Wednesday Images

via National Geographic Daily. Can you say amazing amazing amazing?

Hanging out and listening to Avi Buffalo's What's In It For? on Sub Pop Records. The mellow upbeat tunes match my current view of a pink and orange sunset. It's truly a magical moment...

Happy Wednesday everyone and stay warm in New York City my lovelies -- snuggle up.

Merry Merry Merry

Happy Holidays from me to you from them to us.  Enjoy the sounds from Gorilla vs. Bear December 2010 mix.

Merry Merry to all of my very favorites!!

Χαρούμενα Χριστούγεννα

Season's Greetings from Florida!  XO, NoNY.

December Playlist

Brought to you by TOURIST Magazine. Listen to the 15 songs here.

Réveillon de Noël

Monster Rally is about to release a new 12" collection of sample-based psych-pop beats which sound much like a combination of Tahitian balmy lazy Bollywood ocean exotica waves of melodic perfection. 

Coral is a collection of old and new songs that apparently sample everything from "African highlife to Bahamian Calypso" and you can get a taste of the goodness here. The album which is pressed on an opaque sea foam green vinyl (just when you thought the best couldn't get better) comes out January 11 on Gold Robot. 

Don't slack; the run is limited to 250 copies.  

Happy Holidays Part Deux...

Happy Holidays part deux! Images above are randoms selected from a month long string of nights in beautiful Brooklyn, a twelve days of Christmas of sorts...) from all of us to all of you...We celebrated December in style, the best style  -- New York City style.

XOXO, Happy Holidays part deux!

Happy Holidays!!

Happy Holidays my nearest and dearest!! Images above are from Meg Allan Cole's annual (and very famous) fab holiday party in Williamsburg, mia madre telling her children 'like it is', my holiday tree in my teeny tiny co-op apartment, yours truly at (yet) another (post) holiday party in Brooklyn the night before our annual French Family Floridian vacation.

Besos on everyone!! I hope you are all enjoying this holiday season and I look forward to the New Year!! XO, NoNY.

On Holiday...

I am officially (but continuously working and being 'connected' to the museum, naturally) on holiday in Florida. I'd like to give a quick thanks to the JetBlue staff this morning that expedited my wait in line and performed miracles on my behalf. Seriously, I can't believe I made the flight. Merci! Merci! Merci! JetBlue!

Let the warm temperatures, ocean, family, wine and cable tv (slightly joking but I'm pretty excited to catch up on shitty reality television whilst here) commence, officially.

Happy Holidays to my lovelies! XO, NoNY.

Images via drenchrome.

TinyVices

Images by Guy Martin from his Cossacks series and Boru O'Brien O'Connell.  Both photographers are featured on tinyvices, an online and image gallery that exhibits the talented works of contemporary artists.

Enjoy your Sunday! I'm making homemade vegetable lentil (THE best) soup, doing laundry, waiting for the furniture mover, browsing photography sites and so very thankful the 'blizzard' that was supposed to hit was all talk.  Okay, now get cozy and enjoy your early evening - XX, NoNY

LP Cover Lover

One of my favorite sites on the interweb is LP Cover Lover. The site is dedicated to 'the weird and wonderful world of record covers from the golden age of LPs'. Some of the latest gems are Sunny Sounds with Ann Marie & Jackie, Back Door Daddy (please click on the link for your own viewing pleasure) and The Simmons The Touch of God. You can seriously invest hours on the site.

Happy Friday everyone! It's a weekend of many many holiday parties, last minute gift shopping, wrapping, laughing and enjoying a cocktail (or few). I'll be at MoMA all day tomorrow making my parents proud and getting ready for my annual French Family Floridian Holiday vacation. Yes and Yes. My thoughts are also with the Hanrahan Family. Matteo, I love you and sending kisses in the sky...

Besos to my nearest and dearest, NoNY.

The Best List: 2010

So, here's the list, according to Gorilla vs. Bear, for the year's best of 2010. AND this is their list for best albums of the year. I have to disagree with Beach House in the top spot beating out Ariel Pink but whatevs. It's only me and my humble opinion that believes AP's album is so much more diverse, complex, thoughtful, poetic and deserving of the top spot.

