Secret Machines Reveal Curious Stage Design

Here's official word on their current set up via designer Es Devlin: *The band will be caught within a Naum Gabo inspired romboid structure surfaced with gauze and punctuated with radiating tensioned cables which will catch the light in a more lyrical way than a pure saturated block of back light. What the fans see will be a visual expression and counterpoint to what they hear allowing them the space to project their own interpretation of the music and the courage to intensify it...*

Read my Q&A with the band here.

MP3: Secret Machines - Nowhere...

Sigur Ros Readies London Exhibition

Deets are as follows: *On October 2nd there will be an exhibition of 12 prints from the Med Sud I Eyrum Vid Spilum Endalaust album (deluxe edition) by Eva Vermandel and a taster of the film made by Nick Abrahams. The exhibition takes place at the White Chapel Gallery in London as part of the Concrete & Glass event. Concrete & Glass's inaugural music and contemporary art event, held across 18 venues in Shoreditch, will also play host to some of the most outstanding new and established artists London has to offer.* For further info, head here. MP3 at bottom of post.

Visit Sigur Ros on MySpace.

MP3: Sigur Ros - Untitled 4

Nylon Mag Begins Selecting Best Cover Art Of 2008

Included in the bunch:

Noah & The Whale - Peaceful...
Matmos - Supreme Balloon
Jenny Lewis - Acid Tongue
Nine Inch Nails - The Slip
Santogold - Santogold

View the full list here.

Noah recently unveiled a clip for 'Shape'.

MP3: Noah & The Whale - 2 Bodies 1 Heart

Chris Garneau Shares Latest 'Adventure'

Details are as follows: *Chris Garneau & Grant Worth present a new series of twenty one original Polaroids. The collaboration was inspired by a series of books concerned with fantasy, adventure, superhero decisions and second chances. Created with some of the last of Polaroid's instant film, the four stories (Choose Your Own Adventure) were shot in one month in special locations around the country. These photos are one of a kind collectibles that you can hold in your sweet little hand. Unfold the mystery of Fern Canyon, take a ride to Gardenia on the magic horse, celebrate your birthday forever or discover the 'Whorror' of Mary Higgins Clark. Each Polaroid is signed and titled, and will be specially packaged by Chris and Grant themselves.*

Learn more & view all images here.

Visit Chris Garneau on MySpace.

MP3: Chris Garneau - Not Nice

Pharrell Enters World Of Home Design

Would you purchase the chair he's sitting on in the accompanying photo? Here's some info on the piece: *It's called Perspective. It was designed by Pharrell in collaboration with Domeau & Pérès who built it and will be making the additional chairs. The chair, as well as another chair design and a table will be part of a show in Paris at the prestigious Emmanuel Perrotin Galerie. The show will be from October 21st 2008 until January 10th 2009. The chairs will be available in a few colors and only 4 of each will be sold. The chair represents the love between a woman and man. Pharrell exclaims: "I had often wondered what it’s like to truly be in love, not lust for once. So I decided not to ask what it was like in someone else’s shoes or what it was like to sit in their seat. I decided to sketch out my own experiment; the perspective chair."*

For more info, head here.

MP3: Pharrell - Baby

P. Wolf Adds Duo Of Dates To 2008 Tour

The powers that be explain the decision to add more gigs on Patrick's MySpace page. *I know we said that LMHR would be the only show of the year. We meant it when we said it, honestly we did, it wasn't a wind-up; but PW was so fired up by the awesome reception he got from you guys that he has decided to accept invitations to play another couple of shows over the summer. Who knows, he may play one or two more. The 1st show is something really special, and will truly be a one-off. Patrick has been personally asked by the American photographer, Nan Goldin, to perform a live soundtrack to her seminal work, The Ballad Of Sexual Dependency, in the Turbine Hall of the Tate Modern on May 24. Then on July 5 Patrick will headline Redfest, which is just outside Redhill, Surrey. This is a small, vibrant little festival with no sponsors, no VIP area & no corporate involvement whatsoever.* MP3 at bottom of post.

Enjoy a teaser of his new tune, 'Time Of My Life', here.

MP3: P. Wolf - The Magic Position (Spike Mix)

DFA Releases Video Montage Of MOMA DJ Party

The evening featured sets from The Juan MacLean & Holy Ghost amongst others.


MP3: James Murphy - DFA Radio Mix Part 1

Morrissey Enthusiasts Embrace 'Vulgar Picture'

240 legendary Smiths images.

430 precious Moz portraits.

