Duck Sauce - Barbra Streisand Ft. Barbra Streisand

Here's the video from one of my favourite tracks of the year. The video puts plenty of fun and energy into the song and has little regard for how it was initially intended to sound with random singers, raps, scratching and keyboard-alongs. Plus a nice number of cameos never hurts (even if it just shows how cool you are).

Brother Printers

This is the latest ad from Brother printers selling it's A3 printer/scanner/copying/make your-wildest-dreams-become-true machine.



It may only be talking about the usefullness of being able to work with an A3 printer, but it makes the leap from not just one sheet of paper, but to lots of sheets and how that can be useful. Not only is the execution superb, it gives you a tiny bit of inspiration to achieve, which is nice.

Music Monday 21. BUMPER EDITION.

Right, there's so many songs in this week's update. Don't ask me why, don't complain. I'm not. No words, just music.

Brother - Darling Buds Of May




The Vaccines - If You Wanna



DJ Shadow - I've Been Trying



Unicorn Kid - Wild Life (Nu Remix)



Chromeo ft Ezra Koening- I Could Be Wrong



Florence And The Machine Vs Yeasayer - Dog Days Are Over



Sleight Bells - Infinity Guitars



Architects - Day In Day Out (CLIP)




Mark Ronson Ft Boy George, Business International and Miike Snow - Somebody To Love Me





And breathe.

Be Fresh.

The truth isn't the truth until people believe you, and they can't believe you if they don't know what you're saying, and they can't know what you're saying if they don't listen to you, and they won't listen to you if you're not interesting, and you won't be interesting unless you say things imaginatively, originally, freshly.

Bill Bernbach

Joaquin Phoenix's Play Acting

Early last year, the phenomenal actor Joaquin Phoenix appeared on American chat show, The Late Show with David Letterman. He came across as awkward to say the least. It appeared that the usually smart suited Phoenix was having a meltdown. Short answers, mumbling, along with long hair and an even longer beard, made for a strange interview which was not only a struggle for Letterman, but for the audience to watch.



However it has now arisen that this was all part of a hoax. Phoenix was in fact "acting" out a very public meltdown, both on Letterman and elsewhere, for a documentary he and Casey Affleck were working on based on celebrity culture and the treated by the press. As Phoenix explains:



It is certainly an original and unique approach and combining the talents of Affleck and Phoenix in such a compelling and potent subject can only end in a fantastic result.

HBO: "Unexpected"

After producing some of my favourite TV shows, The Wire, Band of Brothers, Entourage to name but a few, HBO have now produced a wonderful series of ads collected into a short TV spot to promote themselves. Simple, but beautiful.

Google Crome: Fast. Well sort of.

Another wonderful piece of slow-motion HD footage to showcase the speed of Google's browser Chrome. It's an ingenious, quirky and creative approach to something that potentially only interests a small number of people, giving it mass appeal. As any great viral it is made because people want to watch the content of the video, rather than actually be concerned with the brand:



However after reading the comments, it appears the "web pages" being loaded are simply files from the hard drive. Cheeky. Still a nice ad though.

Slow Motion BMX

Some startling beautiful slow motion HD footage of a BMXer. Perfectly shot and even more perfectly edited. Lovely.

OK Go: Again

There will always be a place on my blog for a new OK Go video:




Where the fuck did they come up with that? And then how did they actually pull it off?

Richard James

In the minefield of adverts that is GQ, this Richard James full page really stood out to me. It's simple, has no apparent meaning or explanation, it's just a wonderful execution. Proving yet again that simple is best.

(Apologies for the quality of the photo, taken off my iPhone.)

Halo Reach: One To Remember

Xbox have followed up their award winning Halo advert is yet another stunning advertisement. I wouldn't describe myself as a massive gaming fan, certainly not an Xbox or Halo fan, Playstation through and through, however I am definitely an advertising fan. Within a few seconds of this advert, I was sucked in, the music, slow-motion, high energy scenes all combining beautifully. I know nothing about Halo but was engrossed in the action and characters, almost upset when he appears to die at the end. I was surprised by the effect it had on me, a fantastic advert.

Music Monday 20.

