even today, are quite a marvel of typographic balance.nIf the axis of symmetry for a book is the spine, where is it on an iPad? On one hand, designers can approach tablets as if they were a single sheet of “paper,” letting the physicality of the object define the central axis of symmetry—straight down the middle.nOn the other hand, the physicality of these devices doesn’t represent the full potential of content space. The screen becomes a small portal to an infinite content plane, or “infinite canvas,” as so well illustrated by Scott McCloud.nFig 1. The infinite canvasnRegarding iPad book design, designers are left with a fundamental question they must answer before approaching this device: Do we embrace the physicality of the device—a spineless page with a central axis of symmetry? Or do we embrace the device’s virtual physicality—an invisible spine defined by every edge of the device, signaling the potential of additional content just a swipe away?nFig 2. Every which way is upnPresently there’s a clear rift in iPad editorial design. There are those applications—iBooks, Kindle, New York Times, Wired, The New Yorker—that attempt to transpose a type of print design built around physical cues to a screen lacking those same cues. They treat the boundaries of the iPad screen like the edges of a printed sheet of paper—sometimes awkwardly forcing content into columns which aren’t optimized for the canvas.nThese applications are often characterized by an imposition of arbitrary, non-semantic breaks in content in the name of pagination. Oliver Reichentsien, in his essay iPad: Scroll or Card breaks down use cases for the two models. He provides metrics for determining when to scroll or paginate, and also how the very experience of reading changes between them.nInconsistent metaphorsnFig 3. The New York Times app: swipe to the left to continue reading this articlenFig 4. The New Yorker app: swipe up to continue reading this articlenThe inconsistency in which the physical page is mimicked on a tablet leaves readers disoriented, unaware of their position in the context of the greater whole, and unable to easily scan back.nOn the other side we have reading applications like Instapaper and Mobile Safari (Mobile Safari being the most fundamental of reading applications on our iDevices) that embrace the boundless nature of the iPad screen. The physical edges don’t bind the text blocks.nVery rarely does one find an application that masterfully merges these two schools. Inkling, however, is one such example of a reading application that straddles the new and old—chunking content in an intuitively predictable and consistent manner within and across chapters, thereby grounding the user via thoughtful navigation. And doing so beautifully, with a confident awareness of the container.nWhat’s so exciting about all of this is that even now—at the start of 2011!—we’re still refining and iterating on optimal reading solutions to these issues of digital editorial design.nAs designers, we need to ask ourselves: Where does our axis of symmetry most rationally lie for the content at hand? From where is the kinetic element of this content born? What’s the rationale behind specific layout and navigation choices for this content and will they be thoughtlessly intuitive to the reader?nWe can start with these questions. Then, we can take our content, and—piece by piece—place it back onto this new canvas with considered awareness. These are the first steps to treating the iPad as more than a simple page.nA List Apart: Articles: A Simpler PagennThis is just a small excerpt from an absolutely FANTASTIC piece by Craig Mod. I am so excited to see how we can use these new platforms to expand and enhance our reading expierences rather than just stubbornly cramming print layouts into them.
