This is cool... "Space Shuttle Endeavour Final Launch" by Northern Lights

Recently I posted the film of the cameras from the Endeavour Space Shuttle launch. Just found this video that has synced up the disparate footage to create this fab panorama... which makes revisiting the launch well worth doing... especially when the boosters are ejected.

Recommend you watch it in full screen mode.

Good job Northern Lights!

Tx

My blogging policy

After reading this article by Bobby Solomon over on the awesome The Fox Is Black I wanted to add my tuppence worth and set out my blogging "policy".

I've been blogging for a number of years now... and I have always been about "the whole of me". This hasn't changed... albeit I now post more of my theological posts/rants over on the Something Beautiful Podcast website. I do this because I don't want to alienate friends who do not share my beliefs.

Over the last wee while my remit and focus, without sounding full of myself, has been to advocate for awesomeness... primarily within the field of independent music. Everything I feature on this blog has one tough obstacle to overcome... one big thick gate to pass through... and that's me. If I love it, then I will post it... if I don't, I won't. Its as simple as that.

I find most things through word-of-mouth, from the awesome folks who make up my Twitter timeline, from other blogs or from taking a donder around the Interwebs. However, recently I have received content to check out... which I am extremely grateful for.

The thing is... if you want your music, art or whatever featured on here... then give me a shout... and I will check it out. If I like it... I will post about it. If I don't... well, it just doesn't work for me... its not a criticism, its just me. I'd rather not feature something than disparage it with low ratings or anything... in fact, I don't rate anything on here because I don't think its fair... but I will tell you why something speaks to me.

Oh and I will tell you if I have been given it to check out. I don't see any point in lying to you. I don't make any money from this blog. I make my money as a Business Analyst. I'm not a journalist nor am I professional reviewer... I am just someone who loves things like independent music (especially ambient electronica and post-rock) and wants to give back to all the folks out there who create for the love of it. This is my fun... this is my golf... this is my WoW... and as such I want to keep it that way.

I hope this makes sense?

Tx

"Rolling Thunder" by The Hard Drive featuring my photo

My friend Wolfgang Merx in collaboration with another of my twitter friends Tom Emmons has created an awesome ambient soundscape... and the track features one of my pictures as the album art.

Its always a pleasure to work with Wolfgang... he gives me a loose remit and let's me interpret it as I like. For this release it was...

"I want to release the 29-minute-long track "Rolling Thunder" as a single. It's got a rather dark sound (hence the title)."

I looked back through my archives and suggested this photo :: 280111_ Near the Tron :: which was taken whilst on photosafari to the Barras in Glasgow... along with a few others. Wolfgang chose it... and the rest is history.

I'm delighted with its use... I feel its my way of giving back to the independent music scene I am part of.

Anyway... check out the track... if you like long-form Berlin school ambient electronic soundscapes then you will love Rolling Thunder.

Tx

Two new EPs from Ambienteer

James Fahy aka Ambienteer has released two new EPs that are both well worth adding to your collection... if you dig ambient electronic soundscapes.

Diumenge (top) is the shorter of the two... with three tracks that mix post-classical drones with field recordings... to create deep soundscapes with an almost spiritual quality about them.

Frequencies (bottom) is more focussed on drones... with each track creating a unique and individualistic ambience. My particular favourite on this EP is the last track... fracture... which is based on the waves of sound that come from playing chimes... it is a simple concept yet the execution is wonderfully sumptuous and engaging.

I find James' work to be very powerful... and I strongly recommend adding both EPs to your collections.

Tx

Lack of choice with the Pulse app

My three favourite iPad apps are, without doubt... Pulse Reader, Instapaper and Yahtzee.

If you have an iPhone or iPad (and I realise not everyone has an iPhone or iPad) then you really need these apps. Pulse Reader is a really sweet and visual RSS reader and Instapaper is app where I can send wordy long-form articles to for "off-line" reading.  I love these apps and use them daily.

However, there is a problem with Pulse Reader that is impacting on Instapaper... which is the result of Pulse's latest update. Part of the appeal of Pulse is that I can send things to my "Pulsememe" Posterous blog from my iPad (for some reason it has never been a feature of the iPhone app). I use this Posterous blog as a visual scrapbook of awesome things I have found while surfing the blogs within my Pulse. Its a great reference tool and something I can share with anyone interested... something I have curated.

Perviously, sending to the Pulsememe account was a separate option than sending to Instapaper... and this was something I liked. I tend to send visual posts to my Pulsememe and wordly articles to my Instapaper.

