Sonic wallpaper
While the economy continues to claw its way out of the pit, renters rule. Except when it comes to personalizing your rental pad. Enter Blik, a SoCal graphic company dedicated to removable wall art like self-adhesive decals. Blik’s alternatives to wallpaper range from a few square feet to floor-to-ceiling prints and come from an array of designers. One, a collaboration with Threadless, the Chicago-based defenders of T-shirt cool, is Radios ($75), a collection of nine boom boxes that can be stacked and styled to add some much-needed spice to your home studio space. Radios and other Blik wall art can be purchased online at whatisblik.com.
I Skream
One of the most hotly anticipated dubstep releases of 2010, Skream’s sophomore effort, Outside the Box, held up to the hype. It also came out in deluxe vinyl ($25.99) and CD ($17.99) editions designed by prolific London-based studio Give Up Art. The finished product is such a master stroke it’s up for best album art work at artvinyl.com, a vinyl picture-frame retailer. Both versions of Skream’s Outside the Box are available at Reckless Records (locations around the city, reckless.com).
Party down
Combining the tour photography of Yeah Yeah Yeahs guitarist Nick Zinner, the sarcastic and hilarious scribblings of Zachary Lipez and the design prowess of Stacy Wakefield, Please Take Me Off the Guest List (Akashic Books, $15.95) is the perfect stocking stuffer for anyone who’s spent too much time staying out too late. Available online at amazon.com.