View the illustrated discography here.

Visit Morrissey on MySpace.

MP3: Moz - Yes, I Am Blind [alt link]

Clash Bassist Shows Off Artwork For BBC

Enjoy Paul Simonon's pieces below. Download a classic Clash track at bottom.


MP3: The Clash - Should I Stay Or Should I Go?

James' New Album Art Stirs Controversy

Paste reports: *The Hey Ma cover art: a baby reaching for a handgun next to a pile of building blocks that spell out the album's title has already stirred up a storm of controversy across the Atlantic. The UK’s Advertising Standards Authority banned the artwork from appearing in any billboard campaigns promoting Hey Ma. Despite the ban, the band elected not to change the album cover. Guitarist Larry Gott said the art was inspired by the story of an American infant who was accidentally issued a firearms license & is meant to convey a powerful message.* Read the rest here.

MP3: Matt Nathanson - Laid (James Cover)

KT Tunstall Gives Guided Tour Of The Tate Modern

Watch her (MySpace approved) trek through the museum in the 3-minute clip below.


MP3: KT Tunstall - Saving My Face

Sigur Ros Frontman Brings Art Project To London

Back in December of '06, I reviewed Riceboy Sleeps.

Brits - here's your chance to see the collection in person:

April 10th - 17th @ Agency Gallery

Further info can be found here.

MP3: Sigur Ros - Staralfur

Say Hello To The All-Britney Art Gallery

E! Online reports: *Will Britney Spears make it to the opening of the art show she inspired? Wouldn’t that be a hoot? Tonight is the opening of Just Britney, a group show featuring more than 30 pieces of art inspired by the pop princess at the World of Wonder gallery in Hollywood. I’m told Ms. Spears has received a formal invite through one of her dancers. She has yet to RSVP. I’m not sure what she’d think about some of the cruder works, but she’s so unpredictable these days, I could imagine her buying a piece or two.*

For sneak peeks into the featured works, check here.

MP3: Britney Spears - Overprotected

Post #3000: The Immortality Of 'Rehab'

Via NME: *A limited edition print commemorating Amy Winehouse's 'Rehab' is set to be released. The print which has been designed by award winning graphic designers Airside, features her lyrics: "They tried to make me go to rehab/But I said no, no, no".

The timing of the release so is somewhat unfortunate, with Winehouse dropping out of V Festival this weekend so she can sort out "health issues" following a much publicised drug overdose last week (August 7). The design of the print is also inspired by the singer. According to a statement: "Airside take their inspiration from not only the lyrics, but also Amy Winehouse's distinctive rebellious style that can be seen all over her body, in the form of body art tattoos.* Learn more/purchase your very own 'Rehab' print here.

MP3: Amy Winehouse - Some Unholy War

Phil Collins Completes Smiths-Inspired Video Installation

Art Daily has all the dirt on this bizarre story: *This fall the Dallas Museum of Art will premiere the final installment of British artist Phil Collins’s completed three-part video project “the world won’t listen.” Filmed in Colombia, Turkey, and Indonesia, the trilogy features fans of the influential British indie-rock band The Smiths singing karaoke tracks from their 1987 hit album “The World Won’t Listen.” The Dallas exhibition, which will also include letters that Morrissey, the band’s iconic lead singer, wrote as a teenager to London music weeklies, marks the first-ever public presentation of the completed trilogy.

He first began work on “the world won’t listen” in 2004, shooting the first chapter of the monumental video trilogy in Bogotá, Colombia. The second part took place in Istanbul, Turkey, and was included in the 9th International Istanbul Biennial; and the third, which will be on view for the first time in Dallas, was filmed in Jakarta, Indonesia. For each iteration, Collins spent over two months researching the project, interviewing, building stages, and filming. Collins appeared on the radio, visited dance clubs, and posted flyers throughout the cities inviting “the shy, dissatisfied, the shower superstar, and anyone who has wanted to be someone else for a night” to come sing karaoke in front of his video camera. The resulting video captures these Smiths fans, an almost cult-like worldwide phenomenon, as they sing their favorite angst-ridden, mournful lyrics by the band’s charismatic singer Morrissey.*

MP3: Phil Collins - In The Air Tonight (via Sola 427)

UPDATE: It's actually not from THAT Phil Collins, but THIS one. Woops!

Joseph Arthur Set To Open Museum In DUMBO

Ohio-bred singer-songwriter Joseph Arthur will unveil MOMAR (that's Museum Of Modern Arthur for those curious) in Brooklyn's DUMBO neighborhood later this week.

