Posts tagged 'Texture'

Childhood of a Circle

“Archibald lived in harmony with the surrounding world. Sometimes, after lunch, he would stroll along with a herd of mushrooms…”

I have a distinct memory of watching The Red Balloon in kindergarten. My overall recollection of the event is warped and faded but certain moments are forever burned into my mind. Strangely enough, all of them have nothing to do with the film itself: watching the reel-to-reel projector as it was wheeled in, perched heavily atop a sturdy steel cart with squeaking castors, its bottom shelf empty save for a large metal disc of tightly wound 8mm; the flurry of satisfying clicks and snaps each part on the projector made as my teacher deftly manipulated them into place; the lazy way the bulb brightened and the gentle warmth it radiated, the steady hum of the cooling fan and the slotted shadows its vents cast on the ceiling.

I’ve found that the electricity of a memory varies greatly depending on how old you are and grade school, for me at least, was a time when any new experience would surge through my brain like alternating current.

I felt so calm; so fine-with-everything as it played. It was nice; I wanted to stay there forever. The attached film, by French graphic designer/filmmaker/musician Kadavre Exquis, evoked a similar reaction; the richly textured, meandering landscapes and simple innocence of the characters made me want to melt through the screen for an aimless stroll. It’s warm and peaceful and colorful and chill and, well, lots of things really. The story is nice but it’s over too soon; I watched it four times in quick succession in a failed attempt to prolong the experience. That being said, I was happy to discover that there’s an original soundtrack to Childhood of a Circle that is orders of magnitude longer. You can listen to the entire thing gratis on Kadavre’s website or get the bits to go for a very-reasonable ten bucks.

There’s lots of strange, enigmatic intangibles in his work that I’m drawn to and it’s been fun taking time to tumble down the rabbit hole in an attempt to unravel them. Needless to say, I’m excited to see what Monsieur Exquis will make next.

Oh yeah: full-screen and headphones for this one, y’all. Enjoy!

[ Childhood of a Circle ]

Take Your Medicine

Come on, get up and on your feet;
Beyond refuge of troubled sleep.
Have I had enough? Or did I take too much?

Oh em gee! This shit is the dopeness y’all; easily an instant classic of The Tripatorium™. If you’re a regular visitor to this site you will guaranteed-love this music video directed by Nader Husseini for San Diego based rock outfit, Transfer. I’m having a hard time encapsulating why I enjoy it so much with just a couple of sentences: is it the giant demon beast with a dolphin-esque skull steadily keeping the beat on an array of floating drums? The exploration of substance abuse/dependence that culminates in a cascade of pills spilling forth from aforementioned aquatic mammalian skull monster? How the rich, undulating textures and muted color palette support the steady emotional build-up breakdown? There, I’ve done it: it’s all of those things together, at once. Enjoy the ride…

To see a complete list of the talented dudes and dudettes involved in making of ‘Take Your Medicine’ as well as a lengthy list of it’s awards/nominations click here.

[ "Take Your Medicine" by Transfer | Official Music Video ]