Lights Are Always On

Souncloud

2011-08-14T09:13:00.000-07:00

I finally registered a page at Souncloud. I think I might've joined a few months ago, but now I've got a personal URL where you can listen, download, favorite, and comment on songs of mine I've uploaded. It makes a lot more sense to host my songs there, rather than have anyone who visits this blog crudely download mp3s from sendspace. Using Souncloud is sleeker and more streamlined, so I'll simultaneously update the blog when I post something new there.

As of this post, the only thing I've got up there is the remix I did of MUTEMATH's "Odd Soul" - the title track from their forthcoming album - as a part of the contest they're currently holding. It's a little rough around the edges, but I was anxious to finish, and overall, I accomplished what I wanted to with it. Hope you like!

Also, be sure to check out my brother's submission for that same contest at his Souncloud page. He strips the song down to drums and vocals while adding a new and beautiful synth chord progression. I like it more than the original personally.

Jim Penola at Souncloud:

http://soundcloud.com/jimpenola

John Penola / Maybe Bomb at Souncloud:

http://soundcloud.com/maybe-bomb

Odd Soul ("Ever Higher" mix) by jimpenola

The obsession continues...

2011-04-03T21:14:00.000-07:00

Here's a 16" x 20" painting of Fincher's Lisbeth Salander (played by Rooney Mara), once again based on the W cover. Not sure how I'm gonna do the text/tattoo yet, but I had to share now since it could be a while.

"The Lightning Is Within You"

2011-03-07T16:37:00.000-08:00

During the Fall 2010 semester, one of my projects involved creating the artwork for a standard CD/jewel case (front/back cover, disc tray art, insert, etc). The artist and album could be real or fictional, just as long as certain requirements were met. I decided to create a package for one of my favorite new acts: Dark Horses. One of the things I love about the 'Horses is their sense of mystery and otherworldliness that permeates both the music as well as their incredible visual aesthetic. Keeping that in mind, I tried to incorporate those creepy yet intriguing elements into the design. I wanted things to be minimal, and black & white - things that are generally consistent with all their artwork. The song titles are all real except for a few which were inspired by quotes directly from the band.

This was a fun project, and I hope I did service to the band. Hopefully we'll have a full album before the end of the year! I highly recommend checking them out at any and all of the following links:

Official Site

Twitter

Facebook

MySpace

Collaborations with John Penola

2011-02-15T07:44:00.000-08:00

My super talented bro and I have recently (and finally) begun doing some serious musical collaborations. The results have been really fun/exciting for both of us. John basically sent me sketches, or very loose ideas, of songs in Logic and told me to have at them. So I did, and we've got 2 little songs that we both like and will probably work on a bit more in the future (one may even become involved in Maybe Bomb - whoa!).

For comparison's sake, I included the original "sketches" and of course my versions.

Hope you like!

Look forward to more awesomness like this.

New, Darker, and Generally more Hypnotic

2011-02-14T16:55:00.000-08:00

I recently revised an old Logic song of mine, with the working title of "Groper Cleveland" (no, that's not a typo). I included both versions in the zip file. Whaddya think?

Groper Cleveland

Sketch 1-29-11

2011-01-28T22:45:00.001-08:00

I think it's safe to say that David Fincher's upcoming The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo is my most anticipated film of the year. Even before Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross signed on to compose the score, this was something I knew had potential. After all, who could resist Fincher returning to the crime/noir genre with such an exciting franchise? Yet, with TR and AR officially on board (which excites me to NO end), and the first photos of Rooney Mara (who you may remember as Mark Zuckerberg's girlfriend in The Social Network) as the title character revealed, I'm frothing at the mouth. So I couldn't resist doing a sketch based on this recent W cover.

Sketch with type/"tattoo"

Sketch without

Sketch 1-28-11

2011-01-27T22:43:00.000-08:00

Headshot of my Cowboy character. I included a Black & White version for fun. If my layers were more methodical, I'd post a progression, but we'll save that for another time. Enjoy!

Self Portrait 1-26-11

2011-01-26T20:12:00.001-08:00

My first self portrait on the iPad! Don't know why I didn't do this sooner.

The original:

A crop that I like (maybe prefer). Which do you like better?

Sketch 1-26-11

2011-01-25T23:02:00.001-08:00

Gonna try to do one Sketchbook Pro sketch every night for as long as possible. I've neglected this app for too long. It ain't gonna be easy (this piece went in about 3 different directions before I went with what you see), but I feel the need to try.

New music (yay!) ...by me (boo!)

2011-01-25T22:15:00.000-08:00

I recently completed two songs in Logic that I'm pretty happy with - the first called "Bearded Simon LeBon" and the second called "Drunk Simon LeBon" (both titles inspired by a Duran Duran article in New York magazine). These two ended up being an experiment in transitions (they're meant to be played back-to-back as a pair with "Bearded Simon LeBon" as the intro) and instrumentation ("Bearded" is almost exclusively live recorded audio tracks).

My favorite moments on "Drunk" are when the digital tracks made completely in Logic are juxtaposed by the sounds I played out of my microKORG. I want to explore this more in future songs - it can be an enormously satisfying aural experience.

I have a few versions of each, all of which I've included below.

I'm still trying to finish the definitive versions, but this should give you some insight into the process, and how things are more often Different from version to version, rather than Better.

http://www.sendspace.com/file/137ert

Hope you like them!

As a bonus, here's something I did in Sketchbook Pro yesterday...

Best Music of 2010

2011-01-11T17:48:00.000-08:00

I can't help but feel that even critics (who make a living digesting music year-round) inevitably miss albums, songs, or artists due to one reason or another. As such, there's still a few LPs from last year I want to check out, or delve into more: I think we can all agree that some of the best albums take multiple listens to "click." I just had to make this list now or I was never going to. Enough with the ado - on with the music!

