Cool Hunting
| 01 November 2005view entries from: this week | this month | view previous day | view next day |
Rogue Wave
by Ami Kealoha
Rogue Wave's second album, Descended Like Vultures, makes the complex indie stylings of their 2004 debut, Out of the Shadow, seem almost pared-down; here they flesh their sound out with full, almost romantic arrangements. Guitars alternately swell to anthemic proportions and recede into quiet strumming while vocals are similarly well-balanced, weaving their way through tracks and slipping into harmonies. The upshot recalls both vintage Beach Boys and, of course, labelmates The Shins, whom Rogue Wave shared billing with on a North American tour last year. The Oakland-based quartet's lovelorn, slightly literary lyrics, coupled with lead singer Zach Rogue's semi-mournful delivery, and their full, lush guitars hint at a California sound established by bands like, stalwarts of the San Diego scene, Pinback and Heavy Vegetable.
Pick up Descended Like Vultures from Sub Pop.
Handmade Leather nano Sleeve
by Josh Rubin
You'd have to live under a rock to have not heard about how easily the iPod nano scratches. It's such a wonderful little device, though, that most people would rather find a good case for it than renounce the music player all together. This is a simple little leather sleeve handmade by Marty Flint for PixelGirlShop.com. It will protect the nano without adding too much bulk to the overall size. Available in plain black (with black or red stitching) or with a funky silver print.
$45 at PixelGirlShop plain or with silver printing
CH x Timbuk2 Artist Bags
by Ami Kealoha
In conjunction with Timbuk2, celebrating the launch of their new Artist Canvas Bag - a traditional messenger bag designed to be hand-customized - we tasked three New York-based artists, Lucas Irwin, Yuri Shimojo, and Joseph Ari Aloi (aka JK5), with adding their own imagery. The results range from JK5's tribal purple-and-yellow icons (pictured above, left) to Lucas' collage juxtaposing woodgrain, guns, sunsets, and birds (pictured above, center) to Yuri's snake that encircles the entire bag (pictured above, right). Starting today, the bags by our chosen artists will be auctioned on Ebay with 100% of the proceeds benefitting the Humane Society's efforts to help animals affected by Hurricane Katrina. (In Spring of 2006, Timbuk2 will auction bags by six other artists they chose.) The auction will close on 8 November 2005, so go bid now to get a one-of-a-kind piece of functional artwork and to support a good cause.
More images and info after the jump.
Interfilm Short Film Festival
by Ami Kealoha
Interfilm, Berlin's 21st annual international short film festival opens today and runs through November 5th, screening some of the best off-the-radar films from around the world. Highlights include the international competition with nearly 100 shorts competing for prizes and music videos by Anton Corbijn, Jonathan Glazer, Stéphane Sednaoui, Mark Romanek, (all from the new Director's Label series of DVDs). New this year, the BlueNews service, is a daily "mobile magazine" of video content like festival updates and Micromovies - short, cell phone-produced films - that Bluetooth users can download to their phones for the duration of the festival.
Alife Pump Tennis: History Repeating
by Josh Rubin
After yesterday's post on the Alife Tennis Pump, we were pointed to this image of a similarly treated Airwalk from 1995. This just supports my little mantra that there are no new ideas, just great executions.
Thanks Ryan.
Image via Charlie's Sneaker Pages
SAFE: Design Takes on Risk
by Ami Kealoha
MoMA's current lauded exhibition SAFE: Design Takes on Risk, brings a collection of objects to the MoMA Design Store that are as conceptual as they are useful, including the the original Champion Swiss Army knife (part of MoMA's permanent collection), a handbag that looks as if it contains a knife (pictured), and items from Kosuke Tsumura's Final Home line, like the 24-pocket nylon coat (pictured) that can be stuffed with newspapers or leaves for insulation.
via men.style.com.
