America, despite its violent early emancipation from its colonial overlords, has always harboured a deep-seated, almost shameful Anglophilia. This is perhaps most evident in the cultural sphere, where only the audacity of the American would allow him to appropriate that most revered of all English literary titans, William Shakespeare. West[Read More…]
Author: Chris Liu
Apparat Organ Quartet: Pólýfónía
There must be something in the water in Iceland. The nation has given birth to many popular acts, such as Björk and Sigur Rós, known for treading into strange, experimental realms with their music. Apparat Organ Quartet certainly fits this mould, with their inventive electro-rock and their particular style, which[Read More…]
Petra Haden: Petra Goes to the Movies
You might have heard of the American singer and musician Petra Haden, in connection with her collaborations with internationally acclaimed artists, such as The Foo Fighters and Bill Frisell. Or, if a cappella is your thing, you may be familiar with the solo album she released in 2005, containing a[Read More…]
Naked Days: Sleeping in Herndon
Naked Days, an eclectic band hailing from Leesburg, Virginia, brings us a unique arrangement of acoustic alternative sound. Reminiscent of the likes of The Silversun Pickups, Edward Sharpe and The Magnetic Zeroes, and Montreal’s own Thus:Owls, this indie foursome fuses a muffled, low-definition sound with sweet lyrical supplement in their[Read More…]
Jesus Christ, superstars
Beautiful City Theatre’s production of Godspell, the hit broadway musical, promises to be a unique experience. It presents the life of Jesus through a series of parables from the Gospel of Matthew. However, this shouldn’t discourage the non-believers—the company holds humanistic values and asserts that many different themes can be[Read More…]
The Glass Menagerie: Great Depression, great escapism
The extent to which Tennessee Williams’ The Glass Menagerie is autobiographical will always remain ambiguous. The play, however, looks undeniably inward, casting its spotlight on tensions that emerge within the four walls of a house. This memory play, told from the perspective of Tom Wingfield (nicknamed “Shakespeare”), who reminisces over[Read More…]
Short in length, but with long-lasting delight
Every year, popular media whips up a great hullabaloo over the Oscars. However, it’s important to keep in mind exactly which aspects of the awards generate buzz: Who is leading in the Best Picture race? When will the next Harvey Weinstein temper-tantrum be? Is Bjork wearing a swan around her[Read More…]
The Joy Formidable: Wolf’s Law
The century-old Wolf’s Law says that our bones can adapt themselves to carry increasingly heavier loads over time; the more stress we place on our bones, the more resistant they become to these external pressures. There seems to be no better testament to this theory than Welsh band The Joy[Read More…]
FEATURE: Bringing art to the streets
Louis-Philippe and I agreed to meet at a café on Masson Street to talk about art. As he reached over the table to take a sip from his cup of hot chocolate, I couldn’t help but notice his hands; they had traces of paint all over them. Louis-Philippe is a[Read More…]
Around the Water Cooler
In case you were too busy a) being a victim of a helmet-to-helmet hit from Bernard Pollard; b) doing carnival; or c) Lennay Kekua, here’s what you missed this past week in the world of sports … COLLEGE FOOTBALL — Last week, we told you about how the world became[Read More…]
