Happy Chinese New Year!

It's the Year of the Snake! Art by Pingszoo

Disney: Paperman

With the gap growing between childhood and how old I am now, it's still a wonder that Disney can put together even the shortest of shorts that pull at my heartstrings and make my eyes grow wide with wonder. But, of course, that's the magic of Disney.

Give yourself six and a half minutes with Paperman, a love story set in a time before technology, where sending paper planes across the street was a novel and charming way to get hold of that cute girl you met at the train station, rather than the incessant virtual paper planes buzzing on mobile phones and pinging on personal computers. Sometimes, I really do believe the days before technology were ones worth growing up in - and clearly, so does Disney too.

Rae Morris: From Above

I've featured Rae Morris on here a number of times now but I can't quite contain my excitement every time she releases something new. A little while ago (sorry I've been very, very busy) she announced that her newest EP will be coming out on 10th March (for those of you who know me well... put two and two together?) and along with that, her latest single. "From Above" is again a beautiful, beautiful piece of music but it also shows just how far she's come, getting closer to a full-band, studio-recording sound. And she really deserves all the love and recognition she gets.

Illegal Downloads vs Illegal Coffee

I was discussing with someone from work the recent UK tax scandals (essentially, how huge multinational businesses have found a loophole in the financial system to avoid paying tax), and it struck me how ironic the system is.

Think about it. Most people who live in the city alongside me enjoy rushing into their local Starbucks at some time or another. Whether it be that early-morning coffee grab, or a chilled frappuccino with friends in the afternoon, the three cafés that I pass on my daily walk are always brimming with customers.

Perhaps or perhaps not-so-unfortunately, this very same café has become the "face" of the aforementioned tax scandal, alongside the now not-so-trusty Amazon and the social media devil Facebook. So explain to me this:

Why do people prefer to support giant unethical corporations, over the small, hardworking artists and artisans of society?

The Internet is flooded with illegal music and film downloads. I've even seen people idolising musicians on Twitter while the illegal download link on their iTunes screenshot is perfectly visible! This, along with the stealing of others artwork or photography - or simply the art of not linking back - on Tumblr for example, has become a real issue!

I simply find it unfathomable that some people do not appreciate true talent, enjoy spreading that appreciation to others, and put into perspective that while it may cost a musician hundreds of pounds for that one crucial recording studio session, a cup of coffee costs pennies to make - and that money isn't circulating back into our economy. That, my friends, is the true irony of "Fair Trade".

Adam Green & Binki Shapiro: Just to Make Me Feel Good

I heard this a little while ago, and sadly this is the only recorded-track video I could find (rather than live) - so please spare me for using an almost too-try-hard video, what with the cliché grainy grey-scale filmography, cliché breakfast room, cliché critique of themselves and even the cliché boy-girl duet  have now found the official music video!

Nonetheless, I am a new fan of Adam Green & Binki Shapiro, and am looking at purchasing their album when it comes out (hits the shelves - if there still are music stores by then - on 28th January). Perhaps if you close your eyes, and focus on the lovely, slightly sombre backing track, you'll understand the magic I felt the first time I heard it (which coincidentally was on the radio). Enjoy.