I'm listening to...

Deap Vally

'Sistrionix'

Overheard one of their songs in HMV (yes, I'm probably one of the few people who still shops there) and absolutely had to find out what it was. I googled it madly on my phone and then scrambled through the shelves to find the CD (yes, also probably one of the few people who still buys CD's). 

Rough around the edges, but somehow still edgy. It's a belter. The LA duo's debut album, dripping in sex and anger with raw, heavy riffs. It's punk meets blues meets glam rock and metal. I couldn't think of a better album. This is REAL rock and roll.
Let's not forget the feminist overtones too, understated but laughably witty. I listen to this in the car now, very loud, singing my heart out and imagining myself sat in a smokey loft apartment with bottles of bud and friends clad in leather jackets and tight jeans. Thrilled to have found these  - a breath of fresh air in a stifled music industry. I've been waiting for a band like this for a long time. 

Listen and you'll understand....

You're a pencil pusher with a pension, what can you teach me?

Original lyrics, with a hint of nostalgia; clever and classic. If I was in a band, I would want to be in one like this. 
Each song is different, but with the same earthy tone. From the clean, but knee knocking opening track 'End of the World' to the hauntingly bluesey and beautiful secret track, 'Spiritual', which features some organic vocals, witch-like humming and cars as background noise. This is the sort of album you'll listen to for a long time, and never get bored with. Full of songs you think you've heard before but are too original to be mistaken for anything other than what they are. 
These are two clever ladies, and too god damn cool for me. 

Until next time, when I have hopefully mastered the art of the guitar and how to wear denim hotpants with leopard print leotards and tassels (next week's fashion diary??)...

Laurie

Snip Snip Snip.

I'm absolutely useless when it comes to selfie's, but here's my awkward attempt at one to try and illustrate the new hair. 60's Mary Quant eat your heart out! Absolutely adore it. My first experiments will be wearing berets and ruffling it up so I look like a complete bedhead (for which I'll be using Trevor Sorbie Salt Texture Spray)

Au revoir!

Laurie

Fashion Diary.

Autumn Affair

LFW inspired.

Autumn is here. By far my favourite season, I can still wear open footed shoes, jackets become the order of the day and drinking hot chocolate in an oversized cardy before bed seems just about acceptable as the weather cools. 

Here's a couple of things I picked up this week to welcome in the season. 

The Jumper - cream, cropped, cosy. River Island, £25. 

The Canvas Bag - easy peasey 'throw it all in' chic. Primark, £2.50 (did someone say bargain)

The Scarf - classic fluffy punk, juxtaposition? Primark, £3 (I think - could have been £4.)

The Mary Jane's - feminine but quirky. Office, £48.
Inspirations from LFW: Alexander McQueen, Mulberry, Dolce & Gabbana, Alice & Olivia. 

All of these items will be taking the spotlight for me this season and were definitely inspired by London Fashion Week. Each one is an essential that seems to have it's own little twist. I've been wearing these with either a pair of high waisted 'mom' jeans from Topshop (£40, another staple in my wardrobe) or an acid wash denim midi skirt from River Island, also with a black velvet ribbon in my hair and biker jacket if needed.

I'm not usually one to jump on the 'LFW' bandwagon - I really appreciate the hard work, and the genius that goes into couture and the ready to wear cat walks, but for some reason as I get older I'm finding it all very interesting. The concepts are so bespoke, like Vivienne Westwood's climate change appeal this year. What does everybody think? Personally I'm addicted!

Let me know what you think. Anybody else seen anything wonderful on the catwalk?

Until next time...

Laurie

Watch.

WHAT'S YOUR DAMAGE?

'Heathers' is my latest film discovery. Veronica and JD go on a not so accidental killing spree to eliminate the characters that make high school a living hell and get away with it by posing the deaths as suicides. It's a pre Scissorhands Winona Ryder (still bloody beautiful..), a never before seen Christian Slater as psychopathic bad boy, and an outrageously elaborate, sexually charged but harrowingly dark 80's cult classic. What else are dreams made of? Just look at those outfits. They make drinking bleach and playing croquet look cool - which is of course, the whole dynamic of the plot. It's full of witty dialogue; the script is probably the most quotable I have ever come across. I want to use all of the quirky lines. In fact I wish I had thought of them first. 

'If you were happy every day of your life you wouldn't be a human being. You'd be a game show host."

CHAOS KILLED THE DINOSAURS, DARLING.

In the same vain as The Breakfast Club, what seems like a teenagers dream movie soon turns into a showreel of life lessons. I don't know what it was about the 80's that inspired so many different film makers to put honest and often cruel words in the mouths of babes, but it has definitely made some shockingly brilliant films. You thought your teen years were terrible, just wait until you encounter Westerburg High. All of those cliches you remember from High School? They are absolutely epitomised in 'Heathers' - it's so realistic that I don't want to believe it (I don't remember there being any killers at my school, but watch it and you'll understand what I'm talking about). 

I recommend this highly. Surreal. You'll finish this wishing you were as effing cool as Veronia and wanting to smoke and cigarette and wear baby blue tights.

JD's famous quote seems to sum up quite nicely this whole idea. 

THE EXTREME ALWAYS SEEMS TO MAKE AN IMPRESSION.

Read.

'I am Heathcliff! He's always, always in my mind: not as a pleasure, any more than I am always a pleasure to myself, but as my own being'

I don't care what anyone ever says to me about cliched romance and Victorian female authors, Wuthering Heights is the one of the greatest loves of my life. Please read it, if not for my sake, then for yours. Your mind will be enriched by this book. You'll come out the other side full of mystery and imagery and made heavier by the weight of the beautiful prose. Forget whether or not it's a love story, it's full of gothic horror and characters that you love and hate simultaneously, and feel as though must've truly existed in some warped history somewhere. I'm not even going to begin to tell you the story line, it's pointless. And for goodness sake, do not watch any of the terrible adaptations. This book is like a dream, and you finish it wondering if anything that has happened could ever be in reality, or if it is just an image of something twisted and wonderful.  

This might seem like a rather predictable choice of favourite literature for an English graduate, but there's a reason that particular books become classics. I can't explain it to you, you really do have to read it to understand I think - and that's why I would recommend it. Good books are the ones that grip you, and make you think about things beyond your own life, and can changed who you are and how you interpret the world. Bronte manages to do that in a very elegant and raw sort of way, exploring all the different parts of being a human. She's wonderful, and so is this novel. 

Would be especially thrilled for some feedback on this one, anybody else love Wuthering Heights? Or, terrifyingly, do any of you think it's a load of nonsense?

Merci :)