The Retrospective

Header Graphic Design: Chris Piascik of The Deft Collective

Donald Glover should be one tired man. Whether he’s starring alongside snarky comedy heavyweights like Joel McHale and Chevy Chase in NBC’s freshman hit Community, taping one-man specials for Comedy Central, or writing and releasing movies like Mystery Team with his comedy troupe Derrick Comedy, this Emmy Award-winning former 30 Rock writer is on the verge of transitioning from underground hustler to comedic and cultural player.

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Header Graphic Design: Chris Piascik of The Deft Collective

Ann Arbor, Michigan is a world away from the poetically soulful sounds that Mayer Hawthorne channels on A Strange Arrangement, his first album for LA’s Stones Throw Records, but don’t tell him that. With several successful singles that have been championed by everyone from Starbucks to Spike Jonze, Hawthorne’s fresh take on classic R&B and soul is gaining fans by the minute.

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It’s been three years since New Young Pony Club broke onto the fledgling indie dance punk scene with Fantastic Playroom, the debut that yielded two hit singles, “Ice Cream” and “The Bomb,” as well a nomination for the prestigious UK Mercury Prize. But Andy Spence, guitarist and producer for NYPC who recently talked with The Retrospective via telephone about their sophomore album, Optimist, wants you to know it wasn’t for a lack of trying.

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Photo Courtesy of Alex and Chloe

Alex and Chloe isn’t so much a design duo as it is the expression of one man’s reticent love for stylishly eccentric jewelry and accessories. Combining acrylic, metal and semi-precious stones with unlikely silhouettes, Alex and Chloe pieces have been seen on everyone from Lady Gaga (who sported the Bri-angle necklace in her Pokerface video) to Taylor Momsen and been featured in magazines like Elle and Harper’s Bazaar. If you’ve ever pined for a necklace that spells out PARIS in what looks like dripping wet glass, or thought your outfit needed a tar-dipped brass key and rabbit’s foot pendant to be complete, Alex and Chloe has got you covered.

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A lot has changed since since New Young Pony Club’s debut album, Fantastic Playroom, was released on Australia’s Modular Records back in 2007. With New Rave exploding around bands like CSS and Klaxons, NYPC got swept up in the hype of a genre so ill-defined that three years later many people still don’t know what it means. While Fantastic Playroom chronicled the darkly glittering party persona of singer Ty Bulmer, NYPC’s new album, Optimist, is the story of what happens when they step out of the harsh glare of the disco light and into the shadows of a broken heart.

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If you’ve been in LA at any point during the last three years, chances are you’ve heard about HARDfest. The city’s premiere party for some of the nastiest electro acts around, HARDfest has staged haunted Halloween mansions with the likes of Deadmau5 and Justice and brought heat to sweaty summer afternoons with all-out assaults from MSTRKRFT, Crookers, and Rusko. It was NYC’s turn this past Saturday: HARDfest partnered with The Bowery Presents to bring its signature blend of bass and blitz to Manhattan’s cavernous Terminal 5 with a lineup that included Russian noisemaker Proxy, dancehall upstarts Major Lazer and electro wunderkind Boys Noize.

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