M.I.A

Hello Hello

Just wanted to let you guys know that I'll be M.I.A (missing in action) for the next few days as I'm off to Melbourne later today for an Acclaim event - soo excited!!

So therefore that means I most likely will not be posting anything. I'll probably still be writing a few pieces here and there but I generally will not be able to post.

In the meantime, check out my review (below) of the Lupe Fiasco gig this past Sunday at Sydney's own Enmore Theatre at my second family's website: http://www.thirteenitches.com.au/ or to click straight on to the review: http://www.thirteenitches.com.au/blog/?p=1764

Peace out yo.

Take care.

x

Exploded Photography by Adam Voorhes

The latest works of Adam Voorhes is positively mind-blowing. Literally.

The abovementioned description of Voorhes' work sounds nearly impossibly on paper but when looking at his latest series, Exploding Photography, it is very easy to change your mind.

Ever wondered what you would see if you pulled apart a pistol, an etch-a-sketch, a telephone, or even a frog?

Voorhes has done just that by capturing the dissection of each subject to its most basic elements, and through a great eye and a lot of spare time, has photographed what many are calling a "celebration of deconstruction".

Adam Voorhes is a photographer and an artist but more importantly, he is a creator. Voorhes has the skill to look at an ordinary object and project it to appear incredibly beautiful.

Imagine just the thought process behind coming up with an idea like this.

Amazing and mind-numbing!

*Pictures courtesy of Walyou

DJ AM x NIKE

DJ AM aka Adam Goldstein had a crazy sneaker collection, boasting more than 800 pairs - that's more pairs of shoes/heels/flats/sneakers than I've owned in my lifetime!

Before his tragic death in August, the celebrity DJ announced, via his Twitter profile (@DJ_AM), that he was working on a collaboration with Nike for his own version of the Dunk Hightops.

"This is one of the most amazing moments," AM tweeted earlier this year. "I just HELD the sample of MY OWN NIKE DUNK. I never dreamed this would happen. Wow, THANK YOU G0D."

As you should all know by now DJ AM was found dead earlier this year, on August 28th, in his NYC apartment from what many have claimed a drug overdose.

As you may or may not know, DJ AM was working closely with Nike on a new pair of Dunks for the East/West Rivalry Pack.

Well, photos of the limited kicks hit the internet recently, building anticipation for their release.

The DJ AM and Nike collaboration has produced this black and red Dunk, but it's unfortunate that the late DJ isn’t around to see the product that bears his name make it to production.

No word yet if - or when - these kicks will be hitting our Australian shores.

*Photos courtesy of FreshnessMag

Peace,

chauie

Eibatova Karina ( Eika )

I've fallen in love.

No, not with a boy but with the work of an artist whose eye for intricate lines and attention to detail shines through her dope and whimsical drawings.


The artist in question is Russia-based Eibatova Karina (also known as Eika) and her pencil illustrations are utterly fresh. Check out her latest showcase, Life in the Alphabet, in which she explains,

"The idea of the project is to represent a letter in a natural form and appearance.
Like something alive has turned into a letter and stood still.
In some letters it's possible to find symbolism, others are just an abstract form.
In the alphabet you can find only one human - a woman in space. And one unreal creature - a dragon, also a very symbolical sign. "

Three words: Beautiful, creative and inspiring.



Peace yo,
chauie

Kid Cudi - Man On The Moon: End of Day Review

I purchased Kid Cudi's Man On The Moon: End of Day on Friday night after work but I haven't had a chance to listen to the whole CD right through to the very end without any distractions. Today, however, was the perfect setting as I was in my car.

Picture this: What started out as a warm day, the storms have just stopped and the clouds are seeping through, I'm on my way to pick up my mum from work before we head to the hospital to visit my Aunt.

Listening to Kid Cudi's debut album, it set the perfect tone for the mood I was in and so now, I'm going to break down each track, giving you a review of his album and giving you a very personal insight as to how I felt as each track came on.

1. In My Dreams (Cudder Anthem): This song seems to set the first scene for Cudi's dream. It is like an interlude - a prelude - to set the listener up to what they're in for. Common's narration gives us the literal meaning of what is to come as the tone sets the mood:

'Some may never figure out their purpose in life and some will. There is a lot of us that are caught up in this hell that we all live in, content with being blinded by rules and judgement. We live in a world where it is more okay to follow than to lead. In this world, being a leader is trouble for the system we are all accustomed to. Being a leader in this day and age is being a threat...'

