The most stimulating installment yet in the acclaimed Looking Closer series! This enthralling collection of essays assembles some of the most intriguing critical commentary published in professional and general interest design magazines from 1997 to 2000. Over thirty contributors; including Rick Poynor; Kathy McCoy; Lorraine Wild; Veronique Vienne; Jessica Helfand; and others discuss such important contemporary themes as the rise and fall of the dot.coms and its influence on salary expectations; the ongoing controversy over the First Things First Manifesto; the call for greater responsibility in the design profession; and the antibranding protests that ignited demonstrations during recent World Trade Organization meetings. From current events to design principles; and aesthetics to ethics; graphic designers everywhere will savor this anthology of fresh perspective.Allworth Press; an imprint of Skyhorse Publishing; publishes a broad range of books on the visual and performing arts; with emphasis on the business of art. Our titles cover subjects such as graphic design; theater; branding; fine art; photography; interior design; writing; acting; film; how to start careers; business and legal forms; business practices; and more. While we dont aspire to publish a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller; we are deeply committed to quality books that help creative professionals succeed and thrive. We often publish in areas overlooked by other publishers and welcome the author whose expertise can help our audience of readers.
#1352629 in eBooks 2012-06-05 2012-06-05File Name: B00740GP7Q
Review
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful. Great career bio with some curious gapsBy HotrodimusJesse Jarnows Yo La Tengo bio is a great read for longtime fans like me who have really struggled with a lack of information on "The Story of Yo La Tango." between the band members storied shyness and the general lack of media coverage throughout their career. Its also interesting how YLTs lifecycle has almost perfectly followed the initial rise of the American Underground movement that later turned into the heyday of Indie Rock. then later mutated into the Pitchfork-led "Indie" monoculture that persists to this day. with YLT as elder statesmen. Jarnow is to be commended for not only recognizing this trend. but accurately portraying the cultural shift and the bands increasingly complex place and figurehood within the "Indie" monoculture - something that most rock writers are just starting to recognize and incorporate into books.The one downside about the book is that theres hardly any insight into the conception. writing. recording. inspiration. etc. of the bands studio albums. If you blink youll miss "may I sing with me" entirely. YLT are an obsessive record nerds band. and yet youre not really going to find any behind the scenes info. insight into lyrics or song titles. studio stories. that arent already known or available. Considering that the band members themselves are listed as primary references. I was surprised to see that almost all of the meagre content in this regard was familiar to me from the Roger Moutenot "Tape Op" interview and a few other sources. Theres no talk about gear (considering YLT are a pedal. obscure drum machine and organ and amplifier-fueled band) at all. I was really hoping for a peek behind the curtain of the bands wonderful albums. and theres just basically nothing in this regard on a per-album basis other than "They convened in Nashville to record the new record. They enjoyed barbecue. A few months later. the album was released to mediocre sales."Still. theres a lot of ground to cover and its a good biographical overview of the many people involved in the story.3 of 3 people found the following review helpful. Semi-Big Day ComingBy allisoneFirst off. I have all of Yo La Tengos albums and have seen them live. I listen to them almost daily. I feel this book is for fans only. Even as a fan. I longed for a more in-depth look at their lives. Dont get me wrong. there are some interesting facts and some insight into where they came from and their journey. Overall. however. I just feel a lot of it was really boring. Hey. if someone wrote a book about my life and described my job as it progressed on a monthly basis for 25 years it would be a snooze fest. I just would like a bit more passion to come across on the page. It is written well. but about a quarter way through the book I just became bored. I read a lot of biographies. especially rock band/musician biographies. This one is written better than many. but it is not as interesting as most I have read. If you like Yo La Tengo a lot. it might be worth it. If youre just getting into them. I would just enjoy their music.1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Excellent book on Yo La TengoBy David MaiulloBeing a long time fan of YLT. I enjoyed the book and its discussion of the history of the music scene which was so important to both their growth and the growth of the indie rock. specifically in Hoboken and NYC. Ira seemed to have his hands in every event pivotal to the growth of indie rock in this area. It was also great to read of the way YLT evolved from their early days of innocence and amateurish status to the seminal rock band which they became. especially in going through one bassist a week (seemingly) till they found James McNew. Or he found them. Either way it was a match made in indie rock heaven and surely one of the reasons they are still current and evolving. Though I already really loved (most of) their music. it was fun to see how certain albums and songs were created. especially the influences involved and surrounding events. Recommended for anyone who also enjoys their music. or if they just remember the days of going through record stores just for the fun of it.