Top 10 Albums of 2010

10. Jenny and Johnny: I'm Having Fun Now
Simply put, Jenny Lewis (of Rilo Kiley) and her singer/songwriter boyfriend Jonathan Rice have crafted an effortless, catchy, funny and intelligent album of Pop Rock cuts that wouldn't feel out of place in the Sun and/or by the beach. I'm Having Fun Now's greatest success is its back-and-forth wordplay (not to mention its flawless harmonizing) between the couple, which never feels saccharine, but is almost always self-depricating or lyrically melancholy. Even if the words weren't so clever, there'd still be some undeniably great songs here.

9. Deftones: Diamond Eyes
Arguably their best album, which is saying a lot. Is it my personal favorite? Not quite - the rewarding experimentation of 2006's Saturday Night Wrist still holds a place in my heart. That said, Diamond Eyes tightens the band up like never before. They're not fucking around here. These songs have no fat, or extraneous bits: almost every note of every song feels deliberate and intentional, all while maintaining a sincere sense of spontaneity. Furthermore, Chino Moreno's lyrics reach a new level of evocative imagery, his thoughtfully abstract phrasing causing you to feel and think at the same time.

8. Chromeo: Business Casual
How do you follow up a funky, electro-dance masterpiece like Fancy Footwork? You focus on songwriting. Dave 1 and Pee Thugg could have easily made a sequel to their ridiculously listenable sophomore album, but instead, they actually began most songs on piano, and it shows. "Don't Walk Away" is a toe-tapping ballad complete with bursts of authentic disco strings and chunky palm-muted guitar. The bright, bouncy "The Right Type" also shows the duo expanding their songwriting chops - it's like they took "Momma's Boy" from Fancy Footwork and turned it into a fully fledged synth-pop nugget that would do their buddy Daryl Hall proud. Rest assured, the relentless dance monsters that Chromeo do best are in perfect form here, just listen to opening tracks "Hot Mess" and "I'm Not Contaigous" for proof.

7. Robyn: Body Talk
This is a tough one to place, since it is essentially made up of Robyn's 3 preceding Body Talk EPs. Speaking as someone who experienced those mini-albums as they came out, it's hard for me to be perfectly objective about the final tracklist and sequence of this collection. My biggest complaint is that 3 of my favorite tracks from those EPs were omitted (make sure to seek out "Include Me Out", "Cry When You Get Older", and "Criminal Intent"). That said, even without those excellent tracks, Body Talk represents Pop music at its peak. These songs kick ass. Working with an array of talented producers, including Royksopp on the dark and curiously dance-y "None of Dem", Robyn moves from funny to sexy to heartbroken without ever missing a beat. She has a sincerity (and a charisma derived from that sincerity) that feels severely diminished in any of her contemporaries. Did I mention the songs kick ass? "Fembot" just might be my favorite song of 2010, and is quite possibly the best song about being a robot EVER (sorry Gary Numan).

6. Autolux: Transit Transit
Autolux's long overdue sophomore release pushes the band in all the best ways. Satisfying, creative production compliments what are already great songs, no doubt honed on the band's many tours in between albums. The title track is unexpected (no guitar? is that a trumpet?) yet feels like the only possible way we could be re-introduced to the band without things feeling overly predictable. Even on the tracks where they rock the fuck out, the band manage to pull out a few new tricks to keep your ears attentive - and make no mistake, this is music that deserves your full attention.

5. The Black Angels: Phosphene Dream
Whereas on previous albums the Angels had no problem including a 10 min.+ closing track to leave you feeling woozy, Phosphene Dream sees them making a concentrated effort to reign in their more psychedelic tendencies focusing on what makes them great. It pays off. They've never been this concise or varied. Opener "Bad Vibrations" (one of the best songs of the year, also one of the best Beach Boys references of the year) encapsulates what the Angels always did best: mine 60s psych-rock and throw it into a dark, trippy blender. When singer Alex Maas screams two thirds of the way through the song - signaling a transition into the loud sped-up finale - it's like he's willfully exorcising the demons beneath his chest.

Enjoy listening to those demons for the next 9 tracks.

4. UNKLE: Where Did The Night Fall
Despite the plethora of guests, including Autolux on the devastating "Joy Factory" and Mark Lanegan on the beautiful "Another Night Out", UNKLE's latest feels remarkably cohesive. Perfecting a futurstic psych-rock sound that was vaguely present on 2007's War Stories, James Lavelle and Co. mix synth textures and organic live instruments to great effect. Just as impressive is WDTNF's ability to uplift you ("The Answer") and seduce you ("The Runaway") without ever sacrificing the greater narrative. An ideal soundtrack for all your midnight adventures.

3. BT: These Hopeful Machines
Though I still favor 2007's This Binary Universe, These Hopeful Machines is still a massive achievement (also, This Binary Universe is one of my all-time favorites). Over 12 tracks, 2 discs, and almost 2 hours of music, Brian Transeau executes his amazing knowledge of gigantic choruses ("Suddenly", "Love Can Kill You") with his own never better vocals, while deftly indulging in his instrumental trance side ("Rose of Jericho", "Le Nocturne De Lumiere"). As should be every artist's goal, Transeau always attempts to marry his unmatched production skills with an emotional counterpoint. Without it, his songs would be technically impressive, but lacking a soul. Though not everything here perfectly upholds that idea, the ones that do will knock you to the floor. The 11 minute "Every Other Way" doesn't waste a second - rather, it breathes, and establishes a connection with you, never rushing to a crescendo or chorus. The quieter moments become just as beautiful as the bombastic ones. Without a single human voice present, "Le Nocturne De Lumiere" manages to be even more affecting. It's a sonic metaphor for BT's philosophy of Production vs. Emotion, which is even more impressive when noting that this particular track started as an experiment in shifting time signatures. "Le Nocturne" must be experienced while driving on an empty highway at 3am during a warm night. It is life affirming, much like These Hopeful Machines as a whole.

