From Francis Ford Coppola comes a curious look at eavesdropping and the human conscience. This oft overlooked gem was truly ahead of its time, painting the issues that arise around surveillance with a gripping, neo-noir edge. But beyond the social merit and technical perfection of the film’s direction, Gene Hackman’s portrayal of a wiretapper unraveled is a first-rate character study.

Watch the trailer on YouTube
Read the reviews on RottenTomatoes.com

Just came across a provocative article in this month’s Adbusters Magazine. Penned by Douglas Haddow, it’s an entertaining read no matter which side of the fence you’re on.

Pop Nihilism from Adbusters.org
An interview with the author from The Aestheic Poetic

Francis and The Lights are the next big thing. On paper, combining the nervousness of late-80’s Peter Gabriel and the hyper-sexy falsetto delivery of Prince sounds like your worst nightmare. But upon listening to their twitchy, soulful, funky assault, you might just change your mind. Crafting a slick, unique sound around charismatic frontman Francis Starlite (who cuts a striking figure, looking like Christopher Walken in King of New York, but sounding more like Terrence Trent D’Arby ) Francis and The Lights are shockingly good and about to blow up. And yes, they’re from New York. Of course.

Check the videos and download two of their EP’s for free from the official Francis and the Lights site

Avant-garde trio Azeda Booth dive into deeper space with their new EP, Tubtrek. This latest release from the Canadian art-rockers is a dreamy, spastic collage of inventive rhythms and stirring melodies which combines the atmospheric haze of ambient rock, the lush, primitive spirit of freak folk, and the modern urgency of glitch-hop. Now on a North American tour, check these genre-bending gents at SXSW or at your local bleeding-edge indie venue.

Download Tubtrek *free!* from Azeda Booth’s website.
Azeda Booth on MySpace
Artist’s Page on Absolutely Kosher Records

Digital illustration and photography collide in the work of Moscow’s Dmitri Maximov, aka Tebe Interesno (loosely translated: Are you interested?). This skilled young artist’s combination of otherworldly characters and luminous settings result in images that are fantastic and humorous, yet with an underlying pathos and sensitivity to urban isolation/paranoia. You’ll agree the work is imaginative and sometimes strangely “cute”.

Check out his blog at LiveJournal

Here’s an incredibly amateur video I shot this past weekend of my pals from Women playing to their hometown crowd. (Dig Chad VanGaalen hittin’ switches and singing backup!) Catch these fine fellows on their second European tour beginning in February.

Women on MySpace
Artist page on Flemish Eye Records
Artist page on Jagjaguwar Records

Originally dubbed a “grunge” artist, German-born Juergen Teller has become one of the most influential fashion photographers around. Paving the way for the point-and-shooters of today, his unflinching approach and strong connection to the subject has revealed a wealth of frank, provocative, perfectly captured moments.

A recent article from New York Magazine
Some select works from Artnet

Call it lo-fi, call it neo-folk, but don’t call it uninformed. The music of Sleeping States (the nom de plume of wunderkind Markland Starkie) is a confection of breathy harmonies and placid tones emerging from a toybox of 90’s dreampop, ambient electro, and the punk DIY ethic. Smart, experimental, fiercely independent, and — well, British.

Sleeping States’ Myspace Page
Sleeping States’ Official Website
Please download “Rivers.mp3″

Dubbed “The original hip hop documentary” , Style Wars is a historic chronicle of the graffiti subculture which grew amidst the urban decay of late 70’s/early 80’s New York. Originally aired in 1983 on PBS, the vibrance and realism of the artists and their art captured by directors Henry Chalfant and Tony Silver make you feel as if you’re experiencing a true discovery. Remarkable film quality and fantastic soundtrack to boot.

Buy the DVD from StyleWars.com
or watch it lo-fi style on Google Video

Stockholm illustrator Jenny Mörtsell’s seemingly naïve pencil portraits are imbibed with love, youth, humour, feminine charm, and (dare i say) the je ne sais quoi of contemporary fashion and design. Catch her in Nylon, Flaunt, and the NY Times.

Interview at computerlove
Jenny Mörtsell Flickr photoset