Randomosity on Fridays: Comic Con Edition (6/Final)

Yes, I swear this is the last of the recap. We're finally on to Sunday, the last day of Comic Con, which was awesome and bittersweet. SO here we go!

DAY 3 / Sunday

Sunday was another bright and early day since we had to get back in the Hall H line and also check out of our apartment. After trying very hard not to wake Lauren up as we scrambled all our stuff together, the Sister and I put all our stuff in the car and went to meet Nicole in the Hall H line. The panels that we were interested in on Sunday were Supernatural, Breaking Bad, and The Doctor Who 50th Anniversary - basically, the first 3 panels.

While we were in line chatting, Misha Collins ran by on his morning run and briefly stirred us up out of our sleep-deprivation-induced stupors.

Since Nicole's group had slept over-night and we'd done the shifts thing, we were pretty much at the very front of the line. It was kind of awesome. It was even awesomer because we got really front and center seats. If only we had been this close on Saturday/for Loki!

SUPERNATURAL

The cast, show-runner, and producer!

As usual, the Supernatural cast was amusing and funny. Watching J2 joke around never gets old. Felicia Day was a surprise guest (and will be returning next season, yay!), and they showed us the gag reel. The SPN gag reel is always laugh-out-loud funny.

When Felicia Day came in as the surprise guest, everyone else was purposely making it seem like she was a diva and no one liked her. So when she stormed in, Jensen ran off while Jared and Misha tried to hold Felicia and Bob Singer back.

BREAKING BAD

Confession, I only just watched the pilot of Breaking Bad this week, but the Sister is a huge fan of the show. So it was really cool for her to get to see this panel, especially since this is the last season.

I was kind of spoiled for all previous seasons since they showed a reel, but it's okay. I barely remember any of it and it was like flashes of everything. Then, they showed us the first 5 minutes of the 1st episode of the then yet-to-be-aired new season.


Bryan Cranston came in wearing that very realistic mask of Walter White's face. It then became a source of endless amusement during the panel...

...Especially, when Bryan Cranston put the mask over his mic and talked into it. Lots of making out jokes ensued.


DOCTOR WHO

Then, it was the panel most of the audience was the most excited for - Doctor Who! Before it started, all the Whovians in the crowd were holding their sonic screw drivers in the air. It was kind of sweet.

Matt Smith and Jenna Louise Coleman were super cute and talked about how they cheered fans who were cosplaying as them, including one incident where the fans only recognized them later as they were driving away.

David Bradley, Mark Gatiss, and Marcus Wilson were there to also promote An Adventure in
Space & Time - a BBC movie about the making of the Doctor Who TV series.

Craig Ferguson was the moderator and told us not to hassle David Bradley about his character in Game of Thrones (don't mix fandoms!), but David Bradley made one funny comment about how recently, "the wedding invitations have dried up." HAHA (but also, I am crying!)

Of course, the best part of this whole panel? We got to see the trailer for the Doctor Who 50th Anniversary special. As far as I know, it is not online yet so please excuse me while I gloat just a little bit...because it was AWESOME. So much Matt Smith and David Tennant interacting and being AMAZING together. Also, the return of Billie Piper's Rose! Eeee, I can't wait! #sorrynotsorry


When this panel ended, we filed out of Hall H and went back to my car to put our stuff away. Then I had to walk the Sister back to Petco Park for her NERD HQ panel with Tom Hiddleston.


NERD HQ: Conversation with Tom Hiddleston

You may recall that she got a ticket on Saturday night from a fan with a pair of tickets to spare, but she only managed to get one. We tweeted all morning Sunday to see if anyone else had spare tickets but no luck! The Sister was very gracious and offered to give me the ticket (since she said I'm the bigger fan), but I insisted that she go.

So I dropped her off at the waiting area at Petco Park and was going to go explore the Nerd HQ stuff while she was at the panel. But then she waved me over before I walked off. Long story short, the girls with the extra tickets couldn't contact the other person who had tweeted for the ticket, so they gave it to me. We paid the Nerd HQ people and got in line. We were in Row 8.

We also found Nicole (who was in the front row) and freaked out with her over my good luck. She just kept saying "I had a feeling! I knew it would work out." And it did because as they had been all weekend, the Comic Con gods were so kind to us.

Zachary Levi moderated (since Nerd HQ is his brain child). Tom did a little dance when he came in, and basically it was an hour of listening to Tom being intelligent, charming, and adorable.

