Y

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

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

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

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

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

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

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