I don't send visual posts to my Instapaper... nor do I send wordy articles to my Pulsememe. Now I have to. The developers have set it so that all the "posting to" options are together (except to email, twitter or facebook). Therefore, if I want to post to Pulsememe or Instapaper I have no choice but put them together... or post to one then log out of that option and log into the other option and post again.

It doesn't work.

I would like to see posting to Pulsememe, Instapaper and Evernote (another fab app I love for my iPhone, iPad and Mac) as separate options... on a par with posting to email, twitter and facebook. In fact, I'd happily swap posting to email and facebook with posting to Pulsememe and Instapaper.

I'm not sure what went wrong... but without separate options, Pulse is losing its appeal.

Tx

In Olly's garden

I picked up my 55-200mm lens for my Nikon today. It was wonderfully repaired by A.J.Johnstone... back to its glory. I was so eager to use it... that I rushed out into Olly's garden and snapped some of the flowers & birds out there. Here are a few of the best pics.

Enjoy.

Tx

This is cool... "Let Us Be Kind" by Gurdonark

I love this video from my dear friend Gurdonark... it displays so much imagination and feeling. Fantastic!

Enjoy.

Tx

Seven questions... with Matt & Kev from The Fierce And The Dead

Now then... Mr Matt Stevens is a cheeky monkey because he's sneaked in a second interview... but because its under the guise of his band :: The Fierce And The Dead :: I'll let him off.

In all seriousness... their debut album :: "If It Carries On Like This We Are Moving To Morecambe" :: is one of my fave albums so far this year with its wonderful mix of progressive instrumental post-rock. I was very fortunate to get a preview listen (review here) and was blown away. I really want them to succeed and with over 1,000 albums sold to date, they are on their way.

I caught up with Matt (right) and Kev (left... whose bass playing seriously impresses me) over email and asked them my seven questions... this is what they said:

Tx

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1) Who are you and what do you do?


Kev: I'm Kevin Feazey. I play bass in The Fierce And The Dead and i'm an audio engineer and producer. I also play bass for The Murder Barn and Ten Times The Man You'll Ever Be.

Matt: I'm Matt Stevens and I play guitar and make funny noises in The Fierce and The Dead. I also play in Yonks which is more esoteric and do solo stuff. And I run the Spencer Park Music label thing. And other stuff.


2) What are you working on at the moment?


K: I am working on recordings for a band called Silvery and writing new material for TFATD.

M: I'm finishing my 3rd solo record, doing solo gigs and there is more Yonks stuff on the way. I wrote a new TFATD song today. We're doing some The Fierce And The Dead gigs soon as well. And I'm spending too much time on Twitter, need to stop that


3) Who inspires you?
- Name an artist who has inspired you.


K: Black Flag. Their dedication to the music makes most other bands look like hobbyists.

M: My old guitar teacher Richard Beaumont was a big influence on me. He was a very unusual musician and he taught me a lot of the jazzy harmony parts that I use in the music, as well as the odd timings and all that. Lovely fella as well. The Track HR on the Fierce And The Dead record with the ascending chords and inversions has a feel influenced by him.

- Name place that has inspired you.


K: The Oakley Arms in my hometown. It's where my ambitions first became focused.

M: Home. My house with my wife! Seriously having her support allows me to do what i do with the music.

- Name some "thing" that has inspired you.


K: Guitars.

M: Twitter and the friendships I've made online are inspiring. When I was making music a few years ago there was no feedback, it was like shouting into space. Now you can put music out and get feedback and all that, you don't have to listen to it if you don't want to! Its a great to have that audience.


4) What drives you to do what you do?

K: I'm not driven, i just don't know how to stop.

M: I just want to get stuff finished, to produce good work. I've always wanted to do music thats different and individual, to hear new sounds, to try new things. Thats all you can do. I'm really proud of the Fierce And The Dead album, I think its a progression from the EP and different to the other things I've worked on. Kev and Stu are are great musicians, we have a very intuitive musical relationship where we play stuff and no one is trying to show off, I'm proud of that. I'll feel a lot happier when the my third solo album is out as well and all the backlog of music from the last year is clear.


5) What values do you wish your creativity to express?

M: Honesty really. All you can do is be honest, if you try and be cool or try and do music people will like you've had it. Be totally honest in what you do, the audience can see through it if you don't. If you don't have integrity you have nothing. I do it because I love music.

K: I would hate for the music I play to preach values. If anything I want our music to encourage people to develop their own values independently.


6) What role does community play in what you do?

M: The online community have supported us financially and by spreading the word and allowed us to do this so its absolutely crucial. Without them the album wouldn't exist. The reaction to the album has been really motivational to keep the project going.

