Rebel Issue 1

Featuring:

Samantha Pleet Is The Hardest Working Woman In Fashion Remed: A Blend Of Mathematics and Soul

WHY?

“Facing History, With Little To No Irony”

Featuring: TOD SEELIE’s Photographic Instinct

Table Of Contents

Click on Feature to Navigate to the page.

Featured‌ 86 WHY? 20

releases their most meaningful album to date

Samantha Pleet 54

This fashion designer is really good at multitasking

Tod Seelie 42

Photography that is not meant to settle down

Remed

There is no such thing as perfect graffiti

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Music…

Fashion…

10 Petrou \ Man 12

Fashion’s biggest control freaks

Daniel Palillo 30

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82

Verameat

Photography…

A band that doesn’t plan very well

Denmark is no longer a small country

múm

Uniform for survival

Not just jewelry, but wearable art

Bear Driver

Efterklang

Normality is boring

Nom de Guerre 38

74

94

102

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Some things just come naturally

Sun Araw

Combines music and spirituality

AU Trine Søndergaard

The Strude series is not the every day portrait

Design…

68 FAT

108

Portland, Oregon just gets better and better

Origami Vinyl 116

Echo Park’s vinyl store with a new perspective

Album Reviews

Don’t mistake style for attitude

126 Events 128

• Art Fag fest • Thank You, Come Again 3

Index

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About Rebel strives to bring a collection of contemporary music, art, fashion, and design to our readers. We defy societal norms to discover and bring to view the truest and most pure culture.

We rebel against clichÊd photography and bring you unique images of undiscovered beauty. We rebel against the mundane and the matchy-matchy to present you with, not simply clothes, but full-body expression. We rebel against the pop song to support the artistic dreams of groundbreaking musicians. We don’t settle for uninspired design, opting for engaging and exciting layouts.

We at Rebel are inspired by all of these artists, and would like to share them with you! We want to bring to you the inspiration to harness the creativity inherent within yourself, so that you can be a rebel. Rebel is based Southern California, and will sponsor and host art shows, concerts, or any sort of art presented in a public medium.

Cover No1 / WHY? Photography : Brian Vu

Inquiries contact@wearerebels.com

Cover No2 Photography : Tod Seelie

Advertising advertise@wearerebels.com

Cover No3 Photography : Lindsay Peters

Submissions and Ideas submissions@wearerebels.com

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Creative Director Multimedia Designer

Brian Vu

Robert Verbarg

Music Editor Lisa Bielsik Fashion Editor

Lindsay Peters

Writers Madison Woodward Douglas Sweeney Elizabeth Field Joey O’Brien Nate Miller Michael Delaney Katherine Rodgers Josh McDermott Mark Dodds Shirley Vilca Niek Lohmann Liam Crocker Photographers David De Ridder Nate Miller Soteris Kallis Jacqueline Di Milia Nicole Kai Kobilansky David Sampson Erik Swain

All Content 2010 Rebel Magazine.

No Part of Rebel May be reproduced by any means without consent.

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Text : Elizabeth Field Photography : Soteris Kallis

Fashion Spring • Summer 2010

PETROU \ MAN

“Fashion really needs less mass production and huge quantities, and more thoughtful and creative pieces.”

Nicolas Petrou definitely offers up thoughtfulness and creativity in his Spring/Summer 2010 line PETROU/ MAN, his first endeavor in Menswear.

Not a stranger to the fashion world, Petrou graduated with a Master of Arts degree in fashion design from St. Martin’s School in London and has been designing women’s wear in his own store on Madison Avenue for the past four years. “That does not exist anymore, as I’ve decided to concentrate o3n my longtime passion, menswear.”

Inspired by an illustration Sirachi completed for Geoffrey Beene in 2001, Petrou sought to recreate the bold, but minimalist design in an active wear line for men. His distressed and unraveling knits, metallic sequins and bold patchworks of contrasting designs merge sportswear with careful, tailored pieces. “All materials are great to work with. It’s what we make with them and how we can mix them, manipulate them, and treat them that make them even more interesting.”

“Most of the time, I admire things that are not conven-

tional.” While Petrou’s presentation of abstract and bold body suits beneath his designs may not be conventional, he is successfully able to cross the boundary of art while still maintaining accessibility and wearability in his designs. “If you look closely in the ‘loud’ patterns, you will see our everyday life unroll in front of your eyes. As a designer and as an artist, I decided to present the clothes on models in a more abstract and artistic way.”

However, Petrou maintains that his primary objective is not presentation, but the accessibility of his designs. “I design clothes for people to wear! That is my first concern when I create. That is what keeps me able to go on and do what I love most. When it comes to the presentation or how I expose my product, then I can be more artistic and can make an effort to educate my audience to accept another form of presentation of the clothes that is not so flat and boring in front of your face.”

Petrou’s favorite piece from his new Spring/Summer line are “[…]the pants with the disco knees. Metal sequins that are hand embroidered on the knees of denim pants are my favorite. They are special and different than your average pair of jeans.”

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Fashion Spring • Summer 2010 Renaissance

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DANIEL PALILLO

Text : Lindsay Peters Photography : Paavo Lehtonen Styling : Ossi Lehtonen

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Imagine intricate skulls mixed and mingled with playful polka dots on an oversized form. Daniel Palillo’s Spring/ Summer 2010 collection, Renaissance, showcases the cartoonish yet dark style that we’ve come to know and love from the Finnish designer.

While at the University of Art and Design-Helsinki, Palillo decided to move from studying fine arts to fashion design. “There was a need for that. Now some days I feel the need is opposite. So I wish to combine them.” His experience in fine arts has come in quite handy, especially in the graphics that his clothes are known to display. “The prints for this collection where mainly drawn out of old paintings of mine.” By utilizing his design aesthetic, Palillo has created a collection that draws a fine line between sportswear and moving canvases.

He often strays away from overly tailored forms; instead opting for large amounts of fabric that have been draped, shredded, and tied every which way to create an interesting and unconventional silhouette. “I feel fashion should be progressive. There should be something more to mention of clothes that is nicely tailored. At least I feel like that.” These forms combined with the massive designs printed on in stark black and white prove that casual wear can still make a powerful statement.

This time around, Palillo explores slightly more constructed forms in his dresses and adds a few more tones to his normal use of black and white. “There is beige also, and a hint of pink. I felt that that colour palette is enough.”

Some of his inspiration for this collection includes clowns and bondage, two elements not usually combined without the authorities being quickly notified. Yet, the soft ruffles and circus-sized polka dots against the skulls and tangled black create an excellent balance between lively and dark, good and evil. The recurring use of the yingyang symbol undoubtedly adds to that sense of balance and harmony.

Palillo’s new collection manages to bring together elements that hardly seem to unite successfully. He combines complex draping, web and knots of fabric with clean and organized blocks of tone. His designs blend playful patterns and soft blush hues with macabre designs and masses of black. And out of all his looks for the Spring/ Summer 2010 line, his favorite proves to be “this donald duck unsymmetrical t-shirt”.

Look out for his clothes and installation displayed in the LA-Based clothing store, Welcome Hunters, located in Chinatown.

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Fashion Fall • Winter 2009

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Text : Lisa Bielsik Photography : Jacqueline Di Milia

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Samantha Pleet strives to keep her career in fashion in constant motion. Although she might refer to her designing process as magic, Pleet’s true talent is what really stands out to the rest of the world. The New York designer has worked her way up to the top and is receiving welldeserved recognition where it counts. After designing for Urban Outfitters and hosting her own pop-up shop at Space 15 Twenty in Los Angeles, we can’t help but wonder what the story is behind Pleet’s fast-paced career. Let’s see if we can keep up.

How would you describe your label, Samantha Pleet? I want to capture the spirit of exploration with clothing crafted for an adventure in the city, a far off land, or in your own backyard. I am a girl designing for women and I think that says something, the clothes are feminine and sexy without being to girly, and there is a message behind them inspired by the world we live in. I want to create clothing that will take you thought the years ahead by using beautiful and natural silks, wools and cottons and producing everything locally in NYC. When and why did you decide that you wanted to become a fashion designer? I have always loved clothes and since I was a little girl I loved dressing up my friends and putting on shows, at first I didn’t know I wanted to be a designer, I was into music and acting, them painting and sculpture which I studied at Pratt then my first year I switched to fashion design. I was lucky a friend of mine wanted to switch to painting and I took her place in the fashion department. I think Fashion is an expression of all of those things.

Take us through your design process. First I have to be inspired say from traveling, or watching a film. Then ideas suddenly appear I sketch them down pick out fabrics and the ideas come together to create a garment. Its like magic!

Please tell us about your current Fall collection.

The fall collection was a big step forward for my work. there is a lot of detail and amazing quality using tailoring tequniques that are new for me. The clothes were also made with organic fabrics. I really tried to create new silhouettes with standout details like a wolf print flannel

robe romper, and a pleated silk bubble romper. I had a lot of fun with this collection, it keeps evolving, wait till you see spring 10!

Do you have a favorite piece from the collection?

If so, then why?My favorite piece is the trench coat romper. Trench coats are great and now they can be your whole outfit. But the piece I wear everyday is the jump up suit, it has become my uniform.

The editorial you did for your collection is very inviting and playful. What were your inspirations? How did you plan the concept?

I was inspired by the feeling from bohemain new wave films like Valerie and her week of wonders, and Daisy,s and I wanted make clothing that someone could wear while running around having a wild time.

My husband Patrick and I built the set in our apartment, it really doesn’t look like that at all normally it was all put together in front of one wall. I also had wonderful help from my photographer Jacqueline Di Milia.

Tell us about the collaboration you did with Space 15 Twenty, What was it like opening your first store?

It was a great experience having my own store, its a shame it only lasted 2 months. Patrick and I curated the merchandise with our favorite books, music, art, and antique’s we found in Paris. Patrick, who is an architect by day designed the space with the help of Urban’s display artists.

What do you think fashion needs more or less of nowadays? It needs to be less conservative, I think people shouldn’t be afraid to express themselves they need to take chances.

Worst fashion trend in your opinion is... Personally I am not so into deconstruction, I know fashion people will not want to hear that right now but its a fad.

What bands/musicians are you currently listening to? Grizzly Bear, Chairlift, Au Revoir Simone, The Pains of being Pure at Heart, Dirty Projectors

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Fashion Fall • Winter 2009 The Third Generation

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Nom De Guerre

Text : Brian Vu Photography : Erik Swain

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Nom de Guerre has come a long way since 2003.

The Third Generation is Nom De Guerre’s ninth collection. The collection is influenced by the ideas of Utopias and utilizes the northern extremes of the Artic wilderness as it’s setting. Captured in the serious photos from Erik Swain,“the Artic region as inspiration, stems from the fundamental idea that esolate ecosystem and subzero extremes reduce existence, or will, to its primary level survival.”

Nom de Guerre is based in New York. The brand was founded by Holly Harnsonkram, Will Whitney, Devon Turnbull, and Isa Sallabi. “The collaboration of the members is driven by the theory that collective consciousness and collective reasoning is superior to that of the individual ego. The operating precept is to combine basic and diverse influences from art, fashion, and various New York City subcultures to create a composite culture and byproduct.” The name Nom de Guerre had two functions: to identify the group thereby giving the members solidar-

ity, and safeguarding the personal identity of each member during operations. Each member has a different background then the other, making the label very diverse. Isa did menswear and retail for Marc Jacobs, Devon studied Graphic Design, Wil was in the New York retail, and Holly studied sculpture, and is trained classically as a painter.

