Category Archives: Music

The Black Angels Tour Posters

Back Angels VancouverMatt Cliff Black AngelsBlack Angels Matt CliffBlack Angels HoustonBlack Angels TexasBlack Angels TucsonBlack Angels PortlandBlack Angels CaliforniaBlack Angels San FranciscoBlack Angels DallasGorgeous gig posters for The Black Angels – so many different variations for each location on the American tour. These are all by Matt Cliff, who got in touch with me after I originally posted about how much I liked the branding for the new album and The Black Angels’ Facebook cover.

Reasons To Be Cheerful: Bass Drum Of Death

It’s May and the weather is still awful and a whole load of other stuff isn’t going so well for me either, but I am seeing Bass Drum Of Death at The Black Heart – a tiny venue in Camden – on Thursday. I’ve loved these guys for two years and I haven’t seen them yet so…yay!

David Bowie – The Next Day

ImageAnother amazing new video from David Bowie! Once again, he’s teamed up with Floria Sigismondi - the same director who did the video for ‘The Stars (Are Out Tonight)’ - and this time Bowie plays a prophet. Gary Oldman co-stars as a priest and Marion Cotillard is the leading lady, portraying a prostitute who develops stigmata. The cinematography and styling in this video is brilliant – so many frames make amazing images in their own right.Gary Oldman The Next DayEyeball platterDemonic NunLove this demonic nun look – definitely doing something similar for Halloween this year!Gary Oldman and Marion CotillardBleeding handsMarion CotillardCardinalStigmataGary Oldman The Next DayWhen I first saw it, I thought it was a bit of a shame that people are so jaded these days that it probably wouldn’t be recognised as being particularly scandalous. But then I read some headlines about how it had already pissed off some Catholics and I took comfort in the fact that of course religious zealots and Daily Mail readers are still so easy to shock! Normally I would post the video here, but to enjoy it in its full glory you should probably watch it on Vevo – then you don’t have to see an annoying logo, or watch it on a tiny screen. Enjoy!

The Bilinda Butchers – Careless Teens

ImageImageImageImageAww. This video for ‘Careless Teens’ by The Bilinda Butchers is really priddy and makes me yearn for a lazy sunny day where I can just do whatever I feel like. I discovered this band a couple of months ago when I first heard ‘The Lovers’ Suicide’, which also made me think of the weather. It was March and still snowing a lot in London, so it felt strangely appropriate to be listening to the lines: “Like a flower can’t bloom in the snow / We can’t hide, we can’t grow!”

Don’t you think that this video is almost like a lookbook for some kind of hipster fashion brand, like Wildfox or Cheap Monday, or something? When I saw it, I felt that it evoked a real girly ‘Tumblr’ aesthetic. Hopefully the maker of the video, Vanesa Capitaine, won’t be offended by that description – she does seem to use Tumblr a fair bit!

HAERTS – Wings

HAERTS BandHAERTS are female-fronted band of four guys and one girl, who hail from Brooklyn, New York. Their first single is a beautifully tender piece of lo-fi pop, set to a montage of home video-style clips. I’ve looked for other stuff by them, but this song is the only one I can find. I’m guessing that as it’s on Vevo, they are already on the brink of mainstream success. Judging by ‘Wings’, they sound pretty great and I hope the rest of their songs live up to expectations. Lead singer Nini Fabi’s vocals are sweet, but powerful – like a mixture of Gwen Stefani and Stevie Nicks.

This song is sort of what I was hoping for when I first listened to HAIM. Needless to say, I was pretty disappointed.

Cardio Cinema

ImageI so wish that they had this in my gym! Instead, they play Justin Bieber and Nicki Minaj videos…

A-Trak & Tommy Trash – Tuna Melt

ImageIf you’re into domino effect videos, or just appreciate the beauty of some meticulous physics, then you will definitely enjoy this jaw-dropping video for ‘Tuna Melt’. Not overly enamoured with the track, to be honest, but this video is just amazing. Even if you absolutely hate electro, I’d recommend watching it.

MGMT – All We Ever Wanted Was Everything

Ned Wenlock VideoFactory TownMGMT AnimationWow. This song appears to be over a year old, but I’ve only just heard it and it’s brilliant. I was looking for the original Bauhaus version when I discovered this one and – without wanting to sound disdainful towards MGMT – I was pretty surprised at what a good job they’d done of covering it. Don’t get me wrong, I really like MGMT, but they’re not exactly the kind of band that you listen to and then think: “Yeah, I can tell they’re big fans of Bauhaus.”

Better still, this exquisite video by Ned Wenlock really complements the track and conveys the song’s melancholy lyrics.

Still Corners – Berlin Lovers

Berlin LoversThis video for Still Corners’ new single ‘Berlin Lovers’ is lovely. It was directed by Christian Sorensen Hansen and reminds me a bit of Christiane F, but without the heroin. Imagine that Christiane F. and Detlev are a lot more innocent – just two regular teens who don’t inject smack into their veins, or give strangers handjobs for drug money – and this is pretty much it. Considering the song is called ‘Berlin Lovers’, perhaps the similarities aren’t even a coincidence. Either way, I like it.

Satirical Portraits By AleXsandro Palombo

Bambi Fendi ChanelAleXsandro Palombo’s blog, Humor Chic, documents the happenings in the fashion world and beyond. Palombo’s take on the fashion news is both bitchy and funny – think Perez Hilton, but without the irritating omnipresence and with added talent and relevance. His shockingly hilarious pop culture illustrations both celebrate and ridicule fashion’s major players; Hedi Slimane is portrayed digging his own grave as he takes over at Saint Laurent, Anna Wintour cosies up to Barack Obama, along with whole host of far more ludicrous scenarios too.Humor Chic Fashion VillainsDonatella Versace, and John Galliano shortly after he drunkenly proclaimed his love for Hitler.Humor Chic CelebritiesCreatives, musicians and celebrities feature heavily, with the occasional politician or member of the monarchy making sporadic appearances as well. It really seems like when it comes to mockery, Palombo is a man after my own heart – he likes to turn his attention to a bit of everything. Below, he has portrayed Kate Middleton as some kind of power-hungry femme fatale who beats her husband and wants to kill the Queen! I think I kind of prefer her to the real Kate Middleton, who is pretty much the definition of passive, well-behaved marriage material. So blaaah.Humor Chic RoyalsHowever, not all of his portraits are derisive or mean – here is quite a sweet drawing of the late Amy Winehouse that he posted the day after her death.Amy Winehouse aleXsandro Palombo