Be A Star And Fall Down Somewhere Next To Me | A Kitsune Noir Mixtape

Download Be A Star And Fall Down Somewhere Next To Me | A Kitsune Noir Mixtape

I got an email from a +KN reader named Jodi earlier today, telling me that she wished I had released a mixtape for Valentine's Day. I wrote her back saying that I hadn't even thought about it, but that it was a good idea. Her response cracked me up:

Maybe I should have let you know beforehand that I was expecting one, but in true girl Valentines Day form, I waited until I didn't get one to tell you that I really wanted/expected one.

So in honor of Jody, and all the other girls out there who might not get what they want for Valentine's Day, I give you Be A Star And Fall Down Somehwere Next To Me. This mix in a lot of ways is a continuation of the last mix, They Don't Pierce The Night. But this is less about longing, and more about hope.

The title of the mix comes from a Rufus Wainwright song, which actually isn't on the mix at all. But after I heard the lyric, I knew I had to use it for an eventual mix. I think it's quite fitting for Valentine's Day, and as always I hope you all enjoy it, and would love to hear your feedback.

Have a great weekend everyone.

Bobby

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The Desktop Wallpaper Project featuring 123klan

Hey hey it's still Wednesday, and you all need a new desktop!

I'm totally stoked on this weeks wallpaper, it's definitely one of the coolest I've ever featured. I got an email about a month ago from Scien of 123KLAN saying that he enjoyed the site. So I obviously had to take the opportunity to invite him and his wife Klor to participate in the project!

What they came up with was the awesome little guy you see above. As I do a lot of the time, the words of the artist sum this one up best:

As the temperature is very low over here,

We had to kill the "kitsune noir"

To make a typical canadian beanie with it,

we are sorry but we really had no other options...

So hysterical. I love the color palette, his Kitsune Noir jersey, his dunks vandals, and the mustache especially. I hope you all enjoy this weeks wallpaper as much as me, and be sure to check back next Wednesday!

Bobby

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Moving Brands Gives Norton & Sons A Fresh Look

I love love love this redesign by Moving Brands of Saville Row tailors, Norton & Sons. Not only redid their logos and marks, they also helped re-shape their entire brand including their storefront. There's something really elegant and simple about the rebrand that I'm really enjoying. I also think it's rad that their crest was "awarded by a Prussian emperor in the 19th century." Too cool.

For more information about their process click here.

Bobby

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Jamie McLellan

I came across Jamie McLellan's work after he sent me a random reply on Twitter. As I always do, I check and see if he had a website, and sure enough he's an absolutely amazing product designer. He's recently worked as senior designer for Tom Dixon, and now works in his own studio making all sorts of rad stuff like furniture and even racing sails, no biggie. He has a really impressive portfolio of work, but I really loved these simple scissors he created for Ordning&Reda. I love that they're metal, but still have soft edges, a really nice juxtaposition.

Bobby

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Sam Weber

I've been a big fan of Sam Weber's work for a while, he's an amazing illustrator that I think I'd classify more as a painter than an illustrator. He has this great sense of textures and colors that I haven't really seen anyone else match. The two pieces above are for the Soulpepper Theatre in Toronto, the top one is for Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? and the bottom for The Guardsmen. I love all the smudges and galaxies and fingerprints in the top one, and the texture in the bottom one is amazing.

Definitely check out the rest of Sam's work, and his store as well, which has a bunch of his pieces for sale.

Bobby

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The Stand Ins by Okkervil River

Starry Stairs by Okkervil River

On Tour With Zykos by Okkervil River

If there was one modification to my Favorite 15 Albums of 2008, it might be the inclusion of the Okkervil River album, The Stand Ins. I hadn't realized that the album had even been released until after I made my list, so I wanted to praise this gem of an album some.

The album is a continuation from the last album, The Stage Names, and continues Will Sheff's obsession with pop culture. This is by far one of Okkervil's best albums, hopefully the songs above will help you get a sense of how amazing this album is. Also, the cover is pretty neat for two reasons. First, it's hand sewn, and second, if you place the Stage Names album above it, you get one whole image.