He quoted Shakespeare, spoke French, did impressions of people - including Zachary Levi (and it was freaky because he sounded just like him). He also joked about how he couldn't figure out how to sit in the chair; it's at once too low and too deep. It was pretty much like the best thing ever.

And he ended the whole thing by doing an impression of a velociraptor. He actually acted out the entire scene from Jurassic Park where the raptors are trying to get into the kitchen where the kids are hiding. It was unreal.

Aaaand all of this epicness was captured on film for you by the generous folks at Nerd HQ. So if you have an hour to spare, I absolutely recommend you watch this.



When this was over, Nicole, the Sister, and I fangirled about it for a little bit outside Petco Park before we parted ways. The sunny weekend had also given way to gray clouds and a slight drizzle. So the Sister and I got to my car and left San Diego for home.

This is also why we think we maybe can't go to Comic Con again because it's unlikely that any experience can top this. I mean, we got to see all the things we wanted to see, saw some celebs up close, saw Loki, and saw Tom. It was just TOO EPIC for our first Con ever.

But we're totally going to go again next year. Anyone want to join us? :)

For previous SDCC-related posts:

1) What's Up Wednesday (7) / RSW (6)
2) SDCC Recap No. 1
3) What's Up Wednesday (8) / Our Comic Con Fashion
4) SDCC Recap No. 2
5) SDCC Recap No. 3
6) What's Up Wednesday (10) / Our Comic Con Swag
7) SDCC Recap No. 4
8) SDCC Recap No. 5

Book Review: Charm & Strange

It's been a while since we had one of these, but I have been reading a lot (for me) and it is appropriately Banned Books Week in the U.S., during which we talk about the importance of books and reading and the dangers of banning them.

[Illustration/ mine]

This book is new (debut from earlier this year) and as far as I know it hasn't been banned, though I could see that it might be given its dark content. I meant to review it ages ago, but life was busy and I needed some time to think on it. In any case, it is a short, powerful book that I think is worth the read.

CHARM & STRANGE by Stephanie Kuehn

Disclaimer: Received an e-ARC from publisher through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

PROS: Taut plotting; engaging voice; deft use of metaphor and magical realism

CONS: Dual narrative structure takes a little getting used to; supporting characters aren't as fleshed out

Intellectual Rating: 9 out of 10
Emotional Grade: A-

Book Blurb (from goodreads): When you’ve been kept caged in the dark, it’s impossible to see the forest for the trees. It’s impossible to see anything, really. Not without bars...

Andrew Winston Winters is at war with himself.

He’s part Win, the lonely teenager exiled to a remote Vermont boarding school in the wake of a family tragedy. The guy who shuts all his classmates out, no matter the cost.

He’s part Drew, the angry young boy with violent impulses that control him. The boy who spent a fateful, long-ago summer with his brother and teenage cousins, only to endure a secret so monstrous it led three children to do the unthinkable.

Over the course of one night, while stuck at a party deep in the New England woods, Andrew battles both the pain of his past and the isolation of his present.

Before the sun rises, he’ll either surrender his sanity to the wild darkness inside his mind or make peace with the most elemental of truths—that choosing to live can mean so much more than not dying.

REVIEW

Charm & Strange is indeed both of those things - charming in a mesmerizing, gripping kind of way and strange. For a relatively short book, it is powerful. It's dark, tense, psychological, and full of voice.

It's hard to review this book in part because it is something of a mystery, and to say anything of substance would be to give away the reveals. And part of the power of this book is how we come to the revelations, how the revelations ripple back to what we've seen happen in the story, and how those revelations affect the Win of the present.

The chapters are split between the present (Matter) with Win and the past (Antimatter) with Drew (the name he used before he became known as Win). The Present chapters and Past chapters each move forward in their own narratives, but they are put at the perfect pace so that each Past chapter reveals something about what is happening to Win in the Present. Both narratives are populated by their own set of characters - the common denominator being Win/Drew - but you can tell everything is intricately tied together. When you look at the story by the end, it's actually quite straightforward in a plot sense - there are no real subplots - but the clever interweaving of the chapters and the use of magical realism is what keeps you guessing. And it doesn't feel like a trick, like the odd structure was a means to keeping the reader in the dark. I thought it was actually a very effective way of showing us the confusion and change Win was going through, how complicated memories and perceptions can be.

I mean, the first line of the book blurb is: "Andrew Winston Winters is at war with himself" and the split narratives illustrate this struggle in an organic way. So, it is a brilliant structure choice!

