16 June 2014

Just My Type

Fabien Barra's Harmonie Intérieure wall graphics.

Hey. Hi. Remember me? Or this blog? I barely do. My last post was 3 years ago. That's like even before Emoji's were common place.

Wait. What? I know. I know. Sigh...

When Spotify, Rdio, Pandora, iTunes Ping, and Twitter Music came along, it seemed that blogging wasn’t as relevant since you could get your streaming music so readily (ps: nerd joke about Ping and Twitter Music. #posers) I was even using Facebook and Twitter for one-off music posts. But verve for a tune is hard to emit via a mere 140 characters.

During these past few years however, I’ve continued to amass a crazy amount of music and unconsciously paired the tunes with themes from my glorious interweb finds. I’ve been blogging all along, just only in my mind evidently. Who knew?

Recently, a nervous energy has washed over me and it's pushing and poking me to have my voice heard again. As a result, I have a lot to say, get out, unload. Which is why I blogged in the first place: I love writing, and don’t do it enough. This blog used to be an incredible creative outlet for me. The fact you might stop by to read my rants/raves/meanderings and even enjoy the music I posted, well that was back seat to what drove me to continually contribute to this blog.

This specific post might be a bit messy, so feel free to revisit later in the week as I get my sea legs back and see fit to further refine. You can access the tunes playlist style via the Streampad player at the bottom of the browser or download directly by the links w/in the blog post.

Ready? Please carve out about two hours, crank your headphones, maybe even pour a drink (at work–bourbon? / at home–caffeine?) and possibly you'll find you can relate to my catharsis.  xo Joy

THE BEGINNING » Serving up some Barry to set the tone of this post as it's a cautionary tale of entanglement regarding typography and love. Because if you don't have passion for all things, what do you have?
> Love's Theme by Barry White





Love Lightboxing & Layer Tennis matches? Add this type competition to your mix.
Type Fight: an arena for people who like having fun with letters.

Claudia Chow, former Creative Director at HUGE, stated it best at her CSCA lecture, “Designers are obsessed.” Guilty as charged. And within our arsenal of tools, it could be argued we obsess and debate the most about typography as its the foundation for all our projects. One of the biggest font battles going on right now is over at the former Hoefler & Frere-Jones, now operating as, Hoefler & Co. How each party views the foundation of their business relationship is riveting. Their pre-break up documentary, Font Men, illuminates their long-term impact on the type industry.

> Bros
by Wolf Alice. I love this lil unknown band's sound. And the precious lyrics, "I am so lucky you are my best friend..." The EP cover art is just as cute. Reminiscent of all the #tbt pics on Instagram.

> Beautiful War
by Kings of Leon. I'd never profess to be a huge KOL fan but I've possibly featured their tunes here more than any other artist. They are incredible songwriters, as the lyrics of this song demonstrate.

> In My Veins
by Andrew Belle (featuring Erin McCarley). Another incredible songwriter. I met Andrew a few years ago at a valslist.com house concert. I encourage you to see him live. He's the real damn deal. So is this song. (featured on Grey's Anatomy season 6 finale. My point: support house concerts They can introduce you to some amazing talent!)

> Take it or Leave it
by Cage The Elephant. They just surprise and delight w/each new release. I doubted they could surpass "Ain't No Rest For The Wicked" fame. I was wrong. Proof the journey is more like a marathon, than a sprint?

 Kickstarter darling: Quality playing cards presented through typography.

Who doesn't love a good game of cards? That's what my parents and I did while I was growing up, til their dying days, in fact. Many o' heart felt conversations were had during those games too. Having close friends/family over for a night of cards and conversation is a lost art. Digital be damned. Bring on the analog for this girl. You have been warned.

> Heart is a Drum
by Beck. A bucket list event for me this Friday — I am sure Beck Hansen is going to wreck my soul. Can't wait. Y'all should come and witness my undoing during this, or almost any, song from his Morning Phase LP. Two shows for the price of one?  Let's hope not. :)

Actually, while the song title is drum-centric, it's the delicate introduction of the piano around 1:11 and it's subsequent layering throughout the rest of the song that tugs at me. Greatly looking forward to seeing this song performed live. Melt down be damned.

> Keep Your Heart
by TV on the Radio. For those that love a good falsetto shrill, here you go.

> Lay Your Cards Out
by Polica. Bonus points for working "a sunder" into any song.


These posters tell, "... a love story from hopeful beginning, through falling in love and expressing its passion, the appearance of doubt, the inevitable breakup and its aftermath." See, more than just another pretty (type) face.

by Faces. Some Rod Steward and Ronnie Wood when they were mere legends in their own minds.

by Heart. This is on my list of songs to learn how to play on guitar. But only the first 1:17 of it... And, pretty sure I'd need a guitar first. No worries. I'm a work in progress.

by James. "Wooooowooooowoooowooo." I mean really, what else is there to say?

> To Look at You
by INXS. "Real life documentary" before real life documentaries were ubiquitous.

Concrete letter sculptures submerged in various marine environments around Western Australia.

Underwater typographic installment? In Australia? Told you the interwebs were cool. The photos are even cooler. This raises the bar on the 'out of home' channel ideas.

by Broken Bells. This song was intended for Type Fight playlist above, but it actually has "amok" in the lyrics. I'm all about the details, Friends. And happy accidents.

> The Ocean
by Richard Hawley. My need for the ocean is never satiated. Angry sea. Mellow sea. I'll take any form. I need it at a primal level. Getting my fix this week, in fact. Like Richard croons, "I love you just because." (Man, his voice is quite melty, no?)

A game? Or a font? Google results mayhem. Downright unlawful.

Get yer guns kids. Time to play. No need to conceal weapons here. This takes a while to load but it's a fun silly font game. All creatives love a good distraction.  --> squirrel

by Junip. I like the cadence of this song. Reminds me of biking or blading on a sun-dappled path. God bless, summer. 

by The Cars. KA-POW—some old school Ric Ocasek for you, you Geranium Lovers, you.

Unifying the world's handwriting into a universal typeface.

Kudos for BIC for creating this heavenly distraction while demonstrating incredible restraint in product placement. It's a timely conversation as the art of handwriting is leaving our schools. I'm all for anything, digital or analog, that can highlight the importance of penmanship and handwriting. They have +300k characters entered so far. I can't wait to see where this nets out.  Contribute your fine penmanship, won't you?

by Switchfoot. 1-2-3-4-5...

by San Fermin. I overlooked this song initially. Never saw the build-up coming around :52. Oh, those horns. "I'll fall for you soon enough." Indeed I have, San Fermin.

by Hiromi. Some jazz goodness. May you all find joy in your life.

THE END » Well, that's what nervous energy will get you... I used to end each post w/a single draw of lyrics from a favorite post song. That won't work here as there is just too many from which to choose. Hope you're cool w/the break from format. I'm a firm believer that change is good.

So... for all this "talking," you'd be surprised what a good listener I am. Let me know your thoughts. I'd love to hear them. Radio silence is never a good thing, right? Now, time to try to wind down w/some Colin Hay. Thank you. Be well, always. 

> Goodnight Romeo by Colin Hay