new music: of monsters and men

of monsters and men's second album, my head is an animal, was just released today in the U.S. it seems that big things are on the horizon for this six piece band from iceland, last year rolling stone referred to the band as "the new arcade fire."

here is a video from their last album:

you can listen to the new album here on spotify.

to my NYC friends: they are playing this week on thursday and friday. go in my honor! 

globe hopping: titilaka lodge

i've been to south america once- last year when my boyfriend surprised me with a trip to buenos aires. we both fell in love with the city and decided immediately that we have to explore more of south america. at this point in our relationship, we've figured out what type of trips work for us- while we do love laying on a beach and getting our bronze on (or in my case, attempting to get tan), a trip filled with culture, while staying at a hip hotel, is more our pace. 

my grandfather spent many years working in peru and i'd love to explore the country where he spent so much time. hopefully peru is our next destination. i discovered titilaka lodge through tablet hotels and i'm ready to book my trip.

titilaka lodge is an 18-suite hotel situated on lake titicaca is between peru and boliva. incas believe the lake is the birthplace of human civilization and the surrounding areas are full of long living traditions. 

the hotel is modern in every way with heated floors and panoramic views of the lake from every suite. each suite is decorated with local textiles. AND all meals (based on local cuisine) and drinks are included. 

the hotel offers 16 different excursions around the lake and the surrounding areas (most of which are included with your stay). one of the most popular excursions is a visit by boat to the uros islands, 42 man-made islands of reeds. visitors are able to meet local uros families and learn about their unique way of life. bikes are available for rides along country roads into the local rural village. visitors may also take trips to preserved inca burial grounds. 

 

ready to book a trip yet?

[all images via titilaka's website and picasa gallery]

ira glass on beginners

i saw this quote over on apparatus' site [whole 'nother blog post about their amazing work coming soon] and thought to myself, "wow." if you are a creative person and can't relate to this, well then, we are not friends. 

my boyfriend and i listen to this american life at least two times a week before bed. if you aren't familiar, please do yourself a favor and download the iphone app and start catching yourself up. 

as kev says, "ira glass is my boy." and now even more so. 

hipster branding

this morning's design taxi newsletter featured a new tumblr that really made me stop and think: hipster branding. swiss designer dave spengeler has been giving popular brands the "hipster" logo treatment. the goal of the project was to “hold up a mirror to the artsy community” and “to tell the world that those kind of logos, which pop up everywhere on the web, are indeed nice, but way too replaceable.” he certainly has a point.

i am certainly guilty of liking and designing hipster logos. hmmm.

artist spotlight: alberto seveso

i just came across these under water ink photographs by alberto seveso. at first, i thought they were photographs of a silk scarves floating midair. i love the sense of movement in these photographs. 

after a little bit of poking around i found more of his work. he has a very wide range of styles and skills- many of the pieces in his portfolio are vastly different than others. this project of destructive vintage typography is so beautiful. i love the watercolor feel and the colors are perfect for spring.