Caudalie - Vinoperfect

I had the chance to test the new Vinoperfect range from beloved luxe beauty brand Caudalie and what can I say, it's beautiful!

I got to test the entire range consisting of the radiance serum, the day and the night cream as well as the concentrated brightening essence. All of those made my face super smooth and radiant, however when it comes to correcting uneven pigments or small darkish spots, I didn't see much of a difference. 

However, as a solid day care routine, I can highly recommend the Vinoperfect range - boooyah beauty lovers:)

25 Hours Hotel Bikini Berlin

Last night I had the pleasure to be one of the very first visitors to stay at the not-yet openend 25Hours Hotel in the Bikini House complex in Berlin's west-end. And what can I say? Just like its hotel brothers and sisters dotted around the coolest cities like Hamburg and Zurich, this new Berlin hot-spot is a dream come true for design freaks and luxury fans alike. With open and clean spaces, the hotel manages to combine comfy and fresh in a unique way. With views of the Berlin zoo and loads of other sights, the hotel's location is ideal for quick city trips. And don't get me started on the food there... a must-see (and must-eat) in Berlin!

Some impressions below:

The Best Albums of 2012

It’s this time again. Albums of the year. Don’t have my usual ten albums this year like I used to in 2011 and 2010, but hey so what? The ones I’ve got are good ones though. In no particular order.

Yeasayer – Fragrant World

Great band, fearless musicians and tremendously innovative. Haters gonna hate, but I love it.

Frank Ocean – channelORANGE

Some true gems on this. Talking predominantly ‘Pyramids’ and ‘Bad Religion’. Worthy follow-up to ‘Nostalgia, Ultra’.

Kendrick Lamar. - good kid. m.A.A.d city

Big. ‘Backseat Freestyle’ - HUGE!

The Weeknd – Trilogy

I know, I know it’s all been out before, but to hear it remastered and as one coherent album makes it all the more enjoyable. So much love.

Alt J - An Awesome Wave

Some indie stuff I like.

Jessie Ware – Devotion

Mainly because of ‘110%’. What a tune.

Big Sean – Detroit

Da man!!!

Death Grips – No Love Deep Web

Simply because his relentless, don’t give a fuck attitude and all the fun bizzznizzzz with the record label really amused me, the tunes are sick and his angry energy is actually quite gripping. Literally. Also let’s not forget THAT COVER.

Former Ghosts - New Love

Hi guys, here's a review I did for This Is Fake DIY about Former Ghosts's album ' New Love'.

Former Ghosts, who are comprised of main-man Freddy Ruppert and guests Nika Roza Danilova of Zola Jesus fame as well as Xiu Xiu's Jamie Stewart and newcomer to the troupe Yasmine Kittles of the L.A. act Tearist, unleash this year's most promising dark-electro-noise LP called 'New Love'. And a new love it is indeed.

Kicking off with four-to-the-floor electro-heartbreak tune 'And When You Kiss Me', Former Ghosts sound like a delicious mixture of slowed down Metronomy, Kate Bush without the melodrama and Interpol without all the stadium-friendly whinging. For this album, the band set a tone that is equally melancholic yet uplifting, simultaneously sombre yet romatic. Main-man Freddy Rupert entices with his menacingly sonourous voice taking you on a tour around the darkets edges of his heart. 'New Love' is an album so full of emotion it can only be contained by minimalistically instrumented and beautifully stripped down electronic arrangements.

On stand-out tune 'I Am Not What You Want', Former Ghosts sound uncannily like Joy Division with a modern twist, like Ian Curtis desperately clinging on to post-industrial dance influence. Rupert's emotive vocals dance slowly with Jamie Stewart's girlishly warm voice on this tune making the two of them the Serge Gainsbourg and Brigitte Bardot of the Noughties. It's a duet of love, loss and longing. It's what the best songs are written about.

While largely cold and dark, the album has a few flickers of hope and light. There are extremely haunting vocals and bleakly obscure lyrics on the one hand, but there are also plenty of pulsating, forward-moving dancey tracks that create a perfect balance between what the heart and what the body desire. More conventional electronic fares like the brittle electronic workouts on 'New Orleans' pack a massive emotional punch. 'Chin Up' is also a real gem endowed with a scorching, distortion-flecked lead vocal from Zola Jesus and a riotous electronic production that thumps and tears at its own fibres.

