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Collectibles: An Underrated Form Of Investment

Our Culture Mag & Partners
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Collectibles: An Underrated Form Of Investment

When thinking of investments, many people think of stocks, bonds, or real estate. Although these are all excellent investments, many people overlook the potential that collectibles have to offer as an investment option. Collectibles can be a great way to diversify one’s portfolio and provide long-term growth potential. Not only can collectibles be extremely valuable, but they can add a unique piece of art to one’s collection.

Collectibles Come In Various Forms

Collectibles come in all shapes and sizes and can cover a wide array of topics, from sports memorabilia to stamps, coins, and comic books. Many collectors choose to specialize their collections around certain topics or genres, such as political memorabilia, vintage toys, or classic cars. Collectors may also focus on specific items related to each other, like video games or movie posters from a particular era. Taking the time to research different areas of collectible investment is essential when looking for something that not only has potential gain but is also interesting and enjoyable. Art is also an excellent form of collectible investment with the potential to increase in value over time. Music records, vintage posters, and limited edition prints can all be collected and enjoyed while providing the potential for long-term investment. Lastly, don’t forget about vintage items like wines, old furniture, and antiques.

Advantages Of Collectibles As An Investment

Collecting can be one of the most satisfying activities; it’s a hobby that brings joy to many people while also providing potential monetary gain. Unlike stocks and bonds, collectibles are tangible items that can be kept and enjoyed over time. Here are some other advantages of collectibles as an investment:

Low Risk

Collectibles are typically considered lower-risk investments than stocks or bonds since the prices can be less volatile.

Liquidity

Most collectible items can be bought and sold relatively quickly if needed, giving investors more flexibility with their investments.

Diversification

Adding collectibles to a portfolio helps diversify it, reducing the risk of having all one’s eggs in one basket concerning investments.

Enjoyment Factor

One of the best aspects about collecting is that you get to enjoy the pieces you purchase, unlike stocks which require little involvement from investors once purchased and rarely provide any kind of enjoyment.

Social Aspect

Collecting can also be a social activity, with many collectors attending conventions and events to interact with other like-minded individuals.

Collectibles Have The Potential For Huge Returns

The beauty of collectibles is that they have the potential to offer large returns in a relatively short time frame compared to other traditional investments such as stocks or bonds. Collectible items can often appreciate in value much faster due to their limited availability and the fact that they can be hard to find. In addition, certain collectibles can have a huge amount of historical or nostalgic value, leading to sizable investment returns. Remember that you must know what you’re doing in this space; as with any investment, due diligence is essential. Understanding art valuation, market trends, and the history of an item are all important when investing in collectibles.

Potential For Appreciation

Collectibles have the potential for appreciation over time and are different from other investments in that the value of a particular collectible can be determined to some extent by its rarity. This makes them a great choice for those looking for long-term growth potential. In addition, many collectibles tend to appreciate faster than traditional investments due to their uniqueness and desirability, which often drives up the price when they are sold at auction or through private sales. As with any investment, to determine if the item has any intrinsic value and whether its market value is likely to increase, it’s important to do your research before investing.

Taking Care Of Collectibles Is Key To Maintaining Value

Taking care of your collectibles is essential to preserving the value of your investment. Proper storage and handling are important, as well as keeping track of any damage or wear and tear that may occur over time. It’s also important to check regularly for signs of counterfeiting, which can lower the value of an item significantly if it isn’t caught early on. Taking good care of your collectible investments will help preserve their value in the long run and ensure you get the maximum return on your investment.

Starting In The Collectibles Industry Can Be Tricky

Getting started in the collectibles industry can be tricky, and knowing where to invest your money is key. Researching a particular item’s history and market value is essential to determine if it has the potential for appreciation over time. Also, building relationships with dealers or auction houses specializing in the type of collectible you are interested in can help give you access to quality pieces at good prices.

Collectibles Can Have Interior Decorating Utility

Collectibles can also be a great way to decorate your home and add character to any room. Not only are they aesthetically pleasing, but some pieces may also have considerable value, which provides an added bonus. For many people who collect collectibles, their homes can often get cluttered; however, there are ways to incorporate these pieces into your home decor in a tasteful and organized way. For example, displaying them in glass cases, shelving systems, or mantles can ensure that the pieces remain protected while still accentuating the interior of your home.

