The sound: drum machine pulses, guitar flourishes, and synth washes. The setting: California by way of construction paper landscapes. Together they are FWY!, a project distinctly focused on the sensation of driving—all the work of San Francisco resident Edmund Xavier, who takes us through its inseparable elements below.
Jakub Alexander has a way with tone and gradient. It can be heard in his work as Heathered Pearls, the latest of which is Loyal, an LP due out next month on Ghostly International. And it can be seen in his art, which has graced various projects related to the ISO50 Blog, where he curates, and Moodgadget Records, which he runs. The Brooklyn-based, Polish-born artist takes us through his colors below, along with a sonic backdrop provided for the very occasion:
The sonic work of Ted Feighan first sent us sailing back in 2010, and with each Monster Rally release since, he’s built on a sound which suggests a bent kind of exotica that feels strangely familiar yet infinitely unplaceable. It makes sense that his own collage work be pulled from a similar page of the subconscious (and it also makes sense that he be our first dreamer). The Ohio native has essentially constructed his own vibrant paradise, and he was kind enough to give us a detailed tour of it below, guided by his latest track:
Diamond Mouth Surprise, the “monthly night of writing music film pictures talking chanting dancing loving communing,” was held last Saturday in its usual high ceiling-ed apartment space in Williamsburg. One of four performances (which included Noah Wall sound-sculpting crystal glass frequencies, photos below), was the debut projection of Bill Gillim’s new Megafortress release (out 1/31 on Software) with a Grant Nitsch-made video for each song. The internet saw “Green Child” last week (via Pitchfork) and now “My Favorite Girl” today (via Dummy). The rest should arrive soon, and when it does, we recommend a full, start to finish viewing—it’s a gorgeous and cohesive series, and also quite expansive given the ingredients Grant limited himself to. My curiosity into his process grew throughout that show, and while the Kansas City native wasn’t present to ask, he was just an email away:
Originally published on Think or Smile.
Few things put me at peace the way Gem Club does. Like staring at the moon, with stars dimming out of focus, clouds at all sides, churning with a rain that never falls—it’s a melancholic kind of contemplation, yet ever-assuring, as I know that this pure, unrelenting beauty lies just out of reach, just one squint away.
Gem Club, comprised of Christopher Barnes and Kristen Drymala, has soundtracked many a late night while I’ve worked on my own art, often making me wonder what types of visual influences might exist behind the sound fueling mine. Christopher has been kind enough to open up his and his partner Jared’s personal collection of textile art, as well as, chat for a few on his path to music and his admiration for Japanese boro.