Parenthood From American Apparel.

There is a lot to hate about American Apparel, their overpricing of basic garments, their selection of staff, or the head being accused of sexual abuse and exploitation. But since when did fashion care about moral issues? Just so long as I look good right?

But there is hope. This ad is definitely something to love about American Apparel. Something that AA always manage to succeed in is looking cool, and with their kids range the entire family can look pretty darn suave. This short shot by Tony Kelly and gives me inspiration to raise my kids as cool as these.

A Love Story: Splitscreen.

I couldn't have said it better myself:

At the Edinburgh Film Festival this past weekend, Nokia held a screening for the eight finalists of its Nokia Shorts Competition. With more than 600 entries and a $10,000 grand prize on the line, the competition produced some surprising results. Nothing was quite as impressive, however, as the film shot by winner J.W. Griffiths. His two-and-a-half-minute short entitled “Splitscreen: A Love Story” was shot entirely on his Nokia N8 mobile smartphone, and takes viewers on a split-screen journey through two of the world’s most iconic and romantic cities. Watch for yourselves to see why Griffifths’ film took home the prize.

via: Hypebeast

Glastonbury: The Review

It was a Wednesday afternoon when we started our walk across Britain's biggest festival. A festival that packs 177,000 people, 60 stages that provide the most diverse of artists culminating in the headliners U2, Coldplay and Beyonce. It was about to begin, Glastonbury 2011 was upon us.

Glastonbury is synonymous with mud, and this year was no different. Despite missing the morning downpour the wellies were instantly out and caked in mud. With backpacks packed full of multiple pairs of socks, clothes for every weather, sleeping bags, an air mat that never stays up and a tent, we began the walk worthy of Ranulph Fiennes. What made matters worse was that the remainder of our group couldn't have picked a spot further away from our car park. But after what felt like years, the trek was over and needless to say, many earned beverages were enjoyed.

Thursday was spent with further appreciation of the sheer enormity of the festival. Despite another mammoth trip back to the car for some vital alcohol, trips were made to some of many vintage shops and some incredible food stalls that are dotted all over the festival. Whether it be pies, Mexican, burgers, Chinese, freshly made lemonade or fruit smoothies, Glastonbury has it all and so much more. The taste buds are constantly satisfied. That night the giraffe Kigus were donned (you need one in your life) and the trip was made to the dance village. Despite the 'main acts' not starting until Friday there were tents rammed full of beats and hits for all to enjoy.

Whilst nursing heavy hangovers, it was finally time for some bands. And with bands, decisions have to be made. With the schedule being so good and varied and the site being so huge and still mud stricken, bands were always going to be missed. Some that took the hit for me were The Streets, Aloe Blacc, Wu Tang Clan, Janelle Monae, Yuck, City and Colour. Things are made even worse when you read reviews and watch coverage. However, I saw some of my favourite bands over the course of the weekend including Brother (now Viva Brother), Gaslight Anthem, The Vaccines, Biffy Clyro, Bombay Bicycle Club, Jimmy Eat World, Lykke Li and a few others. One of the many wonderful aspects of the festival is that you get to hear some of your favourite artists that rarely tour the UK, some you've seen many times and still love, and some you've never heard before. I won't review every band I saw as this will only cause fatigue to my fingers and your eyes. But I will mention a few words on some stand outs.

Bombay Bicycle Club - The shy and geeky, yet supremely talented boys put in a tight and passionate performance, letting the songs do the talking, whilst clearly enjoying themselves. Also some of their new songs sound good, REALLY good. Can't wait for the new album.

Biffy Clyro - Loud. Powerful. Energetic. Sweaty.

Jimmy Eat World - It was amazing to see a band that I've listened to for some many years for the first time. They played all the right stuff and it was incredible to hear Sweetness and The Middle live.

Viva Brother - Put in a solid, pumped up performance as ever, showing that they are only on the up. And it would not be a Brother show without some controversy, saying they were "coming down quicker than the twin towers" and continuing their Oasis spat by introducing a song as 'Wonderwall'.

The highlight of the festival was undoubtedly the Saturday night, largely due to Coldplay and our eagerness to dance.

