Putting the 'happy' back into content
I’m not sure which of these is more stunning. The fantastic sculpture by Anthony Gormley or the amazing staircase it’s being displayed in.
The geometric staircase in St Paul’s has not been open to the public before, but has been used in Harry Potter films, so is possibly recognisable to some.
Gormley’s sculpture is a wire mesh of a falling figure within a wire cloud and can be seen now until end of 2010.
The Joanna Newsom phenomenon has very possibly passed many people by.
After all, her main instrument is a harp, her voice is best compared with Bjork, her music contains no obvious hooks or choruses and the shortest tracks are 6 minutes long. Not exactly a crowd-pleaser.
And yet, and yet… Joanna Newsom’s first two albums Milk-Eyed Mender and Ys were critically acclaimed as being some of the most adventurous and mind-bending of the last 10 years.
And now she’s back with Have One On Me. Fans will be very happy to hear that this is a triple album – as packed full of edgy melodies and poetic lyrics as ever.
What’s more, whether it’s due to the toning down of the squeaky voice, this is possibly her most accessible record yet.
Along with her trademark harp, there’s also accompaniment from piano, violin, lute and mandolin – among other instruments – which overall seems to make everything a lot richer than previous records.
But don’t go expecting any top 10 singles – this is still typical Joanna Newsom. Slightly discordant and not something you’d put on as pleasing background music. it’s an album that demands close listening if you want genuine reward.
It’s released on Monday 1 March, but you can hear it first on NPR for nothing if you want to find out if you like it.
– Found via @euzie
Normally I like to recommend things on these pages – especially cool kitchen gadgets, but I have now come across possibly the least useful invention ever.
The usually-reliable cookware store Divertimenti is selling pairs of potato gloves. Yup, you read that right – potato gloves.
Not even sartorially elegant, potato gloves are apparently ‘ideal for removing dirt and skin from fresh potatoes, carrots and other vegetables’.
Now, correct me if I’m wrong, but we have these two things called hands that can do the job just as well as a pair of gloves.
And washing your hands afterwards merely involves a quick rinse under the hot tap, rather than a wash at 40 degrees.
Maybe these are aimed at ladies who lunch, for whom it would be inconceivable to get their hands dirty, but then surely they either eat out all the time or employ a housekeeper?