Final Thoughts

Collectibles offer investors and collectors alike a unique opportunity to invest their money in something that can be both aesthetically pleasing and potentially very profitable. With the right research, care, and attention, collectibles can be a great addition as they are an often underrated form of investment that many people overlook. With their potential for large returns, diversification benefits, enjoyment factor, and social aspect, they provide investors with more flexibility with their investments than traditional investments such as stocks or bonds. While there is an inherent risk in investing in collectibles, the financial rewards can be substantial if done properly. In addition, collecting can be a fun hobby that adds beauty and value to any space it graces. So next time you’re looking for a new investment, don’t forget about collectibles. They could be just what you need to diversify your portfolio and reap the rewards of a unique and potentially profitable investment.

Xiu Xiu on Turning Tragedy Into Song, New Album ‘Ignore Grief’, Neanderthal Music, and More

Ryan Akler-Bishop
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Xiu Xiu on Turning Tragedy Into Song, New Album ‘Ignore Grief’, Neanderthal Music, and More

American experimental group Xiu Xiu (Jamie Stewart, Angela Seo, and now: David Kendrick) emerged alongside a swarm of new American indie-rock artists in the early 2000s. Yet from their inception, Xiu Xiu hardly assimilated into that wave. Their music was full of dissonance, startlingly upfront songwriting, and abrasive mixes, as if the sounds were unravelling in your ear. Over the years, Xiu Xiu’s music has expanded into countless genres—post-industrial, ambient, noise, jazz, synth punk, avant-folk, etc.—to the point where the “indie-rock” label is beyond reductive. However, Xiu Xiu’s main tenets of emotional honesty and boundary-pushing experimentation remain unchanged. For instance, in the hands of another band, an album like Plays the Music of Twin Peaks (a collection of covers from the titular show’s soundtrack) might be a minor work. Yet Xiu Xiu’s reinterpretations imagine the iconic songs as completely new entities: a testament to the group’s boundless creativity.

Xiu Xiu’s latest album Ignore Grief cleaves into two distinct halves. One is a feverish death industrial album, oozing with distortion, clanging percussion, and vocal tracks buried beneath the stampede of noise. The other half is an ominous modern classical album reminiscent of both Krzysztof Penderecki and Scott Walker. It’s packed with unnerving arrangements and goosebump-inducing drones, oscillating between open stretches and intense cacophony. These two halves, despite their seemingly conflicting DNA, fuse beautifully into the most viscerally overwhelming Xiu Xiu record to date. Each of the ten tracks relay an inconceivably devastating tragedy: half are fictionalized, half are plucked from the lives of the bands’ acquaintances. It’s an explosive album, built from miseries and an all-too-familiar understanding of the monstrous evils this world can summon.

We caught up with Xiu Xiu’s founding member Jamie Stewart to discuss writing about tragedy, aesthetic influences, neanderthal music, the failed Xiu Xiu techno album, and more.

Around the time OH NO came out, you said something about how the record reminded you that the ratio of beautiful to shitty people is 60/40 rather than 1/99, as you used to believe. Listening to this new record, I was wondering where you stand on that ratio today?

[laughs]. It’s swung back a bit. Not as far as 1-99 but… edging towards the previous assessment. Especially when we were working on this record.

This album’s inspired by five real-life tragedies that happened to people linked to Xiu Xiu. In the press release, you said you wanted to make an album from these tragedies that does “something, anything, other than grind and brutalize their hearts and memory within these stunningly horrendous experiences.” Real-life traumas are a common backbone of Xiu Xiu’s music. Is the approach you took on this album in representing tragedy unique from prior records?

A fair question we get asked a lot is: Is that process cathartic? For me, the answer is no. It’s not cathartic insofar as the process of catharsis is cleansing a negative emotion. For me, it’s more about organizing. It’s almost a reconstruction of negative emotions from something self-destructive into something productive. So that aspect was similar [on Ignore Grief]. I don’t deal with stress well… I’m fucking nuts, basically. It’s corny but, to get through the day, music helps me shift negative emotions that prevent me from being a functional human being.

