Porta's Eyes...F.M. Allen

“ The perfect gift!!”

-the portastylistic

Here is a little blurb about them and their founder....

The company began life in 1947 when F.M. "Bunny" Allen moved from his native England to Kenya and began his professional hunter/safari guide service. Allen was one of the last great gentlemen hunters of Africa, and led safaris for everyone from Prince Aly Khan to H.R.H. the Prince of Wales to Mick Jagger. He is responsible for guiding the largest luxury safari of all time, leading a cast and crew of 500+ for John Ford's 1953 masterpiece "Mgambo."

Today, is a retailer of men's clothing, accessories and unique gifts. F.M. ALLEN stays true to its outfitter heritage, but the product offering has expanded to include a full line of English-inspired clothing and accoutrements. F.M. ALLEN aims to take the very best of classic design and construction and, when called for, add a touch of contemporary advancement, offering items are made by artisans where true craftsmanship and the attention to the most minute of detail is of utmost importance.

The company's design headquarters and flagship retail store are located on Main Street in historic downtown Franklin, Tenn., just outside of Nashville, with an additional retail store in New York City at 962 Madison Avenue (between 75th & 76th streets).

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Discovered these photos of F.M. Allen’s new Franklin, Tennessee location on photographer Melanie McGaughey’s fantastic blog, The Velvet Trunk. If you’re unfamiliar with F.M. Allen.

These are awesome!!...post + shots by The Velvet Trunk

pop*eye...Music For This Summer

DISCOVERY

LP by Discovery (the side project of Vampire Weekend’s Rostam Batmanglij and Wes Miles of Ra Ra Riot) is to summer what Bon Iver’s Blood Bank was to winter, on repeat. I thought for sure Passion Pit’s Manners was going to make it all the way through the sunny months, but here we are barely past July 4th and I might have over done it. Discovery is a nice mix of electronic and pop that strikes me enjoyably, especially if I am on a beach or en-route to a beach. In addition to lots of great vocals from Wes, the album features collaborations with Vampire Weekend’s Ezra Koenig and The Dirty Projectors singer Angel Deradoorian. LP by Discovery officially drops tomorrow (July 7th), but is available now at Amie Street (see link and preview tracks below).





Discovery more...Space

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Alessi's Ark

I've been following Alessi, she's called Alessi's Ark now, for quite a while now, and I was happy to see that's she's been given a chance to share her talent with the world. I've always thought she was destined for bigger things and I hope 2009 will be the year of her breaktrough. Give her a chance, I'm sure you won't regret it.

Over The Hill

Notes From The Treehouse

Alessi is a magical creature that lives in West London. I think of her as this unique eighteen-year-old girl who is very excited, very alert, and very open to the world of imagination. The imagination is often associated with those strange dimensions created in childhood. For a young child, fantasy and reality seem to co-exist without contradiction, and shed light on each other. As we grew up we seem to leave this world behind, only to revisit it occasionally in song. Alessi’s songs like “Constellations” and “The Horse” open up the door again to this beautiful world. Her songs are a new take on psychedelic folk music, very british, and a little like Syd Barett, who was very child-like in his own way. Her first release The Horse EP was released a few days ago and her first album called "Notes From A Treehouse" will follow in February.

This video from the charming British band,
Alessi's Ark is super duper clever and has adorable styling.

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Hafdis Huld

Hafdis Huld's debut album Dirty Paper Cup (Redgrape Records) has won the Pop Album of The Year at the Icelandic Music Awards. Her new single Diamonds on My Belly is out in the UK on 19th March 2007.

Hafdis, the UK-based pop pixie and former singer with Gus Gus, has been winning legions of fans over the past few months with support gigs for Paolo Nutini and Vincent Vincent & the Villains and a major gig in Paris.

Hafdis's music is full of feelings and melancholy, her unique sound comes from the combination of such a soft voice in the most calm and acoustic environment. Her album 'Dirty Paper Cup' is described as fresh, funny, odd, seductive, Icelandic and above all, great pop music.

'Dirty Paper Cup'

* Pop Album of The Year *

"Deliciously skewed pop" **** The Guardian

"A gorgeous solo debut" *** The Independent

"An irresistible album" **** The Fly

"Sublime - charasmatic story-telling pop of the highest quality" Clash Magazine

more on...space

http://www.myspace.com/hafdishuld

Porta's Listen...The Monocle Summer Series*2

The MONOCLE Summer Series
Edition 2

The Monocle Summer Series touches down in Tokyo this week and welcomes Japanese pop sensation Bird to the studio to perform an acoustic set of her songs from past and present. Also joining the team is Mami Kataoka, chief curator at the Mori Art Museum in Tokyo, who talks about the latest movements in the city's art scene and how it compares to neighbouring capitals in the region. Monocle's Asia editor Fiona Wilson brings us up to speed with what's happening in her home city and editor Andrew Tuck and culture editor Rob Bound share their impressions of Japan with host and editor in chief Tyler Brûlé.

Download Edition 2 (mp3)



THIS WEEK'S MUSIC
BIRD

Bird was discovered by record producer Shinichi Osawa in the late 1990s while she was singing in jazz clubs in Osaka. She released her first single, "Souls", on Osawa's label RealEyes in March 1999 and in July of the same year launched her first album on the Sony Music Japan label, which sold over 700,000 copies and won her the Japan Gold Record for Newcomers award. Bird has recorded six original albums, released 24 singles and has a huge fan base in and outside of Japan, who know her for her unique blend of jazz, R&B, reggae, and Latin music.

You can find out more about Bird here.

Tyler Brûlé
Editor in chief

Andrew Tuck
Editor in chief

Rob Bound
Culture Editor

Fiona Wilson
Bureau chief Asia

Mami Kataoka

Chief curator, Mori Art Museum, Tokyo,
and international associate curator,
Hayward Gallery, London

Click here to subscribe to The Monocle Summer Series

Porta's Look!...MISSING MAGAZINE!

…well that’s how I remember
my “ good old days.”


-the portastylistic

A small tribute, amidst rumors that it may be coming back, to the greatness that was The Face Magazine, with a 24-year run that ended in 2004, it broke barriers and blended the music and fashion world in a way that was irreverent, edgy and new. It'll always be a source of inspiration with its amazing use of type, space and photography, supporting and encouraging a new generation of visual artists.

THE FACE (1980-2004)

From Posted by Ambush Studio

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by John Kuti

When you’re young the concerns of your parents, teachers and any other authorities you come across seem trivial … how are you going to earn a living, avoid dying in some stupid motorcycle accident or be accepted into a university?
No … Not worth thinking about.
Far more important is the question of whether your hair
should stick up or lie flat on your head.

“The music of your teenage years probably stays with you for the rest of your life. I think music is deeply connected with memory because of the emotions it evokes. People say that the year you first fall in love becomes the year with your favourite pop music. It’s the year that becomes the “good old days” when you look back. Music also helps to mark time because of the way the fashions and stars of pop culture come and go. The clothes and hairstyles the stars had at certain points are often enough for us to give an exact date to photographs, and I certainly associate some summers with particular records that came out while I was on holiday. But what’s really the best way to record your youth? Your favourite song, or a picture of the singer?

In my teenage years, one of the special things about Britain was the huge amount of information about music. There were 3 weekly newspapers about music: Sounds, Melody Maker and the New Musical Express. Buying records was expensive and it also meant making a choice – maybe the most significant choice known to the teenage mind. So it was wise to read about music instead, and in some ways, it was actually better as well. It was possible for a group to get onto the front cover of one of the music papers without even having made any records – but they absolutely needed things to say for the journalists to write about. In fact, the best pop stars of the 1980s were people whose main talent was exactly that. They weren’t great musicians or singers and they weren’t especially good looking, but they had a certain eccentricity and a nice way with clever phrases. They were ideal for filling music papers.

When The Face magazine first came out in May 1980 it was meant to be a rock magazine. I have given away or sold all the records I bought as a teenager, but I think my old copies of The Face will stay with me for ever. Although it started out as a source of information about music, the writers quickly realised that it wasn’t really the music that was important – it was the way people spoke and acted, and, above all, the way they looked.

The December 1980 edition began with an apology from the publishers for putting the price up from 60 to 65p, and they also used the title “The world’s best dressed magazine” for the first time. There were big photographs of some not very beautiful singers (Ian Dury and Paul Weller). There was an article about fans of David Bowie in Manchester and their favourite nightclubs. The fashion photographs had clothes made by the same people who were wearing them in the pictures, and who had their own stall in Kensington market “the team at Phrantik Psycho”. The stars, their fans and the people who made clothes and organised nightclubs were not so different from each other. In those days anyone with a bit of style and originality could start their own little trend. Being a well-dressed nightclubber was like being a star on a small scale.”

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All about
THE FACE

The Face was a magazine started in May 1980 by Nick Logan out of his publishing house Wagadon. Logan had previously created titles such as Smash Hits, and had been an editor at the New Musical Express in the 1970s during one of its most successful periods.

The magazine, often referred to as the "80s fashion bible", was influential in championing a number of fashion music and style trends, whilst keeping a finger on the pulse of youth culture for over two decades; its best selling period was in the mid-1990s under editor Richard Benson.

In the late 1980s, the magazine contained an article suggesting that Jason Donovan was a hypocrite and in consequence of the subsequent court case it needed the readers' donations to pay substantial libel damages. The magazine set up the Lemon Aid fund, so called as one of the points debated in the libel case was whether Jason Donovan used lemon juice on his hair to highlight it. There was even a special aid CD by The Shamen with special mixes to gain funds to keep THE FACE alive afterwards. In 1999, Wagadon was sold to the publishers EMAP.

Notable names associated with the magazine were designer & typographer Neville Brody (Art Director, 1981-86), Julie Burchill, Tony Parsons, photographer Juergen Teller and writers including Jon Savage and Fiona Russell Powell.

By its May 2004 closure, the format had become stale, there were too many competitors, sales had declined and advertising revenues had consequently reduced. The publishers EMAP closed the title, in order to concentrate resources on its more successful magazines, however its fashion spin-off Pop still survives as a stand alone magazine brand.

From Wikipedia

“ The Face – 1980s Style Bible – is perfectly balanced "

Angels Woman...Margo Guryan

" If you’re a late ’60s sunshine pop fan,
you’re in for a treat."

-the portastylistic

Autumn is the most beautiful season of the year in Siestaland. ‘Take a Picture’ is a perfect soundtrack for these days. It is indeed an honour and a pleasure to release Margo Guryan's "Take a picture", this unquestionable masterpiece from 1968, a unique timeless, moving and personal record. We enhance the original tracklisting with 3 outstanding unreleased songs "The 8:17 northbound success merry go-round", "Come to me slowly" and "Timothy gone". Not surprisingly luminaries such as Spanky & Our Gang, Mama Cass Elliot, Claudine Longet, Bobbie Gentry & Glen Campbell, Nilsson, Julie London, Jackie de Shannon and Astrud Gilberto recorded her songs. Fair enough. After years of non-exposure it's time to rescue and discover her romantic, evocative and soulful "Take a Picture". If the journey through the melodious music of the Free Design fascinated you, this indispensable resurgence will be even more unforgettable...

