talker – the indie rock project of Los Angeles musician Celeste Tauchar – has released a new song, ‘Drag Your Feet’. Co-written with Jordan Blackmon (Toro y Moi), Jon Graber (The All American Rejects), and Reade Wolcott (We Are the Union), the track arrives with a self-directed video, which you can check out below.
Last year, talker released her latest EP, In Awe of Insignificance. Her debut full-length is set to arrive next year.
Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit stopped by The Late Show With Stephen Colbert last night (December 12) to perform ‘Cover Me Up’, a track from Isbell’s 2013 album Southeastern. Watch a replay of the performance below.
Isbell recently released a 10th anniversary edition of Southeastern. His latest album with the 400 Unit, Weathervanes, came out in June.
PACKS have released ‘Paige Machine’, the latest single from their forthcoming third LP Melt the Honey. It follows previous offerings ‘Honey’ and ‘HFCS’. Listen below.
“Twain invested in a printing device called the Paige Compositor, spent his life’s savings on it, and it worked almost perfectly,” the band’s Madeline Link said in a statement. “It would have been revolutionary, but then the inventor, Paige, took it apart to tweak something, make the machine work even better, and it never worked again. They say that this failure led to Mark Twain’s decline.”
Melt the Honey arrives January 19 via Fire Talk. Revisit our Artist Spotlight interview with PACKS.
In the era of digital transformation, the PDF Drive downloader emerges as a catalyst for change, revolutionizing the way we access, collect, and consume literature, research, and educational materials. This essential tool, aptly named “PDF Drive downloader,” is the key to unlocking a world of knowledge and empowerment. Let’s delve into the remarkable ways in which the PDF Drive downloader which is powered by C# PDF library reshapes your digital reading experience, its standout features, and its profound impact on readers and scholars alike.
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Hauser & Wirth’s co-presidents, Iwan Wirth, Manuela Wirth and Marc Payot, have announced the gallery’s representation of Nova Scotia-born, New York-based artist Ambera Wellmann.
International critics have praised Wellmann’s paintings depicting worlds within worlds, with human and animal forms appearing from and dissolving into one another. Her oil paintings are filled with unanchored figures and disembodied faces, shimmering swaths of light and darkness, anachronistic details, and indeterminate spaces, evocative of Renaissance and Baroque masters. They defy hierarchy as they circle and move in defiance of hierarchy, highlighting metamorphosis, vulnerability, and collectiveness.
In January 2024, Hauser & Wirth will present new work by Wellmann as a highlight of its stand at the tenth annual edition of FOG Design + Art in San Francisco (18 – 21 January).
The work of Wellmann has been exhibited at numerous museums and foundations internationally, including Fondazione Sandretto Re Rebaudengo, Turin (2023); Stavanger Art Museum, Norway (2023); ICA Boston (2022); Palazzo Bollani, Venice (2022); the New Museum, New York (2021); Staatsgalerie Stuttgart, Germany (2021); MAC Belfast, UK (2021); Pond Society, Shanghai (2021); The Columbus Museum of Art, Columbus OH (2021); MoCO, Montpellier (2019); MoMA Warsaw, Poland (2019); Australian Center for Contemporary Art, Melbourne (2019); and Palais de Tokyo, Paris (2019).
Reading is a fantastic hobby that can easily become a lovely habit (or even an obsession!), and over time, that could mean that you collect a multitude of books that are all going to need to find space in your home. On top of that, reading requires a comfortable, quiet space, so you’ll want to add that to your home as well. In other words, what you really need is for your home to fit your reading habit, not the other way around.
The good news is there are plenty of ways to ensure your reading habit gets priority in your home and fits just right. The bad news… well, it’s not bad news exactly; it’s just that some of those ideas will cost you money and potentially be a little disruptive. However, many more won’t cost you anything (or very little), and even the ones that do will be worth it if they turn your home into a reading paradise. With all of that in mind, here are some of the best ways to make your home fit your reading habit.