“Since the group’s inception and the opening of the downtown headquarters, Nom de Guerre has been a destination for the young New Yorkers who comprise the burgeoning art and music scene. As a result, Nom de Guerre has come to be a defining aspect of New York culture.”

The Fall / Winter 2009 collection is based off the idea of a uniform for survival. Critical components of the collection are olive drab, khaki, black, and gray. The collection consists of waxed cotton mountain anoraks, heavy parkas, ballistic down vests, heavy spun wool sweaters, wool plaid field shirts, thick shawl collars, classic cut jeans, and formal oxfords. If you’re in New York, we highly recommend you stop by the Nom de Guerre store on Broadway.

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Fashion

verameat

Text : Elizabeth Field

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Creator of the eco-friendly jewelry label, “VeraMeat”, Vera Balyura, never wanted to be designer. After unsuccessfully experimenting with being a cowgirl and a model, Balyura was approached by Catbird owner, Rony Vardi, to design accessories after he had seen her eclectic artwork.

VeraMeat’s “wearable art” is described by Balyura as “a science fiction film wanting to live vicariously through its owner”. And her pieces do seem to come to life. The sculptural presence of her pieces seem to transcend the form of an inanimate object with the careful attention to detail and quirky designs.

Where did you get the name Verameat for your label? I was really hungry at the time and was thinking of eating myself after having read Eat Thy Neighbor The History of Cannibalism, sounded fun.

How and when did you start the label? About 3 years ago I felt there was no one catering to the artist’s

mind on a hunt for quality heirlooms that don’t have the power to put you to sleep. Wanted to fill that void if only for myself. Was surprised to find so many supporters after getting my Verameat out there. Which was and still is a wonderful feeling.

How would you describe the Verameat Style? An after thought that becomes THE thought!

Describe your design process. I work with wax mostly. Usually a design pops into my head and it won’t leave until it’s a real life thing, which yearns to find a host.

Like in a science fiction film it just wants to live vicariously threw it’s owner.

Why are you planning on moving to the west coast? I’m too thin for a New York winter. Not kidding, if it was warm in NY now I could stay here. But I get sick really easily in the cold. I become a Verameat statue.

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What was your childhood like before you moved to the US? My father was in the film business in Eastern Europe, my mother Oksana, was a concert pianist. I took my inherited piano music skills from her to a music college for gifted kids to studying to become a composer. On breaks traveled to film sets with my Dad. I had hopes of becoming a physicist or writer, I was all over the place.

Did you always know that you wanted to be a jewelry designer? I never knew I wanted to be a jewelry designer until I became one. The first jewels I made sold right out from under me and were featured in Bust magazine, which prompted me to think of, a ‘company’ name, which was very exciting.

What have you currently been obsessed with?

Well this may sound like it’s coming out of left field, but I love improv comedy and am studying that at UCB Theater. Plus I’m obsessed with recording songs at home.

Dodging the cowboy style pain in my voice from the blisters on my fingers. Obsessed with burning myself while making more Verameat! It’s like a disease, just can’t stop!

I am forever greatful for you wonderful intriguing people who buy my stuff so I don’t end up in the poor house.

Who are your favorite designers at the moment?

I don’t really follow designers, I follow mostly artists of all kinds. For music I love St.Vincent, book author Muriel Barbery, love accidental comedies like New Moon.

Though the best thing I’ve done this week is listen to C.S. Lewis’s voice reading his book The Four Loves.

What do you have planned for 2010? Maybe write a young detective novel and expand my Verameat empire!

In fact I’m having a trunk show at Bloomingdales in Soho Nov. 20th & 21st so maybe that will lead to something.

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Art

Remed

Text : Ilya Sandomirsky

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Remed is a groundbreaking graffiti artist living in Madrid. He has a unique, and idealistic view of light and the soul of the street, which is prevalent throughout the vibrant colors and shapes in his art. Rebel got a chance to interview him to give our readers some insight into his creative process, as well as his daily life.

Where are you currently working / living? I’m now and since last summer living in Madrid, Spain.

What is the meaning of your name Remed? The name “remed” comes from the first expo I had, in Roubaix (France 59) that I named “L’art comme remède,” which means “art as remedy”. I kept the word “remed” because it represented art for me.

Tell us more about the graffiti scene where you live. In Madrid, the graffiti scene is very active. There are new tags thrown up every night, on walls, doors, wood, metal, and concrete. The global scene is bombing oriented, with strong US influence in the lines and style. It’s also great because the city council hasn’t found a good product to buff graffiti, so even if they buff something, usually you can still read most of the names in a nice nuance, a little lighter (or darker) than the color of the wall.

There’s also a great group of more alternative graffiti or street art. I like madrid because you really feel that the street is alive and talkative.

How does your location affect your art? I’ve decided to settle down in Madrid essentially because of the light and its consequence on peoples’ behavior. I was living in Lille (north of France) which is a really nice place because

of the people, their energy and creativity, but there was an absence of light... It’s quite grey and rainy. But that’s why people are creative and hungry for joy. Anyway, I’ve decided to go live under the blue sky.

Another important reason is that in Madrid the streets are alive, and people are quite tolerant. There’s little fear and enough liberty. People meet (or at least see the world) outside, at any hour or any age, so there’s no paranoia or tension. It’s not a city where people just transit from home to work, and vice versa. The people of Madrid really make the street a place of exchange and opportunity. I also have some really good friends living there, who are artists with the same of way of life.

What kind of reactions do you want to draw from people when they see your murals? I’m satisfied if I draw a reaction. I like the fact that artists who work in the street create3 an alternative to advertising and blandness of concrete. When I paint, I usually express a feeling I’ve had in a certain moment in a certain place. So I expect people to feel something more or less close to what I felt while thinking /doing it. If they just feel surprised, it’s fine. Still, it’s fantastic that everytime you paint in the streets, you have an instantaneous feedback, while when you create a canvas, u have to wait for the exhibition to happen.

Are you trained or are you self taught? I’ve had two great teachers during three years at the University of Applied Arts between 1998 to 2001. One was an art history teacher, who made me love art for it’s secrets, and the other taught me to look at things and people carefully and in detail.

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Describe the typical day in the life of REMED. I wake up late, I take a shower, I drink coffee with milk and grab something to eat. Eat. I either go to the atelier to think, talk and paint, or a museum, park, or swimming pool. After that, might come back home with my wife, or chill in the streets with my friends.

I also had the luck of being able to paint a huge wall in Serbia, after having learned alot about the city and its architecture.

How would you describe your drawing style?

A blend of mathematics and soul.

Describe your design process. Usually, if have an idea of what i’m about to do, I first look quite a long time at the white emptyness of the paper, the canvas or the wall... and wait for my mind traveling via virtual lines on the space. I wait to see something, I make various sketches or think of the final piece in my head, and then I take a pen, brush, or spray to make the first curves, it can be one of a letter, a symbol, or a body...then if it doesn’t fill the whole space, I keep on staring, expecting the next curve or mass to appear to me, as a line in front of my eyes, or as a feeling in my brain/heart... Until i’m satisfied.

What would you say is the perfect spot and the perfect graffiti? Perfect? I don’t know. But any graffiti is good since it is truly made, and it makes people react.

If the artist and those who know him can recognize a part of themselves in his creation (or destruction), it’s good graffiti.

The key is the flow. The pleasure of the line. If you have enough time, It’s also important to take in consideration the energy of the place; the texture of the wall, and the people who live around it.

One of my favorite experiences is when I went to the mountains with two of my friends (El Tono and 3TT man). We stayed all day from dawn to dusk, with 5 liters of water, 3 bocadillos, 2 beers, 15 sprays and 5 liters of white acrylic.

We walked more than 2 hours before finding the surface that we could paint entirely. It became a readymade sculpture more than just a wall. We added colors on a volume that already existed in a certain context to transform a big rock into an colourful animal. (Youtube: “Le Monstre De La Canebière”)

Some things that keep you inspired are... My life, people today, museums, the street, feelings, and faces.

I sometimes have to do many sketches before i’m satisfied, or many erasing, and sometimes everything just flows easyily until it’s (almost) finished.

Anything you would like to share to aspiring artists? Be li(e)ve!

What do you have planned for the rest of 2009?

I’m going to Italy soon to paint a wall in Prato, during a festival. Then I’m having an expo with Fefe, in Bilbao.

Meanwhile, I will focus on creating a new canvas, and thinking in volume. I’ll also try to find a flat with more light.

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Photography

Text : Nate Miller

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When he’s not biking cross-country or drifting at sea, New York based photographer Tod Seelie is building on his impressive resume. Seelie’s vivid colors and spontaneous coverage of the New York underground have been featured in Rolling Stone, The New York Times, and Spin Magazine.

Tod’s website (www.todseelie.com) boasts a wide selection of his work, ranging from a lakeside fashion shoot to gory roadkill. His line of work has taken him across fifteen countries on five continents.

Seelie also manages to run his blog “Sucka Pants” (www.suckapants.com) which features an array of his pictures, his favorite music, and various internet goodies.

Tod’s work is in-your-face, unapologetic, and absolutely worth checking out.

Where are you from and what is your background in photography? I was raised in Cleveland, OH and have lived in Brooklyn, NY for 12 years. I studied it at the end of college at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, NY. Digital or Film? Why?I shoot both, depending on the camera. Certain film cameras are still superior to digital, at least at my budget.

What camera do you use constantly and why?

Canon 5D and a Hasselblad 503CW. Did you go to school for photography or were you self-taught? I studied sculpture in college, but switched to photography just before I finished.

When did you establish your photographic style?

After I graduated from school, I worked to learn how to better enunciate my visual relationship with my subjects.

What I was choosing to photograph, why, and what I was trying to convey. I found that my style up until that point split, becoming two very different approaches with very different subject matter.

Are your photographs planned out or are they spontaneous? Why? I never plan anything, unless it is an assignment. It is all just always being aware, prepared, and following your instinct.

You told me that you are biking across Japan, can you tell me more about this?It was sort of a crazy vacation adventure my friends decided to do following our time traveling on junk rafts across the Adriatic Sea. Do you have anything planned for the rest of the year? I just spent almost five months straight traveling.

I’d like to just be at home for a bit at this point, try to have a social life and start earning some money for future projects. Although I do have to go help my mom pack up her house and move to Florida pretty soon.

Your photos are very vibrant in color. How important is color to you? Well if color wasn’t important, I would shoot black and white. It’s a major part of the character of something, and often the basis for my compositions and even the initial attraction to a subject. I enjoy black and white photography, and occasionally dabble in it, but I feel like color and B&W are two very different beasts. Almost like painting and sculpture, both create a visual entity, but with very different approaches and principals.

Who are some photographers that have inspired you? William Eggleston, Joel Sternfeld, Nan Goldin, Lee Friedlander, Andres Gursky, Todd Hido, The Polaroid Kidd.

What are your favorite places to travel? Is there any reason why? My favorite places to travel are those I haven’t been to yet.

Lastly, do you have any advice for aspiring photographers? Shoot, and keep shooting, and then shoot some more. Look at any and all photography you can get your hands on, to help delineate what you like and dislike and why.