All about
Margo Guryan

Margo Guryan is a rare discovery — a songwriter and arranger with amazing vocal talent who had a brief - but nonetheless significant - impact on pop music. During the highpoint of her career, her songs were recorded by some of pop music’s most important stars: Mama Cass, Bobbie Gentrie and Glen Campbell, Astrud Gilberto, Julie London, Jackie DeShannon, Carmen McCrae, The Lennon Sisters, and Claudine Longet. In fact, there were two hit versions of the Margo Guryan-penned "Sunday Morning" released a year apart in the late 1960s — the first by Spanky And Our Gang, and the second by Oliver (who had previous success with "Good Morning Starshine" and "Jean").

Although she preferred writing songs that others could record and perform, in 1968 Margo recorded and released an album entitled "Take a Picture". Although the success of this record back then was limited, it has since become a much sought-after collector’s item, so much that original pressings of the "Take a Picture" LP have been spotted being sold on e-Bay for as much as $190 each!

Margo’s exquisite songwriting has garnered attention from some "celebrity" fans as well. To name just a few, Japanese pop star Cornelius released Take a Picture in Japan on his own label; Beck has been known to listen to Margo on the road. And according to her band’s website, Garbage’s Shirley Manson says she wants to cover Margo’s "Love Songs".

To address the continued interest in Margo’s work amongst taste-makers and music collectors, and to bring Margo Guryan’s irresistible sound to a wider audience, Franklin Castle re-released "Take a Picture" in 2000, and now offers a further glimpse into the world of Margo Guryan with "25 Demos".

Discography

* Take A Picture (1968)
* 25 Demos (2001)
* 16 Words (single) (2007)

more on...Margo

Take A Picture
*I Proud To Recommended!!!*

25 Demos

*I Proud To Recommended!!!*

10 things that inspire Margo Guryan

A child doing anything well.

Discovering a new Bach or Scarlatti piece.

Discovering an old Randy Newman song.

Barack Obama.

Learning a mystery’s solution.

Dreams. (But only good ones.)

Surprises. (But only good ones.)

Watching kittens play.

Seeing a great performance.

Silence. (Especially at the dinner table when I’ve prepared the dinner.)

“ It's really unique.”

Porta's Look!..." THE SEPTEMBER ISSUE "

" This is HUGE! "

, she's hilarious.

-the portastylistic

This documentary, that follows legendary Vogue magazine editor in chief Anna Wintour and legions of team members and artists through the process of creating the September issue of the magazine (the biggest and most coveted issue of the year), gives us an inside-look into the life and work of one of the most influential women in the fashion biz. We're so excited, and we just can't hide it, you can love or hate her but there's no denying her power.

For the 2009 Sundance Festival R.J. Cutler Reveals the Impenetrable Mystique of Anna Wintour

- The documentary follows Vogue staff in their daily work activities…

Most notably Anna Wintour, Editor in Chief, Grace Coddington, Creative Director, and a whole host of other fashion celebrities make little appearances throughout the film, such as Vera Wang and representatives from high fashion labels as Balenciaga.

“ It’s a remarkable world, filled with great complexity,” said Cutler,
who marveled over how “ exhilarating and exhausting ”
it was to maintain the glamor associated with

“ living on the top of the world.”

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" September is like the January of Faaashionnn..n! "

IN THEATRES THIS FALL

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All about
Anna Wintour

The legendary editor-in-chief of Vogue magazine for twenty years, is the most powerful and polarizing figure in fashion. Hidden behind her trademark bob and sunglasses, she has never allowed anyone to scrutinize the inner workings of her magazine. Until now. With unprecedented access, filmmaker R.J. Cutlers new film, takes the viewer inside a world they only think they know. Every August a record-breaking number of people cant wait to get their hands on the September issue of Vogue. The 2007 issue was and remains the biggest ever, weighing over four pounds, selling thirteen million copies, and impacting the $300-billion global fashion industry more than any other single publication. He takes us behind the scenes at Fashion Week, to Europe, on shoots and re-shoots, and into closed-door staff meetings, bearing witness to an arduous, entertaining, and sometimes emotionally demanding process. At the eye of this annual fashion hurricane is the two-decade relationship between Wintour and Grace Coddington, incomparable Creative Director and fashion genius. They are perfectly matched for the age-old conflict between creator and curator. Through them, we see close-up the delicate creative chemistry it takes to remain at the top of the ever-changing fashion field.

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A great interview more on...60 Minutes

Anna Wintour

The sunglasses come off the high-queen of haute couture in this rare interview, in which the Vogue editor reveals why she always wears them and much more to Morley Safer.

Porta's Listen...The Monocle Summer Series

The MONOCLE Summer Series

To ease into the summer Monocle has developed a brand new audio show featuring
live music and cultural insights from our favourite cities





To kick off your summer weekends in the mountains, on the Med or upstate, Monocle has developed a brand new audio show featuring live music and cultural insights from our favourite cities. The launch edition of the Monocle Summer Series comes to you from London with two of the capital's most innovative cultural thinkers joining us in the studio. Julia Peyton-Jones OBE discusses the artistic landscape of the city ahead of a groundbreaking summer programme at the Serpentine Gallery. Alessandro Cajrati Crivelli, celebrated urban planner and property developer, is on hand to give insights into the changing face of London and exciting projects in Europe. We have also flown in some great musical talent from Stockholm in the form of Quiet Nights Orchestra, who will be performing their best tunes for our panel, which includes editor Andrew Tuck, culture editor Robert Bound and our editor in chief, Tyler Brûlé

Download Edition 1 (mp3)

The Monocle Summer Series is brought to you in association with BMW.



THE BAND
QUIET NIGHTS ORCHESTRA

The Quiet Nights Orchestra is an eight-piece Swedish jazz group who met at the Royal College of Music in Stockholm. Originally formed as a sextet by trombonist and band-leader Peter Fredriksson, extra percussion and Sophie Norling's sweeping vocals were later added to complete their unique and uplifting sound that exemplifies the very best of the Nordic jazz tradition. Their debut album Chapter One is out now and features a selection of original instrumental and vocal pieces.
You can find out more about the Quiet Nights Orchestra here and you can buy their debut album - Chaper One - in our London and Palma shops.

CONTRIBUTORS

THIS WEEK IN THE STUDIO
-26 June

Tyler Brûlé
Editor in chief

Andrew Tuck
Editor in chief

Rob Bound
Culture Editor

Julia Peyton-Jones OBE
Director, Serpentine Gallery, London

Alessandro Cajrati Crivelli
Director, Estate4

must see and listen more on...monocle

Porta's Look!...Tim Burton Takes on 'Alice in Wonderland'

“ First looks amazing beyond all reason! ”

-the portastylistic

Stunning new concept art offers a first look at Alice in Wonderland as seen through the eyes of director Tim Burton. The images, released by Disney as Burton works on the remake in London, show Johnny Depp as the Mad Hatter (pictured above) and provide a fascinating peek at the fabulist director’s vision for Alice, The Red Queen and the movie’s other central characters.

The pictures hint at an elegant, richly textured fantasy world that honors Lewis Carroll’s 19th-century fairy tale while incorporating bits of Burton’s trademark weirdness (check the grimacing flowers in the picture below).

The images are drawn from the world of Alice in Wonderland, as re-imagined by one of the world’s most visually arresting directors. The movie is scheduled for release March 5, 2010.

Alice, played by Mia Wasikowska, contemplates some giant mushrooms.

Helena Bonham Carter plays The Red Queen.

Alice joins Tweedledee and Tweedledum at a very Burton-esque gate.

Tweedledee and Tweedledum (Kröd Mändoon and the Flaming Sword of Fire baddie Matt Lucas in the dual role) look ready to cause trouble.

The White Queen, as portrayed by Anne Hathaway.

The White Rabbit (voiced by Michael Sheen) chats with Alice.

Teacups are a recurring visual theme.

Images courtesy Walt Disney Pictures.

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Mia Wasikowska as Alice

19-year-old Australian actress Mia Wasikowska earned critical praise in last year's HBO drama "In Treatment." She also appeared in the WWII drama "Defiance," and was named one of Variety Magazine's "10 Actors to Watch." Burton says he chose her because "she just had that certain kind of emotional toughness...that makes her kind of an older person but with a younger person's mentality." Alice will be the only character in Wonderland who isn't enhanced in some degree with makeup or digital manipulation.

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Johnny Depp as the Mad Hatter

In the book, Carroll only ever calls the character "The Hatter," but he does appear in the chapter "A Mad Tea-Party." The look in the movie is a variation on the book's illustrations by John Tenniel, with his wild hair, oversized bowtie, and "10/6" label pinned to his giant hat. This is Burton's seventh time working with Depp over the past 20 years. He told the Los Angeles Times he likes to work with Depp because "he doesn't like to be the same way twice. That's good, it always keeps it fresh and all."

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Helena Bonham Carter as the Red Queen

The Red Queen is the villain of the second book, "Through the Looking Glass," though in many adaptations the character is combined with the Queen of Hearts from the first story. In the original illustrations, she is depicted as a legless chess piece. For the movie, Bonham Carter's head will be digitally enlarged to about three times its actual size. She has worked on five previous movies with Burton, and they have two children together.

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Anne Hathaway as the White Queen

In "Through the Looking Glass," the White Queen claims to be over one hundred and one years old, but she seems to experience time backwards. So it follows Carroll's twisted logic that when Alice returns the Queen would be young. While Anne Hathaway looks very different in the role with her long white hair, her appearance will not be digitally manipulated. Hathaway told MTV that while she was happy to get a chance to work with Burton, she was most excited to share scenes with Johnny Depp. She said, "I wish I could be so cool about it but I am such a huge fan, I felt really embarrassed. He would catch me staring at him."

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Matt Lucas as Tweedledee and Tweedledum

Tweedledee and Tweedledum appear in several versions of "Alice in Wonderland," including Walt Disney's 1951 animated film, though they actually don't appear until "Through the Looking-Glass." Carroll never specifies they are twins, but that is how Tenniel drew them. English comedian Matt Lucas plays both roles in the movie. Lucas is well known in the U.K. as half of the sketch comedy team on the show "Little Britain."

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Tim Burton will join a favourite Johnny Depp again..n


Awesome!

Hot and Covered...Pop Icon Is Dead at 50

" goodbye moonwalk..."

-the portastylistic

“ For his legions of fans, he was the Peter Pan of pop music:
the little boy who refused to grow up.
But on the verge of another attempted comeback,
he is suddenly gone,
this time for good. ”

MJ: 1958 - 2009

Michael Jackson

Michael Jackson, the singer, songwriter and dancer who earned the title “King of Pop” in a career that reached unprecedented peaks of sales and attention, died Thursday, a Los Angeles city official said. He was 50.

