-This info in the image basically explains it (check the shirts at Threadless,) but I'd just like to remark on how great resource Club Mumble is for all things skate-art related. I've explained in the past how Don Pendleton's work for Alien Workshop had a huge influence on my artistic tastes as I was getting deep into skateboarding at the beginning of the decade. Dope stuff.
1-Supreme camera bag, because all pro camera gear is ugly (until I graduate from design school, that is.) $68 from Supreme.
2-A.P.C. Petite Standard, because the New Standard is too full for us skinny dudes. $155 from Context.
3-Salmon bow tie by COTO, because I'm renewing my obsession with bow ties. $75 from COTO.
4- Zoom Stefan Janoski SB pro model, because my Dunks are worn through and I share Stef's belief in a simpler, lower skate shoe. $70-80 at a skateshop near you.
-I haven't yet given enough time to Manchester Orchestra's Mean Everything to Nothing, the follow-up to the brilliant I'm Like a Virgin Losing a Child, but both the Manchester albums are worth listening to. Manchester makes great tunes for those evolving out of the emo genres into a more folky-but-still-angry sound.
-I've been listening to Paper Route for about a year now and their new album, Absence, is getting some positive press. What I like about Paper Route is that every song is vastly different in nature. Absence is a dope genre-defying album on which you'll hear electronic drums and synths beneath folky guitars and gospel harmonies.
-Meiko's self-titled album is the kind of music I'd usually rock on the pod but not advertise my admiration for. It is what it is, catchy girl-indie-folk-pop, but "Boys With Girlfriends" makes a ridiculously catchy chorus out of the undeniably relatable (for both genders) sentiment "I know better not to be friends with boys with girlfriends."
-The Color of Violence is is a side-project from some of the members of From First to Last. Most readers of this blog probably won't appreciate this album (but maybe you can appreciate the legit album art?) The band's first album, Youthanize, is to-the-point, self-aware ridiculousness composed with incredible technical acuity.
-Just two images that made me happy that I thought I'd share: The first is a shirt that is currently for sale at Threadless. It's greatness is pretty self-explanatory to anyone who was born in the 80s. Though I generally discourage the purchasing of non-vintage graphic tees, I've often mentioned that I find nostalgia to be the most engaging design element in most things, and this falls right in line with that thought.
-The second is a Lego rendering of a scene from Excitebike. You know how pissed you got when you crashed and it took like 10 seconds to run back to your bike? Yeah. The ability to create your own tracks was great though, a feature light years ahead of its time.
-Both these images are from different posts on Geekologie, one of my favorite places for dumb stuff on the internet.
-I usually hit the train with my way-oversized Adidas duffel and, though I love it and it's durable and huge and probably made by little kids, it says 'soccer trip' more than 'I'm an adult on a train.' The other day I saw this military bag by Surplus from Oak. I've already mentioned my affinity for military inspired good, but what really struck me about this bag was the price: only $45. When most of the other duffels I like are in the $200-300 range, this was a no brainer. I do like the American Apparel versions, but this one is larger and (I'm assuming) more durable. Dope find.
-Last month I posted about a sweet windbreaker I found at Buffalo, and then the other day I KZO was on Gilt so I got a pretty legit deal on this windbreaker. The picture isn't that great (I couldn't find the Gilt picture after the sale ended,) but mine fits snug and looks like it's from 2014, which I'm going to assume will be a pretty stylish year. I woke up too late to get a Thom Browne bow tie on Gilt a couple days ago though and I'm disheartened, sigh. MLIA.
-Just last week I downloaded the free release of Eminem's somewhat-hard-to-find first album Invincible, and today Em's long awaited Relapse hit record stores, so I turned to my good chum and resident unassuming hip-hop expert Baby-K for his take on the new disc. Check the review after the jump.
After a five year hiatus, Eminem drops “Relapse” today. This is the first of two albums by the artist to hit shelves this year. The second, titled “Relapse 2”, should drop in the fall or winter of this year. -Unlike his past CD's, “Relapse” is a more mature CD for Eminem. Sure the album is not without Eminem's classic shock value skits and lyrics, but overall it's a step forward for Marshall Mathers both lyrically, technically, and personally. -The album was originally scheduled to drop sometime before Christmas 2008. After going into the studio with Dr. Dre to work on some tracks together just before then, a task that was originally supposed to take a few days, Mathers And Dre ended up staying in the studio for six months, effectively delaying the release of “Relapse”. As a result of this extended studio stay, Eminem purportedly has now recorded around a hundred tracks with Dre. “Relapse” features fifteen tracks from these efforts and five skits. -Most of the lyrical content deals with his personal battle of overcoming his prescription pill addiction as well as the death of his close friend and rapper “Proof”. Tracks such as Hello, Underground/Ken Kaniff, and Deja Vu all deal specifically with his difficulty staying sober. On Hello he makes a reference to the track My Name Is off “The Slim Shady LP” (1999), reintroducing himself to the world yet again. Slim Shady is back on this track, and the next two songs, Tonya (Skit) and Same Song & Dance, feature his evil deeds. This is Eminem showing the world he's a different, more mature artist than when he first made it big, but that he hasn't changed too much (hence the reappearance of Slim).
