philadelphia native mirah cant help but share a sweet sincerity in her vocal tones that then surprises and pushes the boundaries of being assertive within respect of staying far away from being too pretty.

along with the help of longtime friend calvin johnson and collaborator phil elvrum of the microphones, dictated in mirah’s 2008 k records release the old days of feeling, unreleased, odd and obscure material from her past is presented that brilliantly connects to the very present. shared inside a well known use for hard crashes of loud instruments, her unadulterated resonating sounds intimately blend in and translate into a pure and emotional impact.

the sun [old days of feeling, 2008]
the garden [advisory committee, 2002]

nicomi nix turner

with a love for anatomy and known for her work as the senior illustrator for emily the strange, nicomi is proudly presenting her solo artwork debut “in vein” currently until august 30,2008 at gallery extraña, 2912 telegraph avenue in berkeley, california.

[the song all around by jel seems to fall deeply in line with the feeling from these paintings. from the 2006 album soft money, vocalist stephanie bohm of ms john soda shares her sensual words to the hypnotic beats of hip-hop producer jel.]

from northern california, artist claire chambers is the proud owner of absolutely small, featuring adorable hand-painted acrylic illustrations and plush toy designs of minature animals. kindly below please find a contribution made by claire for music is art, sharing how music truly influences her creativity.

Music is a huge part of my creative process. It’s really rare for me to not have any music on. I have it on always in the background and it helps keep those nagging inner critics quiet. I’m also really inspired by lyrics and especially misheard lyrics, some of those words have turned into paintings and plush toys. Upbeat music really does give me a bit of an energy boost, something I frequently need! It’s a companion while I create things, and occasionally a muse. My husband is very adept at twisting lyrics into cute turns of phrases that he knows I will like, and those often turn into my creations.

~*~

Absolutely Small Playlist

Que Sera Sera by Charlie Kosei. This song and the rest of the Katamari Damacy Soundtrack is upbeat, quirky, random. It’s also pretty much the soundtrack to my life.

Disconnect The Dots by Of Montreal. The surreal lyrics really help unwind my mind from logical thinking.

Girl Sailor by The Shins. Speaking of surreal lyrics… I love the little word pictures this band comes up with, very inspiring.

If We Can Land A Man on the Moon, Surely I Can Win Your Heart by Beulah is sort of romantic, the tune just resonates with me and gives me a boost.

Pretty Good Looking (For a Girl) by The White Stripes. Sometimes, one must ingest some grit in order to digest things. So I pull out a box of White Stripes. Also, musing on the Jack/Meg relationship makes me feel all gossipy and illicit, and therefore full of ideas.

Frankly, Mr. Shankly by The Smiths reminds me of how awful day jobs are… worse than any day of making art, for sure. So in other words, this song helps me to hang in there.

from portland, oregon, grouper creates delicate music perfect for late nights. sounding as if surrounded inside a crowd full of sullen angels, liz harris has released her third album dragging a dead deer up a hill on type records. cleared aside from past noise efforts, grouper lightly conveys in the beauty of gentle acoustics, electric piano and layered soft melodies that weave in and out, exposing hidden vulnerabilities within an intense bedroom-recorded atmosphere.

l i s t e n

heavy water/id rather be sleeping
invisible