BOOTLEG MUSIC,

DUBLIN SCOTCH
& BANANA BOATS

#64

an interview with

MUMFORD & SONS

the Irish indie-folk band which-
took over U.K. and overseas talk
mexican standoff
about how they made it.
DIPLO VS. SKRILLEX
now it’s time to face the truth:
who is the best mixer of all?
I’d rather slip on a banana then
not knowing the answer.

and more
GIGS: BON IVER, TORO Y MOI,
THE DRUMS AND BLACK KEYS
DUBLIN: THE BEST PLACES TO
SATISFY YOUR MUNCHIES
CALL CENTER_SIGN UPS,
SUGESTIONS AND COMPLAINTS_
RIO DE JANEIRO: (21) 4063.7865
ELSEWHERE: 0800 7070.2623

VISIT OUR WEBSITE_

WWW.BOOTLEG.COM/SIGNUP
 _summary NOVEMBER _2013
BOOTLEG #23

BEST ALBUM COVERS

38
///////////////////////////////////////////
9
/////////////////////// MIXTAPE in a year when amazing covers
it’s safe to say that covers
You should prepare your ears for are evolving along with every
some well-spend-time playlist, other way we enjoy our music.
arranged by DJ Nicko.
written by NICKOLAS BORBA

10
///////// ///////////// QUOTES
Sometimes you actually have
to listen to believe it.

LEIF PODHAJSKY
12
/////////////////////// WALK
A foreign eye finding nice stuff
arrond. Just to sum things up:
welcome to Rio!
48
///////////////////////////////////////////////////
the czech-aussie designer
behind the melting cosmic

20
landscapes cover albums of Tame
/////////////////////// FRESH Impala, the Foals and others.

This issue featuring albums written by MICHA LIONARONS

from Blood Orange, M.I.A.,
Chvrches, and The Internet.

28
/////////////////////// STANDOFF
You better be ready for rumble,
‘cause things are about to become
COLETIVO GRÁFICO
nasty, amigo.

54
///////////////////////////////////////////
60
/////////////////////// GIGS the group of independent street
artists that is changing Rio’s
Our crew went to the bohemian urban landscape.
Lapa, to check out Tame Impala,
Devendra, Beach House and The XX. written by ARTHUR BITTAR
//mixtape hashtags are bad

You can just read the magazine, of course.

But if you want to have an amazing experi-
ence, we have the perfect mix for your ears,
In this issue, we prepared a mix with soulful
and chill songs, so just relax (at home or at
the beach in Rio) and enjoy the music!

The XX - Intro
Danny Brown - Wonderbread
Blood Orange - Uncle Ace
Hiatus Kaiyote - Malika
Ratatat - Wildcat
The Internet - Dontcha
Haim - The Wire
Solange - Losing You
Classixx - Dominoes
Toro Y Moi - Say That
CHVRCHES - Gun
Vampire Weekend - Everlasting Arms
Devendra Banhart - Mi Negrita

LISTEN HERE!

music lovers partner up to listen the mixtape of this issue

9
 ”
//quotes ìthatíswhat they saidì
“ I'M A WEIRDO, BUT
I HAVE A VERY STRONG
MORAL CODE: DON'T BE A
“

earl sweatshirt
FUCKING DICK.

“ I STAND BY EVERYTHING
I'VE EVER SAID,APOLOGIES
“
INCLUDED.

fiona apple
“ IT’S REALLY HARD TO
EVEN TALK ABOUT THE INTERNET
WITHOUT SEEMING INSTANTLY
“
CORNY.

ezra koenig

“ I LOVE GOING ON EBAY AND TYPING IN
RANDOM STUFF AND SORTING BY 'MOST EXPEN-

danny brown
SIVE' AND SEEING THE WEIRDEST SHIT. I TYPED
IN MRS. DOUBTFIRE AND THERE WAS A HEAD MOLD
FROM THE MOVIE AND A SIGNED PICTURE OF ROB- “
aziz ansari

IN WILLIAMS. IT WAS AT LIKE $20,000.

“ I DON'T CARE ABOUT SEX ANYMORE. IT’S
A HEADACHE. IT’S HARD TO TRUST PEOPLE. YOU

”
“ AT FIRST, I WAS LIKE, ‘OK
COOL, SOMEONE MADE A VIDEO TO
MY SONG.’ BUT IT DIDN’T SEEM
“
producer baauer
harlem shake
TALK TO A GIRL, AND THEN SHE SCREENSHOTS A
TEXT MESSAGE.
“

thomas mars
THAT FUNNY.

“
I WATCHED 'TRAPPED IN THE CLOSET' WITH
MY FATHER-IN-LAW (FRANCIS FORD COPPOLA)
ONCE AND I REMEMBER HIM SITTING THERE IN
SILENCE FOR 10 MINUTES AND THEN SAYING,
“
'THIS IS INCREDIBLE.

11
//walk join usus
join onon
a stroll.
a stroll.

welcome to
Rio
T
he bustling city of Rio de Janeiro has
been one of Brazil’s most popular and
frequented tourist destinations for
decades. Its vibrant city centre is
bursting with culture and pulsating
with a deep sense of history and heritage.
Rio, as it is commonly known, is the second
largest city in Brazil and the third largest
metropolis in the whole of South America.
It is the most visited city in the South-
ern Hemisphere, which is no mean feat. This
makes for an impressive, memorable attrac-
tion for visitors from all over the world.

by Micha Salomon
 WALK
The beach plays a big
part in the minds of
the people native to
Rio de Janeiro.
It’s not merely a place
to go and absorb sun
rays. It’s a social
circus, a major venue
for sports and even
business dealings.
It’s a people-watcher’s
dreamy paradise.
Showcasing that six pack and striking a pose
Beach Culture
Key to the 'Carioca' lifestyle
I
t’s not easy for a casual
visitor to understand the
complex beach culture in
Rio, but with a keen eye it is
possible to pick out the differ-
ent cliques and crowds that
inhabit the acres of sand, that
change according to the time of
day or the day of the week.
Every beach in Rio is a scene
for fashion and trends. Also
people from the “favelas” reach
the beach with their surfboard.
Surfing is a very popular sport
for “cariocas”, although they
don’t have the best waves for
it. The whole concept of catch-
ing waves and hanging out on
the beach is a perfect fit with
their mentality, based on the
art of flirting and the joy of
living. Rio de Janeiro locals
are more likely to say “tenha
uma boa praia” (“have a good
beach”) than “have a good day”.
They wake up wondering whether
rain or clouds will ruin their
time in the sun, and rather than
ask what you do for a living,
fun-loving Cariocas (locals)
will want to know which part of
the beach you are going to.
Frescobol, a traditional sport
created on Copacabana Beach
during the 50s, became another
leisure activity for cariocas
on sunny days, both in the
summer and winter. Frescobol,
a traditional sport created on
Copacabana Beach during the 50s,
became another leisure activity
for cariocas on sunny days,
RIO
The famous and romantic 'Arpoador' sunset
both in the summer and winter.
Copacabana streets are excel-
lent for a night bike ride and
also at sunset along the carioca
beaches, perfect for a volley-
ball or footvolley match.
Footvolley has some football
characteristics – the player can
touch the ball with any part of
the body except for the arms,
forearms and hands—and volley-
ball—the match is divided into
sets, and each team can only
touch the ball three times.
There are activities which are
even more original, such as the
practice of slack line, in which
players walk over nylon webbing
attached to two anchor points.
On Rio beaches, it is common to Gone surfin'
see people practicing slack.
15
 WALK RIO

Pedra do Sal Traditional feijoada to start off the party

A historical mark

T
his historic ‘venue’ is in
fact an integral part of
the story of samba. On the Casa Rosa
site of a former slave market, The 'Pink House'
the area around the huge rock

B
(pedra) in question is also uilt in the early 20th
widely believed to be the birth- century, Casa Rosa, in
place of the early carnival Laranjeiras, was for many
parades, at a time when the decades Rio de Janeiro's and
port-side location made the Brazil’s most famous brothel.
area a bleak focal point for the
local black community. Since losing its original
Meeting friends and drinking is just as important as music function in the 1980s, the pink
Pedra do Sal is a place with house in Rio de Janeiro has
special significance for become a cultural center and one
Cariocas of African descent and IF YOU ASK ANYBODY ON THE of the best places to go dancing
fans of samba and choro music. in town outside the Lapa area.
It is considered the center
STREETS FOR A GOOD SAMBA
of the area known locally as PLACE, IT IS VERY LIKELY Famous samba and choro artists perform with passion During the weekend, Casa Rosa
“Little Africa”, which was full CASA ROSA AND PEDRA DO SAL hosts an array of workshops in
of collective houses of escaped dance, capoeira, drama, guitar,
ARE GOING TO POP UP. mandolin, jiu-jitsu, graffiti
and freed slaves.
Adress__ and other fields. On the week-
Rua Alice 550,Laranjeiras ends, the house gets hopping
with shows, parties and rodas de
Website__ samba (informal samba get-
www.casarosa.com.br togethers) with feijoada.
Capacity__
800

