Guest Blogger #1

'I'm still alive, she said'. At the moment uni occupies a lot of my time, so I'm afraid I'm neglecting my blog. But here's a new experiment to fill the silence: a guest blogger! I proudly present my very first guest blogger: the boyfriend a.k.a. Sander!

It is an absolute honor to be the first guest blogger here. Lianne told me I could write this blog about anything I like, so that is exactly what I will do.

Music is something I like very much. Especially music that is raw, passionate and played like the life of the musician depends on it. I also like anything that is vintage. As long as it’s old or bares a story, I want to have it. These two ‘likes’ can very well be combined in one video, for example in the one I want to present to you today.

This version of Death Letter by The White Stripes is one of my favorite songs and live videos. It is a cover of Death Letter by Son House, an old blues song from 1930, which makes this already awesome (you should definitely try the original version too!). I also like the raw sound, the badass improvisations, the dedication and last but definitely not least the guitar (for the insiders: it is a kay archtop from the 1950’s ;)). So what’s there not to like!?

Wordless Wednesday #50

Chasing the Freedom - 35/365, originally uploaded by Luca-P.

Wordless Wednesday #49

Blocking The Sunlight, originally uploaded by Fotogravirus.

Music in the Spotlight #14

Steven Wilson is a British musician. He is the man behind the progressive rock band Porcupine Tree. Wilson is a self-taught producer, audio engineer, guitar and keyboard player and he can play a lot of other instruments when necessary.

In 2008 he released a solo album, Insurgentes. Wilson says his album is very noise and drone oriented. The first song of the album is amazing. It blew me away immediately. As the days are getting darker, this song becomes even more interesting. It is called Harmony Korine, named after the American film director.

Reckoner

Aniboom is a website filled with animations. They launch all kinds of contests that are open for everyone. In 2008 the website cooperated with TBD Records, Radiohead's label. Together they launched the 'In Rainbows Animated Music Video Contest'. In Rainbows is the latest album from the band. Out of over one thousand entries, Radiohead chose four winners. They all received $10,000 to complete their music video. So four songs from the album feature a music video made by an animator who won the contest. I really like the one for Reckoner, made by Clemont Picon.

The other winners are:

15 Step

Transmutation

16 Tracks vs. Videotape

A Castle and a Band

An abandoned castle and an amazing band. That must be a good combination. The National played a couple of songs at an abandoned castle on the Hudson River for Pitchfork. The result is quite haunting, but at the same time very beautiful. The setting is perfect for the sound of the band! The songs are 'Terrible Love', 'Anyone's Ghost' and 'Little Faith'.

I can't wait to see these men perform!

Wordless Wednesday #48

Fall through my Lens, originally uploaded by Ekler.

EVOL

Today I want to share some street art with you. EVOL is an artist (or are artists, I don't know for sure) from Berlin, Germany. EVOL transforms everyday items, like trash cans and electric boxes, on the street into miniature buildings. Some examples:

Found via designboom

Wordless Wednesday #47

Arrival of Governor Sir Robert Duff, Circular Quay, Sydney, June 1893 / photographer unknown, originally uploaded by State Library of New South Wales collection.

Meir Shalev - A Pigeon and a Boy

"Not only me. We all saw it," the elderly American said. "They must have, too, because all the weapons fell silent for a moment. Ours and theirs. Not a single gun fired, no grenades exploded, and all the mouths stopped shouting. It was so quiet that we heard the bird's wings beating the air. For a single moment every eye and every finger was following that bird as she did what we all wanted to do: make her way home."

This beautiful piece of literature is an excerpt from the book A Pigeon and a Boy by Meir Shalev. During Israel's War of Independence in 1948, a pigeon handler is mortally wounded. His last act is dispatching a pigeon. Many years later we follow Yair Mendelson, who is a tour guide specialized in tours for birdwatchers. His life is about to change forever.

A Pigeon and a Boy is the story of two pairs of lovers. They seem to have nothing in common with each other, but there is a very deep connection between them. It’s also the story of homing pigeons, who are trained to fly back to their home. And it’s the story of how important it is to have a home in which you feel comfortable and in which you can be yourself.

A must-read: A Pigeon and a Boy by Meir Shalev.

Jonsi Timelapse

This is beautiful! It shows the atmosphere of the concert and the beautiful projections. His show at Lowlands was just as enchanting as this concert.