Friday, April 11, 2014

life post, what's ahead, and another band spotlight (Moto Boy)


Hi! I figured it was about time I wrote a comprehensive post on what's been going on lately. I didn't expect April to be the exciting month it looks like it'll turn out to be -- all the fun stuff usually happens in May, when the semester finally ends, and when my birthday comes up. (May 23rd, hint hint.)

I haven't been working on any particular (creative) projects, but I finally have Photoshop installed on my new laptop, and I feel the drawing bug coming back, so I'm hoping to start that up again. I'm still researching how to properly price commissions when I open them in the future (and yes, I know I've been slacking in the art department, but I definitely will). In related news, Society6 recently added rugs to their list of products!

Art stuff aside, I'm looking forward to the rest of this month. I've been doing pretty well in terms of time management -- I've had to to a lot of things in advance to make sure I have time to enjoy all the fun stuff -- so I've just got to keep it up a little bit longer. 

Here's what I'm especially eager for:


After just having seen The National in LA, I thought it'd be a while till my next concert. But upon seeing that Drowners added a date here in San Francisco (they're opening for Temples), I knew I would regret it if I didn't go. So I went for it. I've already bought my Lana tickets a few months ago -- funny how these shows turned out to be in the same week. It's a good thing I've always got an abundant supply of coffee in the kitchen, because I'm definitely going to need it. (Though it is a wonderful coincidence that some of my classes were cancelled this week, too.) I'm sure these two shows will fill the void that missing HAIM's gigs here in SF have left behind.

I suppose it's pretty obvious that I'm not attending Coachella. There is always Outside Lands, of course, where both HAIM and Arctic Monkeys are playing...but I'm not quite sure if I can justify that just yet. I'll see. I have yet to plan any events for these next few months.

A few more things I have ahead:

+ I'm (finally) going to see The Grand Budapest Hotel this weekend. 

+ I have a photoshoot with the lovely Victoria Lubach on the 25th! It's been a long time since I've seen her, and I'm excited to work with someone of such talent! Check out her photography here.

+ I'm going to schedule another haircut soon. Nothing too dramatic of a change, just chopping off a few inches. Spring has definitely reached San Francisco, and anything above 70 degrees is too hot for me, so I'm preparing for the hell that is this upcoming summer.

Band spotlight: Moto Boy


I've never heard of Moto Boy until my friend Miriam posted a track of theirs, "Blue Motorbike", on Tumblr a while ago. It was definitely love at first listen -- I immediately loaded up a playlist of Moto Boy songs the moment "Blue Motorbike" finished playing. While "Blue Motorbike" is a cheerful number, his music is not limited to that particular vibe -- I was pleasantly surprised at the poignant range of his songs. Moto Boy's tracks travel through various temperaments, from to the sunny character of "Blue Motorbike" to the melancholy, cinematic arrangement of "Someday". (Other favories of mine are "Too Young to Know" and "A Room Without You".)

Based in Sweden, Oskar Humlebo of Moto Boy has been involved with music since childhood, where he sang in a choir, and later came to play jazz and experimental music during his teenage years. He eventually created the stage name Moto Boy, and released his debut album in 2008 of the same name. You can view his discography here on his official website, and read more about him.

His music is described as the following on Moto Boy's Soundcloud page:
"Moto Boy makes lush, romantic pop songs. With emotive pop and impressive operatic vocals, the result is hair-raising music that evokes feelings parallel to that of a Jeff Buckley song or a David Lynch movie.  
"...The Malmo based artist influences go from Tchaikowskij, and Angelo Badalamenti to Scott Walker and Siouxsie Sioux, but most of all he is inspired by great movies."
I highly recommend his music (hence my featuring him here), and if there's an artist that definitely deserves more attention, it's Moto Boy. You can listen to his music on Spotify here. 

Follow Moto Boy:

Instagram
Facebook

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By the way, it's been a while since I've done this bit at the end of a post, so why not:


What I've been wearing: Gone are the days of coats and leggings (not really, it's still cold here in the morning) and I'm finding myself having a harder time than usual figuring out to wear. Fashion for the warmer months has never been my forte. I haven't been really doing anything new in terms of clothes, but I am going through another ring phase right now. I've been wearing the heart ring I bought in LA, the eye ring, and this cute kitschy bug ring set.

What I've been inspired by: Bee jewelry -- that bug ring set came with a bee ring so I had to have it. (I suppose it's my way of showing my love for anything and anyone related to Euglassia Watsonia.) Eye patterns. The stunning Autumn Kim and her ensembles, especially "Another Autumn" and "Green Rainy Day". This gorgeous photoshoot of Suki Waterhouse for L'Officiel Singapore, and my favorite shot from her shoot with ELLE China:


Most of all, though, I've been especially inspired by everything about Annie Clark (of St. Vincent), from her sound to her style:


What I've been listening to: I like to have the albums of bands I'm about to see live on repeat, so basically it's been a cycle of Drowners, Temples, and a whole lot of Lana del Rey. (I love Lana. Have you heard her new single? I absolutely adore it.) Other than those three bands: Moto Boy, obviously. Miles Kane's new song "Why?", which he wrote for Saint Laurent. I've had The National's Boxer and High Violet albums on repeat since LA. On gloomier days I'll switch on some of Kate Bush, The Cure, and The Vaccines. I've also had a few middle/high school throwback moments with CocoRosie and Dear and the Headlights.

What I've been reading: Still nothing outside of what's required for my literature classes (I've just finished Eduardo Halfon's The Polish Boxer, which I enjoyed, and a reread of Kerouac's On the Road). But! After the season 4 premiere of Game of Thrones and a few months of everyone telling me I should, I thought I'd finally start reading the A Song of Ice and Fire series. I'm excited.

1 comment:

  1. I had Lana Del Rey on repeat today! Can't get enough of her lately for some reason.

    x Michelle | thefeatherden.net

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