Hours and ticket prices__

Fri (11 p.m.) women $11, men $17
Sat (11 p.m.) women $9, men $12
Adress__ Sun (5 p.m.) $17 with feijoada
Largo João da Baiana, $9 without feijoada
Rua argemiro Bulcão, Centro

Website__
rodadesambadapedradosal.blogspot.com.br

Capacity__
Limitless

Hours and ticket prices__

Only every monday and friday from 7.30
until around midnight, but it is FREE
The crowd forms a circle around the band

16 17
//fresh
Blood Orange
‘Cupid Deluxe’
Starring the kind of
battered-but-resilient souls
who stroll through New York in
the dead of night, the impres-
sionistic song has Hynes switch-
ing between a low and high
singing voice, subtly accentu-
ating the androgynous charac-
ters within. It’s mysteri-
ous, desperate, empathetic.
“Not like the other girls,” he
offers, possibly taking the
purview of a woman who feels
like a man, or vice versa. Hynes
shines a careful light onto his
vulnerable subjects, inhabiting
their travails with grace, all
while a disco pulse and smoky
saxophones harken back to his
beloved 80s, when Times Square
was a misfit’s home away from
home. The outcasts that live
inside of “Uncle Ace” are Hynes’
new artists, new albums, new music.
people. As the London-raised,
New York-based 27-year-old has
hopped from project to project
and style to style over the
last 10 years, he’s maintained
the air of an outsider. With
Cupid Deluxe, he channels
those vagabond emotions into
something universal and invit-
ing—an album that tender-
ly details various heartaches
through the language of longing.
Growing up, Hynes was bullied
and beaten up enough to end up
in the hospital on more than one
occasion. He first directed his
angst into Test Icicles’ spazzed
punk as a teen before moving
onto Morrissey-style tragic
confessionals with Lightspeed
Champion. His first album as
Blood Orange, 2011’s Coastal
Grooves, traded in Lightspeed’s
orchestral folk-pop for slick
new wave and funk, streamlin-
ing his once-unwieldy songwrit-
ing in the process. But it
wasn’t until he co-wrote and
produced two songs from last
year—Solange’s “Losing You”
and Sky Ferreira’s “Everything
Is Embarrassing”—that he found
the most suitable vessel for
his melancholic odes to expired
love. Both tracks are propelled
by springing 80s beats that are
tugged down by minor chords and
wounded lyrics; the upbeat drums
suggest good times past, making
the reality-check vocals hit
that much harder.
MEANWHILE, DIRTY
PROJECTORS AND CHAIRLIFT
HAVE NEVER SOUNDED MORE
SOULFUL.
Cupid Deluxe largely (and
winningly) follows the
formula set forth by those
modest hits, while bringing
them forth on a full-length
scale. Across the album,
Hynes sings, writes, produc-
es, and plays guitar, bass,
keyboards, drums, synths. But
this is hardly a solo act.
In fact, one of the record’s
greatest strengths lies in
its pitch-perfect deployment
of guests. Not only does each
member of the Cupid Deluxe
team seem to fully understand
the overarching wistfulness
of the whole, but many of them
show off heretofore unheard
facets of their talent. While
Hynes’ girlfriend and Friends
frontwoman Samantha Urbani
and Kindness leader Adam
Bainbridge exhibited
tentative skills with their
respective groups’ debut
albums last year, they make
the most of their spotlights
here; Urbani often sounds
like she’s mimicking the
sultry chirpiness of an
absent Solange, but her clear
chemistry with Hynes makes
the substitution seem more
than adequate.
Meanwhile, Dirty Projectors’
David Longstreth and Chair-
lift’s Caroline Polachek have
never sounded more soulful.
Typically ominous rap produc-
er Clams Casino contributes
light, skittering drums to
the Longstreth showcase “No
Right Thing”, which could fit
snugly into any Vampire Weekend
setlist. Even the set’s two rap
cameos, from Queens’ Despot and
London’s Skepta, are anything
but your usual in-and-out
16-bar guest shots—both MCs
are given plenty of space to
weave tales that are tactile
and intimate, while Hynes’
vocals take on a more ghostly
role on the tracks’ edges. And
while the inclusion of a bubble-
funk remake of Britpop curio
Mansun’s pompously overwrought
2000 single “I Can Only Disap-
point U” sounds almost comical-
ly random on paper, Hynes’ Fat
Boys scratches and Urbani’s
featherlight vocals make it fit
into the album’s loose after-
hours milieu. Such awareness and
selflessness consistently pays
off, making all involved sound
that much better.
by Ryan Dombal
21
 FRESH FRESH

Contradictory? Sure—but who Kanye West was still wearing a

masterpieces, Arular and Kala:
There’s a Weeknd sample, at
least two different
Drake disses, and a handful of
tracks produced by Hit-Boy.
Let’s also not forget when she
took to Twitter all of 14 months
ago to clear up rumors about the
already-delayed album, claiming
that the finished product would
sound like “Paul Simon on acid.”
M.I.A.
cares. The people who treat
M.I.A.’s controversial career
like a never-ending game of
gotcha miss the point; from day
one, her contradictions have
enlivened her music and saved it
“ I’M TALKING
ABOUT THE GODDESS
MATANGI, WHO
INVENTED MUSIC “ professed that a pop star might
from heavy-handed moralizing.
A decade after her first mixtape,
it now feels safe to call M.I.A.
one of the most forward-thinking
pop artists of the last decade:
She aestheticized deadpan
cross-cultural juxtaposition
before Tumblr was even a thing,
she predicted the controversy
surrounding the N.S.A.’s
surveillance program, and
bear suit. Matangi, then, is a
disappointing record not for
any reasons having to do with
its (or its maker’s) lack of
a coherent moral imperative.
(“Ain’t no Dalai Lama,” she
shrugs unapologetically
on the skronky intro track,
“Karmageddon”.) No, Matangi is a
disappointing record because of
how listlessly over and “beyond”
everything it is, to the point
it actually bites. The fact
that its chorus is peppered
with chants of “YOLO” makes it
feel like it’s trying to have
it both ways—an anti-YOLO song
that can also slyly ride the
phrase’s cultural coattails.
(And maybe it would have, had
that train not left the station
at least a year ago now.) Much

M.I.A.
be more like a fashion designer that it feels uncharacteristi- of Matangi’s sensibility feels
‘Matangi’ 5000 YEARS AGO. than a musician back when cally weary and out of touch. similarly dated, limp, or just
Matangi is not as abrasive or plain perplexing: There’s a
“I don’t pay attention to what’s hook-averse as its predecessor, decade-too-late Lara Croft
happening now,” M.I.A. said in but it seems to have suffered line, another Drake diss on the
an interview a few weeks before because of her combative riotous title track feels too
the release of her notoriously- relationship with her label, vague (“Started from the bottom/
long-delayed fourth album, Interscope. Initially slated But Drake gets all the credit”)
Matangi, “My references are for release in December of last to warrant a response, and then
beyond the [music] industry. year, M.I.A. and the label a moment when she calls out—and
butted heads (they allegedly here the beat drops out like
I’m talking about the goddess
thought the material was “too she’s about to say something
Matangi, who invented music
positive”); it seems they only seriously scathing.
5,000 years ago.” That line is
quintessential M.I.A.: artfully agreed on a release date when Matangi is not without charms,
provocative, magnificently she threatened to leak the album but unlike her most potent
over-it (“If you don’t give on Twitter. In the meantime, releases it sounds less inter-
a fuck,” she declared in a much of this material seems to ested in pushing and prodding
pixelated deadpan on her last have sat on the shelf, growing the culture forward and more
mixtape, “Then I don’t give a staler by the month. content to soar safely above
damn”), and difficult to square This is most glaring on “YALA” it. “There is nothing that
with a fact-checker. (“you always live again”), an can touch me now,” she sings
ode to reincarnation (and also: on the nursery-rhyme earworm
The Sri-Lankan-born, London-
pole-dancing) that flies in “Come Walk With Me”. It’s one
bred artist has hyped Matangi
the face of the youth-cult of of the only moments she feels
as her “spiritual album,” and,
YOLO. “If you only live once,” like she’s actually channeling
sure, there are plenty of
she muses in a stoner-voiced Matangi—she sounds blissfully
references to the titular Hindu
spoken word towards the end of free, superhumanly defiant, and
goddess and other Eastern-
the song, “Why do we keep doing 5,000 feet above it all. Is it
spiritual phenomena through-
the same shit? Back home, where selfish to say it’s a shame? We
out its 15 tracks. But contrary
I come from, we keep being born could use her down here.
to her claims, there are also
hints that she’s still paying again and again.” Fair enough,
but “YALA” barks harder than by Lindsay Zoladz
(somewhat selective) attention
to the kind of American music
she so brilliantly re-appropri-
ated on her pair of mid-aughts

