Allo allo! And thank you all for your continued support during those droughts we sometimes experience here at the Carbon/Nation/SplashFantastic HQ!

This was linked off my Twitter account the other day, and in the spirit of superiffic 3D music videos which melt our minds, I decided it was worth posting. Oh, and it’s a beautiful song, too.

Tah-tah for now!

Some of you may know I have a soft spot for music. These days however I’ve been quite nonplussed by the lack of quality in music videos. So when I saw this amalgamation of gorgeous 3D & sound I was quite struck. Struck by awe. Check it out for yourselves, and make sure to sit through at least a minute and a half of it. It gets better and better. Need more? Visit the Myspace(s).

Last year approximately 40,000+ brave souls headed for the black rock desert to participate in the annual cultural spectacle known as Burning Man. Each year a unique theme is chosen to help guide artists, musicians, performers and on-lookers in crafting a week long festival of original experience. Not quite a music festival, not quite an open-air arts event, not quite an alternative living celebration yet somehow this event has organically grown to encompass all of this and more.

For those of who haven’t been or perhaps those who have and want an interesting perspective away from the playa; might we suggest you attend a showing of Dust and Illusions: A History of Burning Man. This documentary by Oliver Bonin offers insight into this annual gathering which often defies definition. This doc is independently produced and with that is seeking support to cover the expense of bringing a film such as this to you the good public. You can show a little love by attending a screening in your area or make a donation online (right side).

Here’s a few Canadian dates for you:

Jan. 28th, 2010 – Calgary, AB
Feb. 3rd, 2010 – Toronto, ON
Feb. 4th, 2010 – Montreal, QU

See you out there!

So I stumbled across this bonkers hotel while surfing for coolness. It’s the Yas Hotel in Abu Dhabi, U.A.E. and it is crazy cool. Built half on land, half on water with access to the marina. The shell of the hotel is created to resemble the tossing of a fishing net, and the LED colour display is truly impressive. It encompasses contemporary style rooms, 14 restaurants & lounges, 10 treatment room spa and multiple rooftop pools.

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There is some seriously weird (and wonderful) stuff going on in this one. Pedigree aside, Beck’s output as of late has been astounding. Definitely a top-notch player of this past couple decades.

But I suppose that’s what you do if your entire life is related to music. Ahhh, one can only dream…

I first heard this killer trio on a Radiohead covers compilation called Exit Music: Songs with Radioheads where they do a flawless rendition of Karma Police, complete with one insane crescendo. Well, here’s a few tunes they’ve done since then. You may recognize a few of the following tunes, as they seem to enjoy doing covers of super popular tunes. Smart move.

The Bad Plus feat. Wendy Lewis – Lithium (iTunes)

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The Bad Plus feat. Wendy Lewis – Comfortably Numb (iTunes)

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The Bad Plus – Tom Sawyer (iTunes)

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The Bad Plus – Life on Mars (iTunes)

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WEAR WASH REPEATthe art of KOMBOH

Donning the walls of Nation Toys this November is the works of KOMBOH (aka Michael Mateyko & Hans Thiessen). With a very descriptive theme you can gather that the show will focus on wearable art. There is an assortment of incredible hand screened imaginative and simplistic graphic tees accompanied by some beautifully framed illustrated prints. I have a feeling that both the tees and prints wont be around long and their reasonable price *ahem $30* certainly makes them a great gift idea and hotter than the hottest of hotcakes… I guess if you could wear hotcakes the former would be true.

From my angle the work of KOMBOH epitomizes not only clean contemporary design (with a side of whimsy) but also the diversity to switch from amazing typeset documentation to cute and colourful vector illustration & animations.  I look forward to seeing whats next for this talented duo.  I’ll be sure to post photos of this month’s show.

The opening is tonight: 6pm – 9pm @ Nation Toys & Tees so if you are in Calgary we hope to see you there!

The work of Michael Mateyko & Hans Thiessen.

KOMBOH is comprised of two individuals who realized that working together solved more problems than it produced. Michael Mateyko and Hans Thiessen approach the visual world with the belief that creativity is a process, not a formula. A process that sometimes involves medium-fit, 100% cotton t-shirts.

Go to komboh.com for more form-fitting goodness.

It looks as though From The Basement, Nigel Godrich’s masterpiece theatre is now available for viewing anywhere & everywhere. Just for the name drop, Nigel is Radiohead’s producer. He’s been working on this project where musicians come and perform to a few people and some cameras, with the intent on keeping the advertising and promotion out of it so bands feel more comfortable.

Anyways, you get the gist. There’s a nice line-up of artists, with 2-5 songs per musician so prepare yourself for a night of intimate performance!

ps. The quality is 10x better on the site than on YouTube.

It looks like this isn’t one of the latest TED talks, but if you have yet to see it it’s certainly worth a half hour of your time. Evelyn Glenny is a percussionist who lost most of her hearing around the age of 12. She performs barefoot to feel the music, and explains some methods on how to listen. No, really. Listen.

Thanks goes out to honorary Splash Fan inspirer @jopesta for mentioning this one.

Here’s a few clips to bang off this Friday. First up, Moby’s absolute obsession with nerdy drum machines. Can’t help but be a lil’ bit envious of his setup. Next, a lighthearted tune from your favourite Fresh Prince character, and those ultra-pop Swedes. Enjoy!