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Album Review: Julia Holter – Loud City Song

by Rio Toro

130522-julia-holter

Julia Holter: Loud City Song

Similar Artists: Jenny Hval, Kate Bush, Nico, Julianna Barwick

Genre: Orchestral-Pop, Dream-Pop, Ambient

Label: Domino

 

I originally thought Loud City Song — the 3rd LP and 1st studio album from Los Angeles’ Julia Holter — was a strange title for music bearing such a quiet serenity. After all, Julia Holter’s music has always been resemblant of everything but towering skyscrapers and industrialization — although it certainly can be brash and avant-garde now and then. However, while Loud City Song impacted me from my initial listen, I don’t think I truly understood it as a piece until I experienced it while walking through the lower east side of Manhattan. It just so happened to be the most perfect, sunshiny day of the year, and since I was accompanied by a slight breeze, I was thankfully able to stroll along the streets for hours on end without so much as a direction in mind.

While I often feel cities aren’t the best places to listen to music — with their disruptive subway systems and endless array of honking motor vehicles — with Loud City Song I seemed to be transported to a more ancient decade of Manhattan, and my mind soon became focused on the more transparent beauty of the city (or at least what is seemingly transparent for those of us who live here…). from the bright green shrubbery hanging from windowpanes, to the inviting cobblestone walkways, to the variety of tiny boutiques and coffee shops; even the people — who I am often too buried in my own thoughts to notice — seemed to stand out with their unique fashions and accessories.

As it happens, Loud City Song is somewhat based off of the 1950’s MGM musical Gigi — the most apparent allusion(s) being “Maxim’s I” and “Maxim’s II” which reference the main character’s often used cafe — but the story arch and lyricism of the album are so vivid and even surreal, that you really don’t have to know a thing about musicals to understand its meaning. Similarly, despite many themes being rooted in the past, Loud City Song has a message that feels very relevant in modern day society; one being our culture’s fascination with celebrities. Although Julia Holter’s previous two LP’s, Tragedy and Ekstasis, were somewhat based off of ancient Greek texts, Loud City Song ends up being an even more ambitious accomplishment.

So now Julia Holter is working in a full studio setting, and the first thing you’ll notice about Loud City Song is how gorgeous the instrumentation is; from the strings, to the horns, to Julia’s majestic voice itself, everything glows with a pristine quality. The pieces often radiate a bright yellowish hue; especially album centerpiece “Hello Stranger”, which may or may not be a projection of heaven itself. While her previous work was excellently composed as well, the instruments themselves sounded far below studio quality, and I occasionally felt like I was listening to a recording of a high school band. That production fault managed to pull me out of her otherworldly and dreamlike compositions from time to time, and kept her music from being truly perfect. However, now Julia Holter is in the place she was meant to be all along, and there is nothing preventing her from being seen as the superb composer/multi instrumentalist that she is.

As far as the music goes, these pieces act as a combination of the more abstract, avant-garde compositions of Tragedy, with the more direct, song oriented compositions of Ekstasis. Some people felt that the more traditional songwriting on Ekstasis was a step backward for Holter, but no one is going to be saying that here; everything sounds like a clear progression from her previous material. For instance, “In The Green World” happens to be one of the more song-oriented pieces on Loud City Song, but even when she works with standard chord progressions, the album’s otherworldly presence remains in full view. While, “Maxim’s II” ends with a riotous dueling horn passage, the noise feels necessary within the context of the song; nothing about this music sounds random or meaningless, as each note is playing its part towards a grander picture. She has also added a more prominent use of field recordings — such as those from city streets — on “Horn’s Surrounding Me” as well as some double bass on “In the Green Wild”.

Holter ends up sounding experimental and eye-opening without being loud or obnoxious; quite like Kate Bush, another artist who is able to take her music in exploratory directions while maintaining rapt accessibility. While beautiful is a word that is used far too frequently in music, in the case of Julia Holter it is truly fitting; the finest bits of Loud City Song are even overwhelming in their gorgeousness. This feeling of a bustling, happy-go-lucky downtown city environment doesn’t dissipate through multiple listens either. I’m in love with this album, and it might just be opening my eyes to the beautiful world around me.

