Genpets is a hoax but that didn't stop me from secretly hating myself for wanting one after finding out about it through the magic of Livejournal. The artist, Adam Brandejs, manufactured the idea with the help of his girlfriend and released it to various galleries and a Canadian storefront. The reaction he recieved for the work was utter shock. In fact, "While in the store window of Iodine Toronto, the shop owner began sleeping in the store as many nights, people would bang at the windows furiously" (
Brandejs' official site) This is probably exactly what Brandejs was expecting or hoping for (in a sense). Brandejs says: "If you’re still caught up on whether they’re real or not, that’s ok, a lot of people are, but that’s not the point of the work. Slow down, stop, and think. Think about why it is that you probably, like most people seeing the work, find it highly disturbing on some level, and yet, still want to buy one. Why is it that you’re so inclined to buy things, no matter what? And what is it that makes this concept so disturbing, or not disturbing to you? Consider both sides of the issue, and consider how we treat animals in farms, and pet stores today. How does that relate?" (ibid)
I have to say, the reasoning/motivation for this work is a lot more creative and thought-provoking than, say,
Damien Hirst's The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living (which sounds a lot like a
Brand New song). It's amazing how a shark in formaldehyde can be considered art. Now I shouldn't have to worry about getting into college. My portfolio can be filled with buckets of vomit and all I have to do to get into RISD is say that the puke represents the ever-growing materialistic personalities of today's society. Smart move, Jon. Getting a Bachelor's in art should be easy as cake.
* * *
With the recently announced free EP from
Adult Swim and
Chocolate Industries,
"Cholocate Swim", I've been listening to more British hiphop. I never really liked Lady Sovereign--"Ch Ching" kind of bothered me--but my feelings have changed since I spent the majority of last night listening to her song and the various remixes of "Hoodie" And speaking of the British hiphop scene, I now have more reason to talk about Lily Allen (a.k.a. my girlfriend).
Lily Allen is about to release her first full-length album next (this) month. That's exciting. But from the looks of Amazon.com, Lily's debut is just going to be an import. That means there goes another artist mainstream music America will probably never hear. Which is too bad cause I bet a lot of people would enjoy her sultry summer sounds. Of course the scenester in me is super glad she'll stay underground in America. I would totally hate it if one of my "friends" who listens to Teddy Geiger and Black Eyed Peas (or Nickelback *shivers*) told me they love Lily Allen. I'd throw away my entire music library and set myself on fire. (LOLSIKE) Whatevs, I still have a bunch more free (illegal) Lily Allen downloads you can enjoy.
[MP3] oh my god (kaiser chiefs cover) - lily allen
(taken directly from her mixtape but still a top notch cover)
[MP3] cheryl tweedy - lily allen
[MP3] everything's just wonderful - lily allen(crap quality. you can find a better version, non-downloadable though, at her myspace)[MP3] littlest things - lily allenBack to
Lady Sovereign...I don't really know how to start talking about her. Maybe, if you've never heard her before, be prepared for a very distinctive voice. It could be passed off as annoying and it might take a few listens before one starts to really appreciate her stuff. The more I listen to "Ch Ching" and "Gatheration" I start liking it a lot more. Lady Sovereign has a more upfront, sweet-yet-tart voice that's pleasingly fast at times (similar to Ludacris) unlike Allen's voice which is quieter and oddly more feminine. The most attractive thing about Lady Sovereign is emphasized in her track "Hoodie" where the chorus makes her voice sickenly cute. So cute in fact that I wouldn't mind consuming her flesh. Listen and tell me you wouldn't want to do the same.
[MP3] hoodie - lady sovereign
[MP3] random - lady sovereign
[MP3] ch ching - lady sovereignThe Ordinary Boys and
Lady Sovereign collaborated on the song "Nine2Five" - it's really catchy and I'm not afraid to admit that I sung it out loud to myself as I was showering this afternoon.
[MP3] nine2five - lady sovereign ft. ordinary boys