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Title: You're In A Bubble*
Published: 2011-07-12 11:22:00
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nnEli Pariser has an intriguing idea - that the increasingly “personalisation” of the internet is trapping us all in echo chambers, hearing only opinions we already agree with, and narrowing our interests.nPariser, the board president of citizens’ organisation MoveOn.Org, points to Google’s switch to personalised search in 2009 as the moment when “the Filter Bubble” became an urgent topic of discussion. There is no longer an “objective” Google - you receive search results based on your previous searches and other information - and the company reportedly measures 57 “metrics” about you every time you search.nnWhat is a “filter bubble” and why we should be worried about it?nIt used to be the case that you’d Google something and I’d Google something and we’d get the same results. Now that’s no longer true. Many sites, including Google, predict we want to see based on personal data that we’ve given them. The filter bubble is the personal unique universe of information that results when we have these algorithms following us around and sifting through data for us and showing us what they think we want to see.nIt’s a problem because it’s happening invisibly; you don’t know how your view of the world is being edited - you can get a distorted picture and not even really know it.nIs the filter bubble made worse because of the dominance of a few companies over the net - Google, Apple, Microsoft, Facebook?nAbsolutely. Google and Facebook are especially prominent, and Microsoft is a close runner up. These companies have an incredible power to edit and filter what we see and what we don’t. But they don’t think of themselves that way, they don’t seem to be taking much responsibility for that power that they’ve accumulated.nSo the problem is that you can’t see what you’re missing?nYes. You don’t know what the editorial sensibility is: whereas when you pick up the Guardian you know what the editing role is. But you don’t know who Google or Facebook think you are, and you don’t know in what way they are editing information, so you really don’t know what’s being edited out.nDo you think, for example, Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg has a distinct political worldview?nI don’t think that they’re doing this to shape politics, I think the contrary it’s sort of a wilful ignorance of the critical implications of this stuff.These guys are engineers, and they tend be very wary of the messy, social, consensus-orientated culture of politics.nNone of these guys would have ever run for office. But here they are running these huge companies that are making decisions that apparently aren’t political. But for the fabric of society they do have really important repercussions.nI’m sure journalists would agree that not all of the results of search-engine optimisation [writing headlines that use popular search terms] are positive.nIf the way that you get to a large audience is having a headline that people will click ‘like’ on a lot on Facebook, that changes the kind of headline you write - because you literally don’t want it to be a downer.nI think the “like” button has a really significant effect on both what is produced and what is distributed. it’s not a neutral word. And so, you know, a story about someone overcoming the odds and surviving their fight with cancer gets lots of “likes” - but the war in Libya? That’s harder to click “like” on.nIs there a filter bubble on Twitter - because you only follow people similar to you?nTwitter, until recently, has been bucking this trend somewhat in that it doesn’t make a lot of personalised decisions for you. One of my jumping-off points with the book was the fact that on Facebook I was being shown updates only from my Facebook friends whose political views I agreed with - the others were being edited out, essentially. That doesn’t happen on Twitter - I see the conservatives as well as the liberals. I get to choose.nDo you think that we will outgrow this obsession with personalisation and instant gratification?nI feel hopeful that people are shocked when they hear that this is happening. The more it’s bought to people’s attention, the more [companies] will be pressured to develop products that give people much more fulfilling media.nPersonally, where do you get your news from these days?nI find Twitter very helpful because it does allow me to get a taste of a lot of different information in the world. I also rely a lot on standard newspapers, the New York Times and The Washington Post I think still do a very good job. I use Google News and I use Facebook, so I don’t want to just go backwards.nSo it’s not a case of “ban Facebook and we’ll be fine”?nNo, the question is how do you make the new 21st century media as good as the best of the earlier centuries’ media.nPresumably the only way to do that is legislation.nSome of this change can be produced by consumers. When people get to know this is happening, they do want a change. It’s one of the frustrating conversations I get into with engineers at these companies where they say: “Nobody’s demanding better tools on this ”. You have to know [about them] first.nThere is a legislative component as well, which is about the updating the laws around personal information to reflect this new world in which you click in one place and that ripples out. It starts with giving people better control over their own personal information. If the basis of the web is going to be that we hand over all this personal data - which is valuable - in exchange for services then we need to understand the value of the data.nWhat change would you like to come out of publishing the book?nThe best scenario would be that people understand how their information is filtered in a more serious way so that they can make better choices.nThe Filter Bubble is out now (Penguin, £12.99). For more information, visit thefilterbubble.com. nnThis is a fascinating subject because it’s not as simple as being dominated by some cartoon omni-present villain. (Although there is certainly a conversation to be had about that - what should be regulated, should we regulate and who on earth is impartial and knowledgable enough of the technology to do it?) People make a fair amount of noise about targeted advertising because they don’t like the idea of being advertised to in general - but when it comes to personalised searches or the ability to self-select the information dissemenated to them the water becomes muddier.nPeople have always done this to an extent of course - you read the the paper that shares your political or world view, you watch tv channels that show the programs you like - but increasingly the internet is allowing us to live our lives almost completely free of debate, challenge or dissenting voices.nWhile there are many implications in how this could be controled for political or monitary gain I’m almost more interested in how we are already abusing it ourselves. It’s as though we are already starting to live in many simultanious, parallel, virtual worlds rather than one shared one. I’m certainly not preaching from on high about this - I’m as guilty as the next girl when it comes to filling my online networks with things that aleady interest me - but I’m curious, if not nervous to see where it might lead..n*and yes, that is a Geri Halliwell reference.
