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Month: December 2012

Albums of the year: Top 10

10) The Gaslight Anthem – Handwritten

The Gaslight Anthem’s fourth full length album Handwritten, sees the bands harp back to a more familiar punk vibe, reminiscent of the acclaimed ’59 sound, but with an extra shot of Springsteen for good measure. The album is a letter to the listener, dealing with love, loss and general teenage angst that affects us all. However, its Brian Fallon’s honesty and sincerity that turns a somewhat clichéd story into a compelling one. The Gaslight Anthem are yet to really make it on the big stage, but it can only be a matter of time before everyone realises that these guys should be headlining festivals all over the world! Tom Ingham

9) Flying Lotus – Until the Quiet Comes

Stephen Ellison, aka Fly Lo, is a beat-maker whose adventurous productions definitely veer off the beaten track. Following on from 2010’s Cosmogramma, his penchant for extravagantly textured soundscapes has not lessened in the slightest.  Vocal help is on hand from the likes of Thom Yorke, Erykah Badu and Niki Randa, whose excessively delayed voices add to the ethereal feel that exists throughout Until the Quiet Comes.  He somehow manages to meld together flecks of jazz, hip hop, glitch, and dance music in order to craft a record that now sits at the very forefront of nightmarish downtempo music. Dan Jones

8) The Shins – Port of Morrow

You might have been forgiven for thinking this record wouldn’t come to pass, but the end result of James Mercer’s extensive five-year reconstruction of The Shins provides compelling evidence that his hiring-and-firing was justified. The signature Mercer marriage of irresistible melodies and achingly gorgeous lyricism appears as strong as ever. ‘The Rifle’s Spiral’ and ‘Simple Song’ are marvellously crafted pop stompers, with the funk jam that is ‘No Way Down’ providing a welcome change of pace. ‘September’ and ‘For a Fool’, both beautifully wistful, vie for the title of this record’s ‘New Slang’. If abrupt lineup changes and broad collaboration are what Mercer feels he needs to flourish, then so be it; Port of Morrow is another masterwork from one of the great modern American songwriters. Joe Goggins

7) Frank Ocean – Channel Orange

Mere weeks prior to the release of Channel Orange Frank Ocean openly revealed his bisexuality, an exceptionally brave act even in 2012 within the masculine genre. Cynics condemned this as a publicity stunt, but Channel Orangedemonstrates Ocean’s music is all he needs for recognition. The range displayed on the album is stunning. ‘Thinkin Bout You’ is a beautiful, soulful expression of unrequited love, whilst ‘Super Rich Kids’ satirises the shallowness of LA’s young elite. ‘Pyramids’ alone is a 9 minute genre-skipping, subject-jumping epic in which Ocean seamlessly flows between tales of Egyptian princesses and Vegas strippers. Channel Orange is a pioneering, potentially seminal work of art. Patrick Hinton

6) Actress – R.I.P. 

Never one to stand still, the third album from Darren Cunningham – better known as Actress – is comfortably his most daring and compelling yet. The follow-up to 2010’s critically acclaimed ‘Splazsh’, ‘R.I.P.’ flawlessly fuses house, IDM and techno to create an album which becomes more rewarding upon each listen. It’s a bold step away from his previous work with traditional 4/4 beats foregone in favour of a more minimalist ambient approach. You may not hear this one much in the clubs but that doesn’t stop it being the best electronic release of the year. Matt Gibney

5) The Cribs – In the Belly of the Brazen Bull

Shorn of former Smiths man Johnny Marr and diverted away from the formulaic avenue he appeared to be steering them into, The Cribs returned to their three-piece, basement roots to produce Brazen Bull, a record as gaudy and delightfully overblown as its title. Like a paean to all their biggest 90s influences, the record combines Pinkerton era-Weezer (‘Come On, Be a No One’, ‘Jaded Youth’) with spiky, Pavement-esque guitars on ‘Pure O’ and the stormy, feedback-drenched ‘Back to the Bolthole’. Its crowning achievement, though, is the four-part rock opera to close – a sharp reminder of the ambition of a band too often written off as just another indie rock outfit. Joe Goggins

