Chrissie Hynde - Stockholm JA

June Album 
New Feature!!

I have decided that once a month I will post a particular album that I have been listening to and am a big fan of. It will always be out on Thursdays and it will replace one of the DOTF spots reducing that down to once a month opposing this feature. Mainly I just wanted a space to share new/old albums that I want more people to listen to/enjoy and I didn't want to just post designs that were scraping the bottom of the barrel for the sake of it, so I thought this would be a good change.

So this past month I have really been diggin' the Chrissie Hynde début solo album Stockholm. To be honest I wasn't too knowledgeable about her time in The Pretenders and the music they produced but that doesn't matter when listening to this album. It happily stands alone in its own right. As a new listener with fresh ears she clearly has a very distinctive sound to her voice and to the songs as a whole. My favourite tracks from the album are Dark Sunglasses (video below) which was one of the released singles, Sweet Nuthin' which has clever lyrics and a catchy chorus, and the album finale Adding The Blue which is a slower acoustic number that shows Chrissie Hynde in a different but still impressive light. Even though I have picked 3 of my favourites, this album easily has 7-8 tracks that would do well as singles which is no bad thing. Enjoy!

Akiha Ward Cultural Center DOTF

Design Of The Fortnight

I have been meaning to talk about this piece of design for a while now, after reading about it in the latest edition of Wired Magazine. It is named Akiha Ward Cultural Center designed by Chiaki Arai in Japan. From my initial impressions I just thought it was a modern, dynamic piece of architecture with interesting shapes and a lot of exposed concrete which makes for a fresh take on a concert hall. But on further reading, the grooves and multifaceted walls direct the acoustic sound waves evenly rather than absorbing it, creating a better sound for the listener. I think it is a very smart piece of design and must be equally cool to be in the audience listening to the performer alongside actually playing the instrument on the stage in this fantastic venue.

D.O.T.F. Face Paint Album

Natalie Sharp Artist

This news piece may be a bit old now but I am only just getting around to talking about it. I have seen a few pieces from the artist Natalie Sharp and this face painted piece below is one of my favourites. It is the classic Joy Division album artwork expertly painted on a models face. The expressionless eyes being open add to the creepiness of the piece as a whole. Great piece of design and be sure to check out more of her other face painted album covers.

D.O.T.F. Marshall Major Pitch Black

Design Of The Fortnight

The piece of design I am really into this fortnight is the Marshall Major on-ear headphones. I have been using them now for just under a month and the quality of sound is so much better than the small in ear headphones I used beforehand. When the sound is produced it literally surrounds my ears so that any other sound that is around is totally blocked out. If you are into that kind of sound effect then these are definitely for you. You can really hear the layers of sound that have been created in the song. The price is also really good for what you get compared to the more high end over ear headphones on the market.

D.O.T.F. Taylor T5Z Custom

Taylor T5Z Custom

So the other day the latest issue of Guitarist arrived on my doorstep and after barely flicking through the first few pages I came across this little beauty of a guitar. It is an electric/acoustic hybrid that is retailing for just under 3 grand which is still way over my budget. The points of this design that I especially love are the cut away sound holes that are dynamic in shape and reminiscent of flames (well at least in my mind), the detailing at the end of the fret board, the positioning of the control knobs and all of the design is harnessed in a classic Gibson body shape. Enjoy!

D.O.T.F. Gretsch Guitars

Design Of The Fortnight Gretsch Custom Shop

I have chosen not just one design this fortnight but the whole collection that the Gretsch Custom Shop have produced in the 10 years it has been around. I have always been a big fan of the Gretsch guitar design and this video below really gives an incite into what it takes to produce musical instruments of such great quality, and each with a uniqueness all of its own.

I am currently in the process of learning about the making of guitars myself so this really is learning from the masters. If the guitars that I produce are half as close to this level of quality and finesse then I will be extremely happy.

Take a look and tell me what you think.

D.O.T.F. Album Covers

Design of the Fortnight

This came up on my Facebook feed and looked pretty cool so I checked it out. Basically, a guy who goes by Harvezt on Flickr has posted a load of different album covers with an image of what he imagines the back side of these covers would look like. One of my personal favourites is the Bruce Springsteen cover which I think has been cleverly done. There is also some cool Beatles and Strokes versions on his website, link is below.

Which one/ones are your favourites? Let me know below.

                        https://www.flickr.com/photos/93699963@N04/sets/72157632894352624/

D.O.T.F.

The pick this time is a car that I heard about when I went to the Great British Guitar Show a weekend or two ago.

The car in question is from a partnering of Fender and Volkswagen, the design rendering is below. The outside of the car has the pretty much standard look of a Beetle except from the Fender logo underneath the VW badge. On the inside is where you can really tell they have taken inspiration. The classic sunburst dashboard, swish and stylish little details and decals dotted all around and not forgetting the premium audio sound system that is installed. Just imagine driving down Sunset Strip (or in my case the ring road of Coventry) with the windows down and some great tunes filling the air.

Another dream car to add to my ever increasing list of wants.

D.O.T.F.

The design I like this time is a bit of a graphicy one, and a fairly American themed one.

This first map graphic shows the individual states most popular artists that aren't popular anywhere else. I think it is pretty cool to see the patterns in terms of style of music and location, and also the amount of older acts compared to the newer acts.

