Extra Extra.

I still can't get over how much I love this. Miranda July for Vice Magazine.

Hamburger.

My boyfriend having gone to school to study film (Emerson College to be exact), I am always looking at the latest work from his friends, which honestly, never ceases to impress. The strapping young fellow pictured above is Daniel Scheinert, a friend of Ellis' and a fellow Emerson grad, whose Vimeo account is brimming with comedic and after-effect genius. To put it simply, he's a damned good director. Not to mention, I think he may have sort of made his bigger break by directing the latest music video for Iceland band FM Belfast. Here's his stuff. Some funny. Some really funny. Some just really really good.

Funny.
Old Spice Everclear Commercial Contest

Really funny.

Oh F*** Me from Daniel Scheinert on Vimeo.

Really, really good.

EVERYTHING a MONSTER is NOT - Chapter 1 from Daniel Scheinert on Vimeo.

Awesome music video.

Underwear by FM Belfast (Music Video) from Daniel Scheinert on Vimeo.

Sleep tight.

I've been a fan of Sondre Lerche since high school (and his first album, Faces Down). I've been a fan of Animal Collective since a friend put almost all of their music onto my computer until I had no choice but to fall into a very deep liking for them. Well, my dreams came true when I heard this. It demonstrates what took me some time to learn, that (once you get past the strange layered screams and tribal beats) Animal Collective does in fact write beautiful songs with equally beautiful lyrics. "Bluish" has been one of my favorites for some time now. Lately, it's been putting me to sleep at night. I hope you enjoy.

Sondre Lerche "Bluish" Animal Collective Cover.

Dance, Dance, Dance.

As a student and naturally, enthusiast of all things having to do with the world of fashion, I am constantly (and I mean constantly) reading up on what designers, editors, photographers, and brands are up to (I think it's important to be at least a little well-versed in the happenings of the industry which you want to enter), as well as viewing as many fashion editorials from as many different publications as I can get my hands on. (If you are as poor, however, as I, then FashionGoneRogue is a grrrreat site to get them all from). But as you can imagine, in fashion, as in any type of design, photography, illustration, or film, one begins to notice trends, and at times, the surprising amount of redundancy can be very overwhelming. I find this to be especially true for fashion editorials, where I have often thought, what could they possibly do next? There are only so many themes and locations one can use or create, and I personally believe that not enough emphasis is put on the clothes themselves, or at least, the look or feeling that the stylist/fashion editor is going for. So often it is overshadowed by beautiful shots of a model riding an elephant into the sunset or an unbelievably distracting half-naked male model in the background. Could this criticism stem from my love of minimalism, and my eternal belief that less is, in fact always, in (almost) all aspects of life, more? Perhaps. But what I have noticed lately is a definite turn towards a more artsy, yet focused type of fashion editorials, depicting a clearer point of view, and (in my opinion) creating much more interesting shots.A prime example is my new (and maybe first?) favorite fashion editor/stylist, Stevie Dance. I don't know much about Ms. Dance, except that she seems quite young, but already has an extremely impressive queue of editorials to her name, working as the fashion editor for Australian magazine Russh. Besides having a fresh and daring sense of style, she an impeccable eye for what looks right. Her work never looks forced and she usually uses only one model for each shoot, keeping it less complicated, and I think much more interesting. The following are some of my favorite examples of her work.


Daul Kim for Russh November 2009.

Mathilde Frachon for Russh November 2009.


Seven New Faces from NEXT for Russh January 2010.Julia Nobis for Russh January 2010.
*Image of Stevie from garance dore. All other photos from models.com and steviedance. And yes, the title of this is a reference to one of my favorite little swedish darlings, Lykke Li.

P.S. I love you

A few months back, I came across an interview (below) with NYC-born, Philly-based creative genius Steve Powers, leading me naturally to do a little more research on the graffiti-turned-studio artist. What I found was an extremely impressive resume that included everything from years of producing graffiti in NYC, to protest and arrest, and now working with a $260,000 grant from the city of Philadelphia.