The other five songs which aren’t about real-life events are additional coping mechanisms for somewhere to put that super-negative, intense energy. Angela and I are both really interested in early American rock’n’roll. There’s a subgenre called teen tragedies—the most famous is ‘Leader of the Pack’ by The Shangri-Las. They’re basically fantasy songs about bad things happening to teenagers. Two teenagers in love, one dies. Two teenagers in love, both die. Two teenagers in love, one gets stabbed at a party. Two teenagers in love, parents say they can’t be together and ship them off to Antarctica. Putting five real-life events into songs was working to a degree, but we still needed to process the feeling more so we thought: What if we make up tragedies in a narrative completely outside reality? Ours don’t follow teen tragedy songs at all (ours are post-industrial songs). But this approach, making up a fantasy, was new for us.

Ignore Grief is a pretty conceptual record, especially compared to earlier Xiu Xiu albums. It has some clear influences (like teenage tragedy songs), lots of narrative, and, despite how chaotic the songs often are, it has a coherent overarching structure. Is this something you sit down and plan out prior to recording the album? Or do you gradually find your structure through the process?

We’ve started regularly working with a record producer/mix engineer named John Congleton since Always. For me, that was the end of a particular chapter of records not being “conceptual” or planned ahead of time. The ten songs we’d write during that period: that’s what the record was. When we made Always, John said “why don’t you make a record that sounds like the band Suicide?” We’d never thought about the specific pieces before starting a record. Since then, for each record we’ve at some point had a plan. The first record we tried this with was Angel Guts: Red Classroom. We thought, “OK, we’re going to be influenced by Suicide, Einstürzende Neubauten, and Nico, and we can only use percussion, analog drum machines, and analog synths.”

It took a while to find the model for Ignore Grief. We recorded like ten other songs that didn’t end up on the record before we figured out the structure. Halfway through the process, Angela mentioned she wanted to sing half the songs (she’d only been on two other songs in the past). At one point we’d thought it’d be a fully modern classical record. At another, we thought it’d be a techno record. But all the stuff we made that sounded like techno just… sounded like techno. It’s a pretty codified form, and we weren’t good enough at it to add anything. Eventually, we thought it should be post-industrial, since our vocabulary there was a little wider. We had ten modern classical songs and picked the ones that worked best. We took all the backbeats from the techno songs, and those became the industrial songs. Because we had those two halves and Angela wanted to sing, we figured it’d be a codified approach: two different approaches, two different signers, two different genres.

What made Angela want to sing half the songs?

She’s a mysterious being. We’re best friends, we spend an extraordinary amount of time together, and work together. If I asked her, she’d probably just look off and… [trails off]. She feels like she doesn’t like her voice. She wants to be a singer though, and I think this might be a way to force herself to do something she’s uncomfortable with. That’s a thing I always admire about her; she’s very willing to jump off the deep end. She probably also figured the record had these half-delineations that needed a second voice.

It’s interesting because her face is so prevalent in the videos but her voice is a rarity in the music.

Yeah, I really hate being filmed. It makes me physically uncomfortable. The label in recent years asked me to be in the videos because I’m a singer. From a video standpoint, it makes sense. But Angela makes all the videos, and she likes doing them. And she’s really good at it. And I also look really shitty on camera, she looks great.

How did knowing Angela’s singing half the songs change how you approach songwriting? 

Her voice, and I mean this in a good way, is very limited and very specific. As is mine. We just figured out ways to do the vocals that would highlight her capabilities rather than make an untenable challenge. Also, David Kendrick, the new drummer, wrote a lot of the lyrics—probably about a third. Most of them ended up being on songs Angela sang. A lot of the time he’d send me a couple verses and I’d combine that with a chorus. His approach to lyrics is based in Victorian poetic structures and film-noir. He has two storage spaces filled with books, and I think one of them is just noir novels. He teaches classes on it.

Can we expect Angela’s voice on future Xiu Xiu albums?

It’s up to her. We’re working on a new record right now, and there’s one song she wants to sing. On tour, she’s singing a couple songs; she’s never sung live.

You’re already working on a new album? 

I hate to keep talking about the fucking pandemic, but since the pandemic, the time you have to hand in a record before pressing plants can actually press it used to be six months. Now it’s like ten months. We’ve been done with Ignore Grief for a long time. And we weren’t touring, so we had time to work on the next one. All the music’s done, we just have to do a couple more vocals. It’ll be out 2024.

