Wes Anderson’s forthcoming film The French Dispatch is a love letter to reporters set in an outstation of an American newspaper in a fictional 20th-century French city that brings to life a collection of stories published in the magazine named, The French Dispatch.
The cast of the film includes Saoirse Ronan, Timothée Chalamet, Elisabeth Moss, Léa Seydoux, Bill Murray, Willem Dafoe — to name a few.
For many enthusiasts, photography quickly transitions from a fun hobby into a serious artform, with some of the world’s best photographers creating exhibitions that are both insightful portrayals of the world and the human condition, and gloriously beautiful all at the same time.
Today, there’s loads of gadgets out there to get even the most basic of smartphone cameras to produce stunning photos, but it takes a great deal of skill to create true works of photographic art.
For those who want to turn their beautiful photographs into art that will inspire and astound, check out these tips.
The basics of art photography are linked to traditional photography, so hire a photographer to see how they work and get an idea of how to go about entering this market. Find top-rated and professional photographers in Australia using LinkU and watch how they work. You could hire several different photographers for a few basic photoshoots, so that you get a broad overview of how they structure their work and create beautiful images that resonate.
Much like traditional art, there are many different types and styles of art photography. If you’re looking to get started in this diverse market, you’ll need to learn about the styles out there and find the one that you’d like to emulate.
As part of your research into the fine art photography market, you should find a selection of artists whose work you admire and try to follow them on social media. This will allow you to see their work, gain inspiration and learn about the latest trends in this fast-paced industry.
When you first start fine art photography, you need to start slowly and not invest too much money in expensive equipment. Instead, hone your skills by setting up small shoots using the cameras you have at your disposal already, such as an old one or even your smartphone. Learn about how to use lighting, positioning and other techniques to create different effects.
After your first few shoots, if you decide that fine art photography is the vocation that you’d like to pursue, then you’ll need to invest in a quality professional camera and other equipment. You should try to set up a small indoor studio so that you can take photos in the perfect environment, as well as carrying portable gear that can be used to take images out in the open.
Once you start producing quality images, you can ask for feedback from the people who know the most about this medium: fine art photographers, consultants and galleries. Approach your favourite galleries and others in the industry and ask for their thoughts on your work to gain a professional opinion of how well you’ve done so far and what you could do to improve in the future.
M.Ward, a well-regarded figure in the world of indie folk music, has announced the dates for his short U.K. tour in October, 2020. The tour comes after the release of his upcoming album Migration Stories, which is due to be released on the 3rd of April via Anti Records.
Talking about the album Ward stated: “Some time went by, the stories wove together and I remember them now closer to characters in a dream of how people could treat each other than any kind of front-page news realism. I think music subconsciously – whether writing or listening – is a filter for me. Helping to process all the bad news into something new to build from. Some records to me are like self-fulfilling prophecies – visualizing change to wish something into being. Those records inspired this one.”
October 27th – Caves, Edinburgh
October 27th – District, Liverpool
October 27th – Islington Assembly Hall, London
Opening with an excellent single is a newly found artist Cobey. In this piece named Current Future, Cobey., an impressive artist out of Chicago, showcases mellifluous vocals, magnificent production, and a vibe that will have you yearning for more. Cobey. as an artist has been writing music since 2007, but looks to make 2020 his most significant with the release of Current Future.
Switching to electronic music, we are presented with Hold Me Close by Kasablanca. In this piece, Kasablanca explores the mixture of the 80s and modern tech-house, reminding us of artists like Justice and Nero. Hold Me Close is not just a superb song for the car, but a song that reminds us of different mediums, more specifically films such as Drive or video games like OutDrive. It is a beautiful track, full of activity and movement, deserving every bit of praise it gets.
With honey-like vocals and a smooth production, Loneborn, a duo out of Miami, US, showcase their marvellous style in their latest single Loosen Up. Loneborn have a subtle touch in their music, helping the music flow smoothly to the ears of the listener. It is their first single of the year, giving them a brilliant start to the year.
Imperial Daze, the psych-pop band from London, has returned with a fresh single Monomania. If you’re a fan of their previous work, Monomania won’t be a let down. Building on their impressive discography, Monomania delivers on their top-notch production quality and stand out energy that has become aligned with the name Imperial Daze.
After a brilliant year in 2019, the amazing Celeste return with a radio-ready hit Stop This Flame. This energetic and catchy tune is a must for any quality playlist. Celeste wrapped up 2019 by winning BBC’s Introducing Artist of the Year and Sound of 2020 after the success of her single Strange.
