Our selection of the best new music across a range of genres from the week ending 13 August 2021. Jade Bird’s sophomore album Different Kinds of Light is heavily influenced by the Americana/alt-rock music scene and the legendary RCA Studios in Nashville. That’s where Jade recorded the majority of Different Kinds of Light with powerhouse…
For quite a while now, Disney/Pixar has “owned” the animation space. The decline of Dreamworks Animation has left the field basically open to them. But competitors are emerging, including (relatively) smaller player Sony Pictures Animation. Their first animated musical, Vivo, is a swing for the fences. Vivo sees the storied Lin-Manuel Miranda (In the Heights)…
Our selection of the best new music across a range of genres from the week ending 6 August 2021. An epic fantasy adventure based on the timeless Arthurian legend, The Green Knight tells the story of Sir Gawain (Dev Patel), King Arthur’s reckless and headstrong nephew, who embarks on a daring quest to confront the…
Topher Grace? Whatever happened to that guy? Well, in 2021, Home Economics happened to him. It’s not like he hasn’t been doing anything (remember BlackKkKlansman?) but his profile is a little lower than it was in his That 70s Show heyday. Home Economics is a perfectly fine but not particularly memorable series about a dysfunctional…
Our selection of the best new music across a range of genres from the week ending 30 July 2021. Orrin Evans’ astonishing new album The Magic of Now finds the celebrated pianist and bandleader at a personal and career crossroads. Leading a rhythm section that he intended to record over 10 years ago–bassist Vicente Archer…
Our selection of the best new music across a range of genres from the week ending 23 July 2021. The Old Fabled River represents a meeting of minds and cultures well-suited to Alasdair Roberts’ syncretic fervor. Responding to the invitation of Norwegian fiddler Hans Kjorstad, he found a group of musicians well-versed in folk, jazz…
Our selection of the best new music across a range of genres from the week ending 16 July 2021. The origins of Clairo (born Claire Cottrill) hold their own modern mythos: 2017’s lo-fi bedroom pop track “Pretty Girl” went viral, and a major-label record deal with Fader/Republic followed. Then came her debut LP, Immunity, and…
It’s a week of limited cinema releases, and they couldn’t be more different. In contrast to the thoughtful Nine Days, Gunpowder Milkshake lets you leave your brain at the door. This colourful adult fairytale from writer-director Navot Papushado is a rollercoaster ride. It’s shamelessly entertaining in that brutal way favoured by the likes of Quentin…
Once upon a time, cinema was the vanguard of daring ideas. In 1957, for example, Ingmar Bergman had his protagonist play chess with the Grim Reaper. Popular cinema always dominated the box office (then as now), but in the late 2010s, daring films seemed to have been pushed to the very margins. The pandemic has…
Our selection of the best new music across a range of genres from the week ending 9 July 2021. The phrase “inspiration exists, but it has to find you working” is credited to Pablo Picasso, but it fits very well for Marisa Monte. The artist has just released Portas, her 10th studio album. Produced during…
