Fischerspooner is back!!

I hate the term ‘comeback’.” That’s Casey Spooner, one half of Fischerspooner, the iconic electro duo who’ve just released their third album (Entertainment) after a four-year gap in recording. “It’s not a comeback because we didn’t actually leave,” implores Casey. He’s right too. Fischerspooner haven’t been hiding after their last album, Odyssey, failed to ignite in the same way that electroclash touchstone #1 did, they’ve just been busy working on other facets of the Fischerspooner universe. “Releasing albums isn’t all we do, we’re performance artists so we could be working on stage shows, theatre pieces, ballets or installations.”

Yet for a duo that can work (successfully) in so many different creative arenas, there is something appealing about the musical side of Fischerspooner that lured Casey and creative partner Warren Fischer back for Entertainment. “I often wonder why we do it,” Casey remarks with a pause for contemplation. “This job can be terrible. I haven’t had a day off since the beginning of the year,” he moans. “But I think, in the end, Fischerspooner as a musical entity offers us a chance to incorporate a lot of different elements and open things up for collaborations. For us, it’s never just an album. There’s a stage show we’ve got to think about and with that comes choreography, costuming, design as well as art and image direction. We’re always thinking of new stuff to do and who we can do it with to make it work right.”

Whatever they’ve done in the last four years has worked, as Entertainment shows off a charismatic and invigorated Fischerspooner. One minute they’re swanning through some pulsating electro (The Best Revenge), the next it’s brooding dance music for androids (Money Can’t Dance) or fractured and futuristic pop (the stunning Danse en France). Entertainment is an album filled with unbridled imagination, but more importantly it’s an album that sees the realisation of all these ideas. “We worked really hard on this record, and we’re proud of it,” Casey says grinning. “I guess I don’t mind too much if people see it as a comeback. It just means that we’ve been through it all. First we were loved by everyone, then hated and now people are excited to hear from us again. I quite like that feeling.”

It’s good to have them back. – Dave Ruby Howe (via The Cool Hunter)

The Dead Weather "Treat Me Like Your Mother"

The Dead Weather - Treat Me Like Your Mother


Get your tickets to this show next week. Seriously.

Music: The Antlers

Another band from Brooklyn, The Antlers. Gosh, I really want to get back down to New York one more time this summer. Anyways, this band is easy on the ears and going to be in Toronto opening up for Frightened Rabbit at the Horseshoe on July 22.



http://www.myspace.com/theantlers

Faile

Faile are currently one of the most sought after art collectives. Formed in 1999 and based in Brooklyn, New York. The three founding members are Patrick McNeil (Canada), Patrick Miller (U.S.), and Aiko Nakagawa (Japan).

From initially wheatpasting screen printed posters on the streets of New York and major world cities, they progressed to the more permanent medium of stencil graffiti. Their instantly recognisable[citation needed] pop culture images in posters and stencils have allowed Faile to diversify into other areas encompassing fine art, sculpture, design, fashion, music, and housewares. Despite this, the core of their work remains printmaking, stencilling, and painting.




I'm really loving these prayer wheels though:




http://www.faile.net/

TONIGHT: Tattoo Presents 2Fresh Showcase

Doors @ 7pm
Live Set by Winter Gloves (Montreal)
@7:30
www.winterglovesmusic.com

Featuring artwork by:
Sammy Rawal (www.sammyrawal.com)
Juliana Neufeld (www.juliananeufeld.com)
Gabriel Graham (www.1977.ca)
Robin Cymbaly (www.robincymbaly.com)
Lizzie Vickery (www.lizzievickery.com)
Dan Abramovici (art.whitebalancephotos.ca)
Scott McCreight

GUESTLIST ONLY: RSVP@TA2MUSIC.COM

The Faint: Mirror Error (Boys Noize)

The Faint: Mirror Error (Boys Noize)
The video has some cool editing effects. And the song, well...we know that everything Boys Noize touches is golden.

iMated

Ever wondered what your babies will look like? But don't want to go through 9 months of waiting. Download the new iPhone application called iMated.

"Take a shot with the camera or pick one already on your phone, line up the faces and make ’em mate. You can even shake to generate new results.

Guaranteed hours of hilarious (or creepy) facial feature melding right at your fingertips."

I'm definitely going to have to start making more friends with mustached peeps.

Santa Cruz Skateboards

Santa Cruz Skateboards Spring/Summer 2010 preview is available for your eyeballs. What would you do without the internet?

via FRESHNGOOD.COM

The Unicorn Awards

One horn to rule them all. Introducing the One Shot Film Festival, a recently launched online award fest to celebrate creativity in the midst of recession.
The premis? Budgets may be diminishing, markets may be crashing, but the OSFF aims to award the innovators who refuse to let the industry die.
Completely FREE to enter, the OSFF will award Gold, Silver and Bronze Unicorns to winning entrants. More info here.

