Olivia Loomis Merrion takes us on a heartfelt, community-driven documentary Quilt Fever. In this wonderful 15-minute short, we discover the brilliant world of quilting and the funny and charming characters it absorbs.
The documentary received quite the reception at SXSW 2020 as part of the official selection and DOC NYC in 2019. If you’re looking for something to cheer you up, this one will be for you.
Talk Show, an exciting band out of South London, joined us to talk about their new music, quarantine, and culture.
Isolated but we’re keeping well thanks, despite everything. Chloe’s knitting a scarf for Christmas, Tom’s learning to cook pasta, Harrison’s working on his abs, and I’m enjoying the sun.
We started a few years ago, all of us were studying at the time. Harrison and I met while at a mates house party, we got talking and bonded over a similar taste in music, as the music that was playing at the house party was crap, so we started chatting about old post-punk and that. Tom was living with me at the time, and Chloe appeared outside the local library, by chance she had overheard Harrison talking about needing a drummer! We had all moved to London to start some new projects so we got into a rehearsal space and it kinda all went from there.
Our influences are definitely rooted somewhere between that ’80s darkwave scene, and the more dance-oriented stuff from the ’90s. But we definitely bring a lot of our own inspirations into play.
Well, we’ve always seen ourselves as more of a live band, so for the EP we really wanted to try and capture that same energy we put into our shows. It was a lot of fun to make, and after doing the previous singles we kinda had an idea of what works for us. The tracks themselves are reflections on everyday life and frustrations that we encounter living in a buzzing city, and Harrison brings a very honest, and at times slightly morbid, perception of the world into his lyrics.
Being honest, the hardest thing was just finding the time and money to record it haha. We were well excited to be doing it, and the tracks on it we’d been playing for a little while so it all just kinda worked. We did half of it with the producer Space, who was amazing to work with, and the other half by ourselves. Having been in a few studios to record the previous two singles, as well as demos, we’re starting to learn and grasp how we work best in the studio, so bring on the next one!
Hmm.. Well this week we’ve been working on trying to create a live session while all in separate houses, it’s challenging but keep an eye out for that. We’ve been asking people to send us their self isolation videos to our tracks, which are hilarious, keep them coming people we love them.
We’re working on a few other ideas to help everyone through their lockdown, our April tour is rearranged for September, dates and details on our socials and can’t wait to get gigging already.
We have been working on new material for a while so once out of isolation and after Chloe has finished her scarf, Tom’s a pasta wizard and Harrsion has rock hard abs we’ll get it up and out.
Well, right now culture is staying at home, looking after yourselves, and supporting those who need help. Getting into home fitness, jigsaw puzzles and cooking.
Keep listening to good music, show support for artists / venues / indies wherever you can, make art, create and don’t let the bastards grind you down.
Talk Show’s debut EP These People is out on the 27th of March on Council Records
Hear recent single Banshee here.
Hear new single Stress here.
David Behar, a photographer and and art director out of Los Angeles, USA, released a superb eye-pleasing series in which he explores the stunning views of Pismo beach in California.
Find more work by David Behar here.
The violin and cello are both important members of the string family. However, they both serve different functions in an ensemble and are played with distinct methods. Though these two instruments are not exactly alike, a violinist can most definitely learn how to play the cello with ease! Moreover, violinists typically have the foundation needed to venture into learning how to play the cello.
It is notable that the biggest difference between violins and cellos are their sizes. As we go on with this article, you will learn not only their differences but also their similarities. Though it might look like learning cello is hard, being a violinist can easily help in learning to play a cello as they don’t have much difference with the way of playing both instruments. Needless to say, it does require much effort when mastering another string instrument.
Here are some similarities and differences of playing the violin and cello:
You may be surprised as to why it would be easy for a violinist to transition into cello! In spite of the differences in playing the two instruments and in lieu of the similarities between such, violinists may find that they will be comfortable with the cello as they do not really have to learn new arm movements considering their parts are more or less similar. You will have also had exposure to using bows, fingerboards, and working around chords. If you are knowledgeable in scales, you will just have to adapt to lower chords.
