Stiff Upper Lip

Tonight

2012-03-05T01:23:00.000-06:00

Also, I guess you can't take a screen shot of something playing in iTunes.

its Soundtrack 2/28

2012-02-29T03:13:00.001-06:00

I'm about 90% sure they played this song when I saw them last August. It had more fire live, but that's how they are. Looks like I need to get my turntable up and running by March 13. At the beginning of the month I saw Lesbian Poetry at the Space for Ames anniversary show. He opened with a Bob Dylan cover, and promptly walked away from the mic into the crowd belting out the lyrics

Early Spring

2012-02-22T17:24:00.000-06:00

It was warm enough to go for a walk in a t-shirt today, February 22. Really nature?

January Production Numbers

2012-02-22T00:52:00.000-06:00

The fifth in a monthly series where I track my ad numbers as infographics. SIZE: original 11" X 17" reduced to 6.473" X 10" TYPE: knockout (H&FJ, 1994) Here are some details, screenshots actually, so they're lower rez. Click for larger views.

2012-02-21T21:41:00.000-06:00

its Soundtrack 2/21: <3 Midwest Weekly Aural Fixation. We didn't have to wait long, here's Trouble Lights' first video. And speaking of the Iowa scene, the Des Moines Music Coalition posted a good article on it today. An excellent scene primer if you're new to the area. My friend Andrew moved to Omaha, NE, about 6-8 months ago, and has just recently been turning me on to

Spin Magazine Redesign

2012-02-21T19:14:00.000-06:00

Too bad my copy has that GIANT blank address label mucking up the cover. I got the March/April issue of Spin magazine in the mail yesterday and I was pleasantly surprised by their new look and approach. Not to say their old visual identity was bad, it just wasn't that exciting. And as an on-and-off subscriber over the last 8 years, this was dear to my heart. They have also come to the

its Soundtrack 2/13

2012-02-13T18:25:00.001-06:00

Weekly Aural Fixation. I've heard lots of good things about Fairfield's Trouble Lights, so it really sucked when I missed seeing them a few weeks ago. Anyway, wont have to wait much longer to hear them. I had one of those oh, yeah, this song moments yesterday... and the day before... Another week, another new Shins song.

its Soundtrack 2/8

2012-02-08T00:49:00.004-06:00

Weekly Aural Fixation. Finally picked up a copy of El Camino. Easily my least favorite Keys album to date, but that still makes it pretty good. It's fun and doesn't take itself too seriously and I can appreciate that. Shins b-side. Very Shinsy. Note: I wrote this Monday, and I think it's mostly blown over, but I'm going to post it anyway. I watched the Super Bowl

Imagine pitching this to your editor...

2012-02-02T18:27:00.003-06:00

"So, we've got the two planes, right..." Charles Apple posted the new Businessweek cover. It's lewd, but straight to the point and very gutsy. Par for Businessweek lately. Also, love the Marvin Gaye reference.

its Soundtrack 1/31

2012-01-31T19:09:00.002-06:00

Weekly Aural Fixation. Thanks for the heads-up on this Brett. Solo album from Jack White! And there's already a single out. Sounds good, somewhere between acoustic White Stripes and Raconteurs. Oops, is my fanboy showing? Lovin' this song, but I don't think Come On In is the best introduction to RL Burnside. New A Place to Bury Strangers!

Micro Letterpress

2012-01-24T12:35:00.000-06:00

This very adorable, very impractical letterpress was made by Ishac Bertran. More photos and a video of it in action here. This really makes me want to do something with all of the lead type I have boxed up under my bed.

its Soundtrack 1/23: Formerly Monday Music

2012-01-23T13:30:00.000-06:00

Weekly Aural Fixation. As I mentioned last week, Music Monday is a more common name than I thought, so this weekly music section needed a new name. I decided to go with the name its Soundtrack for now. It goes along with the header, which is something of a loose mission statement. It's same old Monday music post, just a new name. LOVE the new Sleigh Bells single. Grinnell College has