Bobby

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Fifty People, One Question

This one's been floating around for a while, but I fall in love with it every time I watch. The concept is simple, Fifty People, One Question. It's an extremely human video that really shows how unique people are and how interesting anyone can be. The way it's shot is rather dreamy, and the music does a great job of intensifying the mood of the video. There are two more videos, but the one above shot in London is my absolute favorite.

Bobby

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Newsweek Is Getting A Redesign

Newsweek Plans Makeover to Fit a Smaller Audience

by By Richard P

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Wallpapers by Aimee Wilder

I'm loving these lighthearted and fun wallpaper by Aimee Wilder. The top one reminds me of something Friends With You would come up with, so it's an instant love on that one. She's also got this sweet ass wallpaper called Analog Nights Which has a bunch of old school music equipment all over it. If you need some fresh wallpaper, check out her site.

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A Few More Beats - And Maybe, A New Sound: 03

It's been a little while since I've posted one of these puppies, and I know how much you all enjoy some new tunes, so hopefully I've still got the knack. I've got 4 tracks for you all to preview, things I've been listening to recently and I think you'll like.

M. Ward

Shangri-La by M. Ward

First up is M. Ward, one of my favorite musicians right now. In my eyes, the guy can do no wrong. He's got a new album called Hold Time coming out on Feb. 17, and if you liked his old stuff, you'll love this as well. He's got a bunch of guest stars including the lovely Zooey Deschanel and Lucinda Williams. The song above is my ABSOLUTE favorite song on the album, and I listen to it on repeat. It sounds old and magical to me, maybe you hear it to?

Ryan Adams

Meadowlake Street by Ryan Adams

This is an older track that caught my ear a few weeks back. I had never heard a Ryan Adams album before, all I could think of was around 9-11 when he had some song about New York. So I grabbed a couple albums, and well, this song instantly stood out to me. One morning I woke up humming it but unable to think of what it was, and it drove me nuts! I like that the song has a subtle build up, getting more intense as it goes. I've also been told I look like Ryan Adams, lucky him. You can find this song on the album Cold Roses.

Bishop Allen

Dirt on Your New Shoes by Bishop Allen

After a two year wait, Bishop Allen is finally releasing a new album titled Grrr..., and so far I'm really loving it. It's a lot different from The Broken String, which was mostly a collection of songs recorded as a part of their EP a month project. This album is still pop-tastic, but it seems a little less polished than the previous one. But if you enjoy the song above, definitely pick up the album when it comes out on March 10.

Andrew Bird

Not a Robot, But A Ghost by Andrew Bird

I complained a lot about Andrew Bird's last album, Armchair Apocrypha, even saying that Pale Young Gentleman made the album that Andrew should have. But then Andrew Bird released Noble Beasts on January 20, and I took it all back, the guy is definitely back and in a good way. He put away a lot of the gimmicks of the strings and busted out a guitar, which gives the songs a much better sound and feel, freshening them up a lot. When I first got this album I listened to it non-stop, and I'm sure I'll see this album on my best of the year list. Also be sure to check out the second, instrumental disc called Useless Creatures.

Bobby

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Waltz with Bashir

Waltz with Bashir is the tale of Ari Folman and his journey to try and remember the time around 1982, and this involvement in the Lebanon War, which he can't remember. Slowly he puts the pieces together as he talks with old friends who there with him in the war.

I had the opportunity to see Waltz with Bashir last week and I thoroughly enjoyed it. It picked up the Golden Globe for Best Foreign Film already, and is also nominated for an Academy Award as well. I mostly went to see it because of the involvement of the Hanuka brothers, Tomer and Asaf. Asaf recently posted some of the backgrounds to the film on their blog, which you can see above. to check out more of these, click here.

Bobby

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The Desktop Wallpaper Project featuring ghostpatrol

Hey everyone! Sorry for the late posting of the wallpaper today, I've had a crazy day, but thankfully I caught a second wind late tonight. This weeks DWP is from Australian artist and +KN supporter ghostpatrol, who sometimes goes by the name of David as well. ghostpatrol draws a lot of cute/creepy kids, but does it in all kinds of fun mediums.

