Friday 30 November 2012

I Will Hurt You


Woop. I have bought myself the Crystal Castles (III) vinyl and I must say that vinyl is so much better than digital, sound wise. Even the highest pitches in the songs achieved levels that computers could not even match. I have listened to the LP around two or three times in about four hours! It's been great company to the beginning of my four day weekend. My absolute favourite song on the entire LP, and at the moment ever for the Crystal Castles, is 'Child I Will Hurt You', I seriously felt so emotional listening to it. The lullaby sound is an amazing juxtapose to the dark lyrics:

Keep them locked away
Reduce them to strays
Clean their cuts and scrapes

Mercy we abstain
Hope you’re entertained
Snow covers the stain

Forray forever

Taught them with solace
They know a soft caress
To lower your defense

Hide all that you could
Done for the greater good
It’s later understood

Forray forever
 
Not only that, but it was also one of the few songs on this LP which was not remixed, giving it a slightly raw form. Listen to the song and get a feel of what I experienced when listening to it:
 
Child I Will Hurt You - Crystal Castles
 
 


Thursday 29 November 2012

(III)

Crystal Castles (III) - Crystal Castles


Holy shit! New Crystal Castles album has been released and what a beauty! I haven't bought it yet, but I am sure going to! And definately the vinyl after Christmas, or before depending on financial situations. I have a preview of it on Itunes and I began getting really emotional listening to the songs, as they are not the usual head-fuck-crazy-strobe tunes which featured on Crystal Castles (II) however you do get the occasional head bangin' track on there. Their new album had a “strictly no computers” rule in the studio and they began recording everything directly to tape, which I think it incred and has created really raw pieces.

What spurred off this emotional reaction was not only the beautiful songs, but also the album artwork which is a picture done by photographer Samuel Aranda showing a woman, Fatima al-Qaws, holding her son, Zayed, after he was exposed to tear gas in an anti-Government protest, and makes me really empathise with the photo and CC's use of it.

"Oppression is a theme, in general… A lot of bad things have happened to people close to me since II and it's profoundly influenced my writing as I've realized there will never be justice for them. I didn't think I could lose faith in humanity any more than I already had, but after witnessing some things, it feels like the world is a dystopia where victims don't get justice and corruption prevails.” - Alice Glass
So I am very excited to own their amazing music and I literally am bursting at the seams from all of their insaaaane tracks.
 
Kerosene - Crystal Castles
Pale Flesh - Crystal Castles

 

Tuesday 27 November 2012

Black




On Thursday I went to go and see The Woman in Black at the Everyman theatre in Cheltenham, and usually I hate horror, however I thought that if I could see the actors I would be able to survive.

I was thoroughly impressed that the cast consisted of only two men, and of course the 'Vision', as their use of multi roling and costume change really helped establish the performance. The opening of the play was fantastic, as it was hardly noticable with the crowd talking amongst themselves and then suddenly a elder man shuffling in, almost unnoticed. It also really made me chuckle as it unveiled this nervous slow-speaking character, who had an irritating habit of constantly licking his lips. As he began his tale of woe with a high-pitched and streotypical voice a burst of energy came from the right as a younger man ran onwards. The young man was revealed to be an actor and encouraged this elder to speak his tale with confidence and clarity, after about five tries, and each one recieving a multitude of laughs from the audience, we settled into the frighting tale of the woman in black.

The first appearence of the vision did scare me, as a certain energy emitted from her as she slowly glided down the right isle, solomnly and silently making her presence eerie. My friends who were sitting on the front row said her face was awful, white and dark, a real juxtapose of looks. She then constantly made the audience terrified with her irregular appearences during the first acr, all of which I did not scream, just reel back in horror at the sight of this gloomy, white, wasted face. That was until a moment when all the lights went out and Kipps searched the stage with his tourch light, only to look up and be greeted with her looming figure, staring right at him making him scream, and me scream. It was awful!

Another moment which was definately a spine chiller was a scene with a chair. As Kipps slept (from what I can remember) a slight knocking/rocking noise came from, what could only be noted as, upstairs, repeating itself insistently and making the whole audience weep with fear of what it could be. After a suspensial minute of Kipps walking up the stairs it turned out to be just a rocking chair, swinging on its own, in a child's nursery. However this moment was a lot more frightening with the tech crew highlighting the door in red and making the whole room silent apart from this constant rocking.