Magnificent Man Magazine

2012-01-21T22:55:00.000-06:00

Last week I stumbled upon Magnificent Man via Coverjunkie. Visually beautiful it seems to be designed by fellow Neutraface fans (see blog header above). It focuses on more traditionally manly pursuits (exploration, cars, planes and firearms) than their contemporaries. MM has put out two issues so far, both can be viewed on their site. And their online viewer comes with cover animations,

RIP Megaupload

2012-01-20T08:18:00.000-06:00

Please excuse me, I'm going to get political for a moment. It looks like we got a preview of a post-SOPA world yesterday with the downfall of Megaupload. And the retort was a fast even by current standards. It's really beautiful to see what can happen when so many different groups with different goals come together to fight a common enemy. Even co-writer Chuck Grassley has backed off a bit, not

December Production Numbers

2012-01-18T00:48:00.000-06:00

The fourth in a monthly series where I track my ad numbers as infographics. SIZE: original 11" X 17" reduced to 5.173" X 8" TYPE: neutraface (house industries, 2002), with a few modifications.

BlogLove VIII: Coverjunkie

2012-01-17T11:30:00.000-06:00

A series where I gush over my favorite web logs. "Coverjunkie is all about creativity and inspiration. An addiction to magazine covers that smack you in the face or you wanna lick.Your daily shot of highlights from all around the world. We celebrate ace covers and their inspirational designers (and yeah, Kate Moss)." Cover porn for those of us who still fetishize the periodical. Need I say

Music Monday 1/16

2012-01-16T07:16:00.000-06:00

Weekly Aural Fixation. Most listens by far this week was Future This, the sophomore album from The Big Pink. I liked their first album, A Brief History of Love, because of a couple of strong singles. I absolutely loved the guitar sound, and some of it has carried over to this album. Overall I like this one a little more, it feels more consistently good, but I'm missing a Dominoes-like

Southwest Chief December 2011

2012-01-15T21:38:00.002-06:00

As promised, here are some pictures from my train ride last month. A blurry view of the engines. Landscape and reflections on the windows. Another landscape with reflections. Still using glass insulators. Unfortunately I don't remember what state any of these pictures were taken in. My sister in the Kansas City station.

I Guess There Are Worse Ways to Spend $25

2012-01-13T06:41:00.000-06:00

Went to a local camera shop a few days ago to see if I could get the shutter on my Canonet looked at (it has been sticking for a year or so), but had no luck. I guess no one services them anymore, at least not in Iowa. Although, I did luck on to a couple accessories for the Minolta. I was a bit skeptical of the flash, price tag was $5, but four AA batteries later and it seems to be in working

Music Monday: 1/9

2012-01-09T18:37:00.002-06:00

Weekly Aural Fixation. A March 6 release date has been set for the new Andrew Bird album. The next couple of months are shaping up well. Not much new this week. Just more Weeknd and Dale Earnhardt Jr Jr.

Music Monday 1/4: Wednesday, Post-Caucus Edition

2012-01-04T17:15:00.001-06:00

Weekly Aural Fixation. Last week I posted a bit prematurely, and since I was out of town and without my computer, it didn't get fixed. I'll try harder this week. First song off the new Weeknd mixtape. Darn good. Digging It's a Corporate World. Poison Control Center finally release a rock opera they wrote in 1999? Cat Power covers herself. Again. But for charity this time.

2012-01-04T02:18:00.000-06:00

100th Blog Post! Whoop.

Caucus Time!

2012-01-03T20:06:00.000-06:00

With national media honed in on my home state tonight I just want to take a second so this clever fellow can correct any misconceptions you may have about Iowa.