Sego y Ovbal

Initially his love for graffiti was ignited by the writer’s works he observed in the streets of Mexico City, shortly after he choose to take the next step and stand in front of a wall decided to leave a mark with aerosol paint. His works showcased him in an instinctive way but also with a natural composition and a clear know-how of color use. It became more than a hobby, and he started to spend most of his time doing sketches and illustrating his ideas in a paper sheet that later on would transfer to a wall. Being immersed in that creative process next step was practice, than lead him to develop a particular style and technique, and was the beginning of an evolving process in his works. Many of his visual and conceptual goals had to do with his childhood and the atmosphere that surrounded him. When he was 12 years old he lived in Oaxaca State for 2 years and suddenly found himself in a totally different environment than that of Mexico City. Vegetation, flora, fauna and the lifestyles of Oaxaca were all different from what he knew at the time. Later on when working on murals, in a subconsciously way he started to add elements, colors, textures and forms from that time lapse in Oaxaca. After four years working as Sego he develops a totally different visual project, inspired by his need of new creative ways of share his ideas. Oval is part of a experimental process that flows as a dynamic aesthetics way of doing graffiti in Mexico. Based on music and the graphic representation of decibels as main inspiration as well as music player equalizers, those are the roots of a more abstract work. Sego has somehow managed to continue the two projects, and at least a couple of times joined the two in a wall.






Via http://www.myspace.com/segoyovbal

Gnarls Barkley "Who's Gonna Save My Soul"

Gnarls Barkley - Who's Gonna Save My Soul from Chris Milk on Vimeo.

Break ups are SAD! Here's a video for the Gnarls Barkely track "Who's Gonna Save My Soul" directed by Chris Milk. He's also directed videos for Kanye West, Modest Mouse and Courtney Love.

Richard J. Evans

Typographic sculpture from the portfolio of Richard J. Evans exhibited at Free Range Graduate Art & Design Show.

via Definitive Touch

MTV

MTV has launched their new international imaging. Collaborations by creative directors in the 64 channel global network and UK based studio Universal Everything.

MTV International / Mister Furry from Universal Everything on Vimeo.

MTV International / Jewels and Oil from Universal Everything on Vimeo.

More at Creative Review

It Happens When Nobody's Watching

Agency Jung von Matt in Hamburg, Germany has won a Cannes Silver Lion for their powerful digital print ad on domestic violence. The outdoor ad for Amnesty International features an eye-tracking camera whereupon the image of a seemingly regular couple changes to an act of domestic violence when the observer looks away from the poster, accompanied with the tag line "It Happens When Nobody's Watching".

For more info, click here.

Start

Start is a design collective specialising in Typography, Art Direction and Motion Graphics. Made up of Phil Robson and Mathieu Carlot, they have embarked on this killer project which is made by laser cutting, varnishing, gluing, layering and framing. Very impressive!

http://www.wearestart.com/

Via TheGrafikMuseum

Tattoo: Yann Travaille

Montreal based Yann Travaille's work is taking tattooing in a new direction. It's undeniable that he is creating a unique style. I'm not sure that I'd get his work permanently on my body. But I'll definitely post it on this blog. Cool.






http://www.yourmeatismine.com/

Shopping: Jewellry

I'm kind of loving this porcelain jaw pendant. Apparently it's a muskrat jaw. Wouldn't that be something you would enjoy around your neck? Probably not clamping down on your jugular, but how about decoratively hung on a chain. If you love it too, buy one on Etsy

Bored? Try Windosill...

Click on the image above to try Windosill.

KAWS/Hajime Sorayama

Set to release this Saturday in Tokyo, KAWS has teamed up with Medicom Toys and Hajime Sorayama to create this little masterpiece.

Fashion: Laura Mackness

Laura Mackness graduated from the Central Saint Martins MA Fashion course in February earlier this year, and has since received critical acclaim for her striking 26-piece collection showcased during London Fashion Week. A refreshing juxtaposition of minimalism and humour the collection promotes a streamline silhouette, a rigourous colour palette punctuated by unexpected details. A blazer jacket with loose lapels, structured tunic tops and a trompe l’oeil fur-print coat are complimented by Mackness’ flocked ‘eyelash’ necklace and cone-shaped hats.

Via It's Nice That

Walking The High Line

It's official! New York is the super coolest.







Welcome to the High Line, a raised park in the sky! Built on an old freight train track constructed in Manhattan in the 1930's, the High Line opened on June 8th, 2009. For more info, click here.


All images courtesy of the High Line Blog.

Judith Supine

via Wooster Collective

Music: Chief Pinkton

Glastonbury starts tomorrow and for all of you situated outside of the UK needing a great Brit rock fix, look no further than London's Chief Pinkton. They've yet to headline any festival, [maybe even their own gig?] but this band feels like Coldplay in the making.

Have a listen here.

Pac-man Sneaker

via Colmilludo

There isn't a release date yet. But here's a look at the Pac Man inspired Nike Dunks. I'm starting to save my money now.

Music: Bloodgroup

NXNE is here, so that means I don't get to sleep for the next few days. Happy to do it cause there are some great bands in town. Including one band that I caught last night, Bloodgroup, from Iceland. Great electro dance music tending to go a bit on the darker side. But it was 9pm and I was still dancing. So, lucky for me, they have another gig in the city before they take off. If you're looking to dance, you should get yourself out.

Neutral Lounge - 3AM (The perfect time)