The only downer was the vision, because during the second act her appearences became alot more frequent and her time on stage longer, leaving the audience with an unsure reaction and resulted in a quick yelp then silence... Very unsuspencial. However this cannot be faulted, as the crew can't help the way the story pans out. Other than that, the entire production was incredibly tense and I literally felt like I was going to run out the door any second, if not for the paranoia that the Woman in Black would be standing there ready to get me.

The set was very cleverly divised, as the stage isn't huge, and the crew made a good use of the space with a gauze curtain upstage which revealed a child's nursery behind when the lights shined in the back, it also revealed a staircase which made the audience squeal when they saw the vision walking up them. Downstage housed multiple scenes with limited props, making the production a lot more efficient. I honestly wasn't sure how they would achieve a successful performance when I saw the downstage scenery, however I was thoroughtly impressed once revealed to their clever and adaptable set design.

There is so much I could go into detail about, however I think I shall leave it at that, as I don't want to ruin the atmoshphere of such a wonderfully adapted play. I hope the rest of you go and see it in a theatre near you when it's on, as it's really worth seeing. However with the last line being 'I didn't see a woman in black.' even you shall begin to doubt her existence...

Monday 26 November 2012

Extreme LDN


Last Friday I had an all day trip with Textiles down to London whic was fab! We first went to the V&A where we looked at all the ballgowns and fashion through the ages. I loved the ballgowns, I sincerely did. Most of them were all so beautiful and I swear i could've stolen some. Unfortunately you weren't allowed to take photos, however I bought some postcards with a selection of gowns on them, so I'm pretty pleased that I have them (even though they did cost £7.50, seriously V&A why?).

 
I also got some beautiful ceramic buttons from the shop in the V&A for £1.50 each, which again is tres expensive, however I just thought they were such a unique bunch. I chose five which I am planning on sewing onto something when I have a bigger collection of buttons, so watch out for that when I come around to it, if I ever do!
 
 

After the V&A and lunch we took the tube over to Baker Street (I swear some people on the tube seriously don't realise people are watching them...) were we went VV Rouleaux which is the most amazing (and expensive) ribbon shop in Britain, I seriously wanted to marry the shop I was screaming so much at their amazing cupcake tassel pin cushions and thier HUGE multi-tassel tassels! I ended up buying some gorgeous lace/crochet for my project:
 
 
Black and copper corchet/lace £1.35 p/m - VV Rouleaux
 
I then saw this small cabinet downstairs which had an array of little bits and pieces which I gooed over for a little bit. That was until I came across the absolute most adorable brooch ever! It is, yes you guessed it, a hand crocheted cardigan! I actually almost cried when I saw it as it's so tiny and cute! Also the arms are actually functional, so if a tiny person comes along I can clothe them. Perfect! It was pretty steep though at £5.95... However it was the only cream one left, so I had to buy it:
 
 
I swear this shop was a vicious cycle, 'cause as I went to pay and I looked underneath the desk and saw a huge crate of what appeared to be felt toadstools, so I sifted through there and got this sweet little red one for £2.95, which now proudly sits on my bureau. I was cotemplating buying two, however I thought having one was a little more special! Plus I would've only wanted another if it was smaller than the red one...


 
So that was my spending spree in VV, the last place we went to was Liberty's on/round the corner to Oxford Street. Seriously, I shall own a Liberty's shirt when I am older, their fabric is actually beautiful and their shirts are just divine! I also warmed to the fact that the shop assistents were knitting whilst on the till.  I didn't go insane there, however I did buy something which you'll think is ridiculous of me. I bought a Rob Ryan designed card, and the only reason I got one was because I find his work very intricate and personal, so passing up on an oppertunity like so was silly. However the price was fucking ridic! £3.50...
 
 
I know, rate adorable! So that was my London adventure, and I cannot wait to create my V&A page in my sketchbook. I spend almost £30, if not over, however I did buy some Christmas presents whilst I was at it, so I feel a bit better about everything. I hope you all had good Fridays.
 
