DOUBLE IT AND PASS IT TO THE NEXT PERSON

Rae: It's Logging On's second week back, and Ian and I got you for another weekly download from the timeline. 

Weekly Specials:

R: This week the hottest topic in Ian and I's text thread was the Coachella line up. Despite working around live shows constantly now, I've never been much of a festival guy. To this day my festival experience is limited to trip to Pemberton with Ian and his friends in my early university days. My big trip highlight was me "falling asleep" in a lawn chair mid convo with an attractive young woman whom I had just met. There's been a lot of talk of Coachella bricking it this year, though I don't think it bricks as hard as 2015 Rae.

RAE:

Warning - I don't hate this line up. Ian and the rest of #indieacousticguitarsonly twitter were up in arms about how this was one of the worst line up's that the festival has ever produced. It's certainly not Coachella's best work, though I think this line up does a pretty decent job at capturing where the current music zeitgeist is at. 

Bad Bunny is the biggest musician in the world right now (and my #1 Spotify artist). Having him and Becky G on the same day, with Rosalia on Saturday, and Kali Uchis on Sunday goes to show how much Spanish & Latinx culture is influencing music right now. I wouldn't doubt guest appearances from J Balvin, Jhay Cortez or Rauw Alejandro in any of those aforementioned sets. 

Furthermore, Burna Boy is a cultural tour de force. Kaytranada also had a banner year both critically and in the club. Pusha T, Metro Boomin, Kenny Beats, Rae Sremmurd (whom I hope are poised for a comeback run) all had great releases this year and would make for great sets. In terms of lesser known artists, UMI had one of my favourite albums of 2022, Tobi Nwigwe and his family are one the most sonically interesting acts out right now, Fousheé's own work and features with Vince Staples and Steve Lacy make her one to watch for, and not to mention I've had the biggest crush on Flo Milli ever since I listened to Conceited for the first time. 

There's a lot of talk about new Frank Ocean music on the way. If he doesn't cancel last minute, whatever he does will be a large scale cultural moment.

Lastly, I wont say much on BLACKPINK, along with DPR Live and DPR Ian being on the lineup, as I won't have much to add. K-pop has transcended into a global phenomena, much like reggaetone/latin trap, and afro beats. These are all featured pretty well alongside contemporary Hip-Hop, R&B and EDM. That being said, the omission of mega-star names like Beyonce, Kendrick Lamar, The Weeknd, SZA, Vince Staples, 21 Savage (and maybe even a Drake) all of whom had albums this year feels a bit off, seemingly leaving a hole to be filled. 

IAN: 

Like Rae said about my opinion, to me this Coachella lineup is absolutely MID at best (I was spoiled with the lineup at Primavera last year). While it's catering to global music, which should be where music festivals of this scale should be gearing towards, it feels to me that they leaned a little too much into it.

I am BIG indie, sad-white-girls-who-play-guitar, but it's surprising to see the lack of big names that I've come to expect at these festivals. Perhaps these artists know that Coachella is far from what it was before, and it's really just a place to be seen rather than to see. They'll make money on their own world tours, arguably more than what they'd make playing an hour set in Indio so giving other artists a shine is a respectable move.

Honestly, I'm just an old boomer who wants to see guitar bands. So what do I know? All I can guarantee is Frank Ocean will cancel.

It's also an absolute crime having Snail Mail, Ethel Cain, Weyes Blood and Alex G so low on the card!

R: Blacked out Gore-tex with mint green laces is something only my spiritual OG & uncle (in namesake only) Hugo Mendoza could've thought up.

R: UNIQLO U SS23

Another year, another Uniqlo U season. The men's line had some reliable hits sure, but the real heat was in the Women's collection. As someone who embraced dressing like a thot last summer, the cardigan vest would be a great layer on top of ribbed tank - or even spicier, buttoned up on it's own. The nylon shirt jacket and striped camp collar shirt are also on point, having a place in any wardrobe come warmer temps. 

I: I find the U line Spring Summer collections usually consist of its weakest offerings. Their Fall Winter selections are where they knock it out of the park with the bi-annual collaboration. Although the shirting is classic as usual, it's not different from any past seasons which can be twisted into the "uniformity" of the line. While the U collection normally offers something for everyone, if you're looking for slim fitting offerings, you won't be finding that here. The boxy, slouchy movement is sticking around and though you may see skinny jeans making a small comeback, pleated pants still reign supreme.

And to piggyback off Rae, the women's is the better of the two; in particular the knitwear offerings. The ribbed cardigan is similar to the FW22 lambswool version that was so well received.

MEDIA: 

R: KE HUY QUAN WINS BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR AT THE GOLDEN GLOBES

Our collective on screen Asian-immigrant parents Michelle Yeoh & Ke Huy Quan took home trophies this week for their performances in Everything Everywhere All at Once. Ke Huy's speech really hit me, and by the time he was thanking wife I was already in tears. Not only well deserved, but an all-around powerful moment for the global AAPI community who saw themselves or loved ones in Waymond Wang.

