Nowadays, it seems like the flavor of the month, is a combination of all of them. Eleni Mandell, a Los Angeles based musician, and a fixture of the Silver Lake music scene, is back with a new album after her last one, Miracle of Fire, won critical acclaim.  All the songs on Artificial Fire, which drops February 17, are written by Mandell and she is backed by her longtime three-piece band. Together, they deliver tracks that are welcoming and upbeat but still a little mysterious and sometimes dark, but always witty.  Her sound is a mixture of synthesized jazz, country, folk, blues, rock and pop. L.A. CityBeat described her music as “a kind of pop-out-of-time…”  Don’t miss her performance along with JoshSpear.com favorite Theresa Andersson, tonight at Hotel Cafe in Los Angeles. They are playing back to back and she takes the stage at 8 p.m. She is also playing in New York at Joe’s Pub on March 5th.  In the meantime, take a listen to the title track (MP3) from the upcoming Artificial Fire.

Philips is one of those companies that has a great history of design dating back to the 1920s, and once again they really cleaned up at the annual IF product design award competition winning 22 awards. One of my favorite new award-winning products is their Wake-Up Light. It is an alarm clock that slowly lights up and gradually gets brighter until the light wakes you up. There are only a few major companies who put a lot of importance on design aesthetics, and it is nice to see that Philips constantly puts out innovative work. Take a look at this year’s winners.

via Core77

Five Locs is a brand new urban streetwear brand based in Atlanta. Yet another independent purveyor of original gear, the Five Locs logo features a silhoutted dome-piece with some gnarly dreads jutting out. The bold emblem is the chest design of their inaugural line of T-shirts, which keep it simple and come in black, white and green. Speaking of inaugural, the brand has its own Obama tee, boasting some ill artwork and the slogan “400 Years in the Making”. They’ve come through with a great initial concept and a dope site to go with it. We’ll surely be keeping an eye on these guys and awaiting new gear, soon to come.

First they practically gave their T-shirts away and now Upper Playground is thanking you with a drawing for a Sam Flores painting valued at over $10,000. To celebrate their 10th anniversary, UP has planned an exciting year of giveaways, and they’re kicking it off big time with Flores y Zorro, a 6′ x 4′ signed acrylic and spray paint on wood framed canvas. To enter, all you have to do is register your email with Upper Playground. If you’re already on their mailing list, you’re already in the running. The contest is open for two weeks, and a winner will be announced on Thursday, February 12th. If you’re impatient and/or unlucky, Flores also created a series of 200 small drawings that are currently on sale at the San Francisco Upper Playground store.The figurative drawings give a glimpse into how Sam develops his characters and pieces and are not only unique, but are affordable so that more of his fans can have the opportunity to purchase his art.

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When we first checked out iSobre, there were two simple options; Student and Executive. The quality and style of the Spanish designers are still kicking and manifesting themselves in plenty of new additions to their offering of laptop cases. The Urban line adds a touch of color to the classic design, not to mention a slick white leather exterior. Also new are the iPhone pouches, available in every style the computer sleeves come in. Protect your gear and do it with style.

Dima Loginoff’s creations are inspiring, thought-provoking, and occasionally look an awful lot like insects. Originally a hair stylist, the Moscow-born Loginoff has made us wonder if our imaginations can join hands with reality. From the Beetlejuice-like Psyche Lounge (which, considering the state of the economy we could all use a rest on) to the chesspiece Vassili chairs and the floating Liquid hotel, Dima’s interior design and furniture projects make us all want to stretch our creative fingers that much further.