 



Sunday 25 November 2012

032//zine





I am one happy bunny as Olive have finally stocked up on the new Apartamento. I hjave seriously been waiting for about eight or nine months for the new one and finally it has arrived. Although I have not read it yet I have flicked through the pages and boy does it look fab, so I can't wait to settle down one eveing and have a nice read. The contents looks pretty snazz:

Apartamento £12





 
My boss also recommended me a new magazine by the same company, Comag, called 032c which is a more cultural mag and it looks so wonderful. The pages are glossy and really good quality and the actual zine is so thick. I'm going to have to have another seperate evening or week to read through it which I can't wait for! Have a flick for yourself:
 
032c £12



So I'm going to have a very culturally enriching fortnight which I am looking forward to. I have also been getting back into the music of Wild Nothing since discovering their new album Nocturne (sorry if spelt incorrectly). So I can't wait to buy the vinyl of that soon, depending if I have any money left soon. This crimbo thing is running me dry!








Saturday 17 November 2012

Pretty in Pink // Find it


Blouse from charity shop.
 
Sometimes its the small details which count. As we start to settle into winter, layers will begin to build up and this is perfect for getting as much detail into your outfits as possible. I have paired this adorable pink blouse with a Joules jumper, an American Apparel velvet skirt and vintage bee brooch. The one thing I love with clothes is pairing many different textures together, there's nothing which bores me more than people who wear jersey upon jersey (it's like a crime...). I'm not saying I don't make that mistake sometimes, however I always try and make it interesting, which is why I think a velvet skirt is a glorious item to have in the winter as it adds a little bit of variety to your attire. Depending on how cold it is I may pair this with a fur coat or a wax jacket... I can't decide.
 
 

Wednesday 7 November 2012

Pussy

My favourite photograph, taken by my friend Lawrence.
It really sums up what we tend to do on our Friday evenings.
 
It also makes me feel nostalgic as it was taken before we painted Isaac's room (you can tell by all the hateful slogans painted on his walls by his friends). There are so many small features to pick out of this photo. The one big section is Hannah placing a cat on Isaac's head quite nonchalantly, I can tell though she was enjoying the pain he was obviously going through from that obscure facial expression he seems to be pulling. Another would be Isaac's rainbow trousers, which to me have a very funny story tagged along with them and make me feel quite warm when I look at them here. I personally thought he looked great in them and really urged him to wear them (they were high waisted aswell!), however his self esteem allowed him to wear them no further than his front door, which was a shame. I kind of want to miss out the massive state his room seems to be in as it just makes me think of boys and their natural musty aroma, which seems to be embedded in everything they own and frankly makes me feel a little queezy... Finally there appears to be a slightly comforting hand grabbing Isaac, or it could be one telling Hannah to stop it, it looks a little like my arm as I can think of no-one else with that slightly tinted skin tone, other than Franny my italian chum who we like to call chocolate bear (no racism inteded of course), as all my friends are as white as ghosts, to be perfectly honest. The only glitch is the fact I'm not wearing my watch, making me doubt my assumption.
 
Anyway, this is a fab photo and i only wish I had it in person...

Sunday 4 November 2012

Spookeh

 
Clown

Day of the Dead
Taken from: Young Blood
 
Yeah, yo mama can look scary when she wants to! I celebrated Halloween as fully as I could with my friends and I must say I do love face paint alot. Will fill you in more when I have my photos developed. Until then enjoy these freaky snaps of me and I hope you all had an incredibly horrifying Halloween.
 

Friday 2 November 2012

Forest Green


I am loving the new Woodkid song 'Run Boy Run' and the video is also so impressive. With Iron being the lead up to the Run Boy Run video they really interlock well and I am pretty 'wowed' with him being the creator and director of both videos.  I am super pysched for his album 'The Golden Age' to come out next year. I am also loving dark green right now, or forest green, hence the font colour being the darkest green this site has.

Iron
 
Run Boy Run
 
 
 

Thursday 1 November 2012

Mac

 
Me with a petal mane. My project is coming to a close and I'm just adding the finishing touches...
 
 


Piece done by Amy Ross