Midwest Square(d)

2010-05-20T12:55:00.000-07:00

Greetings again, squares and midwesterners.

Let me clear the air and the 800 lb gorilla in the room... Yes, it's been nearly five months.
When I last updated the iPad was just a rumor to speculate about and I was a fresh-faced college grad.

Though various endeavors have kept me from bringing you the kind of blog I would be proud of, I plan to return with new and fresh content (while also playing catch-up) and continue doing so from here on out.

Part of my absence can also be blamed on resisting running this blog as a tumblr-style content recycling aggregator. While I still prefer original content and writing, I have changed this attitude and will be bringing you Midwest Square(d) across both site platforms soon.

I leave you with a sharp quote from a Gawker post by Joe Coscarelli, and a pleasant piece of music and video by electronic artist Impactist.

"Aspiring to write on the internet is like aspiring to shred on Guitar Hero. The best part of both is wearing your pajamas. The worst part is the tense shoulders."

Hello Neighbor Sampler from impactist on Vimeo.

The sweet sound of starting over.

Apple's "iPad" tablet device

2010-01-27T07:55:00.000-08:00

This morning Apple CEO Steve Jobs will be kicking off the unveiling of his company's newest breakthrough product. There's been alot of speculation that it will be a tablet device beyond a simple reader like the Amazon kindle, and more like a larger iPhone, or the hypothetical interactive magazine reader device I posted about on this blog some time ago.

Below is a visualization of which rumored features are likely to be included, via The Green Room blog.

French blog Nowhere Else has posted what may or may not be a leaked video of an ad for the device, below:

The Huffington Post will be live-blogging the event at 10am PST here.

Taken By Trees

2010-01-26T11:06:00.000-08:00

Yes it's 2010 and you've had enough of Animal Collective's "My Girls," and the very last thing you want to hear is a cover of it by anybody. But this may change your mind. Taken By Trees is Victoria Bergsman, formerly of Swedish band the Concretes. She also sang back-up vocals on "Young Folks" by fellow swedes Peter Bjorn and John.

The cover can be found on her latest album, East of Eden, released this fall and recorded entirely in Pakistan. Noah Lennox (Panda Bear of Animal Collective) also lends guest vocals on the track "Anna".

Another music video by Taken By Trees: "Lost and Found" off her first album Open Field. Disclaimer: Will make you long for warmer climates.

WORK HARD + BE KIND

2010-01-25T12:09:00.000-08:00

Photographer/designer Clay Larson created the image below to celebrate part of Conan O'Brien's farewell speech from his final episode hosting The Tonight Show.

The design references a seldom-seen motivational poster produced by the British government in 1939 at the start of World War II, reading "Keep Calm and Carry On." Rediscovered in 2000, the image has become popular in the public domain, appearing on walls and merchandise in the UK and beyond, finding new relevance in this global economic recession.

Conan's final thoughts, and some wise words of advice, below:

"To all the people watching, I can never thank you enough for your kindness to me and I’ll think about it for the rest of my life. All I ask is one thing, and I’m asking this particularly of young people: please don’t be cynical. I hate cynicism — for the record, it’s my least favorite quality and it doesn’t lead anywhere. Nobody in life gets exactly what they thought they were going to get. But if you work really hard and you’re kind, amazing things will happen." - Conan O'Brien

James Murphy on recording + "Greenberg"

2010-01-25T10:46:00.000-08:00

In the video below, Grammy-nominated electronic musician James Murphy (of LCD Soundsystem) guides us through the creative space he occupied during the recording sessions for his next album, supposedly the last under the well-known moniker. Murphy spent much of the summer writing and recording the as-of-yet untitled album in the Hollywood Hills mansion where The Red Hot Chili Peppers recorded their album Blood Sugar Sex Magik with production guru Rick Rubin, who owns the estate. (via Urb.com)

clip 1 from lcd soundsystem on Vimeo.