According to The Tripwire, 'The MOMAR will be exhibiting Arthur's past and present work, which will be changed up quite frequently, even daily at times.' His art would best be described as De Kooning-esque modern to my naked eye.

MOMAR is located on 25 Jay Street.

For more info on the space, including a slew of sample works, click here.

MP3: 'Ten Crack Commandments'

Sigur Ros Frontman To Display Artwork In Arkansas?!

Last Christmas, I received one of the best gifts this slut could ask for - a limited edition copy of Riceboy Sleeps (review here). For those not familiar with Riceboy Sleeps, in summary, it is an art & music collaboration between Jonsi Birgisson (Sigur Ros frontman) and Alex Somers (his multi-talented boyfriend). Their first picture book (Riceboy Sleeps) was so well-received that the duo has decided to expand its release, visit the US with their art and lastly, to release a 10" vinyl of their premiere single. More info below via Sigur Ros MySpace bulletin.

*For the release of Riceboy Sleeps Jonsi and Alex held an exhibition at Gallery Turpentine in Reykjavik, Iceland, where they exhibited 14 works from the book, each installed in an old, reclaimed window-frame. Since then, Jónsi and Alex have been busy creating new art and music. They plan to release their first single later this year on 10-inch vinyl. They will be traveling to Arkansas, USA in August for their first solo exhibition outside of Iceland. Then, in October, they will be showing their work at the Melbourne International Arts Festival, and will also be a part of the Sequences Art Festival in Reykjavik.

Meanwhile, a second edition of Riceboy Sleeps is being printed - this time without the hand-numbering - and will be released outside of Iceland for the first time. Finally, the boys have a lithographic print for their picture titled ‘In the Sea’. The lithograph was made in an edition of 100 and is signed, stamped and numbered by the artists.

In their own words… Riceboy Sleeps is a project we began a long time ago. We make art and music together. We love to observe and find beauty in the small things. Our goal is to create works that are honest and will inspire and bring hope to people...*

Learn more about Riceboy Sleeps here on its MySpace page.

MP3: Sigur Ros - Staralfur

OTYI Post #12: Warhol & Rothko Each Fetch Over 70 Mill For Single Works

Not too shabby, eh?

Reuters is reporting that yesterday, at a Christie's auction, Andy Warhol's "Green Car Crash (Green Burning Car I)" sold for 71+ million dollars while Mark Rothko's "White Center (Yellow, Pink and Lavender on Rose)" went for close to 73 million bucks. Both of these totals are not only record-breaking for each artist, but record-breaking for Christie's as well. The Rothko piece is the single most costly piece of art ever sold, anywhere to this date, period.

Though the buyers for the pieces are unknown, New York magazine speculates: "Indeed, internal speculation is that two of the four bidders, if not the winner, were Russian. (Rothko was actually born Marcus Rothkowitz in Dvinsk, Russia, in 1903.) Sotheby's had given a hard sell on the painting to buyers who bid on behalf of an art-collecting suite of Russian vodka, metals, and oil oligarchs. Sotheby's auctioneer Tobias Meyer had even argued, perhaps implausibly, that the filmy abstract painting was about 'the immigrant experience.'"

MP3: Art Brut - Modern Art

Cover Art Is Art Too!

NME reports: Iconic album sleeves by the likes of Radiohead and Underworld are to feature in a new exhibition. Cover art created by some of the country's leading designers will feature at the Eyestorm's Bankside Gallery in London.

Contributors to the show include Stanley Donwood, Reggie Pedro, Jason Kedgley and Simon Taylor, who between them have worked for the likes of Gomez, Radiohead and Underworld. The exhibition runs from April 20-May 20. For more information go to eyestorm.com.

Photo from Eye Storm (link above) of Stanley Donwood's work on Radiohead's OK Computer. The piece is called 'Such A Pretty House' (a la the lyric from 'No Surprises').

MP3: Underworld - Born Slippy

Thom Yorke: The Speedpainting

Have any of you gotten MySpace bulletins this weekend regarding the Thom Yorke photoshopped time-lapsed & image-sequenced speedpainting? We've gotten it a ton of different times, and we're more intrigued every single time we view it!

The folks at Geek Army have a 7-minute clip featuring a Thom Yorke portrait being created, via Photoshop, from a blank canvas to completion. It's truly amazing to watch (and the end result is fantastic!). 'Karma Police' and 'Street Spirit' play as the soundtrack to the video.

Check it out here!

MP3: Radiohead - Worrywort