Blog
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Top 5 Female Vocalists
(ANGELIC IN VOICE AND IN SPIRIT)
5. Victoria Legrand
Words like haunting, husky, and ethereal are fine ways of describing Beach House’s Victoria Legrand’s vocals. But her raspy range can soar, especially when accompanied by the seductive arrangements of her backing band. Legrand continues to put out albums and songs that showcase her beautiful, hoarse, angelic voice, and we continue to enjoy them.
4. Kate Bush
While it’s true that Kate Bush may be most well-known today for her single “This Woman’s Work,” (courtesy John Hughes and American Idol), Kate Bush has put out nearly ten LP’s featuring that strange, glassy voice, and has been recording music since 1975 (two years before I was born). After a life break, she is back with a new album and proof that the greatest gifts age well with time.
3. Mimi Parker
It’s chilly in Duluth, MN. But upon the icy shores of Lake Superior was borne the chilling falsetto of Mimi Parker, one half of the two-headed mastermind that is known as Low. Check out this clip if you would like to hear what it sounds like to actually freeze the sun.
2. Lisa Gerrard
Lisa Gerrard, Australian by way of Ireland, conceived of her band Dead Can Dance with English songwriter Brendan Perry back in 1981. She has amassed an outstanding catalog of solo and collaborative work as well, and chances are that you’ve heard her music in some of your favorite films (Heat, Black Hawk Down, The Insider, The Passion of the Christ, Man on Fire, to name a few). Her voice is an elegant, other-worldly contralto that is hard to describe with words. Better to just listen, and enjoy.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1xpkRj99FH0&w=500&h=300
1. Elizabeth Fraser
Without question one of the most special vocalists of this or any era. Her falsetto is unique unto itself and brimming with a magical trill that sends shivers up your spine. Her work with Cocteau Twins has produced some of the most mesmerizing and distinctive music ever made. In a sense, her band epitomized the 4AD sound throughout the bulk of the 1990’s.
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Rotten! Tomatoes.
AKA March Badness.
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Kneale’s Briefing
One day. Maybe.
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Ghetto Friday…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xbCq5Zexfd4&w=500&h=300
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Subway “Ice Skater”
The winterland creatures are abuzz as an elusive ice skater cuts triple axels upon their enchanted pond.
Client: Subway
Agency: MMB Boston
ACD, Art Director: Chris Poulin
ACD, Copywriter: George Goetz
Art Director: Jen Campbell
Copywriter: Liz Giuggio
Producer: Danene DiciccoProduction Co.: Charlex
Director: Ryan Dunn
Illustrator: Eleanor Davis
Cel Animator: Chris Carboni
Compositor: Ryan Gotilla
Producer: Alex Jarman -
Bon Iver at AIR Studios
An arresting set of music. Enjoy.
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Adventures of Rose: What’s in the Box?!
We found her in a box, in our bedroom, about three seconds away from entire residential destruction by way of the Little Lamb Enchantment. Fortunately, we were able to coax her out of the box and back to safety with the old “Do you want some Gogurt?” diversion.
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Halloween by Liftingfaces
Nineteen songs; varying shades of Haloweenness. You will find a range of styles here (yes, including Salem), but you will not find “Monster Mash”, sorry. Nor will there will be any Kanye West (sorry “Monster” fans), but there is one rap verse.
Enjoy, if you dare.
01. This Mortal Coil “Fire Brothers” (1986)
02. Glass Candy “Halloween” (2011)
03. The Black Angels “Young Dead Men” (2006)
04. Patsy Cline “Sweet Dreams” (1963)
05. Timber Timbre “Lay Down in the Tall Grass” (2009)
06. Buck 65 “Blood Pt. 2” (2009)
07. This Mortal Coil “Meniscus” (1986)
08. Lana Del Rey “Kinda Outta Luck” (2011)
09. Chrysta Bell “Real Love” (2011)
10. Ween “Mutilated Lips” (1997)
11. CocoRosie “Hopscotch” (2010)
12. Salem “King Night” (2010)
13. Beach House “The Arrangement” (2010)
14. Charlie Feathers “Can’t Hardly Stand It” (1948)
15. Dead Can Dance “The Ubiquitous Mr. Lovegrove” (1993)
16. Dead Man’s Bones “My Body’s a Zombie for You” (2009)
17. David Lynch “Pinky’s Dream” (2011)
18. Brenda Lee “I’m Sorry” (1960)
19. Angelo Badalamenti “Twin Peaks Theme” (2000)Download Mixtape.
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Olafur Arnalds “Living Room Songs”
Similar to his Found Songs LP from 2009, Ólafur Arnalds has released Living Room Songs, a project recorded over the course of one week from the bedroom of his Reykjavík apartment, and released for free as each song was finished.