I'm also totally in love with this wallpaper. I love milkshakes, and this Link-looking, dagger-carrying fella is pretty rad looking, I kinda wish I dressed like that. I also love that it's a print so you can see all the texture and details that make it so great looking. Plus there's lots of room for your icons on the sides as well!

Bobby

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Eva Funderburgh's Santatsugama Sculptures

Often times creativity runs through a family, and some times it doesn't. For the Funderburghs, clearly the former is true. Dan Funderburgh, expert pattern and wallpaper designer, has an equally gifted sister Eva, though her skills lie in ceramics. She calls the creatures you see up there 'Santatsugamas', and I have no idea what that means, but they look pretty damn awesome. She makes tons of these little guys, as you can see here on her Flickr page.

Based on what I read from Eva's Flickr, she's currently working on some Santatsugamas featuring some of Dan's fancy patterns. Man oh man, I'd KILL to have one of those, Hook it up Dan! Also be sure to check out Dan's page, who just a couple weeks ago updated his website as well with lots of goodies.

Bobby

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Serge Leblon

I'm totally smitten with the photos of Serge Leblon, especially these two of one of my favorite directors, Wes Anderson. The saturation of colors is absolutely brilliant, and seeing that custom Louis Vuitton luggage makes my mouth water. To check out more of his photos, click here.

Bobby

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6 Differences

Hello, everyone. Sorry for the lack of posts lately. I've battled two sicknesses, worked long hours, and started a new side-project, all in the last 3 weeks or so. I'll try not to be a stranger.

Last night I wasn't feeling so hot, so I killed a bunch of time playing this sweet game called 6 Diffirences. It's like that thing you'd see in Highlights, except it's like the updated, gritty, urban version. Okay, it really didn't take me that long, but it's fun nonetheless with Banksy and Obey Giant references, as well as photos that look like something Todd Hido would shoot.

Bobby

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Janine Rewell

There are lots of Finnish treasures in the portfolio of Janine Rewell. The adorable Sporks you see above are re-usable and washable, are made from organically grown bamboo, and features some really cute illustrations which make me want to use them even more. Such a great project.

Bobby

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The Desktop Wallpaper Project featuring Gemma Correll

Good Thursday everyone! Sorry for the delay in the wallpaper, yesterday was hectic. But today is a wet and rainy day, perfect for the wallpaper that's being released today! The wallpaper was made by the wonderful Gemma Correll, who draws just about the cutest little critters out there. The wallpaper was inspired by Gemma's hatred for winter which tried to channel into something positive. In her own words, "I don't really love winter, in fact I hate it - but I was kind of working on the concept of reverse psychology!"

I totally agree. I hope you all enjoy the wallpaper, and be sure to check out Gemma's site if you're not familiar with her work. Thanks again, Gemma!

Bobby

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Department of Eagles Live on KCRW

I've spent the last half hour listening to this Department of Eagles performance from KCRW. They sound amazing live, er, on the interentz, but yeah, I wish I had tickets to see them tomorrow night. The silly little player above isn't the handiest of ways to listen to this, but if you need to kill some time with some great music, this is a sure bet.

Also, they play two new songs which is fun alone, and they also talk about how Grizzly Bear is a fancy bitch, and Department of Eagles is a less classy ho. I might be paraphrasing that a bit, you'll have to listen to find out.

Bobby

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Volkan Ergen

Really, really beautiful videos by Volkan Ergen of Istanbul. I love the way he saturates and adds so much contrasts to these. The sound is also pretty stellar as well, so be sure to watch these with headphones in. To see more of his video work on Vimeo, click here.

Bobby

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Friendly Fires 'Skeleton Boy' by Clemens Habicht

I thought this music video for Friendly Fires would be a sweet way to start the week. The video is for the song Skeleton Boy, and features a ton those little pellets you find in a beanbag chair, a trillion so the description says, and a ton of leaf blowers. The effect is quite simple, but it looks pretty rad overall, proving again that creativity totally beats money every time. The song is pretty fun as well, so no matter what you're doing today, you can have a fun little dance party!

Bobby

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