Friday 31 October 2008

Amateur Takes Control - You, Me And The Things Unsaid

I have been waiting for this frantic moment for an extremely long time and finally it's here now. It's the highly-anticipated debut album by Amateur Takes Control from Singapore.

First discovered them during a gig in 2007, ATC is a group of teens who crafts brilliant compositions every now and then. Mainly applying their skills on instruments to do the talking, I have been telling myself, "darn, these guys are fucking awesome!". Indeed they are, and I'm sure at least a thousand of others agree with me.

You, Me And The Things Unsaid was released on October 10 through Kitty Wu Records.

Well, I can't talk much about this piece here, since I barely heard any of the materials from this debut, but based on a trailer heard on their MySpace, I smell some refined versions of their previously recorded tracks and some that I have not heard before, yet. But what I can say for now is they sound rather more 'electronic' than usual. I guess that's for me to find out, ain't it?

Until then, you enjoy.

Thursday 30 October 2008

Have You Clicked MTV Music?


Those who love to watch music videos may have a much more reliable site to view them all. MTV Music offers a superb range of music videos from genres of all sorts.

A little bit to unveil such greatness, but it's better late than never. Check for your favorite music video now!

Puma Flannel Pack

Puma released a series of footwear inspired by the application of flannel on the upper. Somehow a great idea for keeping your feet warm during the winter, it may look nice if you don't overdo it, I guess.

Found two models with that kinda pattern, the Basket 2 and the XS850, both models come in different colorways of flannel.

You probably could match these kicks with similar flannel shirts, but some might just prefer to keep a simple look on it. Well, it's your choice after all. Nothing much we can do. Well, the best option is to check out some fashion magazines for some inspiration since flannel is seemingly hot these days.






Where to buy? You can head over to Mita Sneakers.

The Loom - At Last Night

Brooklyn acoustic folk sextet The Loom has harnessed the emotional power and beauty of ensemble vocals and chiming instruments since 2006, drawing large crowds to their many live shows throughout the NY-area.

Now, with the release of its debut EP, the rest of the world can enjoy the group’s rich amalgam of folk and alt-country influenced indie rock featuring male and female vocals, acoustic and electric guitars, French horn, trumpet, piano, pedal steel, bass, drums, ukulele, accordion, and banjo.

The EP, At Last Light boasts soaring and lilting songs ranging from gentle to anthemic and built around subtle, affecting lyrics. The Loom’s sound has often been compared to affecting artists like Smog, Arcade Fire, Fairport Convention and The Waterboys.

By Fanatic.

Wednesday 29 October 2008

50 Unique Oakley Frogskins By Andrew Petterson

Emphasizing on the coolness of gorgeous goodies beautified by hand, here's one worth to brag about.

One kind of an event to happen today, Oakley commissioned artist Andrew Petterson to create 50 unique Frogskins, all hand-painted by the man himself characteristically. 25 selected stores were handpicked to carry this range, with each retailer having 2 pairs. Each sunglasses will be packaged in a black packaging, and you won't know which design you'll be getting until you paid for it. Pretty cool eh?


Alright, there will be a dedicated site to view the complete 50, however, it's not up yet. We will keep you in touch with that.. In the mean time, check out some that has surfaced as still images.

Via SlamxHype.




Comme des Garçons Sails With Nike


This could be the smartest, slickest, trendiest collaboration of the month! Renowned Japanese fashion designer Rei Kawakubo's label Comme des Garçons will be teaming up with Nike once again to release an avant-garde looking pair of Dunk High.

Rather than maintaining the classic visual of the famous basketball sneaker, the shape and style were customised to something similar to a boot, a big black leather boot, with a nice shiny zip...that zips. It's definitely a pair that snatches lots of attention with it's unique look.

If anyone could still remember there was a similar project by same parties, a pair of customised Dunk High designed by Junya Watanabe was unleashed. That was a nice one too, but both has different features though. Anyway! This is good.

No word on when will this be release yet, however, we found a site that contains a picture or two to look at the shoe, up close. Via Tenisufki.

The Deep Vibration - Veracruz EP

Making citizens of Nashville proud of their soulful Americana tunes, four-piece rock n' rollers The Deep Vibration is one awesome band that we recommend anyone to check out.

Electrifying country folk tunes on a rock n' roll tempo, the voice of Matt Campbell melts one's heart with his contagious vocals. Drawing influences from the likes of Neil Young, Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, The Clash and Elvis Costello, it's never too hard to blend in with rhythm like this.

Signed to Dualtone Records, the band announced their first EP, Veracruz earlier.