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Photography

STRUDE

by Trine Søndergaard

Text : Shirley Vilca

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Trine Søndergaard’s photography brushes through a threshold, that banters between the controversial and mundane. Even so, her photography has received a lot of publicity and praise because of its subject matter and intentional construction of finding beauty in the most often overlooked. Most recently she caught the attention of the Danish Arts Foundation, which awarded her a 3 year grant to continue her work. We sat down and talked with Trine about her history as a photographer, technique, and her upcoming shows in the UK.

What cameras do you use the most? Bronica and Mamyia

What is life like nowadays in Denmark? It has been better.

Are you going to be having any exhibitions anytime soon? Yes!

When did you get into photography? Were you trained or self taught? I did a lot of painting and drawing for years and got into photography around 1994-1995.

I grauduated from Fatamorgana The Danish School of Art Photography in 1996.

• 2009, nov-dec: MONOCHROME PORTRAITS, Gallery Image, Aarhus, Denmark • 2010, march-may: STRUDE, Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek, Copenhagen, Denmark • 2010, march: STRUDE, Gallery Bruce Silverstein, New York, USA • 2010, oct-dec: HOW TO HUNT, with Nicolai Howalt, Aros, Arhus Kunstmuseum, Denmark

Where do you find inspiration? From my surroundings, society, friends, travels, life in general.

What photographers have inspired your work?

Juliet Margeret Cameron, Diane Arbus How would you describe your photographic style? Straight.

Please tell us about your Series - Strude...

STRUDE (2007-2009) is a series of quiet portraits, focusing on existence. All images are made on the Danish island Fanoe. They depict women in various stages of life wearing the island’s traditional dress. The images are made with natural light and analog technique. The project currently consists of approx. 40 images. Size 60cm/60cm.

Lastly, what are you currently obsessed with?

Portraits and landscapes... and I am making a new book which is occupying my mind quite a lot these days.

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Architecture

fat

Text : Michael Delaney and fashionarchitecturetaste.com

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Blue House, Office, Apartment, London. 2004

The Villa is a community building which sits at the heart of the Heerlijkheid park designed by Fat in the town of Hoogvliet in the Netherlands. The building contains a multi-use hall, offices, and a café. It’s design is intended to create a 21st century civic architecture for a suburban new town. It is a decorated shed, using timber rain screen cladding to create an architecture of communication which evokes Hoogvliet’s industrial past, whilst the references to elements of nature in the entrance and in some of the “cut-out” features of the façade, recall the bucolic ideas on which the design of the New Town was originally based. Inside the shed like quality of the building is emphasized by the painting pink of the structure. From the inside, views to the park and surrounding landscape are framed by the delicate intricacies of the external envelope.

Islington Square - Manchester 2006

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FAT were selected unanimously by the future residents to design 23 new houses for the Manchester Methodist Housing Group within the New Islington development by Urban Splash. The £2.3 million scheme comprises of 23 two to four bedroom family homes and garden areas. Our design unifies the residents’ desire for traditional homes with the New Islington masterplan commitment to innovative and world class architecture, and was developed in close collaboration with the residents.

As part of the New Islington Millenium Community, the Islington Square Housing scheme has been designed to meet ambitious sustainability targets, intended as an exemplar for the future of UK construction. The design accomodates reduction of primary energy, CO2 emissions and water consumption, Green specification of materials and reduction of construction waste, design for life-cycle adaptability to the Lifetime Homes principles and has an EcoHomes Excellent Rating. The scheme was completed in Spring 2006.

Sint Lucas Art Academy, Boxtel, The Netherlands, 2006

Fat was appointed in 2002 to create a new identity for the school and rationalise spaces inside and outside. The existing unremarkable 1960s buildings are to be given a strong,colourful and unusual new external identity through the addition of decorative screens, surface treatments and signage. These elements communicate the inner life of a creative educational institution and enhance the outdoor spaces between the various existing buildings.

The main thrust of the interior proposal is to increase the sense of identity and legibility in the main circulation spaces. This is to be achieved by integrating communal activities, such as study rooms, dining facilities and exhibition spaces, with the main corridors. These become more like streets with activities along them, fostering a greater sense of activity and exchange within the building. Existing circulation spaces will be made more generous with new connections to be more obvious to everyday users and visitors alike, further enhanced with new signage. The £3.5 million phased project was completed in mid 2006 and was the recipient of an RIBA European Award in 2007.

Since 1995, FAT (Fashion Architecture Taste) has not only pushed the limits of modern architecture, they have challenged the fundamental principles and ideals of design. This London based art-architecture collective, led by Charles Holland, Sam Jacobare, and Sean Griffiths, has garnered an international reputation for being a visionary and forward thinking force. Their biting wit and postmodern approach to architecture continues to defy the boundaries of taste and functionality alike.

In the past decade-and-a-half, FAT has built an impressive and extensive body of work that spans the globe.

Numerous accolades and awards adorn their studio walls, including their most recent RIBA European Award for the Heerlijkheid Hoogvliet

community park in Rotterdam, Netherlands. The self proclaimed “purveyors of architecture of character and distinction” have a lot on their plates, and show no signs of slowing down.

Rebel got a chance to catch up with FAT to discuss their past, present, and future...

When was FAT established and how did the name come about?

FAT was originally going to be the name of a magazine – Fashion Architecture Taste. This was a time in the mid-nineties when the idea of being a young architecture office in the UK building buildings seemed absurd – so we were looking for other ways to make work that talked about the kinds of architectural ideas we were interested in. This was art projects, installations, and publications … ev-

erything but building.The magazine never got much further than the design of a cover … but once we had projects under way, the name kind of stuck.

What it really says is that we’re interested in the relationship of architecture to things like fashion and taste – the things that are usually an anathema to architects who like things abstract and timeless. We think architecture should be part of the cultures that surround it – and that fashion and taste are always part of the way we experience architecture. By facing these issues head on architecture can become more engaged with the world around it.

How would you describe your style? I guess it’s more of an attitude

than a style. It uses lots of familiar references which are then used in unfamiliar ways – like crossing gothic architecture with pop art for example.

So our work plays with the idea of style, image and so on. Its closer to sampling. Or the way contemporary art appropriates imagery, objects and so on.

How did you all meet and know that this was what you wanted?

FAT came out of a period in London where everything was a collective – music, art, design. So our origins are kind of nebulous. Essentially we met through university, but for a while FAT was a big, loose group of people.

Over time, some went mad, some ran away and some got more sensible jobs. What we always wanted to achieve was an alternative way of looking at architecture, what architecture might be and how you might make it.

Describe the design process FAT goes through... In any project we’re looking for a few guiding principles. These might come from the context of the project – physically, historically, socially, politically. These help give a kind of narrative to the design and begin to suggest the kind of imagery, the kinds of references that might be appropriate. From this research we gain a raw language. These then go through long processes of transformation … abstraction, stylization – through drawings, models and so on. We’re often trying to walk a line between things which look recognizable and things which look strangely different.

There’s also a whole process of how the idea can be turned into something buildable too, which is super significant. But through this process it’s the narrative that guides us – reminds us what we’re trying to do in any given project – and the thing that motivates decisions.

What influences your work?

Anything but contemporary architecture! Our influences are much more likely to come from other disciplines – from fine art, from movies, from music. And from the everyday world around us. There’s nothing like a drive through suburbia or through an industrial park to open your eyes to ways in which the built environment is a strange and complex thing.

What does the word ‘Architecture’ mean to you? Architecture is really everything – from the jeans you are wearing to the pediment of city hall. Its not just buildings, it’s the space where a whole network of interests come together: political, economic, social, cultural. Really, architecture is a cocktail of these things rather than some autonomous activity out there on its own.

Would you consider yourself an artist or a designer? We work in many scales – from objects and furniture to interiors and buildings and then as master planners. In a strange way, though the processes might be different, the origin of the ideas might be the same thing. It just finds a different form of expression at different scales. What might be interesting is to

be master planning, but thinking of it in the way an artist (would). Or to be designing a chair, and to be thinking like a master planner. These different things might not look the same, but they come from the same concept that architecture and design is a kind of distillation of culture. And the objects and buildings that come out of it are ways of telling stories about the culture and environment that surrounds us.

What do you think design needs more or less of nowadays?

Design needs less excess, and more critical engagement. It should stop trying to be cool and break out in all kinds of different directions.

What does FAT have planned for 2010? We’re working on a series of projects: new TV studios for the BBC, schools, some retail projects, social housing.

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Text : Elizabeth Field

Music

Bear Driver

This colorful, dreamy pop-some began their start when members Oli and Harry met in Leeds, England, and bonded over a mutual appreciation of bands like Radiohead, The Beatles, and Joanna Newsom. They joined together to form Bear Driver, playing shows with random instruments over iPOD backing tracks.

Bear Driver, while adding more members, recorded their debut EP, Paws and Claws in bedrooms and selfreleased it in May 2009. Filled with ethereal vocals and instruments, Bear Driver’s finished product contrasts their song writing process. “To date, it’s been mostly e-mail based, with Oli still in Leeds and Harry now in London.

So each send tracks back and forth, adding onto them.

Generally, then they meet up for final mixes. It’s a very layered process, starting with a basic beat and melody, often just on a Casio keyboard, and gradually building

up until it’s a huge mess, then stripping it back down to something ‘bite-size.’”

“Music nowadays has the opportunity to be anything it wants. It’s never been easier to set up on your own and do your own thing. In Leeds, alone, there’s a real mix of stuff going on, but there’s a strong DIY ethic. People are making their own records, setting up labels, putting on shows, and a good number are doing well with that.”

After only a handful of shows, the band was chosen by BBC Introducing to play the Leeds Reading Festival 09, and have also been selected to appear at their favorite End Of The Road Festival in September. They even speculate on a U.S. tour, “There’s nothing planned, but who knows!

Some of us will be at SXSW next year, so there may be a chance to put something together around then.”

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Music

Efterklang

Text : Katherine Rodgers Photography : David Sampson

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Danish art-rock ensemble Efterklang have spent the best part of eight years blissfully creating lushly melodious, string-orchestrated chamber-pop. Achingly expansive, their swelling melodies swing between hushed intimacy and heady spiraling towards the stars. After the success of their critically acclaimed sophomore release ‘Parades’, they’re back with the live CD/DVD combo of their awe-inspiring ‘Parades’ live tour – performed with The Danish National Chamber Orchestra. It promises to follow in the same tradition as Sigur Rós’s ‘Heima’.

music films, two of them over 30 minutes long, and 12 different bands related to Copenhagen take part in the experiments. It is all available for free and for you to enjoy at www.temporarycopenhagen.com

Tell us about your CD/DVD and 2LP/DVD release of Parades. It is more a reinterpretation than a re-release. We call it Performing Parades - It is a live album and a concert film and documentary about the whole project. In September last year we teamed What does the name Efterklang mean? direct- up with The Danish National Chamber Orchestra to ly it means ‘reverberation’ but it also used for ‘re- play our entire album Parades live from start to finish membrance’ literally ‘efter’ is Danish for ‘after’ and in a new arrangement. To be able to play your songs live as a 50 piece orchestra got to be one of the most klang means timbre or just sound or tone uplifting things I have ever experienced.

What is the music scene like in Copenhagen nowadays? When you are a part of it you have to We had our regular art collaborators Hvass&Hannibal be a little distant and cool about it right, but I find this to do the entire stage design and costumes and everyvery hard actually. I think the Copenhagen scene is so thing was filmed and we are very happy to finally be good right now. So vibrant and the atmosphere here able to share this with more people! among the different bands is really nice and motivatWe are also hoping to be able to play more of these ing.

