Nuno Laranja

See you around

2019-12-19T16:22:00.001+01:00

Heisei Mary

2019-10-01T15:02:00.000+02:00

(click to view larger)

Heisei Mary by Shohei Otomo (ballpoint pen on paper)

Music for 2019 | Part II

2019-07-02T19:00:00.000+02:00

I'm a bit late with this, but who still reads blogs in 2019 anyway? Well, if you do, here are some carefully curated music recommendations for your summer.

Titanic Rising

by Weyes Blood
* * * * *

This record is just pure and soothing and perspires a strong 70s nostalgia. It's simply a delight to listen to, I don't know how else to describe it.
Anspieltipp: ▶︎ Andromeda

Premiers émois

by Vendredi Sur Mer
* * * * *

This is a pretty sexy record (because spoken word in french will always sound seductive), peppered with some playful synth tunes, perfect for a relaxing moment by the pool.
Anspieltipp: ▶︎ L'histoire sans fin

Dedicated

by Carly Rae Jepsen
* * * * *

Yes, I'm serious about this one. Since her previous album Emotion Carly has been riding the wave of "actual good pop music" and I'm totally obsessed with her.
Anspieltipp: ▶︎ I want you in my room

Proto

by Holly Herndon
* * * * *

My other obsession has been Proto. We're halfway through the year but I doubt there's going to be another album release that can top this one for me. And the fact that I even managed to see Holly playing the record live with her talented choir ensemble is still too much! *less than three less than three*
Anspieltipp: ▶︎ Frontier

See also: Part I

Strange Planet

2019-05-06T16:48:00.000+02:00

by Nathan W. Pyle

Music for 2019 | Part I

2019-03-22T13:51:00.000+01:00

Hi, this blog is not dead (yet). Here are some interesting and fresh tunes for you and your mom.

Plastic Anniversary

by Matmos
* * * * *

An album recorded using only plastic material couldn't be more pertinant to current times. (Let's do something about the plastic pollution of our oceans, by the way!)
Anspieltipp: ▶︎ Silicone Gel Implant

Remind Me Tomorrow

by Sharon Van Etten
* * * * *

I've had this album on heavy rotation the last couple of weeks. This time she put down her guitar in favour of more electronic flourishes, resulting in a beautifully brooding and introspective album. Check out my song recommendation below.
Anspieltipp: ▶︎ Jupiter 4

Careful

by Boy Harsher
* * * * *

I thought minimal synth was a dying fad but this album proved me wrong. I just love listening to this kind of thing: cold synths, clean beats, sensual and melancholic vocals. Sad dance music.
Anspieltipp: ▶︎ LA

History of board games

2019-03-04T15:23:00.000+01:00

El juego de la Oca (Game of Goose) printed in Barcelona in the nineteenth century

Stoombots Spel printed in Rotterdam in the early nineteenth century

Round the World With Nellie Bly printed in New York, 1890

New Game of Human Life printed in London, 1790

Neueste Nordpol-Expedition printed in Vienna, circa 1875

Jeu de la Révolution française printed in Paris, circa 1792

The Pyramid of History printed in London, circa 1860

via The Public Domain Review

A cabin in the woods

2019-01-09T10:42:00.002+01:00

PAN Treetop Cabins

Favourite albums of 2018

2019-01-01T14:00:00.000+01:00

Hint: Click on the covers to listen to a song from that album.

#10

Dionysus

by Dead Can Dance

#9

In a Poem Unlimited

by U.S. Girls

#8

Time 'n' Place

by Kero Kero Bonito

#7

From Gas to Solid / You Are My Friend

by Soap&Skin

#6

You Won't Get What You Want

by Daughters

#5

Onda de amor: Synthesized Brazilian Hits That Never Were (1984-94)

by Various Artists

#4

Songs of Praise

by Shame

#3

Dead Magic

by Anna von Hausswolff

#2

Amends

by Them Are Us Too

#1

Freedom

by Amen Dunes

The complete and updated list can be viewed here.
Happy 2019!

Trick or treat, the bitter and the sweet

2018-10-31T19:00:00.000+01:00

Halloween by Siouxsie and the Banshees (Juju, 1981)

Munich in color, 1948-1965

2018-09-27T16:30:00.000+02:00

Source

Music for 2018 | Part III

2018-09-26T14:30:00.001+02:00

Summer moved on. Here's some new music for the fall.

