When we recommend an album, we try to select recordings that contain a full collection of songs you can play from beginning to end.  When we downloaded the latest LP from the Austin, TX-based group, we got exactly what we wanted, and found an album that fulfills the main requirement. With White Denim‘s “D”, you get ten songs of soulful, well crafted, melodic psych rock. This is the band’s fourth full-length album, and a giant leap from their garage-born debut LP “Workout Holiday.” Their ‘’08 single “Let’s Talk About It” was shouty and repetitive, but catchy in all the right ways. This new album may actually be a hit or miss for their earlier fans, but after a solid listen, you’ll notice “D” is definitely polished, but still unpredictable, while offering dynamic instrumental sections, with well-developed passages, raspy vocals and driving guitar parts.

White Denim is definitely a product of it’s relaxed 60s/70s influence, but just when you think you have their sound pinned down, they confidently pull out jazz or garage thrash from left field. “D” is a tactful and rhythmic album from start to finish, so go get yourself some!

Do your ears a favor and enjoy this live performance of “Anvil Everything” …

by Alicia Haberman

RE:Generation connects with viewers on two levels. It’s hard not to focus on the music alone, criticizing the artist you feel ruined a great opportunity and championing the ones who did something great. On the other hand, their journey (whether you are behind it or not) illustrates how individuals see things differently; perception and the diversity that exists within. In exploring the way music can always bridge generation gaps, the film takes on a whole other form. Each producer handles their task at hand in completely different ways – give one man a map and he’ll read it one way, while another turns it upside down and reads it from another point of view. That’s innovation and understanding at its core.  The RE:Generation Music Project is the brain child of a music-centric entertainment studio that found funding and support from the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (The Grammys) and Hyundai, that explores the wonders of inspiration and the growing electronic music scene by asking 5 of top artists in the field to recreate the classic sounds that paved the way for the 2012’s contemporary audio climate.

Each is assigned a style of music and must create a brand new track that incorporates that style. The seemingly unstoppable electro producer Skrillex is given the task of making a rock track. Electronic godfathers, The Crystal Method tackle R & B. DJ and Producer Mark Ronson handles a Jazz track. On the other end of the spectrum, hip hop producer DJ Premier was handed Classical and the third electro musician of the hour, Pretty Lights, has to take on country. Each recruits the help of famous musicians in the genres they’re working on and set off to make a killer track.

The majority of the participants put a lot of work into the tracks aiming to create the best mix possible, and in IPMM’s view, it’s the two non-electronic producers who create something special. Mark Ronson plays the guitar as well as being a DJ. He writes a song from scratch, with no production work beyond sitting at the mixing board. While it’s more of a creole style funk song that one might think of more as jazz, it’s a fantastic tune. As Premo heads, we’re happy to report that DJ Premier was the one who truly  grasped what the project was all about. He studies a bit with a classical professor. He picks 11 actual pieces by famous composers that he wants to sample, but he doesn’t sample them. He has the Symphony at the Berkley School of Music re-record the sections in the order he has composed, he even takes a small lesson and conducts them. He then has Nas come in and lay down a verse, and layers in subtle beats.

By this point you are saying to yourself, “this is supposed to be a movie recommendation, not a break down.” But this is what RE:Generation is all about. Someone else will watch this movie and completely disagree with everything we said. Perception is a powerful thing. The important thing to remember is that everything has its genesis, whether you’re aware of those particular influences or not, this film proves the importance of sonic fruits born when musicians push the envelope and dare to evolve.

The fact is, music is emotion. Evolving styles impress young voyeurs, but all music has its roots. Whether it’s an ambitious young band building a wall of sound using blues chords, or a producer with an ear for hooks, then laying down new beats over an old classic, no one has ever created anything without inspiration, and RE:Generation proves it.

Describing itself as a “full-service design, printing and production house,” Krank Empire’s roots trace back about eight years, when Andrew and Manrodt started talking about forming an art magazine (much like IPaintMyMind.org) upon finishing high school. Years later, after going to college and continuing to foster their love of the arts, their collective interest came to fruition around September 2011 when they formed Krank Empire as an LLC, launched their website, and put their creative talents and 4-color silkscreen printing press to work, soon producing quality clothing, design, and branding.

This brings us to a rainy Monday night this past January, when IPMM was welcomed into the Krank Empire workspace. Andrew and Christian were on assignment to produce a Limited Edition run of T-Shirts featuring the new IPaintMyMind Mandala Logo, a task that they happily carried out before our camera lens.

The process begins with either a concept or an image — Andrew points out that for the IPaintMyMind shirts, the IPMM Mandala was prepared by a Iain Macarthur and sent to Krank by IPMM Founder, Evan La Ruffa — and that while it’s a common practice for a customer to approach Krank Empire with design work already completed, Krank Empire are also gifted enough and eager to take a customer’s concept and produce any necessary imagery in-house. This versatility and ability to accommodate a customer’s specifications lends Krank Empire a sharp edge in their industry.

Once the client is committed to the image, it’s manipulated digitally to make sure that the specifications of the image will translate to an aesthetically pleasing result on fabric. Andrew described for us the precision that must be achieved before the image is burned onto the transparency for silk screening, but also reflects the laborious nature of the printing itself. Once the image is prepared and installed onto the silkscreen printing press, production of the actual materials takes place, as they then physically press the ink into the fabric. When we showed up to their studio, Andrew was completing this last step. Shortly thereafter, Krank Empire has a product that is ready to be packed and distributed.

In addition to projects that center around a customer’s specific needs or desires such as a band or company ordering a run of shirts to be sold as merchandise, Krank have also been hard at work creating what they call Locals Only, a home-made line of apparel that not only is made of upcycled or re-used materials, but that also features artwork created by the owners of Krank Empire themselves. With materials gathered from thrift shops and images created and printed by the hands of the artists themselves, the clothing featured in Locals Only pairs unique design work with one-of-a-kind materials.

This aspect of Krank Empire’s production cuts to the heart of what makes Krank Empire so important both to the art world, and to the world at large. Take the meaning of the word ‘manufacture:’ its Latin roots  loosely translate to “to make by hand”,  although the the common meaning of the word in today’s post-industrial society connotes, that which is produced by machine. By painstakingly producing the images themselves, and then committing their design work to upcycled and reused clothing that was picked by hand, Krank Empire’s work with Locals Only!  literally reclaims the original meaning of the word “manufacture,” and and at the same time produces some truly awesome clothing.

So where does Krank Empire go from here? It grows, it sets its own goals, it collaborates with other creative forces, it brands itself. Krank Empire has a lot of room to take off, though the sky isn’t necessarily the limit. “Eventually it’ll become our full income,” predicts Manrodt, and his determination is not without merit. IPaintMyMind wishes the best for Krank Empire and are confident that they have the talent and gumption to find success.