I’m not the kind of person who would get choked up from watching a music video, but Maisey Rika’s “Reconnect” moved me. It’s a sublime combination of music, lyrics, and vision. Things from Aotearoa/New Zealand tend to hit a particular chord for me. The clip for “Reconnect” reminds me of Tiki Taane’s “Tangaroa” in how the ancestral past never disappears. Instead, it’s always present… you just need to look at things from a slightly different angle for all those from ages past to reappear.

LISTEN NOW

“Reconnect” is off Maisey Rika’s self-titled debut EP, now available on  iTunes.  She has since followed up with the gorgeous Tohu.

Tags: Aotearoa, Maisley Rika, Māori, New Zealand, Reconnect, Tohu

Back in my college days on the East Coast, I always had Talvin Singh’s compilation Anokha: Soundz of the Asian Underground playing in the background. It was one of those discs that heralded the arrival of the Asian sound into electronica and the greater mainstream music consciousness. Just think it would only be one year later that Madonna ended up worshipping “the guru’s lotus feet” on Ray of Light’s “Shanti/Ashtangi” produced by William Orbit. (On a digressive note, I recently realized that her VMA performance of “Shanti” – - was probably the first time any thing in Sanskrit was broadcasted on MTV. Unfortunately, though replete with bharata natyam dancers and projections of Hindu deities, the performance was vocally far from Ms. Ciccone’s best.)

In any case, more than a decade had passed since I originally chilled out to Mr. Singh’s fine selections brewing organic Chai in college housing when I ended up coming across the original clip for Mr. Singh’s “Jaan”. Directed by Mr. Rob Howard, “Jaan” feels likes a step back into a recent but far different time. (One more digression: is this how people feel when they look back at the sixties?) One thing for certain is that “Jaan” is certifiably one tripped out video: lots of soft-focus close ups of a statue of Buddha merging with Mr. Singh’s eyes, then long haired women in flowing fabrics, and finally feeding of farm animals. I think this would be a textbook example of what could be called an impressionistic non-narrative. Perhaps, knowledge of Hindi (I hope I’m not making a linguistic faux-pas) would help understand the context, but at least the vast intellectual storehosue of the Internet has left me with no answers.

Here is Mr. Singh’s in more recent times in a stunning tabla performance entitled “Devotion”. I can’t help but think that Hawai’i is in need of more tabla-injected dance parties.

Tags: electronica, Jaan, Madonna, tabla, Talvin Singh

Yes, we’re feeling Washed Out, and that’s not a bad thing.

Washed Out is a one-man ensemble by up-and-coming musician Ernest Green, who hails from Georgia. (Yes, we wouldn’t have thought Southern boys like electronics, but we’re glad  to be proven wrong.)   This track “Feel It All Around” is a perfect soundtrack for hot summer weather and cooling off in the water… or with liquid refreshments. The appropriately directed clip was produced by Fiction.

DETAILS

“Feel It All Around” is off Washed Out’s Life of Lesiure EP now available on iTunes and Amazon.

Mr. Green has quite a groovy photo blog along with a MySpace music page, which features the great non-EP track “You and I,” replete with old-school but tastefully subtle Madonna sample. We spotted other current fav, Toro Y Moi, who we’ve been listening to on our blip.fm station.

Tags: electronica, Ernest Green, Washed Out

We across this gorgeous fashion-meets-art-house clip via Wallpaper* magazine. It’s a kind of cinematic triptych, moving, as its title aptly suggests, from darkness to light.

THE LOWDOWN

“From Darkness to Light”

• Directed by Mariano Vivanco
• Starring Megan Fox, Hilary Rhoda, and  Marlon Texeira.

In the almost vampiric first segment, Megan Fox runs through the streets of Paris at night, while the film closes in color-drenched shots of Hilary Rhoda. The middle section, featuring Brazilian model Marlon Texeira, apparently is an older clip called “Higher States,” originally shot for British label Qasimi’s Spring Summer 2010 men’s collection. Peruvian-born photographer Vivanco has done editorial shoots for the likes of Numero, Vogue Nippon, Allure, and Details.