22
FRESH
CHVRCHES
‘The Bones of
What you Believe’
For two decades, Glasgow’s
indie-pop and dance music scenes
have run in parallel, with only
a few notable intersections;
Chvrches are the latest meeting
point. The Scottish trio’s
debut LP, The Bones of What You
Believe, is a seamless fusion of
emotive theatrics, hook-load-
ed songwriting, and some of the
more forward-thinking sonics
in electronic music right now.
It’s a style that feels very
of-the-moment: Chvrches embody
what a generation raised on
electronic music is looking
for in a rock band, taking the
danceable textures favored
by the Electric Daisy set and
applying them to the sweeping
songcraft of both M83 and
Passion Pit.
Unlike those bands, Chvrches
avoid guitars almost entirely,
but the hooks on The Bones of
What You Believe are indelible
regardless of instrumentation,
and the sound is immaculate.
After Chvrches self-produced
the album in band member Iain
Cook’s own Glasgow studio,
big-deal boards guy Rich Costey
(Nine Inch Nails, Rage Against
the Machine) handled the
mixing; his touch gives these
tunes the bright clarity they
deserve, with plenty of space
for funhouse sonic triggers--
processed effects, pitched-down
vocal samples, frizzy synth-
pad textures. Every note sounds
clean and sharp, a necessary
corrective to the chemical-
dipped wooziness that has
dominated electronic indie pop
in the last few years.
That sense of precision is
unusual for a band this new,
but Cook and Martin Doherty,
who handle the majority of
the instrumentation live and
on record, are vets of the
Glasgow’s perpetually fertile
indie scene. Cook handled
guitars and programming as a
member of defunct alt-leaning
post-rockers Aereogramme, while
Doherty was once a live member
of throat-shredding shoegazers
the Twilight Sad (who launched
into their own synth excursions
around the time that Chvrches
became a full-time concern).
Together they manage to
make music that complements
distinctive vocalists without
overshadowing them.
FRESH
Heard in the context of
Glasgow’s still-strong cottage
industry of distinctly mascu-
line anguish-rock bands, the
emotional palette of Chvrches’
lead singer Lauren Mayberry is a
welcome change of pace. A local-
band lifer who once pursued a
career in music journalism,
Mayberry’s voice is a multifac-
eted instrument, the emotion-
al kernel in Chvrches’ molecular
makeup. She can sound cutting,
aching, triumphant, fragile,
and weightless, sometimes all at
once; on “Lies”, she soars above
TOGETHER THEY
MAKE MUSIC THAT
COMPLEMENTS
DISTINCTIVE
VOCALISTS WITHOUT
OVERSHADOWING
THEM.
the chorus’ mountainous build,
and her vocal surge rescues
the murky techno of “Science/
Visions”, the closest thing to a
miss on this otherwise rock-sol-
id album.
Even when Mayberry’s at her most
powerful, her voice possesses
a specific, relatable humanity,
which brightens the adolescent
glow of her lyrics. (Occasional
lead singer Doherty, previous-
ly the band’s weak link, makes
good enough on his two featured
songs, the rippling “Under
the Tide” and the prom-dance
lushness of “You Caught the
Light”). Her words might look
overwrought on paper, but
when set to the emotive sounds
that Chvrches trade in, they
sound towering, impassioned,
and life-affirming. Depeche
Mode, a spiritual anteced-
ent, have a classic song with
the refrain “All I ever wanted/
All I ever needed/ Is here, in
my arms”; that kind of emotion-
al directness and simplicity is
a hallmark of the songwriting
here.
The Bones of What You Believe
also shares some of Depeche
Mode’s large-scale ambition:
the arpeggiated-synth burst
that closes “Tether” sounds
like it was orchestrated for
the optimal turn-all-the-la-
sers-on-at-once trigger at a
live performance, and it’s all
the better for it. Throughout,
Chvrches’ effortless populism
finds them in a long tradition of
bands who take a highly person-
al sense of turmoil and blow it
up onto an arena-sized screen.
Granted, recent live perfor-
mances have suggested that they
have a ways to go before their
concert-conquering potential
catches up with the ability
they display on record, such
but growing pains are normal
for a band this new. For now, on
record, Chvrches know how go big
on an intimate scale, to remind
us of the stuff that keeps us
living.
by Larry Fitzmaurice
25

