We’ve always had a soft spot for Swedish talent (ahem, Miike Snow), and here’s another one to add to the Scandinavian roster: Niki and The Dove’s “DJ, East My Mind,” is simply smoking. The debut single from the Stockholm, Sweden band is so unique, that the band will easily carve out a niche for themselves in the American music marketplace. Sub Pop agrees, the Seattle-based home of artists CSS and The Go! Team, snapped up the duo, Malin Dahlström and Gustaf Karlöf, in March.
With the pace news is moving these days, it’s not exaggeration to suspect that the Japan’s earthquake and subsequent nuclear disaster may just blown on by with the escalating armed drama in Libya. So it was a refreshing spot online to see this very genuine and direct letter from Japanese model Tao Okamoto on Ford models’ blog today. Take a look here and also support the Martha Stewart-hosted Japan benefit this Wednesday in NYC if you can. Continue…
Rapper/fashion acolyte Pharrell Williams swapped his Miami sunny environs for something a bit more cool. Williams hopped a flight to Moscow to attend a Dolce & Gabbana and Martini Gold-hosted dinner at the Italian Embassy in Villa Berg last night. The jet set crew, which included the eternally luscious Monica Bellucci clad in black Dolce & Gabbana black lace and satin, followed up with an after-party (of course) at the city’s buzzy Garage Centre of Contemporary Art, where Pharrell performed a set, the DJ was pumping some serious house and there was a trippy digital art installation. If you weren’t there to nosh on caviar and sip on champagne (or admire Pharrell’s sleek tux), we have the takes on what you missed – think of it like a prep to your undoubtedly glamorous weekend. Continue…
Forget the fact that singer-songwriter Trevor “Trouble” Andrew’s forthcoming record, set to drop March 28, is titled Dreams of a Troubled Man. By all accounts this former Olympic snowboarder with the freshest sound in town is living the dream. Between festival appearances (the latest of which is today’s SXSW performance with Wu-Tang Clan), loyal fans and friends (the latter collectively called the Trouble Gang) and a wife we know as Santigold, Andrew leads a charmed life. Continue…
With her silky complexion and clear blue eyes, Constance Jablonski is always a sight for fashion week weary eyes during the shows. Now the runway regular is getting into editorial mode with this gorgeous “China Syndrom” shoot for German Vogue this month. Lensed by Alexi Lubomirski and styled by Christiane Arp, the cover and multi-page inside spread is lush with color. And no surprise there, Marc Jacob’s East-inflected Louis Vuitton Spring 2011 collection is prominently featured. Turns out March is Jablonski’s busy month. She teamed up with Lubormirski for a Vogue Russia shoot and is also one of three cover girls for W Korea. Continue…
It’s been nearly two years since Peter Bjorn and John has graced the airwaves with a new EP, so it’s a perfect #MusicMonday sort of preview to catch a listen of the new album Gimme Some slated to drop on March 29 via StarTime International. The tracks are Pop Rocks sunny with ebullient guitar strumming found in “Dig a Little Deeper” and the already fan fave “Breaker Breaker.” It’s also noteworthy that working with outside producers, Per Sunding at Tambourine Studios, for the first time – Peter Moren, Bjorn Yttling and John Eriksson usually tinker with their own sounds – has brought out a new decisively pop roundabout. (More in the vein of the trio’s 2006 album Writer’s Block than 2009′s moodier Living Thing.) “Second Chance” is downright enthusiastic. Continue…
Surely the past two years have been a lesson to even the hottest of designers: women spend on accessories and outerwear. While we have a soft spot for handbags and a bold statement 5-inch heel we can barely teeter in, the latter category of ready-to-wear is a particularly smart investment. Taken care of, coats can literally last forever. Musing on the Fall 2011 collections that closed with its Paris finale this week, we were particularly enthralled by a wide selection of gorgeous outerwear pieces. Here’s a roundup of our favorites. Continue…
Ever find yourself at the end of trying work week in need of some hardcore tunage? Me too. Especially since it’s Winter Music Conference right now in Miami (more for the hot weather setting and less about the debaucherous barely-dressed fist-pumping), my office cubicle is a downright allergen come Fridays at 5 p.m. My new go-to is Milkman’s mash-up CD, Algorithms. Released in Jan. earlier this year (and after two years of work), it’s a free-handed mix of the latest pop tracks over hits from the ’70s and ’80s, and the Milkman delivers. Mashup CDs have been something of a trend du jour ever since the genius Danger Mouse toyed with Jay-Z and The Beatles tracks. But rather than treading on possibly stale ground, Milkman cuts through with seamless transitions from song to song without it feeling awkward . Continue…
It’s not everyday you come across Asian sisters that combine rap alongside gorgeous live violin melodies. All of which is exactly why you should pay attention to Korean American duo Knewdles + Sos of Misnomer(S). Springing up from the Buffalo suburbs and now based out of cool brownstone-heavy hood Bed-Stuy in Brooklyn, the twosome throws down a deadly combo of lyrics and classical training. You might have already spotted them in Converse One Star ads or caught Knewdles taking down the mic at Def Jam Poetry Slams. In any case, hear a track off of their album American I(s) that dropped this past fall and you’ll have this MP3 download (gratis, of course) of their single “Too Many Things” to add to your bands-to-watch music collection. Continue…