 

Track Listing:

1.) World

2.) Maxim’s I*

3.) Horns Surrounding Me*

4.) In the Green Wild*

5.) Hello Stranger*

6.) Maxim’s II*

7.) He’s Running Through My Eyes

8.) This Is A True Heart

9.) City Appearing*

 

Album Highlight – *

Filed Under: ARTS, BREAKING NEWS, ENTERTAINMENT, MUSIC, OPINION, REVIEWS Tagged With: Album Review, ambient, domino, julia holter, loud city song, orchestral pop

New York Street Photography- The People of New York

by Mark Giarrusso

The Pose

The people of New York City are what make it what it is. They are unique, strange, fun, powerful, humble, and hard working. All of which New York as a city most certainly is.

Through the Tunnel
Street Photography, NYC, 2013, Photo by Mark Giarrusso
The Pose
Street Photography, NYC, 2013, Photo by Mark Giarrusso
Eternal Hearts
Street Photography, NYC, 2013, Photo by Mark Giarrusso
Crossing the Road
Street Photography, NYC, 2013, Photo by Mark Giarrusso
Waiting to Cross
Street Photography, NYC, 2013, Photo by Mark Giarrusso
Taxi!
Street Photography, NYC, 2013, Photo by Mark Giarrusso
Reflections
Street Photography, NYC, 2013, Photo by Mark Giarrusso
Avenue of the Americas
Street Photography, NYC, 2013, Photo by Mark Giarrusso

Filed Under: ARTS, BREAKING NEWS, ENTERTAINMENT, NEW YORK, U.S. Tagged With: 5th Ave, BlackandWhitePhotography, Candids, CityPhotography, Metro, NewYork, NewYorkCity, NewYorkCityPhotography, NYC, People, Photography, StreetPhotography, Urban, UrbanPhotography

Album Review: William Basinski – Nocturnes

by Rio Toro

basinski_nocturnes_sleeve_type3

 

William Basinski: Nocturnes

Similar Artists: William Fowler Collins, Leyland Kirby

Genre: ambient, tape-loop, minimalist

Label: 2062

 

The average William Basinski track runs for about 30 minutes or so, but in actuality, his pieces are ones that are meant to be played on a constant loop, even for days or weeks at a time for the most meditative of listeners. It is through these huge lapses of time that we are able to study the art of immersion, and even explore new meaning to the word “music”. Like a good wine, the tracks of William Basinski seem to only get better with age, and seeing how Basinski has (curiously) let many of his pieces lay dormant for 30+ years — perhaps to give him the necessary time to realize their full potential — this stuff sounds pretty good in 2013. The word “timeless” isn’t thrown out too frequently in music, because as time has shown, most music doesn’t age quite as well as wine, but still, with a few decades under his belt, I think it’s safe to say that William Basinski’s music will not be dying anytime soon.

Often, it is not until the final minutes of one of his tracks where the listener comes upon the realization of complete harmonious content; it is at this moment when we realize how unknowingly immersive the experience had been, and how pleasing it would be if the track was even longer, stretching the boundaries of time itself. It’s even hard to say why, or how this magic happens, because while the pieces themselves are quite intrinsically beautiful and layered, they aren’t overly so, and there have certainly been artists who have traveled similar terrain thematically both before and after Basinski. What I believe gives this music such audacity is how the sounds are ever so slightly familiar, yet as a whole, the piece represents something that is entirely unknowable and distant. It gives off the feeling that we can learn something valuable from the sounds — like they are saying something regarding our existence or subconscious mind. The subtlety of the pieces, and how slowly they resolve gives the experience a natural kind of beauty that feels necessary to the human experience.