The Internet
‘Feel Good’
“They don’t know the struggles
that she was raised with... so
shut the fuck up,” Syd tha Kyd
sang last year on “She DGAF”
with the sort of middle-finger-up
irreverence often found in the
music of her crew Odd Future. It
was one of the few moments on the
Internet’s Purple Naked Ladies
where you could draw a direct
line from the bubbling neo-soul
of Syd and Matt Martians to the
rest of Odd Future.
Outside of a few appearances
from Left Brain and Mike G-- the
latter of which Syd has produced
for in the past-- Purple Naked
Ladies felt largely discon-
nected from the entire OFWGKTA
oeuvre, the controversial
collective mentioned more out of
obligation than because of any
musical or ideological kinship.
On their sophomore album, Feel
Good, the Internet continue
along this path, sharpening
their songwriting and progres-
sively reigning in their
propensity to wander.
26
FRESH
The biggest leap forward is made
by Syd herself-- where in the
past she would sometimes disap-
pear into her surroundings she
now takes center stage with
confidence, her down pillow-soft
vocals claiming the spotlight
with an easy swagger. Her voice
is still a delicate thing that
sounds like it could blow away
given the right gust, but it’s
able to pull off things it
wasn’t capable of before: the
sensual come-ons of “Don’tcha”
require a self-assurance Syd
hadn’t quite developed yet on
Purple Naked Ladies, and she
wholefully injects “Shadow
Dance” with a been-here-before
poise of someone at least a
decade her senior.
HER VOICE IS
STILL A DELICATE
THING THAT SOUNDS
LIKE IT COULD BLOW
AWAY GIVEN THE
RIGHT GUST.
She’s writing hookier songs,
too. “Sunset” unfurls with
precision, moments of inter-
est arriving at a steady and
consistent clip, whether it’s a
switch-up in the track’s loping
groove or a colorful melodic run
from Syd. Elsewhere, “Runnin’”
finds its sweet spot early on
and then spends the rest of its
duration playing around with the
angle and strength of the light
being shone at it. And although
the Internet are still inter-
ested primarily in fusing the
proggier elements of experi-
mental jazz with the patient
warmth of neo-soul, there are
fewer moments here that’ll have
you glancing at your watch,
an occurrence that happened a
little too often on their debut.
But while Feel Good finds
the Internet latching onto
hooks with greater frequen-
cy, they haven’t complete-
ly excised their tendency to
meander into jam session terri-
tory where the music loses most
of the direction. The album
is never aimless—they always
succeed in setting a pleasant,
vibe-heavy atmosphere where
detours are allowed and explora-
tion is encourage—but at times
it does feel like the Internet
still haven’t figured out how to
identify what to keep and what
to leave out.
She's still got room to improve
where lyrics are concerned, with
generic clunkers such as “I’m
a fiend for your attention” and
“You’re beautiful, you bright-
en up my day” exposing her as
the fresh-faced 21-year-old she
is. But there’s a proficiency at
work on Feel Good that’s undeni-
ably impressive. It’s an album
full of musicians who can play
and they approach this stuff
with an endearing alacrity and
a willingness to let Syd do more
this time around that will pay
dividends on future records.
by Renato Pagnani
MORE IS
THAN ISN`T
RJD2
A little more than a decade
after Deadringer came out,
there’s enough music—and enough
attempts at reconfiguring his
style—to help you construct a
picture of how all over the map
RJD2’s career has been. Whether
it’s a clear picture is another
thing entirely; his shift from
underground rap production next
big thing to muddled indie-pop
singer-songwriter to studio-
bound funkateer has done a lot
to confuse any set-in-stone
ideas of what the RJD2 sound
was or is supposed to be. His
partnership with Aaron Living-
ston as Icebird seemed like a
good first step towards a recon-
ciliation of everything RJ
had built up in his portfo-
lio over the previous ten years
or so. But it also opened the
door for a big “now what?” and
the hesitant anticipation of
future work that could build on
the idea of an all-encompass-
ing, canonical RJD2 musical
identity.
And now, for what feels like the
FEEL GOOD, MORE IS THAN ISN`T
first time in his career, RJ has
released an album that comes
across as a successful culmina-
tion of all his previous ideas
and experiments rather than
simply a new shift in style. The
title of More Is Than Isn’t says
as much; these are established
trademarks and tics—bombas-
tic drum breaks, sunshine-gleam
brass, an armada of mother-
ship synthesizers—that definite-
ly sound like they came from
the same hands that Deadring-
er, Since We Last Spoke and The
Colossus did. But it’s that first
album’s boom-bap crate-dig-
ging, its follow-up’s prog-funk
ambition, and his most recent
album’s cartoon neo-soul all
streamlined into an overarch-
ing sound, with all the Pavlov
triggers and odd quirks and
over-the-top crests that combi-
nation implies.
With this album uniting every-
thing that made RJ D2 over the
years, it establishes a defin-
itive place for him after
all this time: that of the
hip-hop-inflected neo-soul
fusionist producer who is just
as comfortable working in moods
as genres.
With his instrumentals, it’s
as though he’s working more
in potential-soundtrack mode
than anything; it’s easier to
describe his beats nowadays for
what montages or scenes they
could evoke rather than where
their component parts could
place them demographically.
While the vocal tracks are
well-realized, this is the first
album RJ’s made in a long time
that actually feels like it’s
satisfied to say most of what
it has to say in instrumen-
tal form. His style-weaving,
retro-contemporary instrumen-
tation dislodges sounds from
their own times and finds new
modes for them. So when he rolls
out burbling synthesizers that
recall the early ‘90s heyday of
ambient techno and 70s prog and
glazes them over a class-of-’88
no-bullshit boom-bap break (“A
Lot of Night Ahead of You”),
or constructs a noir-jazz
ballad that snaps from early
Tom Waits tipsiness to uptempo
Mayfield-style funk (“Got There,
Sugar?”), all the parts fit
together to turn a pastiche into
something a bit less beholden to
the sum of its parts. It’s less
about where the pieces come from
than what they’re evoking.
And even if it’s made clear by
the conceptual thread that ties
the album together—a three-part
suite that leads off the album,
appears at the halfway mark,
and concludes it with three
emotively varying takes on the
same melodic theme—the fact
that the whole of More Is Than
Isn’t evokes so many different
well-built moods is testament
to how much he’s been able to
elaborate on what he’s capable
of.
 //standoff
O
n its fifth album,
this quintessential-
ly British band moved
to L.A., took inspiration
from old Aaliyah hits and
glam Bowie, and made a spiky,
slinky beast of a record,
perfect for that moment in
the evening when you just
realized that maybe that
seventh drunk text you sent
to your ex-girlfriend wasn't
such a hot idea.
28
so hot iímnot even touching it.
Arctic X Franz
The album was reported-
ly inspired by Alex Turner's
breakup with model and TV host
Alexa Chung, and songs like
"Why'd You Only Call Me When
You're High" and the achingly
slow "Do I Wanna Know" are full
of slow-simmering heartache.
The careening "chip-shop rock
& roll" (as Turner called
it) of previous records was
replaced by a creeping desert-
rock paranoia. And the frayed
party's-over lullaby "Mad
Sounds" might've been the
sweetest Velvet Underground
echo of Lou Reed's final year.
I
t’s been a long day off
for Franz Ferdinand,
these Scottish boys
banged out three of the past
decade’s most dazzling rock
albums in one five-year rush,
so no wonder they needed
a minute to catch their
breath. Right Action is
their first in four years. But
they return sounding hungry
for blood, with all their
twin-guitar glam-punk strut.
How ever they spent their
downtime, it wasn’t mellow-
ing out.
Franz’s songwriting explores
sex and romance with subtly
delicate craft; even in
“Bullet,” a deliriously fast-
paced ode to erotic obsessions.
“Treason! Animals.” barrels
down the highway like vintage
Deep Purple jamming with LCD
Soundsystem, as Kapranos
chants, “I’m in love with a
narcissist.”
And the slutty-boy manifes-
to “Love Illumination” splices
disco and prog flourishes into
something seductively bizarre –
just the kind of brilliant pop
gem that only Franz Ferdinand
could write. Welcome back, lads.

Goiní up?
Darwin right again
a detailed review by Ryan Dombal—september 11th, 2013
Their first record was called
Whatever People Say I Am, That's
What I'm Not-- a Nevermind the
Bollocks-type sendup of the
generation-defining Self-Ti-
tled Debut Album as well as
a bratty act of defiance from
four Yorkshire youths drunk on
their own twitchy cleverness.
Their fifth album is called AM,
and those mountainous initials
stood sky-high behind the band
as they preened and stomped
like proper rock stars through
a headlining Glastonbury
set earlier this year. Their
face-shrouding hair and brown
hoodies are out; greaser streaks
and bespoke suits are in.
And the same band that once
aimed its sights at windbag
poseurs on "Fake Tales of San
Francisco" is now based in Los
Angeles. These changes have
caused some to question Arctic
Monkeys' commitment to their
initial no-bullshit ideals.
But the quartet isn't giving
into the mindless grandeur of
rock'n'roll as much as they're
working within its confines to
mine new territory;
30
MEXICAN STANDOFF
over the last eight years,
as they've gone from spastic
punk, to doomed stoner rock, to
sparkling guitar pop, to this
new album's skinny-jeaned funk,
Arctic Monkeys have stayed close
to the spirit of their debut's
title while minimizing its
excess at the same time.
Meanwhile, singer and lyricist
Alex Turner has moved from
syllable-stuffing chronicles
of indie nightlife culture to
songs that are sleeker, more
blue-black, more self-lacerat-
ing. Thematically, AM center-
piece "No. 1 Party Anthem"
comes off like a seedier take
on Arctic Monkeys' breakout
track "I Bet You Look Good on
the Dancefloor" as it tells
of a collar-popped lothario
on the prowl in a dank club
made up of "lights on the
floors and sweat on the
walls, cages and poles."
But instead of
blaring, this anthem
is wistful, its
piano, acoustic
strums, and
croons
suggesting days gone by (along
with 70s Elton John and Rod
Stewart). Its swirling bridge
sums up the scene in just a few
choice phrases-- "The look of
love/ The rush of blood/ The
'she’s with me'/ The Gallic
shrug"-- and sounds like a defin-
itive endnote to Turner's most
notable songwriting style.
So AM goes beyond the sweaty
clubs and furtive flirts into
the hotel rooms, after parties,
and bad decisions that can
follow. The crux of the record
is neatly summed up by the hook
to the blistering "R U Mine?":
"R U mine tomorrow, or just
mine tonight?"--
an entire
world of
sex and
love
and desire distilled to quick-
hit text-speak that Drake could
appreciate. Turner isn't sure
of the answer to that question,
and the resulting limbo does his
head in all over the LP. He's
an avowed romantic living in
an unromantic world, grasping
for meaning in a city-to-city
road-dog lifestyle hellbent
on repelling it. In some ways,
Turner's struggle and his band's
recent gleaming transformation
into something like rock gods is
reminiscent
of U2's turnaround circa Achtung
Baby, when that quartet traded
in deep virtuousness for sin,
rhythm, and leather
jackets.
AM VERSUS FF
Reaching a new tier
For Arctic Monkeys, loosen-
ing the tether to creduli-
ty can be freeing, allow-
ing the band to live out their
classic-rock dreams: T. Rex
bop, Bee Gees backup vocals,
Rolling Stones R&B, and Black
Sabbath monster riffage are
all rendered modern through-
out AM with the help of longtime
producer James Ford. And for
Turner in particular, the switch
has him connecting strings of
desperate 3 a.m. thoughts: some
horny, some bleary, some a bit
frightening.
Two of the album's slinki-
est and best tracks have Turner
sounding slyly wolfish, like
a perplexed predator confus-
ing lust and longing. "I dreamt
about you nearly every night
this week," he purrs on opener
“Do I Wanna Know?”, which slowly
rolls forward thanks to guitar-
ist Jamie Cook’s lizard-brain
riff and drummer Matt Helders’
Queen-sized beat; “Knee Socks”,
meanwhile, tells of a winter-
time tryst that climaxes with an
operatic guest vocal from Queens
of the Stone Age’s Josh Homme,
who could’ve used some of AM’s
31