Despite no one really being a 'massive' Coldplay, I think that every single one of knew every Coldplay, as does the majority of the British public, you just do. However no one expected the performance we got. While Friday headliners U2 tried to be epic and controversial and Beyonce was really good when it was a Crazy In Life or Single Ladies yet struggled to keep attention in the Halo type songs, Coldplay got it perfect. They piled absolutely everything into their set. The setlist was perfect, new songs were mixed with undeniably momentous songs such as Shiver and Yellow. The stage show was equally perfect with the perfect mix of lasers, smokes and confetti. Despite mucking up one song and restarting it, the energy and emotions throughout the set were through the roof, each and everyone of us absolutely loved it. Please see for yourself:



The second half of the night was wholly different. After the immense high of Coldplay we managed to settle down into a circus tent and was some incredible Knight/Robot dancing. After the act, the interval entertainers were the Jaipur Kawa Indian brass band. I'm pretty sure they were meant to just play a couple of songs for about 5/10 minutes, but we had different intentions for them. Again, suited up as giraffes we stormed the stage and created a dancing revolution. The band initially appeared pretty shocked, but were soon loving it and the tent quickly became filled by about a hundred people dancing and congo-lining their hearts out to Indian brass music. We insisted for many an encore and refused anything else, ruining the night's schedule, but it was worth it. A surreal experience. One friend simply said the next day "shit like last night is hard to forget".

After more hangovers were nursed, more of the festival was explored. From peace gardens to a stone circle to reflexology tents, Glastonbury truly keeps its hippie routes, ignoring the utter madness that is ensuing elsewhere.

After Beyonce's somewhat up and down performance, the final night was crowned with a visit to the Arcadia show and the Shangri-La areas. With it's lasers, flamethrowers and acrobats, Arcadia really is a site to behold. (This video is from last year, but you get the idea.)



Shangri-La and Block 9 hold no bars. Constructed a post-apocalyptic world, it really is something else. From half a block of flats with a underground train embedded in the side to an abandoned hotel which has taken the shape of some sort of faux brothel/strip club to horrific medical experiments being carried out to a mermaid cabaret bar named 'Fish + Tits', it really is something else. Surreal is one hell of an understatement.

So there we have it, Glastonbury has come to an end and I can't wait to go back in 2013. I hope you've enjoyed my words and pictures and the videos (not mine) on the post, I would love to hear your experiences of the weekend if you were there. It truly is an incredible festival, the diversity of acts and activities is unbelievable, the size is immense, the atmosphere is engaging. If you went, I hope you loved it as much as me, if you didn't make sure you're there in 2013.

Bon Iver On Colbert

Seeing as I'm on a bit of a Bon Iver addiction of late, I felt compelled to share these two live performances from the man with you.

The first is his latest single, the first off the new album, Calgary. Having watching many live videos of Bon Iver over and over again, it's really nice to watch and listen to some new material. (Ignore the slightly weird sax solo)



The second video is indeed one of those songs that I have listened to many a time, and watched so many live videos of on Youtube. However this is the first time I've seen him perform it with others. I really like the basic accapella take it gives to the track, giving it a bit more depth and volume.



A couple of pretty special performances. Can't wait to see him live.

Music Monday 56.

Kanye West - Mama's Boyfriend



Remember when Kanye decided to get up on a table at Facebook's HQ and sing? Well that song was Mama's Boyfriend and never actually made it on to MBDTF. Which is all well, because listening to the finished version, it never would have worked. I really harks back to some old-school, College Dropout type stuff, where Kanye's songs are much more autobiographical. You really do never know where Kanye is going next, I love it.

Givers - Up Up Up



Well what a delightful piece of indie pop we have here in our ears. I'm not going to sit here and sit their clear influencers or sound-alikes, it's so negative that new bands are instantly compared to others. It's nice to just enjoy something new and fresh. And sounds don't get much fresher than this.

Diplo & Skrillex - Amplifire



Ok I'll ignore that this track probably has one of the best titles of all-time (a bit Kanye of me there). But I won't ignore the huge DJ Shadow sample at the start and then the ridiculous dub bass beats that follow. I've got a lot of time for these two producers and this shows why.


Going to leave it there this week, I'm not going to post songs for the sake of it, always quality over quantity. Check out all of last week's posts, some cool stuff in there.

The Pursuit Of Cool.

Remember the Influencers video from French agency R+I? Well they're back with their latest project, The Pursuit Of Cool.



'Cool' is a word and concept that has lasted generations and generations, it is ever changing and ever sought after. It is completely subjective and can be defined by anyone or any culture. It can be applied to clothes, music, films, personality, art, the list is endless. Cool transpires across social cliques, friend groups, cultures and nations. It is something everyone wants in their own definition, yet if you search for it, you rarely achieve it. Cool is the ultimate.