Music Monday 12/26

2011-12-26T18:30:00.000-06:00

Oh, this wasn't finished before it was set to post. My bad. Weekly Aural Fixation. I was feeling a bit unadventurous this week, so I decided to change that. I know It's terrible, but I had only heard covers of Captain Beefheart until this week. My introduction was 1970's Lick My Decals Off Baby, and I can immediately hear his influence on everyone from Tom Waits to Man Man. For a 40 year old

Family Holiday 2011

2011-12-22T18:01:00.002-06:00

I'll be taking Amtrack to Albuquerque this Sunday. The family have traveled this way before, 2005 & 2009, and it's a great way to travel. Provided you're not in too much of a hurry, it takes about as long as driving. Usually makes for some good pictures too. Probably wont take my computer, so there'll be no posts until the new year (with the exception of Music Monday, already in progress). But

November Production Numbers

2011-12-20T01:00:00.000-06:00

The third in a monthly series where I track my ad numbers as infographics.

Music Monday 12/19

2011-12-19T17:54:00.000-06:00

Weekly Aural Fixation. That was fast. This song doesn't stray too far from Treats, my fears of a large departure were a bit premature. I know who my valentine is going to be this year. This EP has been a grown on me. Memoryhouse has been on my radar for a while. Their lp is out Feb 28th, and they have a single up for streaming/download. The Kids Were Wrong is a lot less

Winter Socks

2011-12-16T07:59:00.002-06:00

Hell yes.

Music Monday 12/12

2011-12-12T18:14:00.000-06:00

Weekly Aural Fixation. Missed Miike Snow's 2009 debute (with the exception of a remix). I guess that was a mistake because Silvia has been stuck in my head this week. Not really sure what to make of the video, it looks like a post-apocalyptic society burning an effigy of a jackalope (a symbol of their band?). They have a new single out too, it's here. And now a song with a more

Music Monday 12/6 or 8: I be chamomile sippin'

2011-12-05T15:34:00.001-06:00

Weekly Aural Fixation. It's that time of year again... I listened to the new Black Keys album once. First impressions are mixed. Went ahead and deleted the Salem EP, but Moon Killer has some bright spots. New Sleigh Bells trailer! Love me some Treats, this might be a bit of a departure.

Long Exposure

2011-12-03T04:00:00.000-06:00

About a month ago I realized that I hadden't tried many shots with a longer exposure. I had done a few, but just to compensate for a really dark room. And as I am still very much a beginning photographer, I feel like I should be more well-rounded. So here are a few I took for no other purpose. Commuters. The elevator was a bit too bright and this turned into an intentional

Production Numbers: October

2011-11-30T15:25:00.001-06:00

Finally got around to graphing my production numbers from last month, just in time to start thinking about this month's numbers.

2011-11-29T16:24:00.000-06:00

Plog, best name ever.

Music Monday 11/28: Confessions of a Former Leak Fan

2011-11-28T15:38:00.001-06:00

Weekly Aural Fixation. Pretty much my week. I did get one listen in to both Small Black's mixtape (available from them, here, fo free) and the new Salem EP, but neither enough to have an opinion yet. Did finally pick up physical copies of Deerhunter and A.A. Bondy's last albums. Worth it. I probably will do a Tuesday post next week so I can listen to the new Black Keys album, it looks

Music Monday 11/21

2011-11-21T18:30:00.000-06:00

Weekly Aural Fixation. A bit lacking on the new music this week. Kept the Atlas Sound up at work... and quite a bit of Cat Power too, mostly Moon Pix and Jukebox. Chan always makes for good post-breakup listening. As is this album. However, Class Actress' Rapproacher is not. A bit too close to home maybe? I'll have to wait a while to give that one another listen. The new issue of

Shooting with Expired Film

2011-11-20T09:30:00.000-06:00

Scanned selections from the few rolls of Tri-X Pan I shot last spring. The film looks pretty good for having expired in 1996-97.

Iowa State Daily Saturday Online-Only Football Edition

2011-11-19T17:55:00.001-06:00

So I was at work during most of the game, but I can now add my voice collective gasp of astonishment uttered by Iowa State fans after last night's game. I've never been a big fan of football, and to be honest, the game wasn't on my radar. The reason I mention this because my friends and former co-workers at the Iowa State Daily have put out an awesomely unorthodox Saturday online-only edition (

Music Monday 11/14: On Time this Week!

