I have a rule. And I think it's the only fair thing to do. If I write about a person, then I'll go through their entire stream, choose my favorite pics, and then write a review. Well, I had that rule until I encountered party monster extraordinaire billa.... The boy has 872 pages of pics - with 15,687 photos and counting. I'm at around page 75 right now - and I've only gotten to December 2007.

 

I'm a sucker for party photos, with a special place in my heart lately for the London scene, and billa....'s pics just hit the spot. His shots are jam packed with characters (Scottee! Agness! Casette!) in a style that is hyper saturated and hyper sharp. His output is unbelievable; so before he burns his party out, let's enjoy billa....'s pics and his historic documentation of a scene on fire.

 

For3ign 19/1

 

 

For3ign 19/1

 

 

The Pix

 

 

For3ign 19/1

 

 

For3ign

 

 

The FFuss F*#$art

 

 

 

 

295 Closing Party

 

 

For3ign/Magic Poison

 

 

Nuke Years Eve

 

 

To see more of billa....'s flickr stream, click here.

Why the Postal Service hasn't yet released a follow-up to the perfect 2003 album "Give Up" is beyond me. While Ben Gibbard is out there, hanging on to some scraps of what used to be a great band called Death Cab for Cutie; and while Jimmy Tamborello is bumping nothing but some ok releases to the world under Dntel, James Figurine or whatever, these two should hook up again and bring some sense to this world – at least for 45 minutes or so.

 

Well… don't get your hopes up. I have no clue when a new Postal Service album will pop out, but at least they are showing some signs of life, as they appeared on a new EP from The Cribs with a remix for the song "I'm A Realist".

 

And how is it? Awesome, of course. They took the way too normal sound of The Cribs and turned it into a Postal Service wonder. I don't really need to explain more – you can just listen to it and understand while I'll be sleeping in.

 

Ah, the Oscars. Why is it that I can never miss a year, and yet feel so empty and unsatisfied the day after. Yes, this year wasn't too bad - I always love an upset like Tilda's and Marion's, the cute couple from Once conquered the almighty Disney cheese factory, Gary Busey's attack on Ryan Seacrest and Jennifer Garner was classic, and I have the softest spot for Viggo Mortensen.

 

 

But alas, there are always those overlooked gems (Into the Wild, I'm Not There, 4 Months, 3 Week and 2 Days, to name a few...) that didn't even get nominated - and now I've found that The Pearce Sisters can be added to the list. From the legendary Aardman Animations, Luis Cook's animated short was probably just a bit too sick and twisted for the academy's taste. Winner of many other awards, including the Bafta, The Pearce Sisters looks like something washed ashore from years gone by, and brings to mind a cross between Woman in the Dunes and Grey Gardens, with a dash of There Will Be Blood.

 

 

Be sure to check out the film's site for special features like a behind the scene video and a sktechbook with early research and storyboards. Enjoy...

 

It's only been a few weeks since i randomly wandered into George Pringle's RCRD LBL page and downloaded the free mp3s that are offered there - but I can already declare her as the greatest thing I have heard in 2008.

 

 

Ok... let me go back a bit, shake my head, come down and start again. Oxford based George Pringle is a 22 years old girly-girl that has been expose to the perfect amount of whatever that the counter culture has to offer. She doesn't have a full album yet, but two days ago she has released her limited 300 copy debut EP, "Poor EP, Poor EP Without A Name", which you can still order from her MySpace page (you know I have already). Of course, you can also scout the net for her demos and singles - most chances are that you will absolutely love them.

 

Like any lo-fi electronic artist you should respect, all she's got is a laptop, a witty tongue and too much style. She started writing music at the age of 16, loves to name bands and genre drop (Joy Division, Techno, Shoegaze and even a wink to My Bloody Valentine is in her songs) and most importantly, she's a huge LCD Soundsystem fan - The first time that her brother played her the song "Losing My Edge" is written in her bio, and her MySpace features a song called "LCD I love you but you're bringing me down".

 

 

Don't get me wrong. Pringle isn't James Murphy yet - her production is usually a very simple and cute electronic beat (although in "We Could Have Been Heroes" she shows that she can be a bit more complex too), but she's great just the way she is: The production is exvactly what her white girl spoken word style calls for.

 

 

Sometimes when you hear her, you can think of The Streets - mostly because of the british accent and the day to day topics. Other times, you may jump to Uffie, only without all the filth and the club atmosphere. But you know what? I'm going back to my original statement and to the top paragraph of this post: George Pringle is incredibly special and we shouldn't compare her to anybody. All we have to do is enjoy her music, and that's not a hard thing to do.

 

 

I love those days when you come across a blog that opens you up to a whole new world. Even better if that blog has a link to an amazing flickr stream of polaroids of all the bands I'd love to see, but just haven't been able to yet...

Well, for those in the know (and probably most of you are) I'm talking about the gorilla vs. bear polaroids from the legendary music blog. I actually got to the site through the 8hands blogroll (!!!) - and I have to admit that this blog has opened me up to a whole other world of sites that I've been enjoying all morning.

I feel especially honored to feature these amazing polaroids, in memory of a film that has no business being discontinued. Are all the amazing polaroid flickr streams really that much of an anomaly to the powers that be? I guess we really are a minority. But, I digress. Check out the gorilla vs. bear polaroids for an intimate look at your favorite artists of the now. Really great work. I'm officially jealous. Enjoy...

 

Angus Andrew of the remarkable foursome, Liars, had just finished soundchecking on the eve of Sunday the 17th of February.

 

 

St. Vincent outside the Mohawk after an unbelievable Hot Freaks! set

 

 

Jens Lekman, a sharp dresser, looks to his right after a winsome set at Dallas' own Granada Theater, 11/13/07.

 

 

jared swilley

 

 

Bill Baird of {{{Sunset}}} with Murphy's glasses, which he received received after a gentleman's exchange, a sunglass swap, and a fee to the tune of $50.

 

 

thefield_1.jpg

 

 

M.I.A. five seconds before her bumpin' set.

 

 

Kyp of TV on the Radio: Dallas

 

 

Panda Bear: Dallas, TX

 

 

Grizzly Bear's Dan Rossen tustles with brother Ed

 

 

To check out more from gorilla vs. bear polaroids' stream, click here.