Can't wait to see the end production of this project, it's going to be really interesting and inspiring.

Bon Iver: Calgary.

I find it difficult to put into words how good the new Bon Iver album is, it's sensational. I truly hope it never grows old on me, none of his previous work has yet, so I plan to have very happy ears for a very long time.

For all the glorious music Bon Iver has brought into our lives, we are yet to see a music video. Not because nobody wants to watch one, far from it, as his live videos have clocked up literally millions of hits on Youtube. But here it is, at last, a music video from Bon Iver.



It's beautiful, it's weird and eery and you're left wondering what quite to make of it all. Perfect. It must be tough to match visuals to your songs that are geniunely loved around the world, for the first time. I think he just about pulls it off in his own unique way. I really hope there's a couple more videos to come from his incredible album, or maybe a mini-movie such as Kanye West's Runaway. Now that would be special.

Metronomy: The Bay.

As much as I want to hate this song because it fills my ears about 15 times a day at work, I just can't. And the video, well, it's couldn't try any harder to be summer could it? The direction from David Wilson is superb, the framing of shots, the editing are all perfect. Oh and the supremely beautiful women doesn't do the video any harm.

Frank Ocean: Novacane.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again, Odd Future's got talent. It may not be a talent you particularly adhere to, but you definitely should appreciate it. Though Frank Ocean didn't direct his latest video himself, I'm sure he was right in there with the styling and content of it. It's a great reflection of the song as it gets inside it's dark and murky lyrics and brings that to a visual status.

Johnnie Walker: Inspired Insults.

That's how to make an ad. That's how to connect with your audience and provoke some emotion. Ok, the end maybe be a little cheesey, but it's a strong and inspiring message that should be adhered to. Maybe it just really connects with me because I'm very much in the job-hunt, aka getting kicked in the balls reguarly hunt. This ad shows that you need to do whatever you want and whatever you love, no matter what anyone else says.

Nightsurf.

Really gorgeous short video shot by Iker Elorrieta of some night time surfers in the Canary Islands. What is real and what is generated does not always matter, sometimes it's best just to sit back and admire the view.

Music Monday 55.

Some new songs from some huge artists that we haven't heard from in a while, and with them headlining Glastonbury Festival this year, I'm very excited.

Beyonce ft Andre 3000 - Party



Yep Beyonce is back. And so is Andre 3000. And I don't think Kanye ever leaves us who produces the first single from Beyonce's fourth album. Now I'm far from a huge Beyonce fan, and an R&B fan in general, but can't deny the force of the women. And from everyone I've spoken to Beyonce is the most anticipated artists of Glastonbury. This song is a lovely bit of old-school R&B, that I can actually enjoy. Kanye did a fine job on it, apart from talking about a swag-sauce called 'swagu'. Weird. And it's good to hear Andre back on it, still strong. Terribly named track though.

Coldplay - Every Teardrop Is A Waterfall



Another lame track title. But it's good to see Coldplay back too. Again, I'm not a huge Coldplay fan, but they've produced some massive songs and been really important to British music. So I guess I'm a little bit of a fan. I don't think this is anything particularly fresh and original from the band, but still good to hear something new.

Jamie XX - Far Nearer



And now for somebody who isn't headlining Glastonbury but is nevertheless a very special artists. I'm pretty sure this a new track, I had not heard it before this week that's for sure. I love that Jamie is always pushing himself and the music he ceates, he needs to be admired for that. Every track and project he works on seems to have classic Jamie XX traits to it, but it always so completely different to the last. Love this latest piece.

Deadmau5 - Kick, Push n' Snuff



Really wanted to end this week's post on a high. Love this track, had it on repeat all week. Lupe Fiasco's Kick Push was one of my favourite tracks as a teenager, and was part of my initial hip hop love, and now this Deadmau5 mix has taken it to a whole new level. It's just massive. End of.

Nike: The Ronaldo Generation.

Some player change the game, the stand out against a hundred other players on their team and all the others. And from those free, one defines a generation. Ronaldo defined a generation.

We are all more than aware that we are in the Lionel Messi generation, but as a kid, when I learnt to love the beautiful game, idolize my favourite players and got the ball at my feet, it was all about Ronaldo. He was the man. The tricks, the dribbles and most importantly, the goals. Watch and learn.