Here's a little background...
In 1997 Powers began producing artwork in NYC, outsmarting the legal system under the name ESPO (Exterior Surface Painting Outreach) and beautifying abandoned, heavily vandalized storefronts in TriBeca, Fort Greene, Bed-stuy, and the South Bronx. He'd work in broad daylight, in street clothes, and simply telling anyone who questioned him, "I'm with Exterior Surface Painting Outreach, and I'm cleaning up this gate." By 1999, Powers estimated that he had painted nearly 70 gates (pretty impressive if you ask me). Then, when I thought he couldn't be more of a super-cool badass, I find out that he was arrested for vandalism charges... mysteriously jut after participating in a protest against Mayor Giuliani's attempt to shut down the controversial art exhibit "Sensations" at the Brooklyn Museum (the arrest was clearly political).

Anyways, the main reason for this post is to tell you about the beautiful, amazing project Powers has just completed, entitled "A Love Letter For You" in which the artist has teamed up with the city of Philadelphia to produce 50 murals focusing on the rewards and difficulties of love and relationships all along the elevated train route through (a rougher area of) West Philly. Basically, I think the murals speak for themselves. Here are some of my favorites... hope you enjoy!

A Love Letter For You from Megawords Magazine on Vimeo.

Remember this?

Bedknobs and Broomsticks. Released 1971. Disney musical about Nazis, witchcraft, and orphaned children. Oh, and of course Angela Lansbury and soccer-playing animals. Could you ask for anything more?




(the best part)

Slightly Stupid.

I don't have anything against the Olsen twins, and I am aware at the following series of videos (I haven't yet watched all of them) is slightly ridiculous, and maybe just flat out dumb... but this one made me laugh. A lot.

Very Mary-Kate: Zac Efron from Mary-Kate Olsen on Vimeo.

"You Guys Like Hip Hop?"

Yes. I do. Very, very much. I won't lie, I am not, by any means, a hip-hop connoisseur, but I feel the need to share my latest hip-hop/rap obsession: super witty Brooklyn-based duo You Suck. Made up of GWU grads/comedians Sneep Deepy (aka Travis Helwig) and Kevin Meade, You Suck has just released their first mixtape, "You Guys Like Hip Hop?" and (not so surprisingly) it's good. Real good. Having seen these guys perform live several times, I already knew of their impeccable free-styling skills, and had been patiently awaiting the release of their EP. Made up of five tracks (the first appropriately titled "Yes"), what makes these guys awesome is their perfect blend of political, economic, and pop culture references, sprinkled (yes, I said "sprinkled") with the occasional "gangtsa-style" self-promotion ("Give me five years /I 'm a genius with a blonde beard / greatest out of Stratford since Shakespeare") and even some film, literature, and technological mentions ("I be done in one take / I spit final cut prose / hope y'all know about video editing... 'cause if not, I just taught you"). Sort of like...rap for the renaissance man. Click on the "You Suck" link above to visit their website where you can download the mixtape fo free. Do it.


*My personal favorite? Track 3 "Fell For You". A great break-up song with smooth-flowing rhymes comparing an ex to Jay Leno ("she pushed me outta the night show") spilled over (another favorite) "Fell for You" by Chairlift.

Chant Darling

So let me start off by saying that about a month or so before I started this blog, I was introduced to the lovely, sunny, folk-pop tunes of New Zealand singer-songwriter James Milne, aka Lawrence Arabia, and instantly fell in love. It was just what I needed to bring me out of a musical rut (you know when you just haven't found any new music you love and despite trying to set your iTunes to "shuffle" to sort of "mix things up" a bit, but it just doesn't seem to work?). So, after listening to him almost non-stop for at least a month, even declaring him my "new favorite artist", I end up sharing a subway car with him on the F train all the way from Manhattan to Park Slope yesterday. I seriously considered saying hello, but chickened out at the last minute... Anyways, that's what sparked this post and the point is if you are also looking for some sweet, strange, summer songs, I highly suggest giving Lawrence Arabia a listen. Also, what hooked me (as usual) were his awesome music videos for two of his singles "Apple Pie Bed" and "Beautiful Young Crew". I'm usually pretty bad at describing music, but good at comparing it to other music, but this time I don't really know how to explain Mr. Arabia's style. I would definitely suggest giving his record "Chant Darling" if not for his cool, smooth voice, then for his off-kilter lyrics and catchy melodies.

*Favorite songs? "Apple Pie Bed" and "Like a Fool".

Lawrence Arabia - The Beautiful Young Crew from Lawrence Arabia on Vimeo.