Performing Parades concerts. October 28th we will Names like Mew and Trentemøller are known by be playing in Barbican Hall in London with Britten many people. I want to believe that a lot of people Sinfonia which I can´t wait for!! also know the band Im in and then there is just a list of amazing bands like Oh No Ono, Slaraffenland, Why did you decide to release something Choir of Young Believers, Chimes & Bells, Murder, like this? How long of planning did you have Kirsten Ketsjer, Our Broken Garden, Giana Factory, to do? It was like a dream that came true to be able Figurines, Under Byen and many many others. Al- to do this. I hope other people will find this project most all of these bands have records out in the US interesting to spend time with, but I guess first and foremost we did this because we couldn´t resist the - so go investigate! offer. If you are in a band and a producer for a classiFor a very intersting take on the Copenhagen scene cal orchestra suggest that you should work together I I would like to recommend French filmmaker genius think all bands would scream a LOUD YES! Vincent Moon’ s new project (which I helped produce) entitled TemporaryCopenhagen. It contains 16 It is such an empowering feeling to be able to do this

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and to have done this. We also feel that it is a docu- order it online via The Leaf Label or via Efterklangs ment that we can have and look back at for many own mailorder shop - Rumraket.com years.

What do you have planned for 2010?We signed We started the planning December 2007 and the con- a new record deal with 4AD a few months ago and cert was September 2008. After that we spend three these days we are working hard to finish our third months mixing the audio recordings and the directors studio album which will come out in the early days and editors spend about 6 months making the concert of 2010. Then after that we will tour as maniacs. We film and the documentary. It was a lot of work!! will come back to the US and we look forward to it!!

How did you come to collaborate with Hvass and Hannibal for the set? Did you have a part in the design process of the set? We have collaborated with Hvass&Hannibal since 2005 - They have made the art for our ‘One-Sided LP’, ‘Under Giant Trees’, ‘Parades’, the ‘Caravan’ single and now also our ‘Performing Parades’ release and concert. It felt very naturally to continue our collaboration with them for this project. They also made our Mirador video which I can recommend and they are just sweethearts! They methods and workflows remind me a lot of Efterklangs. They always get too ambitious and end up having to spend spend hours and hours painting, building, sewing and then finally in the end it comes together and it make all the hard work feels good.

We always work closely with them. We give them a lot of input and feedback from the beginning and throughout the different projects, but we also have an extreme level of believe in them. We know that they will make something extraordinary for us and that it will be perfect!

Lastly, how do you feel about the internet and music today? This Internet age and the digital revolution with computers and recording equipment has brought with it a lot of nice things. A lot more music can now be produced and it can reach out to an audience much faster and cheaper. There is more freedom to be creative as you can record at home and don´t have to worry about the price a day for the studio you are in.

On the other hand - the Internet is making the world of music smaller in a way - when it should actually be making it bigger.

It is now almost impossible not to be affected by the currently hyped music or the new ‘it’ scene - that being somewhere in Japan, Nigeria or the US.

I think the world need more bands without Internet connections - who live in remote areas where you can only receive one TV channel and who are dead bored and desperate! I would love to see more bands come out of nowhere with a sound I could never have imagined and who are so desperate to get out of the shithole they live in, but still doesnt give a shit about Where can fans purchase the Release? It getting to be Best New Music on Pitchfork and they should be available in any good record store across dont know what a musicblog is etc.. the globe. If you can´t find it then it is very easy to

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Text : Lisa Bielsik Photography : Brian Vu

As Örvar Smárason walked up to us, it was completely obvious that he was exhausted from touring. Smárason is one of the founding members of the experimental group múm, from Iceland. Surprisingly, the band chose to wrap up their United States/Canada tour here in Santa Ana, California with fellow Iceland native, Sin Fang Bous. The tour had definitely been both a success, and a great display of what musicians from Iceland have to offer. But, after playing nonstop shows for a month, Smárason was beyond ready to visit his family back home during their short break before beginning their tour throughout Europe a week later.

Both the United States and Europe tour were being held in order to celebrate the release of their newest album, Sing Along To Songs You Don’t Know. “The names for our albums just seem to pop up without us really thinking about it,” Smárason explains, “and the recording process was pretty fast.” múm has taken on a different approach with their new album with quirky lyrics and a more catchy feel. The album can barely be labeled as a successor from their previous release, Go Go Smear the Poison Ivy. With

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new vocalists, and new take on their work, múm focuses less on their electronic side, and leans more towards an acoustic style. The whole band is capable of playing multiple instruments, leaving them with endless possibilities for their live performances.

Live, múm is a difficult band to focus on as a whole.

Difficult is often used in a negative sense, but múm can only be described this way due to their wide variety of talent amongst their abundant band. The audience may have trouble deciding who to look at because every aspect of their performance is so interesting. With the use of a cello, melodica, and tribal-like percussion, múm has a full and distinct sound that they have made to be their own.

There’s no question as to why múm has such a broad sound. Smárason’s influences come from all over the globe. From Czechoslovakia, Thailand, Bulgaria, his home country, to our very own Fleetwood Mac, Smárason’s eclectic taste reflects greatly on his own music. After all, Sing Along To Songs You Don’t Know was written in four different countries.

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Music

Text : Madison Woodward and Lisa Bielsik Photography : Brian Vu

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“Facing history, with little to no irony” comes flowing off of Yoni Wolf’s lips during their rendition of “These Hands” at the packed Los Angeles Echoplex on a cold October night; the lyric hold true as this is exactly what Yoni has done. After multiple hip hop influenced releases Yoni’s outfit WHY? has just released an album, Eskimo Snow, that is by far more indie and folk driven than any of their predecessors. Gone are the angst filled rhythmic verses that captured audiences on Elephant Eyelash and Alopecia, now traded in for a straight forward sultry voice with more personable and direct lyrics. As with most musicians, a personal growth and progression comes with age, Yoni Wolf is no exception to this. Yoni, now thirty, has been crafting his own persona in the underground music community for years, but with WHY?’s new record Eskimo Snow, one can hear a multitude of different influences perfectly blended to create something new and all their own.

Influenced by hip hop and graffiti culture at a young age, Yoni started off creating tracks using his father’s synagogue’s old four track. After releasing solo/collaborative singles and records under many different aliases including cLOUDDEAD, Yoni ultimately decided on the moniker WHY?, after his graffiti name.

Years later WHY? would be transformed from a solo project into a full band creating some of the most original and unique music of the 21st century. Rounding out WHY? is Yoni’s older brother, Josiah Wolf on drums/xylophone, and Doug McDiarmid playing guitar, piano and other various instruments. Recently, the band has added Fog members Andrew Broder (guitar), and Mark Erickson (bass) to their lineup.

It’s easy to label Yoni as a lyrical genius. The bulk of his lyrical content seems completely bizzare from an outsider’s perspective, so we can’t help but wonder the root of his thought process. But, his lyrics are truly something he holds personal. We may never be aware as to why he is

driven to speak from a mummy’s perspective, but it makes his work that much more intriguing for listeners.

We were fortunate enough to sit down with Yoni and the rest of the guys while they were in LA and ask them a few questions over some delicious vegan mexican cuisine å la Pure Luck Restaurant.

Would you guys like to introduce yourselves and perhaps the instruments you each play?

Doug: Electric Piano, rinky dink Keyboard, a little Guitar Yoni: Sing Josiah: Drums So we’ve heard “Alopecia” and the new record “Eskimo Snow” were written at the same time?

D: They were recorded at the same time in the same process. Y: They were written over... I’m going to say... a three year or four year period.

So you had a bunch of songs written, how did you decide to divide them between each album?

D: They kind of split themselves, I guess. Y: Yeah, there were two different kinds of sounds happening, we just decided to break them up accordingly like that.

You just knew that there would be two albums while writing them? Y: No, not while I was writing them, we knew only later while we were recording them that it would be two records. It just kind of came into focus as we were recording. I was listening to the roughs of the recording sessions and it was like... “Wait a second, you know, this sounds like two records... not like a long record but it sounded like two different things happening” so we just broke it up like that.

Since your last two releases were recorded about three years ago, have you guys been working on any new material? Y: No, I’ve been writing a bit, but not a whole lot, just here and there. Haven’t had much time ya know, I don’t really write on tour because I don’t sleep much so it’s difficult.

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Music

Sun Araw

Text : Douglas Sweeney Photography : Brian Vu

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It’s no surprise that Los Angeles has an abundance of great, creative artists. However as of late, it seems as though L.A.’s neighbor to the north, Eagle Rock, is the real epicenter for the most original and creative music happening today. The noise/drone scene of Southern California comes from the group of bands that have come out of this city. Best Coast, Pocahaunted, Sun Araw, Magic Lantern, Robedoor and Sasqrotch all are from or involved in one way or another with the Eagle Rock scene. Austin, Texas native Cameron Stallones plays a big role in the scene. Not only is he the mastermind behind the prolific and always suprising Sun Araw, he is also the keyboardist for Pocahaunted and a member of Magic Lantern. The kaleidoscopic sounds created by Stallones have developed something of a cult following not just in Los Angeles, but throughout the country and internationally. Stallones boasts more than half a dozen albums and more in the works. We sat down with Sun Araw to talk about his influences, funk music, touring and the times.

Your name is Sun Araw and that’s really close to Sun Ra. What would you say his influence was on you choosing that name and on your music in general? It’s definitely a not so oblique reference [laughs]. Yeah, he’s a really big inspiration to me, spiritually and musically. Musically, for his exploratory, inter-dimensional vibes. Also, for being someone who has chosen very clearly to live interacting with other levels of energy. Because, you know, it’s a choice and I’m inspired by that and I try to do that myself…probably to a lesser extent, but that’s my goal.

I Also noticed you cover a Neil Young song, “Barstool Blues”.

Young included, what other artists would you say inspired you to make music when you were younger? Oh, man, a lot [laughs]. I started pretty late, like late high school early college, going down that “record geek” path. Even though I grew up in Austin, where you’d think I’d have a lot of access to stuff, there was a while before I discovered good music. But, I was really enthusiastic about it and really responded to music. Especially in college, me and my roommate would go to Amoeba and spend like four and a half hours looking through everything and trying to navigate our tastes. In terms of specifics, I know it’s cliché, but hearing the Velvet Underground for the first time and having it blow our minds and kind of just following every sort of genre. We would get obsessed with everything individually in these little fits and starts like that. But as far as influences, for this project, it’s mostly like coming back around to Can and many of those krautrock bands and other 70’s experimental and jam based

bands. Also, spiritual music like spiritual jazz and that kind of stuff.

What inspired you to go more towards drone and noise music? I think for me it was the discovery of it’s function, I mean, I really love pop music and I probably have more pop records than I do experimental records, whatever that means. But, I think that’s what I’m interested in, particularly in this point of my life and in these projects, is functional music, music that gets you somewhere and does something for you, not that pop music doesn’t do things for you. I think that eastern music, in some ways, is a music that attempts some sort of spiritual reality in music form and it’s hard work and I’m interested in that and the visceral effect of that. I want to go to a drone show and stand in front of the speaker and have someone blow my brains out with sound because the experience of that is really interesting to me. I’ve had other projects that were more kind of traditional in their structure, but I’m much more interested now in transcendence through sound and a lot of Coltrane’s ideas of spirituality through music.

