Panda Bear's "Tomboy"

Noah Lennox, founding member of Animal Collective, is Panda Bear and releases his sophomore solo album "Tomboy" this week. You can stream it's layered loveliness here before you buy it.

As always, be prepared to enter the ambient realm of a fantastical journey that is Panda Bear.

Bob Dylan played China. Next stop: VIETNAM.

Music legend Bob Dylan performed in China and heads to Vietnam to play for the first time ever. He played in Beijing on Wednesday, April 6 and in Shanghai on Friday, April 8. Choosing a less controversial path than Bjork did with Tibet sentiments at her China show, he apparently “’charged through’ his set list… leaving out any banter with the audience between the songs…” according to The Telegraph. His set included “Tangled up in Blue” and “Simple Twist of Fate” but intentionally void were popular protest tunes “Blowin' in the Wind” and “The Times They Are A-Changin’”. As expected, especially with foreign acts, a set list and program have to be submitted and approved beforehand and during this extremely sensitive time of crackdowns on activists, artists and writers, it was probably a good move on Dylan’s part to keep things kosher.

Similar to China, Dylan’s set will have to be pre-approved for his upcoming Ho Chi Minh City show today, April 10. However, as there may be a stronger connection among the Vietnamese with his romantic anti-war songs along with the special tribute to Trinh Cong Son, it will be interesting to see what Dylan's set will actually consist of today.



During these exciting moments of massive progress for Vietnam economically and culturally, indeed “The Times They Are-A Changin’”. Hopefully different than China, this song will actually get stage play!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vCWdCKPtnYE

Bob Dylan Tickets @ L'Usine

Hey ya folks,

We've already told you about the Bob Dylan concert on Sunday April 10th to pay tribute to the legendary Vietnamese composer Trinh Cong Son.

Well, L'Usine has 50 general admission tickets and 50 VIP tickets available for the concert at RMIT on Sunday April 10th.  Supplies are limited so get them while you still can.

If you missed our last Bob Dylan Trinh Cong Son post check it out here

Sebastian Kim: Photographer, DJ and all-around rad guy!

One of our favorite and most talented photographers around, Sebastian Kim, takes a second out of his busy schedule to give us some highlights on what he’s been working on and shares a list of his favorite tunes at the moment!

Born in Vietnam, Sebastian found his way to Brooklyn, New York via Tehran, Paris and California. Aside from his undeniable visual talent, he is also gifted with an ear for music along with some killer dance moves, and an appreciation for food embraced by his partnership with the New York Vietnamese restaurant, An Choi. On top of all that, Sebastian is probably one of the nicest and happiest guys you’ll ever meet making this all-around rad guy super easy to love!

Bao Nguyen Sits in Banksy’s Seat at the Oscars [Rehearsal]

Vietnamese-American photographer and filmmaker, Bao Nguyen, attended the recent 2011 Oscars and actually sat in Banksy's assigned seat during the rehearsals! Bao may have been the only person who sat in that seat, as the elusive artist was, not surprisingly, a no-show. During his real time Facebook updates from the show, Bao shares the irony of the seat location’s proximity to the exit referencing Bansky’s Oscar-nominated film, “Exit Through the Gift Shop.”



Bao was at the Oscars filming a documentary about PS22 Chorus, the student choir from Staten Island, NY that became a YouTube sensation and performed during this year’s Oscars’ closing ceremonies. They have performed for Beyonce and Lady Gaga and Oprah’s such a fan that she had them perform with Katy Perry at her After-Oscars Party.

Recently, Bao shot this beautiful film in Hanoi, Vietnam about o-mai candy for Etsy’s original video series. The close-ups and tight shots capture the sentimental mood of a long-time family tradition at risk of losing its way to a quickly changing world focused on modern development. This intimate glimpse into this multi-generational family sweet shop will make your heart melt and leave your mouth watering for these ginger apricot candies.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tj0uVw7eW6E

Keep an eye on this talent! Bao Nguyen might very well find himself sitting in another Oscar-nominated seat NOT assigned to Banksy!

"Lotus Flower" - Radiohead

Been listening to the new Radiohead album and am pretty into it though there are mixed reviews. Some have described it as a "creeper," requiring more listens to achieve likability. Regardless, I've definitely already been practicing Thom Yorke's super alright dance moves from this Lotus Flower video. Who knew he could move like so?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cfOa1a8hYP8&feature=youtu.be

The album is available here.

What do you think about the album? Creeper or off-the-bat banger?

United Bamboo Fall 2011 RTW and After Party at New York Fashion Week

Miho Aoki and Thuy Pham are the brilliant minds behind one of L’usine’s favorite brands, United Bamboo. They haven’t added the fashionable cats from their annual calendar into their runway show just yet but here’s a preview of the Fall 2011 Ready-To-Wear collection from the recent New York Fashion Week.

Thuy shared some positive responses from the show, "We showed a collection with lots of coats. Big hits were some of the shearling coats and the shoes. Everyone was telling me it looked very 'United Bamboo' which is good I think. It means they wanna wear the stuff."

Noah Lennox aka Panda Bear of Animal Collective, Sean Lennon, James Iha and MGMT's Andrew VanWyngarden were spotted at the show. This season, Pete Kember formerly of Spacemen 3 produced the music.

One can only hope that the cats will make their live runway debut one day. Until then, monthly inspirational outfits can be referenced in the 2011 calendar available for order in the US.

Now what would a show be without its after party? Every season, United Bamboo collaborates with Justine D. to throw one of the must-get-to parties of fashion week. This season, Dossier Journal also presented the after party at the Jane Hotel. Karen O and Nick Zinner of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Nancy Whang of LCD Soundsystem (probably taking a welcomed break from “the last ever LCD show sold-out in minutes and crashing servers because of lame scalpers” debacle) provided the tunes that had everyone rocking including LCD’s James Murphy (who wrote an amazing response letter to the last show drama), David Chang of Momofuku, Kirsten Dunst and all these pretty people.