2. Warpaint: The Fool
I was first introduced to this all girl quartet when they opened for The xx on their last North American tour. With no prior expectations, I can confidently say that they nearly upstaged the headliner. The LA based 4-piece displayed a unique chemistry and moody energy that is rare. Much to my delight, that chemistry is perfectly intact on their debut.

The Fool doesn't reveal itself to you immediately - the haunting melodies of co-lead singers (and guitarists) Emily Kokal and Theresa Wayman quietly get under your skin, their layered vocals essential to Warpaint's musical signature. Just as important are bassist Jenny Lee Lindberg's tight, unexpected basslines and how they interact with drummer Stella Mozgawa's excellent rhythms. No better are all these attributes expressed than on the self-titled 2nd track, "Warpaint." The first 2 minutes alone are a brilliant exercise in atmosphere, the guitars swirling together to create an almost Tool-esque backdrop while Kokal and Wayman's frail, weathered voices lure you further in. The peril fades on songs like the triumphant first single "Undertow", while elsewhere, Kokal laments on the chilling, strictly acoustic "Baby." Though Warpaint prove they can art-rock out with the best of them (and they can), it's perhaps on "Shadows" and "Majesty" that the girls strike deepest. Singing with a vulnerability that is gorgeous and heartbreaking, Wayman belts out "What was the answer you wanted to find out?" as if she knows her question will bring no greater peace of mind. You're a fool if you don't listen to this album.

1. Blonde Redhead: Penny Sparkle
It's hard to talk about this album without repeating myself too much, so I guess I'll talk less about why it's good, and focus on why it's better.

Overall, the emotional content simply trumps everything else I heard this year. Blonde Redhead singer Kazu Makino laces the reverb-y guitars and cold, arpeggiated synths with a sense of melody that is unlike anything on this list - her every word a step further into a psyche weighed heavily by melancholia. When she sings "I leave next weekend / I'm not ready to go" on "My Plants Are Dead", the loneliness is so genuine that you can't help empathize. It's this feeling that defines Penny Sparkle. As depressing as that sounds, the beauty of each song overshadows any reason to stop listening.

Honorable Mentions (this could go on forever so here are the first few that come to mind):

-Gorillaz: Plastic Beach
-Massive Attack: Heligoland
-Neon Trees: Habits
-Sleepy Sun: Fever

Soundtracks & Scores

-Daft Punk: Tron Legacy
-Hans Zimmer: Inception
-Nigel Godrich: Scott Pilgrim vs. The World
-Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross: The Social Network

-The Twilight Saga: Eclipse soundtrack (it felt incredibly dirty typing that, but it's a fucking good soundtrack)
-Scott Pilgrim vs. The World soundtrack

And now, if you're still here, my favorite EPs, Singles, and Remixes of 2010. Enjoy!

EPs:

All of the following EPs (which are also all debuts) are EXCELLENT - seriously, check 'em out. When they come out with full-lenghts, you'll be ahead of the game.

-AWOLNATION: Back From Earth
The solo project from Under The Influence of Giants singer Aaron Bruno. A killer mash-up or rock, electro, and pop influences. This guy knows what he's doing.

-Big Black Delta: BBDEP1
The current focus of Mellowdrone's Jon Bates, Big Black Delta's sci-fi inspired tunes (which he plans to release individually as often as possible) are fittingly harsh, spacey and electronic. As an added bonus, "The Zebrah" features Sonoio's Alessandro Cortini and "Dreary Moon" features White Sea's Morgan Kibby.

-How To Destroy Angels: self titled
Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross, and Mariqueen Maandig. You do the math. There's obviously a lot of NIN-ish elements here, but I'm fully expecting the band's first full-length (due this year) to push their sound into a place that is uniquely HTDA. Very excited for that.

-Sonoio: self titled
Former NIN synth/keyboard player Alessandro Cortini crushes it on his first entirely solo venture. Though it's technically an EP, Sonoio's first release plays like a mini-album and shows an incredible amount of promise. Cortini has melded his experience in previous projects Modwheelmood and Blindoldfreak into one of his best releases yet. Definitely seek this one out.

p.s.

Big Black Delta's Jon Bates does some exceptional backing vocals on the standout "Houdini."

-Versant: Heartbeats
The new band from former Shiny Toy Guns singer Carah Faye, who hasn't lost any of her spark. These synth-tinged cuts are satisfying and enjoyable without being too close to Shiny Toy Guns. She's definitely creating her own sound here.

-White Sea: This Frontier
Where are my M83 fans at? Morgan Kibby, who you may remember singing on "Skin of the Night", "Graveyard Girl" and others on Saturdays = Youth shows that she's more than a pretty voice. Ms. Kibby changes it up on every song here, and does so without ever breaking a sweat.

Some of my favorite Singles and Remixes of 2010. I decided not to include anything from the above artists since this list would probably include well over 100 songs.

-Bomb The Bass: Up The Mountain (Gui Boratto remix)
-Chromeo: Don't Turn The Lights On (Aeroplane Remix)
-Holy Ghost!: Say My Name (U Tern Remix)
-Massive Attack: Paradise Circus (Gui Boratto remix)
-UNKLE: The Runaway (SQUARE1 Remix), The Runaway: Lupe's Revenge (Lupe Fiasco vs. UNKLE Reconstruction)

-Aeroplane (feat. Chromeo) - She's a Superstar
-Chemical Brothers: Don't Think
-Crystal Castles: Not In Love (feat. Robert Smith)
-Dark Horses: Alone
-iamamiwhoami: O, T
-The Internal Tulips: 9 Tomorrows
-Isis: The Pliable Foe
-Glasser: Apply
-The Glitch Mob: Between Two Points
-Gorillaz: All Played Out
-N*E*R*D*: Hypnotize U
-Metric: Black Sheep, Eclipse (All Yours)
-Nine Inch Nails: Theme for Tetsuo The Bullet Man
-Pendulum: Salt in the Wounds, Watercolour
-Solar Bears: Trans Waterfall
-Tamaryn: Love Fade
-Trentemøller: Shades of Marble, Sycamore Feeling
-65daysofstatic: Debutante

Weird Christmas

2010-12-28T19:48:00.000-08:00

Can't really get into Christmas/Holiday music but part of me wishes I could. To reconcile this fact, I made a playlist this year called "Weird Christmas" which is made up of not-so-traditional Christmas/Winter/Holiday songs by independent artists. It's indeed pretty weird - you wouldn't even know some of these were Christmas-themed by listening to them, like the 65daysofstatic track, but that's OK. Anyway, here it is.