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Title: Where did all the redheads go?
Published: 2011-05-27 18:31:00
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I was watching the horror/thriller movie Peeping Tom last night which stars a trio of beautiful redheads - Moira Shearer, Anna Massey and Shirley Anne Field:nnnnand I suddenly realised how rarely you see an electric, fiery redhead on the big screen anymore! The golden era of 40s and 50s movies were full of them, not to mention the pin-ups, but these days you barely see anything that would constitute as ‘strawberry’.. nI’m a great fan of the bottle blonde (the trashier the better) but surely it’s time for a revival of the redhead too? :Dnnnnnnn
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Title: We don't talk about love. We only want to get drunk.
Published: 2011-05-27 09:48:34
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nnnI can’t decide if this is quite funny or extremely annoying. I’m guessing the artist is popular at parties either way..n(via Best Modern Artist Ever Presents Drinking Art - Geekologie)
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Title: IGAF
Published: 2011-05-15 09:02:00
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[gallery]nfuckyeahcourtneylove:nnI don’t give a fuck what CL says. I love this record. Almost Golden, Hello, Hold On To Me, Life Despite God, But Julian (the original from the Hollywood Bowl in 2001 was so much better with lines like ‘you know how when you went to the store? Well that was me I was following you around’) and of course the alternate version of Mono (with the Cleopatraesque Elizabeth Taylor demanding ‘you will kneel’). Plus Brody provided backing vocals on Sunset Strip! I love it.nnthe sound on A.S. sucked beyond words. The production was a nightmare. Linda and I had written some really good songs, but they were rendered lazily and sound like shit. The art was horrific and not my idea and the label didn’t back it at all. I was busy taking drugs to dull the pain of having lost everything and made a shit album to boot the producer [Jim Barber] didn’t know what he was doing and he just spent my money. It almost had a moment of being Exile on Main Street - almost - but that’s like almost winning a race. You either do or you do not. And in this case it’s a delightfully written record in parts and sonically untenable with two of the most pretentious songs I have ever written. I was so druggy I thought it’d be cute to rip off “Teen Spirit” on “I’ll Do Anything.” Believe it or not, “All the Drugs”, “Sunset Strip”, “Mono” and “But Julian…” are all good songs. They just were produced crap and the songs weren’t taken further than demo status. The art still makes me seethe. At least make it look cool, and instead there’s me as a Playboy pinup. I love Olivia’s art but that was personal for me - not art for a record.nnPlus, this documentary footage from 2003 of the recording of America’s Sweetheart is pretty interesting with a little clip of Patty & CL towards the end.nnI agree - personally I think it’s her best work.nThe only issue I have with the entire album is that the alternate I think US? version of my favourite song on it Sunset Strip (possibly my favourite Courtney/Hole song) is terrible. The UK version that I bought at the time is AMAZING but it’s not on Spotify these days just the sucky one :(nOh, and I adore the cover.
