You know how we’ve all wanted to meet more people in our dream industry? Whether it be potential collaborators to expand our personal networks, or to just talk shop. If you’re into cinema, this event is for you. In support of an ambitious film being shot this summer, we’re promoting a ‘Scorsese’ titled event. Let’s face it, filmmaking is expensive and what better way to fund raise than by hosting a killer night out, plus it’s a good way to kick start to your summer.

DETAILS:

“The Colour of Money” Fundraiser
Friday, May 28th
Schank’s North
Doors at 6:30 PM
Tickets ~ $10

PURCHASE TICKETS @ http://thecolourofmoney.myevent.com/

Entrance to the event allows you to indulge in the appetizer buffet, compete for unique prizes, enter the bar-wide 50/50 draw – and the best part – a photo shoot with you and another person posing as Vince and Eddie from The Color of Money’s iconic shoot.

Get your tickets early as we’re hoping to sell out all one-hundred fifty!

Google hired out some ultra-hip creative video company to promote their super-fast Chrome web browser. I’ve switched from Firefox to Chrome for the most part (still love my Firebug) and you should, too. It is, as the video claims, ultra-fast. I think my personal favourite is the potato gun, however the lightning definitely has more impact as a blog post title.

Source: http://chrome.blogspot.com/2010/05/potato-gun-lightning-and-sonic-magic.html

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).

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)

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

The Bad Plus – Tom Sawyer (iTunes)

The Bad Plus – Life on Mars (iTunes)

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.

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!

I’m still surprised by the recent ruling of the Polaris prize judges. When I heard the hardcore group Fucked Up took the $20,000 I didn’t quite get it. Well, I still don’t. But I suppose if it has some innovative qualities similar to Refused’s The Shape Of Punk To Come, then it’s somewhat deserving.

Anyways, here’s my vote. If you haven’t heard D-Sisive’s Let The Children Die as of yet, go pick it up and get ready to let the tears flow. This is hands down one of the saddest, most emotional albums I’ve ever heard. And it’s hip hop. Real hip hop.

D-Sisive – Switzerland

D-Sisive – Let The Children Die

D-Sisive – Nobody With A Notepad

Ahoy! We have a special treat this month in the Nation space. Mommy Still Likes Me: The art of Pete & Jo features wood. Art on wood, that is! If you’re in the Calgary area this month, make sure to stop by anytime. Even better yet, if you’re in the Calgary area tonight then we’re having a little shin-dig from 6pm to 9pm. Did I mention these are the two responsible for many fantastic projects such as custom artwork for Beatroute, illustration and branding for the Market Collective and album artwork for local band Günther’s Nuclear Stallions … to name a few.

Here’s a drop from the artists:

Peter and Joyelle Komierowski are illustrators living in Calgary, Canada. They are NOT brother and sister as some would believe. They draw things that are funny, weird, cute, scary, but mostly moronic. Their work is wrapped up in nostalgic memories of childhood and it is a sort of grown-up fairy-tale.

Also, make sure to check out more of Pete & Jo’s work on lovefrompeteandjo.com

555 KUBIK | facade projection | from urbanscreen

Just a quick tip for this lovely humpday set upon us. If you live in the Montréal area, and are not already pre-occupied by the Concordia Electro-acoustics festival you should check out Pop Montreal premiere of NOSAJ THING’s visual show (see above video).

Oh, oh yes.

In my younger years I would play a song or entire album on repeat. These days, it’s not usual for me to loop good content over and over for fear of ruining it, but I just can’t help it with this one. I believe my only recent regret is not knowing about Nova Scotia’s Amelia Curran before this month’s trip to Halifax. Anyhow, this tune seems like a suiting mood for the brisk fall Friday headed our way.

Amelia Curran – The Mistress – { Album: 2009’s Hunter Hunter }

GOTOCHINA is a trip-blog / primer for those interested in visiting Shanghai and Beijing. The background photography used on the site is what caught my eye (call me a sucker for the ocular). A few of the cityscape shots have been well-composed and processed in a manner I find quite spectacular. Also, from a web design perspective this site is using some really neat tricks to have the photos scale to your browser window. Go on, give it a try: visit the site and resize your Firefox/Safari/Chrome/what-have-you window. Lovely, eh?

I seem to be unable to find either contact information or photography credits on the site, so if anybody actually knows how to contact any of the 17 Norwegian students who put this together, don’t hesitate to drop us a line. Thanks!

