Without a doubt, Kid Koala’s latest project The Slew put on one of the liveliest and most engaging sets at the inaugural Sónar Chicago festival. In this weekend fest dominated by avant-garde electronic sound play, this international four-piece group brought a welcome alternative: an approachable onslaught of turntablism, psych rock, and no shortage of hard-hitting sonics to the modest-sized yet appreciative crowd at the Jay Pritzker Pavilion.
Aren’t we taught as children that turtles are slow? When I think about those 4-legged shell dwellers, I seem to remember phrases along the lines of “at a turtle’s pace” and “as slow as a turtle” coming to mind. This being said, I found it interesting when I heard that every Thursday night, a giant group of folks gather in the back courtyard of an Irish pub called Brennan’s to partake in the popular sport of turtle racing.
INNERPARTYSYSTEM played the Henry Fonda Music Box in Hollywood Tuesday night supporting Does It Offend You Yeah? and Kele. When I entered the packed room they were already in possession of the stage like they had always been there, making it there own. The sound enveloped the room like a lovers embrace. Drawing the eager crowd forward into the synchronized light show. Only this lover wasn’t looking you in the eye, cooing he loves you. This lover held you in a passionate embrace, timing his motions with yours, unapologetically romancing you into submission. This live show left you hot and bothered, somewhat satisfied but yet wanting more.
Thursday night I trekked over to Culver City for a typical evening out. I watched celebrated former Katsuya Chef Kenny Yamada perform magic tricks behind the bar while simultaneously assembling sushi towers for a fabulous pre-fixe 9-course menu. I listened to the tunes of infamous LA party boy BJ Panda Bear spinning from a stylish lounge. I walked around and admired mystical pieces of a rotating collection of art, currently titled Never-ending Story: Fairytale, Fantasy, Obsession. I shopped for authentic Japanese goodies and found things like Hello Kitty dolls that were the last few remaining in a limited edition collection and learned about the craze behind Korean Pullip dolls. I admired oddities such as ice cream cone hairpieces and cupcake rings. I discovered intriguing gift shop gems such as cocaine and heroine salt and pepper shakers. I watched an entire wait staff of bubbly Japanese women wearing traditional maid outfits bounce around and fulfill patrons’ dining orders…all in one place, Royal/T.
This past weekend, Atticus Clothing on Melrose and Motion City Soundtrack‘s Tony Thaxton hosted a benefit for the the Dear Jack Foundation, a cancer research fund started by Something Corporate/Jack’s Mannequin singer Andrew McMahon. Brilliantly conceived in the form of a custom robot toy show/auction, musicians and actors alike took the time to decorate their own miniature robot prototypes, and all for a great cause.
Capturing an image to me is akin to you hearing your favorite song on Pandora or noticing that your favorite movie has just been added to Hulu. There need be no real rhyme or reason to the subject, it’s just I find it disheartening when I’m not able to capture that “moment” when presented.
AWOLNATION wants you to be a believer. Let go of all you think you know. it’s time to get back to good. I may be a bit of an enthusiast but his sound, his energy and yes, his actual music just feels more “right now” and less “been there before”. ChinaShop produced a series of 3 videos that help AWOLNATION tell his story. This is Part 2. You won’t know until you know.
Another week of glorious pop-rock…Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, where you been all my life?…Flying Lotus releases the Pattern + Grid World EP…Tegan and Sara give us a retrospective; Klaxons stop teasing us after three years since Myths of the Near Future and take us into the void, and all the while Thievery Corporation is stealing more of your listening time.
Abe Vigoda – Crush
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club – iTunes Session
Flying Lotus – Pattern + Grid World
How To Dress Well – Love Remains
The Hundred In The Hands – The Hundred In The Hands
John Legend & The Roots – Wake Up!
Klaxons – Surfing The Void
Margot and the Nuclear So and So’s – Buzzard
Maroon 5 – Hands All Over
Matt Costa – Mobile Chateau
Michael Franti & Spearhead – The Sound of Sunshine
Midlake – Fortune EP
Opeth – In Live Concert at the Royal Albert Hall DVD/CD
Shit Robot – From The Cradle To The Rave
Swans – My Father Will Guide Me Up a Rope to the Sky
Tegan and Sara – The Complete Recollection (1999-2010)
Thievery Corporation – It Takes a Thief
The phenomenon known as Facebook was created in a Harvard dorm room in 2003 by Mark Zuckerberg and Eduardo Saverin. Since then, the online social networking giant has expanded to over 500 million users, and yep your mom is probably logged in now, updating her profile pic as we speak.
The Social Network is the story of how Facebook came to be.
According to the movie, it wasn’t all flowers and sugar cookies along the road to success for Facebook founders Mark and Eduardo. The Ivy league-rs faced lawsuits, broken friendships, betrayals, and greed but hey, “You don’t get to 500 million friends without making a few enemies.”
It is a truth universally acknowledged that geek girls who game, watch sci-fi, or read fantasy novels must not be be concerned with anything that’s traditionally girly. Well, it might be universally acknowledged, but that doesn’t make it true. Thank the Lords of Kobol for companies like Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab, who provide perfumes and other fragrance essentials with a distinct appeal for today’s discriminating geek.