Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds...

so i've decided to declare today the first ever Nick Cave
and the Bad Seeds public holiday, if the Queen gets one 
then Australia's rock royalty should by rights get their 
own national holiday also. I mean come on the man has 
written movie scores and scripts, he's in the Aria hall 
of fame and then there's the novels, not to mention being 
the frontman for one of the greatest bands(special mention 
to The Birthday Party and Grinderman) of our time. 
The guy's a rock and roll saint, and the world would 
be somewhat more boring without you. 
We at monkmenagerie think you deserve that holiday...

do you love me?

ten cigarettes...

I tried to write something
that was almost worth reading
but this pen feels numb in my hands
and I stayed up all night
just to see if I could
I went out through my window
and onto the streets
to see them lifeless for once
it was everything that I expected
which was not anything at all
but I laughed all the same
just to ruin the silence
with a voice that almost echoed
but the wind swept it away
before it was brought back to me
as a voice I once knew
a phantom under the cold morning air
that would be drowning in the pale moon
if the street lamps were not so bright
a perfect ending to a poem
almost worth writing.


Wes Thompson. 

Mark Jenkins installation art...

American installation artist Mark Jenkins' creations
are a sight to behold and all these eye catching sculptures 
are created using box sealing tape. This series entitled
'Storker' (where he worked with Sandra Fernandez) was
aimed at dropping babies in different cities throughout
the world, i thought they were funny and inspired... 

Shearwater, animal joy...album review

i can proudly say that there are two bands that i have
followed over the course of my lifetime that with each
album release have constantly evolved and improved, one
being The National and the second Shearwater.
This is Shearwater's first offering on their new label 
sub-pop and it seems that they have a new lease on life,
gone are the mystical strings and airy almost folk-lore
song structures, this album rocks. Driving drums make the 
backbone to each song with frontman Jonathan Meiburg's 
soaring Tim Buckely vocal stylings floating over angry
guitar riffs, but don't let me misguide you this is still
a beautiful album, there are still hints of old that make
Shearwater the band that i fell in love with, it's just
that well Meiburg who is the driving force behind the band 
seems happy for lack of a better word.
Best listened to loud armed with a scotch in hand from start
to finish like all worthwhile albums, Animal Joy is not the 
masterpiece that i know Shearwater have in them but they are
getting closer with each and every album and i guess that's 
all we can ask from any band.

the finer things in life...

Song for the Mute S/S 2012...

Takanori Aiba...bonsai scupltures

how can one man go from being a maze illustrator in the 
early 80's to creating these magnificent bonsai scupltures? 
Aiba uses all forms of textiles from bonsai plants to 
ice-cream containers to bring to life his tiny metropolis's.
The nerd in the back of my mind which constantly chatters 
is saying right now "go on buy one of these...you know you 
want to!" And i really do...

matchstick art...wow!

Capote...in cold blood

i think I'm the only person on the face of the Earth
that wasn't aware of the plight of Truman Capote, he 
sacrificed six years of his life for the research of
this book, which probably ended up destroying him 
because after its release he really only wrote fluff 
for magazines such as Harpers Bazaar. Anyway back to
In Cold Blood, this little piece of non-fiction follows 
the interweaving life story of the near perfect Cutter
family and their destroyers, two petty criminals by the
names of Perry Smith and Dick Hitchcock, and what a 
story it is.
Everything about the murders is covered by Capote, from
the childhood lives of the killers, the K.B.I agents
assigned to the case, the towns aftermath, the Cutter
family, it is a piece of journalistic brilliance.
Rightfully considered a modern masterpiece i personally 
think everybody should read In Cold Blood if only to
understand what terrible evils man is capable of. 

Ron Mueck...life in wax

Australian Sculptor Ron Mueck's works are a sight to

behold, if it wasn't for the light reflecting off the

waxy sheen then the viewer would seriously consider 

whether or not the sculptures were real (they sort make 

Madame Tussauds look like paper mache don't they).

Hyper Realistic in every sense of the word, Mueck even

hand places each individual hair and eye lash, 

reconstructing life's most tender and personal moments.

 

post-it stop-motion

strange sights from London...

John Martyn, solid air...classic album review

Even though at the tender age of 25, Solid Air was
John Martyn's fifth studio album. It was his defining
moment as a musician because this was to be the time
that he found his instantly recognizable sound.
It was as if the musical gods whispered in his ears
and gently guided his fingers! 
It is hard to pigeonhole this album, drifting from
Nick Drake inspired folk to dirty rock which make
for the perfect backbone to his whisky soaked vocal
delivery.
Solid Air is a classic without flaw and has become
a favourite amongst smokers, chillers and music
lovers the world over. Everyone should own a copy
for those late night music escapades.