Cousins is the latest track to pop-up from Vampire Weekend‘s upcoming release Contra. Foregoing the summer-island melodies of the first preview single, Horchata, this new track is fast-paced and noisy – familiar territory for fans of the first album. In fact, it feels almost like A-Punk mashed together with any number of Minutemen tracks off their seminal album Double Nickels On The Dime. Trust me, that’s a good thing. Listen to the track over at Hype Machine.

This very NSFW video for Truckers Delight by Flairs might get you fired, but it would be well worth it. Think of it as the Lucasarts classic Full Throttle mixed with Don’t Stop the Beat from Junior Senior x Shynola, blended thoroughly with the raunchiest parts of Heavy Metal. Then serve it with a garnish of japanese cartoon porn. Trust me, it’s amazing. From the talented and un-Google-able Jérémie Perin. Video after the break. MORE »

At a distance, Monet’s paintings appear to be beautiful landscapes; up close, they are gestural splashes of color. At a distance, Jonathan Yeo’s collages are vibrant, stylized still-lifes and portraits; up close, his collages are titties, pussies, and cocks.

His pieces are fine examples of the old saying, “the medium is the message,” particularly his x-rated rendition of George W. Bush. The collage was originally commissioned by the Bush Library, but upon seeing the result, it was decided that his services would no longer be neccesary. Check out this video of the artist discussing his process and some more pieces after the break. MORE »

Imagine a Tenori-On that controlled Ableton, or a Monome with more features, or pretend for a moment God came down from heaven, walked into an electro club, and gave you the Ableton Novation Launchpad. It’s the second piece of dedicated, official Ableton hardware, and it looks like they nailed it. Oh, and by the way, it’s expected to cost $199 bundled with Ableton Live 8. Obviously I haven’t used one, but from the looks of the demo video, this little bastard is a full-featured, easy to use, tactile piece of equipment. Video after the break. MORE »

One of the struggles for the haute-hipster is the search for the right wallet. The quality and style imbued into Coach and Diesel products was upset by the social ideals behind them, and the free spirited, DIY, hipster spirit of Poketo and Dynomighty was mired by the flimsy and unsatisfying construction. After the demise of db clay, I believed there was nothing worth finding. Then I stumbled upon Hlaska.

With a focus on nature and science, as well as design and function, and only made with the finest European materials, Hlaska’s products truly capture the haute-hipster ideal: they have style, they have substance, and nobody knows about them. If you’re looking for wallets, bags, cufflinks, neckwear, and other classist wares, but want to retain your unique, indomitable fuck-you spirit, check out Hlaska. MORE »

File this one under bads, not goods. Seems like Taco Bell is introducing kids meals that come with a toy, just like every other fast food joint. Their unique offering? The decidedly un-unique Bellhedz, blind-box vinyl toys that are almost certainly direct rip offs of KidRobot’s Dunny series. Next thing you know they’ll be putting feather earrings, typographic screen-prints, and fixed gear bikes in their kids meals.

It’s really no different from McDonald’s TY Beanie Baby promo, but I can’t help but feel personally wronged. Your thoughts?

Have you ever thought “it would be great if there was a company that made large format wall stickers so I could decorate my walls without painting them?” Because I have. And because I’m such a loyal follower, the gods have seen fit to grant my wish!

Blik makes large format wall stickers so you can decorate your walls without painting them. They also make small ones. They also make custom ones, for the little designer inside you. Designer lines include officially licensed Nintendo wall graphics and a number of Upper Playground creations. They aren’t cheap, persé, but if you’re contractually obligated to suffer white walls for an entire year, it might be worth it. MORE »

Audi Germany. Peep the video after the break. MORE »

If you think nothing can top Hot Chicks with Dogs with Boners, you’re ever so slightly mistaken. I present to you, Hot Chicks at Art Openings. Apparently they were around first, before all the “Hot Chicks with n” sites started popping up, but I don’t care much for that. I’m here for the art.