You’ve probably heard of a reading nook or perhaps a book nook. These are great, and they could be precisely what you need and what you want in your home. A reading nook is exactly what it sounds like; it’s a space – separate from other areas of the house – where you can curl up with a book and have everything you need around you. That could include a reading light, a comfy chair, bookcases, a small table, a footstool, plenty of cushions, and so on; what you include is up to you, and as long as you make it comfortable, you can include anything you want.
As we said, a reading nook in your home is a wonderful thing, and if you’ve got space for one, you definitely need to add it as you’ll use it all the time (and it keeps your reading in a nice, quiet space where you won’t get disturbed, all being well). But what if you went further? If one reading nook is great, what about two? Or three? What about one in every room and on every landing? Every home is different, so there’s no set answer for this, but in general, if you want to have more than one reading nook, there’s nothing stopping you. Take a walk around your home and pick out spots that you could, perhaps with a few well-placed bookcases or partitions, turn into reading nooks. How many can you fit in? If you like to read more than one book at a time or you always have a book with you, and you want a space to enjoy reading it in whenever the mood (or need) strikes, having reading spaces throughout your home is a great idea. And it means that if there are other readers in the household, they’ll be able to enjoy a reading nook as well.
Where are your books right now? Some might be on display, but it’s likely that the majority of them (because we’re sure you’ll have a lot of them, seeing as reading is a big hobby of yours) are probably going to be hidden away in boxes or bags or under the bed or anywhere else they’ll fit.
That might be practical, but it’s also a shame because books are beautiful things, and they can actually make great home decor if they’re allowed to be seen. If your home is much more about reading than about screens (or anything else), it makes sense to have your books out where everyone (and you) can enjoy them as much as possible. In other words, show off your books!
This will generally mean finding a lot more shelving, and you might be worried that it will be too much, but if books are your thing, it’s not going to be too much; it’s going to be just right. The key is to find shelving that looks the part, so take your time exploring different wooden shelves so you can be sure you’re opting for the look and design that’s going to work best in your home. You don’t want to find shelves that don’t match your aesthetic, otherwise you’re never really going to like them or how your books look on them.
Just as when you were deciding where your reading spaces should be, walk around your home and spot any spaces where you could put some more shelves up. The great thing about this idea is that you can have shelves of any size, so if there are some small or awkward areas that you’re not using for anything right now, adding a shelf could improve the look of your home and ensure you’re able to show off your books as much as you’d like. Of course, how you decide on the shelving order is up to you; you might want to do it alphabetically or perhaps have books with the same color spine all in one area. No matter what, it will be fun to make happen.
If you want to make your home fit your reading habit, you’ll probably think about your books first, and the ideas we’ve already discussed will definitely allow you to make the most of them. However, there’s a lot more you can do that ‘just’ focus on the books themselves, and that includes making the rest of your decor literature-inspired where possible.
Let’s start with the art on your walls. You might choose to have framed pictures of famous literary scenes or characters, or perhaps you’ll have quotes from your favorite stories lining the walls. Or how about some ornaments that are all links to books? Some people find it controversial because it involves damaging a book, but there are artists who specialize in creating sculptures out of pages or entire novels, cutting them into shape – that might be an option too.
You can also choose furniture that doubles as book storage, which is ideal if you don’t have the space you might like to install as many shelves as you need. You could have a coffee table with shelves underneath or one that opens up to reveal hidden storage compartments, for example.
When you have these nice touches all around your home, you’ll be able to enjoy your reading habit even when you’re not actually reading, meaning you can completely immerse yourself any time you want to. Plus, guests are never going to forget what your passion is, so when it comes to getting you a gift, they’ll know exactly what route to take!
We’ve mentioned furniture a few times already, so let’s give it its own section and talk about the fact that comfortable and ergonomic furniture is the way to go. The ergonomics are actually much more important than you might realize because that’s what’s going to give you support, and that’s what will mean you can read for longer. In a chair or on a sofa that’s not designed with ergonomics in mind (i.e., it’s not designed to support the human body), you’ll find that no matter how long you’d like to sit (or lie) and read, you just can’t do it; it’s too painful, and you can’t get comfortable.
