Traveling this week gave me an opportunity to catch up on some new tunes (only the hippest tunes for me of course...I mean what is cooler than a dude who reads books about the subprime mortgage crisis and incessantly watches Western films). One that I have particularly enjoyed is a new track from Beach House which surfaced in their recent live session for iTunes. Check it out below.
© Edward S. Curtis
© Edward S. Curtis
© Edward S. Curtis
Over the past year and a half, I have noticed the steady retardation of my attention span. It has become progressively obvious that I have a difficult time passing the day without a constant barrage of digital stimulation. Today, as I was driving to my parents house, I heard a fascinating interview with Matt Richtel, technology reporter for the New York Times, on NPR's Fresh Air. Richtel recently won a Pulitzer Prize for his series "Driven to Distraction", a discussion of the perils of media consumption while driving. In fact, Richtel's writing provided the impetus for many cities and states to enact texting-while-driving legislation. However, today Richtel discussed his current journalistic series, "Your Brain on Computers". In the interview, Richtel explored the scientific research examining technology's effect on the brain. It seems that I am not the only one losing my attention span. Though technology has profoundly improved our daily lives, it has also deteriorated our mental capacity. We in the digital age have a more difficult time focusing, a shorter attention span, an impaired memory, and an increasingly unhealthy addiction to technology's buzz. 
Navajo Bixby hail from New Jersey - cue derogatory comments from Fred Armisen dressed as New York Governor David Patterson.
For five years we didn't get much news out of Sufjan Stevens. I guess that's not entirely true; we did get an album full of B-sides, some repackaged Christmas tunes, and a symphony. Maybe the curse of being so incredibly talented is that we view such a diverse set of material as uneventful. However, he has more than made up for his absence, whether real or perceived, over the past seven days. Last Friday he dropped a new EP. Then yesterday he announced a new album. Now today we get a sneak peak of what that album will sound like. I'll admit that Asthmatic Kitty's description of Sufjan's new sound had me thinking, "I'm not going to like it." But now that I hear it, I think it may become my favorite album of the year. We'll see. Listen to and/or download the new track below.
The Walkmen are doing some cool things surrounding the release of their album Lisbon, which drops on September 14. They're teaming with artists on Etsy to release posters (seen above), t-shirts, and album inserts. Not a bad way for the band to promote/support developing artists. Check out their etsy store here if you're interested. And by the way, Lisbon is going to be a great album. You should listen to it.
Check out this great design work by Matt Lehman. Lehman does illustrations, logos, branding and so much more. He's even done quite a bit of design work for fellow Liberty High School graduate Matt Wertz.
This is something that Cassie should do (or you if you're creative). Enter into The Sketchbook Project (for $25) and they'll send you a sketchbook to design/illustrate/collage/create as you see fit. All completed sketchbooks will become a part of the Brooklyn Art Library's permanent collection, but first they will tour the country and be put on display. This is something I wish I was talented enough to try. Check out some examples above and below.
Here is some grimy new hip hop from Kid Cudi. This track will be on his album which drops in the fall.
Some new folk for those of you that enjoy music that sounds like it was crafted behind the railroad tracks. In the case of Soft Cat, their album Wildspace was actually named after the area behind the tracks in their part of Baltimore. If you like what you hear below, download the tracks for free at their Bandcamp site.
With no cable in my new place (that changes Friday), Netflix has been my best friend lately. For me, the greatest thing about Netflix is the chance to watch old movies that are hard to find. I'm not sure how hard The Wild One is to find, however, released in 1953, it is certainly old. A timeless tale of the biker rebel turned straight by the beautiful girl, this is my favorite Marlon Brando film. When you consider that it was filmed in a time of incredible prosperity for our country and one in which traditional values were paramount, this film seems to tap into an undercurrent of rebellion that wouldn't surface for another ten years. Yet you don't have to appreciate the historical significance to enjoy this classic.
Theo Martins rapping over a Wakey!Wakey! track. Check out the Theo Martin version and the original version below.
Check out the song "Home" from Cameron Mesirow, aka Glasser. I hear a hint of Feist in her vocals; lovely pipes if I do say so myself. Glasser's debut album, Ring, drops in September. I think you'll really enjoy this track. Ms. Mesirow also hit the cover of Fader Magazine, as you can see above.
© Esteban Pastorino Diaz
© Esteban Pastorino Diaz
© Esteban Pastorino Diaz
The well has run dry in terms of good new music lately. I haven't heard anything brand new that I've enjoyed. However, I have been jamming to Sleigh Bells a lot lately. I posted about them a few months ago, but now feel even more confident about recommending them. Check out the song "Run the Heart" below. When the weather cools, theirs will be an album to crank up with the windows down.
I've heard good things about this book from a number of different places. I'm in the midst of a Cormac McCarthy novel, Blood Meridian, but The Big Short by Michael Lewis will probably be my next read. As boring as the subprime mortgage crisis sounds, I hear this book is fascinating.
© Vincent Laforet
© Vincent Laforet
© Vincent Laforet
Besides the crisp, intelligent writing on Mad Men, one of my favorite parts of the show is the music. For us they are golden oldies, but for the characters on the show they are the current hits. For some reason that fact constantly intrigues me. Below is one of the hits played on this week's episode, a hit from 1957 by Patti Page. It plays on the jukebox while Don is dancing in the restaurant in California.
Longmont, Colorado, 1979 © Robert Adams
Burning Oil Sludge North of Denver, Colorado, 1973 © Robert Adams
Colorado Springs, Colorado, 1968–1970 © Robert Adams
© Stanley Marcus
© Noah Wilson
© Noah Wilson
Jockey and Horse Rounding Corner at Suffolk Downs © Alex Maclean
© Alex Maclean