Murphy has also been busy providing the musical score to director Noah Baumbach's (The Squid and the Whale) new film Greenberg, starring Ben Stiller. The film also co-stars mumble-core standout Greta Gerwig (often seen in films by Joe Swanberg and the Duplass brothers) and Jennifer Jason Leigh, who shared writing duties with Baumbach. Greenberg looks to be the director's take on aging thirty-somethings, much akin to his debut Kicking and Screaming, which examined the lives of recent college grads cynical beyond their years. The trailer makes good use of the LCD Soundsystem song "All My Friends," itself a bleakly nostalgic take on aging past your party years.

Upcoming Sultan Sea show

2010-01-20T14:06:00.000-08:00

I currently play bass in a band called the Sultan Sea.
We're playing The Granada in our hometown of Lawrence, KS tomorrow night.
Full line-up and info below:

JOE-COLLEGE JAMFEST
8PM THURSDAY JANUARY 21ST

Sobriquet
Rusty Scott
HOLY Mountain
The Sultan Sea
Auburn Skies
Black Oxygen
thePhantom*

Neurosis in Space

2010-01-20T13:31:00.000-08:00

Seinfeld Wars-- Best trading card, ever.

Coachella + Gorillaz return

2010-01-20T12:49:00.000-08:00

I just returned from a weekend trip to visit friends in Austin. I was planning on returning for SXSW in March, but I gotta say I haven't been too excited by any of the acts slated to play.

Then I saw the line-up for this year's Coachella, released today.
Sorry Austin, but I think if I have to choose, I'm saving up my money for this:

Obviously those are some pretty big-name headliners, but lets focus on that third night. While i'm excited as the next skinny shaggy-haired guy to see Pavement reunited on stage, as well as solo sets by Thom Yorke and Julian Casablancas, its the inclusion of Gorillaz as headliner that really has me stoked.

As a cartoon-hybrid "virtual" band with plenty of famous collaborators, Gorillaz live show is always guaranteed to be an incredible visual experience. Talk at me about Avatar all you want, I've been dreaming of this since I first saw the (highly recommended) DVD release Demon Days Live, filmed at the Manchester Opera House. clip below:

In other Gorillaz-related news, you can now hear the first single off the cartoon rockers upcoming third full-length, Plastic Beach, over at URB. The song is a Miami Vice style throwback titled "Stylo", featuring vocals from soul legend Bobby Womack. You can also check the album's tracklist, which features guests such as Lou Reed, Snoop Dogg, and Mos Def, among others.

New Gorillaz “Stylo” feat. Bobby Womack & Mos Def

Music Video: St. Vincent

2010-01-18T19:31:00.000-08:00

Director Terri Timely's video for singer/songstress Annie Clark (aka St. Vincent)... This could easily place alongside much of the "Directors series" music video compilations of work by Spike Jonze, Michel Gondry, Chris Cunnigham, Mark Romanek, Stephane Sednaoui, etc. A great addition to St. Vincent's already impressive videography.

Also reminds me of the video "Daniel" by Bats For Lashes. References Donnie Darko a bit much but still carried out well as a visual concept.

Song: Bat for Lashes - Whats a Girl to Do

Another video by St. Vincent, for the album's first single "Actor Out of Work"

Song: St. Vincent - Actor Out of Work

On the future of magazines:

2009-12-30T13:45:00.000-08:00

Anyone who's seen the living room of my apartment can tell you, I'm a magazine ~~hoarder~~ collector. And while I usually get annoyed with the "death of print journalism" talk, its sadly one of the more visible effects of the current recession, as magazines are (pun) folding left and right.

But just as Amazon's Kindle has proven successful for the millions who would rather not spend hours reading a classic novel on the computer screen, there's a need for a similarly portable, visual-friendly solution for magazine-lovers. Thankfully, innovative thinkers at research and development firm BONNIER R&D are hard at work testing these concepts.

Mag+ from Bonnier on Vimeo.

As for the "death of print" discussion... Here's a great round-table interview by Jeff Chang (*author of Can't Stop Won't Stop) with Alan Light, former editor of both Spin and Vibe magazines, about the collapse of the latter publication earlier this year. Joining them is Raymond Roker, longtime editor of URB and recent Huffington Post and Washington Post blogger/columnist.