You said you had other projects, when did you start recording as Sun Araw and what were the other projects called? Well, I’m in this other band called Magic Lantern and we don’t play live too much anymore because my spirit-brother, Phil, moved to Oregon. We actually just finished a new record and it’s coming out soon. Sun Araw came about at a time when I was just doing some home recording and trying to write some jams and map out some new zones in that way and I continuously worked on those demos until they weren’t demos

anymore and that became my first record, The Phynx [2007; Not Not Fun], and it just seemed like a fruitful project. Part of it is the fact that The Magic Latern is a five person band and it’s difficult to get five people moving and in the same headspace, which we’re good at, but having a solo project that I could just work on without having to wait on anybody was a really attractive idea to me.

You release a lot of stuff on Not Not Fun, what would you say your relationship with that label is?

Seriously, like family, and I know people say that all the time but they’re some of my best friends. It’s really awesome because I’ve known them for only about six years or so and you usually don’t meet people that late that can gain that level of entwinement in your life, usually it happens when you’re younger, like in college. They live just right down the street from me and at this point we’ve been on numerous tours together so we’re all really close. I mean, I’ve thought about releasing things on other labels but I’m a little bit neurotic and controlling about the artwork and all that stuff. I know them and they know me, so they let me handle things the way I want.

How important is the artwork to the album? To me the artwork and the album are inseparable to the project as a whole. I mean, I have very rudimentary computer training and I really wish sometimes I could have someone do the artwork for me but, I’m way too obsessive to let someone else do it [laughs]. To me, it’s a totally organic expression of where I’m at.

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How long have you been playing/ touring with Pocahaunted and what would you say is your relationship with them? The first time I ever played with them was probably, gosh, maybe two years ago? They were touring up to San Francisco and they wanted me to play bass. Pocahaunted’s always had a rotating lineup, like it’s been Amanda and Bethany, now it’s Amanda and Diva and it rotates the other members. But, right around the time we did the Europe tour last summer, it solidified into more of a set group. I mean, there have been some shows that I haven’t played with them and so they lineup is still kind of murky but for the most part it’s pretty set. I think the first tour under this lineup was when we went to SXSW which was super cosmic [laughs] and ever since that tour it’s been pretty set.

You mentioned that you toured in Europe, what was that like ? Amazing, it was my first time there, it was wild.

I had never been on a tour that long and it wasn’t even that long it, was like three weeks, but when your energy everyday is focused on navigating those levels of energy, time and reality get really abstract [laughs]. It was cool, we had some drivers and a bunch of other people who were so kind and helped us out to navigate the continent which could be difficult, but it was awesome. It was really exhausting though, it was much more tiring than I expected. I really didn’t expect to almost come limping home [laughs]. I mean, I would do it again in a second and I would’ve stayed longer, but it definitely took a lot more out of me than I thought it would. We played 21 shows back to back with one day off in Lyon, so it was like 11 shows followed by another 11 shows in a row. But, it was definitely awesome and I feel like I learned a lot spiritually, about my music and about the universe.

But it was definitely trying, in a good way [laughs].

What would you say is your favorite memory from that tour? My favorite memory would have to be from our last show of the tour in Lisbon, Portugal.

We played with Konono No 1, which is

this band from the Congo, and they’re amazing. They use all homemade instruments like Kalimbas and they plug them into homemade amps and homemade pedals and it was the most kinetic experience I’ve ever had at a show. Everybody was just dancing and it was unbelievably transcendent. We had a great time in the U.K. too, surprisingly. I find that landscape, I don’t want to offend anybody, a little bleak and there were some nights that were really rough. It was really industrial/post-industrial/post-everything and weird but the people there were amazing and the crowds there were really good. For the most part, I feel that people are just into music over there in a way that is just different from here. I feel like people in the U.K. go to shows to have a good time instead of where in America, especially in L.A. and I’m guilty of this too, where you go into a show with your arms folded, really skeptical like “what’s your deal?”, “what’s this guy doing?”.

Whereas over there, people will start going crazy and dance the minute you start playing and it’s not even that you’re that good it’s just that the people over there go to shows to have a good time.

You release a lot of music on cassette, what would be your reason for your fondness for tapes? Definitely, as a medium, the cassette has a very unique sound. Anything that I’ve released on cassette, I’ve recorded specifically for cassette. It has it’s own quality and I try to find projects that are heading in that direction in the first place. But as far as the scene goes, I think a lot of people make them because they’re relatively cheap and I think it’s just a lot easier to make convincing, lush packaging for a tape than it is a CD. You can home-dub a bunch of cassettes and they’ll look totally pro and amazing. I love doing them and I have plans for a few more.

You have a new 7” coming out called Sun Ark, what is that all about? Yeah, that’s actually the name of my home studio, I just moved here to Eagle Rock from Long Beach after a long time and we never had the space to have a studio in the house before so we set up

the studio and I named it Sun Ark. The 7” is actually the first two tracks I recorded in there and they just happened to go together, I didn’t really have any plans for what I was doing I was kind of just messing around. Sun Ark is definitely about moving forward and staying still, in equal measure.

How long have you lived here in Eagle Rock? We moved here right after I got back from the Europe tour, actually while I was in Europe my wife moved. So I actually came back from Europe to this place and that was really weird. But I’ve only been here since July.

Would you say it’s effected your music in any way? Yeah, in more ways that I thought. I’ve never been able to leave all my equipment set up all the time and now that I can just have it all set up and go in to mess with something for ten minutes at a time and not have to worry about taking it all down. It really changed the way I record. I just finished a new record, it’s a double album and it’s sounds way different than anything, I think, although it sonically moves in the same directions, it definitely has a much more different vibe. I feel that the energy of the city has definitely effected my music, it’s really interesting up here and way different from Long Beach, which is weird in it’s own ways.

Pocahaunted and Sun Araw have seemed to move in a direction that is more funk based in style. What would you attribute that to and what can we expect in the future?

I don’t know, man. It’s just what’s going on, it’s just what’s in the air [laughs] I’m not sure. It’s funny because people will mention that and I know people probably won’t believe this but it’s a super unconscious choice. Even the new Magic Lantern album is surprisingly funky, which is funny because it’s a stoner-rock band [laughs]. For me, I have all sorts of ideas that I could really go off on. I don’t want to be too heavy but it’s a pretty dark time right now and it’s pretty oppressive. I mean, it’s oppressive in ways that aren’t really on the surface, I think that some-

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times what people perceive as oppression isn’t quite what’s really oppressing them.

There’s just some real intense forces that are kind of reorganizing everything, with or without us. The reason I think that Fela Kuti and all these African psychedelic records are being reissued on crazy vinyl and people are buying it is because people sense that there is a spirit that is a really constructive way to deal with certain oppressive energies. It’s very playful, it’s not aggressive, it’s not all tied up in some bullshit cultural concept of masculine, patriarchal aggression or reaction. I mean like Fela Kuti was one of the most incendiary political figures of all-time but he just made dance music and that’s his jam. That’s why they really couldn’t touch him, even though they tried, because he wasn’t dealing with what they were dealing with. You know, in a shouting match if you just shout back you’re escalating the conflict, but if you’re playful and you make dance music, you’re refusing to even engage your opponents on their terms and you undermine the nature of conflict. I mean, for me that’s where I’m going with it and also part of it is I just absolutely worship all of that music.

The new record is definitely a little more serious, in a way, than like Heavy Deeds [2009; Not Not Fun] which was really joyful and celebratory. The new record is called On Patrol and it’s about getting “on patrol” because that’s the flipside, I mean, you gotta get on patrol. If you don’t, you’re going to end up in some place you’re not going to want to be [laughs].

You know, I look around and I see a lot of people in places they don’t want to be and they don’t know why they’re there.

So I guess On Patrol is a little more careful and a little more meditative maybe.

What release would you say you’re most proud of? Probably the new record, I try not to listen to things too much after the fact just because I like to move forward, plus I’ve already listened to them a million times during mixing and whatever and I’m sick of them now [laughs]. But, I’d say Heavy Deeds, I’m really proud of that record. I’m really happy about the way that one came together and it really befuddles me sometimes because I’m not really sure where it

came from [laughs]. I’m proud of mostly everything in it’s own way but I’m usually pretty happy to leave it behind and my personal interests in making music are very much in the moment. I like to feel like my records are going somewhere and have some sort of narrative. Once I map a certain area or vibe, I feel like I don’t really have very much else to do there and I move on.

Would you say your releases are snapshots of where you’re at, at that moment? Definitely, even though they take so long to come out [laughs], not really but it always feels like it takes forever for something to come out.

When you go to record do you have written ideas or do you usually just improvise? I feel like going back to talking about functional music and hardworking music, improvisation is a necessity of total ego-loss, in the Freudian sense, and the truly psychedelic experience and then to return to that experience and to maybe observe it from a different vantage point to try and see what you were getting at. It always starts in a zone of complete freedom and in a completely hands-off situation. I’ll usually chop a segment of something that I feel is totally on point, in someway or another and try to push it further in whatever direction. But yeah, I don’t write anything because to me it feels like total death to try and make anything sound like anything in that first phase, but after the structuring phase, I try really hard to make it sound like something because at that point I’m no longer worried that it’s going to be trite because what is underneath it is something that, for better of for worse, wasn’t attempting any sort of reappropriation of old ideas.

Are there any shows coming up that you’re playing or otherwise that you’re really excited for?

Tonight should be pretty sick, Eternal Tapestry are amazing live especially lately with the saxophone player. There is going to be a tour in January with James Ferraro and I’m really excited about that because he’s like a hero of mine, I mean he’s my age, but he achieves this sound

that makes every release a truly alien object, it‘s amazing. Pocahaunted is playing a show with him in December, then we’re supposed to go to up to Seattle and back in January, but now I’m not sure if that’s happening. We’re going to play SXSW again and we’re going to try a full U.S. tour afterwards and go up the east coast. I also have tentative plans to do an Australian/New Zealand tour late this summer, so that should be really cool. I don’t really have any L.A. shows lined up after tonight, I should really get on that [laughs].

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Music

au Text and Photography : Nate Miller

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One of Portland’s favorite children, AU’s tests are often proudly displayed for all to see on the proverbial fridge.

AU is an experimental band based in Portland whose many sounds harmonize to produce a folky psychedelic classically infused delight. AU is the brainchild of multi-instrumentalist Luke Wyland, who while not a Portland native, with a proud smile on his face calls it his home.

AU is the culmination of a multitude of instruments and sounds, a perfect storm of notes combining into an awesome musical tempest. While on tour AU takes the form of two core members, Dana Valatka on drums and Luke Wyland on an eclectic array of instruments.

Both Luke and Dana have impressive backgrounds in their respective instruments, a command which shines in their music. Luke, having played piano since age four, and Dana with a long-standing upbringing in demanding death-metal drumming are not only phenomenal performers but extremely talented musicians.

Since the release of their critically acclaimed LP “Verbs”, AU has enjoyed recognition among the indie music scene.

AU has most recently toured both in the US and in Europe with big names such as Deerhoof, the Dodos, the Parenthetical Girls, and WHY?.

Minutes before wowing a crowd of critical college students at Portland’s Lewis & Clark College, where AU headlined a show with Destroyer’s Dan Bejar, with opening acts from LA’s the Diamond Light and The Last American Buffalo, I had the opportunity to ask Luke and Dana a few questions: Can we talk about your name, what does it mean? Luke Wyland: It’s kind of an open ended thing, it’s meant to be questioned.