It is also astonishing how tightly plotted and well-paced this book is, especially considering that this is Kuehn's debut. Another fantastic part of this book? The voice and atmosphere!

The voice is what grabbed me from the beginning and didn't let go. I wasn't sure what to expect from this book, and for the first few chapters, I still didn't know where it was going. Then I stopped caring about the where because Win/Drew's voice was so distinct, so clear. Here is such an odd and not really likeable boy: so tightly wound, angry, lonely, and even afraid despite his coldness (in the present) and his violence (in the past). Though his personality seems a bit different between the past and present, his voice was recognizable as his own in both. He captivated me, made me curious and invested in his story.

UK Cover of Charm & Strange

And the atmosphere in this book was perfect. It evoked beauty, darkness, fear, and tension. The many woodland scenes were at once idyllic and ominous. The mood easily shifted from the realistic (e.g. the drunken antics of teens at a campfire party) to the surreal (e.g. running through the woods under the moonlight), and that lent itself to the mystery of Win/Drew's past at the heart of this novel.

One more thing I really loved about this book was the use of extended metaphor and motifs. They aren't overdone or overbearing, and I thought one of the metaphors was particularly appropriate to the themes of this book. I can't say more or I'll ruin it for you, but it is so appropriate. For the motifs, I loved the juxtaposition of Win's interest in the hard sciences (where the title and chapter titles come from, and which also lends itself to reinforcing Win's journey) to this shifting, paranormal-tinged depiction of his internal, personal struggle. I think also the juxtaposition of the unruly and abstract nature of this story to Kuehn's controlled prose and pacing serves to further the tension and dread while highlighting Kuehn's discipline.

The only slight bumps in the book I could mention is that the dual narrative does take a bit of getting use to and the other characters are very much supporting characters. It's not jarring per se, but it is like starting two different stories at once since the narratives run parallel to each other. It also makes it a bit hard to grasp the passage of time because the MATTER (present) story line takes place mostly over the course of a day/night, whereas the ANTIMATTER (past) story line jumps from incident to incident and then covers one fateful summer. The other thing is that while there is a cast of characters - particularly Win's two friends and Drew's brother and various other family members - there isn't too much of them. But while they are painted in rather broad strokes, there is a realness to them that makes it okay, and anyway, the story is very much Win's.

Kuehn draws a very complex portrait of a boy who is struggling with loss, grief, identity, trauma, and survival. The themes and what the story is really about only become truly clear at the end, and it is a heartbreaking, powerful revelation. I don't think you'll know how well-constructed Win's character and story is until then.

This is a very potent piece of magical realism, a book that blurs perception as much as it blurs the past and present, the real and fantastical. It is a dark, difficult story but it also has a lot of hope and heart. I look forward to anything Stephanie Kuehn writes in the future.

Similar suggested reads: Nova Ren Suma's 17 & Gone

Randomosity on Fridays: Comic Con Edition (5)

'When will this recap ever end?' I hear you ask. 'It's been over 2 months since it happened!' I know, it's like a never-ending recap, but like I said last time, we haven't gotten to the BEST PART yet. Even now, the entire experience feels surreal to me.

So please indulge me in my need to set this down in pictures and words, and who knows? Maybe it'll convince some of you who have been thinking about going to SDCC actually make plans to go! Onwards!

DAY 3 / Saturday (Part 2)

Last we left off about mid-afternoon in our long Saturday sitting in Hall H. In case you were wondering, the Sister and I had a lunch that consisted of a wrapped up Hot Pocket, some birthday-cake Oreos, and fruit snacks. Yeah, we were real healthy...

After the super cool Women who Kick Ass panel, things got real interesting real fast. 20th Century Fox did their block, which consisted of the films Rise of the Planet of the Apes, Wolverine, and X-MEN: Days of Future Past. It was all fancy because they gave us 3-D glasses and presented all their trailers in 3D.

There wasn't too much to RISE since they were early in production. They showed the Wolverine trailer, which admittedly looked more interesting than the teasers I'd seen, and then they trotted out Hugh Jackman.

As you can imagine, he was lovely, charming, and funny. He left the stage and Bryan Singer came out to talk about X-MEN. They ran the trailer, which guys, it seemed pretty freaking cool, and when the lights came back on, he noted how oh the panel table seems really long and there are so many seats...

Yes, they pretty much brought the ENTIRE combined cast of the X-MEN franchise. There was so much star power at that panel, you can imagine the freaking out that was going on and the number of camera flashes that went off. It still kind of blows my mind that we saw ALL OF THEM sitting there together.

