On Repeat: Toro Y Moi “Blessa”

by Jason Caldeira

There are so many apparent influences in this two minute twenty-three second soundscape of a song by Toro Y Moi that I’m not sure where to even begin. But this is the type of song that lurks in the shadows of an imaginary musical landscape until it decides to leap out of the bushes, grab hold of you by the ears with both claws, and embed itself into your temples bit by bit, slowly overtaking and replacing your head with its own. Your body and new head are now free to dance around the campfire, waving flaming marshmallows in the air like a medieval torch.

What the hell did I just write?

Toro Y Moi “Blessa” from Blessa

On Repeat: Memory Tapes “Bicycle”

by Jason Caldeira

Take one part Of Montreal, one part David Byrne and one part underground dance club (circa 1983), wrap them all up in a Hypercolor t-shirt, blend until smooth and garnish with Passion Pit and a Porl Thompson guitar solo (optional).

Memory Tapes “Bicycle” from Seek Magic

Creating Space Within Space

by Jason Caldeira

I’m a sucker for simple “why didn’t I think of that” ideas, especially when it comes to street art. When I was young I remember being floored by Keith Haring painting small boxy dogs on buildings all over Manhattan. There was nothing inherently groundbreaking or complex about the imagery or the message; it just was what it was, and it made people stop, think and often smile. Graffiti: probably. Vandalism: to some. Impactive: absolutely.

Aakash Nihalani uses a similar line-art aesthetic to create simple 3D boxes out of multi-colored tape. Doesn’t sound like much when you break it down, but look at the video below. It’s amazing to me how such a simple concept can be so dramatic and thought-provoking.

Be sure to check out idsgn for photos and additional info.

Movie Monday

by Jason Caldeira

After a long and glorious weekend enjoying the urban outdoors away from the stresses of my computer, it’s now time to sit in front of said machine and mindlessly watch pretty pictures (drooling optional). Yes, ladies and gentlemen, I bring you the first installment of Movie Monday here on FlyCasual.

Today’s video features the much-debated and discussed City of Melbourne identity redesign. I won’t bore you with all the details (read up on Brand New’s take on the brand refresh here) but instead I’d like to show you the motion graphics version of the logo.

I find this video incredibly interesting. Rarely do you see animation so closely tied to a logo. Yes, commercials often animate corporate logos in some sort of swooshy, poppy, silly humanistic manner (think dancing 7-Up dot). But in the case of the City of Melbourne logo, the animation feels like it was developed hand in hand with the logo itself, and not as an afterthought. I almost get a sense that the logo is a graphic representation of the excitement expressed in the animation, which for me gives the logo much more inherent energy than if it had existed on its own in a motionless 2D world.

Song of the Summer:
Atlas Sound “Walkabout”

by Jason Caldeira

I started today by checking my morning blogs (like all of you undoubtedly do with this blog, right?) and low and behold… my favorite blog, ISO50.com, posted an assortment of audio goodies for my aural enjoyment. Not only is there apparently a new Kings of Convenience album out (which I couldn’t seem to track down, but I’ll give it 15 more minutes), but there’s also a new release by Atlas Sound featuring Noah Lennox (Panda Bear, Animal Collective)… and wow. Just when I thought Passion Pit had a firm lock on the song of the summer, “Walkabout” comes along and kicks down the door. I downloaded the song a mere 20 minutes ago, and have already listened to it 5 times.

I love the internet.

Atlas Sound “Walkabout” featuring Noah Lennox

More iPhone Photography

by Jason Caldeira

I really just can’t get enough of my iPhone 3GS. The camera isn’t amazing, but for a cellphone camera it certainly is way above par. And the results you can achieve just by experimenting are quite remarkable.

That’s really all I have to say on the subject. Look at the photos. They’re perty.

(More photos after the jump.)

Has RIPT Got it Right?

by Gregory McClendon

RIPT Apparel is a yet another online T-shirt Company.

Like many skinnyCorp descendants, RIPT shirt designs are provided by a community of graphic artists and designers. Unlike many online T-shirt companies, RIPT only sells one particular design at a time. Each day a new shirt is available “for one day, and one day only”.

#followfriday

by Jason Caldeira

I’ll be the first to admit that blogging about twittering is akin to a band covering the Monkee’s version of “Paperback Writer”, but in this world of communication over-saturation (and Twitter’s 140 character limit restrictions) I wanted to give a shout-out to some of our Twitter favorites in hopes that they become your favorites as well.

Without further ado, I give you the FlyCasual Follow Friday list (in no particular order, of course); some celebrity, some music, some design, some people we just stumbled upon that have a lot of good things to say. Enjoy.

Tankboy @tankboy
Kate Zimmer @krzimmer
Our Man in Chicago @ourmaninchicago
Ethan Suplee @EthanSuplee
John Mayer @johncmayer
Mr. Trick @mr_trick
AJ @amyjfisher
I Love Typography @ilovetypography
Jeffrey Zeldman @zeldman

And don’t forget us!
FlyCasual @FlyCasual
FlyCasual Records @FlyCasualMusic
Helicopters @helicoptersband

Check all these people out at your leisure. I could give you reasons as to why I find them interesting, but the beauty of Twitter is that you can make that assessment yourself. Happy #followfriday everyone in Twitterland!

On Repeat: Evan Marc “Emotional Ecology”

by Jason Caldeira

If you’re at all like us, you love going out and checking out new restaurants, having cocktails with friends (usually 1-4 too many), and exploring all that the city (Chicago in our case) has to offer. Personally, I’m not a big fan of “the scene” and tend to be immediately put off by overt trends and those who follow them too closely. Where am I going with this, you ask?

Some restaurants and lounges, whether trendy or not, really know how to set the mood via music and decor. There’s nothing inherently groundbreaking about a minimalist sushi restaurant playing downtempo house while you sip Saketinis, but damn if it ain’t enjoyable. Enter Evan Marc.

Listening to Evan Marc’s Emotional Ecology is akin to dining al fresco at the aforementioned sushi lounge on a balmy summer night. The album is sexy, warm, thought-provoking and inspiring, chocked full of beats just heavy enough to give you the urge to dance but reserved enough to relegate said dancing to your Bertoia side chair. Turn it on, turn it up to 7, grab a cocktail and enjoy.

Evan Marc “Centigrade” from Emotional Ecology

Monday Link-O-Rama

by Jason Caldeira

Every Monday (or whenever we can remember) we here at FlyCasual will be posting an assortment of links to sites that influence us in some way or another. So without further ado… let the linkage begin:

AisleOne: Helvetiriffic!
Baggu: I love simple “why didn’t I think of that” concepts.
ReForm School: Makes me feel like a kid again.
Swear Words: Brilliantly executed horizontal navigation.

That’s all I’m going to post in hopes that you all take a few moments out of your day to visit and absorb these sites. It’s getting progressively more difficult to sift through the bazillions of horrible sites out there, so whenever we find sites that are doing things right it’s important to pay proper attention.