Sleepwalking

by Jonathan Bree
* * * * *

All the way from New Zealand, producer and musician Jonathan Bree brings us something that critics are placing between Neil Hannon (The Divine Comedy) and Stephen Merrit (The Magnetic Fields). Perfect references, if you ask me!
Anspieltipp: ▶︎ You're so cool

Physical

by Gabe Gurnsey
* * * * *

Gabe Gurnsey, the other half of Factory Floor, released a solo album, bringing over the dancefloor to wherever you're listening to it.
Anspieltipp: ▶︎ Ultra Clear Sound

Double Negative

by Low
* * * * *

Low (already seen live ealier this year) are back again with a new album in their signature melancholy style. This time they experimented with more layers of distortion and drone, adding a different sound to their catalogue this way.
Anspieltipp: ▶︎ Dancing and blood

See also: Part I | Part II

You're so cool

2018-08-21T11:38:00.000+02:00

You're so cool by Jonathan Bree – recommended to me by Joana em Banho Maria

Travel Diary: Venice

2018-08-09T19:30:00.000+02:00

These are some pictures from my last big trip in 2017 to the ever enticing city of Venice, slowly sinking and drowning in tourists.

Where are my glasses?

2018-08-08T19:30:00.000+02:00

Beach paintings by Philip Barlow

Why are we here?

2018-07-26T14:24:00.000+02:00

Travel Diary: Meteora

2018-07-20T15:49:00.000+02:00

I'm still going through the pictures of my trips from last year. These are from Meteora, an area in central Greece comprised of several monasteries built precipitously on top of peculiar rock formations.

Age of Empires 1836

2018-07-19T11:34:00.000+02:00

The Savage State, 1834

The Arcadian or Pastoral State, 1834

The Consummation of Empire, 1836

Destruction, 1836

Desolation, 1836

"The Course of Empire is a series of five paintings created by English-born American painter Thomas Cole in the years 1833–36. It is notable in part for reflecting popular American sentiments of the times, when many saw pastoralism as the ideal phase of human civilization, fearing that empire would lead to gluttony and inevitable decay."

Oh, Vienna...

2018-07-12T19:00:00.000+02:00

Impressions from my trip last summer to the monumental city of Vienna.

"I don't want to hurt anyone, if that's what it means to be human."

2018-07-09T19:00:00.000+02:00

Once again, and once a year, I just want to keep track of the fantastic movies I saw at the Munich Filmfest. Naturally I highly recommend you check them out as well, if you get the opportunity.

Hannah

by Andrea Pallaoro | France, Belgium, Italy | 2017
* * * * *
Hannah's life is unraveling. Since her husband has been in prison, she's had trouble dealing with reality and has had to fight for her dignity while trying to contact her estranged son. She does housework, takes acting classes, and tries to keep going. The things that motivate Hannah are eye contact, brief moments, and all the gaps that director Andrea Pallaoro skillfully leaves open. For her intimate portrayal of a woman searching for an antidote to numbness, Charlotte Rampling received the Volpi Cup for best actress at the Venice International Film Festival.

Ash Is Purest White

by Zhang-Ke Jia | China, France | 2018
* * * * *
Even in the underworld, some follow a code of honor. Qiao loves the gangster Bin and intervenes in a conflict in order to save his life. For that, she spends five years in prison. After her release, she goes in search of her beloved. People change, though, as does the country in which they spend their days and nights. This is a romance and a gangster film, melodramatic with a pop touch.

Time Share

by Sebastián Hofmann | Mexico, Netherlands | 2018
* * * * *
Expectations always run high for vacations at luxury resorts. For Pedro and his family, however, things start off with a nasty surprise: their suite has been double-booked, and they may have to share it with other people who suddenly show up at their door. This is a surreal Science-Fiction satire of a consumerist nightmare in which manipulative corporations peddle a perfectly staged pseudo-religious cult of tourism.

Border

by Ali Abbasi | Denmark, Sweden | 2018
* * * * *
Tina works for the customs office, where she employs her special talent: she has a better sense of smell than any of her human colleagues. No forbidden substance, no smuggled item can get past her. One day, however, she encounters a man who exudes an aroma she has never smelled. A door is opened to a mythological world, both wonderful and foul, and Tina learns of a new life that is completely different. This film was awarded the “Prix Un Certain Regard“ at the Cannes festival in 2018.