Of course, they were charming and hilarious. Sir Ian McKellan was super cute with Sir Patrick Stewart and he kinda/sorta proposed to Michael Fassbender. James McAvoy was adorably excited to be there. Jennifer Lawrence and Peter Dinklage were their usual charming selves. So on and so forth...

To top it all off, as the cast exited the stage, 20th Century Fox passed out claim vouchers for swag - and as you saw from our SDCC swag post, it was a lot of stuff - posters, shirts, hats.

The Marvel panel was next, the last panel of the day and pretty much the one we were most excited to see. But after 20th Century Fox starstruck us and then gave us free stuff, it was hard to imagine what Marvel could possibly do to top that. The crowd was still all astir from that panel when moderator Chris Hardwick and Marvel'sKevin Feige took the stage.

Since there was no THOR 2 panel, they started just by saying it was releasing in November and that they were going to show us a new trailer. But as you've all probably heard by now, the microphone and lights cut out in the middle of Feige's trailer introduction and we heard a voice that sounded a lot like Loki.

The Sister and I looked at each other and said, "Sounds like Tom... Is that Loki? IS HE HERE?!" because the room was completely dark and it sounded like it could be a voice-over. Most of the crowd seemed confused as well, like we were waiting for the trailer to start playing any second now...and then the lights flickered back on...

[Photo/ the Sister]

Now, please imagine a room of 6500 people surging to their feet and screaming, camera flashes going off like strobe lights. That's what happened. The Sister and I were FREAKING OUT that Tom Hiddleston was standing on the Hall H stage in full costume acting completely in character. It was UNREAL.

Loki was snide and charming, insulting and baiting and even shushing the crowd, and still he had 6500 people chanting his name by the end. Loki's army? It is a real thing.

I won't bore you with any more blurry pictures. Suffice to say, I was too busy freaking out and texting my fellow Hiddleston fangirl and lady geek Nicole, who was sitting in the Hall H line outside for Sunday's early panels to really take pictures. Nicole was texting me in ALL CAPS about how she was DYING that she wasn't in the room.

And that's how Marvel managed to top all the panels before them and how Loki won Comic Con.

If you haven't seen the speech yet, there are multiple versions of the Loki speech online. Here's one for your viewing pleasure.



And then they showed the THOR: THE DARK WORLD trailer, which was very similar to the newest trailer that is out now (but with a few crucial, I guess SDCC exclusive segments missing). And they showed us an extended scene before moving on to the CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER panel.


Chris Evans and Scarlett Johansson and some of the returning SHIELD gang, as well as new actors for the new characters. It was cool because we saw an early clip.

The next panel was for Marvel's GUARDIAN OF THE GALAXIES, which had just started filming 12 days ago. So it was a big surprise that they'd flown in the entire cast from London AND put together a quick teaser trailer for us. I have no idea how they put together those things so fast because it looked pretty good for something that had been thrown together in 12 days!

Eee! Lee Pace, whom I adore!

And the adorable Karen Gillian (of Doctor Who fame) revealed that she had shaved her head for her role. In her excitement, she flung her wig into the crowd.


And we thought that was it, but of course, Marvel had one last card to play. After the stage was cleared, Joss Whedon ran in to tell everyone yes, he was working on Avengers 2 and that they had something for us. They then played a very short teaser thing that ultimately revealed that the subtitle for Avengers 2 is The Age of Ultron.

So when the lights went on and we were cleared from the room, the Sister and I headed to the Fulfillment room to pick up our 20th Century Fox swag. This whole process took a while (another long line was involved), but we were still shell-shocked from all the geekery that went down.

When this was done, we headed to the lobby of the Marriott to meet up with the lovely @laurenspieller who was staying with us for a night. This was my first meeting with this online writer-friend, so that was quite exciting as well. While we were being starstruck, she had spent the day on the convention room floor and had racked up an impressive 14 free books! I don't know how she managed to lug that load around all day, but she's just a bamf like that.

The last exciting thing that we discovered from Nicole (other than that she and her friends were willing to do a line-sharing duty thing with us, so we could get into the Doctor Who 50th Anniversary panel on Sunday) was that Tom Hiddleston was doing a last-minute NERD HQ panel on Sunday afternoon. Unfortunately, the tickets had gone online while the Sister and I were still shuffling out of Hall H in a daze and were sold out by the time we found out.