groove on this year’s lumber-
ing ... Like Clockwork. Whereas
2009’s Homme-produced Humbug
had the Arctic Monkeys trying on
QOTSA’s heaviness with varied
success, AM integrates its
influences more fully-- and, at
times, even beats Homme at his
own snake-rock game.
Singer-guitarist Alex Turner
does a delicate Velvet Under-
ground lullaby (“Mad Sounds”)
and straight love-soldier
crooning (“I Wanna Be Yours,”
where he promises devotion
“at least as deep as
the Pacific Ocean”).
And he remains an
awesomely caustic
chronicler of
booze-gorged
late-night
affliction;
on the
hard-boiled
glam
proces-
sional
“Do I Wanna Know?” EP Artwork
32
MEXICAN STANDOFF
“No. 1 Party Anthem,” the
bar looks like a crime scene
(“Lights in the floor and sweat
Sweet, right? But upon further
on the walls ... call off the
inspection, it’s not so simple.
search for your soul”).
“I Wanna Be Yours” features
The only solace found on this lyrics by UK punk poet John
paranoid and haunted album is Cooper Clarke from his 1982
within its eclectic music, track of the same name, which
as well as the idea of music uses the language of commercial-
itself. “Mad Sounds” is AM’s ism to express the deepest love.
most hopeful song, an aching- “I wanna be your vacuum cleaner,
ly sincere ballad that employs breathing in your dust,” sings
melody, swing, and “oh la la Turner as a lonely drum machine
las” to attest to the power highlights the sentiment’s
of melody, swing, and “oh la emptiness.
la las.” It teases out the
Still, the song doesn’t sound
purest interpretation of the
cynical. It’s genuinely affect-
Rorschach-like sine waves
ing. The ultimate message--
that adorn AM’s cover, which--
will future generations have
depending on your vantage,
the capacity to love people as
or mood-- could also read as
much as their cars, their coffee
leering sunglasses or maybe a
pots, their phones?-- rings
bikini top. Creeping closer “I
terrifyingly true in our time
Wanna Be Yours” combines all
of personal branding. Arctic
three meanings while seeming-
Monkeys let these thoughts
ly answering the question posed
languish. “Maybe I just wanna be Arctic Monkey’s “AM” album cover
by opener “Do I Wanna Know?”
yours,” Turner sings.
That is: When faced with
Maybe not.
the choice between
easy pleasures and
lasting devotion,
Turner is
picking the
latter.

The forget-me-nots
Scots back in the game, in good shape
a full scale review by Ian Cohen—august 26th, 2013
Contrary to popular belief, a
near perfect debut is nowhere
near as hard to follow as a
scattered and sluggish third
album. Especially if the “more
of the same + calculated risks”
sophomore bow comes in between.
MEXICAN STANDOFF
Though Franz Ferdinand’s
Tonight was a fine record, it was
a largely hitless one, round-
ing off a common career arc from
which few, if any, bands make a
meaningful artistic recovery.
Just ask yourself whether Inter-
pol, the Strokes, Bloc Party,
Maximo Park, or the Killers
made the best fourth album. The
festival circuit still beckons,
so you either blow things up or
just keep trudging forward, but
on Right Thoughts, Right Words,
Right Action, Franz Ferdinand
do a little bit of both and not
enough of either.
After a four year hiatus, the
mere act of sounding like Franz
Ferdinand can feel like a
“comeback” in both a literal
and figurative sense. Perhaps
for that very reason, the first
half wisely tries to provide
a contact buzz by establish-
ing a subtle, but unmistakable
proximity to Franz Ferdinand’s
better-known material.
The opening title track repeats
its name enough times where it
becomes a hook in spite of its
clunky rhythm and dull, anhedon-
ic sentiment; better is the
one-bar drum fill bearing the
same EQ'ing as the 16th-note
snare rip from “Take Me Out.”
It's damn near a sampled break-
beat. The chorus of “Evil Eye”
slinks and skulks enough to
recall a time when Franz Ferdi-
nand sounded sleazier and more
dancefloor-oriented than your
average rock band, but it has
to fight through a verse filled
with bothersome vocal filters (an
indulgent byproduct of their
self-production) to do so. There
is something pleasant and quaint
about hearing Franz Ferdi-
AM VERSUS FF
nand reestablish themselves as
a workmanlike, crowd-pleasing
dance-rock band by going heavy
on the midtempo disco thump;
mind you, they arose at a time
when “dance-rock” still meant
already sounded like an older
guitar bands and went heavier
man playing a young man’s game,
on the right side of the hyphen-
wearied and louche. But Franz
ate. And bringing in Bjorn
Ferdinand have yet to prove a
Yttling and Todd Terje to help
knack for balladry.
out on production and slight-
ly nudge them out of that stasis The baroque pop flourishes of
has to constitute right thoughts “Fresh Strawberries” and “The
and right actions, right? Yet, Universe Expands”’s bleep-
the biggest letdown here is how ing electro show how crucial
often Kapranos fails to find the momentum and groove are to
right words. Franz Ferdinand’s musicianship
by their lack thereof; though
Finding the niche four minutes apiece, they feel
twice as long. The prevalence
Franz Ferdinand initially
of insistence over finesse is
stood out amongst the glut of
confirmed by lead single “Love
post-Strokes pretty boys for
Illumination”, which doesn’t
their wit and playful sexual-
grow on you as much as twist
ity, qualities which aren’t
your arm into submission; a Los
tied to a particular sound and
Angeles nightmare of overeager-
tend to age well. Similar to
to-please Fitz & the Tantrums
Arctic Monkeys’ Alex Turner,
soul-pop and Edward Sharpe's
you’d figure Kapranos would make
clap-trap uplift (“sweet love
for a good balladeer-- as far
illumination/ sweet, sweet love
back as Franz Ferdinand, he
35

elevation”), I doubt it would
be improved in the slightest if
Franz Ferdinand were being sar-
castic about the whole affair.
They’re probably not— if you’re
trying to draw blood, sarcasm’s
a pretty dull blade and FF
aren't in attack mode neither
musically or thematically.
Still, just about anything's
sharper than the diffident
lyrics that Kapranos brings
to Right Thoughts. If you’re
still holding him to
the standards set
by the clever repar-
tee in “Dark of the
Matinee” and “Michael”,
you’ll drive yourself
mad trying to force
additional layers
of meaning into the
central metaphor of
“Fresh Strawberries”--
“We will soon be
rotten/ We will all be
forgotten.” Same goes
for “Bullet”, which
sanitizes and loboto-
mizes the sex-as-target
practice construct of
“Take Me Out” (“Never
get your bullet out
of my head/ Never get
your bullet out of my mind”) and
“Treason! Animals”, that exists
for the sole purpose of its
titular pun, which really isn’t
worth living for.
36
MEXICAN STANDOFF
But I suppose half-assed is
preferable to when Kapranos puts
his whole backside and thensome
into “Goodbye Lovers and
Friends”. Already saddled with
the stale meta-textual effect of
using a presumptive breakup song
as an album closer, an addition-
al coat of unfortunate irony
is laid on by the self-refer-
ence that suggests it’s Franz
Ferdinand’s breakup song. “You
know I hate pop music,” Kapra-
nos sings and like a lot of Right
Right Thought’s LP Vinyl back cover
Thoughts, he sorta kinda means
it, but not really. On the other
hand, the last words on Right
Thoughts are "When they lie and
say this is not the end/ You can
laugh as if we’re still togeth-
er/ But this really is the end"
and their sincerity is a moot
point. You're just meant to
applaud an obvious punchline.
Still, while Right Words
achieves a baseline level of
quality or at least compe-
tency with the exception of
“Goodbye Friends and Lovers”
and "Love Illumination", they
lack the conviction to take
most of their lesser ideas to
the realm of being unpleas-
ant rather than kinda boring.
Maybe that's a positive; if
anything on Right Words came
up on satellite radio,
you probably wouldn’t
turn it off. But by the
same token, you also
wouldn’t hesitate to
use them as a bathroom
break in a live setting,
lest you miss “Take Me
Out” or "Do You Want
To?" At the very least,
while the letdown of Franz Ferdinand’s
Right Thoughts album cover
Right Thoughts, Right
Words, Right Action
isn’t all that surpris-
ing, the reasons for it
are. It’s got nothing
to do with the curren-
cy of a template the
band all but perfected
over a decade ago-- if
anything, Franz Ferdi-
nand sounds even fresher in
2013, since it's not like they
have to duke it out with the
Rakes, the Fratellis, and the
Kaiser Chiefs or their modern
day equivalents. Yet you can’t
help but feel like the title
isn’t a tribute to resolve or
a refreshed sense of purpose,
but rather a more erudite way of
telling us they’re going through
the motions.
 the

25
BEST
E
ven though most people's music is
technically "covered" by hardshell
cases nowadays, there's still a
desire for visual counterparts—images
that hint at the music itself, sink
into the tension, set the tone, complement
the direction. And in a year when amazing

ALBUM covers were made for albums that don't even

exist, animation was added to the classics,

COVERS
children interpreted their favorites, and
designers offered remakes using clip art,
cats, and tacos, it's safe to say that

of covers are evolving along with every other

way we enjoy our music.