2011-11-14T09:00:00.000-06:00

Weekly Aural Fixation. I don't know who took this, but if you do, let me know. I listened to Parallax a lot this week. I overlooked Atlas Sound's last album, and haven't heard his first, so this came as a surprise. Not surprising as in, Bradford Cox put out a good album, but surprising in that it wasn't on my radar. It sounds like the last Deerhunter album mixed with a science fiction theme,

Blue Light

2011-11-13T19:08:00.001-06:00

Music Monday 11/9: Late Wednesday Edition

2011-11-09T16:00:00.001-06:00

Weekly Aural Fixation. I guess My Bloody Valentine's Loveless was released 20 years ago last friday. Still having a little trouble getting into the rest of Class Actresses Rapprocher, it doesn't immediately strike me like Keep You. First listen of Youth Lagoon's The Year of Hibernation wasn't bad, not sure if it's worth the hype, I kinda thought that sound was on it's way out. But a few more

Scenes From the Neighborhood 2

2011-11-06T18:20:00.000-06:00

Went for a much-needed walk this afternoon and took some pictures around the neighborhood.

BlogLove VII: Display

2011-11-02T17:17:00.000-05:00

A series where I gush over my favorite web logs. This series hasn't been as regular as it once was, I'll try to do better. This time: Display It's no wonder I love this site, an archive of mid-20th century ephemera is pretty much the definition of things I fetishize. October was a good month for content as the NASA branding feature grabbed some deserved attention. I would also suggest the

Oh, hey.

2011-11-01T00:30:00.000-05:00

I guess ISO50, a blog I love, and I have a similar taste in vintage National Geographic photography. Their post and my poster.

Music Monday 10/31: Scary Lack of Internet Edition

2011-10-31T16:39:00.001-05:00

Weekly Aural Fixation. I haven't had internet at my apartment for about a week now, and posting will probably be spotty (or spottier) for the next few weeks. So for new music I actually had to get off the couch and travel to the neighborhood record store. Good thing, because I found William Elliott Whitmore's Field Songs. On the second listen now and it's sounding pretty good. Also Listened to

Port #3

2011-10-25T18:44:00.003-05:00

I'm pretty excited because this came in the mail today. Really good men's magazine from across the pond. Heard about it on magCulture and found the second issue at a local chain bookstore by accident. They didn't reorder this issue (it sounds like I was the only person who picked it up, wtf Des Moines) so I had to get it online. The content is similar to Esquire (I'm not too familiar with GQ

Music Monday 10/24

2011-10-24T16:46:00.000-05:00

Weekly Aural Fixation. Giving Tom Waits' Bad As Me a first listen. It's out today on Anti-. Haven't really listened to a full album of his before, only random songs, but loving what I'm hearing. Talk Talk's Laughing Stock reissue got a well-deserved score from P4k. And, oddly enough for me, a lot of Lil Wayne at work this week, just felt like getting out of my comfort zone. And

2011-10-23T15:27:00.001-05:00

So I try not to do too much re-posting, but Design Observer's Accidental Mysteries was really good this week. Check it out here.

RIP Elliott Smith

2011-10-22T20:46:00.001-05:00

Elliott photographed by Autumn de Wilde So I didn't get it posted, but yesterday was the 8th anniversary of the passing of Elliott Smith. I've always felt bad because I didn't hear about him until a year after his passing, but his music still had a profound effect on the latter half of my adolescence.

Music Monday 10/17

2011-10-17T19:07:00.000-05:00

Weekly Aural Fixation. Both M83 and Justice both have albums out this month (tomorrow and the 25th, respectively). I've gotten to listen to them both now and I'm not sure what to think. Justice's Audio, Video, Disco is just as epic sounding as †, even if the production has been smoothed over (more D.A.N.C.E. than Waters of Nazareth). The opening and closing songs along with Cannon and

Production Numbers: September

2011-10-11T00:30:00.000-05:00

I haven't done any infographics in a while and I'm in need of some projects, so decided to take my September production numbers from work and visualize them. The first week was the week ending in Friday the 2nd, the fifth week was the one ending in Friday the 30th. Also, just some shameless self-promotion, put up a photography page on my portfolio site with some of the photos I have taken over

New Header!

