OLD CROWS/YOUNG CARDINALS – ALEXISONFIRE

Alexisonfire - Young Cardinals

I'm still not sure what I think of this album.

This is a great song, but the album I am a little disappointed in. Maybe I just need to give it more listens, but with Poison The Well's new album out (and that's instantaneously awesome!) I'm not sure whether I can. Ha...

BAT FOR LASHES

I CANNOT STOP LISTENING TO THIS ALBUM RIGHT NOW!

The album is Two Suns and it is going to be one of the best albums released this year. It is also the perfect example of an artist progressing – it is leaps and bounds better than her first (which I also love). She's becoming really adept at creating songs that are the perfect mix of indie perfection (think Thom Yorke or Bjork) with a pop aesthetic.

THE BEATLES: ROCKBAND INTRO VIDEO

The Beatles: Rock Band Intro from Micheal Howard on Vimeo.

This really is a whole lot of awesome!

Via Likecool

DAVE HILL PHOTOGRAPHY

My RSS feed brought this guy up today (was linked on Flylyf).

His work is a little over-processed for my tastes but I still like his compositions a lot. There is a lot of really great stuff in his portfolio, so you should check it out. I'm especially a fan of his music stuff.

www.davehillphoto.com

NEW BOOK FROM MICHAEL SIEBEN

Michael Sieben (a.k.a. One of my favourite artists ever) has a book of his works coming out through Upper Playground. I'm so keen to get my grimy little mitts on this thing because I KNOW that it's going to be fantastic!

Ask Michael Sieben to describe his work and he’ll tell you that he’s exploring themes focusing on the fading magic of childhood and its associated loss of innocence. His characters and creatures are unique in that they are both cute and grotesque; their purpose in life is to remind us that even though we have problems we still have reason to smile. According to his website, Michael spends his time designing skateboard graphics for Roger Skateboards, writing and illustrating articles for Thrasher Magazine, operating the Okay Mountain Gallery with his fellow mountaineers, working on various freelance projects with the Volcom Art Loft, painting and drawing for personal enjoyment, skateboarding and smiling.

I’m really happy with how the book turned out and I can’t thank Upper Playground and Gingko Press enough for giving me the opportunity to put together this cross section of my work. I hope it inspires other artists to persevere and follow their dreams. Because if a weird skate/art nerd in Texas can get a book published then I don’t see why anybody else couldn’t.
-Michael Sieben

There’s Nothing Wrong With You (Hopefully) leaves no doubt whatsoever about Michael Sieben’s powers of concentration and observation. The book is available for presale now on the Upper Playground web store and will ship in early July.

You can preorder here.

Via World Moves Fast

RICK GRIFFIN X VANS AUTHENTICS

NEED!

These look so AWESOME. And I love my Authentics more than any other shoe I own.

Via Hypebeast

THE PAPER & THE PLANE

OH MY GOD ... WHY CAN'T I STOP LISTENING TO THIS BAND?!?!?!?!

ON THE ROAD

Tonight I watched Control – the bio-pic about Ian Curtis – for the first time and have developed a ridiculous crush on Sam Riley.

I don't know why, I can't explain it, I just have!

Anyway, so I hit up IMDB to find out more information and I stumbled across this.

It would appear that he is lined up to star in a film adaptation of Kerouac's On The Road. Being one of my favourite books of all time, I'm not quite sure how I feel about this, however it is something really interesting that I will be keeping an eye out for more information on.

If you know anymore information asides from what is on the IMDB page, please feel free to comment :)

"NANTES" – BEIRUT

AWESOME use of wheelie bins!

TIME TO PLAY...

...the what's on my bedside table game!

NOT THAT GREAT

I can't remember if I posted about this before, but one of Cooper's friends has a blog up that amuses me greatly – partly because it sometimes gives me insight into what goes on down there while I'm away, partly because he has an awesome sense of humour so his captions make me LOL quite often!

So you can go and check out Rhys's observations on life here.

CLASSIC RECORDS AT PENGUIN BOOKS

Huw Gwilliam beautifully re-designed a bunch of classic records mimicking that signature Penguin style. Pure genius.

There are sooooo many more at that link! So amazing!!!


Via BOOOOOOOM!

GYPSY KIDS – NARROWS

NARROWS: GYPSY KIDS (2009) 872 x 480 from My Black Cat on Vimeo.

New video from the album New Directions, which WILL be the album of 2009!

If you haven't heard it already, I suggest that you go out and buy it right now because it's SO FUCKING GOOOOOOOD!

This track is also completely different from 'Chambered' which was the first release track from the album. It's just such a diverse album, but with all the different influences and history of the members at play, that's hardly surprising!

WHY CAN'T I LIVE IN AMERICA!

Someone buy me tickets?

It's in Boston ... The baseball season will still be going (RED SOX!!!!)

Please?

TOY STORY 3

This will officially rule my life!

100 ABANDONED HOUSES

Abandoned house in Detroit, Michigan, originally uploaded by smooveb.

I stumbled across this on BOOOOOOOM! a little while ago. It's a rad project and some of the photos are really, really spectacular.

There is just something really surreal and a little scary about them all, but I think that's why it attracts me so much.

