Prim and propaganda

I ventured into the Saks store last weekend and was shocked to see the boldness of their new advertising campaign. Playing off heavily on a constructivist era aesthetic, the entire store was blanketed with the signage and installations. I applaud Saks for the guts to go with such a strong visual style and to do it whole-heartedly. Though I have to wonder how effective the campaign is and how it speaks to their target audience.

I became familiar with the design style in school and had attempted to incorporate elements into my work several times. The usual response is the client or art director freaking out. I would’ve loved to have sat in on the concept pitch and see how the design studio got Saks to OK the direction.

This economy probably has companies resorting to more extreme measures to attract consumers, and I’d be interested in seeing how this look works (or doesn’t work) for Saks. As a designer, it’s always great to see something different and daring, but when there’s no substantial reasoning behind the approach, the effect is fleeting. I love the style and how solid the implementation is, but know that it has connotations to people that don’t necessarily promote a positive shopping environment.

Kudos to NotCot for digging up the backstory and visuals behind the campaign.

Review: Neko Case’s Middle Cyclone

There's no denying that Neko Case is a force of nature. Her voice is unmistakable and her songs are haunting, which makes it all the more astonishing that she didn’t take up singing until into her 20’s. It’s almost a crime.

Her latest release, Middle Cyclone, shows off a clear progression in her songwriting abilities. Comparably, the tracks off of Blacklisted, just a few years past, seem more simplistic and straightforward.

With her next effort, Fox Confessor Brings the Flood, Case created lush and epic landscapes full of abstract and fantastic stories. At times gothic and looming, she presented tales of “make-believe monsters” and big bad wolves. For my money, there’s nothing quite as moody and atmospheric as “The Dirty Knife”. Musically, she upped the ante, using more textures and beautiful cascading harmonies. Whereas Blacklisted firmly established Neko Case as a soulful, alt-country star, Fox Confessor was an ambitious, exploratory album which could be viewed as her Sgt. Pepper’s.

However, I sense that with Middle Cyclone, she’s found a middle ground (no pun intended) between her work on Blacklisted and Fox Confessor. Neko has absorbed all the lessons she’s learned before and utilized them all to create a much more deliberate and tempered album. Not as dark or serious as Fox Confessor, yet more complex and progressive than Blacklisted.

The themes have shifted as well. She isn’t as introspective as in Blacklisted, or intimate as with Fox Confessor; Middle Cyclone’s story is less about a specific person and more about mankind. Or specifically mankind in relation to nature. A first-person account by a tornado, descriptions of being mauled or eaten by animals, and blatantly saying “Never Turn Your Back on Mother Earth” all show the fragility of man and that nature is a force to be respected.

In “Next Time You Say Forever”, Case reminds us that we are mortal and that what we create can be swept away with the lyrics “To be the dangling ceiling, from the roof came crashing down, peeling in the heat, vanished in the rain. The next time you say forever, I’ll punch you in your face.” Later on, she sings about the “Cistine Chapel painted with a gattling gun”, telling us that even the most prized accomplishments of man are temporary and perishable.

However, Case doesn’t present these ideas as a scare tactic. I mean, how serious can she be when her cover art features her crouching on the hood of a Mercury Cougar holding a sword? In fact, as serious as her subject matter is, I feel that this album is far less foreboding than Fox Confessor.

She presents the idea that we affect and are affected by nature equally. We’re not diametric forces, but rather harmonious ones. As the tornado, Case croons that she/it loves you, and later on points out that man is also an animal. And we can’t claim individual insignificance with “I didn’t know what a brute I was... And I drag the clanging notion I was nobody, nobody.”

Of course, it’s a Neko Case album so there are bound to be several beautiful, beautiful moments to be heard. “Vengeance is Sleeping” is an achingly gorgeous song. “Magpie to the Morning” showcases how Neko’s voice can soar like no other.

For the final track, Case allots nearly half the length of the entire album to the ambient sounds of frogs and other backyard creatures. It’s a fitting, final point to her message of having respect for nature.

What I come away with in the end is more respect for Neko Case. With each release, she shows noticeable growth as an artist. Fox Confessor was almost a collection of fairy tales and short stories, but Middle Cyclone demonstrates a much more calculated theme throughout. Like old school country artists, Case is a storyteller that creates characters with her lyrics, rather than relying on simpler, autobiographical lines like other modern vocalists. She’s a poet that uses complex imagery and metaphors that invite us to interpret them. Who’s not going to eat up lines such as “I love your long shadows and your gunpowder eyes”?

Like that tornado, her power and love commands our respect and makes us love her back.

Check out Neko’s MySpace page to hear some of her new songs.