2011-10-10T18:36:00.000-05:00

As you can see I put up a new blog header. I've been wanting a change for a while, the old one was a little too heavy. This one is quite a bit lighter and I like the metaphor of the bison to the midwestern print designer (one is a once thriving plains animal; the other, a once thriving plains animal). Might tweak the kerning in the next few days, I'll see how it settles in.

Monday Music 10/10: Ho-hum

2011-10-10T11:20:00.000-05:00

Weekly Aural Fixation. Not a lot of new stuff this week. First impressions of the new James Blake EP are mixed. I'm not a huge fan of his, but I appreciate his sound and direction. His self-titled album has been one of the most interesting and progressive albums I've heard this year, it's just that the vocal effects wear on me after a half an album. The collaboration with Bon Iver is worth a

That's so Analogue

2011-10-08T08:30:00.000-05:00

Over the last year I've noticed a lot of people using the camera filter application Instagram, and others, to create digital images that look like the pictures take by toy and instant cameras. The effect can be interesting, but it's not hard to tell the digital images from the ones taken by cameras that can't also tell you the current weather in Germany. I see this as part of our current

KOWAI

2011-10-07T10:18:00.000-05:00

This showed up a couple weeks ago by a construction site a few blocks away. Not sure what the XOXO is for, or if the rope is part of it, but it's 4 colors and at least part stencil.

Good Morning DSM

2011-10-06T08:41:00.000-05:00

Monday Music 10/4

2011-10-04T18:14:00.000-05:00

Weekly Aural Fixation. Feist's Metals is out today. My initial reaction is good, really digging the first song (above) and a couple others. I don't think there's a song with the commercial appeal of 1234, or the infectious stomp of I Feel It All, but solid non-the-less. Really good couple of weeks for concerts in central Iowa. Lupe Fiasco in Ames tomorrow night, The Drums are in town

2011-09-28T19:57:00.001-05:00

If you're not rocking out you'll have to sit down. - a mom scolding her ~8 year old son at a rockabilly show at The House of Bricks last weekend

Music Monday: 9/28

2011-09-28T19:11:00.000-05:00

Weekly Aural Fixation. Last week I had one of those times where you hear a song and feel that you have to hear every album by that band a.s.a.p. After a handful of listens to The Drums and Portamento I'm a bit disappointed. The singles are good but the rest of the albums don't quite live up. Oh, hey there Feist's new album stream. Pretty late on new Battles, but liking. Not

Lucky Old Sundog

2011-09-20T02:00:00.000-05:00

I met this busker during my quest to find a self-serve copy machine yesterday afternoon. He called himself Old Lucky Sundog, I snapped a few pictures and we talked for a few minutes. Pretty interesting fellow.

Music Monday 9/19: New Music Ingestion Week

2011-09-19T17:20:00.001-05:00

Weekly Aural Fixation. I listened to Sound Kapitol at work a lot this week. Didn't really give it due listening the first time around. Love the new St. Vincent. Much of the sound reminds me of Black Rainbow and Marrow from her last album, but some song like opener Cloe in the Afternoon and lead single Surgeon have vocals that remind me of the girls from The Dirty Projectors.

BlogLove VI: Put This On

2011-09-15T20:21:00.001-05:00

A series where I gush over my favorite web logs. "A Web Series About Dressing Like a Grownup" About a year ago I was introduced to the men's clothing blog/site Put This On by way of the design and culture blog The Fox is Black, I watched an episode or two and forgot about it. I was reminded of it recently and I'm now about done with the first season. The first season is comprised of

Typography at the Iowa State Fair

2011-09-14T19:33:00.002-05:00

This year I went to the Iowa State Fair for the first time in years. Made the mistake of going on the last day (August 21) so all of the animals were gone and most of the exhibits and vendors were winding down. Here some pictures of interesting type I found. What I saw ranged from charming hand painted signs to garish photoshopped monstrosities. I've included a little of both. Keep in mind