K: My family is my base and my friends are my family.


7) What is next for what you do?

M: A new vinyl EP next year and lots and lots of gigs. We'll see how far we can take the Fierce and The Dead, I'm not stopping the solo stuff at this stage and there are various other projects but I'd really like people to hear the FATD stuff. I'm so happy with the reaction we've had so far, its a small audience but they are really into it. Thats all you can ask for really. We're very lucky and I'm totally aware of that. People buying the music allows us to keep doing this and record at decent studios and all that.

K: We are lucky enough to be able to play our music without having to pander to outside influences. I want to keep doing that for as long as we can.

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Thanks guys... very insightful. I look forward to more from you both.

http://www.fierceandthedead.com
http://thefierceandthedead.bandcamp.com/

This is cool :: Memory Tapes "Yes I Know" :: video by Najork

Don't know how Najork did it... but wow!
Tx

Seven questions... with Adam Howie aka @kimded

I have two stickers on my moleskine notebook... one by lowercase noises and one from Adam Howie. I love Adam's work and really wish I could support him more than I do... because I believe his art is wonderful... as can be seen at the bottom of this post. He has a vivid sense of vision and an expressiveness that I totally get. I really would love to see him to create the artwork for the music I listen to... as he did with The Northern Exposure's "Quiet Songs for a Loud Generation".

I caught up with him over email where I asked him my seven questions... this is what he said:

Tx

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1) Who are you and what do you do?
My name is Adam Howie, although I also go by the online nick of “Lurch Kimded”, and I am an artist… that sounds the confession at the beginning of a “Creatives Anonymous” meeting.


2) What are you working on at the moment?
Couple of things, but biggest current project is an illustrated version of “The Raven” by Edgar Allan Poe that I hope to turn into a book.


3) Who inspires you?
- Name an artist who has inspired you.


Ouch, hard one, not just because of the sheer number of artists who have inspired me but also with my memory remembering their names is nigh on impossible. If I had to choose one I would say JMW Turner, ever since I first saw his work as a teenager doing art history in high school there was something about his work that just drew me in. It was atmospheric, powerful, and so beautiful. I also loved the fact that to get the inspiration for a piece about a storm he attached himself to the mast of a boat during one so he could fully experience it. It probably never happened but it does give a glimpse at the kind of artist he was.

- Name place that has inspired you.
I could be obtuse and say the Internet, but I would say that Scotland has impacted me greatly, quite apart from being my homeland, I spent a good chunk of my life growing up in dramatic vistas of the highlands and islands. Japan, however, has had a massive impact of my life and inspired me greatly, not just from my love of the place, the people, and the cultures, but also the very real impact it had on my life which resulted in me being able to try and make a living from being an artist.

- Name some "thing" that has inspired you.
Probably the biggest thing to inspire me is music, I almost always create with a wide varity of music on in the background, and a few of my pieces have been directly inspired by lyrics.


4) What drives you to do what you do?
Besides the obvious need to make a living :), I would say that I just cant help it, its an impulse I have had since I was a kid. I have always drawn, never really thought I could make a living out of it, but even at uni while studying computer science I still doodled through lectures. It is quite literally a part of me I cannot ignore, I have to create or I deny a very real part of who I am. I also believe that in some way this drive is enhanced from God, who is a creative being to me, and there is a desire to see creation and its experiences explored through art.


5) What values do you wish your creativity to express?
I try and not force my work to have “values” but rather have emotion, and meaning, although I suppose that is a value. I want my work to show that we need to examine everything, to look at things from different perspectives, to see the world as other see it to hopefully get a better understanding of them. I would also say that I want my some of my work at least to confront people with emotions, ideas, and the like, that they may not necessarily want to confront.

My Christian beliefs and values will be reflected either obviously, such as in my religious works, or subtly, in some of works focusing on pain and emption. However I would love it that even those who aren’t Christian, or would have nothing to do with any faith, can still take something from my work.


6) What role does community play in what you do?
There is of course the wonderfully supportive community of my family and friends (both physical and virtual) who continually support me and uplift me, even when I am at my most negative, and I am always grateful for it. But there is also the role of feedback from the online communities that I upload my work to, although I still hope to be able to one day make my way into the local art community by showing at galleries and the like.


7) What is next for what you do?
I would say that the biggest thing is the development of my style and exploring new ways to expand the reach of my work.

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http://www.illusionaryconstructs.com/
http://www.redbubble.com/people/lurchkimded
http://kimded.deviantart.com/