So strange to say goodbye to a decade. Enjoy the tunes, records, videos and your memories of the year that (oh, soooo) quickly flew by. Seriously, where the fuck did it go? I'm still wondering where summer went.

My personal favorites include Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti's Round and Round (!!) and Kurt Vile's Ocean City from the (absolute genius) Square Shells EP on Matador. It was an amazing year for music; thank you for the records and live gigs!

Here's to 2011 bringing us health, prosperity and all the things you wish it to offer.

Love you all and THANK YOU for making this a great year for oh, so so so many reasons. XO, NoNY.

Journal 8

via (genius) artist Ty Williams

blog & buy 

Interior Design Decals

This is the perfect solution for New York City apartment living: headboard decals from Blik for $40.00!! I just purchased the 'Olivia' frame in the dark grey for my home. It's light, quick, easy and no commitments are needed here. What a great design idea and solution to schlep.

Yes! to good design.

Dear Dave Magazine

Dear Dave Magazine is a tri-annual publication of photography and writing that features original idiosyncratic work by mostly unknown artists. Each issue is a gem that awaits your amazement for the  hidden talent inside.  A year subscription is only $34. Dear Dave is such a nice gift to anyone who appreciates art this holiday season. Just sayin'.

Sunday Sounds...

I hope you all had lovely weekends! I'm enjoying the cold rainy Sunday with a little NPR, the NYT, Italian espresso and minimal wave by the Evenings. Listen to their song Still Young and new North Dorm EP here.

Stay cozy on this cold day. I'm actually bummed I have to leave and go to a holiday party downtown later this evening. I'd rather be home making soup all day, honest.

Coma Summer

San Francisco post-punk outfit Weekend released their debut full-length record, Sports, in November.  I've been listening to Coma Summer a lot lately on the old ipod when walking around the city.

White noise; das ist gut.

Tourist Magazine

Fashion/Visual Diary: No Hope, Nor Fear & Heavy Deeds


via Tourist Magazine, photography by Grace & Lauren

Sunday Morning Views...

Brooklyn style...

Here is some Croatian Gold to enjoy with your am coffee or whatever it is you drink on Sunday. Cheers, NoNY.

I wish I had a pizza and a bottle of wine...

Perfect Saturday sounds while I flip through magazines and get ready to go to my volunteer shift at MoMA all day. I love you Saturday. Enjoy yours!

Romance

Bushwick style...

Happy weekends everyone!! XO, NoNY

Can I Quickly Say...

Frank Zappa's Lemme Me Take You to the Beach is brilliant.

Brooklyn Home Tour

Emma & Mike's Brooklyn Home Tour from David Land on Vimeo.

Michael Fusco and Emma Straub have resided in Lefferts Garden for one year now. They run a design studio out of their brownstone creating record covers, concert posters among other cool things via their company M + E. Design*Sponge featured their quintessential Brooklyn home two weeks ago and I thought I'd share with all of you if you haven't seen it already. Wow, a tree house in New York City?! That is really something special; it's truly inspiring.

Oh, and I have their headboard fabric in my own home! Ikea has the least expensive and beautifully designed textiles you can purchase by the yard. Now you know.

Christmas Tree

New York City style...

So, it's December (can you believe it?) and I got into the spirit tonight by purchasing my holiday tree at Whole Foods in Union Square. Let me just say picking up a 3 foot tree in prime commuting hours and lugging it on the subway was a real treat. Yeah, she got a little beat up but with some pretty white lights and ornaments it'll all be fine. Oh, and as per usual, WF was a nightmare. Seriously, when is it not your Dante's Inferno?

Happy (albeit kind of early) Holidays!

Haze

via denchrome, the dreamcrusher blog.

Blind Spot Conversations 01

Blind Spot Conversations: Corin Hewitt with Jason Fulford from Blind Spot on Vimeo.

Blind Spot has announced a new video series featuring artists in conversation.  This is the inaugural conversation with Corin Hewitt and Jason Fulford.  Each video runs about 10 - 15 minutes.  I am really looking forward to future episodes.  Blind Spot Issue 42 is now on newsstands (or reached your mailbox).

I came to dance...

