Skinny Love Eminence

Eminence by Kim Mennen

 

It’s unusual for me to pick up on a song because it has appeared in the chart. However, this came out of nowhere; so much so that there is very little out there on the web about Birdy. She’s only fourteen apparently, but her voice and selection to cover Bon Iver’s ‘Skinny Love’ are perfection. Let’s hope not too much pressure builds up on her shoulders as it rises up the chart, and she’s given time to produce more songs of this quality.

My usual approach to finding an appropriate song was thrown out the window a bit with this one. I decided to just keep repeating the song while going through some of my favourite site links instead. Finally I found ‘Eminence’ by Kim Mennen, which has made the Sony Photograph Awards shortlist in the Fashion category. From the site:

“Transcending boundaries of sexuality using the androgynous male form. Submersed in the physically liberating environment of water, enabled the model to use his garments with fluidity to create a dream-like reality.”

Eminence seems to match the pace of the piano in Skinny Love; in a way the photograph depicts a bird in flight, a fit for the flow of the last minute of the song. There are much more shots below and above water on Kim Mennen’s unusual photography website. Links to both artists are below…

Birdy info: Buy on iTunes

Kim Mennen info: Main Site, Sony Shortlist Site

James Blake covers Joni Mitchell

Lost by Robin de Blanche

 

James Blake, alongside Jessie J, is the big thing right now in the UK. There’s a real intimacy to his voice that reminds me of Antony & The Johnsons. Having not long finished studies in music, he’s entering the charts with his self-titled debut album to massive critical acclaim. It’s also well-deserved. This is his cover of Joni Mitchell’s ‘A Case of You’ performed live on Zane Lowe’s Radio 1 show. It demonstrates the calibre of the artist, and hopefully he goes onto great things.

‘A Case of You’ is all about love, like so many songs, but James adds a real darkness and loneliness to the piece. With a quick search I found ‘Lost’ by Robin de Blanche. The photograph for me summed up the song. It captures the loss of something beautiful, and the dark atmosphere of James’ voice and piano chords. Robin, hailing from Sweden, has many more fantastic photographs on his website, and I’m sure he’ll be a name for the future.

James Blake info on: Myspace, Official Site, BBC Profile

Robin de Blanche info on: Personal Site, DeviantArt