As with Elvis Presley or the Beatles, it is impossible to calculate the full effect Mr. Jackson had on the world of music. At the height of his career, he was indisputably the biggest star in the world; he has sold more than 750 million albums.

Michael Jackson’s Career

Fans React to Jackson's Death.









More Photo by nytimes

The singer was rushed to the hospital, a six-minute drive from the rented Bel-Air home in which he was living, shortly after noon by paramedics for the Los Angeles Fire Department. A hospital spokesman would not confirm reports of cardiac arrest. He was pronounced dead at 2:26 pm.

" Thank you Michael, We Always Miss You."

pop*eye...Beirut - Live at the Music Hall of Williamsburg (2009)

Enjoy!

...a great night, it was fantastic.

" a lighthearted way to send the happy crowd off
into the cold streets of Brooklyn indeed."

-the portastylistic

Watch the full concert

Beirut - Live at the Music Hall of Williamsburg (2009)

You could tell what kind of a show it was going to be 3 hours before the doors even opened. Outside Brooklyn's Music Hall of Williamsburg, a few stone cold kids stood shivering on line. Their hope? Get through those restrictive doors by any means necessary. A sold out show meant not all of them would make it. But if by chance a few did, a fantastic night of music featuring Brooklyn's own awaited them.

Zach Condon would choose to begin Beirut's set with a simple "Good evening everyone", diving immediately into the set, to the rapturous applause of the hundreds in attendance. Using an impressive variety of instrumentation (stand-up bass, accordion, trumpet, trombone, french horn, euphonium, and Condon's signature ukulele), the band played a batch of tunes that appropriately ushered the audience to a variety of places around the world. "Gulag Orkestar" sparked a quick trip to the Balkans. During "The Shrew", a song from Beirut's brand new EP 'March of the Zapotec', Mexico became the destination of choice. They also dabbled in a track called "My Night With a Prostitute from Marseille"; this one from Zach Condon's 'Realpeoples' Holland' EP.




At the end of their full set, Condon would be forced to tell the still hungry crowd, "You've bled us dry at this point"; a statement that would hardly deter the crowd from demanding more. Two encores later, the love affair between Beirut and the fans in attendance was complete. They ended the show with a cover of a dancy old Brazilian song, written by Ary Barroso called "Aquarela do Brasil" ("Watercolor of Brazil"); a lighthearted way to send the happy crowd off into the cold streets of Brooklyn indeed.

HMM!!

Special Thanks All Photo by Santiago Felipe

more on...Beirut space

Porta's Look!...Jason Mraz -Please Don't Tell Her (live)

“ Treat my heart beating,
truly gives me survivor...Can you hear that ? ”

-the portastylistic







Jason Mraz -Please Don't Tell Her (live)

Please Don't Tell Her

I hear she's kickin’ ass across the board and rock two
hundred thousand higher scorer
Just in time to save the world of being taken over.
She's a warrior
I couldn't play again because the game it never ended. it never even landed on the can
And never let me in to spend my quarter.
There's no love for me no more.

Say it isn't so
How she easily come, how she easy go
Please don't tell her that I've been meaning to miss her.
Because I don't.

She was the girl with the broadest shoulders
But she would die before I crawled over them.
She is taller than I am.
She knew I wouldn't mind the view there
Or the altitude with a mouth full of air
She let me down and doubt came out until the now became later.

Say that it isn't so
How she easily come, how she easy go
Please don't tell her that I've been meaning to miss her.
Because I don't
Not for her
It's not that I'm mad to forgive
Forget what I said.

That I'm crazy like the rest of us
And I'm crazier when I'm next to her.

So why after the all of everything that came and went
I care enough to still be singing of the bitter end and broken eras.
I told you I don't but
I am only trying to be the best with my intent to cure
The rest is sure to lay me ease the plural hurts of the words of reverse psychology
That's easier said
Easier than done
Please don't dare tell her what I've become
Please don't mention all the attention I have drawn
Please don't bother cause she'll feel guilty when I'm gone

Because I'm crazy like the rest of us
But I'm crazier when I'm next to her
And it's so amazing how she's so self-assured
But I know she'd hate me if she knew my words
Do I hurt anymore
Do I hurt, well
I don't
I don't
I don't

Video provided by Youtube.

" The whole concert is one of the best acoustic shows i have ever heard.
It is amazing everything is perfect, his voice,
the songs, the audience (although they are lame)."

Jason Mraz - live @ EBS Space, Korea.

Life Is Wonderful (live)

You And I Both (live)

I'm Yours (live)

see more...

the passion in his song is one of my favourites to this performance takes me 'Feel Good'
- nice song, and nice performence. No doubt about that.
I just love it
;)

more on...jason mraz studio album and live album

Porta's Look!...Noisettes - Never Forget You

Never Forget You

Video provided by Youtube. Added by NoisettesOfficial

from the album 'Wild Young Hearts'

“ I really like your music! It makes me really happy.”

-the portastylistic

New Modern Classic..."The All-American Back From Japan"

Now Is...

The Ivy look.

The comeback of the American preppy trend has taken on a new dimension, via the Internet, with a resurgence of interest in once obscure American brands.

Photo: Dean Isidro for The New York Times at Sarah Lawrence College

One need only flip through the intriguing Japanese book “Take Ivy,” a collection of photographs taken in 1965 by Teruyoshi Hayashida on Eastern college campuses, to get the drift.“Take Ivy” has always been extremely rare in the United States, a treasure of fashion insiders that can fetch more than $1,000 on eBay and in vintage-book stores.

An image from the book, “Take Ivy,” a collection of photographs taken in 1965 by Teruyoshi Hayashida on Eastern college campuses.

Photo: Tony Cenicola/The New York Times

read the article HERE

Hot and Covered...Summer Lovin'

“ YES! ”









Girls look hella hot wearing Daisy Dukes.

Keeping up with our GLHH extravaganza we give you: Daisy Dukes! Tiny, hot, barely there and white trash inspired, these babies make legs look like jewels and girls who dare to rock them are a solid number one in our sexy list

THIS SUMMER



“ Pretty As You Shorts,
Summer Around You Feel.”

-the Portastylistic

more on.... GLHH

Special Thanks Pic+Post by ambush studio

Cut-Off Denim Shorts

“ I've seen women killing this look in New York for a few seasons with just a simple rolled and popped flannel shirt and heels... A summer brunch type of vibe. So I was wondering how this look would work on a guy. It's definitely something that can go wrong really fast. But done right is complete murder. Here are the variables: length of short and fit, shirt, and shoe.

The shorts should be cut just above the knee and slightly loose fitting, boxy fit oxford or flannel shirt, and white canvas sneakers. With what could be a "feminine" look it's good to go with a more masculine fit, as in not too tight. If you're game I would just cut those old pair of A.P.C.'s. Another option are these pre-cut Levi's in either wash...”

Special Thanks Pic+Post by jakedavis

pop*eye...The Starlets

“ It was love at first sight!”

-the portastylistic

All about

The Starlets (UK)

: based in glasgow, belonging nowhere, the starlets are a melancholy pop group with ambitions to be cheerful. a diverse range of influences, from the velvet underground via the go-betweens and prefab sprout to judy garland, have all inspired the band’s sound. a sound that you can hear on their debut album, ‘surely tomorrow you’ll feel blue.’

since it’s release in 2002 they’ve played gigs across scotland, making the occasional trip down south, which have included gigs at the garage in london, leeds, nottingham and in the city in manchester. over the years they’ve also played at t in the park and go north in aberdeen.

Band Member
Biff smith - vocals / guitar
Mark mcswiggan - backing vocals / guitar
Stephen mcgourty - bass
Craig laurie - drums
Nigel baillie - brass
Iain white - strings

Album

7" single (1999)

*Classic!!!*

surely tomorrow you'll feel blue (2001)

7" single (2002)

further into night forever (2003)

Out into the days from here (2009)

*Unmissable!!!*

more on...Discography

The Starlets - I Wake Up Dreaming (2009)

Once apon a time, singer Biff Smith's sister Gill attended The Glasgow School of Art where drummer Craig Laurie was working. Gill mentioned Craig's name to Biff who was trying unsuccessfully to get a band together and they met up for a rehearsal. On the day of the rehearsal Craig had been to a football match and was slightly the worse for wear after having had "a few". He entered the practice room, sat behind the drum kit and fell backwards off the drum stool. It was love at first sight.

Over the next year or two, other members came and went until The Starlets finally settled on their first team of Biff Smith - voice, Mark McSwiggan - Guitars, Stephen McGourty - Bass, Craig Laurie - Drums, Nigel Baillie - Brass, and Iain White - Strings, in time to deliver their debut album "Surely tomorrow you'll feel blue" (2001). Inspired in part by alternative guitar pop and old string-laden movie soundtracks, it was a lush poetic album which, despite being utterly out of step with prevailing musical trends, gained critical acclaim, winning "Jockrock album of the year", and was included in "Is this Music" top 100 albums by Scottish artists, as the band began to find an audience beyond their home town of Glasgow. This continued with the release of the second album "Further into night forever" (2003) which was again a critical success and brought the band to the attention of the Japanese label Muzak which licensed the record for Japan and helped promote The Starlets' first ever live performances in Tokyo.

The new album, "Out into the days from here", is out now in Japan on Fastcut Records and has sold out it's first pressing. The Starlets have just returned from a two week sold-out tour of Japan and are now acclimatising to cold and rainy Glasgow whilst planning the UK release of the new album. "Out into the days from here" is scheduled for release in the Spring of 2009 on the band's own label, Stereotone. UK gig dates will be announced soon.

Pop,Twee,Dreampop,Shoegaze HHMM!!





The Starlets Space...

Indie is In!*7

“...as the answer to life’s great quest.”

-the portastylistic

The Temper Trap - Conditions (2009)

*I Proud To Recommended!!!*

Hype aside, The Temper Trap’s debut album is like a journey without any real quest, writes CHRIS JOHNSTON.

The Temper Trap are Melbourne’s newest internationalists – festival this, backstage that, record deal this, worldwide that – and the common perception will soon become an accepted wisdom and that will be that debut album Conditions is an epic.

Which is interesting, because it isn’t. It gives a magnificent illusion of being so, however. The music, technically, is spacious. It is, on the surface, “big”. It appears to go a long way, to fly, to travel vast distances, to be on an adventure or a quest or, indeed, on a mythical journey like one of Joseph Campbell’s archetypal cinematic heroes. It is music that is supposed to sound like it has found The Rapture after 80 dark days and 81 blinded-by-the-nights but it’s all a glistening mirage, a strange kind of magic trick.