4) Lana Del Rey – Born to Die

To say it’s been quite a year for Lana Del Rey would be an understatement. Her debut single ‘Video Games’ rocketed up the charts 12 months ago, and one year on, her debut album Born to Die has done the same – putting her firmly on the map as one of the biggest names in modern day music. Her sudden rise to fame is largely thanks to this very album, with singles such as ‘Born to Die’ and ‘National Anthem’ receiving widespread acclaim, whilst the beautifully written tracks ‘Without You’ and ‘Summertime Sadness’, amongst others, lend some credence to the enormous levels of hype that seem to have surrounded her since day one. Adam Selby

3) First Aid Kit – The Lion’s Roar

There’s something unique about the way that siblings sing together.  It might be that growing up together makes them more sensitive to each other’s voices but family bands like the Staves just seem capable of creating harmonies in a way that others can’t.  Swedish sisters Johanna and Klara Söderberg only serve to prove this.  A record that belies their young age, The Lion’s Roar is full of pain, longing and beauty.  From the heartbreaking ‘To A Poet’ to the raucous ‘King of the World’ the record beautifully exhibits their talent and they’ve harnessed that unique family bond to create one of the most stunning records of 2012. Rachel Bolland

2) Kendrick Lamar – good kid, m.A.A.d. city 

Discussions surrounding hip-hop are almost always as compulsively obsessed with judging “where the genre is going” as they are with the quality of work itself. Such commentary can have an alarming self-fulfilling effect and might be seen to have culminated in a branching off into internet gimmicks and drudging anti rap. Not so with good kid, m.A.A.d city. Lamar fuses together the narrative and autobiographical with the figurative, illustrating a life concerned with and by image, fame and family. Lamar’s greatest achievement is honesty, a trait in short supply amongst the posturing that infuses the genre. A must listen album. Jack Armstrong

1) Alt-J – An Awesome Wave

Cambridgeshire-based quartet Alt-J have had far from a quiet year after being swept along by the phenomenal reception of their debut album An Awesome Wave, and now they’ve scooped their biggest prize yet – top spot in The Mancunion’s end-of-year poll.

To try and define the trademarked Alt-J sound would be futile. In fact, it would be trickier to pick out a style of music that doesn’t make an appearance on An Awesome Wave. Trip-hop beats fused with indie-rock idiosyncrasy and heavy synth riffs combined with folk harmonies make it near enough impossible to put Alt-J under a specific umbrella.

In theory, a combination of so many musical atmospheres played all at once should probably produce the aural equivalent of seasickness. However, this is not the case. Sewn together by frontman Joe Newman’s reverb-fuelled lead vocal, each style seamlessly floats into the next to create a sound so refreshing it almost washes over you.

From the soothing acoustic melodies of ‘Matilda’ and ‘Something Good’ or the inconceivably slick sounds featured on ‘Tessellate’ and ‘Fitzpleasure’, there’s almost something there for everybody. Perhaps it was this universally-relatable style that gave An Awesome Wave the edge over competitors to be take the prestigious 2012 British Barclaycard Mercury Prize, following in the footsteps of previous winners The XX, Arctic Monkeys and Primal Scream, perhaps not. In any case, the innovation displayed in An Awesome Wave gives us a lot to be excited about in 2013. Joe Doherty

What does fashion mean to you?