But luckiest of luck, the Sister happened to see a tweet from a girl who had 2 extra tickets she was willing to sell to the first 2 people who tweeted her for it. The Sister managed to get one in, but since she hadn't specified she needed 2 tickets, the other ticket went to someone else. I was, of course, bummed but also thrilled that one of us would get to see him. As you know though, this story ends happily and I do get to go see Tom, but that's for the SUNDAY recap.

With that, we headed back to our apartment to pack up (since we had to check out early the next morning and get back in the Hall H line).

Saw this cool, planetary promo on the way back to our apartment.

For more SDCC goodness, here are my previous related posts:

1) What's Up Wednesday (7) / RSW (6)
2) SDCC Recap No. 1
3) What's Up Wednesday (8) / Our Comic Con Fashion
4) SDCC Recap No. 2
5) SDCC Recap No. 3
6) What's Up Wednesday (10) / Our Comic Con Swag
7) SDCC Recap No. 4

The Creative Process: Jewelry/Dinosaur Version

Hey ho.  I haven't been doing as much writing as I'd like lately, but that doesn't mean I'm not getting into storytelling shenanigans.  Today I'm going to share with you how my latest jewelry WIP came about.

Basically, our assignment was to create a piece of jewelry using a "found object", definition of which is something that a) isn't metal and b) isn't like a normal jewelry component and c) we aren't supposed to drastically alter (i.e. can't find a thing and then cast it in metal, though it is acceptable to cut bits off and whatnot).

After some scrounging around, I came up with this little guy who came all the way from the desert:

I found him!
...in a basket.
...full of other dinos.
...at the dino museum.
...as a prize for small children who completed the Dino Quest.
...yes, I completed the Dino Quest, as did Krispy.

I stared at him for a while, procrastinating hardcore imagining the possibilities, and eventually an image percolated through my brain.  I have done my best to faithfully render it for you as pictured below:

Like any other person, I decided I'd make a necklace featuring a plesiosaur riding a meteorite that has smashed a chunk out of the earth.  He is the only survivor of dinosaurkind because he hitched a ride on the very bringer of armageddon, but he's not unhappy with being an extremely endangered species; on the contrary, he's had it with the rest of his kind!  Screw them!  He's on to bigger and better things!  Space, the final frontier!  He'll probably don some badass steampunk goggles and become a time traveling explorer who surfs the stars on his own personal meteorite.  Aww yeah.

So, with that in mind, I set about with hammer and torch to bring my vision into three-dimensional form.  As usual, it ended up getting tweaked and modified along the way.

First, I took a rectangle of copper and beat the living crap out of it with assorted tools to get a crumpled shape that my mom said looks cool but not like a meteorite, though I assure you, it is a meteorite.  I then fused silver over the surface to give it texture and different color, and then soldered onto it flattened silver wire for the dino's harness.

Not finished yet, of course. Needs more cleaning,
a patina, a bail from which to hang, and of course the dino
must be set. The harness wires will be crimped to hold him safely
in place during his spacefaring adventures.

Quick test fit to see that the dino can actually be squeezed under the harness.  I've just been calling him Dino, by the way, I thought maybe he needed a poncy or kickass name, but I think he likes being called Dino because he is the last and only dino, thank you, so he needs no other name.  Yes, he has that kind of personality.  Tsk.

I also made a little partly-domed earth with the continents sawed out of bronze and soldered to copper, but it's kind of small and after some general advice and critique, I decided it will be an additional ornamental dangly bit rather than a counterpart to Dino the Meteorite Rider.  Meteorider?  Whatever.  I also decided to make a lariat necklace with the Meteorider Dino at one end and a big copper hoop at the other end for visual balance, fused with silver to match the meteor.  I also added tube settings and will be putting sparkly cubic zirconias in them.

The continents are bronze, they just need cleaning.
The matching other dome half says "Au revoir SUCKERS".
And on the hoop piece, there's a big red CZ at the point
with a smaller orange one on the left, and the third white one
is on the upper right side, by the dino's neck in the pic.

When everything is soldered and sawed and cleaned and polished and chained and patina-ed and otherwise finished, it should look vaguely like this:

I'm still toying with some ideas for the Earth, such as whether I should cut the chunk out or make it some kind of locket (awesome, but I might not have the time and tools to do this), and I'm not sure where/how I will attach it to the rest of the lariat.  I am also uncertain whether the circle part is a wormhole that Dino is using to travel to the far reaches of the universe or if it's an oddly-shaped planet through which he has blasted.