Music Monday 9/13

2011-09-13T18:21:00.002-05:00

Weekly Aural Fixation. Whoop! Out today, thoughts next week. You Ain't No Picasso has put together a covers archive for St. Vincent over here. Included are the excellent live version of the Beatles Dig a Pony and the version of Jackson Browne's These Days (in the style of the Nico cover) from the Paris is Burning EP. Speaking of today's releases, Blind Pilot's We Are The Tide is out

Late Summer Reading List 2k11

2011-09-06T12:46:00.000-05:00

During college, when I lived with my parents during the summers I would come up with a summer reading list. This was partly to pass the time, and partly to pick up classics that I skipped over in adolescence. So far I've gotten through: Naked by David Sedaris Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway Not really sure what's next, I'll

Music Monday 9/6: Late Holiday Hold out Edition

2011-09-06T12:28:00.000-05:00

Weekly Aural Fixation. Officially resisted the leaks for Believers and Strange Mercy and their respective NPR streams! Good old-fashion waiting for the albums to come out. And it doesn't help that my internet has been incredibly slow the last few weeks. Fellow Iowan William Elliott Whitmore has a Daytrotter session up with songs from his new album, which I still haven't heard. Also, digging

Waterloo Air Show

2011-09-01T19:20:00.001-05:00

Click for larger version. Last Saturday Jon, Jared and I went on our yearly trip to an airshow, but this year we went to Waterloo instead of the Quad Cities. The weather was perfect, so I got my customary forehead sunburn which is pretty much gone now. Took my camera and shot with a 70-300 and a doubler, for the first time. Turns out F-16s going 400 miles an hour aren't the easiest thing to

Music Monday 8/29

2011-08-29T20:05:00.000-05:00

Weekly Aural Fixation. Beirut's The Rip Tide out tomorrow! A.A. Bondy has a new album out next month! NPR had a song up at the beginning of the month. Believers is out the 13th, same day as the new St. Vincent, looks like it'll be an expensive trip to the record shop. Speaking of St. Vincent, a couple live videos for new songs here. I only listened to one, think I'm going to wait until the

Businessweek Redesign Props

2011-08-29T18:51:00.000-05:00

Since their redesign 16 months ago I've been very tempted to pick up several copies of Bloomberg Businessweek just based on the covers alone. Looks like MagCulture agrees.

Music Monday 8/22

2011-08-22T13:34:00.001-05:00

Weekly Aural Fixation. Another kinda slow week for new music. Listened to part of Male Bonding's Endless Now, enjoying it so far. A little slower then their debut, but still has a similar sound. Two songs from the album available at SubPop. It's out next week. Doesn't look like their tour will bring them anywhere near Iowa, so much for a third show in Grinnell. Speaking of which...

Brits put out magazine in 2 days.

2011-08-15T20:03:00.000-05:00

The blog MagCulture (previously mentioned here) ad //STACK held an experimental magazine production in London this past weekend. Their goal was to create a magazine between 10 AM Saturday morning and deadline last night, using submitted content. They also encouraged people to drop by their workspace to drop off their work or help with the production. There are posts on the progress here and a

Music Monday 8/15

2011-08-15T09:08:00.015-05:00

Weekly Aural Fixation. After hearing about all the graffiti on the Figure 8 wall in LA this makes me happy. It looks pretty rough but a little love is better than none. Listened to The Antlers' Burst Apart after a recommendation this week. Hadden't really gotten into Hospice, but I warmed up to this one. Opener I Don't Want Love got me hooked, still working the rest of the album, catchy and

The things that go "Tilt" in the night

2011-08-15T05:16:00.003-05:00

So, Monday nights I try to stay up later to make it easier on myself Monday nights for work, but I didn't really intend on staying up until 5 watching Top Gear (yes, since that last post) and trying my hand at the tilt-shift effect again. I think it turned out better this time, but still not perfect. (It probably didn't help that I took the picture at 6 AM, on the same day as this one.)