The band's name was named by Lou Reed after a show in Nashville where they boys met him for a consultation on a band name. How interesting.

Common Market - Tobacco Road

The collaboration between rapper RA Scion and DJ/Producer Sabzi has created a tuneful hip hop duo based in Seattle known as the Common Market. Both members started off as individual hip hop artists in 2002, and later discovered a cliché among themselves and decided to form CM in 2005.

On September 9, the duo released their second album as Common Market together titled Tobacco Road through Massline Media.

Their first single Trouble Is featuring singer Blake Lewis.



Tuesday 28 October 2008

Speck Halloween Sale!


Guess they are pretty mad with Halloween, Speck is offering 50% to most of their orange, black and red cases.

Of course, the discounted cases include their top line range cases for MacBook, iPhone 3G, iPod, BlackBerry, WD My Passport and many many more. Offer ends on October 31. Check it out now!

Bohren & der Club of Gore - Dolores

Bohren & der Club of Gore, an ambient/jazz band hailing from Germany founded in 1992. It's a formation of members from various hardcore outfits such as 7 Inch Boots, Chronical Diarrhoea and Macabre Farmhouse.

It's rather unique to find such big switch from strong pumpin' hardcore tunes to a mild stylistic ambient grooves. As Bohren terms they have 'created an unholy ambient mixture of slow jazz ballads, Black Sabbath doom and down tuned Autopsy sounds.'

On November 4, the band is set to release their sixth album, Dolores through PIAS Recordings.

Based on their musical backgrounds and their previous albums released, I'm looking forward to a considerable amount of reputable dark ambient tunes that goes really well with a bottle of scotch and fried nuggets, struggling superbly hard to think of any suicide attempts. Dolores might be a little dimmer than many other jazz groups, but it may be seemingly appealing to fit in scores for films.

Some similar artists we though might be relevant to such as The Grails, The Drift and The Kilimanjaro Darkjazz.

Sample their music at MySpace now.

Little Joy

Litte Joy is a new coalition by Los Hermanos' singer Rodrigo Amarante, The Strokes' drummer Fabrizio Moretti and multi-instrumentalist Binki Shapiro formed in 2007. The band's name was adapted from a bar not far away from their house.

On November 4, the band will unveil their eponymous album due to release on Rough Trade Records.

Sensibly outstanding rhythms!

Monday 27 October 2008

Travis - Ode To J. Smith

Scottish alternative rockers Travis officially pops their sixth studio album Ode To J. Smith in the USA on November 4 through Fontana Records.

Since the day Ode To J. Smith was unveiled in the UK sometime in September, it has garnered positive attractions from critics around the world.

A quote adapted from the band's MySpace, "Ode To J Smith is Travis’s loudest, edgiest and most arresting record since their debut. Written in 5 weeks and recorded in just 14 days, it’s the sound of a band re-born, re-inspired and re-energised."



Reebok Insta Pump Fury 'Cheetah Print'

This pair of Insta Pump Fury might not be very appealing to certain sneakerheads, but to some it may be a pair to crave for.

Reebok
made the decision to unveil a new colorway to their legendary pair, applying a black 'pump' , a little gray patent leather and cheetah-like print.


Available now at Gettry.

Philips Unveiled GoGear Luxe


Philips introduced their latest invention, the GoGear Luxe MP3 player cum Bluetooth headset - the combination gadget allows you to answer your calls without any hassle while enjoying your favorite music on the go. It packs a 2GB flash-based memory, Bluetooth 2.1 technology, a 1-line LCD panel, dual mikes, a 10-hour playback time with 100 hours on standby, and a very stylish-looking exterior, something similar to what were seen on the HTC Diamond.

Priced at SGD 139, Singapore will be the first Asian country to have this piece next month, followed by Malaysia, Thailand, China, India, so on so forth. It was also revealed that there might be a larger capacity range release next year.

Via CNET.

Zihotch Retro Phone Watch by Maywadenki


If you can't tell time, let the watch do the talking! We found something really really cool, perhaps the craziest piece I ever seen to date, the coolest antique to be worn on us!

It's called the Zihotch Retro Phone Watch made by Japan's Maywadenki, the timepiece was intended to look like an old school telephone dial, it does not come with any digital display or analog needles to spot the time. Eventually, all you need to do is dial '117' and the time will be uttered to you. Pretty cool huh? Though it's a little troublesome to find out what time it is, but it's definitely something unique and outstanding.

Oh, and dialling the wrong number will produce a 'not in service' message. We aren't able to disclose any further on the functionality since we're lack of Japanese literacy. And this watch is built to speak in Japanese language only!

This watch retails for USD $79.99 at Audiocubes.

