Animals and Monsters

We railed the last of it, exchanged my luxury shades for his authentic backpack, and left for the train station.

Time for us was a pile of antiquated bricks; he dropped me off with our goodbyes swift and without remorse; pallid remarks, lackluster jokes, nasty thoughtways were slapped on as shoddy mortar. He could get good coke though, and I owe it to him that that was and will be the only time I transact with Hispanic gangsters on fast motorcycles.

Up then down. The ticket lady covered in sweat decamped this feeling of relief, informed me maximum capacity of said train had been reached. She told me it’s better to book ahead online than pay upfront, and she made it sound like my cash was losing value as we spoke. I asked her if it was and she said she wasn’t sure what I meant.

It was 2:30. The next train was tomorrow morning at 10:20. I knew I wouldn’t call Alex. He had nothing more to offer. I had entirely bested the situation. Just before we left he'd gone to the bathroom, and the thief in me had managed to cram his dad's neat old-fashioned briefcase and third edition of Jude the Obscure inside my newly acquired backpack. No, I would not return. So I walked upstairs into the street's sunlight, wishing I had my sunglasses, but assured myself the times felt a backpack more necessary. I started imagining Dora the Explorer snorting lines off intimate body parts, and was on my way.

First things are always first. I had $40 and some change along with a bit of pot, but no papers. Sifting through the city's framework, I’d wandered into the gay district, welcomed on all sides by colorful eccentric sex shops. I kept my virtue in tact, eventually finding a tobacconist. I took the tattered briefcase out, submerged the papers and pot underneath the ocean of jargony scribblings, and was on my way. The briefcase was so I could feel okay in public places. It was questionless that it served as the ultimate defense against any accusation of impropriety. I'd shaken hands with my new role for the day: Knight #1 in ragamuffin armor.

And then I met the test of putting this theory into practice. This grey man with crooked nose, spatulate beard, and a rusted bike stopped me in my tracks to state, “Important business.” He sounded deliberately factual, though the words gargled when spoken. His voice was that of a crocodile with a mouthful of raspberries. At once I was fascinated, and instantly agreed, and asked if he’d like to join me on this important business of mine.

Playlist Three!! Bitches.

--Graphic design by Euan Patrick Wallace

Cults- Go Outside
Big History- Every Bone
Blackbird Blackbird- Happy High
Avey Tare- Laughing Hieroglyphic
Jai Paul- BTSTU
Foster the People- Pumped Up Kicks
John Roberts- August
The Black Heart Procession- Devotion
Azari & III- Into The Night
Girls- Carolina

Check them all out and download what you want (right click + "save as"). Enjoy!

P.S. Check out the track by the up and coming New Orleans act Big History.
P.P.S. Don't drink the water.

Love,
art/official

XXXX

long gay hair

though this is jacked straight from our music blogging superiors, pitchfork, sometimes stories like these are just too good to pass up. we are all blessed with yet another reason to love the weirdo weed punk rocker nathan williams of wavves. check out what he had to say after getting arrested in germany for being caught with a bag of weed at a roadside check. and buy a wavves kitty-cat grinder people; they're sporty!

Click here to read the article

I'll come to you, Dannyboy.

Readers should note that as I write this, a cup of soda pop sits on the same exact desk.

Dear Isaac,

The time has come to address a question posed in our friendship from early on in its founding -- which is this: Besides that beautiful postmodern symphony that we have shared vocally, and mentally, and drunkenly, even religiously.. Who, or what, is Cowboy Dan? So arriving at this question, here now I make a menial attempt to do some grabbing at an answer. Here it comes-- our first documented attempt to turn the proverbial engine over.

I think it is safe to say that though the anatomy & primitive functions of the body have remained unchanged for quite some time, society’s technobabble is rapidly growing louder with the days. Personally I am none too pleased with this; but, with human instinct being survival, I have utmost faith that in spite of the industrial matrimony between man and machine, we shall forever wear the pants in the family. Regardless, some folks will hop aboard the coattails of said mechanical expansion, and others must be left in her dust. Those that are left behind are bound to drink too much and beat the shit out of something. The point?

Cowboy Dan is the remainder in your idea of a never ending math equation.

Cowboy Dan is this tragedy. Cowboy Dan is doomed.

He is a man cornered by present day society - there is no escape from the city, full-grown into its own organism, its own life-force.

Whether or not this manifests itself in his thoughts, I do not know. But I know he feels it. The treacherous city moves in on his pastures, his home, his sense of freedom. It creeps in through his roads by way of billboards & tar; an intruder climbs in his home through a television set. Who wouldn't be terrified by this monster, a beast which needs to feed, a machine which will be fueled & never stopped. Like it is fate. Like it's scripted. Like he's an actor in the cowboy scene.

But poor Daniel did not ask for this part, had no choice in his role. It's only natural that this man wants more than what he's given: a life of crudity. Such a man can only prepare for the impending battle as best he knows how -- with anger, alcohol, & a loaded gun. And though these three are all for naught in the war he starts, the most pathetic of all the weapons: a penny-fed pickup truck that won't take him anywhere at all. One can be prone to believe he indeed does drive to the desert. I don't buy it. And since he doesn't move it the least (c'mon, he can't even get the engine turned over) his final attempt to flee the city is all the more pathetic -- filled with fear he puts the pedal to the floor anyway. For nothing.

So here is the tragedy, & here is the heroism. As the human mind has a breaking point Cowboy Dan gets out of the truck, the victim of an out of control society, a product of his environment, & chooses to fight a war impossible to win.

