"To Die For" for Charlotte Olympia F/W 11 by Jam

I love fashion films--they're often decadent, almost always very aesthetically-pleasing, and very interesting. This one is no exception. 

A film by JAM for Chalotte Olympia's autumn/winter collection starring Portia Freeman. It's got great aesthetics. Definitely cinematic. I love the lushness. And I love, love, love the red fishnet and lips.


Charlotte Olympia - To Die For from Charlotte Olympia on Vimeo.

Young the Giant - "I Got" in The Open Session

I've finally found a band whose sound I love even more outside than inside the studio. They sound fantastic live--even more so than on their CD recording! Oh my god. This song has got such happy, summery vibes. I love the acoustics.

thoughts on career(s), life and stuff...

What bothers me is how society has pigeonholed people into thinking that we must work our whole lives toward a career, profession, whatever you want to call it.

When people ask me what career I’m thinking of pursuing, I have to fight back the urge to reply,

Oh. Well, let’s see, I want to be a journalist. And a photographer. I want to be a graphic designer, too. I’d also like to be an agent for a modeling firm. And well, actually, you know what—I want to be a thinker. And a traveler. Ooh boy I’m almost running out of fingers to count on. 

Young people (that means us, I guess) are pressured into deciding on—choosing—a career. And grown-ups treat this choose-your-career thing as if it were something as simple as filling out your name on a form.
I probably don’t make much sense right now.

Parents and school officials; society in general; essentially making us to decide on a career right up front is just…I can’t even say. I think it’s horrible. It’s like being forced to marry someone when you’re not ready or something.

What I’m trying to say is that I don’t believe that people should feel/be forced or pressured into making a career decision. It should come to them. It will come to them when it is meant to be.

I think it’s fine if you don’t know what you want to “be” or what career you want to pursue if you’re in college. I think it’s fine if you’re twenty-something and still don’t know what you want to “be” or what career you want to pursue. I think it’s fine if you don’t know what career you want to pursue at any point in your life—as long as you know what you love and what is important to you.

I think societal expectations have made young people think that they have to have a concrete thing; like a career; to be normal, successful, stable and whatever. But the way I see it is that I think what’s important is not necessarily to have a career—but to be able to do what you love. Because doing what you love is going to bring results. I think that’s what’s going to really make a difference.

Just because you don’t know what you want to be or what career you want to pursue doesn’t mean it’s the end of the world or whatever. Just realize what you love and work toward that. If you love, I don’t know—the environment and want to protect it, do something about that.

It’s not the/a* career that makes you or your life; it’s what you love and what you do about that.

Do you, do what you love, do what’s important to you. Fuck the rest. In the end, it’s your life. You can decide what you want to make it to be—really.

*and I also do believe that people shouldn’t think that they can only be one thing or pursue one thing. Why limit yourself?

Chromatics

They're weird, creepy, cinematic, and moody. I love that kind of stuff. And I like the breathy/ethereal-ish vocals too. And I love the use of the orchestra in their songs. Here's some of my favorite songs of theirs:

"I want your love"


"Hands in the dark"


"Night drive"


Normally I am really freaked out by horror films and anything scurry like that, but this one's pretty cool/definitely creepy. I'm throwing it in for a good measure.

"The Killing Spree"

Bag Raiders

I have been listening to Bag Raiders on repeat, NON-STOP for the entire week.
Here are my three favorite tracks from their self-titled album:

"Sunlight"


"So Demanding"


"Gone Away"

that one question

who are you? who am i? who is she? who is he? who is that?

they are all variations of the same question.
that one, persisting, persevering, never-ending, eternal, everlasting question that has duped mostly everyone i have met, i think.

myself included.

i cannot stop thinking about this question.

You bloom when you are in love.

mix for sistah

1. Milagres - Glowing Mouth
2. Poolside - Do You Believe
3. Givers - Up Up Up (Ruen and Ryan Evans remix) <--I'm kind of in love with this video.
4. Alex Turner - Hiding Tonight
5. Cults - Oh My God
6. Yellow Ostrich - Mary
7. The Cinematic Orchestra - To Build a Home (ft. Patrick Watson)
8. The High Violets - Goodnight Goodbye
9. Chilly Gonzales - You Can Dance
10. Nouvelle Vague - Dance With Me
11. Camera Obscura - Tears for Affairs
12. The Bird and the Bee - La La La
13. Little Dragon - Constant Surprises

Oh my god! The first 8 tracks are recent favorites and the ones after that, I just remembered for some strange reason!

