Music Video Update 2

This music video is a hit by the Arctic Monkeys called Fluorescent Adolescent. It tells the story of murder, deceit, and overall violence. Don't worry though, there isn't any blood.

Getty Images Moodstream

Getty Images is a leading supplier of stock photos, film and music for creative and editorial purposes. Getty Images Moodstream, as described on the website, "is a powerful brainstorming tool designed to help take you in inspiring, unexpected directions." Visitors to the Getty Images Website can make a series of "moodboards" that consist of a customized soundtrack and a sequence of rapidly changing Getty Images depending on your mood or the mood you want to create. You can change your mood with the "moodstream sliders" that appear on the upper left hand corner. Are you happy and humorous, or calm and serious? You can choose how long to show each image for and the type of transition between images, you can choose if you want the music with less vocals or with more vocals, and you can also choose if you want the images to be nostalgic, contemporary, warm, or cold. Once you are done with viewing your moodboard you can save it in your moodboard stock in the upper right hand corner of the screen. With the moodboard stock you an also play moodboards you had created in the past or make new ones.

Here is a link to the Getty Images Moodstream webiste:

Getty Images Moodstream

White Stripes Photography

The White Stripes is an alternative punk rock band that is comprised of vocalist/guitarist Jack White and vocalist/percussionist Meg White. They are most popular for Jack White's raw, stripped down guitar and Meg White's unconventional drumming, and have come out with hits that you may or may have not heard of: Seven Nation Army, Blue Orchid, Icky Thump.  The two have indeed had a strange history together - marrying, divorcing, but still calling each other by Jack's last name - but the strangest part about the garage rock revival duo are their band pictures. Some of the most interesting, goofy, and yet slightly disturbing photographs that have ever been released by any band have been released of Jack and Meg, and here are some:

This is the cover of their third album White Blood Cells

The costumes they wore on the cover of their latest album Icky Thump

This is the cover of their single The Denial Twist.

This is a silly photograph I found on Getty Images

I saved the best for last. This is a photograph taken by Annie Leibovitz of the White Stripes in New York City. The only thing that surprises me in this photograph is the fact that Annie didn't get them naked.

Music Video Update 1

This is my first music video update that I will have about every two days featuring a new and creative music video. Today's music video is by a band called the Shins, and the title of the song is Australia. This funny video tells the story of... well, you'll see.

Reverse Graffiti

That basically says it all. A man creating artwork, cleaning a wall, and advertising a plant-based cleaner all in one. This "artwork" was created on April 14th, 2008, when an acclaimed documentary filmmaker and a "reverse graffiti artist" filmed and painted on San Fransisco's Broadway tunnel, which was covered and caked with dirt and soot from the 20,000 cars that pass through it every day.

The iPod: Getting More For What You Paid

Are you tired of your iPod nano or 5g iPod video? Hass the old white screen become a bore, or is the overall appearance too plain? Well here's some good news. A website called ipodwizard.net hosts free downloads, forums, and tutorials on how to change your iPod's appearance, from the background, to the icons. By downloading the iPod Wizard program, you can also download different settings for your iPod that can change the background and the icons, or you can change the background and the icons yourself. On the iPod Wizard website there are hundreds of different downloads that can give your iPod hundreds of different appearances, eg: an iPhone (like the one above). Don't get your hopes up though, the download doesn't make your iPod touch screen. If you're having trouble understanding what I mean, here are some pictures of what you can do with the program:

iPod Wizard does not spread viruses, but it is not downloadable on a Mac or apple computer either. I've tried myself to change my iPod's settings with the program, but was unable to. Maybe you'll have better luck. 

Here's a link to the website's Wiki Page, which is very helpful if you're stuck:

iPod Wizard Wiki

Music Videos

There are hundreds of different ways to film a music video. The basic ones are when it's just the band singing the lyrics. However, some artists have put in all the work and creativity to some amazing videos which can make you laugh or cry. Some tell the story of the song, while others tell the story of how good the creator is with special effects. Either way, I've included two of the more popular creative music videos that you have probably already seen. If you haven't, it's an experience you won't want to miss.

The first video is by far one of the most popular videos created by a 00's band. It is by the band OK Go and the song is entitled Here It Goes Again, but the dance itself is lovingly referred to simply as "Treadmills". The second video is mainly based on clever special effects but the idea as a music video in itself is very good. This video is not as popular as the first, so don't feel "out of date" if you haven't seen or heard it before.

OK Go - Here It Goes Again

Beck - Girl

I will continue to submit creative and entertaining music videos in between major posts, but until then, you can check out these links to OK Go and Beck.

