Here at Polara Studio, we find it wonderfully ironic that for a commercial photography business so focused on creating visual impact (literally), we get to spend as much time listening to so much great music. The joy of music is among the many pleasures of working with like-minded souls in an intimate creative community like Polara. Lots and lots of music.
Music makes our world go round, and provides the soundtrack and the tempo for the visual collaborations we have with so many of the talented graphic designers and art directors that pass through our doors.
And because our studio focuses on still and motion photography content only, we are free to crank up the volume.
A few years ago we installed a pretty awesome sound system in both of our large studio spaces, so when the creative juices are flowing, we can make sure that the woofers woof and the tweeters tweet ( speaking of “tweets”- be sure to sign up for our twitter feeds: @polarastudio ).
So what do we listen to when each day is a new project with a different set of variables?
If it’s a rainy Monday (and we have had a few of those of late) we may have to ease into the day with the brilliant and wildly different tunes of “69 Love Songs”, the magnum opus of Stephin Meritt & The Magnetic Fields. Or Bjork’s “Vespertina”.
But if the coffee is really strong and the flesh is willing, we might have to start that Monday up with the Rolling Stones “Tattoo You” album. As hands reach among the various studio iPods, there is always some spirited discussion about what is the “appropriate” choice, that is, the Stones’ best album. Steve says that “Sticky Fingers” is their best work, while Derrin votes for “Emotional Rescue” and Michael remembers that one of his first purchases was “On His Majesty’s Satanic Request” with the 3D lenticular cover and “Ruby Tuesday”. Meanwhile, Jeremy thinks the Stones are over-rated and swears by Arcade Fire as a Monday-morning-pick-me-up. Jay digs the silence.
Dawn breaks, and another winter’s day begins at Polara Studio.
At Polara, we are all about sharing the musical love. With that in mind, here are a few of our favorites this year (in no particular order):
- Avett Brothers
- Spoon
- The Gossip
- Builders and Butchers
- Maxwell
- Michael Jackson’s “Off The Wall”
- Amoudou & Mariam (or anything Manu Chao produces, including himself)
- Band of Horses
- Loch Lomond
- Radiohead
- Helio Sequence
- Mates of State
Of course there are days when we choose a different tact entirely than asking simply “what would you like to hear” ? Those days turn out to be our highly conceptual musical explorations. For example, today might be the day when we listen to every group that starts with the letter “P”.
Or the day we listen to everything that has been performed by any group which has “Black” in their name (Black Keys, Black Sabbath, Blackalicious, Jack Black & Tenacious D).
Goodness knows, there has even been one fateful day of each year when certain members of our ace team (we’re not saying whom) insist on hosting a Barry Manilow singalong extravaganza, the equivalent of dancing through a field of marshmallows while on handfuls of painkillers.
Yes it’s true…at Polara music is as much our daily fuel as our overworked expresso machine, and a audible love of music is something we share with all our clients, along with a double nonfat latte. Do you take The Sugarcubes with that ?