La Belle et La Bête: Wish List Mondays & Tune Tape Tuesdays #26

Hands up who had a good Bank Holiday Weekend. Me. I had a good Bank Holiday Weekend. In light of the fact that I'll no longer be a student in 10 days, I decided that this Bank Holiday I would practice not doing any work - for, y'know, when I actually get a job. Technically, being a student, I should have a lot of practice at not doing anything, but this is my shady excuse for not producing a Wish List yesterday and I'm sticking to it. Miraculously, we had no rain this weekend, so I was able to go out and stroll around the city in - wait for it - bare legs. Yep, it looks like Summer is well and truly here. So, to celebrate this (and to kill two birds with one stone), I thought I'd produce a MashUp post of Monday and Tuesday regulars. Imagine, if you will, that Fashion and Music had a beautiful, but sadly illegitimate, lovechild - and you might get something close to the post I've lined up for you.

Cast your mind way back to the days of dial-up internet, landlines and VHS, when an an iPad was a cushion for your eye, and Kindles were something you put on a fire. In those days, I liked to spend my weekends fingering (don't be vulgar) the records in the record shop (think Empire Records as your cultural reference). Although vinyls had already been extradited to the basement, I still have fond memories of the hours I used to spend leafing through CDs - umming and ahhing over which one to buy. Like flat-caps and high-tops, vinyls are having something of a hipster resurgence. This weekend, I headed to Manchester's Northern Quarter, which is about as close you can get to a time warp without stepping through a tardis (or killing a human rabbit, for fans of Donnie Darko). Here, the record store is alive and well, and before I ran off to see A Place Beyond the Pines (which is super, by the way) I recaptured some childish joy by looking through the vinyls in Piccadilly Records. Glancing around at the trendy customers browsing the shelves, I realised that Fashion and Music do, on a whole, go pretty well together. I was thinking of doing a Music Genre-Based Fashion Overlook, but I am too tired/lazy. Until I muster the energy/courage for a post of that size, I thought I'd start off slow - contrasting the general fashion of those who attend Gigs (that is, instrument-based live music), with what my parents call "Raves" (i.e. live DJs). So, without any further ado, here is the first LBeLB MASHUP SPECIAL.

FASHION

"Come On Dahling, Let's Go Rahving"

1. 'Moonbeam' Crewneck Sweater by Billionaire Boys Club, EndClothing, £125. Beam me up Scotty, here.

2. Bright Leopard iPhone Shell, Topshop, £8. Deaf Leopard, here.

3. Zig-Zag Aztec Tunic, Topshop, £26. Az-Tech, here.

4. 'Tommy' Shorts by The Ragged Priest, Topshop, £55. Tie-Die For, here.

5. Crazy Animal HighShine Leggings, Topshop, £28. Get animalistic, here.

6. Giant Creole Triangle Hoop Earrings, ASOS, £10. Hula Hoop, here.

7. Red Bucci Hat with Yellow Ink, Brian Lichtenberg, $48. Bucci Mamma, here.

8. Metal Arm Flatbrow Sunglasses, Topshop, £16. Heavy Metal, here.

9. Air Force 1 Mid White High-Tops by Nike, Office, £72. Get high, here.

10. Mix Tape USB Stick, GettingPersonal, £20. Mix it up, here.

Gig-antic

1. Floral Print Blouse, Zara, £26. Print it out, here.

2. Canvas & PU Leather Jacket, H&M, £30. Hell for leather, here.

3. Black Pinafore Mini Dress, River Island, £20. Pin-teresting, here.

4. Cream Skinny Jeans, Topshop, £40. Cream your jeans, here.

5. Rouge Volupté Lipstick in No.17 Red Muse by Yves Saint Laurent, Selfridges, £25. Red or Dead, here.

6. Major 50 FX Headphones, Marshall, £140. See Major, here.

7. Leopard Head Top, H&M, £13. Take a walk on the wild side, here.

8. Gold Plated Red Rosebud & Bird Ring, Kirsten Ash Jewellery, £59. Roses are red, here.

9. Wooden Retro 3 Speed Turntable, Amazon, £100. Turning Tables, here.

10. Cross Over Leopard Print Wedges, Topshop, £45. Drive a wedge, here.

MUSIC

Before I start off with my little commentary, I'd like to mention some big news that had slipped both my mind and my attention for some time: The Strokes have a new album out. It's called 'Comedown Machine', and it's really bloody good. This week, I'm featuring one of my favourite tracks off the album: Chances. If you're digging their vibe but want to try before you buy, you can play the entire album on Grooveshark here. The top spot this week is filled by two tracks whose titles are remarkably similar: You and I by Allosaurus and You Got Me by Generationals. The similarities don't just end there, either - both have a bouncy Summer vibe and feature a large scoop of ice-cold synth for you to sit back and soak up. Next up is yet another track that's been released from the upcoming Great Gatsby OST: Beyoncé feat. Andre 3000's cover of Amy Winehouse's Back to Black. With the big name of Beyoncé upping interest, the actual track is, I have to say, a little bit of a rip off. It really should be Andre 3000 feat. Beyonce, as the ex-Outkaster does most of the legwork here. Despite the minimal input of 'Queen Bey', the track is - like most of the Soundtrack - pretty damn strong. Only a week to go before The Great Gatsby is officially in cinemas, folks! Isaac Tichaeur's progressive House track was put up on FRENCH EXPRESS's Soundcloud channel this week and has already received nearly 40,000 plays. It's not hard to see why - this track is like musical liquid butter being poured in your ear. FRENCH EXPRESS also put up the next track Chris Malinchak's So Good to Me, which is also like melted chocolate for your ears. Mmmm. Sexual. Next up is a MashUp (appropriate) of Wolf + Lamb and PillowTalk, entitled Real Love. MashUps can be a bit hit and miss, but this one is executed to perfection. Stick it on and chill the fuck out. Carrying on with the PillowTalk theme, they've also done an edit of Mayer Hawthorne's The Makings of a Lover, which puts a Funky House spin on the soul classic. If you like The Drums, check out Bedroom's track, In My Head. The guitar riff could have been lifted from their first album - although the vocals put an ethereal Chillwave spin on the proceedings. Definitely worth a play or twelve. For a bit of funk with an Indie spin, play Jean Tonique's remix of Jabberwocky's Photomaton; the perfect mix of sexy vocals and toe-tapping downbeat. Last week, I featured Lana Del Rey's offering on The Great Gatsby Sountrack, Young and Beautiful. In the time since its release, it's already been pray to a number of remixes, but GOOFY N/Me's interpretation is by far the best I've heard. See if you agree. If there weren't enough remixes already, I've also decided to throw in The Chainsmokers' take on one of Phoenix's tracks: Trying to be Cool, off their new album, 'Bankrupt!'. It's a fairly commercial Electro sound, but don't let that stop you from doing twirls to the bus stop. That's all from me this week - now it's over to you. Enjoy!