// journal
// 10.19.07
Gold And Poison
For some reason I got inspired to check out my old wall of CDs for some "new" (old) music to listen to at the office this morning. What I found was my collection of SPK albums which span dark German Industrial to strange politically slated 80s pop.
Gold and Poison is the later but quite enjoyable. Sheer Naked Aggression is my favorite track by far and quite timely given our political climate and the US' imperial aspirations.
Graeme Revell
Graeme Revell was born in New Zealand in 1955. He was graduated from The University of Auckland with degrees in economics and politics. He is a classically trained pianist and French horn player. Revell worked for as a regional planner in Australia and Indonesia and as an orderly in an Australian psychiatric hospital. Graeme Revell was a member of SPK, a 70's music group, for which he played keyboards and percussion. Their single "In Flagrante Delicto" was the basis for his Dead Calm score. This was his first score and won him an Australian Film Industry award. Since then he's done a number of major and minor film soundtracks including The Crow, The Crow: City Of Angels, The Craft, The Saint, and Chinese Box.
— IMDB
// 10. 8.07
Helping People Out
As you can see from this sign posted in Muni Metro trains all around the San Francisco. Avantgarde is positioned to help all those in need.
// 09.14.07
Combat Mod Squad
The guys over at Rocket World have just released a limited edition set archival giclee prints depicting Titus on scooter night patrol. They are printed 17' x 22" acid free fine matte art paper. Each print is numbered and signed from an edition of 100 pcs.
Titus is part of Rocket World's Insurgents Wilderness Gruppo (IWG).
// 08.30.07
Swayzak: Some Other Country
Last weekend Swayzak celebrated 10 years in the techno business with a packed out gig at Watergate club in !K7's hometown of Berlin. And this week they return with their 5th studio album Some Other Country.
Swayzak's new opus sounds mature and full. They have always loved their echo pedal, but in their tenth year of existence their dub-techno attains a new, compositional dimension and features vocals from Richard Davis (kitty-yo, Punkt) and Berlin producer and Panorama Bar resident DJ Cassy. And so James Taylor and David "Brun" Brown deliver what is their most expressive album to date. Yes, Swayzak are back, and how! Check the microsite for Some Other Country.
// 08.29.07
Smashing Magazine
Just ran into Smashing Magazine today. Doug my business partner in LightPole sent over a link and the resources here are pretty amazing. I especially like the article on Free Icons.
They have a lot resources for graphics, programing, design process and UI development.
// 07.11.07
Gianni Calignano
A model displays shoes by Italian designer Gianni Calignano in Rome's Auditorium hall.
Ran into a nice photo essay on the BBC this afternoon and thought I would put up a shot from Gianni Calignano's collection.
// 07. 9.07
Forever Young
Took a cab on IPhone day, a week and some odd days ago, and the driver was playing this album. I have been listening to it ever since.
Alphaville's 1984 debut, Forever Young, deserves to be viewed as a classic synth pop album. There's no doubting that Germans are behind the crystalline Teutonic textures and massive beats that permeate the album, but vocalist Marian Gold's impressive ability to handle a Bryan Ferry croon and many impassioned high passages meant the album would have worldwide appeal. Indeed both "Big in Japan" and the touching, sad change-of-pace "Forever Young" raced up the charts in multiple continents. Borrowing inspiration from Roxy Music's detached theatricality and Kraftwerk's beats and rhythms, Gold and company hit upon a magic formula that produced here an album's worth of impossibly catchy tunes that could almost serve as pure definitions for the synth pop genre. The hits race straight for one's cranium and embed themselves upon impact. "Big in Japan" feels like a more serious cousin to Murray Head's "One Night in Bangkok," as a slow-pounding beat spars with Gold's desperate voice. "Forever Young," a stark, epic song that would become essential for every post-1984 high school graduation, drips sadness and never fails to cause a listener to nostalgically reflect on life and loss. Outside of these hits, the remainder of the songs rarely falter, mixing emotion, theater, and of course electronics into a potent, addictive wave of synth euphoria. It's likely every fan could pick his own favorite of the other should-have-been-hits, but "Fallen Angel" deserves special mention. It begins with spooky, funny warbling and icy keyboards, and then explodes and transforms into a startling, romantic epiphany at the chorus. If its lyrics are a bit goofy or juvenile, it only adds to the heartfelt love the song expresses. Alphaville stick firmly to their synths and sequencers on Forever Young, but they keep things interesting by incorporating motifs from funk, Broadway, Brazilian jazz, and even hip-hop. Even when the band takes itself too seriously, the songs' catchy drive and consistently smart production cover any thematic holes. Forever Young is a technically perfect and emotionally compelling slice of 1980s electronic pop/rock music. It's also a wonderfully fun ride from start to finish.
— Tim DiGravina, allmusic
// 07. 1.07
My New IBrick
I purchased my IPhone on Friday night from Apple Store after waiting 3 hours in line at the ATT store. ATT ran out of the 8Gb phone so I jumped in a cab went to the Apple store at Stockton and Market and only waited for 15 minutes. The guys at Apple really have their act in order. But activation is not happening. Yesterday at 1:15PM, I went into ITunes to add a new line to my existing at&t account and activate my phone. The system told me they needed more time to activate my account and that at&t would email me when they were finished setting up my account. It is now almost 24 hours later and I am still waiting for the confirmation email. at&t is closed for the weekend and so I am stuck with a very expensive piece of jewlery that does nothing but let me dial 911.
// 05.15.07
Taken By Trees
Please go visit Taken By Trees. Victoria Bergsman has four of her upcoming tracks from her new album up for listening. The album is going to be released in Europe on June 18th. The site also has a cool simple message board and a fun "Find the Story Telling Tree" page. Find the story telling tree and listen to her magical voice.