Shad - We, Myself & I



I'm going to have to restrict my narrative of Shad's latest single from the album TSOL, for all of our sakes. Regulars and Twitter followers will know my love and respect for the Canadian MC. He is one of the freshest, most intelligent and creative rappers I have heard in a long time, if not ever. Read the comments on his videos to discover I am far from the only one. I instantly fell in love; got every album, listened to every song, watched every Youtube video. And I strongly suggest you do the same. That is all.


Clare Maguire - Ain't Nobody (Breakage remix)



In the same way that it took me a while to fall in love with The XX, the Breakage remix of this track becomes truly addictive. The amount of space and the pace of tracks such as this and The XX can often lead to them passing you by at first, however be careful not to let them slip away. This track is simply beautiful, it does not rush itself or give into the crowd, but sucks the crowd in instead. Much in the same way that Jakwob does. Magnificent track, make sure you give it a chance.

The Tallest Man On Earth - The Dreamer



Yet another Scandinavian to steal my ears and heart with some gorgeous music. This time it is Kristian Matsson, aka The Tallest Man On Earth. A wonderful voice, beautiful scene-setting lyrics and just a guitar come together in perfection.

Music Tuesday 19

Tardiness due to Bestival. Apologies. But I'm not that sorry, I had a bloody brilliant time. But to make it up to you there's a big mixed bag of music for your pretty ears.


Kanye West ft. Kid Cudi, Common, Pusha T, Big Sean and Charlie Wilson - Good Friday



Followers of the blog will know that a combination of Kanye and Cudi was always going to be up on here. A group bigger than a basketball team have gone into this track, causing it to push the boundary of too many voices, but of course Kanye makes it work. Kanye seems to be churning out a hit on a weekly basis at the moment and sure as hell no one is complaining. Bring on the album.

Kings Of Leon - Radioactive



The mere fact that it appears to be impossible to find an embeddable video for the new single says much about the position that KOL find themselves in today. After the hugely successful Only By The Night album, the band have found themselves very much in the mainstream and progressing away from the old sound of the first three albums. Not that I didn't like OBTN, it just seems a shame to stray away from their original, great sound. Radioactive instantly strikes as a mix of new and old KOL, likely to alienate new "fans", but it's a good song showing the ability to provide a big chorus with solid riffs and rhythms.


We Are The Ocean - Lucky Ones



As WATO prepare to release their debut album in a deluxe edition with the much loved EP and 4 new tracks (of which this is one) it feels as though they are clearly pushing for the mainstream with this track. Not that I hate it, but I'm certainly not a massive fan. The "woahs" and lack of Dan's screams make it much more accessible for new fans and gives it the sing-along factor. Another new track Playing With My Heart, feels much closer to home, yet you can tell the band is progressing and maturing, so there still is hope for old WATO fans.

Jakwob - Here With Me



Jakwob is mainly known for his remixes, particularly of Ellie Goulding, however this track produced on his lonesome, really is something special. The song combines dub beats, the wobbles of the bass, subtle vocals and simple synth beats perfect for the lull in the club. Apart from adding it's an equally gorgeous video, there's not much to add about this track. It's just a bit perfect.


Benjamin Francis Leftwich - Atlas Hands



Apologies for the lack of visuals for this song but I couldn't not post this song. I caught the end of the track and instantly had to scribble down his name. A beautiful voice, cute lyrics and simple strums combine to create a simply gorgeous track. Just enjoy.

Hearting New York

Last week I got back from a week away in New York with the girlfriend. And I can't wait to go back. It was my girlfriend's first time which meant we visited all the usuals; Liberty, Empire State, Rockefellar etc. Although it was my third time there, it almost felt like my first and I took a somewhat fresh approach to the trip. My first was when I was about 10 and second on a college trip so I would have been about 17. I have travelled a fair bit around America through-out my 21 years and love the country. I love the diversity, the difference of cultures, the openess of (some) people. I love how you can drive for miles without seeing a person or moving your steering wheel, I love how you can be shoulder to shoulder with hundreds of people with glaring lights overheard and trying to be sold something at every opportunity.