With tracks such as the eponymous 'New Love' or first single 'New Orleans' Former Ghosts are riding high on the coldwave, errr, wave, but despite probably being played in numourous depressed teenage bedrooms, they defnitely wouldn't be inaproppriate on dancefloors either. If Former Ghosts last year's debut 'Fleurs' suggested a distinct excitability along with a real dark mania, then 'New Love' is the naural follow-up with its fleeting feelings and bleak beats. They sure can write a chorus that will be stuck in your head for days like on lead single 'New Orleans', but on the flipside of that they also write songs that make you wanna throw yourself off the nearest bridge. Those songs infiltrate your mind with their oblique mist of misery and mood. They imprison you.

Last song on the record 'Winter's Year' perfectly encapsulates that bittersweet feeling the entire LP is all about. It's a tense love-hate relationship coming to life through chilly ballads and new romantic crooning. We all fear winter for its short cold days, but when we sit inside in the warm, we all appreciate its icey beauty. 'New Love' is the perfect album for that time of year.

Mumford and Sons Live Review

So guys I reviewed Mumford and Sons for This Is Fake DIY. Read what I had to say here.

Mumford And Sons’ current tour brings together the cream of the so called neo-folk scene, roping in the subdued beauty of Matthew And The Atlas, the joyous troubadour folk of Johnny Flynn and, of course, the poppy banjo wielding anthem-fest of Mumford And Sons.

Opening, Matthew And The Atlas play to a good amount of punters early on in the night showcasing their tight and tuneful blend of Americana and romantic folk. Frontman Matthew Hegarty might be an unassuming fella at first glance but once he opens his mouth his exquisite voice makes jaws drop immediately. The songs are perfectly arranged, the lyrics beautifully written and if there is any justice in the world, his band more than deserve to be headlining this very same venue next year.

Johnny Flynn is on next and performs a stunning set with songs mainly from his first album ‘A Larum’. On a slightly crowded stage due to a massive band backing of five musicians, Johnny still holds the attention of the entire audience. His crystal clear voice and masterful guitar skills cut through the auditorium like a campfire on a crisp night. Humble in attitude, but not in sound, Johnny performs single ‘Kentucky Pill’ whilst encouraging a dance-off in the crowd. Even though he gets cheered on like a bona-fide rock-star, he really is the opposite. A shy boy at heart, who comes to life on stage, Johnny Flynn embodies everything that’s good about music: talent, creativity and passion.

Mumford And Sons come onto the stage to euphorically deafening cheers from the ecstatic crowd. Taking their ethic from anti-folk’s outspoken style and fleshing it out for broader commercial appeal, frontman Marcus and his Sons know how to write a hit song. Initially known as backing band for Laura Marling, the band finally stepped out of the shadows with their debut ‘Sigh No More’. And step out they did indeed, as proven by tonight’s deliriously adoring crowd.

Opener ‘Sigh No More’ is a mixture of an angsty ballad and a Pentecostal-style hymn that could well be on Bon Iver’s record. Starting off as a quiet and fragile acoustic paean to love it soon turns into a banjo-beast all romping and stomping with claps, multi-harmonious chanting and compelling strummed chords. Continuing to walk the thin line between shallow melodrama and genuine emotion, Marcus Mumford and his Sons launch into the first highlight of the night. ‘Little Lion Man’ shines brightly on the afore-mentioned debut and it moves numerous punters in the audience to shed a lil’ tear. Basically a well-structured folk-pop ballad, this song seems to combine the commercial appeal of mainstream popsters like Damien Rice with a more demure Laura Marling like edge. The Kings Of Leon of nouveau-folk? Quite possibly.

Chubby-cheeked Marcus Mumford appears to have become some sort of folk-rock God for the new generation of gig goers, and with a presence half-cocky / half-charming and an abundance of entertaining banter about his mum with crowd, he fully lives up to that status. At their best, Mumford And Sons are mightily anthemic and perfectly harmonious, at their worst however, they remind of a has-been barn-dance band that you book for your daughter’s 12th birthday. Muttering about broken hearts repetitively, somehow this whole affair seems more like an act than real art.

Oya - The Review

Hi guys, even though this is all over the interwebs already, I still thought it's a good idea to post it on here, too.



Øya festival is the largest outdoor music festival in Oslo, Norway and promotes a diverse line-up from across the globe. Situated right in the heart of the city, the festival site boasts with four different stages catering to every genre you can possibly imagine. Basically Øya is a dream-come-true for music fans across the board where it’s nothing special that zef-rap crew Die Antwoord rub shoulders with indie royalty Pavement and experimential popsters Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti.

Arriving on site on Wednesday, for the first festival day, just in time to catch a glimpse of Raekwon’s set, Øya’s atmosphere is incredibly laid-back and friendly. Corey Woods, who is better known as Raekwon, confirms his reputation as one of the best MCs from the Wu-Tang Clan. Raekwon serves up plenty of tuneful smash-hits ranging from old Wu Tang material to his new solo stuff. Hitting the crowd hard with chant-along raps and his typical swagger, this first set at Øya is a good indication of the high quality of the festival.

