I am beyond excited. So excited I literally almost fell out of my chair.

Okay, first the back story. I am a HUGE Beat Generation fan. I live and breathe these guys and gals who wrote some of the best literature and poetry ever. Now, they have a film based around the creation and publication of Howl. Almost as good as the long rumored On The Road flick, this looks outstanding and with a superb cast to boot. Can’t wait for this one…

As I get the ready for a long deserved vacation, I thought I would put together another mix for the road. Included are some new bands I just discovered, Tame Impala and The Sound of Animals Fighting, and some longtime favorites, Portugal. The Man and The Flaming Lips. Here’s the rundown:

Enjoy! Now I’m off to the lay in a hammock…

Are silent movies making a comeback? I must say I’m very impressed and this looks beautifully shot.

Can a metal musician create beautifully rich ambient electronica? They can if they are Justin K. Broadrick a.k.a. Pale Sketcher.

Here’s a sneak peek:
Pale Sketcher : Plans That Fade (Faded Dub)

“If Justin K. Broadrick’s Jesu project is the sound of the UK artist exorcising his demons, pummeling them into submission with tsunamis of guitar noise, Pale Sketcher is the sound that echoes through his head in the aftermath—a haunting, lonely sound-world of distressed beats and hazy melancholia. Broadrick’s electronic-music projects have historically taken a bit of a back seat to his more well-known metal excursions (his founding roles in Godflesh and Napalm Death, his long-running shoegaze-metal project Jesu), but with Jesu: Pale Sketches Demixed Broadrick brings Pale Sketcher into the spotlight, adding a new layer to the prolific artist’s already-dense body of work.

Jesu: Pale Sketches Demixed consists of songs originally released on the 2007 Jesu album Pale Sketches—a collection of electronics-oriented Jesu songs that didn’t quite fit on a conventional release. On Demixed, Broadrick revisits these Jesu misfits and plunges them deeper into the abyss, de- and re-constructing them into lumbering, beat-driven synthesizer symphonies. Album opener “Don’t Dream It (Mirage Mix)” pairs twinkling piano keys with a foreboding swath of synthesized drone, juxtaposing the ugly and the beautiful in a way that evokes the mood—if not necessarily the sound—of Jesu. “Supple Hope” brings Broadrick’s vocals into the mix, adding a human element to the stuttering beat as smoky sibilants hiss around the periphery. Standout “Dummy (Banhoff Version)” breaks form with its lightly sweetened nostalgia, buzzing and humming like late-summer fireflies over a lugubrious breakbeat. Closer “Plans That Fade (Faded Dub)” evokes its title to a T, all echo-y tendrils, reverberating rimshots, and translucent vocal sounds that melt into the air like smoke.

On Jesu: Pale Sketches Demixed, Broadrick displays a delicate touch with musical moods, crafting dark, sweet hymns that alternately soothe and unsettle. The crunch of rusty industrial machinery, the murmur of a summer wind—these are Justin K. Broadrick’s Pale Sketches.”

This is a great fan-created video for Broken Social Scene’s Meet Me In The Basement. If you weren’t pissed off about the state of the world beforehand, let me know after you watch this video.

This painted animation by Blu has to be one of the best I have seen in a very, very long time. The time, effort, hours, and creativity that went into this stop motion work had to be extensive and exhausting. But it had to be worth it because this is nothing short of amazing.

BIG BANG BIG BOOM – the new wall-painted animation by BLU from blu on Vimeo.

Typography guru Erik Spiekermann and his wife, designer Susanna Dulkinys, own my dream home. Everything within it’s walls and outside are what I dream of in a home. Let the drooling commence. Read more

Dwell has started a new video series on color and theory. First installment, where else than the home and museum of the father of modern color theory, Josef Albers.

I have always been a huge fan of Christopher Willits. His work is very atmospheric (if that’s a good descriptor). Definitely want to see him live at some point. Until then, I’m glad there are clips such as this.

Christopher Willits Live at Kunst-Stoff Arts – Extended Edit from Gustaf Fjelstrom on Vimeo.