Lastly, experience with violins also conditions your ear to find the perfect pitch. Nonetheless, much work is required to adjust to the cello. You need to get used to balancing your left hand and arm especially in approaching the fingerboard. Furthermore, you will also learn to handle and tip your bow stick relative to the strings of the cello. Whatever work you may have to put in, you already have a head start! Use your experience with the violin to enhance your techniques in conquering the cello!
Sebastian Weiss, a photographer based out of Hamburg, Germany, released a brilliant series named The Red Wall in which Weiss explores Ricardo Bofill’s La Muralla Roja.
Find more work by Sebastian Weiss here.
Franck Bohbot, a photographer and artist out of Los Angeles, USA, released a splendid series named Roxburry Park in which he explores the colours, structure, and the vibe of the park through his lens. Bohbot’s utilisation of pastel colours is present and brings out the warmth colour of the season and the mood of the place.
Find more work by Bohbot here.
Entering first on our Sound Selection with a smooth wave of synths and a stunning melody is noxz with Euphony. In this ear-catching track, noxz delivers delightful dynamics with warm-like vocal samples that will have you listening for weeks to come. This one is for the playlists.
Coming in with a mysterious piece we have Sebastian Mullaert with Moonwaker. In this mood-shifting, filmic-like piece Mullaert delivers an impressive journey which evolves into a gloomy and intriguing mood, leaving a feeling of melancholy with you.
If you’re a fan of the startling Zak Abel, then you’ll love Don Diablo’s latest single Bad which features the star himself, Zak Abel. Diablo’s well known for club-ready energetic tracks and in this song Diablo does not disappoint with his new radio-ready single Bad featuring creamy synths and a delightful beat that elevates the majestic vocals of Abel.
Recent events have proven that the need for gaming and home entertainment are greater than ever, with people’s mental health negatively impacted if their brains aren’t enriched and challenged over long periods of time. While not too many people have a VR setup installed in their living room yet, that is no doubt set to change as the technology improves, reduces in price, and allows gamers everywhere to enter parallel universes they never previously thought could exist.
What follows below are the ways in which VR is poised to change online gaming forever.
As latency decreases and graphics improve, it will soon be possible for games developers to transport their players to scenes and venues that are so real you could get lost in them for hours.
Whether it’s a visit to the casino to play a few spins on the slots, to undertake a tour of a football stadium or to play paintball with your friends, VR can take you there. Furthermore, as more people join the VR revolution and AI additionally improves interactions you can have with fictional characters, VR worlds can become more populated, with people to converse and play with.
Imagine getting to the roulette table – dressed in a tux, freshly shaven and aftershave-ready – and sharing your casino bonus winnings with a stranger, watching their eyes light up as you make a friend for life, all while being sat in your underpants and vest on the sofa, sipping a beer can that was previously balanced on your vest-covered belly.
These are the possibilities VR can realize ,and which could lead to some people disappearing into VR rabbit holes for days at a time. After all, virtual reality may soon be more attractive than the real world. For those new to VR gambling, this Virtual Reality Casino guide is the perfect place to start!
It wouldn’t bode well for many relationships if people began donning VR headsets for hours on end while their partner twiddled his or her thumbs on the couch, wondering if their life would ever return to normal. With this in mind, companies like VOID are providing VR experiences that take place in the surrounds of real life building complexes. Think paintball or laser quest, but with your whole crew wearing VR headsets and teaming up to fight everything from storm troopers to ghosts.
This incredibly social experience shows just how fluid VR can be, providing for the needs of gamers no matter where they sit on the introvert/extrovert spectrum. However, do keep in mind that you will all look like total idiots as you tiptoe around an abandoned warehouse gawping at imaginary threats.
One of the main fallbacks of previous VR headsets were that they needed to be wired to a computer or some kind of pack which the user would carry on their person. Thanks to new developments, though, all that nuisance will be forgotten, with companies like Oculus and Vive already ahead of the curve in this regard.