1. I Do Not Care For The Winter Sun (what a great title) - Beach House
2. White Nights (Psychic TV cover) - The Golden Filter
3. The Village Drunkard - Father and Son
4. Wish List - Neon Trees
5. Christmas Reindeer - The Knife
6. TwentyFourTwelve - 65daysofstatic
7. Christmas Suite - Heidecker & Wood
8. She Came Home for Christmas - Mew
9. What's This? - Danny Elfman
10. Artificial Snow (Bedroom Take) - Atlas Sound
11. Silent Nation - AWOLNATION

I also used to have a version of "Silent Night" by IAMX/Chris Corner sung in French called "Douce Nuit" but lost it. That would've made the list otherwise.

Sketches 11-3-10

2010-11-02T22:57:00.001-07:00

Had an absolute blast working on these today. Could have easily stayed at school another hour or two just drawing and whatnot. Been feeling very inspired lately, which I attribute to finally having a grasp on Illustrator + Photoshop as well as seeing Father and Son play this past weekend.

Sniper Girl
-An original character with no name that pops up a lot. I have fun drawing her even if she has no place or proper title (yet).

Lonely Girl
-A sketch I did this weekend that was inked with a Caligraphy pen and ink, which was really fun and a nice change of pace (I'll post the others I did using those tools soon). This is each iteration in chronological order - each one basically a test in some way. I quite like this, but I'm not sure what direction I'd want to take a final version.

Flamehead

If you didn't already notice, I like to draw on scrap paper. It's certainly better than just throwing it out. Part of the reason I like using scrap is because I sometimes put too much pressure on myself to do something brilliant when using good paper. Also, it's convenient. That said, "Flamehead" was drawn on a piece of scrap - on a test piece for my "Expressive Type" project (which I documented below). Since I thought the figure interacted in a cool way with the text behind him, I adjusted the levels in such a way that merged the 2 sides of the paper together rather keeping them separated. I think the results are kind of interesting.

I absolutely plan on doing some drawings in the near future with a heavy type/figure relationship. Something I've been wanting to do for a while.

and here's a color version...

Adventures in Photoshop

2010-11-02T22:35:00.000-07:00

In my experience, Photoshop (and virtually any kind of software) is very hard to teach. The intangible nature, to me, doesn't exactly lend itself to easy explanation. I'm sure most would agree it's best to learn when simply indulging in play - messing around; clicking on things and seeing what happens. In any case, I've always been a novice in Photoshop, only being able to do the most basic actions. However, we went over it this week in class, and maybe it's the fact that I've had a slow accumulation of knowledge regarding the program, but it started to click for the first time. Every button was explained and demoed one by one, which may not be the quickest way to do things, but logically it's the most effective. In past courses, we used Photoshop on... well... images that weren't photos. Rather, we'd create images from scratch in Photoshop. Not that there's anything wrong with. PS is obviously very versatile (something I knew at the time), but in retrospect, it makes sense why I didn't fully understand.

I'm not an expert all of a sudden or anything, but now I plan on being one. I had more fun this past Monday playing around than I ever have, most likely because I actually had some idea of how to appropriate all the functions. Definitely looking forward to playing around more. These are some of my early experiments - hope you enjoy!

NIGHT by NIGHT Clothing and Accessories

2010-10-31T21:16:00.000-07:00

So my midterm for my Intro to Electronic Publishing class was pretty involved. First we had to create a fictional jewelery, pet, or clothing store then design a logo, letterhead, envelope, business card, and finally a package for an item at that store. Fairly quickly I decided that I wanted to go with a clothing company inspired by one of my favorite bands, Chromeo, given that they already have such a distinct fashion sense. The name was taken directly from one of their recent singles, "Night by Night." Once I settled on that, I began doing thumbnails...

...eventually leaning towards the sketch based on this black & white promo pic:

I then Photoshopped that in a way that was indicative of the original sketch I'd done.

From there, I used a sharpie marker on tracing paper to create a line drawing that was soon scanned. That drawing was adjusted in Photoshop to make it even more graphic. I also filled in the Moon shape and added text.

In retrospect, I'm not sure why I decided to omit Pee Thugg (the thickly beared gentelman on the right), but it wasn't a decision I wanted to make. At the time, I think I was going to produce the final logo in Photoshop, and Pee's presence wasn't entirely working for me in that format. Since this was a school project, and I knew my Professor wouldn't ask "Where's Pee?" or "Why did you remove Pee?" I obviously thought it was for the greater good. In any case, once I brought the Photoshop document into Illustrator it really came together. I got the thick graphic quality I was going for and could start playing around with the letterhead, business card, etc.

The logo was the biggest challenge at that point, so when that reached a place I was happy with, the other stuff fell into place fairly quickly, each one with subtle variations. These are the finals:

Lastly, I had to do the package design, which was by far the most intimidating aspect. I'm the first to admit that 3D is not my strength, so I wasn't looking forward to this. What was originally going to be a basic rectangular box for a pair of sunglasses turned into something more triangular (and hopefully more creative and unconventional). By the time I embraced the new shape I tried to fashion it in such a way that could make it work as a display case as well as an actual package. The bubble-wrap was "glued" down with spray mount. Eh, my Prof actually kinda liked it. Could have been much worse.

Y

2010-10-31T21:07:00.000-07:00

So my fascination with iamamiwhoami continues. This 12" x 12" painting, completed a few weeks ago, was based on a still from the last music video "Y."