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Title: Robot
Published: 2011-05-03 09:29:00
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ATKOP1xtptcnI realise I’m about a year behind but I’m kind of obsessed with this song at the moment. It’s like a one-woman tour through the dark heart of the Disney channel. Somewhat ironiaclly it’s autotuned to hell on the album - the girl can sing live though..nIt’s been like this from the start One piece after another to make my heart You mistake the game for being smart Stand here, sell this, and hit your mark But the sound of the steel and the crush, and the grind it will scream - who am I, to decide my life? But in time it will die, they’ll be nothing left inside Just rusted metal that was never even mine I would scream, but I’m just this hollow shell Waiting here, begging please set me free, so I can feel Stop trying to live my life for me I need to breath, I’m not your robot Stop telling me I’m a part of the big machine Im breaking free, can’t you see I can’t love, I can’t speak Without somebody else operating me You gave me eyes, and now I see I’m not your robot, I’m just menMiley Cyrus - Robot (Live At House Of Blues) HD (by Daria1771)(Source: http://www.youtube.com/)
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Title: All dots and lines that speak and say
Published: 2011-04-19 16:28:00
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nSpotify Playlist: AInTracklisting:nAqua – Cartoon Heroes - Radio EditWorld is Mine Live -Miku HatsuneDECO*27 – Chocolat Beats feat. Miku HatsuneDECO*27 – Mozaik Role (kous DR Remix) feat. Miku HatsuneHatsune Miku – Futari Nomoji PittanDaft Punk – Touch It / TechnologicHatsune Miku – true my heart -VOCALOID 2 special edit-DECO*27 – Mukashi Mukashi no Kyou no Boku feat. Miku HatsunePenguins Project – 思春期ボーカロイド - Vocaloid In AdolescenceHatsune Miku – Ievan PolkkaPenguins Project – チョコレート・トレイン - Chocolate TrainHatsune Miku – Ne.Mei.Gede Reset!t.A.T.u. – RobotHatsune Miku – Mikumikuni ShiteageruPenguins Project – 泣いて 泣いて 泣きやんで - No More CryHatsune Miku – Miki no IvuHatsune Miku – Lost my musicMissill – KawaiiPenguins Project – Penguins Projectのテーマ - Theme Of Penguins ProjectJonathan Coulton – ResolutionsPortal Credit Song Still Alive
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Title: Slightly Swoony Spring Playlist :)
Published: 2011-03-23 17:48:12
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nMoby – Be The OneTinashé – MaydayThe Naked And Famous – Punching In A Dream - Single VersionKleerup – Music For GirlLykke Li – I’m Good I’m Gone (Fred Falke Vocal)The Human League – Never Let Me Go - Single VersionTegan And Sara – Back In Your HeadKe$ha – c u next tuesdayTinashé – Come On Over (This Could Be Love)The Naked And Famous – Young BloodSkilla – Dancing On My OwnPJ Harvey – The Last Living RoseLykke Li – I Follow RiversThe Pierces – You’ll Be MinenSubscribe here >>
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Title: I just re-read this vault entry. I love it so much :)
Published: 2011-03-10 14:26:53
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JKR: So you can call it a fraternal bond, but I think it makes it more tragic for Dumbledore. I also think it makes Dumbledore a little less culpable. I see him as fundamentally a very intellectual, brilliant and precocious person whose emotional life was absolutely subjugated to the life of the mind - by his choice - and then his first foray into the world of emotion is catastrophic and I think that would forevermore stun that part of his life and leave it stultified and he would be, what he becomes. That's what I saw as Dumbledore's past. That's always what I saw was in his past. And he keeps a distance between himself and others through humour, a certain detachment and a frivolity of manner
But he's also isolated by his brain. He's isolated by the fact he knows so much, guesses so much, guesses correctly. He has to play his cards close to his chest because he doesn't want Voldemort to know what he suspects. Terrible to be Dumbledore, really, by the end he must have thought it would be quite nice to check out and just hope that everything works out well. [Laughter.]