When did you start making music both individually and as a band?

Dana Valatka: I guess I started making

music in 3rd grade school band with the snare drum...unless you count messing around with the tape recorder and doing silly things like that, which I still like to do. L: I started playing piano when I was four and we met while I was going to school in Boston at Mass in 2001? D: 2000 or 2001 I can’t remember. L: We’ve been making music as this group AU for about a year and a half, since last spring.

The project itself started in 2005.

This ones for you Luke, you released some songs under the name Luc as a solo project. Where do you see that going? Do you plan to do that more, AU, split the time between the two?

L: Oh Luc was kind of a one-off thing, it was just kind of the first album that I made, it was my first experiments with recording and writing songs and what not and I didn’t really have a name and I got lazy so I named it Luc. Then once it became a band and there were other people involved I switched it into AU, so Luc will never come back, its done.

You just released an EP, are you happy with it? L: Yeah! D: Yeah, we didn’t want to spend a lot of time on it we just wanted to get a sketch out of where we were at and get it out. L: It was primarily for the purpose of one: documenting the live show, [Dana] started playing with me after the last LP came out, Verbs, which kind of thrust us into the position to be touring more. The sound changed a lot and people were getting confused between the recorded stuff and the live stuff.

When you record you’ve got a lot of different stuff going on but when you tour it’s just you two right? L: Yeah so the goal was to have something for people who are at our shows and are like “I want something that reflects what I heard tonight,” but it was definitely meant to be low key.

Are you working on anything new right now? L: No we’ve been touring a lot so we haven’t had the chance but once we’re done around Christmas time that’s

the goal. There are a few songs we’ve been playing live that aren’t recorded yet and once we get back to Portland, pretty much after the New Year we’ll start busting into it.

If you were a teenage mutant ninja turtle, which would you be? L: I always preferred Donatello. D: Oh, I don’t even know. I never watched the show or read the comic book but I did play the video game.

Well you guys are band members and you’re pretty close, so what Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle would Dana be?

L: I could see him being Donatello as well.

You guys are based in Portland, how do you feel about the music scene here now and where do you see it going? L: Uh, I don’t know I can’t really give an honest answer my connection to the scene is only through my close friends and I love the music they’ve been making and I feel like I’ve been gone so I don’t really know what the scene is right now per say but the friends I do have are making amazing music right now.

D: Yeah it’s getting a little harder to sort through because theres so many more bands here than there were when we came here. It seemed like there were so many people coming from everywhere just making weird music doing whatever they wanted and now people are getting a little bit more serious about it for better or for worse. I mean I’m kind of picky, a lot of things people think are really good I’m not that into. There are some really interesting things going on here.

You guys are about to tour Europe, are you excited? Do you have a big following there? What’s the deal?

L: This is the third time we’ve been there in the last year and I mean part of me is excited, we just got done with a two and half month tour where we were partly in Europe a couple days ago and hopefully by the time we leave we’ll be excited again. I mean I’m excited I’m always happy to go there I love going to Europe.

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When I saw you guys it was in a very small venue and audience participation was a big thing, you guys sampled the audience yelling and looped that back into your music. How important is that to you overall and if it’s important how do you try to implement that? L: For me my greatest joy in making music is from the audience and when they’re engaged in the show and are present and enjoying themselves and they can express whatever they need to express that’s my greatest joy. In terms of actual participation and getting them to do things that’s not necessarily important but hearing them being engaged and they’re generally being a flow of energy between us is very important to me. D: Yeah, super important.

As far as our following goes, in some places more in some places less. D: It’s building up, it’s not really huge anywhere but it’s building up.

deathmetal and stuff like that I got into everything else. That’s when I got into jazz, and funk, and whatever else. Anything but disco.

What are your influences?

L: For me an upbringing in classical music definitely is impossible to avoid. And then jazz, 60’s minimalist...I don’t really know it’s hard to drop names but those are the kind of things that have influenced me. D: I group up mostly into metal, there were some other weird things in there, through my brother I got into The Residence and other things like that. After going through all the extremes of metal and

Anything but disco? L: I can...I can You dabble in the disco? L: I don’t dabble in making disco I dabble in dancing disco.

Describe AU in three words, go!

L: Um...see us live. D: I agree with that, I’ll leave it at that.

This past summer, a friend and fellow musician had an accident, and you helped her out by participating in some benefit concerts? L: Rachel Jensen from Paranthetical Girls, she wasn’t in an accident her family was.

Her mother passed away and two of her brothers and her aunt and her father were hurt really badly. And you know I’ve toured with that group and they’re very good friends of mine and I’ve met her mom and her family before they’re from Boise, Idaho and they play a very strong role in that community there and all her brothers play music so it was the least I could do to try and soften that blow, when those things happen its so random and out of the blue you don’t really know how to plan for it or what the best way to help the family is so we just did what we could.

D: They were really good shows.

They were successful? L: Yeah they were great I think we did what we could.

There were a few other bands that helped out too, Built to Spill did a show with one of the brothers. This band from England and a band from LA did something too.

If you were stuck on a desert island with one album and one instrument what would it be? L: I would bring a grand piano but only if I had shelter for it, if I didn’t have shelter for it I’d bring an accordion...and one album, oh man that’s a really hard ques-

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tion...fuck. The first thing that comes to mind is maybe The Major Works of John Coltrane. Yeah I think that one is pretty all encompassing. I don’t know that’s a pretty good question. D: Does a drum kit count as an instrument? A drum kit and piano that’d be great.

L: You know I might change if I could have one instrument, a huge pipe organ.

D: Not to be boring or anything, I just don’t know how to play anything else.

Hmm one album...there’s too many good ones.

What have you listened to a million times and you could listen to a million times again? D: Most of the things I’ve listened to a million times I couldn’t listen to again, that’s the problem.

Where do you see the future of AU going? L: Hopefully just continuing on the route that we’ve been doing, just playing as much as we can making the next album and continuing the general progression of the music. You know, change and grow. I want to keep doing this as my job. D: As far as the music goes, more energy.

What would be your ideal concert lineup? L: Ah man, another hard one.

You answer this question. D: You gotta have like Miles Davis, early 70’s covered. That’d be one. L: Maybe Sly? D: Maybe Sly, Sly and the Family Stone.

Yeah. That right there, that’s all I need.

L: For me that’s enough music, that’s more than enough music. D: It’s also hard thinking of bands I haven’t seen before.

You’ve also got to factor in, music that you really like might not necessarily be the best concert. L: True true, I think those two are good. D: Yeah let’s stick with those.

Zooey Deschannel or Natalie Portman? L: Oh man, I don’t know.D: I haven’t seen that much of Natalie Portman that I can think of...L: The only thing I really liked her in was the intro short film to uh...yeah Darjeeling.D: I can’t even think of anything that I’ve seen Zooey Deschannel in.

Her most recent film was 500 Days of Summer. D: Yeah which I started to watch and just couldn’t. Once they started referencing Belle & Sebastian I had to stop. I used to love Belle & Sebastian but it was just the whole tone of the movie...

R: Have you guys seen Fantastic Mr. Fox yet? L: No but we’re really excited to see it! D: Yeah definitely.

Okay so I’m going to put you guys down as Natalie Portman then.

L: Sure why not. Yeah just do Natalie.

D: Actually I think we need to do some more research before we can answer that question.

Any words of advice for aspiring musicians out there?

L: Just play as much as you can and practice as much as you can. Make sure you’re enjoying what you’re doing. I would just say, if you love it, no matter what keep doing it. It’s just about persevering and continuing the work that it takes to find something in it, whether it’s by yourself or with an audience.

Ok and lastly if there’s anything you want to say or plug go for it.

L: There’s a band here in town, Ah Holly Fam’ly. Amazing band they just put out an album called Resevoir on Lucky Madison which is a great label. D: I love that band, they’re also good friends of ours but I’m not just plugging it because they’re our friends it’s generally an amazing album that I’ve been listening to a lot. And Why I Must be Careful who are also good friends but also one of the best bands in Portland right now.

You guys keep talking about all these bands you’re friends with out here. Is there a family community type thing going on?

L: Yeah. D: Yeah. L: That’s why Portland’s my home. We’re lucky enough to have a good close family.

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1816 West Sunset Blvd Echo Park, CA 90026

origami vinyl

Text : Lisa Bielsik Photography : Brian Vu

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After being laid off from his job in the digital music industry, Neil Schield felt he had some serious soul searching to do. Schield had worked in the music industry for about twelve years prior to this. In order to figure out whether or not he should stay in the music industry, Schield pursued a few job interviews. None of them seemed to catch his eye, and we should all be very happy that they didn’t.

The root of the idea to opening a record store originated at a yard sale Schield hosted. He had gathered two crates of records to sell, and to his surprise, he ended up selling about forty records within four hours. Half jokingly, Schield mentioned the idea of opening a record store to his neighbor.

Schield put more thought into the record store idea and realized that it had been a long-term dream he’d had since high school. He brought up the idea with some friends, who all encouraged him to get started. Fortunately, Schield has been friends with people in the Echo Park community for a very long time. Together with the owner of the Echo/ Echoplex and El Prado bar, they were able to arrange a perfect setting for his exclusively vinyl shop.

Connections Schield had made throughout the area made it possible to have the store all tied together in an eight month period. The Echo Park community had been

looking for something like this for a while and Schield’s idea could not have come at a better time. Origami Vinyl seemed to serve as the last missing piece for the Echo Park community.

His expansion throughout Echo Park did not stop at the opening of the store. Schield continued to build relationships with his customers and his clients. He specifically likes to promote local bands by selling their records in the store and he even seeks locals out on his own. In addition to his collective of locals, he buys directly from labels and other distributors that represent numerous labels. Other than that, the stock in the store is based on his personal taste along with the tastes of his friends/co-workers, Sean and Sam. This results in a very eclectic stock for the store.

Selling exclusively vinyl came as an obvious and natural choice. “Vinyl is kind of cool and it’s very niche,” Schield remarks. To make the store a niche of it’s own, the store hosts a record club at El Prado every Tuesday.

His ears are wide open to his customers and he strives to keep it personal with them and their tastes. Through various internet sources, Schield updates customers on new releases, in-store performances, and the weekly record club. Don’t miss out on what the store has to offer; keep in touch with Origami Vinyl online for the best new vinyl selection around!

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Album Reviews Text : Ilya Sandomirsky, Douglas Sweeney, Joey O’Brien, Brian Vu, Niek Lohmann, Josh Mcdermott, Mark Dodds, Katherine Rodgers

No Age

Losing Feeling EP Subpop Text : Ilya Sandomirsky

No Age envelops a unique pop sensibility within their DIY punk roots. Weirdo Rippers buried those melodies under layers and layers of noise and recording so that only the most dedicated of fans would discover the bands true secrets.

Nouns had a few songs where conventional songs stood out among the noise, but even those could hardly be considered accessible. Losing Feeling continues along that trajectory—adopting their new label’s, Sub Pop, mantra of accessibility—and brings their melodic elements to the forefront of No Age’s music.

Losing Feeling opens with its title track, and within the first minute, you realize that you’re listening to an entirely new band. Instead of the screeching noise that served as a foundation on previous albums, Randy Randall layers subtle melodies and a dreary haze. Dean Spunt comes in with a traditional driving beat, but it’s slowed down, not nearly at the breakneck speeds No Age fans are used to. Every track on the EP breaks the 3-minute mark, which only two songs on all of Nouns achieved. Spunt, who also does vocals, has abandoned his reckless screams—drawing attention their Black Flag reminiscent DIY ethic—in favor of actual melodic singing. This trend continues throughout the EP, with the exception of the instrumental track, “Aim At the Airport.”

