New music from James Blake

Read full review of Klavierwerke EP - JAMES BLAKE on Boomkat.com ©

Just checking in..

Haven't posted in a while.
Will be previewing some new paintings on here over the next few days.

For now, check out some very fine coffee here





and listen to some fine music:

Balam Acab - See Birds
Flying Lotus - Pattern + Grid World
Salem - King Night
PVT - Church With No Magic
Mount Kimbie - Crooks and Lovers
Arcade Fire - The Suburbs
Gonjasufi - The Caliph's Tea Party (remix record)

New Squarepusher Track!

shangaan electro

Read full review of New Wave Dance Music From South Africa - SHANGAAN ELECTRO on Boomkat.com ©

James Blake - CMYK

Read full review of CMYK EP - JAMES BLAKE on Boomkat.com ©

Like I found her, Red Coat, Damn

MALEVICH

Recently purchased a great book about the Russian (actually born in Ukraine) artist Kazimir Malevich at my local used book store. I was actually surprised to find something so obscure in London, Ontario.
This shit is basically off-the-hook. If you follow his career chronologically you can trace his course through figurative representation through to total abstraction and minimalism, and then back again towards a psychotic mix of both. Supplement the visuals with a glance at some of his writing. His Nietzsche-esque writing style has a syphilitic insanity to it that is refreshingly unhinged.
Check out early 20th century Russian Avant-Garde art!

BOMBER

Thwaites Lancaster Bomber Ale is a damn fine English ale. Dark red, and low in alcohol, this is some full-bodied and distinct beer.
It is not always available in Ontario. In fact, its availability seems downright random. But I'll buy it whenever I can.

Find it in the import section of your local beer distributor.

CORN

So the other day my wife asked me how long it would take to cook corn-on-the-cob on the barbecue. As is typical for me, I responded jokingly "I don't know, just go check www.howtocookcorn.com"

Well, it turns out that is a REAL WEBSITE. With one page featuring the instructions on how to barbecue corn. Who is paying for this domain?!

Anyway, spread the gospel! People will need this information this summer!

HOW TO COOK CORN

DUBLINERS

James Joyce's first novel is actually a collection of 15 short stories or vignettes about life in Dublin in the early 20th century. It was first published in 1914, but as with all his work, this thing brewed for years before completion. What will strike you most is the style of his writing. Each story focuses on a single character coming to some simple or profound conclusion about something small or significant. The stories also progress from young characters with youthful concerns to old characters with, well, old concerns.
In explanation, it might sound very dry. This one is for those of you who appreciate subtlety, style, and nuance.
Collect the Penguin editions of this (shown above) and Joyce's three other novels and put them on display. The split-complimentary colour motif is jarring, weird, and stylish.

Indigestion

After eating almost a whole thing of Pringles, I was surprised to find myself suffering from what the medical community refer to as "indigestion."

Now, the advertisements on television will tell you the solution is Pepto Bismol.

However, my research has proven another cure: CHINESE FOOD!

Introduction of handmade vegetable musical instruments

Casio Calculator Watch

I've been wearing this model for several years. Every time it breaks, I buy another one. I still believe this to be the greatest time-piece ever. I don't go for the fancier silver versions with more bells and whistles. This is the classic.

Usually retails for $15.

GaGa, Art, and Society

The conscience and vitality of a society is measured by its artistic output. The vision of a single artist (or the art of a single visionary) is never enough for a complete understanding of the time, but it is a fair indicator.
Compare any movement in the history of fine art or music with the socio-political events of its time, and you'll discover the ways in which art truly holds a mirror to our lives.
This brings me to my central focus: Lady Gaga.
Oil spills, meaningless wars, party politics, and economic crisis fill the newspapers. Weight loss, celebrity scandals, health, celebrity scandals, and weight loss fill the magazine racks. Electronic gadgets fill our pockets, and we filter the meaning of our lives through them at our discretion.
Society at large no longer feeds on the subtlety of classic arts. Our appetite for art is whet by fantasy movies, advertisement, pop culture, and kitsch. This is where Lady Gaga comes into the picture.
Like the Warhol of our time, she shows us the emptiness of our lives. She shows us our reflection and calls it "art."

Is it good? I'll argue that is it not. But it is art. Much the same way that Lichtenstein`s comic strip paintings, or Warhol`s soup can paintings were. Its pop art. Its also product. Its also advertisement.
Its important to recognize the nature of Gaga`s appeal.

It certainly comes close to providing a complete, if existentialist, illustration of what it means to be alive in 2010. (ie. nothing)

Ramune

My newest discovery is Ramune, a Japanese soda that comes in a variety of flavors including Cream Soda (shown here), Lemonade, Beef etc.
Its moderately delicious, but it comes in a perplexing and distinct bottle with a marble inside. Its hard to explain. Find one in a local Asian grocery and enjoy with some Edamame.

NOTE: Correct pronunciation of "Ramune" should sound a bit like "Lemonade"

AUTECHRE - Fact Mix 122

Rochdale lads Autechre put together this exclusive mix for FACT magazine, and while its all over the map stylistically, it remains consistently awesome. Big names in hip-hop like J-Dilla and Raekwon, mixed with German electronic pioneers like Tangerine Dream and Roedelius, and lots of unknowns, make this a thrilling and compelling mix.

Find it here

RED STRIPE

To my mind there are few beers as truly refreshing and delicious, and as aptly suited to a hot summer day, as Red Stripe. Fittingly, this lager comes from one of the hottest places on this side of the globe; Jamaica. The stubby bottles get extra style points, and you'll feel hilariously exotic holding one of these little guys in your hand. Just don't be lame and throw on your LEGEND album when you drink this. Listen to The Specials, or Lee "Scratch" Perry.

(Groan warning)
These beers are Jamaican me crazy!

Inari

Next time you go for Sushi, be sure to order Inari. These are sweet, cool, pockets full of sticky rice and sesame seeds (and sometimes other stuff), and they are perfect with some Yaki Soba, Sashimi, Gari, Miso Soup, Green Tea, and Sake. The pockets themselves are made from bean curd. Imagine the outer skin on deep-fried tofu, and you might get an idea of the texture.

Japan; never ceasing to amaze.

DADA Paris Berlin Zurich New York Hannover Cologne

Bought this book for the inexpensive price of $30 at the local book-mecca slash coffee-and-trinket emporium; Chapters. Its a heavy book, has lots of pages, its full of words and contains several chapters and sections. My primary suggestion would be to read it from front to back, however, one might be inclined to flip back-and-forth at their own discretion. The information is informed and informative.

The book has infected my brain.

CHINOTTO

San Pellegrino and Brio both make top-of-the-line refreshments. These particular sodas are "Chinotto" flavored; Chinotto is a small orange-like fruit which is native to Italy. The Italians have found a way to make this fruit into a delicious soda not unlike the North American Cola beverage.

David Bowie - "Big Brother" (1974)

Woke up this morning with this song in my head. Not really the kind of song to start your day with, is it? Foreboding.

The "Diamond Dogs" album is one of Bowie's darkest, with an underlying Orwellian context and an ominous approach to melody. Its like a rock-and-roll disco horrorshow.