Weds 14th May: Metronomy's "The Resevoir" directed by Daniel Brereton

So how do you follow up the scoop of a music video directed by Michel Gondry?  The answer is something to blow that out of the water and then some.  This happens via sea water hand-drawn in wave strokes of felt-tip pen, in an animation that took eight weeks to make.  Regular Metronomy collaborator director Daniel Brereton amalgamated references of past videos into the narrative of this new psychedelic treatment, all realised with individually drawn frames.  You can pick out his own early "Radio Ladio" Green Faces, to the karaoke ping pong song from "A Thing For Me" to David Wilson's directed "The Bay" with the afore mentioned Cornish sea.  

With the initial brief for an animation from Joe Mount, Dan created the concept and illustrations which were then animated page by page with this still camera by Matt Lloyd.  As you can see from these process snaps - each still was drawn out in pencil on white paper as a template and then replicated with the coloured pens thru a light-box onto a print-making paper for the lush grainy background. Dan's objective was to "make something people would watch more than once, as i think too much stuff is of this nature" which I think they have perfectly achieved with this immense scale, labour of love.  Anyone can appreciate how much hard work has gone into it, as it's clear that no trickery has been employed with the lines moving around and never repeating.  The beauty is the way the characters and shapes lead you thru scene to scene via trippy angled perspectives which I can't imagine how were story-boarded.  Enough of me explaining ................ take a look for yourself and soak up the pure joy of this incredibly planned piece of pop promo, constructed from a deceptively simple material: 

Metronomy - Reservoir from daniel brereton on Vimeo.

Thanks to Dan for these snaps from the work in progress.  Giff taken from Matt's site.

Tues 6th June: Damon Albarn and The Heavy Seas at The Rivoli Ballroom

Last week Damon Albarn's debut solo album came out with creative direction by Aitor Throup and an assembled band to tour the record named "The Heavy Seas" after the track recorded with Brian Eno.  Here is the guitarist Seye at one of the London launch dates, held in the beautiful deco dishevelled mish mash Rivoli Ballroom -  an epic setting for the newly scored sensitive selection of songs.  It's a biopic thread of journeys, abstractly grafting together disparate memories from travels thru chapters of life, journeys around the world and flights recollected from reoccurring childhood dreams.  Locations are dotted from track to track, joining up pin-points of pivotal moments which have made him the maverick musical maestro he is today.  For this first opportunity to be totally self-indulgent he charts his very particular perspective of the modern world and the future fall-out.  This introspective exorcism of experience and observation has sentiment that's instantly clear from the offset.  The first title track "Everyday Robots" was the first song I heard via Aitor's animated video and had me sold immediately in sympathetic agreement to the notion:  "We are everyday robots on our phones, In the process of getting home, Looking like standing stones, Out there on our own". This comment on our disengaged, IRL communication-disabled culture is one that occupies my mind an unhealthy amount of time - ironically probably the moments in-between scrolling on my own phone.  And as I stood and listened to some back catalogue lyrics on Wednesday night, I realised he's been dropping these prophetic bombshells since the Blur days of "Modern Life Is Rubbish" 20 years ago.  Perhaps I was too young to notice or perhaps it takes time to acknowledge subtle suggestions of the bigger picture in pop songs "And you've been so busy lately that you haven't found the time, To open up your mind, And watch the world spinning gently out of time, Feel the sunshine on your face, It's on a computer now, Gone to the future way out in space" (Out of Time, 2003).  For that little epiphany that occurred to me,  it's yet another reason to appreciate this pioneer and instigator of prolific streams of projects.  I'm really glad the set-list held a couple of gems from the past to help pan out the gold in the new material on these early listenings. In a way its re-affirming the conscious nostalgic journey made in the narrative, not just a devise to placate the loyal audience with the old sing-along classics they can't wait to relive.  

It's hard to believe that he's not made this album before, if he had 70 songs to hand over to Richard Russell when he suggested doing it.  Although I resolutely love the depth in lyrics and layers of orchestration in the larger tracks, my favourite is "Mr. Tembo" a ditty written and performed on a ukele about a baby elephant he met in Tanzania. Its a banger.

If you haven't already, buy the album here.

Saturday 3rd May: The Fashion & Textile Museum "Artists Textiles, Picasso to Warhol"

Here are ALOT of photos from the current exhibition at The Fashion & Textile Museum  called "Artists Textiles, Picasso to Warhol".  I've made this post epically long for international readers who might not be able to attend and physically see the show.  It's absolutely amazing!  20th Century Artist's prints on textiles by Georges Braque, Alexander Calder, Marc Chagall, Salvador Dalí, Raoul Dufy, Barbara Hepworth, Fernand Léger, Henri Matisse, Joan Miró, Henry Moore, Pablo Picasso, Ben Nicholson and Andy Warhol ....... and then textile designers fabrics in garments including Sonia Delauney and Zandra Rhodes.  I cant believe there was a time that you could buy a Picasso silk scarf, pantsuit ..... and even ski-wear?!  Lots of the works on display have not been shown before so if you are London before the 18th May, make this a must-see!!

Open until 18 May 2014, 83 Bermondsey Street, London SE1 3XF
Tuesday to Saturday, 11am – 6pm, Thursdays until 8pm, Sundays, 11am–5pm

Saturday 3rd May: Martin Creed's "What's the Point Of It" at The Hayward Gallery

This weekend is the last chance to see Martin Creed's "What's the Point Of It" at The Hayward Gallery - DONT MISS IT IF YOU HAVN'T BEEN YET!  Its hilarious and beautiful.  The majority of works are visual comical anecdotes, questioning the state of modern art and how we contextualise it.   Others are just simply a joy to look at - his use of colour is lush - and free style daubs of paint and brush strokes.  Thruout all of these is an overriding playful element and that is my favourite thing in creativity because its celebrating the lightness in life. It gives you an experience that totally uplifts your energy and a buzz from re-discovering innocent childhood silliness.  Photography hasn't been allowed which is just aswell so that no social media will have ruined the surprise as you enter and turn each corner.  You may however have seen snaps of static hair from a room full of balloons where you have to push your way thru, and try not to inhale the fluff as you laugh the whole time you are in there.  Just wait for the outside terrace view of the London skyline with its high-rise monuments and another monumental rising moment that Creed has installed to make you crack up.......................

There is a blob of blue-tack stuck to the wall, a stack of squares of masking tape piled ontop of each other, A4 paper filled with lines of high-lighter pen pigment ....................... all products of being bored at your desk ........... all things that you think you could have done yourself ....................... but the fact is, you didn't!  Martin Creed did.  He's sold them as works of art and here they are on loan from major galleries, curated in a retrospective at another.  Massive high-five to the man who has turned shit into art - literally - watch the final film to see what I mean.