Expressive Type

2010-10-31T09:35:00.000-07:00

My last project in my Typography class had to deal with Expressive Type, i.e. personifying the words on the page. We were allowed to choose any poem or the lyrics from any song. I was juggling a lot of different ideas (songs from The Faint, Autolux, and Chromeo were all in the running) but ultimately my Professor responded most to a song from The Black Angels called "The Sniper." This being one of favorites off their excellent new album I had no problem embracing the lyrics.

Overall, this was not an easy project (none of my Type assignments have been): between the difficulty of giving the words character while also attempting to maintain legibility and a logical sense of motion (i.e. top to bottom, left to right) there was a lot to consider. It had to be visually appealing at the end of the day, too. It's easy to go a little crazy as you finely tinker with the placement and point size of word or letter, but I think it's important to emphasize how demanding a project like this can be. There seems to be a myth than anyone can do Graphic Design, but just because the computer is most often the tool associated with the profession doesn't make it any less challenging. When all's said and done, it's simply a vessel for your ability and ideas. That's not supposed to be a boast or self -congratulatory in any way, but I often have a tougher time working with the computer than I do with the more traditional aspects of art. Bottom line: Type is hard! Keeping that in mind, I'm pretty happy with the final result, and I hope I accurately conveyed the creepy and hostile mood that's so present in the song itself.

This piece was created entirely in Adobe Illustrator. The final, physical version will see both 6 x 12 panels lined up as one 6 x 24 image. Hope you like it!

Sketches 10-30-10

2010-10-30T20:04:00.000-07:00

Just some character doodles done between classes, except for the colored piece with the four girls. That one was done for my Intro to Electronic Publishing class in which we had to draw a CD cover. I chose the band Warpaint who I saw open for and nearly upstage The xx. Great band, more on them in future. Until then, enjoy!

Album of the Week: Blonde Redhead - Penny Sparkle

2010-10-30T18:08:00.000-07:00

PREFACE: Whoaaaa it's been a while! Been absolutely swamped between work and school and haven't had a chance to update this place in a while. Well, time to change that. Been meaning to do some writing and uploading of recent drawings/art projects/etc for a while now. Without further ado......

Blonde Redhead: Penny Sparke

Album of the Year? Maybe. If not that, certainly the most beautiful. One thing I can say for sure is that Blonde Redhead's latest will undoubtedly make it into my 2010 list of favorites. First and foremost, I'm no authority on the band: I know they've been around for a while and have a ton of albums I have yet to listen to, but their last 2 LPs (2007's "23" and 2004's "Misery Is A Butterfly") were outstanding. As such, I was really looking forward to "Penny Sparkle." Once I found out Van Rivers & The Subliminal Kid produced it - who also took production reigns on Fever Ray's debut - I couldn't wait. With that said, I'm happy to report that they transferred all the brilliant synth-tastic nuances of that album over to "Penny Sparkle." The combination of BR's finely honed songwriting with Van Rivers & The Subliminal Kid's detailed studio trickery is a college art student's dream.

Every song, from opener "Here Sometimes" to the goosebump-inducing "Spain" are rich with ethereal melodies, subtle guitar lines, layered percussion, and all manner of electronic magic. The anchor to every track however is singer Kazu Makino. Despite her noticeable accent, Makino's voice strikes an incredible balance between her powerful melodies and extremely delicate vocals. This is apparent on every song she sings on. The 2 tracks where she doesn't take lead, "Will There Be Stars" and "Black Guitar" (sung by guitarist Amedeo Pace) are still excellent - "Black Guitar" in particular, where the two alternate on the verse and chorus, is one of the best on the album: the melancholy mood sounds like some something Lennon or McCartney might've written on one of their darker days.

Similarly, the emotionally stunning "Love Or Prison", the album's centerpiece, leaves quite a lasting impression. The amount of space in the mix allows every sound and instrument to coalesce beautifully, the wide open feel reflective of the lonely subject matter. Listen to this one in the dark.

Yet, amongst all the amazing tunes, the closer "Spain" would have to be my favorite. The emotional intensity reaches a peak here - it's sad, triumphant, and empowering without ever missing a beat. Few bands can reach into me and settle so comfortably across different feelings, but Blonde Redhead are one of them.

The only song that doesn't stand out to me is the title track. It's not bad by any means but it lacks the memorable instrumentation of everything else on the album. As tempting as it is to review each individual song, just know that the album is perfectly balanced in its running order: it starts strong, stays strong, and ends even stronger.

This album will make your heart cry, but that makes it no less addicting.

Album of the Week: Autolux - Transit Transit

2010-09-03T18:51:00.000-07:00

After roughly 5 to 6 years since their amazing debut (2004's Future Perfect), Autolux have finally made a formal return with their comfortably experimental but equally great sophomore LP Transit Transit. Whereas their first album found a formula and perfected it over the course of 50 minutes, their second breaks up the noise with spacey passages of piano and ambiguous ambiance. Though less loud overall, Transit Transit still manages to pile on the layers of sonic texture in great and surprising ways. Track 2 is an album highlight - loud and hard rocking, but restrained and accented in all the right places. From the angelic "dooh-doohs" and toy piano of the chorus to the arcing synthesizer of the outro, "Census" is Autolux at their best: unexpected and pleasingly disparate. The following track, "Highchair", treads similar ground and may be the most bewildering on the album, at least for fans of Future Perfect: Distorted chords are replaced with a skinny guitar line and drum machine, led by guitarist/pianist/vocalist Greg Edward's high-pitched and vaguely malicious vocals. It's Autolux being minimalist in other words, and it works. It breaks up the pacing of the album nicely while creating a tense moment that you can actually move your body to.

"Supertoys" should satisfy any fans itching for more Future Perfect-esque freakouts, the only huge difference being that the band have finely honed their craft even more here. Alternating lead vocals between bassist/vocalist Eugene Goreshter and drummer/vocalist Carla Azar provide the basis for a song that is elevated to even greater heights during the ending, when Edwards' bizarre guitar stylings (which few others can get away with) take center stage.

