The Neighbourhood

I have recently begun listening to a new band called the Neighbourhood. I heard about them through a suggestion from my brother. He said they had “really cool sound.” As always I looked them up on youtube and found a few songs.

So far my favorite is “Sweater Weather” it is a beautiful song following a love story that takes place on the California beaches, but is unfit for one of them. It has a great drum and bass line.

The singers voice is hauntingly intriguing. It echoes throughout your head. The chorus has a way of planting itself in your head, in a good way.

Another song that caught my intrigue was afraid. It speaks on the fear of losing someone close. Chillingly enticing the song brings you in and never lets you go. It is incredibly well executed and provides one of the most pleasant listening experiences I have felt.

They work around a darkly beautiful aesthetic and I am excited to see what else they put out in the future.

EQT Elevation

A little retrospective on Kobe’s first pro sneaker
The adidas EQT Elevation are coming back and we got a chance to check them out. Now he is considered one of the best players of all time, but in 1997 Kobe Bryant was an untested rookie. adidas brought him in as a new signature player. 1997 all-star weekend. The dunk competition. Featuring stiff competition from players like Ray Allen and Chris Carr, Kobe Bryant would have to be great. Wearing the purple adidas Equipment Elevation, Kobe threw down his first two dunks to limited fanfare. His last dunk would have to be amazing. He dribbled up and made a high-flying between the legs dunk. The dunk was legendary. It was the turning point of his career.


When he made that dunk Kobe Bryant brought the EQT Elevation to the history books with him. The Zig Zag pattern on the midsole and the deep purple on the upper were representations of Kobe himself. Kobe was young, new, and had the potential to be a legend. He was part of a dynasty; The Lakers became titans with Kobe on the roster. A living legend, Kobe’s rookie year is remembered by that dunk, and on his feet, the EQT Elevation… set to release later on this year.

My Favorite sneaker

Boston is as pivotal to sneaker culture as any city in the US. It is home to one of the most beloved brands making sneakers today, New Balance. New Balance has created an extremely loyal following, and for good reason, they provide quality and reliability. It is a home to some of the greatest silhouettes of all time, among them is the 999. It is a complex upper on a 3 paneled midsole, yet manages to be refined and beautiful.

Concepts saw this and wanted to pay homage to the great historical city of Boston with the Kennedy New balance 999. Inspired by John F. Kennedy’s love for sailing, this sneaker featured nautical details and was executed to perfection. This is often noted as the sneaker that brought New Balance back.

Featuring tonal grey and tan suede along the upper accented with vibrant blue and red it works beautifully. The colors and tones combine to create a toned down beauty, something that New Balance and John F. Kennedy would be proud of. A masterpiece. There is something magical about a sneaker than can manage to pull so many themes and colors into a shoe that can become and instant classic and be ranked amongst the greatest sneakers of all time.

The Concepts X New Balance 999 is perfect, from the story and inspiration all the way down to the red flag hangtag that reads CNCPTS. A legend.

The Art of Raw Denim

Denim is an american Icon, from levi strauss to James Dean denim has evolved through many subcultures and styles.

Denim enthusiasts gather online to discuss the subtleties of a great pair of jeans. Often drooling over the japanese made pairs that were created on old shuttle looms. It isn’t washed treated, or soaked before you get it. It is simply raw.

I have a pair of jeans that I find to have molded to me. each fade and tear has a story. They still are quite dark, but after a few years of wear the denim looks amazing.

The fade on every pair is unique to the wearer and becomes a footprint of the person wearing them.

Here is another picture illustrating the huge difference a year can make.

Jazz

I have been listening to quite a bit of Jazz lately. Exploring the brass of Dizzy Gillespie and Miles Davis.

The upbeat rhythms and adventurous melodies get me excited to ordinarily mundane tasks like cleaning and doing math homework.

It gives everything a unique feel, and keeps me excited to do everything. I used to play Jazz, but I fell victim to the sports requirement for my last school. Jazz still plays in my soul, and whenever it plays that melody is reborn.

Currently, I have been listening to songs like “I’ll Remember April” played by Miles Davis.

The running bass line gives the song consistency while Davis creates beautiful melodies with his natural musicality.

It infuses the rhythm into ones soul, and plays against your own heartbeat.

Bebop
by Dizzy Gillespie is also a fantastic example of this upbeat style. The drummer’s play of the cymbal, and the fast tempo creates a nice sense of controlled chaos that is the essence of the style.

Kaws

The French Graffiti artist that goes by the name Kaws is an icon in the world of street art and culture. His fame originated in his defacing of bus stop ads.

These small pieces gained notoriety as he started to do standalone pieces.

In the early 2000s he joined with the Medicom Toy Company to create toys, tee shirts, and various other pieces of clothing, and this year is his last with the company.

from small toys paying homage to his early years,

To huge pieces placed in various cities across the country, he has made a statement that will never be forgotten.

Kaws is a symbol of rebellion and youth that will hold true for many years to come.

Narduwar

In the world of Hip-Hop you know you have made it when you get an interview from Narduwar the human serviette. He is a charismatic interviewer with a distinctive interview style.

He does extensive research on each person he interviews and finds out their musical influences.

Enough explaining this interview is fantastic, and really gives a look into the musical influences of these musicians.

Intertwining Reality

A single piece of energy,

Moving at the end of the universe.

The beginning and the end.

the universe has receded to this.

It’s become something of a mystery to those involved, though I don’t think they care.

It was a simulation all along.

Circular.


Circular we live

an eternity to see

why waste the Journey

Everywhere we go

people will find their stresses

but lose their true goal.

Life is circular

and people love to worry

slow down. life is long.

Observation

Power lies not with those who rule intellectuals, but who rule the fools. An Intellectual knows when his rights are being taken away, they fight and resist to no end. Fools can easily be owned. Their faith can be bought with the simplest of things. They will believe anything they hear, which is exactly hat makes them dangerous.

-Unknown author 21st century.

In the second half of the 22nd Century a computer virus spread that wiped the data from millions of servers across the country. This outage caused The U.S. to be sent back to the dark ages. There was no way to contact the military overseas, the internet was the only way to control a military that was entirely robotic. Although when you think about it, the enemy’s army was entirely robotic as well. I always thought it was a ridiculous thing, to make machines just to break each other, piling millions of dollars into robots that served the express purpose of destroying other robots. A huge waste of money.

Back to the revolution. The people grew increasingly angry with the government. Martial Law was in effect in most states, and people were starving. The programs that ran the farming equipment had been shut down, and most towns had no ability to provide for their populations. Villages began to fight over food and water. We became barbarians over night. Thousands of years of morality lost in an instant.

Hunger changes a man, his instincts take over. Food becomes one’s only thought, and those who had it had the power. The smart ones like myself read books from museums to learn how to farm and grow food for ourselves. We had a garden with a few vegetables growing, and life was good. Well, at least until the town got word of our little establishment.

When people get angry they riot, when people riot they destroy, and when people destroy, nothing can be saved. They devoured what little food we had and burnt our home to the ground. An incredibly foolish gesture considering that the books they burnt were far more valuable than the vegetables, but alas, fools have no time for critical thinking in a riot. They think only for themselves.