While some may consider Losing Feeling selling out, just the step after the commercialization of The Smell and signing to Sub Pop, it seems to me to be the natural maturation of their music. Instead of a juvenile obsession with 80’s hardcore punk, Randy Randall and Dean Spunt have started writing real songs, and try to create something beautiful.

The EP encapsulates a search for truth in oneself, which provides newfound depth to expect in No Age music to come.

Atlas Sound

Logos Kranky Text : Douglas Sweeney

Bradford Cox probably hates you. Last year, when the Deerhunter frontman’s mediafire account was hacked and the unfinished version of Logos leaked unto the internet, he gave everyone a giant, boney middle finger and nearly abandoned the project all together. Lucky for us, Cox decided to release his follow up to 2007’s ghostly Let the Blind Lead Those Who Can See But Cannot Feel in its completed and fully actualized form. However, it seems this breach has left Logos with an air of ennui compared to the excitement that usually surrounds every Deerhunter album. This summer when Cox’s collaboration with Noah Lennox (aka Panda Bear) was released, Deerhunter and Animal Collective fans rejoiced. “Walkabout”, with its catchy 1960s pop-feel and its bouncing rhythm left everyone excited at the prospect of Logos being another noise-pop record in the same vein as Lennox’s Person Pitch. With that incredibly limiting expectation in mind, Logos falls short for many listeners. Upon further look, Logos is probably the most solid release in Atlas Sound’s repertoire if not the most diverse. From the Thinking Fellers inspired noise-balladry of “Kid Klimax” to The Zombies tribute “Shelia” it feels almost natural to try and pin Logos down as one kind of an album or another. Yet, Logos defies such categorization and for that, belongs at the top of anyone‘s “best albums of the year” list.

Girls

Album True Panther Text : Katherine Rodgers

It seems that Girls frontman Christopher Owens has had a bloody hard life – raised in the Children of God cult, he spent most of his youth travelling with his mother, whom the cult forced to prostitute herself while Owens waited in hotel lobbies. He finally escaped, and fled to Texas, where he became addicted to prescription drugs, under the influence of which the bulk of ‘Album’ was created - never mind graduating from the school of hard knocks, Owens practically runs the place.

So it’s odd that, on first listen, ‘Album’ seems to be a thing of great, sunshine-laden beauty – it’s brand of hazy, feedback-laden surf pop seems more the product of an idyllic childhood spent on a beach than in a grim, incestuous sect; Owens has the kind of Peter Pan, wide-eyed sense of wonderment shared by artists like Conor Oberst and Marc Bolan, and it’s almost inconceivable to imagine him anything other than in a state of face-aching, sepia-toned happiness – he may drawl ‘You’ve been a bitch, I’ve been an ass’ on the fantastic ‘Laura’, but Owens seems incapable of anything other than slightly-goofy amiableness.

However, after a couple of listens, ‘Album’s shiny, happy-go-lucky gilt wears thin, revealing a surging undertow of pain – Owen’s cries of ‘I’m fucked in the head’ on ‘Lust For Life’ begin to sound distinctly unhinged, and his confession on ‘Lauren Marie’ of ‘I don’t know where I’m going/ But I’m headed somewhere/ And it’s not my time to die…’ is heartbreaking. Owens voice too grows more poignant on repeat listens – strip back the surface comparisons of Elvis Costello at his most joyful, and Owen’s raspy, ragged quaver harks back to the broken-man, bluesy tatter of Missisppi John Hurt and Woody Guthrie.

‘Album’ is a very rare thing – its part heady, Beach Boys romanticism, part disillusioned confessional, and all squeezed into narrow constraints of the indie-pop genre. And with Owens swearing off the pills that gave ‘Album’ it’s teetering, schizophrenic wooziness, who knows what kind of sharp-focus masterpiece Girls will come up with next time?

Sunset Rubdown Dragonslayer Jagjaguwar Text : Mark Dodds

Releasing three full length albums this year, along with his other bands; Wolf Parade (At Mount Zoomer) and Swan Lake (Enemy Mine), the creative silt of Spencer Krug flows yet another eager and infections album for Sunset Rubdown. Dragonslayer invokes a spirited sound willing you to ingest its magnificent multitudes of fresh undertones mixed with the accustomed art-house indie jitters that Sunset Rubdown knows so well. The album shakes your hand with a straight forward catchy newness with “Idiot Heart”, looks you with uneasy eyes along “Black Swan” and tips it’s hat to previous album verse in “Nightingale/ December Song” making Dragonslayer one of the best albums and long awaited drag in the nic-fit of this year.

Cold Cave

Death Comes Close Matador Text : Joseph O’Brien

Philadelphia’s dark wave synth stars Cold Cave are at it again with another flawless release on their new home of Matador records. Death Comes Close, Cold Cave’s latest release features the title song of their debut LP Love Comes Close and three other lyrically potent songs that follow in suit of their previous unique synthesizer driven music. Cold Cave’s leading member Wes Eisold has severed the ties as the ‘ex-member of American Nightmare/Some Girls/XO Skeletons’ band to create something known more for its catchy melodies and addicting choruses than anything else.

The record opens with the classic track Love Comes Close, a mid-tempo song filled with layers of smooth synths, a blasting beat, and a minimal guitar towards the outer sound. The next track, Double Lives in Single Beds, builds up to a giant chorus of the named track. Theme from Tomorrowland features the only duet vocals of Eisold and Caralee McElroy of Xiu-Xiu on the album, while there was a handful of tracks on the full-length of Eisold and another woman.

The final track of the record, Now that I’m in the Future, rounds off the album, finishing with intense guitar leads and odd synthesizer patterns.

Released in two pressings; 100 limited edition versions and a hefty amount of the regular version. The one time limited pressing is hand assembled, stamped and numbered while featuring intriguing collaborative artwork from the band its member Dominick Fernow; head of Hospital Productions, home to much early Cold Cave work. The limited pressing sold out within hours of it’s release on the Matador webstore on October 20th, 2009, and is now seen going for $100 or more on eBay, but the regular version is in a record store near you.

The xx

XX Xl Recordings Text : Niek Lohmann

This is the band that will slowly sing you through the winter. Even though the album was released back in the summery days of August 2009, their songs will warm up your walk going from wherever to wherever. Those who do not live in rainy cities are interestingly unlucky. Unlucky because they cannot experience the trip launched by this shot of stimulating music. A trip which will get you out of cold weather winter depressions in just minutes. But luckily for the unlucky there are also enough other reasons to very much enjoy this album.

Just do The band consists three young mysterious Londoners. If you would see them on the street you probably wouldn’t think much of them. They do not look like indie hipster heroes, electro legends or roaring rock stars. But they are. Just like you never expect your parents to have sex, they do. As the second song of the album, ‘VCR’ tells us: ‘Because you, you just know, you just do’. The xx just know and they just do. This statement considered to be true, this is what makes the music the way it is. Easy and relaxing on one hand but at the same time emotional, drifting and affective. At live shows the music is found to be uplifting, happy and danceable.

Naked The word that suits the album best is ‘naked’. Naked because the songs are sexy. So sexy that the album can knock Marvin Gaye’s Midnight Love from the thrown of best sex soundtrack ever made. The lyrics, the melodies, the beats, they are sex. Back to our showery cities, as rain makes you wet, so does this album. The album is also naked because of its very minimalist structure. Some simple melody lines, guitar effects and bass lines is all that the album needs to wear. All the other clothes have been ripped off and what remains is something completely naked. We all know how beautiful naked can be.

VCR ‘VCR’ is a song that shows how beautiful the xx shell-lessness actually is. Romy Croft and Oliver Sim, who vocalize the music, sing about a special relationship between two. Their voices complete each other. The manly, convincing but also dry and limited voice of Sim positively contrasts Croft’s sultry sensual voice. ‘VCR’ works, it gives you the comfortable relaxing feeling of two people that ‘just do’. Sitting next to (or on top of) each other, sounds and images of an old VCR play in the background.

Launch ‘Stars’ the last song of the album gives you ‘time’. They both sing: ‘then dear it's fine, so fine by me. Cos we can give it time’. Time until an act of love or in less explicit way time to (again) ‘just do’. The song wraps up this incredible debut album. One that is best enjoyed in rain and depressions, just for the fact that it will launch you out of them. You will probably land in a place of comforting easiness, a place where everything can happen.

Lightning Bolt

Earthly Delights Load Text : Josh McDermott

You never forget the first time you hear Lightning Bolt – it is like someone kicked you in the balls and stole your wallet. It is all at once astonishing, disorienting and occasionally painful. And by “hear” i mean “listen” — initially you are presented with a barrage of noise that is difficult to comprehend, perhaps bordering on unlistenable; however once you are able to puncture the discordance and begin to comprehend (somewhat) what is going on, only then you can appreciate what is happening.

With that lofty introduction in mind, it seems unlikely that this review can at all be an unbiased account of Earthly Delights, the first release from Lightning Bolt since 2005s Hypermagic Mountain. The excitement of new material after such a long wait however is tempered somewhat with the disappointing recent releases from other 21st century avantpunkers. Fortunately Lightning Bolt does not disappoint .

The first release ‘Colossus’, starts out with a gentler, proggy, almost Tool-like sound that dribbles along gently in a not unpleasant fashion for a while, before smacking you in the back of the head with the more “traditional” Lightning Bolt sound in the latter stages of the track. This continues in tracks such as ‘Nation of Boar’ and ‘S.O.S.’, which feature the unmistakable Lightning Bolt atmosphere that longtime listeners will have become familiar with by now. It is in that regard that one might get the impression that Lightning Bolt have not moved on much in terms their sound. This is a good thing for those who already know the sound and want essentially “more of the same”, but it also leads to the suggestion that you already know what to expect before listening to Earthly Delights.

Elsewhere, ‘Transmissionary’ is a lengthy (12 minutes++) heavily repetitive hypnotic piece of the traditional Lightning Bolt mould, reminiscent of their (much) older stuff, such as ‘Fleeing The Valley Of Whirling Knives’ from 1999s self-titled effort. The ridiculously named ‘Funny Farm’ perhaps the most accessible track for the uninitiated, featuring what might be described as a “country” sound (although this may be just because of the track name), and has a similar feel to the epic ‘Dead Cowboy’ from Hypermagic Mountain. ‘Rain On The Lake I’m Swimming On’ is a dreamy bit of wank of questionable necessity but at the same time not too bad, but then not really why you listen to Lightning Bolt for either. All in all this is a solid effort from the Brains, and it is good to have them back after the extended break.

MORE PLEASE.

Animal Collective

Fall Be Kind Domino Text : Douglas Sweeney

With the decade of Animal Collective drawing to a close, it was only natural that Avey Tare and co. would give us one last sound-grape to suckle upon before 2010 rears its ugly head. However, following up their critically lauded psych-pop opus Merriweather Post Pavilion [2009, Domino] would be no easy task. Yet, the unflappable animal gang seem unconcerned and they take no precautions in trying to keep any of the fans they earned from in 2009. In fact, Animal Collective seem to be going through their classic Extended Play transition phase, this time moving away from the summery, Buddhist-monks-on-acid vibe and going into much more subtle and seemingly darker territory.