25 Best Albums of 2009

2009-12-29T07:42:00.000-08:00

I realize it's already been done by every reputable site in the past month, but I can't let the year end without posting a list of my favorite albums of 2009. This was my last year working in college radio and I spent the majority of it without a show of my own, so I had plenty of time to consume and review new music before it came out, with a hunger.

1. Phoenix - Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix

An instant-classic, perfect long-player without a single miss-step. The deep cuts like "Countdown" and "Rome" measure up just as high as unavoidable singles "1901" and "Lisztomania."

2. Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavillion

Remember when you first laid eyes on this album cover, and your mind was already thoroughly blown? Now think forward to the first time you heard it and you had to put your entire head back together and scrape yourself out of your chair. Their new "Fall Be Kind" EP is amazing in its own right, but MPP set a new standard for experimental music and defied all the detractors and imitators.

3. Lee Fields - My World

Authentic old-school soul revival from a master who was cranking out these styles in their heyday. Combines the sounds of Stax and Philadelphia with Southern-style crooner ballads and funky instrumentals.This is what Mayer Hawthorne's debut album should have sounded like, but it doesn't even come close.

4. Bear in Heaven - Beast Rest Fort Mouth

I've just recently acquired this album, and I'm happy to say I've bought into the hype and am unable to quit listening. Drags a bit toward the end, but quite possibly the strongest debut of the year.

5. Washed Out - Life of Leisure EP

Washed Out is another new artist that's been on heavy rotation for me recently. You may shudder or balk at the assigned genre terms like "chill-wave" or "glo-fi" but these are some undeniably deep cuts, the perfect soundtrack for waking up on a cold morning or spending a lazy sunday in bed.

Continued after the jump...

6. Grizzly Bear - Veckatimest

"Southern Point" is on-point. "Two Weeks" was the summer-jam. The album doesn't let up from there. Its a good thing these dude's stepped out from Animal Collective's shadow before they became another Dodos, or went the way of the bird. Easy to tell why even Jay-Z and Beyonce have turned fans.

7. The Whitest Boy Alive - Rules

Erlend Øye gave us two great records this year. The duo Kings of Convenience made a strong return with "Declaration of Dependence" in '09. But where that album sounded identical to its predecessors, his "other project" made huge strides, laying down some of the funkiest basslines under clean nord keyboards this side of James Murphy and LCD Soundsystem.

8. Dan Deacon - Bromst

Wherein Dan Deacon grows up alot and makes aural beauty out of repetitive bleeps, bloops and loads of xylophone and glockenspiel, not to mention layers and layers of human voice. Check out this awesome video of a midi-programmed player piano at work in the recording sessions here. (especially from 4:30 onward)

9. Cymbals Eat Guitars - Why There Are Mountains

Cymbals Eat Guitars brought back the rock in 2009, just as we were all getting sick of the whole Ed Banger electronic dance music thing. And they did it with a whole lotta horns and clanging pianos and raw vocal chords. Its still funny how much Pitchfork ate this up, considering how much they hate Tim Kinsella (Joan of Arc, Cap'n Jazz) when the lead singer sounds just like him.

10. Still Life Still - Girls Come Too

A young band on Canadian indie label Arts & Crafts (home to Phoenix, as well as Broken Social Scene and the many related bands)... I saw these guys on tour with The Most Serene Republic and had been fortunate enough to review this album only a week prior. Like BSS at their most raucous, with a kick-in the pants of straight-forward indie rock swagger, similar to Cymbals Eat Guitars. This didn't leave my car for months.

11. Jay-Z - The Blueprint 3

Duh.

12. DOOM - Born Like This

While BP3 will surely get its fair share of accolades, backpackers and indie hip-hop aficionados will gladly remind you that this was just as big a comeback year for (MF-no longer-) Doom. This album showcased vastly improved production courtesy of regular collaborators like Madlib and J-Dilla, as well as the metal-masked villain himself, as well as guest spots from the likes of Ghostface and Raekwon. But 2009 also saw the release of a rarities and collaborations comp, rereleases of Mmm...Food and Operation Doomsday, and the early surfacing of new tracks from the forthcoming sequel to his classic Madvillainy.