2013

by Michael Renaud

38

HOAX
___Hoax
The image is obviously amazing,
but the inclusion of six
double-sided poster-sized
inserts with illustrations from
multiple artists makes for a
glorious object of pure filth.
SPECIAL FEATURE
Forest Swords No Age
___Engravings ___An Object
Matt Barnes designed his own For An Object, No Age were
artwork to complement the involved of every step of the
album’s chilling ambience. The packaging process—assembling,
LP was released with a limit- printing, boxing, stamping,
ed-edition 20-page booklet and shipping it themselves. If
printed on a risograph and also the cover itself (designed by
art directed by Barnes. longtime collaborator Brian
Roettinger) is less striking
than some of the others on this
list, its message and intention
makes up for it. Nobody revered
the existence of music as physi-
cal object more this year.
White Lies
___Big Tv
For Big TV, New York based
painter Michael Kagan provid-
ed imagery that was framed with
minimal black and white treat-
ments, which made for a very
elegant and colorful package.
Oneohtrix Point Never
___R Plus Seven
The still from the Georges
Shwizgebel animation “Le
ravissement de Frank N. Stein”,
effectively visualizes the
chance encounters, metamorphic
potential, and exploration of
forms within the album. The back
cover is Beatty’s geometric and
abstract interpretation of the
cover.
ALBUM COVERS
The Horrors
___Higher
Artist and designer Leif Podha-
jsky has put together what is
arguably the most unforgetta-
ble album cover portfolio of the
last few years, visualizing the
music of artists such as Tame
Impala, Lykke Li, Young Magic,
Mount Kimbie, Foals, and more.
The limited-edition box set for
Higher beautifully constructs
a system of marbled psychedelia
through each piece.
James Holden Janelle Monae
___The Inheritors ___The Electric Lady
Jack Featherstone designed Sam Spratt designed and illus-
and art directed the CD and trated Janelle Monaé’s latest.
triple-gatefold vinyl design
for The Inheritors.
41

Savages
___Silence Yourself
This cover's typography may be
naive, but the composition and
tension in this photograph is
undeniable.
42
SPECIAL FEATURE
David Bowie
___The Next Day
People who miss the point on
this cover by designer Jonathan
Barnbrook are likely reading
into it too much. If slapping
a boring square on the iconic
Heroes cover seems lazy, think
about our age of appropriation
on Tumblr as well as where every
image came from first. Then think
about how many cultural icons
are left that have been able to
make meaningful art in both of
those eras.
Matt Duncan Fuck Buttons
___Soft Times ___Slow Focus
Artist and musician Robert Fuck Buttons' latest was dressed
Beatty seems to find inspiration up with this distinguished piece
fluidly through various disci- of Victorian-style jewelry
plines, and in one of his more discovered by band member Benja-
straightforward muses, effec- min John Power at Spitalfields
tively nails the vibe of fellow Market.
Lexingtonian Matt Duncan’s
melancholy and touching album.
Baths
___Obsidian
Will Wiesenfeld turned a dark
corner with Obsidian, which was
reflected by this brooding image,
art directed by Young Replicant
filmmaker Alex Takacs.
ALBUM COVERS
Fort Romeau A$AP Rocky
___Stay / True ___Long Live Asap
Michael Cina has done countless The progression from Rocky’s
pieces of art for Ghostly Inter- first mixtape to his first studio
national, but this abstract album was dexterously articu-
cover (which likely comes from lated on the cover, which was
his extensive collection of produced by DONDA.
similar expressions and exper-
iments) was only the tip of the
iceberg—he also designed the
custom display typeface that
accompanies it.
Disclosure
___Settle
The photo that brothers Guy
and Howard Lawrence chose
for their cover is innocuous
enough, if not a bit 90s/Colum-
bia House (especially paired
with that typeface). But the
illustrations that overlay the
faces have become so complete-
ly iconic (even spawning a
Facebook app that lets you make
your own), making this cover one
that will be difficult to forget.

Pharmakon
____Abandon
Every first impression of this
cover I’ve witnessed has been,
“Hey, that's really pretty,”
immediately followed by, “wait
are those...” then, “oh shit,
maggots—I might throw up.” Which
is why it fucking rules.
SPECIAL FEATURE
Tim Hecker Kurt Ville
___Virgins ___Waking On A Pretty Daze
Virgins is an album that utiliz- In the end, the photo and compo-
es darkness and the space in sition of this cover could
which it was recorded as if it have been executed a little
were another instrument. The more thoughtfully. But Stephen
room on the cover frames the Abu Powers (aka ESPO) shares an
Ghraib-like centerpiece in an effortlessly funny and charm-
impossibly solid representation ing aloofness aesthetic with
of the music inside. Vile, and he was able to illus-
trate that vibe while connecting
it to their shared hometown of
Philadelphia.
Tyler, The Creator
___Wolf
The don’t-give-a-fuck nature
of this cover perfectly matches
Tyler's idiosyncratically
random worldview.
Iceage
___You`Re Nothing
Iceage already owns one of the
most badass looking logos in
music. Overlay that onto some
falconry and it’s pretty diffi-
cult to hate this one.
Nuclear Spring
___Nuclear Spring Ep
Brooklyn’s Nuclear Spring could
not have found a more perfect
photo to carry their early-80s
anarcho punk-inspired assault.
ALBUM COVERS
Parquet Courts Kanye West
___Light Up Gold ___Yeezus
The ramshackle cover of Light The stark minimalism of Kanye's
Up Gold comes from the moleskin Yeezus extended all the way
sketches of co-front man Andrew to its barely-there, instant-
Savage. ly-iconic cover.
Deafheaven
___Sunbather
Designed by Nick Steinhardt
from Touché Amoré, the cover's
color scheme is based on the
view behind your eyelids when
you stare at the sun, which
also seems to be melting away at
the stems and crossbars of the
Didone-style typeface.
45
a sitdown with
Leif Podhasky
L
eif Podhajsky is fast becoming one
of the most active and prolific
graphic designers in the industry.
His artwork is recognizeable on
a number of Pitchfork-approved
album covers, including both LPs by Tame
Impala, as well as releases from Grimes,
Shabazz Palaces, Lykke Li and Foals.
Known for his modern take on psychedelic
art, employing repetitive geometric
imagery and swirled-out nature tropes,
Podhajsky’s website rightfully boasts
that he “explores themes of connected-
ness, the relevance of nature and the
psychedelic or altered experience”.

Podhajsky recently did the artwork for

the upcoming album by Mount Kimbie, and
even directed the glitchy music video
for Kimbie’s addicting single “Made To
Stray”. We caught up with the London-
via-Melbourne based artist to learn a bit
about reconciling being addicted to both
work and nature, as well as some of those
bands he’d like to collaborate with in
the future.

by Arthur Bittar
GRIMES’ “The Mythical Gymnastics” tour artwork

Fibonacci Vortex, by Leif Podhasky Artworks for the singles of Tame Impala’s second album, Lonerism

49
 FEATURE INTERVIEW LEIF PODHASKY

Snatch, pull
and reel
Podhasky reveals his influences and how
he joined the trade
an exclusive interview by Arthur Bittar—may 11th, 2013

What was the first work that you got paid for?
How do you actually feel about that piece now?
The first piece I got paid for in graphic design
was probably re-doing a medical form [laughs]. It
was completely boring and it was just layout and I
think I got paid one-hundred dollars. I was pretty
happy. I think I kept the check.

