Ju$t Another Rich Kid / The xx Interview

By Editor in Interview, Music on February 3rd, 2010 | Please comment !! »

Ju$t Another Rich Kid The xxJu$t Another Rich Kid interviewed one of our favorite bands — The xx — for CITY. Check it out!

If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a million times: there’s so much music on the market now that it’s impossible to keep up. Today’s “it” band, even if they’re amazing musicians who can perform, network, and smile for the cameras, will soon be steam rolled by 20 newer, cooler bands that will capture our limited attention spans and bottomless hunger for the latest, greatest thing. I’m actually not even sure that the term “it” band is as relevant as it may have been a few years ago, when EVERYONE was going crazy for Arcade Fire, for example. It seems to be a consensus that although there were a few bands who were much-sought after during CMJ given the insanely large number of performances, nobody came out as THE band of the moment.

Thankfully, though, I did my homework and got in on interviewing one of the more sought-after acts of the moment London’s The xx. While The xx have gotten a lot of buzz and press in the UK, they’re still relatively unknown in the US, which I found out the hard way a few nights prior to the interview. I was out having drinks with friends and mentioned that I’d be interviewing The xx at Music Hall of Williamsburg that Friday. One friend who listens to a lot of music, had never heard of the band, and another who has a radio show hadn’t either! I’d like to say I wasn’t shocked – I really was – but I will admit, I wasn’t surprised. Six months ago, I’d never heard of The xx.

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Julius F/W 2010

By Editor in Fashion on February 3rd, 2010 | Please comment !! »

We are speechless. Only Tatsuro Horikawa — the designer behind haute menswear line Julius — could design a collection with this much leather in it that, instead of looking fetishistic (there are leather cod pieces for God’s sake!), looks futuristic and otherworldly. Of all the collections we’ve seen this season, this one defies all conventional categorization.

Julius is not only a clothing brand but a total concept and a complete creative aesthetic world which also encompasses Total Art Direction and Graphic Design that launched in 2001 with audio and visual presentations for Spring/Summer collections. In 2004, Julius debuts in Tokyo Collection with Spring/Summer 2005 collections and show in a modern art gallery. The rest, as they say, is history.

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Laarks

By Editor in Music on February 3rd, 2010 | Please comment !! »

LaarksCheck out the Laarks! While we hear that Eau Claire, WI is a hotbed of indie rock, this is the first band we know of to come out of there. Have a listen. We know you’ll love it.

Laarks was born to fill a void. Singer, songwriter and keyboard player Ian Jacoby and drummer Brian Moen began collaborating after the dissolution of previous projects (most notably Moen drummed with Amateur Love and DeYarmond Edison, which spawned bands Bon Iver and Megafaun). As old friends emigrated south(and then to northern hunting cabins, but that’s another story…), Jacoby and Moen began crafting songs togetherin a cold, damp Wisconsin basement, eventually enlisting Kyle Flater to play guitar and additional keys,and Zach Hanson to play bass.

Their latest record, not surprisingly, is a huge hit. An Exaltation of Laarks isn’t so much a laudation of the band as it is a summons to experience the exuberance and passion of finely crafted pop songs executed with contagious energy, and in stunning fidelity (especially considering the band did it themselves, from 2” tape to album art). Listening to the record is like flying a keyed kite in a thunderstorm, soaring on textured choruses and layered buildups, waiting for the lighting to strike just to feel it course through your body to your melted soles.

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DROMe

By Editor in Fashion on February 2nd, 2010 | Please comment !! »


No matter how you cut it, when it comes to clothes, the Italians do it like nobody else can. We just found an Italian leather company called DROMe that has us drooling.

DROMe is born… a dream, a journey. Inspired by the cloudy mists and grey tones of winter, this is a collection where exquisite materials and skilled craftsmanship combine to create a sophistication born of nature’s wildest season. Understated detail and informal tailoring feel sporty and work well combined with elements inspired by biker-rock street fashion. Masculine to the core, sophisticated, yet easy to wear.

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We Were Promised Jetpacks

By Editor in Music on February 2nd, 2010 | Please comment !! »

We Were Promised JetpacksAnother band we just got into — they’re on the same label as Frightened Rabbit and have been compared to Frightened Rabbit as well as The Twilight Sad, another band we love — is We Were Promised Jetpacks.

Before even releasing a single, WWPJ have laid claim to some recent successes which bode well for the future of the band. A well recorded three-track demo was circulated and managed to pick up a KEXP track of the day over the pond, and plays on national stations in the UK were popping up on XFM, BBC and Q radio.

A tour through September 2008 as main support for Frightened Rabbit garnered some great reviews for WWPJ. This being their first jaunt into England, healthy crowds arrived early on each evening due to the huge buzz in Scotland now filtering down south of the border.

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