The Xiu Xiu line-up is always changing. If you could add any dead person to the band who would it be? 

One would be—and this would be the least workable but also the most interesting,—probably some caveperson or neanderthal. Someone with the earliest conception of what music could be. I did a class on experimental music last year, and was trying to go from the very beginning. The beginning of music was experimental music, because nothing had been tried before. I did a small amount of research on the earliest instruments and it’d be great to rock out with the people who made them—literally rock out with them, because the instruments were made from rocks [caveperson vocalization]. Sorry about that… It would be pretty fascinating. And then, I don’t know, Prince was one of the first people I bought a record by with my own money. So probably a caveperson or Prince.

Do you find a lot of the influences you had when you began Xiu Xiu remain core influences? 

The beginning influences are still very important for us, but other things are being added. I’d like to make a goth record. I’d like to make a techno record. I tried to make an early-60s West Coast pop record but it just sounded like not-good iterations of a masterful genre. One of the main influences isn’t genre-specific though. Until a few years ago, we would only write about real things. Then we did a record of Twin Peaks covers. That was the first time we sang things we weren’t related to; it was the first fantasy exploration. Initially, it was difficult for me to wrap my head around how to do it. It took a lot of shows for me to connect to it. We worked on FORGET for almost two years and didn’t come up with anything that really worked. And then, the Goddess of Music said [ghostly voice] try the Twinnnn Peakssss approach. You know, allow for the subconscious, supernatural ideas, dream ideologies, or things that had emotion but we couldn’t explain. So that influence, in addition to still writing about real-life events, is a new influence on us. 

When you made the Twin Peaks album, did you ever consider including a cover of James Hurley’s ‘Just You?’

It was on the table. Angela fucking hates that song. In the show, it’s much more cringe-worthy than just hearing the actual song. Because it’s James, he’s sitting there with his leg up, his cool guitar… And they’re like, “James is the greatest! He’s so cute! He’s so dreamy! I could die without him!” And Angela’s like, “This shit is so stupid. You can’t sing this.” I rewatched that episode recently with my niece. Angela and I just happened to be there. Without us saying anything, she looked at us and was like “this is fucking dumb.” So anyway, I like the character of James Hurley a lot. And as a piece of music, I think it’s a cute song. But the context was more than [Angela] could bear. And I don’t think that’s an unfair assessment, frankly.

When you go about preparing for live shows, do you ever find it’s difficult to recapture some of the sounds you’ve recorded?

Oh yeah, for sure. But it never bothers me to have the live arrangement be totally different than the recorded arrangement. Sometimes it’s a necessity. And then sometimes it’s an opportunity to be creative in a different way. My dad was a pretty successful musician and when I started out, I would always freak out like, “We can’t record this! There’s no way we could play it live.” He just said, “The record is one thing. Live is another. Make the best record you can, and then make the best live show you can. If they’re different, they’re different.” Which is good advice.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity and length.

Xiu Xiu’s Ignore Grief is out March 3 via Polyvinyl.

Bonny Doon Announce New Album ‘Let There Be Music’, Share New Single

Konstantinos Pappis
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Bonny Doon Announce New Album ‘Let There Be Music’, Share New Single

Bonny Doon have announced a new LP, Let There Be Music, their first for ANTI-. It’s set to arrive on June 16, and it will include the previously released singles ‘Crooked Creek’ and ‘San Fransisco’. Today’s announcement comes with the release of the new single ‘Naturally’, alongside a video filmed by Ian Rapnicki and Ben Collins. Check it out and find the album cover and tracklist below.

“‘Naturally’ is a song where the musical development really mirrored the lyrical content, specifically the idea of leaning into a situation and letting it develop organically, in this case that of a relationship,” the band’s Bill Lennox explained in a statement. “The song began as a slow ballad and worked better as a more uptempo thing, and a certain sentiment only made sense when translated to French. It speaks to those kind of unexpected surprises we encounter when we surrender to the flow of things.”

Let There Be Music Cover Artwork:

Let There Be Music Tracklist:

1. San Francisco
2. Naturally
3. Crooked Creek
4. Let There Be Music
5. Maybe Today
6. You Can’t Stay The Same
7. Roxanne
8. On My Mind
9. Fine Afternoon
10. Famous Piano

Legendary Jazz Saxophonist Wayne Shorter Dead at 89

Konstantinos Pappis
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Legendary Jazz Saxophonist Wayne Shorter Dead at 89

Wayne Shorter, one of the most innovative and influential saxophonists in jazz history, has died. Shorter passed away at a hospital in Los Angeles this morning (March 2), The New York Times reports. He was 89.