Allied to this, there are also developments afoot to improve the hand controllers players must hold during games, allowing them to better track a player’s movements and hand gestures. Who knows what further features may be added to headsets in order to further enrich the VR experience? Some possibilities that have been muted include special smell effects and the further development of body sensors, so your every movement counts in-game.
One of the main complaints about VR experiences in general are that the headsets are uncomfortable (don’t worry, this is being worked on) and that sometimes the graphics can lag, meaning the player’s experience is ruined. New 5G networks are about to solve the latter issue, greatly increasing broadband data speeds, as well as virtually eradicating latency. With this in mind the message is clear: gamers everywhere need and want 5G rolled out as soon as possible, so let’s hope to see it happen without delay!
In this segment, we showcase the most notable albums out each week. Here are the albums out on March 20th, 2020:
The Weeknd is back with a new album titled After Hours, out now via XO and Republic Records. Following the success of his 2015 release LP, Starboy, as well as his 2018 EP My Dear Melancholy, the album features 14 tracks, including the singles ‘Heartless’ and ‘Blinding Lights’, and sees him working with producers Oscar Holter, Max Martin, Dre Moon, Illangelo, and Metro Boomin. Much of the promotion of the album shows him wearing a red velvet jacket, while the grimness of the cover calls back to the singer-songwriter’s appearance as himself in the Safdie brothers’ Uncut Gems. The album will also introduce a new character: “I feel confident with where I’m taking this [new] record,” he told CR Fashion Book. “There’s also a very committed vision and character being portrayed, and I get to explore different sides of me that fans have never seen.” The accompanying After Hours world tour has yet to be rescheduled.
Morissey has come out with his thirteenth studio album, I Am Not a Dog on a Chain, via BMG. Produced by Joe Chiccarelli, the LP is the first release of original material from the former Smiths frontman since 2017’s Low in High School. In a statement, he described the songs as “the very best of me … too good to be true … too true to be considered good”, while the producer described it as Morrissey’s “boldest and most adventurous album yet”. To accompany the release of the album, BMG will reissue several of Morrissey’s past solo releases, including Southpaw Grammar, Maladjusted, You Are The Quarry, Ringleader Of The Tormentors, Years Of Refusal, and Live At The Hollywood Bowl.
American singer Adam Lambert has released his fourth studio album, Velvet, through More Is More and Empire Distribution. Following his Velvet: Side A EP back in September, the new album features all the tracks off that EP, as well as the singles ‘Feel Something’, “New Eyes’, ‘Comin’ in Hot’, and ‘Roses’ with Nile Rodgers. The American singer said that the time he spent touring for Queen has influenced the writing for his new solo album. “I don’t think I sat down and specifically was like, ‘Hey, I need to do a song that sounds like a Queen song,’” he said. “But I’m sure that now, over the course of the past seven years, by osmosis it’s kind of rubbed off on me a bit.”
Japanese artist Haru Nemuri has a new mini-album out titled LOVETHEISM. Following her genre-mixing debut, Haru to Shura, that put her on the radar back in 2018, as well as last year’s Kick in the World EP, the new release is a 7-song collection that finds her revisiting her signature fusion rap, hard rock, J-pop, and dance music. In a heartfelt statement accompanying the record, Nemuri concludes: “The world is always imperfect and the times are always incomplete. No one knows what the world will be like for the next 10 years. But that is why we can always make it with our hands. When we look at the world, love someone, and choose something, that is, when we “live,” I hope that this fanfare will ring through out and become a prayer for you.
Brian and Roger Eno, Mixing Colours; Moaning, Uneasy Laughter; Gordon Lightfoot; Solo.
Vivien Bertin, an art director and illustrator out of Paris, France, presented a beautiful series of illustrations that showcase vibrantly warm landscapes. The series started back in 2018, the illustrations below are part of the fourth edition in the series.
You can find more brilliant work by Vivien Bertin here.
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