2. Soundtrack 2 My Life: There is so much honesty and sincerity in Cudi's voice in this song, especially during the second half of the song. The lyrics of the hook describes exactly how I feel most days - when you've got issues and demons growing inside you but you don't want anyone to know for fear of their reaction. Upon listening to this track, I felt tears coming on.. especially when I heard this one line: 'I am happy. That's just the saddest lie.' That line broke me.

3. Simple As... : With a hook that's fun and catchy, this song is actually one that is reflective of his current life, singing about what he should be twittering next (although now he has now deleted his Twitter account due to too many haters tweeting him shit) which is kind of a contradiction to what he sings here: 'I will live through a song, I'll be strong to the haters' .

Common's narration comes back in and introduces the nightmare stage of Cudi's continuing dream...

4. Mr. Solo Dolo (Nightmare): First time I heard this track, it was an unmastered version but even then it sent shivers down my spine... Hearing the mastered track driving in the car, the tone of the track set me into a dark mood as well. Cudi's voice is so eery on this track but the lyrics and mood set volumes for me. Definitely a standout track for me and one of my favourites. 'Why must I feel so wrong when I try and do right?... Why must it feel so right when I know that it's wrong?'

5. Heart of a Lion: The continuing of a nightmare, a Kid crying out for help. A Kid that needs saving. A Kid that speaks out the same way I've always wanted to. But this Kid imagines himself going (and meeting his haters in) Hell coz of all the shit that he has had to go through and the way he's been treated. That was me. Still is. This Kid however is listening to his mother's advice and 'at the end of the day [I'm] walking with the heart of a lion'.

6. My World: A song dedicated to those who didn't think he could make it. A song for the haters if you will. A song that made me think about all of those who followed the same path and saw me differently because I decided to break out of the usual stereotype and follow my own path... Especially in highschool, you get 'told' that you should continue the 'correct' path and continue on with your studies. I tried but dropped out and that's when the judgement on my life began. That was the point and those were the people that lead me to wear the disguise I still wear sometimes today. This track definitely had me thinking about that, almost leaving me angry, when I remembered I used to think that maybe they were right about me.
'As I grew to be a teen, I disguised myself. Had the lowest self-esteem.'

7. Day n Nite: Released over two years ago but still a big hit internationally today, it made sense for Cudi to weave this track into the album as his nightmare continues on although this track is a bit of a mix between feelings. A sad track if you really break down the lyrics: 'Madness to magnet keeps attracting me. I try to run but see I'm not that fast. I think I'm first but surely finish last (last).'

8. Sky Might Fall: Just as this track was starting, little droplets of rain came down on to my car window. The sun was disappearing slowly setting a very beautiful picture of the sun setting as I kept driving on. The message throughout this song and especially within the hook explains that even when things are all spiralling downhill, Cudi will not be giving up, giving us all a little bit of sense of hope that we should be doing the same - 'The sky might fall but I'm not worried at all'.

9. Enter Galactic (Love Connection Part I): A bit of a love song where we find Cudi singing, whispering and speaking his thoughts all throughout. 'If you can't do what you imagine, then what is imagination to you?' Common's narration comes back in setting us to the scene for which Cudi finds himself in his 'sanctuary'.

10. Alive: The sprinkling of rain has stopped by now and the dark clouds have rolled through. The night sky is turning black and I'm looking for the moon to make its way through especially as I listen to the lyrics of this track: 'Everytime the moon shines, I come alive'. That's me. I'm such a night owl. When the sky is dark and everyone is asleep, I come out of my shell and I start writing. I go to my happy place. I get into my zone...

11. Cudi Zone: The title says it all really. Cudi spits about all things positive. At least he puts a positive spin on all the bad things that has happened in the past. He's in his zone and that's when he feels at his best. 'When I'm zoned, I'm feeling alright, I'm feeling alright. I forget about it all.' That's how I feel when I'm in my zone. When I'm writing. I block out all the outside noise and distractions (even people) and I just do what I need to do - write.

12. Make Her Say: A fun but dirty song that pokes (no pun intended) fun at Lady Gaga's hit, 'Poker Face'. A track that started out as a random experimental freestyle between Cudi and "older brother" Kanye West, turned out to be a hit with fans alike and with Common added into the mix, it brings the listener into what Cudi deems as his fantasy. Is it wrong that I'm female but I like this dirty dirty song? LoL

13. Pursuit of Happiness: Ratatat's production on this track featuring new indie electro Aussie act MGMT, has the dream taking a turn back into a nightmarish stage as Cudi goes on a search for his pursuit of happiness. 'I'll be fine once I get it. I'll be good.' With an apparent influence of electro elements, somehow it seems to work with Cudi's representation of fresh hip hop elements.

