Saturday, December 31, 2011

2011 Music Highlights

While 2011 saw the release of great albums from The Antlers, James Blake, Bon Iver, Death Cab for Cutie, Kendrick Lamar, Real Estate, The Roots, Shabazz Palaces, and The Weeknd, to name a few, two records really stood out to you. 
Wu Lyf – Go Tell Fire To The Mountain
These four lads from Manchester, England, are artists. In the span of three weeks in the dead of winter in St. Peter’s Church in Ancoats, they recorded Go Tell Fire To The Mountain, a sonic experience infused with reverb-heavy riffs reminiscent of Austin post-rockers Explosions in the Sky and underscored by solemn pipe organ chords. Over these lush soundscapes, the shouted, throat-rasping, oft-unintelligible vocals of Ellery Roberts are an indelible mark of humanness. Certain phrases jump out, evoking feelings and inciting emotions. The contrast between the rawness of the vocals and the richness of the musicality make for a sound the band calls “Heavy Pop”. There’s a tightness to Wu Lyf’s self-produced and released debut that must be attributed to the ecclesiastical site where it was recorded; St. Peter’s Church is as much a part of the sound of this record as any musician. All of the elements that make up Go Tell Fire To The Mountain are perfectly aligned. Consequently, so is the album’s composition. This is a complete work and must be heard as such.
Youth Lagoon – The Year of Hibernation
Trevor Powers was a student at Boise State University when he recorded The Year of Hibernation at home and released it under the name Youth Lagoon. With its cozy melodies, electro-synth rhythms, and cooing vocals, the album is the sonic equivalent of a warm woolen blanket: wrap yourself in it and be soothed. Powers explores a spectrum of emotions from heartbreak to loneliness to anxiety to hope. And while the scale of the tracks ranges from whispered intimacy to surging swells, the record’s mood is consistently sensitive and vulnerable.

Friday, December 30, 2011

Russ Short/Craig Fineman

Stylemaster Russ Short rides a Bonzer in California. Shot by legendary surf photographer Craig Fineman. 

Monday, December 19, 2011

Stone Island S/S 2012 Lookbook

A wee look at a few of the goodies that Italian brand Stone Island has in store for the spring.

Thursday, December 15, 2011

TWOTHIRDS S/S 2012

Basque brand TWOTHIRDS released some images of their Spring/Summer 2012 collection, which features a clean and simple aesthetic. And don't forget these guys have a conscience. They partner with Oceana, a global ocean conservation organization, in a variety of company initiatives and in creative community activism. TWOTHIRDS also donates ten percent of the proceeds from each sale to Oceana.

Wednesday, December 14, 2011

H by Harris

London's H by Harris was founded in 2009 by Harris Elliott, a designer and stylist. He was after a simple, provocative, stylish laptop case, and not finding one, he constructed his own. Now H by Harris is a complete collection that includes, iPad cases, backpacks, totes, and duffles. 
Thanks, Peter, for passing along this quilted leather goodness.

Wednesday, December 7, 2011

Sheep Breed: Romney

Formerly named "Romney Marsh" sheep, and sometimes called the "Kent", the long-wool breed popularly known as Romney originated in southeast England and was established by 1800. The breed thrives on several continents, but is particularly abundant in New Zealand, where both its wool and meat are chief exports. Romneys are remarkably versatile and adaptable, in part due to their ability to stave off foot rot and liver fluke. Romneys also produce a heavy fleece that maintains through winter; a healthy, mature ram can yield upwards of 10 kg per year. Because their wool has a high average fiber diameter (AFD), it tends to be very strong and can thus be used in making rugs and carpets. Their long, lustrous fleeces are also sought by hand-spinners.

Tuesday, December 6, 2011

Monday, December 5, 2011

Travelteq x Tenue de Nîmes | Limited Ed. Laptop Bag

Travelteq and Tenue de Nîmes, both responsible for holding down their share of hotness in Holland, collaborated on this limited edition laptop bag. 50 of these hand-made pieces were produced at the Travelteq factory in Tuscany from vegetable-tanned Florentine vacchetta leather and Japanese selvage chambray. The bag contains eight compartments, of which three are zipped, including one for a cigar and one for your 15-inch laptop.

Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Tyler Bradt

Tyler Bradt is a 26-year-old Montanan who makes his living boating down rivers. Here he is in his whitewater kayak in Norway:
In 2009, he set the world record for the highest waterfall ever run in a kayak by hucking the 189-foot Palouse Falls in Eastern Washington. In this interview, he recounts the experience in detail. You now feel compelled to watch the footage of the free fall:
Tyler's remarkable feat is included in the 2010 film, Dream Result, which is about the limits to which an elite group of paddlers are pushing the sport of kayaking. Here is the trailer:

Saturday, November 26, 2011

Yo! MTV Raps Trading Cards

You scored these trading cards at a vintage shop a couple weeks back. Could you have spent 220 cents better? Probably. But these are a pretty good throwback to the golden years of hip-hop. Obviously, the crown jewel of the lot is the elusive Black Sheep card, but Eric B. & Rakim is not a bad second.

Thursday, November 24, 2011

Oybō Socks

Because you live in tropical paradise, you almost never wear socks. However, if you were to wear some, they would be from the first collection by Oybō, a new company based in Venice, Italy.