In this segment, we showcase the most notable albums out each week. Here are the albums out on February 7th, 2020:
Green Day, Father of All Motherfuckers: Green Day are back with their thirteen studio album, also known by its censored version Father of All…, out now via Reprise Records. It is the pop punk band’s shortest album at just 25 minutes and 53 seconds with 10 tracks, including singles ‘Fire, Ready, Aim’ and ‘Oh Yeah’. In an Instagram post, Billie Joe Armstrong described the album as “The New! soul, Motown, glam and manic anthemic. Punks, freaks and punishers! The Dirty messy. The Stink.” He continues: “The lyrics are like a party and lifestyle of not giving a fuck. The life AND death of the party. Not political. Surviving in chaos. The real shit.” He ends by proclaiming: “Our motto?? ‘Nothing says fuck you like a unicorn’.”
Stone Temple Pilots, Perdida: The alternative rock band has returned with their eighth studio album following their 2018 self-titled release. It marks their second album with vocalist Jeff Gutt, and also finds them shifting from their classic alt-rock sound to a more acoustic approach, one which, according to bassist Robert DeLeo, the band had wanted to delve into for a while. The title, which translates to “loss” in Spanish, indicates one of the key emotional themes of the album – one of the songs, ‘I Didn’t Know the Time’, is about the loss of two of the band’s previous singers — original frontman Scott Weiland, who passed away in 2015, and Linkin Park’s Chester Bennington, who had replaced him. “I was trying to be vulnerable and that’s a scary thing to do, but it’s also kind of comfortable,” Gutt explained.
Nada Surf, Never Not Together: Yet another 90s alternative rock band returns with their ninth studio album, titled Never Not Together and out now via City Sland. Nada Surf reportedly changed their creative outlook after celebrating the 15th anniversary of Let Go in 2017, recording a lot of demos before narrowing it down to the ones that made it into the album. The main theme of the record, as evidenced by the title as well as the lead single, ‘Something I Should Do’, is communal unity: “Empathy is good, lack of empathy is bad, holy math says we’re never not together,” Matthew Caws declares at the end of the track.
Ásgeir, Bury the Moon: Icelandic singer-songwriter Ásgeir has released his third full-length album, Bury the Moon. Following 2017’s Afterglow, the record was inspired by the artist’s stay at an Icelandic summerhouse with just a guitar and a small keyboard, ruminating in solitude during a period of heartbreak a la Justin Vernon. “I’ve always had this longing to go somewhere on my own,” Ásgeir said in a press release. “I think it was really good to go there and just think about music, and have no distractions whatsoever.”
Other albums out today: Sepultura, Quadra; Envy, The Fallen Crimson; Richard Marx, Limitless.
Before the start of her AW20 presentation at the Copenhagen Fashion Week, NYNNE, a beloved fashion designer, joined us for an interview to talk about her latest collection and what it means to be presenting it in Copenhagen.
I’m great thank you, we are currently on our way to the venue for the presentation and there is lots to do today but I’m excited about it
I have been working on fashion for quite a while now, when I was younger I decided to move to London to study womenswear design at the Istituto Marangoni. I have always been fascinated by the way women dress and what this represents, therefore when I had the chance to move to London to preside my dream in womenswear, I couldn’t have been more excited.
I was honoured to win the Istituto Marangoni X Luisa via Roma womenswear prize with my graduate collection, which saw me showcase the NYNNE SS20 collection at the Palazzo Serbelloni during Milan Fashion Week and this was really the start of the brand.
The underlying theme of NYNNE is celebrating female empowerment and champing women. The AW20 collection has been inspired by the abstract expressionist art movement within the 1940s and more importantly, the homage to works of art women created an era that was heavily male-dominated.
This season’s silhouettes and finer details are inspired by the elegant life of art enthusiast Peg¬gy Guggenheim. The collections luxurious weighted leather pieces stand in contrast to soft jerseys and silk satins. Whilst the burnt orange, brown, black and a touch of blue, are taken out of Joan Mitchell’s many paintings from this time, including ‘Two Sunflowers’ as part of her expression of freedom, she was one few female artists gaining critical acclaim. Rich textures with vibrant, lyrical colour enrich this NYNNE’s collection with luxurious silk satins, buttery leathers, sheer chiffon alongside the return of shearling from her first collection, which completes this sophisticated edit.
I’m so excited to be coming home to Denmark, as I haven’t really interactive with Danish fashion since moving to London in 2014. I’m intrigued to see how the Danish community react to my designs and the collection.
