My problem isn’t actually with Lady Gaga. But there’s not much in her music to distinguish it from other glossy, formulaic pop. She just happens to wear slightly weirder outfits than Britney Spears. But they’re not that weird– they’re mostly just skimpy. She’s fully marketing her body/sexuality; she’s just doing it while wearing, like, a ‘fierce’ telephone hair-hat. Her sexuality has no scuzziness, no frank raunchiness, in the way that, say, Peaches, or even Grace Jones, have– she’s Arty Spice! And, meanwhile, she seems to take herself so oddly seriously, the way she talks about her music in the third person, like she’s Brecht or something. She just makes me miss Cyndi Lauper.

- Joanna Newsom

Seriously. In the midst of all the Lady Gaga mania that has been the past year or so, I’ve been left feeling like Mugatu in Zoolander:

“Blue Steel? Ferrari? Le Tigra? They’re the same face! Doesn’t anybody notice this? I feel like I’m taking crazy pills!”

Ace of Base wasn’t taken nearly as seriously back in ‘95.

Joanna Newsom Occident

A couple of photos, and a couple of nice write-ups of the Paper Cuts rock poster exhibit I was in last month. This one has a quote that makes me sound mildly funny!

Bonobo Kong

Song’s With Abstract Titles 5 - Flon by Four Tet.

Four Tet Flon

Song’s With Abstract Titles 4 - Inspired by Bocuma by Boards of Canada, and Earth Day.

Boards of Canada Bocuma

One of the greats.

Gang Starr The Planet

Goodbye NOVA. It’s been swell, I’ll miss you. I’ll miss DC more… but NOVA, I’ll remember you. In fact, I plan on printing this little logo on a shirt in your remembrance as soon as I am up and running.

Seriously though, to all the friends I’ve made down here over the past several years, thank you, and I will miss you. I’ll never forget the good times I’ve had. You’ll always have a couch to crash on in Brooklyn.

Song’s With Abstract Titles 3 - Dett by the group Plaid.

Plaid Dett

Songs With Abstract Titles 2 - Ganglion from Icarus’s I Tweet the Birdy Electric

I guess Ganglion is an actual word, but it seems abstract… at least in concept… especially based on the nature of the music.

Icarus Ganglion

Some of my posters have been included in the upcoming DC poster show, Paper Cuts: The Art and Science of Rock Posters. The opening reception is on Sunday, March 28th from 4–6 pm at the Athenaeum in Alexandria.

Come check it out, and learn more on the Facebook event page.

Songs With Abstract Titles - Today’s selection, Ummer from Zach Hill’s Astrological Straits.

Zach Hill Ummer

Saturday morning and Nuno Canavarro.

Nuno Canavarro Wask

Nuno Canavarro [Untitled]

The Clientele/Vetiver show last night was great, lots of compliments on the posters from possibly the two nicest bands I’ve met.

If you happen to be one of the people who emailed me asking to buy these posters online - and I failed to respond to you due to my administrative inefficiencies - I’ve temporarily thrown a few posters up on a little Etsy store for you to order from until I can finally wrap up the store that will live on this site (and take some better photos than the blown out ones you see).

Purchase posters here.

There’s no other way to keep it real in the field, than to have your trusty Field Notes on hand… as noted by an apparent Coudal Partner’s spy that was lurking at that Cat last night.

I made this poster for the Junior League Band’s show at the Rock N’ Roll Hotel in March. It will be printed on 19″x25″ Madero Beach Speckletone French paper, and have 3 colors - metallic gold/olive on the bottom, orange in the middle, and a deep brown on the top screen.

There are things about the poster that I like a lot (bird guy), and others that I’m still not sure about (everything else in the layout)… but overall I am pretty happy with it, and I think it reflects the band’s sound pretty well - just listen to the track below - picture my bird-man rockin’ out on that banjo solo that you hear 3/4 of the way through the track…

They’ll be $10 at the show.

Junior League Band We’re The Fools

… of all time?

I think maybe.

This poster, for the Wild Beasts‘ show at the Black Cat next month, went out this weekend. I did it in 2 colorways, one on Starch Rain Speckletone, and one on Chocolate Speckletone, both 25″ x 19″ with editions of 50 for each. I’ll post photos when I get them back from Grand Palace.

The show should be great… I feel like the Wild Beasts are a bit slept on. Their last album, Two Dancers, is in my irrelevant opinion, one of the better albums that came out last year. It’s kind of dancy and accessible, but still manages to have some dark and weird qualities that make it unique. I’m not sure why they haven’t become really popular… or maybe they have, and I just need to get out more. Either way, I’m really excited to see them live… you should come too, and buy a poster.

Wild Beasts Fun Powder Plot

Wild Beasts This Is Our Lot

Sent these two Posters down to Murfreesboro, Tennessee this week for the old squeegee treatment. They are mostly inspired by The Clientele’s song “Harvest Time” (below), and the “Bonfires on the Heath” album artwork.

I can’t wait to see how that Tangy Orange, “Harvest by Night” version turns out. I’ll post flicks when I get them back.

Editions of 75, $10 at the show.

The Clientele Harvest Time

My friends at All Our Noise have redesigned.

Really beautiful work found on one of my favorite sites of recent. FPO.