One has to admit that Italians certainly have a flair for summer cool. Perhaps it’s their imperturbable ability to wear summer suits and kerchiefs while still looking masculine. Whatever it is, Marcello Mastroianni certainly has it. Look no further than this photo tribute to affirm his effortless cool.
So I was having a bit of trouble sleeping the other night and I randomly recalled an amazing video that I had seen a few years ago. This has been around for a while so forgive me if you’ve already seen this, but for those of you who haven’t, you have to check out Claude Lelouch’s 1976 short film, “C'était un Rendez-vous.” This is perhaps the greatest driving sequence I have ever seen on film, probably because it’s completely real. Basically, the director strapped a special camera on a Ferrari 275 GTB and had a professional Formula 1 racer tear through the streets of Paris at 140 MPH. The scary thing is that this is all done without closing the streets, giving anyone an advance warning, or hiring any stunt drivers. This is shot in one breathtaking sequence with no cuts and features the driver roaring through the streets of Paris early in the morning, plowing through every red light, going down one way streets the wrong way, screeching tires at every turn, and even forcing pedestrians to scramble off the road.
Claude Lelouch couldn’t obtain a permit to close the streets, so he just went ahead and had his racer friend go ahead with it anyways. Lelouch was actually arrested the first time the film was shown in public, but he refused to give the identity of the driver.
Even if you’ve seen it, check it out again. It left my heart pounding even after having watched it several times a few years ago. In retrospect, given the fact that I was having trouble sleeping, watching this unbelievably exhilarating video was a terrible idea.
So I’m currently obsessing over this awesome new British band Lost Fiction. Sadly, they only have two songs out, as it seems that all of them are still in college as full-time students. But the two songs that they’ve released so far are certainly an indicator of fantastic things to come. The vocals are sung in a deep melancholy baritone that sound like a cross between Ian Curtis of Joy Division and Matt Berninger of The National. Unsurprisingly, their sound seems to be heavily inspired by Joy Division and New Order and they certainly combine the best elements of both bands to great effect.
Thanks to GetKempt and itchyi for bringing this to my attention. The photography of Michael Wesley is eerily haunting but arrestingly beautiful. These shots are rather interesting in how they play with time and space.
He has perfected his unique technique of setting up pinhole cameras to create long exposures the size of large walls that continue unabated for years at a time. For instance, his shot documenting the rebuilding of Berlin's Potsdamer Platz was exposed over 26 months, while his photo of New York’s MOMA took place over the course of 34 months.
Unlike a simple photo that captures a static moment, he is able to capture change over time in a manner somewhat like a video camera. However, unlike a video camera these photos are a chronological artifact of a single physical space that shows the past, the present, and everything in between. The passage of time is captured, however it is only the permanent structures that have any chance of being caught on film. With the construction of buildings the parts that were completed first are heavier and more visible, whereas the more recently completed segments are merely wisps. People flicker in and out so frequently, that they are nothing more than shadows. In his photo of an office, exposed over the course of a year, the people occupying the space are merely specters haunting the room for a short span in its lifetime. If anything, these photos seem to suggest the fleetingness of humanity. Even buildings, perhaps the greates physical anchor in our lives, are not exempt from this as even they appear as emphemeral objects.
Regardless, these photos are beautiful and incredibly interesting. Check out his book Open Shutter for more photos as well.
Oddly, ever since I decided to move to New York, my ears have been particularly receptive to bands from California, particularly those that have that unmistakable L.A. surf sound. Having grown up in California, I suppose it’s inevitable that I associate summer with the sunny beaches of the Pacific, running around with friends by the pool, and driving around in a car along beautiful coast lines. Unsurprisingly, the bands that I’ve been listening to of late come directly out of that tradition. Aside from Best Coast, who just dropped their debut full length album, the bright sounds of Tennis, Voxhaul Broadcast, and the Growlers have all transported me back to the languid days of a Californian summer.
In the interest of full disclosure, the more I listen to this song the more I become completely enamored with it and have a decreasing inclination to listen to anything else. So be careful, after listening to this song, you may not listen to anything else for a long time.
“Marathon” is a fun little dreamy rock n’ roll song that transports you back to the sweet days of yore. Alaina Moore coos gently into the microphone while an organ plays softly in the background. The song is breezy, relaxing, and has a sound straight from another time. Their sound reminds me a bit of Little Joy when they are at their most retro and adorable. Husband and wife duo Tennis wrote these songs after they bought a sail boat and spent eight months sailing around the East Coast. They’ve only got a few mp3 out right now, but next month will see their first release. Be sure to keep an eye on this fun group, as I’m sure they will be doing some big things.
This four-piece band from Orange County has an amazing sound that bridges the gap between the swagger of British rock and the bright jangoling of Los Angeles. Folks loved their first EP Rotten Apples, and they just released their first full length album, Timing is Everything, last month. With catchy beats, fantastic guitar work, and unpretentious lyrics, what is there not to love about these guys.
Hailing from Long Beach, the Growlers have a fun 1960’s psychedelic surf rock sound that really grows on you. They only have one album out, Are You In or Out?, but the kids around LA seem to really like them and a few folks in the know have predicted that they’ll be the next local LA band to burst out on the scene like Best Coast. I’ll let you make your own decision.
Holy Crap! The moment I've been waiting for is finally here! The full length Arcade Fire album "Suburbs" is available to stream on NPR Music (major props to NPR). The album officially drops tomorrow, but listen to it now.
I just stumbled across the Levi's Pioneers Sessions for 2010 and it is a wealth of amazing music. As much as I hate the idea of corporate sponsored music, sometimes the results are just far too good to inspire any ill feelings. For instance, take Nike’s promo for the 25th anniversary of Air Force Ones that brought together DJ Premier, Nas, Rakim, and (unfortunately) Kanye West. I hate to admit it, but this unbelievable collaboration between living legends would not likely have come together for a track like this had Nike not been the main driving force. I don’t think DJ Premier has worked with Nas since Stillmatic, so having them together on the same track was certainly something to thank Nike for.
In this case, the results are similarly amazing. The Dirty Projectors did an astounding cover of Bob Dylan’s, “I Dreamed I Saw St. Augustine.” David Longstreth’s impression of Bob Dylan’s voice is eerily accurate. I played this song for a good friend of mine who is a huge Bob Dylan fan, and he didn’t even realize that it was a cover. So needless to say, the Dirty Projectors give this song its proper due.
As for the Levi's Pioneers Sessions, they are definitely worth taking a peak at. The Raphael Saadiq cover of the Spinner’s “It’s a Shame” that I featured earlier was also a product of this series. Other notable covers include She and Him’s rendition of “Fools Rush In,” The Kills’ “Pale Blue Eyes,” and Nas’ “Hey Young World.”
