Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Indie POP, North of the Border

Today, I thought I would gift our readers with some indie artists who ALSO happen to be our neighbors, the Canadians!  Now now, be nice, & put those jokes aside!  Canada happens to be ripe with some stellar/strange experimental POP these days - so check out these featured musicians.  I've done my best to break them down for introduction.

Grimes =
Lady Gaga's bangs + Girl With the Dragon Tattoo + exotic Asian bird
experimental psuedo-pyscho-POP for fans of Lykke Li, Zola Jesus

Grimes - Vanessa 

Lights =
atypical shimmer POP + slight grunge + the gamer-girl-next-door
for fans of Ellie Goulding, Ke$ha

Austra =
neo-Scandinavian electronica + enigmatic wailing
for fans of The Knife, Florence + the Machine


Any thoughts?  

Unapologetically,

Minna 

The Only Time Rust Looks Good On A Car. The Art Of Bo Lundvang.




Today's NY Times featured an article about the automotive art by Swedish writer and artist Bo Lundvang which prompted me to look further into his artwork.

The "rustings" as he calls them begin with a rendering of the desired image in a computer program. The finished image is sent to a vinyl cutter that produces a stencil from a large piece of adhesive vinyl, which Mr. Lundvang then affixes to a piece of bare steel measuring roughly three feet long and 1½ feet tall. With the stencil in place, the artist applies a process — “my own little secret,” he said, refusing to say more — that speeds the oxidization and regulates the formation of rust. When the stencil is removed, the image stands in smooth, gray steel against a background of deeply textured rust. Lastly, the entire work is covered in a sealing agent to protect against further oxidization.

Koenigsegg CCX:




Lamborghini Aventador:





'69 Dodge Charger:




The works, of which he creates no more than two each month, are for sale on his web site, with prices for predesigned work starting at $1,500, and special commissions costing more.

MDNA Album Cover!


The cover of Madonna's upcoming twelfth studio album, MDNA, is officially here! The album photography was directed by Giovanni Bianco and shot by Mert Allas and Marcus Piggot. (Italian and Frenchmen! How fancaaaaayyyyy.)

On the one hand, the cover is beautiful. I love the range of colors and Madonna's DIVA-esque makeup (especially those glossy RED lips. WOWZA!) The trippiness of it all reminds of the Confessions on a Dance Floor cover. On the other hand, the multi-mirrored effect seems cheap, as though it was completed by an elementary school Photoshop student. 

What do all of you think? Let us know in the comments below!

Unapologetically,

Gregory

JFF - "Like a Drug" by Adam Tyler

It's Addictive

Around for a while, Adam Tyler is our special new discovery! He kindly complimented Unapologetically POP! via twitter, which prompted us to check out his video for "Like A Drug," posted below. Any video featuring choreography within a warehouse or parking garage is up my alley. Watching "Like A Drug," I had flashbacks of Janet's "Rhythm Nation" and "Miss You Much," Michael's "Bad," and GaGa's "Lovegame." His moves are slick and his outfits even slicker. The dark clothing is reminiscent of Adam Lambert's goth vibe, the streaks of eye makeup remind us of tUnE-yArDs' facepaint, and the eye patches take us back to Madonna's "Erotica" video. We mean all of this as a compliment! Mr. Tyler deserves to be recognized with as much praise as all of these aforementioned artists. We love ourselves a flamboyant man with a voice and vision!

Produced by Sky Felix, "Like A Drug" possesses an energetic dance-rock vibe. If you like the track, make sure to listen to the rest of Adam's album, Shattered Ice. You may purchase it on iTunes by clicking HERE.

Wishing you much success, Adam!

Unapologetically,

Gregory

Louise Lombard

The English Actress Louise Lombard

Louise Lombard

Personal Details

Full name : Louise Lombard

Born on : 13 September 1970

Place of birth : London, England

Year Active : 1988-Present

Profession : Actress

Height : 5' 7" (1.70 m)


Louise Lombard
Biography

Louise Lombard

The one of the famous celebrities Deborah Louise Lombard lived and breathed the arts from an early age, and projected great versatility in many arenas. A trained dancer and actress from childhood, Lombard displayed a remarkable predilection for expressively and psychologically challenging characters, such as that of a heroin addict in the movie Copycat directed by Jon Amiel. After appear in the BBC series Casualty and Bergerac, the ITV show Capital City, and the ITV movies Catherine Cookson's A Black Velvet Gown, and Perfect Scoundrels: Sweeter Than Wine, Lombard landed a important role in the TV series Chancer, opposite Clive Owen. Lombard then broke during to national fame in 1991, with the lead role of Evangeline Eliott in the three-season House of Eliott series on the BBC.


Louise Lombard
Awards and Nominations

Louise Lombard


Louise Lombard
For More Awards
Louise Lombard
For More News About
Louise Lombarduseful links: transport rankings, spartan moving, mover rankings

I'll Be Back. On My $38,000 Bike. Five Terminus Hybrid Luxury Bikes from M55.





