two hipster agents who will market the sound

ben silverman on charlie rose. i'm surprised the world didn't implode. this is just too good. ben, beyond being a caricature of himself at this point, talks to charlie like he's a minorly challenged infant. watch ben duck and weave (pronounced around the 5 minute mark).

just listen

almost nine years ago i visited the once great ifilm.com (now folded into spike.com) and watched a popular short film of the day called "black people hate me and they hate my glasses." i then watched it again. and again. and again...and then i sort of forgot about it. a few times in the almost decade that's passed i've sporadically revisited it. watching it again today i just marvel at how it stands the test of time.

the writing is hysterical and impressively walks a fine line given the subject matter. the narrator, andrew gurland, channels woody allen and david cross. the hyperkinetic cinematography from anthony hardwick (who has gone on to shoot borat and my own company's religulous) heightens the comic timing and absurdist premise while capturing a quintessential new york. the music is spot on and the editing is stellar (the director Sal Levin is now a professional). it was even ep'd by three of hollywood's biggest managers, the three principals of benderspink (this must have been very early days for them).

most of all though, the short is just really really fun. from the quickfire banter and the metacinematic presentation of the sound guy to the amateurish acting, the whole endeavor sings of film school guys messing around, putting real effort into a whimsical idea (consider the number of locations, size of cast etc) and committing full on to something they found funny.

this is an inspiration every time i watch it:


via videosift.com

good lord

it takes a lot to elicit the fanboy in me so kudos to warner bros for releasing a trailer that threatens to permanently convert me into a babbling idiot (which this uncharacteristic ND post may be evidence of). the first watchmen trailer was beyond excellent, but this is... chills. it's getting incredible buzz and the extra footage looks amazing, but let's give some credit here for the impeccable music. i'm actually tearing up right now from laughing so hard at how awesome this movie is going be. i'm not even joking. there are tears of joy in my eyes. suffice to say: i can not wait to see this.



do yourself a favor and watch it in hd here.

i love it. cricket, that is.

as promised by dbs, this video is a special one. a literal video before it's time.

keep it hot, keep it going, best tomorrow for a 21st century

congrats to the madame lamb crew for hitting the fifty thousand hit mark. if you haven't already, add them to your google reader or make visiting the site a daily priority. do it right now. novel designs owes almost every hit bump to a madame lamb shout out. you guys crush it.

got a quiver?

quintessential hotness from jetsetting godsall. i don't know how ND has failed to pay more attention to this site. it led me to this masterpiece of surf cinema. a little floyd anyone?

you even have health insurance, oh what a bore

yoann lemoine splits his time between paris and new york and has his hands in a myriad of hypercool visual honeyjars. some pleasant photos below.







..and a playful video for yelle


... and be sure to check out his new york series

leave luck to heaven

we saw starfucker at spaceland last night, and while their twee-dancey behavior was certainly off-putting the quality of their tunes is undeniable. there's no reason for them not to be big, barring some FCC related complications. there are a lot of encouraging comps for the band:


(check out the footage from spaceland spliced in there. love that blue/silver comet curtain)


(mike mills as ever)


(hands down the best mgmt song (from when they were still called the management) i can't fathom why this track isn't being spun more often)


(picking an exemplary of montreal track has become tricky with their expansive catalogue, and i've taken the safe route with this one. all of their videos seem like outback steakhouse ads and their live performances are just too weird for words (live horses?))

i think we can safely identify starfucker's biggest influence though:


and just for fun:

what's next?

to state the obvious: this isn't a political blog. while i'm practically giddy about every awesome cabinet appointment to come as obama's all-star A-team takes form, novel designs ain't the new york times politics section. novel designs, however, is the perfect venue for me to reflect upon the presidents of my youth. i speak of the standard bearers of democracy. the epitomizers of the can-do, all-american, true blue attitude. those whose actions have righted wrongs, struck down tyranny, and suprisngly often, saved the entire world. here's a thanks to you.....Presidents.

a sampling:

President William Harrison Mitchell


President Andrew Shepherd


President Thomas J. Whitmore


President James Marshall


President Tom Beck


President Jack Stanton


President Jackson Evans


President Mays Gilliam


"The President"


President Matthew Santos


and my personal favorite, the true president on this list...

President Jed Bartlett


addendum:
i'll grant wikipedia credit for helping with this only because i find it endlessly amusing that some generous soul took the time to actually contribute to this page.

b.o. chief of staff

an article that is as informative as it is hysterical about the new chief of staff.

thanks

art decko

vintageskateboardmagazines.com
it offers all you'd hope for and more. a sample of the gems available on the website:

north america halloween prevention initiative

feist and the wolf parade boys are pretty easy to pick out, but see if you can hear arcade fire, REM, rilo kiley, islands, peaches, karen o, devendra banhart, david cross, and thurston moore in here too.

forget halloween

what are you wearing on election night? i'm wearing this recent ebay win.

two birds fly

apartment therapy is featuring the home of serena and mason, the owners and operators of two birds fly, who run with a pretty serious crew (mollusk, sprout, solitary arts). their place is predictably paradisical. surf and skate boards line the walls, surrounded by thomas campbell artworks and many of their own projects (fingerpainting anyone?). something for the alamo to aspire to.

thanks

Something pretty cool happened over the weekend. Novel Designs got its ten thousandth hit.
While this is a mere fraction of what moderately better known blogs pull in on a slow day (it took us about 8 months), it’s gratifying to know that the CAP and ASP posts reach a small consistent audience. We know who you are and appreciate the attention.
Since March, Novel Designs has spawned a published interview with our favorite artist, a healthy online photo gallery (and from it a published photograph), a regular mix tape, a kickass pennant and a myriad of ideas that are on the verge of being realized (podcasts, custom wayfarers, a cruise ship vacation package giveaway...)
So thanks for taking the time, adding ND to your google reader and recommending it to your friends.
We’re gonna keep posting so please keep reading.
ASP/CAP

religion, politics and the great pumpkin

so right....

bummer free zone

maybe not quite as good as 30 rock last night (noblesses oblige!), but, once again, snl absolutely crushed it. i'm glad that with all the unintentional comedy that comes with the theater of politics these days, the professional comedians can still take it to the next level.

the only song we like is smells like teen spirit

harlem hails from austin, tx and sounds like a mix of strange boys and white denim, with a little muslims thrown in for good measure.

buffalo will kill paris

"taking a queue from hip hop culture, these posters were made to provoke attention towards an unacknowledged city by starting beef with well-known, prosperous cities in hopes to gain notoriety." i.e. hilarious. well played christopher wade sherron.

don't look at it no matter what happens

the last three minutes or so are just mindblowing. drew can barely contain himself at about the 9 minute mark. watch the first part too when they discuss "executive experience."

the image of patriotism shining through crying faces (9:30) brings this to mind:

nailed it

how strange it is to be anything at all

Neutral Milk Hotel - Engine - 10/18/2008 Brillobox, Pittsburgh PA from Engine on Vimeo.

i would give anything to see mangum play just one nmh song live. even this b-side.

5:32 update. This version is way better quality:

the answer wasn't here

the wordplay of tauba auerbach:

follow up to below

the title of krugman's piece just set in:

let's get fiscal

wow. nobel laureate ladies and gentlemen and he's dropping zingers.



maybe he just watched last week's office?