Metal Couture at Fontana’s

Burlesque, metal bands, and a fashion show with chicks in torn fishnet... Who could ask for anything better? More pics on Flickr.

Wii Can Work It Out

Oh man!

Can’t. Wait.

Whoever determined the release date is a genius who obviously knows his Beatles lore.


APPLE CORPS LTD., MTV AND HARMONIX ANNOUNCE "THE BEATLES: ROCK BAND," WORLDWIDE RELEASE SET FOR 9/9/09

New York, NY - March 5, 2008 - Apple Corps, Ltd., Harmonix and MTV Games, a part of Viacom's MTV Networks (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B), today announced the 9/9/09 worldwide release of The Beatles: Rock Band (http://www.thebeatlesrockband.com). The music-based video game, an unprecedented, experiential progression through and celebration of the music and artistry of The Beatles, will be available simultaneously worldwide in North America, Europe, Australia, New Zealand and other territories for the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, PLAYSTATION 3 computer entertainment system and Wii(TM) home videogame console from Nintendo.

The Beatles: Rock Band will allow fans to pick up the guitar, bass, mic or drums and experience The Beatles' extraordinary catalogue of music through gameplay that takes players on a journey through the legacy and evolution of the band's legendary career. In addition, The Beatles: Rock Band will offer a limited number of new hardware offerings modeled after instruments used by John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr throughout their career.

The Beatles: Rock Band will be offered as standalone software and hardware as well as a limited edition bundle. The game will be compatible with all Rock Band instrument controllers and other current music-based video game peripherals.

The Beatles: Rock Band marks the first time that Apple Corps, along with EMI Music, Harrisongs Ltd, and Sony/ATV Music Publishing, has agreed to present The Beatles' music in an interactive video game format. The Beatles: Rock Band will be published by MTV Games and
developed by Harmonix, the world's premier music video game company and creators of the best-selling Rock Band. Electronic Arts will serve as distribution partner for the game. In addition, Giles Martin, co-producer of The Beatles' innovative LOVE album project, is providing
his expertise and serving as Music Producer for this groundbreaking Beatles project.

Exclusive content created by Apple Corps, MTV Games and Harmonix will be made available to fans over the next few months who participate in a pre-order campaign through major retailers. More details on The Beatles: Rock Band game and pre-order will be revealed in the coming months.

###

Hot knot

Who knew there were so many varied and wonderful ways to tie a scarf around one’s neck? Props to this site for the find. Can’t wait to try it out!

Breaking the bank

Once again, This American Life comes through for us all by taking another look at our faltering economy. Whereas the previous episodes focused on the buildup to the Wall Street meltdown, this episode tries to break down what’s going on with the banks and why they’re all in such trouble.

In order to provide clarity to financial laymen like myself, they make it an emphasis to explain things in as direct a manner as possible. The result is as enlightening as it is infuriating.

Basically, what you get out of it is that people have largely been irresponsible by taking out loans that they weren’t qualified for, the banks were greedy bastards by approving all these bad loans, everyone is looking to the government to bail them out, which means that honest, poor joes like you and I are going to get screwed no matter what. Wonderful.

Examined Life

The IFC Center is currently showing a documentary showcase of several modern philosophers called Examined Life.

Filmmaker Astra Taylor does a good job of adding kinetic energy to the stream of (essentially) lectures by putting each subject in a public area, mostly around New York. Topics of philosophy touch on consumerism and ecology, but the threads are mainly connected by the idea of meaning (or lack thereof) in existence and the individual’s connection with society.

Although certain theories such as Social Contract are alluded to, Taylor manages to steer clear of getting mired in a historical survey of philosophical thought. That frees her to let the subjects focus on their own modern ideas.

The film succeeds in keeping the speakers focused, without diverging on too many tangents. While it shows that the filmmaker has the skill to converge it all into a tight film, it’s hard not to feel like there wasn’t enough meat to the exploration. Each person had 10 minutes to get across their entire philosophy, when it's easy to see how they could’ve gone on for hours and hours. Thus Examined Life comes across as an overview of ideas, without being able to really explore the depths or details of those ideas. I suppose that’s not a knock on the film but more an observation on the limitation of the format. Taylor herself admitted to the amount that had to get cut out.

Afterwards, my friend wondered aloud if the people in films just talked endlessly about philosophy. My guess would be yes, but I took issue with some of the subtle allegations in the film that there is no middle ground in between being a deep thinking, cerebral citizen of the world and the mindless, uncaring, consumerist automaton.

