BNM Jan-May 2013

January:

A$AP Rocky- Long.Live.ASAP

Jose James- No beginning No End

Tegan and Sara- Heartthrob

Widowspeak-Almanac

Local Natives- Hummingbird

Foxygen- We are the 21^st Century Ambassadors of Peace and Magic

The Lone Bellow- Lone Bellow

Bleeding Rainbow- Yeah Right

Ducktails- Flower Lane

Mountians- Centeralia

Nosaj Thing- Home

Ex Cops- True Hallucinations

February:

Night Beds- Country Sleep

Grouper- The Man Who Died in His Boat

Inc.- No World

Adam Green and Binki Shapiro- Adam Green and Binki Shapiro

My Bloody Valentine- MBV

Atoms for Peace- Amok

Atlas Genius- When it Was Now

Frightened Rabbit- Pedestrian Verse

Kavinky- Outrun

Darkstar- News from Nowhere

Bryan Ferry- Jazz Age

Autre Ne Veut- Anxiety

Foals- Holy Fire

Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds- We know Who U R

Lady Lamb the Beekeeper- Ripley Pine

Mister Lies- Mowgli

Mount Mariah- Miracle Temple

Jamie Lidell- Jamie Lidell

William Tyler- Impossible Truth

Wayne Shorter- Without a Net

March:

Rhye- Woman

Giffarge- Needs

Fear of Men- Early Fragments

Kate Boy- Northern Lights (EP)

Torres- Torres

Beniout Pioulard- Hymnal

Blue Hawaii- Untogether

Golden Grrrls- Golden Grrrls

Wild Belle- Isles

David Bowie- The Next Day

Josh Rouse- Happiness Waltz

Alice Smith- She

How to Destroy Angles- Welcome Oblivion

Josh Ritter- The Beasts in its Tracks

Matt Costa- Matt Costa

Next Collective- Coverart

Shout Out Louds- Optica

Boy- Mutual Friends

Chvrches- Recover

Depeche Mode- Delta Machine

Justin Timberlake- 20/20 Experience

Little Green Cars- Absolute Zero

Low- The Invisible Way

Madeleine Peyroux- Blue Room

The Men- New Moon

Phosphorescent- Muchacho

Martyn- Newspeak (EP)

Young Dreams- Between Places

Milk Carton Kids- Ash & Clay

April:

Phoenix- Bankrupt!

Daughter- If you Leave

James Blake- Overgrown

The Knife- Shaking the Habitual

Charles Bradley- Victim of Love

Caveman- Caveman

Bonobo- North Borders

Little Green Cars- Absolute Zero

Besnard Lakes- Until in Excess, Imperceptible UFO

Bleached- Ride Your Heart

Olafur Arnalds- For Now I Am Winter

Carla Bruni- Little French Songs

The Neighbourhood- I Love You

Blu- York

M83- Oblivion Soundtrack

Colin Stetson-New History Warfare Vol 3: To See More Light

Tokimonsta- Half Shadows

Big K.R.I.T.- King Remembered In Time

Charlie XCX- True Romance

SZA- S

Major Lazer- Free the Universe

Ghostface Killah & Adrian Younge- Twelve Reasons To Die

Lord Raja- Rubies (EP)

Houses- A Quiet Darkness

Julia Brown- To be Close to You

No Joy- Wait to Pleasure

May-

Vampire Weekend- Modern Day Vampires

Daft Punk- R.A.M.

The National- Trouble Will Find Me

Savages- Silence Yourself

Deerhunter- Monomania

Still Corners- Strange Pleasures

Boxer Rebellion- Promises

V/A- Putumayo Presents: Vintage France

These New Puritans- Field of Reeds

Pure X- Crawling Up The Stairs

Dungeonesse-Dungeonesse

Marques Toliver- Land of CanAan

V/A- After Dark 2

Adult- The Way Things Fall

Mount Kimbie- Cold Spring Fault Less Youth

Laura Marling- Once I Was an Eagle

Dirty Beaches- Drifters/ Love is the Devil

Ryan Hemsworth- Still Awake

The-Dream- IV Play

MSMR- Secondhand Rapture

Mikal Cronin- MCII

Alpine- A Is for Alpine

Chance The Rapper- Acid Rap

Koreless- Yugen – EP

Beaches- She Beats

She & Him- Volume 3

Say Lou Lou- Julian – EP

Classically Yours,

ZRH

May Playlist

May was another month filled with great music. Here is my playlist for it:

