has christmas come early?

Yet another unexpected Radiohead single has come out (although this one was apparently leaked) in the past two weeks! Called "These Are My Twisted Words", it has these wonderful atmospheric guitar lines that remind me of the arpeggios in Weird Fishes crossed with the gritty feel of Bodysnatchers. I really loved the track, and though it's not necessarily a change of direction from what they did in In Rainbows, the song definitely feels more isolated and lost without losing that particular brand of Radiohead angst that we all love so much. Listening to the song was like driving through a desert in a shoddy car- unsettling, exciting, and desolate.


(by the way, both this song and harry patch are on my blog ipod to the right of this post if you have not yet heard them)

alice in wonderland silent film circa 1903

I just stumbled across this amazing work of art on youtube and just thought it was incredible... Especially in light of the Tim Burton version of Alice coming out soon, I thought it was really refreshing to see this torn, chewed up reel of Alice in Wonderland versus the beautifully colored, aesthetically entrancing version that we'll soon see in theaters. I especially liked how the camera would merely move away from Alice to make her look like she was shrinking or zoom in to enlarge her, haha... But seriously, this must have been such a big deal when it came out, what with the elaborate sets and tons of extras to act as playing cards... All in all, absolutely fascinating! 

harry patch (in memory of)

So a couple of days ago this Radiohead single came out of nowhere... apparently a tribute to the last surviving World War I veteran in Britain. I immediately went to the source to see what this was all about, and Thom Yorke, as usual, had some beautiful words to say about the song which i highly recommend you take the time to read 

http://www.radiohead.com/deadairspace/index.php?c=495

The lyrics are very moving and an utterly sincere cry for peace that's so rare in an age where people just wear peace signs on t-shirts or tote bags and feel as if they've done their part for humanity. When I heard the opening orchestral strains of the track, I was a little concerned that this was going to turn into some sappy Muse circa Absolution type of thing (in fact, it reminded me a bit of the strings in Muse's absolutely cringe-worthy "Blackout") but I shouldn't have doubted Radiohead for one second, because songs like Harry Patch (In Memory Of) are what distance Radiohead from any type of Muse comparison, showing that Thom Yorke possesses a quality Matthew Bellamy will never have: restraint. Radiohead's understated tribute to Harry Patch was gorgeous in its simplicity and not the slightest bit nationalistic as one might've feared from a war vet tribute. It was merely a majestic ocean of sound with Thom Yorke's beautifully broken voice floating on top. 

the lovely bones

i just watched the amazing trailer for the lovely bones, and i am so unbelievably excited! i was actually really pleased with the casting, as all the characters are pretty close to how i imagined them. also, when reading the book i was always struck by alice sebold's use of colors in descriptions of susie's clothes and various settings, and i'm glad to see that the color palette came through in the movie as that's always something that kind of stuck with me when reading the book. it's kind of difficult to explain, i guess, but i just really appreciated seeing all these beautiful mustard yellows, teals and forest greens come to life in the trailer since i'd really associated them with my overall impression of the story. here it is, enjoy! 

my hedi slimane obsession...

Lately I've been fascinated by the sinisterly powerful photography of Hedi Slimane. Apparently he used to be creative designer for Christian Dior, but quit to pursue photography. I love that his photos have that glowing quality but without the excessive Annie Liebovitz airbrushed look. His pictures look raw and emotional but polished at the same time. I especially love his Sasha Pivarova shoot for French Vogue. 

vintage lace blouse...

so while thrifting yesterday i found this cool eighties lace shirt... it instantly reminded me of this amazing balmain fall 2008 dress so i tried my best to recreate it with a black high waisted skirt. obviously not as cool, but i tried my best! 

la gata

a while ago i attended a cat power concert at the teatro gran rex while visiting family in buenos aires, and it was an incredible experience! to be fair, cat power was never my favorite artist (i sometimes thought of her as "despair lite" creating accessibly depressing inoffensive music for the masses) but seeing her live, i couldn't help but be moved by the power of her characteristically raspy voice... it turned out to be an unforgettable experience. seeing how intimate her concert felt now, with a huge audience and a band behind her, i can only imagine how incredible it would've been to see her nine years ago when it was just her and her guitar... 

here's the youtube link to her lovely version of sea of love... 

i'm nobody, who are you?

are you nobody, too? 

then there's a pair of us - don't tell! 

they'd banish us, you know. 

how dreary to be somebody! 

how public, like a frog

to tell your name the livelong day 

to an admiring bog

-emily dickinson