In the past few years, Australian music has made a significant international impact. After Gotye’s “Somebody That I Used To Know,” we arrive at a more recent phenomenon: The Jezabels. The ‘Intensindie’ quartet plays a fusion of alternative rock and indie pop that seeks to please. The band was founded[Read More…]
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Mid-Fall Network Television Round-Up
HITS The Mindy Project (FOX, Tuesdays @ 9:30p.m.) The Mindy Project was a hit even before its premiere on Sept. 25. Creator, writer, and lead actress Mindy Kaling, who gained fame as the pop culture obsessed Kelly Kapoor on The Office, is to thank for its success. The show’s pilot was[Read More…]
What we talk about when we talk about Englander
“They’re in our house maybe ten minutes and already Mark’s lecturing us on the Israeli occupation. Mark and Lauren live in Jerusalem, and people from there think it gives them the right.” So read the opening lines of Nathan Englander’s What We Talk About When We Talk About Anne Frank,[Read More…]
Taken 2: franchise taken one sequel too far
“Buddy, what’s happening? How’s the weekend?” “Hey dude, same old. But, I did see this movie—the one produced by Luc Besson? The guy that directed Leon: The Professional and The Fifth Element. Oh, that’s what it was—Taken 2, with Liam Neeson.” “Man, I loved the first Taken! When he plays[Read More…]
In with the old, in with the new
Carmen, Rigoletto, The Magic Flute—all these works have had a profound influence on our society. Since its inception in the late 16th century, opera has been a powerful force in the arts. Today’s youth, however, see opera as old-fashioned, imagining grandiose theatres, flashy costumes, and hours of glass-shattering vocalizations. Nevertheless,[Read More…]
Could be Good
Poetry Reading: Bowering and Shikatani Hungry for a dose of delectable poetry? Missed out on 4Floors tickets? Thursday night, the literary worlds of Vancouver Island and Ottawa come together at the Atwater Library for live readings by Marilyn Bowering (2008 Fulbright Scholar) and Gerry Shikatani (Spanish Officer’s Cross of the[Read More…]
The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars
To celebrate the 40th anniversary of David Bowie’s legendary 1972 album, The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars, Toronto’s Paper Bag Records (PBR) recently released a free cover compilation by multiple artists from the label. For Bowie fans, this may appear to be an exciting[Read More…]
Golden Boy: Blue Swan Orchestra
Blue Swan Orchestra is the re-release of the Golden Boy’s 2003 debut album, and their latest since 2011’s Sleepwalker. The soft-rock/indie-pop band’s re-mastered album also features two bonus tracks, “Blind” and “Windows.” The album’s greatest strength is the blend of the familiar sounds of indie and pop with uniquely evoking[Read More…]
Jack Davey: LO-F! Side A
Jack Davey, frontwoman for the Californian electro-soul duo J*DaVeY, has gone solo. But for a singer who has opened for Prince, the Roots, and Janelle Monáe, the five-song EP falls distinctly flat. Davey’s voice, sultry, breathy, and deep, is wasted on what she calls “stripped-down grunge” and her attempt at[Read More…]
Students’ reach shouldn’t exceed their grasp
Many may be familiar with the story of Icarus. His father, Daedalus, built him wings to soar through the sky, leaving just one word of warning: go too high, too close to the sun, and the wax affixing the wings to your body will melt. We know how the story[Read More…]