Chuck here. I’ve recently returned from an elongated trip to both Halifax & the recording studio life. It was a worthwhile vacation from the everyday, but I’m glad to be back in full fledged force. Now I think it’s time to share a few albums that I have recently been digging.

1. Make sure to pick up/download the album “Here Come The Warm Jets” If this Brian Eno tune interests you, as it’ll take you directly into a different headspace. To tell you the truth, this is the first Eno album I’ve spent a lot of time with. But I’ve always been intrigued by those who are a bit on the insane side, who aren’t afraid to take risks with the listener’s minds.

2. I really dig the bounce between the harsh reverb choral line and the lead vocals on this Bruce Peninsula track. I’m looking forward to seeing this group at Pop Montréal come the end of the month!

3. In my mind, I’ve always been quite impressed by how easily Grandaddy manages to mix surrealistic, electronic waves with straightforward rock rhythms. For them, it’s a seamless endeavour that probably took hours upon hours of serious rehearsal to nail.

4. If you’re currently (or was in the past) a fan of Modest Mouse, you should definitely give Ugly Cassanova a listen. Below is an introduction into Brock’s psycho-reality, complete with multiple overdubbed vocal lines.

Brian Eno – Dead Finks Don’t Talk – { 1974’s Here Come The Warm Jets }

Bruce Peninsula – Streamroller – { 2008’s A Mountain is a Mouth }

Grandaddy – Everything Beautiful is Far Away – { 1997’s Under The Western Freeway }

Ugly Cassanova – Hotcha Girls – { 2002’s Sharpen Your Teeth }

Whew, it’s been a while! Oh how easy it is to get caught up working on ot’er t’ings.

I know you were hoping for something dark, brooding and fun to listen to today. Some new music to saturate those neurons of yours. That’s why I bring you Thus:Owls, one glorious Swedish/Montréalish endeavor whose debut album ‘Cardiac Malformations’ came out earlier this year in this great land of ours. Often described as sharp, and often compared to The Knife/Fever Ray. Anyways, enough banter, here goes!

Thus:Owls – Climbing the Fjelds of Norway – { 2009’s Cardiac Malformations }

Thus:Owls – Yellow Desert – { 2009’s Cardiac Malformations }

I was pretty enamoured by the photo work of Chris Hornbeck & CincoDesign after a few whiskey’s on ice last night, and on second inspection I’m just as in love. Through the use of projected white light onto the props and models, they’re able to capture magnificent detail in the reflections. I picked this one up off Photography Served so check that out first, then head over to Hornbecker’s portfolio and CincoDesign’s company site.

Extra! While I was searching for CincoDesign, I found this other Cinco site that’s super swell.

Love Will Tear Us Apart AgainPeter Crnokrak

Behold! You are currently feasting your eyes upon Love Will Tear Us Apart Again, a piece by The Luxury of Protest.

This is one immaculately detailed piece of work, outlining all of the various covers for Joy Division’s “Love Will Tear Us Apart” with a Cartesian minimalistic approach. C’est beau. I’d love to have this hanging this on my wall.

You can check out more of Peter Crnokrak’s work on The Luxury of Protest studio site. And now, I must go rescue my socks from my roommate’s abode. Oh, and don’t ask me how to pronounce Peter’s last name.

Lately it seems as though I haven’t been keeping up with the hordes of new music being released every day. But one act that has graced myself with it’s presence in my playlist, and repeatedly caught my attention is Toronto’s Timber Timbre. Spookier than most, Timber Timbre boasts hauntingly sparse melodies and percussion alongside vocal lines that tie the sound together into a stark little parcel.

Musical Note! Timbre is often dubbed the colour of music, and could also be thought of as what defines the tonal quality of an instrument. Suiting.

Timber Timbre – Lay Down In The Tall Grass - { Self-Titled, Released: January 2009 } download

Through a chance link I landed on Aaron McConomy’s Behance profile today, and was drawn in by the detailed illustration set to subtle colour schemes. Turns out, Aaron is an Alberta born chap, which I’d say fits in with our ‘theme’ perfectly.

“CEO’s are such weird looking men.”

We’ve had a few conversations around here about the big business paradigm today, and how ridiculous it seems from the outside in. What better way to celebrate the ridiculousness than with some CEO visuals:

Aaron’s part of an art group founded in Montréal (another fit) dubbed The YPF. Here’s a warning, this could lead you on one of those Internet trails that never end. Good luck and have fun.

For more or to see the corporate works, check out Aaron’s Behance. Or, for the group see THE YPF WILL EAT YOUR FACE.