1. Marques Toliver- “CanAan”

2. She & Him- “I’ve Got Your Number Son”

3. Cloud Boat- “Lions on the Beach”

4. Dirty Beaches- “Night Walk”

5. Yeah Yeah Yeahs- “Sacrilege”

6. Jay-Z- “$100 Bill”

7. Ryan Hemsworth- “Empty Thoughts Over A Shallow Ocean”

8. Haim- “Falling”

9. Mikal Cronin- “Weight”

10. Adult- “Idle (Second Thoughts)”

11. Mount Kimbie- “You Took Your Time (Feat. King Krule)”

12. Say Lou Lou- “Fool of Me (Feat. Chet Faker)”

13. Pure X- “Someone Else”

14. Koreless- “Sun”

15. Vampire Weekend- “Step”

16. Ms Mr- “Dark Doo Wop”

17. Madeline Peyroux- “La Javanaise”

18. Beaches- “Send Them Away”

19. The National- “Fireproof”

20. Dungeoneese- “Nightlight”

21. Still Corners- “Berlin Lovers”

22. Savages- “She Will”

23. Allo Darlin’- “Lets Go Swimming”

24. Pia Fraus- “Mute the Birds (Feat. Ulrich Schnauss)”

25. Daft Punk- “Doin’ it Right”

26. Chance the Rapper- “Chain Smoker”

27. Alpine- “Multiplication”

28. MS MR- “Hurricane (CHVRCHES Remix)”

 

 

96 Candles

 

In celebration of JFK’s 96th birthday, I have composed a list of 96 words that describe my idol and his life:

Strong

Leader

Courageous

Timeless

Classic

Idealist

Handsome

Giving

Spiritual

Democrat

Personable

Diplomatic

Visionary

Authentic

Charismatic

Charming

Iconic

Fair

Strong

Father

Writer

Political

Patriotic

War Hero

Seamen

Sailor

Nautical

Explorer

Traditional

Family Man

Husband

Gifted

Unique

Senator

Congressman

Pulitzer

Bay of Pigs

Irish

Inspiring

Hopeful

Endearing

Articulate

Sensitive

Brave

Insightful

Proud

Cuban Missile Crisis

Civil Rights

Activist

Intellectual

Futurist

Philosopher

Historic

Harvard

New Englander

JFK cut

Cape Cod

Roman Catholic

Role Model

Cigar

Boat

Brother

Sportsman

Legacy

Ray-Bans

President

Strategist

One Term

American

Four Children

Gentleman

Classy

Untimely Death

Collegian

Legendary

Nineteen Sixties

Fashion Forward

Positive

Great

Traveler

Thinker

Camelot

Speaker

Communicator

Painter

Reader

Mindful

Unforgettable

Player

Fighter

Fearless

Vocal

Defender

Foundation

“Ask Not”

 Ninety-Six

May 29, 1917-November 22, 1963

Classically Yours,

ZRH

 

 

AOTM: Vampire Weekend’s Modern Vampires of the City

It was three years ago, that I saw this band, who truly captured all the feelings I had about them since hearing their debut. Vampire Weekend is one of my favorite bands because of their collegian attitude and style with their music, which still remains relevant.

Their debut showed me a group of guys who were experiencing college life and the environment that comes with it. VW’s debut was very energetic and focused on lyrics that an English major, like myself at the time, could understand. These things include: “Oxford comma” and having to read things that can sometimes be very dull.

Modern Vampires of the City displays VW no longer as freshmen college students, but as mature men who have grown up and are looking toward the future. This can be shown in both the music and the lyrics.

The song “Step,” in particular, exhibits these qualities as Ezra Koenig sings about a love he has for a girl and is looking forward to spending time with her:

The gloves are off, the wisdom teeth are out.
What you on about?
I feel it in my bones, I feel it in my bones
I’m stronger now, I’m ready for the house
Such a modest mouse, I can’t do it alone, I can’t do it alone
Every time I see you in the world, you always step to my girl.