The film comes from the video gallery of Imagine Fashion, whose full fashion blog is soon to launch. In the meantime, we’ll be exploring  the other fashion clips.

Tags: Hilary Rhoda, Imagine Fashion, Mariano Vivanco, Marlon Teixeira, Megan Fox, Qasimi, Wallpaper* magazine

This past week in New York, Calvin Klein Collection designer Francisco Costa served up a women’s resort collection that was classic Calvin – elegant, simple, and unfettered. One of our favorite pieces was a creamy knee-length dress sported by Jac (above left). At another high point, the gorgeous Karmen Pedaru (above right) donned a crisp and cool sleeveless dress in a brilliant white with beautiful geometric pleating, which seemed to be a gentle reworking of Costa’s architecturally-driven Spring 2009 collection. Against this kind of minimalist backdrop, a velvet evening dress – worn by Kristy Kaurova (above center) – caught the eye with its vibrant yellow and has earned a nod from the fashion media.

THE SHOW

THE SOUNDTRACK

Simply minimalist in wash of guitar riffs and beats courtesy of Toro Y Moi and Krikor – The Dead Hillbillies. On a fashion note, it’s interesting to see that the same Toro Y Moi track started off the Gudrun & Gudrun show during Copenhagen Fashion Week.

REVIEWS

• Resort Report | Calvin Klein’s Palate Cleanser – New York Times Style Magazine
• Calvin Klein Resort 2011 Collection – Style.com
• A Look at Resort 2011: Calvin Klein – Vogue.com

MORE CALVIN

See the full collection at Calvin Klein Collection Women.

CREDITS

Photography by Don Ashby

Tags: Calvin Klein, Jac, Karmen Pedaru, Krikor, Kristy Kaurova, Resort 2011, Toro Y Moi

While it’s hard to beat a bottle of Champagne in our books, the economic crisis has made us think twice before shelling out for imported bubbly.  During our recent runs to Tamura’s and R. Field, we’ve been putting a particualrly fine Californian sparkler into our basket instead.  While many Californian sparkling wines have left us feeling less than enthusiastic – especially since they’re priced higher than comparable but more satisfying offerings from Spain and Italy – J Cuvée 20 Brut has renewed our faith in domestic sparkling wines. It’s an elegant blend of Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Pinot Meunier with notes of Fuji apple and honeysuckle – a perfect way to wrap up a long work week without breaking the piggy bank.

WHERE TO BUY

J Cuvée 20 Brut is available in Honolulu from two of our favorite wine purveyors:

Tamura’s Fine Wine and Liquors

3496 Waiʻalae Avenue, 808 735 7100

R. Field Wine Company

At Foodland, 460 South Beretania Street, 808 596 9463

Those who prefer alcohol to come to them can have a case of J Cuvée 20 Brut shipped directly by Wine.com.

MORE ON J CUVÉE 20

Learn more about this great sparkling wine from J. Vineyards and Winery.

Tags: Champagne, J Cuvée 20 Brut, J. Vineyards and Winery, sparkling wine

This past Sunday, CBS reaired veteran journalist Morley Safer’s 2009 interview with Anna Wintour, Editor-in-Chief of American Vogue, on 60 Minutes.

While I consider myself much more inclined towards Carine Roitfeld and French Vogue, I had to give Ms. Wintour her due respect when Mr. Safer asked her a simple but profound question.

SAFER: What bores you the most?

WINTOUR: Mediocrity.

Surprised, I couldn’t help but nod in agreement.

The rest of Mr. Safer’s profile of the editor who inspired  The Devil Wears Prada is entertaining as it’s clearly told from the perspective of an older gentleman used to tacking more “serious” issues as opposed to the seemingly trivial nature of fashion. Take, for instance, the expression on his face when he’s talking to Dior designer John Galliano wearing some kind of leopard-print hat. It was probably Safer’s detatchment (and journalistic stature) from all things fashion that made him an ideal choice to interview someone of Wintour’s reputation. Face-to-face with Safer, Wintour seems almost nervous, making her a bit more human… at least, until  the Chanel sunglasses go back on.