"The abandoned houses project began innocently enough roughly ten years ago. I actually began photographing abandonment in Detroit in the mid 90’s as a creative outlet, and as a way of satisfying my curiosity with the state of my home town. I had always found it to be amazing, depressing, and perplexing that a once great city could find itself in such great distress, all the while surrounded by such affluence."

You can see all 100 houses and an explanation behind the project here.

FREE DOODLES ZINE

Just a cool little thing I found (I can't remember where I found it so I'm really sorry to whoever I've reposted this from!)

It's got some cool little doodles in it, and I'm kind of a fan of that whole "make it yourself" thing. Let's face it, it's a cool concept!

You can download all the little parts to the zine to make it yourself here.

STREET DREAMS

HD Exclusive Trailer #2 In Theaters June 12th

This looks totally b-grade but I think a lot of people I know will dig it and kind of relate! Hahahaha

Am keen to see it though, if only because Ryan Dunn makes me laugh harder than almost anyone...

There's a bit of background about this film over on Defgrip.

COCO AVANT CHANEL

While we're still on the subject of films, I cannot wait for this either!

Audrey Tautou is AMAZING!

MOON

SAM ROCKWELL!!!!!

THIS MOVIE LOOKS AMAZING!!!!!

Like 2001: A Space Odyssey but for 2009. I don't knowwwwwwww ... I just want to see it so bad! AND IT'S SAM ROCKWELL!!!

Astronaut Sam Bell has a quintessentially personal encounter toward the end of his three-year stint on the Moon, where he, working alongside his computer, GERTY, sends back to Earth parcels of a resource that has helped diminish our planet's power problems.



(Yes I have a slight obsession...)

Other tidbits in relation to the film: the robot is voiced by Kevin Spacey and the film is directed by Duncan Jones (which is was Zowie Bowie is going by nowadays... Yes he's the son of the great Mr David Bowie).

Released in US theatres June 12th, so I imagine an Australian release sometime around there ... i.e. SOOOOOOON!

CANELE PATTISSERIE

Courtesy of Wicked Halo.

Under the tagline "Equally Sweet, Equally Dark", the ads done by illustrator Joseph Griffith feature small children in a very tongue and cheek evil minded scenario, done in typical pop surrealist manner. These ads were commissioned for Singapore based house Canelé Patisserie Chocolaterie.

They're just ADORABLE! I would love a print of the Voodoo one for my wall ... Make sure you check out Griffith's other work because it's fair amazing!

MAKE IT COUNT

"MAKE IT COUNT" - official trailer from ELEMENT SKATEBOARDS on Vimeo.

I found this video on Hypebeast.

I'm really keen to see the rest of it.

In the meantime, the filmmaker Kirk Dianda, has a blog going where he's updating with all sorts of goodies pertaining to the film – you can scope that out here.

THE WAITING LIST

OK ... So it's finally been announced! The date for the premiere of the two new Focalpoint DVDs. The Waiting List is the full length riding DVD of the crew doing their thing. I can tell you for a fact there is some serious shredding, a killer soundtrack and some awesome crashes! The second video is Defero which follows a more video magazine style – interviews and profiles of up-and-coming riders, some scene reports and a pretty hectic report from the infamous Bendigo Jam of '08!

If you're in Melbourne on this date you should really go down and check it out. That shit's going to be mental! And best of all, you're gonna get to see two really rad videos for just a gold coin donation (that they're asking for only to cover the cost of hiring the venue!)

Head over to Focalpoint for all the details.

Below is the final Samples edit and the official trailer for The Waiting List.

Focalpointbmx "The Waiting List" promo from Focalpointbmx.com on Vimeo.

Focalpointbmx.com Samples Vol3 from Focalpointbmx.com on Vimeo.

"HE'S LIKE BATMAN, BUT BETTER"

I WANNA BE IN ENGLAND!!!! WAAAAAAAAAAA :(


Banksy, ily <3>

BARREL MONSTERS

Autoblog reports that a North Carolina State University student was arrested and charged with larceny for converting orange construction barrels into "Barrel Monsters". The artist, who goes by "U Live and You Burn" is seeking support by asking them to write the prosecutor on his behalf:

Wake County Prosecutor C. Colon Willoughby, Jr.
Tenth Prosecutorial District
State of North Carolina
8th Floor, Wake County Courthouse
Post Office Box 31
Raleigh, N.C. 27602-0031
telephone (919) 792-5000

Our hope is that they treat him fairly, as they did Roadsworth in Montreal.

Via The Wooster Collective.

SO PSYCHED...

For the August tour of the following bands:

For dates and details go to Resist Records.

RIDE BMX x SHADOW FEATURE

Sick little video ...

At about 2:30 there's a rad wall ride to tuck-no-hander and then one of the best hang 5's I've ever seen!



Plus the Black Keys soundtrack rules my life!

Courtesy of Ride BMX, where you can also see a rad little flipbook here.

LACK OF POSTS

Hey guys!

Sorry for the lack of posts. Lack of fast internet has prevented me from scoping much and from being able to actually make posts at all.

So, uber big posting session coming your way right now!!!

xo