It’s very good, of course. On a technical level. Like a circuitry diagram might be useful and correct, say. Or an educational video for use in schools. But I think it’s cold, and I think a lot of the apparently epic qualities within it are a conceit. Ironically the songs that reach the highest and strive for the most are the ones which on close inspection are the shallowest. Whereas the best song or two have some real spontaneous-sounding fire within the endless icy tundra of the production job here, a smooth and breathless and beatific soundcard done by the guy who did the Arctic Monkeys. These ones – ‘Fader’ and maybe ‘Fools’ – appear at first to be insignificant filler among the grandiose, radiant serenity of Conditions. But it’s them which turn out to be pretty good.

Strange huh? You wonder where this weird reversal of intent comes from. You wonder why it can happen. One thing I know - it makes you crave little unambitious music with blood that just is what it is. In the big interviews so far The Temper Trap talk about their encyclopaedia of influences and it seems to be a matter of some pride and self-awareness that they have dipped into a whole lot of stuff in the past, as if a liking at some point for drum ‘n’ bass or electronica explains the whole widescreen thing.

"Ironically the songs that reach the highest and strive for the most are the ones which on close inspection are the shallowest."

That kind of thinking – and also the kind of music journalism that allows this to go straight through to the keeper, smacking hard into the gloves, no questions asked, another major label triumph of hype and control – reminds me first of U2 around Achtung Baby when it was all about them listening to Krautrock and My Bloody Valentine and such. It became the point of difference required to effectively market that record, and it worked. It became part of the myth, the accepted wisdom, however fake.

The Temper Trap certainly can tend to sound quite a lot like U2. It’s about the guitar playing, the delay. In ‘Fools’, there’s a looped bit that sounds just like Edge guitars, but it isn’t guitars, which when you think about it is quite an odd thing to do. But it’s also about that Rapture thing: the illusion of reaching for the light. To me what they’ve done with Conditions is pretty much make the perfect sheen-blasted modern commercial rock record where the great depths and great insights through mystery and intrigue are a cipher. This is how I feel about Coldplay and Bloc Party too. And of course U2, or most of it. There’s a distrust, which is a horrible, unwelcome emotion. With Bloc Party and Coldplay I think it’s about them not having a discernable warmth or even sometimes an empathy with the subject matter.

That’s what I think The Temper Trap can tend towards and that’s why the songs that everyone will hear about – or have already heard (this is all quite big-time on NOVA, that perfectly complete bastion of self-satisfaction, safety and stereotype) – are empty vessels. Things like ‘Love Lost’, ‘Sweet Disposition’ and ‘Science of Fear’: of these, ‘Love Lost’, the album’s opening track is perhaps the most wrong, but only because it’s so mathematically right; a puzzle in which the solution is found before the task is even begun. There’s a little lead guitar flourish in it, between the quiet bit and the skyhigh soaring bit, which I would even describe as smug: “… a love was lost and now we’ve found it….”

Which is why a little unprepossessing track like ‘Fader’, buried in the middle with no wank about it all, no grand designs or genetic engineering, is so lovely and so, well, fun. It’s a song about nothing much at all and it’s delicious and full of joy and life and big exhalations. There’s a sun in it and the words describe how that sun can burn the bones. There’s dirt in the song too; it’s not some sterile laboratory experiment. It’s unclean but contagious like ‘Song 2’ by Blur, for example. ‘Fools’ I like because it gets carried away within itself, it goes too far. It misjudges its own journey – so it drones and becomes quite isolated and is informed more by strange electronica and even rave in that piano riff than by anything widely and blithely accepted by the mainstream as the answer to life’s great quest.

Indie(Rock),Pop,Australia A PRETTY GREAT!!!

Musette - Datum (2009)

Patiently written down dates, noted with a piano and carefully collected on cassette tapes, one by one. An assiduous attempt to keep books of time, to sketch the events, the landscapes and neighborhoods with melodies and recordings of sound. For several years Joel Danell has been writing songs on a piano, all given the names of dates as if they were diary notes. The kind of notes where the writing, more than the words themselves, recounts for the moment of them being written: times of accumulation where the letters stand close to each other and reach far into the margin, moments of pensiveness where lines have been crossed out and others have been added and moments of excitement where the letters have gained in size and defied the ruling of the sheet.

"Datum" is the retelling of these notes with the help of violin, whistling, guitar, accordion and Dobro, recorded in Blackeberg January 2008. Pieces that recount for an otherwise forgotten day in April, that describe the view from a balcony in a Stockholm suburb in late October, that is a remembrance of the rushing bicycle and the passing landscape in the beginning of June.

Piano,Acoustic,Experimental,Intrumental GOOD!!

Bibio - Ambivalence Avenue (2009)

Bibio takes his name from the inconspicuous black & red fishing fly, known amongst anglers as the bait to lure in colourful rainbow trout. With a nod to happy childhood memories fishing with his father on the Welsh rivers, parallels can be drawn in name to this quietly spoken artist and purveyor of this joyous summery music, where startling melody lines unexpectedly emerge out of grainy, glorious lo-fi.

A lover of texture and colour and noise, his first outing as a recording artist started 5 years ago on Mush Records. Having completed a trilogy of albums, Bibio’s departure to Warp also reflects a difference in musical output.
Anyone listening to ‘Ambivalence Avenue’ will be immediately struck by the unusual array of music. Neither electronic nor rock, this album can not actually be classified.

A diverse collection of music, each track on this opus has a distinct identity and stands apart from the next, some vocal, some instrumental, from vintage disco beats to swirling expansive pieces to plaintive guitar songs.

Pop,Folktronica,Ambient,Experimental, Good!

Simone White - Yakiimo (2009)

Simone White is back with her second album for Honest Jon's, after the acclaimed release two years ago of 'I Am The Man', which included the 'The Beep Beep Song' which was used in an Audi advert.On this album - Yakiimo has a more pared-down, western sound.

The mood is bitter-sweet and nostalgic, but spiced with longing, fantasy and hopefulness, musing in a daze (sometimes child-like) on lost love, lost innocence, lost years. Marked by high and lonesome fiddle and some lovely guitar-picking, strikingly centre-stage are Simone's beautiful voice, and the magnificentsong-writing, with four new originals by her friendsFrank Bango and Richy Vesecky, and seven by Simone herself.Hawaii born Simone White was a part of Damon Albarn's critically acclaimed 'Honest Jons Revue' which toured in July 2008 to the Barbican Center in London, Les Nuits Fourviere Festival in Lyon, and the Lincoln Center Festival in New York City. The Honest Jons Revue included the artists Tony Allen, The Hypnotic Brass Ensemble, Damon Albarn, Kokanko Sata Doumbia, Lobi Traore, Afel Bocoum, Candi Staton, Simone White and Victoria Williams.

Pop,Folk,Singer-Songwriter GOOD!!

The Avalanches - After The Goldrush

" Superb!!! "

2009 mix from the Australian Dance producers and studio boffins This is an eclectic off the wall mix CD that starts with Bob Dylan and The Beach Boys before mixing into the Chemical Brothers, Basement Jaxx, Felix Da Housecat, Guns 'N Roses, DJ Zinc, Missy Elliot, Queen and lots more before ending with another appearance from The Beach Boys! Saloon.

Electronica, Dance, Experimental Mashed Up!!!

Cicada - Roulette (2009)

They came to exist originally as the remix and production duo of Alex Payne and Aaron Gilbert, and in no time released a series of acclaimed remixes of artists as diverse as Depeche Mode, New Order, Electric Six, and even our favorites The Enemy.

They soon started working on their own material and after a series of singles released their debut album through Payne’s own indie label Critical Mass.

They glossed up their sound soon after with the addition of Heidrun who was previously from electronic act Gus Gus, and there was no turning back. They spent nothing on marketing then and the record still sold over 30,000 copies.

Their version of light progressive electro/house cuts right through our heart so naturally we are excited.

Roulette effortlessly ranges in styles; from the best moments of vintage electro-pop on the euphoric lead single ‘Metropolis’, to the darkest recesses of electronic-indie on ‘Executive’, featuring Tom Smith of Editors on vocals. It will appeal to dance/electronic/indie/pop fans alike. (Source)

Electronic, Indie, Pop VERY GOOD!

Gregory Alan Isakov - This Empty Northern Hemisphere (2009)

"This record was recorded in many different locations. a closed down bookshop, my apartment, the studio and our friend Brandi Carlile's house, who sang on a couple of songs. There are a lot of traveling songs on it, quiet songs, and bigger songs with big string arrangements. it took about a year to make. i called it "This Empty Northern Hemisphere" because thats what the songs feel like to me. i think its about leaving, and coming home. and growing up. and we had so much fun making it."

Gregory Alan Isakov has been described by Boulder Weekly, "Strong, subtle...a lyrical genius" and has been compared to his influences, Bruce Springsteen, Kelly Joe Phelps, Iron & Wine and Nick Drake. Born in Johannesburg, South Africa, and raised in Philadelphia, Isakov moved to Colorado at the end of the last decade. He recently was named 2008's Best Acoustic/Folk Artist by the Denver Westword (Audience Award) and was named by the Denver Westword as the Best Singer/Songwriter 2007 (Critics Award). Isakov is also the 2007 winner of the Telluride Troubador Songwriting Competition. Gregory Alan Isakov has shared the stage with numerous artists such as Ani Difranco, Rodrigo y Gabriela, Richie Havens, and Fiona Apple. He has appeared at music festivals such as South by Southwest, Falcon Ridge Folk Fest, Rocky Mountain Folks Fest, Telluride Bluegrass Festival and Monolith at Red Rocks. On the heals of his latest full length release, "That Sea, The Gambler", Gregory Alan Isakov tours as a solo artist as well as with his band, The Freight. Recordings available at cdbaby.com and iTunes.

Folk,Singer-Songwriter LOVELY..Y!!!

Among the Oak & Ash - Among the Oak & Ash (2009)

On Among The Oak & Ash, Pennsylvania-born New Yorker Josh Joplin and the Mississippi-bred, Nashville-based Garrison Starr lend their distinctive voices to a dozen traditional folk songs drawn from rural Appalachian and Anglo-American musical idioms. Although much of the material is centuries old, the songs' eloquently simple melodies, and their universal themes of love, loss, longing, cruelty and death, give them a timeless resonance into which Joplin and Starr tap effortlessly.

With the duo's evocative harmonies complemented by spare, stripped-down arrangements, Among The Oak & Ash is a powerful testament to Joplin and Starr's interpretive abilities, and to the ageless appeal of these ancient tunes. "These songs are about the human condition, and that's something that doesn't change," Joplin asserts. Indeed, the album's 12 songs span a broad range of human experience, encompassing themes of injustice ("Hiram Hubbard"), longing ("The Water Is Wide"), doomed romance ("Pretty Peggy-O"), spirituality ("Angel Gabriel") and death ("All the Pretty Little Horses"). "A lot of people think of folk music as something that's sweet and gentle, but so many of these songs are raunchy and brutal," Joplin notes. "They cover everything from God to the devil, from unrequited love to murder." The seeds of Among The Oak & Ash--the name is borrowed from the title of an old folk song--were planted during Joplin's teen years. It was then, as an itinerant high-school dropout, that he was introduced to Appalachian musical traditions via the repertoire of the unsung Indiana combo Hurricane Sadee, whose performances of folk and bluegrass standards opened Joplin's eyes to a new world of lyrical depth and musical expression. A well-worn Hurricane Sadee cassette became a touchstone for Joplin, and it was from the group that he first learned several of the songs that appear on Among The Oak & Ash. Hurricane Sadee leader Cari Norris is guest banjoist on the album's version of "Shady Grove." As he built his own musical career, Joplin discovered a close friend and kindred musical spirit in fellow singer-songwriter Garrison Starr.