While waiting for the showtime, my friend and I were drinking beers talking about plans for our next pub crawl. Is that not okay? Do we have to be dissecting the nature of man every hour of every day? I love philosophy and examining our nature, which is why I thoroughly enjoyed this film, but I don’t feel compelled to have to do that exclusively. I take enjoyment in mindless, stupid things as much as deep, thought provoking matters. I think it’s in our nature to have those dichotomies and juxtapositions.

One of the topics that I enjoyed the most was Cornel West speaking that there is no definitive goal or meaning in life, and what that means for our concept of “failure”. And while each philosopher had his or her own concept of “meaning”, whether there is one or not, they seemed to agree that we are social creatures who have an intrinsic need to interact.

As an only child who has always had strong loner tendencies, it made me wonder about my own views towards the nature of society. I’ve come to whole-heartedly believe that we need that interaction and contact to live “meaningfully”. Living in New York City, I can’t help but be constantly exposed to people. I wondered what my inclination are towards people I meet or strangers on the street. Do I automatically have trust and respect in those I don't even know?

Several of the companies I’ve worked for have a philosophy of making sure you do your work on the assumption that other people are lazy, slow, incorrect or dumb. Expect that clients will not give you the correct information, or predict that the printer will be late in fulfilling the order. That inherent mistrust for others seemed awkward for me. Although there were instances which proved that theory true, I have a feeling that those negative, paranoid thoughts had much to do with my unhappiness at those jobs.

My thoughts also led me to my parents, who more than anyone I’ve ever known, believe that the default inclination of human beings is to be good. They put trust and faith in people to points which make me uneasy. Yet my mom will still clutch her purse with a deathgrip at restaurants, even upscale ones. It reminded me again of our often contradictory thinking.

Not sure where I was going with the end of this post, but the film got some of those mental gears turning, which is the point of the film, and why I enjoyed it so much.

But Coraline in 3-D was also pretty awesome.

Hell Yeah!

Thanks Pitchfork for letting me know that the next Yeah Yeah Yeahs album is finally coming! My Karen O crush can continue.

President Barack Obama

The day is here! Everyone I know is ecstatic and amazingly hopeful about what we’re about to embark upon.

It’s still hard to believe that it’s happening. New York City is an amazing amalgamation of people, but politically it’s been largely pro-Obama. During the race, I heard so many people wonder aloud “How is Obama not going to win? There’s so much support for him!”

But I knew better. I know that not every American has the same mindset. So I’ve tried hard to keep a wider perspective and find out what people who differ from me are thinking.

This American Life has a great episode which attempts to do the same thing: take a cross-section of the country and hear the spectrum of viewpoints. It’s enlightening, frightening and somehow reassuring. Take a listen...

Fleet Foxes on SNL

I have mixed feelings about the boys appearing on SNL, but love that they played Mykonos.

Addicted to drug(shows)

I’m deeply entrenched in HBO’s The Wire. I’ve just finished the third season which isn’t too bad since I started a few months ago. I’ve been trying to plow through the series as quickly as possible, which isn’t to say I’m not enjoying the story. In actuality, the show is as engrossing and impressive as the accolades would have you believe.

It’s just that I feel as if my free time is scarce as it is. I haven’t even tried to add up how much time five seasons of an hour-long show is consuming out of my life, and it’s probably best not to know.

Also, I learned my lesson with The Sopranos which I watched at a leisurely pace of years in between episodes. Needless to say I was lost as to what was happening several times. “Wait, I thought that chick was whacked last season!” “When did that guy get made??”

Last week, I noticed that one of my roommates had purchased the first season of Weeds and left it in the living room for us roommates to watch. Naturally, I need another television show to occupy my time. After viewing a few episodes, I noticed how jarring it was to go from one drug show, The Wire to another, whose tone and viewpoint was in such contrast. The Wire is all about an unflinching depiction of the misery and corruption within the ecosphere of drugs, where even the good guys are flawed and capable of evil things. Weeds goes about drugs in a much more saccharine and light-hearted way. Addicts are friendly, successful family guys; rival dealers “threaten” each other by dinging cars with pennies; and the drug suppliers offer fresh baked cookies.

I find the contrasts enthralling. I noticed a similar relationship in movies like The Matrix which treat guns in a nonchalant manner. Throughout the movie, bullets are whizzing by, guns are whipped out and discarded, people are blown to bits, and we the viewers watch with giddy amazement. Then, a movie like American Beauty will feature a single gun, fired once, and the gravitas of it deeply affects all of the characters in the story. It’s amazing how people are able to take similar subjects and wield them in drastically different ways.


