Photography Time

Adolescence is a time when we begin to search out the structure of adulthood. What we are supposed to do to become an independent person is communicated to us in various verbal and nonverbal ways. These rules and the rituals and rites that are required of kids aren't always communicated effectively and a thick air of mystery can envelope a teenager.
The photographer Alison Malone produced a series of photographs about the Masonic Youth organization, the Daughters of Job that explores this process by superimposing over it an organization that uses different rituals and rites to form its youths into adult leaders. Malone doesn't resort to displaying these girls as strange, she was once a Daughter of Job herself. The photographs of the meeting halls, the leaders, the various ritualistic items may seem foreign but the look, the essence Malone captures in her portraits of the girls is instantly familiar to anyone who ever looked in the mirror during puberty and wasn't quite sure who was looking back.
Malone's photographs evoke the eerie feeling of otherness, of strange in-betweenness that adolescence produces. But they also display the strength one requires to grow up.

Late Night Groove: Isley Brothers "Choosey Lover"

It's almost two in the morning. I can't really listen to anything else.
"Sometimes, I just need to keep it mellow."--Guy who would describe himself as "chill."

(sorry it's just a video of the album cover)

Dilla Doc

Okayplayer posted this short documentary about J Dilla a few days ago. It includes interviews with J. Rocc, Peanut Butter Wolf, Mayer Hawthorne, and more.

Stussy - J Dilla Documentary Prt3 (of 3) from Stussy on Vimeo.

You know, I'd really like to hear that original version of Donuts. I truly believe that that album is a feat of amazing skill and beauty. It's not just a beat tape but a collage of ideas, all realized in an interesting way. I don't think it's that far off from classic era Guided By Voices or Sebadoh in creating lo-fi, collage-like music that packs a lot of good music in as short a time as possible. To hear it as Dilla intended (a condensed, even more collaged recording) would be amazing.

One thing I didn't know about Dilla before this video was that he sampled Stereolab for Busta. The production is really good, even if Busta is lackluster.

And here's the song Dilla sampled:
Stereolab-Come and Play In the Milky Night