Nocturnes is the artists’ first release in several years, and it arrives to complement the reissue of his mega opus The Disintegration Loops, released earlier this year. For this reason, it seems the two are destined to be compared and pitted against one another as rivals — even when The Disintegration Loops really is only representative of a singular period within the artists’ discography. Nevertheless, here we find Basinski mining noticeably darker territory with slanted piano chords, ambient pitfalls, tape loop decay, and a slew of other untraceable artifacts hidden in the mix. It’s certainly not without it’s warmth though — the 40 minute long “Nocturnes” opens with a wavering analogue hum that proves to be consistently affecting throughout the track. In fact, all the sounds — even the ones which remain relatively unchanged throughout the song’s duration — have an alluring presence that fade in and out of our conscious mind as time progresses.

Compared to the first track, “Trail of Tears” has much more noticeable change, and although it is still ominous and haunting, it comes off being (slightly) more accessible. While “Nocturnes” does have different sections, is is certainly hard to tell when an element is added or taken away. With the second track, instead of sections ending or fading away, they get enveloped in dust, and within that dust a new loop emerges and grows to immense proportions. During the final 8 minutes everything drops out and a loop that is seemingly unrelated to the previous ones emerges, closing the album on an ambiguous note. It’s the shorter of the two tracks, and since it was recorded in 2011 instead of the 80’s, there are noticeable differences in sound design, but despite the updated aesthetics it’s quite amazing how well the two pieces work together.

There’s no denying that this music isn’t very accessible, and although it might not be for everyone, it’s really amazing to see just how far his music has reached into wider settings. Sigur Ros used “dlp 1.1” to open their concert at Madison Square Garden a few months back, full orchestras have performed select pieces of his, and we are beginning to hear his music in films, such as last year’s “The Comedy”. His music has even become something that people can bond over. All music is essentially art, but with these pieces we are treated to giant canvases with new realizations hidden in the corners, just waiting to be found with every subsequent play through. Although many will try, this album cannot be given a score — not because it is unique, or haunting, or beautiful — but because we don’t really know what it is.

 

Track Listing:

1.) Nocturnes*

2.) Trail of Tears

 

Album Highlight – *

 

Filed Under: ARTS, ENTERTAINMENT, MOVIES, OPINION, REVIEWS Tagged With: 2062, Album Review, nocturnes, william basinski

New York Photography: The East River

by Mark Giarrusso

East River South

The East River runs through New York City separating Brooklyn and Queens from Manhattan. It’s dirty and gritty and iconic; just like New York in every way.

Williamsburg Bridge
Williamsburg Bridge, NYC, Photo by Mark Giarrusso, 2013
Manhattan Bridge
Manhattan Bridge, NYC, Photo by Mark Giarrusso, 2013
East River North
East River Facing North, NYC, Photo by Mark Giarrusso, 2013
East River South
East River Facing South, NYC, Photo by Mark Giarrusso, 2013
Barge on East River
Barge on East River, East River, NYC, Photo by Mark Giarrusso, 2013
Sugar Factory
Domino Sugar Factory, NYC, Photo by Mark Giarrusso, 2013
Roosevelt Island Cable Car
Roosevelt Island Cable Car, NYC, Photo by Mark Giarrusso, 2013

Filed Under: ARTS, BREAKING NEWS, NEW YORK Tagged With: BlackandWhitePhotography, Bridges, Cable Car, CityPhotography, Manhattan Bridge, Metro, NewYork, NewYorkCity, NewYorkCityPhotography, NYC, Photography, Queensboro Bridge, River, Roosevelt Island, StreetPhotography, Urban, UrbanPhotography, water, Williamsburg Bridge

New York City Photography- Hudson River

by Mark Giarrusso

Sailing the Hudson

The Hudson River runs up the west side of the island of Manhattan. By walking up the river or taking a cruise down into the harbor, you can see great memories of a New York past in the old piers, the rising spirit of the Freedom Tower, or the natural beauty of the bluffs on the shore of New Jersey beyond. It’s a must do in New York City.