Saturday 25 October 2008

size? Store New Stock Updates

size? got some new stocks in recently. Lots of winter gears available from brands like Penfield, Trainer Spotter, Nike ACG, Lyle & Scott and many more. Take a look at the store before the stocks are gone.

Nike ACG

Nike ACG

Penfield

Penfield

Lyle & Scott

Lyle & Scott

Trainer Spotter

Trainer Spotter

Elizabeth Willis Unveils Self-Titled Album

Grew up as a trained violinist and pianist, a dedicated singer/songwriter, a talented producer and composer, and the President of Little Blackbird Records, Elizabeth Willis have strong track records in the music industry and a thick profile for a successful career as a musician.

Armed with her immense skill and the knowledge she'd gained, Willis set out writing and recording what would eventually become her self-titled debut album. The 11-song disc is a powerfully emotional and musically lush outing filled with, as you might guess, elegant piano and strings underscoring her deeply moving vocals. Willis' songs have been compared to legends like Nina Simone, Joan Armatrading, Tracy Chapman and Antony & the Johnsons for both their emotional depth and musical warmth.

"I was at first ambivalent about releasing the album," she says. "But at the same time it was very cathartic. It's OK that it's very personal, because other people can identify with my experience."

Find out more about Liz via Fanatic.

The Royalties - The Lost Royalties

The Norwegian trio The Royalties was initially intended as a joke between friends playing cheesy covers. None expected that it's about the right time to get a little bit more committed and serious, they pursue with the release of their debut album, which was nominated for the Best Pop Album in 2007 in the Norwegian Grammy.

Earlier this year, they unleashed a follow-up success masterpiece, The Lost Royalties. We're loving the harmonic melodies and catchy punches.

The pop stars are lined up with several shows across the States, and later to Japan. Check out the dates on their MySpace.

Friday 24 October 2008

Medicom Toy x Nike SB 'Gore-Tex' Dunk Low Premium


A collaboration between Medicom Toy and Nike SB to release a Dunk Low Premium on Gore-Tex textile. Official release date on October 25 at Babekub City.

Barneys x Converse

New York's fashion house Barneys and Converse made a brilliant tag team to produce a couple of Chuckies Hi made of perforated leather. Available in three different colors, these will be available at Barneys for $95. One classy Chuckie. Via Complex.




James Yorkston - When The Haar Rolls In

Scottish singer/songwriter James Yorkston plays an amount of promising folk tunes and has since delivered some of the greatest compositions, period.

On September 1, Yorkston released his fourth studio album titled When The Haar Rolls In through Domino Records.

If you intend to get this album, I suggest you head for the limited edition box set, as it include the album in CD and 10" vinyl format, an extra disc packed with remixes of his songs, and another extra disc filled with covers of Yorkston's songs.

Somewhat new to Yorkston, you may learn to appreciate his effort if you've heard stuffs from King Creosote, Malcolm Middleton, Adem and Great Lake Swimmers.

Lukestar - Lake Toba

Lukestar is an indie rock band from Norway currently signed to Tuba Records.

The band recently updated their discography with a brand new album titled Lake Toba.

Four young energetic lads producing accountable melodic rock and brilliant power pop tunes, Lake Toba is a recommendable album that shouldn't be skipped.

Check out White Shade.



Thursday 23 October 2008

Front 242 - Moments...

Belgian electronic music pioneers Front 242 unveiled Moments..., a live release featuring some of the finest hits by the group. Packaged as a 2CD boxset, you get 32 hit tracks, 1 awesome poster, 2 awesome stickers, and 1 awesome button, all packed in a carton box.

That's not just it, a special 18-track CD compilation will be included for free. (buy here)

Been active since the early 80s, the became very popular in their country and has since remained as an influence to up and rising artists.

88-Keys - The Death of Adam

American producer and rapper Charles Misodi Njapa, of better known by his stage-name 88-Keys will release his debut album The Death of Adam on November 11.

The 14-track album will include Shitake Monkey, Kanye West, J*Davey, Little Brother's Phonte, Redman, Kid Cudi and Bilal.

"The entire album is about the power of the punani, if you will. The album follows the story line of my man Adam who passed away and basically how he died. It all started off with him catching a boner one morning, morning wood, and his life starts to spin out of control from there," explains 88-Keys on the album. (source)

The first single off this album is Stay Up! (Viagra) featuring Kanye West.



Wednesday 22 October 2008

Muse Offer 'Fury' For Free


Fury, a very rare song by English rock band Muse which originally appeared as a bonus track on the Japan release of their 2003 album Absolution, is currently available as a free download on their official website now.

