Super profound indie song lyric

A while ago I started to become interested in interior design, sparked by the Selby and the world of interiors feature on Hamish Bowles, and became convinced I should change my room.

For a teenager, changing ones room is like moving into adulthood, trying to prove to people that you have mature and civilised taste-- making this "BEDROOM MAKEOVER ZOMG!!!" really cliché and a bit sickening. I've never tried to impress people with a contrived taste, but at 17-- the bedroom you've had since you were 7 does start to represent the phases you wish you could forget (why the 'Hello Kitty' bin? why Marie Antoinette style knick knacks? why the heap of dress up hats?) and so, after much deliberation, I've been promised an eventual "bedroom makeover" sometime by the end of this year.

I'm stuck with the same furniture, which is a pretty standard mahogany dresser and wardrobe, and a bed that represents my Marie Antoinette phase (but is actually pretty standard and plain too-- its white), I don't mind the furniture in my room. So at the least I'll have my room repainted, which is fine (my room is currently a dusty-purple colour, chosen when I was 7).

I just realised how spoilt I'm starting to sound, and I apologise. If you've come this far through the blog, well done-- at least I feel better having somewhat justified my annoying tone. Not to mention, you don't care about what my room looks like-- especially considering i'm not going to show any pictures. Also, i'm getting off track-- this is what I wanted to post:

Images via design to inspire.

Is this house not the perfect combination of shabby, clutter, fancy, eclectic and minimal? How does that even work?, those words shouldn't go together so perfectly to describe something. It is the house of my dreams for that reason however. Also, it incorporates my favourite colour, grey ("it's not a colour it's a shade!" blah blah) into almost every room. I've decided I want my house to look like this, when I get my own house. And that's why I decided to post these photos here, to cement them in the interweb, so one day I will rediscover this blog, laugh about my attitude towards my fairly nice room and decide my house should look like my 17 year old dream home. And if that's not enough post-modern nostalgia for you, then I don't know what is.

Soapsuds.

I know this song is old (in an uncool way) but Its still a little wonderful, I think. Also-- what the frak with the White Stripes, Gorillaz and LCD Soundsystem all going defunct in the same week. (IT'S NO TTHE ILLUMINATI JAY-Z!)

I've been much too bored/preoccupied/lazy to think about writing on this blog, or even to think about something to a large degree that would make posting anything worth while. I'm getting sick of the way this blog looks, which is much like a patchwork quilt. I signed up for tumblr, thinking it would be easier to do posts without much substance. I do like the way it looks, it takes much too long to make blogspot pages look good (and I still haven't worked out how to make images the right size). But, I couldn't get the URL I wanted so I deleted it soon after, however I might return to it later. Who knows. Also I think tumblrs are much more accessible, as one post links to another account and so on, it's a food chain really.

What did catch my attention, weirdly enough was this Roberto Cavalli collection. I say "weirdly" because its nothing like the Erdem collection which I posted about last month. Also, i've never really fancied Roberto Cavalli, but I'm lately i've been getting my tacky, rockstar on (in my mind) and have seen some beauty in his use of textures and colours and all things that make fashion editors smile.

And my favourite dress:

Isn't it?

Words cannot describe how much I am in love with this wonderful activity book by Nina Chakrabarti! It feels like I'm four years old again (in a non guilty way-- unlike my secret love for Yo Gabba Gabba), colouring in and joining the dots... reminds me of how remarkably easy it was to be "creative" as a child, minus the proud parents looking over my shoulder and saying "Naww, I know colouring in the lines is difficult, but your family picture that resembles something a schizophrenic Andy Warhol might have drawn with the tears of the Easter Bunny is just bless..."

Now that I am able to colour in the lines and draw patterns on all kinds of things this book requires, a sense of pride has come over me. I've come so far... yet I'm still filling out an activity book. Though as I said, the whole idea of a fashion activity book makes me feel less guilty and stupid, it feels ok to be colouring in. Let me show you what I mean:

I just finished this page of colouring in Vivienne Westwood shoes! (that sentence does deserve an exclamation mark on account of my pride and excitement). Sadly, I can't really tell you exactly why I love this book so much, other then the fact that the idea of it is so juvenile, yet the context is such a good idea. I didn't even buy it, I just found it in my house (my mum bought it for book design ideas).

I've also heard about Wreck this Journal which is similar idea, you can probably guess by the name what it involves. And another one that involves colouring in bands album covers and lyrics, that I've forgotten the name of (also seems so triangle that I may need to eat my feelings and resent people if I come across it). None the less, I think the idea of having activity books for adults is pretty ace (for failure of a better word) and surely a medium that cannot be easily adapted into ebooks, which is another blog post in itself. Gosh I resent ebooks.