Back to The Wire, which benefitted from my trip back to my parents’ house for the holidays. I was able to sit through a pile of episodes in those few days. My parents even sat down to see what the buzz was all about. My dad, having missed out on the first 25 episodes was completely lost. Through him, I realized that over the course of the series, the character roster had grown to easily over 20 and plot threads dated back to the very first episode. The Wire is definitely not a show you can just casually watch, which while is more demanding on the viewer, also results in richer payoffs in the story.

My mom’s reaction was much more interesting. She pointed out how everyone is bad, and the whole story is so bleak. Why would people want to watch such a depressing show? Why don’t people like happy stories that make them feel good? I sort of laughed it off, but she has a point. Why are we so much more interested in drama and conflict? Shakespearean tragedies, unrequited love, depictions of war... We can’t get enough.

I’m thinking, who wants to watch happy people in love? Everyone hates seeing people like that. Look at all the shows that got dull and unpopular after their leads got together (also known as the Moonlighting effect, or for us younger people maybe the X-files effect). The only show that seems to be capable of bucking that trend is The Office, and even then, it’s being treated very gingerly and Jim and Pam have been pushed to the background much more than in previous seasons.

Still, I don’t think we’re always just focused on the bad, horrible things. There are plenty of happy, feel-good love stories out there. I consider myself a romantic most of the times. But damned if I don’t enjoy a good story of suffering. The Godfather and it’s epic demise of Michael Corleone’s soul? So great.

For now, I’m trying to end the run of The Wire soon. I’m expecting amazing things. Terrible, awful things. But amazing nonetheless.

Beating around the Bush

The Bush Presidency is in its last days and I imagine there will be much reflection on GW’s legacy and where he stands historically. It’ll be interesting to see what the perception of Bush will be a decade or two from now. Will he still be as reviled? Or will he be vindicated? I imagine that time will most likely soften the anti-Bush sentiment. But the blunders of war and fraying of international relations will probably keep his presidency from being viewed as a successful one.

Perhaps it’s too soon to come to any conclusions, but NPR’s latest Intelligence Squared segment tries to tackle the legacy of Bush and where he stands in comparison to the accomplishments and perceptions of other presidents in the modern era of the U.S. I’m not sure if the debate ended up altering my thoughts on the man, but it’s an interesting session nonetheless.

I have to question the decision to include Karl Rove on the panel. I would’ve preferred a more objective expert rather than someone who is so close and biased to the subject of the debate. It didn’t help that Rove’s debate style grated on me immensely. He was very defensive, condescending and aggressive towards the other panelists. If there’s any personality type that pushes my buttons, it’s probably one like Rove’s.

It seems like most of the country (and the world) is itching for the transfer of power to Obama, which hopefully leads to a period of healing and upward progress for this country. The debate raised an interesting question of whether Obama has a tougher or easier time because of what Bush has left in his wake. It’s hard for me to view Bush in any positive light, but I can’t deny that his stubbornness on the troop surge probably left Iraq in a better state for Obama than if he’d consented to the strategy of an early draw-down as Obama had called for. Of course if he hadn’t invaded Iraq in the first place...

Check out the debate

Troubled in paradise

I can’t think of anything more welcome in the cold New York winters than an escape towards sandy beaches down south. In Cancun, I laid in the sun, ate a ton of food, snorkled in clear blue waters and even swam with motha f*#king dolphins.

As nice as it was to be pampered without a care in the world, it was hard for me to shake an uneasiness to being waited on hand and foot. Maybe I’m just unaccustomed to the whole experience. It’s not as if the locals were giving off any hostile hints. In fact, they were the most attentive and friendly service people I’d ever experienced. But I kept having flashes of the humans in Wall-E which were too absorbed in their own recreating to notice anything around them. They were carted around from place to place and any desire was within arms reach. I would wonder if that’s what I was during this vacation.

Okay, so it was still enjoyable and I wasn’t exactly complaining while sipping down piña coladas on the beach. I work hard and rarely indulge in fancy restaurants. Shouldn’t I be able to live luxuriously on a vacation?

It didn’t help that I was in Cancun, which felt more like an American franchise than an authentic foreign location. Everything seemed tailored to what white people think Mexican culture should be rather than what it probably is in reality. What rare Mexican food I found was atrocious, giving the abysmal New York Mexican joints a run for their money.

As nice as it all was, I was surprised to feel so relieved to see the Manhattan skyline again through the airplane window. I’d never considered myself a true New Yorker but now realize that I’m more rooted in this great city than I knew.

Of course all that good feeling and love towards everything has dissipated almost entirely after a few rides on the crowded F train.

Top Five Albums of 2008

It’s only November but I’m already seeing Best of 2008 lists popping up, so I’ll contribute with my Top Five Albums of 2008...

