If pop music is all about timing, then Christopher Duncan appears, at least at first, to be in trouble. A July heatwave seems a spectacularly ill-suited release date for songs such as Say or Silence and Air, which boast choral passages so wintery you can practically hear Britain’s transport infrastructure collapsing. Then again, Duncan doesn’t appear to be interested in typical working methods. The 25-year-old Glaswegian is a classical composer who studied at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, and in this debut he incorporates complex choral work into more pop settings. He seamlessly merges interweaving vocals with the sounds of pastoral English folk and lush, 4ADesque dreampop. On He Believes in Miracles and the title track, both of which have a psychedelic shimmer, you realise that Duncan is just as comfortable when creating music to suit sunnier climes, making this a magical record for all seasons:
All posts by TrendEngel
Three Days in The Country – National Theater Rocks
This is the Theater event of the summer. Make sure you see this masterpiece and the performances of Amanda Drew and John Simm. The National Theater at its best. Book your flight to London.
Russia. A beautiful country estate.
The mid-nineteenth century.
A handsome new tutor brings reckless, romantic desire to an eccentric household. Over three days one summer the young and the old will learn lessons in love: first love and forbidden love, maternal love and platonic love, ridiculous love and last love. The love left unsaid and the love which must out.
Ivan Turgenev’s passionate, moving comedy, A Month in the Country, has been a source of inspiration for films, a ballet and the plays of Chekhov. It’s presented here in a new version by Patrick Marber whose work includes Closer and The Red Lion
Humans – SciFi Done Right
In a parallel present where the latest must-have gadget for any busy family is a ‘Synth’ – a highly-developed robotic servant that’s so similar to a real human it’s transforming the way we live. The Series is Humans and is co produced by Channel 4 and AMC. Gemma Chan and Colin Morgan are leading a great cast. Watch the trailer
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VjJnXihoSlY
Elephant – Post Internet Art
Elephant is a quarterly magazine on contemporary art and visual culture. Featuring up-to-the-minute visual material, fresh faces and original voices, the magazine covers and uncovers new trends and talent in contemporary visual culture. The latest issue is dedicated to Post Internet Art.
Seriously, what is Post-Internet Art? Elephant’s summer issue canvasses opinions from Cory Arcangel, Camille Henrot, Mishka Henner and, of course, Bruce Lee, to form 60 pages of glitches, pixels, memes, Google Maps and celebrities on screens. In the issue, we encounter Elmgreen & Dragset in the toilets of London’s Hayward Gallery on the tenth anniversary ofPrada Marfa and much more…
Graffiti of the Week – Street Art Nr. 172
Mississippi Grind – A Real American Movie
This is good. Mississippi Grind. Not since Sideways we have seen a buddy movie like this. Down on his luck and facing financial hardship, Gerry teams up with younger charismatic poker player, Curtis, in an attempt to change his luck. The two set off on a road trip through the South with visions of winning back what’s been lost.
Get Rid of the Asphalt – Plastic Roads are the Future
Asphalt covers more than 94 percent of the paved streets, but have we gone down the wrong road with our choice of building material? Dutch firm VolkerWessels thinks so and has unveiled plans for roads crafted from recycled plastic, claiming the approach would significantly cut construction and maintenance time, as well as extend their expected lifespan. And the best thing about it: They are made of recycled plastic bottles.
VolkerWessels’ PlasticRoad is only a concept at this stage, but the company is looking for partners to help develop a prototype to test things like how it performs in the wet. The Guardian reports that the Dutch city of Rotterdam is already entertaining the idea of carrying out a trial. Pretty interesting stuff.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eXGhkWwkoTY
Slow Learners – A Real Comedy
The plot is simple:Jeff and Anne, two close friends and co-workers, are embarrassingly unlucky at love. They hatch a plan to transform themselves over the course of a sex-and-alcohol-fueled summer. Adam Pally and Sarah Burns make this little gem something really special. Watch the trailer:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CMC_Asnb8qQ
Graffiti of the Week – Street Art Nr. 171
Andy Shauf – One for the Soul
Known for honest, self-reflective songs as well as captivating lyrical works of fiction and an intimate live show, Andy Shauf is quickly becoming one of the most intriguing emerging songwriters.
His latest release, The Bearer of Bad News, explores themes of uncertainty, curiosity and spirituality. The unsettling stories told on The Bearer of Bad News came as Shauf wrote both at home and on the road. Musically, the record took shape in his modest home studio in Regina, Canada, where Shauf spent 4 years recording each song himself.