Hey, don’t knock it ’til you’ve tried it.
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Laura Egley Taylor
Then a miracle occurs . . .
get up and go
May 2nd, 2009
Pelican’s “Drought.” On repeat. A highly recommended soundtrack for layout.
(From their album Australasia. Here’s a rough clip, but you really need to hear their recording for the full effect. As one of the clip viewers commented: “You know who else likes Pelican? . . . God.”
This, from fastnbulbous.com:
“Just like you scrub away the day’s grime with a loofah, sometimes you need to sandpaper away unpleasant memories of bad radio you’re subjected to. Pelican’s Australasia is the perfect cure. . . As background music Australasia‘s tempo seems consistent, its tone satisfyingly thick, massaging the lower registers of your hearing. Put on the headphones (or risk your lease and crank the sound system) and allow your biochemistry to slow down and meld with the music . . .”
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Tags: australasia, drought, fastnbulbous.com, pelican
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today’s muse-ic props
March 18th, 2009
Mogwai. “Cosmic” post rock, per AllMusic—and I agree. Their sound is big and lush, if not galactic. Kings of the slow build. . .
Would love to wax eloquent about them, but magazine layout awaits, so I’ll just say their wall of sound does wonders for my brain.
Meanwhile, here’s a 2006 video/interview* filmed in their hometown of Glasgow. Check it out.
Photo of the band courtesy of Mogwai.co.uk
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*”Have you ever felt the time is now for Mogwai?”
“I think I’ve felt that the time is soon, but I’ve never felt the time is now. . . Such unabashed optimism would probably render me useless to the world.”
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today’s much needed focal aid
January 21st, 2009
A post-rock instrumental band out of Athens, Georgia, formed in 2000. This, from the Temporary Residence Limited website:
. . . the band has dragged the glory years of psychedelic arena rock kicking and screaming into the 21st Century, with the pomposity (and vocals) carefully removed. In its place are white hot flashes of light pulsing to an unstoppable rhythm that makes us want to punch air and drive really fast in a car with wings instead of doors.
Or . . . work really fast on layouts that (hopefully) serve as informative vehicles to get people where they need to be!
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Tags: maserati
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a deadline crunch shout-out to. . .
November 27th, 2008
Oneida. In particular, their song “Sheets of Easter,” which has been described as “testing the listener’s patience by repeating a single brain-pummeling riff for over 14 minutes” (Jason Nickey, All Music Guide) and “Unless you have a taste for self-abuse, you would be wise to dodge the noise-drone cut “Sheets of Easter” (Yancey Strickler, eMusic.com).
I LOVE this song.
My guys Tim and Reeve slipped this track onto my iPod a couple of years ago—as a joke, I guess—and I shocked us all by really connecting with it. I find the repetition soothing—kicks me right into a focal zone where I can concentrate. I tend to listen to the song on repeat for hours at a time while working.
A while back, I contacted the band’s Fat Bobby (a.k.a. Bobby Matador or Robert Thacher) to tell him how much I appreciated “Sheets of Easter.” He wasn’t at all surprised to hear how calming I found it and said that his wife, Erica, had recently had a baby and had found rhythmic, repetitious music to be helpful during labor. Check out her list and his comments on the tracks here.
OK. Just got to lay out the TOC now, and we’ll be done with Jan-Feb! Am giving thanks right about now for Oneida (among many other things, of course) . . .
Happy Thanksgiving, y’all!
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Photograph: Lisa Corson
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Tags: labor, oneida, sheets of easter, thanksgiving
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recipe for . . . success?
November 20th, 2008
There are so many design- or production-related things things to blog about, but for right now, this is about all I can handle. (i.e., I’m under deadline and am supposed to be doing layout at this very moment—so I’ll make this quick!)
I don’t (like to or choose to) cook. But I make an exception when it comes to . . .
Laura’s Not-So-Secret Recipe for
Protein-Packed Production Fuel, er, Oatmeal1/3 c rolled oats
2/3 c water
1T chopped walnuts
1T raisins
dash cinnamon
dash salt
1/3 c chopped apple
1/3 c cottage cheese1. Throw everything except apple and cottage cheese into a microwave-safe bowl.
2. Zap for 1-2 minutes (depending on how powerful your microwave is).
3. Add chopped apples and zap for another minute.
4. Stir in cottage cheese.
5. Add honey, maple syrup, or brown sugar, if you’d like.
Makes one serving.
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Tags: recipe oatmeal
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intelligent design
October 21st, 2008
Did I mention we’re in a swirl of redesign action over here at Mothering? Yes, indeed. Both the magazine and the website are getting makeovers, and in my pursuit of new design input, I recently came across an exciting find: Thinking with Type by Ellen Lupton. This beautiful foray into the world of typography is a delight to pore over, chock-full of typographical tips, informative examples of design principles put into practice, and info about the historical and cultural contexts for the development of type.
The fun-to-read appendix includes a section called “Free Advice.” Here’s a sample:
Think more, design less. Many desperate acts of design (drop shadows, gradients and the gratuitous use of transparency) are committed in the void left by a strong concept.
Make the shoe fit, not the foot. Rather than force content into rigid containers, create systems that are flexible and responsive to the material they are intended to accommodate.
Check out the Thinking with Type website for a peek at what the book offers, as well as some fun and edifying games and projects, all in the name of learning how to be a more intelligent designer.
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Tags: design, redesign, review, thinking with type
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today’s production support team
October 1st, 2008
Pelican. On an uber-crazy deadline day like today, nothing would be getting done at my desk without the focus this band’s music provides. Thanks, guys; I owe you.
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production aid #17
September 18th, 2008
The ball. This is where I sit, and it does wonders for my mood—as well as my hamstrings. Rolling around on an inflated ball all day, it’s hard not to feel like a kid.
Now, if I can just find a few other folks with feet as big as mine, we might be able to get up a big game of kickball. . .
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Tags: ball, office equipment, the making of a magazine, tips
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