Radio Show 8/8 Playlist

2011-08-14T21:49:00.000-05:00

Click for the full size version. So, in my college days I had a regular show at KURE in Ames. (I carried over the name of the show to this blog). I was in town last weekend, and since there were no shows scheduled for that day, I decided to saunter on over and sit in the studio for a bit. Casey recommended a couple albums to listen to, opinions in tomorrow's Monday Music.

Font Face

2011-08-14T21:28:00.000-05:00

So, I'm waiting for Top Gear to load and found this on IDSGN, interesting concept, no idea how it works, but it looks like it based on this FaceOSC program. And some people have found other applications. Probably doesn't help my buffer times...

Music Monday 8/8

2011-08-08T09:44:00.004-05:00

Weekly Aural Fixation. So, this is terrible, but I haven't really listened to anything new in the last week... Listened to a lot of Cults at work, and The Horrors album comes out tomorrow. But that's about it.

Scenes From the Neighborhood

2011-08-07T15:25:00.001-05:00

I finally got out to take some pictures to the south of my apartment. A couple of my favorites after the jump. And just because, one from the old neighborhood. Oh, Campus Ave graffiti.

Music Monday 8/1

2011-08-01T15:53:00.000-05:00

Weekly Aural Fixation. The M-Shop put up their fall line-up today! Looks like I'll be taking 35 North a couple times this fall. Gave this a listen on Friday. It sounds exactly like you'd expect. Two more songs over here. Not sure what I think of Letting Up Despite Great Faults' EP yet. Very similar to their self-titled release, but is that a hint of auto-tune? Hmm. It's out

Ed Ruscha

2011-07-27T13:11:00.001-05:00

Ed Ruscha (American, b 1937) is a painter who's work has a very graphic quality. Possibly indicative of his youthful intent to be a sign painter. The two paintings above were done in 1987, but I wouldn't be surprised to find similar, more recent work on ffffound. I really like the word "CHAIN" in Chain and Cable above. Subtle lack of contrast. Beautiful. MORE AFTER THE JUMP. Even

Why I Still Have a Subscription to Newsweek.

2011-07-26T09:15:00.000-05:00

Carl Bernstein on News Corp.

William Elliott Whitmore on NPR

2011-07-25T17:42:00.001-05:00

Photo: Chloe Millward Singer-Songwriter and fellow Iowan William Elliott Whitmore was featured on NPR's Talk of the Nation this afternoon. He talks about his new album Field Songs, largely dedicated to the family farm. Listen here. Here's a song from his last album:

Music Monday 7/25

2011-07-25T11:09:00.009-05:00

Weekly Aural Fixation. I was marginally excited for the new M83 album, due out October 18, but this track makes me a bit more enthusiastic. Been on repeat this week. Pretty damn excited for the new St. Vincent album in September. UPDATE: You Ain't No Picasso summed up my thoughts pretty well.

BlogLove V

2011-07-23T17:53:00.004-05:00

A series where I gush over my favorite web logs. Daytrotter! Love for the QC. Barnstormer 5 line-up and show details here.

80-35 Pictures Day 1

2011-07-20T00:14:00.004-05:00

So I finally got some pictures up! Ya know, it was what, 18 days ago? Who's counting? I only got digital shots from Saturday because that was the only day I could get my camera in the main stage area. Apparently a digital SLR is considered professional equipment, but a 35mm SLR isn't. Go figure. Either way I made $0 off the pictures I took that day, and if anything, it helps promote the

Justify My Dork

2011-07-19T17:13:00.000-05:00

Sometimes I get really excited about things other people don't care about. Found this on the very amusing blog Awesome People Hanging Out Together. I just get really excited when one of my favorite fashion bloggers and I have the same shoes... a sign I need more of a life? Probably. Now back to that laundry.

Monday Music 7/18

2011-07-18T09:04:00.006-05:00

Last Tuesday the new Incubus album was released. On the first listen it sounded like a much more reserved Light Grenades, but without the songs that raised the album up to mediocrity. Lead single Adolescents is still my favorite song on the album. It seems that another of the bands I loved in high school has fallen off. I'll go back to listening to Skying now (see last week). New

Moved!