14. Hyerr: This track introducers fellow Cleveland rapper, Chip the Ripper, whilst the two describe the feeling, the day, as they light up their blunts and smoke up and the dream like state they get into. Having never done anything like lighting up joints and smoking up, (despite my friends' pressure sometimes to do it) I can't exactly relate to this track but the combination of Cudi and Chip the Ripper together is something I've come to know and love especially with past tracks like 'T.G.I.F (Thank God I'm Fresh)' and 'Ask About Me'. For those who have never heard of Chip, I already knew that the two coming together for a track on this album would be a winning combination, so even though I don't know the feeling of getting high, I have nothing negative to say about this track. The more I listen to it, the more I like it.

15. Up, Up and Away: The final scene of this movie. The song that sets the credits rolling in as the movie comes to an end. 'I'll be up up up and away. They gon' judge me anyway so whatever'. I had picked up my mum by this stage and we were on the way to hospital. This track came on and my mum chose this moment to bring me down. My own mother is my worst judge. She chose that moment to remind me of my achievements, or lack of. It's like of all the things I've done in life, nothing has pleased her. Nothing has made her proud. ....She's gonna judge me anyway.. so whatever.

Common's voice comes back in to tell us that this movie has come to an end but to also give us the sense that the journey of the Man on the Moon has not yet reached his destination.

There's also a bonus track of the Crooker's remix of Day n Nite which still gets played in the clubs in present time. Went out a couple weeks and I got so excited when I heard it in the club. :0)

Kid Cudi has without a doubt become one of my favourite male artists. With his beats, his freestyles, his lyrics and the deeper meaning of the messages within those messages, sometimes I feel like he's stepped into my past and is spitting about the same shit that I went through. It's crazy to find an artist that is so true and sincere in his songs that it touches people and makes them relate in a way you never thought possible.

With this album, Cudi didn't disappoint. Although I had already half of the songs streamed online within the past year or so, they were the unmastered versions. To hear the final mastered and mixed versions of the songs on this album and seeing how they all flowed together to tell the story that Cudi wanted to tell just made it all for the better.

I'm glad I didn't download the leaked version of his debut and waited to purchase the CD. My friends downloaded it and gave me mixed reviews of what they thought. I'm glad I waited to listen to it on my own terms. I'm glad I didn't listen to it with their thoughts and judgement in my mind. I'm glad that I let the lyrics create their own interpretation and helped me relate to all the shit that Cudi must have gone through..

Kid Cudi - Man on the Moon: End of Day = 5/5

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

By the way, we received a call a few hours ago that my Aunt didn't make it. 90 minutes after I had left the hospital and gotten home. 10pm is when we received the call. Ten minutes after she passed, the phone rang.

Don't think I'll be sleeping tonight but this review has helped me pass the time until morning comes and the sun is rising. Unfortunately for me I have to go into work tomorrow. I could call in sick but I think I'll do better with a distraction. In saying that though, I don't think I'll be strong enough to attend class or the alternative of the Girl's Night at the Movies... :(

I'm just going to lie here now and wait for the sun to rise and seep through my window blinds.

All cried out (at least for the night),

chauie

Gravity..

I love the aptitude that oozes from Sara Bareilles.

You may all remember her from her debut single 'Love Song' which got plenty of radio airplay on an international level, reaching number 1 in charts in many countries. Her second single, 'Bottle It Up', didn't quite match the same success as her first but still increased her popularity within the music scene and amongst her fans.

Love Song was enough for me to hear it a couple of times and convinced me to purchase her album late last year. And what a great decision that was coz still, even from that day of purchase, each day, I must scroll through my ipod and listen to that one song starting with the letter G.. hehe

(picture credit: http://www.lostthingsfound.blogspot.com/)

Her debut album is a good collection of piano-based songs chronicled around her life, relationships and experiences. Listening through it on the first run, I recognised influences of Norah Jones and Fiona Apple and personally compared her to Sarah McLachlan.

But Bareilles' album, Little Voice, should not have been called that. As you listen to each song on the 12-track album from beginning to the end, you'll hear the sincerity and honesty in her voice.

All the way to the last track, which happens to be my favourite and her latest single, 'Gravity', you'll notice that this talented young lady is so much more than just a girl with a "little voice". She's a woman whose beauty and talent shines through a much bigger voice than she may believes she has.

Check out the video to Gravity, a stand out track on her album.

(NB: Video doesn't seem to want to appear on my blog at the moment so here's the link to the official video)

Peace.

chauie

Anjulie

I've found a new artist I'm falling in love with.