Of course, there is pressure as it’s my home city but I’m lucky to have the support of my friends and family here. Copenhagen Fashion Week has a very relaxed atmosphere in comparison to other fashion weeks and this will be my first time doing a presentation at a beautiful Gallery Bo Bjerregaard in the Meat Packing District.
My goal has always been to design clothing that women want to wear and feel glamorous and confident in, so I hope to see women wearing the clothes out and about as the brand grows.
Also, I would love to see NYNNE being stocked within certain stores throughout the world, so that people can access the clothes even if this means feeling the fabrics, trying on new styles for them etc. Finally, I’m looking forward for us to find our brand’s pace, as we begin to grow and expand the collections, where NYNNE is available etc. I’m just looking forward to experiencing the journey of the brand, to be honest.
Fast fashion has been accessible to a large market for so long because of the price tags, and by not educating the consumer on how these clothes were being made. Nowadays, the consumer wants to know more and demands transparency from the brands they are investing in, as well as caring more about their social impact on the environment. It’s an important topic to talk about and figure out how to make that section of the industry more sustainable and aware of their actions.
I feel the future of fashion is that consumers want better quality, better finishes to their clothes and know that the looks they are wearing now will last them a lifetime instead of going into landfill. It’s really about investing in yourself and your wardrobe, which we can see is currently creating a divide within the industry.
I think it’s hard to define culture since it plays a role in several aspects of my daily life. Culture for me is establishing a community where creative forces can flourish and shear ideas between peers. Creatives can sometime get lost in their own minds and therefore it’s important to collaborate and embrace collective creativity.
Joep Beving, a composer and pianist, will be touring the US in February for a short period of time. Before exploring the land of opportunity, Beving joined us for an interview to talk about his music and culture.
Great. Thank you. In the train on my way to Paris at the moment and the sun is just coming up. Could be worse. A coffee would be nice though.
I think the love started when I was old enough to climb behind the piano that my parents had at home. But who knows, I might have been born with it. The music I make at this point in life falls in the category neo-classical music although that is a misleading label. It’s a crossover between pop, ambient and classical music I would prefer to say.
A huge impact I should say. It has opened the doorway to the second chapter in my life. In which I am hopefully more connected to myself and the world around me. The idea of solipsism – reality only exists in one’s own mind – is a bizarre idea for most people. To me as well. But exposed to the grotesqueness of the news and the negativity we are bombarded with on a daily basis, it is not so strange to think that people are more and more retracting from the outside world and in to their own mind or bubble. Alienation is the result and this for me was the starting point when writing my debut album. My hope was to make something that would resonate with the people around me on a level that was oftentimes difficult to put into words. Reconnecting on a human level, in a way to find trust and comfort. When the music started to travel, this was often the response I got from people. It has taught me to trust.
Much of the success I feel is in the accessibility of the music. Literally, since it is presented in this day and age in playlists that are easy to find and put on. And most of the music itself is simple and well, easy to digest. That is not to say it is without substance (although some people might disagree, haha). Up to this point I haven’t been influenced too much by what seems to be popular or well listened to, nor calculative about what I am about to make next. Although to be perfectly honest, for my last album Henosis I did think about including solo piano pieces along the more elaborate compositions as to take along all the listeners I had gained with my solo piano work. Although I feel strongly about just making what feels right at the moment and don’t be too much rationally involved in the creative process.
Our relationship to ‘reality’ has been my main source of inspiration when writing music. Between every album I have tried to zoom out. First unconsciously, later deliberately. For Henosis this meant I envisioned it as a journey into the cosmos, far away from the self where it had started. In search of what is fundamental in reality, beyond the immediate perceivable. Henosis means oneness or unity with the source of all that is. The outward journey reflects the inward journey, much as the build up of our inner workings reflects that of the macro-cosmos. Once that idea starts to dawn on you, the level of connection deepens beyond imagination. Everything is connected. Think about it. If you see the other as merely a physically alternate representation of yourself it will be very difficult not to feel some form of empathy. The same goes for any other life form. I realize it is not all that straightforward and I don’t want to postulate this as being the truth. However to me this realization has come closest to a somewhat hopeful and admirable version of it. It completes the circle that started with a growing sense of alienation from reality I dealt with at the time of Solipsism, to a growing sense of becoming one with it.