Starr, like Joplin, had signed to a major label while still in her teens, and had spent much of her adult life performing her compositions for audiences around the world. So when Joplin began to consider making an album of the folk songs that had influenced him so profoundly, it was natural that he would call upon Starr to collaborate on the project. Although she had little background in traditional folk, Starr soon embraced the challenge. "Josh came to Nashville, played me songs and talked about his concept," she recalls. "When I saw how passionate he was about it and we actually sat down and started playing together, I just fell in love with the songs, and fell in love with playing music with Josh. I ended up getting excited about the project because of Josh's passion for the music." Joplin and Starr then called upon a pair of highly regarded Nashville-based players, bassist Brian Harrison (Shelby Lynne) and drummer Bryan Owings (Emmylou Harris, Patty Griffin), to complete the project's instrumental lineup. Recording in the relaxed atmosphere of Harrison's Nashville home studio, the four musicians approached the sessions with a sense of organic intimacy that's reflected in the album's heartfelt performances.

Rock,Folk HMM!!

Liz Isenberg - Indifferent and Imaginary (2009)

Originally from the Washington DC area, Liz has since relocated to Northampton, MA. She is a singer-songwriter and guitar player whose current work incorporates her broad musical background that includes classical training on the upright-bass and studying as a major in sound art at Hampshire College. She's toured extensively- from Maine to Minnesota and all along the eastern seaboard. Her performance resume includes shows with Mount Eerie, Little Wings, David Thomas Broughton, Head of Femur, Curtains, Chris Garneau, Deer Tick, Hockey Night, Thanksgiving, and many others. Her debut album, 'Seeport, Seaport, Seeport' was released by Leisure Class Records in 2006.

Spotlight feature in Northeast Performer Magazine: "Isenberg is a true testament to the DIY aesthetic, and to the idea that makes indie music relevant: if you look hard enough for brilliant new music, you'll be rewarded with someone like Liz Isenberg - a diamond in the rough in a sea of anonymous artists with a guitar, microphone and internet connection....On the heels of a record which is so immediately accessible yet aesthetically challenging, Liz might not remain indie-folk's "best kept secret" for long".

'Seeport, Seaport, Seeport' was ranked the #5 record of 2006 by Indie Folk Forever: "A totally immersive and intimate album of miniature epics from Liz Isenberg, full of great melodies, incredible texture, and an elastic, inscrutable voice that makes every line into an aside you maybe shouldn't hear. Fans of Lou Barlow's Sentridoh, Mirah, Julie Doiron and early Cat Power are all missing out if they haven't got their hands on this."

"This is really gorgeous stuff"- Dave Howell, President of Fat Cat Records

"Listening to Liz's music, I almost feel like an intruder. The way they were recorded as well as the lyrics have such an intimate feel you want to be quiet even when it's just an mp3 playing on your computer." donewaiting.com

Folk,Singer-Songwriter GOOD!!

Chris Garneau - Music For Tourists (2006)

I'm generally reluctant to participate in 6th-grade English teacher crusades against the words "pretty" and "nice"; it's a war sold on completely bogus intelligence. Sorry, Mrs. D: Sometimes these adjectives do aptly modify their subjects. In fact, Brooklyn singer-songwriter Chris Garneau's debut, Music for Tourists, could almost have been a bold assault on behalf of pretty niceness. Instead, it's a reminder that most of us self-proclaimed nice guys eventually turn into drunken a-holes.

To put it as gently as I know how, Music for Tourists makes early Damien Rice sound musically adventurous. Garneau reduces Elliott Smith's archetypal misery to the level of cliché, with Prozac-commercial poetry and a high, fluttery whisper that sounds like Elmo tickling Sufjan Stevens on suicide watch. People cry and people die-- sometimes in the same couplet-- as piano and strings lend dreary accompaniment, sheathed in sterile production work from has-been MOR folk-pop darling (and now budding Broadway composer!) Duncan Sheik.

Over meandering piano chords on "We Don't Try", Garneau sings, "It's easy if you cry, because you feel bad for yourself." And that's pretty much Music for Tourists. The album rarely misses an opportunity for tell-not-show bleakness. After a pizzicato cello opening, waltz-time "Castle-Time" reminisces about an elementary-school teacher's death, forever ago. "Let's cry about it," Garneau urges in grim multi-track harmony. Maybe if he did a little more convincing.

Sometimes Garneau waxes philosophical, too. "Our lives, they won't keep us alive," he laments on wobbly solo number "Blue Suede Shoes"-- unfortunately not a cover. But hidden track "Between the Bars" is, and cries out for a metronome as the singer takes a melodramatic shit on the aforementioned Smith's fucked-up memory. Garneau also cops a Jeff Buckley vibrato on "Black & Blue", moaning, "I wanna catch my death of cold/ 'Cause I'm scared I'm growing old." That's just terrible.

At least Garneau shares my taste in diction. On mopey blogger fave "Not Nice", he squeaks, "When you're not being nice/ You're not nice/ You're not nice/ You're not nice," brushing against a Chris Martin falsetto. The plodding indie-gypsy of "First Place!!!" adds bent acoustic guitar notes and a pack of backing singers, as Garneau describes a house with "nice things inside." But melismatic "Hymn", with electric organ replacing piano, proves more telling than any other track here: "Try and think of nice things to say," Garneau pleads. Hmm. Maybe I'd better not say anything at all. (PITCHFORK 2.3)

Pop,Singer-Songwriter Pretty Niceness!!!

Cameron McGill and What Army - Warm Songs For Cold Shoulders (2009)

Born in 1877 in Calw, on the edge of the Black Forest, Cameron McGill was brought up in a missionary household where it was assumed that he would study for the ministry. McGill's religious crisis led to his fleeing from the Maulbronn seminary in 1891, an unsuccessful cure by a well-known theologian and faith healer, and an attempted suicide. After being expelled from high school, he worked in bookshops for several years. His first collection, 'Stories of The Knife and The Back', describes a youth who leaves his mountain village to become a poet. The lush instrumentation and beautifully crafted melodies, belie the darker nature of the song content. Mostly focusing on personal admissions of guilt and failure, the album's characters struggle in coming to terms with their mortality. All throughout, they simply try to find a friend and fall in love.

This was followed by 'Street Ballads & Murderesques', the tale of a schoolboy totally out of touch with his contemporaries, who flees through different cities after his escape from home. The collection of material on Streets...takes pop musick to the dark libraries of your old house, inhabits a stark and desperate corner of the mind, and simply tells a good story. The wildly vibrant characters offer their most honest interpretations of the dishonest life. They travel time, fall in and out of love, miss and are missed. These are songs of imminent regret, class IV rapids, European gypsies, pre-renaissance Germany, cities with chips on their shoulder, veterans of domestic war, handwritten letters and handmade harmony, foreign wines and local girls, break-ups and breakdowns, and post-war divorcees.

World War I came as a terrific shock, and McGill joined the pacifist Romain Rolland in antiwar activities--not only writing antiwar songs, but editing two newspapers for prisoners of war. During this period, McGill's first marriage broke up (reflected in "It's Not Right" off of 'Street Ballads & Murderesques'), he studied the works of Freud, eventually underwent analysis with Jung, and was for a time a patient in a sanatorium. In 1919 he moved permanently to Switzerland, and brought out Cameron McGill & What Army, which reflects his preoccupation with the workings of the subconscious and with battles against depression...but mostly focuses on learning how to have fun. His most recent document is the dense 'Hold on Beauty' which was released last winter amongst intense fighting.

April of the new year, sees the release of 'warm songs for cold shoulders' by the forward thinking Parasol label. He never won the Nobel Prize, but his mother always loved him. Until his death in 2056, he lived in seclusion in Illinois.

Folk,Singer-Songwriter GOOD!!

Van She - Ze Vemixes (2009)

Building on the local success of V, in their DJ guise Van She Tech have given their magical remixing touch to a selection of singles from the debut LP. Ze Vemixes is essentially an hour of heavily dancefloor-oriented and completely new Van She music, bundled together in a 2 disc set with the original V album.

New-Wave,Synthpop,Remixes YAYY!!

The Little Hands Of Asphalt - Spit Back at The Rain EP (2009)

Lazy Acre Records is very happy indeed to be releasing the excellent “Spit Back At The Rain” ep by Oslos finest purveyors of bedroom folk pop THE LITTE HANDS OF ASPHALT.

We first stumbled across the guys in a very snowy Oslo a couple of months ago and we have been in love with their Elliot Smith-esque brand of alt folk.

The first part of Lazy Acres FULL STOP TO BAD POP campaign (which will see a new free digital ep released every month from this very site) the bands six tracker features the five tracks that made up the bands first release on How Is Annie Records with the addition of a new track “Oslo” from the bands new album Leap Years. (Source)

Bedroom-Pop,Acoustic,Singer-Songwriter HHMM!!

Magnolia Electric Co. - Josephine (2009)

Josephine is a weighty, mature album about real loss and dislocation, bringing forth a more minimalist aesthetic than the band has attempted to date. For Josephine, the band teamed once again with engineer Steve Albini at his Electrical Audio Studios in Chicago for what proved to be an emotional recording session.

About halfway through Josephine, there is a noticeable shift in weight. It's a release of some sort — the kind that comes when you give up holding back the tears. It's a heavy kind of freedom coming to the forefront, an empowering sadness. And when chief Electrician Jason Molina delivers the line "an hour glass... filled with tears and twilight from a friend's dying day," the mood becomes clear. The band is on its heels, yes, but they are going to fight back in the only way they know how.

Molina's concept album is an honest-to-God effort on the part of Magnolia Electric Co. to pay tribute to the life and spirit of fallen bassist Evan Farrell (R.I.P. December 2007). Molina said each tune is a good faith attempt to make real Evan's hopes for the record. And in doing so, Evan's spirit becomes part of the concept. The loss of Josephine becomes the loss of Evan. Molina's familiar lyrical allegories are still in tact. But here, in what is no doubt the strongest set of songs Molina has written since the inception of Magnolia Electric Co., those classic themes take on new meanings. Molina has approached the universal loneliness before, but never in such a focused, directed manner as found on Josephine.

