Take Away Show: Local Natives

French music blog La Blogotheque does a really cool video series called Take Away Show where they film bands playing live in obscure places/settings. It's usually more of an acoustic performance, due to the setting & circumstances (the first episode I experienced was "1901" by Phoenix with the Eiffel Tower as a back drop). As a big fan of Local Natives, I immediately wanted to share this.

In this episode of the Take Away Show, Local Natives play "Who Knows Who Cares" while walking through the Palais Royal in Paris. The intertwining harmonies are downright inspiring in that setting. And done live? That much more impressive. Thanks to Pitchfork for the pointer.

Local Natives | Who Knows Who Cares | A Take Away Show from La Blogotheque on Vimeo.

Helplessness Blues

Looks like this is turning into a sort of music blog... I'll just roll with it. Fleet Foxes just announced a new album and concert dates. You'd better believe my tickets are purchased for the NYC show (which I just read they added a second date – get your tickets while you can!). I've been anxious to see these gentlemen live for the past two/three years, and am thrilled they're touring again. They're first single, "Helplessness Blues" is available for free download on their website.

On a related note, Brooklyn Vegan included this amazing cover of "White Winter Hymnal" by Oh Land in their latest Fleet Foxes coverage. Oh Land is new to me; Apparently they're Danish - not too hard to tell by her naturally beautiful Scandanavian features. Fun cover to say the least.

Before It's Too Late: Favorite Music 2010

I get that I'm at least a month late with posting this list, but for my own sake I wanted to document my audio favorites from 2010 – another successful year for music.

Favorite Bands of 2010 (as judged by the amount of listens in my iTunes library)
*Note: For all the hater hipsters, I understand that some of these groups could technically have been in 2009, but for me, the discovery really came in 2010. So don't bother calling me out on it–I'm doing the best I can to keep up!

10. Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti "Before Today"


9. Deerhunter "Halcyon Digest"


8. Best Coast "Crazy For You"


7. Tokyo Police Club "Champ"


6. Sufjan Stevens "The Age of Adz"


5. Ra Ra Riot "The Orchard"


4. Beach House "Teen Dream"


3. Two Door Cinema Club "Tourist History"


2. Arcade Fire "The Suburbs"


1. Local Natives "Gorilla Manor"

Honorable Mentions: (in no particular order) LCD Soundsystem, Yeasayer, The Morning Benders, Glasser, Band of Horses, Animal Collective, Phoenix, Passion Pit, The National, Mumford & Sons, Caribou, Jónsi, Phantogram, Surfer Blood, Tame Impala, Toro Y Moi

HelveTic-Toc

This isn't terribly efficient for telling time... But at least it looks nice and modern!

Check out helvetictoc.com

My Other Favorite Irish Band

These guys are the "band of the moment" for me right now. Definitely floating my boat, if you will. I really appreciate when an entire album jumps out at me from the get go. Typically for me, it can mean one of two things: 1. It's a solid album, start to finish. Or 2. It's just a bunch of catchy, pop-y songs that you're going to get sick of really fast. I will note that a lot of the songs have a very similar sound (since I still can't distinguish some tracks from others), nonetheless I've been loving this album as of late.

I was also impressed by their performance on Jimmy Fallon a couple weeks back – I've probably watched this video a dozen times since then (Like I said, "band of the moment...).

100 Years of Big Blue

I was raised to bleed blue. The LA Dodgers, the BYU Cougars, & IBM. Even though it's been years since my old man retired from the company after three decades of honest labor, I feel proud to have ever been even loosely affiliated. This video encapsulates the American dream, and paints our capitalistic society in a good light. And the best part is, this is 13 solid minutes of a little thing they call advertising. Very well done.

Animal Bands

Any music fan would agree that the last few years of the folk revival have seen come with it an influx of what I like to call "Animal Bands." I'm not sure if this goes hand-in-hand with the green, Whole Foods/Trader Joes, all-natural movement, or if it's just the trend du jour of the hipsters, but there are almost no good animal names left for bands. If one were to start a new band tomorrow, they would be hard pressed to come up with a name cooler than Fleet Foxes, per se. Beards & Animal Bands, my friends.