​I: Playing Short Round in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom and Data in The Goonies, Ke should have had an even more outstanding career. But his best work was saved for EEAO. I implore you if you have yet to watch it, please do yourself a favour and take time to. It's one of the best films made last year and the Wong Kar Wai homage scenes are breathtaking and hauntingly beautiful.

Why Coachella Always Announces Its Lineup First — And What Happens When It’s Late billboard

A brief delay in the Coachella announcement this year left other festivals scrambling, demonstrating the interconnectedness of the entire ecosystem.

What Clothes to Buy When You’re Expecting a Recession wsj

A run on white cotton shirts, brown leather boots and well-cut suits? Menswear designers see rise in durable staples; fewer opulent impulse buys.

I: Doing fewer impulse buys is the key. After taking a bunch of old garms that were once well loved and well hyped to sell and making minimal cash back on them is only furthering my desire to buy the best versions of what I want.

How E-Commerce Changed the Knockoff Furniture Game dwell

Direct-to-consumer revolutionized the furniture market. What’s at stake when fakes are easier to find than ever?

This Could Be a Rough Year for the Podcast Industry vulture

The general consensus is that the exorbitant spending of the past four years, particularly by the bigger companies like Spotify and iHeartMedia, will finally be properly scrutinized — and possibly come to an end. 

MUSIC:

​R: Number One Candidate - AntsLive

Probably the funnest, and most inventive rap music video I've seen in recent memory.

I: Shame - Six Pack dead oceans

I: MOLLY - Picturesque sonic cathedral

Self described as astral shoegaze. It's a pretty nice start to 2023.

I: The Smile - Full Performance (Live on KEXP) yt

WILDCARD: IAN'S KLEMAN PADROR REVIEW

I: Dropping a shoe review for this week's wildcard. And no this doesn't count towards my 5 new items this year. Luckily, I snuck these in at the end of 2022 during capitalism's  favourite holiday [Boxing Day].

I've genuinely been curious about the hype surrounding Tyrolean derby shoes and if they were a style that I could pull off. I'll break the review down into sections before announcing my verdict.

A Brief History

While I could do a brief summary on this style of shoe. There are plenty of examples that are far better than what I'd come up with.

Tyrolean Shoes – Thick and Stitched heddels

These Shoes Are Ugly (and I Love Them) pto

The Purchase Experience

Considering I purchased these online, I can't really give a score on "shopping experience". However, I'll note that I tried on other styles from Kleman at the store to ensure proper sizing was acquired. These are pretty much true to size and if you were interested in either this style, or the other styles they offer, go forth with your usual sizing.

Now for the purchase price. At full price these shoes will run you up $230. For comparison Paraboot Michael's​ are priced anywhere from $530 to $560 (depending on leather type).

I paid no such thing and got these for an absolute steal at $99 so there wasn't really anything that could go too wrong with them.

Presentation

Straight up, these came in a branded box. Shoes were wrapped in thin tissue paper. I really had no expectations on presentation so long as they didn't come in a tattered box.

Quality

As stated by Kleman, the uppers are made from 'high quality full-grain leather'. The leather quality isn't downright awful and it's also not stiff af as Dr. Martens. It's malleable and will bend with movement, so no issues with the break-in process. There wasn't any issue with specific areas of tightness either. However, at $230 I've had better quality leather from other brands at similar price points. But for $99, these will suffice as a shoe I can wear and not be too precious about.

The right shoe looks a little more wrinkled at the toe box, but I'll chalk that up to being either a display shoe issue or someone tried on the right and decided to only try 1 shoe on (absolutely nutty to do this btw).

The laces are terrible. I'll never understand why shoe companies provide 'dress' shoe styles with these thin, waxy laces that snap so easily. Not to mention they're always untying themselves. But this is a quick cheap fix and I'll be adding a heftier, more robust option.

The shoe itself is rather heavy and akin to what you'd expect out of a Dr. Martens 1461. The anti-slip rubber soles seem quite hard-wearing and should have no issue to live up to it's original purpose of trekking in outdoor terrain. They're not Norwegian Welt compared to the much more desirable Paraboot Michael. These are cemented so resoling these are out of the question.

The serrated hem along the seam lines are a nice little detail, but will generally not be noticeable to the average person.

Comfort

Gonna expose myself and let y'all know I am flat feet gang. So I always need the extra comfort from Dr. Scholl's. The Kleman insoles on their own are quite flat so don't be expecting a footbed that'll mould to your feet. These ain't it.

In terms of comfort on first try, these weren't bad at all. The rubber sole is thick enough to provide shock absorption. They fit well around the heel without any slippage when walking.

Final Thoughts

I can't ignore the value here. If these were full priced, I would not drop money on these. For $230 you could buy a better pair of shoes or save up for the premium version.

For those of you who are interested in this silhouette, I'd say Kleman's are worth a try (especially if you're okay with these projecting a little bit of clown shoe syndrome) when they go on sale. At $99 I'll get enough use where I'll hit the peak on the imaginary curve of price-to-quality ratio.