Hudson River Walk
Walk Way, Hudson River, NYC, Photo by Mark Giarrusso, 2013
Hudson River
Hudson River, NYC, Photo by Mark Giarrusso, 2013
Financial District
Hudson River, NYC, Photo by Mark Giarrusso, 2013
Finacial District View Finder
Hudson River, NYC, Photo by Mark Giarrusso, 2013
Holland Tunnel
Holland Tunnel, Hudson River, NYC, Photo by Mark Giarrusso, 2013
Holland Tunnel, Hudson River, NYC, Photo by Mark Giarrusso, 2013
Hudson River, NYC, Photo by Mark Giarrusso, 2013
Pier 76
Pier 76, Hudson River, NYC, Photo by Mark Giarrusso, 2013
Sailing the Hudson
Hudson River, NYC, Photo by Mark Giarrusso, 2013

Filed Under: ARTS, BREAKING NEWS, ENTERTAINMENT, NEW YORK Tagged With: Architecture, BlackandWhitePhotography, Boats, CityPhotography, Freedom Tower, Hudson River, Metro, new jersey, NewYork, NewYorkCity, NewYorkCityPhotography, NYC, Photography, Skyline, Urban, UrbanPhotography

New York City Photography- Central Park

by Mark Giarrusso

Couple Noir

At the very heart of the vast urban sprawl of New York City lies Central Park. Call it what you will. An island. An oasis. From The Plaza to the old Band Shell. The park itself and the buildings which surround it are as quintessential New York as you can get.

Couple Noir
Central Park, NYC, Photo by Mark Giarrusso, 2013

 

Plaza Entrance
Plaza, NYC, Photo by Mark Giarrusso, 2013
Buildings Noir
Central Park, NYC, Photo by Mark Giarrusso, 2013
Stone Bridge
Central Park, NYC, Photo by Mark Giarrusso, 2013
Central Park Tree
Central Park, NYC, Photo by Mark Giarrusso, 2013
Band Shell
Central Park, NYC, Photo by Mark Giarrusso, 2013
Essex House
Central Park, NYC, Photo by Mark Giarrusso, 2013
Central Park in Black and White
Stone Bridge, Central Park, NYC, Photo by Mark Giarrusso, 2013
Central Park Overview
Central Park, NYC, Photo by Mark Giarrusso, 2013

Filed Under: ARTS, BREAKING NEWS, ENTERTAINMENT, NEW YORK, U.S. Tagged With: Architecture, art, BlackandWhitePhotography, Bridge, Buildings, Candid, Central Park, city, couples, fine art, man, Metro, NEW YORK, New York City, noir, NY, NYC, Park, Photography, red, Street Photography, tree, Urban, woman

My interview with Modern Bear’s Travis & Chris- WOOF!

by Ryan Shea

Credit to: Modernbear.net
Credit to: Modernbear.net

 

I have been a fan of the Modern Bear guys for quite sometime, when I stumbled upon their website through a photo my friend shared not of a hot bear, but of a particular “modern” design photo that I had a similar interest to.  My thought process here was, “Finally! A bear page not 100 percent devoted to shirtless men.  There is thought behind this!” And that is what the Modern Bear message is truly about. They equate it to the following- Modern Design + Bears + Retro + Beefcake= THE MODERN BEAR!  Travis Smith and Chris Bale, who are based out of Palm Springs, California, visited the Urban Bear festival a couple of weeks back and I got the opportunity to talk with them about a variety of things they have going on currently.  Something I definitely wanted to mention was their fantastic new book called “Guide For The Modern Bear”, where they visited a variety of cities and found where is the best places to eat, shop and bar hop for the everyday MB (Modern Bear).  Take a look.

Credit to: Modernbear.net
Credit to: Modernbear.net

 

So Travis, how did this whole “Modern Bear” thing start for you guys?