13. Dirty Projectors - Bitte Orca

Its been written elsewhere many times before, and this is definitely selling them short, but lets just stick with describing this album and this band, at this point in their career, as David Byrne and Mariah Carey fronting Led Zeppelin. Now if that doesn't sound like something you'd be into, fine, but you're crazy.

14. Julian Casablancas - Phrazes for the Young

Oh hey, Julian's back! Without the Strokes... but that's a good thing? Yes, very! Sounds even more like Ric Ocasek? What's that you say, even a little Michael Jackson influence showing? Maybe he can revitalize his old band when they get back together this year after all...

15. Black Moth Super Rainbow - Eating Us

Analog keyboard & vocoder porn for acid-eaters and hip-hop heads. If you're not already savvy to this band, and its individual members' solo projects (Tobacco, Power Pill Fist, etc) this is a perfect entry point.

16. Wilco - Wilco (the Album)

Wilco didn't exactly break down any doors with this one, but that's not really a point for them anymore. They're just out to prove why they're still everybody's dad's favorite band, and nobody does it better. While not as good as A Ghost is Born, this album comes closer to matching the feel of their live show than anything on Sky Blue Sky. At least that's what your dad told me.

17. Atlas Sound - Logos

18. Deerhunter - Rainwater Exchange EP

19. Health - Get Color

20. Akron/Family - Set 'em Wild, Set 'em Free

21. Cale Parks - To Swift Mars EP

22. Raphael Saadiq - The Way I See It

23. Bibio - Ambivalence Avenue

24. Fool's Gold - S/T

25. Wild Beasts - Two Dancers

HONORABLE MENTIONS:

So many of my favorite bands and artists put out new albums this year, and while all of these are great additions to their respective catalogues, they just didn't make the top list in a year with so many innovative debuts and returns to form.

Yo La Tengo - Popular Songs

Tortoise - Beacons of Ancestorship

Joan of Arc - Flowers

Elvis Costello - Secret, Profane & Sugarcane

Broadcast & The Focus Group - Investigate Witch Cults of the Radio Age

Christmas card creative process

2009-12-28T19:59:00.000-08:00

So Danielle and Casey, a couple of designers decided to go a step above the usual holiday card route this year and make their own card & dvd. They recorded the process as a time-lapse video, below:

our creative process/. 01 from Casey Warren | MIND CASTLE on Vimeo.

song: Feist - "Mushaboom"

The Beauty of Slow Motion

2009-12-28T16:15:00.000-08:00

Coming home for the holidays, it's really felt like time is passing in slow motion this past week. Without work, school or musical endeavors to keep me busy, the days just go by at a different pace. And I'm hardly complaining.

Slow motion has an unexplainable way of highlighting the simple, hidden beauty in everyday sights like traffic and street scenes. Now add a couple hundred brightly colored bouncy balls, and observe the results:

song: José González - Heartbeats

We've reached a point where flash mobs are more often seen as a guerilla marketing tool than as artistic expression, having been co-opted by commercials and used lazily in television shows. But this footage of a spontaneous mass pillow-fight recently filmed in Manhattan looks great in slow motion, giving it a different kind of emotional feel.

NYC Pillow Fight 2009 in Slow Motion from 9elements on Vimeo.

song: Ida - "Late Blues"

Slow motion even displays the beauty in pure inane silliness and human contortion, as can be seen in this music video by Japanese hip-hop producer Nujabes.

song: Nujabes - "Luv (sic) pt.2"

Simple concepts carried out with visual grace.
Maybe its the feeling of stepping back and appreciating the small details.

Finding my footing.

2009-12-26T16:06:00.000-08:00

Blog check, testing one two three...

Welcome to Midwest Square(d)

Maybe I'm a few years late in jumping on the Web 2.0 bandwagon, but I was busy with a little thing called college... where I read too many blogs created by others.

From here out, this will be a place for my personal musings on culture and creative inspiration. I'll also post videos and content worth checking out, usually within the context of a specific theme. But sometimes these things just speak for themselves.

While I may not post daily, I will do my best to remain relevant and original.
I mean, that's what blogging and life are all about, right?