Wael Shawky

posted August 11, 2015 #

Over the weekend I visited the MoMA PS1 exhibition from Wael Shawky entitled Cabaret Crusades. The majority of the exhibit featured 50+ marionettes showcased in glass cabinets. The puppets are the players in three hour long pieces retelling the history of the Middle East starting from the Crusades. It sounds undeniably over the top but the results are oddly compelling. The notion that you're watching puppets slips away once you're immersed in the dramatically lit sets and landscapes they traverse. Watch this video review (or this NY Times review) to get some history on the creations and plenty of great up close looks. It's every bit as unique as it is engaging.

Black Cat Belle, Street Photographer

posted August 10, 2015 #

I don't know what possessed her to do it but my girlfriend started taking some covert Street Photography over the weekend and has been posting some of the results on her blog. I love this family and this balloon celebration she managed to capture. There's plenty more on her site and more to come, I am sure. Go follow along on Tumblr or Instagram.

Black Love

posted August 10, 2015 #

It's not that often that I get a lot of direct music submissions here on the site but, when I do, I tend to pay a bit more attention because I know the hustle is hard. So, when Black Love decided not only to submit their offerings to me but mail out a full copy of their record on vinyl, I paid attention. The included bio was both curious and intriguing:

Black Love makes primitive, disorienting hard rock - urgent, purposeful music about loss, using heavy and basic instrumentation to the effect of creating something that's between an Appalachian snake handling revival and a lighthouse crumbling and re-building itself in 4/4 time. It's majestic, forceful break-up music: wretched and redemptive blues about annihilated love.

Turns out, that description is apt. There's a cacophony of drums and an overall darkness to it - not unlike Cloroform or one of the more focused Mike Patton projects. I suggest starting with one of the more melodic pieces, Airlessness is a good place to start.

I certainly wouldn't have stumbled on this in my own browsings and it's a little off the radar from what I typically listen to but I completely appreciate the submission and can imagine their live show is quite a spectacle.

This Is My Jam, Preserved

posted August 10, 2015 #

I've been a semi-regular user of This Is My Jam for a few years now. Once a week you login and post what song is exciting you the most - you know, your jam! It's a great idea and has been executed quite well over the years. However, it is shutting down as of September 2015. The reasons they cite are having to spend too much time maintaining API integration with all the services they piggyback on and not being able to focus more on a mobile experience or proper monetization. It's unfortunate but, honestly, I applaud them for stepping away when they feel the pull to try something else. Without the passion of the team behind it, it won't be the same project so I'm glad they aren't just handing it off or letting it live in perpetuity to linger and break down over time. I've seen the opposite and it's heartbreaking to not be able to use a service you love because there's no one actively monitoring it anymore.

Hats off to you This Is My Jam, you're doing the right thing and you've offered a helluva thing for the past few years.

posted August 10, 2015 #

@yewknee mix them with the rainy aerial shots of Seattle from the killing

posted August 10, 2015 #

@yewknee - http://t.co/ZfqyiuaZnW

posted August 9, 2015 #

? / ? http://t.co/w2Yh6moSQn

posted August 9, 2015 #

I still think about this all the time. http://t.co/MRgHLumkOt

posted August 9, 2015 #

When on the run, dress like a deranged cowboy. #truedetective

posted August 9, 2015 #

"Son, I'm not disappointed that you've decided to become a comedian... I'm disappointed that you're a 'clean comedian'"

posted August 8, 2015 #

Needed: an IoT sensor that detects my vital signs, logs my death to a block chain when I croak. https://t.co/kaLP5w2q0K

posted August 8, 2015 #

.@BigBoi & @Phantogram are about to release a new collaborative LP. Details here #BigGrams: http://t.co/tSdABDQ8f6 http://t.co/paMGQ528FN

Dedication Hotline

posted August 7, 2015 #

radio + voyeurism + internet = entertainment

Friday Videos - August 7th, 2015

posted August 7, 2015 #

Hey! Another week of meetings and distracting entertainment for you. And, let's be honest, for me too. Go ahead and stop working now, you earned it.

Trainwreck Outtakes - I rather enjoyed the Amy Schumer / Judd Apatow film but these outtakes make me like it even more. NSFW clearly.
Why CG Sucks (Except It Doesn't) - nice rundown of the complaints people make about CG vs Practical effects and how the complainers are a little off base. Computers aren't the problem, story is.
Birdcloud - No Worries - the most enjoyably crass duo are back with a new batch of songs. New videos are released every week, this is the latest
Late Night Work Club: Strangers - the amazing LNWC is back with a new project, debuting Winter 2015.
What Do Machines Sing Of? - find out what happens when you ask a robot to sing classic R&B hits. Let it sink in and you just might feel a real twinge of emotion. via John.
Kurt Vile - Pretty Pimpin - I keep revisiting this song. Thought you might want to as well.
Songs that stop on the word Stop - a supercut of Stop songs.

this gem

posted August 7, 2015 #

No one wants to talk about the things that hitchhiking robot had to do to stay alive as long as he did.

Mobile game of the week: Specimen

posted August 6, 2015 #

congrats to Specimen team!

posted August 6, 2015 #

the WILDERNESS vinyl sold out. it is now in its 2nd + final pressing, with improved artwork ? http://t.co/AYWLcj91J9 http://t.co/W2zqH5UESk

posted August 6, 2015 #

awesome read: No Flex Zone: Empathy Driven Development https://t.co/xe5gRSHbEQ

UNA Studio

posted August 6, 2015 #

I posted about their work previously but wanted to make a more focused post to highlight the work of We Are UNA - an agency doing a variety of insanely impressive work. Personally, I am particularly attracted to the more colorful work - like this Lost You video or the Everything Everything artwork. That being said, their more subdued work is hella classy too. Dive way in.

Material Design Is Different, Not Better

posted August 6, 2015 #

Great read from Meng To on Material Design vs iOS Design. It is, mostly, just a nice read going through some of the principles of Material and iOS design and the good and bad parts of each. Neither is perfect and the preference for one largely comes from what you've experienced the most of. It's nice to see that Android design can, at the very least, be on the same level. Excellent read, do recommend.