Next on the main stage is punk veteran Iggy Pop and even though he has seen better days performance-wise, the crowd welcome him warmly. Overhearing a couple, who are watching his set proclaim that “there must be a reason why so many people are here to watch Iggy”, one can assume that his iconic status is more of a crowd magnet than his show. Despite Iggy’s best efforts to set the stage on fire with his never-ending thrashing about and writhing whilst belting out old hits such as ‘I Wanna Be Your Dog’, unfortunately the spark doesn’t really catch on.

Experimental-trance-poppers Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti play the smaller stage next, which doesn’t hinder them to put on a grand show. With their unique mix of absolutely bonkers tunes and perfectly refined guitar magic, Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti are a band that equally entrances and inspires. Kurt Cobain look-a-like and mastermind-singer Ariel Pink calls their genre ‘World Goth’. These four music whiz kids play chill-wave, which is clashing with stoner rock which is having a little dance with electro pop, which is colliding with geek-rock. Pink’s squeals and shrieks stretch further through the octaves and Haunted Graffiti’s rhythms are both tighter and more expressive, at times even veering into math-rock territories. Ariel Pink’s set was undoubtedly one of the must-see highlights of Øya, where the melodic married the dissonant and the harrowing embraced the healing. In a world where everybody is making up about stupid genres such a ‘Witch-House’ Ariel Pink show that sometimes it’s best to make music so obscure that no genre name will ever encompass it. Absolutely brilliant and breath-taking set.



M.I.A. is headlining the main stage next and her set is unbelievably energetic and gratifyingly danceable. Stunning in sounds and beauty, M.I.A. pulls off a show that leaves the mass of fans ecstatic and sweaty. She’s got the beats and brains to entertain and crowd-pleasers such as ‘Galang’ and encore ‘Paper Planes’ go down a storm. A worthy ending to a fantastic first festival day.

The second day starts with a lacklustre set from US emo-rockers Against Me!, who play their usual bland stadium rock, but things look up soon when Surfer Blood take to the stage. Like a more cheerful Weezer, Surfer Blood bring the proverbial LA sun to Øya with their pure and tuneful indie pop.

After Surfer Blood, psych-rockers The Black Angels gather a devoted fan-crowd, who lust after the band’s blend of moody rock and fuzz-pop. These Texas-based trance-rockers subtly combine the Velvet Underground’s mysticism with Spacemen 3’s outlandish drone- rock and Black Rebel Motorcycle Club’s feedback heavy loops. The sonorous voice of lead-singer Alex Maas paired with the heavy guitar and bass creates a wall-of-sound grandiosity, which makes this set very enjoyable indeed.



Brooklyn’s Yeasayer do what they do best next – make the crowd dance. With a set that could best be described as ‘tropical disco’ Yeasayer step up their musical game by integrating multicultural and multi-harmony weirdo pop. Merging references from Middle Eastern pop and nonchalant indie to something approximating Balearic house, Yeasayer’s bleepy bliss set is astoundingly eclectic. Sounding somewhere between writing a Nintendo theme tune and the next big indie hymn, like M.I.A ., the other musical world fusionist, Yeasayer move away from one-dimensional genre boundaries and instead embrace the odd, eclectic and individual. Thanks Yeasayer.

Pavement headline the second day and even though their legacy pulls the biggest crowd so far, their dreary set at Øya doesn’t justify their mass appeal.

Friday starts off with a mind-blowing set from South African Zef-Rap-Crew Die Antwoord, which makes for a spectacular viewing and could indeed be ‘The Answer’ to all your musical dreams. Even though minuscule singer/rapper Yolandi Visser and mentalist MC Ninja started as an online hype, Die Antwoord prove that there is much more to them than just empty words. With flow and energy so infectious and beats to catchy, Die Antwoord perfectly encapsulates everything that is ‘now’. It’s a collision in raw urban rap, refined electronica and simply mental world music, which makes you forget you’re losing the plot to crazy tunes at four in the afternoon. Never too early to embrace the delirious, notorious and genuinely great Die Antwoord.

Flaming Lips pull off an equally fascinating performance next with their typical gadget-heavy set, which sees singer Wayne Coyne walk over the crowd inside a giant rubber ball, handle all sorts of confetti blasters and throw massive balloons into the crowd. The tunes are good, sometimes great especially the ephemeral beauty of ‘She Don’t Use Jelly’ and ‘Do You Realize’, but what really stands out about Flaming Lips is their ability to put on a circus-like show.

