Sunday, October 24, 2010

Single Sundays #1

THIS IS WHAT I MEAN WHEN I SAY THERE IS TOO MUCH MUSIC TO LISTEN TO


Darkstar - Dear Heartbeat


Jamie Woon - Night Air (Ramadanman Remix)


Shed - Leave Things


Gold Panda - Same Dream China


Phaeleh - Changes ft. Soundmouse

MORE AFTER THE JUMP

Saturday, October 23, 2010

Review: Clubroot - II - MMX


Review: Clubroot II - MMX
Dubstep / Garage

CD1
1. Orbiting
2. Waterways
3. Dry Cured
4. Sjambok
5. Toe To Toe
6. Whistles & Horns
7. Running On Empty
8. Physicality
9. Dust Storm
10. Closure
11. Cherubs Cry

CD2
1. Chamber
2. Solar Flares
3. Remember me

9/10

Wow. This release completely flew by me, but I'm glad I had the chance to listen to it--it's one of the best albums I've heard all year. Clubroot turns atmospheric dubstep into an art-form, masterfully blending heavy synths and basses with garage rhythms and some chopped-up, down-tuned vocals. The album is very reminiscent of Burial, Scuba and Synkro; a bit derivative perhaps, but you won't hear me complaining.

Friday, October 22, 2010

Review: Dark Sky - Frames / Something To Lose


Review: Dark Sky Frames EP
Dubstep

1. Reflex
2. Night Light
3. Drowned City
4. Fly

4.5/5



Review: Dark Sky Something To Lose

1. Something To Lose
2. Ghost Notes

4.5/5

Dark Sky is very, very quickly becoming one of my favorite producers, and is definitely one to watch. Grab these, and hope for an album as much as I am.




Review: Darkstar - North


Review: Darkstar North
Dubstep / Electronic

1.  In The Wings
2.  Gold
3.  Deadness
4.  Aidy's Girl Is A Computer
5.  Under One Roof
6.  Two Chords
7.  North
8.  Ostkreuz
9.  Dear Heartbeat
10.  When Its Gone

8.5/10

Darkstar's trademark gloomy, chopped up production has lead to some of my favorite songs in the past couple of years, so it's no surprise that the debut album for the group came with very high expectations. It turns out they added a singer to the group and went with a more vocal route, veering slightly toward the realm of moody electro-pop a la ... well ... The Postal Service and Styrofoam. Thankfully, the production is top notch throughout and the songs are quite memorable when done well ("Dear Heartbeat"), but the album can seem a bit too gloomy at times. Once listen to "Aidy's Girl," which has been floating around for a while, and you'll miss the Darkstar of old.



Sunday, October 17, 2010

Protect Your Neck (Fall Knitwear)

Everyone needs a good necktie, and wool seems to be the perfect choice for the coming winter (just don't spill anything on it). After shopping around the internet, here are some of the nicer options I came across, with some samples:

Howard Yount




Berg & Berg

Pierrepont Hicks


Alexander Olch

Drakes of London

Sunday, October 10, 2010

Mixtape Download #5: Still Not Doctor


Mixtape Download
Still Not Doctor
Dubstep / Future Garage / 2 Step


RIAA killin' me. See Downloads section.

New mixtape for October! This one is mainly songs I've been using lately to psych myself up for interviews, hence the name. Hope you like it! 

Monday, October 4, 2010

Robert G. Edwards Wins The Nobel Prize

Congratulations to Robert E. Edwards, and congratulations Britain, for winning the 2010 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.
-
In vitro fertilization innovator Robert G. Edwards wins Nobel Prize






British biologist Robert G. Edwards, whose contributions to the technology of in vitro fertilization have made more than 4 million couples parents, has been awarded the 2010 Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine.
Working with Dr. Patrick Steptoe, Edwards, now 85, developed the techniques for removing mature eggs from a woman's ovaries, fertilizing them in test tubes and inducing them to begin dividing before implanting them back in the mother.
Their efforts yielded the July 25, 1978, birth of Louise Brown, the first "test tube baby," both demonstrating the success and the safety of the technique and bringing hope to infertile people all over the world. An estimated 10% of all couples are unable to conceive naturally.
Edwards, an emeritus professor at Cambridge University, is in failing health and was unable to accept the early morning call from Sweden's Nobel Committee. "I spoke to his wife, and she was delighted, and she was sure he would be delighted too," the committee's secretary, Goran Hansson, told a Stockholm news conference.

via LA Times
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And in the other corner...
Vatican: Nobel Win For Robert Edwards 'Completely Out Of Order'
via Huffington Post

Really?