I am not naive enough to think that America in it's entirety is wonderful, far from it. Vast aspects of the American society are racist or homophobic, God-fearing and narrow minded. Even the constant repetition of "have a nice day" becomes empty as it comes with no feeling. Most noticeable perhaps is the commercialisation of the country. I can appreciate the gross amount of advertisements all merge into one to form a blurred, corporate image to many people's disgust. Yet many people don't realise how much they sometimes enjoy adverts, Times Square for example, is literally just a bunch of adverts. As an advertising graduate and aspiring creative, I have to believe this.





New York City is a favourite amoung many Brits as it probably the closest culturally to London. What I mainly love about the city is the positivity. The feeling of optimism that you can achieve what you want with enough blood and sweet. This attitude has been passed down through many generations from those that first stepped on Ellis Island, and it has not been lost. The fact that you can also get a pizza at any time of the night for 99cents is also nice.

This Is England. Still.

The powerful portayal of England in the 1980s has been one of my favourite films of the past few years. I'm glad now that it's coming back, but to our small screens. This Is England '86 is a 4 part mini series to be shown on Channel 4 in the UK. It starts tomorrow night at 10pm. Here's a little teaser.

Cee Lo: FUCK YOU.

This song took the internet by storm last week. I can't get enough of it. And now the video is here. And I literally can't stop watching it.

Ain't that some shit?!

Cher's Swagger

Now I've tried to avoid to being sucked into the X Factor monster this year, but I can't resist this girl's swagger. And only 16. Sharp.

(Skip to 1.26)

Inbetweeners: Series 3

The series that came from nowhere to now huge success is back again with series 3. Inbetweeners did what Superbad did on the big screen, it strikes home. It's not the super wild, drug orgy that Skins or American Pie were, it's realistic, it's embarrassing and it's awkward. That's why it works. And I'm excited. But I also have high expectations, which is not always good.

Music Monday 18.

I'm back from New York (blog update to follow this one) and let's get things back to normal with a cheeky Music Monday. I know you've been missing it.

Canterbury - Calm Down



I saw Canterbury supporting Kids In Glass Houses (I think) a few years ago and instantly fell for their melodic pop-rocky sound. I love the way that the two lead singers' voices play off of each other and then together, they both have genuinely good voice, which is often rare for this genre of good music. They have just recently made it back into my iTunes recently played list in a big way and are now starting to get some radio play. It's always nice when a band you've listened to for a few years start making the strides that they deserve. Canterbury have got the quality and the sound that can give them main stream success, I just hope that they don't, dare I say it, sell-out in the way that KIGH or You Me At Six have done to some extent.

Plan B - The Recluse (Nero Remix)



Plan B has had huge success with this concept and deservedly so. Having been a fan of Plan B since his first album, I am interested to hear his new album, in which he has promised to go back to rapping over guitar, to hear the sound and the reception it gets. The Recluse is among my favourite tracks off of the album, and this Nero remix just gives the track much more power and energy.


And now what appears to be the weekly Kanye West section:

Kanye West - Devil In A New Dress



To me, this track is not as good as See Me Now, but it's up there. It's yet again proof that Kanye is heading back to his golden Dropout years sound, a sound that is such a pleasure to listen to and enjoy. Excited for the album is continuing to grow.

Kanye West - Monster (Ft, Jay-Z, Rick Ross, Nicki Minaj and Bon Iver)



As huge as those first 4 names are in this line up, it's not a massive surprise to hear them working together. But then Bon Iver. BON IVER? I'm a huge fan of Bon Iver, but it's just crazy that he's supplied the beats for this song. I heard about them working together a while back, but for the track to be this aggressive and angry is a huge surprise. And it works, just. I think.

H&M X Lanvin

It was announced earlier this week that high-street chain H&M are to be providing us with yet another collaboration with a top-end fashion designer. Their latest offering is from French deisgn-house Lanvin. Not claiming to be an informed fashionista, I have not heard of Lanvin (tut-tut perhaps), but it's always exciting when H&M team up with designers (see Matthew Williamson and Jimmy Choo) to bring you great (but also slightly weird) items to you at a more realistic price. Here's a few teaser videos to whet your appetite before it drops (and quickly sells out) on 23rd November - full unveiling video on the 2nd.








(A lot of brackets were included in this post, I don't know why.)