All Good

by Eva Trobisch | Germany | 2018
* * * * *
"If you don't see any problems, you don't have any" is Janne's attitude regarding the fact that her new boss's brother-in-law has slept with her against her will. She keeps the incident under wraps and lets everything take its normal course. Her silence has consequences, though, and not just for her relationship with Piet.

Music for 2018 | Part II

2018-06-14T16:18:00.000+02:00

In need of some music suggestions for the summer?

A Laughing Death in Meatspace

by Tropical Fuck Storm
* * * * *

If you are a fan of Australian band The Drones then you should definitely get hold of this album. It's a new project by lead members Liddiard and Fiona Kitschin and will sound very familiar to you with it's noisy guitars, raw dynamics and the characteristic eloquent lyrics.
Anspieltipp: ▶︎ You let my tyres down

by SSION
* * * * *

It's been seven years since we had new music from Ssion. The new single Comeback announces indeed a comeback in full force with intriguing guest appearances like Sky Ferreira, Róisín Murphy (on a spoken word track) and Ariel Pink (damn, does he look good in drag).
Anspieltipp: ▶︎ Comeback

Little Dark Age

by MGMT
* * * * *

I never really looked much into this band (blame it on the nauseaitngly overplayed singles Kids and Time to pretend) but all the positive reviews hyping the new album made me curious. There are indeed some really delightful songs, specially on the first half, and definitely worth checking out if you can handle all the 80s worship.
Anspieltipp: ▶︎ Me and Michael

Freedom

by Amen Dunes
* * * * *

Don't tell anyone, but this is my possible contender for album of the year! There is a subtle beauty to it, very difficult to grasp, that I'm afraid most people will dismiss as boring on first listen. Defintely one of the most underrated albums of recent times.
Anspieltipp: ▶︎ Blue Rose

Dead Magic

by Anna von Hausswolff
* * * * *

Let's say this sounds like Swans meets Dead Can Dance playing pipe organ. And now I just found out that she also provided the ethereal background vocals on some Wolves in the Throne Room tracks! No wonder I'm in love with this.
Anspieltipp: ▶︎ The Mysterious Vanishing of Electra

See also: Part I

Recalling Rhodos

2018-05-02T18:30:00.000+02:00

I have a colossal delay (look at me doing bad/difficult puns) concerning the organization of my travel photos. These are from last year's short trip to the island of Rhodos. Located closer to Turkey than to mainland Greece, this island offers an unexpected rich testimony of medieval history.

Sneaker Sutra

2018-04-11T11:58:00.000+02:00

by Andrea Locci

What do I want?

2018-04-10T11:49:00.000+02:00

by Peteski

Music for 2018 | Part I

2018-03-20T19:00:00.000+01:00

Before I forget, here is some new music for you and me.

In a Poem Unlimited

by U.S. Girls
* * * * *

This album wasn't as immediate for me as her previous release Half Free, a favourite of mine of 2015. But if you let it grow on you it will bloom!
Anspieltipp: ▶︎ Mad as Hell

Songs of Praise

by Shame
* * * * *

I know, there is nothing special about it at first listen. Generic, plain guitar music you say? Well, it's been a while since I enjoyed a raw and young spirited band like this one. Let's not grow old too fast.
Anspieltipp: ▶︎ One Rizla

La Contra Ola – Synth Wave & Post Punk From Spain 1980-86

by Various Artists
* * * * *

The Movida was a countercultural movement in Spain equivalent to the british new wave and the Neue Deutsche Welle in Germany. This newly released compilation brings together a selection of bands that participated in one of history's most refreshing music scenes.
Anspieltipp: ▶︎ La Marca De Anubis by Los Iniciados

Mr. Dynamite

by Creep Show
* * * * *

To be fair, I didn't give this record enough time to sink in but I was so happy to hear that John Grant is back with a new project. So if you're a fan, go check it out.
Anspieltipp: ▶︎ Modern Parenting

See also: Part II

Ich liebe dich, mein Räuber

2018-03-18T01:13:00.001+01:00

Beautiful song, bizarre video and sexy singer: Der Räuber und der Prinz by Deutsch Amerikanische Freundschaft