I really like the fact that Nike's tribute to the great man avoids clips of him and shows the impact his game had on the outside world, on the kids, the fans, the game. Like many idol, his fall from grace was not that pretty, but remember the man for what he was and what he did. He was a great. He changed the game, the best game that there is.

Kid Cudi: Marijuana.

Kid Cudi is so far away from attempting to dispel the notion that all famous people do is hang around and take drugs it's unreal. Now don't get me wrong, I've got a lot of time for the boy, his first album and mixtapes, were good, really good. The emo meets hip hop mix was something that hadn't been heard much before. Yet his second album was lazy, a missed opportunity after so much hype.

Despite rumors that he's quit the green, this video seems to show that the Kid from Cleveland is not keen to change his ways. And it seems everyone is a little fed up with seeing him just bum around and smoke weed. And then rap about it. The boy's got talent, he needs to show it.

Rant over.



Despite all of the above, I do like the video, but I feel that that's mainly down to cameraman, director and editor Shia LaBeouf. Ok, there may have not been a huge amount of direction going on here, but I really like the filters used with the combination of, of course, Amsterdam. It combines the dark and odd mystery that covers Amsterdam's coffee houses and brothels with an equally dark and odd track. So for that, the plaudits surely have to go to Mr LaBeouf.

Tyler, The Creator feat Frank Ocean: She.

Say what you like about Tyler The Creator, and many have, but the kids is a talent. Maybe his raps about rape and suicide or his videos featuring him eating cockroaches doesn't prove this to you, but be patient and watch, this boy will shine to all.



This video for his track with Frank Ocean, She, was directed by Tyler himself and gives him a chance to show off his diversity. It's far from the simple, yet dark as blackest marker, video that was Yonker, there's comedy in there as well as some well thought out shot.

And Tyler is scary as hell at the end.
Keep watching.

Music Monday 54.

Luke Christopher ft Asher Roth - Roof Tops



I've always said that Asher Roth's I Love College hit will always be to his deteriment, it lead people to believe that he is just a one-hit chart rapper. But listen to the rest of the album, listen to his mixtapes, and you will quickly see that he is more than a sing along chorus, he's got skills along with a catchy beat. This time he teams up with Luke Christopher, an 18 year old with many talents it would seem. Catchy little tune, just a tad too short.

Big Sean - Hometown



By the way of endorsers, Kanye West is not a bad way to go, and that's exactly who Big Sean has got behind him screaming he's the next big thing. I've only gotten around to listening to him recently and I like. And what a really like in hip hop is a good sample. Maybe he can be accused of jumping on the Adele bandtown, but he's used the sample well and put some tidy rhythms over the top.

Foster The People - Pumped Up Kids



This dreamy California indie pop sound is from Foster The People from, err, California. This song is perfect for some summer evenings and it looks like some bright things are to come from this band.

Chiddy Bang - Too Much Soul



As far as pop hip-hop goes, there's few better than Chiddy Bang. The single from their latest mixtape Peanut Butter and Swelly samples Hockey, Chiddy Bang do like a cheeky sample in their songs. Chiddy Bang also teamed up with Big Sean on a version on this, check it out.

Kanye West: MONSTER.

With My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy Kanye West provided us with a feast for our ears. A beautiful, dark, twisted, fantastical feast. With his 30 minute film, Runaway, the feast was truly visual, a beautiful piece of art. All Of The Lights was a sensational music video. Now comes his latest visual piece, Monster. The darkest song on the album deserved one hell of a dark video:



Featuring an incredible performance from Nicki Minaj, as well as appearances from Jay Z and Rick Ross, and a lot of dead white girls. It's a shame that the video has to start by asking the audience not to be offended and to appreciate it as a piece of dark, because it really is a special piece.

Justice: Civilization.

The new Justice music video is beautiful epic and destroys the world? Well, did you expect anything else?

Danny MacAskill Does Cape Town.

There are hundreds of thousands of trial and BMX videos out there by thousands of different riders, but for me what sets Danny MacAskill apart is the quality of the videos. This quality is largely enhanced by the beautiful and unique locations that are picked for his videos. Far from the local skatepark or the local city center at night, Danny decides to ride the Scottish Highlands, or the rough streets of Cape Town. For this project by Leica cameras, Danny MacAskill proves what he does best, riding fences, jumping buildings and bridges, and a few little bunny hops.