Hedningarna are a Swedish folk band which also had Finnish members not too terribly long ago. I came across their music while looking at a pile of promos sitting on the desk of a World Music buyer at the shop I had worked at, which were delivered to us by a local Rykodisc distributor. The quality of the sub-label representing the band, Northside Records, was phenomenal. There will surely be more of these folk bands posted here in the future.
[Music] Rắn Cạp Đuôi – In A Grass House
Rắn Cạp Đuôi, who hail from Saigon, Vietnam, came to my attention thanks to C-Drik Kirdec, who scours the most faraway places in order to find experimental music. These folks make fine experimental bedroom pop.
[Music] Hotel Pennsylvania Music (Phil Spitalny) – Happy Days Are Here Again
Well, it’s not for everybody. Few, in fact. But, it’s nice to be reminded that there were happy times, and will be again. This slice of Americana was penned and performed by Phil Spitalny and his band.
This Week’s Six Pillars – Outside the Turner Prize — Six Pillars
The Turner Prize (est. 1984) is awarded annually to an artist born, living or working in Britain, for an outstanding exhibition presentation of their work anywhere in the world the previous year. However the jury is specifically composed of national and international curators, writers and even musicians. What does this self-consciously British show look like […]
via This Week’s Six Pillars – Outside the Turner Prize — Six Pillars
The blog is absolutely one of the best culture blogs going today. It’s worth following, and will turn you on to bands, events and projects you won’t get much exposure to elsewhere.
Mica Levi details score to forthcoming biopic Jackie, shares “Children” — listen — Consequence of Sound
Mica Levi, the singer-songwriter behind Micachu and the Shapes, is scoring Pablo Larraín’s forthcoming biopic Jackie. Today, he’s shared a piece of the score entitled “Children”. Consequence of Sound named Levi our Composer of the Year back in 2014, when she debuted with her original score for the sci-fi film Under the Skin. Needless to say,…
Album Review: Body/Head No Waves — Consequence of Sound
After the dissolution of Sonic Youth, the various members kept just as busy as they had in between full band records, branching out into various solo and side projects. It was a fun puzzle to map out just what each person had brought to the band, what direction they’d contributed, where they were heading and…
[Music] Leonard Cohen – Closing Time
A fittingly appropriate song, as the wonderful Leonard Cohen left this mortal coil today. Rest in peace. You left a legacy that will stand the test of time, like Martin Codax or Josquin Des Prez.
[Music] Penza Penza – Donald Trump
Technology…
It used to take a bit of time for a novelty record like this to come out. Estonian band Penza Penza cuts that time to almost instantaneous. The track is instrumental, so if you’re pro- or contra the POTUS, make your own lyrics if that makes you feel better.
[Typography] The long, incredibly tortuous, and fascinating process of creating a Chinese font

85,568 characters. One has to have infinite patience in order to design a balanced font with that many characters.
Quartz offers a great post on fonts here, including a brief history and the painstaking methods used to make a proper Chinese font.
[Music] Murkok – My Friend Is Ivan Efremov EP
Something calm, soothing and lovely to relax to after watching people make utter animals out of themselves the last 24 hours. Many thanks to Murkok for this treasure.