The music in the first album can be heard as vastly different than any other bands from their time. VW incorporated classic indie rock sounds with an Afro-Cuban beat. This remains in the most recent release, but with more orchestration.

I see this album as not only VW’s best, but also my favorite of their records. A band who has stood through all three releases solid and helped me through my college career and looking forward to the future as a man.

Classically Yours,

ZRH

Zak Smith

A Noble Savage

Ankle Deep in Flowers

 

Warmer months bring sunny skies, picnics in the park, and admiring all of the beautiful flowers. After Christmas, I obtained this really vibrant orange and navy floral fabric. It reminded me of future months when flowers would be blooming. It also made me think more creatively about what I could do with it.

 

As I was looking on Pinterest, I found this really original pair of pants, in which, the owner had somehow put fabric on the bottom to add a sartorial edge. I was greatly influenced by this idea and took it to my seamstress, Mina. She was very responsive to my idea and had them done in no time.

The results of the pants are flawless, as they are exactly what I dreamt of. They embody my style and are current with the season.

Classically Yours,

ZRH

 

 

Basquiat.

Gatsby: A Truly Timeless Gentleman

Before I see the latest rendition of The Great Gatsby, I wanted to refresh my memory of the work. When I read The Great Gatsby in high school, I saw the book as being an essential read. It opened my eyes to how beautiful and articulate a writer could be in composing a story. F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote in such a way that my imagination could run wild with the situations he created for his characters. When I daydream about this book, I think of lavish parties, beautiful people, and a time when people were truly having the time of their lives. The most important part of this book for me was Jay Gatsby, the main character, and how he remains to be one of the most memorable characters in literary history.

Jay Gatsby was a man, like myself, enjoyed the finer things in life, but also had to struggle to obtain his goals.  He grew up wanting to make something out of himself and not remain in the status quo.  Gatsby can be described in the Drake lyric, “started from the bottom now I’m here,” because of how he constantly searched to make it to the top. He eventually reached this status as one who others idolized.

Gatsby is a mysterious, cool, class act, and a romantic. He never really tells the story of his life to others.  There is never really any solid evidence of how he obtains all his wealth. Rather, he let others make their own assumptions about who he is and how he became a tycoon.  He’s cool – he carries himself as a man and doesn’t let others bring him down.  He is on top of the world with his cars, impressive wardrobe, and is a host of parties, which people from all over the country come to attend.  Gatsby is always careful with his words and expresses himself in such a way that he doesn’t come across as a jerk.  He stands for respect from himself and from others.  He also longs for love, which is honestly one of the most valuable parts of his character. He does everything in the world to obtain a lost love with Daisy. His heart aches for his past love and longs for one in the future. These is nothing more romantic about a character that, overtime, fights for the love of his life and will do anything to get her back.

Gatsby, despite his flaws, sought out to make something with his life and seek greatness. He was a man unlike any other, a true independent gentleman. He will remain one of my favorite characters in literature.

Classically Yours,

ZRH

They Call Me Mellow Yellow

 

My fellow gentlemen, we have reached a great moment when guys are able to blast off into the color wheel and find one that truly expresses their feelings about themselves or the season. There is a movement going on in menswear that guys are finally waking up to the idea of color.   Overtime, men have always had a problem wearing color and stick to the safe neutrals and classic blues.

 

It ‘s a known fact, via my past posts, that I love to wear colored pants.  They really add a fresh style to whatever I am wearing.  They also coordinate with the season and my feelings toward it. When I think of Spring (or as well call it in Missouri: Summer) I think about the sunny weather bringing bright colors, which remind me of catchin’ rays outside and kickin’ it with my friends.

 

I snatched up these mellow, yellow pants at Red Racks for $6.98 and my tailor Mina brought them in to just the right fit. Target also has a wide range of colors for any gent to choose from, including pink.  Good luck if you so choose the quest of finding the right colored pants. I’ll be sportin’ mine all summa.

 

Classically Yours,

ZRH