2011-07-12T19:05:00.000-05:00

Relief! Moved at the end of last week, finally getting stuff situated. But these guys will have to wait until I can get something for them to sit on. Also, 80-35 pictures to come soon.

Monday Music 7/11

2011-07-11T09:31:00.021-05:00

Weekly Aural Fixation. Local band Poison Control Center got some well-deserved attention from giant media outlet Pitchfork. Ames residents Mumford's released a new album, with a show at the M-Shop on Friday. I had to work :( Listen to two of the songs here. I love Dark Dark Dark. The recently broken up White Stripes will have a recording of their last show released by Third Man Records.

BlogLove IV

2011-07-09T09:15:00.000-05:00

A series where I gush over my favorite web logs I haven't been checking this one as long, but magCulture has quickly become a favorite. It covers print and online magazines and frequently commentary on the culture of iPad publications. Not to be missed, especially if you, like I, have a vested interest in print media.

Guy Sargent

2011-07-07T12:48:00.000-05:00

Beautiful, subtle images captured by Guy Sargent.

ROCKMELT vs FIREFOX: Browser Deathmatch!!

2011-07-06T19:50:00.001-05:00

After four years I have fully converted. Sorry Firefox.

Music Monday 7/5: Tuesday Holiday Edition

2011-07-05T09:28:00.005-05:00

Weekly Aural Fixation. M83 digging out the 3.5" floppys for album teaser, sounds about right. I am properly teased. NPR has an interesting article on their Planet Money blog about the cost of a hit song. Really enjoyed the new Washed Out. It ditches the lo-fi production for a higher quality sound, and unlike the way Wavves did it, I like this sound better. Within and Without is

June 25th Sunrise

2011-07-04T12:44:00.003-05:00

BlogLove III

2011-07-02T09:47:00.006-05:00

A series where I gush over my favorite web logs. Since today is the first day of 80/35, here's Quarter After Five, a local music blog I found a few days ago. Interviews, band and venue profiles, show listings, etc.

80/35: Preview 2011

2011-06-28T09:00:00.020-05:00

If you're like me you love Iowa but hate having to drive across the state (Grinnell, the Quad Cities, Iowa City, Omaha) for good live music. So you were pretty excited in 2008 when the 80/35 festival was announced. Finally, a festival with big-name acts and a short drive. The line-ups has been good so far (except the 2009 line-up wasn't quite as exciting) and this year is no exception. 80/35

Music Monday 6/27

2011-06-27T17:04:00.000-05:00

Weekly Aural Fixation. So, not a lot to talk about this week, listened to older stuff again this week at work. Have been enjoying the Cults album, don't know if it quite deserved the fawning Pitchfork gave it, but it is darn good. Memoryhouse has a new single out, it's spacey and beautiful as per their last EP. It's up for download over at their SubPop page. Definitely recommended

Cart Attending VII

2011-06-26T09:00:00.002-05:00

Well, it's been seven weeks since I left my old job and here's the last finding.

BlogLove II

2011-06-25T09:00:00.002-05:00

A series where I gush over my favorite web logs. The Fox is Black (formerly Kitsune Noir) was one of the first blogs I checked regularly when I started checking blogs regularly about four years ago. (Yeah, I was a little late to this blog thing.) It's the writing of Bobby Soloman, a designer from LA. And although it now has five other contributing writers it still keeps Bobby's voice. TFiB

Messy Scans

2011-06-22T09:00:00.000-05:00

Last winter I played around with some objects on my scanner bed. Here are a couple of my favorite results.

Saturday Beginning as Seen From I-35

2011-06-21T06:57:00.000-05:00

Sometimes driving home from work at 5:30 in the morning isn't so bad.

Music Monday 6/20

2011-06-20T09:00:00.007-05:00

Weekly Aural Fixation. In the two weeks since my last post I've been listening to mostly older stuff. Finally got my introduction to Johnny Cash and Billie Holiday, and heard a couple essential Bob Dylan albums, listened to a lot of Crystal Castles at work, and have been stuck song at the top of the post. Perth's Tame Impala released the album last year but I didn't really get to it