Soon to be.

I bought a pair of Air Max recently to find that they don't suit my feet, and just look a bit stupid and naff. And yeah, I suppose these could look equally foolish, but this offering from Asics that I have now fallen for are great, and unlike their meshy Air Max cousins, as my Mum rightly said, "at least their made all of leather." Wise. Durability is an issue!

I found these on a web-rummage when I recalled a good trainer shop in Norwich, Main Source. They have a real good range of rare and trendy stock. Asics is obviously an unconventional choice in the 'leisure trainer' category, but these have the desired aesthetic. Featuring clean lines, complementary colouring, and a techy gel-sole thingy - all a bit more cheaply than their rivals, whilst providing better quality.

What's more, it seems to be the 60th Anniversary of Asics this year, so why not celebrate with a pair of comfy Gel-Lyte Speed. This Japanese brand has worked extremely hard since 1949(ish) to grow on a global scale. Plus, true to it's country of birth, Asics has flourished in a serene, tranquil, and appropriate way, unlike Adidas and Nike who have always been more boisterous and brutish in the market. For me, the former seem to be the wholly better option! Happy Birthday!!

Brooklyn offers

Small Black. I was put on to these guys by a friend, whom I have decided has very good taste in music. That aside, currently I have a sympathetic ear for anything melancholic. That is not to say that Small Black are dreary, but this Summer has started in such a (expectantly) awkward manor. Cherishing the fits and starts of good weather that only a true British holidaying season can provide leaves a pining for warmer climes. This is were Small Black offer salutation, as like Caribou (who possess a very Euro-chill vibe) this band want you to be having careless fun, on Long Island beach with friends, and a bonfire.

On the back of releasing their self-titled EP they are currently touring around the usual cities of England, y'know, London, Leeds, Brighton. If you want to feel happy for an hour or so then definitely go and be swept away. Bad Lover is grungy and muffled, with a simple drum machine pattern, much-like my choice track Pleasant Experience. It just stenches of surf-enthused riffs and delicately handled production. The tenderness of the backing harmonies make this a very pretty song. Lo-Fi is seemingly the only way to make music now, as anything else, mainstream stuff, just seems too over-polished and glossy. It makes it tacky. Home-made authenticity is really desirable.

These New Yorkers seem to be good chums with fellow compatriots Washed Out, who have 80's-a-fied Despicable Dogs. The re-worked version has a heavier, dance-ish beat backing it up, with more reverb and echo on the vocals. That is not to say that the original is weak, much the opposite - it's great. Untouched D-Dogs keeps the upbeat tone that the rest of this EP releases.

Small Black: Despicable Dogs from Yoonha Park on Vimeo.

My thoughts entirely...

I am not a big fan of quotes, carrying quotes, drudging up quotes, etc. It's all a bit clichéd. "O, you know when Mr. X said blah about blah blah..." That sort of thing. However, that is not to say that they are unhelpful or meaningless. The value of a good statement can really focus and expand your mind, as a reaction/interpretation to what sort of image a sentence can conjure is very subjective. Such quotes also give an amazing individuality, as it is uncommon that any two people would read into them in the same way. Just a thought.

Anyway, the point of this post is that I came across a decent example, that was full of relation. I was invigilating a Year 11 Spanish exam (my latest post-graduating venture) in a Latin room, and picked up a book titled Monuments of Civilisation: The Middle East, a real wodge of a book (just one part of big, hardback series). I opened it to find that the foreward was written by no other than Henry Moore, a man whose early works especially were vastly influenced by foreign objects of date, tradition, craft, religion, and varying material.

It was his thoughts on history, as an overview, that stand very true in my opinion:

"It is my profound conviction that the testimony of the past must not be ignored. A knowledge of our history can be of great use in our life; all human activity is conditioned by this past, without which man would have to start all over again from the beginning."

Lost in...

Well. I dunno. I don't really watch films, at all. But the other night I was flicking through the TV channels, highly uninspired, then found Film 4. I have always wanted to get into Film 4, as it always tends to be showing some cult picture-house movie that I really should see! Drawn in by nothing else, I backtracked, and broke my self-imposed movie embargo - catching a good 40 minutes of 'Lost in Translation'. At the very least I could just fall asleep to it, as so often is the verdict!

The freeview blurb bought to my attention it's award winning credentials, which I felt it was more than decent for! The gist of what had gone on for the hour before came to me quite quickly, leaving what time was left to absorb the tenderness and fragility that both Murray and Johansson delicately dance with, playfully and cutely. What was most touching was that feeling of familiarity. You meet someone for only a short time, but they can be in your life for an short, but intense period, then flit off.

Intended or not, my understanding was such, that Sofia Coppola wanted to show how people can come together, briefly, yet form a bond that makes them question everything in their life. It can bring a shattering end to what has always felt like the 'right thing', i.e. job, family, lifestyle etc. It takes these real lonely moments for this reassessment. The confiding that Murray and Johansson show seems beautifully genuine, which makes the heartache at the end a real tearjerker - although myself I did not pass a tear, honest!!

Caribou

Caribou - Swim has rightfully been adorably-critiqued into the ground over the past month. Here is my turn. This album is bloody Summery. The drums are understated, with percussion adding the most intrusive punches on tracks like Kaili. An ambient/trance-like haziness prevails throughout your... Urr... Swim - a nice one! Like having a dip here!

Each track exudes a different euphoric experience. Sun is surprisingly dark, with a flat beat, and earrings of the tones of minimal-house guru, Claude VonStroke. This, the third effort from Dan Snaith, is certainly his most triumphant 'stab at it'. The mixture of sounds sourced and experimental layering on tracks like Found Out, featuring prominent plinky-plonky guitar tweaks help keep the music vivid.

The champion track has to be Odessa. It's ethereal welching complemented by shallow dub and harmonious vocals make it a song for festivals, at dusk, with the intoxication of your choice! End of.

The poker of politics.

Well, isn't this perfectly hilarious. The build up to this vastly hyped, and fiercely fought election battle has concluded in a truly English whimpering style - probably like our exit from the World Cup in the coming months! MPs, bless them, are now sleeping, and now, after exercising our democratic right, surprise, we are no further ahead! Ironically, we are now in a state of 'poker politics' with Clegg seeming to be honourable and gracious in defeat, Brown scrabbling around whining for support from the Liberals, whilst Cameron is remaining coy for the time being at least!

It seems that the three main parties are all putting the shades on. However, the real failure here, an obvious point I know, is that of the disproportionate British electoral system! The Tories should, hands down, be allowed to form a majority government after achieving a bigger wing than Thatcher achieved. The reason Labour hold such strong support in built up areas around Manchester, Glasgow etc. is because they have re-drawn so many constituency boundaries as to widen their grasp over a dedicated/deluded?! electorate! Nice.