This time, however, he included videos of each recording to accompany the music. The album will be packaged and released in high-quality form later this year. You can pre-order it here, and receive a free postcard.
Enjoy the album on his website, and have a look at the genesis of these beautiful compositions below…
Day 1 “Fyrsta”
Day 2 “Near Light”
Day 3 “Film Credits”
Day 4 “Tomorrow’s Song”
Day 5 “Ágúst”
Day 6 “Lag Fyrir Ömmu”
Day 7 “This Place is a Shelter”
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“Sheared” by Nikolas Ilic
In keeping with my farm animal theme yet again, here is a cool thesis animation from Nikolas Ilic, who recently graduated from Sheridan College in Canada.
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Thanks, Steve.
This brilliant image courtesy Jonathan Mak.
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Chipotle “Back to the Start”
Keeping my pig theme going, here’s a radical stop-motion short film set to Willie Nelson covering Coldplay. Directed by Johnny Kelly.
I almost cried. Almost.
Here’s the making of. Right up my alley…
[vimeo 28349065 w=500&h=300]
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Matthew Herbert “One Pig”
On October 10, 2011, Matthew Herbert will release his latest LP entitled “One Pig.” According to his label’s website, it is an album “made entirely from recordings of a modern pig’s life cycle from birth to plate.”
I was intrigued with the concept on a number of levels, so decided to give a listen to the meaning behind the project.
I left the video not wholly convinced of his motives. I think Matthew is purposefully standing in the gray area of the matter, and it’s a win/win for him in this case.
One one hand, he has an easy out as an artist to say he is simply observing and presenting his emotional reaction to a realism he has no control over. Editorially he gets to present the life cycle of a food product typically very distant from its consumers.
On the other hand, however, he is also sensationalizing the process to a degree. Even if his money is going to charity (not sure whether it is), having an EP of Micachu remixes crop up as a PR strategy suddenly turns an austere, introspective set of field recordings into a flavor of the month musical romp through the inevitable pipeline of hipsterdom.
Here is an iTunes link where you can preview the album and preorder if you can unearth the beauty beneath its grating tone:
Preview Album.
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Krylon “Brand”
A dresser slides from room to room, from one era to the next. All of this (except for the wallpaper) was captured in-camera, stop-action.
Behind the Scenes:
Client: Sherwin-Williams
Agency: Doner
Agency Producer: Adam Simmons
Agency Creative Director: Valerie Foley
Agency Art Director: Natalie BierlProduction Co.: Charlex
Director: Ryan Dunn
Director of Photography: Helder Sun
Stop-Motion Animator: Andrew Hodges
Stop-Motion Producer: Kelli BixlerPost-Production Co.: Charlex
Senior Producer: Nicole Stevens
Flame Artist: Marc Goldfine
2D Animator: Jose Fuentes
Smoke Editor: Alan Neidorf
Executive Producer: Meredith Machial -
DC Earthquake Devastation
This is what a 5.9 earthquake in Virginia looks like. God, I love the internet. Via jmckinley’s posterous.
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Subway “Grease”
In one year, U.S. restaurants can produce up to 1.4 million pounds of grease. Skip the grease, come to Subway! Or watch this commercial I shot for them, at least.
Client: Subway
Agency: MMB Boston
ACD, Art Director: Chris Poulin
ACD, Copywriter: George Goetz
Art Director: Jen Campbell
Copywriter: Liz Giuggio
Director of Broadcast: Sara VentetuoloProduction: Charlex
Director: Ryan Dunn
DP: Pete Konczal
Producer: Diane Leuci
VFX Supervisor: Steve ChiarelloPost-Production: Charlex
Creative Director: Ryan Dunn
Senior Producer: Alex Jarman
Lead Editor: John Zawisha
Asst. Editor: Drew Weigel
Lead Flame Artist: Marc Goldfine
Flame Artist: John Yu
2D Compositor: Jun Lee
Lead Lighter: James Fisher
Additional Lighters: Keith McMenamy, Will Atkins
Lead Modeler: Alex Cheparev
Additional Modelers: Hung Ma, Chin Lee
Lead Rigger: Steve Mann
Additional Rigger: Andre Stuppert
Lead CG Animator: Tony Tabtong
CG Supervisor: Keith McCabe
Supervising Producer: Lori Fechter
ECD: Alex Weil
EP: Meredith Machial