GYAKUSOU: Nike X UC


Bit of a late pass on this one. Nike and Undercover have collaborated on a range of running gear, a good fit given Undercover's tendency to experiment with synthetic fabrics and practical innovations. The price points seem very reasonable as well. I wasn't too interested at first seeing as how I already have a bit of running gear, and I get the feeling everyone and their marathon-running mothers will be lining up for this. Then, I saw this:


I mean...damn. That is a beautiful jacket. The sleeves are detachable as well for year-long usage. It looks like just the thing I might need in the NY rain...perhaps over a nice new base layer...and perhaps a set of pants while I'm at it...



Sigh. Looks like I'll be lining up with the rest of 'em after all.



More here.

"Let It Bleed Vs. Let It Be" by Yoshi Sodeoka


"The entire track is constructed out of two of the most well-known songs in the history of music, Let It Be by Beatles and Let It Bleed by Rolling Stones. Each track was sliced up into small pieces and rearranged. Let It Be is panned on the right channel, Let It Bleed is panned on the left channel."

I had seen the photos before but I never realized there was a video to this. It's always nice to come across something you've seen before and realize there's much more to the story.


Also by Sodeoka:



Beautiful. See more here.





Friday, October 1, 2010

Visvim Americana Deck Folk


I think I've found my absolute favorite shoe of all time, and it's the Visvim Americana Deck Folk. I have worn these nearly every single day for the past 2 months and I don't see myself stopping anytime soon. The Americana is sized just large enough to have a more interesting shape than a typical, everywhere-you-look boat shoe, yet not too bulky for everyday wear. The leather and the construction are holding up excellently, more-so than any other shoe I've ever owned. In fact, they got absolutely soaked today in the NY rain and the only noticeable difference is that they're a lot cleaner than they were before. I've been stepped on about 50 times and no encounter has ever left a mark.

Visvim is a favorite of mine because of how much I love the brand and hate it at the same time. Hiroki Nakamura's devotion to detail, heritage, functionality and socklessness (!) place Visvim's footwear among the best and most sought-after in the entire world. On the other hand, exorbitant prices, often-questionable originality and the occasional design misstep make the shoes hard to acquire and the cost hard to justify.

It's a testament to the brand, though, that if I could only stop by one store during a visit to Tokyo it would undoubtedly be F.I.L. I don't think I've ever been able to leave F.I.L. empty-handed, either, and this last trip was no different. I'd long put the Americana as a shoe I would probably never acquire for any number of reasons (timing, proxy costs, etc.) but it turns out F.I.L. had just done a full re-stock. There they were, tempting me, and my love-affair with all things Chromexcel certainly didn't help matters. I mean just look at the damned things.


Yes, Visvim's pricing is hard to justify, and yes, you can get very similar shoes for a very different cost (that's a full-on rip, by the way). But if you don't mind a little break from tradition (and you shouldn't), there's something to be said about the way these feel each time I slip them on, and that happens quite a bit.
-

Notes:

-If you're looking for a pair, the cheapest option is to call up a friend or proxy in Japan and have them either visit F.I.L. in person or scour Yahoo.jp auctions.

-Purchase the shoes a half-size down if possible, even though they fit true to size. They'll be uncomfortable for a bit but they will eventually stretch to a perfect fit. This applies to all Chromexcel footwear, given the leather's pull-up--purchase them too large and you risk marking the vamp with the edge of your toes. 

Review: Eskmo - Eskmo


Review: Eskmo Eskmo
Glitch Hop / Electronic / Dubstep


1 Cloudlight
2 We Got More
3 Color Dropping
4 The Melody
5 You Go, I See That
6 We Have Invisible Friends (Washed Mix)
7 Become Matter Soon, For You
8 Moving Glowstream
9 Starships
10 Communication
11 Siblings
12 Gold and Stone
13 My Gears Are Starting to Tremble

4/10

"Cloudlight" is a great song, so I was excited to hear the rest of the album. Unfortunately it's quite a huge disappointment. Every track is basically a less satisfying shadow of "Cloudlight"--sounds and instruments are reused all over the place, and I would have a lot of trouble telling many of these songs apart. The terrible vocals don't help much either. Worth a listen only if you absolutely love glitch hop, otherwise you can skip this.

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Rick Owens Women's S/S 2011




The collection won't change anyone's mind about the designer, but it is a breath of fresh air after last season's mess. Reminds me of F/W '09, probably my favorite, but with a surprising amount of variety and refined experimentation. I love this silhouette.