WATCH: Mi Chacra

Winner of the Grand Prize at the 2010 Banff Mountain Festival Film Competition.

"Heavy mist hangs over the towering Peruvian mountains as a young subsistence farmer, Feliciano, his wife Locrecia, and their small son Royer till their fertile land. Farming the fields above the Sacred Valley in southern Peru is all the indigenous people of Mullacas know - that and the taste of the local fermented corn beverage, chicha. Though theirs appears at first glance to be a peaceful life, isolation and lack of schooling have given rise to feelings of social inequality and an increase in alcoholism. So while he values the beauty of their surroundings, Feliciano wants his son, as his father wanted him, to move to the city so he can get an education and have a better life. Marking director Jason Burlage's feature debut, this moving documentary chronicles the young family's struggles through the planting season and Feliciano's more lucrative work as a porter along the Incan trails to Machu Picchu..."

IMDB

LISTEN: Music For Your Plants

  Music For Your Plants - Mr. Huanted by Music For Your Plants

I woke up this morning to find it snowing again and the roads and pavements hidden once again. I also woke up to find an e-mail labelled 'some plant music' and a short message that included a mediafire link to their new self-released, self-titled EP and a link to the band's Soundcloud page. 

"We are a threesome voyage expedition adventure band from tallinn, estonia."

  Music For Your Plants - Enchanted Sister by Music For Your Plants

The band label themselves as playing "tropical, lo-fi, instrumental" music and whist that isn't too far off, they incorporate a whole load of other influences and sounds. In places they remind of 60s elevator music ('Agave Americana'), in others Dam-Funk ('Dr Mudawi') and others Ducktails and Dick Dale ('Enchanted Sister') and even At The Drive-In (Listen to 'Mr. Huanted'). Tropical Acid Surf Music complete with the sounds of the ocean and birds.

Be sure to also check out this interview with the band over at Ashtapes.

http://www.myspace.com/musicforyourplants

LISTEN: River James - Arlington

River James - Arlington by Hypetrak

"Inspired by Earl Swift’s collection of essays “Journey On The James” about a man’s journey along the entire James River, from its trickling mountain origins in Virginia’s Northwest corner to the mile wide mouth at Hampton Roads, four friends – Vintz, Scoops, Tyler, & Jacob sought to recreate the journey for themselves. Early in the summer of 2010, they packed up 2 canoes with camping supplies, food, & musical instruments and set out on a month long excursion along the 410 miles of the James. Along the way, they encountered landscapes & characters unique to the Lover’s state, stopping often to take in the surroundings, strum guitars, and beat drums to the pulse of the waters."

This sounds like it's going to pretty special! Even on my listen of 'Arlington', I already know I'm going to love their upcoming EP. Read more here.

via Hype Trak

LOOK: Herbert George Ponting

The Brian Jonestown Massacre - Cold to Touch

Herbert George Ponting, FRGS (1870-1935) was a professional photographer. He is best known as the expedition photographer and cinematographer for Robert Falcon Scott's Terra Nova Expedition to the Ross Sea and South Pole (1910-1913). In this role, he captured some of the most enduring images of the Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration.

WATCH: Brendan Codey - Emery Blagdon Saves Your Mortal Soul

Read more about Brendan and listen to his EP here.

LOOK/READ: Alaska 1968

Opening day. June 7, 1968 - Sneed Adams & Dave Cassell strike out for Alaska.
C assell had returned from a year in Viet Nam.
Adams had returned from 16 months in India.
It was time to do other things and see other places. 

Ektachrome color slides have started to loose their color.
Looking north up the spine of the Canadian Rockies.
The road to Jasper goes up this valley. The scenery along
this highway is some of the finest in the world. 

One of the advantages of camping at elevation 6,700 ft. in July. Snow that is.
Not non English speaking French teenagers.

At camp in Eagle, Alaska. Dave reads from the book of Robert Service poems.

The Cremation of San McGee

There are strange things done in the midnight sun
By the men who moil for gold;
The Arctic trails have their secret tails
That would make your blood run cold;
The Northern Lights have seen queer sights,
But the queerest they ever did see
Was the night on the marge of Lake Lebarge
I cremated Sam McGee.

Time has taken its toll on this slide of Dave crossing the same railroad bridge.

We loaded the Caribou onto the top of the scout and then put the canoe on top of the caribou. It looked funny but it worked. So we drove to Chitna looking like this. Must have been 300 miles

See more from this amazing journey here.

WATCH: Gala Drop - Drop

DROP (from Gala Drop) from Antonio Contador on Vimeo.

Listen to more here.

WATCH: GvB's Top 12 Music Videos of 2010

Shabazz Palaces - Belhaven Meridian from Sub Pop Records on Vimeo.

Flying Lotus - Kill Your Co-Workers from beeple on Vimeo.

See the rest here.

LISTEN/DOWNLOAD: Atlas Sound - Bedroom Databank Vol. 1 & 2

Bradford Cox just posted up 2 free compilations, entitled 'Bedroom Databank Vol.1/Vol. 2'. All the tracks were recorded at home and Volume 1 includes a cover of Kurt Vile's 'Freak Train' and a cover of  Bob Dylan and Rick Danko's 'This Wheel's on Fire.' Both can be downloaded here.

Atlas Sound - "Wild Love" from The Tearist on Vimeo.

WATCH: Take Pride in America

Cold Splinters just posted this video, entitled 'Take Pride in America', from 1987 which aimed to reduce the American public's destruction (littering, vandalism etc) of their own country. Enjoy!