From my previous concerts in the US I do remember that NY and LA have been very good to me in terms of how the music was received and the general vibe during and after the show. Sadly I won’t play in NY this time around, but we already performed this show (with ACME) at the end of last year there. I hope to be back though! So I am looking forward to playing LA again, but the other cities just as much to be honest.
I am working on a film score at the moment and this is something I see myself doing more in the future. Hopefully it is something I can do for the rest of my life. I don’t see myself traveling around the world forever and am looking to find ways to be able to continue a life in music without having to fly this much. That said, I hope to be starting on a new album at some point this year and we’ll also be bringing my latest album with the bigger group (adding electronics and sometimes choir) to more cities. Most importantly I want to use the time I have in Amsterdam to be with my family and to learn new things. I have a lot to learn still and feel like I am just getting started in all this. It’s a new life, for which I am incredibly grateful.
Establishing meaningful connections in consonance with the spirit of truth. And a good excuse to go out for a beer.
In this monthly segment, we showcase the best albums of each month. Here are our picks for January, 2020:
Posthumous albums are notoriously hard to get right. As was the case with the late XXXTentaction’s 2018 album Bad Vibes Forever, labels will do anything they can to cash into the popularity of artists gone too soon by exploiting whatever bits and pieces they left behind. But Circles does not fall into that trap. The final album by Mac Miller, who passed away in 2018 at the age of 26 after a drug overdose, was completed by versatile producer Jon Brion (who’s worked on everything from Kanye West’s Late Registration to the Lady Bird soundtrack) with the permission of the rapper’s family. The result is not just respectful of Miller’s work, but also at times painfully revealing. The follow-up to 2018’s Swimming is drenched in contemplative, inward-looking moments that at times seem to predict the artist’s death, most potently on the heart-wrenching lead single ‘Good News’: “There’s a whole lot more for me waitin’ on the other side/ I’m always wonderin’ if it feel like summer,” Miller laments against a lush bed of plucky strings. There’s also a lot more singing than rapping here, and Brion embellishes the album with spare, but wonderfully organic, 60s-pop-inspired instrumentation that makes Miller feel uncannily more present than he usually did on some of his more reverb-drenched, washed-out efforts. Unexpected but perfectly pitched funkier tunes also make their way into the album, like the playful ‘Blue World’, without altering the mood too much. Because what makes Circles a great album isn’t the melancholic vibe that envelops it, but rather the way Miller’s genuine spirit glows throughout. And if there’s any message that the album leaves us with, it’s to not be afraid to face our true selves amidst the drabness of the everyday: “I wonder, do they see their own reflection in the rain/ And look away?” he contemplates on the closing track.
Highlights: ‘Good News’, ‘Circles’, ‘Blue World’, ‘Hands Me Downs’, ‘Once a Day’
Following her 2018 EP Glitter and the high-profile contribution to Kanye West’s ‘Ghost Town’ that put her on the map, 070 Shake has graced us with a remarkably ambitious and cohesive debut. Modus Vivendi navigates the messiness of relationships with defiance and sincerity, two elements that clash beautifully on the album. On highlight ‘Come Around’, anthemic, heavy synths provide the foundation for Shake’s impassioned, high-pitched vocal delivery as she yearns for some form of connection. On the trap-infused ‘Rocketship’, her voice is instead characterized by a cool kind of confidence, as she proclaims “It feel like I’m on a rocket ship, rocket ship/ And ain’t nobody stoppin’ this rocket ship” atop ethereal, spacy synths. The team of producers assembled here have crafted some impressive and wonderfully varied sounds for Shake to work around, from the dynamic percussion and Pink Floyd-esque guitar solos on the heart-rending ‘Divorce’ to the infectious 80s-inspired synth jam of ‘Guilty Conscience’. It wouldn’t work if Shake weren’t such a versatile artist – she even takes the traditional Led Belly tune recorded by Nirvana as ‘Where Did You Sleep Last Night?’ and repurposes it into a sub-heavy, modern pop tune without sacrificing the original’s gritty, haunting atmosphere. A lot of work and experimentation has gone into the making of Modus Vivendi, and it shows – but what’s even more impressive is that it feels grand and polished without being overproduced. It’s a unique fusion of sounds and a bold statement from a young artist claiming her own place in the music industry. And with a voice that commands attention and a fearless spirit that can seemingly transcend space and time, you can rest assured: there ain’t nobody stopping her.