MORE VOGUE

• See the 60 Minutes interview here.
• For more on Wintour’s French counterpart, Carine Roitfeld – once dubbed the Anti-Anna – check out the always entertaining I Want to Be a Roitfeld.
• Also compare fashion insiders’ opinon of Roitfeld in the CNN profile on Roitfeld found on our earlier Roitfeld post. While Wintour’s name seems to be inspire supressed terror, Roitfeld’s actually brings a smile to their faces.

Tags: 60 Minutes, Anna Wintour, Carine Roitfeld, Morley Safer, Vogue

While stocking on the latest fashion mags recently, our eyes caught sight of Mr. Alexander Skårsgard (it’s pronounced skarsh-gard)on the cover of V Man, the edgy quarterly published by the same team behind the ultra-luxe fashion publication Visionaire. The Summer 2010 edition of V Man features Mr. Skarsgård and the other Nordic artists, musicians, and actors who are making quite an impression on the fashionista set. The V Man appearance coincides with his special appearance on the cover of the more mainstream Details. Though Mr. Skarsgård has appeared in Swedish films since his youth and a variety of English-language productions, his career skyrocketed since he made his appearance on HBO’s True Blood as Eric, a thousand year-old Viking turned vampire.

MORE ON ALEXANDER SKARSGÅRD

You can see the return of Eric when season 3 of True Blood begins June 13. In the meantime, visit Skarsgårdnews.com for the latest on the Swedish star after checking out this minisode of Eric with his vamp cohort Pam, played by Ms. Kristin Bauer. Caveat: those with timid tastes that don’t watch cable may not want to watch.

Tags: Alexander Skarsgård, Details, HBO, True Blood, V Man

Danish group Selvmord’s hot track “OK” has quickly become one of our favorite track of Summer 2010. From what we’ve seen online, Selvmord is marketed in Europe as a rap group. But their sound has a bit too much of a teutonic slickness to file them neatly away somewhere between Tupac and Ludacris. If anything, Selvmord’s aesthetic, built upon its phat beats tastefully dusted with rough and dirty electronics, reminds us of Brit band Massive Attack - a kind of Nordic cousin to Massive Attack’s Mezzanine from the late nineties.  Selvmord’s music is the kind of thing you’d want to brood fashionably to in a loft while sipping gin and wearing vintage Helmut Lang… well, before the economic. (Actually, perhaps afterwards.)

THE MEANING

We realize, of course, that some people have a hard time listening to music in a language they don’t understand. Consider, for instance, how many people listen to American music around the world without knowing much English.

But we’re not ones to leave people lost in translation. The video does a good job at conveying the jist behind “OK.” A young Nordic vixen with smoky eyes reminiscent of Helena Christensen and guys with tats and a pissed off attitude, who, despite all their big words and macho posturing, still get paint thrown right in their face.

When we put the lyrics for “OK” through Google Translate, we were faced with a stormy tale of love, jealousy, sex, and betrayal, covered by silence but immediately revealed by a simple look in the eyes–all understandably laced with a dash of tasteful profanity.

THE VIDEO

MORE ON SELVMORD

• Check out the band’s YouTube page by Copenhagen Records right here.
• “OK” and Selvmord’s self-titled album is now available on iTunes.

Tags: Denmark, OK, rap, Selvmord

I was reminded how much I love Montréal by the new video “Yellowbrite Smile” from Israeli-South African singer Yoav. It’s a journey through the city’s streets and network of underground tunnels… but backwards, with what seems to be stop-start photography, slightly dizzying visual effects, and a jaunt through the California desert. The track is off Yoav’s second studio release, entitled A Foolproof Escape Plan.

MORE ON YOAV

Yoav’s first studio release Charmed and Strange was released in 2008, gaining recognition in Russia (a #1 single), continental Europe, and Canada. Despite his electronic-like sound, Yoav makes most of his music off  his Lowden acoustic guitar. The lean and mean “Club Thing” shows all the things one can with just one guitar and a little equipment.

YOAV ONLINE

Follow Yoav as he promotes A Foolproof Escape Plan on his official website, www.yoavmusic.com. The album is already out in Canada, and a worldwide release is just around the corner. (Sorry, it’s only an import in the States for now.)

Tags: Montréal, Québec, Yellowbrite Smile, Yoav