Vampire Weekend, [Self-Titled]
These guys lost a bit of their luster for me as the year went on, partly due to their overexposure, but revisiting the album proves that it’s still one of the best releases of the year. Breezy and quirky, they remind me of vintage Weezer. Hopefully VW can avoid becoming a cliché of itself, or at the very least come out with a worthy follow-up. Stand out tracks to me are Oxford Comma, A-Punk and One (Blake’s Got a New Face).



Hercules and Love Affair, [Self-Titled]
A great dance record that was an instant favorite of many of my friends. Heavy nods towards the Eighties, but the album is varied and interesting enough to avoid being too derivative. I’ve found this album will get a party dancing in no time. Best songs are Hercules Theme, Iris and Raise Me Up.



The Dodos, Visiter
Their heavy handed guitar strumming and percussion caught my attention from the first few seconds I heard this band. Just about every element of this album (the vocals, melodies, lyrics) hits pitch perfect for what I like in this genre of music. My favorite tracks are Walking, Red and Purple, Undeclared and God.



Jamie Lidell, Jim
I was blown away by how much this record sounds like a freshly minted Motown LP. But Lidell also infuses many subtle elements to bring his vintage sensibilities up to new levels. Still, I know that I’m just programmed to love this album due to my repeated exposure to the Temptations, Al Green and Otis Redding. The tracks have great grooves that also do well at parties. Best songs are Little Bit of Feel Good, Figured Me Out and Green Light.



Fleet Foxes, [Self-Titled]
By far my favorite discovery of the year. Lush harmonies and folk stylings haven’t been this gorgeous in decades. I’ve gone on at length about this group already and can’t say enough about how much I love them, so don’t get me started. Simply magnificent. The entire album is amazing (as is their Sun Giant EP).



I’ll also add my Dud of the Year, which was Beck’s Modern Guilt. Sorry Beck, I love ya, but this was a big let-down.

And that’s that for this year. Here’s looking forward to 2009 and much more great music.

Sub-standard

Great. Looks like the MTA is headed for rougher waters. That means more headaches for Brooklyn commuters like me. It’s not like they were the model of efficiency already. It seems like half the Brooklyn trains are down on the weekends for “maintenance” from which we never see any tangible improvements.

Sounds like the G line is going to be massively affected, with it running even less frequently. The rate of trains on that line already sucks and I’ve had many miserable late night/early morning waits on the platform. It’s practically the only access to other areas of Brooklyn for me, and now they’re going to make it that much more inconvenient and obsolete. Awesome.

They’re also projecting cutbacks on staff, making me wonder how much worse can it possibly get? Stations seem under staffed as it is, and let’s face it, who is impressed by the cleaning staff already?

This whole organization reeks of mismanagement, with operations hanging by a thread while seemingly hemorrhaging money.

Oh, and coupled with these cutbacks, we’ll probably see another fare hike in the near future.

Great news to start off the day.

(image snagged off Williamsburgnerd)

Menswhere? : Ties

My line of work doesn’t necessarily require me to wear ties often (or at all) and I normally wouldn’t even consider paying top dollar for a tie... But these ties by Manfred are smokin’. Of course they’re Aussies with no retailer in NYC.

YES WE CAN.

Wow. It actually happened. A part of me is still in disbelief. But last night was a sweeping, resounding victory for Barack Obama. I mean, President-Elect Barack Obama.

Senator McCain gave a classy, dignified concession speech. Too bad he didn’t run his campaign the same way. But in the end, I still consider him a good man and a patriot.

Finally, Obama’s victory speech. I feel as though it’ll be a speech that will be revered along with some of the great Presidential speeches in our nation’s history. It was powerful and moving. I can admit to feeling a flood of emotion and even a little teary-eyed with continuous calls of “Yes we can”.

Congratulations, Barack. Now comes the hard part...

Barack the Vote!

(snagged from Flickr)

V-Day

I'm standing in line right now to vote. It's a historic day and I feel a great sense of honor to be participating in it. Go Obama!

One more day

Big day tomorrow. Big, big day. I hope to all that is good in the world that Obama pulls out with a win. I might have to move to another country otherwise.

Not to look too far ahead of ourselves, but NY Magazine had a good article giving insight at what sort of preparations Obama is going through in order to efficiently and quickly get things moving if he gets into office.

I admit that I’ve been so focused on the election part that I haven’t thought much about what will happen afterwards. There are a lot of skeptics (ahem, my family) who will be looking for the first chance to point out his inadequacy. But this article shows that the guy and the people he has around him are organized and thinking strategically. This campaign has been an extremely well-run operation, which I hope is indicative of how his Presidential term will play out. Lord knows there’s a lot to do.