Erdem Spring 2011

Just a quick update, there aren't enough words to describe this collection anyway. Enjoy!

(all photos from style.com)

"I've got your memory, Or has it got me". Cat Power @ the Opera House

"Rock music should be played in grungy little pubs with small crowds, no offense-- thats just what I think. Look how far away the stage is, I can't get in the mood this far away, I like standing when I'm listening to live music." So stated the Irish tourists sitting behind me at the Cat Power concert last night. Clearly they weren't aware of who Cat Power is and what kind of music she plays. Though the venue was probably not the most obvious choice you've got to admit the Opera house is impressive just to be in, people go to the opera house to listen to music, not throw beer bottles and heckle (ala Blues Brothers and *erhem* grungy little pubs), and of course people listened. With little noise coming from the audience except for the wall of noise created by the applause after each song the audiences silence may have been disconcerting to Cat Power, who whispered into the microphone at one stage "are you nervous to be here too?".

The moment she broke into her set, supported by the brilliant Dirty Delta Blues band I and seemingly the rest of the audience were entranced and attentive. The Irish tourist behind me shut the hell up-- except at one point in the middle of the first set when they whispered to each other "I didn't think it would be like this!". Even now, a day after the concert I'm having a King Lear moment-- being unable to say exactly how amazing it really was, I could easily say "you had to be there" but for the purpose of this sad excuse for a review I won't be that annoying and cheapskate about this. After all Cat Power's performance deserves more then "it was amazing, but you had to be there".

Every song she sang was captivating, she has the ability to pull you into this strange, strange world in which these songs emerge with every lyric she sings-- as though you were there. But even so, without knowing the background struggles of Misses Chan Marshall you're... transported emotionally from beginning to end. Before you give up reading this because it sounds as though I'm trying to be poetic and professional, I don't intend to make you cringe-- I can only really describe last nights concert in this way, giving it the approach it deserves.

When the concert was seemingly over the applause kept going and alas! after 5 minutes of clapping, shouting (finally!) and foot drumming they returned from backstage and generously played about 5 more songs... each one as brilliant as the last. I didn't think there were any sound problems, I thought it sounded great-- unlike Cat Power who kept walking up to the sound desk and asking them to fix something or other throughout the entire concert. I couldn't help but feel a little sorry for the guys on the sound desk. There were a couple of faster, more "rock" songs in this set, as well as some sound-scape songs as opposed to the soulful blues she played in the first, however it was a wonderful combination that tested the skills of the band (they were great in everything) and when combined with Chan's beautiful voice heartbreaking... even though I'm not particularly sure why.

Given the chance to go to another of her concerts I would like a shot. Her music is magnificently good but so underrated. When telling people I was going to her concert the majority didn't know about her, but I predict that more people will. Even with her 15 years in the industry her sound is so new and different, yet so obviously inspired by blues, folk, soul and perhaps even pop. I'm not sure how that even works but it's interesting to watch and even more to listen to. Given 3 more years Cat Power's presence will be more prominent the ever, I don't doubt it for a minute that her fan base will grow to "Indie famous" proportions but for now, it's nice to know I've at least seen her live before her tickets start selling out in minutes.

Snake Valley

My god the styling for this Topshop collection is good.

Unfortunately I can't find a better word for what this is, so I'm going down the eclectic route. I could also use the word "ethereal" but pretentiousness isn't my thing no matter how good I am at it.

So lets start; the look-book is so much more stimulating then looking through the key pieces, it is really the styling that makes this what it is. The combination of leather and tie dye, granny squares with aztec prints and outer space with paisley somehow works and looks thrown together in a way that's so effortless, random yet clever.

Most of all this collection is clever, because the idea is not new at all. The majority of pieces are reminiscent of the 1970s or even past trends (remember the tie-dye trend, or the fringed trend?). Of course there is a tacky element to the pieces individually, but tacky is in right? And not necessarily a bad thing, it just plays with that idea of eclecticism. Also, I found that (although it is a new collection) the clothes look worn, used and loved. They look like they could be picked up from a second hand store and worn till they're ripped at the seams. It also looks like the clothes could have been picked up individually from somebody's worldly adventures. I only wish the look book could have been shot at in a desert in Arizona or in Machu Picchu, but the block colours work too I guess.

To describe my feelings about Snake Valley I could just type "Love" over and over again, I could also run onto the street singing and dancing.

References?

Easy Rider, Frida Khalo, David Bowie, Woodstock, Crochet, John Lennon, Nevada Desert, Nebulas, Mosaic, Dream Catcher.

Click image to enlarge.

Also, I'm in love with this album.