The Morning Paper + Moscow Olympics

The Morning Paper is the amazing one-man shoegaze project of Swede David Khylberg. He's been putting music out since 2004, but his work's actually somewhat hard to track down, as it's been distributed on a number of labels, most notably, Skipping Stones Records (which released the album It's Getting Better) and the Japanese label Xtal Records (which released his other album What We Wish). Curiously, What We Wish was (apparently) re-released earlier this year by Universal Records in the Philippines, a label which is, um, not exactly known for its discriminating taste.

I don't know and can't really figure out what Khylberg's connection is to the Philippines, although it is worth noting that his most recent release is the split single "Always Real," with the equally amazing Philippine band Moscow Olympics. Ironically enough, that single, like Moscow Olympics' great album Cut the World, has not been released in the Philippines. (Actually, as far as I can tell, Moscow Olympics is better known in the blogosphere than they are in Manila.)

I guess none of this label stuff really matters as long as we're able to track down the music. I've put down a track each from The Morning Project and Moscow Olympics here, but it's definitely worth buying the rest of both bands' stuff if you're a fan of shoegaze.

On a related note, I'll be flying to Manila for the holidays and thought it would be nice to put up a series of posts on local bands here to coincide with my trip. I'll probably start that series next week.

The Morning Paper - Always Real


Moscow Olympics - Still

Jason Eppink's Pixelator

(via Twitter friends)

From Jason Eppink's website:

Pixelator is an unauthorized on-going video art performance collaboration with the New York City Metropolitan Transit Authority, Clear Channel Communications, and its selected artists.

Since 2003, the MTA has made available for exhibition purposes 80 LED screens located at subway entrances across New York City. Unfortunately, the high cost of exhibiting (an estimated $274,000 per month per screen) prevents most artists from having access to these facilities. While the MTA's effort to create more opportunities for video art exhibition in public spaces is to be commended, selected works remain wholly fixated on commercial goods and media conglomerate events, a short-sighted curatorial choice that regrettably ignores the full potential of these promising exhibition spaces.

In an attempt to broaden the scope of MTA's video art series, Pixelator takes video pieces currently on display and diffuses them into a pleasant array of 45 blinking, color-changing squares. Since the project is an anonymous collaboration, the resulting video is almost entirely unplanned and unanticipated, with the original artists helping to create new works of art without any knowledge of their participation.

(Translation: Pixelator turns those ugly, blinding video billboard ads into art.)

Eppink also provides instructions on how to replicate the ad pixelator here!

Memory Tapes

Radio edit of Memory Tapes' Graphics, from Seek Magic, definitely one of my favorite albums of the year. Actually much prefer the album version, but the more futuristic feel of this is interesting, I guess. Great b-side also up on Stereogum.

Memory Tapes - Graphics (Sci-Fi Edit)

Best Coast

New Best Coast Black Iris 7"



Best Coast - When I'm with You

Julien Pacaud

Julien Pacaud is a French illustrator and, apparently, a former astrophysician, international snooker champion, hypnotist and esperanto teacher. So basically, he's the coolest guy on the planet. Check out the rest of his work - all vintage-inspired and some great themes like giant people destroying stuff with lasers.



(via Vectro Ave)

Mato Atom

Too busy to post anything substantial these days (thesis lockdown), but here's a great little vid from Mato Atom. More of his work here.