Quench
Robert Mapplethorpe’s Photography...
Or, more accurately, the general reaction to his photography. “I’m looking for the unexpected. I’m looking for things I’ve never seen before,” is how the man himself described his approach to his oeuvre/modus vivendi. And once you see his compositions, his gravitation towards things you’ve never seen before is clearly his default setting.
From his celebrity portraiture to his flower photos to his shots of the world’s biggest dicks and the S&M demimonde, the late Robert Mapplethorpe (1946-1989) scandalised polite society and pushed the outer margins of queer counterculture centre stage.
In 1990, a typically homoeroticised Mapplethorpe show in Cincinnati fuelled a tsunami of protest regarding federal arts funding in the US that persists to this day.
That aside, his work is achingly beautiful to look at, which is more to the point.
This Week
Latest Edition
Arcade Fire - Intervention
As a fan of Arcade Fire, I really want to plug this single. But Intervention is not very good, sounding more like a hymn than their angry selves. There are better tracks on the album Neon Bible, so buy that instead. Or see them live.
Kaiser Chiefs - Everything is Average Nowadays
This must have been the Kaiser Chiefs attempt at irony, because, even for them, it’s really bland and ‘average.’ However, I am going to like this single to annoy all the trendy scenesters with leggings and haircuts from faux-Japanese hairdressers who regard them as ‘uncool.’ Because I hate them more.
In Review: M.A.C.H
Modified Air Combat Heroes Is an acronym that has blatantly been reverse engineered by twatty marketing types. People who get to wear their own clothes to work and use phrases like ‘edgy’ and ‘bling’ far too much.
Dazed and Diffused
Mariam Bashorun and Leah Eynon review the celebrity designed clothing lines invading the highstreet
Klaxons - Gravity’s Rainbow
Bursting out of the traps like a sprightly ‘Nu Rave’ greyhound is Gravity’s Rainbow. While the band might have since started a cult, popularised glow-sticks and revived indie-dance music, this re-released track is perhaps their finest moment, with thumping drums and a bass line to die for.
Sunshine
Dir: Danny Boyle, Starring: Cillian Murphy, Rose Bryne, Chris Evans
Director’s chair
Interviews gets a behind the scenes account of the making of Black Book following last week’s DVD release
Maroon 5 - Makes Me Wonder
Upbeat and commercial, so unlikely to be popular with students. But thedistinctive sound of Levine’s voice makes a welcome comeback; he is, after all, the best thing since sliced bread.
LCD Soundsystem
To call LCD Soundsystem a ‘band’ would be somewhat like calling Robbie Williams ‘a bit of a drama queen.’ LCD Soundsystem are a fully-fledged multi-limbed funk contraption.