With her exotic good looks and witty lyrics, singer and songwriter Anjulie is one of few artists that i like to call 'a breath of fresh air into the music scene'. :)

(picture credit: www.urb.com)

Born in Toronto, Canada but currently residing in Los Angeles, her melodies and her lyrics ooze a sense of fun into the self-penned songs of her debut self-titled album.

Her sound has been described by critics as similar to that of [fellow Canadian] 'Nelly Furtado with a touch of Duffy' - an electic mix if you will.

I prefer to say that her album sounds like hip hop mixed with pop with lyrics that are clever yet sweet. Her songs, especially the hooks, are catchy and I can't stop listening and singing along!

Her debut single 'Boom' is slowly getting the attention it deserves over here in Australia, but I'm sure we'll see more of this girl when the time comes for her to completely shine.

Until then, check out the official video:

Anjulie - Boom

Peace out.

chauie

Throwback: A Fine Frenzy

I've decided I'm going to do a few throwbacks on this blog. Basically pieces that I've written for 13itches or other sites in the past that are still cool in my book - whether it be the content itself or the writing. Sometimes when I write, the words just flow and I read it back and think, 'wow, where did that come from?' hehe
Anyways here's my first throwback:

~

A Fine Frenzy

It seems these days music is cool until everybody “discovers” them.

When that happens, they’ve either “sold out” or become too “hipster”.

I’ve been listening to the music of 22-year-old Allison Sudol. To most, that name won’t ring a bell. But to some, the pseudonym she uses, A Fine Frenzy, just might.

Listing her inspirations and influences from a wide range of artists such as Radiohead, Aqualung, Coldplay, Bjork, Sigur Ros and the like, her sound has been described as ‘hypnotic piano arrangements under classic American melodies’.

Hailing from Seattle, Sudol is a self-taught pianist and definitely one of the better singer-songwriters to look out for.

Check out the official video of a song that’s (still) high on rotation on my ipod – Almost Lover:

Peace out.
chauie

The Uniform Project

Could you wear 1 dress and create different looks for 365 days?

Sheena Matheiken thinks she can and has been doing so since May 1st, 2009!

(picture credit: http://www.theuniformproject.com/ )

The idea for The Uniform Project sparked Matheiken to also have the fashion blog create exposure and donations for the Akanksha Foundation, a 'grassroots movement that it revolutionising education in India'.

7 duplicates of the dress, designed by Eliza Starbuck, were made to represent each day of the week for Matheiken to wear and style it to her own unique and individual look. The dress, which was designed to be able to be worn both ways - back and front - and also as an open tunic, is the blank canvas for Matheiken to layer and accessorise to her heart's content.

Matheiken asks that you 'think of it as wearing a daily uniform with enough creative license to make it look like I just crawled out of the Marquis de Sade's boudoir'.

Check out her daily ensembles here:

http://www.theuniformproject.com/

To any budding accessories / jewellery designers, Matheiken is happy to add a little touch to her outfits with your designs - feel free to contact her at the above site. Those who weren't blessed with the creative touch can help out Matheiken by donating to the Akanksha Foundation.

Enjoy.
chauie

Jade – It’s My Heart, Cookie (EP)

So I was having a random conversation with my workmates the other day at lunch and we went over a topic I'm sure we've all discussed once in our lives: what's the one thing you could not live without?

The usual answers came up - chocolate, their car, food, sleep, etc but my answer was music. I have to have music playing in my life every day - whether it be through my earphones or just playing in the background, it's just one thing I can't live without.

I love listening to what new artists are throwing out there and seeing how they’re experimenting with all elements of music to create a fresh and unique sound. Here’s one artist that I came across reading Kid Cudi’s blog (http://www.kidcudi.com/) a while back.

(picture credit: http://www.myspace.com/jadeismusic)


I’ve had this EP for a few months now and at first I didn't want to share it. Sometimes you just want to keep the things you find secret and underground for fear that they’ll later become too mainstream and hipster. But I think everyone needs to listen to this young spirit right here.

Jade sings from and for the heart, mind, body and soul. Her lyrics are often described as ‘real and soulful’, and while that is true, her sound seems to reveal elements of rhythm and blues, with touches of experimental and candy-coated catchy pop aspects.

At the tender age of 22, Jade, born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, has only an EP out thus far, but she’s already got a growing following on MySpace and hopefully, in due time will be a rising artist.

‘I write whatever makes me feel good and I hope it makes you feel good too’, she says (via her MySpace account – http://www.myspace.com/jadeismusic).

Click the following link to download her EP, listen and see what I’m talking about:

http://www.zshare.net/download/58014457f31c8a89/

(If that doesn’t work, you can grab the link from her My Space.)

Hope you guys like it as much as I did when I first heard it! :)

Peace out.
x
chauie