El Chiquitin F.C.

hey you
are you reading this right now?
you seem to have disappeared from the face of the earth.
i know you're old enough to take care of yourself
and you're probably busy
doing what grown-ups do,
being a grown-up and all (are you?)
but i miss the conversation.

Milagres - Glowing Mouth

You and me under sheets of light,
the red glow of a star on fire.
Burning our feet on an isolated beach
as we throw everything we own into the sea.


When the tide is low we’re digging through the loam.


Do you know what the darkness said to me?
She said, “Son, you better get used to believing in things that you can’t see.”


You and me under sheets of white,
the blue light glow of a star on ice.
Freezing to death among isolated peaks,
cutting pieces of flesh because we all need to eat.


Where will I go? Only I know now. Moving through the wet trees to find
your glowing mouth. Two days from the wind’s house on the eastern side. I
hope that you’ll believe me when I say I’m still alive, open and waiting for
you.

Invitation to LTD

I am on a journey to discover dreamers and thinkers. I am looking for ambitious, independent, creative, innovative, and interesting people. I’d also love to get to know people who are passionate about art (fashion, music, writing, photography, film, etc.) and life.

Ultimately…

IF YOU LIVE THE DREAM OR AIM TO, LET ME KNOW!

June/July mix

A mix with a bit of everything. Amazingly, it's actually not dominated by chill music this time. But still, there's a bit of everything--old favorites as well as recent discoveries. Acoustic, disco, alternative, shoegaze and of course--jazz.



Create a playlist at MixPod.com

Some notes on certain tracks:

• Someday in the near future, I'm going to shoot a short film to the sound of "To Build a Home" by The Cinematic Orchestra
• Groovy tracks: "Do You Believe" by Poolside and "Betty Boop" by Charles Earland. The former is a disco-y number and the latter is a jazz number. Love.
• The last track, "The Beast," by Dave Cavanaugh, is from perhaps my favorite film, Mulholland Drive, directed by none other than David Lynch. I loved this piece in particular so much that I once wrote about it:

Such a snazzy, slinky, jazzy piece. I imagine this to be my theme song when I’m feeling devious; when I’ve got plans. I imagine a man who happens to be a smooth talker. I imagine a femme fatale in a red dress. Subtle, but not so subtle. We all know that these people aren’t angels by any stretch of the imagination, and that’s what makes them so damn attractive—that’s what makes this piece of dynamic music so undeniably appealing.

Poolside - Do You Believe

I can't cure myself.

One of the main things people notice about me is that I have an erratic and almost nonexistent sleep schedule.  

When I was a child,
There was this vague feeling that always accompanied me,
And I could never quite figure out what it was
Until now—as in, the teenage years.

It lurks in wait.
I am highly susceptible to it.
It never fails to find me.

If you do not have the courage to speak to me in public, then do not speak to me at all; until you find that courage.

I woke to the sound of falling rain this morning.

This is the perfect sort of music to describe the ambiance right now:

"Rainclouds in my Room" by Tablo + Pe2ny from "Soundtrack to a Lost Film"

catwalk music is cool

Soundtrack to Gareth Pugh's Autumn/Winter 2011 by Matthew Stone
I love the dark vibes and the eerie-ness in addition the beats. Of course, killer beats are often a given in runway shows, but I can't help but fall in love over and over again.
Gareth Pugh AW2011 by Matthew Stone

Soundtrack to Juliana Moriya Spring/Summer 2012 by Boss in Drama
I love the start, a little nod to classical music. Beethoven's Fifth Symphony remixed, segueing into a medley of groovy numbers.
Juliana Moriya - Primavera Verão 2012 by Boss in Drama by Godiva ArtStudio

Yellow Ostrich

Just came across the band Yellow Ostrich and immediately fell in love with their sound. They fit my aesthetic tastes. Quiet sound and mood as well as very simple and natural acoustics.

"Mary" is the first song I've heard from them.

Give Yellow Ostrich a try:

Page One

I saw my first R-rated movie in theaters yesterday (July 3)—with Astrid. We were the two youngest audience members. I felt proud of that but also a little depressed because, let’s face it—newspapers are facing some tough times. But journalists—those people who dedicate their lives to legacies like The New York Times—are resilient and tough people.