The highlight of the last day was half-Norwegian/half-British singer Lucy Swann, who performs in the tiniest tent at the festival. However, the small venue doesn’t distract from Lucy’s immense stage presence. With her amazingly strong voice, which Lucy loops over and over to create a sense of a choir of a multitude of Lucys, the singer gives you goosebumps with her fantastically inventive and unique mixture of electro pop. Walking the thin line between emotive fragility and emotional strength, Lucy is a magically powerful singer. In this background-blizzard of clapping and clinking, Lucy Swann’s soulful voice stands out with its poignancy. Her raw honesty combined with her vocal performance and musical arrangements certainly make her one of the most exciting new performers around. Think Bat For Lashes’ exquisite voice paired with Patrick Wolf’s organs and mysterious story-telling and 80s keyboards and you’re only half way there. Lucy Swann is definitely one to keep in mind for big things.

If you like your festivals aesthetically and musically beautiful and prefectly organised, then Oya is the place for you. Fall in love with the festival and the people and the city. I certainly did. See you there next year!

videos + songs

Some good shit!

Wolves - Phosphorescent

Just beautiful and sad and stunning and heart-breaking and magic.



Kele - Everything You Wanted

Great lyrics and great tears.



Pavement - Gold Soundz

Classic!



These New Puritans - Attack Music

Haunting song, stunning video.

No Age 'Glitter'

Hi guys I love No Age, so you need to love No Age too. This Is Fake DIY love them, also, so I did a little single review about No Age for them. Wow that sentence was confusing.

‘Glitter’, the new single from L.A. stoner-noise-pop whizz kids No Age, is the perfect DIY guide to blissed-out, fuzzed-up garage rock. Whetting your appetite with a slow clap intro, they dive right into a feedback heavy screechy lo-fi anthem that flawlessly conjures up images of hanging out on a beach, smoking spliff, spending afternoons skating and ‘chillaxing’ with REALLY cool people in L.A.

This indie dream boat duo consisting of guitarist Randy Randall and drummer Dean Allen Spunt blast out an absolute racket of a song which is reminiscent of a more cheerful and less teenage angsty Smashing Pumpkins – not the whiny version of Smashing Pumpkins, but rather the glorious and triumphantly tuneful version of Corgan’s band.

Combining just the right level of screechiness with an abundance of thrash-ladden melody, No Age bathe in sun-soaked melancholia. Whilst their tunes are chirpy and upbeat, their lyrics are rather bleak. On ‘Glitter’, drummer/vocalist Dean complains that: “I don’t feel nothing unless it’s broke”, but the beauty underneath No Age’s musical cloud of doom is that with an energy so contagious and a voice so emotive, a distinct sense of optimism still shines through brightly and brilliantly.

On their website it says that when writing songs, they set out with one particular rule in mind: To write songs that we would be psyched to listen to. With ‘Glitter’ they have more than achieved that!

Pavement

Morning guys, how are you today?

This blog post has been a long time coming. It’s about Pavement. Everybody loves Pavement. I know, you know, everyone knows. However, being the stupid and rebellious girl I am, I always refused to fully embrace them. At college, everyone loved them, I was into Britpop. At uni everyone loved them and wore their T-Shirts, I was into Refused. It was that sort of anti-reaction that I sometimes get when people keep telling me how great some band/designer/person is and I just cannot help disliking them. Strange shit.

Anyway to cut a long story short. I have now grown up and finally listened to Pavement for the first time properly. And I have to say I’m digging them. Bloody brilliant lyrics, a lovely sense of DIY ethics, a fascinatingly dissonant voice and melodies that will define what ‘indie’ really means for generations to come.

So in order to cherish my blossoming love affair with Pavement, I have come up with a top 4 list of things I love about them.

Lyrics: “So drunk in the August sun and you're the kind of girl I like because you're empty and I’m empty and you can never quarantine the past” or “Darlin' don't you go and cut your hair. Do you think it's gonna make him change? "I'm just a boy with a new haircut" And that's a pretty nice haircut” Fucking brilliant.

Underdog appeal: It’s the old story of the band, which was never really commercially successful during their time, but nonetheless achieved a cult following and influenced generations of musicians to come. Their only moderate commercial success defines them as the typical underdog, and let’s face it, we all love an underachiever.

Geek chic: Fuck Weezer and fuck Ben Folds. Is it a coincidence that nerdy Seth Cohen loves Pavement? Don’t think so. Pavement are the ultimate misunderstood geeks and I love it.

Tunes: Find a lovely Pavement playlist here with all my fave tunes!