this week in (nature).

It’s no secret that I am not much of an outdoorsman.  While I most certainly have an aesthetic appreciation for nature, you won't soon find me actually spending time near it.  In fact, I have gone to great lengths to avoid all things green and beautiful.  As such, I was surprised this week when both the music and clothes I was drawn to both seemed to take inspiration from the great outdoors.

After eagerly downloading and listening to the newest release from pop icon Kate Bush, I was instantly struck by the direct and indirect ways in which Kate references nature in her newest work.  On a literal level, the new single, Wild Man, directly incorporates elements of nature.  From the song’s title to it’s intro, which consists of fifteen seconds of blowing wind, Wild Man employs all of the tasteful campiness (I assure you that such a thing exists) that has been prevalent through all of this one-of-a-kind artist’s extensive catalogue.

As is always the case with a Kate Bush song, though, there is more than meets the eye.  Of particular note is the chorus, which consists of a clamor of treated vocals.  This effect, which is at first a little unsettling, evokes the idea that the voices belong to a chorus of animals or creatures.  Their screechy, distorted voices are clearly inhuman, but Kate, being the mysterious songwriter she is, is unwilling to reveal whom or what the voices belong to.

On a side note, the upcoming album which the new single precedes, 50 Words For Snow, has the most absurd cover art I have seen in some time, so I had to include it in this post.

Image via Fish People.

Later on, while browsing my usual blogs and web stores, I came across this YMC shirt, which is a new twist on classic camo.

Image via YMC.

While the wearability of this shirt is most certainly debatable, the fact that it’s pretty damn cool is not.  And for those of us who aren’t really willing to actually embrace nature in the traditional sense, this is a great alternative.  Even though part of me has confused by the fact that camo print exists in mainstream fashion, I think I could definitely give this shirt a try.

What do you think the voices in Wild Man are supposed to be?

Is camo ever appropriate attire?

Is anybody else having a hard time digesting this album cover?

How are you embracing the great outdoors this week?