MA: Because he's set up this massive chess game -
JKR: Mm, this massive chess game. But I said to Arthur, my American editor - we had an interesting conversation during the editing of seven - the moment when Harry takes Draco's wand, Arthur said, God, that's the moment when the ownership of the Elder wand is actually transferred? And I said, that's right. He said, shouldn't that be a bit more dramatic? And I said, no, not at all, the reverse. I said to Arthur, I think it really puts the elaborate, grandiose plans of Dumbledore and Voldemort in their place. That actually the history of the wizarding world hinged on two teenage boys wrestling with each other. They weren't even using magic. It became an ugly little corner tussle for the possession of wands. And I really liked that - that very human moment, as opposed to these two wizards who were twitching strings and manipulating and implanting information and husbanding information and guarding information, you know?
Ultimately it just came down to that, a little scuffle and fistfight in the corner and pulling a wand away
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POST
Title: The thing about Dickie
Published: 2011-03-09 15:10:31
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Marge Sherwood: The thing with Dickie... it's like the sun shines on you, and it's glorious. And then he forgets you and it's very, very cold
Tom Ripley: So I'm learning
Marge Sherwood: When you have his attention, you feel like you're the only person in the world, that's why everybody loves him so much.
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Title: The Truth About Cutting the Cable TV Cord
Published: 2011-02-01 09:45:00
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The Truth About Cutting the Cable TV CordnnFor better or worse, television requires very little effort on the part of the user. Aside from changing the channel or looking at the onscreen TV guide, television is just “there.”nConnected devices, on the other hand, demand a lot more user effort. Viewers have to make conscious choices about what content they want to watch. This is fine if someone wants to watch a specific movie or TV show, but it can be less satisfying for the channel surfer. There is much less serendipity built into the current generation of connected devices.nnAs someone who has never had a satalite contract and has not had ‘TV’ for nearly a decade I am fascinated to see where 'connected TV’ (as the article refers to it) goes over the next 5 years.nIronically in the last 6 months I have moved back to FreeView and largely away from 'connected TV’ due to various issues with broadband speeds, contracts and prices. Currently I am using a mi-fi unit - a very exciting piece of technology that I think may well change the face of Wi-Fi - and allthough the speed is fine the data cap is prohibitive.nI hate FreeView though because of everything 'TV’ that it brings with it - the constant shouty adverts, the osmosis dripfeed of things and people I really don’t care about and the inherent lazy channel surfing that despite my best intentions I still end up doing.nIt does sound however that for 'connected TV’ to succeed it will end up taking on most of the characteristics (and evils) of regular TV - but that will only hold true I suspect of the major services like Hulu and integrated solutions like Google TV. I hope there will still always be those oasis’ of calm like the BBC iPlayer and 4OD out there.nAs soon as I can afford to increase my Wi-Fi package I will gleefuly ditch the little black box and in the meantime try my very hardest to Switch Off My Television Set and Go Do Something Less Boring Instead..
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Title: Black Swan [Review]
Published: 2011-01-31 13:35:00
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nOk.. so, a slightly more involved review ;)nI loved Black Swan SO much that it’s hard to know where to start. I only saw it last night and already I’m dying to see it again. On first viewing there is not a single thing I would change about it.nThe cast is small and tight - it really is Natalie Portman’s film - with only five real characters. The direction, cinematography and (as to be expected) editing are also wonderful. There are so many elegant visual clues that I look forward to watching it over because I’m sure there is plenty that I missed first time around.nOne of my own personal fixitations in film and literature is the device of the ‘unreliable narrator’ and whilst Black Swan doesn’t necessarily fall neatly into that box we are certainly seeing the world through the eyes of a woman loosing her grasp on reality. She is also, objectively, a rather unappealing character - although of course we understand why..nI think you can read the film on one level, somewhat bluntly, as a story about the uglier side of the delicate art of ballet or more loosely as an allegory of obsession, control, self control, fractured self-image, body-horror, the pressure of being 'perfect’ and the need for release. It’s quite shocking in places (even for a fairly hardy soul) and these shocks are meated out in a kind of dartlike, sporadic way that often left me gasping. [oh, and as a side note - anyone who thinks the film actually has anything to do with 'lesbianism’ wasn’t paying attention..]nThe whole film is one huge, tense pressure cooker and the second that thing happens with Wynona Ryder you know it is about to blow.. I think if you know the story of Swan Lake there are aspects of the film that are probably quicker to grasp and a slight inevitabilty to the plot - but within that an absolutely crazy freewheel that means there is NO CHANCE OF GETTING BORED. It is grandiose, melodramatic and gothic - but all tempered with a delicate touch and maturity.nDefinately one of the best films I’ve ever seen.