Opening with the 2007 tour favorite, “Graze”, the Collective let us have one last glance at the decade that is rapidly finishing. The song opens with romantic strings and Lennox’s bolero voice asking us, “How does a band / Turn into such a thing?”. It’s a valid question, and the only answer to that question can be found at the exact mid-point of “Graze”, when they turn the classical piece, “Ardeleana” into a hyphy pan-flute jam. The reason Animal Collective stays so popular and maintains rabid fan base is because of their ability to weave the ends of the musical spectrum into a five-minute jam that leaves you wanting more and more, and they always deliver. The 2009 tour spawned such a delivery, “What I Would I Want? Sky” (with it’s first ever authorized Grateful Dead sample from the s1974 song Unbroken Chain”), is one of the most anticipated songs from Fall Be Kind. “Sky” starts with a tempestuous drum jam and nearly collapses upon itself before the “what would I want? sky” mantra comes soaring into the mix. It’s easy to see why Phil Lesh would proclaim his love for the song, Animal Collective are easily the Grateful Dead of the reverb-generation. With their myriad of fans and their loyal bootleggers who tape every show they can get themselves to, the Collective are clearly doing the Dead’s work.

The happiness of the first two tracks is cut short by another 2009 tour gem entitled “Bleed”. This song shifts the record into a much more minimalist and dark vibe. “Bleed” has Avey Tare and Panda Bear chanting in a gorgeous delay-wash about being “hopeful” and “shameful” and confessing their need to bleed. The next song “On a Highway” is a track that had only been played live once before in 2007 on one of the band’s many trips to the BBC. The bootleg of that show presents a very dull and flat version of “On a Highway”, the exact opposite of the beautifully recorded version. This track contains some of Avey Tare’s best lyrics, including a controversial line in which he admits to smoking hash.

The last track on the EP is the Panda Bear-penned “I Think I Can”, a song that has only been previously performed by Panda Bear, solo, on a couple occasions in a totally different arrangement. In fact, the only thing that remains in “I Think I Can”, after it has been collectivized, it’s the extremely catchy melody it contains. “I Think I Can” is the mysterious song to come from Fall Be Kind, in it’s origins and it’s lyrical content. Lines such as “You know I could just / Come back to it anyhow” and “Will I get to move on soon?” make you question the future of Panda Bear and Animal Collective. With another Panda Bear solo album and tour in the works, is Lennox trying to tell us something? Whatever the message, Fall Be Kind is definitely messing up everyone’s hastily made “Top Releases of The Decade” lists.

Bobby Birdman

New Moods Fryk Beat Text : Douglas Sweeney

Talk about under the radar. New Moods [Fryk Beat; 2009] came out on November 10th with little more than an update on the Fryk Beat website, a pressing of 500 vinyls and a few shows. Bobby Birdman is a virtual unknown to most, yet he’s rubbed elbows with many big name acts such as The Microphones, Bonnie “Prince” Billy and YACHT (the latter included “Only For a While” on a mix-tape on their blog and invited Birdman to open for them for a few shows this year). Regardless, “you’d be surprised” to learn that New Moods might be the best album of 2009. Birdman seemingly has perfected the one-man-band aesthetic and brought it to an all-time high of dance-ability. Birdman’s song-writing oozes with hooks and catchy beats. His beats and backing tracks are delightfully ominous and grandiose. With chants such as “what you say is what you are” and “that’s how a mess get started” coming in with low devilish voices, you’d expect Bobby Birdman’s voice to be just as frightening, but Birdman sings in a sultry croon, which juxtaposes perfectly against the dark backing tracks. Birdman’s Leonard Cohen meets Mantronix vibe takes you far within the 12 tracks of dances jams on New Moods, much further than one could ever expect. Bobby Birdman is a singer-songwriter that could easily open for Mount Eerie one night then host a dance party the next.

Surfer Blood Astro Coast Kanine Text : Brian Vu

Swim (To Reach the End) will probably be your favorite song off of Astro Coast, Surfer Blood’s debut album. The only question we have is why won’t it release in the summer? Only in their early 20s, Surfer Blood wrote the warmest indie songs with large choruses, and plenty of reverb. But don’t be confused by their name, none of the members in the band surf. In fact, they hated the surfer kids in high school. Their main goal is to “live comfortably while working hard,” and we completely agree. Expect these guys to revive the edgy vibes of indie music of the early ‘90s starting January 2010.

{Stricken City}

Songs About People I Know The Kora Records Text : Brian Vu

Musicians Rebekah Raa and Iain Pettifer knew all along that they were going to become good friends when they met in math class. They both shared the same interest in the introverted, romantic guitar and post-punk music. The band says they are influenced by Talking Heads, Sonic Youth, Young Marble Giants, and The Slits. Wanting to achieve the goal of being a musician, Raa spent her student loans on a guitar and eight track recorder. Together the two met with Kit Godfrey (drums) and Mike Hyland (bass). Songs About People I Know (released on The Kora Records November 3rd) opens with the very intimate Gifted (which was recorded on a London Bus). Followed by the very catchy and danceable Pull the House Down and their single Tak o Tak.Overall, the album feels very solid and well produced. Leaving with an impression, the record ends with the dramatic and melodic Terrible things (produced by Andy from a Tin Can Telephone). This is what debut albums should sound like.

jj

n° 2 Sincerely Yours Text : Liam Crocker

Is Sweden a beautiful, tropical paradise? I don’t think so, but that’s the impression you’d get from listening to jj’s debut album, jj n° 2. jj follows various cues from Sincerely Yours label-mates Air France and The Tough Alliance – beachy and vaguely African, carefully constructed arrangements. Before jj n° 2, the band released an equally beautiful 2 track EP titled My Swag, My Life/My Life, My Swag. Though they borrow heavily from trends in the Swedish music scene right now, jj’s sounds is their own – intricate, soothing african drum & bass lines; non-bombastic guitar riffs; tantalizing harmonies, and purposeful, very well used sampling (using clips from the Brian Jonestown Massacre documentary ‘Dig’, among other things). The positively carribean soundscape is atmospheric without being overbearing, the arrangements are fun and the vocals are as soothing as can be.

The album’s flowery, easy tone is present throughout, in various forms. jj seamlessly interweaves longing acoustic ballads (me and dean, are you still in vallda?) with more synthy tracks like ecstasy (a cover of the Lil Wayne Track ‘Lollipop’) or intermezzo. The album captivates from start to finish with its slight variation in instrumentals, be they synethtic or natural. jj’s members, whoever they are (the band’s identity is shrouded in mystery at this point), have released nothing but good things so far. Their sound is relevant yet different. jj n° 2 stands out this year for its eminent beauty and originality, and the sum of its parts will perhaps elevate it from buzzband status.

Mount Eerie

Wind’s Poem P.W. Elverum & Sun Text : Ilya Sandomirsky

Phil Elverum, the genius behind the Microphones and now Mount Eerie, listens to black metal. Shocks were sent through the musical community, and the news was met by aversion by some. Wind’s Poem is Phil’s experimentation with the genre, and it turned out beautifully.

Wind’s Poem has the same intricacies and minute details adored by fans of previous Mount Eerie albums, but instead of generally acoustic songs they manifest themselves in massive dynamic shifts throughout the album. It opens with a constant aural assault of guitars and drums in “Wind’s Dark Poem” but immediately relaxes into “Through the Trees,” an 11 minute long ambient masterpiece reminiscent of Brian Eno’s early groundbreaking recordings. Later in the album, “Something” begins as an exercise in pure sonic density, with completely overpowering bass, but smoothly fades into the contrasting ambience prevalent throughout Wind’s Poem.

Ultimately, the famed songwriting of Phil Elverum isn’t lost in the noise and density. His iconic lyrics and virtuosic grasp of melody shine through in tracks like “Summons” and “Stone’s Ode,” which place Wind’s Poem in the context of previous Mount Eerie releases.

Julianna Barwick Florine Florid Text : Brian Vu

Under Florine Records, Brooklyn native musician Julianna Barwick brings you Florine, a six song ep perfect for relaxation and peace. Using very little to no guitar, Barwick combines looping vocals with synth and piano. Sunlight, Heavan begins the album with gentle vocals and subtle noise. The strength of Choose will be stuck in your head after one listen (loops!). Followed by Anjos, which is my personal favorite due to it’s harmonies and spirituality. Florine has been rightfully receiving a lot of attention, and will certainly continue to. What does Barwick hold for the future? Only time will tell. But perhaps a full length would be nice.

Art Fag Recording Presents Art Fag Fest

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Lineup:

No Age Crocodiles Dum Dum Girls Best Coast Ganglians Grass Widow Pearl Harbor

The Art Fag festival was full of lo-fi noise pop in the San Diego women’s center—definitely an interesting venue for a concert. The men’s bathrooms didn’t have urinals. The first highlight of the night was Ganglians’ set, full of energy and a particularly dynamic singer. Beautiful guitar tones and intricate songwriting made their set memorable for everyone in attendance.

The night went on with solid performances by The Dum Dum Girls and Best Coast, full of jokes and humorous cover songs—including numerous sardonic requests for Wavves’ “So Bored.” Crocodiles played an impeccable cover of “I Wanna Be Your Dog” by Iggy Pop and the Stooges. Ultimately, Art Fag Fest culminated with a noisy, gritty performance from No Age, reminiscent of their early Smell shows.

Text : Ilya Sandomirsky

The FMLY - Thank You, Come Again (#3)

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Lineup:

BATTLEHOOCH Insects vs. Robots Spring Queen Jack Littman Gabriela Maia (Static Crow) Gray Tolhurst Romulus

Cameron Rath Presstones Jules Verne Moses Campbell THINGS/The Magic Johnson = parade

Thank You, Come Again was the first time I had ever gone to an event hosted by The FMLY. I didn’t know what to expect and if I would enjoy it. After sitting through two hours of traffic with an empty stomach, and trying to bear the insanely cold weather, I wasn’t too sure if I was going to have a good time. We arrived at Mary Hotchkiss Park and moved towards a crowd of young people circled around a band at the center. One by one each band/musician played three to four songs in the most intimate setting imaginable. “The purpose of this event is to strip a concert experience to its birthday suit. We have a performer in their most vulnerable state, an audience, and communal activities for all!

Nothing will be handled but good vibes.” Not only was everyone really friendly, but I also felt welcomed right away.

The night ended with a ten minute jam session with the attendees. These events are open to the public so make sure you go if you have the chance for a truly positive experience. I also obtained a Tibetan crystal which you can ask me in person if you want me to elaborate.

Text : Brian Vu

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Fashion… / 12

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Daniel Palillo danielpalillo.blogspot.com

Petrou \ Man petrouman.com

Samantha Pleet samanthapleet.com

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Nom de Guerre nomdeguerre.net

Verameat verameat.com

Photography… / 54 Tod Seelie todseelie.com

Art… / 42 Remed myspace.com/remed

Design… / 68 FAT fashionarchitecturetaste.com

/ 62 Trine Søndergaard trinesondergaard.com

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Music… / 102 AU au-au-au.com

/ 82 Múm mum.is

/ 74 Bear Driver myspace.com/thebeardriver

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Origami Vinyl origamiorigami.com

Sun Araw notnotfun.com/sunaraw

WHY? myspace.com/whyanticon

Events…

Art Fag Recordings artfag.us

Efterklang efterklang.net

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/ 127 The FMLY thefmly.com

We hope to see you again! www.wearerebels.com