Highlights: ‘Come Around’, ‘Morrow’, ‘The Pines’, ‘Guilty Conscience’, ‘Divorce’, ‘Rocketship’
Adding to an already impressively consistent creative streak, Have We Met revisits a lot of the same sounds and themes of Destroyer’s recent output – but despite that sense of familiarity, something here feels decidedly looser, spontaneous, and a bit off-kilter. Makes sense, as Dan Bejar took a more stream-of-consciousness approach to the songwriting for this one, sometimes just cobbling together lines from scattered notebooks, while the instrumentals were recorded on GarageBand before they were sent to collaborator John Collins. Sonically, the album retains a lot of the same ambitious folk-rock elements of their last three albums, but trades the gothic tones of 2017’s ken for the sweeping melodic passages and glorious guitar solos that are strongly reminiscent of The War on Drugs’ last two albums – especially on the grand, 6-minute opener ‘Crimson Peak’ and the equally magnificent follow-up ‘Kinda Dark’ (which features an absolutely orgasmic guitar solo). Then you have more unexpected moments, like the delightful swagger of the slap-bass on ‘Cue Synthesizer’, or the eerie ambient ballad ‘The Television Music Supervisor’. What makes these songs stand out, though, is Bejar’s usual knack for witty and poetic lyricism, which is on full display here: “A fortress of solitude’s no contest when you stare at oblivion,” he muses on ‘University Hill’, while on the mid-album, introspective highlight ‘The Raven’, he opens with “Just look at the world around you/ Actually, no, don’t look” before delivering the instantly quotable: “The Grand Ole Opry of Death is breathless.” It may be hard to grasp exactly what Bejar is getting at much of the time, and the album as a whole can feel a bit spotty, but Have We Met is as idiosyncratic and compelling as anything Bejar has done.
Highlights: ‘Crimson Tide’, ‘Kinda Dark’, ‘It Just Doesn’t Happen’, ‘The Raven’, ‘Cue Synthesizer’, ‘foolssong’
Four decades and fourteen albums into the band’s career, it’s easy to dismiss Hotspot as nothing particularly ground-breaking for the Pet Shop Boys. But with barely anyone noticing, the synthpop titans have crafted yet another album filled with high-quality, high-energy pop tunes that could easily be mistaken for a greatest hits album if it wasn’t made by them. Recorded in large part at Berlin’s Hansa studios – where David Bowie recorded Low and Heroes – Hotspot is very much an equal to PSB’s classic albums, embracing analogue synths and repurposing retro dance music trends without clinging onto a bygone era. ‘Dreamland’ even brings in Olly Alexander of Years and Years – a natural Gen Z successor to the PSB’s brand of sophisti-pop – to deliver a track about Brexit and the migrant crisis that feels all too pertinent, as Neil Tennant dreams of land “where all problems seem to disappear/ And you don’t need a visa / You can come and go and still be here”. Just like the duo manage to sound nostalgic without feeling dated, they balance political commentary with pure pop escapism. Techno banger ‘Happy People’ boasts a chorus about “happy people living in a sad world”, while ‘Monkey Business’ is even more irresistibly danceable as it cranks up the disco energy. ‘I Don’t Wanna’ is a wallflower dance anthem with a young heart, while ballads ‘Burning the heather’ and ‘Hoping for a miracle’ act as a refreshing reminder of duo’s maturity. The Pet Shop Boys may generally be treading familiar territory here, but there’s no denying that, as far as synthpop goes, Hotspot is an expertly produced, well-written album by a duo that still has it in them.
Highlights: ‘Happy People’, ‘Dreamland’, ‘I Don’t Wanna’, ‘Monkey Business’, ‘Burning the Heather’
Nour Wazzi’s Up on the Roof is a brilliant short film that has had brilliant success during its film festival run, a couple years ago. The film has a phenomenal cast including Maisie Williams from the highly-loved Game of Thrones.
Director: Nour Wazzi
Director of Photography: Eben Bolter
Producers: Tom Harberd, Nour Wazzi
Executive Producers: Sami Moughrabie, Nelson Benavides, Maisie Williams
Writer: Anthony Attah
Editor: Vee Pinot
Composer: David M Saunders
Sound Design: Lee Walpole
Case Jernigan, a filmmaker out of Brooklyn, New York, has released a new superb short film eggshell.
Writing about this piece Jernigan stated: “My work is about compartmentalization, about being an artist or dreamer amid the rigid formal tenets of churches and schools. I make imagery from anxious childhood moments. Feeling scared at night, covers pulled overhead. Trapped between powerful authority figures and propelled down an accepted path of behavior and belief. I make artwork about bullies, hero worship, religious fervor, and yearning”
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