Josephine is also an experiment in Molina's songcraft, introducing some real lessons in brevity as he whittles a handful of tracks into well-under three minutes. There are cues taken from great songwriters like Willie Nelson and Warren Zevon, ie the horn section throughout the record and the especially the sax solo on the Zevon-esque lead track "O! Grace," or the doo-wop leanings found in "Rock of Ages." The album closer, "An Arrow in the Gale," acknowledges that Magnolia Electric Co., as the road warriors they have truly become, are still blazing the trail with the line "Lightning on our tail, we better go, Jo."

Pop,Folk, GOOD!!

Regina Spektor - Far (2009)

Three years after her major-label splash Begin to Hope, New York pianist Regina Spektor went back into the studio with four (!) multiplatinum producers of varying pop backgrounds, including Dr. Dre/Eminem/Fiona Apple enabler Mike Elizondo and former McCartney/Harrison/Wilbury collaborator and ELO founder Jeff Lynne. Yet despite so many hands at the controls, the only prints and smudges to be found are Spektor's own. Far snuggles between her previous efforts, linking the heady sweep of 2003's Soviet Kitsch to the roundabout pop treats of Begin to Hope.

On lead-off track "The Calculation," Spektor purrs a scenario of love and hurt that plays out in the breakfast nook, her rubberband vocal tics flush with an almost Caribbean piano hook. In fact, the hiccups that drove songs such as her last album's hit single "Fidelity" sweeten the melodies even further here. "Eet" takes its title from the hilly phonetics of its near-yodeled chorus, while "Folding Chair" features Spektor singing as she dreamed dolphins might.

Her Joan Osborne–esque look at G-O-D on "Laughing With" is heartbreakingly sharp. But it's "Folding Chair," which refines Spektor's blend of classicist flourish and pure pop sense, that best encapsulates her talents and gnarly eccentricities. After opening with ivory wisps of the sex Pistols' "God Save the Queen," she quickly guns it back to the islands, unfurling a balmy new melody like a beach towel. Just in time for summer.

Piano, Singer-Songwriter YAYY!!

Orba Squara - The Trouble With Flying (2009)

To celebrate the June 23rd release of The Trouble With Flying, Orba Squara took to the road on a first ever 10 day road trip across country. The idea was "...to play some new music, meet some new people and, along the way, see what we've been missing." The entire trip has been beautifully documented as a really fantastic web project (the likes of which none of us here at VivaIndieRock have ever seen!). We highly recommend you check it out. Not only will you feel like you are part of the journey, but you will also get to preview all of the tracks on the new record as you explore.(Source)

Pop,Folk FINALLY!!

Pony Pony Run Run - You Need Pony Pony Run Run (2009)

Their first album is coming out on June 15th 2009 in France on their label 3ème Bureau featuring the single “Hey you” They’ve released their first demo CD in 2004 including three tracks Gettin’ Drunk On You, Easy Cash and my TSNM Love (which original name was my Tsunami love, but the band decided to change it because they didn’t want to be a politically commited band).

They’ve recently decided to go back on tour and are touring in Germany and France and they’ve posted on their myspace new songs “right from their studio!” : Springbreak My Heart, First Date Mullet, and Star Survivor. Other Songs are Sad So Sad And Sunshine, Tender Engine…
They used to wear enormous sunglasses on stage like the band Devo and due to their “over sensitivity to light on stage”. One of their greatest influences is Weezer, especially the album Pinkerton.

They’ve participated to “Les Préseléctions du printemps de Bourges” at Le Fuzz’yon on November 25th but didn’t win. Their guitarist, S have decided to leave the band in order to work on his solo project They like another power pop band called This Is Pop also coming from Nantes.

Electro,Powerpop FINALLY!!

Starlight Mints-Change Remains (2009)

Starlight MiNTS is an indiepop band from Oklahoma. The psych-pop pranksters latest release is 'Change Remains' and is available digitally today, while the CD comes out July 21st.
Starlight Mints are a group of beautiful pop mutants: five singular musical minds whose love for archetypal pop music and AM radio has provided, over the course of three previous acclaimed albums, a rock-solid foundation for a whole bunch of inspired uniqueness, all baked to perfection under the hot Oklahoma sun. Allan Vest (vocals/guitar), Marian Love Nunez (keyboards), Javier Gonzales (bass), Andy Nunez (drums), and Ryan Lindsey (keyboard / guitar) began jamming together in the '90s, giving birth to their own unusual brand of instrumentally complex, surrealistically worded pop sound.
Starting the album off is an all-instrumental surfy track called "Coffin R Us", perfect for any B-Movie classic theme song. What follows are nine tracks that feels like it was recorded at another time, particularly in the 60s and 70s. Also, the vocal range is pretty interesting too, for instance, Allan Vest does your typical rock vocals on "Natural" but then takes it down a bit with trippy-hippie vocals on "Paralyzed" followed by the indie rock stylings of "Black Champagne"
There's no downer songs on the entire album, you'll find yourself wanting to dance to each song "with your soft shoes and purple JB". Maybe you can wear that to one of their shows - they are on tour in the States through the Midwest and down South, ending in Florida.

Pop, Electro, YAY!!

Diving With Andy - Sugar Sugar (2009)

t the crossroads of baroque pop and earthy folk, Diving With Andy’s second album Sugar Sugar, is in the tradition of the great Anglo-Saxon artists. The masterstroke of the French trio, made up of Juliette Paquereau, Rémy Galichet, and Julien Perraudeau, is to have created music as sophisticated and daring as this in English. With its title Sugar Sugar setting a sweet note, the new album focuses on Juliette’s voice and the stories she tells: ten magnificent tracks of orchestrated pop and voluptuous folk. There are no guests or collaborators on this album. Diving With Andy chose to produce the disc themselves behind closed doors with the idea of creating a piece of meticulous, sophisticated, craftsmanship since Rémy and Julien play all the instruments, and Juliette’s writing possesses all the magnetism of her voice. Sugar Sugar is an acid-drop pop ballad, both British and french, bewitching as an English daydream permeated with all the charm of Paris.

Pop,France GOOD!!

Chris Garneau - El Radio (2009)

Piano and pop don’t mix- at least that’s the conventional wisdom with regard to “popular” music. Yet Chris Garneau defies expectations. Since releasing his debut album Music for Tourists in 2006, he has consistently proven that in the hands of a capable musician, 88 keys can indeed, be cool to listen to. Two years later, he’s back with a sophomore album El Radio and far from slumping. The record is a orchestra of sounds capturing emotional highs and lows- more lows than highs.

Aside from the aforementioned orchestra, the record is an orchestra of symphonics, cello, and of course Garneau’s own piano. “Dirty Night Clown” finds Garneau and friends rocking cello and drums to an atonal, discordant beat. “No More Pirates” is an upbeat, horn laden ditty about forgiveness. On “Fireflies,” Garneau channels his inner Tin Pan Alley artist, composing a tale of musical suspicion worthy of an off-Broadway play. Foghat this is not.

Despite the eclectic nature of the record, the album does have its downsides. The eerie tone and subject matter of the songs (several deal with death- natural or otherwise) may turn off audiences who are more used to upbeat faire from Top 40 than introverted, complicated songwriting. There are sleepers too. The slow strumming of “Raw and Awake” is more lullaby than pop song. Yet this is an exception to the rule.

Though the album is far from upbeat, overall the record speaks to the diverse range of Garneau’s material. From instrumental tracks to Tin Pan Alley style songs, there is little that he is incapable of. Far from being typical singer-songwriter faire, the album is a sonic expression of our common emotionality- both good and bad.

While “El Radio” may not be for everyone, it is certainly worth paying attention to- even if it is macabre at times

Pop,Folk,Singer-Songwriter WOHOOO!!

Sparrow And The Workshop - Sleight Of Hand EP (2009)

Sparrow and the Workshop are a threepiece alt folk/country/indie outfit based in Glasgow, formed in the dew of January 2008 under the heavy fog of yeast from the Tennents Factory. The American/Scottish/Welsh trio play a stripped-down drumkit, a crashbox, a very white bass, a smallish acoustic guitar, a mellow yellow electric slide guitar and occasionally an old french violin. Tinged with elements of country and folk but incorporating a huge range of references from motor city to Seattle, their sound ranges from punky and harsh to sparse and sensitive, allowing boy/girl vocal duets, various instrumentation and a penchant for storytelling to shine through Sleight of Hand - A 6 Track Short Player is due to be released in Early May on Distiller Records - 10” Vinyl, CD, Download, Available in all good Record Stores.

Pop,Female-Vocal HMM!!

The Fatales - Great Surround (2009)

The band, based in NYC - USA, have released yet a 7-track EP, 2004s Pretty in Pixels, garnered critical acclaim for its glitchy, moody, atmospheric pop commonly drawing comparisons to Interpol and Radiohead. Pretty in Pixels was recorded and mixed at Headgear Production and Recording Studios (Yeah Yeah Yeah, T.V. on the Radio, The National) in Brooklyn, NY with Dan Long.

After signing with monopsone Records (Le Mans, France) in July 2008, The Fatales traveled to Chase Park Transduction Studios in Athens, Georgia to record its first album, Great Surround, with producer Andy LeMaster (Bright Eyes, Pacific UV, Azure Ray). Demonstrating more thoughtful and delicately crafted songwriting, the new compositions are nostalgic and cinematic in scope, recalling the soundtrack to a David Lynch film. The songs maintain the groups trademark sound : shimmering layers of guitars and synths, lush melodic string arrangements, and meticulously programmed electronics, all driven by a propulsive and dynamic rhythm section. The picturesque effect is dark yet beautiful - dancing in circles while toeing the line of a familiar yet slightly skewed pop structure.

An early demo of Stadtpark, a song from Great Surround, was chosen for Je taime, a record compilation including artists as Windsor for the Derby (Secretly Canadian), A Northern Chorus (Sonic Unyon), and Mark Robinson (Teenbeat, Unrest), released in March 2006 by Montreal-based Where Are My Records, also available through Darla Records. The song was also featured on NPR (National Public Radio in Washington)s All Songs Considered two years ago.

Dreampop,Shoegaze GOOD!!

Skint & Demoralised - Love, And Other Catastrophes (2009)

Skint & Demoralised are an English band formed on MySpace in May 2007. Originally just Wakefield performance poet Matt Abbott, the act became a duo when Abbott responded to an offer of collaboration from a mysterious Sheffield-based songwriter/producer known as MiNI dOG.

A songwriting partnership quickly developed over the Summer of 2007 and in August of that year they assembled a live band of numerous Sheffield musicians. Uploading their demos onto a free download site, they eventually received over 8,600 free downloads before signing a deal with Mercury Records in March 2008.

The band’s initial success came after sending a demo in to BBC Radio 1 DJ Steve Lamacq, which was first played in early November 2007. Several Radio 1 plays followed before the band attracted attention from numerous record labels. Originally planning a limited single release on Stiff Records, the band eventually opted to sign a deal with Mercury Records.