"Spots", not unlike the title track, bravely enters downtempo piano-central territory, often times sounding like French duo Air (a big compliment in my book). However, in place of the trumpet and uplifting backing vocals of Transit Transit are wailing screeches of far-off guitar and strings. It's a somber late night ballad that wouldn't look out of place playing behind Bill Murray in Lost In Translation. A sad but comforting highlight.

The Azar sung "Bouncing Wall" further pushes the band in interesting directions, as does the uncompromisingly repetitious but effective "Headless Sky." Yet, closing track "The Science of Imaginary Solutions" is more profound, bleak, and optimistic than anything else on the album. The dark lyrics and quiet/loud instrumentation grow to contrast each other in a way that isn't so much schizophrenic as it is poignant. When you hear the transition from pounding guitar, bass, and drums to piano and lyric-less vocals, it's more strikingly melancholy than off putting. Autolux make it work.

Was it worth the wait? That's up to you (and a little irrelevant at this point). The bottom line is that Greg, Eugene, and Carla have made an album that isn't safe. Better yet, they've made a good one. Transit Transit is not Future Perfect 2. The fact that they've pushed themselves while still maintaining songwriting ability in the process is a real achievement. Get listening.

Eagle Martial Arts

2010-08-21T21:18:00.000-07:00

For the past few months I've been working at a place called Eagle Martial Arts in Boonton, NJ, doing all manner of murals for their new location on Main Street. It's a beautiful training facility and I'm happy to have been involved in its creation. The below are the first two pieces I did, just prior to its Grand Opening 2 months ago. The giant eagle was completed first, designed to be a more stylized and aggressive interpretation of their main logo. After that I did the arches, which cover the entrance to the main training floor.

Just a few days ago I finally finished a 3rd mural covering three walls in the basement area, displaying a ton of different martial arts figures, poses, and interactions. I'll have final pictures of that soon. Up next, I think I'll be helping out with their classroom area that's currently in the works.

Paintings 8-22-10

2010-08-21T21:11:00.000-07:00

Been a while, no? Here's those paintings I've been putting off photographing for months.

I write music, too!

2010-06-26T15:49:00.000-07:00

My first post on this blog is a failed attempt at uploading one of my songs. I was trying to integrate a direct download, or at least some kind of stream but couldn't find any hosting websites that suited my needs. So let's just try an old fashioned link.

This was the last song I wrote in Garageband before upgrading to Logic. I quite like it. I'm particularly surprised by how well some of the noise-y sections turned out. Enjoy!

Sketch!

2010-05-29T11:41:00.000-07:00

More fun with Gas Masks - don't expect to see any less of these.

How To Destroy Angels to release free EP

2010-05-29T10:39:00.000-07:00

From the most recent update at nin.com...

How To Destroy Angels, the new band featuring Mariqueen Maandig, Trent Reznor, and Atticus Ross are releasing their debut EP as a free download on June 1st. If you pre-order you'll get one new track, 'The Believers,' immediately. A selection of merchandise is also available.

The EP will be released on CD July 6th, with a vinyl release TBA. For updates, follow @destroyangels on Twitter, or on Facebook here.

If you haven't heard of this band yet, get hearin'! Their first single "A Drowning" is available on Amazon's MP3 Store as well as iTunes, and their high concept debut music video for "The Space In Between" will give you chills here.

And for an interview with the video's director, Rupert Sanders, check out this article from Pitchfork.

Did I mention the debut EP is free this Tuesday? If you wanna throw the band a few bones, there's a pleasantly surprising amount of merch already available (and ready to ship by mid-June). Also, if you're a snobby iPad owner like me, there's a brand new app from Wired magazine in which they've essentially created a very sleek electronic version of their publication specifically for the Apple product. One of the features is an interactive article on the creation of a song by How To Destroy Angels. Read it here.

While reading through each step, you can listen to the element being described, culminating in the finished version of "The Believers" which might be my favorite track by HTDA thus far. As the Wired article points out, there's an unsettling and extremely satisfying combination of electronic and organic elements that make it so enjoyable. Imagine the glitchy noise of Year Zero with the marimbas of Ghosts and you've got a rough idea. However, this is probably the least NIN-sounding track to date, and the comparison to those 2 albums is strictly to illustrate what it sounds like. Granted, I'm only going off of one listen. June 1st being mere days away, I'd rather just wait to hear the song in context rather than burn myself out on it (which I could easily do).

Anyway, the point is "The Believers", more so than any of the songs released so far, hints at the true potential of How To Destroy Angels. In other words, it starts to make sense why it's an entity separate from Nine Inch Nails, and I can't wait to hear more.

Misc. Links:

http://howtodestroyangels.com/

http://www.facebook.com/howtodestroyangels

http://www.myspace.com/howtodestroyangels

http://www.youtube.com/howtodestroyangels

http://vimeo.com/destroyangels

http://twitter.com/destroyangels

And as an added bonus, Trent/NIN recently completed a song for the foreign film Tetsuo: The Bullet Man. Check it out here.

Make sure to listen to it loud. You might die from the epic-ness of it, but it'll be a good death.

Album of the Week: UNKLE - Where Did The Night Fall

2010-05-25T21:33:00.000-07:00

Band/Artist: UNKLE
Album: Where Did The Night Fall

A band that has had a truly transformative journey, UNKLE have reached a point with their newest LP that seems to combine all their past albums to create something that could best be described as electronically informed psych-rock. A series of collaborations from the likes of up-and-comers and under-appreciated groups such as Autolux, The Black Angels, and more congeals into a simultaneously cohesive and diverse listening experience. Though the whole thing is fantastic, highlights for me include Follow Me Down, Caged Bird, and The Runaway - 3 tracks with 3 different though equally talented female vocalists. Follow Me Down features a stunning vocal performance by Sleepy Sun's Rachel Fannan that simply must be heard, while Caged Bird with Katrina Ford displays a similarly powerful performance, both women carrying enormous presence, though never at the expense of the song (quite the contrary). Perhaps on the other side of the spectrum is Lisa Elle, who goes in the other direction for The Runaway: what she lacks in terms of sheer power she more than makes up for in mood. Somehow she manages to convey menace, fear, and apathy all in the same song to ultimately come across like a severely disturbed Alison Goldfrapp. Great stuff. Probably my favorite song on the album.