“I have no desires, save the desire to express myself in defiance of all the world’s muteness.” – Vladimir Nobakov

“Fashion means diversity, variety and creativity.” – Nuala

“People spending too much money for a name that doesn’t exactly mean quality.” – Stefan

“Fashion in England? To me that means wearing way weird clothes and not washing your hair but twice a week.” – Katy

“Fashion is an expression of oneself, a way to signify who you are, where you come from and what you believe in.” –  Matthew
“Have you seen me? Not a lot…” – Mike
“It is a way of communicating who you are and if you are having a bad day, it can help turn things around.” – Dana
“It gives you confidence to approach everyday challenges” – Zara
“It means that I can convey a different look every single day. It is never boring and it is something everyone has to partake in, whether they like it or not.” – Jake
“It means people respect me because I look good.” – Candice
“Fashion is a pretentious fallacy that I don’t care about, I’d rather wear comfortable clothes than those that would impress other people.” – Joshua
“Fashion is feeling good about yourself, taking inspiration from places and people and putting them together to make something that is your own, something that you are proud of and enjoyed creating.” – Emma
“Fashion is to impress the boys.” – Wanda
“Fashion is a snapshot of what you like or how you feel at a particular time, because of its ever-changing state and the way in which we choose certain looks over others.” – Emma
“Fashion to me means feeling good and wearing clothes I love, having fun with how I dress and not taking it all too seriously.” – Chessie
“Well, if i really dont like what I’m wearing then I’m not having a good day. Fashion can determine my mood.” – Romana

Come On, Vogue!

David Bowie to the Glamrock movement, new wave to the New Romantics, Jimi Hendrix to the hippies, ‘60s rhythm and blues to the mods, 1950s rock and roll to their scruffier counterpart the rockers, and lately that uber-alternative indie band to the greasy-haired hipster kid. Whatever the decade, whatever the trend, fashion and music have strolled through the centuries hand in hand. However, in our modern image-obsessed society the appearance of our musical icons has assumed even greater importance.

Fashion is an intrinsic part of a musician’s identity; it informs our understanding of their sound, their ethos and even their potential for success. It’s not that music and fashion icons haven’t always been interchangeable, take Grace Jones, David Bowie and Madonna for just a few examples, however these days many artists’ sartorial efforts far eclipse their musical ones (I’m looking at you, Lady Gaga and you, Lana Del Rey). In fact in our auto-tuned version of reality, a sufficiently wacky wardrobe can mean a fast-track to success. Lana Del Rey, having only released two studio albums, has already been the face of a H&M collection, graced the cover of Vogue and attained the fashion equivalent of the holy grail: having a Mulberry handbag named after her. An accolade previously only afforded to everyone’s favourite fashion twiglet Alexa Chung, and Agyness Dean (of peroxide mop fame).

With the slow death of the purchase of physical music, and the rise of illegal downloads, musicians must turn to other means of money-making, means which are increasingly interwoven with fashion. Take touring for example, an incredibly important way for musicians to to gain revenue, however in order to tour one must have fans desirous of live performance and in order to have fans desirous of live performance, one must either be ‘good’ live or have other means of putting on a memorable show. A musician’s stage outfit is an essential part of the performance: Florence Welch (featured image) adhered to Bestival 2012’s wildlife theme by headlining the main stage looking like a cross between a pre-Raphaelite Poison Ivy and a wood nymph, in a flowing green gown and an ivy headdress. Her appearance was almost as memorable as Florence + The Machine’s performance. Katy Perry is renowned for her exuberant costumes and Rihanna more for what she isn’t wearing on stage.

Another, more directly sartorial and increasingly popular, way for a musician to rake in the big ones or even just to expand their empire, is the clothing line. All manner of musicians have them, Jay-Z and his line Rocawear, Gwen Stefani and L.A.M.B, unlikely fashion icon Liam Gallagher and his brand Pretty Green, I could go on. Most musician clothing lines know enormous success although often making little or no illusion of involvement on the part of the musician in the design process. Despite knowing that most of our favourite songsters and songstresses have few design credentials to speak of, it seems that musicality (or lack thereof, you again, Lana) makes money and the fashion world has certainly taken note.

Fashion could be called art…

“I make clothes and bags and shoes for people to use, not to put up on a wall and look at.” Marc Jacobs is just one of many designers who claim that Fashion is not art. But why not? If film, music and photography can all be considered art, then why not fashion? Is there really that much of a difference?