The free download is a video of the band performing Fury on a live set at Royal Albert Hall for Teenage Cancer Trust in April 2008.

Forgive Durden - Razia's Shadow: A Musical

Fueled By Ramen signing-artist Forgive Durden returns with a brand new album titled Razia's Shadow: A Musical, set to release on October 28.

Thomas Dutton, being the sole member of the band since the departure of the other three members citing personality conflicts, the album was assisted by his brother Paul and Rudy Gajadhar of Gatsbys American Dream.

An album influenced by other musical films and animations, Dutton hopes to tell a story accompanied by a series of scores.

Razia's Shadow: A Musical feature guest appearances from members of other popular bands including The Dear Hunter, Portugal. The Man, An Angle, mewithoutYou, The Audition, Saves The Day, The Providence, Say Anything, The Hush Sound, Panic At The Disco, Gatsbys American Dream, The Matches and Man in the Blue Van.

"...a full-on piece of musical talespinning, complete with elaborate characters, powerful themes, and a hauntingly beautiful narrative. The album tells the story of a world divided in two by the selfish actions of a powerful and egotistical, yet insecure angel. After generations of darkness, the world is eventually brought back together by the love and sacrifice of a couple brave enough to fulfill their destinies," a description of the album by Fueled by Ramen.

Tuesday 21 October 2008

School of Seven Bells - Alpinisms

Benjamin Curtis was the former guitarist and co-founder of the band Secret Machines. He left the band to pursue a new career with his new full-time band, the ultimate trio known as School of Seven Bells.

According to sources, Curtis began School of Seven Bells as a side project while still attached with Secret Machines. On March 2007, Curtis made up his mind to leave the band and pursue that 'side-project' to his full time career.

School of Seven Bells comprise of twins Alejandra and Claudia Deheza, both formerly are from a post rock band called On! Air! Library!.

Alpinisms is the band's debut album due to release on October 28. It's a spacey album.

The Eels Offer Free MP3 Download


The Eels is offering a live EP featuring four live tracks recorded in Manchester in 2005 as a free download on their website. Free download will only be available until October 28, thereafter, the band will release a deluxe edition of their 2005 album Blinking Lights And Other Revelations.

2,500 limited copies were made, the package include 4 vinyls accompanied by a hard-covered book of lyrics and photos housed in a box, numbered and signed by Mark 'E' Everett. The fourth vinyl feature 17 live songs recorded in Manchester.

Download the EP here now.

atmos x New Balance M576 'Hologram'


atmos x New Balance M576 'Hologram'.
Available now at atmos-tokyo store.

The Cure - 4:13 Dream

English rock pioneers The Cure are set to unveil the highly-anticipated thirteenth studio album titled 4:13 Dream, officially hitting record stores on October 27 through Geffen Records. The album was initially planned to be released earlier, however due to certain circumstances, the band failed to meet several dates and has since acknowledge on the current date.

Despite the frequent lineup changes, frontman Robert Smith is still keeping the flow going on and still delivering brilliantly-composed tunes.

Four singles were released earlier since May to promote the release of their thirteenth. Every 13th day of the month, the band released a single bundled with b-sides that did not make it to the final album. A remix album of the four singles entitled Hypnagogic States was released in September.

Monday 20 October 2008

Bloc Party - Intimacy

Intimacy is English indie rock band Bloc Party's third studio album. The album was firstly promoted as a digital format release, later settled with a physical release this coming October 28 on Wichita Recordings.

The art of mixing crunchy guitars with electronica beats, technically scrumptious and undefinable. Not that we dislike the past albums, but we think this one outshines the band's golden attributes in music making. A thousand votes to this album the best among their other releases to date.

Check out their video, Talons.



Kaiser Chiefs - Off With Their Heads

You wouldn't wanna miss a beat by English rockers Kaiser Chiefs when they release their third studio album, Off With Their Heads, scheduled to hit record stores on October 20 on Universal.

Their third album will expect guest starrings including Lily Allen, the happy people at New Young Pony Club, Sway DaSafo, and David Arnold.

Driving riffs of guitar madness, flowmatic bass thumps, prodigious snares, silent-killer keys and roary vox, the Chiefs proved they are bolder, louder and rockier with this album. We seriously think this will top the charts this time.

Their first single off from this album is Never Miss A Beat.



Head Porter A/W '08 Collection

Once again we're back with more news on Head Porter and it's dope releases for this autumn/winter 2008 collection. This time around, we've got several range for you to look at. There's the Enem, Gingham, Beth, Croc, Lesson, Downy and Blanc/Noir styles, all in various items and sizes. Via honeyee.com.