Born in 1933 in Newark, New Jersey, Shorter started playing the clarinet at an early age before switching to the saxophone. In 1956, he graduated from New York University with a degree in music education, and following a stint in the US Army, played with bandleader Maynard Ferguson before rising to prominence as a member of Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers.

In 1964, Shorter was recruited to join Miles Davis’ Second Great Quintet alongside Herbie Hancock on piano, Ron Carter on bass, and Tony Williams on drums. In Len Lyons’ book The Great Jazz Pianists, Hancock described Shorter as “the master writer to me, in that group” and “one of the few people who brought music to Miles that didn’t get changed.” In his autobiography, Davis wrote, “Wayne also brought in a kind of curiosity about working with musical rules. If they didn’t work, then he broke them, but with a musical sense; he understood that freedom in music was the ability to know the rules in order to bend them to your satisfaction and taste.”

The Second Great Quintet fell apart as Davis shifted toward jazz fusion and jazz-rock sounds, but Shorter remained a part of his band on landmark albums including 1969’s In a Silent Way and 1970’s Bitches Brew. During his tenure with Davis, Shorter also released influential records for Blue Note Records as a bandleader.

In 1971, Shorter formed Weather Report with keyboardist Joe Zawinul. Following the recruitment of bass player Jaco Pastorius in 1976, the group enjoyed commercial success with albums like 1977’s Heavy Weather, which reached the US Top 30. Shorter also had a fruitful collaboration with Joni Mitchell, who recruited him for all 10 studio albums she released between 1977 and 2002. He also contributed the saxophone solo to Steely Dan’s ‘Aja’ and Don Henley’s ‘The End of Innocence’.

An 11-time Grammy award winner, Shorter received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2015. He was named a National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Master in 1998, won the Polar Music Prize in 2017, and received the Kennedy Center Honors Award in 2018.

Olivia Jean Announces New Album ‘Raving Ghost’, Shares New Single ‘Trouble’

Konstantinos Pappis
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Olivia Jean Announces New Album ‘Raving Ghost’, Shares New Single ‘Trouble’

Olivia Jean has announced a new album called Raving Ghost. It’s set to land on May 5 via Third Man. Lead single ‘Trouble’ is out today, and you can check it out below.

“Ever since I was a kid, writing songs and playing guitar has been an addiction that nothing else can touch,” Jean said in a press statement. “My guitar is an appendage. I could never put my guitar down even if I tried.”

Raving Ghost, the follow-up to Jean’s 2019 LP Night Owl, features a cover of Enya’s ‘Orinocco Flow’, as well as contributions by My Morning Jacket keyboardist Bo Koster, Jellyfish’s Roger Joseph Manning Jr., and drummers Carla Azar and Patrick Keeler.

Last year, Jean married Jack White during a show at the Masonic Temple in their hometown of Detroit.

Raving Ghost Cover Artwork:

Raving Ghost Tracklist:

1. Raving Ghost
2. Too Late
3. Spider
4. Trouble
5. I Need You
6. Ditch
7. Fun
8. Fate
9. Orinoco Flow
10. Godmother
11. Don’t Leave

Pulp Bassist Steve Mackey Dies at 56

Konstantinos Pappis
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Pulp Bassist Steve Mackey Dies at 56

Steve Mackey, the producer and longtime bassist for the legendary Britpop band Pulp, has died. “Our beloved friend and bass player Steve Mackey passed away this morning,” Pulp wrote in a statement on social media. “Our thoughts are with his family and loved ones.” Mackey’s wife, Katie Grand, said that he died following a three-month hospitalization. No cause of death was disclosed. Mackey was 56 years old.

Steve Mackey grew up in Sheffield, where Pulp formed in the late 1970s, and joined the band in 1989. The first Pulp album Mackey played on was 1992’s Separations, and he went on to contribute to every one of their subsequent LPs, including their 1994 breakthrough His N’ Hers, 1995’s Different Class, 1998’s This Is Hardcore, and 2001’s We Love Life.