Young Magic, Melt album artwork What was the first band album comission you got?
I think it was actually Tame Impala. I didn’t
actually plan on doing album artwork. I just

“ I JUST STARTED PUTTING started putting stuff up online that I was doing Logo for band SPLASHH

STUFF UP ONLINE AND at the time and Modular contacted me out of the
blue to do a pitch for their album cover. That was
MODULAR CONTACTED ME
a lucky break.
OUT OF THE BLUE TO DO A
Did you study art at university or did you draw a
PITCH FOR THEIR ALBUM
“ lot as a kid? What led you to this career?
COVER. I was always drawing, but I studied graphic design
in college and I studied at a studio in Melbourne
for a few years doing traditional graphic design,
then I started doing the art-based design stuff.
Do you need a certain atmosphere to work in—a home
office, say—or can you do your work anywhere from a
laptop?
I have a home office at the moment but I’m just
about to move into a studio. It doesn’t really
matter that much. I’m simple and I’ve done a lot
of traveling so I’ve always had a laptop. I used
to take pictures of desks I was working on because
it would be in Berlin or in Mexico or in New York
or London or back in Australia so it was a good
way to track my work. It’s good to be a little
bit settled. I think it’s easier to get your head
around things.
Do you often spend time in nature to help focus
your art and creativity?
I wish I spent more time. I’m actually stuck
behind the computer way too much now. I try to
St. Lucia, When the Night album artwork make time to go out. It’s my little escape.
Do you have an all-time favorite outdoor space?
I know you’ve been all over the world, but do you
have one spot that’s your ideal outdoor muse?
I would have to say where I grew up in Byron Bay.
It’s the fucking rainforest in the back of Byron.
A few of my friends have got really nice houses
out there so I like going and staying out there—
waterfalls, rainforests, the works. It’s probably
the most beautiful place I’ve been and I grew up
there so it’s special.
I’ve also read multiple times that you’ve said
love influences your work. Do you mean literal
love, like someone in particular? Or just the
general concept of romanticism and affection?
I think generally! Love in general, man. Love
towards other people is important. We all appre-
ciate it and we all need it so it’s a core factor
of how we communicate and express ourselves
creatively. I try to put a lot of good feelings
into my work and I think that comes across in the
composition and the color.
So how does your work turn out if you’re in a
negative mental state, does it show oy do you
avoid working in that mindset?
I think I try to avoid that. I leave those awful
states by working because they get me in a better
headspace. [Work] is my little sanctuary. [...] Visuals + Design for FIREWORKS! FESTIVAL in Paris, France

51
 FEATURE INTERVIEW LEIF PODHASKY

[...]It keeps me in a good mood. I won’t start any I could see you working with Flying Lotus or
jobs or artworks if I’m in a bad mood. I don’t want anyone on Brainfeeder or We Did It!
to translate that negative energy across into the Yeah, Flying Lotus or anyone from Brainfeed-
work. Some pieces are quite dark and there are er would be amazing. I just did some pitching for
dark themes but that’s showing the opposite side Black Sabbath. I would have loved to have done a
of love which I always want to explore. Pink Floyd or Hendrix cover. Maybe a Can cover.
I think I’ve gotten pretty lucky with who I’ve
What other media inspires you? Is there any liter-
worked with so far, we’ve come towards each other.
ature or photography that you’re into? Sometimes
your work reminds me of the film The Holy Mountain. What abou working in a creative agency or gallery?
Yeah. A lot has influenced me. Where do we even I had an exhibition in London and it was kind of my
start? I run a blog called Visual Melt so a lot first step into that.
of my influences are on
What gallery?
there. Literature-wise,
Pertwee Anderson and
I really like Murakami.
Gold. It was a group
I always looked up
exhibition with another
towards him. I also
guy. It was interest-
really like Killian
ing to showcase the art
Eng, too. All of these
side of everything. I’d
people I feature on
definitely like to start
Visual Melt.
doing that a lot more.
What computer programs Artwork for Cloud Control’s album, Dream Cave
Would you try other
do you use when creating
types of visual art?
your designs?
I’d love to move into
For my album artwork
other types like sculp-
I usually use Photo-
ture. I’d love to start
shop but I try to use
showing my stuff on
it in strange ways to
big-scale platforms and
try and break things
in more galleries. The
almost. I try to come
mesh between digital
up with outcomes that
and physical could be
you usually wouldn’t
White Arrows’ Dry Land is not a Myth album cover really interesting.
get out of Photoshop.
For the Mount Kimbie video I used Adobe Premiere I have to ask: Do you ever work in altered states?
and my friend Colby helped me do the data mashing Do you take drugs before starting a project?
stuff. I’m not sure what program he used but you Never. Never worked that way, really. If I’ve ever
can get data-mashing kits and basically overlap had any experience or trip like that it’s always
two videos and remove certain frames and it causes just taking something back from that and putting
that glitch. I worked with him on that and we it into something while I’m working. I’m never
added that in Premiere. really high while working.

Was it a tedious process?
It was quite tedious. Getting all the effects
layered takes a long time. I’m used to Photoshop
where it’s just a flow of go, go, go. But this was
quite different from my other stuff.
Are there any artists you have your eyes on?
There’s a young band called The Holydrug Couple.
They’re really small and I reckon I’d like to do
something for them.
Brian Lewis Saunders has that series where he does
self-portraits under different substances.
I’ve seen people’s drawings from when they’re on
acid or coke or whatever and it’s interesting to
see the difference in what comes out. I once drew
some pitches—ages ago—while on an acid trip.
How’d they turn out?
Little scribbles and words. I rarely work like that
though. I hate looking at a computer when on drugs. “Follow”, a collage used as one of Tame Impala’s T-Shirt Prints

52
 T
he group of indepen-
dent street artists
Coletivo
that is taking roots
and changing Rio’s
urban landscape.
Originally formed by
students of the UFRJ’s EBA
Gráfico
subdivision, the Fine Arts
School of Rio de Janeiro’s
Federal University, the
group still maintains many
of its members, many of which
are now graduated profes-
sionals, but grew into outer
handmade. circles of friends and other
urban-engaged artists.
54
At first, having mosty worked
in smaller, more private
instances, the group quickly
developed themselves strong
relationships—with public
institutions and a broader
audience—and managed
to gain visibility and
represent a younger gener-
ation’s gushing artistic
vein. Bootleg managed to
gather up some of the
material they worked
with and their most
recent activity to
the latest day.
Check it out.
by Arthur Bittar
 CREATIVE COLETIVO GRÁFICO

AN URBAN INTERVENTION
GROUP THAT WORKS WITH
GRAPHICAL IMPRESSIONS
AND WHEAT PASTING.
That is how the Coletivo Gráfico
describes itself on their page.
One of the many collectives
found in Rio's present scene,
the Coletivo Gráfico has been
growing to become a reference
in the city's latest cultural
and artistic manifestation.

Drawn paper gets cut into tiles

Mainly making use of stickers,

wheat pasting and other adhesive
materials and techniques, the
group posts their drawings around
town, spreading their interven-
tions throughout the streets, many
times getting comissioned by estab-
lishments to intervein on their Paper is positioned on the wall Wheatpaste is applied
facades, such as the Sergio Porto
cultural center (a regular client),
the Audio Rebel Studio, the
HomeGrown and the Addict stores,
and many others, with a style that Process is repeated until completion
usually dialogues with fanzine art
and graffiti.