Since I'm just now writing about it, I'm sure this trend is on its way out. The pendulum swing is departing the return to analog, and picking up speed heading back to digital – what's next, robot bands with beards?

Here's my list of current Animal Bands that are killing it. I admittedly enjoy most of the groups listed below - have I missed any?

- Animal Collective

- Fleet Foxes

- Grizzly Bear

- Deerhunter

- Deer Tick

- Band of Horses

- Caribou

- Tame Impala

- Frightened Rabbit

- Panda Bear (from Animal Collective, no less)

- Wolf Parade

- Sea Wolf

- Phoenix

- Gorillaz (doesn't quite fit the same mold as the rest...but still animalistic)

Honorable Mentions: (Less Animal-y and more Naturaleza)

- Neon Indian

- Neon Trees

- Blitzen Trapper (Wild Mountain Nation)

Here's one of my favorite songs from the past year or so by Animal Collective. I admit it took time for this track to grow on me, but then one day on the R Train, it hit me like a wave of perfection. Enjoy.

Animal Collective "My Girls" from Chad von Nau on Vimeo.

Should Be Good

Looking forward to Phoenix & The Dirty Projectors at Madison Square Garden tomorrow. Not the ideal venue, but I'm excited nonetheless.

Lucky

I've felt lucky this week that I sincerely like my job. A lot. I don't know if the average American can honestly say that. This VW ad from New Zealand helped me realize that. This is such a unique industry, advertising. Sure, it's the big, bad monster that claims to be part of the "creative" world, but that's why I love it. I've heard it put that advertising is the grease on the gears upon which the American machine runs. God bless America, and God bless capitalism. Although I'm sure many will point out my flawed thinking, I personally love our consumer culture. Advertising makes the American world go 'round. I feel lucky to be a part of it. Thank you Volkswagen of New Zealand for reminding me of that.

This spot is beautifully shot, very well executed, based on sound strategy, relevant consumer insight (even for a non-coffee drinking guy), and put over some amazing music. That recipe equals a winning ad in my mind. VW is a great brand, doing a lot of great things - internationally at least. VW America needs to step it up like their Kiwi cousins. Like I said, pretty lucky to work in the industry.

Study Like A Scholar

As far as parodies go, I've got to say that this isn't half bad! Made me laugh at work, so that's saying something.

Brigham Young University / BYU - New Spice | Study like a scholar, scholar

They Just Don't Make 'Em Like They Used To...

UP THERE from The Ritual Project on Vimeo.

I recently ran across this wonderful expose and was completely fascinated by this old school niche that has found itself left in the dust of modern day advertising. I personally would love to see more of this stuff around the city.
The Album Leaf soundtrack makes it especially enjoyable as well. Very well done!

Stanley Cup Time

I'm not the biggest of hockey fans, but I'm big fan of this new ad from Young & Rubicam. Go Blackhawks.

The Brothers Perlorian

Admittedly, I don't know much about this insanely out-there duo, but I find their work to be immensely creative and refreshingly original. I think there's a lot to be said for authenticity these days, and this stuff is real. Every advertisement they've directed over the past few years breaks through the clutter and makes you laugh. Rock on Perlorian Brothers.

The Perlorian Brothers is allegedly comprised of art director Ian Letts and copywriter Michael Gelfand, who, as you may have guessed, aren't really brothers. Check out their originality on display on their website and vimeo page.

One of my favorites featuring Bruce Campbell covering DuranDuran:

The Sandpit NYC

The talent level of people in this world can, at times, be downright depressing. There are days I like to convince myself that I too have a shot at creating something genuinely creative and beautiful, and then I come across projects like this one. I've never seen anything like this - one of those times that I was left awestruck wondering, "how on earth did they do that?"

Director Sam O'Hare apparently shot this little beauty with all still photography, time lapse style. He then beautified the images in post-production to make the final product look as magnificent as it does - somehow turning real people and their surroundings into small toys and models ("in miniature," as he calls it.) The soundtrack also really brings this short film to life. Impressive work.

To read more, check out this post on the Aero Film Blog

(Says Sam the Director: "Please view in HD and full screen for best effect." Please obey Sam.)

The Sandpit from Sam O'Hare on Vimeo.

What Type Are You?