After the band went on hiatus in 2002, Mackey co-wrote and produced M.I.A.’s first two singles, ‘Galang’ and ‘Sunshowers’, as well as her Kala track ‘Bird Flu’. He also worked on songs by Florence + the Machine, Arcade Fire, the Long Blondes, the Kills, and more. Mackey accompanied Pulp frontman Jarvis Cocker on his early solo records, and joined him in a scene from the 2005 film Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire as one of the Weird Sisters.

When Pulp reunited for a series of shows last October, Mackey announced he would not take part, writing on Instagram, “I’ve decided to continue the work I’m engaged in—music, filmmaking, and photography projects.” He added, “Wishing Candy, Nick, Mark and Jarvis the very best with forthcoming performances in the UK and also an enormous thanks to Pulp’s amazing fanbase, many of whom have sent me lovely messages today.”

In her Instagram post, Grand said of her husband: “Steve was the most talented man I have ever known, an exceptional musician, producer, photographer and filmmaker. As in life, he was adored by everyone whose paths he crossed in the multiple creative disciplines he conquered. I would like to express my heartfelt thanks to all the NHS staff who worked tirelessly for Steve. He will be missed beyond words.”

 

Album Review: slowthai, ‘UGLY’

Konstantinos Pappis
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Album Review: slowthai, ‘UGLY’

No one has flaunted his introspective streak quite like slowthai. While he rose to fame thanks to the incisive political commentary of 2019’s Nothing Great About Britain, his status as a celebrated rapper in today’s culture – especially one whose career has been shrouded in controversy – has required him to look inward. slowthai’s last album, Tyron, did include a somewhat heavy-handed takedown of cancel culture, but its two-part structure made way for a nuanced, if rather disjointed, portrait of the artist beyond his public persona. Though it may not have received the same acclaim as his debut, it was a compelling effort that not only saw him overcoming his resistance to maturity but opened new avenues for expressing it. On his new record, UGLY, Tyron Frampton continues to tackle the contradictions within himself – the title is an acronym for U Gotta Love Yourself, and “self-reflection” is the first word we hear him speak – but commits to more of a single lane, narrowing his focus, and, unfortunately, some of his ambition.

Nowadays, a mainstream album built around therapy is pretty common across genres. In 2019, Dave won some of Britain’s most prestigious awards for his album Psychodrama. Last year, Kendrick Lamar made his grand return with an album doubling as a messy, cathartic therapy session that went well over an hour. In pop, that kind of framing is almost expected. Last year’s Hold the Girl brought Rina Sawayama the title of “pop therapist”; a few months after Tyron came out, Anne-Marie, whom slowthai is dating, released an album called Therapy. This context is relevant because UGLY is refreshingly not that kind of therapy album, deliberately stumbling around the concept more than channelling it into music. “I’ve been lacking motivation/ I need an innervention,” he declares on ‘Yum’, his clumsy (but practically indiscernible) wordplay undercutting his urgency. He then relays an exchange with his therapist whose breathing exercises have him questioning “What am I paying for?” before spiralling into a frenzy: “Excuse me while I self-destruct/ ‘Cause I don’t give a fuck.”

Even as the album progresses, UGLY is less about digging himself out of those self-destructive tendencies than learning to face up to and embrace different facets of his personality. The catharsis Frampton didn’t get out of therapy he found by returning to his roots, which may sound surprising to some: he grew up wanting to be in rock bands but turned to rap because none of his peers would give him a serious shot. Now, having already teamed up with acts like Slaves (now known as Soft Play) and IDLES, he has the tools and connections to make the album he always wanted and that every rapper-turned-rockstar wishes they could. More drawn to post- than pop-punk, slowthai scrubs off the “ish” out of the “punkish” energy of his debut, going as far as to enter the extended “produced by Dan Carey” universe and enlisting Fontaines D.C. alongside a crew of contributors that include Shygirl, Kwes Darko, and Jockstrap’s Taylor Skye. The results have all the authenticity and raw grit you’d want from such a transition, even if beneath the convincing surface the songwriting isn’t always up to par.

