Halloween is a ridiculous amount of time. That is pretty much incontestable, what with all the dressing up, the partying, the candy … and the candy … oh did I mention the candy? But it can be kind of tough to come up with a cool, original one-of-a-kind idea Continue Reading
Music
Now this is music: The exquisitely heartfelt harmonies of You+Me
In the grand scheme of musical things, the idea that P!nk (aka Alecia Moore) and Dallas Green (City and Colour, Alexisonfire) would ever come together and record an album was not the first thing that sprang to most peoples’ minds. After all, one is a bona fide rock god superstar, bestriding the Continue Reading
Now this is music #39: Kate Boy, Chela, Sui Zhen, BC Kingdom, Little May
All hail the music-listening Australian Kelpie! He has had the good sense to pick out, along with some help from my good self, four Aussie artists (plus one more than worthy American ring in) to populate this instalment of Now This is Music. All five of the artists are Continue Reading
Now this is music: The eye-poppingly fun visuals of 5 J-Pop and K-Pop music artists
Something altogether unexpected happened to Western music charts in 2012 when Korean singer PSY‘s song “Gangnam Style”, a viral phenomenon on social media (he became the first Korean artist to top the iTunes Music Video Charts), shot to #1 in countries around the world, including most importantly the world’s Continue Reading
Now this is music #38: The Knocks, Team Me, J Tropic, Fickle Friends, PROM
It doesn’t take much for life to get crazy busy does it? One extra project at work here, an unexpected errand there, and suddenly your calm and well-planned day goes spiralling out of control and with it your peace of mind and low blood pleasure. Which is why we’re lucky Continue Reading
Why LPs and books aren’t dead as a Dodo just yet
On April 19 this year, as on the third Saturday of every April since 2008, a strange thing happened outside record stores around the world. People lined up, often overnight and around the block, to buy vinyl records. Yes, vinyl records, which by the clearly incorrect reckoning of most of us had Continue Reading
Now this is music: What if Shakespeare wrote pop songs?
Think about this. What if Shakespeare had miraculously appeared smack bang in the middle of the modern day pop landscape and begun composing songs for the likes of Lorde, Carly Rae Jepsen, Beyonce Knowles, Icona Pop or even Idina Menzel? Or zipped back – or forward but not as far Continue Reading
Now this is music #37: Manfred Kidd, Lemonade, Nick Hakim, Fantastic Fantastic, Perfume Genius
More music to warm the heart, cheer the soul and keep summer alive and kicking no matter where you may be. With the artists hail from diverse parts of the globe – Australia, Sweden, UK and the USA – they all share one thing in common, which is an Continue Reading
Now this is music #36: Buchanan, Mansions on the Moon, Generationals, Salt Cathedral, Javelin
Whoosh! Was that another second, another hour, another frantically busy day of life screaming on by? Yes it was, and while it is energising and thrilling to a point, and gets the blood pumping and the juices flowing, there comes a time when you need to ramp things down, Continue Reading
Now this is music: 5 songs I discovered while travelling in USA in 1989
1989 was a big year in many ways. Emperor Hirohito died, the USSR left Afghanistan while the Polish Communist regime began talks with the dissident Solidarity organisation, Hungary dismantled 240km of barbed wire along its Iron Curtain border with Austria, President P. W. Both of South Africa met with Continue Reading