In June 2007 they flew-out to New York City to start recording their debut album with The Dap-Kings at the Daptone Studios in Brooklyn, New York. The Dap-Kings recently played on Amy Winehouse’s ‘Back to Black’ and Mark Ronson’s ‘Version’ records. Recording of the album finished at RAK Studios in London.

The band’s debut release, on 17th November 2008, was a limited release of ‘The Thrill of Thirty Seconds’ on London indie label Another Music = Another Kitchen and all 500 copies of the signed 7” vinyl sold-out on pre-order. Their second release was a full non-chart eligible release of ‘This Song Is Definitely Not About You’ through Mercury Records on 2nd March 2009 and is available on CD, 7” and digital download.

Pop,Soul,Singer-Songwriter,British HMM!!

Theoretical Girl - Divided (2009)

Theoretical Girl makes electro-folk-pop on her 8-track in her bedroom and has been doing so since 2006.

She has released four singles, ‘It’s All Too Much’ (Fake Product),’Red Mist’ (Half Machine Records), ‘The Hypocrite’ and ‘Another Fight’ both on Salvia/XL Recordings to high critical acclaim. Also out is a limited edition 7” split covering a Tokyo Police Club song ‘Nursery, Academy’, available exclusively from Pure Groove.

Upcoming releases include a Japanese only release of ‘The Boy I Left Behind’ (an acoustic version that’s already had nearly half a million hits on youtube), a UK single release of ‘Rivals’ on 25th May and the album ‘Divided’ in August.

Having gigged tirelessly throughout Europe over the past three years, Theoretical Girl, armed either with just her guitar and backing tracks or backed by her band ‘The Equations’, has built up a formidable following, and an impressive list of bands she’s played with – Robyn, Maximo Park, Kate Nash, Lethal Bizzle, Calvin Harris, Good Shoes, Metric, amongst many others.

After years of independent EP releases, her debut Divided will be released on the 17th of August via Memphis Industries. The date is a little far way, but Amy Turnnidge just released her first single 'Rivals' in order to prepare you. And the song, as usual, is lovely, a frenetic ballad softly interpreted.

Folk,Electro,Post-Punk YAYY! FINALLY!!

Porta's Listen...Top 25 Most Liveable Cities 2009

SPECIAL EDITION
Top 25 Most Liveable Cities 2009

Where are the top 25 places in the world to call home? Listen to our countdown of the metropolises on the move and cities on the slide. For the survey in full read issue 25 of Monocle - the July-August 09 issue. But a warning: after listening to this report, you may want to move your base.

more on...MonocleSpecialEdition

Porta's Listen...The Monocle Weekly - Edition 25

EDITION 25
-14 June

Tyler Brûlé anchors this week's show from Palma de Mallorca and talks to Jeff Rubin, economist and author, who reveals how our world is about to get a whole lot smaller and why the price of oil has everything to do with it. Editor Andrew Tuck and culture editor Robert Bound are in the London studio to reveal the top 25 cities in Monocle's annual quality-of-life survey, and shoe industry expert Toni Muran joins Tyler in the Palma studio to talk about the decline of shoe-making in the Balearic Islands.

CONTRIBUTORS

THIS WEEK IN THE STUDIO
-14 June

Tyler Brûlé

Editor in chief

Robert Bound

Culture editor

Andrew Tuck

Editor

Toni Muran
Shoe industry expert

Credits
Producer: Alexander Mills
Sound Engineer: Chris Sharp
Editor: Aleksander Solum

" The Smart Growth this weekly.
Improving our communities quality of life,
and guiding new growth into existing communities.

The top 25 cities

...in Monocle's annual quality-of-life survey,
smart growth in a community vary from place to place."

You can listen to the broadcasts at The Monocle Weekly website or subscribe to the podcast on iTunes.

New Modern Classic...Viberg Bob Cat

Viberg Boots

" that still makes high-quality all-leather work boots..."

In the last issue of Monocle magazine I reported on a boot company from my hometown, Victoria, BC. The company has been around for decades and has resided in Victoria for nearly 40 years now. Viberg Boots have survived through their incredible quality and supplying the work force in western Canada for years and years. Because of their great quality, the Japanese market has picked up on the brand which has in turn created a more lifestyle, casual collection. Superdenim is one of the UK’s best retailers when it comes to work wear inspired fashions from brands like Post Overalls and The Real McCoy’s. The fellow running the shop just picked up distribution for Viberg in Europe so we should see the Canadian boot company moving forward with the lifestyle market if all goes well. This Bob Cat model is one of their most classic and best in my opinion. They boots are made incredibly well and Glen and his son Brett, who run the factory, were really great hosts.For more information make sure you pick up the 24th issue of Monocle.

" beauty, pretty and quality."

Picked up the latest issue of Monocle earlier today. It's packed with interesting reads such as young Japanese men exploring the pastoral life, a 16 page aviation guide and Kyoto folk and their bicycles. And as always, the fashion spreads are amazing.

Special Thanks Posted by ALPHABETICAL

MONOCLE
-Issue 24 - June 2009

The new issue of Monocle is now available and this months is a special one. I know he’s made subtle reference to it on the Twitter feed, but I’m officially announcing it here! Ryan has contributed an article entitled ‘Busy BC’, focusing on the rich history of craftsmanship in British Columbia. I had the pleasure of reading it on the ferry to Victoria ahead of our Take Ivy shoot. He was able to fill up three pages in his first article covering some of the region’s most interesting retailers and manufacturers. I won’t spoil it for you but grab a copy now before his Mum buys them all! If it’s not available near you, we’ll have copies for sale at THE Shop when it opens towards the end of this month. In the meantime, I hope you’ll join me in congratulating Mr. Willms and h(y)r collective contributor Mr. Savage who took the photos.

British Columbia craftsmen have been producing hard-wearing, well-made clothes and footwear for generations. Now these homespun manufacturers are finding new international markets. Their long-established reputations and promise of quality and skill are their trump cards.

more on...BUSY BC

Credits
Writer: Ryan Willms
Photographer: Matt Savage

Porta's Eyes...The city of your dreams

“ The city of your dreams ”

By Tyler Brûlé

“Could you live here?” and “would you live here?” are two of the most common questions colleagues ask each other at the end of a business trip. Responses rarely take the form of a shrugged “I don’t know” or a half-hearted “I guess so”. Rather, they typically come in vehement declarations suggesting that considerable thought has gone into the topic already. Here are a few I’ve heard over the years:

On the train to Chicago’s O’Hare: “No way. It’s neither one thing nor the other and just look at this sad excuse of a train to the airport.”

In a cab to Vancouver International Airport: “Definitely not for me – seems a bit sleepy and limp.”

In a big Mercedes en route to Hong Kong’s Chek Lap Kok: “I could do it for a short stint but it wouldn’t be for the quality of life.”

Hitching a ride with an associate to Geneva’s Cointrin: “If I could get a great flat close to the lake and move my five closest friends, then it would be amazing.”

Being taxied to Fukuoka airport: “If I wanted the best of Japan but also great connections to the rest of Asia then it would be my first choice.”

Most of us tend to play some version of the game every time we travel and, while some quickly conclude they wouldn’t trade their current set-up for anywhere else in the world, I’d argue there are considerably more who are tempted to give up their current address for a place that promises better housing, worklife, transport, schools, restaurants, weather, shopping and weekend pursuits.

If there was a professional league for this particular sport, I’m quite confident I’d be on a huge contract and captain of my team. From the age of three I’ve always been on the move – I did two complete circuits of Winnipeg-Montreal-Toronto by the time I was 15 – and, since 1989, when I relocated to the far side of the Atlantic, I’ve been fascinated by the forces that make cities work (or not) and analysing the advantages and disadvantages to living in them.

My first stop in the UK was Manchester and, from the moment I stepped off the plane, I was looking south and east for a town with better weather, tastier food, more peaceful, polite neighbours and houses with proper heating and windows. London was the obvious choice and the place I ventured next. But for some reason I could hear Hamburg calling from across the North Sea.

That my mother was born in Lübeck, north of the city, might have had something to do with it. But, after a weekend visit in the 1990s, I was also smitten by the city’s compact and efficient airport, its cosy neighbourhoods dotted with inviting bakeries and shops, its centrally located lake, its great restaurants and even better bars. It also offered a buzzing media scene, with journalists working for Stern, Der Spiegel, Die Zeit, Tempo, NDR and a host of other titles, broadcasters and agencies.

So I moved and spent two years marvelling at how the quality of life in north Germany could be so much better than in the UK capital. Apartments were not damp but warm and dry in spite of equally horrendous weather. One could get a meal at 11pm, instead of being told, sullenly, that the kitchen was closed. Even the doors of buildings closed with a more reassuring whoosh and a thud. The list goes on.

Unfortunately, for career reasons, I was forced to give up on Hamburg and return to London in 1994. Yet my wanderlust – and my obsession with stacking cities up against each other – has not abated.


It was about this time three years ago that I was hustling from London to Tokyo, Stockholm to Sydney, Barcelona to Geneva trying to secure financing for Monocle magazine as well as creating our first-year editorial plan. In the midst of my travels, I suddenly realised we should create a new global “liveability” survey to challenge the ones put out by the likes of Mercer and the Economist Intelligence Unit each year.


In addition to looking at obvious cut-and-dried statistics such as average salaries, school performance and healthcare costs, we would ask our network of researchers to consider softer issues – physical and technological connectivity, tolerance, the strength of local media and culture and, of course, late-night eating and entertainment options.

Munich

The inaugural winner of Monocle’s “world’s most liveable city” award, in 2007, was Munich, which scored high in all our designated categories. (Given my Hamburg experience, I wasn’t surprised.) Then, last year, the German city was beaten by Copenhagen due to the Danish capital’s strong environmental efforts, subway network expansion and diverse neighbourhoods.

Monocle issue 05

For 2009, we decided to tweak the metrics a bit, looking at three new factors: the independence of a city’s retail and restaurant scene (let’s call it the Zara/Starbucks index), the ease with which small business owners can start up operations and planned infrastructure improvements. More broadly, we considered the way in which locals and visitors are able to navigate and use everything from public parks to the local property market. In our view, places with the best quality of life are those with the fewest daily obstructions, allowing residents to be both productive and free of unnecessary stress.

Zürich

Starting with a shortlist of more than 40 cities and taking these new elements into account, our rankings didn’t change dramatically. But Zürich did move into the top spot, thanks to outstanding and still improving public transport, including an expanding tram system and main rail station; ample leisure activities, including 50 museums and excellent restaurants; environmental activism in setting new emissions targets; good business culture, with local authorities offering both advice and low-cost office space; and its airport, which serves 170 destinations and is now in line for a SFr460m (£262m) revamp.