The group is known for illustrat-

ing and working on the Sergio
Porto wall, in the neighbor-
hood of Humaitá. Located on a high
traffic area, the long and tall
Sergio Porto facade can be compared
to a great attention-drawing
street-leveled canvas, having been
interveined by the Coletivo Gráfico
over a dozen times. Some of their
works are featured in the web,
along with the preparation process
and some backstage footage as well,
currently being found on their site
at coletivografico.com.
Paper dries out and drinks and chitter-chatter take over

56

Smart and
affordable
Keeping bills due
Aside organizing meet-ups,
workshops and such, the group
also attends a number of events.
One of these was the Hype Fair,
where they had their own sales-
place reserved. You could find
t-shirts, paintings, customized
mugs and stickers, fanzines,
stamps, paper cut-outs and many
other trinkets in their shop.
With very accessible prices,
most of the items are very
attractive not only for being
affordable, but for displaying
a different aesthetic, that can
be appreciated by both adults
and kids. The biggest appeal of
their inventory is probably that
most stuff is handmade, bringing
uniqueness and singularity to
each and every piece.
Kids having fun in the meantime
CREATIVE COLETIVO GRÁFICO
Sharing experience
Despite all being seldomly found
It was part of an open event
for the public, called “design
Coletivo Gráfico’s workshop was
one of the many attractions
in the same room at the same
at the square”. This event, in available to the
time, the art collective members
it’s turn, was one of the many in audience that day.
are very close to each other.
the first Rio Design Week, that The lesson
They’re usually accompanied by
took place from October 23rd covered the
friends, beer and loud music.
to 27th in the carioca city.It basics: how
In their last gathering happened on a sunny Wednesday in to handle
they organized a xylogra- the quiet neighborhood of Urca, woodcarving
phy—also commonly known as at the ‘Cacilda Becker’ public tools, how to plan
woodcutting— workshop. square. your cutting
lines ahead, the
Parent browsing CG’s sales stand
limitations of the
material, the differ-
ent styles that other
Aware of this fact, the group artists used, and the differ-
intendendly decorated the ence that picking an appropriate
surroundings of their stand, material for the idea in mind
so that a bigger public would makes in the end result.
be brought in. They also lent
some markers so that children Towards the late evening, many
could draw on their wall stick- participants had already cut
ers. Doing so, the attention of over 40 different drawings in
many kids was drawn, along with wooden templates. These wooden
their parents, who stopped by at cutouts all had the same size so
the shop while their kids were that a small foldable fanzine
creatively engaged. could be quickly printed out,
by using eight
woodcarved
pieces.In order
to print these
out consider-
ably faster, the
CG bought a print-
ing press especially for
this purpose. It was an
old model, very heavy, made
mostly out of metal and wood.
It inked the matrix and then
pressed it onto the paper in
one lever-pull.
Printing press
used on CG’s latest
woodcutting workshop
59
 //gigs reviews of the best international concerts

The xx
Ice cold smoothness
"Chained", one of the best from

I
n their Vivo Rio perfor- their most recent released
mance, The xx's minimal- album, and "Infinity", with a
ist tone set the pace to the modified ending, making it more
crowd. The show began around energic and appropriate for
11pm, with "Try", from the closure, while big lasers were
band's second album "Coexist". projecting a very large "X" all
The song is memorable by Oliver over the stage.
Sims's and Romy Croft's vocal Beach House live on Circo Voador, oct 17th 2013
Returning from their minute-

Beach House
shifts, complementing one
long break, the group started-ff
another. Last but not least,
with "Intro", one of the most
the trio is complete with Jamie
Smith's beat, that dictates the
applauded songs of the evening, The mesmerizing duo
and "Angels", which is truly a
setting of the song.

T
declaration of romantic intent he band was still position- came with the tour from the well
The choice of beginning the in Croft's mellow voice. ing themselves at stage reviwed Bloom, from 2012, in has become a new indie anthem,
presentation with a slow-paced when the first chords of their first time in Brazil, and everybody singing together.
In an hour-long feature, The
song, considering the trio's Wild began. Reflectors and smoke anywhere in South America. Myth revealed a mature band
xx has shown it is one of the
standards, came as a warning to did sign what was coming: an which was already consolidated.
most original groups at the The light effects in this gig
the audience to chill out and intense show set up on friday,
moment and that, in most of showed that there was a lot of The encore was Real love and the
sync their inner clocks with 30th August, at Circo Voador,
their songs, manages to trans- concern and care in this produc- beautiful Irene, which closed
the band. The next two songs in the neighbohood Lapa, at the
late their unique sound to a tion. They were different in the show as good as it closed the
were from the band's self-ti- city of Rio de Janeiro.
live gig. They also prove that, every single music, with perfect studio album, with a surreal,
tled debut album— "Heart Skipped
sometimes, less is more.In a The duo from Baltimore presented static positions and constant warm embracing aura. Victoria
a Beat" and "Crystalized"—to
short show, about an hour, The a show of colors and music which voice frames. In Zebra, the Legrand abused her talent and
which the crowd sang along.
xx showed that it is one of the transcended the old style of audience seemed to be mesmerized her performance, prooving that
From that moment on they started most original groups of current Dream pop. With a honest setlist with all that was happening. she deserves a place in the hall
interloping between songs of and, in most of the songs , can and also the stage performance A true vibrante mantra. of indie divas.
their first and second album, translate their unique sound and powerful voice of Victo-
keeping the slow and easy to the live presentation . The crowd was in syntony too, by Ringo Starr
ria Legrand, the band took over
pace meant from the start. The Furthermore , they prove that and it was noticeable. Singing
skeptical hearts and minds and
first half of the show ended sometimes,less is more . along, interacting with the
prooved itself more matute. With
with the songs "Islands", the singer and hypnotized by the
four album released, Beach House
group's most enthusiastic song, by Jamie Oliver shifting effects between a music
and another, always expect-
ing a new scenography. Wishes

XX live on Vivo Rio, oct 24th 2013

61
 GIGS
Tame Impala
Aussies on a roll
Tame Impala live on Imperator, sep 19th 2013
T
he psycodelic rock of
aussie band Tame Impala
caught the public of Rio
the Janeiro on thursday, in a
presentation set in the bohemian
neighbohood of Lapa, downtown.
The music made by those hippie
surfers from Perth, west Austra-
lia, showed its international
appeal, reuniting more than two
thousand people in Circo Voador,
Rio’s emblematic gig tent.
62
An ice cold night that came
upon the city after a rainy day
which kept cariocas away from
the beaches was the context for
a spectacle of rock and psycho-
delia, in a style that pleases
the ears from both rockers and
hipsters.
In the entrance line was possi-
ble to spot many por beards and
bold mustaches. Definitly no one
inside wasn’t alternetive. They
all had a modern look, including
the band, which seemed to have
just been rescued from a castway
in australian shores.
On the other hand, those
hipsters and rockers that filled
up the house to enjoy a show from
GIGS
is bliss", "Alter ego", "It’s
a band which already managed to
make a world tour after just five
years of history and only two
not meant to be". The hit "Half
full glass of wine" thrilled
studio albume released, Inner-
the crowd, which demonstrated
to know well the song, singing
speaker (2010) and Lonerism
along with the band as they
(2012), considered one of the
screamed “Tame Impala, Tame
best releases of last year. The
Impala!”.
success achieved was as fast as
the african atilope that gives In the end, when they came back
name to the band. to the encore, the goodbyes
were said with Nothing that
Dirty and psychodelic, the sound
hás happened so far hás been
and powerful pop melodies lead
anything we could control,
them to where they are today,
finishing the night with the best
with the musician Kevin Parker
of alt and psy rock.
leading the band, that represent
well how the whole band should
by Antoine Dodson
look: long haired and barefeet.
With impressive images on the
big screen back in the stage,
the show began with Endors Toi,
and since that no one was able
to stand still at Circo Voador.
In the sequence came "Solitude

Devendra Banhart
Selling a fresh image
I
n the begining of the year,
there were some rummors of
Devendra Banhart comming to
Brazil, after six years absent.
Now, with a new album and a
revamped music style, he stood
up for the promisse and booked
four shows through the country.
After São Paulo’s gig, last
wenesday, the most tropical
of all american artists arrived
in Rio with the ‘Mala’ tour,
released in mid 2013. The show
was set in Circo Voador, on
thursday, 14th, bringing
together excited cariocas.
Rodrigo Amarante and Caetano
Veloso were there to check out
the carisma of this musician
from Texas.
64
GIGS
Devendra Banhart live at the Flying Circus, oct 17th 2013
On the stage, right on the clock
at 23h, Devendra talked to the
crowd in a little bit confusing
portuguese, mixed with spanish
words just as he trilled more
and more the ladies in the
audience. “Boa noite senhoras
e senhores! É um prazer estar
no Brasil. Falei certo?”, he
took the risk, with the light
spirit tipical of any cute boy,
who wore a black with white dots
shirt and dark throuses.
With Rodrigo Amarante, former
Los Hermanos member, shifting
between eletric guitar and
keyboards, the artist showed a
repertoir that was a watershed
in his career. Despite earlier
he was known as an odd figure and
labeled as “freak folk”, now,
at 31, the artist seems to have
found himself in a more matute
genre, with a certain dose of
melancholia in his lyrics,
proper of a growed man. In the
setlist, carioca fans could
enjoy success as Golden girls,
Cristobal risques, Never seen
such good things, A gain resides
others. Without doubt, it was
Carmensita, from the before last
album, that made the crowd sing
along, thrilled by the dancing
rythms of the song.
by Matt Rolland