Mother ship

Kubb's debut album Mother has received rave reviews. I've been pimping them for a while now and, having listened to the album again, I must say I'm pretty impressed. There've been a few comparisons to Coldplay, Radiohead and even Keane in the press, but that may be slightly unfair. Yes, they do sound a bit like other bands, and some of the tracks are incredibly derivative. For instance, Without you sounds remarkably like U2's With or without you, and Grow almost becomes a version of Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody.

But it's still a great debut - all the more so for the 'rags to riches' story behind lead singer's Harry's history. Apparently he was working as a waiter in an organic cafe in North London, where he was asked to sing Happy Birthday to a customer. That customer turned out to be Rollo, of Faithless fame (oh, and he's Dido's brother too). And the rest, as they say, is history.

Categories: Music

Organic Tee?

Loomstate is a company that was created to help reinforce the truths associated with common sense and the people who practice it. People who give a shit are sexy. Loomstate embraces denim as the medium that best communicates purity, timelessness, Americana, and revolution.

Or so the blurb goes. Whatever Loomstate might say, they make top organic clothes with great design and patterns. Available online in the States, they can also be found in Selfridges, Harvy Nics and Harrods.

I love this "I Love Tee" tee. But it's £49. And their hooded zip-up tops are to die for... but £159? I buy organic vegetables and meat, so why not clothes? But at these prices?

Categories: Style, Life

Holiday reading

Jon Courtney Grimwood has written some pretty good books. Actually, I can't think of a single one of his novels that I didn't like. Which is why I'm so chuffed that I've just picked up his new novel - 9tail Fox.

Sergeant Bobby Zha of the SFPD is desperate to find out who murdered him. But he also needs the answers to some other questions. Like, why is he in another man's body? Why is someone trying to kill him, again... And why is he being hauntd by a nine-tailed Celestial fox?

From the shell-shattered ruins of Stalingrad in 1942 to the present day politics of San Francisco's Chinatown, 9tail Fox is evocative of place and crystal clear in its depiction of character.

I'm itching to read it. I loved the Pachazade trilogy, and the previous stuff (redRobe, reMix, Lucifer's Dragon and NeoAddix), although it took at least a second reading to get into Stamping Butterflies.

Categories: Life

In praise of insects

To celebrate the launch of David Attenborough's new Life in the Undergrowth on Wednesday at 9pm (you can watch a couple of clips from the first programme here) why not treat your loved one to something from Maxilla & Mandible? This fantastic store is situated on the Upper East Side, not a stone's throw from the American Museum of Natural History in New York. We visited the store a few years ago and it's a bit like walking into London's Natural History Museum - but being able to buy all the exhibits...

Anyhoo - these lucite bangles are an example of the kind of entomologically-inspired jewelry that's available in their online shop. Trust me - bugs are going to be huge this year. Especially Onychophora (Velvet Worms)...

Categories: Life, Style, Gear

Wishlists

If you've visited Josh Rubin's awesome Coolhunting or the scarily trendy Coolhunter, you've probably already seen these iKuffs... they're ludicrously expensive ($199.99) but should be available soon in brushed / polished stainless steel, aluminium, glass and even carbon fibre. I have a bit of a thing about cufflinks, and would be tempted by the carbon fibre - if they ever get released.

Meanwhile, back in reality, there are a number of ties, clips and widgets that one can use to ensure that the lovely Shure e4c headphones you've just bought look good when wrapped around your iPod. Top of my current list are these earbud clips from PKOH NYC.

Categories: Style, Gear

The Metric system

Although relatively well-established in the US, Metric haven't really had that much of a following in the UK. However, with the release of their second album (Live it out, which follows their 2003 album Old World Undergound), and the recent decision by iTunes Music Store to offer Monster Hospital as Single of the Week), all that might change...

I've only heard three tracks from the album so far (Monster Hospital, the List and Dead Disco), all of which are available to watch as videos on the Metric site.

Categories: Music