Check out Lisa's day job at the below links:

Official Site
MySpace [<--"Alone" in particular is great]
Facebook
Twitter

Aside from the excellent music, the deluxe packaging for Where Did The Night Fall is likely the best I've seen since the last UNKLE album War Stories. Record companies take note - this is how you combat piracy: the included lyrics, liner notes, and especially the amazing photography are expertly presented. This is exactly the type of thing I look for when seeking a physical copy of a band's new album.

And speaking of the incredible photography, UNKLE's latest music video (for Follow Me Down) is essentially the album artwork in motion, which makes total sense since it was directed by WDTNF's extremely talented art directors Warren du Preez and Nick Thornton Jones. It's one of the best music videos I've seen this year. Sincerely inspiring work.

Feast your eyes on it here.

So go out and buy this album, or at least listen to it.

p.s.

if it wasn't already clear, I'd like to consistently make "Album of the Week" posts (this being the first), or at least a weekly entry that highlights my current playlist or something. We shall see. Stay tuned!

iamamiwhoami... ...who?

2010-05-25T21:11:00.000-07:00

Because I'm lazy, here's a quick summary courtesy of Wikipedia:

iamamiwhoami is an anonymous electronic music project featuring a female lead singer, found in 2009. It was promoted through a viral campaign on YouTube. On 4 December 2009, a surreal clip less than a minute long appeared on YouTube submitted by iamamiwhoami. The clip was forwarded to several known blogger as well as music journalists. A second soon appeared and then a third. By then, Chris Cantalini and MTV writer James Montgomery picked up on the clips fueling speculation that had been building in blogs

That's the gist. There was a period of time when a lot of people were convinced it was Christina Aguilera but that theory's been discarded, and some clever internet detectives have discovered that iamamiwhoami is an obscure singer/songwriter named Jonna Lee. The identity is pretty irrelevant though. The creativity is what counts here.

These clips, aside from featuring some genuinely cool, promising bits of music, are visually outstanding. At this moment, there have been about 4 complete songs released (in addition to all the other clips that preceded them), with accompanying videos. They're all good in their own way, but the standout is easily "O" which I can confidently say is my favorite track of 2010 thus far. Imagine the spacey, dark, synth-happy sound of Fever Ray or The Knife, but with arguably better vocals and exceptional lyrics. I wouldn't say it's a derivative sound. Maybe one that tips its hat to its influences, but absolutely builds on them. This is my kind of music. I'm hoping we get some kind of announcement on a full album before the end of the summer. This is a project that has serious potential. Hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

iamamiwhoami's YouTube Channel - featuring all their videos to date.

New Stuff 5/5/10

2010-05-04T23:00:00.000-07:00

Here's some recent stuff, including a David Bowie portrait completed with charcoal and carbon dust. Also, a portrait of the mysterious iamamiwhoami (who will get her own post devoted to her very soon) as well as some Mage character. If you couldn't tell, those two were done using Sketchbook Pro (with a stylus no less, which makes a bigger difference than you might imagine).

In other news, the self portrait you'll see below with the green background (the one closest to the top of this page) just recently got selected to appear in the Student Show at WPU! Hooray!

Neon Trees

2010-04-29T19:55:00.001-07:00

I saw these guys completely upstage 30 Seconds To Mars (who were tragically disappointing) 2 nights in a row last week, and I've gotta say, they come highly recommended from me, both on record and on stage. The first time I heard their current single "Animal" I'll admit I was not blown away. However, it's a song that carves it's way into your skull without you even realizing it, and ultimately becomes indicative of their masterfully constructed Pop Rock tunes. Imagine The Killers with less synths, less ego, and a better singer. Normally, less prominent synths would be a strike against them (I'm an absolute sucker for synthesizers and electronics in general), but Neon Trees more than make up for it with their exceptionally tight, focused arrangements and charisma. Their ace in the hole in this case would be singer and synth player Tyler Glenn, who has an absolutely phenomenal voice that's arguably better live (see the 2nd YouTube link). Some of the finest moments on their debut album "Habits" come in the form of Glenn harmonizing with drummer Elaine Bradley on songs like the aforementioned "Animal" and "1983." Guitarist Chris Allen maintains a driving and restrained playing style, never getting in the way of the song itself while simultaneously moving it forward. Similarly, Bassist Branden Campbell locks in with Ms. Bradley, creating a genuinely powerful rhythm section throughout. Campbell's presence is refreshing, given how often the Bass guitar is undermixed on albums of every genre.

Overall, Neon Trees aren't doing anything terribly original, which they acknowledge. Rather, their strength comes in the form of superb execution. Their songs are remarkably well crafted on record, and wonderfully, energetically performed in the live setting. (It also doesn't hurt that they're incredibly nice and inviting people off stage.)

Sins of My Youth (Live in Montclair, NJ - Filmed like a true amateur by yours truly)

Your Surrender (Live Acoustic)

Buy their album

MySpace

Official site

Twitter

Sketchbook Pro

2010-04-19T22:22:00.000-07:00

Well, I got an iPad. It cost many pennies, but the Sketchbook Pro app alone (by Autodesk) seems to be more than enough to justify the cost. I should hope so since that's what convinced me to get one.

I've been meaning to embrace digital media in conjunction with my drawings for a long time now, and the Sketchbok Pro app may be the thing that finally allows me to do that. It basically lets me use the iPad as a portable tablet to either create entirely new and original pieces, or more importantly, color my pre-existing stuff comfortably where ever and whenever I want. This is a breeze since all I have to do is sync my iPad with anything I've scanned and put on my laptop - Sketchbook Pro then allows me to import it no problem. That's a big deal for me and I can't wait to master the program (I've got a badass stylus on the way, too - psyched!).