We are at last given the lasting image of a drunk hillbilly firing bullets aimlessly into the sky he cannot grasp, something unmanageable to such a simplistic man. Call it fate. He calls it God. And he tries to kill it. Because he wants more. He wants betterment. But it will not allow him to move forward in any way. The only knowledge he has -- oxygen needed to breathe. Yet what is most daunting -- God does respond. And he verifies the Cowboy's #1 fear.

TALKING IS LESS THAN YOU THINK OF IT. Words will never speak louder than words. MOVING & LOOKING AS WELL. In other-words, God tells him that his life is worth an infinite amount less than what he's believed his entire life before this moment. How many times you've made me cry at this point, I could never say. That's like asking someone how many bananas they've eaten since they day they were born.

As lovely an emotional indulgence the Cowboy Dan in us is, we must only utilize him in the appropriate circumstances. Otherwise, our rifles positioned toward the heavens shall be pointed to the backs of our skulls in less than an instant.

Nice versions of several shows from back in the early days, if it strikes your fancy, available for download here.

Joanna Newsom. My love.

After an amazing launch party at the Saturn Bar on Friday (review to come this week + photos!!), it was time to relax on Saturday evening with one of my favorite female vocalists, Joanna Newsom. I had the privilege of seeing her once while I was living in London. She played at a venue called the Southbank Center for two nights.

My expectations of seeing her were a bit jaded due to this experience earlier in the year. The Southbank Center is a beautiful concert hall. It is built for pristine acoustics, usually a symphony of sorts, and the audience is seated. Seats! Tipitina's really needed seats...

While I was excited to see Joanna in such a legendary New Orleans venue, it proved frustrating as I could not see over the incredibly still crowd. Joanna's voice sounds just as one would hope; pristine. How someone with such a pretty and unique voice also happens to pick up such a pretty and unique instrument is a gift to us all.

Joanna was accompanied by a four person band, including one member on the jaw harp (odd). She played a nice mix from her newest album along with some old favorites. I felt like the set ended just as I grasped it was happening (it was relatively short), but she did come out for a two song encore of "Good Intentions Paving Company" and a crowd favorite "Peach, Plum, Pear."

I would highly recommend anyone going to see Joanna Newsom if given the chance. Unlike any other performance I have seen this year, Newsom is bound to impress and leave one feeling like they were just involved in something truly special.

-Article by Aaron Saltzman -Photos by Josh Brasted

For more pictures from the show,

check out Joshua's Flickr.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/brasted/

best coast / wavves collaboration!

i was personally wondering just earlier today how long it would take these pot-head punk lovebirds to write and record something together. they are currently preparing for a tour together and they have a cat together, so i knew one of two things would be next: musical collaboration or a little nathan williams/bethany cosentino of their own (which would be pretty crazy now that i think about it). strangest part about it is that it's a christmas song. and even more, it's on a compilation for the superstore Target? anyway, stream it on Target's website here.

Christoph Andersson---Disco Disco Disco!

Teen songwriter and producer Christoph Andersson didn't exactly have the upbringing associated with that of a budding pop electro sensation, yet at age 18 he stands poised to break into that market in a very big way. Born in Washington D.C., Christoph spent his next two years in Germany before relocating to his current city New Orleans as a toddler. In the town long associated with either Jazz or Metal, Christoph was more or less left to his own musical devices. Christoph's tight, funk influenced bass lines are instantly catchy, in part a nod to New Orleans legends like The Meters, whose hit "Fire On the Bayou" Christoph reworked into an up-tempo secret weapon for southern dance floors. His melodies are the stuff of pop lore. "You know when you hear a song the first time, and you swear you've heard on the radio before? That's how I feel every time Christoph sends me a new track. His consistency is almost scary. He's got this ability to suck up the songwriting lessons not only from contemporary electro acts like Chromeo and Ratatat, but also from far reaching songwriting heavyweights Philip Glass and Ryuichi Sakamoto, all with a healthy dose of French house" says TKVR member John Braun.


**So that is the official bio our friends at TKVR sent us. Its a bit lengthy. All you really need to know is that this track makes you want to shake your rump. Enjoy :)

Tuxedo (Right click + "save as" for a free download!)

Also enjoy the two remixes in this Soundcloud set!!
Tuxedo out November 30th by Christoph Andersson

Free as an Arab

Come live with me and be my love,

and we will many a pleasure prove.

I'll calm dust and pain which flood

Your mind confronting some bound stud.

Do you see? The blight of the sheen?

Man's spectacle is not the cause

Of fateful rot "when half-gods go."

For with their flight "the gods arrive"

And after dew-drops, love-dust strive.

I'll trade pure sight for flicker frames,

Sure rectification of names,

So time stills like a living stream.

Pressing your two eyes with my palms,

I'll bring light to the night-bright show.

Poem by: Kevhn Landtorne

Inspired by Emerson's "Give All To Love"

Girl Talk - All Day

Gregg Gillis, aka Girl Talk, made his new album All Day available for free download through his label's site Illegal Art, and I'm gonna listen to it all day. Get it yourself here, and check out his upcoming tour dates. Make sure to listen to it as a whole, like the site says...



click here to download for free!

-Justen

THANK YOU ALL!!

--Photo by Joshua Brasted

I had an epic time on Friday night at the Space Laua. I hope you all did as well. From the sloppiness of it all, it seemed so! Thank you all for coming out. Check back in the next day for more updates, photos from the party, and a review.


Love,

art/official