Pentagram has done a really neat interactive personality-based quiz that determines what "type" you are. It's extremely well executed and actually super informative. Makes me want to be a printer.

How about me? Well apparently I'm Pistilli Roman.
(hint) password: character

The Creative Struggle

Amen Ira Glass. I've had similar thoughts/feelings several times, but I've never heard it spoken quite like that. I love his take on the notion of taste as well. Fascinating & inspiring

via Kyle Monson

A Camera Like Your Eye

Don't know much about Leica, but I want to know more after watching this.

Fall in New York City

I know it's winter now, but I love Matte Stephens' depiction of Central Park in the fall. I know I've written about his work before, but this is one artist that keeps on "wow"ing me. Super unique work that takes me back to an era in which I never lived.

Always Snowing in Philadelphia

The First Snow, Canon 7D from Reid Carrescia on Vimeo.

Perhaps my favorite aspect of the broad term "social media" is that everyday people can share their God-given talent with the world on such a broad scale. Even ten years ago this wasn't the case; Only a small percentage of mankind's talent was ever really shared with the greater whole - and those folks probably just got lucky.

I love when I come across projects like this one; an aesthetically stunning video, impeccably edited, and paired with an original soundtrack. I congratulate you, Reid & Allen Carrescia, on a job well-done.

A Note On Originality

I like the thought process here - gives me hope that I'm not the only one who feels like I'm lacking in originality. Long live creative inspiration.

Time Travel - Lessons From The Past

Why are we so obsessed with the idea of "vintage" & "retro"? I'll admit it, I love the Mad Men-esque 1960's styles that are so prevalent in today's pop culture. But why is that? Are we intrigued because these are times in which we never lived?

Whatever the reasoning, I love this find via @aestheticapparatus - This alphabet series was created in 1954 for CBS Television by artist Jim Flora. Beautiful "retro" work, wouldn't you say?







Images from Aesthetic Apparatus

Two of My Favorite Things

"Helvetica & The New York Subway System"


This amazing project by lettering artist, type designer, teacher, design historian, and all around type nut Paul Shaw, has recently come to fruition, and is an incredibly detailed history / type design case study for the ages. I don't profess to know much about type or this Paul Shaw character, but I would love to get my hands on this book! The type / lettering design of each different subway stop has always fascinated me. This beauty of a book contains a lifetime's worth of research on why things look the way they look today in the oft-times grimy underworkings of NYC. Astonishing work. I'm glad people like Paul Shaw exist to bring us treasures like this.









Images from the MyFonts Blog
Buy the book here for a meager $85.00 plus shipping (someday...)

Gap-Side Down

Very clever.

Round Two: New Orleans

Fifty People, One Question: New Orleans from Benjamin Reece on Vimeo.

Space Chair Project

Innovation. I like the "push the limits" mentality. Why not send it space?

Snuggie?

Clever.

"Planning" too Vague?

Account planning is fascinating. But is "planning" an appropriate title? I know a lot of agencies throw "strategic" or "strategy" in there somewhere... What is it really though?

Who Reads Anyways?

Exquisitely designed hardbacks for the bookshelf.





Designer: Coralie Bickford-Smith, senior cover designer at Penguin Books.

Let's Be Cultured: American Poetry

I don't know if it's the rich culture of New York City or all of the rain we've been getting lately, but I found this poem wonderfully inspiring - and I'm not one to love poetry!

The Rainy Day

The day is cold, and dark, and dreary
It rains, and the wind is never weary;
The vine still clings to the mouldering wall,
But at every gust the dead leaves fall,
And the day is dark and dreary.

My life is cold, and dark, and dreary;
It rains, and the wind is never weary;
My thoughts still cling to the mouldering Past,
But the hopes of youth fall thick in the blast,
And the days are dark and dreary.

Be still, sad heart! and cease repining;
Behind the clouds is the sun still shining;
Thy fate is the common fate of all,
Into each life some rain must fall,
Some days must be dark and dreary.

-Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Retro: The New Vintage

As I'm always on the prowl for killer design, I was pleased to find this amazing collection of classic design work from the 1950s-1970s and contemporary designers that draw inspiration from that time period, called Grain Edit.

Here are some samples I particularly like from an artist named Matte Stephens: