Video: LORD KNOWS

Tim Lampe is a designer in Atlanta and writer for I'm A Bear! Etc and is currently focusing on the fact that it's Dum Dum Girls release day.

As you readers may know, I really like the Dum Dum Girls. Last year they released one of my favorite albums. Dee Dee went back in to the studio shortly after and recorded a few new tracks that didn't fit the themes on "Only in Dreams". She added two covers and another B-side and this week released the End of Daze EP. It's short, it's sweet and it's really really good. It's a great progress for Dee Dee and her Dum Dum Girls project and it only gets me more excited for further records from her. If you have Spotify or Rdio, check out End of Daze, or even purchase the EP on iTunes or in record stores. You'll be glad you did. Here is the video for the single off the EP titled "Lord Knows".

SNAPSHOTS WITH TIM LAMPE / NO.3

Welcome to Snapshots! This week we're taking a look at great views/heights and a little more. It's been a busy week and there's a few themed weeks I have coming up, but this week I'm just going to go through some of my favorite captures. Just a reminder that you can find me on Instagram under the user @timlampe and you can tag some of your Instagram treasures using the hashtag #instatreasures. Here we go!

Top Left, taken by @robinmay
If you've gone this long without following Instagram legend Robin May, make sure you turn that around this week. Her photos are gorgeous.

Top Right, taken by @jessemorrow
Excellent composition and a stunning view.

Bottom Left, taken by @tavcalico
Another great shot playing with light and shadows. The contrast and grain make this photo stand out.

Bottom Right, taken by @connor
He doesn't post often, but when he does we get gems like this.



Left taken by @alostfeather
Seems like the golden hour was prime for this shot.

Right taken by @livia_xo
I'll never get tired of waves splashing, but the colors and edit on this one are top notch.



Left taken by @norteno
If you're a lover of signage, this is your guy to follow. The last two photos I wanted to mix it up just a bit because I end up devouring a lot of signage and typography captures on Instagram.

Right taken by @erikmarinovich
If you're not familiar with typographer Erik Marinovich, look him up now. Otherwise, enjoy his ongoing journey of finding delicious hand-type in San Francisico.


That's it for this week! See you next week with another batch of photos. Want to see your photos featured here next week or the upcoming weeks? I have a very personal tag I use called #instatreasures and invite you to tag your photos there as well!

Video: BLACK BUZZ

Tim Lampe is a designer, writer, and explorer in Atlanta, GA who shares vibes with everyone on a daily basis.


This week's video is Lotus Plaza's "Black Buzz" and what a great video it is. As some folks may know, Lotus Plaza's "Spooky Action at a Distance" is my favorite record of the year so far and you may know Lockett Pundt better as the guitarist and sometimes vocalist from Atlanta-based Deerhunter. The video features a battered girl dealing with some rough stuff but eventually ends up in a breathtakingly shot sequence underwater. It goes perfectly with this slow-track that serves as the closer to Lotus Plaza's most recent album.

SNAPSHOTS WITH TIM LAMPE / NO.2

This column will be on Tuesdays going forward. I hope you all liked last week's photos and I've got some more gems for you this week! Just a reminder that you can find me on Instagram under the user @timlampe and you can tag some of your Instagram treasures using the hashtag #instatreasures. Here we go!

Top Left, taken by @darrenerbe
Somehow Darren manages to find the most beautiful spots in New Jersey, a state most folks think looks terrible.

Top Right, taken by @melindaearle
This is just a great composition, contrast and background with the fleeting clouds.

Bottom Left, taken by @kevinruss
If you're not following Kevin yet, you need to get on it. He's traveling most of the month so he's able to see sides of America most of us don't get to.

Bottom Right, taken by @mischiru
I absolutely love this shot. There's no horizon line; it disappears completely.



Left taken by @neuarmy
Just a little hand-painted signage can go a long way.

Right taken by @dschwen
He does some amazing 'things organized neatly' posts, but this one is my favorite; he's organized all his yellow objects in one composition.



Left taken by @reedreeder
It may be a typical shot to show analogue versus digital but it never gets old to me.

Right taken by @keatenabbott
I know I'm a sucker for bodies of water, but the right scene can be beautiful.


That's it for this week! See you next week with another batch of photos. Want to see your photos featured here next week or the upcoming weeks? I have a very personal tag I use called #instatreasures and invite you to tag your photos there as well!

SNAPSHOTS WITH TIM LAMPE / NO.1

Happy Friday! This is the start of a new column for Glass & Sable I'm doing called Snapshots. This column will feature a weekly breakdown of 8 memorable images grabbed from Instagram users for the week. You may be familiar with Instagram, the mobile-only photo sharing experience where you can add filters to your photos and embrace community. It's surely one of my favorite things, and hopefully you've had a chance to discover it too. This first week is a hodge podge of ideas, but they revolve around the idea of "big views". In the following weeks you'll see me dive into more specific topics, but let's get started. Each photo should be tagged with the person who took the picture.

Top Left, taken by @lydaux
One of my favorite captures this week , but this shot is simply magnificent. The colors and the contrast create a dreamy scene.

Top Right, taken by @coolitagain
Their feed is full of photos from a cross-country road-trip that you can't help but be jealous of. This shot is full of warm landscapes.

Bottom Left, taken by @anaderiggi
An incredible view over a body of water set to warmer tones

Bottom Right, taken by @noahabe
There's little that's more beautiful than a capture of a water splash.



Left taken by @elixir818
Sang's photos are universally among my favorite on Instagram, but the peak of sunshine that rains down on this makes for a perfect shot. His edits are second to none.

Right taken by @elizabeth_wisdom
You'll find hundreds of Golden Gate Bridge shots on Instagram, whether it's foggy bridge shots or far-away shots, but this one is among my favorites. The composition of this shot is fantastic too.



Left taken by @nicolehunziker
Nicole's landscapes seem almost unreal but maybe it's because we're not as lucky as her to be experiencing them. As such, we get to live through her captures. This one features a fantastic reflection of the mountains and sky.

Right taken by @mikestinson
Mike attached this image with the comments of a place of tranquility and I couldn't agree more. The asymmetrical composition and blissful colors allow the viewer to relax just by looking at this photo.


That's it for this week! See you next week with another batch of photos. Want to see your photos featured here next week or the upcoming weeks? I have a very personal tag I use called #instatreasures and invite you to tag your photos there as well! Make sure to follow Ciara and I on instagram too! (@timlampe & @ciarasames)

SEXY: A MIX

Tim Lampe is a designer and explorer in Atlanta, Georgia. You can find his work at timlampe.com and he writes occasionally at I’m A Bear! Etc. He wore sunscreen while writing his, but that’s not really important right now.

That’s right, it’s sexy week. After Ciara told me about who she was going to feature on this week’s Home // Closet // Tool, I insisted that I make a sexy playlist to along with this week and then the rest of Sexy Week came together. This playlist is fun. It has a few tracks that haven’t technically been released yet, a cover, a sing-out-loud track, beat-box drums and some Gayngs. There’s no other real intro to this mix except to just jump in and get inside this playlist. I hope you do enjoy.

♫ 8tracks

1. Baby // Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti
2. Wrong Feels Right // Dum Dum Girls
3. Nocturne // Wild Nothing
4. Odessa // Caribou
5. Somebody // Niki & The Dove
6. Stay Don’t Go // Spoon
7. Trick Pony // Charlotte Gainsbourg
8. Like the Ocean, Like the Innocent Pt. 1: The Innocent // The Besnard Lakes
9. Beast of Love // Cloud Control
10. The Last Prom on Earth // Gayngs

SEXY & INDIEROCK

Tim Lampe is a designer and explorer in Atlanta. His work can be found and timlampe.com and he occasionally writes at I’m A Bear! Etc. He is also Glass and Sable’s Chief Counselor of Sexy but that’s title only, no raise, he is assured.

We’re knee deep in Sexy week, and as a contributor to Glass & Sable this week, I’m taking it very seriously. The next segment is your dish on this summer’s hot cast. They’re so hot right now they’re literally on fire. It’s broken down into 5 guys and 5 ladies that you may or may not be familiar with, but this isn’t a focus on looks. All these folks have some real talent that’s not to be overlooked. Here we go:



It’s a no brainer, but the brains behind Dum Dum Girls is the first on my list. Last year she released her first full-band record “Only In Dreams” and is about to release a follow-up EP titled “End of Daze”. She’s also smitten with husband Brandon Welchez of Crocodiles. Make sure to bring extra ice to your Dum Dum Girls cocktail party because it’s going to be hot out there.



Not content with just having released Strange Mercy last year, she’s following it up with her long-awaited collaboration with David Byrne, silver-fox of Talking Heads fame. Her guitar work is on fire, she’s crowd surfing at her own shows. Annie Clark is so hot this summer you’re probably going to have to wear shades while listening to St. Vincent.



Jenn has been cracking out albums as part of Wye Oak but her focus this year has switched to a new side projet called Flock of Dimes. A little more electronic, a little more dancing, and a lot more fun. Her and Andy Stack seem to have found a way to expand Wye Oak’s sound on an new single for Adult Swim’s Summer Singles. Slap on some sunscreen and cue up some jams from Jenn Wasner.



Not the most summer-like music, but regardless Sharon Van Etten is having one hell of a summer promoting her most recent release. She’ll be taking her emotional baggage on the road with the likes of Damien Jurado and Crooked Fingers. Grab a slush puppy and crank up some Sharon Van Etten.



Beach House have found a way to make a record that is even better than 2009’s “Teen Dream”. Victoria Legrand is taking her band on the road all year long around this record, and brings a breath of fresh air on tour with her. No ceiling fans needed, Beach House shows are plenty cool this summer thanks to Victoria Legrand.



Hot off the release of “Confess”, Mr. Lewis is making plenty of pitstops this summer as the frontman of Twin Shadow. Whether he’s riding a motorcycle in his scripted miniseries of videos or riding a motorcycle into your town, you shouldn’t miss him. Pro Tip: Make sure to wear a helmet when riding on George’s motorcycle of 80’s pop this summer.



Cooler than ice, Jack Tatum is releasing his second album as Wild Nothing this year. How do you follow-up one of the chillest albums in recent years? You add more layers to the mix without compromising your sound, and that’s exactly what Jack Tatum has done on this new record “Nocture”. This summer is all about Wild Nothing but Jack Tatum would like you to know his album does not come with a free surfboard, so you’ll have to buy your own.



Scott Hansen has the distinction of being the only professional graphic designer and musician on this list. While legions of pixel pushers (especially this one) have followed him for years as ISO50, he’s spread his bleepy-bloopy wings as Tycho in recent years. Charge up your Game Boy Pockets, because you’re going to need all the battery you can get thanks to Scott Hansen this summer.



Josh Tillman left the Fleet Foxes, which made a lot people sad. It was a short lived sadness as he released a triumphant album as Father John Misty, an alter-ego that seemingly fits in and makes fun of the new-wave-folk movement he’s part of. It’s hot out there this summer for beards, but the forecast is looking super classy thanks to Father John Misty.



You might wonder why he’s on this list, but this year proves there’s really nothing Jack White can’t do. He runs Third Man Studios where he has hailed the triple-decker record, liquid 7-inch and singles with Beck and Insane Clown Posse in the first half of the year. The most important piece of his puzzle for this year was his first solo release, and it shows no signs of letdown from Jack or any of his Third Man friends. Are funky hats in this season? Just ask Mr. White because I really honestly don’t know, but he’s clearly pulling it off.



dee dee // annie clark // jenn wasner // sharon van etton // victoria legrand
guy images: george lewis jr. // jack tatum // scott hansen // josh tillman // jack white

Video: LAURA

Tim Lampe is a writer for I’m A Bear! Etc. and is watching you eat that sandwich.

If you’re not aboard the Bat For Lashes bandwagon, you better get on it as soon as possible. For those that were keeping track, it’s been a few years since Natasha Khan released “Two Suns”, an excellent album showcasing her unique voice. She’s back with a new album The Haunted Man, and released the first single. The single is the haunting track “Laura” and the video is showcased above. I’ve already listened to the track more than a few times in a row, and it’s just completely mesmerizing. It’s our first taste of the new album, a little more low-key, but keeps the focus on Khan’s distinct vocal qualities. Take a listen and seek out “Two Suns” if you’re not familiar with her work.

Video: IT'S ONLY LIFE

Tim Lampe is a writer for I’m A Bear! Etc.who loves long walks on beaches accompanied by a good taco.

The Shins have created a remarkable album this year, and as the year progresses, it’s seemingly fading into the background of crtiics and fans everywhere. I’d like to reassess that and say that Port of Morrow has really kept growing on me emotionally. The first video for “Simple Song” was an emotional tour de force and this one follows up with some more childhood themes. “It’s Only Life” sees James Mercer himself being dragged away by strange creatures and a narrative involving a kid walking around with a cape and baseball helmet with antlers on it. Is the video heavy on emotion? Yes. In a music industry where the songs that rise to the top are normally LMFAO party dance songs and electro-pop ballads, it’s a nice change. Check out the video, and make sure to listen to Port of Morrow if you haven’t yet.

Video: ERICA AMERICA

Tim Lampe is a writer for I’m A Bear! Etc. who (insert quirky thought here).

Jens Lekman is a Swedish musician who is great and this will be a great introduction if you’ve not heard him. With only 2 albums and a handful EPs under his belt, he’s got a good collection of music. I Know What Love Isn’t will be his first LP since 2007 and the first single from that album titled “Erica America” is absolutely dreamy. It has all the requirements of a great song; jazzy and including a sax solo. There’s really not more you could want out of a new track from Jens Lekman to set the mood for his new album. Watch the music video featuring Jens and his band performing the track and let it be your perfect summer relaxation tune for the moment.

Weapons of Mass Creations Recap

Many of you already know about my boyfriend, Tim Lampe, and his amazing taste in music. Did you also know that he is a graphic designer as well? Over the weekend Tim went to Cleveland for the Weapons of Mass Creation Festival. It's this wonderful event where music and design come and meet. There were inspirational speakers and all these cool people just hangin' out. Tim's stories are colorful and full of life and he came back so inspired.

Today he posted a recap of the festival with notes from his favorite speakers and all the inspiration he got out of it. There's some good stuff in there, so check it out!

Read it here.