Fashion makes you feel something. When you see the most beautiful dress, the layers of fabric, the lustre of colours, you feel something. It evokes an emotion that sometimes cannot be explained. Just like a painting by Picasso or Dali, you can take what you want from the opus, if you think it’s beautiful then it’s beautiful, if it moves you, then it’s moving, if you feel it’s tragic, then it is.

So how wide is the gulf between fashion and art really? Fashion appears in exhibitions all the time and even has its own dedicated museums; such as the The Fashion and Textile Museum in London, The Musée Galliera in Paris and The Museum at The Fashion Institute of Technology in Manhattan. This makes the whole distinction between Fashion and Art even more vague – if fashion is not art then why is it in museums? It’s not unknown for artists and designers to collaborate, take for example Louis Vuitton and Yayoi Kusama who formed a psychedelic collaboration (see featured image) earlier this year and what about Elsa Schiaparelli and Salvador Dali? In 1937 he painted a giant lobster onto one of her dresses and they collaborated on her Skeleton Dress.

Photo: Tea Collection Blog

Karl Lagerfeld and Coco Chanel are two more designers that claim that fashion is not art – they are two separate entities. Fashion has a functional purpose – we need to wear clothes, coats, shoes and hats, they protect us from the environment, clothes are made to be sold; the industry makes a profit. Clothes can be manufactured in bulk and are available to the masses but art is different. Art is more personal. An artist can paint all of his life and not sell anything; only after his death does his work become noticed and priceless. Art lasts forever, whereas fashion changes from season to season.

But, just like paintings, pottery and tapestry, fashion can tell you about the past. What women used to wear, what garments indicated social status and can maybe even tell us about political affairs – just think about what women wore during the war until Dior blessed us with his Corolle Collection. We can look back on previous fashion and reflect, become inspired, it can encourage us to do things.

Yet, is more of a distinction required? Can Haute Couture be described as art and high street just business?  Designers are sometimes directly influenced by art and they can communicate through their garments. There is no answer to this prolonged debate and there probably never will be. But just as Karl Lagerfeld once said: “Art is art. Fashion is fashion. However, Andy Warhol proved that they can exist together.”

The image of perfection?

What is the obsession with size zero and the apparent ‘perfect body’? Of course everyone wants to be perceived in the best light possible, but why does that often have to come at such a price?

It saddens me to think of just how many women fall prey to the harsh, and in the most extreme cases, life-controlling desire to conform to this fake image of perfection. What is it that even makes a skinny model so attractive? Ok, yes she might be walking down a catwalk, seemingly leading a life of moneyed glamour and partying, grabbing the attention of the guys we all dream about, but the reality of the situation is hardly ever as exciting as many choose to believe. In fact, the majority of men would not opt to date a skeleton…where’s the attraction in that?

The relentless criticism that numerous celebrities have found themselves confronted with regarding weight and image is heartbreaking. Curvier figures are more representative of the modern day woman, yet they face continual attacks for having a healthier weight. What’s worse is the fact that even after fabricated stories of weight gain, these iconic figures still stand nowhere near ‘fat’ or at an unhealthy weight whichever way you choose to look at it.

Although there have been many attempts to ban the use of size zero models in the fashion industry, it is still argued by many that their presence on the catwalk, in the magazines and on the billboards is a good incentive for weight control. However, at what point do we lose our sense of reality and enter, either consciously or subconsciously, into the dark and dangerous obsession to be ‘flawless’? How can the real woman feel beautiful while comparing herself to heavily airbrushed, and therefore ultimately false, representations of ‘beauty’?

picture: frockwriter.com

Surely someone is at their most attractive when healthy, strong and in possession of enough self-confidence to be themselves. There are plenty of ‘plus-size’ models out there, who enjoy just as much success as size zero models, with the likes of Robyn Lawley featured on the cover of Vogue. Furthermore these figures are much healthier, and quite frankly stunning, icons to highlight as role models in an age of eating disorders.

So, in the words of Marilyn Monroe, herself a ‘curvy’ icon: “To all the girls that think you’re fat because you’re not a size zero: you’re the beautiful one, it’s society who’s ugly.”