However, taking the time to find furniture that’s good-looking enough to fit in your home, that matches the rest of your design ideas, and that has ergonomics as a priority is going to be well worth it. And this will probably take some time – you don’t want to make a mistake and choose furniture that isn’t supportive for the reasons we’ve already mentioned, and you don’t want to make a mistake and choose furniture that’s not something you like looking at or that doesn’t work with the things you already have in your home. Even if it takes a few months to find the ideal reading furniture, don’t rush or you’ll regret it and possibly get a bad back at the same time.
So… how about those digital books? The ones you can read on eReaders or your phone? What do you think about those? We know it’s a divisive subject, and there are many, many people who don’t want to know when it comes to the digital realm and would only ever read a physical book, and that’s fine. But equally, there are some people who are happy to embrace the digital world and will enjoy using an eReader because it means they have so much more access to so many more stories.
It’s always going to be a personal choice, but if you do like the idea of reading in a digital format (perhaps as well as the physical one), then you can also ensure your home is set up for that. Within your reading nooks, you could include charging stations for your devices, or you might include a tablet stand to make things more comfortable. Even using noise-canceling headphones while you’re reading is another form of technology that might be a good idea, and keeping some of those around your reading stations is ideal, just in case you need some extra quiet.
Cigarettes After Sex have shared a cover of Radiohead’s ‘Motion Picture Soundtrack’, the closing track on Kid A. Listen to it below.
“I first heard a version of this song that was just solo voice & guitar, recorded live at a show in 1997,” bandleader Greg Gonzalez said in a statement. “I love how they transformed it for the finished song they did years later, but there was something about the simplicity of that original stripped-down recording that always stuck with me.”
“I wanted our version to try to capture that feeling somehow & focus on the beautiful sadness & romance I heard in the lyrics,” he continued. “We actually recorded this in 2015 on the same day as ‘Affection’ and our covers of ‘Keep On Loving You’ and ‘Neon Moon,’ but it somehow didn’t feel completely right to release it until now. Luckily, the song has only become more personal to me over the years & I’m truly glad it’s finally coming out…”
Earlier this year, Cigarettes After Sex released a pair of singles, ‘Bubblegum’ and ‘Stop Waiting’. Their last album was 2019’s Cry.
Following recent appearances on Saturday Night Live and NPR’s Tiny Desk, Olivia Rodrigo stopped by The Late Show With Stephen Colbert for a performance of ‘Can’t Catch Me Now’, her contribution to The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. Watch it below.
In February, Rodrigo is set to embark on an extensive 2024 world tour supporting her sophomore album, GUTS, with openers including Chappell Roan, PinkPantheress, Remi Wolf, and the Breeders. Check out where GUTS landed on our 50 best albums of 2023 list.
Softcult have unveiled a new single called ‘Heaven’. It follows the Canadian twin duo’s recent single ‘Haunt You Still’. Check out its accompanying video below.
“We wrote this song about overcoming dysmorphia and beginning to feel more at home in your own skin,” Mercedes and Phoenix Arn-Horn said in a statement. “Often the way other people see us isn’t how we see ourselves, and it’s hard to live in a body that doesn’t feel like ‘you.’ But when you feel seen by the people in your circle, it makes all the difference.”
They added: “This song describes a world where everyone is accepted for who they are, where one’s background or identity does not dictate how they are perceived by society, where privilege and advantages are recognized and shared to build stronger communities, and a society that celebrates diversity, difference, and otherness as strengths.”
Earlier this year, Softcult released the See You in the Dark EP.
J Mascis has released a new song, ‘Set Me Down’, taken from his forthcoming album What Do We Do Now. Check it out via the accompanying visual below.
What Do We Do Now is set to arrive on February 2 through Sub Pop. It was led by the single ‘Can’t Believe We’re Here’.
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