The OK Go Website

Beck's Wikipedia Page

The Artistic Side To the Band Poster

Young and budding musical groups seem to be making an effectively creative mark with quality designer band posters. These are the not the posters you see every day, nor are they for the bands you hear of every day. Most bands that employ these professional designers are the vague indie rock types that few have heard of. To show you some examples of just of how artistic and modern these band posters can be, I've gathered a group of 5 images to show you:

Here is the website where most of these band posters can be found and more:

Gig Posters

My Own Designs

Inspired by my first post on this blog about creating one's own t-shirt designs I began to make some myself which I put under the label of Arny L. Designs. If you wish to make t-shirt designs I would recommend using Adobe Illustrator CS, the program which I have been using. I have gathered four of my  designs to show you, and have made others purchasable at my website. I also have my designs viewable on models in the screen at the bottom of this page. 

If you look at the last design and tilt your head to the right, you can see that what you once thought was the keyboard for the guitar becomes the design logo - Arny L. Designs.

Here is a link to the program that helped me accomplish this:

Adobe Illustrator

Creative Advertising

The Advertising industry seems as if with each day it is trying harder to catch one's eye. Walking in New York City I noticed this sign advertising an Ice Factory. However, what made me stop and take this picture was not the factory name, but how it was displayed. I love the idea of using your imagination when trying to advertise something rather than plopping a huge ugly billboard out in the middle of the rural countryside.

I remembered in an issue of Creativity Magazine there was an article on a McDonald's billboard that had caught the eye of many. 

This sign doesn't advertise fresh grown lettuce, but grows fresh lettuce right on the advertisement. Over the course of three weeks, 16 varieties of lettuce found in McDonald's salads were planted and grown on a billboard in Chicago. At first it just looked like dirt on a sign, but soon it became what it advertised - fresh salad. However, with a little research one could find that this idea was not new to McDonald's advertising. In fact, they had done it before.

Only with Carrots.

Here is a link to a website that features many interesting types of advertisements:

Ads Of the World

*Note
My posts on this blog will become more frequent, not once a week like they used to be, so keep updated, because I should have a new post every other day or so.

The Indie Rock Movement

Indie rock is a musical genre that is constantly being rediscovered. Some of indie rock bands are easier to label than others as they break up, grow more popular and out of the indie rock genre, or stay where they are, comfortable for the time being. A few of the more popular and well known indie rock bands would be The Shins, Death Cab for Cutie, Beck, and Feist. Some are more recently popular, while others have been developing since the 90's. Some of the one hit wonders, the ones that topped the charts a couple of months ago but have now retreated back into the darkness from hence they came are Yeal Naim, the Ting Tings, and the Postal Service. However, out of these growing and dying artists have been born a series of bands mostly from New York, which are slowly rising in popularity but remain difficult to define. These are the popular indie rock bands that stay where they are. Some of them are the vague, non-descriptive groups that are only known by teenage punk rockers, while others are the ones hundreds of teenage girls would give an arm for just to see. 

Vampire Weekend, which is one of the most popular new indie rock bands, successfully mixes African inspired music with four, white, New York scholars. One of there most popular hits, Oxford Comma, has been topping the charts while hundreds of blogs, reviews, and articles have been praising their catchy tunes and indie sound.

The Strokes, who are another New York based indie rock band came out with their last hit in '06, You Only Live Once. Before that, they had topped the charts with others including Reptilla, Last Nite, and 12:51. They are scheduled to rejoin in 2009 and begin working on another album, though there last attempt was received badly. 

Spoon, which is an indie rock/pop band that originated from Austin Texas has given a couple of hits, but nothing serious. There last album, Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga, delivered one of their most popular tracks yet, The Underdog, which was featured in the movie Cloverfield.

Interpol is yet another New York based indie rock band that seemed to have risen from the grungy cellars of Manhattan itself - but surprisingly well dressed. Their debut album, Turn On the Bright Lights delivered three major hits: NYC, PDA, and Obstacle 1. Their second album, Antics, gained even more respect with catchier tunes like Evil, C'mere, and Slow Hands. Finally, their latest album Our Love To Admire, which released a year ago, came up with another three hits that seem to show a different side of the New York group: Pioneer to Falls, No I in Threesome, and the Heinrich Maneuver. Though I felt I needed to include Interpol in this list of rising Indie rock bands, they are certainly more vague and unknown than Spoon, or the Strokes. 

Here are some links to reviews on the different artists I mentioned:

Interpol: Antics

The Shins: Oh Inverted World

Beck: Modern Guilt