slowthai generally sounds invigorated by Carey’s dynamic production, which is able to match the rapper’s dizzying and often conflicting train of thought. ‘Yum’ and early single ‘Selfish’ are among the album’s most thrilling cuts, with the dark, propulsive swagger of the latter allowing slowthai to tap into one of his most vibrant performances. But the record quickly starts to lose momentum, competently switching between styles but slowly losing its sense of identity. slowthai has no issue commanding whatever instrumental he and his collaborators whip up, revealing the mangled irony behind ostensibly carefree songs like ‘Feel Good’ and ‘Wotz Funny’. But on songs like ‘Sooner’, he seems to just be hanging along for the ride. The pair of ‘HAPPY’ and ‘UGLY’ is particularly puzzling: spelling out the title of a song is rarely a good idea, but to do it on two tracks in a row? The forced positivity of ‘HAPPY’ is more baffling than biting, while ‘UGLY’ sounds like a Pablo Honey-era Radiohead cut with a wearying chorus. When slowthai struggles to find the right balance between singing and rapping, it sometimes undercuts the emotion of his words.

Amidst the noise and confusion, there are flashes of brilliance. UGLY‘s best song might be ‘Fuck It Puppet’ – the name his therapist gave “the self-destructive imp on his shoulder” – which is just seventy-three seconds of pure dramatic intensity. On ‘Never Again’, the live instrumentation beautifully accentuates his rich, contemplative lyricism. slowthai’s endearing sense of humour still shines through when you least expect it, like when he ends the final verse on ‘Feel Good’ with a reminder that “Everything ain’t nice like cherry pie,” giggling at his own joke. For a therapy album about how therapy doesn’t always work but the transformative power of music might be more than a cliché, UGLY has some genuinely potent moments, like when it evokes the abyss of depression on the Pixies-indebted (maybe too indebted) ‘Falling’. But the biggest piece of evidence for UGLY‘s thesis lies in ‘Tourniquet’, which unravels purposefully before reaching its conclusion: “I give you everything I’ve got/ Until the last fucking bone I have,” he sings with selfless desperation, dispelling every shred of doubt thrown his way. There’s no impish persona, no devil on his shoulder, no obsessions to toy with, just unvarnished desire to get to the core of this – by, if not entirely for, himself.

Learn all about negotiation and how to apply the technique in professional situations

Our Culture Mag & Partners
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Learn all about negotiation and how to apply the technique in professional situations

Online negotiation certificate courses are becoming increasingly popular with businesses and professionals, providing knowledge and skills that can help develop personal and professional success. Whether you’re looking to gain a competitive edge in a business role or getting ready for job interviews, this course provides you with the skills needed for successful negotiation. When you enroll into a negotiation programme online, you’ll learn the basics of bargaining and negotiating strategies, practice techniques to enhance your communication skills, and understand how to manage difficult conversations.

What You Can Learn with an Online Negotiation Certificate

An online negotiation certificate course covers a wide range of topics related to effective negotiation. These include understanding different types of negotiations, developing tactics to reach an agreement, and learning how to manage difficult conversations. Here’s a look at the major topics typically covered in this type of course:

Negotiation Basics 

The first section of an online negotiation certificate course covers the basics. This includes understanding the different types of negotiations, such as distributive bargaining, integrative bargaining, and collaborative bargaining. It also covers the stages of negotiation, such as problem definition, proposal generation, offer evaluation, and agreement seeking. Students will learn key concepts related to negotiation, including how to prepare for negotiations, assess leverage points and develop persuasive strategies. 

Tactics & Strategies 

The second section of the course focuses on tactics and strategies. This includes understanding the different tactics available to negotiators, such as anchoring, problem-solving, and active listening. Students will also learn to effectively employ these tactics to resolve conflicts and reach agreements more quickly. They will gain an in-depth understanding of the importance of communication in negotiation, including how words can be used strategically to influence an outcome. This section also introduces  the various negotiation styles prevalent in business, such as distributive bargaining and integrative bargaining. 

Preparing for Negotiations 

The third section of the course focuses on preparing for negotiations. Here, students will learn how to assess leverage points and develop persuasive strategies. They will also be introduced to BATNAs (Best Alternative to a Negotiated Agreement) and its importance in negotiation. The section includes practical advice on how to construct effective negotiation plans and how to research the other party’s interests. 