If Optimus Prime and The Terminator had a child, it'd be the Terminus by M55. Founded in 2006, the Hungary-based M55 Hybrid Bike company builds cutting edge hybrid electric bicycles using the best technologies and materials available. Titanium, carbon fibre, custom airbrushing and even Swarovski crystals are used in the construction of these mean-looking electric machines. And at a price of $36,000 - $39,000 per bike, these are made for a discriminating, and wealthy, bunch.





After many months and numerous prototypes (they tried different high-tech frame materials, components, batteries but none of them had worked to their liking), the Terminus, their flagship bike, finally launched in May 2011.



M55 Bikes are driven by brushless electric motors which were designed by using a FEM software to create a light motor with the best performance. The efficiency of the M55 bike - depending on operating mode - is over 90%.



The energy to the motor is provided by 8 specially placed A123 battery cells. These occupy the greater part of the self-supporting frame’s internal volume. The capacity and performance of these special cells is much higher than anything available in presently produced e-bikes. The electric motor of the M55 bike only uses 60 A at maximum, so the expected life cycle of these cells will be very long. The manufacturer guarantees 1000 charge and discharge cycles with no more than 9% loss in performance. Another great advantage of this battery cell, that it can be charged to 80% of its capacity in just 60 minutes.



The Terminus bike comes in five editions; the Classic, the Biceps, the Airbrush, the Royal (with Swarovski Crystals) and the Prime. Special editions, built to an individual customer's desires, are available.

TERMINUS CLASSIC EDITION





The Classic series is the cleanest representative of our 6 year evolutionary journey, equipped with White Brothers double crown fork, the color of the bike is dominated by the silvery color of CNC’d 7075 Aluminum and the natural anthracite texture of the carbon-fiber battery container and fenders.

TERMINUS BICEPS




Our patented single-arm front-suspension design is a true extravaganza. Buttery smooth travel, rigid CNC machined Aluminum base reinforced with carbon-fiber and the resemblance of a human arm. Besides the extraordinary design, the prime advantage of this suspension is the elimination of brake-dive effect, enhancing safety while braking - especially on steep slopes.

TERMINUS AIRBRUSH EDITION

The Terminus Classic’s technical artistry enhanced with fine arts of an airbrush artist.







Let it be a tagline, a name, a logo, or a full-surface texture, we can make it happen. With this edition the Terminus becomes a ‘white canvas’ that is covered with our client’s imagination.

TERMINUS ROYAL EDITION





Shining Swarovski crystals, gemstones of your choice, even diamonds and golden or silver carbon textures are also options on the carbon-fiber components. This is the Royal Edition: true individual luxury.





The new, improved CNC machined frame is decorated with sparkling crystals from the world-famous Austrian company and installed silver and golden carbon fibre top layers are placed on the Terminus’ battery container box and both mudguards.


TERMINUS PRIME EDITION

Above: Terminus Biceps shown

This is the ‘no limit’ version of the Terminus. Nomen est omen - whatever our client requests, we make it happen. Combination of the Biceps, Royal and Airbrush edition in one bike? No problem. 
Exclusively produced one of a kind models for the V.I.P.

Terminus is a hybrid bike with not only extraordinary performance but also a stunning outlook as well. The motor power and battery capacity is well over the industry standard and a truly futuristic design makes the rider feel like they're steering a spaceship. The hybrid drive fuses two 'green' energies: human and electric power; meaning the motor is not a substitute to your human power but an addition.

The Terminus is a mountain bike designed for cross-country use. This ride represents state of the art in its every detail. Reaching speeds of up to 65KPH, the riding sensation cannot be compared to anything else - it tricks your mind and you will feel almost superhuman. The M55 is a limited edition product with only a handful of units expected to be made by the manufacturer.

Their bikes are custom tailored to their client's taste, so the shipping time depends on the date of the actual order.



Models and prices in Euro / USD:
M55 Terminus Classic edition - from 25.555 € / 31.500 CHF / $36,200 (excluding VAT, including free shipping worldwide)

M55 Terminus Airbrush edition - from 28.888 € / 35.600 CHF / $38,500 (excluding VAT, including free shipping worldwide)

M55 Terminus Biceps edition - from 28.888 € / 35.600 CHF / $38,500 (excluding VAT, including free shipping worldwide)

M55 Terminus Royal edition - from 28.888 € / 35.600 CHF / $38,500 (excluding VAT, including free shipping worldwide)

M55 Terminus Prime edition - Your imagination defines the borders at this model only.

Please note that M55 Bike donates to the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation’s actions for the preservation of our environment when a piece of M55 Terminus is sold.


images and info courtesy of M55

M55 Bike Hungary Kft.
Hungary
2096 Üröm, Kőbánya u. 11
vat #: HU14946668

E-mail: info@m55-bike.com