It’s a combination of starting it three years ago, so that was a really good time to be starting a good commercial Facebook page anyway.  It was an experiment for us, a petri dish if you will, to see if anybody was interested in a “Modern Bear” concept and our formula of modern design plus bears plus retro plus beefcake.  Those are the things we like.  It was a free way to put it out there, and see if there was any interest in that concept and then determine if we should go further with it and produce a book and all the other things we ended up producing.  There wasn’t an immediate response to it, but I would say in the last six months we added 5,000 people. It took us the past three years to get to 25,000 fans overall.

What is that increase in fans attributed to?

I think the bear thing is going mainstream, we are kind of last to become part of this trend thing.  I think you will be seeing a lot more bears popping up in movies and television.  Like Anne Hathaway’s best friend role in her next movie will go to a bear.  It’s starting to happen.  That’s one of our goals is to get a TV deal, but doing the book first is the perfect baby step for us because by processing and writing the book it also helped formulate what Modern Bear was going to be as a commercial entity.

Tell me about the book you just released.

What we love about the book and how it turned out is how accessible it is.  A lot of straight people buy our book.  Wives and girlfriends approach us and say “What is my boyfriend? Is he an otter? A wolf? WHAT IS HE!” It’s hysterical.  It’s really funny when the book is at shelves, children gravitate toward it because it’s really cute looking of course.  The shop owner usually has to explain to parents what it really is about, and sometimes they even buy it.

Chris, tell me more.

Well, the book is a hybrid.  It’s a guide to all the different characters in the bear world.  You got your straight up bears, you got your muscle bears, cubs, wolf like me.  We are going to do this book every year and update it like so.  Each of these characters right now lives in a different city and talk about the bear bars, a few places to eat both fancy and low brow, you know for the bears who want their diner food.  The Modern part is mid-century modern furnishing and the stores in each place.  So you got Miami, Los Angeles, New York and Barcelona and London to name a few.  In the future we are going to have Vancouver and Phoenix which is actually where this whole thing started.


As an avid New Yorker would you say it is the best place to eat from your research?

Well, we did ELMO which is the best Mac N Cheese in town.  Let me refer to the book actually! The Breslin is really good.  That is this amazing restaurant in the ACE hotel.  The Shake Shack is amazing, and Westville is my favorite place for Breakfast.  We had a super cute experience at Kitchen last night. We had comfort food like Fondue which was yummy.

What are you ultimately hopeful for?

Well, we’ve always joked about being Beartha Stewart.  We are two bears, a bear and a wolf, that are into design and into hot men and bringing those two worlds together in any which way we can.

Credit to: Modernbear.net
Credit to: Modernbear.net

On top of being incredibly friendly and sexy guys, they are also very down to earth and have a great message to share not only to the bear community but straight women and beyond.  For more information on The Modern Bear guys and their story, check out their Facebook, Twitter and to shop for the book and anything else log on to their main site here.

 

Filed Under: ARTS, BREAKING NEWS, ENTERTAINMENT, FASHION, LIFESTYLE, STYLE, TRAVEL Tagged With: anne, anne hathaway, bear, california, cub, elmo, los angeles, miami, modern bear, muscle bear, NEW YORK, otter, palm springs, Phoenix, the shake shack, vancouver, wolf

New York City Photography- A Rhapsody in Blue

by Mark Giarrusso

Rhapsody in Blue

New York City is a place of incredible color. The one color in particular I always associate with the city more than any other is blue.  I look up and see a glorious reflection of the sky off of the glass of the buildings or off of a simple rain puddle on 8th Avenue. The city is wrapped up in blue, just take a look around.

Rhapsody in Blue
42nd St. in Blue, NYC, Photograph by Mark Giarrusso, 2013
Rhapsody in Blue
5th Ave. in Blue, NYC, Photograph by Mark Giarrusso, 2013
Rhapsody in Blue
8th Ave Puddle Reflection, NYC, Photography by Mark Giarrusso, 2013
Rhapsody in Blue
Citi Building in Blue, NYC, Photograph by Mark Giarrusso, 2013
Rhapsody in Blue
Skating Rink, Central Park, NYC, Photograph by Mark Giarrusso, 2013
Rhapsody in Blue
Park Ave in Blue, NYC Photograph by Mark Giarrusso, 2013
Rhapsody in Blue
Madison Ave in Blue, NYC, Photograph by Mark Giarrusso, 2013
Rhapsody in Blue
ESB in Blue, NYC, Photograph by Mark Giarrusso, 2013.

 

Filed Under: ARTS, BREAKING NEWS, NEW YORK Tagged With: 5th Ave, Architecture, Blue, Buildings, Central Park, CityPhotography, Cityscape, Metro, NewYork, NewYorkCity, NewYorkCityPhotography, NYC, Park, Photography, Reflections, Sky, StreetPhotography, Urban, UrbanPhotography

New York City Photography- The High Line

by Mark Giarrusso

W 14th Street

The High Line Park is like New York City in many ways. It has a strong, blue collar past. It has fallen on hard times but also has had a glorious resurrection.  It blends breathtaking views with a trendy, artistic atmosphere.
The area around the park is still being developed and when combined with the eclectic energy of the people in the neighborhood it makes for classic New York scenes.

W 23rd Street
W. 23rd St., High Line Park, NYC, Photograph by Mark Giarrusso, 2013
Crosswalk
High Line Park, NYC, Photograph by Mark Giarrusso, 2013
Decay/Progress
High Line Park, NYC, Photograph by Mark Giarrusso, 2013
The Cellist
High Line Park, NYC, Photograph by Mark Giarrusso, 2013
The Artist
High Line Park, NYC, Photograph by Mark Giarrusso, 2013
Man on a Ledge
High Line Park, NYC, Photograph by Mark Giarrusso, 2013
Chelsea Rooftops
High Line Park, NYC, Photograph by Mark Giarrusso, 2013
W 14th Street
High Line Park, NYC, Photograph by Mark Giarrusso, 2013

Filed Under: ARTS, BREAKING NEWS, ENTERTAINMENT, NEW YORK

Public art and good eats in Madison Square Park

by Ryan Shea

Spring has (finally) arrived in New York, and one of the best ways to enjoy the newfound sunshine is to surround yourself with some of the free, outdoor art that’s popping up in many of the public parks and spaces around the city. Madison Square Park is now home to Red, Yellow and Blue, a massive installation by New York-based artist Orly Genger. By knotting over one million feet of nautical rope, covering it in primary colored-paint, and weaving it around the trees and lawn spaces of the park, Genger has transformed the landscape into a visual playground that brings the spirit of costal waves and sand dunes to the middle of Manhattan. Commissioned by Mad. Sq. Art, a program that brings free contemporary art to Madison Square Park, Red, Yellow and Blue will be on display through September 8, 2013.

When you’re done soaking up all that nature and free art, be sure to head across the street to Mad. Sq. Eats, an tiny outdoor market located in Worth Square, which is the name for that trapezoid of concrete directly north of the Flatiron Building. You’ll find your typical food truck fare – everything from lobster rolls, pulled pork sandwiches and mini meatballs to ice cream, macaroons, and a solid variety of local wine and craft beers. Best bets include truffle salami from Charlito’s Cocina, tamarind pineapple glazed chicken satay from Graffiti | Metaphor, and a tiramisu cannoli from Stuffed Artisan Cannoli. Mad. Sq. Eats is open daily from 11am-9pm and runs now through Friday, May 31.

Madison Square Park is located on 23rd Street between 5th and Madison Avenues; take the F/M, N/R, or 6 train to 23rd Street. Check out madisonsquarepark for more information.

image credit: Mary Spadoni
image credit: Mary Spadoni
image credit: Mary Spadoni
image credit: Mary Spadoni

Filed Under: ARTS, ENTERTAINMENT, FOODIE, LIFESTYLE

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