We’ve been expecting this album for 5 years. A lustrum in which Kieran Hebden hasn´t stopped creating for a single bit…. The Exchange Sessions, Tongues, NYC…. all collaborations with free-jazz drummer Steve Reid, a 12″ vinyl with his friend Burial, a song for Quantum of Solace’s OST with David Arnold….. as if he couldn’t find the next inspiration for his usually “harmonious” solo albums.
Once considered as the “enfant terrible” of the British electro scene, one of those “talented young artists”, his style and identity have ended up being diluted in the sea of unclassified musicians (although in England anyone that excels a minimum is automatically “talented”). Unclassified in the electro universe, but who needs a tag when you can stand out in so may different (yet connected) styles?
If a few weeks ago we catalogued Avner’s “Lyssna” as a retro-futuristic travel to Blade Runner’s land, today we shall consider Four Tet’s latest album as a hippy trip to an uncertain futuristic utopia.
Google´s mighty Nexus One has only been officially launched in the US, and while we wait for Vodafone & other carriers to bring it overseas we´ve bought one from Google’s shop for testing it here in the UK. One of the few lucky countries (with Singapoure & HK) where the Nexus 1 is shipping, basically these 3 countries are considered as “test countries” (and therefore those of us who bought it…. “test users”).
the packaging is also part of the Google experience
We’ve had no problem at all using our European SIM cards & setting up our APNs to get our Nexus 1 on UK’s Orange, T-Mobile & O2 3G networks (yep, we’ve missed out Vodafone … the preferred carrier by Google to bring it here).
Last December Sincerely Yours unveiled the latest clip from Avner’s album “Lyssna”, a video directed by Annika Aschberg & Jenny Palén which may have not become an instant hit (none of SY artists have) but raises the Swedish music scene prestige even higher.
Avner’s debut album is like gliding, or even better… like any of those floating experiences from the retro-futuristic 80s sci-fi films filled with existentialist Nexus-6 androids, moon miners & big brothers. Classic yet modern music from a past time which comes to demonstrate & claim (once again) how prolific & creative the Vikings have gotten lately. Those Jens Lekmans, Nordoplens or Tough Alliances caress melodies with very particular arrangements that seem to have defined the instantly recognisable melodies northern Europe (especially Sweden) keeps releasing.
Atractivoquenobello saw the light 8 months ago just when the year of the Ox begun (yes, we’re not even a year old), and now that it’s over we’re really looking forward to 2010, the year of the (metal) Tiger.
The Ox moved us away from that “ugh-but-simple-to-use” blog platform called Blogger (our 3-week test laboratory) to this flexible standard called Wordpress; we initiated 2009 reviewing rocky-experimental albums, watching the Watchmen, or warning about our friendly but scary pal Google.
We’ve written about so many ideas, topics, artists, designers, animators, curators their thoughts, conceptions, products & creations we’ve lost count. But each time we see one of their works or simply talking, performing or acting aqnb feels honored for having portrayed, referenced or even talked about them.
Super Bowl usually = great (expensive) ads… other times is just an excuse to be seen by thrillios of people and generate buzz. Matt Groeing must have got many many $$ for letting Coke use his yellow characters (Wieden+Kennedy).
“One-eyed claymation creatures bloom with subtle color.” ‘Cause the one-eyed is king in the land of the blind. Great music vid directed and animated by Eric Power at Clear Productions.
Try and give fish to your kid, or even better, try and give them raw fish (Sushi), and if you find way too many problems you can always try teaching them first with this sweet sushi!
Armsrock (a great street artist from Denmark known for his life-sized drawings of humans at the edges of societies) will present his light project “Passage / Works” this next Wednesday…