And here's my first piece created entirely in Sketchbook Pro. Inspired by the album cover to Steven Wilson's "Insurgentes." I'm also coloring the Pilot Girl you see below. Once that's finished I'll post that. Enjoy!

Pilot Girl and Editorial

2010-04-12T21:41:00.000-07:00

My latest assignment for my Illustration class was to create an image for an editorial. I chose this article discussing the 3D cash-in that's happening in Hollywood right now. Check out the article, it's a good one, anonymously written by a CG supervisor.

Also, I had fun doing this sketch of this Pilot-lady tonight, who I've enjoyed drawing before - you haven't seen the last of her!

Self Portraits (Spring Semester)

2010-03-28T16:24:00.001-07:00

As promised, here are the self-portraits I've done in class so far this semester. Right now, I'm taking a break from myself, doing a more surreal painting that's more in tune with my drawings and sketches (and is in fact based on a sketch I have)... I'll post the original doodle along with the final painting this week. I just want to touch it up some before I call it finished. It wasn't easy, and took at least double the time of the paintings you'll see below, but by the end of the second class period, I had reached a turning point. More details when I actually post it, I just wanted to mention how I'm finally exiting my comfort zone in terms of my paintings. Enjoy!

Maybe John

2010-03-07T11:23:00.001-08:00

My brother John recently commissioned me to paint him a portrait after seeing the most recent ones I did of myself (I'll post those soon). This is a little more interesting, though, because it's not me and there was a bit more to the process since I needed photo reference. Ultimately, I focused on the picture that had a somewhat interesting light source and what I felt accurately represented my brother. This was done fairly quickly and spontaneously, however. In the near future, I'd like to take a more conceptual approach that in some way mirrors the music John is currently wrapping up for his solo project, titled Maybe Bomb. We briefly discussed the idea of painted album artwork which I love and would happy to help execute.

Attention music nerds and tech geeks!

2010-03-06T17:46:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite musicians, BT, recently did a lengthy but incredibly interesting interview for Macworld. They discuss everything from his completely unique approach to songwriting/producing to the current direction of technology. Fascinating stuff.

BT, aka Brian Transeau, also just put out a new full-length album titled These Hopeful Machines. It's an epic, 2-disc, 12 track, almost 2 hour piece of music and I highly recommend it. Check out the interview here.

Self Portrait - The Double

2010-02-14T19:43:00.000-08:00

Self Portrait - Light

2010-02-14T19:42:00.000-08:00

Playing catch-up, Fun with video!

2010-02-14T19:20:00.001-08:00

I'm kind of playing catch up here. Once I upload the majority of stuff in my portfolio that I like, THAT's when this place will become a stream of up-to-date art, music, etc. from myself. Though you can definitely expect a "Hey, look what I found!" post every now and then. As for now, I just want to share my recent ventures into video. Hopefully within the next week or two, I'll be posting brand new pieces, which isn't very far fetched since I'm fully engaged in the Spring semester right now.

Here's me painting a portrait of one of my favorite musicians - Chris Corner, aka IAMX. The quasi-finished piece can be seen above.

Valentine's Day playlists

2010-02-14T18:56:00.000-08:00

During Valentine's Day 2009 I created these two playlists (one for lovers, one for lonely hearts) spent too much time on them, but had fun doing it. By sharing it this year, I'm partly justifying all that time I spent simply arranging songs I liked. I'm glad I saved it.

You'll see a lot of repeat artists, but that was to create some parallels between the two mixes... and it should tell you how much I like some of these bands. If you're bored, look up any of them. One way or another they all get my seal of approval.

"Feel The Love"

Dream On - Depeche Mode
Underneath the Stars - The Cure
Feel The Love - Cut Copy
Paris - Friendly Fires
Is It Alright? - The Lovemakers
The 23rd Boy - Ken Andrews
Morning Dreams - Ladyhawke
Tony The Beat - The Sounds
Heart On - Eagles of Death Metal
I Remember - Stabbing Westward
You're the Conversation (I'm the Game) [feat. Sue Denim] - Chris Corner
Once Upon A Time - Air
Another Space Song - Failure
Is This Called Desire - Charlotte Martin
Higher Love - Depeche Mode

"It Hurts Me All the Time"

Today - KMFDM
Misery Loves Company - The Lovemakers
It Hurts Me All the Time - Faunts
Magic - Ladyhawke
Send a Little Love Token - The Duke Spirit
Another Love Song - Queens of the Stone Age
Toward The Waves/I'm Ready - The Twilight Singers
Love Is Like - Skold Vs KMFDM
Moan (Vocal Version feat. Ane Trolle) - Trentemøller
Bloodsport - Sneaker Pimps
Goodnight Lovers - Depeche Mode
Naturally Lonely - The Lovemakers
This Will Make You Love Again - IAMX
Twilight - The Twilight Singers

Bonus Track:
I Was in Love with You - The Gutter Twins

FYI, the "Gasmask Romance" image at the top is this sketch I've had for a while that I really like. It came close to being a finished, colored piece at one point, but as you can see, it didn't quite make it. Still, I like it enough to share. The other tiny guys are doodles of mine that I threw in for fun.

Self Portraits (for Artists Wanted contest)

2010-02-12T23:05:00.000-08:00

Fairclough

2010-02-12T22:30:00.001-08:00

The newest tune, titled "Fairclough." Enjoy the noisy synths!

Fairclough.mp3

Hello and Welcome

2010-02-12T18:11:00.000-08:00

Hi! This will be a one-stop shop for all my music and art, and I hope to update it as much as possible. Though the primary focus is definitely to exhibit my own creative outpourings, I absolutely plan on recommending any other great findings I come across, whether they be interesting articles, bands, movies, etc. Thanks for reading!