Avant-Garde Style Profile: André Leon Talley

The term ‘Avant-garde’ typically refers to works of art that are innovative, experimental and willing to push the boundaries. But in a society like ours, where fashion plays a prominent role in our daily lives, the term is embodied fully in the style choices of iconic figures who are willing to challenge the status quo of what is deemed ‘acceptable’.  No one is a more appropriate example of this than André Leon Talley. People may be familiar with Talley because of his 2008 cameo role in the Sex and the City movie, or because of his judging role on America’s Next Top Model. What many are unaware of is that, before Talley became a household name, he had been a distinguished figure in fashion, and a front-row regular at shows, for longer than most of us have been alive.

Born in North Carolina, and raised by his grandmother Bennie Frances Davis, Talley was taught to take pride in his appearance from a young age. He began his fashion career working as an assistant for  Andy Warhol, earning a menial $50 a week. It was shortly after this that he met Diana Vreeland, whose sense of grandeur he immediately connected with, and by the time he got his first job with Vogue in 1983, Talley was already well celebrated for his excessive style. Here are a few examples of why…

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Talley is most recognised in fashion circles for his consistent cape wearing. Not satisfied with a simple tuxedo, this blue haute couture gown reflects the grandeur and flamboyance that is representative of his style as a whole.

style.com

How often is it that we see such a statuesque man (or any for that matter) photographed wearing jewels? Talley hugely pushes the boundaries, attending the red carpet in a Roger Vivier necklace and pair of shoes.

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In a day and age where man-bag culprits like Christian Ronaldo come under attack for being “effeminate” or “metrosexual”, this picture sums up how Talley is able to shrug off such criticism by looking effortlessly suave and classy with a Louis Vuitton clutch.

These shots may offer examples of why the shoe legend Manolo Blahnik comments that “André doesn’t have fashion. André himself is fashion”. Talley is a larger-than-life fashion icon (literally-he’s almost 7 foot tall). Talley’s style, in particular his capes, remind me of Alexander von Wagner’s painting The Chariot Race, which is loved by Vivienne Westwood for its depiction of classical styles and Roman drapery. His fashion sense is old-worldly, theatrical and regal. He completely undermines the understated rule that “less is more”. For André Leon Talley, more is fabulous.

 

Top 5: Bond girls

Bond has slept with 52 women during his career, starting from 1962 to date with the release of the new film Skyfall. That’s 50 years of shacking up with the fitties! I have ranked the top 5 bond girls based on the ensembles they wore (or more like barely wore) in the 23 films made so far. I warn you some of the names are ridiculously provocative.

#1: Honey Ryder in Dr No (see featured image)
Ursula Andress: the very first bond girl’s signature look is the white bikini. Although the knife would prove useful in the event of a shark attack we’ll probably leave that out. The belt is something we can incorporate into our swimwear attire. Jinx (Halle Berry) even copies it in Die Another Day.

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#2 Sylvia Trench in Dr No
Eunice Gayson spawns the just-had-wild-sex look with an oversized man’s dress-shirt and pointed-toe high heels. To achieve the wild tousled hair without the ‘wild sex’ part, simply backcomb and use hairspray.

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#3 Pussy Galore in Goldfinger
Honor Blackman made it on the list not due to her tasteful name but due to her V-neck tops and fitted trousers. This look comes across as both sophisticated and sexy. This is another look that has been revisited later on in the Bond franchise; seen on Miranda Frost (Rosamund Pike) in Die Another Day.

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#4 Domino Derval in Thunderball
Domino Derval played by French actress Claudine Auger takes the cake when it comes to swimsuit chic! The weather may not be ideal at the moment to be whipping out the bikinis but there’s always the aquatics centre with all the gym fitties! Sun hats may also not be ideal with grey skies but it’ll keep the rain off you.

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#5 Solitaire in Live and Let Die
Jane Seymour makes the list for having the most outlandish attire. It has a very bohemian oriental theme to it that can be incorporated into our wardrobe in a more subtle way. One could even wear a bindi to finish the whole look off!