Oxjam Kilburn: Take The High Road

This looks great, Slow Club headlining. more details here

Death Drive

Jackson Pollack 11 August 1956

Opening this weekend at the The Wapping Project in London is an exhibition by Dean Rogers that shows the places where nine of our cultural heros were killed in car crashes.

Directly from CR

Click Click...Boom

At the end of summer I got a bit depressed that my photos were a bit shit, so I changed tactics and now i am a lot happier, you can probably tell what those tactics were - stop taking pictures of hedges from the front.

Girls 'Album'

Keep your eye out for Girls, 9.1 review in Pitchfork. My gosh. Lazy blogging I know.

Here's a thought, if you want to stop people downloading your music call you band and album something that will confuse the torrents eg 'Album' by 'Girls'. Anyway have a good weekend I'm off to practice with my band 'Hot Teen Action'

(that was a joke obviously...but Hot Teen Action ain't a bad name thinking about it, shot gun!)

Cary Fukunaga

I'm quite excited, Cary Fukunaga director of Sin Nombre is coming into the office today, I'm doing some research for him...I'm not I'm blogging, fuck better get back to it.

Fish Tank Trailer

I know you know about Fish Tank, you don't need me to tell you how good it is. I just wanted to point out that the trailer is really good. I keep getting pissed off that trailers show you too much, they want to get you into the cinema and they don't care if they spoil the movie for you. Recent example being Away We Go.

Lowlife blog

Lowlife is loads of nice photos in a line, no messin.

Samesies

Jacob Lillis
Lina Scheynius

Samesies is a great blog of pictures that have been found that are similar. It's not just any old shit though, it's good gear.

Outlaw commentary highlights

Seen this?

dismissing their no star reviews..

"when taxi driver came out...it got cunted"

I nearly died when i heard an actual human being say that.

from Why, that's delightful

The Rest

Despite a rather lack luster name, The Rest are a really good new band from Canada. You can read an interview and download a free EP at the brilliant Line Of Best Fit save me racking my less than substantial brain for adjectives and comparisons. Or you can look on myspace. They are playing London in mid Oct if anyone fancies it, dates here. More importantly you can pre-order their new album Everyone All At Once from Rough Trade for 99p! here.

(sorry to have all of a sudden started participating in blog hype, i just realised i don't blog much about music despite it being my main...thing)

Spotify Albums Vol 2

To help with the eternal problem of being able to listen anything in the world but not being able to choose one thing here is Spotify albums vol 2, if you have any suggests please leave comments. Volume one is here.

The Crimson Wing by The Cinematic Orchestra, sublime soundtrack to new film, perfect to drown out the noises of modern living but still leaving enough brain capacity to concentrate on something else.
A Brief History Of Love By The Pink you know this.
Man on the Moon: End of Day by Kid Cudi the jury is still out on this, I might change my mind but at the moment I'm not a big fan, the lyrics seem to cover everything with a gloss of self pity which is pretty hard to stomach when you know how charismatic and popular Scotty is, pretty much hate the Common narration...but I'll give it a chance
Born Like This by DOOM fresh rap and that.
Greatest Hits by Nas not really listened to this but it's Nas innit.
First Days of Spring by Noah And Whale I didn't like this at first, like Kid Cudi's album the simplistic maudlin lyrics spoilt the whole thing but I've managed to block that out and I really like it now, perfect sound track for walking around london feeling maudlin and simplistic as I often do.
Beacons by Ohbijou. Lovely female fronted Americana (well i think they are Canadian - Canadiacana), paints lovely vidid winter pictures. Lovely.
Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix by Phoenix like Phoenix but better (I never really liked them before)
The Ecstatic by Mos Def. Brilliant latest album from ye boy Mos, not listened to this enough yet

Vespertine Live by Bjork one of my favourite ever albums.

Spotify albums volume one here

The Friendly Man

I've been meaning to post this forever, It's an episode of This American Life that just blows me away, I've listened to it about ten times over the summer, on my bike, walking round taking picture, before I go to sleep, on trains... The episode is first person stories from one contributor Scott Carrier, all compiled in one place and as Ira in his introduction says, while Scott tells different stories that he has been asked to report on over the years, he is at the same time telling one story, his story, centered around the break up of his marriage and his trying to get a job. Download it directly here. Sorry to always bang on about This American Life, but if you knew...you'd know.

The Drums

I saw The Drums last night, they were really fucking good, consider this official blog hype hah. Mp3 or myspace. Can't be arsed to describe them just trust me. Here is a live video from the gig.

(the played at the Flowerpot in Kentish Town which is a really nice venue worth keeping an eye on)

Cover Versions

Lots more here

Justin Hollar

Justin Hollar is also bloody good. Got a flash on my camera now, trying to take pictures like the bottom one.

Pure Like Golddd Blog

If you are looking for another blog to scroll through Pure Like Golddd is very nice. Graphics, photography, videos etc.

