“Paupers and kings, princes and thieves, singers of songs, righters of wrongs, be what you believe”
February 23, 2011
I discovered Ólafur Arnalds by luck after randomly picking up his last record …And They Have Escaped the Weight of Darkness in a shop in town – the name and artwork intrigued me so I bought it. After the first listen, and being a Sigur Rós and Múm aficionado, I thought the record was pretty incredible.
Classical ambiant piano is my weakness and I must admit Ólafur Arnalds does it just right. With cellos, violins and percussions added to the compositions, these take a cinematic ampleur and manage to reflect the innoncence of the composer’s character. Like I said, just right…
Quote: Turner, F. 2009
“The sky, it seems, would pour down stinking pitch, but that the sea, mounting to the welkin’s cheek, dashes the fire out”
February 23, 2011
Appart from being the nicest and down to earth guys, Geneva, Switzerland’s Rorcal is the meanest band that I know. And because their music is the meanest doom, you either love them or you don’t – and that’s what I love about them.
They are currently booking an Eastern European tour in April to support their recently released Heliogabalus, a one song-seventy minutes record.
Quote: Shakespeare, 1919
“I know the truth I have seen it myself”
February 22, 2011
As some of you might have noticed, there has been a considerable advent of European folk music in the last three years. Having been in a punk-rock band for years, I was afraid M Fallan was going to follow the folk-punk wave most opt for. But he hasn’t. Instead, his reluctant inspiration from artists such as Shannon Wright, or Pedro the Lion has taken the best of him, to compose the best.
He has just put out a new record, Contagious. Make sure to pick it up at one of his gigs.
Quote: Let Down, 2008
Picture: Zand, T. 2010
“Heureux règne où le goujon et l’abeille sont les mensonges!”
February 11, 2011
A good friend of mine, Diane - a Beaux Arts student in Lyon (FR) – has some new projects up on her blog. From photography to book illustrations, paintings and poster design, Diane is becoming great at what she does.
Quote: Giraudoux, J. 1937
“Pray do not think I speak as to provoke your anger”
February 11, 2011
My final year dissertation as a Sociology BA student was on the sustainability of youth subcultures, and in particular of Hardcore Punk. I chose that topic because I am interested in the evolution of communities, ideals and ethics that were initially born in the minds or actions of young people. Subcultural theorists such as Hall, Hedbige or Bennett (to name but a few) studied the cases of Punks, Mods, Rastafarians, Hip-Hoppers etc. from the 1960s to early 2000. But very few dealt with Hardcore Punk sociologically (except Haenfler and Wood, who looked at the Straight-Edge phenomenon in great depth) and with a contemporary conception of subcultures.
Browsing through books, I came across a chapter called “Growing Up Punk” written by Andes which turned out to be a backbone to my argument; subcultural members evolve in their activity, and trade their apparent and aesthetic involvement for a more personalized/interiorized and subtle approach to what the subculture in question demands to its actors and what it stands for within a broader frame i.e. in society. Subcultures change because their members change. And it is very clear that Hardcore Punk has changed since its birth in the early 1980s. However, this is not necessarily a bad thing.
Take Boston, Massachussets’ Defeater for example, who are about to release their second record, Empty Days and Sleepless Nights which is half acoustic half heavy on Bridge Nine Records. This concept would not conform with the oldschool purist definition of Hardcore, even though critics namecall Defeater the future of Hardcore Punk.
Hardcore has evolved musically, but it is still a state of mind, as Blush defines it to be – Hardcore is a way of thinking, of living, of behaving in this day and age. You don’t need to play in a Hardcore band, listen to Hardcore music etc to be Hardcore.
Quote: Chaucer, G. 1951
“What people listen to is more important for their sense of themselves than what they watch or read”
February 9, 2011
Sometimes, only sometimes, you hear a voice or a song that reaches out to your soul. Laura Gibson is a folk artist from Oregon that has that something different you always look for in music. Well, at least for me.
She has put out two solo records, Beasts of Seasons and If You Come To Greet Me, but her most recent project is Bridge Carols with electronica/ambiant wizard Ethan Rose. Their record, 8 Songs, is available for download on their website, along with numerous conceptual music videos.
Quote: Frith, S. 2003
“Most of my heroes don’t appear on no stamps”
February 7, 2011
Keep an eye open for this Geneva, Switzerland based graph-crew, they will be hitting the streets hard.
Quote: Public Enemy, 1989
Quote: Remarque, E. M. 2005
Pictures: Salvo, D. 2011
I have known Josh for years now, and he is by far one of the most interesting people I have had the opportunity to meet. We have shared many a stage together, and I am very proud of what he and his band Promethee are achieving at the present time. Regardless of the genre you would wish to encage them in, Promethee is a band that has guts, ambition, principles and a true desire to conquer the world. Their technical abilities are close to mindblowing, but better yet, their on-stage performance IS mindblowing; humble, humane and overall passionate.
Quote: Smith, S. J. 2000
Picture: Pittet, A. 2010
“Art replaces God as the foundational narrative of human existence”
February 3, 2011
As a first publication, I thought it would be a great idea to write about the work of a great friend of mine. Antonin Collard is a young and promising graphic designer currently based in Paris, France. To see more of his awesome projects, visit his website: www.antonincollard.com
Quote: Barker, C. 2006