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Title: Ladies sing the blues [playlist]
Published: 2011-01-26 17:24:00
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Listen on Spotify.. nnPlaylist after the jump ;)nnDuffy – My BoyDuffy – Too Hurt To DanceDuffy – Breath AwayDuffy – Hard For The HeartWanda Jackson – Like a BabyWanda Jackson – Nervous BreakdownWanda Jackson – Thunder on the MountainWanda Jackson – You Know That I’m No GoodAmy Winehouse – Back To BlackAmy Winehouse – Fuck Me PumpsAmy Winehouse – Me & Mr JonesAmy Winehouse – To Know Him Is To Love Him - NapsterLiveEtta James – Nobody Loves You Like MeEtta James – Only Women BleedBillie Holiday – Stars Fell On AlabamaBillie Holiday – I Didn’t Know What Time It WasDinah Washington – Drinking AgainDinah Washington – Is You Is Or Is You Ain’t My BabyIke & Tina Turner – Stand By MeIke Turner – Proud MaryIke & Tina Turner – Cussin’, Cryin’ And Carryin’ OnJoseph Gershenson – Big Spender - 1969 Motion Picture SoundtrackAlma Cogan – Whatever Lola Wants (Lola Gets)Adele – Rolling In The DeepAdele – Hometown Glory (High Contrast Remix)Florence + The Machine – Dog Days Are OverFlorence + The Machine – Cosmic LoveFlorence + The Machine – Kiss With A FistMarina And The Diamonds – GirlsMarina And The Diamonds – NumbMarina And The Diamonds – Are You Satisfied?Ellie Goulding – AnimalEllie Goulding – HumanEllie Goulding – Under The SheetsEllie Goulding – Guns And HorsesEllie Goulding – This Love (Will Be Your Downfall)Ellie Goulding – Your Biggest MistakeAmy Macdonald – Don’t Tell Me That It’s OverAmy Macdonald – Love LoveAmy Macdonald – An Ordinary LifeAmy Macdonald – Give It All UpAmy Macdonald – Next Big ThingAmy Macdonald – This Pretty FaceCharlotte Church – Back To ScratchCharlotte Church – We Were YoungCharlotte Church – UnravellingCharlotte Church – Logical WorldCharlotte Church – Don’t Think About ItCharlotte Church – Cup Of The SunNatalie Merchant – Life Is SweetNatalie Merchant – Thick As ThievesNatalie Merchant – EffigySuzanne Vega – Tom’s DinerSuzanne Vega – LukaSuzanne Vega – Marlene On The WallAimee Mann – Wise UpAimee Mann – Save MeMartha Wainwright – Bleeding All OverMartha Wainwright – Comin’ TonightMartha Wainwright – So Many FriendsMartha Wainwright – In The Middle Of The NightMartha Wainwright – See Emily PlayBeth Gibbons – RomanceRustin Man – Funny Time Of YearBeth Gibbons – Sand RiverJoan As Police Woman – The MagicJoan As Police Woman – I Was EveryoneJoan As Police Woman – Game Of LifeAu Revoir Simone – ShadowsAu Revoir Simone – Knight Of WandsAu Revoir Simone – Trace A LineAu Revoir Simone – Only You Can Make You HappyAu Revoir Simone – HurricanesAu Revoir Simone – The Disco SongCamera Obscura – Away With MurderCamera Obscura – The Sweetest ThingCamera Obscura – Honey In The SunThe Bronx Sisters – Red Hot MomaShe & Him – ThievesShe & Him – Over It Over AgainShe & Him – This Is Not A TestShe & Him – Change Is HardShe & Him – Sweet Darlin’She & Him – In The SunMark Lanegan – Honey Child What Can I Do?Tammy Wynette – Your Good Girl’s Gonna Go BadDolly Parton – Steady As The RainDolly Parton – Silver DaggerDolly Parton – Travelin’ PrayerBillie Jo Spears – You’re My ManBillie Jo Spears – (I Never Promised You A) Rose GardenNorah Jones & The Handsome Band – Loretta (Live 2004)Norah Jones – Blue Bayou (feat. M. Ward) (Live in Austin)Juice Newton – A Little LoveJuice Newton – Queen Of HeartsJefferson Airplane – Somebody To LoveJuice Newton – Heart Of The NightStevie Nicks – Stand Back - Live From SoundstageStevie Nicks – Edge of SeventeenJanis Joplin – Piece Of My HeartJanis Joplin – Me And Bobby McGeeJanis Joplin – Try (Just A Little Bit Harder)Patti Smith Group – 25th FloorPatti Smith Group – Till VictoryPatti Smith Group – Gloria - Digitally Remastered 1996Patti Smith Group – Elegie - Digitally Remastered 1996Courtney Love – Life Despite GodCourtney Love – Never Gonna Be The SameCourtney Love – All The DrugsPJ Harvey – My Beautiful LeahPJ Harvey – The Sky Lit UpPJ Harvey – A Perfect Day ElisePJ Harvey – AngelenePJ Harvey – Is This Desire?John Parish – Leaving CaliforniaJohn Parish – The SoldierTori Amos – Pretty Good YearTori Amos – GirlTori Amos – The Wrong BandTori Amos – Past The MissionKate Bush – Feel ItKate Bush – Oh To Be In LoveKate Bush – Them Heavy PeopleKate Bush – The Kick InsideKate Bush – L'Amour Looks Something Like YouPolly Scattergood – Nitrogen PinkPolly Scattergood – Unforgiving ArmsPolly Scattergood – Bunny Club
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Title: Time goes by so slowly..
Published: 2011-01-17 15:25:52
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nnIn the autumn of 2009, with various knockoff cover versions of Shakira’s ‘She Wolf’ scaling the charts before Shakira’s own version of the tune had even been released, we did a thing for The Guardian about how soundalike versions of tunes were taking over iTunes. “Labels have now lost control of their most precious marketing device, which teased fans with radio play, video airings and TV performances, creating demand months ahead of a single’s release,” we wrote. “Illegal downloads, and this latest wave of covers, mean that any thirst a label creates can be instantly, unofficially quenched.”Well this weekend it was announced that in order to combat piracy (ie make more/lose less cash) Sony and Universal will be moving to an 'on air, on sale’ model. As soon as a song is played on the radio, it’ll be available to purchase.The timing is pretty perfect: following last Tuesday’s official online and radio premiere of the Britney single 'Hold It Against Me’ Sony released the track for sale in most of its major territories. At one point, not long after release, the song was at Number One on iTunes in 17 different countries.That didn’t happen in the UK.In the UK, Britney’s label decided on a February release date. As well as unnecessarily putting Britney head to head with Lady Gaga’s new single - a foolhardy move for any act - the decision also meant that UK fans would have to wait a month to buy the song. Well, of course, they wouldn’t have waited a month. Although they would happily have spent a quid on a legal download, fans ended up illegally downloading the track, or legally listening to the track on YouTube. Either way, by the time February’s official release would have come around, the legal release would have been purchased by only the most hardcore Britney fans - the ones bothered by the single’s chart placing. Everyone else would probably have moved on.nnnPopjusticenFinally! Forward progress! This has been needing to happen for such a long time..nIt’s not just about instant gratification either (well, not entirely) it is also about removing the insanity of staggered teritory based releases in the internet age.nAlso for those of us who spend the lead up to big releases squinting at the computer with our fingers in our ears trying to avoid leaks and demos this might help ease up the deluge.
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