Shin’s front man James Mercer is working on an unprecedented side project with none other than one indie music’s most coveted musicians Danger Mouse a.k.a. Brian Burton of Gnarls Barkley. The Shins transition to a new label and recent lineup adjustments afforded Mercer an opportunity to step away from his decade long commitment to the band. One might wonder when Danger Mouse would muster up the time to work on any additional projects, but he’s set aside enough to put together an inspired album, which is intended to be heard as it should be, uninterrupted from beginning to end.

The self titled debut from Broken Bells sounds exactly as you would expect it to. Mercer’s influence seems a natural progression from his best work on Oh, Inverted World and Chutes Too Narrow. Some tracks are precisely what we have grown to love about the Shins, tracks peppered with antiquated piano intro’s and bluesy organ interludes. Danger Mouse has introduced almost psychedelic undertones adding a soulfulness Mercer’s work previously lacked. There are tracks that definitely belong to one or the other, but some of the best tracks seem to belong to Danger Mouse. Either way we are thrilled that these two have teamed up, despite making strange bedfellows.

Broken Bells- The Ghost Inside


Broken Bells- The High Road

The Broken Bells iTunes LP experience is one step short of full interactive media. It’s a novelty rather than a supplementary work. The potential for musicians and artists now exists where short films and interactive video media can accompany an album in an attempt to replace traditional album art. While this is one step in the right direction, it seems more of a marketing tool rather than interactive album art.

We posted some early tests for the new Tron movie a few months ago and we just caught a glimpse of the new trailer. There’s a very “Ghost in The Shell” quality to seeing Jeff Bridges represented as a CGI thirty something that never ages. This looks as though it’s a fitting update to a Syd Mead classic and we highly recommend choosing the 1080p option  at full screen (at the bottom of the video player click 380p and scroll up to 1080p, then click the icon with four outward facing arrows).

Just to get this out of the way- Yes we know, Kanye West is crazy. That said, we have a lot of respect for Kanye for taking chances chances with millions of people watching. While the results usually fall towards either utterly amazing or disastrous, they are almost always worth watching. Hence we wanted to take a moment to talk about Kanye’s newly redesigned site.

While Kanye west is obviously a musician frost and foremost, he decided to make KanyeWest.com a forum for art and design, with no mention of records, tour dates, or any other self promotional information. This is a very bold move for a pop star and one we endorse whole heartedly. This is yet more evidence in West’s active interest in being a cultural artiber and influencer. A move that would only make pop stars like Miley Cyrus or Justin Timberlake look ridiculous.

But KanyeWest.com isn’t just daring site for a musician. In true we’re-not-sure-if-he’s-crazy-or-a-genius form, West breaks with standard publishing (blogging) formats. This site has no advertising, so in it’s current format it can’t generate revenue. The navigation is invisible until you roll over it, and then fades after a few seconds. Our favorite part of this site however, is the large scale use of photography and video. This clip from the film “Eyes Wide Shut” is one of the largest embedded video’s we’ve seen to date. While we’re not 100% sold on the giant frames around the photo’s, we’ll admit the work well for the likes of artists such as Alexander McQueen. We’ll take a wait and see approach however as West starts to get back to artists like Takashi Murakami.

All in in all, this is a very daring project for 2010, but we wouldn’t be surprised to see many of these elements incorporated on a broader basis over the coming years. have a look for yourself at KanyeWest.com

One word of warning, some of the material on this site is NSFW.

Decode: Digital Design Sensations showcases the latest developments in digital and interactive design, from small, screen-based, graphics to large-scale interactive installations. The exhibition includes works by established international artists and designers such as Daniel Brown, Golan Levin, Daniel Rozin, Troika and Karsten Schmidt. The exhibition features both existing works and new commissions created especially for the exhibition.

The exhibition explores three themes: Code presents pieces that use computer code to create new works and looks at how code can be programmed to create constantly fluid and ever-changing works. Interactivity looks at works that are directly influenced by the viewer. Visitors will be invited to interact with and contribute to the development of the exhibits. Network focuses on works that comment on and utilise the digital traces left behind by everyday communications and looks at how advanced technologies and the internet have enabled new types of social interaction and mediums of self-expression.

Digital technology is providing new tools for artists and designers. Innovative, often interactive, displays use generative software, animation and other responsive technologies to install a ‘live’ element into contemporary artworks. Some works exist in a state of perpetual evolution; others are altered by the behaviour of the spectator.
From designs that draw on the barest fundamentals of code – the zeros and ones of the binary system – written by a single programmer, to art that encompasses a global collective of online creativity, many of the exhibits here defy traditional design categories. They blur the boundaries between practices, between programming and performance, creator and participant.
Decode will be on display in The Porter Gallery. Exhibits can also be found on the V&A Exhibition Road façade, in the Grand Entrance, John Madejski Garden and South Kensington tunnel, at the bottom of the stairs to the National Art Library (Staircase L), as well as in the Science Museum.

While flash games are a dime a dozen this is truly something different, creative and amazing.
“One Bit Increment is two designers (Leon Hong and Camile Orillaneda) who find some enjoyment in coding interactive experiences. We spend our work days in front of our laptops, sketching, debugging, and eating (roasted) potatoes. One Bit Wonder is where we document our thoughts and projects.”
We’re all about creating interactive experience websites and look forward to seeing more work from these two in the future.

Every time we fly into Los Angeles we’re struck by how the city seems to go on forever. If you live in the middle of LA it’s easy to forget we’re surrounded by natural wonders on every side.
We we’re reminded of this by a beautifully designed new site from the National Park Foundation that makes it easy to find all the national parks in your area. There’s so much beautiful nature photography here that we were quickly reminded of how spring is fast approaching. This is a great way to plan your first hike or road trip of 2010.

826LA presents CHICKENS IN LOVE, an online pledge-a-thon fundraiser, full-length album, and one-day music festival.

For those of you who don’t know, 826LA is a non-profit that started in San Francisco at 826 Valencia. There are 8 chapters around the country in SF, LA, NYC, chicago, etc. The goal of 826 is to help kids with writing and tutoring. They hold workshops and after school programs to help kids with their writing skills. You may have seen the echo park time travel mart.

This coming Saturday (3/6/2010) they are holding an event to support “chickens in love” which is a full length album of songs written by 826LA students and performed by LA artists including Cold War Kids, She & Him, Submarines, Fiona Apple, etc.

They are accepting pledges here. You can see all the songs here performed and vote. some of these kids are just so cute.

The mini music fest is kind of the culmination event for this. tickets are $15 and can be purchased here:
http://826lachickensinlove.eventbrite.com/