Pascal Tremblay aka Makeshift is a graphic designer based in Montreal. I am usually not a fan of anything resembling postmodernism, but Pascal’s eye for color and composition make him an excpetion for me. I am not sure how Pascal renders his images, but they sure look hand done, at least for some of the watercolor-like textures.

I also noticed you can most of his work here, sometimes at really massive sizes (yet still affordable).

With all different kinds of 80’s revival sounds going on I can’t help but fall in love with most of them usually because of their easy going pace or lush melodies. Soft Powers not only has both but this memorable effect on the singers vocals, download their full LP here.

Washed Out, Animal Collective, Daft Punk and Memory Tapes have helped spawn an avalanche of similar artists, most people complain but hey I like those sounds so I just sit back and keep finding new music to pick thru and enjoy. Waskerley Way might wear their recently found influences on their sleeve but that doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy the hell out of this song.

New Mux Mool, you know I love it, you know you’ll probably love it, it has a hint of a 2Pac West Coast vibe, channeling Dam Funk and just a sound that in my mind is a fusion of all things Mux.

I trust the Danish you know why? because they are the home of Delsin Records a label that puts out solid deep melodic/house/IDM compilations. They’re always a go to for nights when you think you’re the only one up at 430am and you just want to space out on something with abit of kick.

All of this recent hype about the FujiFilm X100 has really forwarded my attention towards Leica and some of their compact cameras. Namely the M8 and M9. Sure they may be expensive but it’s definitely on my “to own” list.

If you’ve used one of these or better yet own a Leica then I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Images via Ffffound

There I was, minding my own business watching Sunday morning football, when these sexy pieces of design snuck up on me. Typically my brain turns off at the first sight of a car commercial, but this 2010 spot for the BMW 3 Series is a breath of fresh air. It’s great to see a company going back to their roots. Interspersed with the requisite this-is-a-car-commercial-and-we-are-driving-on-a-closed-road-that-doesn’t-exist type shots, there is some really terrific graphic design. Watch it on the BMW homepage for the highest quality version I could find (header image 2 of 5).

It’s not the first time BMW has impressed us with their design sensitivity, check out these vintage ads as well.

Recently I saw André Obin open for School Of Seven Bells, he is also scheduled to open for Tycho in NYC this Wednesday. He has a unique live show, he doesn’t do synth pop like most synth pop acts, he gives off this darker club vibe and its not a trendy direction either, its just a passionate early Kompakt feel with vocals, I don’t see very many American artists trying to do this. Grab this track up for free

Oh Blondes, when can I see you live, I hear great things and their EP Touched is a solid listen, can’t wait for an LP.

I didn’t know what to expect from Flying Lotus, I was hoping for loose psychedelic beat EP that would compliment his live show and extend the hype and I think he did just that. Clay is definitely my favorite track off the EP, the last 40 seconds show why he’s known for great composition and beat making.

I don’t know much about Karaocake to be honest but I picked it because it just reminded me of all the good mid 2000’s indie girl bands like Lali Puna, Broadcast, etc. that I don’t listen to much anymore.

I just put together this flyer for Tycho Toronto show at the Drake, which, as it turns out, is a free show as part of Scotiabank Nuit Blanche. I’m not sure if they’re printing them or if it’s web only.

Hope to see some of you out: Seattle 9/26, NYC 9/29, Toronto 10/02

I believe this is a catalog for Aries Kits, a company which manufactured modular synthesizer kits during the late 70’s in Massachusetts. I love how the limitations imposed by 1970’s printing technology actually fostered good design in a lot of cases. I wonder if the designer put much thought into the layout of top portion; it looks very purpose-driven. That “Explore Sound” wire-frame logo was probably super high tech at the time.

I forgot where I found that image, any ideas? (Tineye was down at the time of this posting)

I haven’t been this excited about a Jose Gonzalez song since Heartbeats came out, its like he took a Kings Of Convenience song on a psychedelic drive.

One artist I keep searching for is Minks, its the perfect mixture of goth, lo-fi and 80’s revival. This song even sparks up memories of a late night good time on the shore and not just bedroom dance party.

If Peter Broderick keeps releasing then i’ll keep posting his material, one of my favorites of his genre. Has anyone seen him live? i’m sure it must be relaxing and heart wrenching at the same time. This song gets soo intense, he was made to make soundtracks I swear, i’d trust him with the task over many that are in that business.

An oldie for some, I sometimes love to put on this Colleen album, it brings me back to when this and Mum felt really fresh in my ears.

Nueva Forma has graciously allowed me to post these Listening Pleasures here for you guys. They have captivated me for the last month when stumbling upon them. Prior to this post I’ve also posted mixes 1-8 on Wanken with the track listing for each.

Each month Nueva Forma creates one of these mixes featuring artists from their own label and also guest artists whom they feel fit. The mixes are presented as podcasts and can be downloaded from the website. Each is around an hour or so in length. So sit back and enjoy the wonderful listening pleasures brought to us courtesy of Nueva Forma.

This is the first in a new series of interviews where one artist interviews another, five questions each. I’ve been on the road with School Of Seven Bells, hearing their daily interviews, and I’ve noticed too many similar questions keep coming up again and again. I’m hoping that the artist/artist format can give readers a better idea of what’s on the artist’s minds. I’ve also asked each artist to two songs which they’ve been listening to, all of which are posted above.

MUX MOOL INTERVIEWINS SHIGETO   (more…)