This is a great video for your Wednesday middle of the week slump from Robyn, Dancehall Queen.

"I got them hypnotized, got another shout out on the mic...boom, boom, boom!"

Last Supper

Sooooo, Cecelia is in Art Basel, Miami doing her thing and I had the pleasure of hanging with her dad this evening at Pastis.  We wish she was there with us but we had such a wonderful time catching up and talking about political science (my minor, what what), Noam Chomsky's Manufacturing Consent and New York City history.  Great night, y'all.

Cece - we missed you desperately but had the best time as well.  I love you my dear and here is to you and me in sunny California in our near futures!! Good luck in Miami. We missed Lisa tonight!

Iannis Xenakis at MOCA

Iannis Xenakis: Composer, Architect, Visionary is currently on view at MOCA Pacific Design Center.  The show was originally organized by The Drawing Center (one of my absolute favorite places in New York City; I go at least twice a month) and was co-curated by Sharon Kanach and Carey Lovelace.  I've been reading a lot about John Cage and Iannis Xenakis' innovations recently and their relationship with music composition and architecture. Xenakis also worked alongside the revolutionary modern pioneer Le Corbusier among many others in his thriving career.

The exhibition includes original works on paper, conceptual renderings, listening stations, rarely seen musical scores and samplings of innovative graphic design and notation. Show runs through February 4, 2011 and is accompanied by a fully illustrated catalogue with essays by Ivan Hewitt (!!), Carey Lovelace and Sharon Kanach.  If you didn't see it in New York do so in Los Angeles.  It's really something else.

Ratatat's Neckbrace

View Ratatat's new video Neckbrace here. Video directed by band member Evan Mast. What is it with Ratatat and birds? Great beats, hypnotizing video, good times...

Happy Sunday!!

Happy Thanksgiving

Pumpkin pies & little Indians

Guten Mittwoch!

Guten Mittwoch (basically the working stiff's Friday) my dearest friends! Shannon, Tierney, Adam, et al and I met at (where else but) Union Pool last night for a few 2 for $5 domestic canned beers and a small gathering to bid adieu to our Brooklyn family for the long weekend.  We gave thanks for our health, friendships, Blinky Palermo, family, Brooklyn (!!), Tuesday nights out and most importantly for voodoo beer taps. Oh, and I thanked Monster Rally for a great new Color Sky 7" that just released.  The track Champagne is smothered in awesomeness. More on that soon...

Happy Thanksgiving eve!! I do hope you are whooping it up somewhere, anywhere with your nearest and dearests. XOXO, V.

Currently listening to White Ring's Roses- a haunted melodic lullaby; quite simply, a perfect sound.

Update: Shannon says I resemble the voodoo tap. I say she's a liar.

Ariel Pink's Round & Round Video

Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti - Round & Round from Delo Creative on Vimeo.

Admittedly this is some weird shit. But, hey that's why we love Ariel Pink...isn't it? Enjoy the video and superb song Round & Round, one of my favorite tunes of 2010.

Michal Chelbin at M+B

M+B gallery in Los Angeles is currently exhibiting The Black Eye, an exhibition of color photographs by Tel Aviv based artist Michal Chelbin.  The work recalls classical images of athletes while highlighting emotional intimacy staged behind monochrome backgrounds and lush landscapes.  At a quick glance, the figures are reminiscent of Diane Arbus' work but also differ in many ways.  Unlike Arbus, these images are neither nostalgic nor candid. Fiction and documentary talents collide in Chelbin's work. They are truly spectacular.

The show runs until December 4th.

Guten Freitag!!

Guten Freitag dearest friends! Enjoy your weekend. I'm celebrating Cecelia's curatorial talents and viewing her show Tussie Mussie at Silvershed tonight. There is a reading by Todd Colby, music by Sammy Miller & the Congregation (great name), hors d'oeuvres tray passed and most importantly, the backroom bar is hosted by Cafe Select.

Saturday is the usual volunteer sesh at MoMA. Go see the abstract expressionism show if you haven't yet. It takes up the entire fourth floor. Seeing Tyvek in the evening...Fun Fun!

Sunday is the best kind of day - completely open and free of obligations (for now). Have the loveliest weekends everyone!  XO, Nanook.