-Zürich

-Copenhagen

-Tokyo

-Munich

-Helsinki

Copenhagen dropped to second place, reflecting a less impressive airport experience and a loss of flavour in its city centre, although it remains clean, green, cultural and virtually crime-free, while Tokyo held its number-three position, with big improvements to its main rail station and Haneda airport in the works on top of its already impeccable service-based economy. Oslo entered the top 20; Auckland returned after a one-year absence; and both Fukuoka and Berlin advanced several spots.


As usual, our list revealed that outside Japan and Singapore, Asia still has a lot of work to do, as does the US, with New York’s “world-capital” claim felled by the abysmal quality of its transport, public schools and housing stock (not to mention the carnage on Wall Street) and only Honolulu in Hawaii making the cut. Also, as is common in quality-of-life surveys, no African or South American cities were included, since the leading contenders – Santiago, Buenos Aires, Montevideo – all scored low on some basic metrics.


As for London, my home, it didn’t make the top 25 for many of the same reasons New York was omitted. So why am I still here? I can’t argue with the findings of the Monocle survey. Indeed, I once considered Zürich my dream city, with its speedy trains connecting me to skiing and Milan, its wonderful lake and bathing clubs, its pretty hillsides and solid Swiss apartments. Yet, when I eventually tried living there, I lasted less than a year. No matter how much the city had to offer, I couldn’t stand my narrow-minded neighbours. Zürich might have been a liveable city then but it wasn’t a welcoming one.


Have things changed? Well, aside from the improvements listed above, there is also a new mayor, the city’s first openly gay leader, who could do her bit to lighten the mood. Perhaps it’s time for me to give it another go.

For the moment, though, I’ll continue to endure London while simply sampling the top three on a regular basis – Zürich en route to skiing in St Moritz, Copenhagen when summering in Sweden and Tokyo for business trips at least once a month. Could I, would I, live in any of them full-time at some point in my life? Certainly.

“ Our mission for this issue is a simple one – we want to improve the urban experience. It’s a tricky enough task for forward-thinking local governments to tackle, let alone a media brand, but we’ve been thinking about this theme since our launch and decided the best time to engage politicians, developers, architects, financiers and anyone else who has influence or an opinion about city-life was while they were stretched out, relaxed, taking the sun and fully focused on their own quality of life.

Our focus is firmly fixed on identifying the components and forces that make a city not simply attractive or wealthy but truly liveable. Researched over a three-month period, our quality of life survey is 50 per cent scientific (we’ll come to our metrics shortly) and 50 per cent subjective (sometimes a place just rubs you the wrong way and you’re not quite sure why). ”

Tyler Brûlé
is editor-in-chief of Monocle magazine and the FT’s Fast Lane columnist.

The July/August issue of Monocle, featuring its 2009 liveability rankings, is on sale from Wednesday

more on...Read previous columns on FT.com

Hot and Covered...Braid Is Come!

You're Always looking for cute ways
to do braids that aren't too

"little girl"
for this Summer.



-the portastylistic

When I was little, I'd sit on the living-room floor, and my mom would French-braid my hair. It made my already huge head look enormous (an orange on a toothpick!), but I adored it anyway. So, recently, I was thrilled to discover the new Flickr group Braid Wednesday. How gorgeous are these women? Don't you want to wear braids again?

"...Braids are so beautifully classic, styles that is so sweet! "

Special Thanks Text By Joanna Goddard

pop*eye...Music video from God Help the Girl

" Pure Beauty,
too much just staring forward..."

-the portastylistic

God Help The Girl,
a story set to music by Stuart Murdoch of Belle and Sebastian.

God Help the Girl - "Sarah Collins"

God Help the Girl - "Faye Schmid"

God Help the Girl - "Come Monday Night" (official video)



Celia Garcia playing Piano

Celia Garcia

*I love you!!!
Lovely...y*

Please visit http://www.godhelpthegirl.com/subscri... to purchase the album and sign up for a God Help the Girl subscription featuring exclusive music and video content!

Directed by Blair Young and Stuart Murdoch

This is the most beautiful song I've heard in a long, long time. Thank-you, Stuart. I hope one day I can write music as wonderful as this.

Angels Woman...Anni B. Sweet

" Pierces the heart, the smooth folk

Sound of Spain.
wins over her lucky listeners
from the very get-go."

-the portastylistic

All about
Anni B. Sweet

Anni B. Sweet is the stage name of the cantautora Ana Lopez, born in Malaga in 1987. She felt an early vocation by the musical race, realising his first compositions to the 9 years. She entered the formation of several groups in his native Malaga until she started off for Madrid in search of greater projection.






There one was with the support of the Humanity band, with which she collaborated until beginning his race alone. In this occasion she received the support of artists like Javier Doria of ” The Melocotons” and Brian Hunt. After spreading widely in Internet, to realise several tours being accompanied to artists like Antonio Fertile valley, entering the musical environment adjustment of the series hunting of men and to appear in radio 3 signed a contract with the discográficas Arindelle and Subterfuge Record.


The 28 of April of 2009 came to the light their first disc Start, Restart, Undo. Anni B. Sweet mainly writes her letters in English, and its style, smooth and melancholic, drinks of influences of acoustic music, folk and indie MGP. It has been saluted very favorably by the specialized critic. (Wiki.Spain/Translate)

Anni B. Sweet,only 21-year-old,a folk-pop singer from Madrid Spain,she released her first album in the April 28 (iTunes). Her music, like most of the Russian Red, who can resist the melodies or crystalline voice that "Start, Restart, Undo" should be a success.




Foto: Mercedes Hausmann

Sweet unveils her first album
‘Start, Restart, Undo’

Anni B Sweet - Start, Restar, Undo (2009)

The young singer-songwriter began to make a name for herself on independent music circuits. She will hold her first concert on Mallorca on the 22nd of May to share her hot-off-the-presses album.


The sweetness of her voice provided the name for this artist, who has musically christened herself Anni B. Sweet. Her real name is Ana López, a Málaga native who left her hometown two years ago to try her luck in Madrid with just a handful of songs written in English. And she’s made it.


The first springboard for this twenty-something was her page on MySpace, where she uploaded the songs she had recorded for a demo along with Brian Hunt and Javier Doria. Shortly afterwards, she won the mock-up contest sponsored by Arindelle Records and Ego, which led to the release of her first album. It is called ‘Start Restart Undo’ and was launched less than a month ago, on the 28th of April.



Even though she would rather not be pigeonholed into a single style, Anni B. Sweet’s music betrays influences from folk, pop and a more private style that is embellished with an exceedingly lovely voice. The record contains 11 songs in English, all of them composed by the artist herself, and one in Spanish, ‘Tumbado en mi moqueta azul’, by César Fernández.


Anni B. Sweet is now coming to Mallorca to offer her very first concert on the island, held to commemorate the tenth anniversary of the Sa Riba cultural association.

Spain GOOD!!


more on...Anni B. Sweet
more on...Anni Fansite

Her songs are stories about encounters, the brushing of skin, plans gone wrong and observations on life. Songs like “Motorway” and “Again” bode very well for the future of Anni B Sweet.



" Unmissable."

Hot and Covered...Sounds Like Teen Spirit

" A Popumentary "

-Sounds Like Teen Spirit

Kids always make great subjects for a documentary, not only because of the potential for exploring the parent-child relationship, but also because they wear their emotions on their sleeves and, well, let’s face it… kids say the darndest things! (For some great examples of cool docs about kids, check out Jay’s previous list of Five Films about Kids.) Seeing kids and teenagers in competitions can make for an even more compelling watch, which is why I’m excited about Jamie Jay Johnson’s Sounds Like Teen Spirit.

The movie follows four kids from ages 10 to 15 as they take part in the Junior Eurovision Songwriting Contest. It’s like Spellbound meets Rock School, but with an international flavour. Clearly the many different personalities and backgrounds come into play here, but like all competition documentaries, I can only hope it culminates in a tense nail-biting finale. The movie is currently playing in select theatres in the U.K., but unfortunately there no word on a North American release as of yet. After seeing the trailer, I now regret missing it at the Toronto Film Festival last year. Check out the trailer for Sounds Like Teen Spirit below, and visit the official website for more info.

MONOCLE

NEWS REPORT

Sounds Like Teen Spirit, Jamie Jay Johnson's warm and witty documentary following four contestants in the Junior Eurovision Song Contest, is a sure contender as one of the strongest factual films of 2009. Monocle's Robert Bound met Johnson in London to talk tunes, childhood and bloc-voting.

Sounds Like Teen Spirit

Credits

Producer: Gillian Dobias
Interviewer: Robert Bound
Camera: Sam Mitchell
Editing: Aleksander Solum

IT'S EUROVISION...BUT NOT AS WE KNOW IT

James King, Radio 1
"You'll Laugh. You'll Cry.
You'll Sing-a-long.
a brilliant, brilliant film"



Martha Delacey, London Lite
"Simply the most
wonderful movie
I've seen since
Slumdog Millionaire"



Dennis Harvey, Variety
“Just the right mix of affection
and amusement…irresistible
crowd pleaser…delightful”

Ellen Eastward, Shooting People
“Whole audience loved it!
Really captures the spirit of the
kids”

Elke De Pourq, CuttingEdge.be
“Very funny and moving…
stole our hearts”

Richard Ouzounian, Toronto Star.

“Fresh and original… part of
a new generation of filmmakers
well worth watching”

Synopsis

‘Sounds Like Teen Spirit’ is the warmly comic story of childhood, innocence, teen-dreams and singing off-key.

Marrying the affectionate indie humour of ‘Little Miss Sunshine’ with the charm and emotion of ‘Stand by Me’, ‘Sounds Like Teen Spirit’ follows the journey of 4 loveable-losers to the world’s largest children’s song-writing contest including all the foibles of growing up along the way.

Featuring music by ABBA, Roxy Music, The Who, Henri Mancini and Belgium’s infamous Singing Nun ‘Sounds Like Teen Spirit’ celebrates the underdog spirit of heroic amateurism in what Variety describes as an ‘irrestistible crowd pleaser… delightful’.

MoviePic writes how Teen Spirit ‘leaves you all teary and tenderhearted’ and IndiePix called it ‘the hit of the festival’, following its Toronto Premiere.

‘Sounds Like Teen Spirit’ is directed by BAFTA, Broadcast and Gierson nominated ‘best new director’ Jamie J Johnson and produced by British indie veterans Elizabeth Karlsen and Stephen Woolley.

… A star is Bjorn

A UK Film Council presentation, in association with Aramid Entertainment, C4 British Documentary Film Foundation, of an Elizabeth Karlsen, Stephen Woolley, Number 9 Films production, in association with Audley Films
Produced by Elizabeth Karlsen, Stephen Woolley. Executive Producers Jess Search, Maxyne Franklin, Simon Fawcett, Paul White. Co-Producer Kate Lawrence. Directed by Jamie J Johnson.

"...the film is a tender message of hope and perseverance that is sure to leave a smile on your face and catchy Europop songs in your head. Recommended for ages 13+."

-the portastylistic