At this time, I have reached the "I HATE LIFE WHY HAVE I DONE THIS TO MYSELF THIS WAS A STUPID IDEA" point that most writers/artists/humans go through when engaged in a difficult project, so I'm definitely having more fun with the narrative aspect as opposed to the actual fabrication.  It doesn't help that Dino is constantly sneering at me either, seriously.

When doing something creative other than writing, do you find yourself making stories?  Also, Dino needs a fancy or badass title.  Got any suggestions beyond the default Meteorider?

Randomsity on Fridays: Fall Music Edition 2013

It's been a while since we had The Sister - and our resident music guru - write a post for us about the current music that she's into. Some of the bands she has talked up and been listening to for a while now are breaking onto the scene (e.g. Bastille; The Neighborhood; Lorde; 1975), and so she thought it was time to drop some more recommendations.

****

Fall is a-comin' and that means FOOTBALL. But it also means new music and concerts galore (I'm already going to a show a week this month, so I'm a happy camper). After speaking to Krispy about music and realizing all these bands I should have posted about here earlier are now getting huge, we decided it was time for me to introduce you all to a new batch of artists so you can brag to people that you knew them first if they ever get huge. If they don't get huge, well, you can just bask in the glory of some sweet sweet tunes. Let's begin!

1. BANKS

Banks or Jillian Banks, is the mysterious brunette that everyone is about to know very soon. She just started releasing music this year and is already generating quite the buzz. Banks can currently be seen opening for The Weeknd, which is the perfect match.

If you're into moody R&B over hip hop beats and synth, then you'll love BANKS. Her voice sometimes reminds me a bit of Lana Del Rey but less quirky and she totally gives me Fionna Apple vibes on her song "Before I Ever Met You." She doesn't have a debut album out yet but she did just release the London EP this week.

Songs: Before I Ever Met You; Fall Over; Warm Water




2. London Grammar

London Grammar is a trio from England. I don't even know how I stumbled upon them, but I was immediately hooked after one listen. Hannah Reid has such an enchanting and haunting voice that it demands to be heard. She kind of reminds me a bit of Florence Welch from Florence and the Machine. London Grammar also gives off a The xx vibe as well.

They just released their debut album last week and it is beautiful. If you are into something a bit more mellow, definitely check them out.

Songs: When We Were Young; Flicker; Metal & Dust




3. Haim

Haim is probably the most well-known band on this list. I saw them a few years back when they opened for The xx. I thought they were a weird match since they are not like The xx at all. Haim is made up of three sisters and they are total rockers. They totally have this retro but modern feel to them. I am 100% sure you'll be hearing about these girls in no time. They're debut album drops later this month.

Songs: The Wire; Falling; Forever




4. Alpine

If you're into synthy-pop goodness then Alpine is the band for you. These dudes come from down under and definitely fit in with all the indie/synth pop that's out there today. Fronted by Phoebe Baker and Lou James, Alpine is as dreamy as dreamy can get. Baker and James' voices blend so perfectly together and the airy, breathy quality just puts you in a nice trance. It's like your head is in the clouds!

Songs: Hands; Gasoline; Villages




5. Last Dinosaurs

These dudes are not only made up of mostly Asian guys, but they're Australian too. I think that's pretty awesome. Last Dinosaurs sound like a mix of Phoenix and Two Door Cinema Club. They're fun and dance-y and you can't really go wrong with that. I mean just look at their latest tour poster. This band is pretty much flawless.

Songs: Weekend; Zoom; Honolulu





So these last two artists are as hipster as I can get. And I mean hipster in the sense that they only have either 1 or 2 songs out and are completely unsigned. No label, nada.

6. Bloom Twins

These twin beauties are from the Ukraine. To show that life really isn't fair, not only are they amazing singers but they're also models. HOW IS THAT FAIR? WHY LIFE? But let me get back to the point.

The Bloom Twins have such beautiful voices. They sound delicate but powerful, all wrapped up in this very eerie but enchanting vibe. They only have one song out and it's a cover but they do write their own songs as well.

Song: Fahrenheit




7. Hurricane Love

This sextet comes from Sweden and like some popular bands out here today (Of Monsters and Men & The Civil Wars), they have a male singer and female singer. They aren't as indie or folksy as the aforementioned bands, but they are great in their own right.

Hurricane Love definitely has a more accessible sound. They have about 3-4 songs out at the moment, but it won't be long before these guys get snatched up by a label.

Songs: Only Human; You Are the Sun; Free Ticket



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Hope you enjoy the new music! Got any to share with us?