Communication During Negotiations 

The fourth section of the course explores communication during negotiations. It covers topics such as active listening, probing questions, and language choice. Students will learn to identify nonverbal cues to gauge the other party’s reactions and adjust their strategies accordingly. They will also acquire techniques for managing difficult situations, such as responding to anger or hostility. 

Closing the Deal 

The fifth section of the course focuses on closing the deal. It covers topics such as informing the other party of your offer, making counteroffers, and revising terms. Students will learn to identify when a negotiation is reaching its conclusion and how to use this important moment to their advantage. They will also explore strategies for resolving final disagreements and sealing the deal. 

Post-Negotiation Techniques

Once a negotiation is complete, students will learn valuable post-negotiation techniques such as evaluating the process, memorializing the agreement in writing, and building a positive relationship with their counterpart. These tactics ensure that an agreement is respected and that both parties remain satisfied with the results.

Course Outcomes

By the end of the course, students will be prepared to successfully negotiate in various settings. They will possess a detailed understanding of each stage of negotiations as well as effective strategies for presenting their case and responding to their counterpart’s demands. Students will also have the knowledge and confidence to close any deal with satisfaction.

Debby Friday Releases New Single ‘HOT LOVE’

Konstantinos Pappis
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Debby Friday Releases New Single ‘HOT LOVE’

Debby Friday has shared a new single, ‘HOT LOVE’, the latest offering from her upcoming debut album GOOD LUCK. It follows previous cuts ‘SO HARD TO TELL’ and ‘I GOT IT’, both of which landed on our Best New Songs list. Check it out below.

“The song itself is about the karma of relationships,” Friday said of ‘HOT LOVE’ in a statement. “You meet someone, and you idealize them, you project onto them, and they do the same to you, and it’s all fun and games until it isn’t. This way of loving is so intoxicating and combustible and so hot it burns you right up.”

GOOD LUCK will be released on March 24 via Sub Pop.

Surrealism in Christian Art Under the Internet Era: Exclusive Collection Presented by Jie Han

Abbie Wilson
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Surrealism in Christian Art Under the Internet Era: Exclusive Collection Presented by Jie Han

Christian artist Jie Han is pleased to introduce her latest collection of picture albums regarding The Book of Revelation. As a devout believer, Jie sees applying surrealism to the Bible as her unique approach to reinterpreting a classical story with a modern presentation.

After being baptized, Jie started exploring different themes in her art creations. Expressing biblical verses with artistic creativity is something she immensely enjoys, as it helps her to connect better with God. The themes of salvation and grace through Jesus deeply touched Jie, becoming her main source of inspiration for her artwork.

According to Jie, “In the Christian worldview, both man and nature are made by God,” she adds, “When I observe the physical structure of humans and the diverse elements in nature, I’m always amazed by how beautiful and stunning these creations are.”

Jie also states that many surrealist artists sought to explore the hidden depths of the human mind and to reveal human nature. This process is usually personal and subjective and is revealed through the artist’s own subconscious and imagination. But Jie focuses on the exploration of God’s will in the Bible instead of discussing the overall human subconscious. The Book of Revelation, for example, refers to the process by which God reveals himself and his will to mankind.

Jie has selected a few sections from each of the 22 chapters of The Book of Revelation as the inspiration source of her collection. The 22 images are presented as digital paintings and will be published in picture albums on Amazon as well as in the form of NFT.

Inspired by Revelation 2:26 ESV, Jie brought to life God’s view of “The one who conquers and who keeps my works until the end, to him I will give authority over the nations.” She depicted a modern cityscape to convey the message that God wants to impart to his followers.

 (Revelation 2:26 ESV, by Jie Han)

This unexpected combination of modern world and biblical scenes takes the audience into an extraordinary space, creating a contemporary but classical level of art that allows viewers to better relate to her artworks without feeling too dogmatic.

“As a Christian, the fundamental concept of my art is to interpret and express the praise of the Creator by the Created,” Jie shares, “In the Book of Revelation, John the Apostle describes a vision of heaven full of strange and wonderful creatures, which generates infinite imagination for creation. The story it tells is unbelievably incredible.”

Individuals have different perspectives and approaches to understanding God and the original saints, which brings peace to Jie and fills her with spiritual power. The classic paintings and sculptures of the Middle Ages and Renaissance still offer an intimate approach to the Bible even today. That’s why Jie sees them as classics that never end.

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