And now this is an updated graphic that was produced and it shows the most popular artist by state and there is a bit of a land slide on the East coast by Jay-Z easily being the most popular, Drake taking the south and a few Macklemore and Daft Punks dotted around. Also funnily noted is the little fan base Alt J have in the North East, every little bit counts, keep up the great tunes.

D.O.T.F.

This cool design popped up on my Flip-board feed and it looked pretty cool. It has shown me that you can listen to submerged vinyl which I didn't think was possible at all. Its always interesting seeing things like this because even though it is not a huge leap in terms of technology or anything I still think this kind of innovation is great to see. This design is from a guy called Evan Holm (http://evanholm.com/about/) and his whole set-up looks really interesting and creative. Also on the website is a video which shows him setting up the installation at the MoMA. It takes a lot of effort but the end result is worth it.

D.O.T.F.

My design of the fortnight is what Foster The People have chosen do design of a huge building. Basically in time for their second album release they have created this huge-ass mural on the side of a building in Los Angeles. The artist who painted it is called Young & Sick and they also did the art work for the first Foster The Peoples Album. I think it is a cool piece of art and a great idea to spice up a boring old building by giving it a splash of colour. Also below you can see the concert they performed after the mural was complete and you can really tell it stands out.

D.O.T.F.

I have read an article in the latest edition of the Guitarist magazine and it renewed my adoration for Fender design. I really love the design of the Fender Vintage Hot Rod '60s Telecaster. It is such an iconic design that is idolised by so many musicians and general public alike and for great reason. I prefer it to the comparable Stratocaster mainly because of the overly curvy corners of the Strat and the more smooth and gentle curves of the Telecaster. I also like the symmetry of having all the controls in a straight row. In the future it wouldn't be the first guitar I would buy but it would definitely be the first Fender electric.

Also be sure to check out my Tumblr for more great images:

www.ruvensivyer.tumblr.com

D.O.T.F.

2014 is off and rolling now and where ever you are in the world, hope it is going well. The design I have chosen is a gig poster or rather a festival poster by Todd Slater.

It is an advert for the American festival Bonnaroo 2012. He has incorporated a lot of the bands performing at the festival as part of the swirly/cool rooster design, the words are really flowing and smooth. I really like the simple amount of colours used. In my opinion, the fewer colours the better (within reason). 

Todd Slater has also designed posters for Jack White, The National and Green Day to name but a few.

Check out more of his work:

www.ruvensivyer.tumblr.com

D.O.T.F.

This Design Of The Fortnight coincides with the starting of my associated Tumblr blog. If you click on the link below you will be sent to the Musicopedia Picture page. It will have photos of the D.O.T.F. plus general images that I think are cool and or inspiring.

So I have chosen the guitar Teye La India E Series. I love pretty much everything about this design. The colours used and the details around the edge of the guitar etc. The biggest thing I like is the tattooesque detail on the front face and the head of the guitar. It gives the guitar a classic and old school vibe which I am really diggin'. When I earn enough to spend 4 grand on a guitar, this will be one of the first on my list.

Musicopedia Picture Dept

Design Of The Fortnight D.O.T.F.

This time around I have decided to talk about a location. The place in particular is The Institute in Birmingham. More specifically, The Library which is the smaller of the two main rooms. I have been to this venue several times and as I think I have stated in the past, it is my favourite place to see bands/artists. The last artist I saw there was Nina Nesbitt (picture below). As you can see I had a terrific view and even though I was on the balcony which is right at the back of the room my view and the sound quality was superb. The layout also is well planned out which I guess is pretty much assumed, with the two bars set either side of the stage and on the main balcony and just below it is room for a merchandise stand still with plenty of room all around for the crowds. Lastly, the style of the venue as a whole is really cool. They keep aspects of the classic look from the outside face of the building but with added modern features where you would want them. Great venue, if you are close to Birmingham go listen to some music and see some great design. 

Design Of The Fortnight D.O.T.F.

This fortnight I would like to talk about a certain poster design team I have stumbled upon whilst browsing the web. They are called Horse and they are a team that are based in Liverpool. They focus on creating imagery for music that inspires and drives them. They have created many gig posters and album covers. For more info, click this link: http://www.youresomehorse.com/ 

After checking out a lot of their work there doesn't seem to be anything I don't like but I have chosen the style I like the most. It is simple, only using a few colours and I think that is the most effective kind of gig poster in my eyes. When I get a place of my own I am for sure going to have some of these on the wall.

          

New Design Of the Fortnight Feature (D.O.T.F.)

I have recently had a new idea for a fortnightly feature. Basically on Thursday every 2 weeks I will post a Design Of The Fortnight. It maybe graphic design such as gig posters or album covers. It could also include particular guitar designs I am currently diggin' or pretty much anything musically themed that has been designed. It should be a good little Feature.

For this week I would like to feature a couple of guitars from one of my favourite guitar brands, Gretsch.

The first guitar is a signature model for Patrick Stump from Fallout Boy. I like the relatively simple design and just a couple of stripes for a decal on the front face gives an impression of creating a square shape without having to draw all the lines. I also thought it was interesting seeing it had 3 pick ups. I learnt a bit more about it from watching the video Patrick did on the Gretsch YouTube channel (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5rWOWXEhfG8) It was pretty interesting for me, especially because I love a bit of FOB.

And from the brand new to the very old. In fact this model below is from 1954. It is called the Gretsch Electro II, one of the first guitars Gretsch produced. From the get go you can tell they had style and a kind of look/presence that they have included throughout the years.I would hope the guitars that I produce eventually have this much style or anywhere even close.