Walter Martin and Paloma Muñoz, known as Martin & Muñoz, are snowglobe-making partners from Pennsylvania with a studio in Brooklyn. Their globes, which they photograph then adjust in Photoshop, are presented in Travelers along with a staccato short story by Jonathan Lethem. The globes, made from carefully treated and deviously rearranged model railroad pieces, create cinematic snapshots of fear, paranoid sentiment, and playful nightmare.
Animal Collective: Water Curses EP
The ever-changing and simply unclassifiable musical experiment known as Animal Collective has a number of exciting and acclaimed records to its name, and it possesses an admirable restlessness that has kept it from repeating itself. The music is synchronous, fusing folk, psychedelia, electronica, and noise pop, among other genres, in varying proportions. On past efforts, an abundance of ideas solidified the band’s reputation as one of the most inventive acts of the early 2000s. On this new four song EP, Water Curses, the well is starting to run dry.
Bigelf Release Single for New LP Debuting in August
In anticipation of their upcoming LP Cheat the Gallows, out on August 12th on Custard Records, prog-rock group Bigelf have released a new single streamable bellow. The song, entitled “Money, It’s Pure Evil,” falls in line with the group’s late ’60s to early ’70s prog rock and early metal sound.
Bad Dudes: Eat Drugs
There’s something spooky about Bad Dudes. Yes, they’re a super-fun party band from LA, but if Sonic the Hedgehog had an intense, Halloween-themed level that was almost too difficult to be fun, Bad Dudes likely would write the score.
Forecastle Festival Adds GZA and Del The Funky Homosapien To Impressive Lineup
GZA and Del the Funky Homosapien have been added to this year’s Forecastle Festival, which will take place July 25-27 in Louisville, Kentucky. GZA and Del join an already very impressive and diverse lineup, showcasing such acts as Method Man, Tortoise, The Disco Biscuits, Margot & The Nuclear So-And-So’s, and Dr. Dog, among many others.
‘Mom Must Pay’ Says D.O.J.
Remember Jammie Thomas, the single mom that lost her suit against the RIAA and was ordered to pay $220,000 for participating in P2P file sharing? Well, the Department of Justice has told her to pony up.
Although Thomas illegally shared a total of 1,702 songs over the Kazaa file-sharing network, the RIAA only focused on 24 songs. Statutes allow for damages between $750 and $30,000 per infringement, with a maximum of $150,000 for a willful violation. A jury of her peers ordered Thomas to pay $9,250 for each of the 24 songs she “stole.”
Area_2: 100 Graphic Designers, 10 Curators
Phaidon Press chose ten curators to compile a list of 100 of the “worlds most exceptional” designers to have emerged in the last five years in Area_2, the follow-up of Area (Phaidon Press, 2005). The book expands its perimeters to include designs from all areas of culture, not just print media. Its curators, an international group of esteemed professors, designers, and critics, took turns writing a short essay on each designer. Along with the essay, each designer has four pages showcasing their work. The designers, which span over 30 ountries, are arranged alphabetically and loosely placed on a grid-less (gasp!) page.
True Norwegian Black Metal
Photographer Peter Beste spent the last several years documenting the black-metal scene in Norway, infamous for its extreme fans, horror movie blood lust, and the occasional case of arson and murder. Beste documents the members of the Norwegian metal community, whose costumes include bloodied face pain, spiked weapons, and black leather. Most of the images are based around the communities’ pagan mythology, which is the central theme in the artists’ stage shows. Though the freshly severed sheep heads and nude crucified teenagers painted in sheep’s blood provide a wild shock, the most interesting photos are those that place the fans and musicians in context.
Asbestos To Do Two Part Interview on Culture Shock Radio
Airing on Wednesday, July 2nd Asbestos, a Dublin-based street artist, will continue his two part interview on New York City’s Culture Shock Radio. The interview attempts to bridge the gap between the musical sound-scape that often influences or finds its way into the art of artists like Asbestos. Armed with his own playlist and wit, Asbestos talks with Culture Shock’s DJ Hill about art, music, and his latest works.
The One-Man Band Plays On, Chad VanGaalen to Release Thrid LP
On September 9th the indie sweetheart turned musical innovator, Chad VanGaalen, will release his third LP Soft Airplane on Sub Pop records. The LP will be released nearly a year after Skelliconnection, VanGaalen‘s second disc, was honorably mentioned on the shortlist for the 2007 Polaris Music Prize.
Red Sparowes Stream Track Off Forthcoming EP, Aphorism
Despite what is already panning out to be a busy summer for LA instrumental rockers, Red Sparowes, even more exciting news has broke that the band has begun to stream the debut track “We Left the Apes to Rot, But Find The Fang Still Grows Within,” off their forthcoming EP Aphorism. Though Aphorism is still awaiting an official release date for the disc, the EP will be available in a digital format starting August 1st on iTunes and similar digital retailers.
The Howling Hex Salute “Mexican Polka” on Their Latest, Earth Junk
The Howling Hex and song writer, author, producer Neil Michael Hagerty have returned from their late winter recording sessions in Austin with their latest record, Earth Junk. Junk, which is set to be released on September 23 on Chicago’s own Drag City Records, represents the ninth installment in the Hex‘s discography.