Jackpot

Well, someone was lucky enough and managed to score beauty, brains and talent at the genetic lottery of life. He goes by the name of Charlie Siem. I stumbled upon this fella while reading "The Youth Issue" of Acne Paper and thought to myself–wow is a this guy a walking cliché or what. I mean yet another Eton-Cambridge grad? How many more of those do we need already? (If they all looked like him, many I suppose.) The closest American equivalent would probably be Exeter-Harvard but that doesn't have the same exact obnoxious ring to it. Bored and curious, I looked him up on good ol' Youtube to see if he was really as good as the magazine suggested. Lo and behold, he damn was. Incidentally through clicking some related videos, I found that he was apparently the face of British menswear brand Dunhill for their S/S 2011 collection, along with being a widely recognized violinist. Dunhill stores are everywhere in Hong Kong but I have never ventured into one nor have I seen any of their stores stateside thus far so I don't know how familiar Americans are with this brand. He is a painful reminder of how unfair life is though of course, this all but a mere #firstworldproblem. I thought looking at him would be much easier on the eyes and provide some respite after way too many narcissistic posts on yours truly for the past few days. Here are some videos of him looking pretty for Dunhill and of course, him being his talented self. No apologies for being shallow–I am just being considerate here to start September off on a rather handsome note. 

Composers of My Life

Please tell me I am not the only one who listens to film soundtracks! I think the reason that I like to listen to them as much as I do is because they are so good at setting the atmosphere around me (very much like the tone of the film) and capable of triggering many memories of the scenes that have been assigned the song. Moreover they lack lyrics so soundtracks are not distracting at all–great for studying/reading/drawing/writing. FYI: I don't have Hans Zimmer here but his music makes studying intense. A. A. Rahman for dancing and parties! Because I am so bad at finding music myself, I usually rely on the guidance of others such as Jada for music suggestions or download playlists from Miss Moss or Unabashedly Prep and therefore am reluctant to be suggesting songs myself. However there are two tried and true composers that keeps me coming back to listening to their scores every time without fail. The two are Alexandre Desplat and Dario Marianelli, both Oscar-nominated composers who each boast impressive résumés. Here are some of my favourite soundtracks from the two. I tried to not let my opinion of the film itself cloud my judgement of the soundtrack but the logic here is that the soundtrack make a film significantly better than it already is, but most great films usually has awesome soundtracks.

From Desplat:

 

From Marianelli:

Guest Post: A Summer Mixtape

Hello! This is Jada from Minestrone Soup for the Teenage Soul, and I am so happy to be guest blogging for Joy. All of her posts are so refreshing to read, and she's just a lovely lady and phenomenal blogger. For my guest post, I wanted to have all you readers enjoy a few great tunes that I have selected to compliment your summer days and nights. Hope everyone is enjoying the sun and having a happy summer!

Vetiver - Wonder Why // Album: The Errant Charm They had just released their new album, "The Errant Charm" in June and already caught the attention of indie music blogs everywhere, but most importantly, Rolling Stone. This indie folk band from San Francisco makes you almost feel as if you were on your way to a map less trip to California. Perfect summer anthem? I think so.

Foster the People - I Would Do Anything For You // Album: Torches I am in love with this band and not because the boys are cute...but on a serious note, listen to them. You may know this band from their popular single, "Pumped Up Kicks," which happens to be a pretty kick ass catchy song about a homicidal killer...oh. Anyways, this song is perfect for the summer because maybe you'll have a summer romance? Maybe not? Either way, it's dreamy.

Lisa Mitchell - Red Wine Lips // Album: Wonder This Australian singer has the most distinct and darling voice ears have ever wanted to hear! She was a contestant for Australian Idol and has played in numerous music festivals. This song will get your shoulders shuffling up and down and your feet on the floor. A cheerful tune to get you smiling and out in the warm summer sun.

Surfer Blood - Take It Easy // Album: Astro Coast From West Palm Beach, these Florida natives really bring the beach to their album, "Astro Coast." Just hearing the entire album, the band brings an oceanic imagery to their crazy, afro beat sound. They have been compared to the ivy league cuties of Vampire Weekend, but I believe these boys have a unique style of their own.

Bombay Bicycle Club - Ivy and Gold // Album: Flaws It's crazy to think how much this band has blown up into the indie music world. I've been a fan of them for years, and they will be releasing a new album by the end of this summer. From London, these talented and adorable British lads also cover a Joanna Newsom song in this all acoustic album. It is flawless...