Los Campesinos

Lost track of all things Los Campesinos but I think this is perhaps a new song off a new album, could take or leave the video but the songs is brilliant. Download it free here. With Conor talking about folding Bright Eyes this sort of thing might help the loss.

Tamara Lichenstein

Whilst researching 'the youth' in nice light I came across Tamara's work and her lovely blog. well done Tamara you are good. The second picture -> boom.

Nadav Kander 'Obama's People' Exhibition

Not the biggest Nadav Kander fan but an Obama based exhibition in East London, hello? brilliant. Flowers Gallery 62 Kingsland Road 11th sept till 10th Oct

Kanye doesn't stop

From Rubarb

Jay Z MSG 9/11 Benefit Show ft Cudi Ye etc

This is so F*ing good. Cudi definately looks like the cat that got that cream, as he might. Here is the incredible Empire State Of Mind. More At P&P

Nike Ad

I don't often see the correlation between the research I do for ad and the finished Ad, but I can see it in the Nike Ads we just did. Well. done. me. (self promotion over...for now)

Pluto Pluto App

I like this so much I put on nail varnish.

Allison Schulnik

Lots more of her sweet as paintings here. From Fecal Face

Dream Boats Collective

Dream Boats Collective is 4 photographers from America, that have a great site with their folios and a blog with lots of new images. From Mozza.

Cooperative Designs

You know I'm a big fan of knitwear at the best of times, but this collection by Cooperative Designs is off the chain. From the great fashion blog What's Wrong With The Zoo

Mercury Prize 2009

I know its bollox but I can't help thinking about it. I'm finding it hard choosing an album I think will or indeed should, win this year. My initial reaction was La Roux but something doesn't feel right about her album, perhaps it's too much 80's production and not enough 80's combined with 21st century production, it seems a bit flat...if you see what I mean. Speech Debelle I like the idea of, and when I first heard her sound I was excited but I don't think the album as a whole is that good. Bat For Lashes has some great songs but the album is a bit wishy washy and dreamy, not enough substance. Kasabian....no. The Horrors might have a shot but I can't get into the album for the life of me, it is interesting and accomplished but I don't enjoy it. The others I don't really care about so by default almost that leaves Florence and the Machine, I can't help but like her album, it's pretty exciting and she seems to have momentum from fabulous performances at Reading & Leeds, so that's who I think will win, Florence & The Machine. Boom, there you go that's my answer. Although saying that if I was a betting man I would put a deep sea on La Roux at 1/12 and maybe even Glasvegas at 1/16

...If only The XX album came out earlier.

Kid Cudi Man On The Moon Sampler + Freshman Update

Nice little preview.

Out of the freshmens from last year;

Wale, Kid Cudi, Charles Hamilton & Asher Roth.

Wale has released another mixtape which was pretty good but not as good as last years, I thought it was a bit needless, I kinda wanna hear a proper album instead, it's coming out soon.

Kid Cudi you know about. Album dropping September and currently filming HBO series, he's still sounding fresh if a little pop, and he's a very nice guy. I like him.

Charles Hamilton has gone a little mental and disappeared I think, he used to make like a mixtape every two weeks and constantly blog, and was leading up to a big Interscope album but he has disappeared. His blog says he is off learning to smile again.

Asher Roth was the first to release a proper album and it was a stinker, I was really excited about it but think I only made it all the way through twice.

And Drake...Drake came from nowhere and is more successful than all of them put together, crazy. On the Blueprint 3 Jay Z does a song about all the famous rappers of recent years called 'A Star is Born' in which he says 'Drake's up next see what he do with it' no other new rappers are mentioned I don't think.

Sound Opinions

If you still don't listen to Sound Opinions, the brilliant rock and roll talk show podcast, please do. Watch this video for a taste. Made by the same station as This American Life.

Jay Z

3 things.

1) The above advert is dope.

2) Jay Z is playing the Roundhouse in London 17th Sept, tickets on sale Friday here 50 bash, obviously tickets will be hard to get but anyone interested?

3) The Blueprint 3 has leaked. Get on it - he don't need the money.

10:10

I've thought for a while we should probably all stop waiting around for G20 targets and shit, and just get on with it ourselves, 10:10 could possibly be the beginning of that. Sign up and more info here here. If you read my blog and don't sign up you are dead to me.

Ryan McGinley London Exhibition

One of my favourite photographers has his first London solo show opening next week, worth a deek about. It's from his stunning new work Moonmilk. Opens Thursday 10th Sept on Berners Street above Oxford street, runs till 10th Oct info.

The Antlers London Gig

The Antlers are playing the Macbeth in London on Thursday, the are supporting the very good Bear Hands. Tickets and details here.

EDIT: this was very special, can't see The Antlers playing that size gig for long, they blew the other bands away despite being first on.