-Technicality-wise, songs such as 3am and Stay Wide Awake make Lil' Wayne look like exactly what he is – not the best rapper alive. Eminem has adopted a somewhat quicker, more lyric infused flow style consisting of staccato-y (not a word), trance-like verses and hooks. He also returns to his roots on this album by having Dre produce all but one song (which was produced by Eminem himself), and lay down all the beats for the album. These changes and improvements have produced an album that is set apart from his previous ventures, one that speaks volumes while the other's spoke chapters. -If one were to base their opinion of the album on the released singles We Made You and Crack A Bottle (Ft. Dr. Dre & 50 Cent), both of which are an embarrassment to the album and completely out of place, were terrible choices for singles. These tracks are classic radio-jam-filled, catchy hook blaring, terribleness (another made up word). Lyrical contributions from Dre (amazing) and 50 (not as amazing) on Crack A Bottle barely make up for the annoyingly repetitive, catchy hook and the drab beat. If you want to hear a good Eminem + Dre song on this album, listen to Old Time's Sake ft. Dr. Dre instead. -The album itself is nothing like these two singles. It is essentially classic Eminem, with him rapping about some of the same things from previous albums and dissing on celebrities, but he also brings in new, more personal elements. It's refreshing to see (rather, hear) and artist taking responsibility for his actions and graphically displaying how difficult and life-ruining the consequences of those choices can be. -Best lyrical flows go to Stay Wide Awake, Beautiful, and Underground/Ken Kaniff. Best beats go to Bagpipes in Baghdad (think old-schoolish Dre G-funk with an Arabic flair), Hello (purely for the bass – get your 12's ready), Same Song & Dance, and Must Be The Ganja. Yes, I just listed half of all the songs on this album. That's because the majority of this CD is knockin'. It's Dre-beats + Eminem! The album is in stores now, so go grab it and listen for yourself. ⁃ Kurt Aagard
-The third annual Crack Baby Campout reached new heights this year, bringing in more than 100 people and hosting an generator-powered DJ. For more cheap beer, flannel, and authentic Northwest rusticism (not a word) check out our Flickr.
-Our readership has grown significantly since we first started posting a little over a year ago, so many of you may have not read our early post1 about constructing a perfectly pretentious bookshelf. In this vid from Transworld's Homepage series, Marc Johnson (whose Fully Flared part is probably the best video part ever) takes us through his literary progression. 1: Read this post because it's good, but note that I have since moved, and my curent bookshelf is made of bricks and boards from the backyard and is thus 10,000 times more pretentious than before. more
-Always a CA favorite, Carhartt has been doing some big things lately. Since their Vans collabos, the workwear company has been shifting their attention to the city with a new store in Japan and some stylish new additions (including the above New Eras). They also released their first brand book and collaborated with Krink on some markers for the graffiti set. Good things are ahead, so check out their new direction at Carhartt-Streetwear.com. more
-Just saw this on MySpace and threw it up. You can download the new Cool Kids disc from Don Cannon for free over on their MySpace. I just saw this so I haven't listened to it yet, but I'm assuming the 80s reminiscent beats and style-centric rhymes are characteristically on-point. I'll drop a review after I've had some time to listen. Goodnight.
-Took a class trip to Friday Harbor, San Juan Island this weekend. Good times, Mac & Jack with the locals at Herb's Tavern and chowder at The Hungry Clam. I grabbed my camera last minute and only had my 50mm f/1.8 with me. Check out our Flickr for more photos, mostly from the ferry, and links to photos by the other, more talented, photographers who were my companions on the trip.
-We know posting has been slow, we are sorry. Good things are coming, some quality artist interviews and a lot of summer content. Bear with us, we are terribly busy.
Angelo and Tim write this blog. They are journalism and creative writing students from the Pacific Northwest. They have good style. Here, they share their bits of style advice, critiques and other tidbits of random but maybe-useful/entertaining information. Enjoy and return often.
-Always a CA favorite, Carhartt has been doing some big things lately. Since their Vans collabos, the workwear company has been shifting their attention to the city with a new store in Japan and some stylish new additions (including the above New Eras). They also released their first brand book and collaborated with Krink on some markers for the graffiti set. Good things are ahead, so check out their new direction at Carhartt-Streetwear.com.
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