Wednesday, February 11, 2009

75 Years of Esquire Covers


Do you have five hundred hours to kill? Then check out the Esquire Cover Archive site. It is amazing to view the progression, all that beautiful typography. For more cover love, check out this site, which links the overs for many, many different long running fashion magazines.

More Awesome Book Designs




























There are a ton of great book designs to see here. Simply outstanding work. The Book Cover Archive is awesome.

Great Knock Offs


These are hilarious foreign knock offs of famous brands. Take a look here.

Best and Worst Movie Posters of 2008


The Defamer has their best and worst movie posters of 2008 over here. Check it.

Want Some Free Music?


Of course you do! Then check out pampelmoose.com, a place for free mp3's. It's good stuff.

I Love This Workspace


Nubbytwigglet.com is a great design and fashion blog that I really enjoy. Recently she displayed her amazing workspace. Check it out here, and then stick around and wander around her site.

50 State Logos


Here are the logos for the 50 states. Time for a rebrand! Check out the full size image here.

Inspiring Corporate Design


Saw this great list over at the great graphicfetish. Check it out there.

Etsy Colors: So Cool, So, So Cool


This is so cool. Just go there and try it out. Seriously, don't do anything else, just check it out.

Cuz It Ain't No Sin To Be Glad Your Alive


So the Boss (that's right kiddies, Bruce Springsteen) is everywhere these days. At the inauguration, the Super Bowl, everywhere. Many people are getting over saturated with Boss, but that is not something I am really capable of. My relationship with Springsteen goes back a long, long way, all the way to the early eighties actually. My Boss roots are deep.

The new album, Working On A Dream, was recently given 5 stars from Rolling Stone magazine (still high praise from a semi-worthless rag - it's hard to take them seriously when they put schlock like Brittany Spears on the cover regularly, but that is another post entirely). The reviews have been exceedingly positive, save one small obstruction.

Well it is very good, but not perfect, or even five stars. It isn't as strong as Magic, but it does have some high points that reach altitudes rarely reached by contemporary artists. Let's start with...

The Great
: epic open Outlaw Pete is Dylanesque, despite the obvious KISS reference. It also strays into cinematic How The West Was Won, Morriconi territory, all strings and harmonica, and the "Can you hear me?" refrain is moving and heroic simultaneously. Follow that with My Lucky Day, which recalls all of the best Boss uplifting songs like Badlands and Glory Days, driven by a cymbal splashing Max Weinburg and propulsive Gary Tallent bass line. It's songs like this that encapsulate a particular terrain that belongs to Springsteen: driving down the highway with the windows down, My Lucky Day blaring from your car speakers, gives a euphoric feeling that is both distinctly Springsteenian and American. I've always said that Springsteen represents the best of America, and here that notion is on full display.

Title track Working On A Dream follows, and as my friend Pete put it, would feel at home on The River, which is high praise indeed. Album closer (and bonus track) The Wrestler is amazing, displaying the acoustic sensitivity that the Boss also seems to own. It's one of the best tracks of the last several years by any artist.

The Good: This Life feels like it might have been left off of Pet Sounds and is firmly rooted in 60's Pop (I think it would make a great b-side to Girls In Their Summer Clothes from Magic). Good Eye sounds like Robert Johnson, maybe some lost 78 unearthed from the Mississippi mud. In other words, really good. Closer proper The Last Carnival is an understated tribute to fallen E Streeter Danny Federici.

The Mediocre: Kingdom of Days, Life Itself, Surprise Surprise, and Tomorrow Never Knows are not bad, just kind of OK.

The Ugly: Much maligned comes Queen of the Supermarket, which for once I agree with the vehement critical mauling. Yeah, it's bad. And the worst part is that there is a good song in there, melodically and musically strong, it fails only on the cheesy lyrical front. What Love Can Do is also not so hot, but isn't really bad.

There is a euphoric energy to the entire album, an emotion somewhat ensconced in Lucky Town/Human Touch area Springsteen in terms of production and atmosphere. Chop a few songs off and you really do have an excellent album. Worth a listen and does include several "classics".

The Verdict: 3 out of 5 (Ed. Note - this post has been updated 8/12/09)